Around the Nation

Ex-Alabama Governor Leaves Prison on Bond

OAKDALE, La. -- Former Alabama governor Don Siegelman (D) left a federal prison on appeal bond Friday, saying that he remained upbeat as he headed back to his Birmingham home after nine months in custody.

"I may have lost my freedom for a while, but I never lost faith," Siegelman told reporters.

Sentenced to more than seven years on his conviction in a corruption case, Siegelman was freed from the prison under a federal appeals court order Thursday. It was issued the same day that the House Judiciary Committee announced plans for Siegelman to testify before Congress in a probe of possible political meddling in federal prosecutions.

Siegelman and former HealthSouth chief executive Richard Scrushy were convicted in June 2006. Federal prosecutors accused Siegelman of appointing Scrushy to a hospital regulatory board in exchange for Scrushy arranging $500,000 in contributions to Siegelman's campaign for a statewide lottery. The defense has argued there was no personal gain or quid pro quo in the deal.

Puerto Rican Governor Pleads Not Guilty to Fraud Charges

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Puerto Rican Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila (D) surrendered to federal authorities and pleaded not guilty to campaign finance fraud charges as hundreds of flag-waving supporters demonstrated outside the federal courthouse in San Juan. The governor was released on his own recognizance after his arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Margaret J. Kravchuk, who was brought to the island from Maine to oversee the case. Acevedo Vila, leader of the Popular Democratic Party, faces 19 criminal charges, including collecting illegal donations, spending more than he reported to federal election regulators, using campaign money for personal expenses and helping obtain government contracts for Pennsylvania businessmen who made illegal contributions.

North Dakota State University Examines Campus Skit

FARGO, N.D. -- North Dakota State University is investigating complaints about a campus skit in which a white student in blackface portrayed Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) receiving a lap dance. The same skit, part of a charity fundraiser at a campus theater, also featured a depiction of cowboys having sex with each other, witnesses told the Forum newspaper. People who attended the fundraiser said a woman dressed as the star of the Internet video "I Got a Crush on Obama" and performed a striptease for another student who was wearing dark makeup and an Afro wig. The Obama campaign had no comment. Obama will speak at North Dakota Democrats' state convention in Grand Forks next week.

Mukasey Says Counterfeiting and Piracy Fund Terror

SAN JOSE -- Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey warned that the huge profits generated from piracy and counterfeiting are increasingly flowing into the coffers of terrorist groups. Mukasey told Silicon Valley executives that the economy and security of the United States are increasingly threatened by violations involving copyrighted software code, patented inventions and trademarked properties. Terror groups are taking their cues from organized crime and increasingly funding their operations from counterfeiting and piracy, he said.

-- From News Services