Flint,
Michigan newspaper
December 7, 1979
5 Scientologists sent to prison by federal judge
WASHINGTON
(AP) - Five Church of Scientology leaders are heading for prison for
conspiring to steal government documents, infiltrate federal agencies
and kidnap a church official who decided to help expose the crimes.
U.S.
District Judge Charles R. Richey sentenced the church leaders to either
four or five-year prison terms and fined each $10,000 Thursday. He
said the punishment should be "a deterrent to others."
Four
other church leaders and operatives were scheduled for sentencing today.
All
were named in a 28-count indictment that was trimmed to a single count
against each defendant under a plea agreement.
All
the defendants sentenced Thursday - including Mary Sue Hubbard, wife of
church founder L. Ron Hubbard - said they were sorry for their
crimes. One, Henning Heldt, said the church leaders were reacting
to government attempts to "destroy their religion and make a
mockery of their beliefs."
Each
expression of remorse was countered by an angry denunciation of church
officials by Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond Banoun, who has worked on
the case for 2 1/2 years.
When
a defendant asked for a reduced jail term and the opportunity to do
community service work instead, Banoun noted that a blackjack,
lock-picking equipment and bugging devices were found in the
Scientologist's office.
"What is the example that Mr. (Gregory) Willardson can set for
young people he wants to help?" the prosecutor asked.
Banoun told Richey the Scientologists' crimes went further than the
conspiracy against the government and the temporary kidnapping of
Michael Meisner, who became the government's chief witness.
"It was not only the government they were after. It was
anyone that was critical of them," Banoun said.
The
conspiracy included stealing documents from the Internal Revenue
Service, the Justice Department, and the U.S. Attorney's office; bugging
an IRS meeting about the church's tax-exempt status and planting spies
at the IRS and the Justice Department.
Church documents released by the court show that Scientology leaders
also plotted to infiltrate law firms, newspapers and medical
organizations that were critical of the church.
Richey told the defendants who asked him for public service work that
prison terms were needed in the "interest of society and
justice." he told one defendant that "the court is not
fully convinced" of his remorse and said to another: "You're
too intelligent to have not known better. Your conduct cannot be
condoned and to do otherwise would be to make a mockery of our system of
justice."
Sentenced to four years in prison and $10,000 fines were Heldt,
Willardson, Duke Snider and Richard Weigand. Richey ordered each
of them to begin serving their terms immediately, refusing their
requests for bail pending appeals of the convictions.
He
gave Mrs. Hubbard a five-year term and a $10,000 fine, but also told
prison officials to interview her and report back in three months with
their recommendations for length of sentence. The judge held out
the possibility that the sentence would be reduced after the report is
completed.
Richey also gave Mrs. Hubbard 10 days to ask the U.S. Court of Appeals
to release her on bail while she appeals the guilty verdict.
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