Cisneros Pleads Not Guilty in Mistress Case

Former Housing and Urban Devlopment Secretary Henry G. Cisneros, expressing faith in “the inherent fairness” of the judicial system, pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he conspired to lie to FBI agents about payments he made to a former mistress.

Three co-defendants entered similar pleas, and U.S. District Judge Stanley Sporkin set a Nov. 4 trial date after all four waived their rights to an earlier date.

Cisneros’ lawyer, Brendan V. Sullivan Jr., said he needed time to file “substantial” pretrial motions, foreshadowing a vigorous defense. Sullivan became a national figure by representing former White House aide Oliver L. North during televised congressional hearings into the Iran-Contra scandal in 1987. He later defended North at his criminal trial, winning a U.S. Court of Appeals reversal of his conviction.

Cisneros, once a rising Democratic star and now a Los Angeles television executive, has become the second former member of President Clinton’s Cabinet to be indicted. He was charged last month with 18 counts of lying, conspiracy and obstruction of justice for allegedly hiding from FBI investigators the extent of his financial relationship with a former mistress. The routine FBI check of Cisneros’ background was prompted by his nomination as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The ex-mistress, Linda Medlar Jones, entered her not-guilty plea along with two former employees of Cisneros: John Rosales and Sylvia Arce-Garcia. All three were charged with participating in a conspiracy to conceal Cisneros’ payments to Jones.

After his 25-minute court appearance, Cisneros, 50, president of the Spanish-language television network Univision, said he regretted “the pain that this matter has caused my wife, my children, my parents and my family.”

Speaking first in English and then in Spanish, he said, “I came to Washington to try to do good, and I am proud of the work we were able to do.”

The former mayor of San Antonio who served four years in the Clinton Cabinet added that “I care deeply about my community and I love our country, and I’ve tried to serve in a number of different capacities.” He said he had “deep faith and trust in our institutions, and I particularly believe in the inherent fairness of our judicial system.”

On Sullivan’s advice, he refused to comment on any aspects of the charges against him, which resulted from a two-year criminal investigation by independent counsel David M. Barrett.

Cisneros publicly acknowledged his relationship with Jones, then known as Linda Medlar, in 1988 as he was finishing his mayoral term, and he reconciled with his wife, Mary Alice.

But the indictment suggests that after Clinton nominated him for the HUD post in late 1992, Cisneros minimized his financial ties to Jones for fear the issue might kill his chance for Senate approval. Although he told FBI agents he had paid Jones “no more than $2,500 at a time and no more than $10,000 a year,” Cisneros actually paid her more than $250,000 from 1989 through early 1994, well into his term at HUD, the indictment said.

Cisneros has blamed the discrepancy on a poor memory unsupported by records.

The matter came to light in 1994, when Jones filed a lawsuit in Texas complaining that Cisneros had reneged on an agreement to maintain payments of $4,000 a month. She revealed she had secretly recorded many of their telephone conversations, which helped provide evidence for Barrett’s inquiry.

The first member of Clinton’s original Cabinet to be indicted was former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy, who was charged last August with accepting $35,000 in illegal gifts and lying to investigators. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.