🚀 go-pugleaf

awash in the=20
      small mysteries and ironies that had followed him - and that he =
had=20
      perpetuated - since he came to Washington in the late 1970s, =
already an=20
      enigmatic figure with strange Asian connections and friends in =
high=20
      places.=20
      <P>&nbsp;=20
      <TABLE cellPadding=3D20 width=3D200 align=3Dleft border=3D0>
        <TBODY>
        <TR>
          <TD>
            <HR>
            <FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc><B>The sergeant, who also =

            participated in the July 3 White House tour, allegedly was =
asked by=20
            Mr. Spence for information on Delta Force, a special forces=20
            counterterrorism unit based in Fort Bragg, N.C.</B></FONT>=20
            <HR>
          </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: =
#7fffd4"><B>On the bed=20
      was a newspaper clipping referring to CIA undercover agents. =
Scrawled on=20
      the mirror was a note written to some unnamed "chief," which also=20
      contained an obscure phrase in Japanese, "Nisei Bei," which means=20
      second-generation American.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>But hidden from view, in the room's false ceiling, were =
personal=20
      papers, including a birth certificate describing his arrival as a=20
      small-town, middle-class boy - a heritage he spent his life trying =
to=20
      restyle.=20
      <P>"Death, you know, is only painful to the ones you leave =
behind," Mr.=20
      Spence told The Washington Times during an interview in August. =
"As a=20
      matter of fact, I'm looking forward to it. At 48, I'll still look =
good in=20
      hell."=20
      <P>The focus of a summer sex scandal, <SPAN=20
      style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Mr. Spence was found dead Friday =
in his=20
      room at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Boston.</B></SPAN> He had =
celebrated his=20
      49th birthday just three weeks ago at a lavish Washington party.=20
      <P>The Ritz was among Mr. Spence's favorite hostelries, one of =
several=20
      posh accommodations he demanded in his frequent travels throughout =
the=20
      United States, Europe, South and Central America and the Orient.=20
      <P>"I've always been a first-class person in a second-class world, =
but=20
      I've learned to adjust," he said in the interview. "But there are =
places=20
      I've found where a civilized man can exist with some style and =
dignity."=20
      <P>Mr. Spence's name surfaced this summer after The Times =
identified the=20
      former lobbyist and prominent social host - who could arrange =
unauthorized=20
      late-night tours of the White House for his friends with a single=20
      telephone call - as a major client of a homosexual prostitution =
service=20
      being investigated by the Secret Service, Metropolitan Police, the =
U.S.=20
      Attorney's Office and a federal grand jury.=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>That investigation =
centered on a=20
      homosexual call-boy service that operated out of a house on 34th =
Place NW.=20
      The ring's clients, according to hundreds of credit-card vouchers =
obtained=20
      by The Times, included government officials, military officers, =
foreign=20
      and U.S. businessmen, lawyers, bankers, congressional aides, media =

      representatives and other professionals.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>The vouchers showed that Mr. Spence spent as much as $20,000 a =
month=20
      for call boys from various escort services run by the ring, =
including=20
      Man-to-Man, Dream Boys, Ultimate First Class and Jovan. He =
admitted in the=20
      interview with The Times that he had used credit cards to purchase =
sexual=20
      services, but <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>strongly =
hinted of=20
      having "firsthand information" about people "high in government" =
who also=20
      were involved.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>During the past few =
weeks, Mr.=20
      Spence told several friends that he knew "for a fact" that the =
call-boy=20
      operation was being investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office and =
other=20
      federal authorities as a CIA front. He told the friends the CIA =
used the=20
      service to compromise other federal intelligence officials and =
foreign=20
      diplomats.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Mr. Spence claimed in =
the=20
      interview that he had worked for the CIA on numerous occasions and =
had=20
      been instrumental in a number of covert actions in Vietnam, Japan, =
Central=20
      America and the Middle East - a claim denied by the =
agency.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>"How do you think a =
little faggot=20
      like me moved in the circles I did?" he said. "It's because I had =
contacts=20
      at the highest levels of this government.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>"They'll deny it. But =
how do they=20
      make me go away, when so many of them have been at my house, at my =
parties=20
      and at my side?"</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>The grand jury investigation begun in June by U.S. Attorney Jay =

      Stephens was described as a "credit card" probe. It is not clear, =
however,=20
      how vigorous federal prosecutors have been nor where the case may =
be=20
      headed.=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>The Times, in contacting =
a number=20
      of principal witnesses and active participants in the case, =
discovered=20
      that few of them had been interviewed and only a handful asked to =
testify=20
      before the grand jury. Several key figures had not been contacted =
at all.=20
      Those who were questioned were being asked mainly about national =
security=20
      concerns and possible security breaches at the White =
House.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Among those not =
contacted by law=20
      enforcement officials or the grand jury were:</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>* <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Officials of the =
Reagan and Bush=20
      administrations who were identified in The Times as having used =
the=20
      call-boy service and paid with credit cards.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>* <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Those running the =
prostitution=20
      ring</B></SPAN> raided in February, and persons who kept the =
credit-card=20
      records of visits with prostitutes by people who worked in the =
Reagan and=20
      Bush White Houses.=20
      <P>* <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Any of several =
high-profile=20
      friends of Mr. Spence's who attended parties at his Kalorama=20
      home</B></SPAN> or spoke for pay at numerous seminars he sponsored =
as a=20
      registered foreign agent.=20
      <P>* <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Prostitutes who said =
they=20
      serviced Mr. Spence and military personnel</B></SPAN> whom the =
former=20
      lobbyist hired as bodyguards.=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>"I haven't heard one =
word from the=20
      U.S. attorney, the FBI or anyone else," said one of the men whom =
Mr.=20
      Spence got into the White House for a 1 a.m. visit on July 3,=20
      1988.</B></SPAN> "The Secret Service talked to me back in the =
summer,=20
      after the stories were out, but nothing since then."=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Mr. Spence was one key =
figure who=20
      was handed a subpoena more than two months ago but had yet to =
testify.=20
      What arrangements had been made with the former lobbyist are not =
known.=20
      Mr. Spence vowed during the August interview, however, that he =
would=20
      "never be brought back alive before any damned hearing."=20
      <P>Mr. Stephens has declined to comment on the case. Assistant =
U.S.=20
      Attorney Alan Strasser, who is handling the matter before the =
grand jury,=20
      also has refused comment. A spokeswoman, Judy Smith, said =
yesterday that=20
      the U.S. Attorney's Office would have no comment on Mr. =
Spence'sdeath or=20
      its potential impact on the investigation.=20
      <P>&nbsp;</P></B></SPAN></FONT>
    <TD vAlign=3Dtop width=3D"50%"><FONT size=3D2>A participant in one =
of the=20
      late-night White House tours testified before the grand jury two =
weeks ago=20
      and was asked about the tours, missing china out of the =
presidential=20
      mansion and <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Mr. Spence's =
interest in=20
      the U.S. military's top-secret Delta Force</B></SPAN>. The =
witness, a=20
      longtime acquaintance of Mr. Spence's who had spent considerable =
time as a=20
      guest in his home, was not asked any questions about credit cards, =
Mr.=20
      Spence's alleged involvement with the homosexual call-boy ring or =
about=20
      the ring itself.=20
      <P>The witness - who was among those taking the July 3 White House =
tour -=20
      also described a lengthy interview with Mr. Strasser, Secret =
Service=20
      agents and then a brief questioning period before the federal =
panel.=20
      <P>"They pulled out a picture book containing the White House =
china=20
      collection and asked me about the Truman china," said the witness, =
who=20
      asked not to be identified. "They wanted to know if I had seen =
anything=20
      like that. They strongly intimated that more things were missing." =

