Rep. Tucker Indicted on New Charges : Inquiry: Two extortion counts are issued against ex-Compton mayor, who earlier was charged with accepting bribes. He says he is innocent.

Already charged with accepting bribes from one company, Rep. Walter R. Tucker III (D-Compton) was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on two counts of extortion involving a second company.

Tucker was charged with accepting $7,500 in bribes from a firm that collects Compton’s garbage in return for political favors while serving as the city’s mayor. The new charges are unrelated to the eight indictments filed against the congressman in August, federal prosecutors said. In those counts, Tucker is accused of accepting $30,000 in bribes and soliciting another $250,000 from a company that had wanted to build a state-of-the-art trash incinerator in the southeast Los Angeles County city.

“Whatever these new charges are,” Tucker said in a written statement, “I maintain my innocence. And I will vigorously contest these new charges as well as the prior charges in a court of law.”

On Thursday, federal prosecutors hinted that they may seek further indictments against the congressman before his Sept. 5 trial.

“We’re continuing to pursue other leads that have come to our attention since the [initial] indictments,” Assistant U.S. Atty. John M. Potter said.

The new charges allege that on Aug. 20, 1991, Tucker extorted $5,000 from Murcole Inc., which has an exclusive contract to collect Compton’s garbage, in return for his vote in the City Council’s approval of a garbage fee increase.

The other count alleges that on May 13, 1992, Tucker accepted a $2,500 payment in exchange for helping secure the council’s approval of a contract extension for the firm.

The rate hike and the contract extension, prosecutors said, were approved by the council with Tucker’s blessing.

Tucker’s attorney, Robert Ramsey, said he could not comment specifically on the charges because he was unaware that they had been filed.

“I would have expected the government to call me and let me know what happened,” Ramsey said. “Obviously, [prosecutors] felt more compelled to put it in the newspaper rather than let the counsel for the defendant know.”

Officials at Murcole expressed surprise at the indictments. “As far as we know, [Tucker] is a real good man,” said Murcole general manager Jeff Duhamel. “He’s never asked for anything.”

The indictments against Tucker, who was Compton’s mayor in 1991 and 1992, are part of a wide-ranging investigation of alleged political corruption in the city. Former Councilwoman Patricia Moore has been charged with 19 counts of felony extortion. She also maintains her innocence.

Tucker, who was overwhelmingly reelected to a second term in Congress in November, may continue to do his job unless he is convicted.