Miami News-Record
Tuesday, October 29, 1996
Vendor says he paid Walker part of gambling proceeds
By Ron Holmes
Miami News-Record
Allegations of payoffs continued in federal court Monday as government prosecutors called anther set of illegal gambling machine vendors to testify against Ottawa Count Sheriff James “Ed” Walker.
Edwin “Tubby” Mercer, of Tubby’s Amusements, told the court that following a meeting with Walker at Buffalo Ranch, he began paying 10 percent of the illegal gambling proceeds from his machines to the sheriff. Mercer also told the court that he set up meetings between Walker and machine vendors Lawrence Brumback and Chuck Newkirk.
His wife, Shirley, told of mailing two money orders to Walker, money orders which the prosecution established last week had been cashed by Walker. But she also said that she did not sign her name to the money orders.
Their son-in-law, Todd Lawson, who made the weekly pickups of cash from the machines, said that Edwin Mercer told him that the sheriff was getting a payoff. So far, none of the three have been indicted in the matter, which stems from the Sept. 14, 1994 raid by federal agents of several area businesses and the seizure of 78 illegal gambling machines. But throughout the trial, defense attorney Gary Richardson has challenged the credibility of the prosecution’s witnesses, many of whom have admitted they expect leniency as a result of their testimony. Richardson has also called into question the discrepancies between testimony and the statements originally given to federal investigators and the fact that witnesses, with the cooperation of federal authorities had changed their statements.
The trial, which is in its second week, is expected to last three weeks and subpoenas have been issued for several Ottawa County and city of Miami officials.
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