Bill Campbell has a stock pot full of experience. His legacy started in 1960 when he was 7 years old. A first grade student at Murphey elementary school in Raleigh, North Carolina, young Bill Campbell integrated the school, solo, opening the doors for other black Americans. He graduated from Vanderbilt University as a triple major, completing his studies in political science, history, and sociology in only 3 years. In 1977 he graduated from Duke University Law School, moved to Atlanta and started practicing law. In 1993 he was elected Mayor of Atlanta, winning 73% of the vote, defeating Michael Lomax in a runoff election. To date, he has served Atlanta for 20 years as a prosecutor, a member of the Atlanta City Council as the floor leader under Maynard Jackson, and Mayor of the city. He tenure as mayor was 1994-2002.

In 2000, Bill Campbell's pot started to boil over when federal authorities began investigating city contracts and political fundraising. By the end of 2003, 12 friends, associates, and employees in Bill Campbell's administration were investigated and prosecuted by the Federal government. Eleven of those associations were found guilty. One has been granted immunity. The question before the federal court is whether the corruption extended to Campbell.

The RICO Act
In 1970, Congress passed the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1961-1968. At the time, the focus of Congress was to eradicate the Mafia. In the new millennium however, RICO has taken a turn, and Congress has chosen to target "racketeering activity." Racketeering, according to the United States, is the act of engaging in criminal activity as a structured group.

Some courts have interpreted RICO as legislation that ensures marketplace integrity. A RICO claim can arise in almost any context; to individuals, businesses, groups, and terrorist organizations. Federal prosecutors are using the RICO Act to try to convict Bill Campbell, alleging "under color of official right," Campbell used his office of Mayor to obtain an illegitimate objective.

Under the RICO Act, a person must be found guilty of 2 acts to receive a racketeering conviction. Bill Campbell is charged with 11 counts of racketeering. Campbell could face up to 5 years in prison if convicted.

The Charges
Federal prosecutors allege the following about former Atlanta Mayor, Bill Campbell:

Racketeering Acts One through Three: Corrupt Payments from Computer Contractors:
Authorities allege Campbell solicited and accepted over $50,000 in cash payments from certain computer contractors in connection with a contract to prepare the City's computers for Year 2000 ("Y2K contract").

Racketeering Acts Four and Five: Corrupt Payments from the Consultant: Campbell is alleged to have solicited and accepted payments and other benefits, directly and indirectly, from individuals and businesses engaged in or seeking to do business with the City, and that he failed to disclose to the City the payments and other benefits he received.

Racketeering Acts Six and Seven: Corrupt Payments from Club Owner and Communications Contractor: Campbell is accused of using his Special Assistant to collect payments from a club owner seeking liquor licenses from the City and a communications contractor doing business with the City. The Special Assistant lived in a basement apartment in Campbell's home for 6 years.

Racketeering Acts Eight through Ten: Campaign Fund Fraud: Federal prosecutors charge that Campbell encouraged, solicited, and accepted illegal campaign contributions, and knowingly defrauded contributors to and creditors of his re-election campaign, and concealed it from the City and the electorate.

Racketeering Act Eleven: Undisclosed Benefits from Water Company : Bill Campbell is charged with honest services fraud by soliciting and accepting undisclosed financial benefits from a water company engaged in and seeking to do business with the City.

Counts Two through Four: Corrupt Payments: Counts Two through Four of the indictment charge Campbell with taking corrupt payments in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666, which makes it a Federal crime for anyone who is an agent of local government to corruptly accept anything of value from any person intending to be influenced or rewarded in connection with certain transactions of the organization, government or agency. These Counts allege that in the summer of 1999 Campbell received unlawful cash payments of $25,000, $20,000, and $10,000 in connection with the Y2K contract as alleged in Racketeering Acts One through Three.

