Alabama: Harri Anne Smith among last to decide

Harri Anne Smith among last to decide to rest in bingo corruption trial
By: Lance Griffin

MONTGOMERY – The attorney for bingo corruption trial defendant Sen. Harri Anne Smith said Smith was the “last in line” among the nine defendants to make the decision to rest without calling any witnesses.

Jim Parkman said Friday the Smith defense was prepared to call 15 witnesses, including Smith. However, Parkman said the decision to rest came during a Thursday night meeting between all of the defendants’ attorneys, adding that several factors played into the decision.

First, Parkman said he believed the jury was tired.

“My reading of the jury was we felt they had enough,” Parkman said Friday, minutes after the entire defense rested in the bingo corruption trial. “Our impression was that the jury got it, one way or another.”

Second, Parkman said the other defendants decided not to call witnesses, and he was concerned about how being the only defendant to put on an affirmative defense would be interpreted by the jury.

“If one other defendant wanted to put on a case, we would have put on a case,” Parkman said.

Smith said her defense would have stressed that her decision to support pro-gambling legislation in 2009 and 2010 was not influenced by campaign donations from Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley, but from polls, calls, letters, e-mails and faxes in 2008 that indicated either strong support for Country Crossing, or for the right to vote on legalized gambling in Alabama.

“How can you be bribed if you have been for an issue, and it has been so public?” Smith said.

Smith is charged with conspiracy, bribery, extortion, honest services fraud and money laundering. The government claims Gilley not only influenced Smith’s vote on electronic bingo legislation by giving her hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations, but also influenced her to influence other legislators to vote for the legislation.

“The truth is always the best defense,” Smith said.

The length of closing arguments has not been determined. Parkman said he requested 90 minutes.