4 Men Charged in DuPont Heir Abduction Plan
A federal grand jury indicted four men Tuesday on charges that they conspired to abduct and “deprogram” an heir to the DuPont chemical fortune.
The indictment charges the men, who were arrested last week, with conspiracy to kidnap Lewis duPont Smith, 36, of Philadelphia, a longtime supporter of political extremist Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr.
One of the suspects is Smith’s father, Edgar Newbold Smith, 66, of Radnor, Pa., who is accused of financing the plan. The elder Smith’s lawyer, John Markham, said that his client would plead innocent.
Self-proclaimed deprogrammer Galen G. Kelly, 45, of Esopus, N.Y.; Robert Point, 38, an attorney from South Amboy, N.J., and Donald L. Moore Jr., 45, of Lovettsville, Va., also were named in the indictment.
Smith’s family has been troubled over Smith’s support of LaRouche, who is serving a 15-year federal prison term for conspiracy and fraud in connection with the fund-raising activities of his political organization.
In 1985, a judge declared the younger Smith incompetent to handle his $10-million inheritance after he gave LaRouche more than $200,000. The lawsuit, which was filed by Smith’s family, has tied up Smith’s assets, estimated at more than $2.1 million. A judge has kept Smith on a limited allowance.
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