A federal prosecutor on Monday urged a jury to convict a veteran public housing official of bribery, conspiracy and other charges for allegedly masterminding a bribery scheme at the city Housing Authority.
In a closing argument in U.S. District Court, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Hemann told the jury that 57-year-old Patricia Williams - a career housing authority executive - "personally exploited a serious housing crisis in the San Francisco Bay Area," by selling federal housing subsidy certificates for bribes as much as $2,500 a piece.
Williams has pleaded innocent to the crimes, saying the government's star witness and her former employee, Yolanda Jones, is responsible for the misdeeds. Jones was untouchable, Williams told the jury, because of her father's friendship with San Francisco mayor Willie Brown.
Jones countered that Williams set the bribe amounts and created the paper trail that made the scheme work.
Jones has pleaded guilty to 10 felonies and agreed to testify against her former boss in hopes of getting a lighter sentence.
The prosecutor reminded jurors that on the witness stand, Williams "refused to offer explanations for the most incriminating evidence against her."
In 1999, a federal grand jury indicted Williams, Jones and more than 20 other people on federal conspiracy and bribery charges.
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