First Trial Ended in Deadlock : Louisiana Gov. Edwards’ Fraud Case Goes to Jury

Louisiana’s long-running courtroom spectacle--the trial of flamboyant Gov. Edwin W. Edwards on charges of fraud and racketeering--has gone to the jury, which will begin deliberating this morning.

For six weeks, the jurors have heard circumstantial evidence against Edwards and four co-defendants--three of them close friends and one his brother, Marion.

Federal prosecutors allege that the men conspired to rig the granting of “certificates of need” for the construction of eight hospitals, including four in which Edwards had financial interest.

A Complicated Case

The scheme, prosecutors say, netted the defendants $10 million--including $1.9 million for Edwards.

But the complicated case involves a massive trail of paper, as well as confusion about who knew what when.

Last December, the prosecution’s first effort at a conviction failed after a 14-week trial ended with a hung jury. There were reports that either one or two jurors had held out for a guilty verdict on the various charges against the popular three-term governor.

This time, the government revised its presentation, calling fewer witnesses.

And Edwards, a silver-haired man who enjoys betting in Las Vegas casinos, gambled with his own simplified strategy--he called no defense witnesses.

“Why should I?” he said. “Nobody believes that stuff.”

So his defense largely rested on the closing arguments of his attorneys Thursday.

One, Michael Fawer, painstakingly rebutted the testimony.

Another, Edwards’ longtime friend and lawyer, Camille Gravel, spent 40 minutes in praise for the governor that sounded like a campaign speech:

“A man who has for 35 years been elected to and serving in public office without any stain or stigma . . . never defeated in 15 elections . . . an honest, loyal, faithful public servant . . . he is the son of a sharecropper and he has never forgotten his roots . . . he has never lost the common touch or failed to be concerned about the problems of the people of Louisiana.”

Edwards is indeed the son of a sharecropper--and he has won 15 elections. In addition, by his own count, he has been the target of 13 federal investigations into official misconduct.

An Image as a Rogue

In some ways, the inquiries have helped endear Edwards, a Democrat, to a state that is well-used to corruption in high places.

He has cultivated an image as a rogue--full of manly charm and Cajun bravado. He is praised as much for entertainment as statesmanship. His nicknames are “The Cajun King” and “Fast Eddy.”

So prosecutor John Volz, who has exchanged nasty remarks with Edwards through the news media for several months, tried to counter the defense’s closing remarks with something of a civic lesson.

“Do you want the fat cats to operate your government?” he asked the jury. “Do you want the sacred cows, the holier-than-thous?

“Let’s tell the corrupters and the corrupted alike that the people of this state will no longer tolerate payoffs, fraud and conspiracy.”