Opinion ID: 3049934
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: THE McNAIR TRIAL (05-061)

Text: The McNair trial, held from April 6 to 21, 2006, involved over $350,000 in bribes the Pugh, Rast, and Dougherty defendants paid to Commissioner McNair and $6,600 in bribes they paid to County employees Chandler and Ellis. The government called 36 witnesses, including Chandler, Ellis, Dawson, Creel, and Grady Pugh. The defense called 23 witnesses. No named defendant testified. The government’s witnesses described in great detail the bribes to McNair, 10 Chandler, and Ellis, and how those three County officials financially helped the Pugh, Rast, and Dougherty defendants in their contracts with and payments from Jefferson County. Because the defendant contractors in the McNair trial claimed they paid McNair only out of a long-time friendship and lacked corrupt intent, the district court admitted certain evidence, under Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b), about how these same defendants bribed Swann and other County employees in order to show the defendants’ corrupt intent and common plan. Thus, our recitation of evidence in the McNair trial covers bribes given not only to McNair but also to Swann and other County employees.
Jefferson County was governed by five elected Commissioners, each of whom had a different area of responsibility. Defendant McNair held office as a County Commissioner from 1996 until his retirement in March 2001. McNair was responsible for overseeing the JCESD, which included the sewer systems. McNair had authority to approve pay requests from the sewer construction contractors, to approve change orders7 increasing the contract price paid to those contractors, to approve change orders modifying the contract terms in favor of those contractors, to approve emergency payments to contractors, to select consulting engineers 7 Change orders are contract modifications in the Jefferson County Commission’s Agenda items. 11 through a no-bid process, and to approve the engineers’ contracts and payments. Although final approval required the vote of the entire Commission, there was no evidence that the Commission questioned or disapproved of any pay request or change order approved by McNair or any selection or award of a contract recommended by McNair. McNair’s nickname among the contractors was “Big Man.” McNair approved payments (in the hundreds of millions of dollars) to the Pugh, Rast, and Dougherty defendants (the “contractor-defendants”), approved change orders (in the millions of dollars) benefitting PUGH and RAST, and approved no-bid engineering contracts (in the millions of dollars) to FWDE, all while these defendants were paying for materials and labor to expand and renovate McNair’s photography studio. Each item requiring Commission approval, such as contract awards or modifications, needed McNair to approve it first and then to put it on the Commission’s agenda for further approval.8 The sewer construction contracts were awarded through a sealed bid process and would go to the lowest 8 For example, the December 1999 Commission Agenda shows a modification adding $1,081,621 (about 28% of the contract value) to a PUGH contract, and a $112,600 contract award to FWDE. The January 2000 Agenda indicates a modification adding $489,133 to a PUGH contract. The February 2000 Agendas indicate a modification adding $400,724 to a RAST contract, a $721,132 contract award to FWDE, and a modification adding $1,377,267 to a PUGH contract. The March 2000 Agenda indicates a $5,289,002 contract award to PUGH. The April 2000 Agenda indicates contract awards of $994,640 and $348,103 to FWDE, a modification adding $439,722 to a RAST contract, and a modification adding $850,264 to a PUGH contract. 12 bidder. But the prospective contractors had to satisfy technical standards set by the PRC before they would be eligible to bid. Once a new contract was awarded and in place, Chandler and other supervisors, such as Ellis, could approve changed or additional work as “field directives.” If a requested change exceeded the original contract amount, Chandler and Ellis could recommend “change orders” (requests for additional funds), which McNair would then approve and place on the Commission’s agenda, without further competitive bidding. The JCESD also could award “emergency” work to construction contractors without competitive bidding. For emergency jobs, Barber typically selected the contractor, negotiated the price, and then sent the pay requests to McNair, Swann, and Chandler for approval. Together, McNair, Swann, and Chandler approved a variety of contracts for the sewer