WSB's Veronica Waters reports prosecutors called two rebuttal witnesses, then rested their case. Jurors were sent home for the day just after noon, and told to report back having eaten lunch and ready to start listening to closing arguments at noon Wednesday.

Attorneys called 89 witnesses in seven weeks of testimony, and tendered over 1,000 documents. Campbell faces a seven-count indictment accusing him of racketeering, bribery, and tax evasion.

Lawyers for the government and the defense get 2.5 hours each to paint for the jury their final pictures of Campbell, who admitted Tuesday he will "never be okay" with his decision not to testify. The former Mayor says he would have wanted to leave a simple message with the jury of seven men and five women: that he is innocent and tried to run Atlanta positively and honestly, and never sought or took a bribe.

"I had the opportunity to make a lot more money as a lawyer than I did as Mayor, but I believe in public service, and I believe in our justice system," Campbell said.

The case is so complex that Judge Richard Story told lawyers he may do something he has not tried before—use visual aids on the courtroom's large wall screen to explain what is expected to be over 40 pages of instructions to the jury on Thursday morning.

Prosecutors contend Campbell sold his office to city contractors and businessmen willing to pay him cash for his help funneling them city business. The defense insists City Hall subordinates were marketing their acquaintance with Campbell to line their own pockets and that the Mayor never knew about it or took a dime. Both sides may talk about the cash Campbell spent during his latter years in office.

Prosecutors Re-Call Two Rebuttal Witnesses

The Government called two witnesses for their rebuttal case, both of whom the jury has already seen on the stand.

First, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin's chief of staff Greg Pridgeon testified about the time in 2001 he spent in the same capacity for Mayor Campbell. He disputed the testimony of defense witness Eunice Moss, who said that shortly before Christmas that year, then-chief operating officer DeWayne Martin reached around Pridgeon and grabbed a group of unsigned United Water letter agreements from her.

Assistant U. S. Attorney Russell Vineyard asked, At any time did Dwayne Martin ever reach around you and take documents from your hands?"

"No, he did not," said Pridgeon. Asked how he could be so sure that had never happened, Pridgeon explained, "I would remember such an incident because it would have been out of character and would have stood out in my mind." Pridgeon said they were the kind of documents which would've been handled by the COO, but says he never saw who signed them or when.

Martin, who cut an immunity deal with prosecutors in 2004, was never called to testify by the Government. His lawyer, Janice Singer, told WSB last week that her client never signed the United Water documents.

The second rebuttal witness was one originally called to the stand by the defense: Glenda Blum Minkin, who served as a chief fundraiser on both of Campbell's mayoral campaigns and also worked in City Hall as the Mayor's special assistant.

She told jurors Tuesday that one year when she helped gather documents for Campbell's income tax return preparation, she asked the Mayor if he had any gambling winnings. Minkin says Campbell told her he always "broke even."

Prosecutors allege Campbell paid for romantic getaways and a love of travel and high-stakes gambling with cash passed to him from city contractors. The defense implied it was Campbell's private, weekly high-stakes poker games with buddies which made cash available to him.

Campbell's friend and travel agent, Gabe Pascarella, testified earlier that the Mayor won as much as $20,000 a year on the informal books of Friday-night poker games with about six friends as game regulars.

"First of all, I never kept track of my winnings or losings. And second, I certainly wouldn't have had any conversation with Ms. Minkin about it," said Campbell. "I never kept track of it. I simply played in the weekly poker game; I occasionally went to casinos. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose," Campbell said.

WSB legal analyst Ron Carlson says with none of Campbell's alleged bribers called to the stand by the prosecution, and the credibility of witnesses who claimed to pass money to the Mayor in question, predicting a verdict in the case is anyone's guess.

"The distancing of the Mayor from the scene of the action will be one of the strong points made by the defense," says Carlson. "The case is, I think, probably relatively open on the bribery and RICO charges. It's stronger for the Government on the income tax evasion charges."

Jury deliberations begin Thursday. The ex-Mayor says he's near vindication.

"Well, of course, I'll be praying as always," Campbell says, "but I hope the jury comes back very quickly. You know, it doesn't take an awful long time to figure out if somebody's telling the truth or not."

Wednesday, 8 March 2006