Two Ala. Agents Sentenced in Bribery Case

Two Cherokee County, Ala. insurance agents have been sentenced in a Birmingham court on charges of bribery of elected officials. James L. Williams and Michael Tillery pleaded guilty in November to giving money to county officials in exchange for insurance business.

Authorities said Williams, an insurance broker with his own Gadsden-based independent insurance agency, and Tillery, an agent in Centre, had worked together for a number of years before the crime.

Prosecutors said county residents paid excessive premiums of more than $100,000. Williams and Tillery both testified in the trial of Cherokee County Commissioner Leonard Woodall, who was convicted Feb. 9 on federal charges of accepting bribes and making false statements to the FBI.

Williams was sentenced to six months’ home detention with electronic monitoring, followed by four years of supervised probation, fined $20,000 and ordered to perform community service. Tillery was sentenced to 13 months in jail, followed by two years of supervised release and fined $3,000.

U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler said Williams sentence was based on the fact that he has serious medical conditions, and that the time of custody imposed would have been greater if he were not in deteriorating health.

Prior to sentencing, Williams paid full restitution of $156,478.46 to Cherokee County and Tillery paid $26,300.

Williams paid approximately $20,000 in bribes to Cherokee County Commission president and probate judge Phillip Jordan, prosecutors said. Jordan resigned in June and pleaded guilty to accepting bribes.