Sometimes the little old lay isn’t as innocent as she may look. That’s the case in Alabama, where a 91-year old mayor has pleaded guilty to stealing $201,000 from her town of 510 residents.
Mayor Mary Ella Hixon has resigned from her post after accepting a plea deal that will help her avoid jail time. The prosecutors cut the deal in the case because of the mayor’s age. Had she been younger, the prosecutor said she would have “stood on his head” to make sure she went to prison.
Hixon is one of the longest serving mayors in her state, but over the last three year has been bilking tens of thousands of dollars from the public coffers. People began becoming suspicious when the town started selling off assets.
Hixon not only took the money, but has admitted to bribing people with hush money to keep them quiet. In one case, she offered a concerned citizen $525 to keep his mouth shut. That conversation was captured on a hidden recorder.
Hixon has been ordered onto five years of probation and will have to pay back all of the money. Should she die before it is paid back, her estate will be held liable.
Read the full story at CBS News.