“This was not a single event, one-off deal, or momentary lapse in judgment … This is not faithful public service or even ‘politics as usual’—this is corruption,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum, which promises to call additional witnesses to testify.
Cole sentenced Sittenfeld to 16 months in prison with one year of supervised release.
Sittenfeld’s three-week trial captivated the region, with the courtroom filled on most days with his supporters and family, law clerks and lawyers, media and even a federal judge came to watch Sittenfeld on the witness stand.
A jury found Sittenfeld guilty on one charge of bribery and one charge of attempted extortion for taking $20,000 in campaign donations from undercover FBI agents who were posing as developers and asking for help on a Downtown project.
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