OXFORD — Former longtime Tallahatchie County Sheriff William L. Brewer Jr. has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for extorting bribes from a drug dealer.
During a Thursday, April 18, hearing in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, federal Judge Michael P. Mills also ordered the 59-year-old Brewer to serve three years of supervised release after his prison term, to forfeit $42,500 and to pay a $100 special assessment.
Mills did not impose a fine in the case, noting that he believed the sentence and forfeiture were more than sufficient.
Following the sentencing, U.S. Attorney William Lamar issued a statement that Brewer’s actions were not only illegal, but a betrayal of the citizens he was sworn to serve.
“William Brewer violated his oath, dishonoring himself, his badge and every honest lawman who wears a badge,” Lamar said. “The citizens of our state and Tallahatchie County deserved better and we hope that today’s sentence will emphasize the commitment of this office to hold accountable elected officials who would so blatantly betray the public’s trust.”
Added FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze, “When corrupt law enforcement officers, especially an elected sheriff, participate in the crimes they are sworn to protect against, it degrades the public trust of law enforcement everywhere.”
Brewer, of Oakland, was arrested Aug. 10 by the FBI on charges that he sheltered a drug dealer in exchange for bribes and kickbacks. Citing "unforeseen circumstances" in an Aug. 14 letter of resignation, he stepped down from the office of sheriff. On Aug. 23, a federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment charging Brewer with multiple counts of extortion by bribery and a single count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute narcotics.
After initially pleading not guilty on all counts, Brewer eventually struck a plea bargain with prosecutors and pleaded guilty Nov. 1 to attempting to extort a bribe under color of official right in exchange for dismissal of all other counts.
The charge to which Brewer pleaded guilty involved $6,500 in cash that he had received from a drug dealer in June under the premise that the money was obtained from robbing another drug dealer of drugs and money. In fact, the unnamed individual communicating with Brewer had been converted by the FBI into an informant and the purported robbery was only a ruse.
The FBI recorded numerous face-to-face and telephone conversations between Brewer and the informant and used photographed currency to track the transfer of a total of $10,000 from the person to the sheriff — supposedly proceeds from the sale of stolen drugs — over a two-month period.
In addition to evidence gathered during the sting operation, prosecutors charged Brewer with having a 15-year illegal partnership with the drug dealer. The informant estimated he had robbed other drug dealers “at least 50 times” over the years, taking and later selling methamphetamine, crack cocaine and powder cocaine and sharing the proceeds with the sheriff. In return, prosecutors alleged, Brewer protected the drug dealer from other members of law enforcement in Tallahatchie County.
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Last week’s 25-minute sentencing hearing, held in Courtroom 3 East on the third floor of the U.S. Federal Building, was witnessed by about two-dozen people seated in the gallery.
Led into the courtroom by a pair of U.S. marshals, Brewer, wearing a prison-issue dark khaki shirt and pants, sat at a table alongside his attorney, Kevin Horan of Grenada.
After Mills called Brewer and his lawyer to approach the bench, the judge asked the ex-sheriff if he wanted to say anything.
Holding sheets of paper, Brewer began reading aloud from a prepared statement.
“It’s been my honor and great privilege to serve as the sheriff of Tallahatchie County,” he said before pausing and wiping tears from his eyes. “I believe I was a good sheriff. I treated everyone fairly and did the best I could.”
Brewer told about some of the community programs and initiatives started during his administration as well as other accomplishments, including keeping a tight rein on the budget of the sheriff’s office.
Addressing the behavior that eventually led to his downfall after nearly 21 years as Tallahatchie County’s chief law enforcement officer, Brewer said it came at a time when he had “emotional, financial and other problems” and was in a bad “mental frame” of mind.
“I don’t offer this information in any way to excuse my conduct,” he stated. “I am deeply sorry for the embarrassment this has caused my family, my employees, my friends and the people of Tallahatchie County who have trusted me to uphold the law.”
Pulling a tissue from a box on the table in front of where he stood, Brewer paused, wiped his eyes and added, “I’m sorry for my conduct ... I love my God, my family, my friends and the good people of Tallahatchie County. ... I will complete whatever sentence the court deems appropriate so that I can get back to my family and friends.”
After reminding the courtroom of the maximum penalty — 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine — that he could impose for the crime to which Brewer had pleaded guilty, Mills said the plea agreement negotiated between the prosecution and defense featured a proposed sentence that fell below the usual sentencing guidelines for such a case.
Mills then read aloud the names of more than one-dozen people, including former longtime circuit judge Andrew Baker and former longtime Charleston Mayor Robert Rowe, who had submitted letters to the court attesting to Brewer’s service, his personal and professional contributions to the county and their experiences regarding his character.
Some of the letter-writers, including former employees and several family members of Brewer, asked for leniency on his behalf.
Addressing Brewer, Mills said, “I have looked over your record and found that you didn’t have any problems over all these years.”
The judge noted that Brewer was “arrested in a media frenzy” that made the charges against him look “real bad.”
Mills added, “At some point, you have to base your decision on facts. ... And the facts as they have been given to me here are different from what I have heard or read [in the media].”
For instance, Mills said he had seen no evidence that Brewer forced anyone to rob drug dealers and to give him part of the proceeds.
“I’m going to tie the sentence to what you actually did rather than what was said about you,” Mills told Brewer.
Still, Mills stressed that he was by no means excusing any wrongdoing.
“A law enforcement officer has a tremendous responsibility to the people, and you and I know that you violated that,” he told Brewer.
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On the day before the sentencing hearing, defense attorney Horan filed a motion seeking reinstatement of bail for Brewer.
The motion was discussed near the close of Brewer’s sentencing hearing.
Horan reminded the court that Brewer had been released on $25,000 bail on Aug. 14 but then was arrested Oct. 5 when federal officials alleged that he had attempted to intimidate a witness.
“My client may have said something inappropriate, and certainly did,” said Horan, without elaborating, but he noted that a subsequent investigation by the government cleared Brewer of the intimidation charge, and he asked Mills to again permit Brewer to be released on bail for no less than 21 days.
Horan said Brewer needed to conduct some “personal business,” including selling cattle and divesting other personal property, after which he would report back to the West Tennessee Detention Facility in Mason, Tennessee, where he has been housed since October.
While the prosecutor took no position on whether bail should be allowed, Mills denied Horan’s motion.
“I’m not going to grant any bail,” Mills said. “We’ve already done that once and it didn’t work out very well.”
