State Senator (D) indicted for felony extortion.

MONTGOMERY- A powerful state senator turned himself in to Marion County law enforcement authorities Friday morning after being indicted on felony and misdemeanor extortion charges related to a proposed land deal involving a friend.

Sen. Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, turned himself in about 8:45 a.m., was booked and released on $5,000 bond, Sheriff Bud Purser said.

A special Marion County grand jury indicted Bedford on Dec. 6 on a charge of second-degree extortion, a Class C felony, and second-degree attempted extortion, a Class A misdemeanor, officials said. The case was presented to the grand jury by Attorney General Bill Pryor's staff.

Bedford, 45, is chairman of the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Budget Committee, one of three powerful Senate committees in the Legislature.

Purser said Bedford's attorneys accompanied him Friday morning. The attorneys said he will plead innocent. "His attorneys called and said he was going to turn himself in, and they came this morning," Purser said Friday afternoon.

Pryor said the indictment charges Bedford with obtaining control over the contractual right of the Marion County Commission to purchase property of its choice for an agricultural center.

The indictment charges Bedford allegedly obtained control by either a threat to take action as an official or to withhold official action or do an act calculated to harm the commission's business or financial condition. The indictment also charges Bedford allegedly attempted to control the commission's right to purchase land of its choice for an industrial park.

If convicted, Bedford could face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000 on the felony count, and a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000 for the misdemeanor count.

In a prepared statement, Bedford and his attorneys, Joe Espy, Mark White and Bill Bowen, called the charges politically motivated. "I am issuing this statement today to address the false and politically motivated charges that have been brought against me by Attorney General Bill Pryor," Bedford said. "This will be the only public statement that I will make concerning these charges and from this point on, any questions related to legal issues will be handled by my attorneys. "For many months, my political enemies have subjected me, my friends and my family to unmitigated false attacks. Today marks the first opportunity I have been afforded to confront this matter in a legal forum."

Bedford said he was thankful he would have the opportunity to present his case in front of the Marion County residents.

"In this legal forum, facts will mean more than gossip," Bedford continued. "Truth will mean more than lies, and justice will prevail over the political manipulation that has controlled this process to date.

"My family's roots run deep in Marion County. I trust the sound judgment of these people and I am confident that once they have heard all the true facts, presented in a court of law, they will not only find me innocent but will completely vindicate my actions."

"My lawyers are committed to ensuring that the attorney general's office will not be permitted to utilize in this case the type of tactics it has used with impunity in other cases," Bedford said. "Bill Pryor may think this is good, Republican politics, but I think it is an abuse of his office for his own personal and political gain.

"I have fought many battles during my life and I have always found that victory is achieved when one relies upon faith in almighty God, a loving and caring family, and friends who refuse to be swayed by falsehoods. These three things have never failed me in the past and I am confident that they will sustain and carry me to victory in this fight."

Gov. Don Siegelman said he was unaware of the indictment. "I hope it's not true," Siegelman said.

Bedford's attorneys also released a prepared statement in regard to the indictment. They said they will undertake an aggressive defense of the charges. "To those who either have used, or intend to use in the future, the legal system for political gain, we offer fair warning that we will not permit Roger to be abused by anyone for their own personal gain. "Our defense will be offered in the courtroom as required by our great system of justice. We are confident the citizens of Marion County will hear this case in a fair and impartial manner, unaffected by anyone seeking public office."

Bedford was a Democratic candidate for attorney general in 1990 and ran for the U.S. Senate in 1996. He was elected to the state Senate in 1982 and re-elected in 1986, 1994 and 1998.

The grand jury was known to be investigating Bedford's handling of a $2 million state grant check he allegedly tried to use to get the county commission to buy a friend's land for three times its value. The commission balked at the transaction, and the land deal never materialized.

The Marion Commission rejected a $3 million grant to buy 600 acres of land owned by a friend of Bedford's, Dennis "Blue" Harbor, for a proposed industrial park. Bedford and Rep. Mike Millican, D-Hamilton, secured the money believing the county would buy the land from Harbor.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs wrote the check for $2 million for the industrial park last year. Bedford picked it up in January but never delivered it.

Bedford arranged to secure a $1 million grant through the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries and ADECA.

Bedford, in an earlier interview, said he held the check because commissioners could not decide if they were going to proceed with plans to build an industrial park on the land.

He added that he didn't have any interest in the land, nor did he represent Harbor.

Rumors of an indictment have been circulating for weeks in the halls of the Legislature, ever since the House and Senate opened a special legislative session Dec. 4. The session ended Friday.

Officials said Bedford wasn't arrested immediately because it was unclear whether a legislator could be arrested on a misdemeanor charge while in session.

Dean Johnson, a Huntsville tax lawyer, asked the State Ethics Commission in June to look into the proposed land purchase.

Dana Beyerle is Montgomery Bureau reporter for the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group. Tom Smith is the regional bureau chief for the TimesDaily in Florence.

Roger Bedford is quite simply, a political thug. A fine example of the Democrat machine gone haywire in Alabama.

And they keep electing this fool, too, although I think he and his other (D) cronies such as Siegelman and a few others, are definitely on their way out.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

What? Another corrupt democrap? Why, that's just about as rare as the snow in winter!
This is news.

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