NATION IN BRIEF

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Not-Guilty Plea In Renzi Fraud Case

TUCSON -- Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) pleaded not guilty Tuesday to all charges in a federal indictment that accuses him of abusing his office for financial gain and of raising campaign funds by embezzling insurance premiums collected by his family's firm.

Renzi was arraigned on charges including wire fraud, insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, extortion and money laundering. Two co-defendants also were named in the 35-count indictment.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernardo Velasco ordered Renzi released on his promise to appear. He was fingerprinted and photographed by federal authorities and released.

"I have a lot of faith in my attorneys," Renzi said outside of court. "I'll be okay."

Terror Plot Was Real, Witness Says

MIAMI -- The star witness in the retrial of six men accused of plotting to destroy Chicago's Sears Tower and bomb FBI offices testified that the group was fully committed to the terrorist attacks and that the FBI did not entrap the men, as defense attorneys allege. The witness, paid FBI informant Elie Assad, posed as an al-Qaeda operative sent in late 2005 and 2006 to help alleged ringleader Narseal Batiste with the plot. Assad said he had no doubt that Batiste was serious and rejected defense allegations that the FBI orchestrated the whole thing.

Few Clues in Memphis Slayings

MEMPHIS -- Police said they had no suspects, few clues and no apparent motive behind the slaying of six people, including two children. Three children survived the attack, two in extremely critical condition and the third in serious condition, police said. Investigators said it was possible the victims were attacked sometime between Saturday night and 6 p.m. Monday, when a relative called police.

White Powder at Hotel Is Not Ricin

LAS VEGAS -- A man reported finding an unidentified white powder in a Las Vegas hotel room, days after officials found the toxin ricin at a Las Vegas motel, but police soon determined there was no danger. Authorities said a substance found in a room at the Excalibur hotel-casino is not hazardous, but they did not disclose what the substance was.

Building Collapse Cuts Train Service

NEW YORK-- A five-story building in Manhattan, apparently vacant, collapsed on East 124th Street near Park Avenue. The collapse caused Metro-North Railroad to suspend commuter train service in and out of Grand Central Terminal, a spokesman said. The railroad travels between New York and its northern suburbs.

Civil Rights Group's Taxes in Order

ATLANTA -- The Southern Christian Leadership Conference has caught up on its late tax returns and says it plans to file its 2007 taxes on time. Last month, the civil rights organization co-founded by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. acknowledged that it had not filed a financial report with the Internal Revenue Service since February 2005, for the tax period ending in June 2004. Nonprofit groups are required to file such reports annually to account for donations.

-- From News Services