City Hall

Defense rests in Chuck Turner corruption trialBy Laurel J. Sweet  |   Wednesday, October 27, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Politics Jurors will tomorrow begin deliberating the fate of City Councilor Charles ‘Chuck’ Turner, seen here outside U.S. District court in Boston yesterday, where he is being tried on bribery charges.Photo by Mark Garfinkel Jurors will tomorrow begin deliberating the fate of Charles “Chuck” Turner, whose defense abruptly rested this morning after — over the objection of his attorneys — the city councilor took the witness stand for a second straight day. The brief and sometimes bizarre proceeding concluded with a Turner supporter being removed from the packed federal courtroom by security for standing up and silently mimicking applause. Close arguments will also be presented tomorrow. Outside U.S. District Court in Boston, Turner’s defense lawyer Barry Wilson said, “He should be proud of himself for what he’s done here.” Wilson also railed against federal authorities for trying to take the popular Roxbury pol down on charges he took a $1,000 bribe to help a Boston businessman turned FBI informant obtain a liquor license for a proposed nightclub. “All they tried to do was besmirch a man’s reputation,” Wilson said. “It’s a little hard to not want to get up there (on the witness stand) and not say what you believe.” Though cross-examined for only an hour by assistant U.S. Attorney John T. McNeil, an oft-rambling Turner, 70, was repeatedly rapped today by Judge Douglas P. Woodlock for seemingly evading answering the prosecutor’s questions and for using the hot seat as a soapbox. “I’m just trying to do my job,” Turner frequently said, while artfully peppering his answers with inflammatory phrases such as “sting operation” and “sprung your trap” to characterize his plight. He is accused of attempted extortion and making false statements to the FBI. Turner called the alleged cold-cash handoff by Wilburn “a minister’s handshake” and said he never looked down at what he was being given. He told McNeil, however, he would have thought it “strange” if he had seen money in his hand. Turner acknowledged blogging at one point that President Obama and Vice President Biden may have been part of a conspiracy to unseat him, telling McNeil, “It’s one line of thought. I don’t know if it’s true. It’s worth thinking about.” He also admitted accusing FBI agents who questioned him about informant Ronald Wilburn in August 2007, more than a year before Turner’s arrest, of working for racists and telling them, “If you take out all the corrupt politicians, you take out 90 percent.” At one point, Turner insisted a color photograph McNeil showed him of Wilburn was black and white. Wilson passed on Woodlock’s offer to step in when McNeil was finished. Later, Wilson told reporters, “The jury’s had an opportunity to learn who Mr. Turner is. Mr. Turner did what he felt he had to do. “What people should question is what was going on here. There was no understanding, no agreement, that Mr. Turner was going to do anything beyond his job. That’s what the facts showed before Mr. Turner even addressed the jury.” Former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, who Wilburn also took down with bribe money she was infamously photographed stuffing in her bra at a Beacon Hill restaurant, is awaiting sentencing. Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1291879

On stand, Chuck Turner has ‘no memory’ of bribeBy Richard Weir  |   Wednesday, October 27, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Politics MORE HARM THAN GOOD? Chuck Turner took the stand in his own defense yesterday, denying he accepted a bribe from FBI informant Ronald Wilburn. Legal experts agree he may have been better off not testifying.Photo by Mark Garfinkel Chuck Turner’s decision yesterday to take the witness stand in his corruption trial — only to suffer complete memory loss regarding an alleged bribe in 2007 — was a bold but risky gambit that could sabotage his case, legal experts told the Herald. “In my opinion, it was a damaging move,” said defense attorney and former prosecutor William Kickham. “There is nothing to explain why he would not remember such a memorable event.” Longtime defense lawyer William Gens said Turner would have been more shrewd simply attacking the prosecution’s case, rather than asking jurors to find him believable. “Once you put your client on the stand, you take the presumption of innocence and the burden of proof and throw it out the window because the jury is now thinking … who has the better case,” he said. “If I was his counsel, I would not be too pleased.” Turner was the first witness called in his defense after the prosecution rested. He is on trial in federal court for allegedly taking a $1,000 bribe from Ronald Wilburn in exchange for helping the Roxbury nightclub operator try to score a coveted liquor license for a planned superclub. Wilburn, a reluctant government witness paid nearly $30,000 by FBI agents for his role in the same sting that brought down state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, testified last week how he secretly videotaped slipping Turner the wad of cash in the councilor’s district office Aug. 3, 2007. Asked by one of his lawyers, John Pavlos, if he took the bribe, Turner said, “Not at all,” adding, “Why would somebody give me that kind of money? It would make such a strange occurrence. It would create a memory.” Under a withering cross-examination by Assistant U.S. Attorney John McNeil, an unflappable Turner repeated over and over that he had no memory of sitting down with Wilburn. “You’ve seen the videotape three times. Are you denying today meeting Mr. Wilburn on Aug. 3, 2007?” McNeil asked. “I have no memory of meeting with him,” Turner said, prompting McNeil to fire back, “Do you have a special blank for Ron Wilburn?” “No,” Turner said. McNeil then grilled Turner about what appears to be the large bills being slipped into his palm. “But something changed hands, Mr. Turner,” McNeil said. “It looks like that. I don’t know. I couldn’t see it,” Turner replied. “I don’t remember what happened that day.” Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1291797

Unflappable Turner takes the standBy Richard Weir  |   Tuesday, October 26, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Politics Photo by Mark Garfinkel It was Chuck Turner’s turn on the stand today and the 70-year-old councilor swore he has no memory of an alleged $1,000 bribe being slipped into his hand by a businessman working for the FBI. Turner, dressed in a suit and purple tie, was unflappable as he denied any culpability in the Aug. 3, 2007, exchange — even under a withering attack from prosecutor John McNeil. McNeil peppered Turner with one question after another about the alleged money transfer between the Roxbury pol and entrepreneur-turned-informant Ronald Wilburn. “Do you have a special blank for Ron Wilburn?” McNeil asked. “No,” Turner said. Asked about being slipped the money — as prosecutors maintain took place and was captured on a hidden camera — Turner said, “I don’t know.” “But something changed hands, Mr. Turner,” McNeil shot back. “It’s looks like that, but I don’t know. I couldn’t see it,” Turner said. When asked about the reported cash bribe by his own attorney John Pavlos, Turner said it left him puzzled and still does. “Why would somebody give me that kind of money?” Turner said. “It would make such a strange occurrence. It would create a memory. “I saw it on the tape,” Turner later said. “It seems like there’s something there … I have no memory of it. The tape was not clear.” Turner is due back on the stand in the morning in U.S. District Court in Boston. Yesterday outside court Wilburn said jurors “will crucify (Turner’s) ass.” When told of Wilburn’s assertions yesterday, Turner said he would leave it up to jurors to decide if he is telling the truth. Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1291698