Larry Langford, who is 61 or 63, was found guilty of taking about $236,000 in cash and gifts from Montgomery investment banker Bill Blount and lobbyist Al LaPierre.

Both pleaded guilty in the case and testified they made cash payments to Langford while he was the president of the Jefferson County Commission to ensure business for Blount's investment bank, Blount Parrish & Co.

"We all have our trials, this too will pass," Langford said as he walked from the courtroom followed closely by his wife.

"The citizens of Birmingham have been fantastic to me," he said outside the courthouse.



He said the verdict will be appealed. "I'm no crybaby, but ..."



"At the end of the day, I shot my best shot, but the jury ruled the way that they did," he said, in a wide-ranging press conference outside court.



"All this trial did was interrupt my Bible study classes for two weeks," he said, adding he faces a potential sentence of 805 years. He said if he lived to be 80, he would have to die and "come back 10 more times" to serve such a sentence.



Judge Scott Coogler

decided Langford would forfeit

$ 241,843. The lawyers agreed.



Coogler ordered a sentencing report within 90 to 120 days and said Langford would remain free until then on the existing $50,000 unsecured bond.



Birmingham City Council President Carole Smitherman is now mayor of Alabama's largest city. (Corrected: A swearing in is not required)

Other elected leaders were quick to react.

"I hate it to the high heavens for him and his family. It's just devastating," Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham, said. "He's a good man. He's got flaws. We've all got flaws. Sometimes when you've got flaws people prey on your weakness. I think it sends a lesson to all public officials to be very, very careful," Rogers said.

"They (the jury) must have had their mind already made up," Rogers said.

Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, said it's a message to elected officials.

"I'm pleased. We've been hearing about these kinds of things for years," Beason said. "I think it's a step in the right direction. Elected officials need to understand if they are involved in corruption they are eventually going to (get) caught up with."

State Sen. Linda Coleman, D-Birmingham, disagreed, saying she was shocked by the verdict and feared it would hurt Birmingham, Jefferson County and the state of Alabama.

''It is a very sad day for Birmingham. This is going to set us back, I think. I look at all the progress that's been made. I look at all the projects on the books,'' Coleman said. ''I saw a new hope for Birmingham. I'm just really saddened. I don't see how anybody how anybody could find any joy in this.''

State Rep. Oliver Robinson, D-Birmingham, said he's known Langford for many years and that he's a good-hearted person.

''Larry is really a good-hearted man,'' Robinson said. ''I've always had a great deal of respect for him. He's just a genuinely nice individual. I really feel sad for his family, his wife and all of his family.''

Gov. Bob Riley said in a prepared statement: "These kind of convictions don't have to happen," he said. "We must finally pass anti-corruption laws that will bring accountability and transparency to state and local governments so we can prevent this very kind of situation."

Langford was convicted on these counts:

Count 1 Bribery Langford received $69,000 in cash from lobbyist Al LaPierre and Bill Blount of Blount Parrish & Co. that went into Langford's personal bank account.

Count 3 Money laundering Langford paid Likis Audio $12,000 for audio equipment with a check drawn from his personal Compass bank account into which money from a bribe had been deposited.

Count 4 Money laundering Langford paid Shaia's $12,000 for clothing with a cashier's check purchased at a Compass Bank using funds paid to him as a bribe.

Count 5 Money laundering Langford deposited $40,589 paid to him as a bribe into his personal account at Compass Bank.

Count 6 Conspiracy Langford, investment banker Bill Blount and lobbyist Al LaPierre willfully conspired on multiple occasions to defraud Jefferson County of Langford's honest services when Blount and LaPierre gave Langford money, clothes and jewelry to influence him as a public official.

Count 7 Bribery Langford solicited and received $30,000 from Blount funneled through LaPierre.

Count 9 Money laundering Langford used $29,241 of the $30,000 to pay his personal taxes.

Count 10 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted a $1,110 cashmere cardigan purchased at Turnbull & Asser.

Count 11 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $3,290 in clothes purchased at Ermenegildo Zegna

Count 12 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $2,133 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 13 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $2,707.56 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 14 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted a $2,796 in clothes purchased at Salvatore Ferragamo

Count 15 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted a $1,854.96 in clothes purchased at Century 21

Count 16 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $3,450 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 17 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $4,050 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 18 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $4,250 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 19 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $895 in clothes purchased at Salvatore Ferragamo

Count 20 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted a $12,015 watch purchased at Tourneau

Count 21 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $1,662.60 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 22 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $11,750.40 in jewelry purchased at Bromberg's

Count 23 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $2,239.97 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 24 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $2,800 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 25 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $3,547 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 26 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $2,000 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 27 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $5,000 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 28 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $2,500 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 29 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $2,300 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 30 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $1,800 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 31 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $1,876 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 32 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $1,000 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 33 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $1,047.96 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 34 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $1,500 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 35 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $1,000 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 36 Bribery Langford corruptly accepted $7,536 in clothes purchased at Remon's

Count 64 Mail fraud Langford corruptly caused a package from Turnbull & Asser to be shipped to Langford's County Commission office.

Count 65 Mail fraud Langford corruptly caused a package from Ermengildo Zegna to be shipped to Langford's County Commission office.

Count 66 Mail fraud Langford corruptly caused a package from Salvatore Ferragamo to be shipped to Langford's County Commission office.

Count 67 Mail fraud Langford corruptly caused a package from Century 21 to be shipped to Langford's County Commission office.

Count 68 Mail fraud Langford corruptly caused a package from Tourneau to be shipped to Langford's County Commission office.

Count 69 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $2,133 in goods from Remon's paid for with Blount's credit card.

Count 70 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $4,050 in goods from Remon's paid for with Blount's credit card.

Count 71 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $11.750.40 in goods from Bromberg's paid for with Blount's credit card.

Count 72 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $3,547 in goods from Remon's paid for with Blount's credit card.

Count 73 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $2,000 in goods from Remon's paid for with Blount's credit card.

Count 74 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $2,500 in goods from Remon's paid for with Blount's credit card.

Count 75 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $2,300 in goods from Remon's paid for with Blount's credit card.

Count 76 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $1,876 in goods from Remon's paid for with Blount's credit card.

Count 77 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $1,000 in goods from Remon's paid for with Blount's credit card.

Count 78 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $1,047.96 in goods from Remon's paid for with Blount's credit card.

Count 79 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $1,500 in goods from Remon's paid for with Blount's credit card.

Count 80 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $7,536 in goods from Remon's paid for with Blount's credit card.

Count 81 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $2,707.56 in goods from Remon's paid for with LaPierre's credit card.

Count 82 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $4,250 in goods from Remon's paid for with LaPierre's credit card.

Count 83 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $1,662.60 in goods from Remon's paid for with LaPierre's credit card.

Count 85 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $5,000 in goods from Remon's paid for with LaPierre's credit card

Count 86 Wire fraud Langford corruptly accepted $1,000 in goods from Remon's paid for with LaPierre's credit card

Count 87 Filing a false tax return Langford failed to report as 2003 income $125, 356.73 he received from Blount and LaPierre.

Count 88 Filing a false tax return Langford failed to report as 2004 income $81,419. 52 he received from Blount and LaPierre.

Count 89 Filing a false tax return Langford filed to report as 2005 income $22,186.97 he received from Blount and LaPierre.

Count 99 Forfeiture Any of the property or proceeds from the crimes and any additional gains made from the proceeds are subject to forfeiture. The amount of the property subject to forfeiture includes, but is not necessarily limited to, $7.6 million and any interest and proceeds agains or earned on that amount.