Reynolds puts former associate in the hot seat

Chicago real estate executive Elzie Higginbottom Jr. has long enjoyed the reputation of a shrewd businessman with the politician friends and bank accounts to prove it.

But if he’s as smart as I always thought, he sure must rue the day he decided to become business partners with twice- convicted former U. S. Rep. Mel Reynolds.

On Tuesday, Higginbottom spent a difficult hour undergoing cross- examination by Reynolds, who used the opportunity to accuse the Chicago businessman of trying to bribe government officials in Zimbabwe.

Reynolds is acting as his own attorney while on trial for allegedly failing to file income tax returns.

Most of the alleged income in question was paid to Reynolds by Higginbottom, who testified he agreed to give the ex- congressman $ 10,000 a month in return for helping him find business opportunities in the African nation of Zimbabwe.

Reynolds contends the payments were to cover his expenses, and through his questioning, suggested Higginbottom paid him some of the money for the express purpose ofmaking payoffs to officials in the government of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.

Higginbottom denied everything, well, almost everything, and at the end of the day, I’mnot sure Reynolds helped his own defense as much as he settled scores with his former business associate bymaking him squirm.

Reynolds also dropped plenty of hints to suggest that federal authorities had also scrutinized Higginbottom’s African dealings, although he was never charged.

Judges often remind jurors that a lawyer’s questions and statements are not evidence. The evidence is in the answers.

In this case, that reminder was unnecessary because U. S. District Judge Robert Gettleman is hearing the case in a bench trial without a jury.

But Reynolds’ questions were definitely attention- grabbers.

“Did you ever give money to Robert Mugabe?” Reynolds asked Higginbottom. “Absolutely not,” the businessman said. “Did you have a deal with RobertMugabe for a diamond concession in Zimbabwe?” “No, I did not,” Higginbottom said. When the former congressman asked if Higginbottom had sent money to Reynolds in Zimbabwe with the intent of bribing a “high elected official” there, Higginbottom said: “No, not to my knowledge.”

Higginbottom then added: “I never sent you any money to bribe anyone in Zimbabwe.”

When Reynolds asked if Higginbottom had sent diamond mining equipment to Zimbabwe, Higginbottom retorted: “What kind of diamond mining equipment?”

Then the coup de grace, Reynolds asked if Higginbottom had sent $ 100,000 to Christopher Mutsvangwa, a close associate of Mugabe whom Reynolds described as an ambassador with authority over the nation’s mining assets. “I don’t recall,” Higginbottom said. “You don’t recall sending $ 100,000?” Reynolds asked incredulously.

“No, I don’t,” said Higginbottom, who earlier had recollected the details surrounding much smaller payments to Reynolds.

Reynolds subsequently introduced an account ledger from Higginbottom listing the $ 100,000 payment to Mutsvangwa in 2012 from Sub- Sahara Trading LLC, the company he and Reynolds created to conduct their business.

At another point, Reynolds suggested the payment to Mutsvangwa was part of a “plot” to “set me up and have me arrested.”

Reynolds was arrested in a Zimbabwe hotel in 2014 on pornography charges and subsequently deported.

Higginbottom testified Reynolds brought him only one deal that came to fruition— an arrangement to sell latex gloves. Although they expected a profit of $ 200,000, they lost more than $ 100,000 in the deal, Higginbottom told the court.

The two couldn’t even agree on how they came to be doing business together.

Higginbottom testified he ran into Reynolds on the street in 2008 or 2009 and that the excongressman appeared to have “fallen on hard times,” which led to a follow- up call from Reynolds, who pitched him the Zimbabwe angle.

Reynolds suggested Higginbottom had approached him in a restaurant at an earlier date.

What it all tells me is that even smart guys can get stupid with the smell of easy money in the air.