A former Pennsylvania mayor is avoiding jail time after pleading guilty to accumulating Wild West artifacts he bought with public money for a museum that was never built.
Former Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed was sentenced Friday to two years of probation in a courthouse around the corner from his one-time mayoral offices.
Judge Kevin Hess says a prison sentence would be grossly disproportionate in the case. He also noted that Reed has stage 4 cancer and no criminal record.
Reed apologized, and he called the case gut-wrenching and humiliating.
Reed pleaded guilty earlier this week to 20 counts of receiving stolen property. All the charges involve photos or documents.
The seven-term Democrat lost the 2009 primary, in part because the millions of dollars he spent on museum-related items had drawn criticism.
