Alabama Gambling Corruption Trial: Lobbyist testifies about 'shakedown,' other alleged bribes

Jarod Massey returns to stand Monday in gambling corruption trial
By Shannon Delcambre

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - A casino lobbyist who admitted offering bribes to legislators has testified that indicted VictoryLand lobbyist Tom Coker coordinated the many lobbyists working to pass pro-gambling legislation last year.

Country Crossing lobbyist Jarrod Massey wore a red jail uniform as he returned to the witness stand Monday for his third day of testimony in Alabama's gambling corruption trial.

Prosecutor Emily Woods played a taped phone call between Massey and VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor where Massey called Coker the point of contact.

The prosecutor played another call between Massey and Country Crossing casino developer Ronnie Gilley where he said Coker was taking the lead among the lobbyists.

The FBI was tapping the phones of Massey, McGregor and Gilley when the calls were made in early March 2010.

Massey pleaded guilty in December.



Lobbyist testifies about 'shakedown,' other alleged bribes
Written by Sebastian Kitchen

Jarrod Massey, a lobbyist for Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley, testified Monday about his efforts to bribe three state senators who are defendants in the case: Democrats Quinton Ross of Montgomery and Larry Means of Attalla, and Jim Preuitt of Talladega, who switched to the Republican Party last year.

The gambling lobbyist, who already has pleaded guilty in the federal corruption trial, testified about a senator he felt was shak-
ing him down before a key gambling legislation vote and another who said he was "not feeling the love" and wanted more money.

Massey's testimony opened the sixth week of the federal corruption trial that charges nine defendants for their alleged involvement in a scheme in which casino owners tried to bribe state legislators.
'Not feeling the love'

Massey said his firm sent a $5,000 check to Ross in June 2009, and that Ross pushed a lobbyist who worked for him for another contribution late in the year.

Massey said he was told by the lobbyist, Jennifer Pouncy, that Ross was aggressive, felt he was owed the money after sponsoring a gambling bill in 2009, and was not "feeling the love." After Ross reached out to Pouncy, Massey wrote a $5,000 check in December 2009 to the senator's campaign.

Ross again reached out to Massey and Pouncy for contributions in early March 2010, the month the Senate voted on the gambling legislation, according to Massey. Massey said the senator was asking for $15,000 to $20,000, which Massey considered sizeable for his firm.

Massey said he did not give Ross the extra money because he thought it was too much money, that he thought Ross would vote for the legislation anyway, and because he thought VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor would smooth over any issues because they were close. He said Ross had always supported McGregor and had historically supported gambling legislation.

"It was my personal belief he would be taken care of by Mr. McGregor," Massey said in court.

Lewis Gillis, an attorney for Ross, said he looks forward to asking Massey about inconsistencies in his story and about the fact that the lobbyist has testified to offering $1 million or more to other legislators, but that they could not afford $20,000 for his client because it was too much.

Gillis said the money that was contributed to Ross was in 2009 before the legislative session during which they voted on the bill had even started.

Gillis also said there was nothing sinister about Ross's calls and that they were common calls for a candidate seeking contributions.

Massey said, in a conversation secretly recorded by the FBI, that fellow lobbyist Tom Coker complained about Ross calling him and hitting him up for contributions after they had already contributed $25,000 to the senator. Coker, a lobbyist for McGregor, and McGregor are defendants in the case.
Shakedown

Massey said Pouncy told him in March 2010, just days before the Senate voted on the gambling legislation, that Means had told her he wanted $100,000.

Massey then called his client, Gilley, and said there was a "shakedown" by Means for $100,000.

Gilley, who also has pleaded guilty, quickly cut off the conversation and called back from a prepaid "drop" phone.

"He can 100 percent count on our support," Gilley said when he called back.

On the witness stand, Massey said he could have erred in believing Means insisted he wanted the money or he would not vote for the legislation.

"I had no reason to believe that was for Sisters of the Poor," Massey said on the stand of the request. When asked whether it was a bribe, Massey told the prosecutor "I intended to bribe him and consider it a bribe."
Pouncy also pleaded guilty.

Means lost his 2010 race for reelection with the election just a month after he and the other defendants were arrested.

Another offer

Massey said he reaffirmed offers previously made to Preuitt in a March 24, 2010, meeting with the senator.

Gilley has testified that they offered country music stars to play at fundraisers for Preuitt and that a spokesman for Country Crossing, Jay Walker, offered to manage Preuitt's re-election campaign and run a poll for him.

"At this point, the way we're spending money, I'd just do it," Massey said to Pouncy of running the poll for Preuitt.

Walker is a defendant in the case.

Massey said he offered Preuitt a bribe in the meeting, offering him campaign help in exchange for him voting for the gambling bill.

Coker said in a recorded conversation with Massey that he had talked to Preuitt and the senator wanted to know what "significant" help he would receive with his campaign.

"I'm not just talking about campaign contributions," Coker said to Massey.

Preuitt, who had voted against bringing up an earlier version of the bill for consideration, and Means were decisive votes for the gambling legislation, which barely passed in the Senate a week later and then died in the Alabama House of Representatives.

But, in previous conversations secretly recorded by the FBI, Massey and Pouncy said Preuitt was not about the money.She said he was angry with McGregor because he felt the casino owner had lied to him.

In those recorded conversations, they also said Preuitt wanted to avoid a tough reelection campaign. Preuitt, according to Massey and Coker, was also debating switching from the Democratic to Republican Party and wanted to be sure if he lost resources because he voted for gambling that there would be money from another source to fund his campaign.

Massey and Gilley talked about having artists such as Randy Owen of Alabama perform at campaign events for Preuitt and other senators. Gilley said he would pay for the event and the candidate would keep all of the money raised.

Massey said he never followed through with the promises to Preuitt and Means because FBI agents and an agent with the Alabama Bureau of Investigation showed up at his house the morning after the Senate approved the bill, which was March 30, 2010.
Smith

Massey also outlined on Monday moving thousands of dollars to Sen. Harry Anne Smith of Slocomb, another defendant in the case, through acquaintances of C.J. Hincy, who worked for him. He said he did it during her 2008 campaign for Congress after Gilley gave him two $20,000 checks to help with her campaign. Those people were reimbursed for their contributions, Massey testified.

Cesspool

Joe Espy, lead attorney for McGregor, said the "cesspool" of corruption with Gilley and Massey goes back to 2007 before they began working with his client. On Monday, Massey talked about, as Gilley had on the stand before that, routing $25,000 to Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, in 2008 to kill a bill in his committee introduced by Smith that would have blocked the Country Crossing project.

"I was not comfortable with the request, but after discussing it with my client we decided to follow up on it," Massey said of the $25,000 for Singleton. Massey said the senator requested it through Michael Sullivan, a lobbyist who worked for Massey.
Singleton is not a defendant in the case.

Massey said he did not pay Singleton. "I was told it happened," he said.
Blacken it up

Massey, in a conversation recorded by the FBI, talked about needing someone to respond to the Native American gambling interests having a gambling bill introduced for them.

Massey told Walker that people from Country Crossing were always the ones responding and a senator or another casino operator needed to step out and address it.

"We don't need it to be Greene because we don't need to blacken this thing up any more than possible" Massey said. He was referring to Greenetrack, which is a predominantly black area in west Alabama.

When asked about the comment in court, Massey said "the reality of this was this issue (electronic bingo) had been very connected to the African American community" and to the Democratic Party.

Massey said they needed Republicans and other white legislators to vote for the bill.
"I wanted to try to show diversity," he said.

Massey said in court that Country Crossing "had been way too out front" and that Gilley was in the press a lot and was "not scripted."