Prosecutors want shorter sentence for Decker

RALEIGH (AP) - Federal prosecutors want a judge to cut in half the four-year sentence of former state Rep. Michael Decker, saying he provided vital information to expose the public corruption that led to prison time for former House Speaker Jim Black.

Decker, a Forsyth County Republican, pleaded guilty in August 2006 to soliciting and accepting $50,000 in cash and campaign contributions to switch political parties in early 2003, a move that helped Black remain co-speaker.

In a motion filed Monday in U.S. District Court, prosecutors asked that Decker's time be reduced two years because of his cooperation in the investigation. They said Decker was prepared to testify for the government in Black's federal and state sentencing hearings in July that netted Black a five-year prison sentence and a $1 million fine.