Ridding communities of the PLAGUE!

Irrational behavior such as was demonstrated highlights why REPEAL THE CASINO DEAL is the only sensible avenue.

Rid the Commonwealth of the flawed legislation, rid communities these irrational rants.

The Mashpee Wampanoag/Kerzner/Wolman gang insulted opponents in Middleboro.

Mashpee Wampanoag tribe addresses controversial remarks

By Gerry Tuoti

Taunton Gazette Staff Reporter

Posted Dec 05, 2013

TAUNTON —

After a Mashpee Wampanoag official’s recent comments caused a stir at a casino hearing earlier this week, tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell issued a statement addressing the remarks.

Several opponents to the tribe’s proposal to build a casino in Taunton said they took offense Tuesday night when tribal Vice Chairwoman Jessie “Little Doe” Baird told federal officials they would hear comments from all sorts of people, including “xenophobes” and “skinheads.”

“Vice Chairwoman Baird was addressing her comments to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, discussing the historical record and the process undergone by native tribes since the inception of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1934,” Cromwell said in a statement released Thursday. “She in no way, shape or form was speaking about the good people of Taunton.”

The Bureau of Indian Affairs held a hearing Tuesday at Taunton High School to solicit public comments on a study that examines the likely impacts a tribal casino in East Taunton would have on current environmental conditions and infrastructure.

“You will hear from the xenophobes, skinheads, NIMBYs, folks who were put off of reservations lands when their leases ended and probably every other hate group east of the Mississippi with every specious argument known to every single tribe that has followed this process since its inception in 1934,” Baird said in her comments to the BIA.

Several opponents to the casino plan called Baird’s words inflammatory.

“It deeply offends me an elected member of the tribe would say in effect that anyone who doesn’t agree with their project is a xenophobe,” Taunton resident Brian Kennedy said at the BIA hearing.
Cromwell on Thursday said the tribe is committed to working together with Taunton leaders, businesses and residents.

The tribe is currently seeking federal approval to obtain sovereignty over 151 acres in and around Liberty & Union Industrial Park.

http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x915450377/Mashpee-Wampanoag-tribe-addresses-controversial-remarks

The Greedy Vultures, LAWMAKERS TO LOBBYISTS, like Delahunt are lining their pockets. Keep watching.

Mashpee Wampanoag/Genting Tribe resorts to name-calling!

To those blind supporters who have blindly accepted the Fools' Gold offered and failed to consider FACTS: how can you think the crime and poverty and unemployment of Atlantic City will avoid you?

This is what you're supporting:




Re-wind the tape to Mashpee Wampanoag performances in Middleboro.

Before becoming a guest in federal prison, Glenn Marshall responded to simple questions about the casino impacts with irrational accusations of racism.....

The Mashpee Wampanoag/Genting Tribe seems to have continued its name-calling, blinded to the debt they've incurred courtesy of Genting and living well beyond their means!

You sold your souls, folks!

You don't even understand what you've done....

The day this was posted, it was saved in its entirety. The site was hacked.

When the site was restored, this entry was missing:

Genting Connected to Islamic Extremists?

No one even asks who you got in bed with?


FROM SHNS:

STICKS AND STONES: According to
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Vice Chairwoman Jessie "Little Doe" Baird, there were
certain kinds of people at last night's Bureau of Indian Affairs hearing about
the tribe's plan to build a casino in Taunton: tribal members and their allies -
okay, fine - "NIMBYs" - as you would expect -  "xenophobes" and "skinheads" - hey now! You can image that casino opponents weren't thrilled with the characterization.

 

Casino backers, opponents clash at Taunton public hearing

By Gerry Tuoti

Taunton Gazette Staff Reporter

Posted Dec 04, 2013

 

TAUNTON —

The Bureau of Indian Affairs came to town Tuesday as supporters and opponents of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s proposed casino shared their views and concerns, occasionally clashing with one another.

“Acquiring the land that is subject to this land-in-trust application is essential to the sovereignty of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe,” Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell said.

The BIA held the hearing Tuesday at Taunton High School to solicit public comments on the draft environmental impact statement. The study details impacts the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s proposal to build a $500 million resort casino on 151 acres in and around Liberty Union Industrial
Park in East Taunton would have on infrastructure and the environment.

The issuance of the draft environmental impact statement and the public review of the study is a standard step in the complex land-in-trust application process the tribe is undergoing.

Tribal Vice Chairwoman Jessie “Little Doe” Baird said the land is part of the Mashpee’s ancestral territory. She then told the BIA officials that they would hear comments from all types of people, including “xenophobes”, “skinheads” and “NIMBYs”, as well as tribal members and their allies.
Some casino opponents said they found Baird’s comments unfair.

“Jessie ‘Little Doe’ Baird has offended me,” said Francis Legace, who lives on Stevens Street, 1/8 mile away from the proposed casino site. “I’m not a xenophobe; I’m trying to protect my home... Her statement was very inflammatory.”

The tribe’s plans call for a 400,000-square-foot resort casino featuring a 15-story hotel tower, a total of 900 hotel rooms, a 132,000 gambling floor and multiple restaurants. A 25,000-square-foot water park would be added in the final round of construction

“This project will create jobs that are desperately needed in southeastern Massachusetts,” casino supporter David Fenton said.

Some opponents questioned the conclusions in the report.

“I find so many half truths, lies of omission and outright lies in this report, I can describe it only as fraudulent,” Middleboro Selectman Allin Frawley said.

The Mashpee signed an agreement with Middleboro in 2007 to build a casino in that town, and Frawley accused the tribe of failing to uphold the terms of the pact.

The report describes the current conditions at the proposed casino site, projects the impacts a casino would have on the area and details planned mitigation. It also describes the impacts two scaled-down alternatives would have, as well as a no-build option.

The tribe’s preferred plan would result in a number of impacts on existing infrastructure, including more than 20,000 new vehicle trips on peak days, an increase of more than 300,000 gallons per day drawn from Taunton’s water system and 225,000 additional gallons of wastewater generated each day, according to the report.

The traffic figure includes more than 10,000 trips in and out of the casino.

Epsilon Associates Project Manager David Hewitt, who helped prepare the study, said the proposed infrastructure mitigation would make traffic flow “equal to or better” than it currently does at many intersections in the city, despite the large increase in volume.

Proposed mitigation includes enhanced water infrastructure and dozens of improvements to offsite roads, including routes 24 and 140 and the Hart’s four Corners intersection.

“How many businesses come to Taunton, come to your community, and mitigate everything?” casino supporter Terry Quinn said.

Some casino opponents, however, said the mitigation wouldn’t cover all the affected intersections.

State Rep. Keiko Orrall, R-Lakeville, also noted that the study doesn’t examine impacts in Lakeville, Berkley or Middleboro, or address the Route 79/Route 140 interchange.

Taunton casino opponent Dave Littlefield urged the BIA to more closely examine potential impacts on Taunton Municipal Airport. He cited a 2008 letter Gov. Deval Patrick wrote in opposition to the tribe’s Middleboro casino proposal, in which the governor listed impacts on airports as a concern.

The hearing came as questions continue to swirl regarding the tribe’s ability to qualify for sovereign land, which is needed to build a tribal casino. A 2009 Supreme Court decision ruled that tribes that were not under federal jurisdiction prior to the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act in 1934 are ineligible to have land taken in trust. Mashpee leaders claim that although the tribe wasn’t federally recognized until 2007, they were under a form of federal jurisdiction.

The draft environmental impact statement is available online at www.mwteis.com, at the Taunton Public Library or at Mashpee Wampanoag tribal Headquarters in Mashpee.

