European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 19, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday. September 19, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 7 Navy reopens investigation of heart surgeon by Norman Black Washington a the Navy responding to inc demands of defense attorneys formally reopened its investigation tuesday of u heart surgeon to has been accused of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of four patients. The attorneys for or. Donal m. Billig who holds the rank of commander immediately challenged the investigating officer named to oversee the probe. They claimed he was biased because he had also served on a special review Board that initially recommended Billig s court martial in june. We arc in a position of trying to in convince someone who is already convinced it. Cmdr. Stephen Baker. One of Billig s two Navy attorneys argued before com Moore h. James scars the investigating officer. After a lengthy recess. Sears resumed the hearing by announcing that rear adm. Joseph s. Cassells the com Mander of the naval medical come and the officer who named him to oversee the reopened investigation had rejected the defense arguments. Scars who along with two other officers served on the special review Board also announced he saw no reason to disqualify himself. The Navy has acknowledged it recruited the 54-year old Billig in late 982 despite the fact his credentials had been called into question by a new Jersey Hospital in i9ko. Two of the officers who were involved in recruiting Billig Are now  possible courts martial while Billig has been accused of bungling heart operations that left three male retirees and the wife of a Marine corps sergeant major dead. The Navy also has said that after Billig was formally relieved of his duties last april investigators discovered his vision was impaired. The hearings that began tuesday at the Washington Navy Yard although unusual were prompted b the special rules and regulations that govern military Justice and the unusual handling of the Billig Case. Last june the Navy disclosed ii had received the recommendations of a special review Board that had been appointed to review Billig s earlier suspension As the chief heart surgeon at the Bethesda naval Hospital the service s flagship facility. Billig s privileges were suspended last november amid questions about his surgical competence the Navy has said. Last april he was formally relieved of his duties. The special review Board subsequently recommended he be court Martiale on four counts of involuntary Man Slaughter in connection with the deaths of four patients As Well As 24 counts of dereliction of duly. That recommendation was formally accepted a Cas sell s predecessor. Rear adm. William m. Moe Renoit or. And Billig was ubic quintly provided defense attorneys and told to prepare for trial. At that Point however Billig s attorneys successfully argued their client should have the Benefit of a formal article 32 pretrial investigation hearing before stand ing trial. Such hearings which Are similar to a civilian grand jury proceeding Are normally conducted before a court martial. In Billig s Case however the Navy had hoped to dispense with the hearing and rely on the findings of the review Board. By winning the right to another hearing. Billig s attorneys May Cross examine the witnesses who appeared before the review Board. Scars As the investigating officer will nol serve As a judge per so. Rather he will be expected to make new recommendations to Cassells on the precise charges on which Billig should be prosecuted. The hearings which arc expected to take several Days could result in the addition or elimination of charges. If convicted on All charges he is currently facing. Bil Lig could receive a maximum sentence of 24 years con Fin Cmunt at hard labor. Death of California prostitute with aids spurs warning of a Sara ghz Community san Diego a the death of a jailed prostitute with aids illustrates the danger men face when they visit prostitutes or engage in casual sex. A health official says. San Diego county health officer or. Donald Ramras said that the woman who died last Friday was the first female in mate in the county to die from acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Officials at Las Colinas detention facility in Santee East of san Diego identified the woman As Moselle Wilson 29. She had been held there from aug. I to aug. 27, when she was transferred to the University of California san Diego medical Center. Diagnosed in medial Center Wilson was diagnosed As having the Dis ease sept. 3, a week after being taken to the medical Center. She remained there until her death Hospital officials said. Ramras said she was the 55th Dalh among 120 aids cases identified in the county. There is no known cure for inc disease which attacks inc body s immune system. Basically the straight Community has to Wake up to the fact that if they re less than sexually constant they re taking a risk Ramras said. The More sexual partners they have that they can t Trust the More they re Tak ing a  he said. Intravenous drug user the disease afflicts mainly homosexual males and intravenous drug users. Wilson was an intravenous drug user who had been in and out of Las Colinas 49 times since 1979, said it. Nelda Spencer assistant commander. Ramras said she could have spread the disease in jail if she shared Needles or had extensive sexual Contact with other in aids in the . I new cases i deaths 12,736 total cases 6,376 deaths 5,161 most reported cases of aids who is at risk homosexual bisexual men intravenous drug users haitians unknown 1% heterosexuals 1% Haemophiliacs 1% transfusion recipients note due to rounding off numbers do not add to 100% inc ago to fount or Apoc source confers Tor disease control mates. Spencer said some inmates at Las col Inas have asked for aids Icsis since learning of Wilson s illness. Ramras said aids blood tests which determine if a person has been exposed to inc Anli bodies arc available free to any one Al county health clinics. Re president won t meet with Law panel new York Ai James l. Buck icy president of radio tree Europe Radic Liberty has declined to be interviewed by a new York bar association committee considering his qualifications for appointment to the Federal Bench the new York times has reported. Buckley in a letter to the chairman of the screening committee said the Justice department had asked him not to participate the times on wednesday quoted government officials As saying. In his letter Buckley said the Justice department believed he should work on with the american bar association s screening committee which is separate from the new York group. Unidentified administration officials said they doubted Buckley a former Republican senator from new York would get a fair review before the new York group Accord ing to the times. The screening process of both committees is confidential so officials of both groups refused to discuss the matter in detail the times said. I will say we arc proceeding we Haven t stopped said Mary to White chairwoman of the new York screening committee. Her group u a subcommittee of the new York bar s judiciary committee appointed to con Sider Buckley s qualifications. Other unidentified officials told the newspaper that the committee was prepared to proceed with its review and report in results even without an interview with Buckley or his cooperation in answering the committee s questions. Buckley has been under consideration for appointment to a vacancy on the . Court o appeals for the second circuit which covers new York Connecticut and Vermont. Navy contract negotiator sentenced for taking gifts Portland. Ore. A a Navy contract negotiator has been sentenced to two years in prison and fined $10,000 for accepting gratuities from japanese ship re pair companies while working in Japan. U s District judge James Redden said the sentence he imposed monday on Harold Robert Heeszel or. Was severe but not As severe As the offences Heeszel committed. Heeszel 59, was responsible for awarding contracts to japanese companies for repairs on Navy vessels in Japan. He pleaded guilty to three charges including conspiracy. The defense procurement fraud unil of inc Justice department had charged a Caszel with conspiring with four japanese business officials by agreeing to accept gratuities in Exchange for contracts. He was charged with accepting is 1,000 in Cash expensive dinners and Al least one free trip. In Exchange for Heeszel s guilty plea the government dismissed a 10-Counl indict ment returned by a Federal grand jury in san Francisco charging Heeszel Wilh accepting As much As j25.000 in Cash in Addi Tion to free dinners trips valuable gifts and  Between 1978 and 1982. Heeszel had his Case  to . District court in Portland because he Origi Nally was from Portland and was living in Briol Wood Wash. Assistant . Attorney a. Kevin fancy said Heeszel was responsible for awarding millions of dollars Worth of repair compacts during his stay in Japan. Fahey said Heeszel s accept acc of gratuities became known during the course of another investigation by the naval investigative service. Navy investigators eventually set up a sting operation Wilh the cooperation of a japanese contractor to catch la pcs cd Kascy said. The conduct of the defend Cut and others like him is nol Only re Prehn ble in in self Bui in erodes Public Confidence. And strikes at the very heart of the National defense Fahey said. Hocs Al s attorney Norman sepenuk. Con tended that his client a 25- car civilian employee of the nay. Never solicited Money or gifts from the japanese. They were thrust upon him Sipenuk said