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The Franklin Files -> Johnny Gosch Investigation -> Paul Bonacci
Post Info TOPIC: Paul Bonacci
Shadowman


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RE: Paul Bonacci
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THE COURT: Okay. Exhibit 1 is received.
 
Q. (By Mr. DeCamp) Rusty, when did you leave Nebraska?
 
A. Which time?
 
Q. When did you leave Nebraska when you left Larry King? I don't know what to even ask I guess because I want to find out when you left.
 
A. Okay. I left Larry King, it would have, they got raided in November. I left I believe in May or June prior to that. Cause I knew something was wrong. I wanted no part of it. Did not know who I could trust. So I just kept my mouth quiet. I went, hid out on one of the abandoned farm places that we owned. And stayed there. I kept pretty much under wraps and then I went back to see some friends in Omaha, big mistake. Next thing I know, very shortly after that here comes the FBI knocking. They just basically came right in mom's house, period. She opened the screen door, they just pushed their way in. No search warrant, nothing. Went through the place. They came back, I wasn't home, they came back a week later. I met them at mom's place. They went through mom's place again. I mean, they went through it. They insisted that I take them over to my place. And they, I wanted a search warrant. They go, well, we can get one. We are, you know, it's better if you just let us do it. And, you know, being young I didn't know what to do. And that. You get flustered and they put you on the spot, so I let them come over. Showed them what I had. And that was pretty much it. They went through the bottom part of the house. They didn't go through the upstairs. I just told them it was my personal stuff up there, they didn't bother going up there. Didn't go through the outside buildings, nothing. After that I went out and pretty much from then on I went to just living in the van because they told me at that point that I'd best just shut up and be quiet. Be very wise to not be found. That's one of their parting statements. And I became quite worried. I went from one place to the next to the next. Often I would try not to spend more than three weeks in one place. Sometimes I would start feeling comfortable and then see if I could move in. And see if I could start a life. And ultimately somebody would pop up and remind me not to bring any of this up. They went as far as on my van, I bought a used van and got it registered, everything was okay, and next thing I know I was getting pulled over. Every time I got pulled over it came back as a two door vehicle, a two door car. So the cops would always pull me over thinking that I had wrong plates. So they could basically keep track of me wherever I went in the country. Id go to the DMV, have it supposedly switch it back, next thing I know I was getting stopped again. Moved to a different state, had it changed, told them when I got it registered that this is what the situation is. Oh, yeah, we got it taken care of. Next thing I know, getting pulled over for two door car. On a van.
 
THE COURT: We're going to take a recess now.
 
THE WITNESS: Okay.
 
THE COURT: For 15 minutes.
 
(10:33 to 10:49 a.m., recessed.)
 
THE COURT: Mr. DeCamp.
 
MR. DECAMP: Thank you, Your Honor.
 
Q. (By Mr. DeCamp) You understand, Rusty, you're still under oath?
 
A. Yes.
 
Q. You're under oath in a federal courtroom?
 
A. Yes.
 
Q. Federal judge. I want to go back just briefly to Chief Wadman.
 
A. Yes.
 
Q. The policeman in Omaha. Did you have any other opportunities to see him at parties or anywhere elsewhere there would have been a contact with you or Larry King or in the mix?
 
A. He had been there, I hadn't had personal contact with him. I'd seen him, you know, or he was pointed out as who he was to me. That way. And that's how I got to know basically who he was.
 
Q. So you're saying he was physically present at some of these parties?
 
A. Oh, yes.
 
Q. On more than one occasion?
 
A. Oh, yes.
 
Q. And you personally were with him in a limousine when Larry King, according to you, handed him this money?
 
A. I wasn't in his limousine, it was in his Mercedes, his white Mercedes.
 
Q. And the police chief himself physically personally told you not to worry or something like that?
 
A. Yeah.
 
Q. What did he say if you recall?
 
A. That was basically what the gist of it was. Larry expounded on that after he left. He was, basically he got it, he looked through, seen what was in the envelope. I hadn't seen what was in the envelope before he'd open it up. I could see what was in it. Pulled out enough to where I could see there was hundred dollar bills and a lot of them. And I knew Larry was very good about being quite generous, as he put it, to keep his affiliations. And he used to kill them with kindness. Somebody was bothering him with something or that he would just basically pad their pockets or whatever they, whatever their vice or their needs may be. Whether it be money, special gifts, whether the gifts be tangible merchandise or people. He just, he was good at arranging things and manipulating.
 