The BIA is accepting written comments until Jan. 17. Comments can be mailed to: Mr. Franklin Keel, Eastern Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Eastern Region, 545 Marriott Drive, Suite 700, Nashville, TN 37214.

http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/x915449816/Tribal-official-lashes-out-at-opponents-at-Taunton-casino-hearing?zc_p=1&utm_campaign=20131204ML&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ML+13%2F12%2F04

 

Alabama: Litigation motive apparent

Vanzetta McPherson: Litigation motive apparent

Now that two federal juries have acquitted the defendants in the infamous legislative corruption trials, it’s time to play “Litigation Motivation,” the classic multiple-choice game that focuses on political trials and entertains millions. In this game, the LM is never as obvious as it seems. In fact, it sometimes emerges accidentally, or, as in the recent corruption trial, fortuitously.

This study guide should assist the anxious student determined to excel in the game.

Let’s get started.

The defendants — former and current Alabama legislators, lobbyists, and casino owners — were charged with bribery by giving or accepting money in exchange for legislative votes on Senate Bill 380, passage of which would have authorized a constitutional referendum on whether to legalize electronic bingo at Alabama casinos. The object of LM in this instance is to determine the chief motivating factors for the charges. There are four options, all of which may apply in varying degrees. But one possible option is critical, and without it, the litigation might never have occurred.

The question is: Why did Republican Alabama legislators trigger an FBI investigation by alleging that they had been offered bribes for their votes on SB380?

The first option is “because they abhorred gambling.” Comme ci, comme ca. In a state where reverence for football is on parity in many quarters with reverence for God (i.e., the ninth poorest state with the nation’s highest paid college football coach), gambling on games is its own sport. Moreover, the tax base in neighboring Mississippi, with its casinos, and the public schools in neighboring Georgia, with their cushioning lottery, have benefited exponentially from Alabamians eager to game their way to wealth. Finally, the head of former Governor Bob Riley’s Illegal Gambling Task Force embarrassingly resigned in 2010 after winning $2,300 at a Choctaw Indian casino in Mississippi.

The second option is “because they rejected money from gambling enterprises.” Nyet! A Riley campaign aide reported that Mississippi’s Choctaw Indians contributed millions to Riley in 2002 to assure his rejection of gambling in Alabama, thus protecting their enterprise from competition. In 2010, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which operates at least three casinos in Alabama, gave more than $500,000 to the Republican State Leadership Committee, which in turn funneled more than $1 million to Alabama Republicans. And today, Creek Indians admirably share millions of their gambling profits with local school boards and cultural institutions in Alabama. That money is actively sought by Republicans and Democrats; no one rejects it because of its source.

(Page 2 of 2)


The third option is “because they rejected campaign contributions designed to secure support for legislation.” Nada. Contributions to public officials from special interests who later request favorable consideration of legislation which advances those interests is . . . well, politics. Just ask Alfa, the Alabama Business Council, Alabama Power, AEA, or the trial lawyers. Individual contributors fare just as well, with cabinet and judicial appointments.

The fourth option is “because they wanted to ensure Republican dominance and suppress African American voting influence.” Absolutely! In conversations recorded by the FBI during its pretrial investigation of corruption, Republican Senators Scott Beason, Benjamin Lewis and others agreed that SB380 should be defeated because a referendum on the ballot would drive black voters to the polls, which would not be good for Republicans. Referring to blacks in Greene County (site of a casino) as “aborigines,” Beason and others commented that “HUD-financed buses” would take black voters to the polls in the November 2010 election if the ballot included a referendum to legalize electronic bingo.

Another, equally damning, factor in the motivation of lawmakers who encouraged the investigation is the money trail. As the court noted in an order condemning Beason, Lewis and others for “ulterior motives rooted in naked political ambition and pure racial bias,” blacks tend to vote Democratic, and gambling enterprises tended to support Democrats.

As a contemporary Rube Goldberg machine, the Republicans’ serial plan was to facilitate indictments of casino owners and supporting legislators, to destroy their business interests, to eliminate their income and profits, to thwart contributions to Democratic officials, to assure a Republican takeover of the Legislature.

Click option four.

Game over.

Vanzetta Penn McPherson is a retired federal magistrate judge.

Alabama Judge Delays Sentencing

Judges delay sentencing of 4 who pleaded guilty in gambling corruption case
The Associated Press
MONTGOMERY — Judges have delayed the sentencing dates for the four people who pleaded guilty in Alabama's gambling corruption investigation and agreed to help prosecutors.

Casino developer Ronnie Gilley, his lobbyists, Jarrod Massey and Jennifer Pouncy, and former state Rep. Terry Spicer were scheduled for sentencing in April and May. But federal prosecutors said their cooperation was needed beyond those dates and they sought a delay.

U.S. District Judge Myon Thompson issued an order Friday setting the sentencing of Gilley, Massey and Spicer for July 16. U.S. District Judge Keith Watkins scheduled Pouncy's sentencing for Aug. 29.

A federal court jury in Montgomery acquitted six defendants in the case March 7, including casino owner Milton McGregor and three present and former state senators. There are currently no defendants awaiting trial.

Alabama: Jury Deliberates in Vote Buying Trial

Jury deliberations continue in gambling corruption trial
Written by Sebastian Kitchen

The jury in the high-profile political corruption trial of ca­sino owner Milton McGregor and five others, including three current or former state sena­tors, will return to the federal courthouse today for a seventh day of deliberations.

There was little action in the courtroom on Tuesday as the jury deliberated for about six and a half hours. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson met privately with prosecutors, the defendants and their attorneys after the jury finished its delib­erations at about 3:30 p.m. Some of them had left the courthouse and were sum­moned back for the meeting. They met for less than 30 min­utes.

McGregor left the court­house with his team of attor­neys around 5:20 p.m., about an hour and a half after the meet­ing with Thompson.

McGregor is accused of leading an alleged conspiracy in which he and fellow casino owners and those who worked for them bribed state lawmak­ers with cash and campaign contributions in exchange for their votes on gambling legisla­tion.

"I think we're headed for a verdict," said Joe Espy, lead at­torney for McGregor, when they emerged from the court­house.

He said they believe "that's an innocent verdict" for McGregor, who owns Victory­Land 20 miles east of Mont­gomery.

In the last corruption trial for McGregor and the other de­fendants, the jury deliberated for seven days. It found the then nine defendants not guilty of most of the charges against them, did not find them guilty of any of the more than 120 counts against them, and total­ly exonerated two of the defen­dants. But those jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision on 33 counts so prose­cutors moved forward with a second trial on them.

Susan James, an attorney for defendant and former Country Crossing casino spokesman Jay Walker, said that this jury has had so many breaks that Tues­day was really just the second full day of deliberation. So she said she did not view it as the jury having deliberated for as long as the one at the first trial, when there were more defen­dants and more counts.

(Page 2 of 2)

She said someone could view the jury leaving at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, when the members have been leaving at 4 p.m. on other weekdays, as an indica­tion that they are "closer and want to sleep on it" and come back fresh in the morning to discuss it.

"We're very optimistic," James said leaving the court­house.

Espy said the jury leaving earlier could indicate the jury is close to a verdict or might not indicate anything.

This trial began Feb. 6.

The team of prosecutors with the U.S. Department of Justice presented its case until Feb. 24, when it rested after calling nine witnesses. Defense attorneys did not call a single witness.

After hearing closing argu­ments from both sides and in­structions from the judge, the jury actually began its deliber­ations Thursday.

The other defendants are state Sen. Harri Anne Smith of Slocomb; former state Sens.
Larry Means of Attalla and Jim Preuitt of Talladega; and McGregor lobbyist Tom Coker.

