Lawsuit claims Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford walked out of bingo operation with a rigged jackpotBy Michael Tomberlin -- The Birmingham NewsSeptember 30, 2009, 6:17AMA lawsuit claims Biringham Mayor Larry Langford got a rigged jackpot from a bingo operation. (Birmingham News file) A Tuskegee woman is suing Milton McGregor's VictoryLand electronic bingo operation, alleging fraud when employees there escorted Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford to specific machines last month when he won more than $50,000.Sandra Howard's lawsuit in Macon County Circuit Court alleges that Langford won the money Aug. 28. That's 11 days after a federal magistrate in Birmingham ruled that Langford was unable to pay his attorneys in a federal bribery case, ordering the government to cover his legal bills.The lawsuit names Macon County Greyhound Park Inc. and its operating names of VictoryLand and Quincy's 777 as defendants. Langford is not listed as a defendant, though most of the allegations revolve around him.The lawsuit claims VictoryLand rigged the machines for Langford "in hopes of receiving political favor and to promote approval of business dealings" for affiliates of the Macon County Greyhound Park.The suit echoes claims in an unresolved 2007 suit filed by Cynthia Teel against VictoryLand. In that case, an Oct. 23, 2008, affidavit from a VictoryLand employee says officials at the Shorter facility manipulated a machine to guarantee payouts to certain people, including Langford, from 2006 to 2008.At the time, Langford called the Teel action "the most ridiculous lawsuit I have ever seen."Birmingham lawyer Ted Mann represents both Howard and Teel. Efforts to reach Mann and attorneys for VictoryLand were unsuccessful Tuesday.Michael Rasmussen, Langford's attorney in the federal criminal case, had no comment Tuesday on the claims in Howard's suit. Efforts to reach Langford were unsuccessful.Langford is set to go on trial Oct. 19 in federal court in Tuscaloosa to face charges that he accepted bribes during his term as Jefferson County Commission president.Prosecutors claim Langford steered county financing business and $7.1 million in fees to Montgomery investment banker Bill Blount. In return, prosecutors charge, Blount gave Langford $236,000 in cash, clothes and jewelry, sometimes using lobbyist and Langford friend Al LaPierre as a go-between.2 guilty pleasLangford has denied the charges. Blount and LaPierre have pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Langford.On Aug. 17, U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Greene determined that Langford cannot afford to pay an attorney and appointed Rasmussen to continue to represent him at the government's expense.Howard's suit claims that Langford has visited VictoryLand several times before to play bingo and "on many, if not all, of these prior visits to Quincy's 777 Casino has won substantial jackpots which are believed to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars" after officials "escorted Langford to certain electronic devices where Langford then won substantial jackpots."In the suit, Howard is described as a frequent customer of the Shorter gaming center.The suit points out that Howard did not win a jackpot on the day Langford collected $50,000 in winnings."In arranging jackpots for Langford, (the Macon County Greyhound Park) eliminated the principal requisite of bingo -- that it be a game of chance producing winners .¤.¤. holding bingo cards with pre-ordained numbers matched against randomly drawn or generated numbers," the suit says.Total winningsAttorneys for Howard are seeking documents showing the amount of Langford's winnings from 2006 to 2009, as well as any money VictoryLand and other McGregor businesses gave to Langford's campaigns over the past decade. Howard's attorneys also want copies of the video surveillance of VictoryLand's electronic bingo area on Aug. 28.Howard's suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, as well as legal fees.Langford has publicly proclaimed his friendship with McGregor. Langford has advocated bringing the electronic bingo machines that resemble Vegas-style slot machines to the Birmingham Race Course, which McGregor owns.Langford has said the fact that McGregor is a friend and a major contributor to his 2007 mayoral campaign -- giving $84,000 to PACs that contributed to Langford -- were not factors in his efforts on the part of the Birmingham Race Course.
