Ex-Philadelphia District Attorney leaves prison early in corruption case

A former top prosecutor in Philadelphia has been released from federal prison three years into his five-year sentence.

A lawyer for 53-year-old Seth Williams says the former district attorney had about two years cut from his sentence after completing a substance abuse program and other classes aimed at reducing recidivism.

Lawyer Thomas Burke says the move to community confinement for a few months was not related to the release of inmates due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Burke won't say where Williams is staying but says he is reconnecting with family members and looking for work. Williams has been disbarred after pleading guilty to a bribery count midway through his 2017 corruption trial. The judge said he sold his office to “parasites.”

Federal investigators say he took cash and gifts, misused campaign funds and took money meant for his mother’s nursing home care. Williams served as district attorney from January 2010 through his June 2017 plea.

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