May 25, 2013
Former U.S. Congressman Frank Ballance turned himself into authorities Friday and was arraigned in Federal court on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering. All this after being indicted for reportedly mishandling funds to the John A. Hyman Memorial Youth Foundation, that Ballance founded.
The arraignment began at noon, but not before Ballance was handcuffed after turning himself over to authorities. The U.S. District Attorney says if this case goes to trial and Ballance is convicted, he could face up to five years in prison, three years supervised probation, and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
Ballance's attorney says a plea bargain is in the works, but he would not go into any details. After the arraignment, the court released Ballance, on the condition that he can't leave the country until the case is resolved. He even has to hand over his passport by the end of next week.