ates from Birmingham and surrounding communitiesBreaking News »Lawsuit claims Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford walked out of bingo operation with a rigged jackpotBy Michael Tomberlin -- The Birmingham NewsSeptember 30, 2009, 6:17AMLarry LangfordA lawsuit claims Biringham Mayor Larry Langford got a rigged jackpot from a bingo operation. (Birmingham News file) A Tuskegee woman is suing Milton McGregor's VictoryLand electronic bingo operation, alleging fraud when employees there escorted Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford to specific machines last month when he won more than $50,000.Sandra Howard's lawsuit in Macon County Circuit Court alleges that Langford won the money Aug. 28. That's 11 days after a federal magistrate in Birmingham ruled that Langford was unable to pay his attorneys in a federal bribery case, ordering the government to cover his legal bills.The lawsuit names Macon County Greyhound Park Inc. and its operating names of VictoryLand and Quincy's 777 as defendants. Langford is not listed as a defendant, though most of the allegations revolve around him.The lawsuit claims VictoryLand rigged the machines for Langford "in hopes of receiving political favor and to promote approval of business dealings" for affiliates of the Macon County Greyhound Park.The suit echoes claims in an unresolved 2007 suit filed by Cynthia Teel against VictoryLand. In that case, an Oct. 23, 2008, affidavit from a VictoryLand employee says officials at the Shorter facility manipulated a machine to guarantee payouts to certain people, including Langford, from 2006 to 2008.At the time, Langford called the Teel action "the most ridiculous lawsuit I have ever seen."Birmingham lawyer Ted Mann represents both Howard and Teel. Efforts to reach Mann and attorneys for VictoryLand were unsuccessful Tuesday.Michael Rasmussen, Langford's attorney in the federal criminal case, had no comment Tuesday on the claims in Howard's suit. Efforts to reach Langford were unsuccessful.Langford is set to go on trial Oct. 19 in federal court in Tuscaloosa to face charges that he accepted bribes during his term as Jefferson County Commission president.Prosecutors claim Langford steered county financing business and $7.1 million in fees to Montgomery investment banker Bill Blount. In return, prosecutors charge, Blount gave Langford $236,000 in cash, clothes and jewelry, sometimes using lobbyist and Langford friend Al LaPierre as a go-between.2 guilty pleasLangford has denied the charges. Blount and LaPierre have pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Langford.On Aug. 17, U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Greene determined that Langford cannot afford to pay an attorney and appointed Rasmussen to continue to represent him at the government's expense.Howard's suit claims that Langford has visited VictoryLand several times before to play bingo and "on many, if not all, of these prior visits to Quincy's 777 Casino has won substantial jackpots which are believed to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars" after officials "escorted Langford to certain electronic devices where Langford then won substantial jackpots."In the suit, Howard is described as a frequent customer of the Shorter gaming center.The suit points out that Howard did not win a jackpot on the day Langford collected $50,000 in winnings."In arranging jackpots for Langford, (the Macon County Greyhound Park) eliminated the principal requisite of bingo -- that it be a game of chance producing winners .¤.¤. holding bingo cards with pre-ordained numbers matched against randomly drawn or generated numbers," the suit says.Total winningsAttorneys for Howard are seeking documents showing the amount of Langford's winnings from 2006 to 2009, as well as any money VictoryLand and other McGregor businesses gave to Langford's campaigns over the past decade. Howard's attorneys also want copies of the video surveillance of VictoryLand's electronic bingo area on Aug. 28.Howard's suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, as well as legal fees.Langford has publicly proclaimed his friendship with McGregor. Langford has advocated bringing the electronic bingo machines that resemble Vegas-style slot machines to the Birmingham Race Course, which McGregor owns.Langford has said the fact that McGregor is a friend and a major contributor to his 2007 mayoral campaign -- giving $84,000 to PACs that contributed to Langford -- were not factors in his efforts on the part of the Birmingham Race Course.
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