◆ SpookStack

; It is Wolff's belief, based upon his experience and his understanding of the ‘experience of others, that engineering firms generally hav to struggle for 10 to 15 years in order to become established. uring this period, and for some time thereafter, they generally nakd payments~—sometimes through middlemen-—to public officials at various levels of government throughout Maryland in order to receive public work. Sometimes they reach a point where they are sufficiently established as{qualified engineers that they do not generally have to make illegal payments in order to obtain a fair share of the public work. Tt yas Wolff's belief that a certain close associate of Mr. Agnew's (refetred to hereafter as "the close associate” or "the middleman") was his principal middleman in Baltimore County. The close associate courted engineers, developers, and others and bragged a great deal about his relationship with Mr. Agnew. Although Wolff was in a favored position with Mr. Agndwy. on two or more occasions while Mr. Agnew was County Executive, the close associate requested money from Wolff in return for contracts Wolff wanted or had obtained from the County. Wolff paid him | $1,250 in cabh in April 1966, and in addition made a payment to another ‘associate of |Mr. Agnew's, ostensibly as legal fees. Wolff's present recollection ‘is that he also made one or two other payments to the close associate. It was Wolff's belief that another individual also acted as a middleman for Mr. Agnew. Wolff learned from others that a certain Baltimore engineer was paying for work through that other individual. it is Wolff's recollection that in his office, Mr. Agnew once remarked to . Wolff that the engineer in question was paying 10% for the work that he received from the County. Wolff inferred from Mr. Agnew's comment that Mr. Agnew was surprised that that engineer was paying as much as 102, in view the fact’ that the going rate was generally 5%. Through t i . -