Gilley used code language to cloak bribe offers

MONTGOMERY – Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley testified Thursday that he used phrases such as “democracy tour” and others as a code to hide illegal bribe offers.

“There is a certain code language, I guess, if you will, unfortunately in the political world,” Gilley said Thursday during testimony in the gambling corruption retrial.

Gilley often used the phrases “democracy tour” and “we support those who support democracy” in relation to pro-gambling legislation being debated in the Alabama Legislature in 2010. Gilley said he used those phrases to cloak his true intentions.

Gilley said he intended to buy the votes of legislators by promising “democracy tours” for their campaigns, in which he pledged country music stars to perform at campaign events to “blow the competition away.”

“It was a guise, a disguise,” Gilley said Thursday. “It meant using money as well as branding particular candidates with country music celebrities.”

Prosecutor Kendall Day asked Gilley why he used the phrase “we support those who support democracy.”

“To keep from having to say ‘if you vote yes on this bill, we will give you (money),’” Gilley said.

Gilley spent the entire day under direct questioning from the prosecution, outlining what he believed was a strategy he and casino owner Milton McGregor concocted to buy the votes of legislators. Gilley said he and McGregor worked together to bribe Sens. Larry Means, Jim Preuitt and Scott Beason.

Gilley also said he bought the support of Sen. Harri Anne Smith with several hundred thousand dollars in campaign cash and in-kind donations, then used Smith to pressure other legislators.

Gilley spent most of the afternoon outlining his professional relationship with Smith. Gilley said he was “at odds” with Smith over gambling and Country Crossing until 2008 when Smith sought to pull a bill she had introduced in the Senate that would have defined bingo as a game played on paper cards if passed by a vote of the people.

Gilley said he thanked Smith by giving her a $5,000 donation. He said Smith returned the money because her campaign consultants said it would not look good for her to take money from gambling interests and that the two discussed a better way for Gilley’s money to get to Smith’s campaign.

Gilley said he contributed to Smith’s campaign through a fundraiser he hosted for her and through campaign donations that were “washed” through several different political action committees.

In exchange, Gilley said Smith worked to pressure other legislators to vote for the pro-gambling bill.

During one conversation recorded March 22, 2010, eight days before the final vote on the pro-gambling bill SB380, Gilley urges Smith to talk to other legislators.

“I need you to reach out to anybody you can,” Gilley said on the recording. “See if you can lean on (Scott Beason) or any d*** body else you can.”

“I will,” Smith replied.

Also, in a call recorded just a few days before March 22, Smith tells Gilley she needs $400,000 in less than two weeks to finish her Senate campaign. Gilley said he wrote checks totaling $200,000 that were sent to different PACs. No evidence has been presented that the money ever reached Smith’s campaign.

Smith has said her support for SB380 came from her track record of allowing the people to vote on important issues and from overwhelming response from people in her district who wanted to vote on the issue.

Near the end of the day, prosecutors played a recording from Beason, who wore a recording device as part of the investigation. The recording — which Beason said during the first trial had been made accidentally — apparently picks up statements made by an unidentified legislator who states that “blacks will be bused to the polls on HUD-financed buses” if the gambling issue makes it to a statewide vote. Beason appears to concur with the sentiment.

A portion of the conversation was played by the defense in the first trial.

Gilley said the comment was “nauseating” and he did not know Beason held those views. Day then asked Gilley if he would have tried to secure Beason’s vote if he had known about the comments.

“His views are completely opposite of what mine are, but at the end of the day, I have to be completely honest. If he was the (deciding) vote, I would have offered him the (bribe),” Gilley said.

Testimony resumes Friday at 9 a.m.