They are accused of working together in 2010 to try to en­sure that the Legislature passed a gambling bill, which if also approved by voters, would have allowed McGregor and Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley, who has already pleaded guilty, to keep their ca­sinos open.

Smith, an independent state senator who represents coun­ties in southeast Alabama, made time on Tuesday while the jury was deliberating to go to the State House, where her fellow state lawmakers were in session.

James said the jury, at this point, has likely gone through every defendant and every count. She said there seems to be more camaraderie with this jury than the first. James said she has not heard people talk about hearing yelling from the jury room and that when peo­ple see the jurors they do not appear to have the upset looks that were sometimes visible on the faces of jurors in the first trial.

"I think they're trying to reach some closure in this case," she said.
James reminded reporters that the judge gave the jury 47 pages of instructions.


Sixth day of deliberations conclude in gambling corruption retrial
By: Lance Griffin Dothan Eagle

5:11 p.m. -- The sixth day of deliberations in the gambling corruption retrial was perhaps the quietest as jurors appeared to deliberate without interruption until 3:30 p.m.
1:31 pm – Jurors spent the first half of Tuesday in what appeared to be uninterrupted deliberations in the gambling corruption trial. Deliberations were halted several times since the jury got the case last week with notes to the judge.


Gambling Corruption Retrial: Jury begins 6th day of deliberations
Reported by: Scott Packard
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) - Jurors in the gambling corruption retrial started a sixth day of deliberations Tuesday morning in Montgomery.

Alabama: Jury deliberates over weekend

Sebastian Kitchen did a stellar job reporting on the VOTE BUYING CORRUPTION trial for the Montgomery Advertiser [Gannett] and seems to have been mostly replaced by the consistently poor quality, superficial reporting of the AP, included below.

So much for decent reporting!


Second day of deliberations begin in gambling corruption retrial
CBS42
(WIAT) - The second day of deliberations started Friday morning in the gambling corruption retrial in Montgomery. The jury received the case Wednesday but were unable to begin deliberations because of a juror doctor appointment.


Jury in Ala. gambling case to resume Saturday
Herald Times Reporter
(WTW) — The jury in Alabama's gambling corruption trial did not reach a verdict Friday in its second day of deliberations and will work through the weekend to try to resolve charges accusing six people of buying and selling votes for pro-gambling ...


Corruption jury deliberations moving into third day
CBS42
(WIAT) - Despite two days of deliberations, there are still not verdicts in the gambling corruption retrial. Jurors sent a note to the judge Friday morning. Attorneys, prosecutors and the judge discussed it behind closed doors.


Judge tells Ala. gambling trail jury to keep at it
Gadsden Times
By PHILLIP RAWLS AP
The jury in Alabama's gambling corruption trial tried to reach a verdict for the second day Friday on charges accusing six people of buying and selling votes on pro-gambling legislation. The jury sent a note about its deliberations ...

Corruption trial jury to deliberate Saturday
Dothan Eagle
MONTGOMERY -- Jurors in the gambling corruption retrial deliberated most of Friday after sending another note to the judge that sent a buzz through the courthouse. Attorneys went behind closed doors Friday morning with US District Judge Myron Thompson ...

Gambling trial jury plans weekend deliberations
WALA-TV FOX10
(AP) - The jury in Alabama's gambling corruption trial has sent the judge another note. US District Judge Myron Thompson did not read the note in open court Friday morning. Instead, he discussed it in private with attorneys and then sent the jury word ...

Weekend deliberations in Alabama gambling trial
GoErie.com
By PHILLIP RAWLS AP
The jury in Alabama's corruption trial is deliberating into the weekend to try to reach a verdict on charges accusing six people of buying and selling votes on pro-gambling legislation. The jury wrapped up its second day of ...


Dismissal forces gambling corruption jury to start over
Dothan Eagle
Jurors were forced to hit the reset button on deliberations Thursday morning in the gambling corruption retrial after the presiding judge dismissed a juror. US District Judge Myron Thompson told jurors to start over Thursday after one of the alternates ...

Gambling Corruption Retrial deliberations could last through weekend
CBS42(WIAT) - Deliberations in the gambling corruption retrial could last through the weekend. Thursday jurors in the case set a schedule to deliberate a few hours on both Saturday and Sunday. Earlier in the day a juror was dismissed for what was later ...

Gambling Corruption Trial Deliberations Continue
WKRG-TV
The jury in Alabama's gambling corruption trial has returned for a third day of deliberations. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The jury deliberating in Alabama's gambling corruption trial has indicated it's having trouble agreeing on testimony and may take ...

Jurors in gambling trial return today
Montgomery Advertiser
AMANDA SOWARDS/ADVERTISER The Associated Press
The jury deliberating in Alabama's gambling corruption trial had to start deliberations over with a new juror Thursday, and indicated it may take a few days to reach a verdict. Before recessing about 4 ...

Jury in Alabama gambling trial to meet for 2nd day
Wisconsin Rapids Tribune(WTW) — The jury in Alabama's gambling corruption trial is scheduled for a second day of deliberations in Montgomery. The sequestered jury is due at the federal courthouse at 8 am Friday. The jury had to start anew on deliberations Thursday because ...

Alabama: Prosecutor plays 'aborigine' tape

Gambling corruption trial: Prosecutor plays 'aborigine' tape
Written by Sebastian Kitchen

Controversial state Sen. Scott Beason, in a recording played in a federal corruption case Friday, referred to supporters of a casino in a predominantly black county as "aborigines" and talked about voting for a black woman as House speaker because her appointment would make it difficult for Democrats to raise money.

Also on Friday in the high-profile political case, former Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley described being tens of millions in debt, bringing down alleged coconspirators, and bribing his lobbyist not to cooperate with federal authorities.

Prosecutors, just days after objecting to having secretly recorded conversations of GOP lawmakers discussing race and gambling issues played in court, played what one prosecutor had referred to as "explosive, explosive" tapes.

In one conversation with then-state Rep. Ben Lewis, a Dothan Republican who is now a judge, Lewis refers to those in Greene County as "y'all's Indians."

"They're aborigines, but they're not Indians," said Beason, a Gardendale Republican who is running for Congress.

In the first corruption trial of VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor and others charged with conspiracy and other crimes, the defense challenged Beason's credibility using those comments and others he made in discussions with fellow Republicans.

The prosecutor also played a conversation in which Beason said he tried to talk fellow Republicans, when he was in the House of Representatives, into voting for black Democratic Rep. Yvonne Kennedy of Mobile as House speaker. Beason explained it as a strategy that would have made it difficult, if Kennedy was elected speaker, for Democrats to organize and raise money.

"Strategically, that is what we should have done," Beason said. "They wouldn't do it."

Beason recorded the conversations with a recording device he used as he cooperated with the FBI in the corruption investigation.

Lead federal prosecutor Kendall Day played the recordings with Gilley on the witness stand. Gilley, McGregor and Gilley lobbyist Jarrod Massey met with Beason in 2010, in a meeting the senator recorded, to discuss his support of the gambling legislation.

(Page 2 of 3)

Gilley, who has already pleaded guilty in the case, said they were willing to offer Beason $500,000 in exchange for his vote.

Gilley referred to Beason as a "6-foot 4, 250-pound gutless wonder," and said he never liked him, but would have probably still offered Beason the bribe in exchange for his vote if he was the key vote in favor of the gambling legislation in 2010.

"Unfortunately, our greed would have led us to purchase his vote," Gilley said.

Gilley and McGregor were pushing legislation in 2010 to try to ensure their casinos could stay open as state authorities cracked down on electronic gambling. McGregor and five other defendants in this case are accused of bribing lawmakers with cash and campaign contributions in exchange for their vote on gambling legislation.

