Simpson Agent Took Heisman Without Permission, Aide Says

O.J. Simpson’s agent took Simpson’s Heisman Trophy without permission as collateral for money Simpson owed him and continues to hold on to the Heisman’s name plaque, Simpson’s business manager testified Thursday.

Attorneys for both Simpson and Fred Goldman, father of murder victim Ronald Lyle Goldman, confirmed that Leroy “Skip” Taft gave that testimony during closed-door proceedings examining Simpson’s finances.

Taft said no one knew agent Mike Gilbert had taken the trophy until Taft called Gilbert and asked if he had it, a Goldman lawyer told reporters.

Taft “took a shot in the dark one day and happened to call Mr. Gilbert to find out where the Heisman was,” said Goldman attorney Peter Csato. “Lo and behold, his guess was right, because Mr. Gilbert had the Heisman.”

Attempts to reach Gilbert were unsuccessful.

Attorneys for Goldman are probing Simpson’s wealth in attempts to collect their client’s part of a $33.5-million civil judgment against the former football great.

Goldman’s lawyers also said Thursday that the Internal Revenue Service is auditing Simpson’s 1994 and 1995 returns--filed when the Hall of Famer was fighting the civil and criminal charges against him--and wants hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes from Simpson.

Simpson’s attorney Ronald P. Slates confirmed that the IRS is demanding $600,000 to $700,000 from his client, although he said he is not clear about the specific nature of the agency’s claims.

The Heisman Trophy--minus the plaque, which was made all the more famous because of a misspelled word--was mysteriously turned over to sheriff’s deputies at the Beverly Hills courthouse last week by an employee of attorney Ira Friedman, who represents Nicole Brown Simpson’s estate.

Along with dozens of other Simpson belongings, the trophy is being held by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department pending an auction. The proceeds of that sale will be used to satisfy the judgment against Simpson.

A Santa Monica jury imposed the judgment earlier this year when it found Simpson liable for the June 12, 1994, deaths of Ronald Goldman and Nicole Simpson, Simpson’s ex-wife. A criminal court jury had previously acquitted Simpson of murder charges.

Taft said the Heisman was not reported stolen, although neither he nor Simpson had given anyone permission to take it, attorney Csato said.

Csato added that he has not been given any documents supporting the notion that Simpson owed Gilbert money.

“This testimony was that Mr. Gilbert took the Heisman without Mr. Simpson’s permission without telling him that he took it out of his house,” Csato said. “If you believe that, you believe in fairy tales.”

Simpson, who was not in court Thursday, is expected to appear for a third day of questioning about his finances today.

The valuable misspelling on the plaque for Simpson’s 1968 Heisman, which he earned while playing at USC, is the engraved word “atletic” rather than “athletic.”

Fred Goldman told reporters that he did not want the trophy, valued at $400,000, for its monetary value.

“I’d like to have it so I could pound the daylights out of it with a sledgehammer,” he said.

Also on Thursday, even as a bank scheduled an auction of Simpson’s Rockingham Avenue estate for mid-July, another place made famous by the sensational case appeared subject to sale.

Mezzaluna restaurant, the Brentwood crossroads for waiter Ronald Goldman and diner Nicole Simpson on the night the two were slain, has been locked since last week and is believed to be closed, neighbors said.

In spite of a flurry of business after the 1994 killings--which made the eatery a must-see stop for seemingly every visitor to Los Angeles--the restaurant began closing for lunch on the third anniversary of the slayings earlier this month.

Last Friday, one Brentwood resident said, it also appeared to be closed for dinner.

The restaurant’s owner did not return phone calls to his Beverly Hills home to confirm whether the restaurant is shuttered for good.

But Jeff Hall, editor of the monthly Brentwood News, said he received a call earlier this week from an auction company hoping to place an ad for the restaurant’s sale July 1.

“Mezzaluna has been on a roller-coaster ride for the past couple years,” said Hall, a frequent diner. “I think they finally threw up their hands and just bailed.”

One nearby shop owner said she saw employees in the building Friday at what appeared to be a party, but no diners.

“Business was not great beforehand, but after the murder they were the best place in town,” said the merchant, who asked that her name not be used. “Everyone wanted to be there--particularly out-of-towners, which kept the locals away.

“That, of course, has dwindled since everything has been resolved.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.