PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Former Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox has been charged with bribery, wire fraud and filing a false tax return after an investigation that included a dramatic federal raid on the Statehouse.
The court documents unsealed Tuesday say the government is recommending he be sentenced to three years in prison.
He's accused of receiving tens of thousands of dollars to help grant a liquor license to a bar near Brown University when he served as vice chairman of the Board of Licenses. He's also accused of making 27 interbank transfers totaling $108,000, taking the money from his campaign account and using it to pay for personal expenses.
Fox was once considered among the most powerful politicians in state politics, but he was forced to resign his speakership after the 2014 raids.