Siegelman Lawyer Asks For Leniency In New Sentence

An attorney for former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman has asked a federal judge to not send Siegelman back to prison on Friday, but in a letter to supporters Siegelman says he may be returning to federal prison for a lengthy stay. U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller originally sentenced Siegelman to more than seven years in prison for his 2006 conviction for bribery and other charges. Fuller is resentencing Siegelman because a federal appeals court dropped two of the charges. Siegelman's attorney, Susan James of Montgomery, has filed a motion saying nothing will be served by sending Siegelman back to prison. She asks that he be given an alternative sentence. But in the email to supporters, Siegelman says it might be his last chance to email them "for some time." Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.