| Don Siegelman |
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EARLY LIFE AND CAREER Don Siegelman was born and grew up in Mobile, Alabama . He graduated from the University Of Alabama in 1968 , and from Georgetown University Law School and studied international law at the University Of Oxford . Prior to becoming Governor in 1999, he had served as Lieutenant Governor from 1995 to 1999, state Attorney General from 1987 to 1990 , and Secretary of State from 1976 to 1986 . 2004 INDICTMENT On May 27 , 2004 , he was Indicted on federal charges of participating in a bid-rigging scheme with Paul Hamrick, his former chief of staff, and Phillip Bobo, a major contributor to his political campaigns. After considerable wrangling with federal prosecutors, including switching through three judges, his trial began in October 2004 . The day after his trial began, prosecutors abruptly dropped all charges against all three men when the third judge threw out much of the prosecution's evidence " With Prejudice ," meaning that charges could not be refiled based on the disallowed evidence, effectively gutting the prosecution's weak case. 2005 INDICTMENTS On October 26 , 2005 , he was indicted on charges of Racketeering , Bribery , and Extortion , along with his former chief of staff Paul Hamrick, former state transportation director Gary "Mack" Roberts, and former HealthSouth CEO Richard M. Scrushy . The indictment alleges that bribes were exchanged in exchange for official favors from Siegelman during his term as Governor. On December 12 , the grand jury filed additional charges of Mail Fraud and conspiracy against Siegelman and Scrushy alleging that they conspired to provide HealthSouth with membership and influence on a state hospital regulatory board, 2006 ELECTION He is running for reelection as Governor in 2006 . He will face Lt. Governor Lucy Baxley in the Democratic primary. Despite the indictments, Siegelman has showed strongly in recent polls. EXTERNAL LINK |
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