Williams to Serve 14 Months in Prison | News

Former Warner Robins City Councilman John Williams will serve months in federal prison.

U.S. District Court Judge Marc Treadwell made that decision Thursday.

A jury convicted Williams in April of extortion under color of official light, lying to an FBI agent and tampering with a witness.

The conviction surrounded Willliams trying to profit from the purchase of a city truck for the Warner Robins Police Department.

Williams arrived at the federal courthouse in macon about 30 minutes before his 10 a.m. hearing with his wife, several family members and a few friends.

They did not want to comment on-camera, but Williams handed 13WMAZ an envelope. It contained letters written on his behalf to the judge asking for a reduced sentence.

One from his son, Craig Williams, said, "This has taken so much out of him, and his health has shown the stress he has been under."

Williams came into the courtroom dressed in a suit and cowboy boots. He smiled and shook hands with reporters and court security guards.

One of the guards was overhead saying that he had "never seen a defendant do that before."

Williams told Lorra Lynch Jones he did not sleep well Wednesday night and that he stayed up late working on some blue prints for an expansion to his Warner Robins home.

When asked what he thought would come from the hearing, Williams replied, "Two years."

Treadwell said before deciding on the sentence, that he had no evidence to prove he should consider William's health, but he did acknowledge Williams age of 73, his lack of a criminal history and a nephew's testimony about a "exemplary" life, prior to the crimes.

Williams told the judge that he did not do anything wrong and intends to appeal the case.

He did not show a reaction to the sentence.

Williams will serve the 14 months, plus one year of supervised release and pay a $300 fine. He was released on bond until the prison system decides which facility he will be going to. Williams' attorney, Tina Hunt, said that will take four to six weeks.

Until then, Williams will stay at his Warner Robins home, on the same conditions he was released on after he was found guilty of the crimes. He is confined to his home, with only a few exceptions including doctor's visits.

Williams was elected to city council in 2008, after retiring from contracting work. He got involved in numerous city projects, including developing a downtown area, the animal shelter and the police department's daily business.

His name landed on several police reports in that time due to disputes with tenants, an altercation over a family estate and arguments at a Waffle House. None resulted in charges, until an arrest over a lost city cell phone. That charge has not been resolved.

Last fall, federal prosecutors charged him after an investigation showed he accepted a kick-back for the police department's purchase of a truck.