Disgraced former Scranton Mayor Bill Courtright was released from federal custody on Wednesday.

SCRANTON, Pa. — It was in January of 2019, when alarm bells started to ring as members of the FBI raided Scranton City Hall and the home of then-Mayor Bill Courtright.

The events were first met with silence and uncertainty, but in the months that followed, rumors of alleged corruption and bribery came to the forefront. 

In July of that same year, Courtright resigned in the middle of his second term shortly after he was out of Scranton and in front of a federal judge in Williamsport.

It was there that the man who started on city council and rose to the highest elected position pleaded guilty to charges of criminal conspiracy, bribery, and attempted obstruction. 

Through all his trips to court, Courtright was silent, but authorities were not afraid to disclose his unlawful practices.

At the time of his guilty plea, prosecutors said through an undercover investigation that started in 2017, they could prove Courtright took payments from 10 businesses contracted with the city or looking to do work there.

Investigators also said Courtright was recorded secretly on several occasions speaking with city employees and vendors who were working with the FBI.

In 2020, Courtright was sentenced to serve seven years in prison. If his case went to trial and he was found guilty, his sentence could’ve been more than 25 years in prison.

From when he was first elected in 2013 to more than a decade later, being released from federal custody, the story of Bill Courtright is a cautionary tale for cities like Scranton.