NEW ORLEANS — The trial of Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams and his business partner Nicole Burdett entered its second week on Monday, and the trial appears to be moving more rapidly than expected. The prosecution expected to rest its case Tuesday and the case could go to the jury before week’s end.
There seems to be little disagreement that the tax forms submitted between 2013 and 2017 by Williams and Burdett included deductions they weren't qualified to take, but the two say they entrusted their preparation to their tax preparer, Henry Timothy.
Three IRS agents testified and there were more items brought forth that Williams and Burdett had on their tax forms that the prosecution says shouldn't have been there.
Prosecutors say there were at least four payments of over $10,000 that Williams didn't claim on his firm's taxes. His attorney, Billy Gibbens, said those were shared with contracted attorneys.
IRS special agent Tim Moore was back on the stand Monday. He and tax preparer Henry Timothy have provided the bulk of testimony in the case.
Williams is accused of overstating deductions by $765,000 in those five years and the IRS claims he owes $280,000 in unpaid taxes on that total. Meanwhile, Burdett apparently took close to $300,000 in similar deductions and owes $120,000 in unpaid taxes.
Timothy, who pleaded guilty to cheating on his own tax returns has been testifying that he believed Williams and Burdett wanted him to maximize deductions even if they were not deductions they were entitled to take.
Moore was questioned by defense attorneys again Monday with a line of questioning including why Moore didn’t seek information from other clients of Timothy, who might have been able to establish a pattern.
“There were many reasons to disbelieve what Timothy told you, right?” asked Burdett’s attorney Mike Magner. “No, not many reasons,” replied Moore.
The defense has been trying to paint Timothy as an unreliable witness who made a plea deal in exchange for his testimony against Williams and Burdett.
The prosecution has likewise painted Timothy in a poor light, framing an argument that he was not a highly-trained CPA but merely someone who would do the bidding of his clients.
“Did you interview any of those other clients?” asked Magner. “No,” replied Moore.
Magner also took aim at expenses that were listed on Burdett’s returned that weren’t allowed, like dry cleaning. He implied that while it was not an allowable deduction, there was no attempt to hide it.
Magner asked Moore why he didn’t seek a warrant to search Timothy’s computer.
Williams was president of the New Orleans City Council when he was indicted in June 2020. Despite the charges, he won the district attorney's race that December with support from criminal justice reform advocates.
Williams has argued that he was singled out for prosecution for political reasons. Williams was a frequent critic of the hardball tactics of the man he replaced, Leon Cannizzaro, who did not seek reelection.