Chapter 83: One Of The Best Hires I’ve Made

June 17, 1997, Chicago, Illinois

“Good afternoon, Agent Cavanaugh, Agent Johnson,” Melanie said. “As we agreed, Mr. Adams is represented by me for any personal issues, and by his corporate counsel, Ms. Deborah Rice, for anything related to any of his business activities. She also represents NIKA Consulting, which is party to one of the immunity agreements. Also, as we agreed, there will be no recording of this session in any way, nor will any devices such as a ‘voice stress’ analyzer be used. My client fully asserts his rights under the Fifth Amendment not to answer questions which might incriminate him.”

“Good afternoon, Ms. Spencer,” Agent Cavanaugh replied. “I will remind you that the immunity agreements require complete cooperation, and do not allow for assertion of Fifth Amendment rights for any issues they cover. In addition, I want to remind you, and Mr. Adams, that willfully or knowingly falsifying, concealing, or covering up any crime, or making any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements, in this situation, is a felony.”

“The idea that the government, its agents, and politicians can lie to the people with impunity, but can pass laws against the people lying to them is morally bankrupt,” I replied.

Melanie shot me a stern look but I just smiled in reply.

“Your political opinions aside, that is the law and we will enforce it.”

“Ask your questions, Agent Cavanaugh,” I replied.

“Tell us about your relationship with Lisa Glass.”

“Agent Cavanaugh,” Melanie said quickly. “We discussed these open-ended questions. If you have specific questions, ask them. If you want to ask open-ended questions, we’ll only respond to written questions with written answers, in the form of an affidavit. And you know very well that the Court will force you to accept that. Do not test me on this.”

Agent Cavanaugh gave her a dirty look, but began asking more limited questions.

“Were you in a romantic relationship with Lisa Glass at any point?”

“Never.”

“You were just friends?”

“Not even that,” I replied. “We were acquaintances and had a business relationship through her father.”

“Then why would you visit her in prison?”

“Because her father, who is a friend, asked me to go with him. He told me Lisa wanted to apologize for the problems she had caused me.”

“Because of your romantic relationship with her?”

“Agent Cavanaugh,” Melanie interrupted, “my client has already denied having such a relationship. Are you accusing him of lying?”

“Not at this time.”

“Not good enough, Agent Cavanaugh. Do you believe he is lying about his relationship with Lisa Glass?”

“We believe it’s likely.”

“Then this interview is over. I will not allow you to ask questions purely designed to trap my client or attempt to cause him to misstate something, or give a slightly different answer which has the same meaning, but which you will twist into charges. I’d like to see your Agent in Charge right now.”

“I’m not sure he’s available.”

“Then I’ll call the US Attorney,” Melanie said, taking out her cell phone.

“That won’t be necessary, Ms. Spencer,” Agent Johnson said. “Billie, play this straight. There is nothing to suggest he had a relationship with Ms. Glass beyond what he’s said.”

She glared at Agent Johnson, then continued.

“Why did Ms. Glass want to apologize?”

“I have no idea. I assumed she felt remorse for messing up my relationship with Samantha Spurgeon.”

“Which is when you successfully interfered in Lisa’s romantic relationship, causing her fiancé to call off the wedding?”

“You have it backwards, Agent Cavanaugh. Lisa interfered in my relationship with Samantha. All I did was tell John Lentz that Lisa was lying about me to Samantha, and that Lisa had been cheating on him. And that she had tried to cheat on him with me, but I rejected her attempts.”

“What was your relationship with Samantha Spurgeon?”

Melanie looked like she was going to stop me because of the open-ended question, but I waved her off and answered.

“We were friends and developing a mentoring relationship. She and her parents had a very rocky relationship, and she asked to move in with my family so she could attend a different private Catholic school. Her father signed the necessary papers to allow that to happen.”

“This was before he was arrested?”

“Obviously.”

“Did she move in before or after the incident with Lisa Glass?”

“After. She was living at her home at the time, and flew to Monaco with her parents the next day.”

