[10/08/02]A Vicksburg man who entered a guilty plea to a federal bribery charge has received a 15-month term in federal prison, and a fellow defendant received a two-year probationary term on similar charges. The charges stemmed from a scheme to defraud the City of Vicksburg.

The two men, Charles D. Robinson, 57, of Vicksburg and Marian Evon Leigh, 65, of Brandon, appeared before U.S. District Judge David C. Bramlette III in federal court here Monday afternoon for sentencing.

Both were charged with bribery in a scheme to defraud the City of Vicksburg that involved the city being billed for public works materials that were never received. At the time the scheme was revealed, the two men were accused of generating fraudulent invoices between March 1997 and January 2000, which were written to appear legitimate. The investigation by the Mississippi Auditor’s Office and the FBI found the city was actually paying for utility trailers, shotguns, generators, water heaters, lumber, cranes and air compressors the defendants converted to their own use.

Robinson was a supervisor in the city Water Department and was subsequently fired. Leigh was manager of the Jackson office of Consolidated Pipe and Supply.

Both men entered guilty pleas before Bramlette in June.

At the sentencing Monday after- noon, Robinson received the harshest sentence from Bramlette, 15 months in federal prison, two years’ supervised release and a $1,000 fine.

In deciding on the sentence for Robinson, Bramlette said the only thing he took into consideration other than the federal sentencing guidelines and U.S. Attorney John Dowdy’s recommendation for a light sentence was the fact that Robinson has no criminal history.

“I will allow him to self-surrender” if the government has no objection, Bramlette said.

He then asked if Robinson had any preference about where he would like to serve his sentence, adding the federal correctional facility in Yazoo City could be the judge’s recommendation.

“But you have to ask,” Bramlette commented.

After Robinson’s attorney, David Sessums of Vicksburg, made the request, Bramlette said he would make that very strong recommendation to federal corrections officials and allow Robinson to turn himself in at or before noon Nov. 7.

In the proceeding involving Leigh, Leigh’s counsel pleaded for leniency on the basis of his client’s health; the fact that Leigh, in effect, blew the whistle on the scheme and then cooperated with the investigators; and it was the first time Leigh had been in trouble.

“I have always been reluctant to give any reductions for health,” Bramlette said.

However, he did find in Leigh’s favor on the two other pleas for leniency after Dowdy said the government would not contest any of the assertions made by Leigh’s attorney.

“I am very sorry for everything that I took part in,” Leigh said in his own behalf. “I did accept responsibility, and I would like to apologize to the City of Vicksburg.”

Bramlette said Leigh’s probationary sentence was to begin immediately. He also gave both men 90 days to pay their fines.

In August, State Auditor Phil Bryant presented to the City of Vicksburg a check for $66,646, representing restitution in the bribery case.