WSB's Veronica Waters reports Bert Timmerman received a sentence of six months probation in connection with the 1999 case, in which he admitted conspiring with another businessman to rig prices on water treatment equipment in Cherokee County. Timmerman and his company, Eco-Tech, paid a total of $200,000 in fines and over $90,500 in restitution.

Timmerman testified Thursday that he was convinced Fred Prewitt was close to Mayor Bill Campbell, and so he donated to Campbell's campaign and started giving Prewitt thousands of dollars Prewitt told him he needed to "keep up his relationship with the Mayor."

Witness Details Series of Payments to Campbell's Fundraiser Friend

Timmerman says in 1997, he cashed several checks on his firm's account and gave Prewitt $25,000 cash [pdf]; he, his wife and his company also contributed $8,000 to Campbell's re-election campaign. Prior to that, he also hosted a reception for the Mayor at The Georgian Club.

The men had decided they wanted to get a contract to work at the Hemphill Water Plant. Timmerman continued to give Prewitt $5,000 payments "to help position us with the city," he said.

Prewitt has since entered a plea in connection with operating as a front for white business owners wanting to partner with minority-owned businesses for bidding on City contracts.

"My understanding was he did not have a construction company," Timmerman testified.

Prewitt asked Timmerman to pad the contract bid he was planning.

"He asked that I build in a large sum of money for him," Timmerman testified. "I wanted to make sure he had the connection to justify this."

Timmerman said he and Prewitt had a meeting with Mayor Campbell at City Hall in 1998.

"You didn't offer the Mayor a bribe at that meeting, did you?" asked defense attorney Billy Martin on cross-examination.

"No sir, we only talked about potential business," replied Timmerman. "It was very much like any other meeting with an elected official."

Timmerman says he, Prewitt, and Campbell visited the Grand Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi and golfed. Campbell, he says, also played blackjack for hours. No business was discussed on the trip, he says. Timmerman told the jury he had given Fred Prewitt and his company a total of $10,000 in preparation for the trip, which he says was to help him "gain face time."

Friend Says He Committed Money To Mayor

After Timmerman's firm got a $4.4 million contract with Atlanta [pdf], he says he gave Prewitt [pdf] $400,000 of it [pdf]--which Prewitt claimed was $200,000 less than what he had promised to the mayor. Prewitt was upset, testified Timmerman, because Timmerman had reduced the numbers in his bid.

"He told me he had made commitments to the Mayor and the Mayor's office that he would be able to furnish the Mayor $600,000 from his project, and he couldn't since I'd lowered the price," Timmerman said.

Later, Timmerman said, Prewitt--whom he called a friend and "a very likable man"--asked him for $80,000 to pay medical bills.

"I gave it out of friendship to Fred Prewitt because he was in a bind," Timmerman testified.

Timmerman says he never saw Campbell get or ask for money or even acknowledge he'd received any money from him.

"Do you know if Fred Prewitt took a penny out of that...and gave it to anyone else?" asked Martin.

"No, sir," said Timmerman.

FBI Tapes Telephone Conversations

Timmerman says it was around the time of that contract that he was resolving the bid-rigging case, and decided to tell the feds about payments he'd been making which he felt were improper. Timmerman had also been bribing Thodor Bavan, a former Atlanta water official. Bavan pleaded guilty to taking $55,000 in bribes from Timmerman between 1996 and 1997 in return for helping Timmerman get a city contract. Prewitt, he says, he had been paying as a consultant. Timmerman says he considers Bavan a friend, as well.

Timmerman told the federal jury Thursday that the Bavan case had nothing to do with Campbell.

Interestingly enough, it may have been Timmerman's bribery and bid-rigging admissions which kicked off the federal corruption probe that put Atlanta's former mayor on trial.

After Timmerman's revelations, he agreed to keep cooperating with the Government and, coached by the FBI, tape recorded nine telephone conversations with Prewitt, whom he said often referred to Campbell as "the man" or "him."

Prosecutors played an audio tape of Prewitt and Timmerman. Timmerman says the two were discussing another trip to Memphis/Mississippi they might take with Campbell, and Prewitt had asked for $5,000 for the trip. Timmerman referred him to the $400,000 payment from the Hemphill contract, telling Prewitt he was low on cash. This is a portion of the Government's transcription of the recording:

BT: "Uh, and, and, and the four hu...the four hundred thousand we paid to you sort of, it sort of took my profit away. Uh, so, maybe you can get by on that for a while."

FP: "And that went the other way, but yeah. Uh, and I was on the phone with him just, just then."

In court an attorney said if called to the stand, Prewitt had indicated to his lawyer he would plead the Fifth Amendment.

Testimony is over for the week in the Campbell trial and resumes Monday with another city contractor expected on the stand. The trial takes the day off Tuesday for the funeral of Coretta Scott King.

Friday, 3 February 2006