Roth’s Former Wife Subpoenaed in Grand Jury Probe of Supervisor : Investigation: District attorney officials examining campaign spending records and disclosure statements.

The ex-wife of Supervisor Don R. Roth has been ordered to appear before the Orange County Grand Jury early next month as part of the district attorney’s investigation of the two-term supervisor, it was learned Monday.

Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Maurice L. Evans declined comment Tuesday on whether Roth’s former wife, Jackie Roth, or others had been subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury. Just last week, the district attorney’s office confirmed that it is conducting a criminal investigation into whether Supervisor Roth traded gifts for political favors.

But Jackie Roth, contacted by The Times, confirmed that her attorney, Thomas F. Goodman of Anaheim, had received a subpoena for her to appear before the grand jury on June 4.

“No comment. No comment. No comment. You can quote me on that,” Goodman replied when asked about the subpoena. The Roths were divorced in 1991.

Donald F. Tanney, head of the county’s registration and elections division, Tuesday also confirmed that investigators from the district attorney’s office had picked up copies of Roth’s campaign spending records and his economic disclosure statements dating back to 1986, the year he was first elected to the board.

In recent weeks, The Times has reported that Roth had failed to disclose on state-required reports a variety of gifts from local business people and political allies including trips, stock and meals.

Roth aide Dan Wooldridge said Tuesday that the supervisor would have no comment on the grand jury proceedings, but his attorney, Dana Reed, expressed surprise when told of the subpoena.

“I don’t know what this means,” Reed said. “The district attorney’s office has not given us any indication whatsoever that they are looking at this in a criminal manner.”

Reed said Roth’s lawyers over the past two weeks have looked closely at Roth’s political finances. “We have not found one shred of evidence that would lead to a criminal act on the supervisor’s part,” he said. “At most, this is an inadvertent failure to report some items. . . . It is so far away from any kind of criminal act, it is beyond comprehension.”

Reed said he “can only assume that if the grand jury is looking at this, they will come to the same conclusion. . . . But we have no choice but to wait and see what happens.”

The FBI confirmed three weeks ago that that it had opened an inquiry into the relationship between Roth and local businessmen Donald and Gerard Dougher, who own a dozen mobile home parks in Orange County.

James M. Donckels, special agent in charge of the Santa Ana bureau, said Tuesday that he could not comment on whether his investigators will be working with county law enforcement officials on the case.

“Our investigation is continuing, and where it’s heading I’m not sure,” he said. “We don’t have a timetable at this point.”

Evans has refused to say how the investigations being conducted by his office and the FBI will be coordinated or if they might be merged.

Sources familiar with the county probe say it focuses on criminal allegations that Roth may have traded political favors for gifts.

Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder, who has been critical of Roth for failing to report several apparent gifts, said the entrance of the grand jury into the case is not good news for her fellow supervisor.

“I won’t sit in judgment,” she said, “but I would not want it to be me having the FBI, the D.A. and the grand jury looking at me.”

It was unclear Tuesday whether others will be called before the grand jury on the Roth matter.

In criminal cases, the grand jury meets behind closed doors and those who testify are usually admonished about discussing the investigation publicly. Targets of investigations are not subpoenaed to testify but are sent a letter saying they can appear voluntarily before the grand jury.

The Times has reported that Roth accepted, but did not report as required by law, three trips to Santa Catalina Island and what amounted to an $8,500 interest-free loan from the Dougher family.

Neither did he report free stays at a Palm Springs-area condominium owned by local developer Magdy Hanna. Four months ago, Roth voted to approve a $5-million condominium project proposed by Hanna on Midway City land that Hanna is buying from the Doughers.