Alabama: Crosby didn't report payments from McGregor

Crosby didn't report payments from McGregor
Written by Sebastian Kitchen

The head of the Alabama Ethics Commission said former legislative analyst Ray Crosby did not follow state ethics laws when he did not report his income from a business owned by casino owner Milton McGregor in 2008 and 2009 until after the men were targets in a corruption investigation.


State employees who are paid more than $50,000 must file annual statement of economic interest forms with the Alabama Ethics Commission.


In 2010, Crosby amended his reports for 2008 and 2009, according to ethics commission director Jim Sumner. Crosby filed the addendums to his reports after an FBI investigation into corruption tied to gambling legislation became public.


Crosby was a defendant in the case, but died just before this case went to trial.


Crosby did not report monthly checks of $3,000 from the Macon County Greyhound Park that were signed by VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor, another defendant in the case. McGregor still faces charges related to his interaction with Crosby.


Prosecutors allege McGregor paid Crosby, who was a legislative analyst handling a high-profile gambling bill in 2010, $3,000 a month so that he would craft the bill to favor McGregor.


McGregor’s attorneys argue that McGregor paid Crosby for political and election consulting unrelated to the gambling bill and that McGregor filed forms with the Internal Revenue Service and the state to report that income.


Sumner said that when Crosby filed the addendums in August 2010 he only listed that he received “miscellaneous passive income” from “MCGP Inc.” He said that does not properly classify Crosby’s income.


Sumner said it was 16 months between Crosby filed his 2008 form and when he filed the amendment and that it was about four months between when he filed his 2009 form and when he filed the amendment.


Sumner said, with the jury out of the courtroom, that he would have forwarded the case to the ethics commission for consideration for a potential violation of the state’s ethics law.


While the jury was still out of the courtroom, Sumner said that there would have been “red flags” if Crosby had filed his report with the appropriate information. He said public officials are expected to serve the public and that in his office they would have said this situation “has trouble written all over it.”


Sumner said public officials cannot use their official position for personal gain. He also said state officials cannot take official action in exchange for something of value.


Sumner said the statement of economic interest forms are necessary to determine if there is a conflict of interest between a public job and outside interests.