Larry Langford, the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, was arrested by the FBI on Monday, on federal charges including conspiracy, bribery, fraud, money laundering and filing false income tax returns. Before he was elected mayor last year, Langford was president of the Jefferson County Commission.

According to US Attorney, Alice Martin, the 62-year-old Langford is named in an indictment that alleges criminal activity while he was the county commissioner. Martin said as president of the county commission, and head of its department of finance and general services from November 2002 till November 2006, Langford put his personal affairs ahead of those of the county.

A Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit has accused him of taking more than $156,000 from a friend, whose firm made millions on risky bond transactions that has pushed the state’s largest county to the brink of bankruptcy. Also named in the 101-count indictment are William Blount, 55, a Montgomery, Alabama, investment banker, and Albert LaPierre, 58, a Birmingham lobbyist.

Martin said: “Langford steered lucrative business to William Blount and his company and he, in turn, earned in excess of $7.1 million and, with the help of lobbyist Albert LaPierre, they ensured that Larry Langford’s crushing personal debts were paid off through payoffs of loans, store charge accounts, purchases of clothing and jewelry and other items of value that exceeded $230,000 over a period from 2002 to 2006.”

Each of the defendants would, in addition to the fines, face a maximum of 10 years for each bribery and money-laundering count, 20 years for each fraud count, five years for the conspiracy count and three years for each tax count.