A federal drug conspiracy trial began Monday against a 28-year-old who has been collecting signatures on a petition against the reliance on informants in cases with no physical evidence.

Jonair Moore, who grew up in Lincoln but now lives in Denver, is accused of conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine in Lincoln between June 2005 and March 2007.

In an opening statement, Special United States Attorney Jan Lipovsky said witnesses cooperating with the government will tell the jury their stories of crack cocaine and Moore, who most knew as Spade.

Lipovsky said each was, for lack of a better word, a criminal, who has been convicted of possessing or selling cocaine and was giving information as part of a plea agreement.

She said one man will testify that he saw Moore buy 1 ounce of cocaine for $1,100 in front of a Lincoln coffee shop in 2006, and another will say he overheard Moore arguing with another man in 2005 over an unpaid drug debt.

Lipovsky said yet another will testify Moore "used his little brother" to go out to a car to buy 1/4 ounce of cocaine for $250 in a deal outside a Valentino's in 2005.

"These witnesses may not all know each other," she said, but, "They all know the defendant."

Moore's attorney, John Velasquez, asked the jury to pay close attention to the evidence. There would be no cell phone records, no DNA, no fingerprints.

"What you will find is not one atom, not one single molecule of physical evidence that Mr. Jonair Moore was involved in selling drugs," he said.

Velasquez said convicted felons will come in, among them one convicted of bank robbery, one of sexual assault of a child.

He said they gave Moore's name trying to get their own sentences reduced by giving information about someone not already convicted or in prison.

As a well-known rapper in the area, he's an easy target, Velasquez said.

He said at the end of trial he believed the jury would have more than reasonable doubt Moore was guilty.

"There's no physical evidence to back it up," he said.

Reach Lori Pilger at 473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com.