Interview Sought For Sentencing Reduction

The attorney for former sheriff Billy Long says the FBI's Cooperating Witness interview could help Long in sentencing. Reverend C. Eugene Overstreet revealed himself on NewsChannel 9 as the FBI's Witness in an exclusive interview.

Long's attorney, Jerry Summers, filed a motion in federal court requesting the entire interview. In his motion, Summers indicates Overstreet's comments could actually shorten Long's sentence. But Overstreet says Summers seeks the wrong target.

Overstreet said, "What he (Summers) is doing is playing classroom bully. He's afraid to grab the FBI and the Justice Department, the one who actually put Billy in jail. I'm not a policeman."

But the former sheriff's attorney believes comments from the FBI's Cooperating Witness could actually shorten prison time for Billy Long.

On Monday, the Sheriff changed his plea to GUILTY on 27 of 28 felony counts in this corruption, extortion and drug trafficking FBI reverse sting.

People close to the case estimate the 56 year old Long COULD face 10 or more years behind bars.

In his motion, Summers wrote, " The interview is believed to contain exculpatory evidence that would support a downward variance for sentencing entrapment or sentencing factor manipulation under current federal case law."

In our interview, Overstreet said, "The criminal aspect of it and Mr. Summers knows that was not my presenting to Billy, ugh money making with whatever the FBI says, it was totally the idea of Mr. Long."

On Monday, Long pleaded guilty to accepting 10 thousand five hundred dollars in drug trafficking money and to seeing 10 kilograms of cocaine supposedly headed to Mexico.

We directly asked Overstreet about creating an illusion of a drug ring going on for the FBI sting to work.

Overstreet responded, "No, I don't have the training to create the delusion. The FBI, that's their sting ring."

Back in 2002 Overstreet faced charges in Dalton for drug paraphanelia and having trace amounts of cocaine. He said then it was for educational purposes. And District Attorney Kermit McManus told me in an earlier interview those charges didn't stick. The felony on Overstreet's record is a bounced check for an appraisal.