Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 2

AVL Sff septix The Arizona Republic Figure in swindle case disappears; atout Cochise College Park land fraud case The court has been the graveyard of several crooked Arizona land companies. The warning in Gillenwater's letter should have been relayed, as a matter of routine practice, to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to Thomas Crowe, Smitherman's chief assistant The case took a long time to bring to the indictment stage, because of its complexity, Smitherman said. Police soursces familiar with land fraud investigations said the Cochise College Park operation was like that of other corrupt Arizona land companies. more than four years ago about Cochise College Park's dealings. The notice was in a letter to Smitherman dated July 17, 1972.

The letter was written by Paul Gillenwater, the attorney for a court-appointed trustee of Cochise College Park, shortly after the firm's financial collapse. The indictment charges that officials of the company skimmed off virtually all its assets before it filed bankruptcy in 1972. The indictment said Cochise College Park's fraudulent activities began in 1965 and continued until the firm went into federal Bankruptcy Court. Continued from Page A-l Smitherman, asked at a news conference Tuesday why neither Gwilliam nor Security Planning Service was indicted, said he was not familiar with either. He referred the query to Joe Keilp, an assistant in charge of the Cochise Col-lege Park case.

Keilp declined to comment on something which, he said, might or might not be pending before the grand jury. Smitherman asked newsmen attending the conference not to mention the statute of limitations in reporting the Cochise College Park case. The U.S. attorney's office was told A pipe bomb exploded on Curran's car when it was parked at a curb in Menlo Park, Calif. Because of a malfunction, the bomb did little damage to the unoccupied vehicle.

In an interview last month, Curran described the bombing as a prank. Curran and the late William Bernard Steuer were the -sole stockholders of Cochise College Park, which promoted three subdivisions near Douglas In Cochise County. According to the federal grand jury indictment, Curran and Steuer were responsible for milking the firm's finances dry. In November 1971, the indictment stated, Curran "entered into a sham agreement with Steuer to purchase all of Steuer's stock for $685,000, payable in either cash or in notes and realty mortgages of Cochise." Steuer remained with the firm as an adviser, the Indictment said. For this he received a $9,000 monthly salary, plus expenses, in addition to the money he was being paid for his stock, the indictment said.

Steuer died of asphyxiation in the garage of his Phoenix home in 1973. His death was ruled accidental, but some former associates said they believed he was murdered. Steuer had been associated with Ned Warren who is regarded as the king of Arizona land promotion schemes. They were prison mates in Sing Sing in the late 1940s. Warren was convicted of extortion by a federal court jury more than a year ago in a case unassociated with land fraud.

He is free while his conviction is being appealed. Sources involved in the Cochise College Park investigation said Warren served as Steuer's mentor in the operation of the corrupt land firm. More about Adamson trial delay A key figure in the Cochise College Park land swindle case vanished a few hours before a federal grand jury indicted him and 17 other persons Tuesday, authorities said Thursday. He is Richard P. Curran, former president of Cochise College Park Corp.

The company cheated lot buyers and investors of an estimated $40 million before its collapse in 1972. U.S. District Judge Carl A. Muecke issued a fugitive warrant for Curran's arrest Wednesday. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents went to arrest Curran at the office of his employer in Los Angeles, but he was gone.

Earlier this month Curran was known to have been in the Valley area. Old friends said they had talked with him in a Scottsdale bar. At the time, they said, he had expressed concern over a bombing attempt in California which left his automobile slightly damaged. Curran, 47, of Malibu, has lived in California for the past three years. Since November, he has been employed as a salesman for a long-distance telephone service sales firm, MCI Telecommunications Corp.

Chris Randall, manager of the firm, said he told the FBI agents Curran obtained a three-week emergency leave of absence Tuesday morning. Randall said Curran told him he planned to "go back East." Curran left no forwarding address, but promised to contact his office sometime today, Randall said. Federal authorities, acknowledging they did not know Curran's whereabouts, said Thursday they expected to take him into custody within 48 hours. A spokesman declined to speculate about whether Curran might have fled the country. The fact that the grand jury was about to make indictments in the Cochise College Park case was described as an "open secret" by one federal official, who didn't want to be identified.

