THE BATTALION
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1981
State
Page
35-count indictment given
Houston video distributor charged
United Press Internationa!
HOUSTON — Federal pro
secutors say they dropped misde
meanor signal- interception
charges against a home video dis
tributor to concentrate on other
lofthela charges involving sale of equip
ment capable of pirating video
in nifJ transmissions.
i?h that; A federal grand jury handed
ihleto^ down the 35-count indictment
'k said, charging eight people, including
ngtobci former and current owners and
lip sent employees of Pirate Video and
lichisladi Microwave with mail fraud, eri-
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mina) copyright infringement and
unlawful interception of broadcast
signals.
The misdemeanor charges,
dropped Friday, stem from Pirate
Video’s attempt to pick up and
show free of charge the satellite-
relayed closed-circuit transmis
sion from the Sept. 16 title boxing
match between Sugar Ray
Leonard and Thomas Hearns in
Las Vegas.
Two sports promoting organi
zations had purchased rights to
show the fight in Houston, but on
Sept. 16 Pirate Video advertised it
would show the fight for free at its
store.
“Houston Sports Association
and Main Event Inc. have a civil
suit pending against Pirate Video
from the interception of the box
ing match,” U.S. Attorney Dan
Hedges said. “The suit raises the
same questions as the (misde
meanor) action we filed against
them.”
Hedges said the misdemeanor
charges were dismissed to concen
trate on the criminal charges con
tained in the indictment.
“The broader question of the
legality of selling the equipment
used to intercept the microwave
transmissions is raised by indict
ment,” Hedges said. “The big
issue is still there.”
But lawyer David Berg, repre
senting Pirate Video, said the gov
ernment backed off the misde
meanor action because it had no
case and predicted the criminal
prosecution also will fail.
“I hope it (dropping the civil
action) will show the public what a
sham these indictments are,” he
said.
“Scientifically, there’s no such
thing as intercepting a signal.
When signals fall on your house
and your body you have a right to
rebroadcast them.”
U.S. Attorney Dan Kamin re
jected Berg’s reason for the civil
action being dropped.
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Senator weak, opponent says
►—^
United Press Internationul
AUSTIN — Sen. Lloyd Bent-
sen, D-Texas, is worried about his
re-i'
-election chances says a GOP
state lawmaker who is hoping to
win the nomination to challenge
him.
Sen. Walter Mengden, R-
Houston, believes Bentsen’s early
fund-raising efforts indicate the
incumbent is concerned.
“This early action on the part of
an incumbent indicates weakness,
not strength, ” Mengden said.
Mengden’s comments came
Friday after he was sworn in as
Texas Senate president pro tem
pore, a largely honorary position
making him the state’s executive
officer when both the governor
and lieutenant governor are out of
Texas.
He may have the state honor,
but Mengden now is concentrat
ing on winning the Republican
nomination to challenge Bentsen.
Although Mengden’s chief
opponent is Rep. Jim Collins, R-
exas, he said he believes he has a
significant advantage over the
congressman.
He’s in Washington voting
while I am here campaigning,”
Mengden said. “I think that’s to
my advantage.
Mengden said so far the most
ncouraging aspect of his cam
paign has been support from the
Mexican-American community.
He said Hispanics are emerging as
a power in the business commun
ity and are abandoning traditional
Democratic voting trends to vote
in line with their economic in
terests.
“I have a full-blown campaign
and organization in the Mexican-
American community that has far
exceeded my expectations,” he
said.
Tradition calls for the Senate
president pro tempore to spend
one day as governor and although
the occasion is usually ceremonial,
Mengden said he would take his
reponsibilities seriously.
To emphasize his point, Meng
den read a colorful 1943 newspap
er account of the day the late Sen.
A.M. Aiken of Paris served as pro
tempore.
On that day, race riots broke out
in Beaumont and in the absence of
Gov. Coke Stevenson, Aiken de
clared martial law. Aiken also
issued a 30-day stay of execution
for Rex Beard, known as the pap
er bag bandit” of West Texas.
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United Press International
METAIRIE, La. — More than
four dozen couples may find their
marriages won’t hold up, because
thejustice ofthe peace who joined
them had been suspended by the
Louisiana Supreme Court.
A 27th Judicial Court spokes
man said Friday no decision had
been reached on the validity of
marriages performed by J.A,
"Bob Wilkes in his chapel at the
Imperial House Motel in
Metairie.
Despite his Sept. 4 suspension,
Wilkes continued to perform mar
riage ceremonies, sometimes
signing certificates as a judge and
other times as a minister of a Cali
fornia religious sect.
Since Sept. 19, Wilkes married
39 couples as a minister of the U ni-
versal Life Church of Modesto,
Calif. He conducted 10 cere
monies as justice of the peace in
the two weeks after his suspen
sion.
Wilkes was convicted in federal
court Oct. 26 on two counts of
making threats through the mail.
He has not been sentenced, hut
each count carries a maximum
penalty of two years in jail and
$500 in fines.
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