Jury finds Batterson guilty of bribery charges in Orlando expressway board case (Central FL)
(Frankly, there are bigger fish in the Central Florida pond, but it's a start.)
An Orange County jury today found former Orlando expressway authority board member Scott Batterson guilty of two bribery-related charges for offering a $5-million-a-year contract to an engineering consultant in exchange for hiring some of his friends.
The four-woman, two-man jury deliberated about three hours before returning the verdict. Jurors heard nearly two hours of arguments this morning before gathering behind closed doors to discuss what they had seen and heard just before 1 p.m. Two alternates declined comment after they were dismissed.
Batterson, who showed no reaction to the verdict, was handcuffed and taken into custody. He faces up to 30 years in prison on the conviction.
"It is never easy or good when a public official is convicted of a crime," Chief Assistant State Attorney Rick Wallsh said after the verdict.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-batterson-trial-day-3-20140827,0,5265930.story