Q. Did he have any other methods of keeping people supporting him or not revealing some of his activities?
 
A. He'd get them in there, first off make them feel like they were. wanted. And, you
know, they deserved to be there and they were unwanted by the rest of the world and he
was basically their
guardian and savior. And then after you got in a while and he started to get his hooks
into you to where he was getting what he wanted, if you wanted to get away there were
some rather drastic threats made.
 
Q. What would those threats be?
 
A. He would either threaten bodily harm or in some cases actually went as far as to do away with people.
 
Q. Did he ever threaten you?
 
A. Oh, yes.
 
Q. Why?
 
A. Basically because I didn't want to play his game.
 
Q. What was his game?
 
A. He was pretty much, as far as I could tell, into the gay prostitution bit for politicians and wealthy businessmen. And that he had little kids and gay prostitutes. And it was never put in those words but, you know, a friend, go visit such and such. Or we're going to have a party, we'd like you to come. Or you're supposed to be here. He would get extremely upset if I was to be at a party and I would arrive, for some reason have to leave all of a sudden. Or not show up at all. And that was the thing there. He had on several occasions there was references he'd made to me where he would flat out say, well, I can tell you this because there's no way to prove it. It's your word against mine. I'm an influential business person. I've got clout. You're nobody so they're not going to believe you. And --
 
Q. Who told you that?
 
A. Larry King. And –
 
Q. Did you ever hear him telling somebody else that?
 
A. He's told various people that. That's just, it was very well known. And if it wasn't told directly by him it was --
 
Q. Do you know –
 
A. -- through some of the other people that worked with him.
 
Q. Do you know if he ever carried out any of those so-called threats that you talked about?
 
A. I know one he told me flat you out he did, it was taken care of. This was another deal I believe through Wadman. Where it was covered up to be made to look like a suicide.
 
Q. Who was that?
 
A. Chuck Rogers, I believe, Charlie Rogers.
 
Q. There was a Charlie Rogers?
 
A. Charlie Rogers. What happened was he had his head blown off with a shotgun. They said it was a suicide. Larry flat out told me they'd had it done to him. And that it was made to look like it. And made to be covered up as, that I could be taken out the exact same wayjust as easy if I didn't go along with everything.
 
Q. You're telling me that Larry King told you personally face to face that he had arranged the death or killing of Charlie Rogers?
 


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Q. What did you do with the tapes?
 
A. Well, I've tried to hold on to them as long as I could. Over the years I had a storage shed in Albuquerque and it was broken into. Completely emptied. I lived with a cousin, some of the stuff had been taken from me there. I'd had a roommate situation where I lost many things up in Taos, New Mexico. Some of the things I was able to told on to. Other things were taken from me by supposedly FBI agents. That has come to search my mom's house, my house. And one set of agents was the ones I mentioned earlier. About ultimately getting into trouble for being associated with it. When they came out to visit me they said you can have a lawyer but it wouldn't be wise if you had one here. Because if you bring a lawyer into questioning like this you are pretty much telling us that you're already guilty and you're just trying to fend for, fend for yourself. But if you just go into it and answer whatever we want without calling a lawyer you're better off cause you're more apt to be truthful and we know that you're not going to be lying to us. They came in, they searched the house. I live on a farm, they didn't touch any of the outside buildings, the barns, anything like that. They didn't even so much as go upstairs in my house. They tore apart the bottom part big time. They took some evidence from me at that time. I did have some other kept back.
 
