5-Year Sentence For Former N.C. Lawmaker Black
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RALEIGH, N.C. — A former state House speaker, Jim Black, once one of the most powerful men in North Carolina government, was sentenced yesterday to more than five years in prison for illegally taking cash from chiropractors while promoting their agenda.
U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle also fined him $50,000.
Black, 72, had pleaded guilty in February to a single count of accepting things of value in connection with the business of state government. The federal charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a $250,000 fine, but sentencing guidelines suggested a shorter term. The judge yesterday rejected prosecutors’ requests for a harsher sentence, instead giving Black five years and three months in prison.
