Suspended DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis told Judge Courtney Johnson he plans to testify in his corruption trial.
Prosecutors rested their case against Ellis late Wednesday afternoon.
The judge rejected Ellis’ lawyer’s motion for a directed verdict of acquital and then asked him about his plans to testify. Ellis testifed in his first trial, which ended without a verdict.
The defense called it’s first witness, Congressman Hank Johnson, who represents portions of DeKalb County.
“Burrell Ellis is a loyal friend and an honest public servant,” said Johnson, who was called as a character witness.
He was the only defense witness called Wednesday.
Prosecutors took seven days to present their evidence that Ellis strong-armed vendors for campaign contributions and then lied to a special purpose grand jury when asked about his role in the county’s contracting. Jurors heard from 23 witnesses — some more than once — and hours of secret recordings made by a key witness to avoid himself being charged with perjury himself.
The last witness to testify was also the second one called, a member of the special purpose grand jury.
Jimmy Davis, the last to be called, testified that if Ellis had answered questions truthfully when he testified in January 2013, the grand jury’s findings would have been different.
Ellis is accused of lying when he testified he did not get involved in the county’s contracts.
Key witness Kelvin Walton, also was called Wednesday, for the seventh time.
During Walton’s testimony, prosecutors replayed secret recordings, sometimes many times. Walton admitted he lied to the same special grand jury and that is why he agreed to wear a wire for the District Attorney’s Office investigation.
Ellis faces nine counts of extortion, bribery and perjury.
Prosecutors say Ellis strong-armed vendors for contributions to his 2012 re-election campaign.
This is the second time Ellis has been tried on these charges. The first trial ended without a verdict last October.
Ellis has been suspended with pay since he was indicted two years ago.
On Wednesday jurors received a tutorial on how cell phone towers work. Investigators were called to verify records seized when they search Ellis’ home and to explain the sequence of calls between Ellis and vendors.
The key witness in the case — Walton who was over contracts and purchasing for the county — was called to the stand for the seventh time in seven days of testimony. Walton detailed the circumstances around a phone call from a vendor who wanted to withdraw from his county contract after Ellis called for a campaign contribution. Walton also testified to the circumstances of a recording he made that only picked up Ellis' side of a telephone conversation with another vendor.
A representative of Motorola had called Ellis in October 2012 to say she was sending a $1,000 contribution but to also ask about the status of a payment on the company’s $15 million, five-year maintenance contract.
Ellis was heard on the recording asking if he could pick up the check that day. Ellis’ next comments suggested that the vendor said it would take time to prepare the payment.
“Oh you want me to rush yours but you can’t rush mine,” Ellis said to a woman identified as Angela Johnson with Motorolla. “I’m sorry. We don’t move that fast. Maybe I need to talk to Motorola’s CEO. I need to talk to my counterpart.”
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