Former AGs seek review of Ala. gov’s conviction

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A group of 75 former state attorneys general from across the country has asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate whether former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman’s corruption prosecution should stand.

Both Democrats and Republicans signed the letter asking Holder to conduct an investigation similar to one that led the Justice Department to drop its case against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.

Earlier this month, Holder asked a judge to toss Stevens’ corruption conviction because prosecutors withheld evidence from his defense team during his trial.

If similar misconduct is found in the Siegelman case, the once-popular Democrat’s corruption conviction should be dismissed, the attorneys general told Holder in their letter, dated April 13.

Prosecutors say Siegelman appointed former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy to an influential hospital regulatory board in exchange for Scrushy arranging $500,000 in contributions to the governor’s campaign for a state lottery in 1999.

Siegelman was sentenced to seven years in prison but is free while he appeals. Scrushy is serving an almost seven-year sentence.

Former Indiana Attorney General Jeff Modisett, a Democrat, said Wednesday that Holder showed “a lot of courage” in the Stevens case and Siegelman’s conviction “warrants the same attention.”

“I think the main point is that with every day that passes, more information comes out that calls into question the investigation and prosecution of Governor Siegelman,” Modisett said.

The chief prosecutor in the Siegelman case, Louis Franklin, declined comment. The Justice Department last year said its Office of Professional Responsibility was investigating.

Siegelman’s chief attorney, Vince Kilborn, sent Holder a letter earlier this month asking him to look into claims of prosecution misconduct.

Specifically, Kilborn cited Montgomery U.S. Attorney Leura Canary’s involvement. She’s the wife of a prominent Republican political activist with ties to the administration of former President George Bush. She recused herself from the Siegelman case after his lawyers insisted, but Kilborn cited statements from a whistleblower in her office who said Canary continued to monitor the case.

Kilborn said Wednesday that at least three of the Justice Department officials who were accused of misconduct in the Stevens case played a role in the Siegelman case. He said that alone is a reason Holder should look into Siegelman’s conviction.

A panel of three appellate judges last month upheld five of the seven bribery and corruption charges against Siegelman and all six charges against Scrushy.