St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 1

DAPR29198J 1 On Today's Editorial Page The Real Central America? Kditorial And Cartoon Pride's Unseemly Haste Editorial T.LOUI Illinois news AliiXLbl Pages 3A, 5A Vol. 105, No. 118 FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1983 Copyright 1983 21 lli)lg USTOWdF Dlnl(Mdl i' POST I SPATC 1 strict Hoiv Davio Billed Special For 0162,1 70 In Legal Fee AVER vr LA 'MNoRiHirTMuM 6,014 LOUIS (ST m)- ST way 17, LouiBCunty IOBMI Site Hours Billed $75.00 Amount Data per hour Billed June 1981 39 hrs. $2,925.00 July 1981 70.4 hrs. $5,280.00 August 1981 107.7 hrs.

$8,077.50 Sepl. 1981 126.7 hrs. $9,502.50 Oct. 1981 102.4 hrs. $7,680.00 Nov.

1981 120.9 hrs. $9,067.50 Dec. 1981 125 2 hrs. $9,390.00 Jan. 1982 113.5 hrs.

$8,512.50 Feb. 1982 93 7 hrs. $7,027.50 March 1982 112.3 hrs. $8,422.50 April 1982 94.4 hrs. $7,080.00 Boyd Begins $10,000 per month per lawyer cap May 1982 132.2 hrs.

$9,915.00 June 1982 132.6 hrs. $9,937.50 July 1982 132.9 hrs. $9,967.80 August 1982 132.5 hrs. $9,937.50 Sept. 1982 132.3 hrs.

$9,922.50 Oct. 1982 133.1 hrs. $9,982.50 Nov. 1982 130.1 hrs. $9,757.50 Dec.

1982 131.8 hrs. $9,685.00 Total $162,170.00 By Michael D. Sorkin and Catherine Vespereny Of the Post-Dispatch Staff Earl L. Davis, a former lawyer for the Special School District, has been indicted on charges of stealing from the district by billing for legal work he never did. A St.

Louis County grand jury charged Davis in a five-count indictment voted Thursday. The grand jury has been investigating the Special District for two months, and the investigation is continuing. County Prosecuting Attorney George R. "Buzz" Westfall said the investigation "was prompted by disclosures in the Post-Dispatch concerning the legal fees" paid by the Special District and how the fees tripled after Davis and three other lawyers were hired to replace one lawyer. Westfall said Davis had billed the school district for work at labor-negotiating sessions.

But witnesses say Davis never attended those sessions, Westfall said. Davis' bills were for meetings he claimed he had attended between April and August of 1982, according to the indictment. Each count charges Davis with stealing more than $150 by deceit. If convicted on all five theft charges, Davis could be sentenced to 35 years in prison and be fined $5,000. The Special School District is a big business.

It serves 15,600 handicapped students and 2,000 vocational-technical students in 24 schools. The district covers 495 square miles, has 4,000 employees and has an annual budget of about $63 million. The indictment does not state the total amount of money the grand jury believes Davis improperly received. Westfall said it would be necessary to prove only that more than $150 had been stolen on each charge. Last week, a jury in U.S.

District Court in St. Louis found Davis guilty of See DAVIS, Page 5 Contracts Union. 198Z ifh Teacn'5'-- (3) tegalftf rv done 1 demands i negotiaiJ" Review dXBisttlct 9 ea0. -fr discussion wi negotlatio reseat. teachers totia.

fc 1 18.6 Table above shows the monthly fees Earl Davis received from the Special School District between June 1 981 and the end the end of Jone 1 UBS1 1982 totaling $162,170. In the center Is a typical monthly bill from Davis for work he said he did during April 1982. That is one of five months during which Davis Is alleged to billed the district for work he did not do. 1 tea Hours 1 1 irvr "Vl3 V. 6.1 5.3 2.0 total Hours 3 have Ball Tolls End Of Appeals To Save "I Bate A782 A1982 42882 ft2982 Headache By Tommy Robertson Of the Post-Dispatch Staff A legal battle to save the Title Guaranty Building at 706 Chestnut Street ended abruptly Thursday as a crane from Hemphill Construction Co.

swung a headache ball into the building at 10:46 p.m. Pride Redevelopment a coalition of labor and business leaders that has redevelopment rights for the Gateway Mall, got demolition permits Thursday after an appeal for a delay was turned down by the Missouri Supreme Court. That appeal was made by Market Preservation Inc. A construction supervisor at the scene, who asked to remain anonymous, said the demolition would take about 120 days. Market Preservation had sought the injunction in appealing two earlier rulings against the preservation group by Judge Michael J.

Hart of the St. Louis Circuit Court, and the Missouri Court of Appeals at St. Louis. Steve Sorkin, president of Market Preservation, was arrested at the scene Thursday night after quarreling with police officers about Pride's permits. Sorkin was detained about an hour at police headquarters and then released without being charged.

The preservation group had collected enough signatures to force the Board of Aldermen to reconsider ordinances granting Pride redevelopment rights and to hold an election on the issue if aldermen refused or failed to reconsider. But Judge Hart and subsequent rulings declared the group's initiative petition unconstitutional because it interfered with an owner's right to do whatever he wanted with his property and might violate the sanctity of a contract. The group still hopes to get a See MALL, Page II 1' James J. Massa Convicted Massa, Skinner Guilty By Howard S. Goiter Of the Post-Dispatch Staff A federal jury deliberated less than five hours Thursday before finding James J.

