Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 10

REPUBUC MAIL, B2 The Arizona Republic Monday, August 13, 1984 Ridge Continued from Bl Armnro ffa ate ftitaatg (SrwKnq hr nil la wham thrav Hotter tmll nmif tShe Artzxma ISoarfc of He gent trrj trtrtu of thf autforrtfaj toeaird in it lato ano of the rjeUri JTamltg tot hereby ccxdst on licf)arb ft. Robertson piaster of $uine2 gtitmmtftration torith all appwtammj In JGBitnftfS torjtttot ttje fetal of tfje Slnibtrflitp in rjtrtto affixed Done at fampt, Srtjona, thia nintb ttap of June in the tar of our loro one thouganU nine tunoreb anU tfebentp- ttoo are studying how the city, because it has applied to BLM to buy the land, might impose an injunction. Residents and city officials say Melluzzo damaged a 20-acre parcel bordering 16th Street between Union Hills Drive and Beardsley Road. The BLM already has agreed to let the city build a park on the parcel, which is not part of Mel-luzzo's mining claim. Melluzzo said his company did not damage the parcel.

Another complaint from residents is that Melluzzo has mined tHe property without a plan of operation, which is required in most cases by the BLM before beginning a mining project. A plan of operation outlines a miner's plans to restore disturbed areas and to prevent undue erosion. Melluzzo said that he recently 'filed such a plan but that any challenge based on the regulation requiring such a plan would not stand up in court because he had been mining the land before the law was instituted. BLM officials said they are studying the plan to determine what the agency's next move should be. Conflict over the mountain ridge began in 1974 when Melluzzo applied for the patent on six mining claims on the property, owned by the BLM.

Mining claims, unless contested and found invalid by the bureau, allow an operator to mine federal land. A patent transfers ownership of the mining claims from the federal government to the mining operator. In 1980, the BLM denied Mel-luzzo's patent application, saying he had improperly amended his mining claims. Melluzzo appealed the decision to the Board of Land Appeals of the Department of Interior. Though agreeing with the BLM that the amendments were improper, the appeals board said Melluzzo had not been given an opportunity to argue his case and could continue mining the ridge until the BLM reconsidered the case.

That reconsideration has been under way since March 1983 and was expected to continue for several years. To end the delay, Melluzzo said, he is planning to withdraw his patent application. The planned withdrawal would stop the appeals process on the patent decision and put the responsibility on the BLM to contest Melluzzo's mining claims if it considers them invalid. If it were to contest Melluzzo's claims, the bureau would have to consider whether the rock and gravel at Buffalo Ridge are erf common variety, whether the site can be restored to its natural condition after mining is complete and whether Melluzzo has valid title to mine the claims, BLM Geologist Richard Park said. Melluzzo said the materials on Buffalo Ridge are not of common variety.

He said that his pit is the only one in north Phoenix with granite of particular specifications, and that transporting similar rock from pits farther away would cost too much. Residents question the validity of two of Melluzzo's mining claims, which once were owned by William Collins, whose widow, Clara Collins, has agreed to help fight Melluzzo. "I think it is just shocking the way he (Melluzzo) is mutilating the desert," Collins said. "It can never be restored." Collins claims that the mines belonged to her husband until he died in July 1955. Melluzzo said, however, that Collins abandoned his claims long before his death.

Melluzzo said he and his partner validated the claims in April 1953. Melluzzo said he is weary of what he calls harassment by residents because his mine was in operation long before housing developments popped up in the area. "If you're going to live next to the dump, prepare for the smell. If you move next to a mine, prepare for the mining," he said. "If they keep harassing me, I'll denude that thing down to the bottom and sell it all." Residents say Melluzzo will sell these mining claims to developers, like he did at the Pointe Tapatio, where he was a partner with Gosnell Development Co.

Melluzzo said he has no plans to sell Buffalo Ridge to developers. "That mine could make millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of dollars without ever building on it, so why should I have to invest millions hoping to someday get my money back?" he asked, adding that the mine will last at least 20 more years. "That mountain is worth more for mining than for anything ielse." Residents also say Melluzzo ille- gaily removed plants from the mining site, has illegal landfills there and is violating health, pollution and safety laws. Government agencies with jurisdiction in the case said they have found no proof of violations. Phoenix, which has asked the BLM for the land to build a 750-acre mountain park, is exploring what legal means it has to stop the mining.

