Businessman Pleads Guilty In John Wiley Price Corruption Case
DALLAS (CBS 11 NEWS) - A little-known consultant in the public corruption case against Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price went from co-defendant to government witness, who will soon tell a jury everything he knows.
Christian Campbell went to the federal court in downtown Dallas Wednesday to plead guilty to bribery. Ever since he was indicted nearly one year ago, Campbell had been able to slip by TV cameras unnoticed, until Wednesday, when he and his attorney left court.
Neither Campbell nor his attorney, Shamoil Shipchandler, said a word as reporters peppered them with questions.
In court, the 45-year-old Campbell told the judge everything in court documents was true: He admitted he paid Price's long-time political consultant Kathy Nealy thousands of dollars, which ultimately went to Price, in an effort to win companies he represented county contracts.
In exchange, Campbell says Price gave Nealy confidential information about the bids and approved a county contract for the businesses he represented.
Campbell's guilty plea is part of a deal with federal prosecutors in which he'll serve no more than three years in prison.
Federal Judge Barbara Lynn, who's presiding over the case, will decide whether to go along with the plea deal when Campbell is sentenced. That's scheduled for October 21, but legal experts say that will likely be delayed until after Price and Nealy go to trial, which begins in January of 2016. Until then, Campbell will cooperate with authorities, and testify against both Price and Nealy at trial.
Price and Nealy have pleaded not guilty. Their attorneys did not return our calls seeking comment on Campbell's guilty plea.
A former U.S. Attorney from the Eastern District of Texas, Matthew Orwig, says defense lawyers are now hoping no one else will change their minds and plead guilty. "They hope the rest of the defendants hang together. The government would love to use this defendant to chip away at another defendant and get another plea, and another plea and work their way up to Mr. Price."
Also Wednesday, a woman who sold African art to Commissioner Price, Karen Manning, pleaded guilty to supplying false information on her tax returns. Manning admitted in court documents she under-reported her gross income between 2007 and 2010 by nearly $260,000. Her attorney, John Sweeney, declined comment.
Price's long-time assistant, Dapheny Fain, has pleaded not guilty to tax charges, and is also set to stand trial in January with Price and Nealy.
