BANGOR (AP) — A lawyer for a former Chelsea selectwoman convicted of extortion and fraud says his client deserves a lenient sentence because she grew up in a dysfunctional family, is an abuse victim, has several medical issues and because of her years of good service to the town.

Carole Swan is scheduled to be sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Bangor.

Swan, who spent 19 years as selectwoman, was convicted in September of extortion for using her position to seek kickbacks from a contractor who plowed the town’s roads. She also was convicted last July of workers’ compensation fraud and income tax fraud.

The Kennebec Journal (http://bit.ly/1jm6UGR ) reported that in court filings this week her attorney asked for a much lighter sentence than the six to eight years prosecutors asked for.


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