Ray Samsom Trial Begins: Crime, Or Good Legislating?

March 22, 2011

A building put into the state budget by former House Speaker Ray Sansom was never asked for by anyone except a Sansom contributor and ally, the government charged in an opening statement in Sansom’s trial for theft of state money on Monday. The contributor, Jay Odom, is also facing charges in the corruption case that forced the speaker from office.

Sansom, who resigned in 2008, is accused of funneling about $6 million to Northwest Florida State College. Prosecutors allege the money actually was meant to help Odom build an airplane hangar for private jets.

“The college never asked for this building. The county never asked for this building. The city never really asked for this building,” Prosecutor Willie Meggs said in his opening statement. “The only people who wanted this … building is Jay Odom, a defendant in this case. He is the only one who is asking for it and he wanted the state of Florida to build it for him. So then comes Ray Sansom.”

Sansom, who was in the courtroom Monday, faces up to 30 years in prison for grand theft and conspiracy for his part in what prosecutors say was a scheme in 2007 to build the hanger for Odom, a heavyweight political contributor, using state education money. Former college President Bob Richburg was charged with being in on the plan, but he is now testifying against Sansom.

Attorneys for Sansom argued in opening his defense on Monday that their client used his position as an incoming House speaker to do what others before him have done, working to secure for his constituents a valuable project that would improve emergency response capabilities in the coastal city of Destin. Besides, the money was in the state budget, there for lawmakers to see, and they voted on it.

“This has happened since time immortal,” said Sansom attorney Steve Dobson.

Monday’s arguments come more than two years after Sansom stepped down from the powerful legislative position following mounting criticism for taking a $110,000 a year job with the college located in his district. Subsequent investigation found that, as the chairman of the House budget committee, Sansom had helped shepherd more than $35 million in projects to the college, formerly known as Okaloosa Walton Community College.

Meggs, Dobson and Odom’s attorney James Judkins, outlined their upcoming cases to a jury of four women and two men who were picked from a pool of potential jurors on Friday. Much of the evidence will involve emails and other electronic exchanges between the defendants and Northwest Florida’s former president, Richburg, who is expected to testify against Sansom and Odom as part of a plea agreement. The case has been scheduled to go until Friday.

During his opening, Dobson focused on the appropriations process and how the project, which began as a Community Issue Budget Request, was transformed into a member project after then-House Speaker Marco Rubio told members no CIBRs would be funded in 2007. Nonetheless, the item showed up in the final budget as a member project, a routine inclusion given Sansom’s political clout.

“The evidence will show you that he did what any legislator is supposed to do: Fund good, meaningful projects for his community,” Dobson said.

Meggs, in turn, said the process was far from routine as Sansom, Odom and Richburg scrambled to put together a defensible proposal after the fact to justify the hastily added line item.

“Usually buildings on college campuses are on a three to five- year plan,” Meggs said. “This project was on a 30-day plan. It was on the 30-day plan of Ray Sansom and Jay Odom and they used the defendant, Robert Richburg, the president of the college, to accomplish that.”

Odom’s attorney, Judkins, said the emergency operations complex was of paramount importance to Destin City officials, who, following devastating hurricane seasons in 2004 and 2005, wanted a place on the island to house emergency responders and serve as a jumping off point for recovery efforts.

Odom made no attempt to conceal the fact he was interested in leasing space from the college, but went ahead with other plans when the deal fell through.

Pictured: Ray Samsom looks on Monday as attorney offer pre-trail motions in the case against the former House Speaker. Photo by Mike Peltier for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Story by Michael Peltier
The News Service of Florida

Comments

3 Responses to “Ray Samsom Trial Begins: Crime, Or Good Legislating?”

  1. A.W. THOMPSON on March 22nd, 2011 4:48 pm

    Corruption and chaos starts in the small towns and reaches all the way to the oval office.If there is money to be had there are always going to be parasites and thugs to steal and extort it by any means possible.The sad part is if any of this trio get convicted they will go on vacation to a club fed facility with all the bells and whistles.That had to be one fine airplane hangar.Keep us updated on ol’ Ray ,my bet is he will skate like W.D. with all his full retirement benefits from the state of Florida.It just goes to show you ‘ the devil dont take a day off’.A.W THOMPSON MOSQUITO FLATS, FLORIDA

  2. Oversight on March 22nd, 2011 12:52 pm

    Criminal act, period.

  3. Horrific! on March 22nd, 2011 7:58 am

    Its your money. I hope he goes to jail.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News