In late 1994, looking for possible information about Tyson Foods gifts to Espy, OIC interviewed Joseph Henrickson. Henrickson had been a pilot for Tyson Foods from 1978 to 1993 and was suing the company for wrongful termination. Henrickson gave OIC investigators credible information about Tyson Foods providing favors to political figures on a number of occasions.According to Henrickson, Tyson Foods had placed substantial pressure on his attorney to halt his lawsuit, threatening that they would accuse him (falsely, according to Henrickson) with using Tyson aircraft to transport illegal drugs. When the investigators asked him why he thought Tyson Foods would react so strongly to his lawsuit, Henrickson, after reflection, responded that the only thing he could think of was the "envelopes of money."
According to Henrickson, in the 1980s and through 1991, he and other pilots had repeatedly on behalf of Tyson Foods transported white envelopes to Little Rock for ultimate delivery to Governor William Clinton. The envelopes were left at a desk at the airport or with a person driving an Arkansas State Police vehicle. By holding the envelopes to the light, Henrickson had seen the denomination of $100 through the envelope.
Recognizing that this accusation bore on the question of Tyson Foods' policies regarding gifts to public officials, OIC began to make further inquiries about the matter. Henrickson's wife confirmed that he had told her of these events at the time they were alleged to have transpired. However, OIC did not locate any other witnesses who corroborated the story.
Following this preliminary investigation, in January 1995, OIC requested that the Attorney General refer as a related matter these allegations of Tyson Foods' misconduct to the OIC for further investigation. Alternatively, OIC requested that its jurisdiction be expanded to include these allegations. The letter request, set forth in Appendix A, identified the evidence gathered to date and explained its relation to the ongoing Espy investigation. In addition to the alleged payments to former Governor Clinton, the allegations included the following:
* possible conduit campaign contributions by Don Tyson to elected federal officials other than Secretary Espy;
* entertainment by Tyson of elected members of Congress and other federal officials at his vacation residence in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; and
* possible bribes paid to Mexican immigration and customs officials.
By letter dated February 17, 1995 (Appendix A), Attorney General Reno declined OIC's request. Shortly thereafter, someone outside OIC, in an apparent effort to discredit OIC's investigation, leaked Attorney General Reno's decision denying OIC's requests. (32)
Subsequently, OIC referred to DOJ the evidence it had concerning these allegations of Tyson gifts to then-Governor Clinton and other government officials other than Secretary Espy. Insofar as OIC is aware, DOJ conducted no further investigation of these allegations and brought no prosecutions relating to them.
Documentation of OIC's contacts with the Department of Justice concerning referral of this matter and leaks to the press are included in Appendix A to this Report.
um... never mind...
Too bad the IRS couldn't see fit to look into Tax Evasion charges before the Statute of Limitations was up. Any of us Peons would be Street People if it had been us.