Daily News from New York, New York • 315

MJ JIJIWPI 4 no ft 4.::. fft I r- I v- V- 3 i MlT" IIP money and drugs in return for-sex. Cole said he told the grand jury the most frequent offender was Phillips, who was in charge of ring crews. He claims Phillips had an almost uncontrollable foot fetish and it was "common knowledge" that he would create any excuse to.get "a kid's sneakers and socks off' to fondle their feet "Mel would put the kids legs in a scissors lock and get their feet in his crotch. He would also set up a tripod camera so he could videotape his sickness." Cole said he gave federal investigators the names of at least six other ring boys who were subjected to various forms of solicitation.

Scott Marques of Maryville, now 23, said he, too, was the victim of a sexual assault by a ring crew chief in 1989. Marques said he has been questioned as part of the federal probe. Although he wasn't a minor at the time, he was informed the alleged attack could be classified as a violation of federal law since it supposedly took place in a moving vehicle on an interstate highway. Several other former WWF employes, including Sammartino and Big John Studd, told The News that federal inves- -tigators posed numerous questions regarding their knowledge of alleged "ring boy" abuse by WWF ployes. Studd said he was "shocked" at the detail with which investigators pressed their inquiry.

I really had nothing to tell them on the matter," Studd said. Assets on Line As part of the steroid indictment against McMahon and Titan, the feds are seeking to strip Titan Sports of its crown jewel asset $9 million Titan Tower. Under the federal forfeiture law, the government may take any assets used in the commission of narcotics offenses. If Titan and McMahon are convicted, the government will have the same recourse in attacking their assets and property as they would with a cocaine or heroin dealer. It is ironic for an organization that has waged a vigorous campaign of public service announcements renouncing the use of drugs.

The WWF also boasts of its drug-testing program, which is said to have already cost Titan $900,000. To a great extent McMahon built his empire with a large element of risk. He once paid DflTTLE ROYALpSr leaves Federal Court last November after pleading not guilty to steroid charges. But it promises to be a trying year for the WWF chief, who is at odds with former champ Bruno Sammartino (top) and on course to confront ex-star Hulk Hogan (I.) in court 1 1 In early 1991, McMahon and Co. achieved peak exposure, with 300 television affiliates carrying the weekly programs.

Since then, the WWF empire has dwindled to approximately 200 affiliates. After the Zahorian trial, numerous frontline stars Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior, the Legion of Doom (aka the Road Warriors) and Davey Boy Smith either left or were phased out Gate attendance and TV ratings steadily declined. National TV ratings for 1993 showed improvement from 1992 lows, but still trailed 1991 levels. Thanksgiving weekend's pay-per-view "Survivor Series" pulled only a 0.8 rating, down from a 1.4 for the 1 15 pound package was shipped Oct 24, 1989 to, andor signeoV for by, McMahon's former sec-" retary, Emily Feinberg- As a result, Feinberg, along with Hogan, may appear in federal court in May as a government witness against her former boss, THE TURNINO POINT However, the Zahorian grandojury records, show that six other packages were sent from the doctor's office to WWF headquarters between March 1988 and October 1989. The same records also show three two-pound packages and a fourth one-pound package were personally sent from Zahorian to McMahon's office between July 1988 and May 1989..., -11 sf tVi i W- iwm i l.

ir k. managerial employes. A settlement was reached in March 1992, when Cole received $50,000 and his lawyer received more than $80,000. Cole has filed a subsequent lawsuit claiming Titan reneged on several aspects of the settlement The new suit repeats some, of the prior allegations, namely that Cole, as a minor prior to November 1988, along with other young co-employes, was subjected to "intense sexual harassment and homosexual solicitation" by "officers or managerial employes (or both) of the WWF in charge of wrestlers and ring crews." Cole said he was initially fired solely because he continuously rebuffed the overtures. Individuals identified by Cole to the grand jury and in his lawsuit are Mel Phillips and Terry Garvin.

The two no longer work for Titan, having resigned in 1992 "for the good of the company," according to McMahon. Efforts to contact Phillips and Garvin were unsuccessful. The WWF vehemently denies Cole's claims. "(His) charges as made and published in early '92 are known aud admitted to have included a malicious, fabricated lie designed to portray a WWF contractor as a child molester," said McDevitt the Titan Sports has categorically denied the irresponsible rumors about sexual abuse." Cole said that on different occasions. Garvin offered him .9 i ins, i c- i i ii it- event a year ago.

A strong point is the WWF's weekly USA Network show "Monday Night Raw," which is one of the highest rated cable shows and recently scored its best ratings since April '92. Recently, the WWF has made ratings gains with its FOX-TV weekly programs in several key markets, including New York. The spectacle of a steroid trial against McMahon is likely to deliver another ratings blow, at least on a short-term basis. However, a Mann Act indictment would have been infinitely more damaging, even though the allegations apply to lower-level WWF employes and not McMahon. Several former wrestlers and other Titan employes have confirmed to The News that federal investigators have conducted a probe into alleged homosexual solicitation and molestation of underage employes.

Round 2, Part 2 While the sexual harassment claims have failed to result In indictments, two former WWF employes claim they have been interviewed by federal investigators. Tom Cole, 23, of Yonkers7 said he spent more than four hours before a federal grand jury in Brooklyn in October 1992, with his testimony centering on numerous occasions of homosexual solicitation toward himself and other boys. Cole filed a civil lawsuit against Titan and, several 3 (A affiliates $100,000 to carry WWF programming and was rewarded with a coast-to-coast empire. Now, he walks a risky legal tightrope. It is McMahon's very own one-man "Survivor Series." The difference is that while this bout might make the highlight reel on Court TV, it will not be available on pay-per-view.

A former lawyer, Dan Was-serman now specializes in ering business and legal issues tn sports. ii CO 3 CL 5 a 2 to.