Carpenter Admits Role in Pushing Bogus Bill : Corruption trial: Ex-state senator insists actions were not linked to $20,000 payment by undercover FBI agent.

Former state Sen. Paul Carpenter, testifying in his own defense, admitted Thursday that he helped promote passage of bogus legislation planted by the FBI, but insisted that his actions had no connection to a $20,000 payment he received from an undercover agent.

Suspecting he was the target of a sting, Carpenter said he took the money and carried out his own “reverse sting” of the FBI. But the Norwalk Democrat acknowledged that he never conducted any investigation of his own or reported his conclusions to any law enforcement agency.

“I decided I could accept the contribution and in no way break any laws,” Carpenter told a federal court jury. “I thought if it was a sting, I was going to benefit from the campaign contribution and make sure I violated no laws in the process.”

During a grueling cross-examination by Assistant U.S. Atty. John Panneton, the former senator also admitted that he lied in a letter to the Fair Political Practices Commission when he claimed he had notified the undercover FBI agent, John E. Brennan, about the state’s campaign reporting laws.

Carpenter also acknowledged that after receiving the $20,000 contribution, he gave $17,000 to three members of a Senate committee who had voted in favor of the measure.

Now a member of the State Board of Equalization, Carpenter is charged with four counts of racketeering, extortion and conspiracy in connection with the long-running sting investigation of corruption in the state Capitol. As part of the sting, Brennan posed in 1986 as an Alabama businessman seeking passage of special legislation to help his company open a shrimp plant near Sacramento.

Carpenter, who spent the entire day on the witness stand, appeared relaxed and composed during most of his testimony. At times, he tried to make wry jokes and observations about the political process, quoting from sources as diverse as comedian Will Rogers and cartoon character Bart Simpson in attempting to make his points.

But during three hours of cross-examination by Panneton, Carpenter made key admissions that could hurt his case when it goes to the jury next week.

Among other things, the former senator admitted that he telephoned Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles), the official author of the FBI bill, and advised her on the strategy to use in winning passage of the measure in the Senate.

In addition, he acknowledged that he urged Sen. Leroy Greene (D-Carmichael), the Senate author of the bill, to arrive on the floor of the Senate promptly so that he could bring up the measure for a vote.

Carpenter testified that he was willing to go see then-Treasurer Jesse M. Unruh to work out his potential opposition to the bill.

Carpenter said he initially suspected the shrimp bill was part of an FBI sting but later was not so sure. He said he never told Moore or Greene of his suspicions, confiding only to Sen. Barry Keene (D-Benicia) and Carpenter aide John Shahabian. Shahabian, who himself was caught in the sting, testified against Carpenter in the trial. “After the bill had passed and no one was taken away in handcuffs, I decided I was mistaken,” Carpenter told the jury.

Panneton grilled Carpenter about key statements the senator made in conversations with the agent that were secretly tape-recorded. In one conversation, Carpenter said he “would take care of” other senators who sat on the committee where the bill would be heard. Carpenter noted to Brennan that members of the committee “fortuitously” were up for reelection that year.

Carpenter explained that his statement was designed only to calm Brennan and assure him the bill would pass. “That was my way of saying, ‘Don’t worry about it,’ ” he testified.

But Panneton then confronted Carpenter with his campaign contribution reports, which showed that he gave $7,000 to Greene, $5,000 to Keene and $5,000 to Sen. Wadie Deddeh (D-Chula Vista). All three were members of the Senate Banking and Commerce Committee and voted for the bill.

During his testimony, Carpenter said he believed he did not violate any law because he did not vote for the bill when it was on the Senate floor. At one point, he said, he looked at Brennan in the visitors gallery and laughed at him.

Carpenter expected that his failure to vote for the measure would anger Brennan if he were indeed an FBI agent. Paraphrasing Bart Simpson, Carpenter said, “If I didn’t vote on the bill, he’d have a cow.”

Prosecutors contend that it was not necessary for Carpenter to vote on the bill in order to violate federal extortion laws. Taking any official action to help the bill in exchange for the money is against the law, they argue.

But Carpenter said that after the bill passed he decided he was wrong about the sting. He later met for lunch with Brennan and accepted a final installment of $5,000.