      <P>Mr. Strasser, according to the witness, also asked during the =
private=20
      discussion and before the grand jury about the gift by Mr. Spence =
of an=20
      expensive Rolex watch to a U.S. Army sergeant. <SPAN=20
      style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>The sergeant, who also =
participated in the=20
      July 3 White House tour, allegedly was asked by Mr. Spence for =
information=20
      on Delta Force, a special forces counterterrorism unit based in =
Fort=20
      Bragg, N.C.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>"They asked me what I =
thought=20
      Spence wanted to know about the Delta project," the witness said. =
"I said=20
      it could mean he was just interested in the young guys there or =
something=20
      else."</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>The questioning by federal authorities became most detailed =
when it=20
      turned to the subject of the late-night tours. <SPAN=20
      style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>"They asked if we went in any =
offices, if I=20
      had seen any documents or if any documents had left the White =
House," the=20
      witness said.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>Secret Service officials have publicly stated there was no =
breach of=20
      security during the tours and that they had no concern that entry =
was made=20
      by the late-night visitors into unauthorized areas of the White =
House.=20
      <P>Mr. Spence also gave an $8,000 Rolex watch to Secret Service =
uniformed=20
      officer Reginald A. deGueldre, who was assigned to the White House =

      security detail. Mr. deGueldre has admitted in an affidavit that =
he gave=20
      Mr. Spence a piece of Truman china from the White House =
collection.=20
      <P>In August, Mr. deGueldre and another Secret Service officer, =
who has=20
      not been identified, were suspended indefinitely without pay and a =
third=20
      was placed on administrative leave with pay. Secret Service =
officials said=20
      at the time that the suspensions were the first step to possible =
criminal=20
      prosecution of the two men, although none has yet taken place.=20
      <P>Mr. deGueldre said recently he had not been approached by any =
federal=20
      authorities for an interview or asked to testify before the grand =
jury. "I=20
      have no idea what is going on," he said. "I have not heard from =
anyone at=20
      all."=20
      <P>The grand jury witness said federal authorities also inquired =
about Mr.=20
      Spence's alleged drug use. In his interview with The Times, Mr. =
Spence=20
      admitted to being a heavy cocaine user. He was arrested for =
possession of=20
      cocaine in New York last summer.=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>The witness also was =
shown a=20
      collection of photographs of male youths between "14 and 17 or 18 =
years=20
      old" and asked if any were a youth Mr. Spence lived with and =
introduced as=20
      his son.</B></SPAN> "They were a rough bunch of customers," the =
witness=20
      said. "The photographs looked like things that might have been =
found in=20
      the house they raided. I was asked if Craig had a son, and I said =
I didn't=20
      believe he did."=20
      <P>In the August interview, Mr. Spence admitted to using the 34th =
Place=20
      call-boy service, but said the amounts of the charges had been =
inflated by=20
      someone connected with the operation. As a result, he said, he =
fired his=20
      accountant over charges he said he had not authorized.=20
      <P>The accountant, Peter Chase, denied he had been fired and said =
all the=20
      credit-card charges had been verified and each contained Mr. =
Spence's=20
      signature. He steadfastly has declined to comment specifically =
about his=20
      former client, but did confirm that records involving Mr. Spence =
had been=20
      subpoenaed by the Secret Service, that no one from the U.S. =
Attorney's=20
      Office had talked with him and that he was not scheduled to appear =
before=20
      the grand jury.=20
      <P>Mr. Spence, who said in August that he had AIDS and who =
threatened to=20
      commit suicide rather than die of the disease, was scheduled for a =
hearing=20
      Feb. 2 in New York City on weapons and drug charges. He was =
arrested July=20
      31 at the Barbizon Hotel on East 63rd Street with a 22-year-old =
Brooklyn=20
      man identified by police as Casey Regan, an alleged male =
prostitute. Two=20
      other hearings, one in September and the other last week, had been =

      postponed.=20
      <P>Police seized a loaded .32-caliber pistol and confiscated a =
small=20
      quantity of a white powder believed to be cocaine after a report =
of a=20
      disturbance at the hotel.=20
      <P>During his days as one of Washington's premier hosts, Mr. =
Spence=20
      dressed in finery and lived extravagantly, affecting touches like=20
      scarlet-lined capes and stretch limousines.=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Among those who attended =
his=20
      parties and were featured at seminars he sponsored were =
journalists Eric=20
      Sevareid, Ted Koppel, William Safire and Liz Trotta; former =
Ambassadors=20
      Robert Neumann, Elliott Richardson and James Lilly; the late John=20
      Mitchell, attorney general in the Nixon administration; Mr. Casey =
and=20
      other CIA officials, including Ray Cline, former deputy director =
of=20
      intelligence for the agency; former Lt. Gen. Daniel O. Graham, an =
expert=20
      on the Strategic Defense Initiative who now heads High Frontier =
Inc.; Sen.=20
      John Glenn, Ohio Democrat, and Sen. Frank Murkowski, Alaska =
Republican;=20
      and Joseph diGenova, former U.S. attorney in Washington, and his =
wife,=20
      Victoria Toensing, a former deputy assistant attorney =
general.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>Arnaud de Borchgrave, editor-in-chief of The Times, attended a =
party=20
      for Mr. Lilly hosted by Mr. Spence at the former lobbyist's =
Kalorama home.=20

      <P>Following the August interview in New York, Mr. Spence returned =
to=20
      Washington and reportedly stayed with friends. He maintained a =
high=20
      profile on the bar and restaurant circuit, and was spotted at =
several=20
      places during the past two months.=20
      <P>Meanwhile, several members of Congress, federal officials, =
military=20
      officers and others have told The Times that they are concerned =
that the=20
      lavish parties and Japanese-sponsored seminars thrown by Mr. =
Spence, at=20
      which the elite of Washington and officials from Japan, China and=20
      elsewhere mingled, might have compromised U.S. security.=20
      <P>Rep. Helen Delich Bentley, Maryland Republican, for one, =
recently=20
      questioned the former lobbyist's ties to the Japanese government =
in a=20
      speech on the floor of the House. Citing news articles in the =
United=20
      States and Japan, Mrs. Bentley asked whether plans for the F-16 =
jet had=20
      been transferred by Mr. Spence to a Japanese government official, =
Motoo=20
      Shiina, and later turned over to the Soviet Union.=20
      <P>"I bring this to the floor today, Mr. Speaker, because I am =
frankly=20
      puzzled that these stories are out - in print both in Japan and in =
America=20
      -and <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>there seems to be no =
official=20
      investigation into what to me are very grave charges</B></SPAN>," =
she=20
      said.=20
      <P>Photo, Craig Spence</P></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P><!--end text-->
<HR>

