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MONTGOMERY, Alabama --- Mike Hubbard, speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives and a powerful leader in the state Republican Party, has been indicted by a grand jury and charged with 23 counts, including using his office for personal gain and soliciting things of value.

Late Monday afternoon, Hubbard reported to the Lee County Jail where he was booked.

If convicted, Hubbard faces a maximum penalty of two to 20 years in prison and up to $30,000 in fines for each count.

Hubbard, 52, who led a historic Republican takeover of the state Legislature during the 2010 election, was charged after an investigation in his home county that has lasted more than a year.

The charges against Hubbard include 23 class B felonies. Those charges include:

Four counts of using of his office as Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party for personal gain;

One count of voting for legislation with a conflict of interest;

Eleven counts of soliciting or receiving a thing of value from a lobbyist or principal;

Two counts of using his office as a member of the Alabama House of Representatives for personal gain;

Four Counts of lobbying an executive department or agency for a fee;

One count of using state equipment, materials, etc. for private gain.

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Originally posted by AURaptor:


Gee, and only weeks before the election.


What a coincidence.

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Originally posted by ElvisChrist:


Are you trying to suggest that nobody should ever investigate anyone who's facing an upcoming election?


Or is it only political when Republicans are the ones being investigated?

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DEKALB COUNTY, GA (CBS46) -

The corruption trial for Burrell Ellis ended in a mistrial Tuesday afternoon. Judge Courtney L. Johnson made the ruling after the jury deadlocked and was unable to come to a unanimous decision on the 13 counts Ellis faced.

The suspended DeKalb County CEO faced charges including bribery and extortion. He is accused of threatening contractors to contribute to his re-election campaign or risk losing county work.

The 12-woman jury sent the judge a note just before 4 p.m. that said they remained deadlocked, despite their best efforts to reach a verdict.

Ellis left the courthouse after the mistrial was declared but could not comment, as both sides remain under a gag order.

The jury deadlock did not come as a surprise to some court observers after reports of conflict among them surfaced and notes were repeatedly sent to the judge about their inability to reach a consensus.

"This is designed to be a difficult process," said J. Thomas Salata, a defense attorney. "This is designed to have people struggle over the correct answer, the right verdict. It's like a hockey match, very low score but they're going back and forth to get to the right decision."

Legal experts said the tension and frustration among jurors was clear. The judge sent them home early one day last week after they said they were bickering in the jury room.

"Those people who said he was not guilty, there's no way on this earth they were ever going to change their mind," said Jackie Patterson, a defense attorney.

The district attorney must now decide if he will re-try Ellis on the same charges, on new charges or drop the case all together.

Copyright 2014 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.

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