County Prosecutors Request Moorpark City Hall Documents : Inquiry: Meeting minutes are sought in continuing probe of financial transactions involving Councilman Scott Montgomery.

County prosecutors requested more documents from the city of Moorpark on Wednesday as part of a continuing investigation of financial transactions involving City Councilman Scott Montgomery, The Times has learned.

Glen Kitzman, an investigator with the district attorney’s political corruption unit, was at Moorpark City Hall on Wednesday afternoon copying minutes from all City Council meetings in March and April, Moorpark Assistant City Manager Richard Hare said.

At meetings in March and April, the council voted on issues related to trash contracts the city has with G. I. Industries, the east county’s largest rubbish hauler.

Earlier this month, The Times reported that county prosecutors were investigating whether a $3,500 loan was paid to Montgomery in 1993 by Manuel Asadurian Sr., a top official with G. I. Industries.

Investigators have also obtained documents related to a $12,000 payment made to Montgomery for a computer he sold the previous year to a company that had been a subsidiary of the firm.

County prosecutors would not comment on the matter, but Montgomery’s attorney confirmed earlier this month that investigators from the district attorney’s office had questioned his client about the two payments.

The $3,500 was not a loan or any other type of payment from G. I. Industries, according to Montgomery. He produced copies of a check and an invoice, which he said show that the money was actually a payment for a computer sold by Montgomery to another company, G. I. Sweeping, which cleans parking lots and airports. G. I. Sweeping is owned by Asadurian.

The $12,000 payment was also for computer equipment that Montgomery said he sold in 1992 to G. I. Equipment Leasing, which was a subsidiary of G. I. Industries until that same year. The company is now run by Asadurian’s son, Manuel Asadurian Jr., and leases trash trucks to G. I. Industries.

Neither sum was reported by Montgomery on campaign financial disclosure statements, but Montgomery has said that was not a violation of state law because the parties involved did not do business in Moorpark.

In an interview earlier this month, Dan Schmidt, Montgomery’s attorney, called the probe politically motivated.

*

Schmidt said the investigation began in the heat of last year’s race for county supervisor, after Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury endorsed Judy Mikels--Montgomery’s victorious opponent in the 4th District.

“It’s simply the district attorney’s office muscling into local affairs, trying to intimidate a candidate that they opposed in the previous election,” Schmidt said.

Although Montgomery has repeatedly denied accepting any loan, Kip Mali, an attorney overseeing G. I. Industries’ reorganization in federal bankruptcy court, said bankruptcy trustees had obtained letters indicating that the $3,500 was a personal loan from Manuel Asadurian Sr. to Montgomery.

Asadurian has refused to comment on the controversy.

The records obtained by the district attorney’s investigators Wednesday included copies of minutes from a meeting in March, during which Montgomery stepped down from a city committee negotiating a new trash contract with G. I. Industries.

*

The records also include copies of minutes from a meeting on April 19, during which Montgomery and the rest of the council voted to exclude outside bidders and continue its exclusive negotiations witI. Industries to renew its trash-hauling contract with the city.

Browning Ferris Industries, the nation’s second-largest trash hauler, had requested that the city allow it to bid on the contracts that expire in July.

But after a series of workers and officials from G. I. Industries spoke at the meeting, the council decided to continue its closed-door negotiations with G. I. Industries.

Although he did not speak at the meeting, Manuel Asadurian Sr. was present and said afterward that he was glad the council was sticking by the negotiations with G. I. Industries.

A founder of the company, Asadurian was chief executive officer for G. I. Industries until 1993, and continues to work as a paid consultant. He also serves on the company’s five-man board of directors.

*

The probe into Montgomery’s financial dealings with Asadurian was disclosed earlier this month. The district attorney’s office has been interviewing trash company officials and requesting campaign records from Moorpark officials in an investigation that began more than six months ago.

Among the records the prosecutors have requested:

* Campaign records of all five members of the Moorpark City Council--including contributions under $100--during the past two city elections.

* Lists of all contributions--including those under $100--to Montgomery’s unsuccessful campaign last year for supervisor.