J ^ tla n d -O b s a rv e r T h u n d a y , S eptem ber 6. 1979 Page 3
A m e r ic a n S ta te B a n k
’ ‘ The Hank thaï iniegralion huili '
2737 N.E. Union
282 2216
STOP LOOKING
5 ^ X J 0 M 0 R R 0 W 'S SECURITY FOR
YOUR FAMILY TODAY
FORREST RIEKE
DA HARL H AA S
ROD A D D IC K S
FLOYD FORSBERG
Who killed James Turel?
L'.. _____ - _ . . .
Five years ago two men concocted
a murder plan, one that would lead
the authorities to the Black com
munity on a wild goose chase while
the real killers leisurely went their
way. Today, one o f the killers is in
prison. The identity o f the second is
open to question.
Dennis C artwright admitted his
role in the killing and implicated Rod
Addicks, partner o f the murdered
man. Addicks was convicted and is
serving a life sentence. For the past
year, Floyd Forsberg, bank robber
and gangland killer, has claimed the
murder to be his own.
Forrest “ Joe” Rieke, who as a
Multnomah County Deputy District
Attorney prosecuted Addicks, states
that he s till believes Addicks is
guilty. Besides C a rtw rig h t’ s testi
mony against Addicks, all o f which
he states was corroborated by other
witnesses, Rieke believes Cartwright
incapable o f designing the murder
plan. He considers C artw right a
pathetic man who became involved
in the murder because o f his friend
ship with Addicks. Only Addicks
was intellig en t enough to put
together the murder plot.
Although Rieke admires Addicks’
e xtra ord in ary intelligence and
believes only he was capable o f
creating such an ingenious plan, he
does not know Floyd Forsberg. He
also does not realize that this plan
fits Forsberg’ s mode o f o p e ra tio n -
learned as a member o f organized
crime and as an FBI informant.
Forsberg’s story involves involve
ment in the Nevada mobs and the
“ Mexican M afia” ; service as an FBI
informant; the Catlin murder, for
which he is incarcerated; the Turel
murder, for which Rod Addicks was
convicted; civil rights suits against
D istrict A ttorney H arl Haas and
former Assistant DA Forrest “ Joe"
Rieke and M ultnom ah C ounty
corrections officials in connection
with the Turel case; and now the
Tolentino case.
Forsberg says he has been a
criminal all his life, first going to
reform school at the age o f 15, and
spending 14 o f the last 15 years in
prison. His role as an FBI informant
began in 1966, when he was charged
with a Portland bank robbery and a
Washington burglary. In exchange
for pleading guilty and providing
evidence against others, he was
promised a ligh t sentence. A f
ter receiving a 25 year sentence, nc
says he was pressured into serving as
an informer for the FBI by a promise
of an early release. He did provide
some in fo rm a tio n , but became
disillusioned and angry when this
resulted in cutting only six months
o ff o f his time.
In prison he met Curtis Michelson,
“ one of the best bank robbers in the
country and as I was later to learn,
one ol the FBI’ s top inform ants."
Prior to his release from McNeal
Island he helped Michelson escape
He and Michelson formed a gang to
rob banks and kill public officials.
I he first hit was to be Judge Gus
Solomon, who had sentenced both
men. I he plan was to kill Solomon
and leave his body in his car in
Albina with Black hair in it a plan
Forsberg says came from the FBI’s
attempts to destroy Black groups.
was generally understood that
we should use every opportunity to
discredit Blacks, especially those in
voiced in civil rights type causes. We
were led to believe it was Director
Hoover’ s orders to all regular agents
and they passed it on to us
operatives."
Forsberg’ s release date was near,
but Michelson was only half through
his 22 year sentence, so Forsberg
arranged his escape from McNeal
Island.
“ Il
Forsberg says that as soon as he
was released in March o f 1974, he
was again approached by the FBI
and asked to help get Michelson He
claims that during that summer he
was under surveillance, his phone
was tapped, and he was threatened in
various ways.
As the result o f this harassment,
Forsberg says, he agreed to help kill
Portland businessman, James turel.
Dennis Cartwright, a long time friend,
had asked him to help kill Turel in
return for $5, (XX). He was not in
terested, but when Cartwright told him
Turel did income tax returns lo r
many FBI agents and he might find
the address o f the agent that had
been harassing him, he changed his
mind. This was accomplished on
August^«, 1974.
