News In Brief

Convicted federal judge says his offense was recklessness

US District Judge Harry Claiborne, the first sitting federal judge ordered to prison, maintained at his sentencing for tax evasion that he was guilty only of being reckless with his personal affairs.

Claiborne received two years in prison and a $10,000 fine at his sentencing Wednesday for August convictions of filing false tax reports. He remains free on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond pending further appeals, which government prosecutors estimated would last at least a year.