Lawyers for Milton McGregor, the proprietor of Alabama’s VictoryLand — who the government says illegally bribed members of the state legislature to support legislation which allowed electronic bingo — says the feds are dragging their feet in their case against him and demanded an immediate trial.
In court documents filed last week, seven lawyers for McGregor say he wants a quick trial separate from the trial for the other defendants, which is set to begin in April.
“Mr. McGregor respectfully submits that an order to that effect would be the wisest, most fair, and most practical exercise of this Court’s discretion,” the lawyers argued. “It has been clear in this case, ever since the arraignment, that Mr. McGregor prefers a speedy trial while most other defendants would prefer more time to prepare.”
Other defendants in the massive corruption case have said they need time to deal with the massive trove of evidence the government says it has in the case. Another lawyer called McGregor’s legal team an “army.”
“Mr. McGregor does not fault the other defendants for their position, and believes they have a legitimate need for more time in preparing for trial,” the lawyers said.
They’ve also argued that the logistics of having a trial with so many defendants and lawyers in the room would be difficult for the court.
“A courtroom with so many defendants, lawyers, assistants, support personnel, family members, etc., piled on top of each other for weeks on end, will cause logistical distractions and practical burdens for both the Court and the parties,” they write.
“A severance would further advance the cause of fairness because it would help to ensure that Mr. McGregor is tried on conduct for which he himself is actually responsible,” they argue. “A joint trial in this case risks the likelihood… that Mr. McGregor would be unfairly judged based on evidence about what other people did, even when there was no evidence that he was responsible for it.”
In November, lawyers for McGregor argued that campaign contributions shouldn’t count as bribery. According to the feds, McGregor allegedly agreed with an unnamed Alabama politician who wanted to tell his fellow legislators “if you fuckers fuck us on this . . . there will be no peace… We’re coming after your ass.”
Jarrod D. Massey, a lobbyist who reportedly worked for Ronald Gilley to lobby on behalf of the Country Crossing (a resort development near the Alabama-Florida border), reported to prison last week.
