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WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUNDWar on organized crime faltersBy JACK ANDERSON and LES WHITTENWASHINGTON - A confidential study by the General Accounting Office (GAO) charges tersely that ‘‘the war on organized crime is faltering.” The rackets continue to flourish across America, according to the study, despite federal attempts to crack down on the mob.The study lays most of the blame on the federal strike forces, which spearhead the national effort to disrupt organized crime. The strike forces, states the study, “are not getting the job done.”At the same time, the strike forces have come under intensive fire inside the Justice Dept. Critics have accusedthem of subverting the judicial processes and abusing their powers. In their zeal, some task forces have hounded and harassed suspects who couldn’t be convicted.Asst. Atty. Gen. Richard Thornburgh, the conscientious chief of the Justice Dept.’s criminal division, has had misgivings about the strike forces. He recently shut down the strike forces in St. Louis and New Orleans. He also put the New Jersey strike force under U.S. Attorney Jonathan Goldstein’s jurisdiction.Finally, Thornburgh removed the respected William Lynch as head of the organized crime section, which oversees the strike forces. Lynch was compelled to trade places with Kurt Muelienberg, who had been running the narcotics section.These develooments have sentthe strike forces is at an all-time low. There is concern that more strike forces may be disbanded.Muelienberg has paid quiet calls on several strike forces to allay the apprehension. He told us he would never have taken the job if he had thought Thornburgh was trying to kill the strike forces.Yet the malaise remains. We interviewed several strike force investigators. Most complained about a lack of communication between Washington and the field. Others suspected the motives of those who are trying to curb the strike forces.Some strike force prosecutors are thinking about leaving the Justice Dept, to go into private practice. Others have simply adopted a “wait and see” attitude.At the last meeting between Thornburgh and the strike force chiefs, we have learned, Thornburgh was not responsive to their complaints. The confidential GAO study also claims the fight against organized crime lacks organization and direction.In a lengthy discussion with our associate Marc Smolonsky, Thornburgh conceded that organized crime is proliferating and that federal opposition should be better organized. But he challenged the GAO’s auditing methods as a reliable measure of the Justice Dept.’s effectiveness in combating the mob.He also blamed the American people for the growth of organizedcrime. It will “continue to flourish ”dollar sources of income, influence and power.”As evidence that the Justice Dept, is not soft on organized crime, he pointed out that six of the most powerful Mafia bosses from Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York City and St. Louis are now behind federal bars.Thornburgh agreed, nevertheless, that the strike forces aren't focusing on the important organized crime cases as they should.r“Even where prosecutions ultimately result in convictions/’ hesaid, “the cost is often high in terms of the attitude of judges and members of the bar.”He had received complaints from judges and U.S. attorneys alike, he said, “about inept performances by strike force attorneys.”The strike forces “have come to be characterized by young, inexperienced and untrained attorneys,” he said. They pursue “too many routine cases, often against organizedcrime underlings, relatives and associates.”One strike force chief grumped, meanwhile, that the situation “couldn’t get worse.”WATCH ON WASTE: The Defense Dept, could save hundreds of thousands of dollars simply by consolidating its data processing systems in the Far East. This is the conclusion of the General Accounting Office, which has just submitted its un- L. I ! - J #!__I »
Newspaper Details
Midland Reporter Telegram
Midland, Texas, US
Fri, Nov 19, 1976
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Madison H.
NA, 25 May 2023
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Midland Reporter Telegram
