From: Mark Keesee <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Mark: Say something about Asa Hutchinson, Former U.S.Attorney, rewarded with > a Senatorship for not investigating Mena!!!Can you say anything about him? > Excerpt from the *manuscript* of "The Boys on The Tracks" by Mara Leveritt ============ By 1985, Welch of the state police and Duncan of the IRS were wondering the same thing. After months of investigation they had taken their evidence to Hutchinson to be presented to a federal grand jury. The evidence included testimony from a variety of sources that Seal was, in Duncan's words, "doing some work for the United States government" in Central America and "smuggling on the return trips for himself;" that aircraft were being illegally modified for drug drops and having their identification numbers changed; and that more than a quarter-million dollars in cash had been laundered through the banks in tiny Mena alone. Welch and Duncan supplied Hutchinson with a list of some 20 witnesses they wanted called, a list that included Barry Seal. They believed they had evidence enough to charge at least four people involved with Rich Mountain Aviation with violations of money-laundering statutes, perjury, and conspiracy. The two investigators had every reason to expect that Hutchinson would act on their recommendations. He always had in the past. But in this case, to their surprise, Hutchinson did not cooperate. Instead, he subpoenaed only three of the 20 witnesses the investigators had recommended and after the three testified, Duncan later reported, two emerged from the jury room furious. One of the witnesses, a secretary at Rich Mountain Aviation, had given Duncan sworn statements about money laundering at the company, transcripts of which Duncan had provided to Hutchinson. But when the woman left the jury room, she complained to Duncan, who was waiting outside, that Hutchinson had asked her nothing about the crime. As Duncan later testified, "She basically said that she was allowed to give her name, address, position, and not much else." The other angry witness was a local banker who had conducted a search of his bank's records and, in Duncan's words, "provided a significant amount of evidence relating to the money laundering operation." He too emerged from the jury room soon after having gone in, complaining "that he was not allowed to provide the evidence that he wanted to provide to the grand jury." Duncan became convinced that was happening was irregular, and probably illegal. He later testified in a deposition that the grand jury foreman and other members of the panel had "specifically asked to hear the money laundering evidence--specifically asked that I be subpoenaed--and they were not allowed to have me subpoenaed. She said the whole grand jury was frustrated." The frustration felt by the investigators and the grand jurors was compounded by the fact that now, not only Hutchinson, but a new U.S. attorney, seemed to be blocking the investigation. Hutchinson had resigned as U.S. attorney in October 1985 to make what turned out to be an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate. He was replaced in the office by his assistant, J. Michael Fitzhugh. =============== The next passage refers to Mena depositions taken by Arkansas State Attorney General Winston Bryant Found at: http://www.idmedia.com/duncan.htm - - - - - Duncan recalled in his deposition that the difficulties he and Welch had experienced under Hutchinson intensified under Fitzhugh. At one point, Duncan stated in his deposition that the grand jury foreman "indicated that Mr. Fitzhugh explained to them that I was in Washington at the time and unavailable as a witness, which was not the truth." Duncan's superior at the IRS, his chief of criminal investigation, made several trips to Fort Smith to complain in person to the U.S. attorney, but the trips were to no avail. The evidence gathered by Duncan and Welch was never presented to the grand jury and no one was indicted. In 1991, as Duncan was being deposed about the U.S. attorneys' handling of the case, he was asked what conclusions he and his superior had drawn. He answered matter-of-factly. "There was a cover-up." The officials taking Duncan's deposition were Arkansas Attorney General Winston Bryant and Arkansas Congressman Bill Alexander. They asked, "Are you stating now under oath that you believe that the investigation in and around the Mena Airport of money laundering was covered up by the U.S. attorney in Arkansas?" Duncan replied again, "It was covered up." - - - - - Amazon.com - The Boys on the Tracks http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312198418/o/qid=940581952/sr=8-1/002-6851388-3893032/thetraindeaths mark --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- GRAB THE GATOR! FREE SOFTWARE DOES ALL THE TYPING FOR YOU! Tired of filling out forms and remembering passwords? Gator fills in forms and passwords with just one click! Comes with $50 in free coupons! <a href=" http://clickme.onelist.com/ad/gator4 ">Click Here</a> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
