If former state Rep. Robin Williams got paid for getting associates sweetheart deals with an Augusta mental health center, they deserved a cut, too, Jim Points testified the center's director told him.
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"Without a doubt, I was greedy," Mr. Points said of his agreement with C. Michael Brockman.
On the sixth day of trial in U.S. District Court on Saturday, Mr. Points became the first witness to admit he committed a crime as part of an alleged conspiracy to defraud the Community Mental Health Center of East Central Georgia.
Mr. Points said his discussion with Mr. Brockman about the payoffs took place after an October 2002 meeting when Mr. Williams admitted he got paid for helping others get contracts with the center.
Mr. Points was hired by Mr. Brockman to serve as the center's administrator in May 2001.
Mr. Williams, Mr. Brockman, Augusta pharmacist Duncan Fordham, and lobbyists M. Chad Long and Rick L. Camp have each pleaded not guilty to charges that include conspiracy and health care fraud.
Mr. Points testified he was granted immunity in exchange for his cooperation with state and federal investigators. He told them he took two bribes totaling $2,600 from Mr. Williams.
"I think I found a way to get y'all some money, and this conversation never happened and never mention it again," Mr. Points quoted Mr. Williams as saying one Saturday afternoon at Mr. Brockman's home.
On two occasions when Mr. Points was with Mr. Brockman, Mr. Williams gave Mr. Points cash, he testified.
On cross-examination, however, Mr. Points insisted he had done nothing wrong until that point in late 2002 - long after he participated in several events that prosecutors allege are criminal.
Mr. Points also testified he did nothing to benefit Mr. Williams after he accepted the cash. He denied that he was extorting money from Mr. Williams or that the money was payment on a debt as the defense claimed.
"R.W. shortchanges us on one hand and expects us to allow business as usual on the other," Mr. Points wrote in a memo to himself Nov. 20, 2002. He listed all the people whom Mr. Williams helped get jobs or lucrative contracts with the mental health center.
One of those people, Janet Mann, also testified Saturday. The Jackson, Miss., accountant told the jury how she met Mr. Williams through a business associate. The three would form a corporation, Capitol Health Systems, that would get two contracts with the mental health center, she testified.
Mr. Brockman, who described himself as a close friend of Mr. Williams, made it happen, Ms. Mann testified.
The initial contract in 2001 called for Capitol Health Systems to consult with the center on how to improve billings. Out of the $10,000 a month she received from the center, Ms. Mann gave Mr. Williams $3,000.
"That was the agreement," she said.
Mr. Brockman then told her that he wanted to privatize the center's billing department and would solicit proposals, Ms. Mann said.
To ensure she received the bid, he asked her to recommend what should go into the request for proposals. Before the board of directors interviewed the finalists, Mr. Brockman sent her the questions that would be asked, Ms. Mann testified.
He also had center employees ensure her future office, in the building where Mr. Willams' insurance company was located, was properly wired for computers - most of which would be moved from the mental health center for her use.
Capitol Health Systems was awarded the $1.2 million bid plus bonuses, but the deal nearly fell through when Mr. Williams discovered the ownership was 60-40 in her favor, Ms. Mann testified.
"He told me he wanted majority ownership or we would just not do this.
"(Mr. Williams said) he had opened the doors, so he could close them," she testified. She had the ownership split reversed.
Throughout her dealings with the center, she testified, it was no accident that Mr. Williams' name never came up.
Out of the $100,000 a month, Capitol Health Systems was paid to do the billing, she gave Mr. Williams $10,000 a month and other cash advances, she testified.
He wasn't the only one she had to pay, Ms. Mann said. Mr. Williams' co-defendant, Mr. Long, requested money - three checks for $4,000 each.
When asked on cross-examination by Mr. Long's attorney whether she knew his client never received the money and that checks went into Mr. Williams' accounts, Ms. Mann said she didn't.
In December 2002, heat was building under the mental health center as The Augusta Chronicle investigated dealings at the center. Mr. Williams asked Ms. Mann to buy his shares of Capitol Health Systems for $600,000 but she declined, she testified.
In January 2003, Mr. Brockman and Mr. Points were put on administrative leave when allegations of corruption and cronyism prompted state investigations, according to reports in The Chronicle. The next month, Ms. Mann testified, she asked Mr. Williams to give up his stock in Capitol Health Systems until everything calmed down and then she would give it back. He agreed, she said.
The mental health center severed her contract in March 2003, and ended the business relationship with Duncan Drugs.
Reach Sandy Hodson at (706) 823-3226 or sandy.hodson@augustachronicle.com.
Prosecutors expect they will finish their case in federal court today. The judge advised defense attorneys to be prepared to present their witnesses. The trial continues at 1:30 p.m.
Previous Stories
• Williams case goes to jurors
• Defendants had faith in Williams
• Questions focus on pricey cruise
• Robin Williams calls deals honest
• Williams trial witness is first to admit fraud
• Prosecutors say Williams lined pockets
• Witnesses speak of contract talks
• Jurors listen to tales of windfall
• Witness says he was 'puppet'
• Jury hears opening statements
• Fraud trial set for court today
• Trial is set to begin in fraud case
• Center considers name change for credibility
• Mental health center CEO works to get things straight
• Tangle of controversy
• Robin Williams' trial is set to begin Feb. 14
• Trials often have set path
• Health agency's board selects candidates
• Lawyer settles on deal
• Attorney could face complaints on ethics
• Center's ex-lawyer pleads innocent
• Williams' lawyer calls deals legal
• Williams indicted on fraud
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• Distressing indictments
