MITCH WEISS
Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charlotte’s former mayor is being sentenced in a federal corruption case that stunned North Carolina’s largest city.

Forty-seven-year-old Patrick Cannon pleaded guilty in June to accepting $50,000 in bribes between January 2013 and February, 2014 – three months after he was elected.

An affidavit in the case says Cannon sought more than $1 million in kickbacks.

Cannon was arrested March 26 when he met with undercover agents for an illegal payoff.

In exchange for Cannon’s guilty plea, prosecutors have promised not to ask for a prison sentence of more than four to five years, the recommendation under federal guidelines.

U.S. District Judge Frank Whitney is not bound by the plea agreement. The maximum sentence is 20 years in prison.

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