Hollywood Eye Doctor Sentenced In Corruption Case
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) -- A prominent Hollywood eye doctor at the center of a high-profile political corruption case, has been sentenced to four years in prison for a conspiracy conviction.
U.S. District Judge William Zloch imposed the sentence Wednesday on Dr. Alan Mendelsohn. Mendelsohn's lawyer had asked for only house arrest and community service.
Mendelsohn pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy to commit fraud, tax evasion and deceiving the FBI.
An accomplished political fundraiser, Mendelsohn admitted diverting for his own use about $700,000 from contributors and from political action committees he controlled.
The money went for such things as luxury cars, private school tuition for Mendelsohn's children, financial support for his mistress and other bills.
The FBI interviewed a number of top state political figures following Mendelsohn's arrest but no one else has been charged.
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