EX-SHERIFF MAYNOR FACES PUNISHMENT

RALEIGH - He gambled, won a battle, but lost the war.

Former Robeson County Sheriff Glenn Maynor was sentenced to six years
in federal prison Thursday for ignoring corruption in his department,
lying to a grand jury about his knowledge of that corruption, and
benefiting financially from it.

The sentence was less than the 10 years U.S. District Judge Terrence
Boyle threatened him with three weeks ago, but four years longer than
his attorney pleaded for on his behalf.

Maynor received five years for theft of county proceeds and another
12 months for perjury. Boyle also ordered him to pay $17,550 in
restitution for the misused money, and to spend three years on
supervised release after he gets out. Because he was sentenced under
federal guidelines, Maynor is likely to serve almost all six year as
there is little room for early parole.

Federal prosecutors said that under Maynor's watch, deputies kept
money they seized from drug dealers, conspired to kidnap drug
dealers, stole from a federal drug enforcement fund, used counterfeit
satellite cards to obtain satellite TV services, and helped Maynor
with political campaigns at taxpayer expense.

Maynor, who turns 62 next week, admitted lying to the grand jury when
he said he was unaware of criminal activity in his department. He
pleaded guilty to perjury and conspiracy charges in September.

As he sentenced Maynor, Boyle asked why the former sheriff failed to
clean up the corruption.

"If you were the broom to sweep the old administration clean, why
didn't you arrest these deputies or fire these deputies?" he said.
"You either turned a blind eye or were complicit in their behavior."

"I realize I dropped the ball," Maynor said, shoulders hunched, his
voice cracking with emotion. "I expected my men to do what they were
supposed to do."

Maynor also blamed his lack of oversight on trying to attend to
health problems among family members during his tenure from 1994 to
2004. Maynor's attorney, Doug Parsons, told Boyle that when Maynor
admitted to him that he lied to the grand jury, "I told him it was
the stupidest thing he ever did."

Parsons painted Maynor as someone who had built a good life and a
good reputation for himself and his family until he was elected
sheriff in his second run for the office.

"Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for," Parsons told
Boyle. "After he was elected, he became a politician and tried to
please everybody. Frankly, he was a terrible sheriff."

Parsons asked the judge to consider Maynor's age and failing health
as mitigating circumstances before passing sentence, saying the
ordeal has left Maynor's life in shambles.

"He's ruined his good family name ...," Parsons said. "He can't vote,
he can't carry a firearm. I would ask the court that you factor in
that he was a good family man and a good church man. He is still
giving the U.S. Attorney's office information that will be helpful
with other prosecutions down the road."

Boyle was unmoved, but admitted he was conflicted over Maynor's case.

"Why did it take a year to get it (information) out?" the judge said.
"He was the law. He should have gone after the people who were
corrupt, not become one of them.

"I haven't resolved this; this is a difficult sentencing," he said.
"I'm not backing away from this, but this is hard."

Outside the courthouse following the sentencing, U.S. Attorney George
Holding described the corruption as "a horrid chapter in the history
of Robeson County." He said he was pleased with the sentence, calling
it "a significant step" toward bringing resolution to the case.

"This has been a textbook prosecution," Holding said. "We started
with the lowest of the low. Basically, the investigation started with
drug dealers who were telling us they had been robbed or abused in
some manner by law enforcement. From those witnesses, we worked all
the way up to the sheriff."

Holding said his office agreed to the original plea deal because the
18- to 24-month prison term Maynor was expecting fell within federal
sentencing guidelines.

U.S. Attorney Frank Bradsher, lead prosecutor for the government,
agreed with Boyle's decision to depart from the guidelines and impose
a stiffer sentence. "Not only did he (Maynor) know about crimes, he
committed them."

Holding confirmed that the investigation, dubbed Operation Tarnished
Badge, is ongoing and that authorities are looking into other
possible instances of corruption in Robeson County. He declined to be
more specific, but confirmed that Maynor has supplied information
that will help in the investigation.

During sentencing, Boyle questioned why the state hadn't cracked down
sooner on the corruption. State Bureau of Investigation Director
Robin Pendergraft said after the sentencing that authorities have
been working the case for six years.

"It took a long time to find a crack and to get into what was going
on," Pendergraft said, calling Maynor's sentence "symbolic."

Bradsher said Robeson County residents were the real winners after
Maynor's guilty plea and sentence.

"It gives them the opportunity to be free for the first time in a
very long time from the political corruption that has been haunting
that county," he said. "I think that is the important part."

Maynor left the Terry Sanford Federal Building grim-faced, his wife
Lois by his side. Boyle instructed him to report to prison by Aug. 1.
It's unclear where Maynor will serve his term.

Asked if he thought prison would cause his health to deteriorate
further, Maynor replied, "I'll continue to trust in the Lord." He was
then whisked away in an SUV.

The sentence brings to 23 the number of former members of Maynor's
department who have been punished as part of the investigation, which
began 2003.

Sentences have ranged from a few months in prison to more than 30 years.

A former deputy, Waldo "Pat" Stallings Jr., still awaits his
punishment. After pleading guilty in May to making false statements
to a government agency, he faces up to five years in prison, but has
filed a motion to continue the case.