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RALEIGH - At least five people connected to the N.C. lottery commission, along with an influential state senator, say they have been asked to testify in the upcoming trial of Kevin Geddings.
Geddings, formerly of Charlotte, was a Democratic campaign consultant and radio-station owner who was appointed to the lottery commission a year ago. He resigned five weeks later, when lottery vendor Scientific Games revealed consulting fees paid to Geddings that he did not disclose on state ethics forms.
He now faces nine criminal counts of fraud in connection with what investigators say was nearly $229,000 in fees. The charges were the first to come out of a wide-ranging investigation of state government.
A federal trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 20 in Raleigh. If convicted, Geddings faces a maximum five-year sentence and $250,000 fine on each count. He has said he did nothing illegal.
Charles Sanders, the former chairman of the lottery commission, told the Observer Tuesday he and his assistant are among those the U.S. Attorney's Office has asked to appear at the trial. Sanders said at the time of Geddings' resignation that he felt misled, though he said Tuesday he did not know what questions to expect at the trial.
"They could ask me what my interactions were with Kevin Geddings. Beyond that, I couldn't say," Sanders said. "He was a very active commissioner during the time that he was there, making suggestions and so forth."
Geddings' resignation had the potential to taint the start-up of the controversial new lottery, commissioners feared at the time. Scientific Games unsuccessfully bid for a major part of the work. The lottery has drawn mostly praise since then.
Robert Farris, a lottery commissioner who was also subpoenaed, said a federal prosecutor has asked him about an e-mail Geddings sent to fellow commissioners while he was still serving. The e-mail, Farris said, included a news article about the growth of the Oklahoma lottery but the prosecutor did not make clear how the e-mail might be used at trial.
"He didn't share his case strategy with me," Farris said.
The Oklahoma lottery selected Scientific Games as its main vendor in August 2005, according to the lottery's Web site.
House Speaker Jim Black, a Matthews Democrat, nominated Geddings to the lottery commission in September 2005. Black has said he had no prior knowledge of the depth of the relationship between Geddings and Scientific Games. Black spokeswoman Julie Robinson said she knows of no one in his office who has been asked to testify in the trial.
A federal investigation tied to Black's office is continuing. In October 2005, Black released federal subpoenas requesting documents from his office. Among the documents investigators have been interested in are those related to Scientific Games.
More people could receive subpoenas for the Geddings trial, expected to last at least a week.
Others who said Tuesday they have been asked to testify were:
• Bryan Beatty, a lottery commissioner and N.C. secretary of crime control and public safety.
• John McArthur, a lottery commissioner and the general counsel for Progress Energy Inc.
• State Sen. Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat and a main sponsor of the legislation creating the new N.C. lottery.
Geddings claimed a fee from Scientific Games for what he said was time spent preparing Rand for a lottery debate in Fayetteville, according to papers Scientific Games filed with the state. Rand has said their encounter involved little debate preparation.
"He came to my office. We talked and went to the forum," Rand, the Senate majority leader, said Tuesday. "When we finished that, we went to dinner and then everyone went their own way."
Rand said Meredith Norris, a former aide to Black who was also working for Scientific Games, paid for the dinner. After a related investigation, Norris was found guilty last month of violating the state's lobbying laws.
Norris's attorney did not return calls Tuesday.
Geddings and his wife, Kris Phillips, now live in St. Augustine, Fla., where they own two radio stations.
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