Bringing McGregor down

Gilley, when asked by McGregor attorney Walter McGowan, told his wife he had to bring "Milton McGregor down" to get a reduced sentence. Gilley made the comment to her while in the Montgomery city jail, where his conversations were recorded.

Gilley also told his wife that the government told him what to say when he addressed the court after changing his plea to guilty in April 2011. He told her that he met with the government for an hour and a half and they gave him a script of what to say.

McGowan accused Gilley of saying what he needed, even if he did not agree with it, to please the government.

Upside down

Gilley said he was "upside down" about $115 million or $116 million.

"I'm broke," he said.

Gilley and his companies, as far back as 2008, had millions in debts and received millions in loans, including

$33 million from a group of athletes;
$4 million from boxer Floyd Mayweather;
more than $13 million from McGregor;
$21 million from a Georgia optometrist and his son;
$21 million from Lord Abbett and Co.;
and $17.6 million from gambling machines manufacturers IGT and Multimedia.
Gilley also owed $19 million for land he purchased from an attorney.

Gilley said he loaned the project about $15 million of his money and put about $46 million from his other companies into the project.

(Page 3 of 3)

Gilley said he, his companies and the Country Crossing project are about $185 million in debt.

Interested party

Gilley said, after the FBI approached Massey following a vote in the Senate on the gambling legislation, that Massey drove to his Enterprise office, where he said he offered him 1 percent interest in Country Crossing to keep him from cooperating with the investigation.

Gilley also admitted to later bribing Massey at the federal courthouse.

Other bribes

Gilley, when being questioned by McGowan, admitted he bribed former state Rep. Terry Spicer, D-Elba, and Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro. He said he gave Spicer a cellphone box with $20,000 in it.

"He never complained," Gilley said of Spicer receiving $20,000 in cash after requesting $50,000. He said Massey had told him Spicer wanted cash -- not a campaign contribution.

Spicer pleaded guilty for corruption unrelated to the heart of this trial, but the trial did reveal years of bribes from Gilley and Massey to Spicer. Massey said he gave, and Spicer admitted taking, monthly payments, a ski trip, tickets to entertainment events, and help paying for a boat.

"I had no earthly idea that Jarrod Massey was doing any of that at the time," Gilley said of the longtime bribes to Spicer.

McGowan pointed that out after Gilley said repeatedly on the witness stand that he kept McGregor abreast of all of his bribes.

Gilley has testified to having money wired to a lobbyist in 2008 with it intended to get to Singleton in hopes that he would kill legislation by Sen. Harri Anne Smith that Gilley said would kill his project. Smith, an independent senator from Slocomb, is a defendant in the case.

Singleton has denied any wrongdoing.

Alabama: ....angry Milton McGregor....

On tape, angry Milton McGregor lashes out at Bob Riley
By: Lance Griffin Dothan Eagle

2:48 p.m. – Hours before the vote-buying investigation in the Alabama Statehouse was made public, an angry Milton McGregor blamed then-Gov. Bob Riley for the investigation, calling him a “sick runaway thug.”

“This is unbelievable Riley would go to these extremes. Riley would do everything above the law, against the law,” McGregor said.

“Yeah, I mean are we in America?” Gilley replied in a phone conversation recorded by the FBI April 1, 2010. The recording was made when Gilley had been informed that investigators were in the Alabama Statehouse meeting with legislators. Gilley then called McGregor to inform him.

The call came two days after the pro-gambling bill SB380 was passed by the Senate. McGregor said the timing of the investigation was designed to kill the bill in the House.

“Riley is destroying this state. He has already destroyed our industry and now he is destroying our state. He is a sick runaway thug,” McGregor said.

Also Friday, McGregor attorney Walter McGowan tried to distance McGregor’s money from Ronnie Gilley Friday afternoon during testimony in the gambling corruption retrial.

During direct testimony Thursday, Gilley testified that McGregor loaned him about $14 million in 2009 in exchange for a percentage of the gross profits from Country Crossing. Gilley said the understanding between he and McGregor would be that about $5 million of the money would be used to “further legislative efforts” to pass pro-gambling legislation.

Under cross examination from McGregor attorney Walter McGowan, Gilley acknowledged that most of that money was gone by December of 2009 when Gilley hosted a fundraiser for Sen. Harri Anne Smith. During the first trial in the summer of 2011, Gilley testified that McGregor’s money was not used to pay for the fundraiser because “that money was gone.”

Gilley testified Thursday that some of McGregor’s money was in play when bribes were being offered to legislators in 2010.

McGowan also pointed out through questioning that McGregor’s money was only a portion of the money available to Gilley.

Gilley acknowledged the following amounts were invested in either Country Crossing or other Gilley projects:

» $33 million: The Miami Pro Group (professional athletes)

» $21 million: Lord Abbet Municipal Income Fund

» $17 million: IGT and Multimedia (Game manufacturers)

» $15 million: Dr. Bob Wright and Russ Wright of Columbus, Ga.

» $15 million: Ronnie Gilley

» $14 million: Milton McGregor

» $4 million: Boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

In other testimony Friday, Gilley acknowledged that he instructed workers at BamaJam to scan tickets not used. Gilley testified similarly in the first trial. He said the sole purpose of instructing the workers was not to artificially inflate attendance numbers, but also to reflect the attendance of people who came to the event, but did not pass through the turnstiles.

12:08 p.m. – Walter McGowan, attorney for Milton McGregor, spent the first 75 minutes of his cross examination of Ronnie Gilley going over Gilley’s plea agreement with the government, as well as past instances in which Gilley said he offered bribes to legislators.

McGowan asked Gilley if he believed he had to “bring defendants down” in order to get a reduced sentence.

“I do not,” Gilley said. “I have to be truthful.”

Read Gilley’s plea agreement here. Read the factual basis for Gilley’s plea here.

McGowan also quizzed Gilley about a recorded conversation involving he and his wife in which he told her that in order to receive a reduced sentence, he had to “bring other people down.”

“I did say that at that time,” Gilley said.

10:56 a.m. – Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley said Friday he placed $20,000 in cash in a cell phone box and gave it to former Rep. Terry Spicer in 2008 after Spicer requested money from Gilley through his lobbyist, Jarrod Massey.

Gilley outlined the bribe during testimony Friday in the gambling corruption retrial Friday morning under direct questioning from Assistant U.S. Attorney Kendall Day.

Gilley said his lobbyist, Massey, told him in 2008 that Spicer was feeling “left out” because Gilley had made a sizeable contribution to an Alabama senator. Gilley said Massey told him that Spicer felt he deserved $50,000 because of the work he did in helping pass legislation to create a special “enterprise zone” for the BamaJam property.

“I told Jarrod that Spicer wasn’t even running for re-election and that I couldn’t even write a check to his campaign if I wanted to,” Gilley said during testimony.

“Jarrod told me that he didn’t want it in a check. He wants it in cash,” Gilley said.

Gilley said Massey went on to tell him that he should pay the money because Spicer was a powerful member of the House and that pro-gambling legislation would never passed the House without Spicer’s support.

Gilley said Spicer later came to his office and Gilley gave him a cell phone box with $20,000 in it.

“He said ‘I was needing a new cell phone anyway. Thank you very much,’” Gilley said, adding that Spicer never asked for an additional $30,000.

Spicer has pleaded guilty to a single count of bribery.

In other testimony, Gilley said his ownership in Country Crossing is currently less than 1 percent and that he remained about $116 million in debt.

“I’m broke,” he said.

Prosecutors began Friday morning’s session by playing additional recordings made by Scott Beason, including one in which he referred to patrons of the gambling facility Greenetrack as ‘aborigines’. Day asked Gilley if he would still try to bribe Beason if he had known about those comments.

