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Fmr. Florida GOP Gets 18 Months In Prison

ORLANDO (CBSMiami) – Former Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer was sentenced to 18 months in prison for stealing more than $125,000 in party funds.

Greer was sentenced in Orlando Wednesday a little more than a month after he pled guilty to four counts of theft and a single count of money laundering. Prosecutors had originally requested a three-and-a-half year sentence.

A trial had threatened to expose the underbelly of Florida's dominant political party and its formerly high-spending ways.

Topics covered in pretrial depositions included allegations of prostitutes at a state GOP fundraiser in the Bahamas, the drinking habits of former Gov. Charlie Crist and intraparty strife.

Prosecutors say Greer funneled almost $200,000 to a company he had formed with his right-hand man and kept $125,000 for himself.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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