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3320
1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - X
3 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, : CR 96 1016(S-1)
4 v. : U.S. Courthouse
5 Uniondale, New York BRUCE W. GORDON, WHO'S WHO
6 WORLD WIDE REGISTRY, INC., : STERLING WHO'S WHO, INC.,
7 TARA GARBOSKI, ORAL FRANK : OSMAN, LAURA WEITZ, ANNETTE
8 HALEY, SCOTT MICHAELSON, : MisterShortcut [ MrShortcut ],, and MARTIN
9 REFFSIN, : TRANSCRIPT OF TRIAL
10 Defendants. : February 9, 1998
11 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - X 10:00 o'clock a.m.
12 BEFORE:
13 HONORABLE ARTHUR D. SPATT, U.S.D.J. and a jury
14 APPEARANCES:
15 For the Government: ZACHARY W. CARTER
16 United States Attorney One Pierrepont Plaza
17 Brooklyn, New York 11201
By: RONALD G. WHITE, ESQ.
18 CECIL SCOTT, ESQ. Assistant U.S. Attorneys
19 For the Defendants: NORMAN TRABULUS, ESQ.
20 For Bruce W. Gordon
170 Old Country Road, Suite 600
21 Mineola, New York 11501
22 EDWARD P. JENKS, ESQ.
For Who's Who Worldwide
23 Registry, Inc. and
Sterling Who's, Who, Inc.
24 332 Willis Avenue
Mineola, New York 11501
25
(cont'd)

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3321
1 APPEARANCES (cont'd):
2 GARY SCHOER, ESQ. For Tara Garboski
3 6800 Jericho Turnpike
Syosset, New York 11791
4
ALAN M. NELSON, ESQ.
5 For Oral Frank Osman
3000 Marcus Avenue
6 Lake Success, New York 11042

7 WINSTON LEE, ESQ.
For Laura Weitz
8 319 Broadway
New York, New York 10007
9
MARTIN GEDULDIG, ESQ.
10 For Annette Haley
400 South Oyster Bay Road
11 Hicksville, New York 11801
12 JAMES C. NEVILLE, ESQ.
For Scott Michaelson
13 225 Broadway
New York, New York 10007
14
THOMAS F.X. DUNN, ESQ.
15 For MisterShortcut [ MrShortcut ],
150 Nassau Street
16 New York, New York 10038
17 JOHN S. WALLENSTEIN, ESQ.
For Martin Reffsin 18 215 Hilton Avenue
Hempstead, New York 11551
19
20 Court Reporter: HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR
United States District Court
21 Two Uniondale Avenue
Uniondale, New York 11553
22 (516) 485-6558
23
Proceedings recorded by mechanical stenography, transcript
24 produced by Computer-Assisted Transcription
25

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3322
1 M O R N I N G S E S S I O N
2

3 (The following takes place in the absence of the

4 jury.)

5 THE COURT: I am not sure I heard correctly, but

6 did you indicate, Mr. Rubin, you wanted to act pro se as

7 your own lawyer? Is that right?

8 THE DEFENDANT RUBIN: No, sir.

9 THE COURT: I heard that. That's why I asked you
10 to come in.
11 THE DEFENDANT RUBIN: I asked your clerk a
12 question.
13 THE COURT: I am happy to hear that I heard
14 wrong. I was about to talk you out of that, but I don't
15 have to.
16 Then we will see you at 10:00 o'clock.
17
18 (Whereupon, a recess is taken.)
19
20 (Whereupon, the jury at this time entered the
21 courtroom.)
22 THE COURT: Good morning, members of the patient,
23 prompt -- that one I picked up -- and dedicated jury.
24 You may proceed.
25 MR. WHITE: The government calls Lester Wheeler.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3323
1 THE CLERK: Will the witness please stand and
2 raise your right hand.

3

4 L E S T E R W H E E L E R ,

5 called as a witness, having been first

6 duly sworn, was examined and testified

7 as follows:

8

9 THE CLERK: Please state your name and spell your
10 last name slowly for the record.
11 THE WITNESS: Lester M. Wheeler, last name is
12 W H E E L E R.
13 THE COURT: Have a seat, Mr. Wheeler.
14
15 DIRECT EXAMINATION
16 BY MR. WHITE:
17 Q Mr. Wheeler, can you tell us where you live?
18 A I reside in Fort Worth, Texas.
19 Q And can you tell us what you do for a living?
20 A I am a Mr. Mom at the present time. I retired
21 several years ago and chose to take care of my children.
22 My wife works.
23 Q Before you retired, what sort of work did you do?
24 A I was with the General Dynamics, subsequently
25 Lockheed Aircraft, in the aerospace business.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3324
Wheeler-direct/White

1 Q And what sort of work did you do there?
2 A I worked phone proposals to customers for the

3 aerospace company.

4 Q And prior to your work at those companies, what did

5 you do?

6 A I was in the U.S. Army and retired from the U.S. Army

7 in 1976, I believe it was.

8 Q Have you been contacted by a company called Who's Who

9 Worldwide?
10 A I was contacted by them.
11 Q Can you tell us how you were first contacted?
12 A As best as I recall, I received a phone call -- I got
13 a letter first, and then subsequently a phone call to my
14 office.
15 Q Now, do you recall approximately when that letter
16 came in?
17 A 1993. I cannot identify which month it came in.
18 Q Was there anything included in the letter you
19 received?
20 A Yes. There was a card which asked for my response,
21 if I was interested in the nomination.
22 Let me show you Government's Exhibit 15-C for
23 Identification.
24 (Handed to the witness.)
25 Q Would you take a look at that and tell me if you

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3325
Wheeler-direct/White

1 recognize it.
2 A Yes, that's my response.

3 MR. WHITE: Your Honor, the government offers

4 15-C.

5 MR. LEE: I apologize, your Honor, but was it

6 something just handed out today?

7 MR. JENKS: No. It is in the book.

8 MR. WHITE: No, it is not.

9 THE COURT: Do you have it, Mr. Lee?
10 MR. LEE: I apologize. I believe counsel has it.
11 THE COURT: Someone show it to him, please.
12 MR. LEE: I found it. I apologize.
13 Any objection?
14 MR. TRABULUS: No.
15 THE COURT: Government's Exhibit 15-C, for
16 Charley, in evidence.
17 (Government's Exhibit 15-C received in evidence.)
18 Q Mr. Wheeler, would you take a look at the flip side
19 of that card and tell us if there is a post mark on it?
20 A Yes. It reads the 25th of April, 1993.
21 Q Now, did you eventually purchase a membership from
22 Who's Who Worldwide?
23 A Yes, I purchased a membership.
24 Q Now, if you can take a look at Exhibit 15-D, like in
25 Dog, which is already in evidence.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3326
Wheeler-direct/White

1 (Handed to the witness.)
2 Q Does that document say on the top, order form, on the

3 top right-hand corner?

4 A That's right, it does.

5 Q Is there a date listed there on the left-hand side on

6 the top?

7 A Yes, 4/22/93 is the date of the order form.

8 Q Under where it says order form, it says account

9 executive number one, can you read what it says next to
10 that?
11 A The lady's name, Laura, is indicated.
12 Q You said you received a telephone call after you

13 returned this card?
14 A That's correct.
15 Q Tell us what happened in that telephone call.
16 A I was at the desk. It was a blind call. I normally
17 do not get outside calls to my office. But the person on
18 the other end of the phone identified themselves as a
19 representative of Who's Who, and they had received my
20 response to their letter. And I said I would like to
21 visit with you a little bit about your nomination.
22 We began discussing what I had previously done
23 during my military career and the positions held, and then
24 what I had done while I was with General Dynamics and then
25 Lockheed, and those positions, what they entailed and so

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3327
Wheeler-direct/White

1 forth.
2 We talked about each of the jobs a little bit.

3 She indicated that it sounded like I was a good candidate

4 for selection in Who's Who, and that she would go forward

5 with the nomination.

6 During that discussion I said, I feel very

7 honored about being nominated. Can you tell me who

8 nominated me?

9 She said, no. We are not at liberty to discuss
10 who nominated you.
11 I said, did someone in my current position, my
12 superior?
13 She said, I am sorry, Mr. Wheeler, I can't tell
14 you. That's confidential information, and we can't
15 disclose that. And that was basically what we had said in
16 that conversation. She didn't say I was accepted or I was
17 not accepted.
18 She did discuss with me what the cost of
19 fulfilling the nomination was, and asked me if at that
20 time I would be interested in continuing the purchase of a
21 Registry, and it would have the name in it. And that was
22 about it, sir.
23 Q Now, did you agree to purchase a membership?
24 A Yes, I did agree to purchase the membership.
25 Q And how did you pay for it?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3328
Wheeler-direct/White

1 A As best I recall I paid for it with Master Card. I
2 know it is a charge card. I don't remember which one it

3 was.

4 Q And do you recall what length of membership you

5 purchased?

6 A I know we talked about several types of membership,

7 lifetime and what not. I am probably sure I probably

8 purchased the least amount of time that was offered.

9 Q And if you can take a look at Exhibit 15-B, which is
10 in front of you --
11 A Is this still the order form?
12 Q Let me show you.
13 (Counsel approaches the witness stand.)
14 Q 15-B, which is the pink copy.
15 A All right.
16 Q Now, do you recognize that document?

17 A Yes. This was the invoice, or looks like the invoice
18 that I received when I got the plaque.
19 Q Now, the government offers Exhibit 15-B?
20 THE COURT: Any objection?
21 MR. TRABULUS: No.
22 THE COURT: Government's Exhibits 15-B, for
23 Baker, in evidence.
24 (Government's Exhibit 15-B received in evidence.)
25 Q Mr. Wheeler, can you take a look at that, and does it

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3329
Wheeler-direct/White

1 indicate what length of membership you purchased?
2 A Yes. It says I bought five years of membership.

3 Q And how much did you pay for that?

4 A Somewhere in the neighborhood of $400, as I recall.

5 Q Total?

6 A Total -- on the invoice, I am sorry, it shows $297 on

7 the invoice. I think there was another charge after

8 that. I am not real familiar with it.

9 Q Let me ask you, did you agree to make a further
10 payment after this one?
11 A There was a discussion about the additional payment.
12 And as I recall, that was for the register, or the book.
13 And that billing did not take place until it was
14 published. And I said yes to that.
15 Q Now, can you tell us what, if any, statements that
16 were made to you in this telephone conversation affected
17 your opinion to purchase a membership?
18 A The person on the other end of the line in discussing
19 with me my purchase, emphasized over and over again that
20 it was a selective process by which I was nominated.
21 Someone told them that I was a qualified --
22 MR. LEE: Objection.
23 THE COURT: Overruled.
24 A Told them that I was a qualified candidate.
25 Now, my background in education in service and

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER

3330
Wheeler-direct/White

1 professional organizations indicated to me, and left me
2 with the impression that Who's Who --

3 MR. LEE: Objection, your Honor. Not responsive.

4 THE COURT: Yes.

5 Starting with the words "my background," the rest

6 of that answer is stricken. The jury is instructed to

7 disregard it.

8 THE WITNESS: I have been familiar --

9 MR. LEE: Objection, your Honor.
10 THE COURT: The question is: What statement made
11 by the salesperson, if any, affected your decision to
12 purchase a membership?
13 THE WITNESS: The statements made by the
14 representative that affected my membership hinged on my
15 knowledge of Who's Who, my knowledge of the words
16 "nomination," my knowledge of the expression "selective
17 process," the explanation to me as to who nominated me,
18 that it was confidential; I was not at liberty to have
19 that information. Those were the four factors that
20 affected me and my decision.
21 Q Now, can you explain for us how those factors
22 affected your decision?
23 A In high school there was a Who's Who of American High
24 Schools. In colleges I attended there was a Who's Who of
25 College Students. In business there is a Who's Who of

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3331
Wheeler-direct/White

1 Business.
2 Now, if you are aware -- and as I was aware -- of

3 the term "Who's Who," I felt quite honored, not fully

4 understanding at the time what it meant, but I felt like

5 someone had done me a great, a very honorable favor in

6 nominating me. It made be feel good. I guess I felt

7 egotistical about the matter. And I said, yes, I would be

8 glad to be a member of Who's Who, assuming it was an

9 organization that would allow me to walk in the room and
10 say to someone, are you a member of Who's Who? And they
11 would say, oh, yes, are you? And leave you with a
12 distinct impression that you were dealing with someone who
13 had been recognized for past achievements in their
14 particular profession.
15 Q If in fact your name had been obtained, Mr. Wheeler,
16 not by nomination, but from a mailing list, would that
17 have affected your decision to purchase a membership?
18 MR. LEE: Objection, your Honor.
19 A Absolutely.
20 THE COURT: Overruled.
21 Q I am sorry, your answer was?
22 A Absolutely was my answer.
23 Q Can you explain how that would have affected your
24 decision?
25 A Many phone calls are received at my house with people

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3332
Wheeler-direct/White

1 soli citing the purchase of products or services. It is
2 quite easily discernible where they got your name.

