Al Sharpton wanted to do 1980s cocaine deal offered by undercover FBI agent for the money, claims former employee

Robert Curington alleges his former boss had three meetings with agent

Sharpton denies claims and says mob threats forced him to turn to FBI

A North Carolina man who used to work for Al Sharpton has claimed that his former boss met an undercover agent posing as a drug dealer three times.

Robert Curington revealed the background to how he says Sharpton fell for the FBI trap in 1983, and claims the preacher was motivated by greed.



The 72-year-old, who was convicted of drug charges in the 1970s, made his claims to the New York Post after it was revealed this week that Sharpton had been an FBI informant.



Denial: Al Sharpton says allegations that he met an undercover agent to discuss a drug deal three times are unfounded

Curington was working for Sharpton's National Youth Movement in the 1980s at the time of the FBI sting, which was caught on camera.



Sharpton claimed this week he only showed an an interest in the proposed drug deal because he feared for his life.



He said that he had been threatened by mobsters who felt that he was competing for their handle on the music industry.

Curington wasn't at the meetings with the undercover agent posing as a drug dealer wanting to traffick coke, but he claims that Sharpton met the man three times.



He told the Post that the first meeting with the agent, using the undercover name of Victor Quintana, was at the New York boxing office of Don King in 1983.

The agent had set up a meeting with King to discuss a boxing match in the Bahamas, but Curington says King was suspicious and instead arranged for him to meet Sharpton.



'King was sly - he knew something was off about this. So he kept him downstairs and let his new best friend Al Sharpton talk to him,' Curington claimed.



On tape: Footage shows Al Sharpton in a cowboy hat unknowingly meeting an undercover FBI agent in 1983

Claims: New reports suggest these taped undercover videos were used to get Sharpton to agree to work as a paid informant

He added that Sharpton 'would spend cash taking him to dinner and chauffeur him around in a limo, feeling him out'.

While the pair were out to dinner the agent allegedly suddenly said: 'I know where 10 kilos of cocaine are and we can make some big money on this.'

Curington claimed that Sharpton was accompanied by an adviser who intervened, saying: 'Hold it. This meeting is over. You come in here talking about boxing and now you're gonna talk about cocaine? Let's go.'

Curington wasn't at the restaurant with the men but he claims Sharpton was reluctant to leave.



A second meeting was set up, this time at a hotel, and again when cocaine was mentioned Sharpton's advisers called off the meeting and left.



But Curington claims Sharpton set up a third unaccompanied meeting, images of which were leaked from FBI surveillance tapes in 2002 which showed him wearing a cowboy hat.



High profile: The Rev Al Sharpton, center, leads a march to the New York Mayor's residence in 1988

Curington alleged that Sharpton was told he would get $3,500 per kilo and, when he 'moved on it, they spring the trap on him right away'.

'Al told me himself. He bit and took the bait,' Curington told the Post. 'Sharpton said they could do whatever they wanted with him after that. Because they had him.



'Either he worked for them or they put that news out there that he was into coke.'

He added: 'I said, "Why are you talking to these types of people?" He was just greedy. It was all for money.'

On Friday Sharpton denied that he had attended three meetings with the agent, when cocaine was discussed.



' Bob Curington is blatantly wrong,' he said. Sharpton also denied claims by his former employee that he took cocaine.





