European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 25, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday August 25, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 7 5 executives indicted for rigging contests by the los Angeles times los Angeles the advertise ments promised everything from a Mil lion Dollar grand prize to a new Corvette for customers who signed up for Alpha Beta s California dreaming " contest or Taco Bell s wheels reels and meals sweepstakes. But the winners of the contests both of which were advertised on National television and in newspapers across the country sometimes were not customers at All. Some were friends and relatives of the marketing executives who ran the two High stakes contests and a number of others across the country a Federal investigation has disclosed. John Edward Curtin Iii president of c & k marketing of Englewood Cliffs n.j., Kevin Joseph Kissane the company s vice president and three other com Pany executives were indicted tuesday by a Federal grand jury in los Angeles in a prize rigging scam that authorities said funnelled thousands of dollars in prizewinning into c & k s coffers. According to the indictment c & officials secretly arranged for some of the winning tickets in the two contests to Goto friends or relatives. In one Case the indictment alleges James Lee a Navy aircraft Mechanic from san Diego who is a Friend of cur tin s brother received a $14,000 convertible in an Alpha Beta contest in 1985. About a year later he was listed As the Winner of a $28,500 Corvette in a Taco Bell contest. He opted for $28,500 incas but never received any of the winnings agreeing to allow c & k to keep the Money. In the same contest the indictment Al Leges Curtin and Kissane arranged for one of Kissane s relatives Jerome Baratta anew Jersey car dealer to win $25,000 which was also pocketed by c & k. As far As we be been Able to deter mine All the other prizes were legitimately awarded. But you have to take into account that we Don t necessarily have perfect information said David Katz the assistant . Attorney who is prosecuting the Case. Neither Taco Bell nor Alpha Beta is suspected of any wrongdoing and both companies have fully cooperated with investigators Katz said. According to Katz suspicions about the Taco Bell contest were first raised when a District manager in Indiana at tempted to Contact a local Winner to congratulate him. As it turned out the local Winner was genuine but his name had been misspelled and when the manager was unable to locate him he phone Taco Bell Headquarters. Taco Bell demanded an audit and the contest company hired an auditor who certified that the prizes had been prop Erly awarded. Although Taco Bell was satisfied with the audit Katz said it decided to make one last Check by Tele phoning some of the winners. When the Taco Bell representatives called Lee s House in san Diego Lee was on assignment in the Philippines Katz said. They reached Lee s wife and said we re calling about your husband win Ning the car and she said what car " the prosecutor said. Subsequently Katz said Lee and his wife made an appointment for an inter View with Federal investigators and acc told Kim Curtin Curtin s brother that he was not going to lie about the prize. Kiss sane flew out from the East coast with $25,000 in Cash gave it to Lee and told him to Tell the investigators i won fair and Square and Stop harassing me Katz said. But Lee broke Down during the inter View Katz said and admitted every thing. Probes claim consultant Dod clause urge to allow recovery ii i a Vii Evv inv a a led about taking report of illegal profits by the Hartford courant Washington army investigators allege a consultant for Pratt & Whitney a division of United technologies corp., took a sensitive Progress report Bya rival company in the army s most hotly contested helicopter engine Competition then lied to cover his actions. The army said it has not prosecuted the consultant because it lacks enough evidence to win a conviction. The consultant William Henry Maloney says he i innocent. I know i did t do anything wrong the West Point graduate and retired army colonel said. Did something stupid but i did t do anything wrong or  the 20-month-old incident came to Light in the midst of a department of Justice investigation int allegations of bribery and bid rigging in Pentagon procurement. That investigation is focusing on Consul Tants but the army said the two investigations Are not related. An army criminal investigation report released to the Hartford courant under the Federal Freedom of information act alleges Maloney took a 358-Page Progress report on the Letec t-800 Turbine helicopter engine program and kept it about two hours. Letec is a partnership of two major engine build ers the Allison Gas Turbine division of general motors and the Garrett engine division of Allied signal aerospace co. Letec is competing against the team of Pratt and text Ron Lycoming of Stratford conn., to