2007年VOA标准英语-US Officials Say 10 in California Plotted Coup

By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
05 June 2007

A total of 10 people are in custody¹ in California, accused of plotting to overthrow² the government of Laos.  Mike O'Sullivan reports from Los Angeles, the alleged³ plotters include a former Laotian general and a retired⁴ US military officer.

US Attorney McGregor W. Scott talks about charges filed in federal court in Sacramento, California, 4 June 2007, against a group of men plotting a violent overthrow of Laos' communist government

A six-month undercover investigation⁵, dubbed⁶ "Operation Tarnished⁷ Eagle," led to charges against nine people Monday, with charges pending⁸ against a tenth.  Investigators⁹ say the accused met in hotel rooms and restaurants in California's Central Valley, where they plotted to buy hundreds of automatic rifles, antitank missiles, rockets, mines, C-4 explosive and smoke grenades. 

Authorities say the conspirators¹⁰ were planning to ship the arms by way of safe houses and drop zones in Thailand and Laos.  Mercenaries would retrieve¹¹ the weapons, then blow up government buildings and assassinate¹² officials in Laos in an attempt to overthrow the country's communist government.

The accused include Vang Pao, 77, a former Laotian general who is a leader in California's ethnic¹³ Hmong community.  In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Pao led Hmong tribesmen, backed by the United States, in fighting against communist guerillas.  He now lives in Orange County, near Los Angeles, which is home to many Southeast Asian immigrants.

Also charged is Harrison Jack¹⁴, 60, a U.S. army veteran and former Lieutenant¹⁵ Colonel in the California National Guard.  Jack is a 1968 graduate of the U.S Military Academy at West Point. 

Steve Martin, special agent in charge for the San Francisco office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says authorities know little about Jack's motivation.

"We do know that he did spend tours over in Vietnam in the late 1960s, early '70s," he noted¹⁶.  "And as a part of that, we believe, he was connected to some of the Hmong people."

All of the other accused are ethnic Hmong, but a prosecutor¹⁷ said most, if not all, are U.S. citizens.

One official said the investigation read like a movie script, but turned out to be real. The case involved two federal law enforcement agencies and the Joint¹⁸ Terrorism Task Force.  An undercover federal agent posed as an arms dealer¹⁹ to gather evidence in the case, and then 200 agents made nine arrests in pre-dawn raids Monday.  Based on information from the raids, the 10th suspect was arrested late Monday morning.

Prosecutor Robert Twiss, an assistant U.S. attorney for eastern California, says the conspirators hoped to put the plot into action this month.

"The initial installment²⁰ of arms to be delivered into Southeast Asia was 125 AK-47s, 20,000 rounds of ammunition²¹ and some smoke grenades.  That very first installment was to be delivered on June 12.  The payment price was $100,000."

A second delivery, which would include Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, was set to arrive June 19.  Twiss says the undercover federal agent was asked to provide 24 mercenaries to lead the operation.

All of the defendants²² are charged with conspiracy²³ to violate the U.S. Neutrality Act, conspiracy to kill and kidnap foreign nationals and damage foreign government buildings, and also with weapons charges.  If convicted, they could face terms of life in prison.  Six defendants also face charges of conspiracy to acquire Stinger missiles, which carry a mandatory²⁴ sentence of at least 25 years.

Authorities say the defendants claimed to have many confederates on the ground in Southeast Asia, and that some had conducted reconnaissance of targets in Laos.  U.S. authorities say they are studying evidence obtained through search warrants Monday, and that more arrests may follow.

1 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

2 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

3 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

6 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 tarnished   

（通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏

参考例句：

• The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
• His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨，败坏了学校的声誉。

8 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

9 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 conspirators   

n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The conspirators took no part in the fighting which ensued. 密谋者没有参加随后发生的战斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The French conspirators were forced to escape very hurriedly. 法国同谋者被迫匆促逃亡。 来自辞典例句

11 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

12 assassinate   

vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤

参考例句：

• The police exposed a criminal plot to assassinate the president.警方侦破了一个行刺总统的阴谋。
• A plot to assassinate the banker has been uncovered by the police.暗杀银行家的密谋被警方侦破了。

13 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

14 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

15 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

16 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

17 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

18 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

19 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

20 installment   

n.(instalment)分期付款；(连载的)一期

参考例句：

• I shall soon pay the last installment of my debt.不久我将偿付我的最后一期债款。
• He likes to buy things on the installment plan.他喜欢用分期付款法购买货物。

21 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

22 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

23 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

24 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。