Gambling board member indicted

Leslie Zganjar

Thursday, Aug. 5, 1999 | 11:54 a.m.

BATON ROUGE, La. -- A Louisiana Gaming Control Board member was indicted on fraud, conspiracy and perjury charges Wednesday in the same riverboat casino gambling case that resulted in charges against former Gov. Edwin Edwards.

Ecotry Fuller was charged with 12 counts that, were he to be convicted, could land him in prison for 60 years with $3 million in fines.

The charges against Fuller were in a superseding indictment that again names Edwards, his son Stephen, his friends Cecil Brown and Bobby Johnson, former aide Andrew Martin and state Sen. Greg Tarver. The case is set for trial in January, however, it was unclear whether the new indictment would cause delays.

At the heart of the case are allegations that the Edwardses manipulated the awarding of riverboat casino licenses, issued by the board, for personal gain. The same grand jury is also looking into insurance matters.

Fuller, reached at his home in Shreveport, said he had not been informed that he had been indicted. He referred all calls to his attorney, who was not immediately available for comment.

In an earlier development, federal prosecutors made public at they want the secretary of state's office to turn over documents relating to a key figure in the Edwards case.

The agency has not been served with a subpoena, but one was attached to documents filed by prosecutors in federal court Tuesday.

The papers ask the court for permission to issue the subpoena, which demands certified copies of all documents verifying the appointment of Andrew Martin to a position in state government from January 1992 to January 1996.

Prosecutors need the court's approval to issue the subpoena because Martin has been indicted, along with Edwards, on federal charges of extorting money from companies seeking riverboat casino licenses. Prosecutors must get court approval before issuing subpoenas to people who have been indicted.

Jonathan Buckles, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office, said the agency has the information prosecutors want, but has not yet received a subpoena.

According to the subpoena, the documents are to be brought to U.S. District Judge Frank Polozola's courtroom on Aug. 27.

Edwards, a four-term former governor, named Martin as his executive assistant in his last administration, from 1992-1996. In that position, Martin screened applicants for government positions and was in charge of state boards and commissions.

Martin was a member of the State Mineral Board in the 1970s, serving as its chairman in 1972.

Martin also was indicted in March on one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS, one count of making false statements to the IRS and five counts of tax evasion. He and a New Orleans businessman were accused of trying to use a dormant company to avoid paying $180,000 in federal taxes.