2 Convicted in Probe of Gifts to Espy
From Times Wire Reports
A federal jury convicted two Tyson Foods Inc. executives on charges stemming from the investigation of company gifts to former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy and his girlfriend. Company lobbyist Jack Williams was convicted of two counts of lying to investigators, and corporate spokesman Archie Schaffer III was convicted of two counts of giving illegal gifts. The jury found Williams not guilty of two counts of giving illegal gifts and cleared Schaffer of one gift count. The verdict came after a two-week influence-buying trial that included testimony about the poultry company’s wining and dining of Espy in 1993 and 1994.
