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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 1978)
sir RY? 'ilfotfOU Estes back to jail THE BATTALION FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1978 Page 5 'Church-going convicted swindler violates his parole •iliti United Press International FORT WORTH — Texas wheeler-dealer Billie Sol Estes, who admitted to a federal judge he con spired to cheat on his taxes and violate his parole, will probably serve 15 months in prison under terms of a plea bargain, the gov ernment’s chief investigator said Thursday. Estes’ admission of guilt Wed nesday came only a few months after he had told reporters he was inno cent and that federal prosecutors were harassing him and attempting to “blackmail” him into prison. But by pleading guilty, the church-going convicted swindler won government assurance no other charges would be brought against him. Perhaps most important to Estes, the government also prom ised that his family — including his wife, older brother and eldest daughter — would be granted im munity from prosecution. “His parole will be revoked, but for what period of time, we don’t know,” said U.S. Attorney Ken Mighell. “It’s up to the Parole Commission. They have to give him hearing and we don’t know when that will be.” But Mighell said the terms of the plea bargain called for "a prison term of about 15 months. ” If the U.S. Parole Commission were to order Estes back to prison for the remaining nine years of his 1965 sentence or if U.S. District Judge Eldon Mahon chose to assess a harsher punishment than 15 months, Estes could end the ar rangement with the government. “But then he would open himself to the likelihood of an indictment and trial on the same or possibly stif- fer charges,” the prosecutor said. On Wednesday Estes, 52, with graying hair but still wearing the horn-rimmed glasses which made him look more like a college profes sor than one of the legendary swindlers of all time, calmly pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the government by “fronting” his busi nesses with associates and family and by concealing assets from the Internal Revenue Service. “Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty and for no other rea son?” Judge Mahon asked. “Yes sir,” Estes replied. Mahon said he would determine Estes’ punishment after a pre sentence investigation by the parole board. He said in the meantime Estes would remain free without posting bond. In the early 1960s Estes’ name became synonymous with easy money as he amassed a fortune with phantom fertilizer tanks. His net worth once reached as high as $250 million, but his paper empire crum bled into bankruptcy. He was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in 1965, but was paroled in 1971. He returned to Abilene, Texas, took on a job as a janitor and truck driver dispatcher and announced he was abandoning high finance. But former business associates claimed Estes was anything but re tired. Mighell said Estes’ court appear ance ended an 18-month investiga tion that was launched by the pub lished reports Estes had violated the terms of his federal parole specifi cally prohibiting him from self- employment or engaging in any promotional activities. On Sept. 6, U.S. District Judge Leo Brewster in Abilene declared Estes and his wife owed $39,769,796 in back taxes on earn ings between 1959 and 1962 — the height of his fraudulent but highly profitable business dealings. Estes’ attorneys then asked for a Tuesday meeting with federal pros ecutors which led to Wednesday’s plea bargain. La Raza candidate says Krueger aide made bribe United Press International AUSTIN — The La Raza Unida candidate for the U.S. Senate Thursday told a U.S. assistant attor ney in Brownsville that supporters of Rep. Bob Krueger, D-Texas, of fered him a job and $2 million in inducements to drop out of the Se nate race. Luis Diaz DeLeon of Leander, said the person offering the in ducements indicated the 2 to 3 per cent of the votes the La Raza Unida candidate might attract could de termine the outcome of the race be tween Krueger and Sen. John G. Tower, R-Texas. DeLeon met privately Thursday with Assistant U.S. Attorney Ruben DeLuna, but DeLuna declined to say what was discussed and said DeLeon had not filed any formal complaint. The La Raza candidate requested the meeting, DeLuna said. £ fJ J ; mi Let Sunshine into your life! 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