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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 1998)
Page B2 JU L Y 15,1998 (Tbe JJurtlaiih (Observer Prosecutors quit after Don King is found innocent in partial verdict B y I.ARRY NELMEISTER Federal prosecutors promised not to seek a rematch against Don Ring after tailing to convict the spike-haired boxing promoter or his company in a second insurance traud trial. A Manhattan jury acquitted King, 66, o f all nine wire fraud charges ac cusing him of s te a lin g $ 3 5 0 ,0 0 0 from Lloyd’s o f London al tera 1991 bout was canceled. 1 he federal jury was unable to reach a vetdict on charges against Don King Productions Inc. A jury in 1995 foiled to reach a verdict on the same nine wire fraud charges against King, who beat a federal tax ev asion charge in 1995 as well. U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White said prosecutors were throwing in the towel. “W e do not believe it to be in the public interest to t r to the case for a third time,” White said. King’s lawyer, Peter Fleming Jr., repeatedly implied to the jury that his client was unfairly prosecuted, pur sued by relentless government investi gators who singled him out William H. Murphy Jr., who repre sented Don King Productions Inc., said the exoneration ofKing and an 11- King lingered at the courthouse for more than an hour after his victory, sign ing autographs, posing for pictures and vowing to use his success to catapult him to even greater achievements. “This is so great. I’m so thrilled,” said King, who read a biography o f Martin Luther King Jr. and the bible throughout the three-month trial. “The most impor tant thing to me now is freedom.” A ju ry n o te on T uesday gave the impression that jurors were on the verge o f convicting either King or his company. When it was learned Thursday that the jury reached a verdict against one detendant,asubdued defense team waited anxiously. At the jury's announcement. King smiled. Fleming c lapped his hands as his eyes filled with tears. King greeted the jurors individually with a handshake. “Thank you all very much,” he said, later hugging and kissing some o f them outside the courtroom. Juror Steve Fiscus said he became convinced by the evidence that Lloyd’s provided coverage for the money that became the basis o f the charges. The most serious charge carried a potential prison term o f up to five years. The verdict capped a trial in which prosecutors tried to convince jurors that the defendant who cheerily nodded and smiled at them during the trial was a wily The most important thing to me now is freedom. 1 vote for an acquittal o f King’s com pany, proved the case never should have been brought. “This was a blowout, a resounding defeat for the government," he said. He also accused prosecutors o f un fairly pursuing King with flimsy evi dence. “1 hope they understand the lesson . When you come at somebody hard, you got to come at them fair,” he said. one ofhis boxers, hesitant to degrade his defeated opponent although he made vague comments warning Americans to beware o f losing liberties and said that “power corrupts.” He said prosecutors were ‘ ‘tenacious, steadfast and committed.” He added, “I have been just as tenacious, steadfast and committed.” King took out an insurance policy withLloyd’sincaseal991 fightbetween Cesar Chavez and Harold Brazier was canceled. Ih e fight was ultimately called o ff when Chavez was injured during crook. Defense lawyers accused prosecutors o f trying to tear down a self-made man, a major figure in boxing for three decades who has promoted fights for everyone from Muhammad Ali to Mike Tyson. After the verdict, King sounded like training. According to prosecutors. King then altered his contract with Chavez in a way that would force Lloyd’s to reimburse King for all