Prosecutors, Defense Ready To Go; Expected To Last 2 Weeks
posted June 29, 2007
Prosecutors and defense attorneys said Friday they will be ready to proceed July 16 on the trial of Sen. Ward Crutchfield, D-Chattanooga, on bribery charges.
The trial in Memphis before U.S. District Court Judge J. Daniel Breen is expected to last two weeks.
Judge Breen conducted a status conference on the case in Jackson on Friday afternoon.
Sen. Crutchfield, who has maintained his innocence of the charges, did not attend. He is represented by the father and son team of William H. Farmer and Jonathan P. Farmer of Nashville.
Final motions in the case are to be heard before Judge Breen in Memphis on July 12 at 1:30 p.m.
Sen. Crutchfield was among those charged in the Operation Tennessee Waltz FBI sting case.
Former County Commissioner William Cotton went to trial in the case and is now in federal prison in South Carolina.
Former County School Board member Charles Love entered a guilty plea and is awaiting sentencing.
Former state Rep. Chris Newton entered a guilty plea and has served his prison time.
The allegations include meetings by lobbyist Love in Memphis with officials of a bogus E-Cycle firm, then Love giving money to Sen. Crutchfield in Chattanooga.
The FBI says it has a number of recordings in the case.
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