US SEC charges Birmingham, Ala. mayor in muni case

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday said it has charged the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, and two of his friends in connection with an undisclosed payment scheme in municipal bond deals.

The SEC said more than $156,000 in undisclosed payments were made to mayor Larry Langford related to municipal bond offerings and swap agreements Langford directed on behalf of Jefferson County, Alabama.

The Alabama broker-dealer firm that reaped millions of dollars in fees from the deals was also charged, the SEC said. (Reporting by Karey Wutkowski, Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)