Arizona lawmaker Rep. Ben Arredondo pleads guilty in corruption case
Photographer: Arizona Capitol Times
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted: 10/05/2012
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By: Associated Press
PHOENIX - An Arizona legislator and former Tempe councilman has pleaded guilty to two felony charges stemming from an FBI sting.
The U.S. Justice Department says Rep. Ben Arredondo admitted on Friday that he solicited and accepted a bribe while a councilman.
Arredondo was charged in a five-count indictment in May. It said he solicited thousands of dollars in event tickets from representatives of a company doing business with Tempe. The representatives were actually FBI agents.
The 65-year-old also pleaded guilty to fraud for setting up a scholarship fund for his relatives while telling donors it was for "average" youth. That charge was just filed Friday.
The conviction means the Democrat must resign.
A plea agreement recommends a federal judge sentence Arredondo to at least 27 months in prison on Jan. 22.
Copyright Associated Press
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