Ronnie Gilley testifies about Harri Anne Smith's position on Country Crossing

MONTGOMERY – An attorney for indicted Sen. Harri Anne Smith suggested Tuesday that there were plenty of logical, legal reasons for Smith to switch from opposing the Country Crossing development to supporting it in 2008.

Smith attorney William White asked former Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley Tuesday during the gambling corruption retrial if he would have considered it “political suicide” to oppose Country Crossing.

“I would say so,” Gilley said.

Smith is charged with conspiracy, bribery and money laundering. Prosecutors contend Gilley bought Smith’s support and used her to pressure other legislators to vote for pro-gambling legislation in 2009 and 2010.

White spent a portion of his cross examination asking Gilley about a Senate bill introduced by Smith in 2008 that would have defined bingo in Houston County as a game played only on paper cards if passed by a vote of the people. Gilley said the bill, if passed, would have killed Country Crossing. Smith sought to pull the bill 11 days after introducing it, citing overwhelming response from her constituents.

Under questioning from White, Gilley said he did not coerce Smith to pull the bill.

“I think she was between a rock and a hard place,” Gilley said, adding that he did not recall meeting Smith for the first time until around a month after she pulled the bill.

“Was there a point where you formed an opinion in your mind that you were going to support legislators who supported Country Crossing?” White asked.

“Probably some time in late 2008, and 2009 and 2010,” Gilley said.

Gilley previously testified he funneled money to Smith through Gilley’s lobbyist after she pulled her bill, held an expensive fundraiser in 2009 for Smith and sought to give her $200,000 in campaign donations at her request in 2010. In exchange, Gilley said he called on Smith to “lean on” legislators to support pro-gambling legislation.

Gilley and White sparred often throughout the cross examination, most of the time on the subject of Gilley’s credibility.

Gilley told White he considered himself an honest man.

“Does an honest man bribe legislators?” White asked.

“I broke the law,” Gilley said.

Later, White asked Gilley if he had a strategy in order to get a recommendation for a reduced sentence from the government.

“The only strategy I have in contrast to what you are insinuating is to get up here and tell the truth and close this chapter in my life,” Gilley said. “I’m sitting here today with no idea as to the amount of time I am going to serve.”

According to Gilley’s plea agreement, current sentencing guidelines call for a sentencing range of between 21 and 27 years. Gilley said he hopes to receive a recommendation for a reduced sentence by the government. He said the only way he knows to receive the recommendation from the government is to be truthful.

Gilley, who was arrested and indicted along with 10 others in October of 2010, said he originally proclaimed his innocence because he had a “big ego” and was “living in a lie at the time.” In April of 2011, Gilley had been jailed for more than two months after violating the terms of his pretrial release and began to talk to investigators. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy, money laundering and multiple counts of bribery on April 25, 2011.

“I sat in jail for three months listening to all the evidence and found it to be overwhelming and then accepted responsibility for the crimes I committed,” Gilley said.

Earlier Tuesday, Gilley testified he intended to continue to develop Country Crossing without electronic bingo, and planned to use some of the revenue from a potential development in Mississippi to fund it.

Conversations recorded during the vote-buying investigation indicate Gilley was seeking investors for a gambling facility in Mississippi. Gilley also testified he had several meetings with investors and officials in 2009 and 2010 about the development.

After Country Crossing closed in January of 2010 under threat of a task force raid, Gilley continued to pursue the Mississippi development throughout most of the year.

Gilley said the potential absence of electronic bingo at Country Crossing led him to seek another funding mechanism to develop the non-gaming portions of Country Crossing. The development in Mississippi never came to fruition.

Cross examination of Gilley is expected to conclude Wednesday.