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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 24, 1988)
Problem Pregnanc\ <\Ve (istm, We care, We help •Free Preqnancv Tests Concerned CounseCors Brazos Valley Crisis Pregnancy Serv ice We’re Local! Thursday, March 24, 1988TThe Battalion/Page 9 Rights group says FBI illegally seized their bank records DALLAS (AP) — An attorney for a Central American human rights group said he believes the FBI ille gally seized the group’s banking re cords to obtain a list of the group’s business contacts. The Dallas chapter of the Com mittee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the FBI and Mer chants State Bank, alleging the FBI, beginning in June 1983, illegally ob tained CISPES’ bank records. CISPES attorney Joe Crews said the group learned of the FBI investi gation after it obtained bureau docu ments through the Freedom of In formation Act earlier this year. “What the records show is that the FBI had a list of names . . . which corresponds almost precisely to a list of names CISPES has written checks to,” Crews said. The suit contends that the FBI ob tained the bank records in violation of the Financial Privacy Act of 1978, and that the bank failed to notify CISPES as required by law. FBI spokesman Woody Specht declined to comment on specifics of the lawsuit, but did say the bureau follows regulations in securing pri vate documents. “We have a legal process to fol low,” Specht said. “We knew when we did it we would have to do to it through legal channels.” FBI officials testified before Con gress last month on similar claims of conducting illegal investigations of other Central American human rights groups. “I think our testimony points out we conducted lawful investigations,” Specht said. Under the financial privacy law, the FBI and other federal law en forcement agencies may obtain bank records by subpoena, by written re quest from a designated FBI super visor or through a request from the agency’s director indicating the re cords are being sought in the course of an investigation of foreign intelli gence activities. The law usually requires that a subject be notified and given time to seek a court review of the request unless the bank records are sought as part of an ongoing intelligence in vestigation. Crews said bank officers have not confirmed whether they supplied the FBI with the names, leaving open the possibility that the FBI bur glarized the Dallas CISPES offices to get the names. Officials at Merchants State Bank did not return the Associated Press’ phone calls Wednesday. A former FBI informant said last year that two FBI agents broke into the CISPES office to gain informa tion, an allegation that Crews said might be verified during a trial. Specht declined comment on the suit. The FBI list included the names of sellers of office supplies and was in chronological order, Crews said. This led CISPES officials to believe the names must have been released by the bank or copied from records in the organization’s offices, he said. The human rights group’s na tional organization came under FBI scrutiny beginning in 1981, and the Dallas chapter in 1983. TRAFFIC TICKET DISMISSAL Ramada Inn Mon.-Tues. 6-10 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m.-4 p.m. NO LECTURING 774-4069 Double your Reading Speed in One Hour Free Introductory Lesson Benefits include: improved comprehension, in creased retention, study skills, higher GPA, more lei sure time. Dates: Wed. March 30 Thurs. March 31 Room 106 4&8p.m. College Station Community Center 1300 Jersey across from A&M Golf Course Associated Reading Centers the compy with 12 years expirence 713-486-4969 696-3786 Instructor-Vicki Whitener, M.A. Priest, other man arrested for sit-in Now Open Saturday till 3 p.m. © 10 Minute Drive-Thru Lube, Oil, & Filter Change ARLINGTON (AP) — A Roman Catholic priest and another man spent several hours in jail after a sit- in to protest U.S. involvement in Central America, officials said Wednesday. The men were taken to jail after they Staged a sit-in Tuesday at the office of U.S. Rep. Dick Armey, R- Arlington, Deputy Police Chief Mike Johnston said. Attorneys for the Rev. Jim Stin- nott, 58, and Benjamin Holland, 44, secured their clients’ freedom early Wednesday after Filing writs of ha beas corpus — petitions seeking prompt release of the defendants. Stinnott and Holland were jailed on charges of criminal trespassing after they refused to leave the office when the building closed, officers said. Three other protesters — Richard E. Johnson, Jean Gallagher and Di anne McDonald — also were ar rested. bm police said thev were re leased soon after on personal recognizance bonds. Johnston said the priest was jailed because he didn’t have a local ad dress and could not qualify for a per sonal recognizance bond, and Hol land was jailed because he refused to sign the release form allowing him to be freed on his own recognizance. “All of us were fairly well agreed to just not cooperate,” said Earl Hall- Hohnson, 31, of Denton. “We laid down on the floor and told them they’d have to carry us out.” McDonald, 50, said police “used great courtesy to explain our rights, and encouraged us to go back out side and do something they consid- ei ed more wise.” Officers said the incident began after Stinnott, McDonald, Holland and about 12 others stood for a time on an Arlington street holding signs demanding that U.S. aid to the Nica raguan Contras cease. QUBUOTSTTLSCOOmc ZUGLEWSTO? GOLUB SZAnOK » EWATGO Traditional down- home cooking Since 1961, Aggies have been joining us for pur chicken fried steak, our farm-raised patfish and our mile-high pies. Keep the Iradition. Drive west on University Dr. past FM 2818 and we're on the right. _ CltMwd Monday*. FREE HORS D’OEVRES Every Thursday and Friday at 5:00 p.m. AUSTIH BLUES with TOMMY ELSKES Formerly with KIWI and STEPHEN POSTER For Reservations and info: Call 846-3497 4^ MSC Town Hall PRESENTS Thursday March 31 8:00pm in DeWare Fieldhouse Tickets availabe at the MSC Box Office 845-1234 $4.50