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Organized crime war falters»isA 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 strke forces, which spearhead the national effort to disrupt organized crime. The strike forces, states thestudy, “are not getting the job done.”At the same time, the strike forces have come under intensive fire inside the Justice Dept. Critics have accused them 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 Muellenberg, who had been running the narcotics section.These developments have sent shock waves reverberating through the organized crime section. Inside sources have told us that morale on the strike forces is at an all-time low. There is concern that more strike forces may be disbanded.Mullenberg 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.Some strike force prosecutors arethinking 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. TheBy JackAndersonconfidential GAO study also claims the fight against organized crime lacks organization and -direction.In a lengthy discussion with our associate March 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 organized crime. It will “continue to flourish,” he warned, “until the American citizenry chooses to withdraw its patronage from these multimillion-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, Ixis 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.“Even where prosecutions ultimately result in convictions,” he said, “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 organized crime underlings, relatives and associates.”processing systems in the Far East. This is the conclusion of the General Accounting Office, which has just submitted its unpublished findings to the Pentagon.Consolidating the computer facilities in Hawaii alone, state the'report, would save an estimated $110,600.The Navy operates two separate data systems for security reasons. One handles classified data from Top Secret on down; the other handles data more sensitive than Top Secret. Apparently, all it would take to combine the two would be to issue a few more securityrlpflrflnppsSEX DISCRIMINATION: Officials tried to suppress a scientific study of sex discrimination at the Federal AviationAdministration. We have obtained a copy of the study, which is based upon statistical analysis. Using computers, an investigator compared the pay and promotion of men and women with similar backgrounds. The conclusion was that “whopping discrimination” is still going on.The report never got out of the FFA’s personnel office. An official, denying it was suppressed, explained that it couldn’t be released “until my supervisory people had a chance to see it. It may have been a matter of miscom-m uni cation.”Berry’s WorldOne 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 dataJtAvkjvvi'/“We ve had a call from the bank tod and guess what—we’re going to lea about zero-based budgeting!”
Newspaper Details
Bryan Eagle
Bryan, Texas, US
Sat, Nov 20, 1976
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Madison H.
NA, 26 May 2023
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