Much of the testimony Friday in the Joe Bruno trial was about Evident Technologies, a company in his district for which he arranged $500,000 in state funding, despite being on the payroll of one of its investors. That investor, Jared Abbruzzese, testified that his payments to Bruno had nothing to do with Evident, and others testified about how state support for Evident had benefited Troy, the largest city in Bruno's Senate district.
Since Bruno himself is not testifying, and the defense has all but wrapped up its case, what is it hoping jurors will conclude? The defense line, as confirmed by various witnesses, including many for the prosecution, is that Bruno did not trade public policy for private payoffs. Rather, he knew a lot of people, including union leaders who controlled pension funds and trusted him because of his pro-labor political policies; he was willing to make pitches to them on behalf of his investment-firm employers, but did not make promises or threats tying public policies to their investment decisions. Further, he had a charismatic persona and a lifetime of practical wisdom which made his services of value to his business employers.
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