Counts Five through Seven: Tax Violations: Counts Five through Seven charge Campbell with willfully filing false tax returns for tax years 1997, 1998 and 1999 by underreporting material amounts of income he received from 1997, 1998, 1999.

Bill Campbell's Legacy
Former Mayor Bill Campbell presided over Atlanta during its most prosperous and flourishing period in recent history. During his tenure, he presided over the 1996 Olympics. Campbell helped transform Atlanta's skyline, presiding over the construction of Philips Arena and highrise condominiums. He virtually erased housing projects and replaced them with mixed-use developments, and improved public housing. He stood for the poor. He stood firmly for Affirmative Action and fought for minority involvement in contracts. He built community centers, including a multi million dollar center for senior citizens.

With Bill Campbell at the helm, Atlanta grew for the first time in over 30 years. According to Bob Holmes, a political science professor at Clark Atlanta University, who is writing a book on Maynard Jackson, Bill Campbell added 40,000 people to the city of Atlanta. "In terms of economic development, it was probably the best 8 years in the history of the city in terms of growth," Holmes said.

By the time Bill Campbell left office, all of his work was not done. He started his term by getting Atlanta Voters to approve a $150 million bond issue to fix streets, bridges, sewers and parks. By the time he left office, only half of it was completed and left for his successor, current Mayor Shirley Franklin to address.

Bill Campbell struggled to find work in Atlanta after leaving office. Willie Gary, a highly successful African American attorney from Florida, stepped up and offered Campbell a partnership in his firm. Campbell moved to Florida and started representing the family of Kenneth Walker, a black insurance analyst shot to death in 2003 by a white deputy in a drug stop gone wrong. Campbell is currently on leave of absence from the firm. He fervently denies any of the charges against him.

Key Testimonies
People with connections to the former mayor are expected to testify against him. Associations already tried and convicted are expected to testify. Some of those expected testimonies are:

Samuel Barber-a member of Mayor William Campbell's Campaign Finance Committee, made a contribution of $2,000 to Mayor Campbell's campaign, which was the maximum allowable contribution by an individual for an election of a local official. The day after he made his personal contribution, Barber cohosted a fundraiser for Campbell. On or about the day of the fundraiser, 5 employees of Barber's company, American Computer Technolo-gy, each contributed $2,000 to Campbell's campaign. On or about the same day, Barber executed checks on a company account to each of those individuals in the amount of $2,000, which reimbursed the employees for their contributions. When asked whether the ACT employees' contributions of $2,000 were connected to the $2,000 payments from ACT to those employees, before a federal grand jury in August, 2001, Barber, while under oath, denied any connection. Barber plead guilty to perjury in 2003.

Michael David Childs-Former owner of a popular Atlanta nude dance club, who paid arsonists to torch clubs owned by competitors, alleges that he passed a $50,000 bribe to Bill Campbell to protect the club's liquor license. Mayor Campbell, however revoked the license. Childs plead guilty to arson, tax fraud, and bribing a city official. Childs has assisted in several federal investigations and in exchange for his cooperation against Campbell and others. He received a reduced sentence of 3 years in prison for his crimes. Michael Childs, is a nephew of former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young.

Dewey Clark-Bill Campbell's former special assistant and friend of Michael Childs. Clark lived in the basement apartment of Bill Campbell's home, Clark allegedly passed on bribes from Childs to Campbell. After resigning as special assistant to the mayor in 1999, Dewey took a job as manager of another one of Michael Childs' strip Clubs. Childs and Clark alleged to federal authorities that Mayor Bill Campbell took bribes from them in order to protect Childs' liquor license for the nude dance club, reneged on the bribe, and failed to protect Childs' liquor license. Dewey Clark has not been charged.

Fred B. Prewitt-Chairman of the city's Civil Service Board, and a friend of Bill Campbell, pleaded guilty on charges of making false statements under oath. He admitted he was a "minority front" for white owned contractors seeking business from Atlanta.

