<h1><font style="font-weight: normal;" size="5">I wonder what other details were on those tapes?</font> <span style="background-color: rgb(204, 255, 51);">Old News but good read...</span>
</h1><h1>Milton McGregor wiretap played for grand jury in Alabama bingo investigation</h1>
<h5>Published: Friday, May 07, 2010, 5:30 AM Updated: Friday, May 07, 2010, 6:25 AM</h5>
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Charles J. Dean -- The Birmingham News
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<span class="photo-breakout photo-center large">
View full size<span class="caption">Milton
McGregor, the driving force to persuade lawmakers to approve a
statewide vote on legalizing electronic bingo for the past three years.</span></span>For the first time Thursday, the name Milton McGregor and the words federal investigation were linked.
The connection came from an old McGregor friend, state Rep. David
Grimes, who emerged from an appearance before a federal grand jury to
say that prosecutors had just played a taped recorded conversation
between gambling magnate McGregor and Montgomery lobbyist Bob Geddie.
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Grimes said that, in the five or so minute tape, the two men talked
about what they called Grimes' wavering support for bingo legislation.
"They said some nasty things about me and I thought they were my
friends," the Montgomery Republican said while smiling. The bingo
legislation did not go to a vote in the House. Grimes said he would have
voted against it because, while he favors allowing people to vote on
whether electronic bingo should be illegal or legal, neither bill that
came up this year met his criteria.
Grimes said he didn't hear
either man say anything he considered inappropriate about how they
might secure his vote or the vote of other lawmakers for bingo
legislation.
"They were discussing some people, working on how
to get some votes for the bill," Grimes said. Grimes said he could not
recall the names of other lawmakers mentioned on the tape.
"I
heard my name and it was, wow," Grimes said. "For a little bit I just
stopped listening and started to think how many other tapes they had of
me and others being discussed. I bet lots. You know they don't have just
one tape."
Grimes said it was obvious from the tape that both
McGregor and Geddie were on cell phones, and at least one of them was
in a car.
Grimes' account of the playing of the tape before the
grand jury is the first time McGregor has been mentioned on the record
in connection with the investigation.
McGregor long has been
the state's most influential gambling operator and for the past three
years has been the driving force to persuade lawmakers to approve a
statewide vote on legalizing electronic bingo. For 25 years, McGregor
has owned and operated VictoryLand in Macon County, by far the state's
largest electronic bingo casino.
Efforts to reach McGregor
for comment failed. Birmingham lawyer J. Mark White, who represents
McGregor, sidestepped direct comment on McGregor's role in the
investigation.
"Mr. McGregor has consistently supported the
right of the people of Alabama to vote on the bingo issue. Hopefully
every senator and representative will support the right of the people to
vote," White said in an e-mail.
Efforts to reach Geddie for comment were not successful.
Sources
familiar with the investigation have said the probe has included the
use of wiretaps, and several lawmakers agreed to wear wires to capture
the conversations between themselves, other lawmakers and lobbyists.
More evidence emerged Thursday that the federal investigation has been
going on for more than a year. Rep. Benjamin Lewis, R-Dothan, emerged
from the grand jury to say that, in March 2009, he went to the FBI to
report a conversation he considered inappropriate.
Lewis would
not say what the nature of that conversation was or with whom he
talked. Lewis did say that, shortly after reporting the conversation, he
began cooperating with federal authorities. He would not say whether he
had worn a wire.
Lewis did say he was happy the feds were acting.
"I think we have a culture of corruption in Montgomery," Lewis said.
On Wednesday, Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, said that he also went
to the FBI in spring 2009 to report a conversation with a lobbyist, a
conversation he considered well beyond the bounds of the normal
legislative give-and-take in developing bills into laws.
Also
Thursday, Sen. Steve French, R-Mountain Brook, was called to the grand
jury. He said he told jurors of offers made to him that he considered
inappropriate. French declined to be more specific Thursday, saying he
would not say more for fear of hurting the investigation.
As
has been the case all week, the Democrats who were called to the grand
jury Thursday all said they had seen no evidence of anything improper or
illegal surrounding the effort to pass gambling legislation. Democrats
subpoenaed Thursday included Sen. Tom Butler of Madison and Rep. Craig
Ford of Gadsden.
Ford, a longtime supporter of bingo legislation, said no one has ever offered him anything in exchange for his vote.
Butler, who voted no on a bingo bill that passed the state Senate in
late March, said that, while pro-bingo lobbyists talked with him any
number of times in an effort to gain his support for bingo legislation,
none of them ever attempted to "buy" his vote or in any way engaged in a
conversation he considered improper.
