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Show ___TheSalt Lake Tribune THE OLYMPICS Thursday, May13, 1999 Fits RICO,Says Ex-Prosecutor Renois kept apprised ofthe situation, and whenthe time comes we week. “(U.S. Atty. Gen. Janet) would either indict or announce that there was nothing there.” Unlike most federal prosecutions, a RICO strategy must be ap- proved by Reno or her deputies. @ Continued from A-1 STOR says. The Department of Justice recently added two Washington, D.C.-based prosecutors to the four-person team leading the probe of the bid committee's ef- fort to curry favor with the International Olympic Committee (10C). Thesix-attorney Justice teamis inching toward a self-imposed June deadline for gathering evidence and identifying a prosecutorial strategy. Virtually all key witnesses wholive in or nearSalt Lake City have been questioned since late December, except Tom Welch and Dave Johnson,thefor- merpresident and vice president, respectively,of the bid committee and its successor, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC). The Justice Department will not commentonthe focusor tim- ing of the case. “We are moving with all due deliberate speed,” department Consumers Sour On Sponsors, Survey Suggests @ Continued from A-1 On Tuesday, the automaker upped its Olympic sponsorship by $3.5 million and announceda 17month ad campaign to tout U.S athletes and GM's support of them. Still, Hancock's poll could not come at a worsetime for Olympic organizers in Salt Lake and Sydney, Australia, who need to con- vince sponsors the Games are a good investment. Hancock's research, which shows30 percent to 40 percent of people havelost respect for the Olympics, suggests the risk might not be worth it Only 3 percent to 4 percent of respondents said they were more likely to buy a sponsor's product members and their families was illegal. Prosecutors, he says, could use wire or mail fraud as the underly- ing criminalactivity. The bid committee used the wire and mail to transfer thousands of dollars “It’s to ensure uniformity, so from Salt Lake Cityto key voting cases that don't fit,” says one Mail fraud is a sweepingstatute the statute is not weakened by City and to Utah, andif the prosecutors want to bring racketeering charges, it would fit,” Blakey methods used by bid-committee officials to give money to 10C IOC members and their families. high-rankingfederalofficial. “All taken from Title 18, the same U.S. RICOcases are kicked up to D.C Because of that, once they're Code chapter where RICO is found. The 125-year-old lawsays any act of dishonesty in which a brought, prosecutors don’t lose.”’ Potential witnesses contacted by The Tribune say they have not been scheduled to appear before the federal grandjuryassigned to probe Salt Lake City's bid scandal. But federal grand-jury expertssay it is possible prosecutors will avoid witness appearances while seeking indictments. In- mailed item was used constitutes a federal crime. A 1952 addition thereis a crimehere,” sa D. Wheeler, a former prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in tee records to convince jurors U.S. attorney for Utah. “If you don't have a recalcitrant witness and youhaveplentyofother documentation, there is no need to put on witnesses at the grand-jury level.” Utah, whois representing Dave gue there was a crime committed.” Thomas A. Schaffer, Tom Welch's attorney, says since there are no victims in the bid-for. bucks scandal, there is no crime. “Whois being defrauded?” he says. “The people who were putting money into SLOC wanted to Blakey's outsider assessment of the bid scandal depends heavily on the federal prosecutors’ ability to convince a grand jury that the win the Olympics and if we won the Olympics, what is wrong with D'Alessandro said. That number the front page.” is down dramatically from sur- veys taken after the 1998 Nagano Games which showed 30 percent were morelikely to buy the company’s products because of its Olympic association. “When you put $40 million into this type of venture, you don't expect it to go the other way on you,” D'Alessandrosaid. “You're spending moneyto club yourself overthe head.” D’Alessandro’s comments infuriated John Krimsky, who recently resigned as head of the market- ing team for the 2002 Winter Games. ‘He's exaggerated some very narrowly focused data that he and onlyheis privyto,” Krimskysaid. “It's inaccurate, and it’s done to further his position which has been to chill the Olympic sponsor- ship market.” Asked why D'Alessandro would purposely devalue a cause his company supports — John Han- cock paid $40 million for a Syd- ney sponsorship — Krimsky re- plied: “To get his name back on tive-board member Un Yong Kim of South Korea and gratuities delivered to Jean Claude Ganga, the [OC member daughter of an IOC member from Ecuador. The money was budget edas national Olympic committee assistance, yet it reportedly went to a 44-year-old woman with U.S. danese 10C member's vote contract with Keystone Communi. cations to the son of 10C execu City forestry company during the $19,000 in aid providedto the Colo. E-mail messages suggestthe training wasin returnfor the Su- 000-$ 100. 