Flocked by news cameras, Patrick Cannon walked into the federal courthouse in Uptown Tuesday morning to receive his sentencing. Prosecutors recommended 37 months, according to the Charlotte Observer, but the judge decided to make an example out of the youngest city councilman in Charlotte history and the only public figure to be sentenced to prison.
The former mayor will spend about three and a half years in federal prison.
Cannon's crimes are practically local lore at this point. An affidavit that reads more like a movie script laid out his sins. Cannon accepted nearly $50,000 in bribes from undercover federal agents - even a briefcase full of cash in his mayoral office. Though he seemed remorseful in court today - he said he was sorry for his "sins" and even admitted apologizing to a former teacher - it's hard to imagine Cannon as anything but another scuzzy politician.
He'll spend 44 months in prison, or just enough time to write a best-selling memoir. Look forward to the book tour in 2018.