Progressive former Congressman gets prison sentence

Former U.S. Rep. Frank Ballance (D-N.C.) was sentenced yesterday to four years in prison for money laundering and mail fraud.

Ballance was a leader in the North Carolina state legislature for many years, where he was a champion for justice and fairness. Ballance advocated for education and family farms and against capital punishment and environmental racism, among his many causes.

Ballance's criminal conviction stems from his admitted misuse of state funds that were granted to a nonprofit foundation that he set up in 1985. The amount of money in the case appears to be less than $100,000, but the cost to the state in losing the services of this progressive giant is far greater.