The State - News from March 5, 1986

A San Francisco federal judge refused to separate eight espionage charges from five tax fraud counts in the spy trial of retired Navy radioman Jerry A. Whitworth. After U.S. District Judge John P. Vukasin’s ruling, jury selection began with the questioning of the first panel of 12 prospective jurors. James Larson, Whitworth’s attorney, had said that his client would be willing to testify in his own defense on the espionage charges, but could not testify on the tax counts. Larson asked the judge to separate the charges into two trials. The lawyer said that if jurors believed Whitworth was lying about his taxes, they might similarly conclude that he is guilty of spying. But Vukasin said he saw “no clear reason” for Whitworth not to testify if the tax counts are included. Whitworth, 46, is accused of passing communications secrets to the Soviets through the Walker family spy ring in exchange for $332,000.