project.9 The construction contractors’ work was supervised by independent consulting engineers, whose jobs were to make sure the contractors performed according to specifications and to sign off on payments and requests for change orders. This supervision was provided by engineering firms such as FWDE, USI, 9 For example, Chandler, Swann, and McNair approved a $1,168,788.02 payment to PUGH for work done in January 2001. Chandler, Swann, and McNair approved a $2,652,820 payment to PUGH for work done in June 2000. Chandler, Swann, and McNair approved a $1,000,000 payment to RAST in October 2000. Swann and McNair approved — in one day on an emergency basis without Chandler’s or the County engineer’s usual approval — a $1,152,888 payment to RAST for work done in October 2000. 13 and Dawson Engineering. The engineering consultant contracts were awarded without bidding. Swann and Chandler selected engineering firms, negotiated their contracts, and recommended them to McNair for final approval. The County’s PRC initially decided to qualify only three contractors to do “cured-in-place” work: W.L. Hailey (“Hailey”), Insituform, and Reynolds. Because the traditional “dig-and-replace” work was grouped with “cured-in-place” work for all the major construction contracts, this PRC decision effectively limited the “big jobs” to only three bidders: a RAST-Hailey joint venture, a PUGH-Insituform joint venture, and Reynolds, which did its own dig-and-replace work. In late 1999, the PRC changed the criteria, making it more difficult for other contractors to pre-qualify for “cured-in-place” work, and potentially delaying by two years the qualification of otherwise qualified contractors.10 Contractor PUGH’s CEO Grady Pugh admitted to receiving a “general benefit” from giving McNair “envelopes of cash,” in that “Jefferson County treated us real well. We had an opportunity to do a tremendous amount of work there. The work that we did there generated huge profits . . . [I]t took our company [PUGH] from a normal struggling contracting company in [the] mid to late ‘90s, to a thriving, wealthy, strong construction company.” 10 The PRC and its requirements are discussed more later in the Wilson trial section. 14 During the relevant period, PUGH dedicated about 70% of its work to the Jefferson County sewer rehabilitation and received tens of millions of dollars in revenue from that sewer work. In 1996 and 1997, at the sewer rehabilitation’s outset, PUGH made gross profits of 10%, and as the project continued and payments were made to JCESD officials, the company’s sewer rehabilitation profits increased to 50% in 1999, 40% in 2000, and 45% in 2001, making PUGH tens of millions of dollars each of these years. RAST also received tens of millions of dollars in revenue per year from its Jefferson County sewer work. And the engineering firms, including FWDE, received revenue in millions of dollars per year from their work on the sewer rehabilitation. McNair made the decision every time FWDE or Dawson Engineering was selected as the outside consulting engineer and awarded a professional service contract. After electrical contractor Gus Henson did some work for McNair without charge, McNair had Swann arrange a County contract for him, even though the County did not normally hire electrical engineers for sewer work. In total, from August 1999 to January 2002, Jefferson County paid $178 million to PUGH, $100 million to RAST, $11.4 million to FWDE, and $8 million to Dawson Engineering. 15
McNair owned a small photography business called McNair Frame & Photo Art, Inc. (“McNair’s studio”). Between 1999 and early 2002, McNair started a major expansion and renovation of the studio, which would more than double its size. McNair’s expansion included adding extras to the studio, such as an apartment for his daughter, a second-story deck, external stairs, a “guard shack,” and a security gate. All contractor-defendants in this case generously contributed to the renovation and expansion of McNair’s studio. In 1999, FWDE’s President Dougherty sent Bill Bailey, an FWDE employee initially hired as an inspector for County jobs, to work as the construction superintendent for the studio’s renovation. FWDE paid Bailey for the approximately 18 months he spent working at McNair’s studio. During that time, FWDE paid Bailey $74,240. Although some of his time was charged to “administration,” FWDE President Dougherty charged some of Bailey’s studio time to a JCESD sewer project. McNair was not charged for Bailey’s work. As superintendent, FWDE’s Bailey oversaw construction at McNair’s studio by numerous other contractors, including PUGH and RAST.11 11 As 