Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • Page 222

COURANT: Friday, January 1, 19B8 D5 THE HARTFORD Forgery suspect described as charismatic STATE BRIEFS Continued from Page Dl Boca Raton, police said. Local and federal authorities in Connecticut and Florida are trying to learn more about Wong. The suspect is wanted by police in Berlin and Vernon on bad-check and larceny charges and is under investigation by federal authorities in Connecticut and Florida for reputed irregularities in bank-loan applications. The other Connecticut charges involve checks that Wong allegedly wrote to the architectural and construction firms retained to build Chopsticks Restaurant at the Pavilion at State House Square in Hartford. Construction began last spring, but the restaurant never opened, said James Gray, of Ashley Management Co.

management firm for the pavilion. Wong is charged on the Vernon warrant with two counts of issuing a bad check and one count of second-degree larceny. The charges involve two checks that were written to pay a local architect in June 1987. The checks were drawn from the accounts of two corporations Fung Wong Corp. and Golden Chopstick Dynasty Inc.

that Wong controlled, Vernon police Det. Richard Simon said. Golden Chopstick Dynasty, formed in March 1986, is the listed owner of the Golden Chopstick restaurant at 144 Shield St. in West Hartford. In Berlin, "Richie" Wong is charged with firstrdegree larceny and issuing bad checks totaling $129,552 in June 1987 to Metro Engineering and Construction Co.

of Connecticut a Berlin firm that had been contracted to build the Chopsticks restaurant, Berlin police Det. John Baccaro said. Besides the West Hartford restaurant, Wong operated the now-defunct Chinatown Kingdom Restaurant at 133 Water St. in Torrington, until a local bank foreclosed on the restaurant about six months ago. Torrington officials and businessmen said they remembered Wong as a charismatic local entrepreneur, who introduced at least three women as his wives and two young boys as his sons.

Fred George, a Torrington businessman, said he met Wong in 1985, liked him and agreed to rent Wong space at 131-135 Water a two-story building that George owned. Wong remodeled the premises, opened a popular Chinese restaurant and was doing quite well for a while, George said. "Until the day the bank foreclosed the place, I never knew he didn't have any money," George said. Wong introduced three different women as his wives and two boys, ages 8 and 10, as sons, George said. Wong owes about $8,000 in unpaid back rent, George said.

But Wong's former landlord does not hold a grudge. "Even though he owes rne a lot of money, I could never say anything bad about him. He was a class act," George said. Shortly after opening the Torrington restaurant, Wong approached local business leaders and politicians with a plan to open a designer-jean factory in the city's industrial park. Vance A.

Taylor, then president of the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, recalled accompanying Wong to Hartford Oct. 1, 1985, to make a pitch to the state Department of Economic Development for a subsidized loan under the Nauga-tuck Valley Loan program. At that time, Wong submitted personal financial accounts showing a net worth well into the six figures. Wong disappeared, and the negotiations for the low-interest state loan never were finalized. But for an economically hard pressed city, the proposal to build the designer-jean factory in Torrington was sweet music.

City officials were told that Wong was in the midst of a divorce and that Wong's money was tied up in the settlement. "You believe it because it's possible," said Torrington Mayor Delia R. Donne, who met Wong when Donne was running for mayor in 1985. At that time, Republican headquarters were on Water Street, across from Wong's restaurant. "Kids were around and his wife was there," Donne recalled.

Wong's ties to Connecticut apparently go back at least six years. Hartford lawyer Bruce D. Ruben-stein, who did some legal work for Wong in 1982, said he first met Wong and Wong's wife, Theresa, in 1981. Wong, who claimed to be from Hong Kong and have an engineering degree, was operating an Oriental gift and furniture shop in the Richardson building on Main Street in Hartford, Rubenstein said. Wong closed the gift shop and, with a partner, opened two Chinese restaurants in the building, with Rubenstein's assistance.

Later, Rubenstein said, when Wong failed to pay for the legal work, the attorney sought information about his client's background. Rubenstein said he discovered that Wong had worked as a waiter at Song Hays Chinese American Restaurant on Asylum Avenue in Hartford and was a part-time salesman for an Oriental products company. Courant staff writers Jesse Leavenworth and Deborah Petersen contributed to this article. A tempting and informative Food section helps make The Courant Connecticut's best-read newspaper. rjc jMarifofft yioufant reaalna Nassau's Warehouse Route 5, South Windsor.

FINAL 2 DAYS Today 1 1 -5 Yale team wins chess tournament Yale University won the Pan American Intercollegiate Team Championship in chess with TA points, a tournament director said. The University of Toronto was second, with 6 points, followed by Harvard University, with 6, Daniel Burg said of Wednesday's competition. Harvard and the University of Chicago were defending champions in the eight-round competition, which began Saturday. The tournament drew 38 four-member teams from 27 universities in the United States and Canada. Lotto winner claims $2.9 million prize The second of two winners of the Dec.

26 Lotto drawing claimed her prize Thursday. Joan Kelly-Coyle, 53, of New Britain, won $2.9 million of a total jackpot just under $6 million. Thursday she received her first check of $115,251, after a 20 percent federal tax was witheld, said Ann Evans, Connecticut state lottery spokeswoman. The winning combination was 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12. Both Kelly-Coyle and Viola Nadeau, the other winner, who claimed her prize Monday, chose the numbers based on the months of their children's and grandchildren's birthdays, Evans said.

WINDSOR LOCKS Police arrest two on drug charges Two town residents were arrested on drug charges Thursday after police found marijuana in their Reed Avenue home. Brian Wadsworth, 29, and James Lennon, 27, both of 271 Reed were arrested at 12:35 p.m., police said. Both were charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, police said. A police spokesman said he did not know how much marijuana was found in the house. Police entered the house with a court-issued search-and-seizure warrant.

Wadsworth and Lennon were being held at the town police station Thursday night, each on a $500 surety bond. If the suspects do not make bond, police said, they will appear in Superior Court in Enfield Monday. If they post bond, the two men will be scheduled to appear in court Jan. 12, police said. Local man faces four drug charges Acting with a court-issued search-and-seizure warrant, police arrested a town resident on four drug charges Thursday.

David Krupa, 41, of 49 Webb was arrested at 12:28 p.m. at his home after police found cocaine and marijuana there. Krupa was charged with possession of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to sell, possesion of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. A police spokesman said he did not know how much cocaine or marijuana was seized. Krupa was released on a $5,000 surety bond.

He is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Enfield Jan. 12, police said. NEW LONDON Teenager charged in drug possession A city teenager was arrested early Thursday and charged with possessing 57 vials of crack a cocaine derivative with a street value of $1,400. Lamont H. Waits, 16, of 163 High was arraigned in Superior Court in New London on charges of possession of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to sell.

Waits, who had been held on $10,000 bond, was released later on a promise to appear in court, with the condition that he observe an 8 p.m. daily curfew and continue to attend school. New London police Sgt. Paul Sawicki said Waits was arrested after police saw him on Jay Street about 12:25 a.m. Thursday.

Sawicki said that in addition to the 57 vials of crack, Waits had $1,200 with him when arrested. He is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 11. From staff and wire reports PfeMiJ -Vj Seat 7 Installed fj Qj Hfctf 587 with Deluxe Omalon I Alabaster Plush Anso IV I VtV'K I Beige camelback Queen Dense PW. Nylon, Sand Plush Stainmaster I vt1 csrsh9rd 8 laTv" HHtiitfS Just Pebble Beige Velvet Anso IV 8 L.

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