Employing both the Rampart scandal and "cockroach" defenses, Jody "Babydol" Gibson's attorney, Gerald V. Scotti, gave his closing arguments yesterday in the three-week long trial of Gibson, the alleged Hollywood Madam. Gibson was on trial for pimping, pandering and procuring, allegations which Gibson's defense refuted from the get-go. It was Gibson's contention all along that she had been a party organizer and a porno movie producer. In his final arguments, Scotti attacked the LAPD's investigation of Gibson as "disgraceful" and one "full of cockroaches."
Perhaps what Scotti meant to say was full of shit, but chose the dubious euphemism in describing police work that he contends was "a shameful investigation." Scotti went further to say that "sloppy police work when it's not checked breeds further sloppiness and it breeds corruption. You know what we have next - we have Rampart." Prosecuting attorney, deputy D.A., Richard F. Walmark, urged jurors to dismiss the Rampart remarks and stick to the facts concerning the case, that standard-issue responses to LAPD cases will now be fraught with Rampart-scandal comments.
In his closing arguments, Scotti also cited a manuscript, allegedly written by Gibson, was "a work of fiction." In it Gibson writes about a love affair with a police detective and cites one instance where she turned down Heidi Fleiss for employment because Fleiss wasn't attractive enough.
On the other hand, Walmark claimed the manuscript, a copy of which was found in Gibson's home, constituted an admission of guilt on the pimping and pandering charges. Walmark also recapped the testimony of three former prostitutes who allegedly worked for Gibson and testimony of vice officers, one of whom approached Gibson as a prospective employee. Also brought into evidence were secretly taped conversations with Gibson as well as notebooks in which Gibson recorded her business activities. To the contrary, Gibson's defense produced no witnesses and argued, simply, that prosecution had failed to prove its case.
Gibson's manuscript produced some fascinating food-for-thought, including an affair she was supposed to have had with a detective in the Beverly Hills Police Department in exchange for immunity. She also writes how tired she is of LAPD's intolerance of prostitution and suggests that prostitution be taxed with 1% going to the homeless. Gibson also writes how Heidi Fleiss hated her and held a grudge because Gibson wouldn't hire her, at one time. Gibson also refers to a price war that ensued between her and Fleiss over that feud.
Gibson also writes that she created her service to finance her attempts at a recording career. The manuscript also suggests that Gibson, at least at one time, had Playboy playmates in her employ.
Scotti also attacked the veracity of witnesses for the prostitution - women who had bargained for immunity in exchange for testimony. Scotti suggested that they were coerced into telling "falesehoods" when threatened with jail time. Scotti additionally attacked the shoddiness of the police work in the case, claiming that, at no time, was there an attempt to make a handwriting analysis to determine if Gibson were, indeed, the author of the uncovered manuals and diaries used in the case. He also attacked the credibility of one female undercover officer who approached Gibson about working for her and secretly taped the conversation, calling her "Linda Tripp".
Jury deliberations begin Thursday
