JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Federal prosecutors released a list of witnesses who will be called to testify at an upcoming hearing in the JEA corruption case.
Among those who will be called are former CEO Paul McElroy, former Board Chair April Green, former city General Counsel Jason Gabriel and former JEA Chief Customer Officer Kerri Stewart, who helped pitch the public on the bid process leading up to the sale.
Also expected to testify is former City Council Auditor Kyle Billy, who was the first to flag the enormous cost of the proposed Performance Unit Plan created by Zahn and Wannemacher, which Billy estimated could generate a $600 million-dollar windfall for executives if the utility was sold, as planned.
On the list, too, are City Councilmembers Ron Salem and Rory Diamond, who called a Dec. 2019 hearing to discuss the failed sale and what they called “an attempt to enrich JEA employees and executives” at the expense of ratepayers.
Zhan and Wannemacher are charged with conspiracy and wire fraud. Both have pleaded not guilty. Their trial is set to begin in October, but before that, both sides will spend several days in court for a so-called Kastigar hearing.
The subject of the hearing is whether prosecutors relied on the content of Zahn and Wannemacher’s immunized testimony in building their criminal case -- which is prohibited by law. Prosecutors have said they did not use the men’s compelled testimony, but their attorneys argue the case got so much coverage, the entire prosecution effort, including the grand jury, may have been “tainted” with it.
The hearing is set to begin May 15 and will last several days. Portions of it will be held in secret, over the objections of local media who fought to keep the courtroom open.