Jones Must Report To Prison By Feb. 28

A U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals judge has denied former state Senator Charles D. Jones' motions for bail and a stay in his report date to prison while he is appealing a 27-month jail sentence for tax evasion and other tax charges.The News-Star reports Judge Patrick E. Higginbotham issued an order Tuesday denying the motions.

Jones was convicted after a seven-day trial last August in Shreveport of two counts of filing false tax returns and one count of tax evasion.

U.S. District Judge Robert James also sentenced Jones to three years of supervised release and ordered the 60-year-old Monroe resident to repay $305,174.

Jones must surrender on or before 2 p.m. Feb. 28 to begin serving his sentence.