Joseph Reid-In December 2001, Reid pleaded guilty to receiving corrupt payments from Vertis McManus. Reid had been a Special Assistant to Bill Campbell from1994 to1998 and Executive Director of the Atlanta Empow-erment Zone from 1998 to 2000. He then served as the City's Deputy Chief Operating Officer until his guilty plea, when he resigned his position.

Wilton Lawrence "Larry" Wallace-Former Chief Operating Officer of the City of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to accepting approximately $56,000 in corrupt payments from Vertis McManus of Spectronics Corporation, a City of Atlanta contractor, and failing to file tax returns for 1996 through 1998. The Court increased Wallace's sentence based on his leadership role in the offenses and his failure to accept responsibility for his crimes.
In 1999, when Larry Wallace's mother was hospitalized, Wallace claimed that he needed money to pay for his mother's medical expenses. McManus personally delivered $12,000 in cash to Wallace to pay the hospital bills. According to the hospital records, however, Mr. Wallace made no payments on his mother's medical bills. The medical bills were covered in large part by Medicare and the co-pay that was to be paid by the patient went into default.

Herbert McCall-The city's Director of Administrative Services was sentenced to 21 months in prison on guilty charges of perjury and obstruction of justice with respect to the Spectronics matter and his knowledge regarding a trip he made with Wilton Wallace. McCall and Wallace were paid to meet with the Mayor of Memphis and to endorse City contractors.

Vertis McManus-Vice President of Spectronics, plead guilty to making corrupt payments to Joseph R. Reid and Wilton Wallace and admitted that the purpose behind those payments was to buy the influence of these City officials to ensure that Spectronics received contracts with the City.

C.R. "Ronnie" Thornton-An active fundraiser for Bill Campbell's campaigns and city contractor concealed $130,000 in illegal contributions to Campbell's 1997 re-election campaign pleaded guilty in 2001 to violating federal banking laws. Thornton's lawyer said he gave the money because he "was made to believe" it was necessary to get fair consideration for his proposal to provide fill dirt for construction of a fifth runway at Hartsfield International Airport. Sentenced to 2 years on probation, $10,000 fine.

Dewey Martin-Chief Operating Officer for the Bill Campbell administration, Dewey Martin admitted to federal prosecutors that he took payoffs at City Hall. Under grant of immunity from prosecution, Martin has been cooperating in the investigation since 2002. His statement to the FBI does not mention whether Martin accepted payoffs on Campbell's behalf.

Jury Selection: Could Race be a Critical Ingredient?
The attorneys played hardball in the selection of the jury, like the life of their case depended on it. Though illegal, both sides accused the other side of using race for striking jurors from the pool. However, both sides cited neutral reasons for striking jurors from the pool. Out of a pool of 230, they finally narrowed down the jury to 7 black and 5 white jurors. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Story, who is overseeing the case, was troubled by the racial breakdown of the so-called jury strikes.

When he first realized the split, he told the legal teams, "It broke my heart." He adds, "I'm not asking for political correctness or anything else, but I want a trial based on law and evidence and that is fair and doesn't judge a man by the color of his skin."

With the exception of Dewey Martin and the immunity granted to him by the prosecution, does it matter that of the over 12 people-all minorities-that have associations with Bill Campbell (previously tried and convicted by the same prosecution team, headed by Sally Quinlan Yates)-have all received prison sentences and hefty fines, except C.R. Thorton, who happens to be a white man-got off with slap on the wrist compared to what the others got. He concealed one of the largest illegal contributions-$ 130,000 in the entire case. Could race be a critical ingredient? Is it possible that Bill Campbell is a target? There are a lot of interesting ingredients in this Campbell soup pot.

Bill Campbell's gumbo will be stirred at the Richard B. Russell Federal Building, 75 Spring Street, S.W., in downtown Atlanta. The trial is expected to take 6 to 8 weeks. Bill Campbell says he will take the stand in his own defense. He ardently maintains his innocence.