“Have you ever been to Monaco?”

“No.”

“How did you become aware of Ms. Glass’ relationship with Noel Spurgeon?”

“Samantha told me the night her dad was arrested.”

“You were at the Spurgeon residence when that occurred, right?”

“Yes. Samantha’s parents asked us to come to dinner to celebrate her eighteenth birthday.”

“Were you aware, before they served the warrants, that Ms. Spurgeon had been in contact with the Cook County Sheriff or the Glencoe Police Department?”

“No.”

“Were you aware that Noel Spurgeon was sexually assaulting teenage girls?”

“I had no direct knowledge, but things Samantha had said gave me the impression.”

“And were you aware of the videotapes?”

“No. Samantha told me about those that evening as well, after she had contacted the police. In fact, she told me after her father had been arrested and all the evidence removed from the house.”

“Were you friends with Noel Spurgeon?”

“I wouldn’t say so.”

“But he let you take his daughter into your home?”

“Samantha asked for that, and as he usually did, he granted her request. I guess I’d say he trusted me and my wife, Doctor Jessica Adams, a renowned trauma surgeon, to provide good role models for her. While she was living with us, she met Lieutenant Brian Frost, whom she married a few years later.”

“Why were you listed as one of the only people allowed to talk with Noel Spurgeon at her wedding?”

“Because everyone knew that the government trusted me,” I replied smugly. “And rightly so.”

“And what did you discuss?”

“His daughter’s wedding. That’s also when he asked me to come visit him at Big Muddy.”

“And why would you do that?”

“Because I care deeply about Samantha and her happiness, and I knew that despite all her dad’s flaws, she loved him. I’m still her mentor, and felt it was my responsibility to her to visit him.”

“And what was discussed?”

“All of that is in the detailed statements and records I gave to Agents O’Toole and Stone.”

“I’d like you to go over it again.”

Of COURSE she would! I was sure, now, that this entire exercise was designed to be able to charge me with ‘making a false statement’, because I knew they had nothing else on me. The claims of conspiracy were simply a vehicle to try to get me to say something, anything, which they could use to charge me.

“Melanie, may I have my copy of my statement, please,” I grinned.

Agent Cavanaugh frowned and I saw just a hint of a smile on Agent Johnson’s face.

Melanie smiled and nodded, and then took a slim folder from her bag. She slid it over to me. I opened it, quickly scanned it, then answered.

“He greeted me, we asked about each other’s health, he told me how happy he was to have been released for Samantha’s wedding, and complained about not being able to speak to Brian, Samantha’s husband, and lamented having not even seen him before the wedding ceremony. We discussed that Brian doesn’t like him, and the conditions of his incarceration.

“We briefly discussed how he knew about Lisa’s deal with the government, and he said that not all of his friends had abandoned him. I asked about the videotapes, and he said they were trophies. Then he asked me to meet with Murray Matheson, and once I’d done that, to come see him again. I replied it was a long trip, and he said he was sure I’d do it.”

“How do you know Murray Matheson?”

“He was a currency trader who worked for Spurgeon Capital. I met him through Samantha, along with quite a few other people at Spurgeon, because they provide financing for my business, as well as handle my investment accounts.”

“Including foreign currency?”

“No. I’ve made no personal currency transactions, beyond those small amounts necessary for international travel in Europe, Australia, Singapore, and Japan. NIKA has not, to the best of my knowledge, made any foreign currency transactions, which I suspect you know because we submitted all of our records to the DoJ through the US Attorney in Dallas, and recently came through an IRS audit with a clean slate.”

“You’ve never moved money via overseas accounts?”

“I have not engaged in those kinds of transactions for my own accounts. Under normal business practices, I have no personal knowledge of how payments are made to NIKA for our services. Because of your investigation, I discussed this matter with the CFO to ensure I had the necessary information. While it is true that some of our international customers paid us via foreign accounts, I had no direct involvement, and payment was submitted in dollars. And it is the case that all of those transactions were properly reported and disclosed.”

“What did you and Matheson discuss?”