Massa and Duane Skinner guilty for their part in the looting scheme that bankrupted the Stix Co. brokerage of St. Louis. Both men were convicted on all charges. F.

Lee Bailey of Boston, the well-known lawyer who represented Massa, said he believed the jury had "adopted the position both defense lawyers took that it was all or nothing." Assistant U.S. Attorney Terry I. Adelman was surprised at how quickly the 12 jurors returned a verdict. He agreed with Bailey that "obviously" the jurors had adopted an all-or-nothing position. The defendants were charged with conspiracy and fraud.

Massa, 50, a lawyer from Collinsville, was convicted on 29 counts. Skinner, 34, an accountant formerly of Pontoon Beach, was convicted on 14 counts. U.S. District Judge John F. Nangle set sentencing for May 27.

Meanwhile, both men remain free on bond. Massa could face a maximum sentence of 145 years. Skinner could face a maximum sentence of 90 years. The verdicts were returned at 9:15 p.m., 4 hours and 50 minutes after deliberations began. The two remained seated while the court clerk, Earl Raniy, read the verdicts one by one.

"Guilty as charged," Raney announced on each count. Afterward, the defendants spoke softly with their lawyers and families. Neither would comment, though Bailey said he expected to file an appeal. Bailey said Massa had taken the verdict "very well. He's not a crybaby." The main issue in the 13-day trial was whether Massa and Skinner had been aware of or had closed their eyes to a scheme by Thomas R.

Brimberry to embezzle $16,553,575.78 from the brokerage over a six-year period that ended in 1981. Government prosecutors said the defendants had conspired with Brimberry, a margin clerk who was later promoted to senior vice president, to steal from the firm and conceal the source of Brimberry's assets. The stock fraud is believed to be the largest ever at a brokerage firm. And federal authorities believe that no one reaped more from the looting scheme than Brimberry, Massa and Skinner. Brimberry is in federal custody See BROKERAGE, Page 4 were too close to President Ronald Reagan's.

The environmental groups obtained the letters from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. That panel will hold hearings next week on the nomination of Ruckelshaus to be EPA administrator. The committee had asked Ruckelshaus to furnish it with correspondence on EPA matters that See EPA, Page 14 Business RIDING HIGH: About 70 St. Louisans take an introductory flight on a McDonnell -Douglas DC-9 Super 80 Thursday. The planes will begin in TWA service from Lambert Field Wednesday.

Page 8C. Building cl A I r' Poit-Dlipatch graphic by Dan Martin 1, 4 -f miT. Am Claiming responsibility for the bombs was the Corsican National Liberation Front, which seeks independence for the French-governed Mediterranean island of Corsica. "The truce on mainland France is over," an anonymous telephone caller told the French news service, Agence France Presse, indicating that the separatists See FRANCE, Page 13 I (1 Scott DinePost-Oispatch of the Title Guaranty Building downtown as razing of the structure began Thursday night. Rnckelshaus Would Change Air Act, His Letters Show Reagan Nominates Democrat As Central American Envoy Corsican Nationalists Explode 14 Bombs In France; No Injuries A bulldozer gouging out sections chairman, Rep.

Edward P. Boland, said Thursday he had enough votes to adopt the ban next week. In addition, House and Senate Democratic leaders predicted that Reagan would get only part of the $110 million in extra military aid he has requested for El Salvador this year. Although Republicans talked of fairly quick action, key Democrats saw no urgency after what they described as a fairly sluggish public reaction to the See STONE, Page 17 Inside 64 Pages Compiled From News Services PARIS Fourteen bombs placed by Corsican nationalists exploded today in police stations, train depots, banks and airline offices in Paris and two southern cities, police said. No one was injured.

In all, 15 bombs were planted in Paris and the southern cities of Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, but police defused one before it exploded. By William Freivogel and Margaret W. Freivogel Post-Oispatch Washington Bureau WASHINGTON William D. Ruckelshaus wrote several letters to top administration officials supporting the adminstration's efforts to make major changes in environmental laws, especially the Clean Air Act. The letters were made public by several environmental groups here Thursday.

The groups said they were concerned that Ruckelshaus' views I I JLi" Compiled From News Services WASHINGTON With Democrats in Congress reacting cautiously to President Ronald Reagan's appeal for bipartisan support on Central America, he has nominated former Sen. Richard B. Stone, as his new ambassador-at-large to the region. Reagan gained postponement of a vote in the House Intelligence Committee on a proposal to halt CIA-financed covert operations in Nicaragua. But the committee FRIDAY Weather Storms Official forecast for St.

Louis and vicinity: Mostly cloudy tonight with a chance of thunderstorms; low in the middle SOs. Partly cloudy Saturday with a chance of thunderstorms; high In the low to middle 70s. Mild Sunday and Monday with a chance of DEMOUTIONJ DERBY A "i Sports i mm. THE STRONG, SILENT TYPE: Although he's quiet around reporters, George Hendrick (right) is a leader in the Cardinals' clubhouse. Page 1C of Sports Nation Business WOC News Analysis 21A Classified Ads 11-22C Obituaries HA Crossword ID People 2A Editorials MA PoliceCourts 4A Everyday MOD Region Horoscope ID Religion ISA Illinois JA Reviews Letters 28A Sports 1-7C Movie Listings ID State Capitol 8A NationWorld 12A TV-Radio 8D a fi ON THE SAND: With relatives and spectators watching, the carrier Enterprise gets stuck on a sandbar in San Francisco Bay.

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