Subject:  Lawyer at testifies he was not promised reimbursement |
Author:
Chris
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Date Posted: 04/28/08 6:49pm
In reply to:
Diane
's message, "Fiegers' Trial Tomorrow ????" on 04/13/08 6:44pm
Monday, April 28, 2008
Lawyer at Fieger's firm testifies he was not promised to be reimbursed for donations
Paul Egan / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- A lawyer who works for indicted Southfield attorney Geoffrey Fieger testified Monday that Fieger's law firm reimbursed him for $8,000 in political donations he made on behalf of himself, his wife, and his two college-age children.
But attorney Paul Broschay testified he was not promised he would be reimbursed for the checks he wrote to the 2004 presidential campaign of Democrat John Edwards and would have donated to the Edwards' campaign even if partners at the firm had not asked him to do so. He did not think he did anything illegal, Broschay told a jury in U.S. District Court.
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 is also charged with obstruction of justice, a 10-year felony. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Broschay testified he wrote checks from him and his wife in March 2003 after discussing the donations with his wife and a few months later obtained cashier checks in the names of his twin college-age children in response to a request from Johnson. Each of the checks was for $2,000, the maximum an individual can give under federal law.
Broschay testified Johnson told him there was some urgency about receiving the latter donations, from his children, so he obtained the checks in his children's names before first discussing the donations with them.
When he later talked to his children about the donations, they "were ecstatic that we did this," Broschay testified. He testified he did not know why Johnson was in a hurry to receive the donations.
Broschay, a former Detroit police officer, testified he was afraid and upset when FBI agents came to his home the evening of Nov. 30, 2005, the same night they raided Fieger's law offices. He felt the agents tried to intimidate him by accusing him of committing a felony and using a "good cop, bad cop" routine, he testified.
The trial resumes Tuesday.
You can reach Paul Egan at (313) 222-2069 or pegan@detnews.com.
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