NECESSARY. IT’S PROBATION - NOT PRISON - FOR FORMER ALBUQUERQUE MAYOR KEN SCHULTZ - A KEY PLAYER IN THE METRO COURTHOUSE CONSTRUCTION SCANDAL. STUART DYSON IS LIVE AT FEDERAL COURT WHERE SCHULTZ FACED A JUDGE FOR SENTENCING TODAY. BY HIS OWN ADMISSION SCHULTZ WAS A BAGMAN - A DELIVERY BOY WHO CARRIED BRIBE AND KICKBACK MONEY FROM A CROOKED ARCHITECT TO THE COURT ADMINISTRATOR AND A POWERFUL STATE LAWMAKER. THE ONETIME MAYOR DIDN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT ANY OF THAT TODAY! SCHULTZ KEPT A STONY SILENCE AS REPORTERS QUESTIONED HIM OUTSIDE THE COURTHOUSE - INSIDE HE TOLD THE JUDGE HE WANTED TO APOLOGIZE TO EVERYBODY - HE GETS FIVE YEARS PROBATION - A FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLAR FINE - AND MAKE MONTHLY PAYMENTS FOR THE NEARLY SIX HUNDRED GRAND HE HELPED RIP OFF FROM THE TAXPAYERS. ' What Albuquerque is gonna remember is that he is yet another disgraced politician - he was a seedy lobbyist - he was a shadowy bagman - and now he's a convicted felon.' SCHULTZ IN HAPPIER TIMES - THE ONETIME BUICK DEALER WAS MAYOR FROM 1985 TO 89 - THEN BECAME A LOBBYIST WORKING THE LEGISLATURE - WHERE HIS PAL MANNY ARAGON WAS A POWERFUL LEADER - ARAGON NOW FACING FIVE AND A HALF YEARS IN PRISON AND PAYBACK OF MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS FOR HIS PART IN THE SWINDLE - SCHULTZ - NOW CONSULTING FOR A GROUP OF CONTRACTORS IN NEVADA - TOLD THE JUDGE HE LOST HIS BUSINESS IN NEW MEXICO - PEOPLE STARED AT HIM IN THE SUPERMARKET - AFTER HIS BAGMAN DEAL CAME TO LIGHT. ' And whether he was doing it because he wanted to stay on the same stage of power and politics that he once inhabited - or he did it because that's the way the lobbying game in played in this state - or he did it because he didn't think he was gonna get caught - those are questions only he can answer.' AND KEN SCHULTZ WASN'T ANSWERING TODAY. SCHULTZ TOLD THE JUDGE HE'S HAD HALF HIS STOMACH REMOVED - ULCERS - AT FEDERAL COURT