000 paidby the Ba committee through a suspect ish 1OC member Pirjo Haggman. whowas employedby a Salt Lake bid years, but reportedly did not produce any work complex in Colorado Springs. payments totaling to ARCA. a company run by OC official Alfredo La Mont. The SLOC ethics committee reportalleges La Mont and ARCA subsequently made monthly pay- @ Morethan $250,000ofgifts ments of $3,000 to Austin Sealy an 1OC member from Barbados. fromthe Republic of Congo, who This is an easy case,” Blakey {If found guilty) these people are facing two to three also is under suspicion for a part nership he formed with Welch called Claudet Investments. @ Payments by the bid commit yearsin jail tee for Sudanese athletes to train and I hope the guilty ones areindicted, prosecut- at the U.S. Olympic Committee ed and hung out to dry Attorneys retained to defend bid-committee members dispute Blakey's interpretation. “I don't see howthey can argue Johnson. “It's stretching everylegal theory you can stretch to ar- there is evidence of a crime. “That would not be unusual at all,” says Brent D. Ward, a former A7 citizenship who was having trou bleoie her bi addedtelephonecalls. stead, they would use expert sum- maries of witness interview: bank documents and bid comm: cus on allegedly bogus contracts and corporations used by the bid committee to deliver money to 10C members andtheir families, including: 35,000 paid by the bid committee to the ex-husband of Finn- ® Olympic Bribery spokesman Brian Steel said this the actions?” The United States Air Force Announces a Proposed Final Environmental Assessmentfor the Rocket Motor Dissection Facility at Little Mountain Test Annex, Utah The Saucon Mecegenen: Directorate, oaden Air Logistics Center, Hill Air Force ofa EA) an Base (HAFB), U proposes a incling of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the construction of a Rocket Motor Dissection Facility (RMDF) at Little Mountain Test Annex (LMTA), Utah. The United States Air Force routinely tests military materials and components to determine operational readiness and safety. The proposed RMDFat the LMTA will expand and enhancethe testing capabilities of the LMTA. The proposed RMDF will be capable to testing missile components and other ordnance containing up to 100 pounds of Hazard Class/Division 1.1 High Explosives. Currently, the LMTA only has the capability to test up to 1,000 pounds of Hazard Class/Division 1.3 Explosive materials. The RMDF will consist of one new test building, a storage bunker, and an access road constructed on USAF property at the LMTA. Based on the findings of this EA, no significant environmental impacts are expected from construction of the Rocket Motor Dissection Facility at Little Mountain Test Annex, Utah. But prosecutors continue to fo- Therefore a FONSI may be issued, and preparation of an Environmental Impact Statementis not necessary. A copy of the documentdetailing the proposal is available for public examination at the Hill AFB Information Rencaiiony at the Davis County Library, Central Branch, also at the The head of Hancock has been a vocal critic of the International Olympic Committee (10C) and the corrupt process used to choose host cities. Investigations show 72 , Hill AFB, UT. Comments will be accepted until June 14, ee Comments and questions may be directed to Kay Winn (801) 777-0383. OO-ALC/EM, 7274 Wardleigh Rd., Hill AFB, UT 84056-5137. bid cities pampered IOCofficials with presents — and in Salt Lake's case cash, health care and college tuition — in hopesof in- fluencingvotes. Since then, D'Alessandro has See any ii eT ee removed the Olympic symbols from company stationery, billboards andits annual report. (The rings remain on the company’s Website.) It also canceled negotiations for $20 million in Olympic television a Romneypredicted the company’s attitude would thawin the coming months. “He called me this morning,’ Romneysaid, noting D'Alessan- )') a OUTDOOR THERMOMETER ASSORTED STYLES AVAILABLE VALUE 1$24.99 AALS dro made no mention ofhis dis- paraging poll. “My bet is he will end up supporting the athletes and the Salt Lake Gameswhenall this is over. He has a beef with the IOC, not with Salt Lake and notwith the Olympics.” WASHING MACHINES STARTING FROM 4q Ta Da Bary Tt). iey qe BEAN BAG CHAIRS ASSORTED SIZES & COLORS CEDAR CHESTS iors qa" $5409 99 SOLD IN SETS ONLY TO CHOOSE FROM MANYSTYLES & COLORS TO CHOOSE FROM At the E center May 12-15th! W-F: Ipm-9pm Sat: 10am-8pm! i.™ SUGGESTEDRETAIL PRICE LIGHTS, FANS, aer It's the Largest Toyota tent sale ever! 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