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News D 1 ^ ^ditedby Victoria Ayotte
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Bakker convicted of conspiracy, fraud
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - TV evangelist Jim
Bakker was convicted Thursday of fleecing his
followers of $3.7 million so that he could
surround himself with everything from Rolls
Royces to gold-plated swan-shaped bathroom
fixtures.
A federal jury deliberated a day end a half
before convicting Bakker on all 24 counts of
fraud and conspiracy for overselling time
shares, or “partnerships,” at his ministry/s
resort hotels to loyal followers of his PTL
empire.
The 49-year-old preacher could receive up
to 120 years in prison and $5 million in fines. A
sentencing date was not immediately set
Prosecutors said Bakker diverted the money
to live in high style, buying fancy cars, lavish
homes, Rolex watches, diamonds, an air-con
7 believe he began Ih
earnest...But eventually
the money became too
much/or him.’
~HK
MNHIMBHBHHHHHMI
Bakkei and his wife, Tammy, showed little
emotion as the verdict was read. Mrs. Bakker
was not charged in the case.
"The prosecution did an excellent job. We
kept looking for something from the defense
and we never saw it," said jury foreman Ricky
Hill.
"His testimony did not weigh on me one
bit," the foreman said. "I believe he began m
earnest. He was called by God. But eventually
the money became too much for him."
"He was a man of God," Hill added. He
got corrupt and I feel sorry for the man.
As they awaited the v erdict in the courtroom
Thursday morning, several Bakker supporters
held Bibles opened to Psalm 17, which reads:
"Thou hast tried me, and shall find nothing.
Prosecutors contended that Bakker raised
$158 million by selling "lifetime partner
ships" at his Heritage USA retreat near Fort
Mill, S.C., but used the money for projects
other than the lodging he promised. Partners
typically paid $1,000 for the promise of three
nights' lodging annually at the theme park.
Bakker resigned from the ministry in 1987 in a
sex and money scandal.
“You can't lie to people to send you money
- it's that simple,'' prosecutor Deborah Smith
told the jury.
“You can't tell half-truths. If you do it, if
you use the postal service and the public air
waves you will find yourself in federal court
answering charges of mail and wire fraud.
That’s wny we're here today, because that's
just what Mr. Bakker did."
Bakker’s attorneys said he was a victim of
circumstances and a minister worr ied about the
survival of his church.
“I think 93 percent of the evidence in this
case by the government is circumstantial,”
defense attorney George Davis said.
Noriega: Opposition leader ‘screwed’
PANAMA CITY, Panama -- Eight
armed men in civilian clothes fired in
the air outside the office where oppo
sition leader Guillermo Endara was
on a hunger strike Thursday, dispers
ing scores of supporters gathered
outside.
Some of the gunmen entered En
dara’s office and took his secretary
with them, but the secretary was later
released.
“At 4 p.m. armed civilians came
and fired in the air,” Endara told
journalists after the eight gunmen
left “It was as if they were invisible
because the police (directing traffic
at a nearby comer) did nothing.’*
The former opposition presiden
tial candidate said he would continue
his 16-day-old hunger strike as part of
a campaign to oust Gen. Manuel
Antonio Noriega.
Noriega survived a coup attempt
Tuesday, and in a televised speech
Thursday he said he had evidence the
United States planned to install En
dara as president after the coup.
‘‘This hunger-striking buffoon
sneaks out to eat (Tuesday) so he can
be well fed when he takes over the
presidency. But he’s screwed,’ * Nori
ega said.
Noriega said he was going to pres
ent his hand-picked provisional
president, Francisco Rodriguez, with
a package of ' war laws ' dealing
with security because Panama is liv
ing “in a moment of emergency.”
Noting that U.S. troops stood by
and watched as the rebellion failed,
Noriega said the United States “left
its agents in the lurch. He said (he
bungled coup was another Bay of
Pigs for the United States, referring to
the CIA-supported invasion of Cuba
that failed in 1961.
“They mistakenly believed that
everyone has a price and that every
one is a traitor, he said in a speech
from the provincial town of Santiago.
The civilian opposition and the
United States have denied any role in
the coup attempt
The United State* recognizes
Endara as the legitimate president
because of his victory in May 7 elec
tions that were annulled by Noriega.
Endara was drinking only water,
taking prescribed medicine and eat
ing only the wafer of Mass, but he
appeared healthy.
E. Germans left behind fight for freedom
HOF, West Germany — Freedom
trains brought 7,600 East Germans to
the West on Thursday after a slow,
cold trip that witnesses said was dis
rupted when thousands left behind
fought police in an attempt to board
the locked cars.
More than 600 more East Ger
mans were heading for sanctuary in
West Germany from Poland.
The refugees who reached this
town Thursday from Prague, Czecho
slovakia, had spent up to 14 hours
locked in unhealed East German
trains. Many had long waits outside
the West German Embassy in Prague
for a chance to get in and join the
exodus.
“We spent the night outside the
gate,** said Guido Albrecht, 26, of
Potsdam. “It was really cold, but we
kept hoping we’d get in. We were
ready to stay longer if necessary.*’
Compassionate gestures by
Czechoslovak civilians made things
easier. Many brought chocolate for
the children or gave hot tea to people
sitting in the cold. As the East Ger
mans boarded buses for the railroad
station, crowds gathered to applaud
and wave.
