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.
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