Gilley Pleads Guilty

Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley recently changed his tune in an Alabama gambling corruption probe, pleading guilty to conspiring to bribe state lawmakers to vote for a pro-gambling bill last spring.

Gilley, who claimed he was innocent for months, admitted to a federal judge April 22 that he worked in coordination with another casino owner – VictoryLand’s Milton McGregor -– to offer millions to legislators to forward the gambling bill. If passed, the bill would have allowed the men to offer electronic bingo machines at their casinos.

“The defendant and McGregor, and the lobbyists and other individuals working for them, gave, offered and agreed to give money and other things of value worth millions of dollars to members of the Alabama Legislature in return” for their votes, his plea reportedly states.

A lawyer for McGregor told the Birmingham News his client is innocent and they “look forward to proving his innocence.”

Gilley pleaded guilty to 11 counts including conspiracy, bribery involving public officials and money laundering. He’s reportedly agreed to provide assistance to federal prosecutors.

Under the terms of a plea deal, Gilley could face more than 20 years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. He is scheduled for sentencing Nov. 15.