Hide Article Text (OCR)
Louis KohlmeierCorrupt Judge Spearance before a grand The Justice Department hasjury. He twice made uiv frustrated a Senate in-precedented appearances vestigation. Leyi doesbefore councils of judges. nothing.Judges, sitting in The Cos tantino casejudgment on a fellow judge stinks, and if Levi will notin secret, star chamber restore integrity to theproceedings, twice Justice Department, Fordexonerated Costantino. Chief will not restore confidenceJustice Warren Burger, in government,heading the U.S. Judicial (C, 1975 by The ChocatoConference, does nothing. Gribune.WASHINGTON — Costantj/io, an un- received a race horse orPresident Ford three months distinguished state judge other bride,ago installed Edward Levi as and Republican politician, Federal judges’ code ofattorney general to restore was found by the American conduct says, “A judgeintegrity to the Watergate- Bar Association to be should avoid improprietybattered Justice Depart- unqualified to be a federal and the appearance of im-ment. If Levi cannot restore judge. Javits changed the propriety m all his ae-integrity to the department, ABA’s mind. tivities.” Costantino hasFord cannot restore con- made a mockery of judicialfidence in the federal JUDGE Costantino first conduct,government. aroused suspicion and anger His conduct has requiredLevi is an eminent scholar in certain Justice Depart- an unprecedented ap-and able lawyer. But Levi ment lawyers in 1972 when has done nothing to quiet he dismissed an indictment charges raging inside the charging the Seafarers Justice Department that the International Union and its department itself has president, Paul Hall, withcovered up a major scandal illegal political eon-to protect a federal judge. tributions. Three weekslater, the Seafarers gave JUSTICE Department Nixon $100,000. Hall’s love ofprosecutors for months Nixon never wavered.-directed a federal grand jury Constantino later in 1972 investigation of organized was picked up by police on a crime and political Brooklyn street where hecorruption in New York’s was talking with a case-fixer garment district The in- the police had under sur-vestigation involves Mafia veillance. figures, a dozen New York Justice Department politicians, several state prosecutors themselvesjudges and the federal judge, complained in 1973 that Two months ago* I have Costantino committed learned, William Lynch, numerous judicial errors,head of the Justice Depart- allowing organized crime ment’s organized crime defendants to go free. Asection, privately promised higher court reversed 40 per that the grand jury would cent of Cos tantino's hand up “60 indictments in 60 decisions, compared to 5 per days.’* There have been only cent of other judges'20 indictments and none of decisions, notable Mafia figures, Costantino's allegedpoliticians or judges. garment-district connectionInstead, Justice Depart- is more serious. The garment prosecutors pressured ment-district investigationthe New York Police was begun in March 1973 byDepartment into demoting the Justice Department,David Durk, the brave New working with Durk’s eliteYork cop who tried to press New York police unit. Theevidence against the federal evidence linking politicians,judge. I also have learned judges and Costantino to thethat before Durk was scandal exists on hundredsdemoted, the Justice of hours of tapes, obtained byDepartment prosecutors an informant wired foractually threatened to indict sound. The investigationDurk. abruptly and mysteriouslyended in October 1974.THE JUDGE is MarkConstantino, named to the . ONE GARMENT-district federal court in Brooklyn;in figure, who had pleaded1971 by Richard Nixon. X \ ; guilty .to tax evasion, says onCostantino, 55, is a native tap® he won’t gp to prisonNew Yorker whose because “the fix is in.”nomination to the federal Costantino gave the figure abench was promoted.by U.S. suspended sentence, -evenSen. Jacob Javits, the senior though ; two other judgescitizen of New York recommended prison.RfepubTi c a denies JMifiLichty Wagner© Field EnterjiriirtJrvc , 1175What's the point in giving my opinion if you aren't going to argue with me about it?'
Newspaper Details
Paris News
Paris, Texas, US
Thu, May 29, 1975
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Madison H.
NA, 25 May 2023
Other Publications Near Paris, Texas
Paris Weekly News
Paris Echo
Paris Red River Valley Shopper
Paris Evening News
Paris News
