Ala. Insurance Agents Plead Guilty in Bribery Case

Two insurance agents have pleaded guilty in Birmingham, Ala., to giving money to Cherokee County elected officials in exchange for the county’s insurance business, the latest corruption case to surface in the county.

James L. Williams and Michael Tillery each entered guilty pleas before U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler to a federal charge of program fraud. The two men are the latest to face prosecution in a public corruption probe in the east Alabama county.

Phillip Jordan resigned his dual offices as Cherokee County Commission president and probate judge in June and then pleaded guilty in a landfill deal.

Williams and Tillery admitted taking part in a bribery scheme so the county would buy its casualty insurance from them. Prosecutors said Williams paid $16,500 in bribes to Jordan.

The federal program fraud charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. As a result of their plea agreements, prosecutors will recommend a sentencing break for their cooperation. The men already have paid the county $126,300 in restitution.