Former Iowa Congressman Mezvinsky to be Released from Prison

Photo by Sabina Louise Pierce, AP

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By Becky Ogann

Story Created: Apr 9, 2008 at 3:04 PM CST

Story Updated: Apr 9, 2008 at 3:04 PM CST

DES MOINES (AP) - Former Iowa Congressman Edward Mezvinsky, who was convicted of fraud, is scheduled to be released this weekend.

He pleaded guilty in 2002 in federal court in Philadelphia to defrauding business partners, friends and family of more than 10 million dollars. He was sentenced to more than six years in prison.

He currently is serving his sentence in a halfway house in Pittsburgh.

Prosecutors say Mezvinsky collected money for business ventures that never developed, including an oil deal, a coin trading company and an effort to sell bracelets in Africa. In the meantime, he fell victim to several Nigerian investment scams and lost most of the money.

Mezvinsky represented Iowa from 1973 to 1977. After leaving Congress, he moved to Pennsylvania and served as state Democratic Party chairman.

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