NATION : Former W.Va. Governor Jailed 5 Years for Public Corruption

Former West Virginia Gov. Arch Moore was sentenced today to five years and 10 months in prison and fined $170,000 on his pleas of guilty to five counts of public corruption.

The sentence was handed down by Special Judge Walter Hoffman less than 24 hours after an unsuccessful bid by Moore to withdraw his guilty pleas to five federal corruption charges.

Hoffman ordered Moore to report to the minimum-security federal prison in Petersburg, Va., by July 31.

The 10-month sentence for obstruction of justice was added on to four concurrent five-year terms for mail fraud, extortion and two income tax charges. Moore, a Republican and the state’s only three-term governor, could have received maximum sentences of 36 years in prison and $1.25 million in fines.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Joe Savage told the judge that Moore has refused to accept full responsibility for his actions by failure to give the government complete information on $100,000 in illegal campaign contributions used in the 1984 campaign. Savage said Moore has only given information concerning $20,000 and has refused to say where the rest of the monies came from.