Jury hears wiretap conversations at bingo corruption trial

MONTGOMERY – Conversations recorded through FBI wiretaps in the spring of 2010 revealed tension and anger from bingo legislation supporters when it first appeared their bill did not have enough votes to pass the Senate.

Prosecutors played several of the wiretapped conversations Wednesday at the bingo corruption trial, including one in which Senate majority leader and bingo legislation sponsor Roger Bedford asked VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor for permission to politically retaliate against senators who did not support bingo legislation.

The conversation took place March 2, 2010. Bedford specifically mentioned Sens. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, and Paul Sanford, R-Huntsville.

 “I want your authority if I have it to … I mean your collective authority … to say if you (expletive) (expletive) us on this there will be no peace. It will be relentless. We’re coming after you’re a--,” Bedford tells.

“You have it. One hundred percent,” McGregor replied.

McGregor also expressed his frustration with then-Sen. Charles Bishop, R-Jasper, who did not support bingo legislation.

“I would like to put a (expletive) casino in his front yard,” McGregor said.

“(Expletive) yeah. We ought to do it,” Bedford replied.

The conversations took place a day before a failed procedural vote that would have allowed the Senate to vote on SB380, the electronic bingo bill that would have placed the issue on the statewide ballot in November. The bill later passed the Senate March 30, 2010, but died in the House due to lack of votes.

During one conversation between McGregor and Bedford, McGregor suggests making additional casino sites available in other parts of the state if it brought more votes to the table.

The jury heard the conversations at the end of the day Wednesday, after prosecutors scrambled to put witnesses on the stand when Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley became ill Wednesday morning and could not testify. It is not known when his testimony will resume.

The trial continued with the testimony of FBI special agent John McEachern and political action committee officer Bryant Raby.

Prosecutor Edward Kang questioned McEachern about a Feb. 15, 2010, phone conversation McGregor had with Rep. Barry Mask in which McGregor told Mask “I am committed to help you through friends of mine who I have influence over that I can call.”

McEachern then commented on phone records that indicate McGregor then called the lobbying firm of Fine-Geddie 14 minutes later. Later that evening, lobbyist Robert Geddie and fellow lobbyist Ben Patterson showed up uninvited to a Mask fundraiser with two $2,500 checks to Mask from Geddie-controlled political action committees.

McGregor and Mask had a phone conversation the next day in which McGregor told Mask “I got Bob and Ben to go over to your function and they were really impressed with your crowd.”

Raby’s testimony focused on four political action committees he controls that are based in Huntsville. He testified about $50,000 checks written by Gilley to each of Raby’s PACs March 24, 2010. A recorded conversation played during Gilley’s testimony indicated Sen. Harri Anne Smith called Gilley and asked for $400,000 to buy advertising for her campaign. Gilley told Smith he would try to get her $200,000 in a few days and another $200,000 by the end of the next week. He is also heard on tape telling Smith he would “bust” the contributions “up.”

Raby testified he later had a meeting with David Mowery. Raby said Mowery worked for the Smith campaign at the time, and asked Raby to write $200,000 worth of checks to seven other PACs. Raby then verified seven checks totaling $200,000 that were written out of the Huntsville PACs to the PACs Mowery suggested.

There has been no testimony offered so far that Smith’s campaign received the money.

Smith attorney Jim Parkman also contested two other checks of $15,000 each written by Gilley to Raby’s PACs. The checks were dated Jan. 12, 2010. On Jan. 11, 2010, the PACs donated $30,000 to Smith’s campaign. Parkman said the Gilley money could not be traced to Smith because Gilley’s contribution came to the PACs after the PAC money went to the Smith campaign.