Thousands of pages reveal little new in Edwards trial

Wednesday, June 14, 2000 | noon

U.S. District Judge Frank Polozola opened the papers to the public on Tuesday. He had ordered them kept from public view to try to keep pretrial publicity to a minimum and ensure a fair trial, according to court records.

Edwards, his son Stephen, aide Andrew Martin, Bobby Johnson and Eunice cattleman Cecil Brown were convicted in May of trying to rig riverboat casino licenses during the 1990s.

A jury acquitted state Sen. Greg Tarver and Louisiana Gaming Control Board member Ecotry Fuller.

Papers released Tuesday include lists of prospective witnesses, transcripts of recorded conversations later used at trial and numerous legal maneuverings by the government and the defendants.

For instance, jurors were told during the trial that Edwards, Brown and Brown's attorney Kenneth Pitre of Eunice had talked about how to describe payments which Brown got from would-be casino owners.

The papers include transcripts of those recordings.

Edwards, Insurance Commissioner Jim Brown, Shreveport attorney Ronald Weems and former Edwards client David Judd Disiere are scheduled for trial in August. They are charged with trying to work a sweetheart deal for Disiere, former one-time owner of the failed Cascade Insurance Co. during liquidation.

Cecil Brown and former Houston Mayor J. Fred Hofheinz are charged with conspiracy, bribery and extortion in relation to a juvenile prison in Jena and other projects. A trial is scheduled for later this year.