SUMMARY OF CIA CONTACTS WITH RONALD REWALD

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Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1
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RIPPUB
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K
Document Page Count: 
76
Document Creation Date: 
December 22, 2016
Document Release Date: 
July 29, 2010
Sequence Number: 
14
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
October 6, 1983
Content Type: 
REPORT
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 11 12 13 14 15 knowingly attempt to evade and defeat a large part of the income tax due and owing by him and his wife to the United States of America for the calendar year 1980, by preparing and causing to be prepared, by signing and causing to be signed, and by mailing and causing to be mailed, in the District of Hawaii, a false and fraudulent income tax return on behalf of himself and his said wife, which was filed with the Internal Revenue Service, wherein it was stated that their taxable income for said calendar year was the sum of $0.00, and that the amount of tax due and owing thereon was the sum of $0.00, whereas, as he then and there well knew, their joint taxable income for the said calendar year was the sum x?---- $414,160.85, upon which said taxable income there was owing to the United States of America an income tax of $209,407.98. (All in violation of Section 7201, Internal Revenue Code; Title 26, United States Code, Section 7201.) COUNT 99 THE GRAND JURY FURTHER CHARGES: That during the calendar year 1981, the defendant RONALD REWALD, a resident of Hawaii, had and received a taxable income of about $621,112.20; that upon said taxable income he owed to the United States of America income tax of $401,107.01; that he was required by law on or before April 15, 1982, to make an income tax return to the Internal Revenue Service, and to pay such income tax; that well knowing the foregoing facts, the said RONALD REWALD on or about April 15, 1982, in the District of Hawaii did willfully and knowingly attempt to evade and defeat the said income tax due and owing by RONALD REWALD to the United States of America for said S'7 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 1 calendar year by failing to make such income tax return to the said 2 Internal Revenue Service, and by failing to pay to said Internal 3 Revenue Service, said income tax and by: 5 Service; (a) Making false statements to the Internal Revenue (b) Causing and attempting to cause the concealment of 7 files and records of BBRD&W; and 8 (c) Causing and attempting to cause false entries to be 9 made on checks and other records of BBRD&W. 10 (All in violation of Section 7201, Internal Revenue Code; 11 Title 26, United States Code, Section 7201.) 12 COUNT 100 13 THE GRAND JURY FURTHER CHARGES: 14 That on or about April 13, 1983, in the District of 15 Hawaii, the defendant RONALD REWALD, a resident of Hawaii, did 16 willfully and knowingly make and subscribe an Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U. S. Individual Income Tax 17 18 Return, Form 4868, for the calendar year 1982, which was verified 19 by a written declaration that it was made under the penalties of 20 perjury and was filed with the Internal Revenue Service, which said 21 Application for Automatic Extension he did not believe to be true 22 and correct as to every material matter in that the said 23 Application for Automatic Extension reported a total income tax 24 liability for 1982 of $37,479.00, whereas he then and there 25 26 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 1 well knew and believed, his total income tax liability for 1982 was 2 substantially in excess of $37,479.00. 3 (All in violation of Section 7206(1), Internal Revenue 4 Code; Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(1).) Z~'- DATED: Honolulu, Hawaii, ,'t (-~' 0 , 1984. FOREPERSON, GRAND JURY unlLu )Lares t1LLVrney District of Hawaii Special Assistant 18 United States Attorney 20 ,,.. U. S. Department of7ustice 23 24 J ETNESS 25 Special Attorney U. S. Department of Justice 26 59 '" ' Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 U.S. Department of Justice United States Attorney District of Hawaii Room C?242. United States Courthouse 300 Ala Moana Blvd.. Box 50183 Honolulu, Hawaii 96850 August 30, 1984 PRESS RELEASE A Federal Grand Jury sitting in Honolulu has today returned a second indictment arising out of an investigation of the activities of the firm of Bishop, Baldwin, Rewald, Dillingham and Wong, its officers, directors, employees, and consultants. Dan Bent, United States Attorney for the District of - Hawaii, said that the indictment charges Ronald Rewald with 100 counts of mail fraud, securities fraud, making false statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Internal Revenue Service, perjury, falsely advertising Bishop, Baldwin accounts were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, failure to keep records prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, interstate transportation of stolen securities or money, and violations of the federal income tax laws including tax evasion. Mr. Bent said that the indictment charges that Rewald was Chairman of the Board, Vice-President, and Treasurer and 50 percent shareholder of Bishop, Baldwin, Rewald, Dillingham and Wong from its incorporation on October 11, 1978 until its collapse in August of 1983. In its 59-page indictment the Grand Jury charged that over a period of almost Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 five years, Bishop, Baldwin engaged in a scheme to defraud investors and succeeded in obtaining approximately $22 million from over 400 investors in Hawaii, California, and elsewhere in the United States. In connection with the scheme to defraud the Indictment charges that Mr. Rewald made the following misrepresentations concerning Bishop, Baldwin, Rewald, Dillingham and Wong: 1. That the firm had been in Hawaii for 20 years and.that predecessor firms went back 65 years; 2. That the firm had global influence; 3. That the firm could not accommodate 90 percent of those who applied to be clients; 4. That the firm had a two-year waiting list of potential clients and investors; 5. That the firm dealt in "secured, safe, non-risk investments"; 6. That the investment savings accounts had returned an average of 26 percent per year for the previous 20 years; 7. That the investment savings accounts were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The Indictment further charged that Mr. Rewald omitted to inform investors and potential investors of the following: -2- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 1. That Ronald Rewald had been charged and plead guilty in the State of Wisconsin with a petty theft offense involving franchises in 1976; 2. That Ronald Rewald had been adjudicated bankrupt in Wisconsin in 1976 and that of approximately $22,000,000 taken in by the firm only approximately $600,000 was ever invested. The Indictment further charges that Ronald Rewald spent approximately $5,500,000 of investor money for his own personal benefit. The Grand Jury charges that among the items which Mr. Rewald purchased with investor money were: 1. "Social and sexual intercourse" with women at a cost of $270,000. 2. Expenses totalling $256,000 in connection with the support of polo. 3. Expenses totalling $264,000 in connection with the purchase and care of horses. 4. Expenses totalling $719,000 in connection with the purchase of various residences. 5. Expenses totalling $784,000 in connection with the purchase and lease of "ranches". 6. Expenses for the purchase of automobiles totalling $467,000. 7. Expenses diverted from Bishop, Baldwin to sporting goods companies owned by Ronald Rewald totalled $669,000. Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 The Grand Jury further charges that Ronald Rewald committed perjury when he stated under oath and in a declaration that the Central Intelligence Agency had directed the founding of Bishop, Baldwin, Rewald, Dillingham and Wong and had directed Mr. Rewald to make various misrepresentations concerning that firm. The Grand Jury also charged Mr. Rewald with perjury in connection with his statements under oath that the CIA directed Mr. Rewald to misrepresent that BBRD&W investments were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, that the CIA had supplied Mr. Rewald with college and law degrees from Marquette University and that the CIA had supplied money to BBRD&W which permitted the firm to give investors a high rate of return. Further the Grand Jury charged Ronald Rewald with evading income tax. The indictment charged that he evaded tax on personal income for the following years in the following amounts: Year Tax Evaded Personal Income on Which T ax was Evaded 1979 $ 21,536.80 $111,790 1980 $209,407.98 $414,160 1981 $401,107.01 $621,112 If convicted Ronald Rewald faces a term of imprison- ment exceeding his natural life and fines exceeding $500,000. Mr. Bent commended the extraordinary efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Service in connection with this extremely complex and time- consuming investigation which has required interviewing hundreds of witnesses and examining hundreds of thousands of financial, bank and other records. Mr. Bent also commended the assistance of John F. Peyton, Jr., Assistant United States Attorney, Theodore S. Greenberg, Special Assistant United States Attorney, David L. Katz, and Jeffrey B. Setness, Special Attorneys, U.S. Department of Justice, for their work on this case. Mr. Bent stated that the investigation by several federal law enforcement agencies is continuing. Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT 19 September 1984 INVESTIGATION/ JENNINGS: We have a fascinating story tonight which CIA involves 22 million missing dollars, a host of investors who lost their money, a man who's accused of swindling them and the CIA. Last July in Hawaii, an investment banker named Ronald Rewald was charged with what investigators said then was a classic scam, hundreds of investors putting millions of dollars into a phony investment plan. At the time, most people concentrated on the people who had lost their money. There is a good deal more to the story. ABC News has been investigating, and now Gary Shepard reports on Ronald Rewald and the CIA SHEPARD: It was just over a year ago that Ronald Rewald was arrested in Honolulu and thrown in jail, accused of swindling 400 investors out of $22 million. His investment firm, Bishop, Baldwin, Rewald, Dillingham and Wong, was declared bankrupt. But then the story took a strange twist. Rewald claims he was really working for the Central Intelligence Agency. RONALD\REWALD: I certainly don't deny the fact that I was a covert agent, and I don't deny the fact that I was running that portion of Bishop, Baldwin that involved the agency. SHEPARD: The CIA won't say whether Rewald was an agent, but admits it had, quote, 'slight involvement' with the Bishop, Baldwin Company. The man appointed by the court as the firm's bankruptcy trustee confirms the CIA connection. THOMAS\HAYES (bankruptcy trustee): Clearly it was a commercial cover operation for the Central -Intelligence Agency. One or more agents used it for that purpose. But that doesn't justify stealing $22 million of someone's money. SHEPARD: But Rewald denies the money is missing at all. He says it's in several different banks under other names. And as far as slight CIA involvement is concerned, ABC News has learned the agency was heavily entrenched in Bishop, Baldwin, running a number of foreign and domestic intelligence operations, one of which violated an international agreement, others in direct violation of U.S. law. ROBERT\JINKS: I saw personally some documentation of undercover operations that were being carried on under the covers established by Bishop, Baldwin. SHEPARD: For the CIA? JINKS: For the CIA. SHEHARD: In a sworn deposition, Bishop, Baldwin consultant Robert Jinks says he too was a CIA agent. He once went to Hong Kong with Rewald, he says, on a clandestine mission. It's purpose to spread scare stories Contirwed Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 about the financial impact of China taking over when Britain's lease runs out in 1997. The firm even released a lengthy report which encouraged investors to move their money elsewhere. (GRAPHIC: Report titled Capital Flight from Hong Kong and How Hawaii Can Benefit.) REWALD: Certainly we were doing our part just like everyone else was to keep that money flowing towards the United States as opposed to Europe or some other country. SHEPARD: To fuel the panic in Hong Kong? REWALD: That's right. SHEPARD: Bishop, Baldwin was also involved in arranging secret shipments of military hardware to countries like Syria,.India and Taiwan. 'Another agent, Russell Kim, in a sworn statement, says the Taiwan deal involved such items as laser sighting devices for M-16 rifles, armored personnel carriers and M-60 tanks. This multimillion dollar back door deal enabled the CIA on behalf of the U.S. government to circumvent its agreement with mainland China not to supply certain offensive weapons to Taiwan. REWALD: I don't think any of us really doubted that we owe an obligation to Taiwan, that we willing to support them on an ongoing basis; however, that's not something that could be overtly. SHEPARD: Among the 400 investors in Rewald's firm were Gen. Arnold Braswell, commander of the entire U.S. Air Force in the Pacific, and to former CIA station chiefs in Honolulu. This man, Jack *Kinceny, was one of them. Both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Internal Revenue Service have filed charges against Rewald. But an earlier confidential SEC report obtained by ABC News shows the SEC found no violations in the firm's investment activities, and evidence from several sources confirms the CIA was able to stop an initial IRS investigation. One of Rewald's lawyers, Melvin Belli, says the CIA is involved in a massive coverup. MELVIN\BELLI: They said, number one, 'He's not a CIA man, and it's not a CIA operation.' On the other hand, they got through telling me one thing. Then they tell me, 'Someday he's going to have to pay for this. You know, he took a loyalty oath when he joined the CIA.' SHEPARD: The House Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee is now scrutinizing Bishop, Baldwin and its CIA connection. ABC News has learned the CIA has admitted to the subcommittee Rewald was an agent with a signed secrecy agreement. Even so, he's been indicted by a federal grand jury on 100 counts of fraud, tax evasion and perjury. Gary Shepard, ABC News, New York. JENNINGS: There is even more to this story, and we'll continue telling it tomorrow. 2 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 In just a moment: an ABC News invosti ;at ion: did the CIA try to kill P. particular investment ban'.:er? APO9 INVESTIGATIONT/ JENNIi~GS: Last night we began to tell you the fascinating CIA story of a man named Ronald E:ewald. lIe was an investment banker in Hawaii who now faces charges of swindling his investors out of $22 million. Well, Rewald says the money isn't missing and that he was working for the CIA. La--t night we reported on established links between the CIA and Rewald's firm. Tonight Gary Shepard continues our investigation of the CIA connection. 5UEPARD: Did the Central Intelligence Agency try to have Ronald Rewald killed to keep him from talking? RONAi,D\REWALD: At first I didn't believe it. I thought it was total nonsense, and it took a lot of convincing and a lot of evidence and a lot of the facts to be checked out before I recognized that it was, in fact, what was going on. SHEPARD: Rewald has been indicted by a federal grand jury on 100 counts of fraud, perjury and tax evasion in connection with the bankruptcy of his Honolulu investment company. He claims, and ABC Mews has evidence, he was a covert agent for the CIA and his firm, Bishop, Baldwin, Rewald, Dillingham and Wong, was a front for a major CIA intelligence operation. It was last November, while Rewald was in jail in Honolulu, that this man, Scott Barnes, who sources say has extensive intelligence background, got a job at this sane prison as a guard for one month. Barnes says he was sent in by the CIA. SCOTT\BARNES To do a profile on Ron, find out who he's talking to, what he is saying and do a psychological makeup on him and see what his mental, emotional status was. SHEPARD: Then one day Barnes says he was called to a meeting at this hotel with. this CIA contact. 3ARNES: Then all of a sudden we're sitting down at the Royal Hawaii and he says 'We've got to take him out.' You knew, kill him. SHEPARD: Did they tell you why they wanted you to get rid of him? BARNES: That he was a company problem and he obviously knew some things in regards to national security and, you know, he was no longer an asset, he's now a liability. SHEPARD: Barnes says he quit the assignment and left Hawaii. Brent Carruth, a defense attorney in another CIA case, says that story doesn't surprise him at all. He recalls a threatening conversation he had with one of the government lawyers who are prosecuting Rewald. APC ''or lei N is Tonight 009/2,0/34 & Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 uncertain terms, that they would take, they would take any step; that were neces:;ary to protect a particular agent and that they were going to cover people. And once that was done, then they were going to go after Ron Rewald, not before. yuu?ru speaxing oT is wnom-. --t--CARP,U'Tif : Central Intelligence Agency. SHEPARD: The CIA denies it ever tried to kill Rewald and refuses to say whether it tried to buy off any of the 400 investors in Rewald's company, investors who lost $22 million. A number of them have filed lawsuits against the CIA to recover their missing money. Ted Frigard, who lost $287,000 is one of them. He says the government offered him a payoff if he'd drop his lawsuit against the agency. TED\cRIGARD (investor): Their offer was that they would pay me $350,000 in triple A, unregistered, municipal bonds. And then as we got up to leave, the man said, 'You know, if you become too big of a pain in the arse,' he said, 'they will Shoot you through the heart. They will report it as a heart attack. Your body will be cremated by mistake and all that will be left will be the coroner's report that you had a heart attack.' SHEPARD: Frigard says the CIA never came through with the money and he's still suing. 'Why so much agency concern with the Bishop, Baldwin story getting out? ABC News has learned that Rewald's company provided the cover for some of the CIA's most sensitive and potentially embarrassing operations. Not only was Bishop, Baldwin involved in selling arms to Taiwan, India and Syria and promoting financial panic in Hong Kong, it was also fueling capital flight from two allies, Greece and the Philippines, countries with destabilized economies, in exchange for intelligence information. And, according to Ron Rewald, the agency was conducting illegal domestic operations, spying on foreign students on college campuses and planting domestic propaganda. But despite his CIA connection, Rewald still faces 100 federal criminal charges. His trial is scheduled to begin on Nov. 7. Gary Shepard, ABC News, New York. JENNINGS: We'll be back in just a moment. AP10 LEBANON/U.S. JENNINGS: Since this broadcast begin, we have learned the EMBASSY ATTACK identity of the second American killed today. He has been 4 identified as Navy Petty Officer Michael Ray *Wagoner of Zebulon, N.C. And as we said at the beginning, the other American death in Beirut was Army Chief Warrant Officer Kenneth *Welch of Grand Rapids, Mich. At least six Lebanese civilians have also died and at least 18 other Americans are among the 70 injured. That is our report on MEDIASCA`! - ABC World News Tonight 09/20/84 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 26 September ABC News: Last week on this broadcast we told you the story of a man named Ronald Rewald and about his undercover work for the CIA. During our investigation of the CIA connection, one man that we identified as working for the Agency said he was asked by his CIA contact to kill Rewald. The Agency denied any such thing and repeated requests by ABC News for more comment on what we knew about the Rewald story were denied. Well, the CIA has now made a public statement and it says, in part, that we, ABC News, wrongly accused the Agency of attempted assassination and other improper practices. Our report, says the CIA, contained false and distorted statements. We stand by the story and the investigation continues. Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY PUBLIC AFFAIRS Phone: (703) 351-7676 David W. Burke, Vice President and Assistant to the President ABC News 7 West 66th Street, 4th Floor New York, NY 10023 Dear Mr. Burke: 26 September 1984 Mr. Sporkin and I appreciate you and your colleagues seeing us last Monday. I do not need to repeat how dismayed we are with the two-part series on Hawaiian businessman Ronald Rewald and the false and distorted accusations contained in the report. As Mr. Sporkin and I said, we fully favor ABC's undertaking a complete and thorough investigation of the accuracy of the series and the circumstances surrounding its production. We intend to continue to follow the inquiry closely and look forward to receiving your findings and learning about the remedial action you intend to take. Since the investigation apparently will take some time for ABC to complete, we advised you at our meeting that we consider it imperative that a statement be issued promptly giving the CIA's views on the totally misleading nature of the report and the irresponsible investigative work. We provided you with a statement which we hoped ABC would broadcast to present our views. We were disappointed to learn the day following our meeting that ABC declined to issue our statement and offered instead to use a softened version tied to ABC's defense of its original report. This, of course, in CIA's view compounds the harm and unfairness we already have suffered. As we explained to you, the most outrageous and disturbing of the numerous false statements in the report is the allegation that CIA participated in a plan to "kill" Ronald Rewald. We are shocked that you would accuse the CIA of an activity that is expressly prohibited by law and that you do so on the basis of unverified statements by a source who has been discredited by a number of news organizations, including your own. We believe ABC has been professionally irresponsible and has maliciously libeled the CIA and its employees. Your refusal to retract any of these unfounded accusations or even to broadcast our statement presenting the Agency's position on the broadcast leaves us no alternative in the interest of the CIA and its employees but to pursue other avenues of redress. Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 David W. Burke, Vice President and Assistant to the President So that the record in this matter can be complete, we have enclosed another copy of the statement Mr. Sporkin and I left with you. We are certain that our position will be borne out by a careful investigation of the matter. We again ask that ABC retract its report and that it take all other remedial action necessary to repair the ham done to this Agency and its employees. Sincerely, Georg Varick Lauder Director of Public Affairs Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP87M00539R001903000014-1 We regret that ABC has chosen to air a series of reports wrongly accusing the CIA of engaging in an attempted assassina- tion and other improper practices. These accusations were made by certain persons interviewed in connection with ABC's series on Ronald Rewald, a Honolulu businessman now awaiting trial under a 100-count federal criminal indictment. The ABC report contains false and distorted statements which one-local Honolulu newspaper following the case closely has refused to print because of a lack of any substantiation. The Agency obviously is constrained from responding to the series because the) case is in, litigation. CIA believes, however, that it is important the public know that the report issued by ABC is an example of irresponsible journalism. The report contains unsubstantiated assertions, facts that have not been fully investigated and conclusions that ignore relevant court documents. The ABC report does a great disservice to the many dedicated men and women who work selflessly without seeking the recognition that is duly theirs in protecting this Nation's security. We ask that the network retract its report ;and conduct a thorough and impartial investigation to determine who is responsible for the report and what corrective measures must be taken.to prevent a recurrence. 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