TAMPA - In what might be the final chapter of a high-profile kickback scandal, a federal judge sentenced former Tampa Housing Authority executive director Audley Evans to 33 months in prison Thursday.
U.S. District Judge James Moody also ordered Evans to pay $20,000 in restitution and spend three years on probation. The judge allowed Evans to turn himself in to authorities sometime in the next few weeks.
Evans did not comment to reporters.
"I think everything that needs to be said has been said before," said Evans' attorney Arnie Levine, who told the judge that Evans plans another appeal.
In 2000, Evans, contractor C. Hayward Chapman and Tampa physician Dr. Patrick Watson were indicted on dozens of charges of bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering. During the three-week trial, prosecutors alleged that Chapman and Watson conspired to subvert the bidding process at the Tampa Housing Authority with bribes paid to Evans.
The judge dismissed all the charges against Watson.
Jurors convicted Evans of taking $5,244 in carpeting and roofing work from developer Bill Williams Jr. They also found him guilty of taking a $25,000 certificate of deposit from Chapman to use as collateral for a personal loan and $125,000 in payments from Chapman applied to Evans' mortgage loans. Evans was also convicted of making false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Evans was sentenced to 41 months in prison. Chapman, convicted of four counts of paying illegal gratuities, got 18 months and a $5,000 fine.
