European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 25, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes april Fri sting nets 29 con millions in phony securities Philadelphia a a five year Fri undercover sting operation led to the recovery of million in phony securities and the indictment of 29 International con Federal officials announced the operation is considered one of the most ambitious and successful investigations of International con men dealing in fraudulent attorney Edward Dennis told the which extended to the far Canada and the involved the Purchase of a amount of alleged influence peddling and an insurance Advance fee he indictments announced the investigation ended tuesday with the announce ment of the indictment of six men in the United including two former Pennsylvania state representatives accused of perjury and of soliciting Money from under cover Fri Dennis the inquiry was dubbed operation gallstone when one of the agents involved developed gallstone the names of two congressmen surfaced in the but Dennis declined to identify say there is no indication of any wrongdoing on their and we have absolutely no information that the congressmen received any the two former state Charles and Leonard both of re Quested Money from undercover Fri agents posing As insurance con men Dennis the which was never supposedly was to go to the two congressmen As Campaign contributions in return for their help in winning Freedom for a Federal prisoner convicted earlier in the Dennis the indictment did not explain what the state Law makers expected to gain from the the two were charged with obstruction of Justice and Caputo declined to a woman at Martinos residence said he was not at Home to the others indicted were Louis of great John of serving a sentence for a drug conviction John of new and Steven Butch of Mazzella was charged with conspiracy in devising a fraudulent scheme to divert million in reinsurance Dennis first assistant attorney James Rohn said operation gallstone was extended to cover drug dealing when Ward and Keiper offered to sell an agent pounds of marijuana for the operation began when Federal authorities came upon casualty and indemnity a phony Phila Delphia insurance firm claiming to Issue performance Bonds and other financial Rohn the Fri created its own phony insurance company in order to get All those fraudulent securities off the Market which these con men were using to sell performance Rohn and that How we got securities Worth a half billion both former state if face a mini mum sentence of 15 years in Rohn Rohn was unable to provide information on the penal ties the other four men face if Sweet change a photo the word new has been added to the soft drink firm is distributing a sweetened version of the formula that been its standby for 99 favors press Pool coverage Washington not Secretary of defense Caspar Weinberger is still committed to letting reporters cover secret Mili tary operations from their despite what officials described As a breach of secrecy in a test a Pentagon spokes Man said the Secretary believes that the press should be Able to cover military opera said his Michael this was a and we want to try but Winant a retired major Gener Al who led a Pentagon appointed commis Sion that devised ground rules for news coverage of military said the Experiment raised doubts about whether re porters should be admitted during the first hours of a secret military sidle also suggested that press coverage in the Early stages of a sensitive operation be limited to reporters the Pentagon has decided Are 100 percent the sunday in which a representative Pool of reporters was flown to Honduras to cover a military was the first test of arrangements proposed by sidles commission in the commission was formed in response to press complaints of being excluded in the first Days of the Grenada word of the operation sunday soon spread to news organizations not included on the trip after numerous the Pentagon decided late sunday to talk freely about the who served As chief of information for the military assistance come in Viet said he was disappointed about the breach of but he Felt the system should be tested he said the episode sunday raised doubts about the trustworthiness of the press and would increase resistance by officers to press coverage of sidle suggested that the Pentagon be Given veto Power Over which reporters Are invited and that it consider mustering a Pool of reporters without notifying their in an Effort to avoid in the exercise the Pentagon notified 10 Washington Bureau who were free to choose Many of the press inquiries about the supposedly secret operation came after the news director at the Mutual broadcasting which had a reporter in the called other radio outlets to advise them to make technical arrangements for receiving Telephone reports from the who is assistant Secretary of de sense for Public spent most of a news conference tuesday Fielding questions about who was to blame for the breach of secrecy and whether it proved reporters could not be trusted in an actual military our preliminary he show that the leaks occurred among news bureaus Here in Washington soon after the initial some news executives said the episode illustrated the difficulties in keeping such an Enterprise secret in Ron vice president of news at the Mutual broadcasting said one fac Tor that complicated secrecy was that Many reporters Are married to employees of com Peting news the first indication the Pentagon received that word of the exercise had spread came when the Washington Bureau chief of lbs Jack called a Pentagon spokesman six hours before the press Pool was flown out of Andrews told of the withheld the Burch said speculation about the Mission became rampant after the Mutual Broad casting system notified other radio bureaus on sunday to make technical preparations for an unspecified Pool first ladies seeking solution to drug problem Washington a Nancy Rea convening a first ladies Summit in the pomp and splendor of the White House asked her 17 guests to share their experiences and search for a solution to keep drugs from maiming Chil Dren around the we have a goal to share our experiences and learn from Reagan told the i think we agree we Are Here for one reason the Well being of our Chil the presence of 18 first ladies from around the Globe says clearly that drugs Are a threat to our children no matter where they Reagan even if nothing else were to be accomplished today and to your attendance has sent a Mes Sage to people everywhere drugs Are maiming our before the Daylong session opened in the White Reagan greeted her guests one by one and posed for pictures at the diplomatic Entrance on the South Lawn of the White members of a Fife and Bugle corps piped a Salute As each first lady Nancy Reagan greets her West German Many hugged and kissed a few chatted with her As they posed for photog president Reagan greeted the women in the Blue room in a private ses Sion before they began their Marianne von during the morning the first la Dies heard from several Reagan administration officials who praised the president and Reagan efforts to use private sector and parents groups to help fight Drua abuse among the the first seated at a shaped conference table and holding earphones up to hear translations of the listened attentively As 16yearold Robin Page of Cincinnati told of her Battle against drug breaking Down in tears and with her voice the Young girl told of an overdose incident when she dear dont let me Wake Robin told the group that her parents got her into a treatment because of their she is now free of in off to a Good she told the several of the women invited to attend the session come from countries that Are under attack in accused of flood ing the United states with illegal the women have come from All Corners of the ranging from Japan to the tiny Island of they Are All All of them interested in learning More about How to fight drug according to James the first Ladys chief of