Washington Times
May 6, 1995
p A1
              Bombing case may be hurt by agent
               ATF supervisor probed for fraud
                              
By Michael Hedges
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
  A bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms supervisor
assigned to the Oklahoma City bombing case is the subject of
a fraud-and-mismanagement probe, raising concerns that
evidence gathered in the investigation will be compromised.
  "You bet it is a concern," said Treasury Department
Assistant Inspector General James M. Cottos, whose office
investigated the supervisor. "If, for instance, he is a key
witness in this case, his credibility could be a problem."
  Two ATF line supervisors from the Chicago field office,
where James Adamcik was assistant special agent in charge,
have accused Mr. Adamcik and his boss of a series of
offenses.
  Mr. Adamcik was in Oklahoma City yesterday. ATF officials
there said he had supervised the Western Region National
Response Team since shortly after the April 19 explosion. He
could not be reached for comment.
  Rep. Harris W. Fawell, Illinois Republican, said he has
reviewed the accusations and found them "so darned serious,
involving fraud and misconduct, that I felt they should be
looked into."
  He said he discussed them with ATF Director John Magaw,
who "just made it clear to me he wasn't interested in this."
  The Treasury's inspector general conducted a long
investigation of Mr. Adamcik and Joseph J. Vince Jr.,
Chicago's special agent in charge. They are accused of
accepting favors from corrupt police officers, ignoring the
theft of money seized from drug dealers by Chicago officers
working with the ATF, and steering ATF contract work on
vehicles to a friend who is a convicted felon.
  The probe ended July 19, and the IG sent findings to the
bureau's headquarters in Washington. Since then, nothing
official has happened, leaving the investigation open.
  "It is an open investigation for us, and as such I can't
comment on the findings," Mr. Cottos said. "I know [Mr.
Adamcik] was transferred out of Chicago, but I don't know if
that was because of our investigation or a routine
rotation."
  ATF spokesman Jack Killorin said the bureau knew of the
allegations, weighed the IG findings and concluded that Mr.
Adamcik should be sent to the bombing case.
  He said the ATF is in the process of informing the IG's
office of the bureau's handling of the matter, a step that
will close the case.
  "The complaints were made. The inspector general
investigated them and made referrals here," he said.
"Appropriate actions were undertaken. I can't legally
comment on them because they are personnel matters. Knowing
the results of the investigation, fully aware of the
complaints, the decision was Jimmy Adamcik is a world-class
bomb investigator and the best person to send to Oklahoma
City."
  Mr. Adamcik has been the on-site supervisor for the
response team since it was sent from Los Angeles the day of
the Oklahoma City bombing. His and other teams arrived at
the scene early and participated in the effort to gather
evidence on what kind of bomb was used.
  Husband-and-wife whistleblowers Diane Klipfel and Michael
Casali, who were group leaders in the Chicago office, were
hit with a series of accusations of misconduct after they
leveled the charges against Mr. Adamcik. They are on
voluntary leave.
  Mr. Casali and Mrs. Klipfel are facing termination from
the ATF and have filed a federal lawsuit in Chicago. They
also are preparing to take their case to the Merit Systems
Protection Board if they are fired.
  The accusations by Mr. Casali and Mrs. Klipfer were taken
to Mr. Fawell. His aide, Barbara Graham, looked into the
matter and made a referral on it to the House Judiciary
Committee through the office of its chairman, Rep. Henry J.
Hyde, Illinois Republican.
  The Judiciary Committee has documentation on the case and
is beginning an inquiry, official sources said.
  Legal experts and some ATF agents agreed with Mr. Cottos'
assessment that having Mr. Adamcik on the case could present
problems at a criminal trial. They cited the difficulties
raised for police by O.J. Simpson's legal team.
  "It wouldn't help in a pending case to have your
investigator being looked at on charges of wrongdoing," Mr.
Fawell, a former prosecutor, said last night.
  An ATF agent who requested anonymity said, "What is he
doing working the crime of the century when his credibility
is in question?"
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