CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It will be one of the biggest days in Charlotte history. Disgraced ex-Mayor Patrick Cannon will face Judge Frank Whitney at 9:30 AM at the Federal Courthouse and learn his punishment for public corruption.
It’s a date that’s been rescheduled to make sure a psychiatrist can testify on Cannon’s behalf, perhaps to offer up that the long-time elected leader has a mental illness or substance abuse issue and that the judge should lower his sentence because of it. “Depends on what he would say, but that’s a real uphill battle,” says George Laughrun. He is one of Charlotte’s most prominent defense attorneys, and he’s not involved in this case.
While the mental health angle probably won’t fly, says Laughrun, there are other issues that could weigh in Cannon’s favor: he doesn’t have a previous record. He admitted responsibility early on, for example, he waived his indictment. And his cooperation with investigators will be considered. Laughrun says, “They want you to bring in major people who were doing the same thing (you) were.”Β
