Monday, July 11, 2011

Ala. casino lobbyist testifies about race factor

Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A wiretapped phone call played Monday in an Alabama Statehouse corruption trial again included comments about race — this time by those trying to pass pro-gambling legislation.
Prosecutors offered a wiretapped phone call Monday in which Country Crossing casino lobbyist Jarrod Massey talked with the business' spokesman Jay Walker about issuing a statement to the media to rebut comments by casino opponents. Massey said too many statements had come from Country Crossing in Dothan and another casino needed to speak out. But he said the statement probably didn't need to come from Greenetrack casino in predominantly black Greene County.
"We don't need to blacken this thing up any more than possible," Massey told Walker.
Defense attorneys offered another tape three weeks ago in which a key prosecution witness referred to Greenetrack customers as "aborigines."
Massey, who has pleaded guilty to bribery, was testifying for the prosecution Monday about offering campaign contributions to four senators to buy their votes for a proposed constitutional amendment. The legislation was designed to protect electronic bingo casinos from raids by state police.
He testified he probably made a poor choice of words, but that he always speaks frankly. He said the gambling issue had long been associated with African-American communities because of their locations, but proponents needed to win over white legislators' votes, particularly white Republicans.
"I wanted to try to show diversity," he testified.
The FBI taped phones calls of Massey, Country Crossing casino developer Ronnie Gilley and VictoryLand casino owner Milton McGregor in March 2010 while investigating Statehouse corruption. Republican Sen. Scott Beason of Gardendale, an opponent of the legislation, helped the FBI by taping meetings with proponents and opponents of the gambling legislation. Those tapes were turned over to defense attorneys before the trial.
When Beason testified June 16, defense attorneys offered a transcript of a taped meeting he had with other Republican legislators where Beason referred to Greenetrack customers as "aborigines." The Republican legislators also speculated about what would happen if the proposed constitutional amendment on gambling ended up on the general election ballot in November 2010, when the GOP was trying to take over the Legislature from Democrats.
They said it would bring out more black voters because casino owners would offer free buffets, bus rides and gambling credits to get voters to the polls.
"That's right. That's right," Beason said in the transcript.
Massey and Gilley have pleaded guilty and are helping prosecutors. Walker, McGregor and seven others are in the sixth week of their federal court trial.
Massey wore his red jail uniform during his testimony Monday that focused on offers to indicted state senators for their votes. Defense attorneys will get to question him Tuesday, when they say they will point out inconsistencies in his testimony.
Massey testified Monday that he worked with indicted VictoryLand casino lobbyist Tom Coker, Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley and Walker to offer bribes to Republican Jim Preuitt of Talladega. He said their offer included campaign contributions, campaign staff, polling and the use of country music stars.
He said Democrat Larry Means of Attalla sought a $100,000 campaign contribution for his vote and he relayed the request to Gilley.
"He can 100 percent count on our support," Gilley said in a phone call taped by the FBI. Gilley also pleaded guilty to bribery and testified for the prosecution last week.
In the taped phone call, Gilley and Massey also discussed securing Preuitt's vote. "Whatever we have to do, do it," Gilley said.
Massey said he contributed $10,000 to the campaign of Democrat Quinton Ross of Montgomery in late 2009, but Ross sought $15,000 to $20,000 more as the vote approached on the gambling legislation. Massey said Ross had always supported gambling legislation, but casino owners needed to keep his vote to pass their bill. He said he promised Ross more contributions after the vote.
He said Gilley gave him $40,000 to donate to independent Sen. Harri Anne Smith of Slocomb for her 2008 campaign for the U.S. House after she dropped her opposition to Gilley's Dothan casino. Massey said he got around federal campaign laws limiting the size of contributions by writing checks to several individuals and getting them to make donations to Smith.
Ross, Preuitt, Means and Smith voted for the pro-gambling bill when the Senate approved it March 30, 2010. Two days later, the FBI disclosed it was investigating widespread corruption. Massey said that kept bribes from being delivered to Ross, Preuitt and Means.
After the FBI's disclosure, the gambling bill died in the House without coming to a vote. That kept it off the November 2010 ballot, and the Republican Party won control of the Legislature for the first time in 136 years.

No comments:

Post a Comment