Art Othon, assistant to Mayor Terry Goddard, said city attorneys printed in small type at the bottom of the docu-, ment, states, "This is a reproduction. No school credit or degree status is granted or implied." This is an Arizona State University "diploma" purchased for $39.95 from an Oregon man who has been indicted on fraud charges. A disclaimer, Degrees Arizona fugitive caught at Nevada marina County Jail van early Thursday afternoon when the vehicle stopped at a gas station. The van was taking 11 prisoners from St George, Utah, to Kingman. Ewing is from Sacramento, Calif.

According to Zawrotny, Ewing also has been charged with attempted murder and burglary in connection with the beating of a Kingman resident in a burglary attempt. Henderson police Lt. Walt Za-wrotny said Ewing was jailed for investigation in the ax-handle beating of a Henderson couple who were attacked after an intruder sneaked into their home. The couple, Chris and Nancy Barry, were taken to Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital. Ewing escaped from a Mohave Associated Press HENDERSON, Nev.

Park rangers at Lake Mead captured an Arizona fugitive Saturday night after a telephone company reported he was trying to call a relative in Arizona. At the time of his capture at a marina, Alex Christopher Ewing was wearing a pair of maroon shorts he allegedly stole from a store in Henderson, police said. to acknowledge academic accomplishments. "When we come across falsified transcripts, then we get excited," he said. Elliot, of the regents board, recommends that employers not base their hiring decision on copies of diplomas or transcripts provided by the job applicant.

"This emphasizes the need for employers to check with the educational institution when evaluating a potential employee's credentials," he said. It is particulary important, he said, for jobs that could affect public safety, such as in medicine and engineering. Earlier this year, the state Legislature passed a law aimed at shutting diploma mills operating in the state. However, the law, which goes into effect Jan. is aimed at the operators of private schools who issue diplomas without requiring any academic training or evaluation.

It has no effect on businesses that reprint or forge diplomas for legitimate schools. In some states, it is a criminal offense to counterfeit or alter diplomas or transcripts. Julie Patterson, a spokeswoman for the state attorney general's office, said that the state's forgery statute prohibits people from altering "instruments" and that diplomas of legitimate schools could fall into that category. She said it is a felony, punishable by five years in prison and a $150,000 fine. be backdated to June 9, 1972 the day the reporter graduated from' high school.

In about three weeks, the $39.95 ASU diploma arrived in a mailing tube. In tiny print on the bottom edge were the words "This is a reproduction. No school credit or degree status is granted or implied." The words were covered easily by a picture frame. "Just looking at it, it looks official," said Odus Elliot, associate director of the Arizona Board of Regents. It is slightly larger than a real diploma, but the lettering and gold school seal are close, he said.

However, closer inspection finds that the only two correct names on the diploma are then-Gov. Jack Williams although the signature on the diploma doesn't resemble Williams' actual signature and former ASU President John Schwada. The others whose names appear Regents Rudy Campbell and Thomas Chandler, and Registrar Enos Underwood didn't have those jobs in June 1972. Underwood said he doesn't get too excited about fraudulent diplomas because most major employers don't accept diplomas as proof of an actual degree. "It's not a valid document," he said.

"You can get a duplicate just about anywhere. It's sort of a joke in relation to people that would fall for it" Underwood said the official transcript is the only official document Continued from Bl zines as Rolling Stone, Science Digest, Psychology Today, Money's Worth and the Star, a grocery-store tabloid. Alumni Arts responded to the reporter's inquiry with a full-color brochure listing 140 real colleges and universities that Alumni Arts stocked diplomas for. Custom-made diplomas for any school not listed in the brochure were available for $64.95. Checks and credit cards were acceptable.

The brochure assured that Alumni Arts would not verify information with the school from which the student wanted a "replacement diploma." It said Alumni Arts clients are people who have more than one office and need duplicate diplomas for the walls, and people who have lost their diplomas and don't want to wait "an inordinate amount of time" that colleges require to print replacements. ASU Registrar Enos Underwood, whose signature appears on The Republic reporter's counterfeit diploma, said a legitimate graduate can purchase a legitimate replacement diploma for $6. He said processing takes about eight weeks. The Republic reporter, who never attended ASU, ordered a master of business administration from Alumni Arts and asked that it FOR LEASE1 RETIRED 2500 Sq. Ft.

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