Birmingham mayor arrested on federal charges

The Associated Press
Published: December 1, 2008

BIRMINGHAM — Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford, accused in a civil suit of taking undisclosed payments in a Jefferson County bond deal, was arrested Monday on federal criminal charges that were not immediately made public.

FBI spokesman Paul Daymond said Langford was taken into custody around 7 a.m.. by FBI agents in Birmingham.

U.S. Attorney Alice Martin declined to comment on the charges but scheduled a news conference for 10 a.m. with criminal investigators for the Internal Revenue Service.

An attorney for Langford, Thomas Baddley, was expected to release a statement later Monday.

Langford, a former president of the Jefferson County Commission, was sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission for alleged wrongdoing in sewer bond deals when he was on the commission. Langford was accused of taking more than $156,000 in undisclosed payments and benefits from Montgomery investment banker Bill Blount, whose firm collected more than $6.7 million in fees on county bond transactions. The money was allegedly routed through Al LaPierre, a lobbyist who is a friend of Langford.

Langford, Blount and LaPierre have denied any wrongdoing and asked that the civil suit be thrown out.

An attorney for LaPierre, Tommy Spina, told The Birmingham News that Spina would be surrender1ng later Monday. Spina did not immediately return a call for comment.

Associates at Blount’s Montgomery firm said Blount was on his way to Birmingham.