Griego witness says exchange ‘uncomfortable’
Judge admonishes defendant for chat
SANTA FE — A witness in the corruption trial of former state Sen. Phil Griego testified Thursday that he was uncomfortable earlier this week when the exlawmaker approached him outside the courtroom, just before he was called to testify.
The interaction prompted District Judge Brett Loveless to admonish Griego late Wednesday, outside the jury’s presence.
But jurors learned about the conversation Thursday morning as prosecutors for the Attorney General’s Office characterized it as an attempt by Griego to offer a future business deal to someone who was about to provide testimony in his case.
The defense suggested it was just an innocuous interaction between two people who have known each other for a long time.
Deputy Attorney General Sharon Pino revealed the conversation to jurors as she questioned the witness, John Mahoney, on the stand.
Mahoney, a real-estate broker who used to supervise Griego, acknowledged that the ex-lawmaker had approached him in the courthouse shortly before he testified Wednesday. Griego said he’d like to talk after the case concludes because he had “someone who might be interested in a property I have,” Mahoney testified.
“I was a little uncomfortable having the conversation standing outside the courtroom,” Mahoney said. “I’m a witness, so I wasn’t sure we were supposed to be having a conversation.”
But Mahoney also said he didn’t think Griego was trying to influence his testimony.
And under questioning from Griego attorney Tom Clark, Mahoney said he had testified honestly and that Griego hadn’t influenced him.
Mahoney’s testimony is important because prosecutors consider him a victim of fraud — one of the charges against Griego.
Prosecutors allege that Griego didn’t properly disclose to Mahoney that he was working on a deal involving a state building and that the two should have negotiated whether or how to split the commission.
Mahoney testified Thursday that he isn’t sure whether Griego owes him a share of the commission. But he said that, under the terms of their contract at the time, he would have been entitled to know about Griego’s work so they could at least talk about the commission.
Prosecutors say Griego, a San Jose Democrat, used his position as a legislator to push the sale of a state building and then pocketed a $50,000 commission as a broker on the transaction.
Griego resigned in 2015 after an ethics investigation by a legislative committee.
His attorneys say he didn’t commit a crime. He didn’t actually vote on legislation authorizing the sale, they say, and his role as broker didn’t start until after the 2014 legislative session had concluded.
The trial is now in its second week and will continue Monday.