European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 11, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday May 11, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 7 prosecutors quietly unravel Dod scandal by the Washington Post Washington nearly a year after the Iii wind investigation of Mil itary procurement fraud broke into pub Lic View with a nationwide wave of searches Federal prosecutors have scored a series of convictions or guilty pleas. Two major defense contractors and 14 individuals including corporate executives consultants and two Pentagon employees who admitted taking bribes have been convicted or agreed to plead guilty. Most Are cooperating with prosecutors bolstering cases against other targets opening new areas of inquiry and Muling criticism by defense lawyers and others who say the probe Falls far Short of original claims. The prosecution. Assistant attorney general Edward . Dennis or. Said has gone through a sort of Shakedown cruise and i feel that things arc really on track. I think that the charges and the evidence that s come out. Make it Clear that these Are very significant violations and the implications for the procurement process arc very  some criminal defense lawyers How Ever complain that companies have been forced to plead guilty for fear of being debarred from receiving military contracts and they express scepticism about How hard a bargain the govern ment drove in recent guilty Picas. Said e. Lawrence Barcella jr., who Paisley represents former Navy assistant Sec retary1 Melvyn r. Paisley they be proved what they said was going on but nowhere near the magnitude suggested when the Case was disclosed with More than 40 searches last june that followed Al most two years of investigation and 18 months of wiretap Ping defense consultants. There s a modicum of scepticism be cause of the Small amount of fines and the Lack of catching big fish said on congressional aide who closely follows procurement fraud. The two defense department officials charged so far have been mid level employees and the two firms that pleaded guilty paid relatively Small amounts in the Muli billion Dollar world of defense can tracking Hartline corp. Paid $2 million and talc sync industries inc. Will forfeit about $8 million. Nonetheless. It s been a Long time coming since we be seen this Type of Suc Cess the aide added noting that officials rarely have gone to jail in defense procurement fraud caws. Three of the five sentenced so i a received prison terms. Two former Hazel Tine corp. Executives were Given sentences of three months and 10 months and former Marine corps contracting supervisor Jack a. Sherman who admitted taking $43.500 in bribes was Given 18 months in prison. One of the prosecutors coups was the decision by consultant Charles f. Gard Ner a former Uniss corp. Executive to plead guilty to bribing Paisley who has been described As a target of the investigation. Gardner who said he bought Paisley s Idaho condominium at an inflated Price agreed to Tell investigators what he knows about alleged wrongdoing by former associates among them consultant William m. Galvin another tar get. Calvin and Paisley have denied wrongdoing through their attorneys and have not been charged. Months of delay marked the Early stages of Iii  w Ith prosecutors mired in thousands of documents beset by internal bickering and frustrated when targets confronted with apparently incriminating tape recordings refused to plead guilty. The logjam broke in january when a Cut inc and to p of its officials pleaded guilty to conspiring with consultants to obtain inside information about a Navy contract and a grand jury in Alexandria va., returned the Case s first indictment. Although those charged in the indict ment two consultants a Navy Engi Neer who sold them inside information tale sync. And three tale sync officials vowed to fight the charges All but the corporate officials eventually pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with pros  is an Avalanche effect said Thomas Patten an attorney for tale sync. You can see in in this particular Case. One Guy just collapsed right after another. My guess is that pattern will  last month a Federal jury in Alexan Dria convicted tiled one executives Eugene r. Sullivan and George h. Kaub of conspiracy and wire fraud in the first Iii wind trial. But the two were acquitted of bribery the most serious charge Andic Ledanc executive Dale Schnit Lucr was acquitted on All counts. Assistant . Attorney Joseph j. Aro Nica who led the prosecution said the convictions of Sullivan and Kaub sent a message that corporate officials arc responsible for consultants improper a  re not talking about janitors there Dennis said. We re not talking about first year Mas who Don t know the ropes. We re talking about seasoned people who Are at the heart of the corporation i think in the Overall scheme of things these cases Are clearly significant  criminal defense attorneys agreed. Any time Industry people arc convicted it sends a shudder through the entire Community said one. Richard Rumira. In dark glasses with his defense lawyer Daniel in Ernandez. Alleged night stalker killer portrayed As just a Petty thief los Angeles up lawyers for alleged night stalker Richard Ramirez began their de sense tuesday portraying the self proclaimed Devil worshipper who is suspected in 13 killings As Noth ing More than a Petty hic. In his opening statement defense lawyer Daniel Hernandez ended Days of speculation that the de sense at Ramirez s direction would present no Case at All. Ramirez has pleaded not guilty Hernandez told reporters. It s obvious we believe he s not responsible for the crimes which include in Addi Tion to the 13 murders 30 other felonies committed during a spree that terrorized Southern californian 1984 and 1985. Hernandez said Ramirez at first did not want to put on a defense because he was convinced that the prosecution had failed to prove its Case. But Ramirez changed his mind afr being con Vinced that in was for his own Benefit and to disown advantage id put on a defense Hernandez  Ity District attorney p. Philip Halpin tied Ramirez to the killing by presenting eyewitnesses fingerprints shoe prints ballistics evidence and the defendant of a incriminating statements. Prosecutors put 137 witnesses on the stand or a nine week period resting their Case last month. Hernandez told the Superior court jury that Ramirez moved to los Angeles from Elpaso Texas in the Cark 1980s and eventually fell in with a group of thieves who congregated at the downtown bus  was inexperienced not really Well versed in the profession of crime Hernandez said. Some people say he did t even know How to Hustle at the bus depot he said. He was learning the ropes. He was the Low Man on the totem  . Spokesman in Cuba accused of Art smuggling Miami a the spokesman for the . Government s in Havana smuggled cuban Art into the United Stales in a scheme partly intended to Benefit members of the cuban government a Federal prosecutor charged  arrests have been made and the investigation is continuing but cuban paintings and records have been seized from an an dealer Here Diane Cossin spokeswoman for . Attorney Dexter Lehtinen said. A . Customs service affidavit said Jerry w. Scott the spokesman for the . Interests Section in Havana brought the paintings into the United Stales in violation of Floc cuban Trade embargo. William cinc kens a spokesman for the . Information Agency for which Scott worked in Havana praised Scott and said he had a Good record. The paintings were seized Friday from Ramon or Nuda owner of an Art gallery in Miami after an affidavit sworn by customs agent Peter d. Lisbon was submitted to a  has said the investigation is prompted by his opposition to the powerful cuban american National foundation an anti Castro lobbying group. Customs began its investigation following publicity about an april 1988 auction at the cuban museum of Art and culture in Miami which Jalc godly involved Cernuda owned cuban paintings Liston said in the  Art is being smuggled into the United Stales for personal gain and allegedly to profit members of the cuban government Liston said. The United slates has no formal relations with Cuba but maintains the interests Section to handle hich things As visas and routine Legal transactions. Liston said that in february 1988 Scott brought 40 paintings into Miami International Airport and failed to declare to customs inspectors thai he was bringing cuban Art into this country in violation of regulations. The cuban provision of the trading with the enemy act prohibits virtually All Commerce with  agent said Scott acknowledged to him on april 28 that he had handed the paintings Over to Cernuda. He said Scott then called Cernuda who confirmed he still had the  also bought paintings from Guido adrians sons who smuggled about 100 paintings into the United states the affidavit alleged. This is absurd said Cernuda s attorney Ted  convicted of trading with the enemy could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and fined $250,000 for each violation