Former N.C. mayor gets nearly 4 years in prison for corruption

Former N.C. mayor gets nearly 4 years in prison for corruption
(Image credit: AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Patrick Cannon, former mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced on Tuesday to almost four years in prison.

Cannon, who was elected as the youngest councilman in Charlotte in 1993, resigned after his federal case began. In June, Cannon pleaded guilty to one count of honest services wire fraud, according to The Associated Press. Cannon apparently accepted roughly $50,000 in bribes as a city councilman.

The corruption "spanned the time he was a councilman to when he took over in the executive office," from January 2013 to February 2014. Cannon was elected mayor in November 2013. He resigned on March 26, the same day he was arrested.

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During Tuesday's trial, prosecutors told Cannon that he "tarnished the city's image" before sentencing him to 44 months in prison.

"I have failed as a father, I have failed as a husband, I failed as a servant leader, and I failed as a citizen," Cannon said at the trial.

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.