Defense in Capitol Corruption Case Takes Hit at Robbins : Trial: The former state senator, who is the prosecution’s star witness, is called the target of jokes in the Legislature during testimony from Sen. Daniel Boatwright.

The defense of former state Sen. Paul B. Carpenter, standing trial here on corruption charges, neared an end Monday with a final swipe at the prosecution’s star witness, former state Sen. Alan Robbins.

State Sen. Daniel Boatwright (D-Concord) testified on Carpenter’s behalf, saying that Robbins had a poor reputation for honesty and was the target of humor among senators.

A veteran lawmaker, Boatwright told jurors that “there was a joke among us” about how on “hot and heavy” legislation Robbins would duck out of the Senate chamber to make a telephone call, implying that Robbins was selling his vote.

Boatwright testified he would “wonder how much he’s (Robbins) getting” and with whom he was chatting on the phone.

But under questioning by Assistant U.S. Atty. John Vincent, Boatwright appeared to backtrack, saying he did not “know if he (Robbins) was getting money or not.”

“The joke was he was checking with someone before he voted,” Boatwright said.

Carpenter is being tried on 11 counts of money laundering, fraud and conspiracy. Standing trial with him is Clayton R. Jackson, a top lobbyist for two decades, who is charged with 10 counts of racketeering, money laundering and conspiracy.

Robbins, who represented the San Fernando Valley, is finishing a two-year federal prison sentence. In 1991, he plead guilty to corruption charges, resigned his office and agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors.

The heart of the government’s case is a circuitous money-laundering scheme that began with campaign contributions from Jackson’s clients to Carpenter, a Downey Democrat. Carpenter then paid $78,000 to a public relations firm, which allegedly funneled part of the money to Robbins for his personal benefit--in violation of the law.

Jackson and Carpenter have pleaded not guilty.

The defense is expected to wrap up today, the 20th day of the trial. Final arguments and jury instructions should be completed Thursday, when the case is expected to go to the jury.

When Robbins testified last month, he said Carpenter advised colleagues, including Boatwright, how to skirt a law that Carpenter authored in 1981 limiting personal use of campaign funds.

The prosecution has alleged that the measure was a ruse, designed to fool the public into thinking the Legislature had taken a tough stand on personal use of campaign funds. The defense has argued that it was a step toward good government.

Boatwright said the bill required “more than a negligible relationship to the legislative function” to use campaign money. But Boatwright acknowledged under cross-examination that the law was nearly toothless. It provided only for civil penalties, which could be paid out of campaign funds.

“It’s a very low standard, but better than we had before,” he said.

Boatwright denied that he consulted with Carpenter before taking a trip to Greece in the early 1980s at his campaign’s expense to discuss raisin dumping. He said the trip was a legitimate use of campaign funds, even though he spent only four hours meeting with high-ranking Greek officials during a stay that lasted at least six days.

Boatwright said he did not need to talk to Carpenter, boasting: “I knew the bill as well . . . if not better than Paul Carpenter did.”