Legal News

Opening statements made yesterday in entertainment "bribes-for-contracts" trial

By Richard Binder

The Associated Press reports that opening statements were delivered in the first case to charge entertainment industry figures under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. 

Jonathan Lopez, a senior trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, told the seven man-five woman jury that Gerald and Patricia Green created shell companies and paid off the former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Juthamas Siriwan, by transferring money into bank accounts of Juthamas' daughter and a friend so they would be awarded business contracts.

Attorney Jerome Mooney, who represents Gerald Green, said the payments made to Juthamas' daughter were legitimate because his 77-year-old client had entered into a consulting agreement with her. And Marilyn Bednarski, Patricia Green's lawyer, shot down Lopez's contention that the couple profited heavily from the contracts by entering tax returns from the years of benefiting from the alleged "bribes-for-contracts" scheme.

If convicted, the Greens could each receive up to life in prison.

Click here for the full story.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on August 27, 2009 (boomark / email).