Fired chancellor says he helped find Schmitz job
DECATUR — The fired chancellor of Alabama's two-year college system testified Tuesday that he helped find state Rep. Sue Schmitz a job in the system's two-year college system after being asked by House Speaker Seth Hammett and the head of the state teacher's union, Paul Hubbert.
Former chancellor Roy Johnson, who has pleaded guilty to bribery, money laundering and other charges, was the first witness called by prosecutors in the federal fraud trial of Schmitz, who is accused of making more than $177,000 with the system's CITY program from 2003 to 2006 while rarely showing up at her Huntsville office.
Earlier, prosecutor William Athanas told jurors in opening statements that Schmitz used her connections with Hammett, D-Andalusia, Hubbert and Johnson to get the job, then did little work.
But defense attorney Buck Watson said Schmitz was dedicated to the federally funded program that helps troubled teenagers. He said she worked hard promoting it across the state.
Schmitz was first elected to the Legislature in 1998 and worked as a teacher at Sparkman High School in Madison County during her first term. Johnson testified that Hammett and Hubbert came to him after Schmitz was elected to a second term in 2002. Johnson said they told him she needed a new job because her school system would no longer allow her to hire a substitute while she was in Montgomery for meetings of the Legislature.
He said three years after helping her secure the job he had a meeting with her CITY program supervisor.
"She was complaining that Sue Schmitz was not just not showing up for work, but didn't show up at all," Johnson said.
Under cross examination by defense attorney Jake Watson, Buck Watson's son, Johnson admitted he had agreed to testify against Schmitz in hopes of getting a lighter sentence.
Testimony will continue today. U.S. District Judge David Proctor told jurors the trial could last up to four weeks.
