Hedgecock Trial Jury to Get Case Next Week

Lawyers for both sides rested their cases Thursday in Mayor Roger Hedgecock’s conspiracy and perjury trial, clearing the way for jury deliberation to begin next week.

“Now it’s up to the jury, the judge and the lawyers,” said Hedgecock, who testified for seven hours, against his lawyer’s advice. “I’m happy I decided to testify. . . . But I don’t know if I got the chance to get every detail out.”

Hedgecock is accused of participating in a scheme to funnel illegal funds into his 1983 campaign for the mayor’s office. He faces a maximum penalty of 51 years in prison if convicted of all of the 13 counts he faces, and would be forced to resign if found guilty on any count.

The trial resumes Monday, when closing arguments and instructions to the Superior Court jury may be presented.

Michael Pancer, Hedgecock’s attorney, rested his case Thursday morning after completing redirect examination of the mayor. Prosecutor Richard Huffman called rebuttal witnesses Thursday afternoon, then rested his case.

On Wednesday, Hedgecock and Huffman engaged in a series of lively, sometimes sarcastic exchanges.

The mayor is accused of conspiring with jailed financier J. David Dominelli, former Dominelli associate Nancy Hoover and political consultant Tom Shepard to funnel $357,000 to his campaign through Shepard’s consulting firm.

Shepard, Dominelli and Hoover face separate trials on similar charges.

Huffman questioned Hedgecock extensively about his knowledge of the funding of Shepard’s firm, which Shepard opened in January, 1982.

“Isn’t it a fact that he (Shepard) told you Nancy Hoover and Jerry Dominelli were going to set up that firm?” Huffman asked.

“It is not a fact,” Hedgecock said.

“You knew Tom Shepard would be willing to lose money to support your campaign?”

“Absolutely not.”

“You mean Tom Shepard didn’t tell you he was getting hundreds of thousands of dollars from the J. David Co.?” the prosecutor asked.

“No, sir, he did not,” the mayor said.

A prosecution witness, real estate investor Harvey Schuster, has testified that Hedgecock told him in mid-1981 that J. David & Co., Dominelli’s money-trading company, would be financing Shepard’s firm so it could run Hedgecock’s campaign.

Hedgecock said the conversation could not have taken place because Shepard did not announce until December, 1981, that he planned to leave Hedgecock’s county supervisor staff to open a consulting firm.

Hedgecock was a county supervisor before being elected in 1983 to serve out the unexpired mayoral term of Pete Wilson, who had been elected to the U.S. Senate. Last November, Hedgecock was elected to a full four-year term.