*** Court backs FBI on alleged spies (AP) - Three former student activists charged with spying for East Germany and other countries lost their bid to suppress most of the government's evidence against them. In a 21-page opinion released Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton wrote that FBI agents acted legally when they secretly wiretapped and searched the homes of former Pentagon lawyer Theresa M. Squillacote, 40; her husband, Kurt A. Stand, 43; and their college friend James M. Clark, 49. Defense attorneys had argued that the FBI's search warrants and wiretaps were invalid because East Germany no longer exists, so the trio could not have been active spies. They also contended the FBI abused the wiretaps by listening to conversations about personal matters. Hilton wrote that the FBI had credible evidence to show the defendants were agents of an existing country when they obtained the search warrants in 1996 and 1997. *** Bank fraud mastermind gets 17 years (AP) - The mastermind of a computer leasing scam that bilked $350 million from a consortium of banks was sentenced today to 16 years and 10 months in prison. Edward J. Reiners, of Somers, N.Y., pleaded guilty to bank fraud and money laundering in June 1996. This morning, U.S. District Judge Robert R. Merhige Jr. handed Reiners a 202-month sentence. Merhige also gave Reiners five years probation and required him to pay $250,000 in restitution. Reiners had faced a maximum of 50 years in prison and $1.5 million in fines. Reiners is a former Philip Morris Cos. Inc. computer executive. After he had left Philip Morris, he pretended he was still working for the company on a secret research project that turned out to be bogus. He convinced Signet Bank, NationsBank and six other banks to lend him about $350 million to lease computers for his project. Signet Bank was acquired last year by Charlotte, N.C.-based First Union Corp. -o- Subscribe: mail majordomoat_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Repent Security Incorporated [www.repsec.com]
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Apr 13 2001 - 12:54:04 PDT