“Unfortunately, to be perfectly honest, our greed would have led us to purchase his vote,” Gilley said.

Walter McGowan, attorney for Milton McGregor, read from a transcript of a phone conversation Gilley had with his wife after Gilley’s plea hearing in which Gilley said he was drawn into a web of corruption in Alabama politics. During the conversation, Gilley tells his wife that the words he used at the plea hearing were not his, and were the words the government wanted him to use.

Gilley acknowledged the accuracy of the conversation he had with his wife and asked for an opportunity to explain his comments, but has not been given the opportunity yet.

Cross examination of Gilley by McGowan is expected to continue for much of the day.

9:01 a.m. -- Testimony has begun Friday in the gambling corruption retrial. Ronnie Gilley remains under direct questioning from Assistant U.S. Attorney Kendall Day.

At the end of testimony Thursday, Day played a recording from a meeting of Republican caucus members. The recording was played by the defense in the initial trial and apparently picked up a member of the caucus discussing the gambling bill being debated in the Alabama Legislature in 2010. One of the members can be heard saying that if the gambling issue makes the general ballot in November, blacks would be bused to the polls on HUD-financed buses.

Sen. Scott Beason wore a wire as part of the vote-buying investigation, was present at the meeting and testified that his recording of the meeting was accidental. It appears that Beason can be heard concurring with the sentiments.

Gilley testified Thursday that he found the comments “nauseating”, but added that it would not have kept him from offering a bribe to Beason if he believed Beason was the deciding vote to pass the gambling bill out of the Senate.

Alabama: Gilley discusses bribes

Gilley discusses bribes, McGregor money on witness stand
By: Lance Griffin Dothan Eagle

MONTGOMERY – Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley said during testimony Friday in the gambling corruption retrial that Milton McGregor was intertwined in the bribe offers Gilley said he made to multiple legislators.

The McGregor defense, however, insinuated through cross examination that McGregor was detached.

Gilley said Friday McGregor gave him more than $13 million in 2009 to be used for several areas related to Country Crossing, including those areas related to the passage of pro-gambling legislation.

McGregor attorney Walter McGowan attempted to distance McGregor’s money from any bribe offers, claiming Gilley had millions of dollars from other sources that could have been used as well.

Under questioning from McGowan, Gilley acknowledged several groups and individuals invested in Country Crossing and other Gilley-related projects. Among the amounts and investors were:

» $33 million: The Miami Pro Group (professional athletes)

» $21 million: Lord Abbett Municipal Income Fund

» $17 million: IGT and Multimedia (Game manufacturers)

» $15 million: Dr. Bob Wright and Russ Wright of Columbus, Ga.

» $15 million: Ronnie Gilley

» $14 million: Milton McGregor

» $4 million: Boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Gilley also acknowledged that most of that money was gone by December of 2009 when Gilley hosted a fundraiser for Sen. Harri Anne Smith. During the first trial in the summer of 2011, Gilley testified that McGregor’s money was not used to pay for the fundraiser because “that money was gone.”

Gilley testified that his current ownership in Country Crossing is less than one percent.

Also Friday, a recorded conversation between Gilley and McGregor on April 1, 2010, revealed an angry McGregor reacting to word that an investigation into vote-buying at the Statehouse was underway. McGregor blamed then-Gov. Bob Riley, an outspoken opponent of electronic bingo in Alabama.

“This is unbelievable Riley would go to these extremes. Riley would do everything above the law, against the law,” McGregor said.

“Yeah, I mean are we in America?” Gilley replied

“Riley is destroying this state. He has already destroyed our industry and now he is destroying our state. He is a sick runaway thug,” McGregor said.

Gilley also said Friday he placed $20,000 in cash in a cell phone box and gave it to former Rep. Terry Spicer in 2008 after Spicer requested money from Gilley through his lobbyist, Jarrod Massey.

Gilley outlined the bribe under direct questioning from Assistant U.S. Attorney Kendall Day.

Gilley said his lobbyist, Massey, told him in 2008 that Spicer was feeling “left out” because Gilley had made a sizeable contribution to an Alabama senator. Gilley said Massey told him that Spicer felt he deserved $50,000 because of the work he did in helping pass legislation to create a special “enterprise zone” for the BamaJam property in Coffee County.

“I told Jarrod that Spicer wasn’t even running for re-election and that I couldn’t even write a check to his campaign if I wanted to,” Gilley said.

“Jarrod told me that he didn’t want it in a check. He wants it in cash,” Gilley said.

Gilley said Massey went on to tell him that he should pay the money because Spicer was a powerful member of the House and that pro-gambling legislation would never pass the House without Spicer’s support.

Gilley said Spicer later came to his office and Gilley gave him a cell phone box with $20,000 in it.

“He said ‘I was needing a new cell phone anyway. Thank you very much,’” Gilley said, adding that Spicer never asked for an additional $30,000.

Spicer pleaded guilty last year to a single count of bribery.

McGowan also played a recording of a phone conversation Gilley had with his wife while Gilley was incarcerated in April of 2011. On the recording, Gilley said the government instructed him what to say during his plea hearing and that his “entire sentence” rested on his testimony bringing others down.

During testimony Friday, Gilley acknowledged saying that and expressed an interest to explain the comments, but was not able to during cross examination.

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.

Alabama: Gilley testifies on $14M loan from McGregor

Gambling corruption trial: Gilley testifies on $14M loan from McGregor
Written by Sebastian Kitchen

Brash Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley said on the witness stand Wednesday that he joined forces with VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor to try to pass gambling legislation with the help of country music stars aligned with him and millions in funding from McGregor.

Also Wednesday in the federal corruption trial of McGregor and five others, a former state senator claimed that Sen. Harri Anne Smith offered him a bribe in exchange for his vote on the gambling legislation; and the head of the Alabama Ethics Commission said former legislative analyst Ray Crosby did not report receiving monthly payments from McGregor until the corruption investigation became public.

Gilley, who has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy, bribery and money laundering in the case, said he was at odds with McGregor in 2007 because he felt McGregor was pushing legislation that would create a monopoly.

But he said he met with McGregor in the casino owner's Montgomery hangar in December 2008 to discuss their operations and legislation. Gilley said they talked about the need to work together to pass gambling legislation to protect both of their sites.

Gilley said McGregor informed him that Country Crossing would put a 22 percent dent in his profits at VictoryLand, located about 20 miles east of Montgomery in Shorter.

Gilley said because of a task force formed by then-Gov. Bob Riley to target what he deemed was illegal gambling in the state, that it was difficult to find funding for his project. He said the financial outlook for Country Crossing was dire.

Gilley, 47, said he and McGregor reached an agreement in early 2009 and that Gilley would run a media campaign, with the help of country stars, to promote the legislation.

In return, McGregor loaned money to Gilley.
Gilley, who is expected to return to the witness stand today, said McGregor eventually loaned him about $14 million. With their original agreement, Gilley said McGregor would receive 14 percent of the gross intake at Country Crossing and that number increased each time McGregor loaned him more money.

(Page 2 of 4)

Gilley said electronic bingo was the financial catalyst for the Country Crossing project, a country-themed entertainment complex near Dothan. During Country Crossing's three-day grand opening, Gilley said the gross intake was approximately $18 million.

Gilley said some of the money from McGregor was spent on illegal activity and said he would seek approval from McGregor before spending that money. McGregor's attorneys have argued that he did not know what all Gilley was doing with the money and that he was never repaid.

McGregor attorney Joe Espy has argued that Gilley was a con man who bilked people out of millions.