W orking for the FBI
Following the Turel murder he was
involved with Michelson in a $1.5
m illio n bank robbery in Reno.
Following the bank robbery the FBI
harassment intensified and Forsberg
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finally agreed lo provide information
on M ichelson, then fled lo New
York.
I hai summer Forsberg became in
volved with I red Hopper, an attor
ney and former policeman, whom
Forsberg claims was then involved in
organized crime He learned through
Hopper’s friends still m the FBI that
his original robbery, the one he had
been arrested for in 1966, had been
sei up by the FBI io make a “ 1930’s
type arrest to generate publicitv for
the F B I."
Alter Michelson was caught Fors
berg returned to Portland but was
arrested on his wav lo Ridgefield lo
retrieve money he had hidden there.
Incarcerated at the (o w litz County
tail in Kelso, Forsberg contemplated
what Hopper had told him about
how the FBI allows crimes to
be com m itted and allows the
criminals to go tree in order io get
the identities ol other criminals—an
etlori io control criminals and radi
cals and neutralize them before they
can unite He had helped rob a bank
and got seven years while the infor
mant got 90 days. He heard Michel
son had always been an I BI in fo r
mant and knew he would gel a light
sentence in Bus case.
He contacted ihe I BI and offered
lo plead guilty; give evidence against
those involved in the Reno bank
robbery; provide in fo rm a tio n on
Hopper and several ol Ins men, and
gise inform ation on the narcotics
tra llic in Mexico and I os Angeles
In exchange he asked to serve his sen
tence at Oregon State Penitentiary,
where he could he near his wile
He was then approached by the
Organized Crime task force to help
set up Hopper and agreed He would
be paid with years o il his sentence
lor every gang leader he could im pli
cate. He wav sent to jail in Los
Angeles and then to Reno Finally he
got tired ot waiting, and hearing that
M ichelson would get out o l the
hank charge and he would he the fall
guv. he allowed Hopper to arrange
his escape.
The escape was set up by Hopper,
and he was transported back to
Oregon by C lark Tim m ons and
Denise Catlin Since he had given the
FBI information on Hopper’s con
tracts, after his escape the FBI began
closing in on them and Hopper
became suspicious.
Forsberg says this is because
fo llo w in g T im m ons’ tra il to the
higher echelons o f organized crime
would reveal FBI involvement.
When he arrived at O.S.P., Fors
berg wav shocked to find Dennis
Cartwright, who had pleaded guilty
to the I urel murder and had im pli
cated Kurd's business partner, Rod
Addicks. " I was surprised that Den
nis had been caught, since so much
time had passed, hui I was even more
surprised when he told me another
man had been convicted on the mur
der I committed."
(Next week: Ihe I urel murder)
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The Catlin m urder
Forsberg says that he and Tim
mons were ordered to k ill Denise
Catlin, a 20-year-old drug runner
who had driven the escape car. He
did not want to kill her because he
didn't think it was necessary, but
Hopper threatened to have his wife
killed if he didn’ t. However, if he did
go through with the killing o f Ms.
Catlin and two others, he and his
wife would be sent to safety in South
America.
“ I didn’ t want to kill Denise. I had
gotten to know her. She was young
and excited about being a drug run
ner and didn't deserve to die. I wanted
to give her some money and send
her aw ay." The murder was per
formed, but Forsberg and Timmons
stopped to plan a bank robbery and
were arrested for escape
While held in Rocky Butte, Fors
berg contacted his attorney and o f
fered to tell all he knew as well as
confessing to the Catlin murder. FJe
was told that the U.S. Attorney in
Las Vegas would not allow him lo
plead guilty to the bank robbery.
He was returned to Reno along with
Timmons . Charges against Tim
mons were dropped; Michelson got
ten years to run concurrently with
the sentence he was serving for escape;
Forsberg got 30 years. Hopper got 25
years, reduced to 5.
Returned to Oregon, Forsberg led
the authorities to the Catlin body
and pleaded g u ilty . H is only
and pleaded guilty. The only con
sideration he asked was that Tim
mons be prosecuted lo this date,
Timmons has never been indicted
nor brought to trial
a
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