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Now the former owner of the The billionaire developer, who cut a plea bargain and became the
star witness in the federal bribery and extortion case against former Gov.
Edwin Edwards, has pumped more than $100,000 into political campaigns across But Democrats also have benefited. None of the candidates said they see any conflict in accepting
money from someone who five years ago found himself
ensnared in a political bribery scandal. In 1997, DeBartolo gave Edwards a
suitcase containing $400,000 in hopes of winning a casino license. DeBartolo, charged with bribery, pleaded guilty to the
lesser felony charge of not reporting an extortion attempt in return for
cooperating with prosecutors. DeBartolo was sentenced to two years' probation
and received a $1 million fine. Edwards, the flamboyant governor, started
serving his 10-year prison sentence Monday. DeBartolo was on vacation this week and could not
be reached for comment Wednesday. But in a November 2000 interview with The
Tampa Tribune, he said he was trying to put his past behind him. ``Nobody in this world is perfect and everybody makes
mistakes,'' he said at the time. ``Sometimes things happen for a reason, and
you're a lot better from them, even though you wouldn't want to do the
mistake over.'' DeBartolo has since formed a philanthropic
foundation that has given away some $300,000 in the past year to Crist: He's Paid His Debt Bush and Crist got $500 each from DeBartolo, the most an individual can give to a candidate
under state election laws. But both men also get money for their campaigns
through the state Republican Party, which can accept unlimited soft-money
contributions. DeBartolo has given $60,000 to the
state GOP this year. ``I don't have a problem with it,'' Bush said of the
contribution to his campaign, noting DeBartolo
lives in ``I think everybody deserves a second chance,'' said Crist, who while serving in the state Senate in the 1990s
earned the nickname ``Chain Gang Charlie'' for his push to revive prison work
crews and his call to quit coddling felons. If elected Nov. 5, he would
become the state's top law enforcement officer. ``He's paid his debt to society,'' Crist
said of DeBartolo. Sanchez said that, although he does not condone criminal
activity, he believes ``when people make a mistake and pay for it, we need to
let them get on with their lives.'' Crist and Sanchez said they saw no reason to
give the money back. Towson Fraser, spokesman for the Republican Party of Florida,
said DeBartolo's money is as good as that of any of
thousands of other GOP contributors ``who support good, conservative
government.'' ``We appreciate his support just as we do all of theirs,''
Fraser said. DeBartolo should expect no special
favors from Bush or Crist should they win in
November, Fraser added. But Ben Wilcox, director of the watchdog group Common Cause,
said he found it ``laughable'' that anyone would give that much money to
political campaigns and not expect something in return. Wilcox said the added aspect of DeBartolo's
ties to the ``This is another example of how this system drags the whole
political process into the mud,'' he said. DeBartolo, originally from Riverboat Gambler In According to testimony at the trial, the former governor and DeBartolo shared chartered jets, a private party at which
pop star Tom Jones performed, and visits to Beneath their apparent conviviality lurked what The New Orleans
Times- Picayune described as ``a menacing undercurrent.'' A week before a state board made up entirely of Edwards'
appointees was due to vote on Louisiana's last riverboat gambling license,
which DeBartolo wanted, the former governor passed DeBartolo a slip of paper across a restaurant table, DeBartolo testified. On the paper was written: ``$400,000.'' ``He wanted cash,'' DeBartolo
testified. ``He wanted $400,000 in $100 bills, and that's what he got.'' If he failed to pay, ``the project was to go up in smoke,'' DeBartolo said. DeBartolo testified that he had a From the time he testified, however, the developer has portrayed
what happened in ``I am a victim,'' DeBartolo testified
at Edwards' trial two years ago. ``I was told by people smarter than me,
`Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.'
'' In addition to the $1 million fine and probation imposed by the
government, DeBartolo also was fined $1 million by
the National Football League and was suspended for a year. His sister, Denise
DeBartolo York, later took ownership of the 49ers
franchise. Reporter David Wasson contributed to this report. Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (850) 222-8382. Reporter Keith
Epstein can be reached at (202) 662-7673.
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