training expenses. Then, King submitted a claim to Lloyd’s and Jack Nicklaus To Retire in 2000 c o n s e c u tiv e m a jo rs b y m is sin g th e B r itis h O p e n , J a c k N ic k la u s n o w sa y s he w o n ’t p la y a n y o f g o lf ’s b ig g e s t to u rn a m e n ts a fte r 2000. “ I t ’s m y fu ll in te n tio n to p la y a ll fo u r m a jo rs in th e y e a r 2 0 0 0 ,” th e 5 8 - y e a r - o ld N ic k la u s s a id M o n d a y . “ T h e n th a t w ill be the e n d o f m y p la y in g g o lf p e rio d . W e ’ve a ll g o t to sto p so m e tim e , a n d I d o n ’t th in k i t ’s an y b ig d e a l.” N ic k la u s p u lle d o u t o f the B rit ish O p e n la s t w ee k w ith an a ilin g le ft h ip . I t ’s th e firs t m a jo r h e ’ll m is s s in c e 1962. “ I d o n ’t w a n t to go o u t th e re a n d h a v e p e o p le se e ju s t a p a rt o f J a c k N ic k la u s ," he s a id d u rin g a v is it to a n ew c o u rs e h e d e s ig n e d a t C a rd e n P a r k w ith h is s o n , S te v e . “ I h a v e tr ie d to g iv e th em th e b e s t I c o u ld g iv e th em . “ I k n o w I c a n ’t g iv e th e m th e J a c k N ic k la u s o f 3 5 , b u t I ’d lik e to g iv e th e m th e b e s t I ca n g iv e th e m o f th e J a c k N ic k la u s o f 58. I th in k th e J a c k N ic k la u s o f 58 c o u ld p r o b a b ly s ti ll p la y d e c e n tly .” N ic k la u s s a id he w ill s till p la y in s o m e S e n io r P G A e v e n ts a f te r 2 0 0 0 , b u t h is c o m p e titiv e c a r e e r w ill b e o v e r. “ I ’m fa ir ly m u c h in to u c h w ith w h a t 's r e a lis tic a n d i f I sa y I ’m g o in g to s ta y o u t th e re an d k e e p c o m p e tin g , th e n th a t w o u ld be ra th e r s illy ,” h e sa id . “ I ’ll s till p la y so m e s e n io r g o lf, b u t I ’m n o t g o in g to c o m p e te a g a in s t the k id s .” O n S u n d a y , N ic k la u s fin ish e d s ix t h in th e S e n io r s P la y e r s C h a m p io n s h ip , 12 sh o ts b e h in d w in n e r G il M o rg a n . B e fo re th e to u rn a m e n t, N ic k la u s s a id h e ’ll p la y th e U .S S e n io r O p e n o n Ju ly 2 3 -2 6 an d th a t w ill p ro b a b ly b e h is fin a l e v e n t o f th e y ea r. N ic k la u s is o n e o f o n ly fo u r p la y e rs to w in th e c a r e e r G ra n d S lam , an d th e o n ly p la y e r to w in all fo u r m a jo rs m o re th a n o n ce. H e w o n a re c o rd six M a ste rs, 23 y e a rs b e tw e e n th e firs t a n d the la st; fo u r U .S. O p e n s , s h a r ing th e re c o rd w ith B en H o g an , B o b b y Jo n e s an d W illie A n d e r so n ; th re e B ritis h O p e n s , alo n g w ith a re c o rd s e v e n ru n n e r-u p fin is h e s ; a n d fiv e P G A c h a m p i o n sh ip s - o n ly W a lte r H ag e n , w ho p la y e d in th e m a tc h -p la y era , w on th a t m a n y . fraudulently collected $350,000, pros ecutors said. Prosecutor Baruch Weiss argued that King either altered the contract himself orordered someone todo it. Prosecutors noted that King kept such close tabs on every financial aspect o f his business that he once signed a check worth a nickel. Chavez, formerWorldBoxingCoun- cilsuperhghtweightchampion, testified that King paid him only $80,000 to train for Brazier and never told him about an insurance claim. King has had repeated run-ins with the law. Hewasacquittedoftax evasion in 1985. In 1954, he killed a man who was robbing a numbers house he oper ated in Cleveland. It was ruled self- defense. Malone, Rodman Do Battle in Ring B y PAULA STORY T h e w in n e r o f th e “ B ash at the B e ac h ” ta g -team w re stlin g m atch w as alm o st as m u c h a m y ste ry as D ennis R o d m a n ’s latest h a irc o lo r an d K arl M a lo n e ’s n a sty ro le re v ersal. T he N B A sta rs to o k th e ir feud in sid e th e w re stlin g rin g S u n d ay . R o d z illa