Jones To Report To Prison Feb. 28

Former state Sen. Charles D. Jones is scheduled Feb. 28 to surrender to federal authorities and begin a 27-month prison sentence following his conviction on charges including 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 has 14 days to appeal the sentence, which stems from his August conviction on one count of tax evasion and two counts of filing false tax returns.

During Wednesday's hearing, the News-Star reports that Jones apologized for his actions and asked James for leniency. The sentencing culminates more than two years of legal battles for Jones, including a mistrial before he was convicted in federal court in Shreveport.