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Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Defense attacks witnesses’ credibility
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Defense attorneys attacked the credibility of two of the government’s key witnesses Tuesday with two witnesses of their own.
First, they called Decatur computer contractor Samuel Barber, who contradicted government witness Dan DeBardelaben, who told jurors last week that he followed Barber’s orders to pass thousands of dollars in bribes from Barber to the mayor. Barber later landed a $3 million contract with the city.
Barber testified Tuesday that he never intended to bribe the mayor. He said he simply repaid money owed to DeBardelaben, one of his subcontractors, and it was DeBardelaben’s idea to pass that money to the mayor.
Barber said he doesn’t know if Campbell ever received the money.
The defense also called former Atlanta City Councilman Derrick Boazman to the stand to counter previous claims by key government witness Dewey Clark, a former aide to Campbell.
Clark, who used to live in the mayor’s basement apartment in Inman Park, testified earlier in the trial that he either witnessed or directly passed thousands of dollars in bribes from city contractors to the mayor.
Clark claimed the mayor accepted about $50,000 in bribes from strip club owner Michael Childs, who was struggling to get a renewed liquor license for Club Nikki V.I.P. and to open a new club, Strawberries.
But Campbell eventually blocked the the liquor licenses for both of Child’s clubs after Boazman, an avid Campbell supporter, threatened to vote against the mayor on city issues, Clark testified.
“That would be foolish,� Boazman testified. “The mayor has control of the budget.�
Boazman said he, his constituents and the mayor opposed the strip clubs for other reasons like fatal shootings and allegations of child prostitution.
Boazman said Cambpell has always been “honorable and above board.�
Permalink | | Categories: Bill Campbell trial
Young: ‘Everybody wants to be your friend’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With the persona of a preacher and statesman, former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young testified for the defense today in Bill Campbell’s federal corruption trial about the realities of being a mayor.
Young said he was constantly being approached by business people while he was mayor from 1982 to 1990.
“When you are mayor, everybody wants to be your friend,� Young testified. He said people would use his name “to make them seem they are closer to you than they are.�
But, the former mayor said, “Your real friends wouldn’t come into your office to ask you about business.â€?
In earlier testimony witnesses have said that some of Campbell’s contractor friends had free access to him at city hall, coming and going almost at will.
Young, who arrived at the Richard B. Russell Federal Building with his wife, Carolyn, was the first witness called by the defense.
Campbell, who served as mayor from 1994 until 2002, is accused of running City Hall as a criminal enterprise, taking thousands of dollars from contractors seeking to do business with the city.
Young is an ordained minister, three-term U.S. congressman, former ambassador to the United Nations and two-term mayor. He was with King when he was killed in Memphis in 1968. He also was co-chairman of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. After leaving office Young co-founded Atlanta-based Goodworks International, a specialty consulting group that promotes commercial ventures. He also sits on the boards of major organizations and corporations.
Young testified that as mayor, he asked contractors for political support. But Young said he always tried to keep a distance from the fund-raising process.
“The nastiest thing about politics is you have to personally ask people for money,� Young said. “They like to put the money in your hand. I would never let anybody put the money in my hand.�
An earlier witness in the trial, Joseph Reid, testified he once raised money for Campbell and delivered envelopes of campaign contribution checks, and sometimes cash, directly to Campbell.
Defense attorney Billy Martin gave Young latitude in responding to questions, and Young at times seemed to launch into oratory. On more than one occasion as Martin sought to move on to another question, Young raised his hand and interrupted: “Can I just say …â€? and then he would continue to talk.
Young said in an earlier interview that he was asked by Campbell’s Florida firm to be a character witness for Campbell, who was a councilman when Young was mayor.
On the stand today, Young talked about talked about Campbell’s performance the night of the Olympic Park bombing in 1996, when Campbell was into his second year as mayor.
“Both of us were up all night,� Young testified. “He was calming people down and visiting hospitals with the people who were hurt.“
Young noted that the Games continued the next morning. “I think it was one of the city’s finest hours, and he [Campbell] was at the head of it.�
The seven-count federal indictment against Campbell alleges a communications contractor seeking city business funded gambling trips for the mayor and once paid him $5,000 for a 30-minute speech to its employees.
Young also testified that he earned money delivering speeches as mayor and did not see that as a conflict of interest.
Like Campbell, Young also said he traveled constantly, taking trips on average once a week as mayor, and he was criticized for that, too. Young said he traveled on corporate planes at times, as did Campbell. Prosecutors say many of Campbell’s trips, funded by contractors, were to casinos. Young only has testified that his trips were business.
Permalink | | Categories: Bill Campbell trial
Defense begins calling its witnesses
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell’s million-dollar defense team is scheduled to take the offensive today by calling its first of several expected witnesses.
Campbell publicly criticized the government’s corruption case, which included 70 witnesses spread out during five weeks of testimony. His side gets its turn this week.
Defendants don’t have to testify or call witnesses since the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
But while Campbell said he feels confident he would be found not guilty, his attorneys are going to try to bolster their argument for an acquittal.
The witnesses planned for today:
• Andrew Young, a civil rights legend and a former congressman, Atlanta mayor and United Nations ambassador.
• Samuel J. Barber Jr., a city contractor and member of Campbell’s campaign finance committee.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally Yates told jurors in her opening statement to the jury that Barber funneled about $50,000 in illegal contributions to Campbell through the mayor’s golfing buddy, Dan DeBardelaben. because he wanted a Y2K contract with the city. DeBardelaben testified about handing the bribes to the mayor and said after the election, Barber received a $3 million contract with the city, but complained it wasn’t enough.
Defense attorney Billy Martin told jurors in his opening statement: “Sam Barber, when confronted by the FBI, said, ‘I never gave Bill Campbell a cent,’” Martin claims Barber “lied repeatedly” and agreed to testify only after the government told him: “We’ve got you. Now, give us the mayor.”
• Lawyer Mark Trigg may testify about an uncollected $40,000 legal bill that prosecutors claim the Campbell campaign had money to pay but didn’t. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally Yates said the Campbell campaign lied about the money it had on hand so it wouldn’t have to pay the law firm.
Instead, she said in arguments with the jury out of the room, Campell used the campaign fund money for personal expenses, and that was fraud.
In earlier testimony, one Trigg’s former law partner, Cary Ichter, testified that the firm accepted $10,000 in payment in August 1999, instead of the $40,000 owed, because the firm believed the Campbell campaign didn’t have the funds. At the time, said prosecutors, the campaign had about $80,000 in the bank.
• Zee Bradford, who worked as Campbell’s press secretary during his administration.
Permalink | | Categories: Bill Campbell trial
