Former Charlotte mayor gets house arrest for illegal vote

MITCH WEISS
Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) — A federal judge is placing the former mayor of North Carolina’s largest city under house arrest until he begins serving a nearly four-year sentence for taking bribes.

At a bond revocation hearing Thursday, Patrick Cannon told a judge that he didn’t know he couldn’t vote because he was a convicted felon.

But US District court Judge Frank Whitney called Cannon’s actions troubling – then ordered Cannon to home detention until the former mayor reports to federal prison on Nov. 18.

Whitney could have revoked Cannon’s bond and sent him to jail immediately.

In October, Whitney sentenced Cannon to 44 months in prison for taking bribes from undercover federal agents he thought were developers seeking to fast-track projects.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)