Carpenter Takes Stand, Brands Robbins a Liar

Taking the stand for the first time in his political corruption trial, former Sen. Paul B. Carpenter on Tuesday lashed out at his chief accuser, former state Sen. Alan Robbins, as a liar.

In the trial’s 17th day, Carpenter testified that in 1986 Robbins urged him to hire a Santa Monica public relations firm as a way of avoiding negative publicity while running for the state Board of Equalization, a race he eventually won.

But Carpenter vigorously denied that he knew any of the money--about $78,000--would benefit Robbins personally, as federal prosecutors allege and as Robbins testified earlier in the trial.

Had he known, Carpenter said, he would have been “shocked” and “would have refused” because a law he authored prohibited such personal use of campaign funds.

Carpenter is charged with 11 counts of money laundering, mail fraud and conspiracy. His co-defendant, lobbyist Clayton R. Jackson, is charged with 10 counts of racketeering, money laundering and conspiracy. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Speaking for the first time in his own defense, Carpenter said Robbins recommended that he retain a public relations firm headed by Jennifer Goddard after Carpenter complained about persistent negative stories about him in The Times in 1986.

“Robbins indicated that because she was wired at the Los Angeles Times she had the ability to decrease or eliminate negative stories at the Los Angeles Times,” testified Carpenter, who represented parts of Orange and Los Angeles counties in the Senate before his election to the Board of Equalization.

When Carpenter asked Robbins how Goddard was connected to The Times, Carpenter testified, Robbins cautioned him, “You don’t want to know.” The Downey Democrat said he figured if Goddard could be effective, “I didn’t care.”

He said it was not unusual to retain a public relations expert and called the $2,000 a month he paid to Goddard a bargain. He reminded jurors that “Los Angeles is the kind of town where even barbers have a public relations man.”

The former lawmaker said the scheme succeeded, contending that between the time he won the primary in June, 1986, and the November general election he had no negative stories in The Times.

In response to Carpenter’s testimony, Shelby Coffey III, editor and executive vice president of The Times, issued the following statement:

“We don’t know what Carpenter is talking about. It is the policy of The Times to provide fair and frank coverage of politics. Coverage decisions are based on editorial considerations, not on payments to public relations consultants.”

Goddard testified earlier in the trial that she never did any work in exchange for the payments sent to her by Carpenter.

On Tuesday, Goddard’s attorney, Myron S. Lapidus, scoffed at Carpenter’s testimony as a “good story” but false. He said Goddard “had no special ‘in’ at the L.A. Times at all.”

The government alleges that Goddard was in the middle of an elaborate scheme in which campaign contributions from Jackson’s clients were made to Carpenter. Prosecutors contend that Carpenter then paid the money to Goddard, who split the payments with Robbins.

Robbins, who represented the San Fernando Valley, pleaded guilty in 1991 to a variety of corruption charges and agreed to cooperate with authorities and resigned from office.

Prosecutors contend that Jackson was illegally paying Robbins in exchange for action on legislation, including a 1985 bill to prevent lottery tickets from being printed out of state.

FBI Agent James Wedick testified Tuesday that the bill’s author, Assemblyman Rusty Areias (D-San Jose), was “evasive” when questioned about an unusual list that appeared to link lawmakers to campaign contributions. It was tucked into Areias’ file on the bill subpoenaed by a federal grand jury. Wedick called the list a “smoking gun” that seemed to show “that money played a part with respect to this file.”

Areias has not been charged with any wrongdoing and in a telephone interview Tuesday denied he was evasive, maintaining, “It’s no more of a smoking gun than (TV character) Barney Fife is a real detective.”

Times staff writer Paul Jacobs contributed to this report.