Nation briefs 8/6/05

Pakistani community secretly taped for 3 years

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Federal officials disclosed Friday that they secretly tape-recorded Pakistanis in the agricultural community of Lodi for nearly three years before bringing terror-related charges against a father and son and seeking to deport two Islamic leaders. Fifty tapes in Urdu and Pashto were turned over this week to lawyers for Hamid Hayat, 22, and his father, Umer Hayat, 47. The son is charged with lying to the FBI about attending a terrorism camp in Pakistan in 2003 and 2004. His father is charged with lying when he denied his son had attended such a camp. The tapes are among scores of recordings made by an informant or undercover investigator starting in August 2002, prosecutors and defense attorneys said during a preliminary hearing Friday.

Lobbyists gave to defense funds despite bans

WASHINGTON -- House Republican leader Tom DeLay and Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid are among five lawmakers who have accepted lobbyist donations to their legal defense funds despite rules prohibiting such contributions. Congressional records show that DeLay accepted contributions from five lobbyists and one lobbying firm totaling $8,000 between 2001 and 2004. He has returned $3,500 from two of the donors. Reid accepted one lobbyist contribution of $3,000 in 1999.

Prison for one WorldCom exec, probation for another

NEW YORK -- An accounting executive who made some fraudulent entries in the books at WorldCom was sentenced Friday to five months in prison and five months of house arrest. Betty Vinson, 49, who said she was pressured by superiors to make the false entries, had hoped to avoid prison time because she cooperated with the government in its prosecution of ex-CEO Bernard Ebbers. A second former WorldCom accountant, Troy Normand, 38, was sentenced to three years' probation. Neither Normand nor Vinson was ordered to pay a fine. The sentence of probation came after prosecutor David Anders told the judge that Normand, an accounting manager, was "at the very bottom" of the six people who have been convicted or pleaded guilty in the scandal.

Jurors: Death row inmate not mentally retarded

YORKTOWN, Va. -- A death row inmate whose case led to the Supreme Court's ban on executing the mentally retarded was found mentally competent by a Virginia jury Friday. A judge immediately scheduled his execution for December. Daryl Atkins, 27, flashed a peace sign to his family and blew a kiss as he was led from the courtroom after the verdict was read. The Virginia jury deliberated for 13 hours over two days before determining Atkins was not retarded.

-- From wire reports