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| Convicted former prisons chief wants travel freedom |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 01/03/2005 |
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A former Texas prisons chief, still awaiting sentencing after being convicted nearly three and a half years ago of running an illegal kickback scheme in the mid-1990s, has asked a judge to waive requiring that he gain court permission to travel out of state. James A. "Andy" Collins and his co-defendant, Yank Barry, were convicted in 2001 of bribery, fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. The jury determined they colluded in a $33.7 million kickback scheme to distribute a soy-based meat substitute in Texas prisons. When the scheme was hatched in 1995, Collins was executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and Barry was president of Montreal-based Vitapro Foods Inc., which manufactures the all-vegetable substance. Both testified they were innocent of wrongdoing and remain free on bond. A trial transcript riddled with omissions and errors repeatedly delayed sentencing, and the U.S. District Judge has yet to rule on a 2002 request from the defendants for a new trial or a July request from prosecutors to expedite that ruling. Collins' bond restricted his travel to Texas unless he received prior permission to stray further. Collins has consistently received approval multiple trips to various states, including Kansas, Nevada, Alaska and Puerto Rico. But in a letter to his attorney filed with court papers earlier this month, the software consultant said the approval process often takes up to three weeks. He said his job as a consultant for a Dallas software company requires freedom to make business trips on one- or two-days' notice, particularly since his employers anticipate enhanced marketing efforts in 2005. |
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