Alabama State Senator Roger Bedford’s trial has begun. Opening statements have been completed and testimony began today. Something interesting occurred in opening statements,

[Assistant Attorney General John]Gibbs told potential jurors Monday that one of the prosecution’s witnesses will be Nick Bailey, the former director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs in Gov. Don Siegelman’s administration. Bailey, whose agency provided funding to Bedford, has pleaded guilty in a separate government corruption case and is cooperating with investigators.

Bedford faces a felony extortion charge and a misdemeanor attempted extortion charge, which accuses him of trying to get the commission to buy 600 acres from Blue with $3 million in state money — triple the appraised value for the tract.

Bedford, chairman of the Senate Finance and Taxation-General Fund Committee, carried around a check for $2 million of the amount for six months before the commission decided not to buy the land.

If convicted of the more serious felony extortion charge, Bedford would lose his seat in the Legislature, lose his law license for between 45 days and five years, be sentenced to one to 10 years in prison, and be fined up to $5,000.

If convicted of the misdemeanor, Bedford could be punished by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

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