3 If my name came from a mailing list, I would have

4 been interested in knowing whose mailing list it was, and

5 it would have immediately alerted me that this was just

6 another offer to purchase a service or a product, and I

7 would have probably and more likely said no and gone no

8 further with that conversation.

9 Q Can you explain whether in your mind there is a
10 difference between selection by nomination and selection
11 from a mailing list?
12 MR. JENKS: Objection.
13 THE COURT: Overruled.
14 A Selection by a nomination connotes an honor and
15 distinctive situation where an individual is either
16 recognized for something that was done, or to be done, or
17 if your name comes from a mailing list, it is just
18 anybody's mailing list. Where it came from, nobody
19 knows. It does not carry any distinction with it that it
20 is a selection or a nomination or any honor associated
21 with it. That's how I would describe it.
22 Q Now, after this telephone conversation in which you
23 were told you were nominated, did you do anything?
24 A I felt quite pleased with the nomination. It made me
25 want to pursue just who had nominated me. Since I was

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3333
Wheeler-direct/White

1 told I could not find out it tweaked me a little bit to go
2 and find out.

3 I asked among my peers if any of them had

4 nominated me for membership in Who's Who and I got no

5 response. No, not me.

6 I asked a among some former associated whom I no

7 longer worked with.

8 I even asked my superiors, vice presidents or

9 directors at the time. And there was no response from
10 them, no.
11 Q Now, after this telephone conversation did you
12 receive anything besides the invoice from Who's Who
13 Worldwide?
14 A Yes. I received what I had agreed to purchase, a
15 plastic -- at the time it was a plastic plaque, and a
16 plastic medallion to be attached to the automobile.
17 Upon receipt of that, my suspicions were alerted,
18 what can I do with a piece of plastic?
19 Although the words were very nice and very
20 glowing, I was not pleased, to say the least.
21 Q Now, did you eventually receive a directory from
22 Who's Who Worldwide?
23 A Yes, I did get the directory.
24 I examined the directory. There were names in
25 there -- it looked like a telephone book when you read

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3334
Wheeler-direct/White

1 it. I was not very happy with it.
2 Q Now, did you ever attempt to communicate with any

3 other members listed in the directory?

4 A No, I did not. And I didn't because it was probably

5 four or five months after that that I chose to take an

6 early retirement.

7 Q Now, did you ever receive any communication from any

8 member of Who's Who Worldwide?

9 A No, I did not.
10 Q Now, if your name, and the names of others in the
11 directory had been obtained from mailing lists, do you
12 believe you received what you purchased?
13 MR. SCHOER: Objection.
14 MR. JENKS: Objection, Judge.
15 THE COURT: Sustained.
16 Q Can you tell us, if your name was obtained from a
17 mailing list, would the items that you received have value
18 to you?
19 MR. SCHOER: Objection.
20 MR. JENKS: Objection.
21 THE COURT: Overruled.
22 A They would have had no value to me bec ause I did not
23 accept membership in Who's Who to obtain any value in
24 networking with people in a book. It would have only been
25 as an honor and distinction to look at the names in the

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3335
Wheeler-direct/White

1 book and feel that's my name was among them.
2 MR. WHITE: Your Honor, may I have one moment?

3 THE COURT: Yes.

4 (Whereupon, at this time there was a pause in the

5 proceedings.)

6 Q Mr. Wheeler, subsequent to receiving the directory,

7 did you receive anything else from Who's Who Worldwide?

8 A At best I can recall, I got one magazine. And that

9 magazine had inside of it some articles, or whatever was
10 written, by individuals I didn't know, and lots of
11 advertising, discount coupons and what have you. I didn't
12 do much reading of it.
13 Q Did you ever avail yourself of any other benefits
14 that were offered by your Who's Who membership?
15 A No, I did not.
16 MR. WHITE: Your Honor, no further questions.
17 THE COURT: Cross-examination.
18
19 CROSS-EXAMINATION
20 BY MR. TRABULUS:
21 Q Good morning, Mr. Wheeler.
22 My name is Norman Trabulus. I am the lawyer for
23 Mr. Gordon, the gentleman seated right next to me.
24 Mr. Wheeler, you mentioned I believe that it was
25 unusual for you to receive a telephone call directly to

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3336
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 your office number; is that correct?
2 A That is correct.

3 Q And when you sent back the cards which came with your

4 letter, you listed the office number on the card; is that

5 correct?

6 A That is correct.

7 Q And that would be the explanation of how t he person

8 who called you received that number, correct?

9 A Yes.
10 Q Now, you received a letter with the card; is that
11 correct?
12 A Yes.
13 Q You don't have that any more, do you?
14 A No, sir, I don't.
15 Q Do you recall whether or not that letter said who
16 nominated you?
17 A No, I do not.
18 Q Do you recall, sir, whether that letter said whether
19 or not you were nominated by another member or by a board
20 of public affairs or some group like that?
21 A No, I do not. Sorry.
22 Q When you received the directory, let me ask you, was
23 it this one? Did it look like this, this color, or was it
24 a darker color? Do you recall? You can take a look at
25 it.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3337
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 A I understand. It seemed to me that it was a vinyl

2 covered book. But I may be mistaken. That may be the

3 one.

4 Q Was it this reddish color?

5 A Like I said, I think it was vinyl, but I am not

6 sure.

7 Q Now, you said you looked through it, and you

8 described it as looking like a telephone (sic).

9 Did it have individual names right next to each
10 other, with any other information, like a telephone book?
11 A No, there were names and alphabetized, as I recall.
12 Q There were names and information with respect to each
13 individual?
14 A Yes. If you decipher the hieroglyphics and all the
15 information, yes.
16 Q It was -- the information next to each person listed
17 was comparable to the information you yourself gave when
18 you were interviewed; is that correct?
19 A In fact, looking my name up it was exactly word for
20 word based on the telephone interview that I had with the

21 salesperson.
22 Q Before you received the directory, did you receive
23 any -- anything from Who's Who, a proof of the listing for
24 you to check and verify to make sure it was accurate; do
25 you recall that?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3338
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 A No, sir, I don't recall receiving that.
2 Q Now, when you looked through the directory --

3 withdrawn.

4 When you were spoken to on the telephone, did the

5 person who spoke to you tell you that there would be any

6 pictures in the book?

7 A No, sir.

8 Q The person told you that it would be a directory of

9 people like yourself in Who's Who, who were nominated for
10 Who's Who?
11 A We didn't talk about the directory. We didn't
12 discuss the contents of the book, other than to say that
13 it would be a compendium of those achievements that the
14 individual had made or accomplished.
15 Q Is it fair to say when speaking to this person, you
16 were sure that the type of information to appear with
17 respect to the people in the book would be the same as the
18 information you had given to her when you spoke the her?
19 A I didn't ask her that question. Nor did she tell me
20 any information others would be providing. She only asked
21 me to provide my background.
22 Q Mr. Wheeler, did you assume that the information that
23 would be in the book would be the same type of information
24 that you were furnishing over the telephone?
25 A I really didn't make any assumption in that regard,

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3339
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 sir.
2 Q Before you received the book did you have any reason

3 to think that it would have anything other than the type

4 of information that you were giving over the telephone?

5 Did anybody tell you anything to that effect?

6 A There was never any discussion about it.

7 Q When you got the book, is it fair to say that there

8 was nothing surprising about its contents?

9 A I was totally disappointed in the book. I was not
10 surprised.
11 Q You mentioned the plaque. When you received the
12 plaque, what did you do with it, sir?
13 A I examined it and put it in the drawer.
14 Q When you say the plaque was plastic, was it a green
15 kind of marbleized appearance?
16 A Yes, it was, and it had some gold lettering as I
17 recall.
18 Q And although it wasn't actually marble, is it fair to
19 say it was a fairly good looking plaque? If it was put up
20 on the wall and one looked at it from the distance, it
21 didn't look like a piece of junk, did it?

22 A Well, it did not look like it was made overseas in a
23 sweat shop. But it was something I didn't choose to hang
24 in my house.
25 Q Well, that was your decision; is that correct?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3340
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 A Yes, it was.
2 Q And after receiving the plaque you then later on paid

3 for the directory; is that right?

4 A That's correct.

5 Q And you mentioned that you heard of Who's Who in High

6 School?

7 A Yes, sir.

8 Q Were you in Who's Who in High School?

9 A No.
10 Q And Who's Who in College?
11 A Yes.
12 Q Were you in that?
13 A No.
14 Q You mentioned something like Who's Who in Business?
15 A Yes.
16 Q How are you familiar with that?
17 A Publications, business publications, identifying
18 individuals of some renown and distinction having been
19 selected for Who's Who membership.
20 Q Before you received the letter from Who's Who
21 Worldwide with the card, had you yourself ever received
22 any mail solicitation which indicated you had been
23 nominated for something?
24 A Yes, I had.
25 Q And what was that?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3341
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 A In college.
2 Q Had you ever received any mail solicitation

3 subsequent to college, such as that you were nominated for

4 membership in some organization, objection to subscribe to

5 some series of publications?

6 A Not in the business sense. In the military sense,

7 yes, nominated for some position, and so forth, various

8 positions, and would I be interested, and so forth.

9 Q You say nominated in various positions, is that for
10 rank?

11 A No, not rank, positions in an organization.
12 Q An organization you were already a member of?
13 A No, it was not.
14 Q This was an organization you were not a member of,
15 and you received a letter to you indicating you were
16 nominated to have a position in that organization?
17 A Not a position, but a membership in that
18 organization.
19 Q Did you ever join that organization?
20 A Yes, I did.
21 Q Do you know whether or not that nomination came from
22 a mailing list or not? Yes or no, sir?
23 A No.
24 Q If that nomination to join that organization came
25 from a mailing list and you knew that now, would that have

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3342
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 affected your decision to join that organization?
2 A I may have misled you, counselor. May I have a

3 minute to explain that? When I said nomination for a

4 position --

5 Q Excuse me. The answer --

6 A -- a military unit, and not a society or a club or

7 anything like that. Letters nominating me for a position

8 in an army headquarters, or a particularly selected unit

9 of some distinction.
10 Q Well, let me ask you this: This was while you were
11 in the military?
12 A That's correct.
13 Q What I thought from your answer was that you had been
14 nominate after being in the military for membership in
15 some kind of veterans or former military type?
16 A No, sir.
17 Q You didn't have --
18 THE COURT: You didn't have to be nominated for
19 that, did you?
20 THE WITNESS: Sir?
21 THE COURT: To join a veteran's organizations,
22 you didn't have to be nominated?
23 THE WITNESS: That's right.
24 THE COURT: The mere fact that you were in the
25 Army was enough, at least for a certain time period; is

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3343
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 that correct?
2 THE WITNESS: Yes, you are correct.

3 Q In fact, we were not talking about that?

4 A No, sir, we were not.

5 Q You mentioned that you had heard of Who's Who in

6 Business, or some sort of Who's Who?

7 A Yes.

8 Q And the person that you spoke to on the didn't tell

9 you that this was the Who's Who in Business, or anything
10 of the sort, did she?
11 A No, no.
12 Q In speaking to her, did you ask her whether or not
13 this is the Who's Who?
14 A No, I didn't ask that. My background said Who's Who
15 is Who's Who.
16 Q Now, the Who's Who, you had thought there is only one
17 Who's Who?
18 A No.
19 Q Or one group of Who's Who?
20 A There are many Who's Who.
21 Q You knew that?
22 A Yes.
23 Q And if would you have joined -- would you have joined
24 if indeed the Who's Who was -- that contacted you was one
25 of the ones you had heard of previously?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3344
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 A If I had gotten some answers to questions I would
2 have asked, yes.