d e liv e re d . T h e M a il m an d id n ’t. T h e m atch w as d e cid ed by a c o n tro v e rs ia l, last- m in u te en tra n c e from a b o d y guard. Rodm an, a m em b er o f the N BA cham pion C hicago Bulls, and “ Hol lyw ood” H ulk H ogan beat M alone, a m em ber o f the U tah Jazz, and “ D iam ond” D allas Page before a sellout cro w d o f 12,000 and a pay- per-view telev isio n audience. B ut th is tim e, it w as M alo n e w ho trad e d in h is q u ie t, w o rk m an lik e s e lf an d a c te d lik e the w ild , a u th o rity -d e fy in g reb el. M alo n e and P age ch a rg ed into th e rin g at San D ieg o S ta te ’s C ox A ren a w ea rin g p u rp le latex p ants. L ag g in g b eh in d H ogan, R o d m an sa u n tered in to the rin g w ith a b a n d an a on his head to h id e his la test h a ir c o lo r - o r p erh a p s lack o f hair. T h e b an d a n a stay ed in p la ce th ro u g h o u t the tu ssle. N o tu tu s h ere - he w o re je a n s an d a T -sh irt. W h en th e ro w d y cro w d g rew b o red o f th e tw o leg g y b ask etb a ll sta rs ta u n tin g each o th e r, th ey b e gan sc re am in g “ B oring! B oring! H o g a n re sp o n d e d , b o u n c in g M alo n e from rope to ro p e in a c la s s ic a lly c h o re o g ra p h e d “ c lo th e s lin e ” m o v e b efo re sen d ing h im h ea d lo n g into R o d m a n ’s sh in y b lack bo o t. H o g an an d R odm an w ere d e c la re d w in n ers. B ut a d efia n t M alone d isa g re ed w ith the resu lt. A bystander hit by a car during a W orld C up celebra tio n a lo n g th e C h a m p s - Elysees has died. Fhe u n id e n titie d victim died at the B e a u j o n hospital in C liehy.near P a r is . a sp o k esm an fo r P a r i s ’ public hos pitals said. T h irt y - t h r e e p e o p le are still h o sp i talized from the accident early M onday. A w om an apparently panicked w hen the crow d pounded her vehicle and she plow ed into a crow d o f revelers. A bout St) people w ere in jured and It) people are still in serious condition. M o re th a n a m il li o n p e o p le w e re on th e a v e n u e at th e tim e . T h e c e le b r a to r y m o o d q u ic k ly tu r n e d to h o r r o r as d o z - en s o f a m b u la n c e s and 200 re s c u e w o rk e rs c o n v e rg e d . fh e driver, a 44-year-old teacher w ho had been under g o in g p sy - e h i a t r i e tre a tm e n t, p a n ic k e d an d ran a w a y . H er son la te r brought the d is tra u g h t wom an to a p o lic e s t a tion. F r a n e e I nib radio re ported Tuesday the w om an is in a psychiatric hospital. T his was the second death in France related to the W orld C up. A F rench a c to r w as stabbed to death by an appar ently deranged English Ian following the England-A rgen tina gam e. And a French policem an re m ains in a com a after his head w as beaten by a G erm an man w ield ins’ an iron bar. Seahawks Name Vernon Cheek Publications Director T h e S eattle S eah a w k s nam ed V ernon C heek D irector o f Publica tions. C heek, 3 1 J o in s the Seahaw ks sta ff from G ram bling State U niver sity w here he has served as Sports In fo rm a tio n D ire c to r/M a rk e tin g since July 1995. A m ong other public relations d u ties, C heek will oversee the w riting, design and layout o f all Seahaw ks publications including the 1998 In form ation guide and the Seahaw ks Insider m agazine. A G ra m b lin g S tate G ra d u ate, Cheek w as a m em ber o f the Chicago Bears m arketing departm ent before accepting the position at his alm a mater. Born in C hesapeake, V irginia, Cheek w as instrum ental in obtaining corporate sponsorships for the T i g ers’ m edia publications as well as spearheading num erous com m unity relations ventures. 5403 NE 42nd Portland, Oregon 97218 (503) 287-0008 Phone Piscoywected? 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