Consultant Allegedly Raised Funds for Lawmaker’s Projects

Conversations that were secretly taped as part of the government’s investigation of Pentagon contracting show a defense consultant raising money for projects of a powerful Florida congressman, according to a report broadcast Tuesday.

NBC News said it had obtained transcripts of federal wiretaps of Charles F. Gardner, a former executive of Unisys Corp. now working as a consultant for defense contractors.

Gardner organized a charity golf tournament in the district of Rep. Bill Chappell Jr. (D-Fla.), chairman of the House defense appropriations subcommittee, that raised nearly $100,000 from defense contractors, NBC said.

FBI Probes Tournament

The FBI is investigating the tournament, which was held this spring to raise funds for Daytona Beach Community College, the report said.

It is not clear if Chappell acted illegally, but it was clear that he knew Gardner was asking the defense contractors to contribute to the tournament, the report said.

“You’re selling four tickets for each hole?” the transcript quotes Chappell as saying.

“No. We’re selling one ticket for each hole and that admits four people . . . “ Gardner replied. “That way, it is not a donation, it’s an admissions fee.”

On the tapes, Westinghouse executive Milton Borkowski, asked to give $5,000 to the golf tournament, complained to Gardner that “this kind of stuff is out of control . . . all this money that goes to charities.”

Gardner noted that Westinghouse helps make the $9-billion Aegis ship radar system and said it needs Chappell’s support. “Put it in, and we get the $100 million and get the . . . program going,” he said.

In the end, Westinghouse gave $5,000, as did 18 other defense contractors, NBC reported.

Calls by the Associated Press to Chappell’s offices in Daytona Beach and Washington went unanswered Tuesday night.

Refuses to Be Interviewed

Chappell refused to grant an interview with NBC News when told about the contents of the report, NBC correspondent Fred Francis said.

The wiretapped conversations disclose also that consultants knew the Navy considered a $178-million system of electronic equipment called CORTS, or Coherent Receive Transmit System, “useless and obsolete.”

But Gardner was recorded as saying, “We are going to rely on Chappell not to give an inch to the Navy.” Later, another consultant is quoted as telling Gardner that Chappell “dug his heels in” and backed the system.

Executives of Unisys, which makes CORTS, made $20,000 in political contributions to Chappell in the last four years. He insists it did not influence his actions, NBC said.