<P>&nbsp;=20
<TABLE width=3D"100%">
  <TBODY>
  <TR>
    <TD vAlign=3Dtop width=3D"50%"><FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc =
size=3D4>
      <CENTER><B>Prostitutes corroborate Frank stories =
</B></CENTER></FONT><FONT=20
      color=3D#000000 size=3D2>
      <CENTER><B>Paul M. Rodriguez The Washington Times; Part A; Pg. A1 =
February=20
      2, 1990, Friday, Final Edition</B></CENTER>
      <P><BR></FONT><FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc =
size=3D4><B>P</B></FONT><FONT=20
      color=3D#000000 size=3D2>enthouse magazine's anxiously awaited =
account of=20
      sexual adventuring by congressmen quotes a female prostitute as=20
      corroborating Steven L. Gobie's earlier story that Rep. Barney =
Frank knew=20
      Gobie was operating a bordello in the congressman's Capitol Hill=20
      apartment.=20
      <P>&nbsp;=20
      <TABLE cellPadding=3D20 width=3D200 align=3Dleft border=3D0>
        <TBODY>
        <TR>
          <TD>
            <HR>
            <FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc><B>According to Gobie, =
Mr. Spence=20
            told him, "Do you know what kind of power you can have over =
people=20
            if you've got something on them? . . . I need boys and girls =
for=20
            people in government and high-level businessmen for my =
parties, for=20
            individuals, for whatever comes up."</B></FONT>=20
            <HR>
          </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: =
#7fffd4"><B>The woman,=20
      identified only as Lyn, said Mr. Frank called the apartment from =
his=20
      office before coming home to see whether she had finished with her =

      "trick."</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>She called Mr. Frank's =
claim that=20
      he didn't know what was going on in his Eighth Street SE apartment =
in his=20
      absence "baloney."</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>The explicit magazine article about Gobie and the sex-for-hire =
world in=20
      which he said he procured prostitutes for famous clients - =
"Washington's=20
      Mayflower Madam" - was written by Art Harris of The Washington =
Post and=20
      Rudy Maxa of Washingtonian magazine.=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>"Barney would call and =
ask, 'Are=20
      you entertaining company?' " the female prostitute told the =
authors. "And=20
      I'd say, 'Yeah, but they're about to leave.' And he'd say, 'I'll =
give you=20
      20 or 25 minutes.' "</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>Many of the details of Gobie's Penthouse story had been =
reported=20
      earlier by The Washington Times, but the article nevertheless cast =
new=20
      light on the underground world to which Gobie says he introduced =
Mr.=20
      Frank.=20
      <P>Mr. Frank's office did not return telephone calls from The =
Times=20
      seeking comment on the Penthouse article. The congressman also =
would not=20
      be interviewed by the authors of the magazine piece.=20
      <P>Mr. Frank, 49, whose actions are under investigation by the =
House=20
      ethics committee, has acknowledged purchasing sexual services from =
Gobie,=20
      33, and other male prostitutes. He also has admitted employing =
Gobie as a=20
      personal assistant while knowing that Gobie continued to work as a =
call=20
      boy, but has insisted that he did not know that the services of=20
      prostitutes were being sold from his apartment.=20
      <P>The congressman has said he threw Gobie out in the summer of =
1987,=20
      ending their two-year relationship, after he discovered the call =
boy was=20
      running a prostitution business from the apartment.=20
      <P>"Barney was hot," Gobie told the magazine. "He said, 'The =
landlord=20
      found out what's going on. One of your girls asked if this was the =
place=20
      to come for escort interviews. . . . Do you realize what could =
happen if=20
      The Washington Post got a hold of this?' "=20
      <P>But Mr. Frank has conceded that he remained in touch with Gobie =
through=20
      New Year's Day 1988, even allowing the prostitute continued use of =
his car=20
      with its congressional license plate.=20
      <P>In the Penthouse article, Gobie said Mr. Frank even offered him =
$10,000=20
      to $12,000 to help him relocate to Florida. Gobie, who once said =
he=20
      thought about opening up an escort business along Florida's "gold =
coast,"=20
      said he rejected the offer.=20
      <P>Gobie has said Mr. Frank, whom he dubbed Sweet 'n' Low for =
"sweet guy,=20
      low on cash," was aware of the larger prostitution operation and =
delighted=20
      in being told about the call boy's sexual encounters.=20
      <P>Mr. Frank also has admitted to using congressional stationery =
to write=20
      several letters to Virginia probation officials to persuade them =
to=20
      shorten Gobie's probation stemming from felony convictions for =
drug=20
      offenses and for sex offenses involving a minor girl.=20
      <P>&nbsp;</P></FONT>
    <TD vAlign=3Dtop width=3D"50%"><FONT size=3D2>Moreover, Mr. Frank =
has admitted=20
      fixing parking tickets that Gobie had obtained while servicing =
clients=20
      using the congressman's Chevrolet Chevette. Although Mr. Frank =
told The=20
      Times he could not remember how many tickets he fixed using his=20
      congressional immunity, Gobie estimated the number at between 50 =
and 60.=20
      <P>Gobie told Penthouse that "those letters kept me in operation. =
. . .=20
      The letters and Barney's [congressional] perks were worth far more =
to me=20
      than any fees I could have charged him. I wasn't a gold digger, =
but I'm=20
      not a dumb escort, either."=20
      <P>In fact, Gobie told the magazine that it was Mr. Frank who came =
up with=20
      the idea of hiring the call boy as a driver and providing a cover =
for the=20
      prostitution business, which catered to men as well as women.=20
      <P>"He said, 'You can use me as a reference to the probation =
people,' "=20
      according to Gobie, who said he listed Mr. Frank's house with =
Virginia law=20
      enforcement authorities as his address.=20
      <P>Mr. Frank said in an Aug. 23 interview with The Times that he =
allowed=20
      Gobie to use the apartment as "his house," but admitted that the =
call boy=20
      never lived there - even though the congressman told probation =
officials=20
      and at least one court-appointed social worker that the apartment =
was=20
      Gobie's home address.=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Another prostitute, whom =
Penthouse=20
      identified as Ricky, also backed Gobie's claims that Mr. Frank =
benefited=20
      from the prostitution operation with reduced rates for sexual=20
      acts.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>Ricky, described as an "especially . . . trim, six-foot blond," =
told=20
      the magazine that Mr. Frank paid him a discounted $100 fee on one =
occasion=20
      for a sexual tryst arranged by Gobie and that he agreed to waive =
his usual=20
      referral fee as a favor to the congressman.=20
      <P>Gobie said he made about six prostitutes in all available to =
Mr. Frank=20
      at reduced rates.=20
      <P>Mr. Frank acknowledged in a Sept. 25 Newsweek magazine =
interview that=20
      he purchased sexual services from several male prostitutes but did =
not=20
      elaborate other than to say: "I knew it was wrong, but I just =
couldn't sit=20
      home."=20
      <P>Gobie, according to Penthouse, said Mr. Frank also daydreamed =
about=20
      living a secret life as a paid escort. "He said, 'If I'd been 20 =
years=20
      younger, I would have liked to have tried hustling. . . . I think =
it would=20
      be a thrill to get paid for sex," Gobie quoted the congressman as =
saying.=20
      <P>The Penthouse article also expanded on <SPAN=20
      style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>the relationship between Gobie =
and Craig J.=20
      Spence, the former lobbyist who was under investigation by the =
U.S.=20
      Attorney's Office in connection with alleged bribery of Secret =
Service=20
      officers, unauthorized White House tours and credit card abuse =
connected=20
      to a male prostitution ring he frequented.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>The magazine said <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Mr. =
Spence had=20
      agreed to "provide lurid details of Washington's bisexual =
wonderland." But=20
      before the interview could occur, Mr. Spence committed suicide in =
Boston=20
      on Nov. 10.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>In the magazine, Gobie - who was not a source of The Times on =
the=20
      Spence story - also confirmed many of the things others had said =
about the=20
      <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>lobbyist with ties to the =
upper=20
      echelons of the Reagan administration.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>He said <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Mr. Spence tried =
to=20
      recruit him to help "in a sordid scheme to blackmail the powerful=20
      politicians invited to his lavish parties."</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>Gobie also said he "sexually serviced" Mr. Spence for money =
three times=20
      and, according to the magazine, "watched [the lobbyist] snort =
cocaine and=20
      then do sit-ups as he hung upside down, half-naked, in gravity =
boots."=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>According to Gobie, Mr. =
Spence=20
      told him, "Do you know what kind of power you can have over people =
if=20
      you've got something on them? . . . I need boys and girls for =
people in=20
      government and high-level businessmen for my parties, for =
individuals, for=20
      whatever comes up."</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>The magazine quoted =
Gobie as=20
      saying Mr. Spence was "the most dangerous man I'd ever met. If he =
hadn't=20
      turned into such a crackhead, he could have blackmailed half this =
town. He=20
      used to say, 'Hey, foreign intelligence agencies are doing it.'=20
      "</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>* Michael Hedges contributed to this report. The Washington=20
      Post</P></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P><!--end text-->
<HR>

