PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A former Philadelphia council member convicted along with a notable labor chief in a federal general public corruption scenario has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in jail.
Prosecutors say Bobby Henon, a previous union electrician who was elected to the metropolis council in 2011, obtained a no-demonstrate work from the union to make sure he did its bidding. Also convicted was John Dougherty, longtime small business manager of Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Staff.
At Wednesday’s sentencing, U.S. District Decide Jeffrey Schmehl termed Henon a great guy “convicted of carrying out a negative thing,” The Philadelphia Inquirer claimed. The choose claimed the situation “exposed the dirty underbelly of how Philadelphia politics functions.”
Henon was convicted in November 2021 of 10 counts such as conspiracy, bribery, and sincere products and services mail and wire fraud.
He choked again tears Wednesday as he informed the decide he never viewed his paycheck as a bribe and tried out his best to aid every person in Philadelphia, “especially people who had been vulnerable and people in need” — but “by placing the fascination of my union to start with, I unsuccessful you.”
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Henon was fined $50,000 and purchased to hand more than $207,000, which is how a lot he obtained from Dougherty and Regional 98, the newspaper claimed.
He was ordered to report to prison April 17. Right after finishing his term, he will commit a few a long time on supervised launch. He earlier vowed to appeal the conviction, indicating council users are permitted outdoors work and it should not have amazed any person that he and Dougherty agreed on a great deal of problems.
Prosecutors sought the eight- to 10-year sentence advised by federal sentencing pointers. The defense sought to spare their consumer prison time. Defense attorney Brian McMonagle reported the circumstance wasn’t about bribery but “blind loyalty,” particularly loyalty to the labor chief.
Dougherty — identified greatly by his nickname “Johnny Doc” — had been a big pressure in Pennsylvania politics, steering hundreds of thousands in union marketing campaign contributions to candidates for political place of work, like his brother, who was elected as a state Supreme Courtroom justice in 2015.
Dougherty’s legal professionals contended he exerted no undue impact. He has nonetheless to be sentenced in the circumstance, and faces a different federal trial in an embezzlement circumstance.
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