The personal stakes are high for everyone charged in the 39 count federal indictment, but some argue there is a lot at stake for the prosecution as well and the outcome could have nationwide political ramifications.
 
With 11 defendants out on bond, attorneys on both sides of the corruption indictment are putting their strongest cases together.
 
 The charges in the indictment carry hefty prison sentences ranging from five to thirty years. Finanical penalties run anywhere from $250,000 to $1,000,000.

As a former federal prosecutor, Attorney Raymond Johnson says a lot of emphasis is being placed on the honest services part of the indictment, because of a recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion that narrowed the application of that charge. He says it will take strong and specific evidence to prove guilt on that count.

"The supreme court came back and said that these type of cases are unique, but it has to be used for the appropriate purpose," said Johnson. "You actually have to have pretty much the request for funds, the actual payment of funds, the action extortion involved in these types of cases. That's going to be tested in this type of case."

  "This is the type of case that is going to have a chilling effect upon state legislators and upon the government if it doesn't go their way. It's going to have ramifications that are going to be far beyond this particular case that you see here today," said Johnson. "It's an issue that is going to be looked at across the country in other state legislatures as well."

  Dean of Cumberland School of Law, Judge John Carroll says it will take a long time to get the case ready for trial because there is reportedly wiretap evidence involved. It's hard to say how the case will proceed, but as it stands he predicts all eleven defendants will stand trial together.

"When you're indicted altogether, you're tried altogether, unless there's a reason to sever out. You know if this case is like many other public corruption cases there may be guilty pleas along the way and people will fall by the wayside, but if all 11 are together at the end, absent some really good reason not to do it they will try them together," said Carroll.