Costly Lies: Rita Lavelle is convicted of perjury

Lavelle is convicted of perjury

For months the charges of influence peddling, political favoritism and conflicts of interest ricocheted around Congress. By the time the scandal subsided, more than 20 Reagan Administration appointees at the Environmental Protection Agency had resigned under pressure. Last week one was found guilty in court: Rita Lavelle, former head of the agency's $1.6 billion Superfund to clean up toxic wastes, was convicted of perjury and obstructing a congressional investigation.

Those charges grew out of allegations that Lavelle had participated in EPA decisions involving her former employer, Aerojet-General Corp. In...

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