Lyons' co-defendant takes witness stand, begins describing relationship
February 19, 1999LARGO, Fla. — The co-defendant of the National Baptist Convention USA's president testified today she was "like a little kid in a candy store'' when she bought a home with him and expensive jewelry, but said she never spent any money she didn't believe she had earned.
Bernice Edwards, testifying for the second day in her and the Rev. Henry Lyons' racketeering trial, also told the jury that she and the married minister were not romantically involved.
"It has been a professional relationship only, and friends,'' said Ms. Edwards, the convention's former public relations director who has been described by prosecutors as Lyons' mistress.
Lyons and Ms. Edwards are accused of swindling more than $4 million from companies seeking to market life insurance policies, cemetery products and credit cards. Prosecutors say they duped the companies with the promise of an 8.5 million-member mailing list that never existed.
Ms. Edwards said she wasn't in on any of the marketing deals with Globe Life Insurance Co. or the funeral home company the Loewen Group. But she said she later worked with company executives to compile a convention membership list.
"It was moving slowly,'' she said of a 1995 effort to solicit rosters from pastors of member churches. "The ministers didn't want to give their lists. They felt first that it's private and second ... someone would take their members.''
Ms. Edwards said Globe executives knew no membership list existed at that point and asked her to help compile one so they could market products to convention members.
She eventually received between $350,000 and $400,000 from Globe, she testified, saying the money was to reimburse her expenses and pay her for her work.
"That was a good payday for you?'' defense lawyer Paul Sisco asked.
"Absolutely,'' she responded.
Ms. Edwards, who was on three-year federal probation for embezzling funds from a school in Milwaukee, said she never reported the payment to her probation officer, as required under the terms of her 1993 probation.
"I didn't report it because I didn't want it to stop. I felt good about it,'' she said.
Ms. Edwards, who described herself in testimony Thursday as the youngest of 17 children and a struggling single mother of three, told jurors she spent the money on jewelry, a $700,000 waterfront home she purchased with Lyons and other expensive items.
`I bought these things because I worked hard to earn that money. It was my chance to buy some things I always wanted,'' she said. "I was like a little kid in a candy store.''
Ms. Edwards' testimony began after Lyons announced he would not be taking the witness stand. His lawyers then rested their case.
In 1995, Ms. Edwards said, she was "hurt and distraught'' when Lyons told her he had hired a meetings director and her public relations position was being phased into that office. But a few days later, she said, Lyons called and discussed having her compile the mailing list.
The church group's mailing list has been a key part of the prosecution's case because they contend Lyons and Ms. Edwards duped companies into believing the convention had 8.5 million members and a membership list that would allow the companies to target marketing efforts.
Lyons' lawyers maintain the failed business deals are not criminal matters. Outside of court, they said Ms. Edwards' decision to take the stand would help their client.
Source: Newswire
February 19, 1999
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