"Jury acquits Alabama lawmakers, lobbyists of corruption charges" New York Times, March 08, 2012
NEW YORK - For the second time, federal prosecutors in Alabama failed to convince a jury that politicians, lobbyists, and gambling interests had committed any crimes in their failed attempt to get the state Legislature to legalize some forms of gambling.
Six defendants, including a casino owner and three current and former state legislators, were found not guilty Wednesday of a raft of corruption and bribery charges stemming from a federal investigation that exposed the often sordid backroom dealing of Alabama politics.
At the heart of the case was an argument about whether that dealing was criminal or simply the messy reality of the legislative process. Two federal juries in Montgomery, Ala., have now agreed that it was not criminal.
Nine defendants were tried last year, but that trial ended with a mix of acquittals and mistrials.
The acquittals Wednesday seemed to put an end to a complicated saga that began several years ago as so-called electronic bingo machines, which are nearly identical in appearance to slot machines, began proliferating around the state.
Arguing that they violated a state constitutional ban on gambling, the governor at the time, Bob Riley, a Republican, started an aggressive campaign to shut down casinos and small bingo parlors.
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FLASHBACK:
"No one convicted in Ala. gambling trial" August 12, 2011|Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Federal prosecutors didn’t get a single conviction in Alabama’s gambling corruption trial yesterday when jurors acquitted or failed to reach a verdict on all the charges against the nine defendants, including Victoryland casino owner Milton McGregor and two sitting state senators....
I applaud the people.
The Justice Department, which spent more than a year investigating State House corruption, issued a brief comment that did not indicate whether it would continue to prosecute all unresolved charges against the seven remaining defendants.
“We appreciate the jury’s service in this important public corruption trial. Our prosecutors will discuss next steps as we move forward in this matter,’’ spokeswoman Laura Sweeney said.
While there was no conviction yesterday, prosecutors earlier secured three guilty pleas.
The federal inquiry grew out of three GOP legislators telling the FBI that they were offered campaign contributions if they would support legislation designed to keep electronic bingo games operating in Alabama.
I'm against gambling; however, I am more against government telling me what vices I can enjoy while wasting precious tax dollars prosecuting cases.
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Also see: Finances threaten to delay Bishop murder trial
They don't have money to prosecute killers?
Checkmated by the Boston Globe
Wrong game, Globe.
