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VOL. 39 | NO. 21 | Friday, May 22, 2015
A look at former lawmakers convicted in Tennessee Waltz
NASHVILLE (AP) - The five former lawmakers convicted in the FBI's Tennessee Waltz bribery sting all served sentences for their roles. Here is a look at where they are now:
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JOHN FORD: The former Democratic senator from Memphis who once boasted that "Nobody in this body is more ethical than I am," was sentenced to 5 1/2-year federal sentence in 2007 for taking $55,000 in bribes from undercover agents pretending to seek legislative favors for a fake computer recycling company. He served four years before returning to a Memphis halfway house in 2012. Today he works at his family's funeral home in Memphis. He has mainly kept a low profile, even though about two years ago he expressed a desire to return to public office. "I am not down," he told reporters at the time. "I am not out."
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ROSCOE DIXON: Already a former senator when he was arrested, the Memphis Democrat has probably been the most visible since being released from pr ison. Dixon was sentenced to five years and three months after being convicted of bribery and extortion. Since his release, he has reportedly been involved in community issues, including advocacy work for the Memphis NAACP.
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KATHRYN BOWERS: The Memphis Democrat died earlier this month at the age of 72. Bowers served in the state House from 1995 to 2005, and then became a member of the Senate in 2006. She resigned later that year citing her health, though she had been indicted in the Tennessee Waltz corruption probe. She later pleaded guilty to bribery and was sentenced to 16 months in prison. After getting out of prison, she again became active in community issues. U.S. Rep. Steven Cohen, D-Memphis, said in a statement that Bowers was "a tireless advocate for women, the poor and underserved."
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WARD CRUTCHFIELD: The Chattanooga Democrat was sentenced to two years' probation for accepting $3,000 from undercover agents. Since then, he has been spott ed at the state Capitol a few times, but has largely withdrawn from public life. Crutchfield had served as Senate majority leader, the No. 2 leadership position in the chamber.
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CHRIS NEWTON: The only Republican lawmaker charged in the FBI sting, he quickly resigned from the House under pressure from the state GOP. He later served a little more than nine months after his conviction and now works as a businessman in the Cleveland area. He has also visited the state Capitol on occasion.