Gilley said he tried legitimate efforts to pass legislation in 2009 using advertising and the help of country musicians, which included George Jones, Randy Owen of Alabama, Lorrie Morgan, John Anderson and Darryl Worley.

Lead prosecutor Kendall Day, in his first serious line of questioning with Gilley, played a secretly recorded conversation in which Gilley tells his key lobbyist, Jarrod Massey, to have a female lobbyist that works for him expose herself to a senator, let the lawmaker put his mouth on her breast, and film it to help pass gambling legislation. Gilley told Massey in the call, as the two men laughed, to let Jennifer Pouncy know he would give her a $50,000 bonus if she did it.

"I am ashamed of myself," Gilley said in court and apologized to those involved.
He said he never asked Pouncy to expose herself.

"It was a very distasteful joke," said Gilley, who makes a number of angry and distasteful comments in phone conversations secretly recorded by the FBI.

A bribe?

Former state Sen. Steve French testified Wednesday that Smith, the independent state senator from Slocomb, offered him campaign contributions if he would vote for gambling legislation.

French said Smith mentioned to him and other Republicans at a March 9, 2010, dinner at the Olive Room that people were asking her for contributions. French said that was unusual because candidates were generally the ones asking others for contributions.

(Page 3 of 4)

Smith, after another senator asked her about it, said she would then remind those seeking contributions that she had endorsed Democrat Bobby Bright, who was then the mayor of Montgomery, in a 2008 congressional race against Republican state Rep. Jay Love of Montgomery, according to French.

French said he joked that her endorsement did not bother him and that he would, as a friend, be willing to take her contribution.

The other Republican senators at the dinner, according to French, included Del Marsh of Anniston, Jimmy Holley of Elba, and Jabo Waggoner of Vestavia Hills.

French said Smith never specified who was asking for contributions and they never asked her.

French said they then moved on to other issues.

French, who lives in Mountain Brook and lost in the 2010 Republican primary, said two days later that Smith called him over to her desk on the Senate floor while the Senate was in session. He said Smith asked him if he was serious about taking contributions and that she told him twice that she would be willing to contribute to him if he supported the gambling legislation.

"I told her we were not going to have that conversation because we were not going to link official action to a contribution," French told Day.

French said it was well known, at least to him, that it is not legal to seek or take campaign contributions in exchange for official action.

He said he eventually walked away.

Smith attorney Jim Parkman questioned how much French had to drink at the dinner and questioned him on other details. Smith is one of the six defendants in the case. French, when asked, said he had a vodka martini before Smith arrived at the dinner and had red wine with dinner.

French said he remembered a lot from the evening, but acknowledged that, in previous testimony, he could not recall how he got to the dinner, whether he walked or not, and where he sat at the dinner.

Parkman pointed out that French said he told other Republicans about the conversation and asked a consultant that knew Smith if she was "wired or stupid," but waited almost a month to go to authorities. And he pointed out that French went to authorities after April 3, when Republicans removed Smith from the ballot for her endorsement of a Democrat.

(Page 4 of 4)
French said he reached out to Col. Chris Murphy, who was then the director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety, in early April.

Ethics issues

Jim Sumner, director of the Alabama Ethics Commission, said Crosby did not report receiving monthly income from McGregor in 2008 and 2009 until August 2010, after the corruption investigation became public.

Crosby, who worked for the Legislature researching and writing legislation, was a defendant in this case, but died just before this trial started.

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

Sumner said that when Crosby filed the amendments that he only listed that he received "miscellaneous passive income" from "MCGP Inc."

According to testimony, Crosby received monthly checks of $3,000 from the Macon County Greyhound Park that were signed by McGregor.

Prosecutors allege McGregor paid Crosby, who wrote the gambling bill in 2010, 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, when asked by McGregor attorney Bobby Segall, said he is not aware that McGregor or the greyhound park have violated any state law. Segall pointed out it is the responsibility of the state employee and not McGregor or the greyhound park to file those economic interest forms.

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.

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.

Alabama: Vote Buying Re-Trial Begins

Alabama lobbyist Jennifer Pouncy testifies bribes offered for votes
By Kim Chandler -- The Birmingham News The Birmingham News

MONTGOMERY -- A casino lobbyist who pleaded guilty to conspiracy testified Friday that she offered bribes to two former state senators to get their votes on a gambling bill.

Jennifer Pouncy, who lobbied for Country Crossing casino, said she offered bribes to state Sens. Larry Means and Jim Preuitt "in exchange for votes" in 2010.

She was the first major witness to take the stand in the State House vote-buying case. She was on the stand for only a short time Friday and has not yet described her conversations with Preuitt and Means. She returns to the witness stand Monday.

Pouncy pleaded guilty to conspiracy in September 2010 and said she is testifying in the hopes of getting a lighter prison sentence.

"I'm just here to tell the truth," Pouncy testified.

VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor, Means, Preuitt and three others are on trial on charges of offering or accepting bribes -- largely in the form of campaign contributions -- to help pass gambling legislation in 2010. The bill was aimed at shielding electronic bingo casinos from state efforts to shut them down. It would have held a statewide referendum on gambling and, if approved, written into the Alabama Constitution that the electronic machines were legal.

Pouncy worked for lobbyist Jarrod Massey, whose clients included Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley.

Defense lawyers for Means and Preuitt have disputed Pouncy's account and said in opening statements that the senators voted for the bill because it had changed radically from the version originally introduced.

Prosecutor Edward T. Kang played a tape of a March 2, 2010, call between Pouncy and Massey in which Massey said that Gilley needed a cell phone number for Preuitt, who owns a car dealership.

"I think we got a million dollar vehicle need," Massey said to Pouncy.

Former Legislative Reference Service Assistant Director Monty Feld also took the witness stand Friday. Feld supervised and worked with Ray Crosby at the LRS. Crosby was set to stand trial in the case but died last month.

Feld testified that Crosby never mentioned to him or formally disclosed he was being paid $3,000 a month by McGregor, for a total of about $70,000. Feld said he would have been concerned because the payments came at a time when Crosby was heavily involved in writing gambling bills.

"It would trouble me as to the appearance of impropriety," Feld testified.

Prosecutors have accused McGregor of bribing Crosby to look out for his interests when he wrote legislation. But under cross-examination by McGregor's lawyer, Feld acknowledged he had never seen Crosby do anything he considered improper when he was working on gambling legislation.

McGregor lawyer Bobby Segall asked Feld whether he saw anything wrong in transcripts of wiretapped calls between McGregor and Crosby as they worked on details of legislation. Feld said he didn't.

McGregor's defense said in opening statements that Crosby was being paid for election and political strategy consulting work.

"It was clear in Mr. Feld's testimony that Mr. Crosby did not do anything in terms of that bill to aid us," McGregor lawyer Joe Espy said after court.


First Witness Called in Gambling Corruption Retrial
By CBS 8 News
The first witness in Alabama's gambling corruption trial says a deceased defendant never mentioned that he was getting $3,000 a month from an indicted casino owner.

Montgomery "Monty" Feld supervised Ray Crosby before retiring as assistant director of the Legislative Reference Service. Crosby was found dead from natural causes in his Montgomery home on Jan. 29.

Feld testified Friday that Crosby never mentioned he was getting paid by indicted casino owner Milton McGregor. Feld said the payments trouble him when he found out because Crosby wrote gambling legislation for the Legislature.

He also testified that he wasn't aware of Crosby doing anything out of the ordinary for McGregor.

The 14 charges against McGregor include one accusing him of paying bribes to Crosby for helping him with pro-gambling legislation.

