Posted on 04/23/2007 3:22:36 PM PDT by SmithL
Eleven days into former state Sen. John Ford’s public corruption trial, Asst. U.S. Attys. Tim DiScenza and Lorraine Craig rested their case Monday afternoon.
Having called FBI agents, a controversial federal informant and several state officials to the witness stand, federal prosecutors attempted to prove to the jury that Ford accepted $55,000 in cash bribes for his official action and threatened the life of undercover agent L.C. McNeil and informant Tim Willis when the Memphis Democrat suspected the pair might be working with the government.
One of the prosecution’s final witnesses, FBI agent Mark Jackson, presented a multimedia timeline of the government’s case against Ford. At times, under aggressive cross examination from defense attorney Michael Scholl, Jackson was indignant.
Scholl asked the agent why he had not included in the timeline several discussions about Ford’s helping E-Cycle make contacts with government officials at the city of Memphis and Shelby County. Jackson explained they were trying to use Ford to research tips that corruption existed in both city and county government.
"One corrupt public official usually leads to another corrupt public official," Jackson answered.
When asked about a recorded conversation in Harold Ford Sr.’s Miami home during which Ford and McNeil describe the payments as "consulting fees," Jackson responded: "You can call it consulting, but it’s still bribery."
The government’s last witness, jeweler Trent Crowley, testified that he originally sold the Rolex Tricor Masterpiece submitted into evidence in Ford’s trial to developer Rusty Hyneman.
"It’s relatively rare," Crowley said of the timepiece, which he sold to Hyneman in October 2004 for $32,100. "It has a dial that’s very unique. It’s called a meteorite dial."
The watch, Crowley said, has a wholesale value of $35,000 and a retail value of $70,000.
In an FBI video recording, Ford brags to undercover agent L.C. McNeil that Hyneman gave him the Rolex after he saved the developer $1.5 million in fees.
After Crowley stepped down from the witness stand, DiScenza stepped forward.
"May it please the court, may it please the jury, the government rests," he said.
The defense will begin its case tomorrow morning.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much corruption in the Democrat controlled TN Legislature it is astounding....
Now for the defense...
“You are a bunch of racists”
The defense rests
Curious as to the make up of the jury.If they are all from the memphis area then ford walks.
You said it, old johnny boy will scream racisim big time. Even though the jury is a 50/50 racial mix. He’s not as well liked as his brother harold SR was.
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