Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 3, 1994 TAG: 9403030033
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Ray Reed
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Also, I remember the discussion of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were put to death as spies. Why were they executed when Aldrich and Maria Ames can only be given, at maximum, a life sentence? D.G., Buchanan
A: It may seem frustrating to spend our tax dollars for both prosecuting and defending these suspects. The government usually sweeps up the remains, though.
A Justice Department spokesman said Wednesday that the expenses will be recouped - to the extent that the Ameses' considerable assets will allow, anyway. Their $540,000 Arlington house, six-figure stock portfolio and $40,000 Jaguar probably will be seized by the government when the case is over, although that could take years.
Prosecutors have implied the Ameses have still more funds in foreign banks where the United States can't reach them.
If it's any consolation, attorneys Plato Cacheris and William B. Cummings will be paid $60 an hour - a fraction of the usual rate for Washington's best lawyers.
Appointing high-caliber lawyers is in the government's best interest. Any lawyer who defended the Ameses would gain access to classified information, and Cacheris and Cummings presumably can be relied on to respect its sensitive nature instead of divulging more U.S. spying secrets.
As for the comparison to the Rosenbergs' execution in 1953, the Supreme Court has ruled since then that espionage does not merit the death penalty.
Only two federal offenses still carry capital punishment: drug-kingpin activity and hijackings where a death occurs. Six drug-kingpin defendants await a Supreme Court ruling on the penalty's validity, and no capital hijacking cases are pending.
Another point: Prosecutors, the FBI and CIA have been unusually generous in providing information to the media in the Ames case. The U.S. agencies have been anxious to explain lapses in their knowledge of Soviet affairs and destruction of our spy network in Russia.
Convictions may not be easy to obtain in court when rules of evidence have to be followed.
April 15 not always T-Day
Q: When I first started paying income taxes, the deadline was March 15. When did it change to April 15? G.G., Abingdon
A: In 1955. The filing date you mention had been in effect since 1919, but we won't ask you to reveal how many years you met that deadline.
Income taxes had a struggling history before this century, though. They were collected for about nine years during and after the Civil War, but the tax law expired. Efforts to revive it failed in 1895 - those were the days - because the Supreme Court ruled income taxes unconstitutional.
The pivotal date was Feb. 25, 1913, when the 16th Amendment gave Congress the power to collect income taxes. The first filing deadline was March 1, 1914.
Got a question about something that might affect other people too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.
by CNB