Ex-Louisiana governor reports to Texas prison
Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2002 | 9:49 a.m.
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards had at least one good thing to say about the legal system after arriving in Fort Worth for a 10-year prison term.
"I appreciate the fact the court system and prison system have allowed me to self-surrender," Edwards, 75, said at the gates of a low-security federal prison on Monday.
Mostly though, Edwards was defiant, maintaining his innocence and contending he was wrongly convicted for a May 2000 racketeering, extortion and fraud conviction in a scheme to rig the casino licensing process.
"It is the system. It's a good system. In this case it went awry, but I will not be the last person to visit this gate undeservedly," he said.
The former governor pledged he would be a "model prisoner as I was a model citizen."
Edwards was found guilty, along with son Stephen and three other men, after his fourth and final term in office, which ended in 1996. Edwards has continuously fought his convictions.
"I was absolutely convinced the 5th Circuit would reverse it. There's no justification at all why they wouldn't reverse it," he said.
Edwards is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the high court refused to let him remain free while determining if it will hear his case. The court takes up only a tiny fraction of the cases it receives.
Legal issues include the anonymity of jurors, the dismissal of a juror and the legality of certain wiretaps.
Edwards has repeatedly said that even under the assumption that his convictions are valid, he never hurt the state or its residents.
"I want to reiterate that it does not have to do with me doing anything wrong as governor," Edwards said.
Acting U.S. Attorney Jim Letten of New Orleans, who was the chief prosecutor on the case, scoffed at that statement.
"That is probably as bald a lie as anyone has ever told," he said.
Letten said there was ample evidence presented at trial that Edwards used his power as governor to manipulate the licensing of riverboat casinos.
Letten added his view that Edwards' vanity and concern for his legacy as governor cost him a chance to draw a lesser prison term before his case ever went to trial.
Edwards, the most powerful and dominant politician in Louisiana since Huey Long, has been the subject of about two dozen investigations and had won every battle with federal prosecutors until two years ago.
Edwards was acquitted on racketeering charges in the 1980s and acquitted in October 2000 on fraud charges related to the liquidation of a failed insurance company.
Edwards' son Stephen reported to a prison Monday more than 300 miles away in Beaumont.
Three other men were convicted with Edwards and his son -- businessman Bobby Johnson, cattleman Cecil Brown and former Edwards aide Andrew Martin.
archive
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Ensign moves out of home on C Street
- Cada and Moon emerge as Main Event’s final two
- Fight snapshot: Reviewing “24/7 Pacquiao/Cotto,” episode 3
- Life in the Limelight: Wayne Newton
- Cities, county find buying valley homes isn’t easy
- Motorcyclist dies in Summerlin crash
- Six people share their stories of what led them to jobs at CityCenter
- Two injured in shooting in central valley
- Buchanan was one of the city’s truly flamboyant characters
- Fight snapshot: Pacquiao is a hit with Jimmy Kimmel, and vice versa
Blogs
Robin Leach's Las Vegas Celebrity Watch
Final Five have two routines each on Dancing With the Stars
The Coin Bucket
Blue Man Group at half price for locals
Elsewhere
Findlay Prep's Bradley fitting in at Texas (2 Comments)
Now and Then
I went to a hockey game and a New Mexico women's soccer match broke out (1 Comment)
Politics: The Early Line
Attention in D.C. focuses on health care proposals (1 Comment)
Elsewhere
Fedor v. Rogers delivers solid ratings on CBS (5 Comments)
Bloggity, Bloggity, Bloggity
If you can rebuild the whole car, then why not allow an engine change? (1 Comment)
Calendar »
- 10 Tue
- 11 Wed
- 12 Thu
- 13 Fri
- 14 Sat
-
Jo Dee Messina at the House of Blues
House of Blues | 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
-
The Revival Tour at Beauty Bar
Beauty Bar | 9 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
DJ Tina T at Prive
Prive | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
The Automatic Tour at The Square Apple
The Square Apple
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati








