2 Ex-DEA Agents Plead Not Guilty

Two former U.S. drug agents pleaded not guilty to tax fraud charges Monday in Los Angeles federal court as their defense lawyers and relatives mounted a counterattack against accusations that they were also involved in cocaine trafficking and other suspected crimes.

John Anthony Jackson and Wayne Countryman, former Drug Enforcement Administration agents, entered their pleas before U.S. Magistrate Ralph J. Geffen, who set a Jan. 31 trial date before U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter.

Outside the courtroom, defense lawyers accused the government of exaggerating the scope of their case against the two defendants by making public accusations that they were involved in drug dealing.

“We expect a barrage of bad publicity,” said attorney Cornell Price, who represents Countryman. “Hopefully we will get a fair trial out of this.

“I’m concerned about information the government may be putting out. I guarantee we’re going to see a lot of it.”

Jackson, 39, of Claremont and Countryman, 45, of Walnut were indicted on the tax charges Dec. 7 with a third former DEA agent, Darnell Garcia, 42, of Rancho Palos Verdes. Garcia escaped arrest and remains a fugitive in the case.

Price raised the possibility Monday that defense lawyers may attack the indictment on grounds that it was racially motivated. Both Jackson and Countryman are black, and Garcia is half black and half Puerto Rican, with a history of DEA discrimination disputes.

“We will look at the issue of selective prosecution,” Price said. “We want to see if this is racially motivated.”

Noting that Countryman is only charged with one count of tax conspiracy in connection with an alleged scheme to launder more than $600,000 through Swiss banks, Price said his client is “very worried” by reports that a continuing investigation is also focusing on drug crimes.

Price referred to a report in The Times on Sunday saying that federal prosecutors have linked Jackson to two investigations in 1984 and 1985 in which large amounts of heroin may have been stolen from the custody of the DEA’s Los Angeles office.

‘Pops Up Now’

“We never heard about it until this case was filed,” Price said. “All of a sudden, it pops up now.”

Federal sources told The Times last week that charges of theft of government property could be filed against Jackson in connection with five pounds of missing heroin, which had a street value of $7.5 million.

The sources said Monday that Garcia is also a target in the heroin investigation being directed by federal prosecutors Joyce Karlin and Mark Byrne, but that Countryman is not suspected of any involvement.

Jackson’s lawyer, John Robertson, dismissed the talk of missing heroin as irrelevant to the tax conspiracy charges.

“I don’t want to respond to that except to say that, at best, it’s purely circumstantial evidence and speculation,” Robertson said.

Watching as Jackson was arraigned was his wife, Barbara, who told The Times that Jackson is not guilty of any tax or drug crimes.

“As far as my husband is concerned, the only thing the man is guilty of is using poor judgment in associating with certain people,” she said. “He’s the type of person who associates with everybody and is friendly to everyone. It may not be wise, but that’s him.”

Barbara Jackson also challenged statements by federal sources that the Jacksons had paid cash for a $750,000 house purchased earlier this year in Claremont.

“We did not pay cash for our home,” she said. “We have a large mortgage on it--in excess of $500,000.”

Also in the courtroom Monday was attorney Mark Borenstein, who represented Garcia in a successful discrimination case in 1986 after the DEA fired him for refusing a transfer to Detroit. Borenstein said he believes that Garcia is still in the United States, despite reports that he may have been planning to flee to Spain.

“I don’t believe he would leave,” Borenstein said. “His ties here are too great. He was going to be his son’s soccer coach this year.”