The longest serving Republican in the Georgia Senate goes on trial today accused of falsifying expense reports.

Sen. Don Balfour (R-Snellville) faces up to 10 years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines if convicted in the 18 felony count indictment.

He's accused of filing claims for expenses for which he did not incur.

The Snellville Republican, once the Senate’s powerful Rules Committee chairman, maintains they were inadvertent mistakes.

Balfour was suspended from office last month by Gov. Nathan Deal on the recommendation of a three-member panel.  He was also stripped of his committee assignments and his membership in the GOP caucus.

The list of potential witnesses reads like a who’s who from former governors and state lawmakers to executives from Waffle House where Balfour works.