A state representative in Alabama pleaded guilty to felony charges just one day after he won his re-election bid for public office. State Rep. Kelvin Jamichael Lawrence, 52, from Lowndes County, was arrested in 2024 on charges of second-degree forgery and second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument. Lawrence, who is a registered Democrat, was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2014. He has also served as the mayor of Hayneville.
Lawrence represents District 69, which indlues Lowndes County, along with parts of Autauga, Montgomery, and Wilcox counties. The indictment for the state congressman says that he was busted using a falsely made, completed, or altered builder’s license with the intent to defraud. Lawrence pleaded guilty on November 4, a day after beating GOP challenger Josh Pendergrass.
According to the plea agreement, Lawrence was sentenced to a total of 37 months with 12 months to serve, however he was granted pre-trial diversion. This means that the congressman must complete 300 hours of community service at an approved non-profit organization. He must complete those service hours within a year.
A report from AL.Com also revealed that along with the 300 hours of service, Lawrence is going to feel the sting of justice in his bank account as he is also required to pay court costs and a $3,000 fine. If he finishes the pre-trial diversion program in time, the charges against him will be tossed out. If he fails, he will be required to serve a prison sentence.
House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter released a statement concerning Lawrence’s arrest in 2024, saying, “I expect members of the Alabama House of Representatives to hold themselves to the highest standard of integrity in both their personal and professional lives.” Lawrence will still be able to serve in his elected position while being involved in the pre-trial diversion program because he hasn’t been convicted of a felony.
During the midterm election for the seat, Lawrence pulled in approximately 67% of the vote, compared to Pendergrass, who only pulled in 37%. Pendergrass brought up the charges against Lawrence on numerous occasions on the campaign trail, but in the end, folks didn’t seem to mind that the Democrat was involved in forgery with the intent to defraud folks.
“Yes I still plan to serve,” Lawrence said in an interview with 1819 News on November 9. “The diversion program was approved and agreed to by the Attorney General’s office and does not affect my public service.” Folks on social media platform X reacted to the story with shock. “Ridiculous. How can we keep losing elections to folks with character issues so severe?” one user wrote.
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Another user said, “You know he’s a Democrat, because had he been a Republican it would have been in the title of the article.” Someone else wrote, “Not saying it doesn’t happen on the other side but doesn’t it seem that 90% of the time there’s a (D) next to their name?” One user said, “Not only are these people criminals, they are incompetent criminals. How did he think he was going to get away with that?”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video