
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, May 24, 1990                   TAG: 9005240152
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By VICTORIA RATCLIFF STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

LAROUCHE AT AIDE'S TRIAL/ ACCOUNTANT PLEADS GUILTY, BUT ASKS THAT CASE BE

Lyndon LaRouche, a perennial losing candidate for president who is serving 15 years in federal prison for mail fraud and tax evasion, testified Wednesday in Roanoke County Circuit Court in the securities fraud case of one of his associates.

LaRouche said the case against Richard E. Welsh, 41, of Leesburg, is simply another example of an organized effort by the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith and various corrupt governmental agencies to destroy LaRouche and his political organization.

The cases of more than a dozen LaRouche followers were moved to Roanoke County from Loudoun County because of pretrial publicity.

LaRouche's associates are charged with violating the Virginia Securities Act by soliciting loans from people in an attempt to raise funds for the organization while knowing the group never would be able to repay the loans.

Four LaRouche associates already have been convicted on those charges and six of his associates were convicted of related federal charges.

Welsh, the chief accountant for the finance department of the LaRouche organization, pleaded guilty last week to one felony and three misdemeanor violations of the Virginia Securities Act.

But Welsh entered the plea on the condition that he be allowed to present evidence that his case should be dismissed for a variety of reasons including vindictive, selective and bad-faith prosecutions.

According to Welsh's plea agreement, he would be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea if an appeal court agrees with his arguments to dismiss the case.

Welsh's attorneys have spent more than a week calling witnesses from the Anti-Defamation League and various government agencies that investigated the LaRouche organization in an effort to prove they conspired to "get LaRouche."

LaRouche testified that prosecutors and judges in cases involving him and his associates were corrupt. He said he was not guilty of the crimes he was convicted of and the judge who convicted him knew he was innocent.

LaRouche told Senior Assistant Attorney General John Russell, who is prosecuting the Virginia cases, that he, too, was corrupt and part of a task force organized to destroy LaRouche.

Welsh's motions hearing is scheduled to continue today.

by CNB