Cisneros’ Mistress Enters Guilty Plea

Fri., Jan. 16, 1998

Compiled From Wire Services

Henry Cisneros’ ex-mistress pleaded guilty Thursday to misleading federal authorities investigating the former U.S. housing secretary’s payment of alleged hush money to her.

Under the plea bargain, Linda Medlar Jones will get 3-1/2 years in prison and will not have to help the government prosecute Cisneros.

“She’s not beholden to anyone at this time other than her family,” defense attorney David Guinn said.

Jones, 48, tearfully pleaded guilty to 28 charges related to an investigation into whether Cisneros lied to the FBI about $185,000 in payments he had made to her. The FBI questioned him as part of a background check when President Clinton nominated him as his first secretary of housing and urban development.

Cisneros, now president of the Spanish-language Univision TV network, is scheduled to stand trial Nov. 4 in Washington for allegedly concealing how much he had paid Jones. And Jones still faces two obstruction counts in that case. The charges were brought by an independent counsel.

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Cisneros’ Mistress Enters Guilty Plea

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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