-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! US post office's $1.6m sprouts wings 09.06.2001 By SIMON HENDERY When the United State Postal Service accidentally deposited more than $1.6 million into aviator Mike Edwards' bank account, the Virginia businessman promised he would sort the matter out. But the windfall was never returned, and five months later authorities caught up with Edwards in New Zealand. He is now accused of using stolen money to set up an air freight company in this country - an allegation which has stunned the Auckland aviation veterans who went into business with him. Today Edwards is in an Auckland jail, contemplating extradition back to the US. where he will face an embezzlement charge. He claims he never intended to steal the money. Dalma Sylvester "Mike" Edwards was arrested by company fraud squad detectives on Thursday and appeared yesterday in the Auckland District Court, where his application for bail was rejected. The 43-year-old, who drove a leased black 5-series Mercedes around Auckland, will appear in court again next week as US authorities seek to extradite him. Edwards is the president of US freight company Air Atlantic Express, which last October won a contract with the US Postal Service to transport mail during the busy pre-Christmas period. Two weeks later, Edwards told the Postal Service he had been unable to find a plane for the job so the contract was cancelled. But on January 11 the service mistakenly sent a $US679,700 ($1.63 million) cheque to Edwards' company. Authorities allege he wired $US470,000 of it to a New Zealand bank account and used it to set up businesses in Auckland, where he has been living in a rented Parnell home. One of those businesses, Air Atlantic (NZ), was set up in partnership with former Cathay Pacific senior manager Len Cowper and Warbirds vice-president Trevor Bland. Mr Cowper said last night that he had known Edwards since about March and the arrest was a surprise. "He's always been straight up and down with me," Mr Cowper said. Edwards' plan had been to develop an air freight service which would initially operate around New Zealand, but would eventually go international and link with his US company, possibly using a Boeing 747. His lawyer, Gary Gotlieb, told the Weekend Herald last night that Edwards was absolutely shattered to find himself in prison. Plans were in place to repay the Postal Service money by instalments. "It certainly seems to me that it is a civil dispute which they have suddenly turned into a criminal matter," Mr Gotlieb said. "He is a fellow who has never been in trouble before." *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
