Government focuses on alleged scheme to extort ex-NFL owner

Natalie Gott

Tuesday, March 14, 2000 | 12:27 p.m.

BATON ROUGE, La. - In a telephone conversation wiretapped by the FBI, Edwin Edwards told Edward DeBartolo, then the owner of the San Francisco 49ers, that he was rounding up support for DeBartolo's application for a casino license

The tape of the conversation was played Tuesday for the jury in Edwards' federal racketeering trial. Edwards, a four-term governor who had left office, is accused of extorting $400,000 from DeBartolo, whose involvement in the case cost him control of his NFL franchise.

In 1996 and early 1997, DeBartolo was seeking Louisiana's final riverboat casino, which he wanted for a gambling resort in Bossier City, near the Texas border.

"Well, but what I have going on now is I'm talking to members of the commission and others that are interested in this thing to see if I can get them to consider granting a license subject to the election," Edwards said in an Oct. 18, 1996, telephone conversation.

The reference to the election dealt with a requirement that local voters approve the project. The commission referred to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board.

FBI agent Geoffrey Santini was on the witness stand to interpret the tapes. He noted that in 1996, the gambling board approved who was awarded riverboat casino licenses and that board members were banned by law from discussing the applications.

When Edwards' work was done, after providing DeBartolo with a confidential report by state police and guaranteeing DeBartolo a casino license in 1997, the bill came to $400,000, prosecutors contend.

DeBartolo won the license, but dropped the casino project after he was summoned before a federal grand jury in the summer of 1997.

The payoff money from DeBartolo came after Edwards had finished his fourth and final term as governor in 1996, but Edwards still wielded considerable power in state politics, prosecutor Mike Magner has said.

DeBartolo will be the star witness in this aspect of the trial, in which Edwards; his son, Stephen; state Sen. Greg Tarver, and four others are charged with carrying out a series of schemes to manipulate the riverboat casino licensing process for a profit.

The other schemes allegedly occurred before and during Edwards' final term of office from 1992 to 1996.

DeBartolo pleaded guilty in 1998 to one count of failing to report a felony, shortly before the indictments were handed down. He received a suspended sentence, was fined $1 million and agreed to testify against Edwards.

DeBartolo feared economic harm if he did not pay Edwards, Magner said.

Edwards' attorney, Dan Small, has denied any wrongdoing on the former governor's part and said the money was for legitimate consulting work. The $400,000 was small change to DeBartolo, who is worth $675 million, Small said.

Gambling board member Ecotry Fuller, who is a co-defendant in the case, made the motion to approve DeBartolo for the casino license. DeBartolo received the license but dropped the project after he was summoned before a federal grand jury. After his guilty plea, he lost control of the 49ers to his sister.