Fireworks continued at the trial of Rudy Warnock and Cleve Anderson yesterday in federal court as prosecutors said the former CMU engineer spent over $160,000 to bribe Canton Ealdormen and CMU officials. WLBT's Anthony Warren reported:
A former CMU engineer allegedly spent nearly $130,000 over seven months to bribe Canton city officials for contracts.
That’s according to information shared at the Rudy Warnock and Cleveland Anderson corruption trial Thursday afternoon.
According to testimony from Elivia Tate, a forensic accountant with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, more than $170,000 in charges were made on Warnock’s business credit cards and StubHub purchases between May 3, 2016, and December 4, 2016, the time of the alleged bribery scheme.
Records show the charges were racked up during multiple out-of-state trips, including one to Chicago, one to Washington, D.C., and two to New Orleans. Rest of the article including a looooong list of alleged expenses and bribes.
A little squabble took place over what else - because we are in Mississippi - but a pair of boots. WLBT reported in a separate story:
Mike Espy says he never accepted a bribe from Rudy Warnock and paid him back for a pair of boots that he never asked him to purchase.
Testimony resumed Thursday in the Rudy Warnock and Cleveland Anderson federal corruption case, with the Madison County board attorney taking the stand.
Espy provided more details on previous witnesses’ testimony, telling the court about his encounters with Warnock in New Orleans and Washington, D.C.....
As for the Washington trip, the former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under President Bill Clinton was in the nation’s capital for an interview with Politico.
He was shopping for a tuxedo for his daughter’s wedding when he saw Warnock, and former Canton Aldermen Andrew Grant and Eric Gilkey walk into a Neiman-Marcus.
“I had a free morning. I didn’t have anything until 2:30, so I went to Neiman-Marcus... my go-to store,” he said. “I was looking and noticed Mr. Warnock, Mr. Gilkey, and Mr. Grant come in.”
Espy said he was still shopping when a store manager said, “We’d like to invite you to lunch,” and he was walked over to a restaurant where he joined the three.
fter lunch, he went back to Neiman Marcus, got a cab, and headed to an interview, which lasted for about two and a half hours.
He went back to Neiman’s after that, where he continued his fitting and found out from a store associate that Warnock had purchased a pair of high-end boots that Espy was looking at.
Espy told the court he did fly back with Warnock because he wanted to bring back two cases of wine for his daughter’s wedding and didn’t think he could take them if he flew commercial.
“One of the wedding receptions was at my house. I had to host it, and I thought it would be nice to have the wine I liked,” Espy recalled. “I wanted to buy two cases, and I knew I couldn’t take them on Delta, so I asked Mr. Warnock if he had room, and he said, ‘Sure.’”
Espy said he had to forfeit his round-trip ticket with Delta airlines, meaning he lost money on the flight back.
During the flight back, he found out that Warnock had purchased the boots.
“He handed me the box. I looked at them. They were the boots. I said, ‘Thank you,’” he said.
The next day, Espy, who was attorney for the CMU Board of Commissioners at the time, said he felt uncomfortable with the gift and had Warnock’s credit card reimbursed.“I called Rudy, said the boots [didn’t] fit, would you give me your credit card number, so I could credit the sale back to his card, and I did. The sale was credited back to Mr. Warnock’s card, I gave the person at Neiman Marcus my card, and I bought the boots on my card,” he said.
“I was troubled about it, and I took care of it the next day.”
Espy was asked whether Warnock had purchased anything for Gilkey and Grant. He told attorneys he saw “bags of merchandise,” including a Tom Ford suit bag on the flight home, but didn’t ask about them. Rest of article including Espy's discussion of New Orleans trip.
U.S. District Judge Kristi Johnson continued the trial until Tuesday due to a witness having a medical emergency.
30 comments:
But were those boots "made for walking?"
I'll let you buy me an expensive meal and fly me on a private jet, but I draw the line at a pair of footwear.
Mike Espy has integrity.
Did I just read self incriminating testimony admitting to bootlegging?
Hope Rudy enjoyed it while he was flaunting it because the system ain't lettin' it go.
A per chance meeting in NYC. What a crock, Mike.
OOOOO- look who I ran into.
Ya’ll need to stop this shit and make a Plea deal. You’re gonna get time, but make it as minimal as you can.
One of the wedding receptions? There was more than one wedding reception for Espy's daughter?
Mike sent the boots back. Kept the receipt. He has been down this hole before. Not again!
none of the these witnesses are believable. big john colette gonna score a brilliant victory in the face of overwhelming odds on behalf of rotten rudy. this is mississippi people and this is how business is done , even if they have to travel to NYC to do it.
I agree. They are going to be convicted unless they’re have a huge card to play which I highly doubt. I don’t understand why they are going to trial at all unless they’re plea deal was horrible or nonexistent.
to 10;02..................all the tourists in NYC are concentrated into a small area in Manhattan, just like all the drunken tourists in new orleans are steered onto bourbon street.
its not unusual to see people you know especially if you are into politics.
you really should get out more often 10:02.
What are the odd that they accidently ran into each other in a store in NYC? Zero. Another Clinton crime family liar.
this is shaping up to be a clone of the paul minor trial back in 2005. but most all of the JJ juvenile readership has no idea how the minor trial played out.
you can bet you ass colette knows how that case played out and just how to rebut it.
that jury gonna be out less than an hour . 30 minutes to go to the bathroom and 30 minutes to quit on the first vote.
the punk 25 to 35 year olds that live on this site dont know crap about a federal criminal trial.
Bribery is legal now, this case is all for the headlines. Why would they take a plea?
Y'all do know Espy hasn't been in public office for a decade and was acquitted of past charges made against him.
Frankly, we should worry more about " associations" that invite elected officials to " speak" at a convention where the " fee" for the " speech" is under $100 but all their expenses are paid i.e. free vacation.
This party BS keeps us from looking at what both party's politicians do by " gentleman's agreement". And, it's worse now that party panderers now can make money pandering.
130,000$....what?.............the lobbyists hand out that much on free steak dinner and booze to legislators at ticos every 3 weeks when the legislature is in session.
130,000 is chump change , especially in new york and chicago. you people need to realize that central mississippi is nothing but a 3nd world banana republic. new york it aint.
I suppose I'm a hopeless idealist. I often wonder why such pathologically perverse characters seem to be drawn to politics, more often than not for nothing more than a pair for boots.
That is a whole lot of coincidences....a running shit ton if I am being honest. No way that "just happens" in real life. Now, that is as good of a story as I could have made up, but I'm betting that story has been rehearsed a ton before the trial.
You forgot the 15 minutes to select a jury foreman. Obviously you have never been on a jury.
A jury found him "not guilty" but that's not the same as innocent. One cold stare from Hillary would shock the jurors into submission.
One of your classic headlines, Fish.
Hoodrat logic
Records show the charges were racked up during multiple out-of-state trips, including one to Chicago, one to Washington, D.C., and two to New Orleans.
Where did you get NYC?
"this is mississippi people and this is how business is done"
And now it's in the middle of a federal corruption trial, which have very high conviction rates.
The story Espy is spinning sounds like the kid at school claiming his dog ate the homework Total BS
Espy can afford his own boots with the half million a year the citizens of Madison pay him for his “legal expertise”. Of course before him it was Deputy Feel’s daughter. Madison county is rotten.
"that jury gonna be out less than an hour . 30 minutes to go to the bathroom and 30 minutes to quit on the first vote."
denial is not a river in Africa
ok I'll ask.. Who is the witness with a medical emergency?
Plea. Think about it over the weekend. Less time and as some say, you may still have some lead in your pencil when you get out.
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