Defense in Capitol Corruption Trial Again Rips Robbins : Legislature: The convicted former state senator from Van Nuys, now a star prosecution witness, is called ‘a joke’ during testimony.

The defense neared the end of its case Monday in the Capitol corruption trial, finishing up the way it started--with a blast at star government witness Alan Robbins.

State Sen. Daniel Boatwright testified for the defense that said ex-Sen. Robbins was “a joke” in the upper house.

On “a hot and heavy bill, he (Robbins) would get up and go outside and make telephone calls, and then come back and vote on the bill. We joked about it. We wondered who he was talking to,” Boatwright said, implying that Robbins was selling his vote.

Robbins, a Van Nuys Democrat, pleaded guilty to extortion and tax evasion and resigned his seat in 1991. He received a reduced two-year federal sentence and agreed to cooperate with investigators, including wearing a hidden tape recorder.

Robbins is the key witness in the trial of former lobbyist Clayton R. Jackson, 50, and former state Sen. Paul Carpenter, 65, who are accused of crafting a bribery-money laundering scheme in which $78,000 was funneled to a public relations company headed by Robbins’ former companion, Jennifer Goddard.

Prosecutors said Goddard, who testified under a grant of immunity, and Robbins split the money.

Jackson, once the insurance industry’s principal lobbyist, also is accused of offering Robbins a $250,000 bribe to divert crucial legislation to Robbins’ insurance committee.

Jackson and Carpenter both have pleaded innocent.

Boatwright testified Monday that Carpenter authored a well-publicized bill that went into effect in January, 1982, that limited the use of campaign funds for personal use.

The bill also blocked lawmakers from converting their political funds to personal accounts upon retirement.

“Up to that time, legislators could use their campaign funds pretty much as they desired,” said Boatwright (D-Concord). “This bill required that there be a relationship (in the spending) to the Legislature before you could use your campaign money.” Boatwright said the bill required “more than a negligible relationship to the legislative function” for the proper spending of campaign funds.

But on cross-examination by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Vincent, Boatwright acknowledged that the reform law was nearly toothless, carrying only civil penalties that could be paid out of campaign funds. There was little or no enforcement, he added.

“It’s a very low standard, but better than we had before, which was none,” Boatwright said.