Cheering throng greets ex-Newark Mayor Sharpe James as he returns from prison

Supporters greet ex-Newark Mayor James on return

NEWARK, N.J. — Supporters of former Newark Mayor Sharpe James are celebrating his return from prison.

Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James stepped off a bus Tuesday evening to a cheering crowd of a few hundred supporters, many holding signs.

James left a federal prison camp in Virginia earlier Tuesday where he was serving a sentence on corruption charges.

James was convicted in April 2008 on charges he abused his office by steering city-owned land to his then-mistress. He began a 27-month term in September 2008 and will serve the remainder of his sentence at a halfway house.

James, who also was a state senator, maintains his innocence and has said he will continue to appeal his corruption conviction.