404(b) evidence, the government showed that in addition to paying $74,240 to Bailey, FWDE paid the salaries of its employees, Wayne Hendon and John Stanger, while they acted as construction superintendents overseeing renovation of JCESD Director Swann’s home. FWDE paid Hendon $94,090 and Stanger $28,839 for that work. 16 RAST excavated for the expansion’s footings for McNair’s studio. In July 1999, PUGH ordered concrete and for four weeks had a four-man crew pour concrete walls and do other work on the studio, paying the crew $11,709. PUGH’s crew supervisor talked to McNair while the concrete work was in progress, but McNair did not question why he was there or where he was from, nor did McNair offer to pay for this work. In late 1999, FWDE’s Bailey asked Barry Mosley of Mosley Construction to do wood framing and other finish work at McNair’s studio. McNair initially paid Mosley, first with a check and then with cash, but eventually McNair stopped paying. Bobby Rast then told Bailey that “McNair was running out of funds” and that RAST would begin paying Mosley directly. From July 2000 to December 2000, RAST wrote 20 checks totaling $52,990 to Mosley as his work at the studio progressed, and, at Bobby Rast’s direction, coded these payments as expenses on a JCESD sewer project. Either Bailey or someone from RAST’s office, such as Danny Rast, brought Mosley the checks. In January 2002, RAST gave Mosley two more checks totaling $7,200 for work he and his crew did on the studio’s “guard shack,” a two-story, 12 x 12 building designed by defendant Dougherty, and built, in part, by defendants RAST and FWDE. Bobby Rast caused these payments to be coded as expenses on the 17 “Upper Valley Rehab” or Kilsby contract, a JCESD sewer project. For tax purposes, all payments to Mosley were deducted as business expenses on sewer projects. Mosley did no work on those projects. After a local newspaper reported RAST’s construction work at JCESD Director Swann’s home, RAST amended its tax returns for 1998-2000 and 2002 to eliminate these and other deductions. The deductions, which totaled over $140,000, were based on expenditures for McNair’s studio and Swann’s home that had been cost-coded to sewer projects and treated as business expenses. After the publicity, Bobby Rast told his bookkeeper in “effect that we really didn’t need any document invoices in the files with Jack Swann’s or Chris McNair’s shipping address on them.” The bookkeeper then located and discarded several invoices related to work at McNair’s studio and Swann’s home. RAST furnished the labor and PUGH furnished the materials to construct a second-story deck for the rear of McNair’s studio. Bailey handwrote a list of materials and ordered the necessary steel. When Besco Steel Supply (“Besco”) delivered the steel, its delivery tickets identified PUGH and Yessick as its customers and indicated some of the steel was for the Valley Creek Treatment Plant, a JCESD sewer job on which PUGH was the contractor and FWDE the consulting engineer. In September 2000, PUGH paid Besco and charged the 18 JCESD for $3,773 worth of steel with FWDE’s approval, and RAST poured the concrete deck and stairs, set the handrails, and built the steps. Around September 2000, FWDE employee Dave Bechtel ordered two sets of aluminum handrails for the studio deck and a staircase from Thompson Fabricating, which was directed to bill PUGH. The $5,500 invoice for the first set of handrails charged the work as performed on the Valley Creek Treatment Plant and falsely indicated that the handrails were shipped there. In February 2001, an $11,700 invoice for the second set of handrails referenced “CHRIS MC.” as the customer, but also falsely indicated that the handrails were shipped to Valley Creek when in fact they were shipped to McNair’s studio. PUGH paid both invoices and billed the County for the first set of handrails after adding a markup and charges for labor and equipment. RAST installed the handrails. In May 2000, at McNair’s request to Roland Pugh, Grady Pugh flew McNair’s daughter and FWDE’s Bailey on PUGH’s airplane to Georgia, where they picked out carpet for McNair’s studio. Before take-off, Roland Pugh told his son Grady Pugh that “McNair has called [again] and says that he’s broke and he doesn’t have enough money to leave for the deposit on the carpet” and “[s]o, if you would, write a check for the deposit.” Grady Pugh paid the deposit with a $4,820 PUGH check made out to the Mill Store and had it treated on PUGH’s books as an 19 expense on the “last rehab contract.”12 FWDE’s Bailey hired subcontractor Clint Gilley to install the carpet at McNair’s studio. In October 