Friday, Oct. 4, 2002 | 9:38 a.m.
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Former Gov. Edwin Edwards was ordered Wednesday to report to prison by Oct. 21 to serve 10 years for extorting riverboat casino applicants during and after his fourth term.
In a written order, U.S. District Judge Frank Polozola also told Edwards' son, Stephen, and Baton Rouge businessman Bobby Johnson to report to prison by the same date for their roles in the scam.
In a separate case, suspended state Insurance Commissioner Jim Brown was also ordered to report to federal prison on Oct. 15 to serve six months for lying to the FBI.
Brown's case stemmed from an investigation into the failure and liquidation of an insurance company. Brown was acquitted on 43 charges of mail, insurance and wire fraud, conspiracy and witness tampering. Edwards also was acquitted in that case.
But Brown was convicted of making false statements to the FBI.
The convictions in both cases have been upheld by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which refused to allow any of the defendants to remain free on bond until the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether to hear their appeals.
Edwards and Brown said they would ask the U.S. Supreme Court to allow them to remain free on bond pending its rulings on their appeals.
Edwards, who spent Wednesday preparing his home for possible severe weather from Hurricane Lili, said he was disappointed he did not get the usual month to report to prison from the time Polozola set the date.
"I thought it was a little early," he said.
The former governor said he would spend the next couple weeks making arrangements to take care of family and visiting with friends and relatives.
"We don't like the way it turned out, but that's the way the cookie crumbles," Edwards said. "I'll do generally what any person would do if he knew he had to abandon his life for a long period of time."
His wife, Candy, said she was "just devastated by the whole ordeal and heartbroken."
Brown said he was still hopeful the Supreme Court would allow him to remain free on bond.
"I hope to hear from them next week," Brown said.
Brown was dismayed that he was given less than two weeks to report to prison.
"I had hoped for at least a month to get my affairs in order and spend time with my family," Brown said. "I'll report to prison if I have no other choice. I've got my book reading list to take with me."
Two longtime friends of the ex-governor, Cecil Brown and Andrew Martin, also were convicted in the gambling extortion case. They are in federal prison for convictions in other cases: Brown for trying to extort businessmen wanting to do business in the state, and Martin for federal tax evasion.
Prosecutors alleged that Edwards and his co-defendants forced payments in order to obtain gambling licenses. The best-known incident involved former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., who testified that he paid $400,000 to Edwards for his influence. DeBartolo lost control of his NFL team after the scandal.
A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the convictions unanimously in August and the full court refused to take up the case.
Edwards complained about Polozola's dismissal of a juror -- apparently favoring acquittal -- along with the judge's refusal to make the names of jurors public. Edwards also said wiretapped evidence used by prosecutors had been obtained illegally.
During a recent appearance before the Press Club of Baton Rouge, Edwards proclaimed his innocence and blamed his conviction on false testimony from DeBartolo, former family friend Ricky Shetler and Robert Guidry, a tugboat magnate and former owner of a riverboat casino.
Acting U.S. Attorney Jim Letten of New Orleans, the chief prosecutor in the case called Edwards' contention of innocence "absolutely pathetic."
It was not immediately known which federal prisons the men would be assigned to.
Although Edwards' lawyers will not be allowed to state a preference, Edwards said he hoped he and son Stephen are sent to the same prison.
"It would be easier for our families to visit and the two of us would at least have some comfort from the fact that we are together," the former governor said.
As insurance commissioner, Brown was suspended without pay from his statewide office, to which he was first elected in 1991. Under state law, he can hold the office until he exhausts all appeals in the case.
Brown said he would continue his appeal in the U.S. Supreme Court even if it takes longer than his entire sentence.
"I'll pursue it regardless to have this outrageous conviction reversed," he said.
Brown's imprisonment order, signed by U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt, sets up Brown to be the third consecutive Louisiana insurance commissioner to go to prison. His predecessors -- Doug Green and Sherman Bernard -- were convicted on federal corruption charges.
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