Andrew Gillum trial Day 3: How agents confronted mayor at Cascades; Adam Corey's moment

Two undercover FBI agents and a close friend of Andrew Gillum – who had a very public falling out with him during his run for governor – took the stand Wednesday, the third day of the trial of Gillum and Sharon Lettman-Hicks.

Gillum, former Tallahassee mayor and the 2018 Democratic nominee for Florida governor, and Lettman-Hicks, his longtime mentor and owner of P&P Communications, are charged with illegally soliciting campaign donations and pocketing them in their own accounts. Gillum also is charged with lying to the FBI about gifts undercover FBI agents gave him during a 2016 trip to New York City.

Here are the latest developments in the trial:

Decoding the indictment ABCs: Guide to the people, organizations in Andrew Gillum trial

Andrew Gillum trial Day 1: Jury selected, possible witnesses and an appeal to raise $1M

Gillum Trial Day 2 opening arguments: Money as a motive or forcing the evidence?

FBI agent Mike Miller says he asked lobbyist for ‘party favors and co-eds’

Undercover FBI agent Mike Miller, who posed as an out-of-town developer who wanted to pay bribes to local officials to guarantee their support on projects, testified this morning that he asked lobbyist Adam Corey to procure “party favors and co-eds” for another FBI agent, Mike Sweet.

His testimony came during cross-examination by David Markus, one of Andrew Gillum’s lawyers.

“I told (Corey) he would need to line that up,” Miller said. “He does get us cocaine.”

Taking the stand later, Corey denied that.

"I did not do any deal with cocaine with the agents,” he said, adding he may have texted the name of someone the agents could talk to, but he added a laughing emoji.

Back story: Andrew Gillum opens up about cutting ties with lobbyist friend Adam Corey and Mike Miller

Markus mentioned an internal FBI email that appeared in recent court filings saying the bureau hoped to “dirty up” Corey by supplying him with drugs to the federal crime level and hoping he would roll on local officials.

Corey was a close friend of Andrew Gillum whom the undercover agents hired to make introductions to local officials after they arrived in Tallahassee starting in 2015.

Sweet posed as a former pot dealer turned legit medical marijuana entrepreneur. Though he was a star witness for the government in the trial of John “J.T.” Burnette in 2021, he is not expected to testify during Gillum’s trial. He was accused of buying a lap dance and a sex act to be performed on Scott Maddox during a trip to Las Vegas. He acknowledged paying for the lap dance but denied paying for prostitution.

Gillum lawyer questions FBI agent about New York trip

Markus also grilled Miller about the August 2016 trip to New York, where FBI agents met up with Andrew Gillum, his younger brother Marcus Gillum and Corey. The FBI bought them tickets to “Hamilton,” sprang for a boat ride to the Statue of Liberty and paid for hotel rooms for the Gillums and Corey, though Andrew Gillum stayed only one night, he said.

Gillum’s lawyer asked whether there was any allegation that the “Hamilton” ticket was a bribe.

“There was no ask from us,” Miller said. “There’s no bribe.”

Markus also asked about two female FBI agents who joined them on the boat ride and booze Miller brought to stock the boat. Miller said one of the women posed as his ex-girlfriend, who lived in the New York area.

“It was just adding layers to the reality of our story,” Miller said.

“Were the women attractive?” Markus asked.

“I think they’re both attractive ladies,” Miller responded.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Grogan, questioning Miller on redirect, asked whether it’s a federal offense to lie about getting a ticket to “Hamilton.” Miller said it was crime to lie to a federal officer.

Gillum tweeting appeals to crowdfund his defense

While Andrew Gillum watched testimony on Day 3 of his corruption trial, his Twitter account tweeted out the latest appeal as he seeks to raise $1 million for his legal defense fund.

It includes a black and white photo of Gillum in a sports jacket standing behind the stars of an American flag. The tweet quotes professional boxer James Corbett saying "the man who always fights one more round is never whipped."

