-Caveat Lector- Riady's help probably won't lead to more prosecutions, feds say LOS ANGELES (AP)-- Indonesian billionaire James Riady's cooperation has improved investigators' understanding of campaign finance violations, but probably won't lead to more convictions, prosecutors said in sentencing recommendations released Monday. The cooperation of Riady, a key figure in the Democratic campaign finance scandal, "has been helpful to the government in obtaining a complete understanding of the scope and significance of the illegal conduct," and produced foreign documents that otherwise would have been unattainable, federal prosecutors said in the document. The recommendations are in line with Riady's agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office to pay an $8.6 million fine, serve probation and perform 400 hours of community service for using foreign corporate funds to back Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. Under federal sentencing guidelines Riady could be sentenced to up to six months in prison, but prosecutors have agreed to ask for no prison time, and Riady can back out of the plea agreement if a judge rejects its terms. Riady attorney Abbe Lowell declined to comment except to say the defense will make its response to the recommendations in a filing due Thursday. Riady is to be sentenced March 19 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel O'Brien. The Justice Department announced in January that Riady agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge of conspiring to defraud the United States. He will surrender and come to this country even though Indonesia has no extradition treaty with the United States. He has agreed to waive re-entry to the United States for two years, except to cooperate with the continuing investigation. Riady has met six times with U.S. prosecutors to provide information, and his agreement requires him to continue to do so, O'Brien said. He added that he expects Riady will testify before Congress and the Federal Election Commission. O'Brien said he wants more interviews with Riady to "answer any unanswered questions." Although he said he doesn't expect more prosecutions, he added, "you never know what links up with something else." Riady used John Huang, an officer of his Lippo Group, to reimburse foreign contributors to Clinton and other Democrats, according to government documents filed with the plea bargain. Foreign campaign contributions are illegal under U.S. law. The money was funneled through Hong Kong bank accounts and Lippo entities overseas, the government papers said. Huang, who pleaded guilty earlier to campaign finance violations, has been cooperating with the government since August 1999. In addition, LippoBank California, a California state-chartered bank affiliated with Lippo Group, agreed to plead guilty to 86 misdemeanor counts charging that its agents, Riady and Huang, made illegal foreign campaign contributions from 1988 through 1994. Government documents said that the Lippo Group hoped to influence American foreign policy for its own advantage. Among its goals was to gain most favored nation trade status for China; normalization of U.S. relations with Vietnam; open trade policies with Indonesia and certain U.S. legal changes that would benefit the bank's business opportunities. ### Multimedia News Portal - "All Print News & 400 Talk Radio Shows" PortalCheck.com: http://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/NaltyNews/index.htm ### ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: *Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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