According to the Palm Beach Post, Alston “decided to plead
guilty on Monday to one felony charge of grand theft, a misdemeanor charge of
corrupt misuse of an official position and to reimburse the city [of South Bay, Fla.] $48,000.” The
newspaper added that “since Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Stephen Rapp agreed
to withhold adjudication on the grand theft charge, Alston won’t have a felony
record.”
The court sentenced Alston to serve five years on probation
(with the first six months on house arrest) and complete 100 hours of community service.
Alston previously faced nine criminal charges, but prosecutors dropped seven of them after agreeing to terms on the plea deal.
Despite his two guilty pleas, Alston continues to publicly
claim that he is innocent of all the charges.
In a written statement, Alston said that legal expenses and
the emotional weight of his fight in the criminal justice system were both
factors that led him to accept the plea deal. He also said that he was wary
about going to trial because “inconsistencies and prejudice among jurors is
increasingly more prevalent for Black males who disproportionately receive
longer prison sentences and may be more often viewed as being guilty until
proven innocent.”