Former President of Southern Union Community College Sentenced

BIRMINGHAM, AL—The former president of a community college in Opelika was sentenced today in federal court on obstruction of justice charges, United States Attorney Joyce White Vance, FBI Special Agent in Charge Patrick James Maley and Acting Alabama Attorney General Richard Minor announced jointly.

United States District Judge Karon O. Bowdre sentenced JOANNE JORDAN, 67, of Ashland, to three years probation and fined her $5,000. Jordan pleaded guilty to the obstruction charges on March 31, 2008.

Jordan, former president of Southern Union State Community College in Opelika, testified falsely when appearing before a special grand jury in Birmingham. The special grand jury was investigating corruption in the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education. That investigation lead to the pleas or convictions of numerous public officials and employees in Alabama including former Chancellor of Postsecondary Education, Roy W. Johnson, and State Senator E. B. McLain.

Based on Jordan’s assistance in the investigation subsequent to her plea of guilty, federal prosecutors filed a motion Aug. 18, 2009, recommending she receive a decreased sentence.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Alabama Attorney General’s office, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Miles M. Hart.

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