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SOCom witness in spotlight

A former civilian contractor, the star witness, denied bribery took place, a defense lawyer says.

By PAUL DE LA GARZA
Published May 10, 2006

TAMPA - Federal prosecutors were counting on William Burke as their star witness in a bribery case involving Special Operations Command.

But as the trial opened Tuesday, defense attorney Pat Doherty dropped a bombshell.

He told jurors that during a hastily arranged meeting with Burke in December, Burke denied that Doherty's client, Tom Spellissy, paid him $4,500 in bribes.

Doherty also told jurors that in an anonymous letter he attributed to Burke, and in a brief conversation with Spellissy in Washington, Burke said federal agents vowed to make his life a living hell if he did not plead guilty.

Burke requested to meet with him, Doherty said.

"It was so emotional," he said of the Dec. 23 meeting. "I became concerned he was going to kill himself."

Doherty said Burke told Spellissy he did not have money to defend himself. Doherty said he gave Burke the name of a lawyer.

Doherty's statements were so unusual that prosecutors objected on ethical grounds, but U.S. District Judge James Whittemore allowed them.

A civilian contractor at SOCom headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, Burke told investigators last year that in exchange for the money and promises of a bigger payday down the road, he gave preferential treatment to clients of Spellissy's, who became a defense consultant after he retired as an Army colonel at SOCom.

Burke of Odessa pleaded guilty in October to bribery and was sentenced to probation. He agreed to cooperate with the government.

In his opening statement, prosecutor Robert O'Neill noted that Burke admitted giving preferential treatment to clients of Strategic Defense International, Spellissy's Clearwater company.

But after the case became public, O'Neill said Burke began to get hate mail. He said Burke became a pariah with colleagues at Sentel Corp., which provides private contractors at SOCom.

That caused Burke to have second thoughts and he sought advice from Doherty, O'Neill said. "Mr. Burke has had problems coming to grips with the fact that he betrayed the public trust," O'Neill said.

After other testimony, Burke testified briefly in the afternoon.

He and Spellissy, who helped to arm special operations forces at SOCom until he retired Jan. 1, 2005, had a professional relationship, Burke said.

At one point, Spellissy was Burke's superior. "He was a great supervisor," Burke said, "probably my best boss ever."

Sometime in the fall of 2004, As Spellissy prepared to retire from the military, Burke said the two started to have discussions about Burke working for Spellissy.

Burke, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, said his salary at Sentel was in the "high 80s, low 90s," and that his military pension was $2,300 monthly. He said he was looking to make more money.

"I really wanted to work for him full time," said Burke, who now is unemployed. "He was growing his business. I wanted to be part of that." Burke said he agreed to provide general management services and research potential business opportunities for Spellissy's company part time.

A series of e-mails between Burke and Spellissy in fall 2004 seem to show Burke's frustration at not getting credit by defense contractors for his influence in awarding contracts at SOCom, which oversees the nation's elite commandos.

At one point, Burke told Spellissy he was instrumental in securing more than $10-million in funding for Spellissy's potential clients.

"I sold my soul to get these four projects approved, sacrificing future projects for these," Burke told Spellissy in one e-mail that prosecutors submitted as evidence. In another, Burke wrote: "They need to show some love/gratitude."

Witnesses mainly testified about the search of Spellissy's house last year, and the content of documents recovered from his house, including e-mails and bank records. The trial resumes today, with Burke still on the stand.

[Last modified May 10, 2006, 11:14:12]