Randall described Curran, who previously worked for a Los Angeles advertising agency, as being a "good but not an outstanding, salesman." "He (Curran) is the last guy in the world I would have suspected to be involved in a major swindle," Randall said. "It was a shock to everybody." Curran never discussed his past with other employes, Randall added. Neither did Curran mention his car had been bombed six weeks ago, Randall said. A $25,000 reward has been offered by The Arizona Republic and The Phoenix Gazette for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the murder of reporter Don Bolles. The total reward fund is $34,116 with contributions from others.

In-' formation should be given to the police. He said a Minnesota investigator has been retained by the defense, and that his investigation will take 30 days. Henry J. Landry an associate of Adamson, is believed to be in Minnesota. In addition, Martin said, the defense bomb expert must take more time for his own investigation than was expected.

Prosecutor William Schafer HI said the defense has shown "inexcusable" neglect in not pressing the preparation of its case at a faster pace. Continued from Page A-l been able to devote full time to Adam-son's case. He also said the defense has only been able to really work on its case since July 12, when the state was required to make its first disclosure of evidence. In addition, he said, defense investigator Darrell Smith quit Aug. 31 because of what Smith called delays in payment from the county.

Smith has not worked for the defense since then, although he promised to do so without pay, Martin said. More about Economic improvement The ArizonaRepubiio Published every morning by Phoenix Newspapers, Inc. 120 E. Van Buren. P.O.

Box 1950. Phoenix. Ariz. 85001 Telephone 271-8000 Subscription Prices Carriers or Dealers in Arizona Republic (Morning and Sunday) SI. 15 week.

The 1., Republic (Morning) 75c week. (Circulation mail rates appear in the Classified section of each edition.) Second class postage paid at Phoenix. Arizona. All unsolicited items are sent to The Republic at the, Even before July 12, the defense could have used newspaper articles about the Bolles killing as a basis for beginning its investigation, Schafer argued. Many of the less-vital witnesses among the 225 to 250 persons questioned by police could be weeded out by telephone calls to them, Schafer contended.

The prosecutor also accused the defense of manipulating the justice system by bringing motions and then asking for them to be vacated, thus bogging down the case. Martin countered that at least six such motions have been decided. In summing up, Schafer asserted that the defense still has 17 days to prepare its case before the trial, and will have about five more days while a jury is chosen. In response to a question from Rose, Schafer estimated the state will take about a week and a half to present its case at the trial. After denying the defense motion to continue the trial date, Rose said he will handle the change-of-judge request when it is made.

A preliminary hearing for Adamson and Chandler plumber Jimmy Robison on charges arising from the Feb. 24, 1975, beating of a Valley booking agent is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. today before Judge Edward Rapp. Engines waste heat is hoped to cool car sender risk and the company accepts no i--' Large amounts of heat are generated by catalytic converters. in late model cars, and engineers believe, the heat can be effectively used to power air conditioners.

COLLEGE STATION, Tex. (UPI) Scientists at the Center for Energy and Mineral Resources at Texas A University are attempting to develop a low cost automobile air conditioner powered by engine waste heat Mexican government decision to allow the peso to find its own level on international money markets late last month. He contradicted reports of skyrocketing prices in Mexico, saying major department stores there have run newspaper ads saying they are holding the line on prices. Willy said he had seen no evidence of major movements, of funds in either direction since the "float" was announced. The seminar included a self-styled "sermon" by Roger A.

Lyon, who became VNB president April 1, in which he blamed lawmakers and regulators for hampering the evolution of the banking system and smothering economic progress. Continued from Page A-l growth with 8 per cent inflation in Western Europe; double-digit growth and inflation in the Middle East; and growth of 5 to 6 per cent with inflation of IS to 20 per cent in Latin America. Two major problems must be resolved, he said; Controlling the huge debt and interest obligations of the developing nations, and reducing trade barriers. Another seminar speaker, a prominent Mexican banker, said in an interview that he expected the present peso-dollar relationship to hold for at least six to 18 months. Francisco Willy vice president of Banco Nacional de Mexico, that nation's second largest private bank, said it was "too early to tell" the full effect of the responsibility for their return.

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persons died in Wednesday's jolts three in the collapse of build-1 ings and the others from heart attacks or other panic-caused accidents. Another 20,000 persons were left homeless. Some villages were almost" deserted by Thursday morning. Only a few hundred residents still remained in Gemona, the town closest to the quake epicenter at Mt. St.

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