By Ed White
Associated Press Writer
DETROIT (AP) -- A political consultant offered a warning Wednesday for people who work for elected officials, just moments before a judge sentenced him to 37 months in prison for committing corruption with a councilwoman and others.
Do "not be so enamored of the illusion of power. Learn the difference between right and wrong. I've learned the hard way," Sam Riddle said. "I express supreme remorse for that."
Riddle's punishment was identical to the sentence ordered earlier this year for Monica Conyers, who was on the Detroit City Council. The government had accused them of shaking down businesses for thousands of dollars.
Riddle, 64, pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy, three months after a jury couldn't agree on a verdict. Conyers, the wife of U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., pleaded guilty in 2009 and began her sentence Sept. 10.
Riddle's lawyer, Richard Convertino, described him as just a "bagman" for Conyers and undeserving of a similar sentence. But U.S. District Judge Marianne Battani said Riddle was an "active participant" in corruption in Detroit and Southfield.
Because of those acts, she said, the "public loses faith and trust in government."
Convertino had asked for no more than two years in prison for his client. Riddle has been in custody since May and will get credit for the time served. He promised to jump back into politics after his release.
"You can shackle my arms. You can shackle my feet. But you can't shackle my soul," Riddle said.
He objected to the government confiscating a luxury watch he owned, but Battani told him to forget it.
"You'll have a lot of clocks where you're going," the judge said.
Battani later ordered probation for Riddle's former companion, Mary Waters, for a tax offense. She had been charged with him in the Southfield corruption case.
Published: Fri, Oct 8, 2010