“You skipped a step, Agent Cavanaugh,” I said firmly. “You conveniently left out the fact that I called Agent Stone almost immediately and worked with him, Agent O’Toole, the US Attorney’s office, and others.”

“I have those notes.”

“I’m just making sure everyone here knows that I came to the FBI before I met with Matheson. And followed your instructions in dealing with him and Noel Spurgeon. And that’s when you first knew about the links between Noel Spurgeon and Lisa Glass. Something I’ll note you never shared with the San Antonio cops!”

“And how do you know that?”

“Because they were surprised when I told them about it. Agent O’Toole said it was the missing link, which is exactly what the San Antonio detective said.”

“Why did you refuse to wear a wire?”

“Because I always refuse to wear a wire. I have since the first time the FBI asked. If I did that, and it got out, it would destroy my business.”

“It wasn’t to hide the details of the conversation?”

“No. It was precisely because my company deals with lawyers and doctors, and if either of them thought I was a government informant wearing a wire, they would never, ever, do business with us.”

“What was discussed at that meeting?”

“Which one? The one with the FBI or Matheson?”

“The FBI.”

“We discussed the wire, as you obviously know, and how to handle the meeting. They asked why I had come to the FBI, and I said I thought we were friendly at that point. Agent O’Toole called it ‘aligned interests’, which should have told me that the relationship wasn’t completely in good faith. Today sort of proves that.”

“What specifically did you agree to do?”

“That I would go to the meeting, then call Agent Stone on his mobile phone to let him know.”

“What happened at the meeting with Matheson?”

“He threatened me several times, I basically laughed in his face, which he told me was what his boss, unnamed at that point, had expected, and had advised him not to try. He asked me what I wanted for my cooperation, and I told him $10 million to charities I nominated. He said his boss had predicted something like that as well. He also gave me a cell phone.”

“Who was at this meeting?”

“Matheson and me,” I replied. “There were two CPD officers sitting at the far end of the counter, both of whom I recognized from the videotape evidence of the break-ins at NIKA. Based on Matheson’s own statements, they were his muscle. In addition, a NIKA employee with a license to carry a concealed firearm was sitting in the booth behind Matheson, but she wasn’t privy to the conversation.”

“Why was she there?”

“Because I’m not an idiot,” I replied. “I knew he’d have muscle, so I brought my own muscle. And she shoots better than anyone I know except my friend Pete, the US Marshal, who won the RTC Great Lakes pistol competition every year he was stationed there as part of NIS.”

“What did you do after the meeting?”

“Called and made my report to Agent Stone. I told him my suspicions about what was afoot, including the likely final destination for the ‘Spurgeon Four’. Noel picked me precisely because he knew the FBI trusted me, and because I had friends in JAG and the Marshal’s Service. He also knew I didn’t like the government. That made him think I was the perfect courier for messages. He chose poorly.”

“And the $10 million?”

“I don’t believe it ever existed.”

“You told Agents Stone and O’Toole that you were going to get it.”

I nodded, “I did say that, and I did intend that.”

“And how did you propose to do that?”

“Have you found all of the money Matheson squirreled away? I know the answer to that, and it’s ‘no’. I’m sure he would have found a way to make that money appear where I wanted it to. It didn’t. You can look at the list of charities I support, as well as the ones listed in NIKA’s employee handbook where we match donations. None of them received anonymous donations in any amounts like that. And as I said, I’ve made no international currency transactions of the kind that would be necessary to move the money.”

“And you are not in possession of account numbers or access codes to any foreign accounts?”

“No.”

“And nobody is holding them on your behalf?”

“No.”

“And your company?”

“No.”

“What did you agree with Agents Stone and O’Toole?”

“To keep them informed of every step. I also provided the phone number for the cell phone that Matheson gave me. I have no doubt that was tapped and you have recordings.”

“What happened next?”

“Some time passed before Matheson called me to tell me to take a short-notice trip to Big Muddy, but I refused and pushed back because I didn’t want to go that day due to business, but also because I wasn’t going to allow them to push me around.”

