A former Virginia lawmaker convicted for corruption has been released from prison after eight years.
Former Delegate Phil Hamilton of Newport News was released from a Pennsylvania prison on Thursday, his daughter Meredith Archer confirms.
He was found guilty in 2011 on federal charges of bribery and extortion, and sentenced to nine-and-a-half years.
Hamilton has maintained his innocence, but a federal appeals court rejected his bid for a new trial in 2016. His sentence was set to end this December, but he was allowed out on early release.
While incarcerated, he was assaulted in federal prison at Fort Dix, New Jersey on Christmas Eve 2016. He was then transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution in Schuylkill, Pennsylvania.
"Compared to Fort Dix, this is a 5-star resort," Hamilton wrote in an email shortly after the transfer.
More recently, Hamilton had asked friends and supporters to help get a pardon from President Donald Trump.
Hamilton had represented the 93rd District, which covers parts of James City County and Newport News, from 1988 until his resignation in 2009.