Subject:  Fieger's personal trainer testifies about $4,000 reimbursement |
Author:
Chris
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Date Posted: 05/13/08 7:18pm
In reply to:
Diane
's message, "Fiegers' Trial Tomorrow ????" on 04/13/08 6:44pm
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Fieger's personal trainer testifies about $4,000 reimbursement
Paul Egan / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- Attorney Geoffrey Fieger's personal trainer testified Tuesday Fieger told him to keep quiet about getting reimbursed for $4,000 in political donations the trainer and his wife made to the 2004 presidential campaign of Democrat John Edwards.
Richard Fincher, who directed 6 a.m. gym workouts for Fieger six days a week, testified Fieger told him "not to talk about it to anybody."
Fieger, 57, and his law partner, Ven Johnson, 46, were indicted in 2007 on conspiracy and illegal campaign contribution charges. They are accused of making $127,000 in illegal donations to the Edwards campaign by reimbursing employees, employee relatives and law firm vendors. Fieger also is charged with obstruction of justice, a 10-year felony.
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Tuesday was the 11th day of testimony in U.S. District Court in Detroit. The government may close its case Wednesday or Thursday. Fieger's attorneys have admitted he made the reimbursements. The key issue is whether he and Johnson knowingly and willfully broke the law.
Fincher testified that during a morning workout in January 2004 Fieger asked him to do him a favor and write $2,000 checks -- the maximum an individual could donate by law -- to the Edwards campaign from him and his wife.
"I didn't want to do it at first, because I didn't have the money in my account," Fincher testified. "He said not to worry about it, that he would be taking care of it."
Fincher wrote the checks and received a $4,300 reimbursement check from Fieger's law firm the same day.
In other testimony, a paralegal who used to work for Fieger, SueEllen Sandner, testified she did not believe Fieger would ask her to do anything illegal and she felt intimidated when an FBI agent told her she committed a felony by getting reimbursed for her Edwards donation.
"He was fairly aggressive talking to me when I didn't say the words that he wanted me to say," Sandner testified about FBI Special Agent Jeff Reese, who was in charge of the Fieger investigation.
She testified Reese suggested to her, but she denied, that the only reason she donated to Edwards was Fieger. In fact, "I thought our president was terrible and I wanted a new one," Sandner testified.
Also Tuesday, former Fieger contractor Wendy VonBuskirk testified under cross-examination that Fieger never told her to hide anything or to deny she had been reimbursed for her donations to the Edwards campaign.
VonBuskirk testified Monday that Fieger told her to tell the FBI to "f- off," and just say she supported Edwards. She testified she understood he wanted her to "keep it at that." But Tuesday, when cross-examined by Johnson attorney Steve Fishman, VonBuskirk testified she was only guessing what Fieger wanted and he never actually said that.
The trial resumes today with Fincher on the stand, being cross-examined by Fieger attorney David Nevin.
You can reach Paul Egan at (313) 222-2069 or pegan@detnews.com.
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