A series of three fundraising tweets this week are the first for Gillum since June 2022 when he and an associate were charged with conspiracy and wire fraud in a 21-count indictment handed up by a federal grand jury nearly seven years after undercover agents began ingratiating themselves into the lives of their targets.

Back story: Charges against Gillum from undercover FBI operation were about to hit statute of limitations

The fund was set up by famed civil rights lawyer, Ben Crump, and others after his Forward Florida political committee shut down, having previously paid more than $400,000 in legal bills to his attorney's firm, Markus/Moss.

Judge Winsor bounces juror

U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor dismissed one of the jurors Wednesday in the Andrew Gillum case. He did not announce the reason why, though it appeared related to some interaction with a fellow juror.

A jury of 12 plus three alternates were picked Monday to serve during the trial. The jury was made up of nine women and six men. Five of the jurors are Black.

“One of your fellow jurors won’t be continuing on the case,” Winsor told remaining jurors after he returned to the courtroom. “It happens not infrequently.”

FBI agent Brian Butler takes the stand, says he picked up bill at New York restaurant

FBI agent Brian Butler, one of a trio of undercover officers who investigated public officials and others in Tallahassee, took the stand. Though he also played a role in the investigation of John “J.T.” Burnette, Butler never testified during the businessman’s trial in 2021.

Butler posed during the FBI probe as the owner of a green energy company that retrofitted public buildings. He was also a purported investor in Southern Pines Development, Miller’s real estate firm that was actually an FBI front.

From 2017: Brian Butler's background full of question marks

Under questioning by a prosecutor, Butler told jurors about the trip to New York City, saying that Marcus Gillum didn’t arrive until well into the performance of “Hamilton” after the agents left a ticket for him at will call.

That contradicted explanations offered by Gillum in 2018, when “Hamilton” became a campaign issue. Gillum told numerous news outlets that his brother handed him his “Hamilton” ticket outside the theater.

Butler said that after the show, the agents, the Gillums and Corey went to Spice Market, which he described as “a fairly nice restaurant.” Butler said he picked up the tab for everyone.

The agent, who was on the stand only about 10 minutes, also testified that Marcus Gillum told him after a 2016 Lil Wayne concert in Tallahassee that his brother would be running for governor and “we need your support to the tune of $25,000.”

Butler told Marcus Gillum he was “open to that” but needed guarantees that the agents’ projects would be approved. He said Marcus Gillum told him “it wouldn’t be a problem at all.”

Adam Corey testifies about 'Hamilton,' says bribes are 'not a game you should play'

Corey told jurors he first met Mike Miller in 2016 at The Edison restaurant, which he owns, after the agent reached out to him via email.

“He hired me to help him meet people in the community,” Corey said.

Corey said he thought highly of Miller’s purported plans to build a $30 million mixed-use project in a blighted part of South Monroe Street, calling it a “phenomenal” idea.

Around the same time, Gillum was plotting his next political steps and deciding whether he wanted to run for Congress or some other seat, Corey said. The mayor saw an opening in the governor’s race.

“He was a rising star, well-respected,” Corey said. “He wanted to go to that and I thought it was a great idea and wanted to support him.”

He said Gillum asked him to raise money for him, which led to his first fundraising event at Corey’s home in April 2016. The event raised money for the Forward Florida PAC, which at that time was not officially affiliated with Gillum.

Investigative report: Andrew Gillum's fundraising PAC took shape in city email

Who paid? FBI undercover agent billed for food, drinks at Andrew Gillum fundraiser, documents show

Corey suggested Miller donate to the fundraiser. But Miller, along with his FBI cohorts, didn’t want their names on campaign filings.

“(Miller) didn’t want to be a part of that, so I said you could pay for the food,” Corey said.

Miller covered the $4,386 dinner tab. Later, Miller and Corey planned the trip to New York City. He, too, testified that he didn’t see Marcus Gillum before “Hamilton” and that he thought the agents left him a ticket at will call.

