Vicksburg mayor pleads not guilty to bribery

(AP) JACKSON, Miss. - The mayor of Vicksburg, Miss., has pleaded not guilty to a federal bribery charge that accuses him of seeking $10,000 in cash in exchange for a city contract.

Mayor Paul Winfield said little during his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Jackson Thursday other than to give short answers to the judge’s questions.

Winfield faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, if convicted in a trial set for June. He is free on $10,000 unsecured bond.

Winfield and his attorney declined to comment after the brief hearing.

Winfield, a Democrat, is completing his first term as mayor of the historic Mississippi River city and qualified to seek re-election.

The FBI arrested Winfield on Feb. 20. A federal grand jury indicted him March 19.

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