Alabama: Opening arguments expected today in gambling corruption retrial

Opening arguments expected today in gambling corruption retrial
Written by Sebastian Kitchen

The attorneys in a high-profile federal corruption case have selected a jury and are expected to begin opening arguments today in the retrial of VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor and five others.

After three days of questioning potential jurors about themselves and thoughts on issues that the two sides believe could be relevant in the case, the attorneys narrowed down the pool of about 200 potential jurors to 12 jurors and four alternates. The Associated Press reported that attorneys questioned 84 of those potential jurors.

They finished jury selection just after 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and opening arguments are expected to begin at 9 a.m. today.

Among the jurors, who are predominantly female, are a state employee, someone who works in marketing, a woman who lives with her "granny" and does not work, and a registered nurse -- all four live in Montgomery.

During the last trial, which ended in August, 11 of the 12 jurors were female.
Prosecutors accuse the six defendants of allegedly being involved in a scheme in which casino owners and their lobbyists bribed lawmakers, with cash and campaign contributions, to vote for pro-gambling legislation.

Kendall Day, lead prosecutor in the case for the U.S. Department of Justice, told the pools of potential jurors that they would not hear the word "bribe" on the conversations secretly recorded for the FBI that could be played in court.

Bobby Segall, an attorney for McGregor, told potential jurors that his client was not guilty.

U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ordered the two sides to be in court at 7 a.m. today to argue looming pretrial motions, such as whether defense attorneys can criticize the investigation and whether prosecutors can use the words "bribe" or "co-conspirator."

During the first trial, the jury did not find any of the defendants guilty on the more than 120 counts against them and two of the defendants were found not guilty of all of the counts against them. The jury could not reach a unanimous decision on 33 counts and Thompson declared a mistrial on those.

On the eve of this trial, defendant Ray Crosby, who analyzed bills for the Legislature, died of what the coroner ruled as natural causes related to his heart. Thompson dismissed the one remaining charge against Crosby.

The other defendants include state Sen. Harri Anne Smith, an independent from Slocomb; former Democratic state Sen. Larry Means of Attalla; former Republican state Sen. Jim Preuitt of Talladega; McGregor lobbyist Tom Coker; and former Country Crossing spokesman Jay Walker.

Alabama: Jury chosen for Gambling Corruption Retrial

Jury chosen for Gambling Corruption Retrial
By JoBeth Davis

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) -
Attorneys in the Alabama gambling corruption retrial have arrived at a jury and four alternates Wednesday evening after three days of questioning 84 potential jurors.

Attorneys had been scolded by U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson earlier in the day for veering into their trial arguments during questioning of the candidates.

Defense attorney Bobby Segall opened his questioning of possibly jurors by saying his client, casino owner Milton McGregor, was not guilty of corruption charges.

McGregor and five other defendants are charged with buying and selling votes for pro-gambling legislation.

Lead prosecutor Kendall Day told jurors that that the defense would point to legal dealings in the past, but used a metaphor about a bank robber making legitimate withdrawals in the past to refute that.

JURY MAKEUP

The gender make-up of the jury is almost identical to that of the last trial. At least ten of the jurors are female and four are male. Two juror responses were inaudible in the media room and therefore are unknown until the start of the trial. At least ten of the jurors reside in Montgomery County.

Occupations represented include state workers, a medical billing technician, retired Navy and at least one juror is unemployed.

Attorneys must return to court at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday. Opening arguments are expected to start following meetings.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. WSFA 12 News contributed to this report.)

Alabama: GOP leader helps pay Sen. Ross' legal fees

GOP leader helps pay Sen. Ross' legal fees
Written by Phillip Rawls The Associated Press

The Republican leader of the Alabama Senate said Thursday he helped pay the legal bills of a Democratic senator acquitted of all charges in Alabama's gambling corruption investigation.

Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh of Anniston donated $5,000 from his campaign fund to the legal de­fense fund for Sen. Quinton Ross of Montgomery be­cause "I wanted to help him get through this period of his life."

Ross said he and Marsh have a good working rela­tionship, but he was surprised when the Senate's top Republican told him that he wanted to help.

"I appreciate the fact he was able to rise above the politics and view the humanity side of the issue," Ross said.

In October 2010, Ross was indicted on bribery and conspiracy charges accusing him of seeking big cam­paign contributions from casino interests in return for voting for pro-gambling legislation. Ross' attorneys ar­gued that he had always supported and sponsored pro- gambling legislation, so he had no votes to sell for brib­es. The jury agreed and ac­quitted him on charges in August 2011. The jury could not decide all the charges against six other defendants who are scheduled for retrial starting Monday.

After Ross' indictment, several friends set up a trust fund to help defray his legal bills, and they sent letters to legislators, lobbyists and oth­ers seeking donations. Be­cause of state laws, Ross can't be involved in the fund­raising, and he said he doesn't know who gives un­less they happen to mention it to him, which Marsh did.

Marsh reported the dona­tion in a year-end campaign finance form. Two Demo­cratic senators also reported contributions. Sen. Vivian Davis Figures of Mobile list­ed $1,000 and Sen. Hank Sanders of Selma $500.

Marsh, the first Republi­can to serve as the Senate's president pro tem since Re­construction, said he has tried to reach across the aisle and work with Demo­crats, but that was not the reason he donated $5,000.

"I felt in my heart it was the right thing to do," he said.

Independent Sen. Harri Anne Smith of Slocomb, for­mer Democratic Sen. Larry Means of Attalla, and former Republican Sen. Jim Preuitt of Talladega are among the six facing retrial Monday.

Marsh said he has not helped pay their legal bills.

"I would not feel comfort­able being involved in any kind of funds when charges are pending, but once Sena­tor Ross was acquitted, I felt it was time to step up to help," he said.

The chairman of the Ala­bama Republican Party, Bill Armistead, said he was un­aware of Marsh's donation until he was contacted by The Associated Press, and he declined comment.

Ross has used his cam­paign fund to pay his legal bills, which is permitted by state law. He filed campaign finance reports showing $110,000 in payments over the last two years to the firm of Montgomery attorney Lewis Gillis.

Ross estimates his legal bills will exceed $1 million. The finances of the defense fund have not been made public. One of the trustees, Jerome Gray of Montgom­ery, said Thursday the fund­raising has been slow and the legal bills may never be paid in full.

"The economy is just ter­rible. It's hard to get people motivated to write checks," he said.

Alabama: Trial Resumes, Gag Order Requested, Crosby Death Ruled 'Natural Causes'

Prosecution In Gambling Corruption Case Requests Gag Order For Retrial
Defense Attorneys fighting the request for a Gag Order.
Todd Prater

Prosecutors in the gambling vote buying case are requesting a gag order on the retrial set to begin Monday. The first time the case was tried there were frequent comments by the defense criticizing the prosecu­tion's case. However Federal prosecutors haven't spoken to the press other than the initial news con­ference announcing the ar­rests over a year ago. Defense lawyers are fight­ing the gag request. No ruling from the judge yet.

Read more: http://www.hallelujah1051.com/cc-common/mainheadlines3.html?feed=118702&article=9709584#ixzz1lPxjo2k8

Coroner: Crosby died of natural causes
Written by Sebastian Kitchen

Dealing with legal problems, a divorce, health issues and fin­ancial difficulties, Joseph "Ray" Crosby died of heart problems on the eve of a second corruption trial in which he hoped to vindi­cate himself.

"After this investigation, it has been concluded that the death was natu­ ral and the cause of death was hyperten­ sive cardiovas­ cular disease," Special Coroner David Thrasher wrote in inform­ation he released Friday after­noon.

Also on Friday, a federal judge dismissed the one remain­ing charge against Crosby, who was accused of accepting a bribe.