2000, FWDE’s Bailey called RAST to request checks for subcontractor Gilley. After Bobby Rast was consulted, RAST gave Gilley two checks totaling $5,301 for his work at McNair’s studio. In addition to paying for materials and providing work crews, PUGH also made other contributions to McNair’s studio. When the project began in 1999, Roland Pugh told PUGH’s other three owners, Grady Pugh, Andy Pugh, and Yessick, they had to give money to McNair because he was building a studio and, as 10% owners of the PUGH company, they had to “kick in” their share. Grady Pugh gave approximately $1,500 in cash to Roland Pugh’s secretary that time.13 12 The Indictment alleges as an overt act on Count 1: “On or about May 24, 2000, Defendant ROLAND PUGH instructed Grady Pugh to fly an airplane owned by Defendant PUGH, INC. to LaGrange, Georgia, to buy carpet and flooring material for the benefit of Defendant McNAIR. . . . On or about May 24, 2000, Defendant ROLAND PUGH caused Grady Pugh to pay $4,820 to The Mill Store, Inc. for carpet and tile for installation at McNair Studio for the benefit of Defendant McNAIR.” 13 The government also presented evidence of cash allegedly given to McNair. Roland Pugh collected money from the other owners to give to McNair. On July 18 and 19, 2000, Roland Pugh, Grady Pugh, and Yessick wrote checks to cash (totaling $9,000) in proportion to their ownership interests. Roland Pugh gave Grady Pugh an envelope of money and asked him to give it to McNair. Grady Pugh took the envelope to the studio where he saw Bailey and told him he was there to help McNair. Grady Pugh stated the money was “financial help” that McNair needed at that time. Grady Pugh then met with McNair for a few minutes and left the envelope with McNair. When the studio needed an air conditioning system, McNair again called Roland Pugh asking PUGH to pay for it. Roland Pugh told Grady Pugh that McNair needed $40,000, but that “y’all don’t have to put up any money this time, I’m going to do it in a different way.” Roland Pugh gave a $10,000 check dated December 22, 2000 to Grady Pugh’s wife, Genae Pugh, who 20 McNair also wanted a security gate for the studio. In August 2000, Danny Rast hired subcontractor Master Access Controls (“MAC”) to install an electronic gate and agreed that RAST would provide the electrical conduit, wiring, and concrete pad for the gate’s motor. MAC met with FWDE’s Bailey at McNair’s studio site, installed the gate, and sent its invoices to the attention of Danny Rast. RAST paid the subcontractor $5,866.92. McNair paid nothing. Also in December 2000, at Danny Rast’s request, RAST gave Bailey & Sons’ Bobcat Service, owned by Danny Bailey, a $5,500 check for landscaping at McNair’s studio. However, RAST’s records indicated Danny Bailey was working on a JCESD sewer project. Although Danny Bailey had done work for RAST before, he did not send the invoice for the studio work through regular billing, as he normally would, but instead sent it “Atten Dan Rast.”14 cashed it and gave the money to Roland Pugh. That same day, Roland Pugh wrote a $10,000 check to Angie Pugh (Andy Pugh’s wife) and a $9,750 check to cash. A week earlier Roland Pugh had written a $9,000 check to cash. Around Christmas 2000, at Roland Pugh’s request, Grady Pugh picked up another envelope containing cash from Roland Pugh’s secretary, went to McNair’s house, spoke with him for a few minutes, and put the money down on a couch with McNair watching. It appears from the closing arguments that all of the above cash and checks relate to Counts 4, 13 and 14 (on which the defendants were acquitted). 14 Huffman Electric was hired to do electrical work at McNair’s studio by FWDE but was told to bill RAST. When Huffman sent an $11,252 invoice to RAST in November 1999 without making it to the attention of Bobby or Danny Rast, RAST’s vice president, Roy Weaver, responded that they “have no job at this location.” Huffman then began billing McNair directly. At first McNair paid the bills, but he eventually fell behind in his payments and owed approximately $45,000 by July 2000. Around this time, Grady Pugh allegedly made a delivery of cash to McNair, and RAST took over paying for Mosley’s wood framing services. 