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Alabama Grand Jury Hears Lawmakers Testimonies On Bingo Probe

Posted on May 6th, 2010

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A grand jury is investigating allegations of possible abuse of power and influence to sway votes on a proposed bingo bill in Alabama, and has called legislators and lobbyists on Tuesday to appear before the federal courthouse in Montgomery. The gambling bill was a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed Alabama voters to decide whether or not to legalize, regulate and tax electronic bingo machines. There has been a lot of contention going on for a long time in Alabama over electronic bingo.

After the bill passed the Senate on March 30, state and federal authorities decided to conduct an investigation after getting information of alleged irregular offers made to Senators before they voted on the bill. The bill went to the House where it was pulled from consideration because of lack of votes, and died. The legislators were asked to provide information about the politics in Montgomery and whether they had been offered anything of significant value in exchange for their vote on the bingo bill in late March.

Sen. Ben Brooks, R-Mobile said he told the jurors he considered a full-page ad aimed at him that bingo supporters had run in the Mobile Press-Register before the Senate vote as some form of intimidation and coercion, but he said nobody offered him anything for his vote. Sen. Charles Bishop, R-Arley said he informed the probe body that no one tried to bribe him. He said he testified only for a very short time before the grand jury, but he believes somebody will be in trouble, although he doesn’t know who that person might be.

Sen. Tripp Pittman, R-Montrose said the panel asked him several questions about “how Montgomery works.” He said he had not gotten any “monetary offers”, but he told of suggestions and political offers from some pro-bingo lawmakers about using some bingo revenue to fund coastal insurance, an important issue for Pittman in the Senate. He said he was not swayed by those talks because he is opposed to bingo. Sen. Phil Poole, D-Tuscaloosa, the only Democrat in the Tuesday group, and one of two Democrats who voted against the bingo bill, said he was asked a number of questions about gambling, but only for less than five minutes. He said he told the grand jurors he was not offered anything unusual by either pro or anti-gambling lobbyists.

Rep. Mac Gipson, R-Prattville was asked to return at 9 a.m. Wednesday for lack of time. Gipson said he voted against the bill in a House committee, but he and Rep. Jim Barton, R-Mobile were not able to vote on the bingo bill on the House floor because the House decided not to hold any more deliberations because of the absence of required votes. The grand jury will call the last group of legislators on Thursday. All the Senators Tuesday voted against the bill. Several lobbyists were also called before the grand jury, but only to provide and verify records and documents related to the bingo bill, and not to testify.