3 Q Let's assume -- we are putting you back where you

4 were, back when you got this call in '93, and it turns out

5 that you are contacted by a Who's Who. You get a letter,

6 you return a card. It turns out that the Who's Who is in

7 fact one of these Who's Whos you heard about before,

8 okay?

9 As you sit here today, would you have joined that
10 Who's Who? Would you have accepted that?
11 A If I am my discussion with the person on the phone,
12 they said I was nominated, and it was an honor, and they
13 would have given my background, I would have given the
14 same response today, yes.
15 Q And let's say one of the Who's Who you know about, if
16 they would have sent you a letter saying you were
17 nominated, and you filled out a form for acceptance, no
18 subsequent telephone call, and it turned out you were
19 nominated from a mailing list, would you still want to be
20 listed and be a member of that Who's Who?
21 A No, I would not.
22 Q Would it surprise you to find out that Marquis Who's
23 Who, which was -- which is the publisher of Who's Who in
24 America utilizes mailing lists for selecting people in
25 many of its publications?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3345
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 A I don't know. I don't know how they get their names.
2 Q If I were to tell you that the Who's Whos you have

3 been talking about, you have been thinking about, many, if

4 not most of them, utilize mailing lists judge like Who's

5 Who Worldwide, would that affect your decision as to

6 whether or not you would have joined Who's Who Worldwide

7 if you were told that there were mailing lists used?

8 A I would be extremely skeptical of joining anyone's

9 organization of saying I came off of a mailing list.
10 Q So, you would be extremely skeptical of even joining
11 the Who's Whos that you thought, that you had heard of
12 before at the time you received this solicitation, if it
13 turned out that they use mailing lists; is that right?
14 A If they told me up front that my nomination came from
15 a mailing list, I would have been extremely skeptical.
16 Q You said you got only one copy of the magazine, did
17 you move at a certain point in time or change your
18 address?
19 A No, sir.
20 Q Are you sure it was only one?
21 A That's all I recall, receiving only one.
22 Q By that time is it your testimony that you already
23 lost interest in the Who's Who?
24 A I did not have much interest once I received the
25 plaque.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3346
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 Q Is it possible you would have discarded the other
2 magazines after receiving the one?

3 A Not likely. I think I would have remembered

4 receiving them.

5 Q Mr. Wheeler, is it fair to say that for you, for you

6 personally, what was important was the egotistical thing

7 you referred to?

8 A The honor, yes, if that's egotistical.

9 Q I was adopting your word, Mr. Wheeler.
10 As you sit here today, do you know whether or not
11 you were nominated by a nother member or taken from a
12 mailing list?
13 A I have been told that the names were obtained by --
14 from mailing lists.
15 Q Were you told that there were also nominations by
16 other members?
17 A No.
18 Q If you were told that there were nominations by other
19 members as well as selections from mailing lists, would it
20 have affected your determination as to whether or not you
21 would have joined?
22 A I don't know how to answer that question.
23 THE COURT: That's a good answer, because I
24 didn't understand the question.
25 MR. TRABULUS: I will rephrase it.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3347
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 Q If you were told that in addition to some members
2 nominated from mailing lists, others were nominated by

3 other members, would that have affected your decision to

4 become a member?

5 A If the party on the other end I was in conversation

6 with said your name came from a mailing list, and, by the

7 way, I do have other nominations, it might have affected

8 my decision.

9 Again, when someone tells me my name is off of a
10 mailing list, and we get our list of contacts off of a
11 mailing list, I have on my mind a small sweat shop
12 somewhere with people on the phone randomly dialing
13 numbers, saying would you like to buy this or would you
14 like to buy that? And it turns me off, I am sorry.
15 Q Certainly your telephone number was one you gave to
16 Who's Who Worldwide.
17 A I understand that.
18 Q So it is not a number dialed randomly.
19 A I understand.
20 Q If you were told some names came from mailing lists
21 and others came from other business, would it have made a
22 difference to you? Would you have joined it? Could you
23 have joined it?
24 A I could have.
25 Q If you were told -- we can take it both ways, but if

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3348
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 you were told you had come from a mailing list, if in fact
2 you did, and some other members came from nominations by

3 other members, would you have joined?

4 A I would have pursued the discussion further to find

5 out why some were taken from nominations and some from

6 mailing lists and made by decision at that point.

7 That's conjectural, I don't know.

8 Q A lot of things you may not have known, Mr. Wheeler,

9 for example, if the mailing lists themselves utilized were
10 selected, would that have affected your determination?
11 Let me withdraw the question. You have a problem
12 with the question?
13 A I don't know. How did that mailing list get
14 generated? Did it come from income, positions held?
15 Q Let's take mailing lists. Certainly some mailing
16 lists could be from some people who returned an offer from
17 the back of a cereal box?
18 A Correct.
19 Q That's a non-selective mailing list; is that correct?
20 A Yes.
21 Q And some mailing lists look for people with a certain
22 position, such as presidents?
23 A Yes.
24 Q Chief financial officers?
25 A Yes.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3349
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 Q Names of people with an executive position over a
2 certain level within certain types of organizations.

3 Let's say the mailing lists used were of that

4 type, would that have affected your decision as opposed to

5 people who handed in cereal boxes?

6 A Someone has to tell me what that mailing list

7 consists of, again.

8 Q There was a variety of benefits offered with

9 memberships. Is that correct?
10 A I don't recall any discussion of benefits.
11 Q Do you recall being told in the telephone
12 conversation about any software you might be able to use?
13 A No.
14 Q Were you told at some point, whether it be in that
15 telephone conversation or afterwards, about discounts on
16 auto insurance?
17 A No, sir.
18 Q Do you recall ever seeing anything -- withdrawn.
19 I think you mentioned the magazine you received
20 contained advertising or coupons of some sort?
21 A Yes, that's correct, it did.
22 Q Did you see in that magazine various discounts
23 available to members?
24 A I did see that.
25 Q Did you consider availing yourself of any of those?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3350
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 A No, sir, I did not.
2 Q I think you testified you didn't consider getting in

3 touch with any of the members in the directory, because

4 you retired about five months after you became a member;

5 is that correct?

6 A Yes.

7 Q And if you had not retired you might have pursued

8 that; is that correct?

9 A No. I don't believe I can answer that question any
10 other way but no.
11 Q So you would not have done it?
12 A I would not have done it.
13 Q So your previous answer, when you said the reason you
14 didn't pursue it was because you had retired five months
15 afterward, that answer was mistaken in some respects?
16 A No, that answer was correct. I did not pursue it
17 because I retired. If I had not retired I would not have
18 pursued it, because there did not contain in it any of the
19 information that I thought it would.
20 Q Well, what information do you say you thought it
21 contained that it didn't contain?
22 A It contained the names of just anybody and
23 everybody. I was just disappointed. I thought that there
24 would be some distinctive separation between those people
25 in the directory and other people in the business world,

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3351
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 military, whatever it was. And I saw no distinction in
2 looking through it. I did not read every page of every

3 individual.

4 Q When you say it contained everybody and anybody, do

5 you mean to say that -- withdrawn -- was there any type of

6 information that you expected to see in the directory that

7 was not in it? Yes or no, sir?

8 A I would have to say yes.

9 Q Specifically what type of information did you expect

10 to see in it that was not in it?
11 A The type of information of each individual that would
12 indicate their selection and why they were selected for
13 membership.
14 Q Now, in your case you were told that information
15 pertaining to your own selection was confidential?
16 A That is correct.
17 Q And were you told that this confidential that the
18 person speaking to you would not even reveal to you, would
19 be revealed to the whole world through publication?
20 A Let me answer that this way -- you want a yes or no?
21 Q If you can give a yes or no. I think you should be
22 able to.
23 A I can't give a yes or no without explaining it.
24 Q Let me ask you this: Did anybody tell you in so many
25 words that the reasons you were selected or how you came

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3352
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 to be selected would be listed in the book?
2 A No.

3 Q And, in fact, you were told that they couldn't even

4 tell you that over the telephone; is that correct?

5 A They could not give me the reasons why I was

6 selected.

7 Q And yet you still pursued it and bought it; is that

8 correct?

9 A Absolutely. Because they said the selection process
10 would be based on all the things I had done.
11 Q Now, in the military, what was the highest rank you
12 had received?
13 A Lieutenant colonel.
14 Q And in your career in corporate work, what different
15 titles did you hold?
16 A From contract administrator to senior planning
17 specialist. I was a professional administrative type.
18 Q When you said that the book seemed to contain anybody
19 and everybody, did you check through it to see the titles
20 of the different people who were in it?
21 A Some.
22 Q And --
23 A Not all.
24 Q Did you notice that there were a large number of
25 people with titles such as president?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3353
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 A Yes, I saw some.
2 Q Did you notice there were a lot, a large group of

3 people affiliated with corporations whose names are

4 familiar to you?

5 A I saw some.

6 Q Did you go through the book looking specifically to

7 finds some people whom you thought may not have belonged

8 in the book?

9 A No, I didn't look for anyone in that category.
10 Q When was it that you contacted your various either
11 friends or co-employees or superiors, or people you used
12 to work with to find out whether they had nominated you?
13 At what point did you do that?
14 A After I received the phone call.
15 Q And that was after you had already decided to
16 purchase a membership; is that correct?
17 A That's right.
18 Q Was that before you got the plaque?
19 A Yes.
20 Q And it was before you got the directory?
21 A Even after the plaque also.
22 Q But before you got the directory?
23 A Yes.
24 Q And at that point in time, no one had told you that
25 they had nominated you; is that correct?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3354
Wheeler-cross/Trabulus

1 A That is correct.
2 Q And, nevertheless, you still proceeded to purchase

3 the directory; is that correct?

4 A That is correct.

5 MR. TRABULUS: No further questions.

6

7 CROSS-EXAMINATION

8 BY MR. JENKS:

9 Q Good morning, Mr. Wheeler.
10 My name is Mr. Jenks.
11 Mr. Wheeler, take a look in front of you at

12 Exhibit 15-C. Do you have it? That's the card that
13 Mr. White had asked you about.
14 A All right.
15 Q Do you see the card?
16 A Yes, uh-huh.
17 Q I am not looking at the post mark side, I am looking
18 at the informational side.
19 A I have the right side.
20 Q All right.
21 It does say on there, does it not, that there is
22 no charge or obligation on your part for inclusion in the
23 Registry?
24 A That is correct.
25 Q So, you were aware of that when you received that

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3355
Wheeler-cross/Jenks

1 telephone call, am I correct?
2 A That is correct, I was aware of it.

3 Q Did the woman or the voice on the phone tell you that

4 there was in fact no charge or obligation on your part for

5 inclusion in the Registry?

6 A I don't recall if I was told that. But certainly, I

7 was aware of it.

8 Q You were aware of it at the time you received the

9 call; is that correct?
10 A That is correct.
11 Q The reason you received the call is because you sent
12 back this informational card; is that a fair statement?
13 A A fair statement.
14 Q In other words, you weren't just cold called by
15 someone in a little room randomly dialing telephone
16 numbers; is that right?
17 A No, I was not.
18 Q You had received the package first, and instead of
19 reading the package and instead of discarding it, you
20 filled out the cards and provided a telephone number for
21 the person to call; is that correct?
22 A Yes.
23 Q Mr. Trabulus questioned you a lot about the issue of
24 nominations.
25 Did you ever look in the dictionary, Webster's

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT R EPORTER
3356
Wheeler-cross/Jenks

1 dictionary, or any dictionary, under the word "nomination"
2 to see what in fact it meant?

3 A I know what it means to me. I don't recall looking

4 the word up in Webster's recently.

5 Q If I told you that Webster's says that nomination

6 means selected, chosen or appointed, would you agree with

7 those definitions of the word "nomination"?

8 A If that's what he says, I would agree.

9 Q Well, let me ask you this: When you think of the
10 word "nomination", you don't think there has to be like
11 500 people at the democratic national convention
12 nominating someone for something, do you?
13 A No. If you are nominated, you can be nominated by
14 one single individual.
15 Q You can be nominated anonymously also; is that
16 correct?
17 A That is correct.
18 Q As you sit here today, would it be a fai r statement
19 to say that you were not even sure as to whether or not
20 you were anonymously nominated by someone; is that a fair
21 statement?
22 A I was told I could not even find out.
23 Q So, even as you sit here today, you don't know if
24 someone who was a current member, or someone who was a
25 member at another time, or someone whom you worked with

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3357
Wheeler-cross/Jenks

1 may have anonymously nominated you? Is that a fair
2 statement?