Crosby, one of seven defen­dants scheduled to go on trial this week in a federal corruption case related to gambling in the state, died Jan. 29 at his Gunster Road home in Montgomery, according to Thrasher.

Thrasher released that in­formation after the Alabama Department of Forensic Sci­ence conducted an autopsy and toxicological analysis. He wrote that the forensic science department and the Montgomery Police Depart­ment conducted an investiga­tion of the death.

A friend told the Mont­gomery Advertiser earlier this week that he found Cros­by dead in his bed about 4:30 p.m. Sunday after Crosby's daughter became concerned because she could not reach him. Danny Corbett said par­amedics told him Crosby had been dead about 12 hours.

He said there were no signs of wrongdoing or foul play.

"When I opened the door (to his bedroom), he looked like he was asleep," said Cor­bett, a former state senator.

He said his friend was ly­ing on his side with a book beside him and had his cell­phone charging.

Corbett said, after calling 911, he and his girlfriend looked through the house, which he said was "neat," and that everything was "normal as could be."
"It appears to me his heart just quit beating," he said.

Crosby, according to his friend, had trouble with his heart and was extremely stressed from the trial, ensu­ing financial issues, and a di­vorce. He had filed for bank­ruptcy the week before he died, according to an Associ­ated Press report.

(Page 2 of 2)

"He went to sleep and didn't make it back," Corbett said.

He said the trial cost Cros­by financially, damaged his family, and possibly cost him his life.

"I understand it because I lived a lot of it with him," he said.

Corbett said he talked about the death because there had been false rumors that he was trying to quash. He said there was no note at the house and no signs of physical harm to Crosby.

Crosby, a former longtime employee of the Legislature, was scheduled to go on trial Monday, less than 24 hours after he was found dead.

There were no convictions in the original 10-week trial, which began in June, and two of the defendants were found not guilty on all of the charges against them.
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson declared a mistri­al on the remaining 33 counts, with the jury dead­locked on those, and set the date for the second trial aft­er prosecutors decided to move forward with the case.

Thompson ruled Monday, while Montgomery police were investigating Crosby's death, that the trial would be delayed a week and begin with jury selection at 9 a.m. this Monday.

The judge threw out 12 counts against Crosby before the case went to the jury and the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on the one pending bribery charge against him.

Thompson dismissed that charge against Crosby on Friday. He has not dismissed the correlating charge against McGregor.

Crosby was among 11 peo­ple arrested in October 2010. Two pleaded guilty before the case went to trial.

The defendants are ac­cused of allegedly being in­volved in a scheme in which casino owners bribed state lawmakers, with offers of cash and campaign funds, to support gambling legislation.

Prosecutors accuse casino owner Milton McGregor of bribing Crosby with monthly payments to craft legislation that would benefit him, but defense lawyers pointed to legislation that Crosby draft­ed for legislators that would have hurt McGregor's opera­tions.

The other defendants are state Sen. Harri Anne Smith; former state Sens. Larry Means and Jim Preuitt; McGregor lobbyist Tom Cok­er; and former Country Crossing spokesman Jay Walker.


After delay, corruption retrial begins Monday
By: Lance Griffin Dothan Eagle

Alabama’s gambling corruption retrial begins Monday, almost six months after the first trial ended in numerous acquittals and several hung counts and eight days after one of the defendants was found dead.

Six defendants will stand trial, five fewer than were originally arrested in October of 2010 when federal authorities swooped into the state and made a roundup of arrests. Two of the original defendants, Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley and lobbyist Jarrod Massey, pleaded guilty to multiple bribery counts. Two defendants, Sen. Quinton Ross, D-Montgomery, and lobbyist Robert Geddie, were acquitted of all charges in the first trial that ended in August of 2011. The retrial was scheduled to begin Jan. 30, but was delayed one week after defendant Ray Crosby, a former legislative analyst, was found dead in his home Jan. 29. Crosby faced a single count of bribery, which was dismissed in the wake of his death.

Jury selection begins at 9 a.m. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson has ordered attorneys and defendants to be present at 8 a.m. in order to take care of any pre-trial motions that may still be pending.

One motion that still remained unresolved Friday is a motion by prosecutors to bar attorneys from making public comments about the trial. The prosecution motion and defense responses have been filed under seal and are unavailable for public view.

A federal jury acquitted the defendants on 91 counts during the initial trial, but was unable to come to a consensus on 33 counts.

The remaining defendants and counts follow:

» Milton McGregor: Owner of the VictoryLand casino. McGregor still faces charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery in an alleged offer of $1 million in public relations business to Sen. Scott Beason, two additional bribery counts in the alleged offer of campaign donations to then-Sens. Larry Means and Jim Preuitt in exchange for a pro-gambling vote, bribery in the alleged payment of $42,000 to former legislative analyst Ray Crosby, and nine counts of honest services wire fraud.

» Tom Coker: Lobbyist for McGregor. Coker still faces charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery in the alleged offer of campaign support to Preuitt in exchange for a pro-gambling vote and one count of honest services wire fraud.

» Larry Means: Former state senator from Etowah County. Means still faces a charge of conspiracy, and a bribery count in which prosecutors allege Means sought $100,000 in exchange for his pro-gambling vote.

» Jim Preuitt: Former state senator from Talladega. Preuitt still faces a charge of conspiracy, one count of bribery in which prosecutors allege he agreed to accept $2 million in campaign support for his pro-gambling vote, and one count of making a false statement to FBI investigators.

» Harri Anne Smith: State senator from Slocomb. Smith still faces a charge of conspiracy, bribery in connection with what prosecutors say was an agreement to accept $400,000 in campaign donations from Gilley in exchange for help with pro-gambling legislation, two counts of honest services wire fraud and four counts of money laundering.

» Jay Walker: Former Country Crossing spokesperson. Walker still faces a charge of conspiracy and a single count of bribery in connection with an alleged offer of $2 million in campaign help to Preuitt.


Coroner: Alabama gambling defendant's death from natural causes.
PHILLIP RAWLS Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A defendant died from natural causes on the eve of his retrial in the gambling corruption case involving lawmakers and others at the Alabama Statehouse, a coroner said Friday.

An autopsy and toxicology analysis by the state Department of Forensic Science showed Ray Crosby's death resulted from hypertensive cardiovascular disease, said Montgomery County Coroner David Thrasher.

Crosby, 63, was found in his bed at his Montgomery home shortly after 4 p.m. on Jan. 29.

A retrial for him and six other defendants was scheduled to start the next morning. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson delayed the trial one week because of Crosby's death.

Montgomery County Coroner David Thrasher said Friday an autopsy by the state Department of Forensic Science showed Crosby died from hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

Before his indictment in October 2010, Crosby worked at the Legislature writing bills for lawmakers, including on gambling issues. Prosecutors accused him of taking bribes of $3,000 a month from casino owner Milton McGregor to advise him about gambling bills that were being written. At the request of prosecutors, the judge on Friday dropped the bribery charge, as is customary when a defendant dies before a verdict.

Former state Sen. Danny Corbett, who found the body, said the autopsy results should end speculation about how Crosby died.

Corbett had told reporters that it looked as if Crosby died in his sleep with a paperback book by his side and that high-blood pressure medicine and a blood thinner were on his nightstand.

McGregor is slated for trial Monday along with state Sen. Harri Anne Smith, former Sens. Larry Means and Jim Preuitt, casino lobbyist Tom Coker, and former casino spokesman Jay Walker. They are accused of using campaign contributions to buy and sell votes for pro-gambling legislation.

Attorneys estimate the retrial could last six to eight weeks.

The original lasted 10 weeks and ended in August with two defendants acquitted on all charges, no convictions, and the jury unable to decide all counts against seven defendants, including Crosby.