<P>&nbsp;=20
<TABLE width=3D"100%">
  <TBODY>
  <TR>
    <TD vAlign=3Dtop width=3D"50%"><FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc =
size=3D4>
      <CENTER><B>MINGO HIRES CONTROVERSIAL DOCTOR =
</B></CENTER></FONT><FONT=20
      color=3D#000000 size=3D2>
      <CENTER><B>Maryclaire Dale The Charleston Gazette; News; Pg. P1A =
July 01,=20
      1997, Tuesday</B></CENTER>
      <P><BR></FONT><FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc =
size=3D4><B>A</B></FONT><FONT=20
      color=3D#000000 size=3D2> Williamson doctor facing an August =
medical licensure=20
      hearing and a possible criminal retrial in Kentucky was recently =
named=20
      Mingo County's medical examiner.=20
      <P>&nbsp;=20
      <TABLE cellPadding=3D20 width=3D200 align=3Dleft border=3D0>
        <TBODY>
        <TR>
          <TD>
            <HR>
            <FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc size=3D+1><B>"A physician =
has nothing=20
            to gain from a suicide. A mortician does."</B></FONT>=20
            <HR>
          </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: =
#7fffd4"><B>Diane=20
      Shafer</B></SPAN>, who was charged with bribing a Kentucky hearing =

      examiner she later married, will replace former sheriff and =
funeral home=20
      owner Gerald Chafin, who had been named county coroner earlier in =
the=20
      month. <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Shafer is apparently =
now=20
      married to or involved with Henry Vinson, the former Mingo County =
coroner=20
      who served time in prison for running a Washington, D.C., male=20
      prostitution ring which reached the White House.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>Since 1975, all West Virginia counties have been required to =
have a=20
      physician serve as a county medical examiner, responding to =
homicides,=20
      suicides, accidents and questionable deaths. The examiner's role =
is to=20
      survey the body, talk to police on the scene, and gather =
information for=20
      the state medical examiner offices in Charleston, Morgantown and =
Wheeling.=20

      <P>The Mingo County post had been vacant for about a year, forcing =
police=20
      to wait up to two or three hours for a medical examiner to come =
from=20
      Charleston.=20
      <P>In early June, Mingo County commissioners appointed Chafin =
county=20
      coroner. He has had his own legal troubles in recent years, having =
been=20
      twice indicted on federal wiretap charges that were later =
dismissed.=20
      <P>"I told them he really doesn't fit the guidelines. Do you have =
a=20
      physician down there? Then she [Shafer] called," <SPAN=20
      style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>State Medical Examiner Irwin=20
      Sopher</B></SPAN> said.=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Sopher knew of Shafer's=20
      controversial history, which included a bribery conviction in =
Kentucky=20
      that was later overturned, the current loss of her Kentucky =
medical=20
      license and a prior suspension of her West Virginia medical=20
      license.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>"Well, she has a license to practice medicine, and I discussed =
some of=20
      these things with her, and I think she'll be able to handle some =
of this,"=20
      Sopher said. "The job is mainly a reporting position.=20
      <P>"They don't do examinations, or actual autopsies."=20
      <P>He said the job pays $50 per case, making it difficult =
sometimes to=20
      attract physicians. At times, nurses, dentists, funeral directors =
or other=20
      people have served as interim coroners, as is currently the case =
in about=20
      six counties, Sopher said.=20
      <P>Sopher said the Mingo County medical examiner would typically =
handle=20
      about 60 cases a year.=20
      <P>Shafer's criminal conviction on bribery charges in Kentucky was =