develop the t-800. At stake ultimately Are $3.5 Bil lion in t-800 production contracts and domination Ofa class of Turbine engines for smaller air planes including business jets As Well As  c. Campbell director of communications for Allison said the report was a voluminous and de tailed account of Letec s Progress in developing the t-800. It contained technical information of keen in Terest to Letec s competitors he said but he was not convinced the data would allow the rival Side to Winthe t-800 Competition. Army officials said that on dec. 8, 1986, Malone entered the suburban Virginia offices of the army Materiel come s aviation Branch of which Maloney was chief until his retirement in 1984. The Letec pro Gram review had been left unattended on a desk in the office investigators reported and several employee saw Maloney near the desk. After Maloney left the office Robert a. Mercure an army Engineer discovered the document was missing and called Maloney s answering machine to inquire about its whereabouts. Two and one half hours later Maloney re entered the office. A sworn statement by Mercure says Malo Ney was carrying a leather portfolio. Maloney pointed to the leather portfolio which was then lying on a desk. Mercure opened it and found the report inside. Washington a seven senior members of the House armed services committee said tuesday the Pentagon should add a clause to future defens contracts to ensure that any illegally gained profits can be recovered by the government. There is an urgent need to protect both the nation Al Security and the interests of the . Taxpayer Indefenso procurement they said in a statement. A clause in All future contracts allowing the defens department to recover the profit from illegally obtained contracts would go a Long Way toward doing that it said. The statement arises from the current Pentagon bribery investigation. Defense Secretary Frank c. Carlucci and other to Pentagon officials have said that if any of the contracts involved in the investigation turned out to have been won on the basis of illegal information the Pentagon can use existing Laws to recover the profits. Carlucci last month ordered a new clause inserted i contracts with firms involved in the investigation. The congressmen want this clause inserted in All contracts. The clause could replace some of the auditors who now Check contracts said rep. William Dickinson r Ala., ranking Republican on the panel. The letter was signed by Dickinson and reps. Larry Hopkins Day. John Kasich a Ohio Jim Courter . Bill Nichols a Ala. Nicholas Mavroules d mass. And Les Aspin a wis. Jewish Leader upbraid Robertson Pat Robertson new York not a Leader of a major jewish organization has reproached Pat Robertson for his reluctance to condemn anti semitic statements made by critics of the movie the last temptation of  earlier this month Robertson the former television evangelist who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination sidestepped appeals by the official Abraham h. Fox Man director of the anti defamation league of b Nai b Rith to Issue such condemnations. Robertson proposed instead that the anti defamation league either use its influence to Block release of the movie or condemn it and its producers. "1 still find astonishing Why it is so difficult to condemn anti semitism without a quid pro quo Foxman said tuesday in new York. He said he had written to Robertson As a respected spokesman among evangelical and fundamentalist christians whose recent political role might have increased his ability to quiet anti semitic  to make a bargaining Chip out of that ability was very sad Foxman said. Repeated efforts to reach Robertson by Telephone at the Christian Broad casting network s offices were unsuccessful. Robertson serves As chairman of the network s Board. The Exchange of letters Between Foxman and Robertson was part of a wider debate about the proper response to the Universal pictures film which portrays a very human Jesus re sisting his divine Mission and tempted by fantasies of a More mundane exis tence including marriage with Mary Magdalene and sexual relationships with Mary and Martha the Sisters of Lazarus. Some Christian leaders found the movie thought provoking others said it was blasphemous. Some organized Boycotts others counselled quiet neglect. But several protestant leaders who found the movie offensive repeatedly stressed that Lew Wasserman chair Man of Mca Universal s Parent com Pany was jewish. Some charged that the movie was a jewish attack on christianity. Others warned that it might stir a wave of Christian anti semitism. Writing to Robertson before the re lease of the movie Foxman asserted that some christians were making scapegoats of jews for a work Cre ated by individuals of Many diverse religious and ethnic  Foxman urged Robertson to speak out against those using this film to foment  in his response Robertson promised to protest any anti semitism that May come about As a result of the film s release