The DIRTY DOZEN? YOU DECIDE!

Ala. senators, casino owner
accused of vote buying


Lobbyists also indicted over allegations
tied to electronic bingo Advertisement
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 Dave Martin / AP

VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor is pictured at the casino in Shorter, Ala., on March 5. McGregor, four state senators and several top lobbyists have been indicted on federal charges accusing them of vote buying on a bill to legalize electronic bingo. The Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The owner of Alabama's largest casino, four state senators and several lobbyists face federal charges of conspiring to buy and sell votes for millions of dollars to get electronic bingo legalized, according to an indictment released Monday.
One lobbying firm employee has pleaded guilty to offering $2 million for the vote of an indicted senator.


The indictment, which lists 11 defendants, was made public as FBI agents made arrests across the state. It accuses casino owners and lobbyists of making payments and campaign donations, and legislators of soliciting bribes, to affect pro-gambling legislation. One senator was accused of seeking $100,000 for his vote.


The head of the Justice Department's criminal division, Lanny Breuer, said the criminal activity was "astonishing in scope ... a full-scale campaign to bribe legislators and others."


VictoryLand casino owner Milton McGregor was among those indicted. His casino, now shut down, has more than 6,000 electronic bingo machines. His attorney, Joe Espy, said his client is absolutely innocent and looks forward to proving it.
Also indicted was Country Crossing casino developer Ronnie Gilley of Dothan and state Sens. Harri Anne Smith of Slocomb, James Prueitt of Talladega, Larry Means of Gadsden, and Quinton Ross Jr. of Montgomery.

All four senators voted for the unsuccessful legislation designed to keep electronic bingo casinos operating.
Also indicted were lobbyists Tom Coker and Bob Geddie, who represent VictoryLand; lobbyist Jarrod Massey and public relations executive Jay Walker, who represent Country Crossing; and Ray Crosby, an attorney for the Legislature who helped write gambling legislation.
A hearing at the federal courthouse in Montgomery was scheduled for later Monday.


Federal authorities announced Monday that one of Massey's employees, Jennifer Pouncy of Montgomery, pleaded guilty Sept. 28 to conspiracy. She admitted that at Massey's direction, she offered Preuitt $2 million for his vote and that Massey authorized her to offer $100,000 to Means for his vote.


The indictment alleges that Means, who had abstained from an earlier vote on the pro-gambling legislation in 2010, solicited bribes from McGregor, Gilley, Massey and others in return for voting in favor. In one case, the indictment says, he sought $100,000.


The indictment accused Ross of pressuring McGregor for campaign donations before voting for the gambling bill. It accuses Smith of voting for the bill and encouraging other legislators to support it in exchange for promises and payments from Gilley and others of hundreds of thousands in campaign funds. And it says the Preuitt was offered financial support, free polling and concerts by country music artists to help with his campaign.


The probe was announced last spring prior to the final votes on the bill, which died when sponsors could not line up enough for passage.


Backers of the bill, mostly Democrats, accused Republican Gov. Bob Riley's administration of derailing the measure with the announcement. While Riley's state public safety director was involved with the announcement, federal authorities said the Justice Department was handling the investigation.


Of the four state senators indicted, Means and Ross are Democrats, Preuitt is a Republican and Smith is an independent who was a Republican when the bill was in the Legislature. All are seeking re-election except Preuitt, who recently pulled out of his race.


Smith called her arrest "a nakedly political move, coordinated by the prosecutors in cahoots with the governor's office" to influence legislative elections Nov. 2.

The governor's spokesman, Jeff Emerson, said that last spring, Riley had labeled the gambling bill "the most corrupt piece of legislation ever considered by the Senate."


"Today's action by the Justice Department shows he was, sadly, right," Emerson said.
Electronic bingo casinos operated in Alabama for several years until the governor labeled the machines illegal slots and organized a task force to close them down. The unsuccessful legislation was designed to thwart Riley's task force and keep the electronic bingo machines operating.
McGregor's casino, 15 miles east of Montgomery, was the state's largest, but it has been closed since Aug. 9 to prevent a raid by the task force, which managed to close all privately operated electronic bingo casinos during the probe.
Only three casinos operated by the Poarch Creek Indians remain in operation. They are not under state supervision.

My, oh my, this tale of woe could very easily be applied to our own local situation, I'm quite sure. At a minimum it should serve as a true tale of caution for anyone not up to speed on the entire issue of  slot parlors, up to now rejected by Gov. Deval Patrick and the current sticking point with the MA House of Representatives proposed legislation to legalize gaming in the state.

What makes our own states Political/Lobbying situation any different from the "great state of Alabama"? NOTHING, that's what! Anyone trying to convince you  politics are somehow dirtier south of the Mason-Dixon line are drinking way too much Kool-Aid from the Gaming Industry's pitcher. Gaming means gambling and gambling means ORGANIZED CRIME! There's mucho money to be made from gaming, even if run entirely legally, which it seldom is regardless of what folks from Vegas or Atlantic City tell you. So naturally gaming, and it's legalization and expansion, is going to attract many "colorful" and " hyper-aggressive entrepreneurial" (HA!) types within it's highly questionable arena. Just more for the taxpayers of Fall River and the region to be concerned with as these types of horror stories continue to crop up around the country as states look to  expanded gaming as a way to raise revenues to pay for the basics, like schools, police, fire and DPW activities and services. That's what we've become, a society unwilling to pony up more of what we earn to make a better life for our citizens while becoming quite willing to directly involve ourselves in vice like  contemplated legalized and expanded gaming, as well as more extreme forms like legalized prostitution and previously illegal narcotics (legalized pot), just to evade the taxman.

The rich like the Board members of FROED, especially someone like "Yoe-Mama's" Corporation's Yo-Yo Magnate and well known crank yanker Alan Amaral, are doing just fine, thank you, and don't need the extra cash and maybe could afford a few more tax dollars taken out of their egregiously high interest earnings than you and I. But that's a different discussion for another day.

Given the latest news out of Las Vegas that the gaming industry in that city is facing the largest number of direct gaming layoffs since the 1940's, one has to wonder if the original estimates of thousands of jobs paying around $35,000 per year (gaming and related jobs, not construction) for Fall Riverites would be closer to the "Dirty Dozen" FROED  hack Ken "the weeper" Fiola finally admitted would be created from the Bio-Park. I mean, who CAN you trust?

I have a GREAT idea.......let's all take a guess who would be the "Dirty Dozen" in Fall River and it's immediate environs who would be assured employment at the new and exciting Fall River Destination Casino, to be named Antoine Walkerville, once it opens, er , IF it opens, that is. Let's see:

1.  Willy Nilly Boy Sylvanagan
2.  Cedric "I bet we can get Sylvanagan to take Wampum" Cromwell
3.  Ken "The Weeper" Fiola
4.  Steven "Hank the Angry Dwarf" Torres (BaBa-Bouiee)
5.  Alan "Yo-Mama" Amaral (aka "Pocketnuts Troy")
6.  Ex-State Senator Joan "It only hurts when I smile" Menard
7.  Liz "I buy my court clothes from the Hot Spot" Perriera
8.  Brian 'Sport Coat the Lesser" Bigelow (aka "Victoria's Not-So-Secret")
9.  Pat "HUH?" Casey
10.Mike "Listen to my radio show OR I'LL SMASH YOUR LEG IN A DOOR, BITCH!" Herren.
11.Meg Mayo-Brown (aka "The Backstabber", aka "Roy? Why are you making me hire Roy?")
12.Bealzebub (self explanatory)

Well...those are my dozen...let's see yours...I'll print them all, except, of course, those from "non-believers", and you know who you are...LOL!