Espy

WASHINGTON -- Lobbyists who wine and dine federal government officials gained some legal shelter from the Supreme Court yesterday as the justices made such gift-giving and other favors harder to prosecute as crimes.The law against giving a federal employee "something of value" applies, the court ruled unanimously, only when someone who provides a gift or favor understands that the gesture is linked to a specific action by the official.The court rejected the argument, made by an independent counsel and supported by the Justice Department, that the very act of giving something of value to someone who holds a government position is illegal.

WASHINGTON -- Mike Espy clearly was wrong when, as secretary of agriculture, he accepted $34,000 worth of sports tickets, luggage, air travel and other gifts from people representing companies that he regulated. Espy himself says that he had "lapses of judgment" in taking gratuities that have brought convictions or huge fines for the gift-givers and some of his associates.Well, why, then, did a jury here find Mr. Espy not guilty on all 30 corruption charges brought against him by independent counsel Donald C. Smaltz?

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court stepped into the world of Washington lobbying, agreeing yesterday to decide when a gift or a special favor for a government official turns into a federal crime.The special prosecutor who is investigating gifts made to former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy asked the court to rule that it is a crime to provide anything of value to an official solely because of that official's position in the government.A federal appeals court, however, has ruled that a gift is illegal only when it is given to reward an official for some specific action -- either an act done in the past or promised in the future.

IF GUILTY, Michael Espy ought to go to prison. The sum he is alleged to have taken in gratuities and "other things of value" from corporations while agriculture secretary -- a total of $35,458 -- isn't great. The principle involved is.Mr. Espy, who served as agriculture secretary from January 1993 until December 1994, is charged in a 39-count indictment not only with accepting illegal gifts for himself, his girlfriend and his relatives but also with: Violating the Meat Inspection Act of 1907, which specifically prohibits Agriculture Department employees from accepting anything of value from companies they are supposed to regulate; committing mail and wire fraud; lying to the department's inspector general, the FBI and the White House; failing to report the gifts, as required, on annual federal financial disclosure forms, and tampering with a witness by ordering a low-level employee to alter a document requested by the inspector general.

WASHINGTON -- Former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy was indicted yesterday on charges he accepted more than $35,000 in gifts and favors from companies that did business with his department. He also was accused of lying to investigators in an effort to cover up his alleged misdeeds.The 39-count indictment against Espy, the first current or former member of President Clinton's Cabinet to be charged with a crime, was returned by a federal grand jury here after an almost three-year probe by Donald C. Smaltz, the independent counsel.

WASHINGTON -- The complaints about the costs of special prosecutors usually come from those whose ox is being gored. Republicans, for example, heaped abuse on Lawrence Walsh's long-running investigation of the Iran-contra affair. And these days Democrats are complaining about the more than $15 million Kenneth Starr has spent on the Whitewater case.In light of the way government spends money, $15 million or less is not going to make a lot of difference. But legitimate questions can be raised about the number, scope and costs of these investigations.

NEW YORK -- Surely, if a Salvador Dali painting could come to life as an awards show, Monday's ESPY awards would have leapt from the canvas.The Spanish artist could not have painted a more surrealistic scene than the one in play at Radio City Music Hall, as many of the elite of sport met with some of the beautiful people of Hollywood, with the ever-gracious New York paparazzi thrown in for good measure.In the makeshift holding area on the ninth floor of this historic entertainment complex, where award winners and presenters were squired to meet the media, there was some really weird stuff going on.To wit:* Ann-Margret, who hooked up on screen with Elvis in "Viva Las Vegas" and with Jack Lemmon 30 years later in "Grumpy Old Men," was paired with Northwestern football coach Gary Barnett in one of the more eclectic teamings in quite some time.

It seems, as Tony Danza tells it, that the rich and the famous are not so very different from you and me.They get geeked up over being around famous athletes, and that's why so many entertainers sign on for duty as presenters for the ESPY awards, which are handed out tonight at New York's Radio City Music Hall (8 o'clock, ESPN)."It's kind of the melding of sports and entertainment. It's a different mix. It's why the Golden Globes are so much fun, because everybody's there," said Danza, who will be host for this year's show, the fourth of its kind.

WASHINGTON -- Power-broker and Republican strategist James H. Lake pleaded guilty to wire fraud and election law violations yesterday and pledged to "fully cooperate" with the independent counsel who is probing former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy's relationships with agribusinesses and their lobbyists.Lake, California agriculture's pre-eminent Washington advocate, said after the proceedings in federal District Court that he had turned over some 20,000 documents to independent counsel Donald C. Smaltz concerning "every matter coming before my firm and the Department of Agriculture."

WASHINGTON -- A special prosecutor delving into the Clinton administration's relationship with agribusiness issued criminal charges yesterday, but his target was a surprise: James Lake, longtime Republican Party activist, campaign official and lobbyist.Mr. Lake, a Californian with close ties to Ronald Reagan, said he will plead guilty tomorrow to charges stemming from making illegal campaign contributions to the brother of former Clinton administration Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy.Mr.