      overturned in 1995 by the state's Supreme Court.=20
      <P>The retrial had been set for earlier this year but was =
apparently=20
      postponed. Shafer said she thinks the charges will be dropped. She =
was=20
      convicted in Kentucky state court of bribing Gregory Holmes, a =
Kentucky=20
      hearing examiner who was reviewing charges she overbilled insurers =
for her=20
      work. Holmes, a blind and already married 39-year-old lawyer, =
cleared her=20
      of wrongdoing 10 days after they were allegedly married and after =
Shafer=20
      allegedly gave him $ 42,500. Holmes, who denied marrying Shafer, =
was=20
      convicted of bigamy and bribery. A medical board panel in West =
Virginia=20
      found probable cause to take=20
      <P>&nbsp;</P></FONT>
    <TD vAlign=3Dtop width=3D"50%"><FONT size=3D2>Shafer to a hearing, =
now set for=20
      Aug. 20, 21 and 22, on charges she fraudulently signed four =
disability=20
      papers during a period when her West Virginia license was =
suspended.=20
      <P>Shafer said Monday someone approached her to apply. "Well, =
people ask=20
      me to do house calls. This is certainly less work than that," she =
joked,=20
      when asked why she wanted the post.=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>She said the job should =
be held by=20
      physicians as opposed to funeral directors. "A physician has =
nothing to=20
      gain from a suicide. A mortician does. He would probably process =
the body=20
      for burial," she said. "I don't think it's [the funeral industry] =
a=20
      charity business."</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>She could not be reached for comment later in the evening about =
her=20
      relationship with Vinson.=20
      <P>Shafer, who ran unsuccessfully for the House of Delegates in =
1996, gave=20
      her age Monday as 42.=20
      <P>According to a story published under her byline in a Temple =
University=20
      alumnae magazine, she graduated from Temple's medical school in =
1976.=20
      <P>The story described her long days working in an impoverished=20
      Appalachian community.=20
      <P>Shafer collected more than $ 500,000 in a six-year period from =
the West=20
      Virginia Workers' Compensation Fund alone.=20
      <P>During the time of her licensure troubles, when she had an =
office in=20
      Kentucky but no license and a license in West Virginia but no =
office, she=20
      was photographed handing pieces of paper presumed to be =
prescriptions to=20
      patients out of her car at a small airfield in Mingo County.=20
      <P>Chafin said Monday he was not upset Shafer replaced him. "If we =
have an=20
      M.D. that is agreeable, then it is to be an M.D.," he said. =
Sopher, told=20
      later that Shafer appears to be involved with Vinson, said he =
wanted time=20
      to think about the situation before commenting on her fitness for =
the job.=20

      <P>Vinson's sister, Brenda Copley of Fort Gay, said Monday that as =
far as=20
      she knew, Vinson married Shafer after his late 1995 release from =
federal=20
      prison.=20
      <P>A man who answered the phone at Shafer's medical office Monday=20
      initially identified himself as Shafer's husband, Henry Shafer, =
and said=20
      he could answer questions about her medical examiner appointment.=20
      <P>"We were married years ago, and then we tried it again =
recently," he=20
      said.=20
      <P>Later in the day, the same man denied saying he was her husband =
and=20
      made a series of sexually explicit and racist remarks when asked =
if his=20
      name was actually Henry Vinson.=20
      <P>"Would you like to come and have sex with me, you f-- n--- b--. =
What=20
      the hell is your problem?" he shouted loudly into the office =
telephone=20
      line.=20
      <P>Several longtime Williamson residents said Monday Shafer has =
been seen=20
      around town with Vinson.=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Vinson served as Mingo =
County=20
      coroner from 1985 to 1986</B></SPAN> before resigning after a =
widow=20
      complained he left her husband's body in a funeral home for 42 =
days=20
      because of her inability to pay him. <SPAN=20
      style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>In 1990, he was charged with =
running=20
      prostitution rings which advertised in Washington newspapers under =
the=20
      names "Man to Man" and "Dream Boys."</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Prosecutors said the =
business made=20
      $ 500,000 to $ 1 million between 1987 and 1989, and clients =
included=20
      low-level staffers in the Reagan and Bush White House.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Vinson, who was =
represented by=20
      lawyer-turned-legal commentator Greta Van Susteren, eventually =
pleaded=20
      guilty to racketeering and credit card fraud charges in the =
43-count=20
      indictment.</B></SPAN></P></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P><!--end text-->
<HR>

<P>[From 'Connecting the Dots: Nathan Landow']:=20
<P><B>Then, there is this AP credited bookreview and summation:</B>=20
<P>During a 1982 investigation into the use of "drugs and sexual =
activity to=20
lobby congressmen," Shoffler did indeed advise congressional =
investigators to=20
look into a male prostitution ring that serviced Capitol Hill. The =
veteran=20
police detective believed that the sex ring might be linked to =
high-flying=20
Washington lobbyist, Robert Keith Gray, who had more than a few =
connections to=20
CIA folk. According to Peter Dale Scott, some Washington investigators =
also=20
suspected that the gay sex ring was connected to DC crime boss Joe "the =
Possum"=20
Nesline.=20
<P>Most interestingly, the Watergate madam, Heidi Rikan, was a =
girlfriend of=20
mobster Joe "the Possum" Nesline, whose alleged connection to the =
Capitol Hill=20
gay sex scandal a decade later aroused the suspicion of Washington =
detectives.=20
<P>Assorted boyfriends and former husbands of both Rikan and her =
sometimes=20
roommate, Maurine "Mo" Biner (who married key Watergate figure John =
Dean, which=20
makes Mo a pivotal character, according to scandal revisionists) were =
associated=20
with the Quorum, an early 1960s "swingles' club run by Bobby Baker, a =
former=20
aide to Lyndon Johnson. Scott surmises that all roads led to Baker's =
club for a=20
reason: the Quorum functioned a lot like the =
mob-and-intelligence-infested sex=20
traps of the 1970s.=20
<P>It was Bobby Baker who introduced President Kennedy to an East German =

bombshell named Ellen Rometsch, whom JFK, true to form, promptly bedded. =
Scott=20
speculates that J. Edgar Hoover leaked word of this international =
indiscretion=20
to the press. Whether or not Hoover was behind the leaks, they nearly =
ignited a=20
global scandal.=20
<P>Hougan, Jim. "Secret Agenda: watergate, Deep Throat and the CIA." New =
York:=20
Random House, 1984.=20
<P>Scott, Peter Dale. "Deep Politics and the Death of JFK." Berkeley, =
CA:=20
University of California press, 1993.=20
<P><FONT color=3D#b000e>[And who was one of Nesline's best buddies, and =
landlord?=20
Yep. Nathan Landow. Mr. Landow knows the 'game', and has for a long=20
time.]</FONT>=20
<HR>

<P><EM>The individual further advised me of circumstances which =
indicated that=20
the investigation into the activity of the Finders had become a CIA =
internal=20
matter. The MPD report has been classified SECRET and was not available =
for=20
review. I was advised that the FBI had withdrawn from the investigation =
several=20
weeks prior and that the FBI Foreign Counter Intelligence Division had =
directed=20
MPD not to advise the FBI Washington Field Office of anything that had=20
transpired.=20
<P>No further information will be available. No further action will be =
taken.=20
<P>ACTION TO BE TAKEN BY LESD/TECS:=20
<P>No action to be taken on the basis of this report.</EM>=20
<HR>

