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RALEIGH — The federal courts had already taken former House Speaker Jim Black's freedom and power.

"It's the purpose of my sentence to take the money," Judge Donald Stephens, of Wake County Superior Court, told Black, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, during a sentencing hearing Tuesday.

He fined the disgraced former legislator $1 million plus the cost of a State Board of Elections investigation. Black pleaded guilty to taking bribes. Prosecutors say evidence presented over the past six months strongly suggests Black used that money in turn to bribe at least one other legislator and maintain his position, one of the most powerful in state government.

Black already has been sentenced to more than five years in prison by a federal judge. Stephens held out the possibility of sentencing Black to more jail time if he did not pay his fine by December.

"I've been required to look into the window of politics, and from this window, the view is rather unsavory — enlightening but unsavory," Stephens said.

One of those unsavory glances was at the 1997 races for speaker of the House, when Republicans held a slim 61-59 majority. Black was leading an effort to oust Randolph County Republican Harold Brubaker as speaker.

As part of that effort, he was wooing Robert Brawley Jr., an Iredell County Republican who Black said he had won over at first but lost after a visit from Brubaker.

During his two-and-half hours of testimony Tuesday, Black said that when Brubaker visited Brawley, he asked, "What would it take to get you on board" to vote for the Republican speaker?

Black said Brawley replied that a $300,000 contribution to his children's trust account would win him back to the GOP caucus.

Brubaker disputes that version of events.

"First of all, I don't do that. That's something I've never been involved in,'' Brubaker said during an interview at his legislative office. "I was shocked when I heard about that."

Brubaker said he did visit Brawley before the speaker's election in 1997 and did ask, "What does it take for you to become part of our caucus?" According to Brubaker, Brawley asked that he become speaker pro tempore and a co-chairman of the powerful finance committee.

Brubaker said he agreed to support him for those positions. Brawley lost the speaker pro tempore election to Republican Steve Wood, of High Point, but Brawley did become a finance chairman.

"Both of them are wrong as far as I'm concerned," Brawley said by phone Tuesday night. He said Black had approached him and offered to help his insurance business by sending clients his way.

He said it was Brubaker who offered him the speaker pro tempore's job.

"In fact, I made a comment about a $50,000 loan that went sour at the time, and he (Brubaker) asked if working that out would help change my mind,'' Brawley recounted. "I told him it wasn't about the money, it was about integrity in government."

Brawley said he considered both men friends but had reservations at the time about both the Republican and Democratic leadership in the House.

Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby, who prosecuted the state charges, refused to say whether he gave credence to Black's version of the story or if he was investigating it.

The bulk of Tuesday's sentencing hearing was spent digging into a $500,000 loan that Don Beason, one of the most influential lobbyists in Raleigh, gave to Black in June of 2000.

Black contended it was a business loan, intended to be used in connection with a deal to lease a building he owned to Center City Partners in Charlotte. He said he returned the money when that deal fell through, after funneling it through his campaign account to make his election war chest look more formidable.

Willoughby said Black's explanation didn't make sense because Center City Partners already had found office space by the time the loan was made. "The timing of that is not consistent, not logical, not believable," Willoughby said.

Efforts to reach Beason were unsuccessful Tuesday night. However, in a statement to The Associated Press, he said he had testified about this issue before a federal grand jury earlier this year.

"I recognize that making the loan was a serious error in judgment and I deeply regret it," Beason said. "I apologize to my clients, to my fellow lobbyists, to members of the General Assembly and most of all to the citizens of North Carolina. I am truly sorry."

Beason's lobbying clients have included Dale Earnhardt Inc., cigarette makers RJR and S&M Brands, the video poker industry's trade association and AT&T.

Although Black was defiant on some points in court — he denies bribing fellow legislators during a 2002-2003 power struggle — he apologized for accepting bribes from chiropractors.

"It was the most foolish and stupid thing I have ever done. It embarrassed my family and the legislature," Black said.

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mbinker@news-record.com