Former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford... "I'm dying."

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford says he is dying in the federal prison where he's serving time for accepting bribes. Langford tells al.com in an email that he is terminally ill. Langford says he sought an early release from prison because of his medical condition but was refused. Federal prison records show the 65-year-old Langford is being held at a federal prison medical facility in Lexington, Ky. He's set for release in 2023. Langford was Birmingham's mayor when jurors convicted him in 2009 of accepting about $235,000 in bribes while serving on the Jefferson County Commission. Two former Democratic leaders pleaded guilty to paying the bribes and also went to prison. The corruption helped lead to Jefferson County filing the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history in November 2011.