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DEL.ICIO.USCampbell crony paid thousands, two testify
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two witnesses in the federal corruption trial of Bill Campbell testified Monday that thousands of dollars were paid to Bill Campbell’s friend Fred Prewitt by contractors hoping to do business with the city.
Steve Apolinsky, a former law partner with Bill Campbell, was the first witness as the federal corruption trial of the former Atlanta mayor opened its third week. Prosecutors are trying to flesh out for jurors the connections between Campbell and Prewitt, a city contractor, and bribes and kickbacks.
Apolinsky testified that he was on the finance committee for Campbell’s re-election campaign in 1997, and later worked as a consultant for Atlanta Water Corp. which was bidding for the city contract to privatize Atlanta’s water system.
Atlanta Water Corp. hired Prewitt as a consultant in its bidding process.
Apolinsky testified that Atlanta Water Corp. wrote checks to Prewitt worth more than $30,000. He also testified that in July 1998, Prewitt asked him for $2,500 for a trip Prewitt and Campbell were “making to Memphis for a speaking engagement and gambling.”
On cross examination, Apolinsky, said he had no knowledge of that money being delivered to Campbell or other cash or bribes given to Campbell.
The second witness of the day, John Stege, was an engineer who managed Harbert Construction Company’s negotiations and contract dealings with Atlanta. Stege has a plea deal with the government, agreeing to testify in exchange for not being prosecuted for kickbacks he testified he took from a city contractor.
He testified that Prewitt’s company, FBP Construction, had no employees other than Prewitt, no construction equipment and no office, and Prewitt operated out of space owned by Harbert.
He testified about thousands of dollars in checks written by Harbert to FPB construction for several water projects that Harbert was involved in. He also testified about hundreds of dollars in cash given to Prewitt for various events hosted by mayor Campbell.
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