Aide Says Carpenter Had No Deals With FBI Front

Paul Carpenter, a member of the state Board of Equalization linked to the FBI’s Capitol sting operation, had no dealings with the front company that donated $20,000 to his 1986 campaign, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Carpenter, at his first public meeting since federal agents raided the Capitol on Aug. 24 and searched the offices of four lawmakers and their aides, declined to be interviewed. Questions about Carpenter’s potential role in the Capitol scandal were fielded by his assistant, Jerry Goldberg.

Goldberg also said John Shahabian, Carpenter’s former aide, may have solicited and accepted the donations from the phony business set up by the FBI as part of its two-year probe. Shahabian was not available for comment Tuesday.

Shahabian, described by his attorney as an FBI informant, worked for then-Sen. Carpenter in 1986 when the lawmaker received $20,000 in campaign contributions from Gulf Shrimp Fisheries Inc., reportedly an FBI front set up to solicit legislators’ favors in return for cash.

“Was he lobbying for himself or lobbying for his boss? He was making tons of money on the side,” Goldberg said. “As the consultant of the Pacific Rim committee, he would see a lot of people Paul would never see.”

Carpenter declined comment himself Tuesday as the board began a three-day hearing on various tax issues.

“He’s not going to comment until he finds out what the heck is going down,” Goldberg said.