◆ SpookStack

+Srand juries in New York, New Jerséy, Washington, Pennsylvania and perhaps Virginia and Florida are expected to be called within the next month to begin hearing from prosecutors about the various iHegal those jurisdictions. acts said to have been committed in Many of the transactions between | the undercover agents and the poli- ticians and their interthediaries are said to have been recorded on “hours and hours and hours” ‘of * videotapes, some shot surrepti- tiously in a house at 4407 W Street NW, which is owned by Washington Post reporter Lee Lescaze, who unwittingly rented his home to the FBI after being transferred to a New York assignment. Government'sources said fear that the breaking news stories would compromise the investigation forced the FBI to send dozens of agents out paturday to interview 30 persons, ir|- ‘ luding three Philadelphia city. Zouncilmen, the mayor of Camden N.J., and a member of-the New Jer- sey Casino Control Commission as well as the Capitol Hill figures in- volved, . The go-between:for Lederer, Mur- phy, Myers and Thompson was a Philadelphia lawyer, Howard L. Criden, The New York Times has re- ported. Criden, a former Pennsylva- nia deputy attorney general, report- edly began cooperating with the FBI on Saturday when he was told the men he was meeting with were undercover agents, notrich Arabs, > Through associates of the origi- nal, and unnamed, informant, the FBI undercover agents also were introduced to Camden mayor Angelo J. Errichetti, who The New York Times said helped involve Williams. . Errichetti, who yesterday told re- porters he is innocent, is said to have offered the sheik help in in- vesting in land in Camden and Atlantic City and in gaining a li- cense for a casino. ‘The Times said that Errichetti also tried to convince the agents for the phony Sheik that they should join with him in purchasing the Atlantic City land, then inflate the price to the'sheik and split the profit, The undercover agents also are Said to have had meetings in Florida, New York City and Virginia to arr- rangé for Williams to obtain'stock in a-litanium mine in exchange for | ausing his power on the Hill to obtain “tre: Noimoney is said'to have been 2 changed-between ‘the undercover otticéts and Williams. he In ‘today’s editions. the Times re- ported that Robert J.D Del Tufo, US. attorney for New Jersey, recom: mended that possible prosecution of Willams be stopped for lack of a solid case, but that-Civiletti overruled’ that recommendation. In a telephone interview last: night, Del Tufo told The Washington Star: “Everybody involved in this matter has from time to time fur- nished various memoranda contain- ing legal analyses and other things to the Justice Department. As far as what the contents of those memo- randa are, it is something between myself, the people in the Justice De- partment and the other prosecu- tors.” "4 The Times also reported that an Immigration and Naturalization Service inspector, Al Alexandro, was arrested last night in connection with allegedly having accepted a $2,000 down payment on a $15,000 bribe from the undercover agents. He is alleged to have told the agents that he could help win residency for a relative of one of the aliens. Spokesmen for several of those implicated, including Williams, Mur- phy, Jenrette, and Thompson, yester- day said no bribes had been taken. Through spokesmen or in inter-’ views with ‘reporters, Thompson, Murtha and Jenrette each acknowl- edged meeting with someone pur- porting to represent Arab interests. -All denied that any illegal acts had occurred. . Murphy issued.a statement today in which he said, “I categorically deny any wrongful involvemenmt with the recently disclosed FBI Ab- scam Operation. I’m not in violation of any federal or local laws. I have not been involved in ‘any money transactions. A routine background check dis- closed to,me that these persons were fraudulent,” Murphy said. . ' Murtha told the Greensburg, Pa., Tribune-Review that he had- been contacted during Congress’ Christ- mas recess by a man claiming to bea Philadelphia lawyer who said he represented an Arab. Murtha said he was told the Arab had money to in- vest in his district provided he could be assured of receiving permanent resident status from the INS. Ata Jan. 7 nieeting at the house on W Street, Murtha said one-of:the, . Arab representatives referred to the, need for permanent resident status: and said, “It’s worth $50,000.” Murtha: added, “I assumed the lawyer, was: going to make $50,000... .” a The congressman said he told FBI agents interviewing him. Saturday, “I'm glad as hell you have those vide- otapes.. . . They didn’t offer me any money and I didnetaxe hy.” “ a