93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
(AP) – Steve Stenger, once among the most powerful elected officials in Missouri, has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for orchestrating a pay-for-play scheme.
Stenger, the former Democratic St. Louis County executive, was sentenced Friday to three years and 10 months. He pleaded guilty in May to federal corruption charges for providing political favors in exchange for campaign donations. He also was fined $250,000.
The indictment was announced April 29 and Stenger resigned that same day. Stenger pleaded guilty four days later to bribery, mail fraud and theft of services.
Three others also pleaded guilty as part of the scheme – Stenger’s chief of staff, a businessman involved in the bribery scheme, and the former head of the county’s economic development agency.
