Ex-Boston official gets 3 years in bribe case

Former Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner has been sentenced to three years in prison for taking a $1,000 bribe and then lying about it to FBI agents.

After his sentencing Tuesday, Turner insisted he's innocent and blamed "political persecution" for his conviction.

Turner was sentenced for taking a $1,000 bribe and then lying about it to FBI agents. Judge Douglas Woodlock also found he had committed perjury when he testified that he didn't remember a meeting with a government witness who gave him the money.

Prosecutors said Turner accepted a wad of cash in 2007 during a handshake with a businessman who was seeking help in getting a liquor license and was cooperating with the FBI. They had asked for a sentence of 33 to 41 months.

Turner's lawyers asked for probation, citing his public service and advocacy for poor and working people.