“You don’t feel that was failing to cooperate with the FBI?”

“It was failing to cooperate with the crooks because I had business meetings. I did go on their next available date, which I assume had to do with the guard being on duty.”

“What instructions did they give you?”

“To pass an allegedly coded message to Noel Spurgeon, but it was chosen precisely because they knew I could figure it out and it would lead the FBI in the wrong direction.”

“Did you know that at the time?”

“No, but I was suspicious because it was too easy. But they also didn’t do their homework because they confused the RED OCTOBER book and movie, which is something I would never have done. As it turns out, there was some information there, but the timing was a complete misdirection, which was, I think, the whole point of the exercise. It had you guys looking the wrong way, and let Spurgeon and Matheson slip out of the country with you completely unaware.”

“And how did you determine the actual date?”

“When I approached Matheson about the money for the charities I gave him a hard deadline. He pushed back to get a longer date, and I agreed, knowing for sure that if the money hadn’t somehow appeared, that meant it was too late.”

“And you informed agents Stone and O’Toole?”

“I did. When I called Murray Matheson after the deadline and was told he was on vacation, I knew the jig was up. I called the FBI and they reacted too late. And yes, the FBI knew the deadline. You were watching Matheson, or so I was told. He got away from you.”

“Not from me.”

“From the FBI; I was using ‘you’ in its plural form,” I said, then said in a North Georgia drawl, “As in y’all or all y’all.”

Agent Johnson smirked, obviously suppressing a laugh, and rolled his eyes in amusement.

“When did you find out he had broken out of Big Muddy?”

“When it hit the news, but I was sure it had happened no later than,” I consulted my notes, “the 14th when I pointed out to Agents O’Toole and Stone that the deadline had passed and that the bad guys knew that I’d come to you and would have already made their move.”

“And after he escaped?”

“You and I met, during the investigation, in which you turned up exactly nothing to show that I was involved or had lied to or misled the government. You even arrested my office manager and Samantha Spurgeon on spurious warrants to try to pressure me. Heck, you tried to violate the immunity agreements by getting warrants to search my home and business, while conveniently avoiding informing the judge of the immunity agreements.”

“Are you accusing me of a crime, Mr. Adams?”

I shook my head, “I’m simply stating what happened. The judge quashed those warrants for exactly that reason, which you know to be the case. Given it’s in his order, you can’t claim I’m accusing you of anything which isn’t already noticed by the courts.”

“Did you have any contact with Noel Spurgeon, Murray Matheson, Harold Foulkes, or Norman Monroe, on, or after September 12th of last year?”

“No. I never spoke to either of those last two at any time, and don’t believe I’ve even met them.”

“Did you receive, at any time, anything of value from Noel Spurgeon, or his confederates, in relation to their criminal activity?”

“Matheson paid for lunch at the meeting where he gave me the cell phone, which I turned over to the FBI once Spurgeon and the others were on the lam. They flew me to Big Muddy in a jet with phony tail numbers. I had a bottle of water each direction, but returned it via the lavatory both times.”

Agent Johnson actually laughed out loud, causing Agent Cavanaugh to glare at him.

“No money ever changed hands?”

An obvious trick question, but an easy one to avoid.

“I passed an envelope of money which was given to me by one of Matheson’s confederates to a guard at Big Muddy. I didn’t exact any transaction fees, so while I had the money in my physical possession for perhaps two hours, I passed the entire amount. I cooperated in exactly the way Agents Stone and O’Toole instructed me to.”

“What was your relationship to Miss Tatyana Ivanovna Voronin and Mr. Ivan Konstantinovich Voronin?”

“I dated Miss Voronina and we considered marrying. I first met her in Austria.”

“I have her name as Voronin.”

“I’m sure you do, but Russians tack on an ‘a’ on the last name of a daughter or wife, similar to adding ‘ovna’ to her dad’s name to get what you would call her ‘middle’ name, but which is really a patronymic. She’s a diplomat now.”

“Did you ever pass any information to her?”