Former Warner Robins councilman found guilty of extortion

Former Warner Robins City Councilman John Williams was found guilty in federal court Wednesday of using his position on council to get a kickback from the sale of a truck to the Warner Robins Police Department.

After deliberating about four hours, jurors returned a verdict of guilty on all three counts: extortion under the color of official right, making false statements to FBI agents and tampering with a witness. Jurors declined comment as they left the federal courthouse in Macon.

Williams, 73, was allowed by U.S. District Court Judge Marc Treadwell to remain on bond pending sentencing, for which a date has not yet been set.

“Your honor, I appreciate that,” Williams told the judge. Williams showed no emotion when the verdict was read.

Tina Hunt, an assistant federal defender who represented Williams, declined comment as she and fellow staff members shepherded Williams, his wife, Elna, and other family members out of the courtroom.

After the verdict, U.S. Attorney Michael Moore said he was pleased because he felt the evidence proved the case. Moore said he feels strongly that public officials should be held accountable for breaking the public trust. But Moore said he was also disheartened.

“In a way, I’m sad,” Moore told media representatives assembled outside the courthouse. “I hate to see a public official abuse a public office for personal gain.”

The extortion and tampering convictions each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while the false statements conviction carries up to five years. Moore said he believes the convictions merit some sort of jail time, but that will be up to the judge based on a federal sentencing guidelines and a pre-sentencing report.

During the three-day trial, James Langdon, the FBI agent who investigated Williams, his confidential informant and others connected to the investigation faced sharp criticism from the defense.

Brian Lamkin, the top FBI official in Georgia, joined Moore outside the courthouse and took it all in stride.

“You can attack the messenger, but you cannot attack the message,” he said.

Closing arguments

Earlier Wednesday, jurors heard closing arguments from prosecution and defense attorneys.

Paul McCommon, an assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting the case, argued that Williams abused his power and position on council to get a $1,720 kickback on the sale of a $21,000 Toyota Tundra to Warner Robins police.

“It’s his position as a city councilman that gave him the opportunity to commit the crime,” McCommon told jurors.

The sale was never finalized, and Williams gave the money back to the car salesman. He was defeated in the November election.

Hunt argued that Williams’ conduct was unethical but not criminal. She noted that Williams had brokered other vehicle deals for Signature Auto Sales in exchange for a commission.

“There is no question that what John Williams did is unethical, but doing something unethical is not necessarily a crime,” Hunt told jurors.

McCommon countered that Williams knew it was wrong to receive personal gain from a financial deal involving the city after he was told such action was unethical in May 2010 when he wanted to sell his personal car to the city but was rejected.

McCommon argued that Williams was the “driving force” behind the truck sale. Hunt countered that other individuals -- such as Naim “Camel” Jaber, the car salesman whose S visa to stay in the country was based on providing information to the FBI as a confidential informant -- also were driving forces.

Hunt told jurors that FBI agent Langdon was a driving force in asking Warner Robins police Chief Brett Evans to go ahead with the truck purchase while the FBI was investigating Williams. She also noted that City Purchasing Agent Mark Baker moved it forward at the request of Evans in spite of the high cost of the truck because Evans told him “trust me.”

Hunt argued that Williams was deceived, lied to and set up.

“You know what you get when you cross keystone cops with a camel?” Hunt asked jurors. “You get a federal indictment that doesn’t hold water.”

McCommon argued it was Williams who first came to Jaber with the proposal of selling the truck to Warner Robins police for a $500 commission and that it was ultimately Williams who made the choice to accept the $1,720 cash payment.

McCommon reminded jurors of the videotape they viewed of Williams accepting cash from Jaber inside Jaber’s truck Sept. 6, 2011, as the men talked about when the city might cut the check to Signature Auto Sales for the purchase.

Council approved the purchase the same day, but the sale was later halted after Mayor Chuck Shaheen raised questions about the bidding process, Baker testified. Baker also testified that Evans asked him to stop the sale.

McCommon reminded jurors of testimony from Langdon that when asked about the purchase, Williams lied to the FBI agents, stating that he had not received any money when he had. Langdon also testified that Williams told investigators that Jaber was not involved and told Langdon he knew it would be wrong to accept such a payment.

McCommon also noted the audio tape of a Sept. 20, 2011 telephone conversation between Williams and Jaber in which Williams tells Jaber not to “breathe a word” about what happened.

Hunt countered that Williams was running for re-election and knew he’d been caught doing something unethical and didn’t want that known.

That’s a far cry from tampering with a witness, Hunt argued. She noted that Williams did not ask Jaber to lie to the FBI.

To contact writer Becky Purser, call 256-9559.

This story was originally published April 25, 2012 at 11:04 AM with the headline "Former Warner Robins councilman found guilty of extortion ."