3 A My attempts to find out were fruitless. I could not

4 find out.

5 Q So, you don't know for sure as you sit here as to

6 whether or not your name was actually obtained from any

7 kind of a mailing list or not; is that right?

8 A Where my name came from, I was told it came off of a

9 mailing list. But if it did not come off of a mail ing
10 list, I don't know where it came from.
11 Q But you have no proof as you sit here that your name
12 in fact actually came from the use of a mailing list; is
13 that correct?
14 A That's correct.
15 Q The way you think your name came off of a mailing
16 list is because the government told you that?
17 A They told me my name came from a mailing list.
18 Q Did they show you the mailing list or anything your
19 name came from that they had in their possession?
20 A No.
21 Q Did you ask to see the mailing lists or the documents
22 that your name came from to get this package in the mail?
23 A No, I didn't ask to see it.
24 Q Would it be a fair statement to say, Mr. Wheeler that
25 your membership became effective sometime, I believe, in

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3358
Wheeler-cross/Jenks

1 Apri l of 1993, according to this invoice; is that right?
2 A I believe so.

3 Q And the informational listing in the Registry, given

4 your biographical data was in fact correct?

5 A At the time, yes.

6 Q No errors were made in the publication of the book;

7 is that correct?

8 A I had not seen any errors.

9 Q Would you also agree that whatever the person
10 promised you on the telephone in terms of receiving a
11 plaque, a Registry, and a logo for your car, you did in
12 fact receive those items; am I correct?
13 A I did in fact receive those items.
14 Q And up until the point -- withdrawn.
15 There came a time in June of 1995 that you
16 received a correspondence from the government in the mail;
17 am I right?
18 A No.
19 Q Did you receive a questionnaire from the government
20 in the mail?
21 A I did receive a questionnaire.
2 2 Q Let's take a look at this then and see if it
23 refreshes your recollection as to perhaps when you
24 received the questionnaire.
25 A I thought you were talking about initial contract.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3359
Wheeler-cross/Jenks

1 Q Is this the questionnaire you received in the mail?
2 A That's my handwriting, yes.

3 MR. JENKS: I am talking about 3500-LW-1.

4 Q You completed this questionnaire sometime in June of

5 1995; is that correct?

6 A Yes.

7 Q And is that the first time you heard from the

8 government in this matter?

9 A No, sir.
10 Q You had heard from them earlier?
11 A Yes, sir.
12 Q Okay.
13 Now, up until the point you had heard from the
14 government, did you file any complaints with Who's Who
15 Worldwide regarding the value of what you say you received

16 in the Registry?
17 A No. I just wrote it off as a bad decision.
18 Q You didn't file any written letters of complaints,
19 did you?
20 A No.
21 Q Did you file any complaints with anyone claiming
22 someone told you that you had been nominated, when in fact
23 you had not been nominated?
24 A No, I did not.
25 Q Did you complain to anyone in New York or Texas

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3360
Wheeler-cross/Jenks

1 anywhere?
2 A No, sir.

3 Q Orally did you complain to anyone?

4 A Other than to my wife and myself, no.

5 Q Well, the first time that you actually -- would it be

6 fair to say that the first time you actually decided to

7 register or file any formal complain was after you

8 received a letter and a questionnaire from the government

9 right?
10 A No. I received a phone call initially.
11 Q From the government?
12 A From the government.
13 Q Let's examine that. When was the phone call you
14 received from the government?
15 A Just prior to receiving the questionnaire.
16 Q Do you know who it was that called you?
17 A Yes, the postal inspector.
18 Q Was that Inspector Biegelman or Inspector Pagano, do
19 you know?
20 A Pagano.
21 Q So, it was sometime before June of 1995?
22 A I would assume so.
23 Q Do you recall the content of the conversation?
24 A Nothing other than there was an investigation into
25 Who's Who Worldwide, was I a member, and so forth, and

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3361
Wheeler-cross/Jenks

1 would I complete a questionnaire and return it?
2 I said, yes, I would.

3 Q Up to that point you had not received the

4 questionnaire; is that correct?

5 A That's correct.

6 Q But the government, so to speak, had tipped you off

7 that there was an investigation into a company called

8 Who's Who Worldwide; is that right?

9 A That was my first information, yes.
10 Q Did Inspector Pagano tell you that members of Who's
11 Who Worldwide had in fact been arrested?
12 A No, sir.
13 Q When you filled out the questionnaire were you aware
14 that members of Who's Who Worldwide were in fact arrested?
15 A No, sir.
16 Q Were you aware that members were under investigation?
17 A No, sir.
18 Q Let's take a look at -- let's take a look at
19 Government's Exhibit 3500-RR-1, and I am going to ask you
20 to just take a look at this, and just read silently to
21 yourself the little content of 3500-RR-1.
22 (Handed to the witness.)
23 A Apparently, there was a cover letter that I didn't

24 recall.
25 Q Did you get a copy of the cover letter with the

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3362
Wheeler-cross/Jenks

1 questionnaire?
2 A I don't recall, but I assume I did, identifying that

3 there were proceedings.

4 Q You don't recall that the postal inspectors advised

5 you in a cover letter that they were looking into the

6 activities of a telemarketing mail and telemarketing sales

7 company who does business under the name of Who's Who

8 Worldwide Registry, Inc.?

9 A If that's a copy of the cover letter provided with
10 the questionnaire, I did receive it. I did not get just a
11 blind questionnaire. I don't remember the letter,
12 however.
13 Q But you don't remember receiving this questionnaire;
14 is that correct?
15 A Yes, I --
16 Q I mean this letter, sorry.
17 A No, I didn' t remember the letter.
18 Q But you did recall reading something when you
19 received the questionnaire that the postal inspectors were
20 looking into the activities of Who's Who Worldwide?
21 A I was obviously alerted when they called me on the
22 telephone.
23 Q Prior to that?
24 A Yes.
25 Q Let me just go through you a few answers you provided

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3363
Wheeler-cross/Jenks

1 in your questionnaire.
2 Mr. Trabulus, I will not go over it again, spoke

3 to you about the use of mailing lists.

4 Were you told by the company that they did not

5 use mailing lists as a source of prospective members?

6 A I was only told I was nominated.

7 Q But you weren't told specifically that they did not

8 use mailing lists to get members, right?

9 A No.
10 Q And were you ever told by the representative of the
11 company that a certain percentage of the new applicants
12 were not accepted for inclusion?
13 A No.
14 Q Now, were you ever told by anyone in the company that
15 memberships only become available through attrition of
16 existing members?
17 A No, sir.
18 I only had one contact with the company, and that
19 was the lady who took the information over the phone.
20 Q And that lady never told you about any specific
21 policies or issues concerning you that had been voted on
22 by anybody within the company or any other members,
23 correct?
24 A No.
25 Q Now, you did say that you received everything that

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3364
Wheeler-cross/Jenks

1 the company had promised you; is that correct?
2 A I did, sir.

3 Q Now, did you use this distinction or the recognition

4 of Who's Who Worldwide to place on your business card or

5 letterhead?

6 A No.

7 Q Did you intend to put it on your business card or

8 letterhead?

9 A It had not occurred to me to do so.
10 Q When you sent in the questionnaire, did you tell the
11 government you intended to use it on your business card or
12 letterhead?
13 A No, sir, I did not.
14 Q You did not.
15 You just told us you didn't intend to contact or
16 network with any members, did you not?
17 A No, sir, I did not.
18 Q Do you recall when you sent in the questionnaire you
19 told the government that you in fact did intend to contact
20 or network with any other members?
21 A I can't recall.
22 Q Let's look at 3500-LW-2.
23 (Handed to the witness.)
24 This is Lester Wheeler; is that correct?
25 A Yes.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3365
Wheeler-cross/Jenks

1 Q And this is part of your Who's Who questionnaire?
2 A That's not my writing. I didn't respond to that.

3 Q You didn't fill this portion out?

4 A No, sir.

5 Q You filled this portion out of the questionnaire?

6 A That's correct.

7 Q These pages; is that correct?

8 A Yes.

9 Q 1 through 6?
10 A 34 questions, yes.
11 Q Were you also telephone interviewed by the
12 government?
13 A Yes, I was.
14 Q Okay.
15 Were you asked a question by a representative of
16 the government as to whether you intended to put it on
17 your resume or on your business card?
18 A If that's the question and the response, that's
19 probably what I said.
20 Q Did you say yes to the government?
21 A I guess I did. I don't recall.
22 Q Were you asked by the govern ment, were you contacted
23 or intended to network with other members; do you recall
24 being asked that?
25 A No. But if I said yes, I said yes.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3366
Wheeler-cross/Jenks

1 Q Well, it indicates that you said yes?
2 A I am corrected.

3 Q Do you recall answering yes?

4 A I don't recall answering yes to those because by the

5 time I was contacted I had retired.

6 Q So, your answer is you don't recall saying yes to

7 those questions?

8 A I don't recall saying yes.

9 MR. JENKS: One moment, your Honor.
10 (Whereupon, at this time there was a pause in the
11 proceedings.)
12 MR. JENKS: I have no further questions, Judge.
13
14 CROSS-EXAMINATION
15 BY MR. SCHOER:
16 Q Mr. Wheeler, good morning.
17 A Good morning.
18 Q To clarify a couple of t hings.
19 In addition to filing no complaints, you didn't
20 ask for any refund at any time of Who's Who Worldwide?
21 A I did not.
22 Q And so I am clear, you received a plaque which you
23 were not happy with, right?
24 A That's correct.
25 Q And you had reasonable doubt paid, what was it, $297?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3367
Wheeler-cross/Schoer

1 A At that point, correct.
2 Q And that was what date? Do you remember?

3 A Something like June of '93, if I recall.

4 Q Sometime in January of '93 you received another

5 invoice?

6 A For the subsequent Registry, the book.

7 Q And that was after you had already purchased -- after

8 you had already received the plaque and this medallion for

9 the car; is that right?
10 A That's correct, but at the time --
11 Q Yes or no, that's after you had already received it?
12 A That's correct.
13 Q Then, did you send a check in for the balance?
14 A No. I made the commitment for the Registry at the
15 time I signed up.
16 Q Mr. Wheeler, I am asking you questions which are
17 pretty easy to answer. Did you send a check in, yes or
18 no?
19 A No.
20 Q Did you make a telephone call into Who's Who
21 Worldwide to authorize them to use your credit card again?
22 A No.
23 Q Did you authorize them to take an additional amount
24 of money out for the directory?
25 A At the initial purchase I did.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3368
Wheeler-cross/Schoer

1 Q So, at the initial purchase you authorized them both
2 to make the initial withdrawal from your credit card, and

3 you also authorized them to take an additional amount out

4 sometime in the future?

5 A That was the transaction, because the Registry was

6 not available at the time the initial purchase was made.

7 The discussion was we will bill you at the time --

8 Q Mr. Wheeler --

9 A -- we will send it to you.
10 Q Mr. Wheeler, I am asking you questions that you can
11 answer yes or no. Would you please do that?
12 THE COURT: Mr. Wheeler, on cross examination as
13 I have advised every witness so far, and there have been a
14 number of them, if you are going to be asked a yes or no
15 question, and you can't answer yes or no, please say
16 that. That shifts the burden to the questioner to decide
17 what he wants to do. He may say tell us in your own
18 words. I doubt that that is going to happen.
19 If you can't answer the questions yes or no, you
20 don't have to. Say you can't answer the question yes or
21 no.
22 THE WITNESS: Fair, your Honor. Thank you.
23 Q As far as you know you did not receive a second
24 invoice for the additional payment; is that correct?
25 A No, it is not correct.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3369
Wheeler-cross/Schoer

1 Q Well, did you receive a second payment for the
2 initial payment?

3 A Yes.

4 Q And when you received that second invoice did you

5 make any complaint at that point?

