Government rests in Coke conspiracy trial, judge denies defense request to dismiss case

Monday, January 29th 2007, 11:33 am

By: News On 6

ATLANTA (AP) _ The government rested its case Monday against a former Coca-Cola secretary charged with conspiring to steal trade secrets from the beverage giant in an effort to sell them to rival Pepsi.

A defense lawyer for Joya Williams was expected to begin her case later Monday. The lawyer, Janice Singer, said she plans to call three witnesses, including Williams, and wrap up her case by Tuesday.

The jury would begin deliberating after closing arguments. U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester denied a defense request to dismiss the indictment Monday after the government rested.

The government's final witness was FBI agent Jerry Reichard, who testified Monday about a $4,000 cash deposit that posted to Williams' bank account on June 19, 2006, three days after Reichard had given a co-defendant in the case, Ibrahim Dimson, $30,000 in cash in exchange for a sample of a new Coca-Cola product that was part of a so-called Project Lancelot.

The money exchange between Dimson and Reichard occurred at the Atlanta airport. Reichard, who Dimson thought was an intermediary for Pepsi, said he put the cash in a Girl Scout cookie box.

``Thirty-thousand dollars actually fits nicely in a Girl Scout cookie box,'' Reichard testified, prompting laughs from the court gallery.

The government has alleged that Williams stole confidential documents and samples of products that hadn't been launched from The Coca-Cola Co. and gave them to Dimson and another co-defendant, Edmund Duhaney, as part of a conspiracy to sell the items to Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo Inc. for at least $1.5 million.

Williams faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy. Dimson and Duhaney have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. They had been scheduled to be sentenced Monday, but that was expected to be delayed until sometime after Williams' trial is over.

Williams, who has pleaded not guilty, was fired from her job as an administrative assistant to Coca-Cola's global brand director at the company's Atlanta headquarters after the allegations came to light.

Defense lawyer Singer has accused Dimson and Duhaney of stealing the documents from Williams and going behind her back to try to sell them. Singer said her client had taken the materials home with her because she was messing up at work and wanted to be able to prove she was doing her job if her boss questioned her.

Singer has described Dimson and Duhaney as seasoned liars and ex-cons who would say anything to lessen their guilt in the scheme. Duhaney, as part of a plea agreement with the government, testified that Williams spearheaded the scheme. Dimson was not called as a government witness.

Under cross-examination by Singer, Reichard testified Monday that FBI surveillance of Williams did not show Dimson giving her any money. Duhaney had testified previously that he gave Williams money that Dimson gave him.

Reichard also acknowledged that except for two innocuous phone messages from Williams, her voice is not captured on any of the hundreds of other telephone calls between Dimson and Duhaney that the FBI recorded. The agent also testified under cross-examination that three other people who were supposed to get money or gifts from Dimson from the proceeds of the scheme were never charged in the case, and at least one of them was never interviewed by the FBI.