Ex-Sen. Williams, Abscam Case Figure, Leaves Prison

Former U.S. Sen. Harrison A. Williams Jr., the highest-ranking official to be convicted in the FBI’s Abscam bribery-conspiracy investigation, was released from prison Friday after serving two-thirds of his three-year term.

The 65-year-old former Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee chairman slipped out the back door of a Newark halfway house about 1 a.m., said Katherine Morse, spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington.

Williams became the first senator to be jailed in 80 years when he was sentenced for his May 1, 1981, conviction on nine counts of bribery and conspiracy.

He served nearly two years of his term at the Federal Prison Camp in Allenwood, Pa., before being transferred to Newark on Nov. 4, 1985.

Plans to Write Book

Neither Williams nor his wife, Jeannette, returned telephone messages, and no one answered the door at their Bedminster home.

Williams has said he plans to write a book about his experiences and will also serve as a consultant to the New Jersey Building and Construction Council but must still report to a parole officer.

A liberal Democrat, Williams was considered New Jersey’s “senator for life” during most of his 24 years in the Senate because of his popularity.

He resigned on March 11, 1982, facing almost certain expulsion.

Maintained Innocence

The prosecution contended that Williams promised to use his influence to get government contracts for a Virginia titanium mine in which he held a secret 18% interest. In return, the prosecution charged, Williams expected that a wealthy Arab sheik--actually an FBI agent--would give the mine $100 million in loans, allowing the senator to make a profit of $12.6 million on the sale of his share of the revitalized mine.

Williams has maintained his innocence throughout the years.