Former Canton aldermen sentenced in Mississippi bribery scheme

Andrew Grant and Eric Gilkey, former Canton aldermen, pleaded guilty in November 2022 to conspiring in a bribery scheme involving former Madison County engineer Rudolph M. Warnock Jr. They were sentenced to 46 months in federal prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

A federal jury convicted Warnock and Cleveland Anderson of bribery-conspiracy charges; Warnock was also convicted of honest-services wire fraud charges. The DOJ said evidence showed cash and event tickets were provided in exchange for preferential treatment linked to city engineering contracts, and reported that Warnock and Anderson were sentenced in December to 12 and seven years, respectively.