The half-brother of civil rights activist Al Sharpton finds himself in an increasingly tangled web of legal woes.
The U.S. Department of Justice initially issued federal judge charges against Kenneth Glasgow, to which he pleaded not guilty. This week, Glasgow changed his plea to guilty with the hopes of receiving a lighter sentence as he faces additional charges. On top of drug distribution charges issued in 2021, Glasgow is charged with tax evasion and defrauding the Social Security Disabilities program.
The DOJ charges are focused on Glasgow's 2018 failure to report a withdrawal of over $400,000 from his non-profit, The Ordinary People Society. Glasgow claimed the money was withdrawn as reimbursement for his work. However, during that period, he claimed an inability to work or drive to receive disability income from the government.
The DOJ was alerted to this disparity when Glasgow was issued 27 traffic citations between 2017 and 2020. Prosecutors from the DOJ presented this evidence to a grand jury convened in Montgomery last week after the indictment was filed in court on October 27.
Glasgow's attorney, Derek Yarbrough of Dothan, spoke with local television station WTVY about the latest charges against his client, indicating that he was well aware of the incoming DOJ indictments on top of the drug distribution charges of 2021. Yarbrough said he was working to reach a resolution on behalf of Glasgow.
Glasgow, 56, has been active in Alabama as a pastor and founder of two non-profits based in Dothan.
He has also worked to restore voter rights among prison inmates and released felons, recruiting volunteers to go into prisons and register voters there. Glasgow's focus on inmate rights came as a result of serving time himself for robbery and drugs two decades ago.
Glasgow said he had a spiritual turnaround while in prison and, after his release, began a ministry to former inmates and the poverty-stricken communities in the Wiregrass region.
Glasgow had another recent brush with the law in 2018 for being at the scene where a capital murder suspect confronted, shot and killed the woman who was driving the murder suspect's stolen car. A grand jury ultimately acquitted Glasgow of knowing in advance or being complicit when that shooting took place.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email andrea.tice@1819news.com.
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