Alabama Rights Leader Gets Four Years for Bribe

Alabama NAACP President Thomas Reed, who led an effort to remove the Confederate flag from Alabama’s Capitol, was sentenced Friday to four years in federal prison for taking a $10,000 bribe, a ruling that instantly removes him from the state Legislature.

U.S. District Judge Joel Dubina said Reed, 60, had developed a trust with the public during his five terms in office but “gave away that trust for a small amount of money.”

“Judge, I know I’m not guilty,” said Reed, who in 1970 became one of the first two blacks elected to the Alabama Legislature.

Reed was convicted in September of taking $10,000 from Columbus, Ga., businessman Bobby Gene Chesser. Prosecutors said the money was in exchange for Reed’s attempt to obtain an early release from prison for Chesser’s nephew, Anthony Dennis Chesser, who was serving a 40-year sentence in the murder of his wife.

Maximum Penalty

The extortion charges against Reed carried a maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison and a $500,000 fine.

Dubina ordered Reed to report to prison on Jan. 3 but allowed him to remain free on bond. One of Reed’s attorneys, Bill Baxley, indicated he would seek a court order allowing Reed to remain free while the case is appealed.

Reed also faces misdemeanor trespassing charges for leading the unsuccessful effort by 14 black lawmakers to remove the Confederate flag from the Capitol in February. He has said he believes officials targeted him in the extortion case because of his involvement in the flag dispute.