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Three Utah universities subpoenaed in Olympic probe

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January 28, 1999
Web posted at: 7:39 p.m. EST (0039 GMT)

In this story

SALT LAKE CITY (CNN) -- The U.S. Justice Department issued subpoenas Thursday to three Utah universities in connection with the Olympic bribery scandal.

The Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) has admitted that the Salt Lake Bid Committee paid for college scholarships and living expenses for relatives of some International Olympic Committee (IOC) members before Salt Lake City won the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Subpoenas were issued to the University of Utah, Brigham Young University and Utah Valley State.

The Justice Department is demanding the schools hand over records and correspondence reflecting telephone conversations and meetings with SLOC and the Salt Lake Bid Committee.

On the money trail

The subpoenas also ask for all billing records connected to medical or surgical diagnosis or treatment by the John A. Moran Eye Center, Dr. Randall Olson and Dr. Richard Anderson.

SLOC has admitted that some IOC members received free medical attention, including plastic surgery, before Salt Lake City's selection.

Samaranch  

The schools have also been ordered to turn over any documents and correspondence pertaining to some 100 people, including IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, the two U.S. representatives on the IOC -- Anita DeFrantz and James Easton -- and several other IOC members.

The subpoenas also cover any records pertaining to former SLOC president Tom Welch, former vice president David Johnson, interim president Frank Joklik, current SLOC chairman Robert Garff, former SLOC financial adviser Gordon Crabtree, former SLOC legal counsel Craig Peterson and SLOC employees Stephanie Pate, Mark Tanner, Rod Hamson, Jason Gull and Kelly Flint.

Peterson, one of four people allowed to write checks for the Salt Lake Bid Committee, has already talked to federal investigators, according to his attorney.

Peterson's lawyer, Jay Bullock, would not disclose what his client discussed with investigators. Bullock also declined to say whether Peterson will testify before a federal grand jury.

Peterson is one of two people known to have talked to federal investigators. Stephanie Pate, former secretary to bid leader Tom Welch, has met with investigators twice in the past two weeks.

Pate's attorney, David Watkiss, said investigators have not decided whether she will appear before the grand jury. Watkiss expects Pate to meet with investigators again.

Too early to tell

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Justice Department officials said it was too soon to speculate about possible criminal charges.

"The investigation is just getting started. It is in a very early stage," one official said. Another official said it could take months to gather evidence and then decide what charges, if any, to bring.

Agency officials said that if the investigation finds there have been no violations of criminal law, then the matter simply could be handled internally by the IOC.

IOC members who vote on where the Games will be held are not allowed to accept gifts worth more than $150 from cities bidding for the Olympics, but 13 members have been accused of taking more than half a million dollars in goods and services from Salt Lake.

The IOC announced last weekend it would seek to expel six of its members accused in the scandal. Three other IOC members have resigned.

Ethics probe

While the Justice Department and the state of Utah look into possible criminal aspects of the case, a local ethics committee looking into Utah's role in the Olympic bribe scandal is hinting it may be some time before its work is done.

Gordon Hall, a former justice and chairman of the ethics committee, said he cannot predict when the results will be turned over to SLOC. Officials of SLOC set a deadline of February 11 to have the report completed.

Correspondent Greg LaMotte andReuters contributed to this report.

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