A federal investigation into a politician once considered the most powerful person in the state of Rhode Island’s government ended when former state House Speaker Gordon Fox was sentenced to three years in prison for corruption. The Boston Globe,
Fox pleaded guilty in March to charges of bribery, wire fraud and filing a false tax return. He acknowledged taking more than $50,000 in bribe money from a Providence restaurant when he was a member of the city board of licenses and admitted he took more than $100,000 from his campaign account for his own use.
The 53-year-old Democrat became the nation’s first openly gay House speaker in 2010. He represented Providence for 11 terms in the House. He stepped down as speaker the day after a dramatic raid on his Statehouse office in March 2014 but remained in his seat until his term expired in January.
Prosecutors and Fox each agreed to request a three-year term as part of a plea deal.
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