Court Paper Names ‘Victims’ in U.S. Charges Against Montoya

A document filed in federal court late Friday fleshes out government charges that Sen. Joseph B. Montoya (D-Whittier), in person and through aides, repeatedly attempted to extort money from lobbyists and individuals who were concerned with bills pending before the Legislature.

The court filing names several “victims” of the alleged extortion attempts for the first time, including former National Football League linebacker David Meggyesy, and ex-Sen. Dennis Carpenter (R-Newport Beach), who has become one of the Capitol’s most influential lobbyists.

Filed by U.S. Atty. David F. Levi, the document gives dates and locations of the alleged extortion attempts and identifies each of the supposed victims.

The document confirms the names of several reported victims who were identified by The Times last May, shortly after Montoya and a former top aide, Amiel A. Jaramillo, were indicted by a federal grand jury on racketeering and extortion charges.

Among those named were actor Ed Asner and one-time sports agent Michael Trope.

Both Montoya and Jaramillo have pleaded innocent to the charges against them. Attempts to reach Montoya and his attorneys for comment Friday were unsuccessful.

Jaramillo said he had not seen the new document and, after a brief comment, referred further questions to his attorney, who could not be reached late Friday.

The latest court filing was ordered by U.S. District Court in response to the defendants’ complaint that the grand jury indictment was so vague that they could not prepare an adequate defense for a trial scheduled to begin Dec. 4.

And in several cases the exact dates of alleged illegal activities are not specified in Levi’s latest filing.

After being read portions of the court-ordered document during a telephone interview, Jaramillo complained about the vagueness of the charges against him. “It (the document) doesn’t help much,” he said.

The new filing charges that Montoya personally attempted to extort money from the National Football Players’ Assn. during a lunch in Sacramento with players’ representative Meggyesy “in the spring of 1986.”

The alleged extortion attempt with Trope “took place over the period of time from February through March, 1986.” Trope, the document said, wrote Montoya a check for $5,000, which the senator reported as a campaign contribution.

Opposite Sides

Trope and Meggyesy were on opposing sides in a battle over a Montoya bill that would have given the state labor commissioner authority to resolve disputes between sports agents and professional athletes, instead of settling them by arbitration.

Montoya is accused of attempting to extort money from representatives of the Allan Co., a Baldwin Park recycling firm that hired ex-Sen. Carpenter as its Sacramento lobbyist. Campaign records show the company gave Montoya a $500 campaign contribution. The prosecution document contends that the extortion took place on or about May 18, 1988, at the Allan Co.’s office and in Sacramento.

The document alleges that Montoya tried to extort money from Asner, then president of the Screen Actors Guild, in May or June of 1985 in the state Capitol, just before a hearing on a bill seeking to extend the life of entertainment contracts to as long as 10 years.

Sources familiar with the investigation have said that Asner angrily refused Montoya’s request for money in exchange for the senator’s vote against the bill, which was opposed by the actors’ union.

Aide Allegedly Used

The document also charges that on Aug. 28, 1985, Montoya, through an aide, Kathleen Somerton, attempted to extort money from the Ruedlinger Cos. and their representative, Douglas Ruedlinger. Ruedlinger apparently had an interest in a bill affecting catastrophic insurance for public schools.

“The demand was made in person, by telephone, and through the mail,” the court document alleges.

It also charges that another Montoya aide, Steve English, acting at Montoya’s direction, demanded payments from lobbyists Gene Livingston and James Mattesich, who represented two Caribbean-based medical schools--Ross University and the American University of the Caribbean.

The extortion attempt took place on March 5, 1985, at the Capitol, according to the document.

In 1985, Montoya carried legislation sponsored by the two medical schools that would have made it easier for graduates of the overseas schools to be licensed in California.

Neither Charged

Neither English nor Somerton has been charged in the federal court action.

The case against Montoya resulted from an elaborate 3 1/2-year federal sting operation in which FBI agents posing as businessmen tried to win support for special-interest bills before the Legislature.

The corruption probe--called Brispec (for Bribery--Special Interest)--was first revealed in August, 1988, when federal agents armed with search warrants raided several Capitol offices, including Montoya’s.

Sources familiar with the investigation have said that other elected officials are likely to be indicted, possibly before the end of the year.