Federal grand jury begins on possible Alabama bingo measure corruption
May 12, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama: On May 5, 2010, a federal grand jury began the probe of alleged corruption surrounding a Alabama State Senate approval of the proposed electronic bingo amendment.[1][2]
The grand jury probe comes one month after the F.B.I opened up an investigation concerning the measure's passage in the Senate. After the measure was passed in the Alabama State Senate, the Federal Bureau of Investigation contacted lawmakers, stating their intentions to begin an investigation to see if any members of the Senate had been offered any incentive in exchange for supporting votes. The investigation began when the chamber passed the bill on March 30, 2010. According to reports, subpoenas have been served on over 50 legislators, and lobbyists.[3]
A resolution was also filed with the Alabama Supreme Court by Representative Mike Ball, who stated that the bill was improperly voted upon in the senate. According to the resolution, the bill would not have made it out of the senate chamber without the vote of Senator Henry Sanders, who Ball claims has a conflict of interest. Ball's resolution accuses Sanders of revealing in television interviews that his law firm represents a group hoping to open and operate bingo in an Alabama county.[4]
See also
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Footnotes
- ↑ The Birmingham News, "Alabama federal grand jury begins second day of testimony on bingo legislation," May 5, 2010
- ↑ The Associated Press, "FBI probes Alabama lawmakers on bingo casino bill," April 3, 2010
- ↑ Bloomberg Business Week, "Alabama bingo bill stalls with time running out," April 8, 2010
- ↑ Bloomberg Business Week, "Alabama bingo bill in doubt as House debate nears," April 19, 2010
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