The trial of former state senator Roscoe Dixon for conspiracy and extortion concluded Tuesday in federal court after an uncomfortable day for the sometimes confused defendant on the witness stand.
The hopes of Dixon, who was forced to acknowledge taking money from FBI agents masquerading as executives of a computer company needing legislative favors, rested on an eloquent summation by lead defense attorney Coleman Garrett. The accused man had been wheedled and scammed into cooperating with a government-manufactured “conspiracy” over a year’s time, Garrett insisted, calling Dixon a victim, not a perpetrator.
With his fate ready to be deliberated by a jury, starting today, most observers saw conviction probable, a hung jury possible, and acquittal unlikely. Go here, for more.
