By Alabama Public Radio
Birmingham, AL – Attorneys for former Governor Don Siegelman want prosecutors to be punished for releasing a list of gifts he received while in office. Defense attorney Jack Drake says prosecutors released the list within hours of receiving a motion by the defense that sought to seal evidence that did NOT lead to the indictment against Siegelman but is related to the charges. Drake is asking a federal judge to impose unspecified sanctions on the prosecution. He says releasing the list of gifts could taint the jury pool. The gifts include more than 25-thousand-dollars worth of vehicles, guns and coffee mugs. But Drake says they were NOT illegal, and he says many of them remain in the possession of the state. Siegelman, his former Chief of Staff Paul Hamrick and Tuscaloosa Doctor Phillip Bobo have pleaded innocent to fraud and conspiracy charges alleging they tried to rig bids on a state Medicaid contract. Their attorneys are also asking that the charges be dismissed.