21 In November 2000, McNair asked Dawson Engineering to contribute to the studio’s renovation. After McNair called William Dawson, the founder of Dawson Engineering, the two met at McNair’s studio. McNair handed Dawson a brochure for an audiovisual system and told Dawson that, while McNair had “never asked [Dawson] for anything before,” he needed to ask Dawson to “help [him] with something.” McNair opened the brochure to a specific page, showed it to Dawson, and indicated he wanted Dawson to pay for the equipment and its installation. Dawson went to Holt Audio Video (“Holt”) and purchased the equipment for $16,400. Dawson testified he would not have done this for McNair if McNair had not been associated with the sewer rehabilitation process. When Dawson saw the invoice indicated the bill was for Dawson Engineering but the shipment was for McNair’s studio, he became “uncomfortable with the whole situation” and asked Holt to alter the shipping information by putting a sticker over the McNair studio’s address, which Holt did. Dawson later pled guilty to conspiring to commit bribery. Work at the studio continued after Commissioner McNair retired in March 2001. FWDE’s Bailey hired Buchanan Plumbing and Sewer Service (“Buchanan”) to plumb the “guard shack.” In November 2001, FWDE employees signed Buchanan’s $1,775 in invoices and sent them to RAST, which paid them. RAST recorded the payments as “Plumbing Work at Kilsby Circle,” a sewer project, even 22 though Buchanan never did any work there. After McNair’s retirement, Roland Pugh told Grady Pugh “that GD [sic] McNair has called again, and he wants us to do some work over in Arkansas” and “surely this is the last time we’ll have to do anything for him since he’s out of office.” Grady Pugh flew with McNair to Arkansas to look at the site and plans. Following this visit, PUGH’s Yessick hired George Word, an Arkansas building contractor, in August 2001 to build a 3,000-square-foot retirement home for McNair. Both PUGH and FWDE paid for its construction.15 PUGH’s checkbook carried the notation “Gift per Eddie [Yessick]. No job.” After McNair’s retirement, RAST also continued to perform work at McNair’s studio and paid $8,135.78 for McNair and his wife to take a cruise to Alaska in September 2001.16
The Pugh, Rast, and Dougherty defendants also gave, at no charge, goods, 15 After McNair’s retirement, PUGH paid George Word $44,192.75 in the first half of October 2001, and, at Yessick’s instruction, internally charged the expense to miscellaneous jobs/construction materials. McNair told George Word that FWDE would make the next payment. On October 24, 2001, after FWDE’s bookkeeper Rick Brinson saw Dougherty speaking with McNair in FWDE’s parking lot, Dougherty asked the bookkeeper to write a $50,000 check to a construction company. About 20 to 30 minutes later, George Word’s $50,000 invoice, dated a day earlier, arrived by fax. The bookkeeper wrote the check, gave it to Dougherty, and made an extra copy of the paperwork and kept it at home. Upon being subpoenaed for these records later, the bookkeeper searched FWDE’s records, but could not find the invoice. The only copy he found was the extra one he kept at home. 16 After McNair’s retirement, on May 14 and 15, 2001, PUGH, FWDE, and Bobby Rast each gave McNair a check for $5,000 (totaling $15,000). Bobby Rast’s check was for a “retirement gift” and FWDE’s was for a “motor home.” 23 services, labor, materials, and other things of value to (1) JCESD Assistant Director Chandler, and (2) JCESD Engineer and PRC Director Ellis. At a lunch, PUGH’s President Yessick offered to landscape Chandler’s home. Chandler at first refused, but weeks later Yessick offered again, and Chandler accepted. PUGH provided crews and paid for the materials for the extensive landscaping, including grading, drainage work, and new sod, as well as construction of a patio, walkway, and retaining walls. Chandler paid nothing for that work. In October 2001, Yessick arranged and paid for a $610 condo rental for the Chandler family vacation at the Pelican Beach Resort in Destin, Florida.17 Chandler asked for, and PUGH delivered, a load of sand for Chandler’s house for free. In the spring of 2002, Chandler asked Bobby Rast to help with his expenses for a trip to Europe to attend technical conferences. Ellis planned to attend too. At RAST’s office, Bobby Rast gave Chandler an envelope containing $5,000 in cash and told Chandler to split the money with Ellis. Chandler had expected $250 to $500 and was “uncomfortable and thought about giving it back, but [he] didn’t.” 17 The government also presented evidence that in April 2000, PUGH’s Yessick invited Chandler on a fishing trip to Bienville Plantation in Florida, where the trip was paid for by PUGH. Grady Pugh arranged to have Yessick and Chandler fly to Florida in the PUGH company’s airplane. The jury acquitted PUGH and Yessick on Count 70, which referenced this trip. 24 Instead, Chandler “eventually gave half” to Ellis.18 The Dougherty defendants also gave Chandler tickets to Disney World and a trip to San Antonio.
