Jury selection begins in another Abscam case

Jury selection began Wednesday in the Abscam bribery-conspiracy case against Rep. John W. Jenrette Jr. (D) of South Carolina and co-defendant John Stowe. Representative Jenrette was indicted for allegedly accepting a $50,000 payoff from an undercover FBI agent posing as an associate of an Arab businessman in exchange for introducing a private immigration bill in Congress. Opening statements are scheduled for Thursday, with the trial expected to last two or three weeks.

Last week, Rep. Michael O. Myers (D) of Pennsylvania and three others were convicted of Abscam bribery and conspiracy charges in New York.