In an act akin to the plot of "American Hustle", Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon was arrested Wednesday on charges of bribery, theft and corruption, WBTV-CLT reports.
The FBI has accused the Mayor of accepting a total of $48,000 cash from undercover FBI agents posing as developers looking to expand in the Charlotte area.
The FBI said the probe goes back four years, to when Cannon was then a member of Charlotte’s City Council.
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, a former Mayor of Charlotte, said in a statement, "I am saddened and angered because I have known Patrick and his family for 30 years. More than anything my heart is broken for the city of Charlotte," adding, "this is not the city I know, served and loved. This alleged behavior is inexcusable and cannot be tolerated."
Cannon resigned from his post Wednesday night.