Another Guilty Plea?

This is one of the first interesting editorials since Gilley's guilty plea in the vote-buying scheme to pass gambling legislation --

Advertiser editorial: Another guilty plea

Another guilty plea in the ongoing federal probe of alleged bribery and corruption in the handling of pro-gambling legislation has made it undeniably clear that the legislative process was corrupt and tainted.
That does not mean that any or all of the remaining defendants in the case will be proven guilty. They deserve their day in court, and the government has the responsibility to prove their guilt.
But the guilty plea entered Friday by Country Crossing casino developer Ronnie Gilley effectively undermines past claims that the handling of the pro-gambling legislation was just politics as usual in the Legislature. Something clearly was amiss; now it just remains to be seen if others were involved and whether their involvement was illegal. (To see the guilty plea, go to montgomeryadvertiser.com and click on Opinion, then click on Read It for Yourself.)
Gilley told U.S. Magistrate Judge Wallace Capel Jr., “I’m sorry. I’m wrong, and my plea is guilty.”
Gilley joins two lobbyists, Jarrod Massey and Jennifer Pouncy, in admitting they offered bribes for supportive votes by legislators on the gambling legislation. His plea comes after his legal team failed in getting FBI wiretaps of Gilley and indicted VictoryLand casino owner Milton McGregor tossed out of court.
It remains to be seen what effect Gilley’s guilty plea will have on the cases against the remaining defendants, who include several legislators.
The attorney for indicted state Sen. Quinton Ross, D-Montgomery, said the plea agreement did not show his client had any direct contact with Gilley. He said that Ross is not guilty. Indicted state Sen. Harri Anne Smith, I-Slocomb, said Gilley’s plea deal did not change her plans to plead innocent. McGregor’s attorney said his client looks forward to showing he is innocent when he goes on trial June 6.
Gilley’s agreement to help the prosecution not only may affect the ongoing criminal cases, but also may possibly help to bring criminal actions against others. Prosecutors have indicated in earlier court filings that the criminal investigation is still ongoing.
Honest legislators should follow this case closely to see if legislative rules and ethics laws need to be changed to minimize the likelihood that future corruption will occur. The Legislature recently strengthened ethics laws, but ongoing revelations in this case may well show that further reforms need to be made. 