New trial denied in casino gambling scandal

Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2000 | 10:48 a.m.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BATON ROUGE, La. -- A federal judge Tuesday denied requests from former Gov. Edwin Edwards, his son Stephen and three other men for a new trial or acquittals of corruption convictions in a riverboat casino licensing scheme.

U.S. District Judge Frank Polozola said in a court document that he would provide written reasons for his denial later.

A jury convicted the Edwardses, Edwards aide Andrew Martin, Eunice cattleman Cecil Brown and Baton Rouge businessman Bobby Johnson in May of racketeering, extortion, fraud and conspiracy stemming from the licensing of riverboat casinos.

The men will be sentenced Dec. 6. They have said they plan to appeal the convictions. Appeals cannot be filed until after sentencing.

Defense attorneys had given more than a dozen reasons why the convicted men deserved acquittal of all charges or a new trial.

In the motions filed earlier this year, Edwards and the other defendants claimed Polozola had a conflict of interest in the case and that he deprived them of their right to a fair trial by sealing documents, issuing a gag order and improperly dismissing jurors during the trial and deliberations.

They also said the wiretap evidence was illegal, hearsay evidence that prejudiced the case against them, and that the evidence was insufficient to convict them.