Politics & Government

Juror Excused from DeKalb CEO's Trial; Testimony Focuses on Campaign Cash

The first week of Burrell Ellis' trial on 14 charges, including bribery and theft, wrapped up Friday with testimony on campaign donations.

A juror was released for financial hardship Friday afternoon from further serving in the corruption trial for former DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis.

Ellis faces 14 felony charges, ranging from bribery to theft, which he has consistently denied.

The trial started Tuesday with the judge warning jurors they could be away from work for more than a month, WSB TV reports.

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The juror who was excused was working a temporary assignment when the trial began. Judge Courtney Johnson said the woman wouldn’t be paid by the employer during the trial because her job was not permanent, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The judge worried that the juror’s financial issue might prompt her to work at the job overnight and show up to the trial lacking sleep.

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Ellis was indicted in the summer of 2013 by a DeKalb County grand jury on charges he illegally pressured contractors into giving him campaign contributions. He faces 14 felony charges that accuse him of shaking down county vendors for campaign donations and punishing those who did not give, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Ellis has denied the charges.

Testimony in court the past two days focused on recordings of Ellis discussing calls he made to a county contractor seeking campaign donations.

Hakim Hilliard, Ellis’ chief of staff, testified Friday that he warned Ellis about shutting out National Property Institute, which had a $1 million county contract to renovate rundown properties. Ellis had complained that company officials were not returning his phone calls, which were to ask for a $2,500 campaign contribution, reports the newspaper.

“I was concerned about them thinking it was because of the campaign contribution” they had declined to make to Ellis’ 2012 re-election rather than their lack of responsiveness to the CEO, Hilliard testified.

»See full coverage of the Ellis trial on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website.


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