WASHINGTON - A Tyson Foods Inc. lobbyist stands accused by a federal jury of providing illegal favors to former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy and then lying to investigators about it.
An indictment returned Tuesday charges Jack L. Williams with two counts of "giving things of value to and for the benefit of" Espy and an assistant secretary "with an intent to influence them in violation of the Meat Inspection Act."
Federal regulators are prohibited from receiving gifts or other things of value from persons or companies under their regulation.
Williams, Washington lobbyist for the nation's largest poultry producer, was charged in two other counts with lying to government investigators to cover up his actions.
"We deny every single allegation in this indictment," Williams' attorney, Barry Levine, said. "These allegations have failed before and we submit they will fail again."
Espy pleaded innocent on Sept. 10 to 39 criminal charges of accepting $35,000 in sports tickets, travel and lodging from companies regulated by the Agriculture Department. The firms included Arkansas-based Tyson Foods.
Espy, who resigned from President Clinton's Cabinet in December 1994 and now practices law in Jackson, Miss., is free on his own recognizance. A trial date has not been set.
A federal jury convicted Williams in March on two counts of making false statements to federal investigators about his knowledge of and participation in obtaining the favors for Espy.
But District Court Judge James Robertson set the verdicts aside and granted a new trial in June after Williams' attorney argued that prosecutors did not disclose that an FBI agent who was one of their chief witnesses had committed perjury in the past.
Tyson Foods said in a statement that none of the charges against Williams has merit.
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