Dr. William R. Perl, founder of the Washington branch of the Jewish Defense League, was convicted yesterday by a federal jury in Baltimore on charges of conspiracy to shoot into the windows of two Hyattsville apartments rented by Soviet diplomats assigned to the Washington area.
The jury also convicted the 70-year-old retired psychology professor of obtaining a 22 caliber rifle without a license. The jury found Perl innocent of using a stolen rifle in the conspiracy. Testimony at the trial indicated that the FBI had kept him under such constant surveillance that it was able to prevent the alleged plan to shoot into the apartments of Rimgausus Malishaukas and Ivan Zavrashnov, both Soviet Embassy officials.
Perl’s attorney said he would appeal the convictions which carry a prison term of up to 15 years and $25,000 in fines. Chief U.S. district court Judge Edward Northrop said he would sentence Perl after receiving a probation report.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
