The State - News from Jan. 23, 1989

A federal grand jury in San Jose is investigating possible ties between a federal judge and several felons, including one who boasted of being a Mafia hit man in the 1930s, according to a newspaper. Citing unidentified sources, the San Francisco Chronicle said the jury is attempting to determine whether Abe Chapman, the self-professed hit man, approached U.S. District Judge Robert Aguilar on behalf of Rudy Tham, a former Teamsters official who was facing charges in another federal court. According to the paper, the jury is investigating whether Aguilar then improperly attempted to influence another judge who had been scheduled to hear the Tham case.