6 A No.

7 Q Did you contact your credit card company and say I

8 don't want to make this -- I don't want to authorize this

9 payment?
10 A No.
11 Q Did you contact your credit card company and say, I
12 would like you to cancel that charge?
13 A No.
14 Q Now, you said that you received a magazine; is that
15 correct?
16 A Correct.
17 Q I will show you what is marked as
18 Defendant's Exhibit C, D, G, E and F.
19 (Handed to the witness.)
20 Q Did you ever see any of those magazines?
21 A As I indicated I got one copy. But I don't remember
22 receiving any other additional copies.
23 Q Do you remember which of those four you received?
24 A No, sir, I don't remember any of the ones I received.
25 Q Do you remember any of the people who were profiled

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3370
Wheeler-cross/Schoer

1 in any of the magazines that you saw?
2 A No, sir, I can't. It has been too many years.

3 Q Do you remember the benefits listed in the magazine

4 available to you?

5 A No, sir. I know that there were coupons in there,

6 and for what they were for, I don't know.

7 Q Do you remember any discussion either on the

8 telephone -- well, do you remember any discussion on the

9 telephone concerning a Who's Who Executive Club gold
10 Master Card?
11 A No, sir.
12 Q Do you remember seeing anything about that in the
13 magazines?
14 A No, sir.
15 Q You said you were familiar with Who's Who books; is
16 that correct?
17 A No, sir.
18 Q You were not familiar with Who's Who books?
19 A Not books. I was familiar with Who's Who.
20 Q Well, did you understand Who's Who to be a publisher
21 or many publishers?
22 A I would assume that they are a publisher.
23 Q Did you understand that the word, the concept, the
24 name "Who's Who" is not owned by any one company
25 exclusively?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3371
Wheeler-cross/Schoer

1 A No, sir.
2 Q Do you know that there are hundreds of different

3 Who's Whos?

4 A No, sir.

5 Let me reanswer that. Yes, I know that there are

6 different Who's Who.

7 Q Do you know that there are hundreds of Who's Whos?

8 A No. I don't know that there are hundreds.

9 Q Do you know of a publication called Who's Who in
10 Addiction Treatment and Recovery?
11 A No, sir.
12 Q Do you think the people contained in that volume
13 were -- well, do you think some of the people contained in
14 that volume might have been nominated by mailing lists?
15 A No, I don't know how to answer that question.
16 Q Do you know the publication Who's Who Among
17 African Americans?
18 A No, sir, I do not.
19 Q Do you know a publication, Who's Who in Banking in
20 Europe, Who's Who in Beverage Technology? Do you know any
21 of those publications?
22 A No, not any of those publications.
23 Q Who's Who in Knowledge Organization, Who's Who in
24 Landscaping Contracting. Do you have any knowledge of

25 those?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3372
Wheeler-cross/Schoer

1 A No, sir, I do not.
2 Q Have you heard of Who's Who in America?

3 A Yes.

4 Q And that's a Who's Who published by a company called

5 Marquis, correct? Do you know that?

6 A I don't know that.

7 Q When you received the invoice in front of you, on

8 that invoice it says that Who's Who Worldwide is the

9 largest Who's Who membership organization in the world;
10 did you know that?
11 A No, sir.
12 Q Did you respect the book to be larger or smaller than
13 what you received?
14 A I really didn't know what to expect.
15 Q Did you know that Marquis Who's Who, Reed Elsevir now
16 has a Who's Who on line, where you can self nominate?
17 A No, sir, I did not.
18 Q He now has a membership organization where you can
19 nominate yourself to be in that group?
20 A No, sir.
21 MR. SCHOER: I have no further questions.
22
23
24
25

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3373
Wheeler-cross/Nelson

1 CROSS-EXAMINATION
2 BY MR. NELSON:

3 Q Good morning, Mr. Wheeler.

4 My name is Alan Nelson, how are you today, sir?

5 Mr. Wheeler, I believe you testified that you

6 became aware that your name came from a mailing list based

7 upon the fact that you were apprised of that by the

8 government; is that correct?

9 A That is correct.
10 Q And up to that time it was your belief that you had
11 been nominated in some manner for membership; is that
12 correct?
13 A That is correct.
14 Q Now, when you spoke with the government, you spoke, I
15 believe, you indicated one time on the telephone prior to
16 your receipt of the questionnaire; is that right?
17 A That's correct.
18 Q And then you subsequently filled out a questionnaire
19 that you sent out to the government; is that right?
20 A Yes.
21 Q And am I correct that after you sent out the
22 questionnaire you then spoke with the government further
23 prior to coming here to testify today?
24 A That is correct.
25 Q Now, during the course of your various discussions

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3374
Wheeler-cross/Nelson

1 with the government, were you ever advised of the fact, by
2 either the prosecutor or the postal inspectors, that based

3 upon their investigation the government was aware that

4 Who's Who Worldwide actively solicited members of the

5 organization to have those members nominate other people

6 for inclusion in Who's Who Worldwide?

7 A I don't recall a discussion on that subject.

8 Q Were you ever apprised by the government that while

9 mailing lists were in fact used by Who's Who Worldwide,
10 there was a selection process which was utilized by the
11 company in the acquisition of the mailing lists that they
12 were using?
13 A I don't recall a discussion of the selection process.
14 Q Did the government ever advise you that they had
15 looked very closely into the manner of the acquisition of
16 the mailing lists by Who's Who Worldwide and they had
17 determined that those mailing lists were broken down based
18 upon the nature of somebody's profession, the amount of
19 income that the person was making, and making sure that
20 those lists were limited in scope to people who earned a
21 certain amount of money, or were in a certain area of
22 expertise? Were you ever apprised of that by the
23 government?
24 A No, sir.
25 Q Now, you had indicated that you had received at least

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3375
Wheeler-cross/Nelson

1 one of the magazines, the Tribute Magazines, subsequent to
2 you acquiring your membership in Who's Who Worldwide; is

3 that right?

4 A Right.

5 Q And because of the fact that you would re -- you had

6 retired, and you had already made a determination that the

7 membership wasn't necessarily of value to you, you didn't

8 look all that closely at the magazine; is that correct?

9 A That is correct.
10 Q Okay.
11 I would like to show you what is marked as
12 Gordon-C in evidence, and I would ask you to look at the
13 last page of the magazine.
14 (Handed to the witness.)
15 Q Am I correct that inside of the magazine itself, of
16 which you had received at least one copy, there actually
17 is a ballot for a member to send an -- to nominate another
18 member for membership into Who's Who Worldwide?
19 A Yes, it is mere.
20 Q But you had not looked very closely through the
21 magazine so you wouldn't be aware as to whether or not
22 such a nomination ballot was actually inside of the Who's
23 Who Tribute Magazine that you yourself had received; is
24 that right?
25 A I was not aware of any nomination form.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3376
Wheeler-cross/Nelson

1 Q I think Mr. Trabulus, other than sitting here today,
2 you said, other than the government telling you you

3 weren't nominated, you have no way to know as to whether

4 you were nominated or weren't nominated; is that correct?

5 A That is correct.

6 Q And as you sit here today you are certainly unaware

7 as to whether or not your name might well have come from a

8 mailing lists, for example, of aerospace engineers, who

9 were in high executive positions, and earning a certain
10 income in the southwestern portion of the United States;
11 is that correct?
12 A That is correct.
13 Q Now, I believe you indicated during the course of
14 your testimony, that when you have the opportunity -- when
15 you had the opportunity to finally look at the Registry,
16 the large bound volume, you weren't particularly satisfied
17 with it, because you saw no distinction inside of it
18 between different people; is that correct?
19 A I did not see anything in there that was honorarium
20 type, or distinguishing between any of the people
21 published in there.
22 Q Would I be correct in stating when you looked through
23 the magazine, the majority of the people, in fact, the

24 vast majority of the people you looked at in the magazine,
25 were listings indicating that they came from high

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3377
Wheeler-cross/Nelson

1 executive positions in the various field or business that
2 they were in?

3 A I wasn't impressed they were in high positions.

4 Q Your problem was that they had -- you had not seen a

5 biographical sketch to exemplify what particular endeavor

6 or accomplished they had had to place them in the

7 publication; is that correct?

8 A That's correct.

9 Q And you indicated that this was the first type of
10 Who's Who publication that you personally acquired; is
11 that correct?
12 A That I personal acquired, that's correct.
13 Q And you indicated you were familiar with Who's Who
14 membership organizations for high school individuals, for
15 college individuals, and for other forms of business
16 endeavors; is that correct?
17 A That is correct.
18 Q Had you ever examined any of those publications
19 before you saw this Who's Who Worldwide?
20 A No, I had not.
21 Q So, you didn't really know exactly what it was to
22 expect when you first saw the publication; is that right?
23 A I had in my mind what I expected, and it was not
24 that.
25 Q So, you had in your mind a certain impression, but

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3378
Wheeler-cross/Nelson

1 you had never actually seen any other publication; is that
2 correct?

3 A That's correct.

4 Q And I believe you also testified that while you

5 thought that there were many different Who's Whos, would I

6 be correct that it was your belief at the time you applied

7 for membership in Who's Who Worldwide that there might

8 have been different categories of a Who's Who publication,

9 they were all made by one company or entity?
10 A I don't know really how to answer that question. Can
11 you ask it another way?
12 Q I will withdraw the question. It was probably
13 phrased poorly.
14 At the time that you first applied to Who's Who
15 Worldwide, for membership in the organization, was it your
16 belief that there was one umbrella entity that marketed
17 various different forms of a Who's Who for different
18 sub-categories, such as high school, college and different
19 forms of profession or business endeavor?
20 A No, I don't believe I ever had the opinion that there
21 was just one Who's Who who did it all.
22 Q And at the time that you first applied for
23 membership, you believed that there were various different
24 entities; is that correct?

25 A I hadn't thought about whether there were other

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3379
Wheeler-cross/Nelson

1 entities, other than to know, you know, that one umbrella
2 Who's Who didn't market or represent all the Who's Who in

3 the United States.

4 Q Do you recall that your first contact with Who's Who

5 Worldwide would have been a letter you received in the

6 mail requesting for you to return the ballot part which

7 you subsequently sent back to the company?

8 A That was the contact.

9 Q And do you recall that the letter itself specifically
10 states at the bottom that this Who's Who Worldwide company
11 is not affiliated with any other form of Who's Who?
12 A Yes.
13 MR. NELSON: Thank you.
14 MR. GEDULDIG: I have one or two questions.
15
16 CROSS-EXAMINATION
17 BY MR. GEDULDIG:
18 Q Mr. Wheeler, you had no plan or intention to file any
19 complaints about your membership in Who's Who Worldwide;
20 is that right?
21 A That's correct.
22 Q You didn't have any plan or complaint to do anything
23 until the government solicited you to do anything; is that
24 correct?
25 A They did not solicit. They only asked me to respond.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3380
Wheeler-cross/Geduldig

1 Q What is a solicitation?
2 A Asking me to do something -- I wasn't forced to

3 respond.

4 Q You were solicited. They didn't put a gun to your

5 head?

6 A No.

7 Q Did they ask you in a telephone interview if you

8 would be willing to come to New York and testify in this

9 case?
10 A Subsequent discussion, yes.
11 Q And prior to that you had no plan to do anything like
12 that; is that right?
13 A No, that's right.
14 MR. GEDULDIG: I have no other questions.
15 THE COURT: Anybody else?
16 MR. DUNN: Yes, your Honor.
17
18 CROSS-EXAMINATION
19 BY MR. DUNN:
20 Q Good morning, sir. My name is Thomas Dunn.
21 If you were advised that your name was obtained
22 from a high class exclusive mailing list, you may still
23 have accepted the membership, correct?
24 A No, not correct.
25 Q Do you belong to any other organizations?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3381
Wheeler-cross/Dunn

1 A I have, but I do not presently.
2 Q What are some of the organizations that you belong to

3 aside from the one through the military affiliation?

4 A Logistics Engineer Association, National Defense

5 Transportation Association. How many --

6 Q How many do you belong to?

7 A American Le gion, Veterans of Foreign Wars. Over my

8 life span I belonged to a lot.

9 Q If some of them used mailing lists, would you
10 withdraw from those organizations, yes or no? Yes or no?
11 A Yes.
12 Q If you were aware that the person calling you in
13 response to your written response, if you were aware that
14 the person was calling you from a rather impressive
15 organization, with quality art on the walls, well dressed
16 people calling you, would that change your mind with
17 respect to being called from a sweat shop? Yes or no?
18 A No.
19 Q So, if you could actually see the person calling you
20 on the phone, calling you with valuable art in the
21 background, and a very nice business atmosphere, it would
22 have no impression on you whatsoever; is that correct?
23 A No.
24 Q Now, you said just about everybody and everyone was
25 in that directory; is that correct?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3382
Wheeler-cross/Dunn

1 A It appeared to be that way.
2 Q Is it fair to say there are over 250 million

3 Americans in this country about?

4 A That's a good member.

5 Q Is it fair to say that 72,000 people are a very, very

6 small percentage of the people in this country; is that

7 correct?

