Prosecutor: Sharpton Not a Figure in Probe
/ An investigation into whether Al
Sharpton was involved in a scheme to defraud a pension fund was based
on misinterpreted wiretaps, a prosecutor said Saturday. Sharpton, who
was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination at the time
of the investigation, attracted authorities' attention when he started
raising campaign money and discussing business with the late Ronald A.
White, a Democratic fundraiser who was a target of a federal corruption
probe at Philadelphia City Hall. "The bottom line is that we thought
something may have been going on with the New York pension fund that we
were not accurate about," Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Zauzmer said
Saturday. In a sealed 2003 affidavit, FBI agents alleged there was
"probable cause" to believe that Sharpton, White and others were
conspiring to defraud the New York pension fund. Sharpton and White's
calls were recorded on FBI wiretaps, and agents used the sealed
affidavit to obtain a court order to videotape a meeting attended by
both men. "To put it very simply, we were wrong," Zauzmer said in court
Friday. "If you look at the later [sealed] affidavits, you will see
that their names are dropped out as we figure out what [is] going on
here." Zauzmer said such evidence gathering is typical in
investigations, and Sharpton was never accused of wrongdoing. [more]
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