N.J. trial's trail of witnesses

Not surprisingly, few people want their names linked to a high-profile political-corruption trial.

But starting tomorrow, when testimony is scheduled to begin in the trial of powerful former State Sen. Wayne R. Bryant, some of New Jersey's political elite might not have the choice.

The list of "interested parties" in the case - people who could be witnesses for either side, or whose names could be raised during testimony - includes about 60 current and former members of the Legislature.

The list was shown last week to potential jurors to weed out those who might have a relationship with someone involved in the trial.

If knowing one of the 298 names on the list is a disqualifier, Assemblyman John Burzichelli said, "they're going to have to move this trial to Nebraska."

The trial remains in federal court in Trenton - and not in the American heartland - and a jury was picked in only four days.

Much of the selection was behind closed doors, but District Judge Freda Wolfson did note Thursday that many jury candidates had professed to "know nothing about the political process or what goes on."

Burzichelli (D., Gloucester) speculated that the list was designed to gauge a person's interest in New Jersey politics.

After four legislative elections, he said, he hopes potential jurors do know his name, especially after he has spent nearly $2 million on campaign ads.

"The fact that somebody doesn't know my name is a concern," Burzichelli joked. "That person better live outside of my district."

Neither the prosecution nor the defense would guess how many of the 298 interested parties would appear on the stand during the six- to eight-week trial, but Bryant's attorney, Carl Poplar, said most of probably would not be integral to the trial.

Still, few of those on the list contacted last week were interested in talking about the trial, and others didn't even know they were on the list.

"Certainly no one's talked to me about it," said Assemblyman Bill Baroni - and he's friendly with U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, whose office is prosecuting Bryant.

"No one's called me, no one's told me, no one's asked me," Baroni (R., Mercer) said.

Burzichelli is on the list but also hadn't been contacted.

"I think if I was going to be an active witness, someone would have spoken to me by now," he said.

Prominent Camden County lawyer William Tambussi also didn't know he had been listed.

He said he was on there probably because he represented some politicians questioned in the investigation. None of his clients have been notified they must testify, he said.

Opening statements are scheduled for tomorrow morning, with the first witnesses taking the stand in the afternoon.

Prosecutors wouldn't divulge to reporters the identities of those witnesses, but they said in court that the first could include employees of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Prosecutors allege that was where Bryant, a Camden County Democrat, solicited a no-show job and illegally padded his public pension in exchange for his influence as chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

A former dean at the school, R. Michael Gallagher, is accused of arranging Bryant's job and helping to hide its nature.

Prosecutors say Bryant directed millions of dollars to UMDNJ and lobbied on behalf of the school without disclosing his employment.

Those he lobbied - including a state treasurer and the heads of two other state agencies - are listed as interested parties.

So are a number of senators who served with Bryant on the budget committee.

Bryant told UMDNJ that he had asked the Office of Legislative Services, which provides legal advice to lawmakers, whether his employment was proper.

The indictment contends he did not seek that opinion.

The office's executive director, Albert Porroni, and budget officer, David Rosen, are listed as interested parties and seem likely to be witnesses.

Bryant did not run for reelection last year after he and Gallagher were indicted. Many of their activities at UMDNJ first were uncovered by a federal monitor appointed to oversee the university.

Another former UMDNJ dean, Warren Wallace, was forced out of his job after being named in one of the monitor's reports.

Although Wallace, a freeholder in Gloucester County, has long-standing ties to Bryant and worked under Gallagher, he said he had not known he was listed until he read about it in a newspaper.

"I was not wholly surprised," he said. "I was surprised, but very little surprises me."