Former La. governor sentenced to 10 years

Melinda Deslatte

Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2001 | 11:04 a.m.

BATON ROUGE, La. -- After 40 years in public life, two dozen investigations, four trials, two acquittals, one mistrial and one set of convictions, former Gov. Edwin Edwards must report to a federal prison on Feb. 5.

Edwards was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $250,000 on Monday for extorting payoffs from businessmen applying for riverboat casino licenses.

"Let me say to friend and foe alike that this is not over with. It's been going on for four years, and as they say in the opera, the fat lady has not yet sung," Edwards said.

Edwards, a four-term Democratic governor, was found guilty with his son Stephen and three other men in May. Edwards was convicted of 17 counts of racketeering, extortion, fraud and conspiracy. Former gubernatorial aide Andrew Martin, Eunice cattleman Cecil Brown and Baton Rouge businessman Bobby Johnson also were convicted.

If Edwards goes to jail, he will be the second governor in Louisiana's history to spend time in a federal prison, joining Richard Leche who served 3 1/2 years in the 1940s for federal mail fraud. President Truman pardoned him in 1952.

Edwards, 73, said he will argue that he should be allowed to remain free while he appeals.

U.S. District Judge Frank Polozola imposed the sentence, which was only slightly short of the maximum of more than 11 years and $500,000 allowed under federal guidelines. However, prosecutors said it was too lenient and announced they too would appeal.

Edwards showed little emotion as the decision was read. His daughters and wife sobbed behind him.

With a long-standing gag order finally lifted, Edwards gave a long interview on the courthouse steps, flanked by his wife, ex-wife, children and attorneys, flatly denying the allegations in the case.

He contradicted one of the men who pleaded guilty in the case and who testified that he left large sums of money for Edwards in a trash receptacle.

"If I was aware Bobby Guidry was putting $100,000 a month in a dumpster, I hope God strikes me dead before I leave this podium," he said.

Edwards said he thought the sentence was within the law and accused U.S. Attorney Eddie Jordan of using the occasion to make a campaign speech.

"He neglected to tell us what he was running for," Edwards said.

Then with characteristic wit, he said, "I have to assume that the 5th Circuit may not let us out on appeal. I have to make arrangements to find Candy a new husband and pay my bills."

He predicted that even if his appeals fail he would spend no more than 8.5 years in prison.

"They may interrupt my life but they aren't going to end it," Edwards said.

His lawyers had argued against a long sentence because of Edwards' age.

"A long sentence is effectively a death sentence," Dan Small told the judge.

The younger Edwards was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined $60,000. His lawyer, Jim Cole, said it was a case of guilt by association.

"The jury's verdict is largely a product of Stephen Edwards' last name," he said. "He's swept along by whatever they think of his father."

Stephen said on the courthouse steps that he never threatened or extorted anyone as the government alleged.

The trial was highlighted by tales of huge sums of cash changing hands, of secretly recorded conversations and the public betrayal of Edwards by men with whom he once socialized and frequently gambled.

Edwards was convicted of extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars from businessmen applying for casino licenses during and after his final term in office.

Last month, Polozola threw out six fraud convictions against the Edwardses. But he let stand the more serious racketeering and extortion counts against the former governor and his son. Each carried a maximum 20-year prison sentence.

Jordan said his office hasn't decided whether it will retry the men on the voided charges.

The other sentences were five years and eight months in prison for Martin; five years and six months for Brown; and five years and four months for Johnson. All three were each fined $50,000.

The five convicted co-defendants also have to split payment of a $1.8 million forfeiture to cover any ill-gotten gains from the casino licenses.

Johnson will be allowed to remain out of jail pending his appeal because of his heart condition. Prosecutors did not contest the request.

Edwards was indicted in 1985 on racketeering charges based on hospital and nursing home investments. After one mistrial, he was acquitted. In October, Edwards was acquitted of wrongdoing in the liquidation of a failed insurance company.