Under cross-examination, Markus asked about the fundraiser and internal campaign emails that listed him as a host. Corey agreed with Markus that Miller’s involvement was “no secret” to the people running Forward Florida at the time.

Corey, who was on the stand for about half an hour, described Forward Florida as Gillum’s “exploratory committee.”

“I would say it was his creation, per se, that he was leading,” Corey testified.

Corey said months after first meeting the agents, they began talking about wanting favors in return for campaign donations. Corey said he was very “forceful” with the agents that they shouldn’t do that and that he would have no part in it.

“That’s not a game you should play,” he said he told the agents. He later told jurors, “I was not a part of any bribes.”

FBI case agent recounts questioning Gillum in Cascades

When the FBI investigation began in 2016, FBI agent Josh Doyle was serving as the case agent and managing the investigation. Doyle left the FBI in June 2017 to take a job as the Florida Bar’s executive director. FBI agent Evan Hurley took over as case agent around that time.

Around 7:45 a.m. on June 14, 2017, both Doyle and Hurley showed up unannounced at Gillum’s house to interview him about the New York trip and other matters under investigation. The mayor was at Cascades Park, but his wife, R. Jai Gillum, gave Doyle, whom she knew, her husband’s cell number.

The agents set up a meeting with him in the park and arrived 15 or 20 minutes later, secret recording devices rolling.

“He was calm, collected,” Hurley said. “He was well-spoken throughout.”

The government played the recorded interview in court, with a transcript of the conversation rolling on TV screens for jurors to see.

Doyle told Gillum, “You’re not in trouble,” before peppering him with questions about Mike Miller, J.T. Burnette and his spouse Kim Rivers, now CEO of Trulieve Cannabis Corp. Doyle said there “might be problems” with Burnette and Rivers’ financial dealings and that the agents were looking into that.

Gillum acknowledged knowing Miller and his associates and that he asked for their support when he decided to run for governor.

“Did they ever offer you anything or give you anything?” Doyle asked Gillum.

“No,” Gillum replied.

'I got you': Texts, emails detail how Adam Corey, FBI arranged trips for Andrew Gillum

With Hurley on the stand, the government showed jurors videos from interviews Gillum did with national media in October 2018, just ahead of the general election, and the second gubernatorial debate with Ron DeSantis.

Corey’s lawyer, Christopher Kise, had just released a trove of texts between the agents, the Gillums and Corey about the New York trip in what amounted to a damaging “October surprise.”

In an interview with MSNBC, Gillum denied taking “freebies” on the trip.

“When I got to the theater, my brother handed me a ticket,” Gillum said. “There’s absolutely nothing out there that would suggest I did anything illegal or untoward.”

Asked during the debate about “Hamilton,” Gillum again said he arrived at the theater and got his ticket from his brother.

In an interview with NBC, Gillum said, “I am not under FBI investigation, and neither is the city of Tallahassee.”

Gillum went on to lose the election by fewer than 33,000 votes. He would have made history as Florida’s first Black governor had he prevailed.

During cross-examination, Markus suggested Gillum was simply mistaken about how he got his ticket to “Hamilton.” But Hurley said he wouldn’t characterize it that way.

Markus asked Hurley about his and Doyle’s June 2017 interview with Gillum, noting he never asked the mayor about “Hamilton” or the boat ride. He asked whether Hurley and Doyle, who were trying to find out whether Gillum would tell the truth about his interactions with the agents, were truthful themselves with Gillum.

“Did you pretend that Southern Pines is real?”

“Yes, sir,” Hurley replied.

During the interview, Doyle told Gillum that he believed he had been “nothing but honest” and that there wasn’t any allegation “that you’ve done anything wrong.”

“Was that true or false?” Markus asked Hurley.

“That was false,” he said.

Gavel to gavel coverage

While cameras and electronics are not allowed in the courtroom, stay tuned to tallahassee.com for daily updates from longtime investigative reporter Jeff Burlew (@jeffburlew on Twitter).

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Andrew Gillum trial: How Hamilton ticket became a charge of lying to FBI