A federal appeals court has ordered that the former leader of the Oklahoma Senate be resentenced for a bribery conviction, ruling that the probation he was sentenced to serve was "little more than a slap on the wrist."
A 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel handed down the ruling Friday in the case of former state Senate President Pro Tem Mike Morgan. U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron in January 2013 ordered Morgan to serve five years' probation after he was convicted by a jury of taking a $12,000 bribe in exchange for his influence on legislation.
The panel affirmed Morgan's conviction but reversed his sentence and remanded the case back to Cauthron for resentencing. The court ruled that Morgan's conduct in the case "demands a significant period of incarceration."
