FBI Raid And Search Detailed In John Wiley Price Corruption Trial
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Jurors in John Wiley Price's federal corruption trial heard testimony this morning detailing the FBI's raid and search of Price's county office, along with the office of his executive assistant, Dapheny Fain, on June 27, 2011.
FBI agent Aaron Covey said agents found $2,250 on Price, most in $100 bills, and a $3,900 check in Fain's BMW, when they swarmed the Dallas County administration building that morning.
Price showed up about 20 minutes after federal agents, and, while polite, "he was upset that we were there," Covey said. He also testified that agents seized from the offices a large amount of documents, envelopes, files and some credit cards.
One of Price's defense attorneys, Christopher Knox, suggested nothing sinister was found, pointing out a picture of the commissioner's cluttered desk. "It appears to be the desk of a busy person," he said.
Fain's lawyer, Thomas Mills, asked how the FBI entered her office since he believed it was locked. Covey said he did not recall.
Price and Fain are in federal court, accused of conspiring to receive and conceal hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for Price's influence on the Dallas County Commissioners Court, mostly in awarding lucrative contracts.
The trial, only in its fourth day, is expected to last four months. Kathy Nealy, a prominent political consultant and close friend to Price, is accused of similar charges and is expected to be tried separately in federal court.