Thursday marked the last day for the grand jury this week. The federal panel is not expected to meet next week.
</h1><h1>Milton McGregor wiretap played for grand jury in Alabama bingo investigation</h1>
<h5>Published: Friday, May 07, 2010, 5:30 AM Updated: Friday, May 07, 2010, 6:25 AM</h5>
<div class="author_info">
<span>
Charles J. Dean -- The Birmingham News
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<span class="photo-breakout photo-center large">
McGregor, the driving force to persuade lawmakers to approve a
statewide vote on legalizing electronic bingo for the past three years.</span></span>For the first time Thursday, the name Milton McGregor and the words federal investigation were linked.
The connection came from an old McGregor friend, state Rep. David
Grimes, who emerged from an appearance before a federal grand jury to
say that prosecutors had just played a taped recorded conversation
between gambling magnate McGregor and Montgomery lobbyist Bob Geddie.
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Grimes said that, in the five or so minute tape, the two men talked
about what they called Grimes' wavering support for bingo legislation.
"They said some nasty things about me and I thought they were my
friends," the Montgomery Republican said while smiling. The bingo
legislation did not go to a vote in the House. Grimes said he would have
voted against it because, while he favors allowing people to vote on
whether electronic bingo should be illegal or legal, neither bill that
came up this year met his criteria.
Grimes said he didn't hear
either man say anything he considered inappropriate about how they
might secure his vote or the vote of other lawmakers for bingo
legislation.
"They were discussing some people, working on how
to get some votes for the bill," Grimes said. Grimes said he could not
recall the names of other lawmakers mentioned on the tape.
"I
heard my name and it was, wow," Grimes said. "For a little bit I just
stopped listening and started to think how many other tapes they had of
me and others being discussed. I bet lots. You know they don't have just
one tape."
Grimes said it was obvious from the tape that both
McGregor and Geddie were on cell phones, and at least one of them was
in a car.
Grimes' account of the playing of the tape before the
grand jury is the first time McGregor has been mentioned on the record
in connection with the investigation.
McGregor long has been
the state's most influential gambling operator and for the past three
years has been the driving force to persuade lawmakers to approve a
statewide vote on legalizing electronic bingo. For 25 years, McGregor
has owned and operated VictoryLand in Macon County, by far the state's
largest electronic bingo casino.
Efforts to reach McGregor
for comment failed. Birmingham lawyer J. Mark White, who represents
McGregor, sidestepped direct comment on McGregor's role in the
investigation.
"Mr. McGregor has consistently supported the
right of the people of Alabama to vote on the bingo issue. Hopefully
every senator and representative will support the right of the people to
vote," White said in an e-mail.
Efforts to reach Geddie for comment were not successful.
Sources
familiar with the investigation have said the probe has included the
use of wiretaps, and several lawmakers agreed to wear wires to capture
the conversations between themselves, other lawmakers and lobbyists.
More evidence emerged Thursday that the federal investigation has been
going on for more than a year. Rep. Benjamin Lewis, R-Dothan, emerged
from the grand jury to say that, in March 2009, he went to the FBI to
report a conversation he considered inappropriate.
Lewis would
not say what the nature of that conversation was or with whom he
talked. Lewis did say that, shortly after reporting the conversation, he
began cooperating with federal authorities. He would not say whether he
had worn a wire.
Lewis did say he was happy the feds were acting.
"I think we have a culture of corruption in Montgomery," Lewis said.
On Wednesday, Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, said that he also went
to the FBI in spring 2009 to report a conversation with a lobbyist, a
conversation he considered well beyond the bounds of the normal
legislative give-and-take in developing bills into laws.
Also
Thursday, Sen. Steve French, R-Mountain Brook, was called to the grand
jury. He said he told jurors of offers made to him that he considered
inappropriate. French declined to be more specific Thursday, saying he
would not say more for fear of hurting the investigation.
As
has been the case all week, the Democrats who were called to the grand
jury Thursday all said they had seen no evidence of anything improper or
illegal surrounding the effort to pass gambling legislation. Democrats
subpoenaed Thursday included Sen. Tom Butler of Madison and Rep. Craig
Ford of Gadsden.
Ford, a longtime supporter of bingo legislation, said no one has ever offered him anything in exchange for his vote.
Butler, who voted no on a bingo bill that passed the state Senate in
late March, said that, while pro-bingo lobbyists talked with him any
number of times in an effort to gain his support for bingo legislation,
none of them ever attempted to "buy" his vote or in any way engaged in a
conversation he considered improper.
Thursday marked the last day for the grand jury this week. The federal panel is not expected to meet next week.