8 A That's correct.

9 Q And would you be impressed by the fact the chairman
10 of the board of Coca-Cola, the president of American
11 Express Bank, the vice chairman of Hilton Hotels
12 Corporation, the president of Genovese drugstores, the
13 president and CEO of the Dannon Company, D A N N O N, the
14 co-chair --
15 THE COURT: You have to go slower, Mr. Dunn.
16 Q The co-chair, Hanna, H A N N A-Barbera,
17 B A R B E R A, Inc., the president and CEO of Litton,

18 L I T T O N, Industries, the president and CEO of Good
19 Will Industries, the chairman of the board of the Kellog
20 company, and I can go on and on, sir.
21 That wouldn't impress you one bit; is that
22 correct? Yes or no?
23 A No.
24 Q Those people are just everybody and everyone; is that
25 correct? Yes or no?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3383
Wheeler-cross/Dunn

1 A I can't answer that.
2 Q Sir, you received a mailing to be in a Who's Who, and

3 you responded to it, correct?

4 A Correct.

5 Q That is something you wanted to be included in; is

6 that correct?

7 A Felt honored to be, yes.

8 Q Would you view it to be an honor to be in a Registry

9 and a member of an organization of the leaders that I just
10 mentioned to you, yes or no?
11 A Sir, I would view it to be an honor to be in there
12 with them if I could pick the phone up with them and call
13 them directly and say I am a member of Who's Who
14 Worldwide, how are you today, and discuss the honorarium.
15 But I couldn't get through the switchboard with that
16 conversation.
17 MR. DUNN: I move to strike as not responsive.
18 THE COURT: Motion granted. Strike the entire
19 answer as not being responsive, the jury is instructed to
20 disregard it.
21 Q You were advised in your phone conversation with
22 Who's Who, sir, were you not, that phone numbers would not
23 be included in this Registry; is that correct?
24 A I do not recall this in the conversation.
25 Q Sir, if you wanted to speak to the chairman of the

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3384
Wheeler-cross/Dunn

1 Coca-Cola company, which is in Atlanta, Georgia, after you

2 retired from the Army and wanted to get into private

3 business, is it fair to say if you wanted to speak to that

4 person you could just call information for Atlanta,

5 Georgia, and get the number for Coca-Cola, yes or no?

6 A Yes, you can.

7 Q You never made any efforts to network with anybody;

8 is that correct?

9 A That is correct.
10 Q Would it be fair to say, sir, that based on your
11 qualifications and accomplishments in your work field,
12 that you believed that you would qualify for a Who's Who
13 organization; is that true? Yes or no?
14 A I did not know until I was contacted.
15 Q Sir, looking within yourself, do you believe that you
16 would qualify for a Who's Who membership in a Who's Who
17 organization based on your complaints?
18 A I think so.
19 MR. DUNN: I have no further questions, your
20 Honor.
21 THE COURT: All ri ght.
22 We will take a ten-minute recess.
23 Please do not discuss the case.
24 Keep an open mind.
25 Please recess yourselves.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3385
Wheeler-cross/Dunn

1 (Whereupon, at this time the jury leaves the
2 courtroom.)

3

4 (Whereupon, a recess is taken.)

5

6 THE CLERK: Jury entering.

7 THE COURT: Please be seated, members of the

8 jury.

9 You may proceed, Mr. Lee.
10 MR. LEE: I have no questions, your Honor.
11 THE COURT: Pardon?
12 MR. LEE: I have no questions, your Honor.
13
14 CROSS-EXAMINATION
15 BY MR. NEVILLE:
16 Q Hi, Mr. Wheeler. My name is Jim Neville.
17 Do you know Scott Michaelson, Mr. Wheeler?
18 A No, I don't.
19 Q I represent Scott Michaelson in this trial, do you
20 know what kind proceeding this is, civil or criminal?
21 A I understand it is criminal.
22 Q You understand Scott Michaelson is on trial for
23 criminal charges?
24 A I do.
25 Q Tell me if I am wrong, but you felt dissatisfied with

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3386
Wheeler-cross/Neville

1 your membership after you purchased it; is that right?
2 A Yes.

3 Q And have you ever bought anything in your life and

4 afterward realized you are dissatisfied with it?

5 A Yes.

6 Q Have you ever bought anything from a mail order house

7 and decided you are dissatisfied with it?

8 A Yes.

9 Q Would you then think it would be okay if the
10 individual who spoke to you on the phone and sold you that
11 item that you are dissatisfied with should go to jail for
12 five years?
13 MR. WHITE: Objection, your Honor.
14 THE COURT: Susta ined.
15 Q Mr. Wheeler, you said earlier you were aware of the
16 other Who's Who publications, and the name Reed Elsevir
17 and Marquis, those names were mentioned to you?
18 A They were mentioned. I wasn't aware of them before,
19 just the term Who's Who, sir.
20 Q There is a company that publishes those books, the
21 Who's Who in America books that you are familiar with; is
22 that right?
23 A I said I wasn't familiar with the books per se. But
24 with the term Who's Who and their various categories. I
25 did not say I was familiar with the publishers.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3387
Wheeler-cross/Neville

1 Q Well, would you accept the fact that there is a
2 company called Reed Elsevir which puts out Marquis Who's

3 Who in America?

4 A All right, fine.

5 Q Would you accept that that company is a multin ational

6 corporation; would you accept that?

7 A Fine.

8 MR. WHITE: Objection.

9 THE COURT: Sustained.
10 Q Sir, one of the other lawyers asked you, I believe
11 Mr. Schoer, if you knew that that company Reed Elsevir,
12 Marquis Who's Who, uses mailing lists.
13 MR. WHITE: Objection.
14 THE COURT: Sustained.
15 Q Did the government tell you in any of your
16 conversations with you, sir, that there had been a civil
17 lawsuit prior to this between Reed Elsevir, Marquis Who's
18 Who, and Mr. Gordon's corporation?
19 A No, sir.
20 Q That there was a trademark infringement lawsuit?
21 A No, sir.
22 Q And did the government ever tell you that the people
23 at Marquis Who's Who had talked to the postal inspectors
24 about Mr. Gordon?
25 MR. WHITE: Objection.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER

3388
Wheeler-cross/Neville

1 A No, sir.
2 THE COURT: Wait a second, when you see Mr. White

3 getting up, that means he is troubled by the question and

4 he is thinking about making an objection. If he was

5 faster -- he is not as fast as Mr. Neville, you see. Then

6 again, few people could be as fast as Mr. Neville.

7 THE WITNESS: I am afraid I am looking at

8 Mr. Neville.

9 THE COURT: That's who you should be looking at.
10 MR. NEVILLE: You didn't think I would remember
11 it, your Honor?
12 THE COURT: Let me hear the question now.
13 (Whereupon, the court reporter reads the
14 requested material.)
15 THE COURT: Sustained.
16 Members of the jury, by me trying to add a little
17 light touch or levity, which doesn't succeed all the time,
18 doesn't take away from the seriousness here. I just break
19 things up from time to time.

20 Go ahead, Mr. Neville.
21 MR. NEVILLE: Thank you, your Honor.
22 Q Did the government tell you that in this civil
23 lawsuit Reed Elsevir had been successful -- withdrawn.
24 Did the government tell you that Reed Elsevir,
25 Marquis Who's Who considered themselves competitors of

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3389
Wheeler-cross/Neville

1 Who's Who Worldwide, the company that you became a member
2 of?

3 MR. WHITE: Objection.

4 THE COURT: Sustained.

5 Q Did the government tell you that Reed Elsevir,

6 Marquis Who's Who sued Who's Who Worldwide and was

7 successful in putting them out of business and having them

8 go bankrupt?

9 MR. WHITE: Objection.
10 THE COURT: Sustained.
11 Desist, Mr. Neville.
12 We had enough Reed Elsevir questions. Next
13 subject.
14 Q How long have you been in New York for this trip?
15 A I arrived last Wednesday, six days.
16 Q On some other business?
17 A No.
18 Q Or specifically for this testimony?
19 A Specifically for this testimony.
20 Q I see.
21 And the government is paying you for that expense
22 to come here; is that right?
23 A Yes, sir.
24 Q Who is taking care of your kids while you are here?
25 A They are at my expense.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3390
Wheeler-cross/Neville

1 Q Sir, you said you had never spoken to Scott
2 Michaelson in your life; is that right?

3 A That is correct.

4 Q You said you don't know who he is?

5 A No, sir.

6 Q Do you know who sent you that original solicitation

7 letter in the mail?

8 A No, sir, I don't.

9 Q Do you have any idea if the person who spoke to you
10 on t he phone sent you the solicitation letter in the mail?
11 A The person I spoke to on the phone was a lady.
12 Q Right.
13 Do you have any idea if she sent you that
14 solicitation letter?
15 A No.
16 Q So, you have no clue at all, no idea at all where
17 that letter came from or who mailed it to you?
18 A In terms of an individual name, I do not.
19 Q Well, would I be fair in saying --
20 A It would be a person who did that, yes.
21 Q And if the person that did that, or the person who
22 had arranged for that was charged with mail fraud, do you
23 feel that that should be the person who should suffer the
24 consequences of committing mail fraud, and not somebody
25 having to do with the mail; is that a fair statement?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3391
Wheeler-cross/Neville

1 MR. WHITE: Objection.
2 MR. TRABULUS: Objection.

3 THE COURT: Sustained.

4 MR. NEVILLE: No further questions.

5 THE COURT: Anybody else?

6 (No response.)

7 THE COURT: Any redirect?

8 MR. WHITE: Yes, your Honor.

9
10 REDIRECT EXAMINATION
11 BY MR. WHITE:
12 Q When you arrived in New York last Wednesday, when
13 were you expecting to testify at the trial Schoer
14 objection?
15 THE COURT: Overruled.
16 A I was expecting to testify on Thursday.
17 Q Tell us where you were on Thursday?
18 A Here in the witness room.
19 THE COURT: It is only because I am slow that you
20 didn't get to testify.
21 THE WITNESS: I have enjoyed the food, your
22 Honor.
23 Q Did you come here to New York as some kind of a
24 holiday?
25 A No, I did not come for holiday.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3392
Wheeler-cross/Neville

1 Q Now, the letter that you received initially with that
2 card you returned, do you recall what it said about how

3 your name had been obtained by Who's Who Worldwide?

4 A To the best of my recall the letter indicated that I

5 had been nominated for membership in Who's Who Worldwide.

6 And that's what I remember from that letter.

7 Q Did that play any part in your decision to return the

8 card?

9 A Absolutely. I was interested because of being
10 nominated. So I chose to return the card to pursue the
11 course.
12 Q Now, you were asked by a number of defense attorneys
13 about the fact that you received the plaque and
14 subsequently paid for the directory; do you recall that?
15 A Yes.
16 Q When you received the plaque were you satisfied or
17 dissatisfied with it?
18 A I was dissatisfied.
19 Q So, in light of that why did you go ahead and pay the
20 remaining balance?
21 A In the initial interview over the telephone which
22 entailed purchasing the plaques or plaque and medallion,
23 the conversation was, would you like to have the register
24 also, and it is not available now, but at publication
25 time, some three, four, five months later, whenever it was

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3393
Wheeler-cross/Neville

1 to be, there would be an additional charge of
2 approximately a hundred dollars for that. And I made the

3 commitment for the entire purchase at that time on my

4 credit card. But I was told -- correction, I was told

5 that there would be no charge to my credit card until such

6 time as the book was mailed to me.

