Ex-St. Louis County executive pleads guilty to corruption

(AP) – In less than a week, Steve Stenger went from the top elected official in Missouri’s largest county to a convicted felon.

Stenger pleaded guilty Friday to federal corruption charges for providing political favors in exchange for campaign donations. Sentencing for the former St. Louis County executive is scheduled for Aug. 9. He could get up to 20 years in prison on each count.

The indictment of the Democrat was announced Monday. Stenger, who is an attorney and an accountant, resigned about an hour later and surrendered his law license. By Thursday, Stenger had agreed to plead guilty to all three counts in the indictment – bribery, mail fraud and theft of honest services.

Stenger has been under scrutiny for months. A federal investigation began early last year.