Prosecution rests in corruption trial

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - The prosecution has rested its case against Bayou La Batre Mayor Stan Wright's daughter Mary Cook and grant administrator Janey Galbraith.

The federal government said the two conspired to defraud the federal government out of money meant to help Hurricane Katrina survivors.

The final witnesses to take the stand included an FBI special agent and one of Galbraith's former employees who said she altered documents because her boss told her to.

Day five of the Bayou La Batre corruption case came to a head with the government calling its star witness to the stand.

Felicia Douglass testified against her former boss in exchange for leniency.

Douglas told jurors Janey Galbraith told her to alter federal documents and lie to auditors.

Douglass said her boss told her, "Not to worry. If anybody got into trouble, it would be her."

"Everything she told me was a lie," said Douglass. "She said she would take all the heat."

Douglass added looking back what she did was wrong, but she was afraid of losing her job and trusted Galbraith.

"I trusted her totally. She was my friend. I feel like she would not lead me wrong, and she did. That is why this hurts," testified Douglass.

Galbraith's defense attorney Vince Kilborn asked Douglass during cross examination if she ever heard the phrase, "the devil made me do it."

When asked whether Douglass' testimony will help or hurt his client he said, "I don't think jurors will believe her."

"She lied to FBI, to federal people. (She) lied to auditors for a lot of years, HUD auditors...every auditor. Somebody like that, that lies that much can't be believed," said Kilborn.

Prosecutors asked Douglass if she made millions from altering federal documents, Douglass answered no. It alleges Janey Galbraith did.

The final witness to take the stand for the prosecution was FBI Special Agent George Carr who talked about the "snake file" Galbraith kept.

Federal prosecutors said Galbraith referred to it as the "snake file" because it could come back and bite her if it were ever found.

Carr also testified about questioning Bayou La Batre Mayor Stan Wright's daughter Mary Cook at the school where she taught.

Carr told jurors Cook said her father gave her a snippet of property so she could sell it to the city of Bayou La Batre to pay off her debt.

The $27,000 came from federal money meant to build houses for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Carr also said Cook told them a wrong set of dates as to when she got the money from selling the land and couldn't explain why her father didn't just sell the property himself and give her the money.

Cook's attorney Rich Alexander said it was a daughter taking money from her family plain and simple.

"Her father gave her some property to sell so she could get out of debt. When the money came in from the sale she paid her family back as she should have," said Alexander. "That is all this is about."

Cook was given a check to pay off her home equity line of credit in November, three separate checks from her father.

But the money from the land sell did not come in until December.

Mayor Wright was also indicted; a date for his trial has not yet been set.