Birmingham, AL – Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman says his ``heart is broken'' over the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to refuse an appeal of his federal bribery conviction.
In a statement, Siegelman says law professors plus current and former attorneys general from both political parties backed his appeal. He says he hopes something positive comes out of the case in the future.
The Supreme Court declined Monday to review Siegelman's conviction on charges of accepting a bribe from former HealthSouth Corp. CEO Richard Scrushy, who also lost his appeal.
While Scrushy is nearly done with his prison sentence, Siegelman is free on bond and faces a new sentencing hearing. U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller could send the former Democratic chief executive back to prison.
A date hasn't been set for the resentencing.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)