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Thursday, February 23, 2006
Potential contractor: Campbell asked ‘what’s in it for me?’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dan Debardelaben, who is on the witness stand today, began his testimony before lunch. Defense attorney Billy Martin raised repeated objections to Debardelaben’s testimony, interrupting the witness 13 times in just in one hour.
DeBardelaben, once a close friend of Campbell’s, testified about a conversation he had with him at the Hidden Hills Golf and Country Club in Stone Mountain where the two were playing golf.
Debardelaben asked Campbell about doing computer work for the city. Campbell, he said, responded: “What’s in it for me?”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell Vineyard asked Debardelaben if he thought Campbell was joking. He answered: “No.”
Vineyard asked Debardelaben what happened next. Delardelaben testified that the mayor got on his cellphone and said, “Herb.” Debardelaben said that was all he heard of the telephone conversation. At the time, Herb McCall was the city’s Commissioner of Administrative Services.
McCall was found guilty in 2003 of perjury and obstruction of justice and sentenced to 21 months in prison.
In her opening statement, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally Yates told jurors that DeBardelaben gave Campbell a cash bribe of $25,000, which DeBardelaben allegedly put in the trunk of Campbell’s car.
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Witness: Campbell scalped World Series tickets
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bill Campbell scalped tickets to one of the most famous games in Atlanta sports history a witness testified Thursday morning in the federal corruption trial of the former Atlanta mayor.
Witness Richard M. Matero said he gave Campbell $2,000 for four dugout level tickets to the fourth game of the 1996 World Series between the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees. It’s the game that turned the series around, when Yankee Jim Leyritz hit a three-run homer off the Braves’ Mark Wohlers in the 8th inning, tying the game, which the Yankees went on to win, and then the Series.
Matero testified that he worked for a firm that sometimes paid Campbell as a speaker. He said the tickets had a face value of $75 each; Campbell sold them for $500 each. The tickets were paid for out of Campbell’s campaign fund.
The former Atlanta mayor is on trial for racketeering, taking bribes and misusing campaign funds and running Atlanta City Hall as a criminal enterprise.
As the prosecution pushes to close its case by Friday, two more witness are expected to testify today – businessmen Sam Barber and Dan DeBardelaben — about Campbell taking bribes in exchange for getting a contract to provide the city with computer software.
In her opening statement, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally Yates told jurors that, when DeBardelaben asked Campbell about doing work for the city, Campbell responded: “What’s in it for me?�
She told jurors DeBardelaben also gave Campbell a cash bribe of $25,000, which DeBardelaben allegedly put in the trunk of Campbell’s car.
Permalink | | Categories: Bill Campbell trial
