6/27/09 – TG: Defense to be notified of any deals with Alamo witnesses
Texarkana Gazette
June 27, 2009
By: Lynn LaRowe
Defense to be notified of any deals with Alamo witnesses
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has filed a response to one of six motions filed recently by Tony Alamo’s defense team.
Late Friday, the government filed a document indicating it will comply by July 6 with a defense request to be notified of any deals made with witnesses who will testify against the accused evangelist.
Alamo, whose real name is Bernie LaZar Hoffman, is facing a 10-count indictment in the Texarkana Division of the Western District of Arkansas alleging he brought young girls across state lines for sex. Jury selection is scheduled to begin July 13 before U.S. District Judge Harry Barnes.
The 74-year-old is being held in a cell in a downtown Texarkana. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Bryant denied bail last year after finding Alamo presents a danger to the community and is a flight risk.
Besides the motion for the government to reveal witness agreements, the defense also filed three other motions June 19.
A motion for a bill of particulars requests more specific information about how and when Alamo allegedly broke the law. A motion for discovery asks the government to provide the defense with evidence and witness statements it plans to use at trial and another motion asks that prosecutors turn over any evidence that might work in Alamo’s favor.
On June 23, the defense filed a motion to suppress any evidence collected by the FBI and Arkansas State Police during a raid of ministry property Sept. 20 in Fouke, Ark. The defense has argued that the information used to acquire the search warrants was “stale” and that the affidavits used to get the warrants lacked statements vouching for the credibility of informants. The defense also filed a motion June 23 requesting the identities of government informants.
The government has 10 days to respond. Responses to the other defense motions should come sometime next week.