DRUG CASE'S SPLIT VERDICT LEAVES FAMILY IN TURMOIL

[Sarah Huntley covers federal courts and can be reached at (813) 259-7616.]

TAMPA - A close-knit family finds itself split as jurors acquit one brother
but convict another of conspiring to haul cocaine.

The day after he got his life back, Reginald Williams strolled around in
the shade of his father's truck yard, happy to be free.

But his joy was tempered by sadness.

When he thinks of his brother, Alfred Williams Jr., in jail awaiting
sentencing on a federal cocaine conviction, he loses the words.

``I can't even describe it,'' he said. ``When the verdict came in, I
thought, thank God I'm free. But I was really torn up about my brother.
He's my oldest brother. It was like total disbelief.''

The Williamses have made their name in the trucking business for more than
a decade. Father and four sons work together on their three- acre lot at
Chelsea and 40th streets. Reginald, 33, and Alfred Williams Jr. help run
their dad's company. Two other brothers operate a car wash out front.

For the past year, however, the family's future has been on hold.

In October 1997, federal officials accused the brothers and their father of
conspiring to move more than produce and poultry.

The three were among a dozen Tampa residents arrested as a result of a
two-year Drug Enforcement Administration investigation. At the time,
investigators said they had brought down a cocaine distribution ring that
answered directly to the Cali cartel.

Alfred Williams Sr., 61, has yet to stand trial. But his sons were among
five men who faced jurors during a four-week trial that ended last week.

On Oct. 26, the jury found Reginald Williams innocent but convicted Alfred
Williams Jr., 39, of conspiring to possess cocaine with the intent to deliver.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years.

As the Williamses struggle to come to terms with the split verdict, the
devout Baptists are convinced the different outcomes boil down to a
biblical concept.

``The truth will set you free,'' brother Greg Williams said. ``That's the
bottom line.''

Reginald and Alfred Williams Jr. both took the stand in their own defense.
One testified honestly, the family said, but the other did not.

``I don't know why my brother went that way,'' Reginald Williams said,
shaking his head. ``He chose to tell some off-the-wall story.''

During the trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert O'Neill played tapes of
conversations the brothers had with the ring's leader, Jose Hubert
Palacios, and two undercover government informants.

Palacios offered the family $100,000 for a trailer and an agreement to
drive cocaine to New York. The load was to be hidden in a secret
compartment surrounded by tomatoes.

There was no evidence that the brothers distributed cocaine, but both
admitted to talking to Palacios, a longtime friend who attended Reginald
Williams' wedding.

Reginald Williams told jurors he knew his brother was caught up in a plan
to haul cocaine. But he wanted no part of it.

His only involvement, he said, was a surprise rendezvous one night.

``I was standing here filling up my truck at 10:30, and Joe [Palacios]
shows up. He's got two guys with him and they start talking like I'm in on
it,'' he said. ``I was scared. I didn't know what to say, so I decided to
go along.''

The jury believed him.

``I think he was afraid,'' said juror Galen Groves, who works in the
production department of The Tampa Tribune. ``As soon as he felt safe, he
was able to say what he really thought.''

For Groves at least, Reginald Williams' account was bolstered by the fact
that the trucker left for Miami two hours before Palacios planned to meet
with him again.

The testimony may have freed Reginald Williams, but it helped convict his
big brother.

``It was tough circumstances he was put in,'' Reginald Williams' lawyer,
Timothy Fitzgerald, said.

Alfred Williams Jr. told jurors he thought he was negotiating a deal to
distribute produce.

``He just played dumb,'' Groves said. ``He couldn't have been that dumb. I
think he convicted himself on the tapes. ... He sounded really gung-ho.''

The Williamses said they feel no bitterness toward the jurors.

``I couldn't swallow [Al's testimony], and he's my brother,'' Greg Williams
said.

But they are critical of the government's investigation. Throughout the
trial, defense attorneys hammered on informants Harold Roa and Alex
Johnson, both of whom had criminal pasts. DEA and Customs paid the men a
total of $735,000 for their assistance.

``They sent these guys in to see who they could catch,'' Reginald Williams
said. ``You have a choice. You should walk away. But for the government to
do that just doesn't seem fair.''

The arrests cost the company business, including a lucrative contract with
Minute Maid. With his acquittal, Reginald Williams hopes to recoup the losses.

But when his brother is sentenced, he'll be there.

``If I can help him, I will. I didn't want to step on anyone's toes,'' he
said. ``I told him from the start, if we both told the truth, we'd both
come home.''

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski