Word: frenkil
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Somehow, though, Frenkil's magic has misfired. Disturbed by reports of his attempts to obtain Government approval of an additional $5,000,000 in garage construction costs, a federal grand jury in Baltimore has spent the past year looking into the contractor's efforts to influence officials on his behalf. Its time has been well spent. Although thwarted in its attempts to indict Frenkil, 63, the grand jury two weeks ago scored a technical knockout in its fight against him and his friends. A judge released a summary of the grand jury's findings. The report named...
Political Persuader. The grand jury's action was as unusual as the case itself. Frenkil filed requests for additional fees from the Government, contending that the soil conditions encountered during construction were different from those described in the bid specifications prepared by the Architect of the Capitol and made construction more difficult than anticipated. When the office of the AOC began rejecting his claims, he took his case to Congress...
...first time he had done so. As a constituent, Frenkil had received the help of Maryland Representatives in an earlier dispute with the AOC. Now, feeling the need for a more powerful political persuader, he turned to Nathan Voloshen, 72, a friend of House Speaker John McCormack, and hired him as counsel for a fee of $28,000. Voloshen, who has pleaded guilty to influence-peddling charges in another case, earned his money. During 1967 and 1968 he met regularly with Frenkil's firm and representatives of the AOC to press Frenkil's claims. Once, according...
...Frenkil tried to apply pressure from other directions as well. His firm performed $45,000 worth of remodeling work on Boggs' Maryland home, charging the Congressman a bargain-basement rate of $21,000 for the job. Frenkil himself successfully solicited the support of former Maryland Senator Daniel Brewster as well as Louisiana's Long. According to the grand jury testimony, Frenkil offered Long and Brewster one-third of whatever he recovered in exchange for their assistance. Long admits that his office interceded with the AOC on Frenkil's behalf, but denies any wrongdoing on his part...
Faulty Plans. His administrative assistant Robert Hunter did, however. "I called over there and asked them to make a decision on Frenkil's claims or let the case go to the General Accounting Office or Court of Claims," Hunter explained. Others claim that he did even more. Mario Campioli, the Assistant AOC, told federal investigators that Hunter called him, told him he had been in the U.S. Corps of Engineers and said that the AOC's plans were faulty. According to the Government case, Hunter also called Pettibone to press for action on Frenkil's claims...