On the fourth day of the perjury trial for West Chester Township Trustee George Lang, another witness testified that Lang contacted him in order to get their stories straight.
On Feb. 2, former Dynus Corp. executive Jim Smith testified that Lang called him and “wanted to make sure our stories were the same.”
Lang’s defense attorney, Ralph Kohnen, said that Smith was lying about Lang in order to get a shorter sentence after he plead guilty for bank fraud and tax evasion in 2008, according to Cincinnati.com.
Yesterday, Feb. 3, Lang’s close friend and former Butler County Republican Party Executive Director Chris Owens told a similar story.
Below is a portion of yesterday’s Enquirer story:
If the FBI asked, Lang wanted Owens to tell agents the $100,000 that Lang paid him for two Dynus contracts with Butler County were supposed to be for “consulting” with the company.
“He didn’t say ‘Scotty, this is what you need to say.’ He wanted to make sure we were on the same page (that) it was for consulting,” Owens testified in the fourth day of Lang’s federal perjury trial.
Owens broke down in tears several times during his testimony Thursday morning against a man he described as his closest friend.
“It is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, I think,” Owens said about testifying against Lang.
For the rest of the story, visit Cincinnati.com’s story titled, “Lang witness: $ wasn’t for consulting.”
Federal authorities indicted Lang Dec. 15, 2010, after they determined Lang knowingly made “a false material declaration” during his testimony in the United States of America v. Orlando Carter trial in August of 2009.
The crime of making false statements before a court carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a potential fine of up to $250,000. If convicted, Lang will also be banned from holding public office.
- For more information from the third day of the trial, visit Cincinnati.com’s story titled, “Witness: Lang wanted stories straight.”
- Information from the second day of the trial, visit Cincinnati.com’s story titled, “Winesses: Lang knew about conflicts.”
- Information from day one can be found on Cincinnati.com’s story titled, “Trustee trial: Kickbacks or consulting pay?”
Posted in: Board of Trustees, Crime, News |
