Nov 12, 2008 2:35 pm US/Eastern
Closing Arguments Begin In Bryant Corruption Trial
TRENTON (AP) ―
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Former N.J. state senator Wayne Bryant (file)
CBS
At the peak of his political power, Wayne Bryant could have had a sign above his door that read "senator for hire," a federal prosecutor told jurors Wednesday as he delivered his closing argument in Bryant's corruption trial.
"That's just what happened here," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Lurie. "He rented himself out."
After eight weeks of testimony, Lurie laid out one last time for jurors the government's contention that Bryant, once the chairman of the state senate's budget committee, took a job at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey's School of Osteopathic Medicine in 2003 as a bribe for bringing state money to the school.
If he's convicted on all counts, the 60-year-old Bryant, a Democrat from Lawnside, could face several years in state prison. The case is one of the highest profile corruption prosecutions of the more than 100 initiated by U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie during his seven years as the top federal law enforcement official in New Jersey.
The case was cited by several Republican politicians in elections this year because of the revelation that some lawmakers controlled state grant money out of public view. There was testimony that Bryant himself doled our $4 million that way.
Bryant faces 12 criminal counts. Michael Gallagher, the former dean of the Stratford medical school who hired Bryant, is also on trial and faces seven charges.
In addition to the charges related to what prosecutors call a "low-show" job at the medical school, Bryant is accused of having underlings at his law firm do work he was paid to do for the Gloucester County Board of Social Services.
Lurie told jurors that Bryant secured $10.5 million for UMDNJ, which is in his southern New Jersey legislative district, after being hired to a community relations job there.
Before that, Lurie said, Bryant had not talked about trying to get more money for the medical school.
"Who is Senator Bryant to say who gets the money because he's getting paid for it by Dr. Gallagher?" Lurie asked jurors. "That is not honest services, ladies and gentlemen."
Lawyers for Bryant and Gallagher will make their final appeals to jurors later Wednesday or Thursday. During testimony, Bryant's lawyer tried to show that Bryant's actions were not unusual for a legislator.
The jury is expected to begin deliberations by Friday.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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