NATION IN BRIEF : TEXAS : Billie Sol Estes Pleads Innocent to Charges

Legendary con man Billie Sol Estes and four other people pleaded innocent in Brady, Tex., to charges of running an organized criminal activity in a plot to steal trade secrets from a company that makes cargo containers. Estes, 64, whose name became synonymous with illegal wheeling and dealing in the 1960s, and four others named in an indictment returned Nov. 20 were ordered to appear for a pretrial hearing on Jan. 22. According to the indictment, Estes and the other defendants conspired to steal and duplicate trade secrets owned by Loadcraft Corp. of Brady, a manufacturer of cargo container trailers.