WJMO's legal issues were compounded on September 20, 1973, when an investigation into possible phone tapping resulted in grand jury indictments handed down against station vice president Morris Paul Schechter (who used the professional name Van Lane) and John Rees, chief engineer for WRC (AM)/Washington, D.C., who also did engineering work for United's WOOK. In the fall of 1972, Schechter, Morton Silverman, and attorney Roy F. Perkins, Jr.—who had been representing station matters before the FCC before also assuming legal oversight into WJMO's operations—conferred at United's headquarters over possible payola allegations against WJMO general manager Kennard Hawkins. With the renewal hearings for both WJMO and WLYT forthcoming, Perkins consulted a partner in the law firm he was affiliated with over the feasibility of installing a hidden microphone inside Hawkins' office, and connecting it to a secure phone line, so as to prove or disprove the payola rumors. Perkins misinterpreted the partner's refusal to participate in an illegal phone monitoring proposal as a refusal to investigate the payola allegations themselves, and also based his legal justifications for the monitoring on a misinterpretation of Section 605 of the Communications Act of 1934. Richard Eaton was also consulted for approval, but deferred to Perkins based on what was assumed proper legal judgement and interpretation of the Communications Act.