Edwards appears before grand jury

Tuesday, June 3, 1997 | 11:33 a.m.

"They wouldn't give me any information. I wouldn't give them any information," he said.

He was one of several prominent figures who appeared Tuesday. Others included former Congressman Cleo Fields, Insurance Commissioner Jim Brown, penitentiary Warden Burl Cain, and two members of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board.

Edwards refused to say whether he invoked the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination.

U.S. Attorney Eddie Jordan also refused to say, but Jordan said as a general rule there is no other way someone can get out of answering before a grand jury.

"No one can refuse," he said. "They can invoke the Fifth Amendment privilege."

Edwards said he has been subpoenaed more than 20 times during his career and has always answered questions because he felt an obligation as a public official. However, he said at those times he knew what the inquiry was about, but this time he doesn't.

"Therefore I am not going to participate in and contribute to this investigation until I am advised what it is that concerns these people," he said.

He said he learned Monday that a poor black couple, whom he helped get financing for a house in 1993, was subpoenaed.

"That convinces me this is a wide net with no hook," Edwards said. He did not give their names.

Edwards attended the closed-door hearing with his attorney Mike Fawer, and said his former daughter-in-law, Arlene Edwards, also appeared.

Asked whether he was told he was a target of the wide-ranging probe, Edwards said, "Yes, but that was no surprise."

Despite the seriousness surrounding the proceedings, Edwards emerged from the grand jury room typically upbeat. "I pled guilty," he jokingly said to reporters. "They don't need any witnesses."

He was asked if either he or Fields had made any contacts on behalf of the Hollywood Casino, a Bossier City project that was listed in the federal subpoenas. "I know I didn't," he said, but added he did not know about Fields.

Fields refused comment. The former Democratic congressman from Baton Rouge appeared in the morning, before Edwards in the afternoon. Accompanied by three attorneys, including state Sen. Dennis Bagneris of New Orleans, Fields left the federal building after spending about 25 minutes with the jurors.

"He's not a target. He's not a target," Bagneris repeated, as reporters crowded around.

Cain, warden at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, said he testified for about 10 minutes to explain the relationship between Prison Enterprises and the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections.

"They told me I wasn't a target before they asked me any questions," Cain said. "I'm doing fine as frog hairs split four ways."

Prison Enterprises manages cattle and farming operations at the state's prisons. A federal subpoena sought an array of records about cattle sales, including documents pertaining to Brown's Auction Co. of Eunice.

Cattle broker Cecil Brown of Eunice, described as a close friend of Edwards and one of the people subpoenaed in the investigation, owned the auction company and has sold cattle to the prisons.

Also appearing Tuesday was Robert Guidry, the owner of a riverboat casino and a video poker company. The grand jury had subpoenaed records concerning Guidry's gambling businesses, including the casino in Kenner

Guidry also owns A-Ace Video Poker of New Orleans, which fought off a state police attempt in 1994 to revoke its license because of ties to Frank Caracci, a suspected mob associate whom Edwards pardoned in the early 1970s.

Following his appearance, Guidry refused to say anything, including how long he testified.

"I think that while the grand jury is going on, I think it best I not comment," Guidry said.

Also appearing was retired Shreveport educator Ecotry Fuller and retired Brig. Gen. Sherian Cadoria, both members of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board.

Cadoria wouldn't say what the panel asked her and said she didn't know how long she testified. "I didn't even look at my watch," she said.

Another witness, Russ Meyer of Illinois, was also called. He said he was president of Louisiana Riverboat Gaming Corp., a company that applied for but did not get a license for a riverboat casino in Lake Charles.

Meyer said he sent boxes of documents to prosecutors and had met Edwards six or eight times during the application process. He said he did not send campaign contributions to Edwards.

When asked what the governor did during their meetings, Meyer said, "He wished us luck."

An unidentified woman hurried from the building following her testimony. Her attorney, Keith Jones, refused to identify his client, saying she had asked him not to.

The woman appeared upset and would not comment.

Among others reportedly called to appear were Edward DeBartolo Jr., a partner in the Hollywood Casino project and owner of the San Francisco 49ers.

But the National Football League said in a statement that DeBartolo's appearance was postponed.

The investigation, made public when Edwards' home and office were raided April 28, apparently includes four riverboat casinos; the state's last riverboat license; video poker; a juvenile drug treatment facility in Jena; legislation to allow horse racing tracks to install slot machines, and an NBA team officials tried to coax to Louisiana.

Investigators are considering possible mail fraud, wire fraud and extortion charges against Edwards and his son, Stephen, according to documents filed last week.