7 Q Now, you were asked by Mr. Dunn if your name had come

8 from a, quote, selective, unquote, mailing l ist, whether

9 or not you would have been interested in a membership, and
10 you said no. Can you explain that for us?
11 A I have a particular fetish, or I am leery of someone
12 telling me they have selected my name from a mailing list,
13 and would I like to buy something. The words "mailing
14 list," and "buy" connotes to me that they are selling
15 something that I really don't want.
16 Q If your name had been obtained from a mailing list of
17 any type, is that a fact that you would have considered or
18 wanted to know in wanting to make your decision to
19 purchase?
20 A Absolutely.
21 Q Now, you said that you did not see in the directory
22 information that indicated how the members were selected
23 or how they were distinguished in some way. Can you tell
24 us what you mean by that?
25 A Well, what I looked for in the directory would be

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3394
Wheeler-cross/Neville

1 people, and why they were in there, and those
2 accomplishments that they had achieved in their lifetime,

3 if you will, or in that position in their career. And

4 that it would have been presented in some manner so

5 everybody had a quarter of a page, and this name, and the

6 position, and this is what they have done, some kind of an

7 honor, if you will, for lack of a better word to say what

8 I mean, but honor or recognition of that individual. Not

9 just simply an alphabetical list of names with a bunch of
10 abbreviations after their names as to what they had done.
11 Q Now, do you recall Mr. Dunn read you a list like
12 people like the president of Coca-Cola and as to whether
13 or not you would be impressed if they were in the book.
14 Do you recall that?
15 A Yes, sir.
16 Q And you said, no. Can you tell us why not?
17 A Well, if you intended to use the book, you would
18 certainly want to be able to use the book to represent
19 yourself as a member also of Who's Who, whatever Who's
20 Who.
21 I do not think that I could represent myself as a
22 member of Who's Who Worldwide with the president of
23 Coca-Cola, because his name is in that directory, because
24 he would not recognize me for being a member of Who's Who.
25 Q Why is it that you drew that conclusion?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3395
Wheeler-cross/Neville

1 A The conclusion I drew by looking in the book and
2 seeing how the book was presented, there was nothing

3 honorarium, or nothing to recognize the distinguishing

4 accomplishments of all those people in the book. You just

5 felt after you looked at it, you were just another piece

6 of cannon fodder, another name that was listed in there

7 from my position.

8 Q You were also asked by Mr. Jenks what you understood

9 the word "nominee" to mean. Do you recall that?
10 A Yes.
11 Q And Mr. Jenks happily provided us with a definition
12 from Webster; do you recall that?
13 A Yes.
14 Q Tell us what you understand it to mean from your
15 life's experience?
16 A The word "nominate" means to me that some person or
17 some group of persons has looked at you as an individual
18 and said we think that you, that individual, are qualified
19 for this position, this honor, or this job, or whatever.
20 It is not simply a mailing list of people.
21 Q Now, is it correct that prior to the time you
22 received this letter, you had heard the term "nominee"
23 before in your life?
24 A Yes.
25 Q And when you receive letters or other solicitations,

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3396
Wheeler-cross/Neville

1 is it your practice to look up the words if you already
2 know them in the dictionary to see what they mean?

3 A No, it is not my practice.

4 Q Do you recall being asked as to what the government

5 told you about nomination ballots and the process of

6 selecting lists, do you recall that?

7 A Yes.

8 Q During your discussions with anyone from the

9 government with respect to this trial, were you told
10 anything about the other aspects of the government's
11 investigation?
12 A No, nothing, no discussions with anyone about that.
13 Q Were you told anything else that the government had
14 discovered as a result of its investigation?
15 A No, I was not.
16 Q You were asked questions about whether you knew as to

17 whether the company solicited nominations from other
18 members at one point in time.
19 A Yes.
20 Q If your name had come from a mailing list and others
21 did as well, would that fact have made a difference to
22 you?
23 A Again, my name coming from a mailing list, makes me
24 very suspicious as to what that purpose is for.
25 Q And would you know whether or not the percentage of

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3397
Wheeler-cross/Neville

1 names that came from nomination ballots as opposed to
2 mailing lists was minuscule or large?

3 A No.

4 MR. NELSON: Objection.

5 THE COURT: Let me hear that question.

6 (Whereupon, the court reporter reads the

7 requested material.)

8 THE COURT: Sustained.

9 Q Now, do you recall in response to questions from
10 several attorneys that you didn't s ee anything
11 distinguishing regarding the members in the book? Do you
12 recall that?
13 A Yes.
14 Q Do you recall being asked about whether you saw
15 people whose titles are president in the book, correct?
16 A Yes.
17 Q And do you know -- do you know when you were
18 reviewing the book, did you know as to whether anyone's
19 title was actually changed from what it was before it
20 actually appeared in the book?
21 A No.
22 Q And if that had happened someone might be listed as a
23 president who was not really; is that right?
24 MR. TRABULUS: Objection, your Honor.
25 MR. NELSON: Objection.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3398
Wheeler-cross/Neville

1 THE COURT: Sustained.
2 Q Now, you were asked a number of questions about the

3 fact that you did not file a complaint from the time you

4 received the directory until when you were contacted by

5 the government, do you remember that?

6 A Yes.

7 Q Tell us why you didn't file any complaint?

8 A Sometimes you make a bad business decision and you

9 were opted to spend money that you would not have wanted
10 to spend, and you say that's it, and you don't want to
11 pursue it any further and let it go.
12 In this particular case, time had elapsed between
13 the time I made the financial commitment to buy what I
14 said I would buy, completed the transaction and forgot
15 about it, and let it go.
16 MR. WHITE: Your Honor, no further questions.
17
18 RECROSS-EXAMINATION
19 BY MR. TRABULUS:
20 Q Mr. Wheeler, I think you told Mr. White that in the
21 book you didn't see the list of accomplishments that you
22 were hoping to see there; is that correct?
23 A Yes.
24 Q And what were your own particular accomplishments
25 that in your view qualify you to be in a Who's Who type

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3399
Wheeler-recross/Trabulus

1 publication?
2 A I didn't have any knowledge of what those were. I

3 knew what I had done, and it was up to the nomination, who

4 had nominated me, or who was making the selection to make

5 that decision.

6 Q Well, Mr. Dunn had asked you whether or not you

7 regarded yourself as a suitable candidate for Who's Who,

8 and I believe you indicated you were.

9 What did you base that answer on?
10 A The fact that they had called me.
11 Q Anything about what you yourself have accomplished in
12 life, either as a lieutenant colonel in the military or
13 anything else you believe qualifies you to be in Who's
14 Who?
15 A That is up to somebody else to make that decision.
16 Q When you spoke to the person who telephoned you after
17 you sent in a card, she went over various items of
18 information about yourself; is that correct?
19 A She asked me -- yes.
20 Q And she confirmed that you were in the aerospace
21 business; is that correct?
22 A That is correct.
23 Q And she discussed with you that the product or
24 service would be considered aircraft or electronics; do
25 you recall that?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3400
Wheeler-recross/Trabulus

1 A That was our agreement when we talked.
2 Q That the type of organization for which you worked

3 was a manufacturer of military equipment?

4 A Yes.

5 Q And that the area of distribution of that equipment

6 was international?

7 A Yes.

8 Q She confirmed all of these things with you; is that

9 correct?
10 A That's right.
11 Q And she also confirmed that your expertise was in the
12 management technical area; is that correct?
13 A Yes.
14 Q And that the parent -- the organization for which you
15 worked or the parent organization was Lockheed; is that
16 correct?
17 A Yes.
18 Q And I think you mentioned before General Dynamics,
19 but is it correct that at the time you were interviewed
20 for Who's Who you were working for Lockheed; is that
21 right?
22 A General Dynamics was bought out by Lockheed, yes.
23 The aircraft industry, if you will.
24 Q She asked you about your favorite book or author, and
25 I believe you indicated you had none or something to that

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3401
Wheeler-recross/Trabulus

1 effect?
2 A Yes.

3 Q And your favorite magaz ine was Business Week, that's

4 the answer you gave?

5 A Yes.

6 Q And your favorite place to take a vacation was

7 England?

8 A Yes.

9 Q And among your hobbies, it was model railroading, and
10 your favorite sport was football; is that correct?
11 A Yes.
12 Q And these are all things one might find useful in
13 striking up a conversation with someone who was also a
14 member, is that correct, if you were communicating with
15 them?
16 A Give you some common interests, that's right.
17 Q Now, this person who interviewed you did not, besides
18 verifying these things, go over any particular list of
19 complaints in your life besides that; is that correct?
20 A She had asked me what positions I had held in the
21 military service.
22 Q Besides that?
23 A No. There were no other discussions.
24 Q Is it your testimony that your disappointment in
25 seeing the Registry is things such as the various

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3402
Wheeler-recross/Trabulus

1 positions you had in military services were not listed?
2 A No. My disappointment was --

3 Q Yes or no, sir.

4 A Okay, yes.

5 Q That was your disappointment?

6 A That that's all that was in there, yes, that's

7 correct.

8 Q Well, is it your testimony that you were expecting to

9 see in the directory other things besides what you spoke
10 about to the woman who interviewed you in the directory
11 about yourself?
12 A Yes, sir.
13 Q And that's notwithstanding the fact that she in
14 interviewing you took the trouble to verify a bunch of
15 other information and did not mention any of these other
16 things; is that correct?
17 A Since I had been nominated, sir, t here wasn't any way
18 I could know how much information she had about me other
19 than to respond to her questions.
20 Q Did you ask her specifically what complaints in your
21 life were going to be listed in the book?
22 A When we got into the discussion of my nomination, she
23 said it was selected and she couldn't reveal any other
24 information to me.
25 Q She told you she couldn't reveal or didn't know who

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3403
Wheeler-recross/Trabulus

1 nominated you; is that right?
2 A She could not tell me.

3 Q She could not tell you who nominated you?

4 A That's right.

5 Q Did she tell you she couldn't tell you about things

6 about yourself that would appear in the book?

7 A I didn't discuss with her that.

8 Q When you received the book did you check to see

9 whether other people within Lockheed were listed in the
10 book?
11 A I looked for names of familiar -- my peers and what
12 not, and did not find them.
13 Q Do you know a Mr. Kenneth Chow, C H O W, at Lockheed,
14 Fort Worth?
15 A No.
16 THE COURT: Who was that?
17 MR. TRABULUS: Chow, C H O W.
18 Q Was the placed you worked at at Lockheed, Fort Worth?
19 A Yes.
20 Q And do you know a Mr. D E Y O, Deyo?
21 A No.
22 Q Did you know a Tony Docken, D O C K E N?
23 A No, sir.
24 Q A Kenneth G U D E N S C H A G E R, Gudenschager?
25 A No, sir.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3404
Wheeler-recross/Trabulus

1 THE COURT: Do you want to pull the microphone
2 closer, please.

3 A No, I did not.

4 Q Lisa Hughes, H U G H E S, first name Lisa at

5 Lockheed?

6 A No, sir.

7 Q A Robert Johnson?

8 A Too common. I don't think so.

9 Q Okay.
10 A Douglas Thompson?
11 A No.
12 Q And a Derrick Wolf?
13 A No, sir.
14 Q If I were to tell you that all those people were
15 listed in the directory and they were all at Lockheed Fort
16 Worth, would it occur to you that it is possible that one
17 or more of them would have had some input into you
18 becoming a member?
19 A Since I don't know them and had no association with
20 them professionally within the company, very unlikely.
21 Q You mentioned it would not have impressed you to see
22 various corporate presidents and so forth in the book; is
23 that correct?
24 A That's correct.
25 Q Would it have impressed you to see the names of other

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3405
Wheeler-recross/Trabulus

1 people who work for Lockheed in the book? Yes or no, sir?
2 A I can't answer that without amplifying. I can't say

3 yes or no to that question, sir.

4 Q In the course of your work for Lockheed do you

5 sometimes have occasion to have business relations with

6 individuals who worked for other contractors?

7 A Yes.

8 Q Would it have impressed you to see the names of

9 individuals who worked for other contractors with whom you
10 dealt in the book?
11 A If I knew them, yes.
12 Q Well, if you didn't know them would it have impressed
13 you?
14 A No.
15 Q Is it fair to say that there would have been no names
16 that would have impressed you besides your own and those
17 of people you knew?
18 A No, that's not fair.
19 Q Well, what kinds of people would have impressed you
20 besides corporate presidents, people you knew --
21 withdrawn.
22 What kind of people would have impressed you
23 besides yourself and people you knew?
24 A Anyone who had their accomplishments listed in that
25 book, as to how their success in their life had been

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3406
Wheeler-recross/Trabulus

1 achieved would have impressed me.
2 Q The accomplishments of the same type that you were

3 not able to identify with regard to yourself as having

4 qualified you for Who's Who; is that correct?

