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Charles Pugh sentenced to up to 15 years in prison

Charles Pugh
Charles Pugh
Charles Pugh

A former Detroit City Council president and Channel 2 anchor was sentenced to five and a half to fifteen years in prison for criminal sexual conduct with a minor by Wayne County Circuit Judge Thomas Cameron.

The victim, Austin Williams, previously testified that he met Pugh at the Channel 2 (Fox TV) station in March 2003 when Pugh worked there. At the time the sex acts occurred, Williams was 14, below the legal age of consent. 

Williams filed charges in 2013. By that time Pugh had moved on to become Detroit City Council president. 

Pugh was extradited from New York to Michigan this summer after criminal charges were filed. He pleaded guilty to third degree criminal sexual conduct as part of a plea deal. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to dismiss three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, which would have carried a maximum sentence of life in prison.