INDICTED ROBB CRONY PLEADS INNOCENT

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, January 28, 1993                   TAG: 9301280195
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NORFOLK                                LENGTH: Medium
INDICTED ROBB CRONY PLEADS INNOCENT
Bruce Thompson, a former social acquaintance of U.S. Sen. Charles Robb, pleaded innocent Wednesday to charges stemming from a grand jury investigation of Robb and his aides.
The grand jury declined to indict Robb, D-Va., in its 18-month probe of an illegally taped car-phone conversation of Gov. Douglas Wilder. But three former Robb aides pleaded guilty to minor charges and paid fines related to their handling of the tape.
The investigation ended Jan. 12 after the grand jury indicted Thompson.
Thompson, 41, said he has felt "a lot of anxiety" since he was indicted on charges of conspiracy, disclosing an illegally intercepted cellular telephone call and witness tampering.
Thompson asked for a jury trial. U.S. Magistrate William Prince set April 5 as a trial date.
Jack Drescher, Thompson's attorney, said he had not yet decided whether to seek Robb's testimony at the trial.
Thompson faces up to 20 years in prison and $750,000 in fines if convicted. He is accused of being the middleman who delivered the Wilder tape to a Robb aide.
During the 1988 conversation with a political supporter, Wilder - then lieutenant governor - speculated that Robb's career would be ruined by allegations that Robb attended drug parties in Virginia Beach when he was governor from 1982 to 1986.
Robb, who was running for the Senate at the time, denied any knowledge of drug use at parties he attended.
Thompson, who owns a hotel management company in Virginia Beach, was a frequent host of Robb and attended parties with him. He was appointed by Robb to the state Tourism and Travel Services Advisory Board.
Thompson later was granted immunity from prosecution in return for his testimony in a federal drug investigation centering on Virginia Beach activities.
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB