FILE - In this March 3, 2015 file photo, former Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox speaks on the steps of the federal courthouse after his initial appearance and plea hearing in front of a federal judge in Providence, R.I. Prosecutors recommended a three-year prison term for Fox on charges of bribery, wire fraud and filing a false tax return. U.S. District Judge Mary Lisi is scheduled to sentence Fox on Thursday, June 11, 2015. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File) (The Associated Press)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – This week's sentencing of former House Speaker Gordon Fox marks the end of a federal investigation that that led to the downfall of arguably the most powerful person in Rhode Island government.
U.S. District Judge Mary Lisi is scheduled to sentence Fox on Thursday for bribery, wire fraud and filing a false tax return.
Prosecutors and his lawyer agreed to ask for a three-year prison term as part of a plea agreement.
Fox was once admired for his up-by-the-bootstraps story. He grew up in a family that struggled to make ends meet and put himself through college.
He was elected to represent Providence's East Side in 1992 as a Democrat. He also ran a solo law practice.
Fox became the nation's first openly gay House speaker in 2010.
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