For the most part, the defendants did not dispute that they provided, at no charge, these goods, services, labor, materials, and other things of value to Commissioner McNair.19 Instead, the defendants argued they lacked the “corrupt” intent necessary for bribery and that the government had failed to prove the required quid pro quo for the benefits provided to McNair. The defendants also asserted they helped McNair based on their friendship with him or for goodwill. In support, defense witnesses testified to McNair’s decades-long friendship with Roland Pugh, Dougherty, and the Rast family, and described how the contractordefendants frequently performed work for McNair at no charge. The contractordefendants also contended their experience, skills, and business reputation were strong enough so that they did not need to resort to bribery to win County contracts. The defense spent considerable time attacking the credibility of Grady Pugh, 18 Other JCESD employees also received cash from the contractors. Danny Rast gave $1,500-$2,000 in cash to JCESD Field Supervisor Larry Creel, who sometimes awarded emergency work. PUGH gave $500 in cash to Creel for airplane tickets after Creel asked for a flight on PUGH’s company airplane. 19 Roland Pugh is the only defendant to dispute that he gave anything to McNair. 25 including inconsistencies in his testimony. The defense suggested he was lying out of hatred for his father Roland Pugh and to obtain a favorable sentence recommendation from the government. The government countered the defendants’ corrupt-intent arguments by offering 404(b) evidence of similar items of value the same contractors had provided for Swann, Wilson, and Barber (who were not defendants in the McNair trial). The government argued the large scale and overall pattern of these payments were inconsistent with the defendants’ claims that they were favors undertaken merely out of friendship for McNair. The government also presented evidence that McNair made numerous unexplained cash deposits.20
Before sending the case to the jury, the district court dismissed several substantive counts that charged bribes to McNair after his retirement in March 2001, and struck the corresponding overt acts from the conspiracy count (Count 1), reasoning that 18 U.S.C. § 666 (the bribery statute) could not apply when McNair was no longer a public official. In the McNair trial, the jury convicted defendants McNair, PUGH, Roland 20 In the McNair trial, the government did not explain the source of the cash deposits. But in the USI case, the government showed these cash deposits corresponded with cash withdrawals from USI, Singh, and Key. See US Infrastructure, 576 F.3d at 1206. 26 Pugh, Yessick, RAST, Bobby Rast, Danny Rast, FWDE, and Dougherty on Count 1 of conspiring to bribe McNair. Count 1 alleged 54 overt acts originally. Several overt acts were dismissed pre-trial, but Count 1, as submitted to the jury, charged 39 overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy. As to bribes by the Pugh defendants, the jury convicted defendant McNair on these substantive bribery counts: 2 ($5,500 for hand railings) and 3 ($11,700 for hand railings). The jury convicted defendant PUGH on Count 15 (same hand railing facts as Counts 2 and 3). The jury convicted defendants PUGH and Yessick on Count 71 ($610 for Chandler condominium rental). As to bribes by the Rast defendants, the jury convicted defendant McNair on these substantive bribery counts: 5 ($52,990 for carpentry work by Barry Mosley), 6 ($5,866 for security gate installation by Master Access Controls), 7 ($5,300 for carpet installation by Clint Gilley), 8 ($5,500 for landscaping work by Bailey & Sons), 9 (several thousand dollars for fabrication and construction of stairs), and 10 (several thousand dollars for concrete deck construction). The jury also convicted defendants RAST and Bobby Rast on Counts 19-22 (same facts as Counts 5-8, respectively), 72 ($2,500 cash to Chandler by RAST and Bobby Rast), and 87 ($1,000 cash to Ellis by RAST and Bobby Rast). RAST was also convicted on Counts 23 (same facts as Count 9) and 24 (same facts as Count 10). The jury 27 convicted defendant Danny Rast on Counts 19, 20, and 22 (same facts as Counts 5, 6, and 8). Defendant McNair was also convicted on Counts 11 ($27,434 by the Dougherty defendants for project management and supervision by Bailey) and 12 ($16,400 by Dawson for installation of audio visual system). The jury convicted defendants FWDE and Dougherty on Count 28 (same facts as Count 11).21 In summary, the jury convicted defendant McNair on the bribery conspiracy count and ten substantive bribery counts. The jury convicted defendants PUGH, Roland Pugh, and Yessick on the bribery conspiracy count; defendant PUGH on two substantive bribery counts; and defendant Yessick on one substantive bribery count. The jury convicted defendants RAST, Bobby Rast, and Danny Rast on the bribery conspiracy count; defendant RAST on eight substantive bribery counts; defendant Bobby Rast on six substantive bribery counts; and defendant Danny Rast on three substantive bribery counts. The jury convicted defendants FWDE and Dougherty on the bribery conspiracy count and on one substantive bribery count 21 In the McNair trial, the jury acquitted defendant McNair on Count 4 ($30,000 cash from the Pugh defendants), defendants PUGH and Yessick on Count 13 ($20,000 cash to McNair) and on Count 70 ($1,000 trip for Chandler to Bienville Plantation, Florida), and defendants PUGH and Roland Pugh on Count 14 ($10,000 cash to McNair). The $30,000 in Count 4 appears to consist of the cash in Counts 13 and 14. The McNair jury also acquitted defendant Danny Rast on Count 21 ($5,300 bribe of McNair for carpet installation through Clint Gilley), defendants RAST and Danny Rast on Count 89 ($1,000 cash to JCESD employee Larry Creel), and defendants RAST and Bobby Rast on Count 126 (obstruction of justice in connection with withholding items from the grand jury). 28 each. All defendants but Yessick appeal all conviction counts.