<P>&nbsp;=20
<TABLE width=3D"100%">
  <TBODY>
  <TR>
    <TD vAlign=3Dtop width=3D"50%"><FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc =
size=3D4>
      <CENTER><B>'Call boy' leader gets 5 years =
</B></CENTER></FONT><FONT=20
      color=3D#000000 size=3D2>
      <CENTER><B>Paul M. Rodriguez The Washington Times, Part A; NATION; =
Pg. A3=20
      June 13, 1991, Thursday, Final Edition</B></CENTER>
      <P><BR></FONT><FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc =
size=3D4><B>T</B></FONT><FONT=20
      color=3D#000000 size=3D2>he head of the District's largest male =
prostitution=20
      ring was sentenced to 63 months in jail yesterday after an unusual =
tirade=20
      by U.S. District Court Judge Harold Greene directed at the U.S. =
Attorney's=20
      Office.=20
      <P>&nbsp;=20
      <TABLE cellPadding=3D20 width=3D200 align=3Dleft border=3D0>
        <TBODY>
        <TR>
          <TD>
            <HR>
            <FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc><B>"I can't recall a =
single case in=20
            which the government has asked for departure before just =
because=20
            somebody pleaded guilty and got others to plead. . . . I =
don't think=20
            it's warranted . . . because there are sentences being =
handed out=20
            [more severe] for crimes below this."</B></FONT>=20
            <HR>
          </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: =
#7fffd4"><B>The judge=20
      specifically criticized U.S. Attorney Jay Stephens' office for =
seeking a=20
      departure from mandatory sentencing guidelines for Henry W. =
Vinson,=20
      operator of the callboy ring.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>"Why propose this =
departure?"=20
      Judge Greene asked. "I can't recall a single case in which the =
government=20
      has asked for departure before just because somebody pleaded =
guilty and=20
      got others to plead. . . . I don't think it's warranted . . . =
because=20
      there are sentences being handed out [more severe] for crimes =
below=20
      this."</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Judge Greene's rebuke =
followed a=20
      panel discussion Friday in which Mr. Stephens suggested that =
federal=20
      judges in Washington stop complaining about being overworked and =
having no=20
      room to tailor sentences to specific crimes.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>Mr. Stephens, in an eight-page statement, said that federal =
judges in=20
      the District spend an average of only 13 hours a week in the =
courtroom and=20
      only five or six hours of them on criminal cases.=20
      <P>Federal judges, including Judge Greene, bristled at Mr. =
Stephens'=20
      comments and said they have been swamped with an influx of =
small-time=20
      criminal drug cases.=20
      <P>Yesterday's sentencing of Vinson, 29, of Williamson, W.Va., =
culminated=20
      a two-year investigation of the prostitution ring by the U.S. =
Secret=20
      Service, the Internal Revenue Service and District police.=20
      <P>&nbsp;</P></FONT>
    <TD vAlign=3Dtop width=3D"50%"><FONT size=3D2>The ring included a =
small number=20
      of female prostitutes. Over a two-year period, according to the =
U.S.=20
      Attorney's Office, the ring generated between $500,000 and $1 =
million in=20
      revenues.=20
      <P>At his sentencing, Vinson told the judge that "my behavior has=20
      certainly not been very complimentary. I'm sorry if I did hurt =
society."=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>He had pleaded guilty to =
one count=20
      each of credit card fraud and conspiracy to violate the =
Racketeering,=20
      Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Ten days ago, Robert =
Chambers, 39,=20
      of Upper Marlboro, son of the owner of The Chambers Funeral Home, =
was=20
      sentenced to 41 months for helping to operate the prostitution =
ring, which=20
      went under various names in the District area, such as =
"Man-to-Man,"=20
      "Jovan" and "Dreamboys."</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Two other =
manager-prostitutes of=20
      the ring - James A. Macko, 29, of Michigan, and James T. Smith, =
23, of=20
      Florida - were sentenced to federal prison earlier this =
year.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>The investigation of the ring was triggered when police raided =
a house=20
      in the 6000 block of 34th Place in Upper Northwest in February =
1989.=20
      <P>In his remarks yesterday, Judge Greene excoriated Assistant =
U.S.=20
      Attorney Alan Strasser for seeking a waiver from the mandatory =
sentencing=20
      guidelines that became effective in November 1987. Judge Greene =
said Mr.=20
      Strasser's request was "one of the worst" made "by the faceless =
departure=20
      committee."=20
      <P>The committee is an internal group in the U.S. Attorney's =
Office that=20
      determines whether a defendant's cooperation merits a sentencing =
waiver.=20
      <P>"I don't think that's warranted" because Vinson was the leader =
of a=20
      "sophisticated scheme," Judge Greene said, noting that others in =
the case=20
      had received stiff sentences.=20
      <P>Vinson's lawyer, Greta Van Susterne, said the judge's decision =
would=20
      dampen efforts by prosecutors to gain cooperation from defendants. =
"You'd=20
      have to be crazy to cooperate when the whole point of such =
cooperation is=20
      to get something in return."=20
      <P>In an apparent contradiction, Mr. Strasser sought a waiver from =
federal=20
      guidelines but in a separate sentencing memorandum called for a =
harsh=20
      sentence because the prostitution ring was cavalier about the =
spread of=20
      the AIDS virus.</P></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<HR>

