Thompson Pleads Guilty to Fraud  By Bill Dries  Former Shelby
County Board of Commissioners member Bruce Thompson pleaded
guilty Wednesday to a federal fraud charge in a corruption case
involving a 2004 construction contract to build three Memphis
city schools.  The plea came at Thompson's first appearance
before U.S. District Judge Jon P. McCalla on the corruption
charges he was indicted on in November.  Thompson, 48, is
scheduled to be sentenced by McCalla June 6. Under terms of the
plea deal, if McCalla sentences him to more than a year and a
day in prison, Thompson can withdraw the guilty plea.  Thompson
specifically admitted that he took $7,000 from two construction
firms, H&M Construction Co. of Jackson, Tenn., and Salton-Fox
Construction of Memphis, after he told H&M executives that
because of his position as a county commissioner, he could
control votes on the Memphis school board. Thompson served one
term on the commission from 2002 to 2006.  The construction
companies, working in partnership, were s