Birmingham, AL – Former Jefferson County Commissioner Mary Buckelew has been sentenced to three years of probation for lying to grand jurors during a corruption investigation.
Buckelew was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine and sentenced to do 200 hours of volunteer work in Jefferson County schools. She is a former member of the Jefferson County Board of Education.
Prosecutors had asked a federal judge to sentence her to six months in prison and to pay $30,000 in fines.
Buckelew pleaded guilty to lying when she told grand jurors she didn't receive about $4,000 worth of gifts and spa treatments during trips to New York to discuss bond financing for sewer renovation.
Buckelew is among four former commissioners convicted on charges related to the sewer project.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)