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Abscam Trap Also Snared. | Honest Men During the Abscam operation, members of Congress were conned by the FBI into taking bribes and engaging in corrupt business deals. That much has been made clear. What has escaped public atten- tion, however, is the fact that legit- imate businessmen were also conned by the FBI's operatives. What's worse, these honest businessmen - ‘were victimized for personal profit by the con artists who were enlisted by the FBI to entrap congressmen. Here's the story of just one com- pany, Intersea Fisheries, which was put out of business by Abscam. The FBI recklessly ruined this perfectly legitimate business enterprise to pro- tect its phony Abscam cover. The California-based firm num- bered among its directors the re- spected shipbuilder Don Vaughn and Jean Miche) Cousteau, aon of the prestigious undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau. Intersea Fisheries was suckered into the Abscam trap by the FBI's con men—and was given no help at all when it asked the FBI for infor- mation that might have extricated it from the trap. mee FO RRPR DCL] DADTTU The F BI nace to 77 Intersea Fisheries go down the drain, rather than stop its hirelings from working their private scam on the company. From interviews and a sworn de- position, my associate Indy Badhwar has pieced together the con game devised by an FBI lackey named: Joseph Meltzer. In February, 1979, Denver accountant Richard Stanc- zyk was retained by a client to check out Intersea as an investment oppor- tunity. Stanczyk, a former Internal Revenue Service investigator, was to be ruined by the FBI's game. He gave Intersea high marks, largely on the basis that an outfit called Abdul Enterprises was going to finance the company’s venture to build three tuna boats. Unknown to Stanczyk, Abdul Enterprises was the FBI's phony Abscam corporation. It wasn’t about to provide financing. Stanczyk signed on es a consul- tant to Intersea; his job was to bring investors into the project until the Arab money from Abdul Enterprises materialized. There was, of course, no such money. But Meltzer, the FBI's pet con man, received thou- sands of dollars in commissions. As part of its scheme to lend le- gitimcy to Abdul Enterprises, the FBI had arranged for a vice presi- dent of Chase Manhattan to lie about the spurious Arab company’s assets. When Intersea called Chase Manhattan, the inquiring official was assured that the money was there. Another icgitiate broker, Kar Gulve, was roped in on the Project Reassured by meetings with ‘the, FBI's Arab “sheiks,” Gulve spent? $50,000 of his own money traveling’ in this country and in Europe pio-- moting the Intersea deal. Stanczyk and Gulve grew suspicious about Meltzer and his “Arabs” after- months of runaround. They relayed: their doubts to the FBI's San Diega: office. But the FBI did nothing to warn Intersea to back off from any. - dealings with Abdul Enterprises. In- stead, complaints were referred to: Meltzer, the FBI con man. On Halloween, 1979, FBI agents: swooped down on Intersea’s head- quarters and carted off 27 cartons of files. Apparently, this was another protective measure to keep the busi: +. nessmen’s suspicions about Abdul _ Enterprises from leaking out. But an agent answered the com:" pany’s telephone, telling callers that the firm’s employes were under ar- rest. Foreign business interests, in- cluding Matsui Corp. of Japan, rere scared away by statements that In- tersea wes under FBI investigation. - No Intersea officia] was arrested : nor charged with a crime, for the. simple reason that they had done nothing except rely on FBI lies ~~ Accountant Stanczyk lost more than £200,090, his business, his cli- ents and his marriage. He contem-* plated suicide. The other consultant; - Gulve, also lost his business, and: some $900,000 in commissions. ** ~ i