Black will finish sentence closer to home

Raleigh, N.C. — Former N.C. House Speaker Jim Black will be finishing the rest of five-year sentence on a corruption conviction at a federal prison in Jesup, Ga., according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Black, 74, was serving his 63-month sentence at a federal prison camp in Lewisburg, Pa., following his 2007 guilty plea to charges he accepted illegal campaign contributions from chiropractors in exchange for supporting legislation favorable to the industry.

Last month, more than 150 of Black's friends wrote letters to prison officials asking for leniency citing his poor health. In addition, Black's wife suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The prison in Jesup is about 300 miles from Charlotte.