Larry Langford Trial

By Colin Crews

On Wednesday afternoon Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford was convicted in federal court of taking bribes during his term as president of the Jefferson County Commission. Langford faces a maximum sentence of more than 800 years in prison.

Langford’s brief  term as Birmingham’s mayor was particularly antagonistic towards neighboring Irondale.  Speaking last year to Birmingham Business Journal, Daniel Corp CEO Charlie Tickle claimed that Langford was instrumental in convincing Trinity Medical Center to abandon plans to build a hospital off Grants Mill Road in Irondale. Instead Trinity opted to relocate to Birmingham’s Highway 280, one of Alabama’s most congested motorways.

Tickle said Langford used his “strength in forging private-public relationships” and “his ability to fast-track deals” to woo Trinity away from Irondale.

Three months after receiving a Certificate of Need from the state of Alabama to move to the Grants Mill location Trinity Medical Center announced a deal with Langford and Daniel Corp. to move to HealthSouth’s Digital Hospital on Highway 280.  At the time of Trinity’s announcement Irondale had issued more than $30 million in bonds to secure the for-profit corporation’s building of a hospital in the city.  Trinity’s pull-out has left Irondale on the brink of financial disaster.

The city of Irondale has sued Trinity Medical Center’s parent corporation, Community Health Systems, and Daniel Corp. in Jefferson County Circuit Court.  The next hearing is on November 19th.

Community Health Systems is based in Franklin, Tennessee and owns nine hospitals in Alabama including South Baldwin Regional Medical Center and Gadsden Regional Medical Center.

It is unclear how Langford’s sixty count conviction will affect the Fortune 500 company’s decision to move to Highway 280.  Langford’s close involvement in the 280 move could cause further public relations problems for Community Health Systems who is already under fire from the U.S. Justice Department over alleged Medicaid fraud at a New Mexico hospital.  It is also facing a labor dispute in  Pottstown, Pennsylvania and is currently in negotiations with a hospital in Porter County, Indiana, in a land purchase similar to the deal with Irondale.

Langford’s trial was moved from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa at the request of his defense team.  The jury took less than two hours to reach its decision. Under state law Langford’s reign as mayor ended upon his conviction.   Former Irondale prosecutor, Carole Smitherman is Birmingham’s new mayor.

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