DeKalb CEO Ellis awaits verdict

* Jan. 7, 2013: Investigators search the home and offices of Ellis and his former campaign manager, Kevin Ross, seeking information about campaign contributions from vendors. Ellis denies any wrongdoing. The search takes place while Ellis testifies before the grand jury.

* Jan. 18, 2013: Special grand jury finishes its report. Attorneys for Ellis and Ross go to court seeking to keep it under seal.

* March 21, 2013: The foreman of the special grand jury sues the judge overseeing the grand jury, hoping to force him to make its report public.

* June 18, 2013: James announces an indictment of Ellis, accusing him of extorting campaign contributions from vendors.

* July 15, 2013: A panel convened by Gov. Nathan Deal holds a hearing and recommends Ellis be suspended from office.

* July 16, 2013: Deal formally suspends Ellis and names DeKalb Commissioner Lee May as interim CEO.

* Aug. 21, 2013: The special grand jury’s 81-page report is released. The report alleges a culture of corruption spanning two administrations, from the county’s elected leadership to sewer employees and contractors. The report recommends that a dozen people be criminally investigated, including Ellis, Ross and former CEO Vernon Jones.

* Jan. 16: A grand jury re-indicts Ellis on many of the same charges in the first indictment along with some additions, including one count of bribery and three counts of perjury. He now faces 14 charges in the case.

* Jan. 23-24: Ellis’ legal team and James face off in two days of hearings on a flurry of inflammatory motions, including accusations that James illegally videotaped Ellis during the investigation.

* April 1: Superior Court Judge Courtney Johnson denies requests from Ellis’ attorneys to dismiss the case. Johnson also rejects their assertion that he’s the victim of selective prosecution.

* Sept. 8: Jury selection begins in Ellis’ trial, which is expected to last several weeks. The trial is expected to feature secretly recorded conversations of Ellis and testimony from contractors that he sought campaign contributions from.

* Sept. 16: After the jury has been selected, the testimony begin. Prosecutors begin calling vendors who said Ellis pressured them for campaign contributions.

*Sept. 23: The prosecution’s star witness, Kelvin Walton, DeKalb purchasing director, begins four days of testimony.

*Oct. 1: Ellis takes the stand in his own defense, says he never pressured vendors for campaign cash or got involved in county contracts.

*Oct. 6: Closing arguments end. Jury begins deliberation.

Complete coverage

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution brings our readers the most comprehensive coverage of the Burrell Ellis trial on our premium website, MyAJC.com/ellistrial/

On the site:

> Read the latest AJC stories and analysis about this case.

> Browse an interactive that identifies key players in the trial.

> Watch reporter Mark Niesse’s video about the case and what’s at stake for residents.

> Review what star witness Kelvin Walton said during his testimony.

> Read court documents and review a timeline of the corruption probe.

The future of suspended DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis is now up to 12 jurors who heard impassioned closing arguments Monday, with each side accusing the other of lies that have left a perception of government corruption.

If Ellis is acquitted, he would go free and resume his elected leadership of the 713,000-person county. If he’s found guilty, he would face the possibility of prison time as a dirty politician.

Ellis has denied accusations that he bullied county contractors into giving him campaign contributions. He has pleaded not guilty to 13 criminal charges including bribery, extortion, theft and perjury.

The jury, which heard three weeks of testimony, deliberated for two hours Monday and will return Tuesday morning to resume discussions.

The trail ended as it began — with two different versions of Burrell Ellis described.

DeKalb District Attorney Robert James said Ellis was a greedy leader who used his position as head of DeKalb County’s government to strong-arm vendors, either blatantly or by innuendo, to help him retire his 2012 re-election campaign debt.

“Who does he think he is? Elected officials, they’re not kings, they’re not queens. They’re servants,” James told the jury.

He focused on the alleged victims of Ellis alleged crimes — the vendors who felt threatened that they would lose county business unless they donated to his political campaign.

“People were hurt. This isn’t a show. It’s not a game,” James said. “People were hurt, and they were hurt by him. He’s supposed to serve. He’s supposed to protect.”

But Ellis’ defense attorneys portrayed him as an even-tempered loyal public servant who was targeted by overzealous prosecutors.

Quoting the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., attorney Dwight Thomas told jurors “the time is always right to do what is right.”

“You didn’t hear anything about him lining his pockets, stealing his campaign funds, any of that,” Thomas said. “The truth was suffocated in this courtroom.”

“This case is not about a single dime going into Mr. Ellis’ pocket that didn’t belong there,” Gillen said.

If Ellis is found guilty of just one of the 13 charges against him, he would be “destroyed,” Gillen said.

“He’s a good man, and it’s time for him to put the nightmare behind him,” Gillen said. “It’s time for him to move on. It’s time to put an end to this.”

The "nightmare" officially began in June 2013, when Ellis was indicted, though the case had been in the making for more than 18 months by then.

Through a special grand jury, James and his investigators had been looking into corruption in the county’s water department during 2012. That inquiry eventually led them to allegations that Ellis had intimidated county contractors. On the day when Ellis testified before the special grand jury on Jan. 7, 2013, police searched his house and office for evidence, and a grand jury later handed down criminal charges.

In closing arguments Monday, both sides had a central theme — lying.

Prosecutors say Ellis lied when he said he didn’t get involved in who gets government work, when he said he never got angry at vendors and when he linked campaigning to the workings of the county government.

“Somebody’s lying,” James sang. “Liar, liar pants on fire.”

Defense attorneys focused on Walton, who admitted lying to the special grand jury and helped prosecutors investigate Ellis.

“There’s no force in the universe that’s stronger than the will to be free. This man was selfish, greedy,” Thomas said.

Gillen reminded jurors of Walton’s suggestions to Ellis that he take action against vendors who didn’t return his campaign calls.

“He’s going to kiss up to people in power or people who can get power,” Gillen said. “He’s a very manipulative man. … The real Kelvin Walton, Mr. Ellis didn’t know about him.”

The charges against Ellis involve four companies that he allegedly intimidated while raising money for his campaign.

Power and Energy Services stopped receiving jobs under a $250,000 contract to maintain generators after the company refused to contribute. National Property Institute, which had a $1 million contract to rehab foreclosed homes, kept its contract after giving a $2,500 donation.

An executive from Merrell Bros., a waste disposal company that had tentatively won a $4 million contract, said Ellis sought $25,000 and offered to help with negotiations. A representative for Ciber, a technology consulting company that withdrew from competition for a contract, said Ellis threatened her unless she contributed.

The 12-member jury and three alternates include 13 women and two men.

Jurors will deliberate daily until they reach a verdict.