An Alabama sheriff who leaves office next month has agreed to plead guilty to a federal misdemeanor tax charge.
Multiple news outlets have reported Morgan County Sheriff Ana Franklin signed an agreement Tuesday to plead guilty to failure to file a federal tax return in 2015.
The U.S. Justice Department says Franklin will enter the plea on January 10. Her replacement Ron Puckett is set to take take office on January 15 after she did not seek re-election.
Defense attorney William Gray says Franklin filed her 2015 tax return by the end of 2016. But it was due by April 15, 2016. Gray says Franklin paid interest, penalties and taxes for the year.
Franklin faces up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. But prosecutors will recommend a lesser sentence because she accepted responsibility for the late return.