Alabama: Distrust After Trial

Hearing scheduled for Monday to discuss Gambling Corruption retrial date

No Convictions In Alabama Bribery Trial


Gambling corruption trial could change legislative relationships
By Dana Beyerle
Times Montgomery Bureau

MONTGOMERY — The Senate president pro tem on Friday said the gambling corruption trial may result in excluding non-legislators at Republican caucus meetings.

“We did have a discussion that we change when we go into caucus where we have only members of the caucus,” Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, said. “It may be we only have members of the Legislature in there.”

Marsh said he’s considering the exclusion partly because trial testimony revealed that a former Senate caucus employee, Monica Cooper, for years was on the payroll of gambling magnate Milton McGregor, who some Republicans consider a political opponent.

“That goes even down to the point where you got to ask yourself do you want employees of the Senate in there?” Marsh said.

The trial of nine defendants ended Thursday with acquittals for Sen. Quinton Ross, D-Montgomery, and lobbyist Robert Geddie. Jurors issued not guilty verdicts on many charges for the remaining seven defendants but not one guilty verdict was declared. The jury couldn’t decide on some charges, and mistrials were declared on those.

Marsh and other legislators said the trial revealed that a House member and a senator secretly recorded conversations for the FBI that conducted the bingo investigation.

“Nobody likes being taped,” Marsh said. “I’m going to encourage the caucus to meet and talk and discuss the issues we have with each other and get this over with.”

Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale, agreed.

“I do think there will be a meeting of everyone so we understand our role,” he said. “It’s just disappointing that you may have someone take advantage of you.”

A Democratic senator had a beef with Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, who taped conversations that were played during the trial.

Sen. Tammy Irons, D-Florence, said Beason should step down as chairman of the powerful Rules Committee partly because of the trust factor.

House Minority Leader Craig Ford, D-Gadsden, whose position requires working with the Senate, said if he has anything to say to Beason or Rep. Barry Mask, R-Wetumpka, who also wore a wire, he’ll do it at the microphone.

“I wouldn’t talk to anyone who wore a wire,” Ford said. “There’s a lot of distrust with Republican members of the Legislature. It changes my relationship with a few of the ones I know and the way they conducted themselves in the investigation.”

Ford said he believes the bingo corruption trial was a conspiracy involving Republicans to remove McGregor and his campaign contributions from the political playing field. McGregor was acquitted of three of 17 charges, but no verdicts could be reached on 14 charges.

Republican lawmakers commented about trial testimony.

“What has happened in the last two months since the trial started until today has changed in many ways the political dynamics of Alabama,” Rep. John Merrill, R-Tuscaloosa, said. “One thing for sure is people will have to be accountable for all of their conversations and activities as members of the Legislature, and with members of public policy who deal with the Legislature.”

The FBI investigated allegations that certain legislators had agreed to vote for a bingo authorization constitutional amendment in 2010 in exchange for campaign contributions.

Freshman Rep. Bill Poole, R-Northport, said the message from the bingo trial is there are state and federal laws and a moral code to follow.

“The bottom line is there never should be a quid pro quo whereby a vote is exchanged for money, period,” Poole said. “I think certainly it will cause everybody to be aware of what has occurred and to be careful relative to the new Ethics Law that we are all operating under, and (conduct) ourselves in accordance with the law.”