By Associated Press
Montgomery, AL – A federal judge set a June 26th sentencing date Thursday for former Governor Don Siegelman and former HealthSouth C-E-O Richard Scrushy.
It comes almost one year after they were convicted in federal court on bribery charges.
Federal Judge Mark Fuller also turned down a request by Scrushy for a new trial and for Fuller to recuse himself.
Fuller is still considering a motion for a new trial in which Scrushy says the federal courts had no jurisdiction to try the case.
Siegelman and Scrushy were convicted June 29th, 2006 after a two-month trial.
Siegelman was accused of appointing Scrushy to a seat on an important hospital regulatory board in exchange for 500-thousand dollars in donations to Siegelman's campaign for a statewide lottery. Siegelman was also convicted on an obstruction of justice charge.
In the motion asking Fuller to recuse himself, Scrushy argued that the judge had a conflict because he has an interest in a company that has contracts with the Air Force and because one of the prosecutors, Steve Feaga, is a colonel in the Air Force.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)