Eighteen East Germans voluntar
ily left the U.S. Embassy Wednesday
evening after a 31 -hour occupation.
The mass departure came on the
eve of Soviet President Mikhail S.
Gorachev’s arrival in East Germany
for weekend celebrations marking
the communist country’s 40th anni
versary.
Gorbachev is expected to ask the
aging leaders, who have resisted his
reforms, what they plan to do about a
flight to the West that is draining
much of the strict East German re
gime’s work force.
Extra police woe posted in East
Berlin, especially outside Western
diplomatic missions, to prevent pro
democracy protests during the Gor
bachev visit
In Prague, about 200 East Ger
mans who stayed behind left the West
German Embassy late Thursday,
heading home with promises from
their government of legal emigration
within months.
Czechoslovak police sealed off
the embassy to stop any more East
Germans from reaching it. East Ger
many restricted travel to Czechoslo
vakia earlier this week.
East Germans began making their
way west uirougn Hungary wnen mat
communist country removed ob
stacles from its border with Austria in
May. Since Hungary made the traffic
legal Sept 10, more than40,000 East
Germans have used that route to West
Germany, which grants them auto
matic citizenship and helps them start
new lives.
Nearly 7,000 more East Germans
arrived in West Germany last week
end from Warsaw and Prague, where
they had taken refuge in West Ger
man embassies.
Before the latest trains passed
through East Germany late Wednes
day and early Thursday, thousands of
people chanting “We want out!"
lined the tracks and flocked to sta
tions in hopes of jumping aboard.
Police in Dresden, East Germany,
reportedly used clubs and water can
nons to drive crowds back from the
main railroad station
“It was a horrible scene," said a
woman from Dresden who asked not
to be identified because she feared
reprisals. “People were trying des
perately to get to the platforms and
the tracks, but the police forced them
back."
Senate approves statutory ban on flag burning
WASHINGTON - The Senate on
Thursday overwhelmingly approved
a statutory ban on defacing the
American flag after defeating a pro*
posed revision that sponsors said
could prove fatal in a future court test.
President George Bush said he
respected the action but would con
tinue to push for a constitutional
amendment.
' The 91-9 final vole came after
maneuvering by Senate Republicans,
who say along with Bush that amend
ing the Constitution nutier than pass
ing a simple statute is the only effec
tive way to counter last June’s Su
preme Court decision throwing out a
Texas flag-burning law.
The bill, which previously passed
the House but now returns there for
-.■ ■ .— "«
consideration of Senate changes,
calls for up to a $! ,000 fine and a year
in jail for burning or otherw ise defac
athe flag. Both houses are to con
r a proposed amendment to the
Constitution later this month.
The Democrats say they have
carefully worded their bill to protect
it against an expected new court chal
lenge on frec-speech grounds.
At the White House, Bush called
on Confess to approve the constitu
tional flag-desecration amendment
he supports, despite »he' lopsided
Senate vote
“I respect the intention of those
who voted for fa statutory ban). But I
continue to belie ve such an approach
is inadequate in light of the Supreme
Court deciswn,” Bush said. 'T be
lieve that a constitutional amend
ment, properly drawn, is necessary,
hi order to provide proper protec
tion.*1
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Tall women difficult to fit
NEW YORK - Brooke Shields,
Cher and Sigourney Weaver are
among the nearly S million Ameri
can women 5 feet 8 inches or over
who are considered tall. While
they and other high-paid fashion
models and movie stars can afford
the luxury of custom clothing, the
majority of tall women face count
less frustrations finding fashion
able, affordable quality clothing
that fits.
Trends such as minislortt and
cropped jackets add to their ward
robe woes.
Recently in Charlotte, N.C.; St
Ixuis; Denver and San Jose,
Calit., women of average means
but above-average stature gath
ered to focus on die pros and cons
of their extra inches. They woe
brought together by JCPcnney
which twice yearly publishes the
Especially for Tails’’ ratai^g
which offers fashions propor
tioned far tall wornai - S ftret 8
inches to 5 feet 11 inches - aid
ultra-tails, those up to 6 feet 2
inches.
_ “Their height gives them a
MIMC of power and authority,”
O Connell said. “Many aid
they’ve gotten ahead in their ca
reers because they act more asser
tive than their shorter counleroarts
and find they leave a lasting im
pression.
“The downside for them is the
great difficulty in building a ward
robe because most specialty and
department stores offer little or no
rtrcl specifically tailored for
woman 5 feet 8 Inches and
above.”
O’Connell says most tali
women find that ckxbini designed
for average sizes just <fc Msn’t fit
They can disguise ill-fitting shirts
by rolling up the sleeve* and they
can buy coats, jackets and thesses
in larger sizes to get the length but
then have to deal with alterations
To avoid sleeves that are too
short, waistlines dial are too high,
shirttails too skimpy and pants that
look like they’ve shrunk, many
fashionable tails say they shop the
men's departments. There they
can find sweaters, sweats, shirts,
turtlenecks and pants of quality
fabrics. The women also say they
like to buy pants unhemmed, a
standard in menswear for better fit.
JCPcrncy started its catalog
exclusively for tall women in
1986. Tall fashions also can be
mail-ordered through Sears Roe
buck, Spiegel and Lane Bryant,
among others, though none has a
separate catalog. There isn’t the
plethora of offerings that there is
for petites, those women 5 feet 3
and under, and much of what is
offered lends toward styles that
appeal to older women.
