Alabama defense seeks to exclude wiretaps

FBI agent says more than 12,000 phone calls were intercepted in probe of gambling in Alabama
By Phillip Rawls

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - An FBI agent who investigated corruption allegations at the Alabama Statehouse defended in court Monday how the agency intercepted 12,000 phone calls during more than a month of wiretaps on the phones of two indicted casino owners and a jailed lobbyist.

Defense attorneys for the two casino owners, Milton McGregor and Ronnie Gilley, maintain the FBI didn't follow its own rules for the wiretaps. They want a judge to prohibit prosecutors from using them when the two casino owners and eight other defendants go on trial June 6 in Alabama's gambling corruption probe.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Wallace Capel Jr. will hear testimony through Wednesday and then decide, but he said the disputed wiretap recordings would not be played in the courtroom during the three-day hearing.

McGregor, Gilley, four current and former legislators, two casino lobbyists and two others are accused of buying and selling votes on legislation designed to reopen McGregor's VictoryLand casino in Shorter and Gilley's Country Crossing casino in Dothan. They had closed their electronic bingo machines under the threat of raids by the gambling task force established by Gov. Bob Riley. Besides running VictoryLand's casino, McGregor was an investor in Gilley's operation.