J.T. Burnette reports early to federal prison camp in Alabama in FBI public corruption case
John Thomas “J.T.” Burnette, who was convicted on public corruption charges in the FBI’s “Operation Capital Currency,” has reported to a federal prison camp in Alabama, according to Bureau of Prison records.
The wealthy businessman, developer and hotelier is serving a three-year sentence for extortion and related crimes at the minimum-security camp located on the grounds of Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.
Burnette, who had been free since shortly after his arrest in 2019, reported to prison slightly earlier than required. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle, who presided over his trial in July and August at the U.S. Courthouse in Tallahassee, ordered him to report by Sunday.
He is the third and final person to go off to prison over the past few months in the FBI probe. Former Tallahassee Mayor and City Commissioner Scott Maddox and his longtime partner Paige Carter-Smith, who pleaded guilty to taking bribes from city vendors, reported to minimum-security camps in November.
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Burnette, 44, was convicted for bribes he arranged for Maddox and Carter-Smith through their secretive lobbying firm, Governance. He paid $100,000 for Maddox’s help in killing a rival downtown hotel and directed undercover FBI agents posing as developers to pay $20,000 for his help with approvals involving Fallschase.
After his conviction, Burnette hired the powerhouse Washington, D.C., law firm Williams & Connolly to handle to handle his appeal. His legal team pushed to keep him out of prison pending appeal but struck out before Hinkle and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which denied his request on Wednesday.
Hinkle commented on the FBI investigation last month in his order denying release for Burnette. The probe started in August 2015 with the arrival of "Mike Miller," owner of the fictitious Southern Pines Development, at a Chamber of Commerce conference.
"The record does not show what brought the Federal Bureau of Investigation to Tallahassee," Hinkle wrote. "Perhaps the agency got wind of Mr. Maddox's penchant for taking bribes; he had taken bribes not just from Burnette but also from various others."
Maddox was sentenced to five years and Carter-Smith three years after they pleaded guilty and testified against Burnette, their one-time friend, during his trial in July and August at the U.S. Courthouse. Maddox is serving his time at the prison camp in Talladega, Alabama; Carter-Smith is serving her time at the camp in Marianna.
Both Maddox and Carter-Smith are imprisoned at satellite prison camps located next to medium-security federal prisons. Such camps share staff with their more secure sister facilities and are known for a more strict environment than stand-alone camps, such as the one in Montgomery where Burnette is housed.
The camps, open to non-violent offenders only, typically don’t have bars or perimeter fences like traditional prisons. Inmates generally are housed in dormitories and required to work often menial jobs as part of what experts have described as a “primitive existence.”
Federal inmates who serve at least a year and a day can shave 15% or more off their sentences through good behavior or taking part in certain educational programs. The BOP lists Burnette's release date as Aug. 7, 2024.
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee corruption case: J.T. Burnette reports early to prison camp
