Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 13, 1993 TAG: 9303130279
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By Associated Press
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short
HEARING MONDAY IN TAPING CASE
A businessman who was the only person indicted in a grand jury probe of political eavesdropping linked to Sen. Charles Robb has a court hearing next week but on Friday denied any knowledge of a plea agreement.A handwritten docket entry at the U.S. District Court in Norfolk indicated a plea hearing was scheduled at 2 p.m. Monday for Bruce Thompson, a former social acquaintance of Robb, D-Va.
"I don't know anything about it," said Thompson, whose trial was scheduled for April 5. "I'm anxiously awaiting Mr. Drescher's return. I suspect he'll bring me up to date then."
Jack Drescher, Thompson's attorney, was out of the country until Monday, his office said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Wiechering, who headed the 18-month probe of an illegally taped cellular telephone call of Gov. Douglas Wilder, said he could not comment on whether a plea deal had been reached.
"The docket speaks for itself," Wiechering said.
Thompson, 41, was indicted on charges of witness tampering and conspiracy in the disclosure of the Wilder tape, which was obtained by an aide to Robb and later leaked to reporters.
Prosecutors allege that Thompson delivered the tape to a Robb staffer. Thompson pleaded innocent to the charges Jan. 27.
During the tape investigation, three former Robb aides pleaded guilty to roles in leaking Wilder's remarks. In the 1988 conversation, Wilder speculated that Robb's political career would be ruined by published reports saying Robb had attended drug parties in Virginia Beach.
The grand jury declined to indict Robb, who appeared before the panel twice and said he ordered his staff not to disclose the Wilder tape after learning of its existence.