Ex-aide: I passed money to Campbell

A trusted aide who lived in Bill Campbell's basement apartment testified Monday that he funneled money to the former Atlanta mayor to be used for gambling and taking girlfriends on trips.

Dewey Clark sobbed repeatedly as he described his relationship with Campbell and how he bonded with the ex-mayor's family. He was the first witness in the federal corruption trial against Campbell to say that he saw a contractor pass money to him.

Clark's weeping started barely 10 minutes after he began testifying Monday afternoon. Later, he described his relationship with Campbell after being hired when Campbell became mayor in 1994.

"I said, 'Just trust me; we're friends,' " the silky-voiced Clark said, burying his face in a wad of tissue. "He said, 'I want you to go wherever I go.' He said, 'Just be loyal. Don't embarrass me.' "

Clark's testimony fired emotions and caused audible reactions from Campbell supporters, enough for U.S. District Judge Richard Story to admonish the gallery. The judge paused testimony after a male spectator said, "This is [expletive]" and stalked from the courtroom.

Clark testified that he funneled money from city contractor George Greene and strip club owner Michael Childs.

Greene, the owner of Sable Communications, began kicking in more cash for Campbell's second campaign in 1997 after Campbell chewed him out "for not being a loyal supporter" in his 1993 campaign, Clark said.

Greene also wrote several checks to Clark totaling thousands of dollars, according to large replica checks put on display for the jury. Clark said he used Greene's payments as spending money and to fly Campbell's mistresses to various locations and put them up in hotels.

Clark said he even saw to it that champagne was in the rooms. Clark said he sometimes took room keys to Campbell, who then reimbursed him in cash.

Later, when testifying about Childs, Clark said he was standing next to Campbell at a fund-raiser when Childs said he needed a liquor license for a new club, "Strawberries."

He said Campbell told Childs that "he would support him when the campaign was over."

After that, Clark testified, he was the bagman for cash from Childs to Campbell and met with Childs "10 to 12 times" in 1997 and 1998. Childs' payments were "nothing smaller than $2,500" and "up to $10,000," Clark told the jury.

Childs has pleaded guilty to burning down competitors' nightclubs and is cooperating with authorities. Greene also is cooperating.

The first alleged bribe from Childs took place at the Smokehouse restaurant, near Cheshire Bridge and Piedmont roads, Clark testified. It was $5,000, he said, adding that Childs "told me not to mess with the mayor's money. He told me to come back and he would take care of me."

Clark also testified that Fred Prewitt, Campbell's friend and chairman of the city's Civil Service Board, passed cash to the former mayor. Prewitt "told me he was going to put a roll [of cash] in the mayor's hand big enough to choke a goat."

Clark said he saw Prewitt pass money to Campbell while they were headed to the airport. He said Prewitt told him it was $10,000, then joked, "Watch him walk all the way to the airport with his hand in his pocket."

Clark, a Memphis native who worked on Campbell's campaign before being hired as an assistant, said he answered the telephone and responded to constituent mail but also kept appointments for the mayor and did banking for him. He testified that he became almost a member of the Campbell family — taking out trash, cutting grass, playing basketball with his son and even eating Thanksgiving dinner with them.