<HR>
&nbsp;=20
<P>&nbsp;=20
<TABLE width=3D"100%">
  <TBODY>
  <TR>
    <TD vAlign=3Dtop width=3D"50%"><FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc =
size=3D4>
      <CENTER><B>U.S. EXPANDS PROBE OF 'CALL BOY' RING =
</B></CENTER></FONT><FONT=20
      color=3D#000000 size=3D2>
      <CENTER><B>Paul M. Rodriguez and George Archibald The Washington =
Times;=20
      Final Section: A Page: A1 Thursday, July 6, 1989</B></CENTER>
      <P><BR></FONT><FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc =
size=3D4><B>A</B></FONT><FONT=20
      color=3D#000000 size=3D2> Secret Service officer assigned to the =
midnight=20
      shift at the White House was interrogated for more than 10 hours =
Monday=20
      about his association with Craig J. Spence - Washington lobbyist; =
host to=20
      the capital's political, business and media elite; and patron of=20
      homosexual call-boy services - and the officer was said to have =
failed a=20
      lie-detector test.=20
      <P>The officer, Reginald A. deGueldre, accepted a gold Rolex =
wristwatch=20
      valued at $8,000 in return for "unspecified favors" from Mr. =
Spence, for=20
      whom he arranged at least four middle-of-the-night private tours =
of the=20
      White House for high-ranking military officers, well-known figures =
in the=20
      news media and male prostitutes.=20
      <P>&nbsp;=20
      <TABLE cellPadding=3D20 width=3D200 align=3Dleft border=3D0>
        <TBODY>
        <TR>
          <TD>
            <HR>
            <FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc><B>Mr. Spence, said one =
law=20
            enforcement official close to the case, also asked Officer =
deGueldre=20
            to intervene on his behalf to help clear Secret Service =
records of a=20
            1987 arrest at a White House gate for disorderly conduct, =
described=20
            by one source as a lewd sex act.</B></FONT>=20
            <HR>
          </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Officer deGueldre has been told he =
will be=20
      called to testify before a federal grand jury.=20
      <P>President Reagan was in the White House residential quarters =
during one=20
      of the Spence visits, which was restricted to the West Wing, site =
of the=20
      Oval Office.=20
      <P>U.S. Attorney Jay Stephens, meanwhile, widened his =
investigation of the=20
      homosexual prostitution ring, which has ensnared Mr. Spence and =
several=20
      key Reagan and Bush administration officials.=20
      <P>Mr. Stephens' office is now looking closely at the White House =
tours=20
      and the activities of Mr. Spence, 48, a consultant to Japanese =
government=20
      officials and others.=20
      <P>John Pyles, the Secret Service special agent assigned to direct =
the=20
      investigation of allegations of breaches of White House security, =
said=20
      only, "We're not in a position to talk about this."=20
      <P>Mr. Pyles and Secret Service spokesman Allan Cramer said they =
were=20
      ordered to refer inquiries about the investigation to Assistant =
U.S.=20
      Attorney Alan Strasser, who is preparing evidence for presentation =
to the=20
      federal grand jury.=20
      <P>"You'd have to ask them why they referred you to me," Mr. =
Strasser said=20
      yesterday. "There is nothing I care to say to you about this at =
this=20
      time."=20
      <P>The Secret Service, after accounts were published in The =
Washington=20
      Times, has talked to people who took the July 3, 1988, White House =
tour=20
      set up by Mr. Spence, several of those interviewed say.=20
      <P>The agents are investigating possible security breaches by =
those who=20
      entered the White House compound as well as by Officer deGueldre, =
The=20
      Times was told.=20
      <P>One of those reached yesterday by the Secret Service said =
questioning=20
      focused on Mr. Spence and his associates. Questions were also =
asked about=20
      Mr. Spence and the use of cocaine.=20
      <P>Officer deGueldre failed the portion of a polygraph test =
involving=20
      favors he may have done for Mr. Spence, the law enforcement =
official said.=20
      The Secret Service officer visited on several social occasions =
with Mr.=20
      Spence, who was said to have <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: =
#7fffd4"><B>held out=20
      the offer of a high-paying security industry job in Florida to=20
      him.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>Officer deGueldre, who said he immediately reported himself to =
his=20
      superiors when the story of the late-night Spence visit appeared =
in the=20
      June 29 editions of The Washington Times, said he had done nothing =
wrong.=20
      <P>"To this day, I still believe that Craig is still an American =
hero,"=20
      the Secret Service officer said. "The guy never hit on me. . . . =
My=20
      relationship to him was officer to citizen. . . . That's how I met =
him -=20
      when I was walking the street (as a patrolman in the embassy area =
of the=20
      fashionable Kalorama neighborhood where Mr. Spence lived).=20
      <P>"The first time he called me was maybe five years later," =
Officer=20
      deGueldre said. "He said he wanted to be my friend and invited me =
to a=20
      party. . . . I was shocked.=20
      <P>"I was introduced on a one-to-one basis with some very =
important=20
      people. . . . I met top brass, politicals . . . I was invited to a =
lot of=20
      functions at Craig's house. There was all kinds of heavy types =
there."=20
      <P>But, the officer added: "I had no idea about sex, drugs, =
nothing like=20
      that. . . . A lot of stuff now makes sense though. . . .<SPAN=20
      style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B> I always suspected he worked for =
the=20
      CIA."</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>&nbsp;</P></FONT>
    <TD vAlign=3Dtop width=3D"50%"><FONT size=3D2>Officer deGueldre said =
he=20
      understands, given his free access to the White House and the =
president's=20
      living quarters, why the Secret Service is concerned about the =
Spence=20
      tours.=20
      <P>Mr. Spence, said one law enforcement official close to the =
case, also=20
      <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>asked Officer deGueldre to =
intervene=20
      on his behalf to help clear Secret Service records of a 1987 =
arrest at a=20
      White House gate for disorderly conduct, described by one source =
as a lewd=20
      sex act.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>Three persons who went along on the post-midnight tour of the =
White=20
      House arranged by Mr. Spence July 3, 1988, recalled being admitted =
by a=20
      uniformed Secret Service officer named "Reggie."=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>"Reggie met us at the =
gate, and he=20
      was the one who let us in," one man said in an interview. "There =
was=20
      another guard who was obviously upset by this."</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>The three persons also remembered seeing "Reggie" at various =
parties=20
      given by Mr. Spence at which "Reggie" appeared to be serving as a=20
      bodyguard or security man for the host.=20
      <P>Others said <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Mr. Spence =
used=20
      "Reggie" to arrange other White House tours, including one that =
Mr. Spence=20
      took with a 15-year-old boy, whom he identified as his son=20
      Will.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>That tour, according to former friends and associates of Mr. =
Spence,=20
      occurred June 29, 1988. <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>The =
"son" had=20
      a Southern accent and was actually a male prostitute who provided =
sexual=20
      services for Mr. Spence and several male friends.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>Mr. Cramer, the Secret Service spokesman, declined to answer =
questions=20
      about these tours, too. <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>All =
inquiries=20
      about Mr. Spence's past White House dealings and visits were =
covered by=20
      the gag order imposed by the U.S. Attorney's Office, he =
said.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Evidence concerning Mr. =
Spence -=20
      even information about his past White House connections - is being =
tightly=20
      held by the Secret Service "because it's tied into a criminal =
fraud case=20
      we are investigating."</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>"We're under orders from the U.S. attorney. . . . The U.S. =
attorney has=20
      restricted us from commenting on that case at all, or anything =
peripheral=20
      to it, because of the judicial tie-in," Mr. Cramer said.=20
      <P>Mr. Stephens' office, which first agreed to discuss the =
call-boy ring=20
      investigation with reporters for The Times last week but later in =
the day=20
      declined to do so, did not respond to inquiries yesterday.=20
      <P>The U.S. Attorney's Office to date has said only that it is=20
      investigating "possible credit-card fraud" in connection with =
arrests made=20
      in raids on a house on 34th Place NW, described as the =
headquarters of a=20
      homosexual prostitution ring operating as an escort service.=20
      <P>The Times learned that the FBI is eager to investigate illegal=20
      interstate prostitution activities and other possible federal =
violations=20
      incurred by operators of the homosexual prostitution ring, but =
<SPAN=20
      style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>evidence confiscated by the =
Secret Service=20
      during raids on the house on 34th Place in February and in May is =
not=20
      being shared with the bureau.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>This evidence includes =
information=20
      involving high-level government officials and political =
celebrities who=20
      were clients of the ring.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>Several law enforcement authorities said <SPAN=20
      style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>relations between local and =
federal law=20
      enforcement agencies have been strained by the Secret Service's =
behavior=20
      in the call-boy case.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>The Secret Service - an agency within the Treasury Department =
whose=20
      1,900 special agents and 960 uniformed personnel are charged with=20
      investigating currency counterfeiting and credit-card fraud as =
well as=20
      protecting the president and vice president - is largely dependent =
on the=20
      Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Capitol Police, National Park =
Police,=20
      the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, Mr. Cramer =
acknowledged in an=20
      interview yesterday.=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>For example, when the =
Secret=20
      Service arrests anyone on the White House grounds, the person is =
turned=20
      over to D.C. police for "processing, transportation and lock-up," =
Mr.=20
      Cramer said. He declined to discuss allegations that the Secret =
Service=20
      had "frozen out" the FBI in the call-boy investigation.</B></SPAN> =