5 A Similar to that, yes, sir.

6 MR. TRABULUS: No further questions.

7 MR. JENKS: I have nothing.

8 MR. SCHOER: I just have a few questions.

9 What exhibit are we up to?
10 (Mr. Schoer confers with Mr. Trabulus.)
11
12 RECROSS-EXAMINATION
13 BY MR. SCHOER:
14 Q Mr. Wheeler, I believe one of my co-counsel asked you
15 as to whether you purchased anything from a catalogue; is
16 that correct?
17 A Yes.
18 Q You said you did?
19 A Yes.
20 Q How did you get the catalogue?
21 A Through the mail.
22 Q Did you think when you got the catalogue through the
23 mail that your name had not come from a mailing list?
24 A I knew that it had.
25 Q So your phobia about purchasing something that had

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3407
Wheeler-recross/Schoer

1 come from someone who got your name off of a mailing list,
2 sometimes that's a phobia and sometimes it isn't; is that

3 right?

4 MR. WHITE: Objection.

5 THE COURT: Sustained.

6 Q Now, I am going to show you what is marked as

7 Defendant's Exhibit U for Identification, and I will ask

8 you whether you received a welcome letter like that when

9 you first signed on as a member of Who's Who.

10 (Handed to the witness.)
11 A If I did, I do not recall, sir. I may have. I do
12 not recall.
13 Q Did you receive any literature that indicated to you
14 when you received the invoice that what was on the invoice
15 was what would appear in the Registry?
16 A May I look at the invoice?
17 Q Sure.
18 A There are categories on the invoice, but that does
19 not indicate to me that that would be in the directory.
20 These are simply the answer to the questions asked on the
21 telephone interview.
22 Q On the bottom of the invoice it says please correct
23 any errors on the gold remittance copy and return with
24 your payment; is that correct?
25 A The payment had already been made, but, yes, it says

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3408
Wheeler-recross/Schoer

1 that.
2 Q And you received two copies of the invoice, right?

3 You received a gold copy to make corrections?

4 A If you say so. I don't recall receiving it.

5 Q Do you remember?

6 A No, I don't remember getting two copies.

7 Q And based on your testimony, you went to college; is

8 that right?

9 A Yes, I did.
10 Q And you received a degree?
11 A Yes, I did.
12 Q When you received an invoice and it says university
13 degree and it says not applicable, did you make any
14 change?
15 A No.
16 Q Is there anywhere on that invoice that indicates any
17 other information which would be listed in the directory
18 other than the information obtained during the interview
19 with you?
20 A There is no other information on this that I did not
21 give verbally to the telephone interview.
22 Q Did you have any basis to expect anything but that
23 information to be in the directory?
24 A I didn't know what information the individual
25 interviewing me had.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3409
Wheeler-recross/Schoer

1 Q You had no basis for believing that there would be
2 additional information in the directory that was not

3 contained on that invoice, did you?

4 A Other than the fact that I was nominated and what was

5 on the nomination.

6 Q You had no basis in fact for believing that there

7 would be any additional information in the directory?

8 A Yes, that's correct.

9 Q It is fair to say with respect to this entire
10 transaction as you look back at it, you didn't ask a lot
11 of questions, right?
12 A I had no reason to ask any questions.
13 MR. SCHOER: I have no further questions.
14 THE COURT: Anything else?
15
16 RECROSS-EXAMINATION
17 BY MR. DUNN:
18 Q Good afternoon, Mr. Wheeler.
19 A Good afternoon.
20 Q Is it fair to stay from time to time, Mr. Wheeler,
21 you get phone calls from people to your home trying to
22 sell you things?
23 A I have an unlisted number, sir.
24 Q Has it happened ever that people called your home?
25 A From a computer dialed number, yes.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3410
Wheeler-recross/Dunn

1 Q Ever have the phone company calling you up asking
2 about service and things like that?

3 A Yes.

4 Q Ever buy anything over the phone? Ever change your

5 phone service over the phone because of a call you

6 received?

7 A No, not a phone service.

8 Q Ever purchase anything from someone soliciting you

9 over the phone?
10 A I have to answer yes to that.
11 Q Is it fair to say you have gotten a number of calls
12 from people at different times when they didn't tell you
13 they got your name from a mailing list, but you knew that
14 they did?
15 A Yes.
16 Q And you do that based on your experience and your
17 know how; is that correct? Is that fair to say?
18 A Fair to say.
19 Q Now, is it fair to say that it seems that one of the
20 things that you take objection with is the fact in the
21 Registry, that it doesn't state how people attained their
22 positions in life; is that fair?
23 A Yes, one of the things, yes.
24 Q That was something you were looking for, you think?
25 A Yes.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3411
Wheeler-recross/Dunn

1 Q And before you got the Registry, you received a
2 Tribute Magazine; is that correct?

3 A I don't remember exactly when the Tribute -- the copy

4 I recall getting came, either after the register or before

5 it.

6 Q And did you skim through the Tribute Magazine at all?

7 A That's about what I did.

8 Q If I told you that in the Tribute magazine concerning

9 a member, a particular member named Robert Slattery, it
10 states Robert Slattery's climb up the shoe business ladder
11 came after several distinguished careers. Born in 1933 he
12 lost his father to an accident when he was five and began
13 working at the age of ten to help support his mother and
14 sister. He later graduated from the Massachusetts
15 Maritime Academy, became a licensed master mariner for
16 U.S. Steel --
17 THE COURT: You have to slow down.
18 MR. DUNN: Sorry. And sailing around the world.
19 Then became a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy on a destroyer
20 in the Pacific.
21 Would that have any affect on you?
22 A It is a biographical sketch of that individual's
23 life, yes.
24 Q That would impress you?
25 A Somewhat, yes.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3412
Wheeler-recross/Dunn

1 Q And would it surprise you to learn that in numerous
2 articles in the Tribute Magazine, one of which at least

3 that you remember getting, members were profiled basically

4 setting forth things they overcame and how they got to the

5 places where they ended up in this register -- in this

6 Registry? Would that surprise you?

7 A No.

8 Q Would it impress you?

9 A Reading about them, sure.
10 Q And you would have learned more about people in the
11 course; is that correct?
12 A Yes.
13 Q And you didn't take time to look at those articles,
14 did you?
15 A No. I was already disappointed.
16 Q You didn't give it a chance when you saw the
17 magazines; is that correct? Is that correct?
18 A I don't know what give it a chance means.
19 Q Did you take and make any effort to learn about how
20 these people got to where they were?
21 A Of those that might be in that magazine, no.
22 MR. DUNN: I have no further questions, your
23 Honor.
24
25

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3413
Wheeler-recross/Lee

1 RECROSS-EXAMINATION
2 BY MR. LEE:

3 Q Good afternoon, Mr. Wheeler.

4 You stated you had been or you were presently a

5 member of certain professional organizations; is that

6 true?

7 A That's correct.

8 Q I believe you stated one of them was Logistics

9 Engineers?
10 A Yes.
11 Q Are you still a member of that?
12 A No, I am not.
13 Q Now, did you pay a membership fee to be a member?
14 A As I recall we did, yes.
15 Q For your membership fee did you receive a listing or
16 Registry, anything like that?
17 A No.
18 Q They didn't provide --
19 A We got a list of the members in the chapter.
20 Q They didn't provide you with a Registry?
21 A Not a national register, no.
22 Q Did they offer you as part of their -- a CD-ROM that
23 could be used?
24 A No.
25 Q As part of membership benefits did they offer you any

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3414
Wheeler-recross/Lee

1 sort of discounts on perhaps of mailing ability, credit
2 card?

3 A No, sir.

4 Q Any sort of benefits like that?

5 A No, sir.

6 Q You are also a member of National Transportation?

7 A Yes.

8 Q You stated you are a member of many organizations; is

9 that correct?
10 A Over my lifetime, yes.

11 Q That you paid membership dues to?
12 A Yes, sir.
13 Q By the way, did the National Transportation group
14 provide you with a Registry?
15 A Not a national registry, no.
16 Q Any discounts benefits?
17 A Not that I recall, no, sir.
18 Q Did you place these organizations in your resume?
19 A When I was making resumes, yes, as a member --
20 Q You didn't -- I am sorry, I interrupted you.
21 A Whenever I made a resume and it called for that, I
22 placed it in there if it called for it, yes.
23 Q You did utilize them to add to your credentials on
24 your resume; is that correct?
25 A Yes.

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
3415
Wheeler-recross/Lee

1 Q And I believe you stated that that had been one of
2 your intentions when you purchased a membership here; is

3 that correct? Yes or no?

4 A It indicates I answered yes to a verbal phone call,

5 yes.

6 MR. LEE: I have no further questions.

7 THE COURT: Anybody else?

8 MR. WHITE: I do, your Honor.

9 THE COURT: How much do you have?
10 MR. WHITE: Two minutes, three minutes.
11 THE COURT: Go ahead.
12
13 FURTHER REDIRECT EXAMINATION
14 BY MR. WHITE:
15 Q Mr. Wheeler, do you get catalogues, merchandise, mail
16 order catalogues in your home?
17 A Yes, I do.
18 Q Tell us briefly what you get?
19 A LL Bean, Landmark --
20 Q That's good enough. Let's take LL Bean. Ever
21 brought anything from LL Bean?
22 A I do, quite regular.
23 Q Tell us what you bought from LL Bean?
24 A Two rugby shirts.
25 Q Did you by the rugby shirts because you felt there

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
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Wheeler-redirect/White

1 was value or utility to you?
2 A I bought them because I liked their color and they

3 were on sale.

4 Q Tell me, did how LL Bean got your name affect your

5 decision as to whether or not those would be valuable to

6 you?

7 A No.

8 Q Did LL Bean ever tell you when you got a catalogue

9 that you had been nominated to receive their catalogue?
10 A No.
11 Q Now, you were asked about what other information you
12 had expected to be in the directory besides what you told
13 the telephone salesperson. Do you recall that?
14 A Yes.
15 Q Did you expect that the person who had nominated you
16 had provided other things to Who's Who Worldwide?
17 A I had.
18 Q Did you think that that might also be in your profile
19 in the book?
20 A Either -- well, yes, I did, to be honest.
21 Q You believed there was additional information from

22 the nominator besides what you gave to them?
23 A There had to be information for the basis of the
24 nomination given and I assumed that would be included.
25 Q Mr. Schoer asked you if it was true that you didn't

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
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Wheeler-redirect/White

1 ask a lot of questions as to these transactions; is that
2 right?

3 A Yes.

4 Q You said you felt you had no reason to ask questions?

5 A I didn't feel insecure.

6 Q Why is it that you didn't have reason to ask

7 questions?

8 A Well, I was led to believe that I was nominated, and

9 I was a -- and that it was a selective process, and they
10 couldn't tell me who it was that had nominated me, and I
11 was -- I felt quite good, quite honored and quite pleased
12 that someone had taken this opportunity to do this.
13 Q Did you believ e what you were told on the phone?
14 A I believed what I was told on the phone.
15 MR. WHITE: No further questions.
16 THE COURT: Anybody have anything more?
17 MR. TRABULUS: One question from here.
18
19 FURTHER RECROSS-EXAMINATION
20 BY MR. TRABULUS:
21 Q Is it also correct that you yourself could not think
22 of why you were nominated?
23 A I didn't ask myself that question, yes.
24 MR. TRABULUS: No further questions.
25 THE COURT: Anything else?

HARRY RAPAPORT, CSR, CP, CM OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
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1 MR. DUNN: One question, if I may.
2

3 FURTHER RECROSS EXAMINATION

4 BY MR. DUNN:

5 Q Is it fair to say if you learned that all of Who's

6 Who publications in the world simply set forth what would

7 be in this Registry and not how the person got to the

8 position, you would be dissatisfied with those also; is

9 that correct?
10 A I would be disappointed.
11 Q And you would be dissatisfied; is that right?
12 A Yes.
13 THE COURT: You will be excused, you don't have
14 to come back when we do after lunch.
15 Ladies and gentle

Transparently Dirty Federal Trials of the 20th Century The Who's Who Worldwide Registry Tragedy Please Help the Who's Who-ers now by calling the President today at 202-456-1414, demanding that he pardon the Who's Who Six immediately

Transparently Dirty Federal Trials of the 20th Century The Who's Who Worldwide Registry Tragedy
Please Help the Who's Who-ers now by calling the President today at 202-456-1414,
demanding that he pardon the Who's Who Six immediately