◆ SpookStack

In today's editions, the Times re- Srand juries in New York, New. ported that Robert J, Del Tufo, U.S. Jersey, Washington, Pennsylvania attorney for New Jersey, recom- and perhaps Virginia and Florida mended that possible prosecution of are expected to be called within the! Willams be stopped for lack of a solid next month to begin hearing from case, but that Civiletti overruled prosecutors about the various illegal that recommendation. acts said to have been committed in In a telephone interview last those jurisdictions. night, Del Tufo told The Washington Many of the transactions between Star: "Everybody involved in this the undercover agents and the poli- matter has from time to time fur- ticians and their intermediaries are nished various memoranda contain. said to have been recorded on ing legal analyses and other things "hours and hours and hours" of to the Justice Department. As far as videotapes, some shot surrepti. what the contents of those memo- tiously in a house at 4407 w Street randa are, it is'something between NW, which is owned by Washington myself, the people in the Justice De. Post reporter Lee Lescaze, who partment and the other prosecu- unwittingly rented his home to the tors.' FBI after being transferred to a New The Times also reported that an Immigration and Naturalization York assignment. Government'sources said fear that Service inspector, Al Alexandro, was the breaking news stories would arrested last night in connection compromise the investigation forced with allegedly having accepted a $2,000 down payment on a S15,000 the FBI to send.dozens of agents out bribe from the undercover agents. "Saturday to interview 30 persons, itf. He is alleged to have told the agents Huding three Philadelphia city! that he could help win residency for ouncilmen, the mayor of Camden! a relative of one of the aliens. Spokesmen for several of those N.J., and a member of-the New Jer- sey Casino Control Commission as implicated, including Williams, Mur- well as the Capitol Hill figures in- phy, Jenrette, and Thompson, yester- volved. day said no bribes had been taken. Through spokesmen or in inter- The go-between for Lederer, Mur. views with reporters, Thompson, phy, Myers and Thompson was a Murtha and Jenrette each acknowl- Philadelphia lawyer, Howard L. edged meeting with someone pur- Criden, The New York Times has re- porting to represent Arab interests. ported. Criden, a former Pennsyiva- .All denied that any illegal acts had nia deputy attorney general, report- occurred. edly began cooperating with the FBI Murphy issued.a statement today on Saturday when he was told the in which he said, "I categorically men he was meeting with were deny any wrongful involvemenmt undercover agents, not rich Arabs. Through associates of the origi- with the recently disclosed FBI Ab- scam Operation. I'm not in violation nal, and unnamed, informant, the of any federal or local laws. I have FBI undercover agents also were not been involved in any money introduced to Camden mayor Angelo J. Errichetti, who The New York transactions. A routine background check dis- Times said helped involve williams. closed to,me that these persons were Errichetti, who yesterday told re. fraudulent," Murphy said. porters he is innocent, is said to Murtha told the Greensburg, Pa. have offered the sheik help in in. Tribune-Review that he had been vesting in land in Camden and contacted during Congress' Christ- Atlantic City and in gaining a li- mas recess by a man claiming to be a cense for a casino. Philadelphia lawyer who said he The Times said that Errichetti also represented an Arab. Murtha said he tried to convince the agents for the was told the Arab had money to in. phony sheik that they should join vest in his district provided he could with him in purchasing the Atlantic be assured of receiving permanent City land, then inflate the price to resident status from the INS. the'sheik and split the profit. At a Jan. 7 meeting at the house on The undercover agents also are w Street, Murtha said one-of the. said to have had meetings in Florida, . Arab representatives referred'to'the, New'York City and Virginia to arr- need for permanent resident statusi range for Williams to obtain'stock in a.tltanium mine in exchange for added, "I assumed the lawyer was! qusing his power on the Hill to obtain going to make S50,000.... government contracts.for the ven. The congressman said he told FBI Mure: No money is said'to have been agents interviewing him. Saturday. :e:changed-between the undercover I'm glad as hell you have.those vide- officers and williams. otapes.. . : They didn't offer me any money and I didn'ttakeahy."