Lawyers for Jewish Defense League leader want FBI files on alleged scheme to extort rap stars

LOS ANGELES - In a bizarre twist to the case of a right-wing Jewish leader accused of trying to blow up Muslim-related sites, defense attorneys have requested records of an FBI (news - web sites) probe into whether the suspect's group tried to shake down rap stars Tupac Shakur and Eazy-E.

Jewish Defense League leader Irv Rubin is being held without bail along with group member Earl Krugel on charges of plotting to blow up a mosque and the office of an Arab American congressman. They have pleaded innocent.

In papers filed this week in U.S. District Court, Rubin's lawyers asked a judge to order prosecutors to hand over records of the FBI probe, claiming it provides evidence of government bias against the league.

An informant outlined the alleged extortion scheme during FBI interviews in 1996 about the murder of a figure in the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

The informant said the JDL planned to make death threats against Shakur and Eazy-E, then offer them protection for a fee, the Times said, citing documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

The FBI probe ended in 1999 after the claims could not be substantiated, according to the newspaper.

Defense attorney Peter Morris said Friday he did not know if Rubin had performed security work for Shakur, who was killed in a 1996 shooting in Las Vegas, or Eazy-E, who died of AIDS (news - web sites)-related complications in 1995.

Krugel's lawyer, Mark Werksman, said his client has had nothing to do with anyone in the rap industry.

Last month, Rubin's attorneys filed a similar motion involving the probe into the murder of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee figure, Alex Odeh, saying the FBI was "out to get" Rubin because it could not implicate him in the 1985 slaying. Rubin has publicly denied any involvement in the slaying, which remains unsolved.

Krugel, 59, and Rubin, 56, were arrested Dec. 11. They face at least 40 years in prison if convicted.

source:o2deathrow.com