Rep. Tucker to Be Indicted, Sources Say

Rep. Walter R. Tucker III, a charismatic and controversial congressman who was the youngest person ever elected mayor of Compton, is expected to be indicted today on 10 counts of violating federal bribery and income tax laws, sources close to the case said Wednesday.

According to those sources, the counts against Tucker include eight violations of the Hobbs Act, the 1951 federal law that makes it a crime for public officials to solicit or accept bribes. Tucker, the sources added, also is expected to face two counts of violating federal income tax laws.

All income--whether legally or illegally earned--is subject to federal taxes. Failure to report income derived from bribes is a federal offense.

Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., the Los Angeles attorney whose clients include entertainer Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson, is representing Tucker. Tucker has consistently declined to discuss the case, referring all calls to Cochran. Cochran was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

If returned as expected, the multi-count indictment would conclude at least one phase of a sweeping federal investigation into Compton city affairs. Tucker and former Councilwoman Patricia Moore were among the targets of the undercover FBI inquiry, which has been under way for more than two years and has been operated out of the FBI’s Long Beach office.

According to sources, an FBI agent posed as a businessman and offered officials bribes to have items placed on Compton City Council agendas, among other things. The agent met with officials to offer those bribes, and at least some of the meetings were secretly videotaped, sources said.

U.S. Atty. Nora Manella said she could not discuss the case or the possibility of indictments. She confirmed that she expects to hold a 2 p.m. news conference today, but would not disclose its topic.

“We can’t confirm or deny any reports of anticipated indictments,” she said.

News of the investigation surfaced in March, when The Times and the Wall Street Journal published details of the probe.

Moore, who has publicly feuded with Tucker in the past, is not expected to be indicted today, and sources would not say whether she is cooperating with authorities. Sources added that the investigation is ongoing, and said other officials still could be targeted. Moore could not be reached for comment.

“In such an investigation, it is pretty common that things continue to unfold and leads continue to unfold,” one federal law enforcement source said. “It’s not like a bank robbery where you catch the guy and it is over. Nor is it even like a savings and loan failure where it is pretty clear that there is a certain number of people involved.”

The undercover phase of the federal investigation was followed by an extensive search of Compton city records. In April, virtually every major city department--the city manager, city attorney, treasurer and grants manager, as well as the Community Redevelopment Authority and the personnel, police, public works and planning departments--was served with subpoenas for records.

Federal prosecutors also served subpoenas seeking campaign disclosure statements for Tucker and Moore, and possibly other politicians, from 1985 to the present, sources said in April.

The federal investigation of Tucker is not the first time that the Baptist minister has found himself embroiled in controversy.

In 1988, Tucker, then a deputy district attorney, was fired from his post with the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. He later pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges in a case where he was accused of altering an official document and lying to a judge about it.

Tucker rebounded from that setback and launched his political career. In April, 1991, he followed in his father’s footsteps as mayor of Compton.

He held that post for less than two years. In November, 1992, he was elected to Congress from the 37th District, beating out the daughter and heir-apparent of Rep. Melvin Dymally in a campaign considered one of the most heated ever in Compton.

Tucker’s career and Compton’s fierce political environment have left the congressman with loyal allies and determined critics. As news spread late Wednesday of the pending indictment, officials were reluctant to comment at length, saying they preferred to wait for official news about the case.

Councilwoman Jane D. Robbins, an 18-year veteran of Compton’s ruling body, returned from vacation Wednesday and said she had not been officially told of any action against her former council colleague.

“I think he was trying to do a good job (as mayor),” Robbins said. “But he was young and inexperienced and trying to follow in his father’s footsteps and that doesn’t always happen.”

Robbins added that just before going on vacation 10 days ago, federal authorities asked her to testify before the grand jury considering the case. She said she did not because of her plans to leave town.

Mayor Omar Bradley, who succeeded Tucker in that post, could not be reached Wednesday evening. Associates said he was busy meeting with other city officials to chart Compton’s response to its latest public relations flare-up--the videotaped beating of a teen-age ,suspect by a Compton police officer.

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Times correspondent Emily Adams contributed to this story.