      <P>Craig Spence was linked this week to a Japanese politician, =
Motoo=20
      Shiina, a leading member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party =
who is=20
      considered <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>an inside =
favorite to=20
      succeed Prime Minister Sousuke Uno.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>Federal court records in Washington revealed that Mr. Spence =
and Mr.=20
      Shiina engaged in a bitter lawsuit in 1984 over the ownership of a =
house=20
      on Wyoming Avenue NW, valued last year at $1.15 million. <SPAN=20
      style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>The two-story Victorian house in =
which Mr.=20
      Spence later lived, was planted with electronic bugs and video =
recording=20
      equipment that, according to homosexual call boys and others who =
routinely=20
      visited the house, was used to make incriminating tapes to =
blackmail=20
      guests.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>Mr. Spence has told several current and former friends that, =
after=20
      obtaining the money, <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>he =
blackmailed=20
      Mr. Shiina by threatening to reveal that the cash to buy the house =
had=20
      been brought into the country in violation of currency =
regulations. Mr.=20
      Shiina settled the lawsuit out of court after he was ordered to =
answer=20
      questions about the money's origins.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>* Michael Hedges and Jerry Seper contributed to this=20
    report.</P></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P><!--end text-->
<HR>

<P><!--begin text-->
<P>&nbsp;=20
<TABLE width=3D"100%">
  <TBODY>
  <TR>
    <TD vAlign=3Dtop width=3D"50%"><FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc =
size=3D4>
      <CENTER><B>A little outrage for the children? =
</B></CENTER></FONT><FONT=20
      color=3D#000000 size=3D2>
      <CENTER><B>Wesley Pruden The Washington Times; Part A; NATION; =
PRUDEN ON=20
      POLITICS; Pg. A4 August 25, 1989, Friday, Final =
Edition</B></CENTER>
      <P><BR></FONT><FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc =
size=3D4><B>O</B></FONT><FONT=20
      color=3D#000000 size=3D2>.K., you guys over there on 15th Street, =
if you sleep=20
      through this one, too, you ought to go back to Dubuque to sell =
shoes.=20
      <P>&nbsp;=20
      <TABLE cellPadding=3D20 width=3D200 align=3Dleft border=3D0>
        <TBODY>
        <TR>
          <TD>
            <HR>
            <FONT face=3Darial color=3D#3366cc><B>That's the energy and =
curiosity=20
            level of a lot of Washington reporters. They get a press =
flack's lie=20
            and that satisfies them.</B></FONT>=20
            <HR>
          </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>When last we left those wonderful =
folks at The=20
      Post, they were explaining that the way to cover the Great Summer =
Sex=20
      Scandal, starring Craig Spence and a cast of frightened dozens, =
was to=20
      tell their readers that actually there's no story there.=20
      <P>"The Bombshell That Didn't Explode" is the way Eleanor =
Randolph, the=20
      O.P. media critic, described on Aug. 1 the story that everybody in =
town=20
      has been talking about since the story broke here June 29. The =
Wall Street=20
      Journal even did a story about how The Times had got the best of =
The Post.=20

      <P>"Journalists have been left debating whether The Times =
published a=20
      blockbuster or a 'blockbluster,'" she wrote. The second 'l' in=20
      "blockbluster" was supposed to be the equivalent of a nudge and a =
wink=20
      from the classy Miss Randolph.=20
      <P>Leonard Downie Jr., the managing editor at The Post, stroked =
his chin=20
      whiskers, put on his wise-old-owl look, and told her: " . . . we =
[had]=20
      already reported about this raid and we wondered what more there =
was in=20
      this story that we would want to publish." What he didn't say, but =
what=20
      his readers could only conclude, was that he couldn't get anybody =
to find=20
      out. So he just wondered.=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>The usual suspects were =
brought in=20
      to help. Jack Nelson of the Los Angeles Times conceded that his =
newspaper=20
      defers to The Post and The New York Times to decide what's news in =

      Washington, and said he sent reporters out to see whether there =
was a=20
      story and they couldn't find anything.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>Howell Raines of The New =
York=20
      Times seemed, as usual, a bit dazed by it all. He agreed there was =

      "obviously some kind of investigation going on," but danged if he =
could=20
      figure out what it was about.</B></SPAN> He said</P></FONT>
    <TD vAlign=3Dtop width=3D"50%"><FONT size=3D2>he would wait, as =
befits a proper=20
      New York Timesman, to see whether there was anything in the story =
about=20
      "public policy." (He ought to thinka little faster, since he's =
keeping Mr.=20
      Nelson's California readers waiting.)=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>"Other reporters around =
Washington=20
      said they were interested in pursuing the story but decided =
against it=20
      when they checked with the Secret Service and other investigative =
agencies=20
      and were told the raid was relatively routine."</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>Alas, she's probably right. <SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: =
#7fffd4"><B>That's=20
      the energy and curiosity level of a lot of Washington reporters. =
They get=20
      a press flack's lie and that satisfies them.</B></SPAN>=20
      <P>Fortunately for the community, that doesn't satisfy The Times, =
and in=20
      particular it doesn't satisfy Paul Rodriguez and George Archibald, =
the two=20
      reporters whose work is arrayed across the top of Page One this =
morning.=20
      <P>Despite the lady-like grunting and straining by Miss Randolph, =
seeking=20
      to explain why The Post never considered this a story, her editors =
have in=20
      fact tried to keep the story in sight. They ran not once but twice =
a story=20
      on the White House guard's accepting a gold watch from Craig =
Spence.=20
      Despite The Post's disdainful insistence that the story is merely =
about a=20
      commonplace local prostitution ring, its editors devoted 60 inches =
of=20
      newsprint to profile Henry Vinson, the "madame" of the ring. =
Despite=20
      scoffing at the importance of mid-level White House figures, as =
named in=20
      The Times' coverage, they ran a fanciful front-page story, citing =
unnamed=20
      sources (one of whom is said to be John Belushi, interviewed by =
Bob=20
      Woodward at Forest Lawn) about Fawn Hall, a mere secretary at the =
White=20
      House, who was supposed to be snorting coke.=20
      <P>But not to be too hard on Miss Randolph, who was only doing =
what she=20
      was told, and whose heart may not be in the debunking, anyway. Her =

      husband, Peter Pringle, a reporter for the London Independent, has =
written=20
      several stories about the call boy scandal, with none of The =
Post's=20
      pouting skepticism.=20
      <P>Now, with this morning's disclosures, a little domestic harmony =
can=20
      descend on the Pringle/Randolph breakfast table. "The bombshell" =
has=20
      exploded at the seat of Ben Bradlee's pants.=20
      <P><SPAN style=3D"BACKGROUND: #7fffd4"><B>This morning's accounts =
show the=20