Former Alabama governor, ex-HealthSouth CEO convicted of bribery, fraud News
Former Alabama governor, ex-HealthSouth CEO convicted of bribery, fraud

[JURIST] Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman [official profile; campaign website] and former HealthSouth [corporate website] CEO Richard Scrushy [JURIST news archive] on Thursday were convicted [DOJ press release] of federal bribery and fraud charges [JURIST report]. Siegelman was convicted on 10 counts, including bribery, conspiracy, and mail fraud. Scrushy was found guilty of fraud and both were also convicted in connection with a $500,000 payment from Scrushy for Siegelman's 1999 campaign debts in exchange for a seat on a state-operated review board that regulates hospitals. Prosecutors said Siegelman and Scrushy face up to 30 years in prison for their crimes.

Thursday's verdicts came a year after Scrushy was acquitted [JURIST report] on charges of wire and mail fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, and violations of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act [summary] in a scheme to overstate earnings and inflate HealthSouth's stock price between 1996 and 2002. Bloomberg News has more. The Montgomery Advertiser has local coverage.

THIS DAY @ LAW

38 Santee Sioux hanged by US for rebellion

On December 26, 1862, 38 Santee Sioux men were hanged in a mass execution for their roles in a rebellion against US authorities in Minnesota which left hundreds dead and made refugees of some 40,000 white settlers. Government annuities promised under a treaty with the Sioux had failed to arrive on schedule and credit for purchases was not advanced in the meantime, threatening the tribe with starvation. The Santee Sioux Tribe's members were deported first to South Dakota and ultimately to Nebraska, where they remain today. Learn more about the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Rebellion.

Louis XVI put on trial during French Revolution

On December 26, 1792, Romain de Sèze, a defense attorney for deposed King Louis XVI, presented a defense of his client. The former King was on trial before a French Revolutionary court on thirty-three charges, including treason and other crimes against the state. He was convicted on January 15, 1793 executed by guillotine on the following January 21.