Scott Maddox released from federal prison after serving 18 months of 5-year bribery sentence

Former Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox has been released from a federal prison camp in Pensacola after serving 18 months of a five-year sentence for his role in a notorious City Hall bribery scheme.

The Bureau of Prisons website lists Maddox’s current location as RRM Orlando, the residential reentry management office that oversees prisoners from north and central Florida who are on home confinement or in a halfway house.

His exact location is not publicly known. However, one person with knowledge of the situation said Maddox recently returned to Tallahassee after his release from the prison camp and is on home confinement. Another said his release was either imminent or had happened already.

Others have actually spotted Maddox in public. Ben Sharpe, a digital fundraising consultant for Democrats and progressive causes, said he walked past him as the two were walking their dogs in Midtown. Sharpe, who doesn't know Maddox personally, said he didn't recognize him at first because he'd lost weight since his last court appearance.

"I was kind of surprised," Sharpe said, "because I hadn’t heard any news that he had gotten out."

Attempts to reach Maddox — who remains under federal supervision — were not successful.

Maddox and his longtime aide, Paige Carter-Smith, pleaded guilty in 2019 to federal bribery charges involving payoffs they accepted from city vendors and undercover FBI agents. Their co-defendant, developer John “J.T.” Burnette, was convicted two years later on extortion charges after a trial that saw Maddox and Carter-Smith testify against him.

In 2021, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle sentenced all three to federal prison, though he gave the most time, five years, to Maddox. Burnette got three years, while Carter-Smith got two.

Background:Scott Maddox sentenced to 5 years in prison in federal corruption case

Maddox began his sentence in early November 2021 at the federal prison camp in Talladega, Alabama. He was transferred around June 2022 to another camp in Pensacola known for its relatively cushy environs and programs that can help inmates get out faster.

It’s not exactly clear how Maddox got out after only a year and a half. But it's entirely possible for an inmate in his situation to do just that, said Sam Mangel, a former convict who works with white collar criminals and their families.

Mangel said an inmate sentenced to 60 months could see reductions of eight months through earned time credits, nine months through guaranteed good time and 12 months through participation in a residential drug and alcohol treatment program called RDAP.

That would bring their sentence down to 31 months and open the door to early release through the CARES Act, he said. The law, which was enacted during the pandemic and expired earlier this month, allowed for the early release of minimum-security prisoners who were at heightened risk of illness but were considered unlikely to re-offend.

Mangel said most inmates released through the CARES Act were placed on home confinement, though some went to halfway houses. Inmates on home confinement wear ankle monitors and are generally restricted to their residence, though they are permitted to go to work, church and doctor’s appointments.

More:The ABCs of a corruption case: Your guide to the businesses and people linked to Scott Maddox

“They’re still considered in the Bureau of Prisons,” Mangel said. “They’re just not serving in prison. They’re serving in a non-custodial environment ... usually with a GPS tracker.”

It’s unknown whether Maddox participated in RDAP. During the Burnette trial, he testified that he was drinking heavily around the time he got entangled in the FBI investigation, which began in 2015.

Maddox is scheduled to complete his sentence by July 15, 2024, though that date could be moved up, too, as he continues to earn good time. After that, he must complete a year of supervised release.

Carter-Smith, who served her time at a federal prison camp in Marianna, was placed on home confinement last year. She completed her sentence in January, according to court records.

Burnette is serving his sentence at a federal prison camp in Montgomery, Alabama, that's known for having stricter release policies under the CARES Act. In April, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal upheld his conviction.

The BOP lists his release date as Jan. 25, 2024. However, Mangel, who is working with Burnette, said he is expected to get out of prison sooner, perhaps within the next 30 days, and report to a halfway house for a time before going on home confinement. Burnette reported to prison in mid-January 2022.

More:He 'can resume his life': Case against Andrew Gillum dropped

Once considered one of Tallahassee's most powerful politicians, Maddox served on the City Commission from 1993 to 2003, including a stint as mayor, and again from 2012 until shortly after his indictment in late 2018. He also mounted several unsuccessful bids for statewide office, including agriculture commissioner and attorney general.

News of his release comes just a week after charges were dismissed against former Mayor Andrew Gillum and his political advisor Sharon Lettman-Hicks for allegedly misappropriating campaign funds. The government opted to drop the case after a jury in their trial deadlocked on most counts but publicly announced that it had leaned heavily toward acquittal. The case grew out of the same FBI probe that led to charges against Maddox and his associates.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com and follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.