Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Federal prosecutors used wiretapped phone calls Wednesday to reinforce a casino lobbyist's testimony that she offered a $2 million bribe to a state senator, even though he told the FBI it never happened.
Country Crossing lobbyist Jennifer Pouncy pleaded guilty in September and spent her second day on the witness stand testifying for the prosecution.
Pouncy testified Wednesday that Sen. Jim Preuitt, R-Talladega, voted against having the Senate take up pro-gambling legislation on March 3, 2010. That temporarily blocked efforts by electronic bingo casinos such as Country Crossing in Dothan to pass legislation designed to protect their profitable games.
Pouncy said a few hours after the vote, she went to Preuitt at the direction of her boss and offered the senator $2 million in campaign contributions to vote for the bill. She said others connected to the Dothan casino offered him free polling and the free use of a campaign expert.
She testified Preuitt told her on the morning of March 30, 2010, that he had decided to support the bill, and the Senate approved it with the minimum 21 votes later that day with Preuitt voting for it.
On Tuesday, FBI agent George Glaser testified that he interviewed Preuitt the day after the Senate's vote and asked whether he knew of offers of any bribes on the legislation.
"He said he did not have any knowledge and he would not tolerate that kind of behavior in the Alabama Senate," Glaser said.
The agent testified that he also asked the senator if Pouncy made any offers.
"He said no," Glaser said.
Preuitt is the only one of the nine defendants in the case charged with making a false statement to the FBI. Much of Wednesday's testimony focused on that portion of the case. The trial only went a half-day Wednesday to allow court officials to attend the funeral of U.S. District Judge Ira Dement, but it will return to a full day Thursday with Pouncy being questioned by defense attorneys.
Outside the courthouse Wednesday, Preuitt's lawyer declined comment. "We are going to try it in the courtroom," Ron Wise said.
Prosecutors played wiretapped phone calls Pouncy had with her boss, lobbyist Jarrod Massey, and Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley, who both pleaded guilty and testified earlier in the trial.
In a phone call on March 23, 2010, she told Massey that another defendant, Country Crossing spokesman Jay Walker, had met with Preuitt in Montgomery.
"He told him what all they would do for him," she said. But she said Walker reported to her that Preuitt didn't commit to vote yes.
She testified that Preuitt asked her on March 24 if their commitment would stand if the Senate passed the bill and it died in the House. She said she contacted Massey, who said yes, and she relayed that to Preuitt.
A taped call with Massey on March 24 backed up that testimony. In the call, Massey asked her if she had a conversation with Preuitt.
"Yes, I told him, you know, the commitment stands," she said.
The two also had a phone call on the morning of the Senate's vote, where Pouncy told Massey, "Preuitt just committed to me to vote yes."
Some of the tapes and testimony Wednesday focused on a senator who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but they demonstrated how hard the proponents were working to pick up the necessary 21 votes.
In taped calls involving Pouncy, Massey and Gilley, they talked about Democratic Sen. Bobby Denton of Muscle Shoals being a key vote they needed to get, and they tied their efforts to him being inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame for recording some of the first hits out of Muscle Shoals.
Gilley said one of the supporters of Country Crossing, Randy Owen, lead singer for the group Alabama, would induct Denton into the hall of fame on March 25, 2010, and another supporter of the project, country singer George Jones, would attend the induction ceremony to curry Denton's favor.
Denton, who had traditionally opposed gambling legislation, voted for the bill on March 30, 2010.
In a phone interview Wednesday, he said Jones and Owen were at his induction, but they had nothing to do with his vote.
"As far as pressure or taking about the issue, we didn't do it," he said.
Denton, who retired from the Senate in November, said he voted for the gambling bill because a filibuster over it was killing the legislative session and he wanted to get the bill out of the way to allow the Senate to address the state budgets and other critical issues.
The gambling bill died in the House after the FBI announced its investigation of Statehouse corruption on April 1, 2010.
Country Crossing lobbyist Jennifer Pouncy pleaded guilty in September and spent her second day on the witness stand testifying for the prosecution.
Pouncy testified Wednesday that Sen. Jim Preuitt, R-Talladega, voted against having the Senate take up pro-gambling legislation on March 3, 2010. That temporarily blocked efforts by electronic bingo casinos such as Country Crossing in Dothan to pass legislation designed to protect their profitable games.
Pouncy said a few hours after the vote, she went to Preuitt at the direction of her boss and offered the senator $2 million in campaign contributions to vote for the bill. She said others connected to the Dothan casino offered him free polling and the free use of a campaign expert.
She testified Preuitt told her on the morning of March 30, 2010, that he had decided to support the bill, and the Senate approved it with the minimum 21 votes later that day with Preuitt voting for it.
On Tuesday, FBI agent George Glaser testified that he interviewed Preuitt the day after the Senate's vote and asked whether he knew of offers of any bribes on the legislation.
"He said he did not have any knowledge and he would not tolerate that kind of behavior in the Alabama Senate," Glaser said.
The agent testified that he also asked the senator if Pouncy made any offers.
"He said no," Glaser said.
Preuitt is the only one of the nine defendants in the case charged with making a false statement to the FBI. Much of Wednesday's testimony focused on that portion of the case. The trial only went a half-day Wednesday to allow court officials to attend the funeral of U.S. District Judge Ira Dement, but it will return to a full day Thursday with Pouncy being questioned by defense attorneys.
Outside the courthouse Wednesday, Preuitt's lawyer declined comment. "We are going to try it in the courtroom," Ron Wise said.
Prosecutors played wiretapped phone calls Pouncy had with her boss, lobbyist Jarrod Massey, and Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley, who both pleaded guilty and testified earlier in the trial.
In a phone call on March 23, 2010, she told Massey that another defendant, Country Crossing spokesman Jay Walker, had met with Preuitt in Montgomery.
"He told him what all they would do for him," she said. But she said Walker reported to her that Preuitt didn't commit to vote yes.
She testified that Preuitt asked her on March 24 if their commitment would stand if the Senate passed the bill and it died in the House. She said she contacted Massey, who said yes, and she relayed that to Preuitt.
A taped call with Massey on March 24 backed up that testimony. In the call, Massey asked her if she had a conversation with Preuitt.
"Yes, I told him, you know, the commitment stands," she said.
The two also had a phone call on the morning of the Senate's vote, where Pouncy told Massey, "Preuitt just committed to me to vote yes."
Some of the tapes and testimony Wednesday focused on a senator who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but they demonstrated how hard the proponents were working to pick up the necessary 21 votes.
In taped calls involving Pouncy, Massey and Gilley, they talked about Democratic Sen. Bobby Denton of Muscle Shoals being a key vote they needed to get, and they tied their efforts to him being inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame for recording some of the first hits out of Muscle Shoals.
Gilley said one of the supporters of Country Crossing, Randy Owen, lead singer for the group Alabama, would induct Denton into the hall of fame on March 25, 2010, and another supporter of the project, country singer George Jones, would attend the induction ceremony to curry Denton's favor.
Denton, who had traditionally opposed gambling legislation, voted for the bill on March 30, 2010.
In a phone interview Wednesday, he said Jones and Owen were at his induction, but they had nothing to do with his vote.
"As far as pressure or taking about the issue, we didn't do it," he said.
Denton, who retired from the Senate in November, said he voted for the gambling bill because a filibuster over it was killing the legislative session and he wanted to get the bill out of the way to allow the Senate to address the state budgets and other critical issues.
The gambling bill died in the House after the FBI announced its investigation of Statehouse corruption on April 1, 2010.
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