Published: Tuesday, May 03, 2011, 3:21 PM    

Updated: Tuesday, May 03, 2011, 3:49 PM

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/05/former_state_senator_eb_mcclai.html

Former state Sen. E.B. McClain has pleaded guilty to a theft charge in state court, Attorney General Luther Strange announced today.

McClain is currently serving a 70-month sentence in federal prison after he was convicted in January 2009 on 48 counts of money laundering, mail fraud, bribery and conspiracy.

Strange, in a prepared statement, said the state charge related to the theft of grant funds that were inappropriately diverted to him.

McClain, 71, was sentenced to 12 months and was granted probation for one year. His sentence will be served concurrently with his federal sentence.

The Rev. Samuel Pettagrue, who is on probation for his federal conviction in a bribery scheme with McClain, on April 20 pleaded guilty in state court to a theft charge related to the same incidents.

Pettagrue, 68, of Leeds received a sentence of 12 months and was granted probation for one year. Pettagrue will serve the probation at the same time he's completing his federal sentence of five years probation on money laundering, mail fraud, bribery and conspiracy charges, according to Strange.

Strange's press release stated that the circumstances surrounding McClain's guilty plea in state court were laid out in a warrant as follows:

In April 2002, McClain directed a $65,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs to an organization called the Community Resource Center in Jefferson County, of which Pettagrue was executive director.

McClain notified Pettagrue that the grant money was coming and directed Pettagrue to divert $45,000 back to McClain. Pettagrue wrote a check for $45,000 to McClain, which McClain deposited into his checking account.

Both men were aware that McClain was not entitled to the money and had done no work for it, according to Strange's press release.

"The public corruption surrounding this case was an outrageous abuse of the people's trust, and an example of the great need for this office to have a good and effective working relationship with other law enforcement and prosecutors," Strange said.