Judge sentences former director of Alabama Small Business ...

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama --- The former director of the Alabama Small Business Development Consortium was sentenced today to 15 years and 8 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Abdul Kallon.

Maurice William Campbell Jr. was also ordered to pay restitution to the state of $5.9 million jointly with three others who pleaded guilty in the case.

Campbell is scheduled to report to prison on April 23.

His lawyer, Stephen Shaw, said they will appeal the verdict and sentencing, but had no further comment.

Kallon sentenced Campbell today at the end of a hearing that lasted nearly four hours.

Campbell was convicted last fall on 96 counts of mail and wire fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering.

Federal prosecutors recommended that Campbell be sentenced to more than 21 years in prison for his conviction in what prosecutors called a scheme to defraud the state of $7.3 million.

Campbell was hired in January 2003 as state director of the consortium. That group was composed of four-year universities in the state -- each with its own small business development center -- as well as a procurement technical center and an international trade center.

In 2005, he formed the private, nonprofit Alabama Small Business Institute of Commerce, which got more than $7.3 million from the state before funding was shut down in 2010.

Campbell was accused of using state money for the benefit of himself and others, including gifts of jewelry, clothing, and dinners for young women he surrounded himself with whom he called "Little Sisters." He also referred to himself as "Sir William," according to testimony.

Source: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/03/judge_sentences_former_directo.html

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