Gambling board member vents anger over Edwards remarks

Natalie Gott

Tuesday, April 11, 2000 | 9:18 a.m.

BATON ROUGE, La. - A retired attorney for state police said he does not believe that former Gov. Edwin Edwards tried to influence state police during a video poker investigation involving star government witness Robert Guidry.

The testimony from attorney Howard Elliott Jr. revolved around a state police investigation into Guidry's license to operate the Treasure Chest casino in Kenner. At the center of the investigation was Guidry's relationship with an organized crime figure.

State police suspended and then later reinstated Guidry's license. If the license had not been reinstated, it would have been difficult for Guidry to get a riverboat casino license, Elliott testified.

Guidry, who has since sold the Treasure Chest, testified earlier in Edwards' racketeering case that he paid off Edwin and Stephen Edwards and co-defendant Andrew Martin to get a riverboat casino license in 1993, when state police were in charge of issuing licenses.

Elliott said he knew of no improper influence Edwards used during the state police video poker investigation.

Under cross examination, prosecutors focused on a meeting Edwards had with top ranked officials at state police regarding the issue.

"Isn't it a fact that Gov. Edwards sat there with his son Stephen and reminded you that he and Bobby Guidry were buddies?" prosecutor Jim Letten asked Elliott.

"I don't think he was doing that to influence us," Elliott said.

Elliott said Edwards was unhappy because state police had failed to hold a hearing on the video poker issue and made other mistakes in their handling of the situation. Edwards told state police officials in the meeting that he would have been more direct in his criticism of their action had he not been a friend of Guidry's, Elliott said.

Edwin and Stephen Edwards, Martin, state Sen. Greg Tarver and three others have been on trial since Jan. 10, accused of manipulating the licensing of riverboat casino licenses before and after Edwards' final term as governor ended in January 1996.

Defense attorneys appeared at the beginning of the day to focus on allegations against Tarver, but switched in the afternoon to focus on Edwards.

The morning testimony was marked by gaming board member Sherian Cadoria, who testified that she never met state Sen. Greg Tarver and never received any bribes from anyone.

While lending weight to defense claims that there was no conspiracy involving Edwards and state Sen. Greg Tarver, Cadoria also appeared to score points for the prosecution. On cross examination she vented her anger over remarks Edwards made during secretly taped conversations in 1997.

In one of those conversations, Edwards implied that the two black members of the board were influenced by Tarver, who is black.

"By inference, he's saying I'm one of those board members," said Cadoria, who is black and made clear her displeasure with Edwards' taped remarks. Gaming board member and defendant Ecotry Fuller is the other black member on the board.

In one conversation, Edwards is heard telling a man identified as Lafayette businessman Bennie Benezech that casino operator Jack Binion had "the blacks on the commission pretty well locked up" through a relationship with Tarver, a black state senator from Shreveport.

"He's talking about this person being a part of a conspiracy because it is my name that is a part of this board," Cadoria said angrily as she pointed to herself.

Cadoria, a retired general in the Army, also commented on allegations that Edwards received a $400,000 extortion payment from DeBartolo, a payment the defense characterizes as a legitimate payment for legal work.

Cadoria said she did not know that DeBartolo paid Edwards $400,000 before the vote. Had she known about the transaction, the licensing process would have stopped immediately, she said.

DeBartolo had no reason to pay any money to Edwards anyway, she said. "This man presented the best presentation. He didn't have to bribe anyone."