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Article: Zimmermann: A deceiver or the victim of an over-eager FBI? A federal court jury must decide whether the ex-Minneapolis City Council member willingly took bribes or was set up.(NEWS)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- August 10, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Randy Furst; Staff Writer
On the surface it would seem to be a slam dunk for the prosecution: incriminating videotapes of a fast-talking developer handing envelopes containing wads of cash to a Minneapolis City Council member.
There are also more than two hours of audiotape in which Dean Zimmermann is constantly changing his story, telling "bald-face lies" to two FBI agents, according to a federal prosecutor.
But as a jury of seven women and five men begin their second day of deliberation today in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, it will have to grapple with other questions that will determine whether the 64-year-old former council ...