Q. Did you hide some audio tapes?
 
A. Yes.
 
Q. Where?
 
A I had some with me. I had some that I gave to
 
Gary Caradori. That was very shortly before his death.
 
Q. Well get to that in a minute. Did you hide any at your place?
 
A. Oh, yes.
 
Q. In Nebraska?
 
A. Yes.
 
Q. Do you know what happened to them?
 
A. I believe you guys actually found some.
 
Q. Your brother found them, didn't I he?
 
A. Yes.
 
Q. Do you know what he did with them?
 
A. I think he gave them to you.
 
Q. Do you recognize these things right here? This your writing on here?
 
A. I recognize the tapes. They're tapes that I had. Some of the writing is mine.
 
Q. Would the tapes include audio of incidents and events and things with Larry King?
 
A. They very well could. I think so.
 
MR. DECAMP: Your Honor, Id like to introduce these into evidence.
 
THE COURT: All right. Are they –
 
MR. DECAMP: I have not listened to them all. For the record, I have not listened to them. I do know there's some things I wanted to get them to the U. S. Attorney and basically they told me indirectly that Franklin was over and they wanted no part of it.
 
THE COURT: Well, I guess I need to know why you're offering them here.
 
MR. DECAMP: Your Honor, I think they will validate that Rusty Nelson was very close to Larry King, involved with him, listened to him, observed his parties, listened to planning of things even including one, if one believes the tape, eliminating people that caused problems.
 
THE WITNESS: Which he does.
 
THE COURT: All right. The clerk will mark it. Why don't you just have the whole -- the clerk can mark the sack and that will just be Exhibit 1.
 
THE CLERK: Yes, Your Honor.
 


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Q. Larry King's place?
 
A. Yes.
 
Q. You were there?
 
A. Yes.
 
Q. With him?
 
A. Yes.
 
Q. For what?
 
A. Oh, everything from going out one day to take pictures of flower garden to going out taking pictures of parties. Going out, he'd go around the town, there would be certain people he'd stop and pick up, take them out for supper or, you know, they would go out and just short meetings, things like that. A lot of times he would dismiss the rest of the entourage, it was just Larry and myself. We'd go out sometimes, pick up person here, there, they'd get in limousine, we drive around, they talk for a little bit. Usually in hushed tones. Sometimes I could make out what was being said. Other times I couldn't. And always I was told to forget that I had seen whoever it was. And if I tried to find out who they were I was usually admonished from doing such. If I did know who they were it was basically for the most part I wasn't to address that person or I wasn't to remember that person. If I had pictures of anything like that Larry always insisted on having the film. At times when I was out in Washington occasionally I would slip an extra roll of film in, get a couple of pictures and throw it in an envelope and mail it home. So --
 
Q. Are there additional pictures of your association, relationship with Larry King and your trips here?
 
A. Okay. This is one of the private jets we flew on, two of the limousines, believe that was the Dulles airport when we went to Washington, D.C. I believe, that's inside the jet. That's inside the house again, that's Larry King again. Flower garden. Some of the pictures we took while we were out and around in limousine, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Washington. This is a theater near the black history museum in Harlem. I believe this was taken in New York City, it could have been Washington, D. C. Larry King, Dr. Waterman, the lady I believe was Larry's cousin, she was an attorney for him at the credit union. And the two guys were basically some of Larry's boyfriends that he kept in his entourage. Can I remember their names right offhand. There's closer picture of one of the boyfriends. These, I believe, are pictures from New York City from in the limousine. Some of the different hotels, the cathedral and things like that. We'd went, that trip he'd stopped in a jewelry store to get a very expensive watch if I remember right. It was extremely expensive Rolex.
 
Q. Rusty, Chief Wadman testified, of course, as you well know, that the only contact you had with Larry King was you rented an apartment from him. In his building or something like that.
 
A. Yes.
 
Q. My question to you, did Chief Wadman have very good reason to know that was not true?
 
A. Oh, yes, he did.
 
Q. Did Chief Wadman have, go ahead, what are some of the reasons he would have had to know that was not true?
 
A. Larry basically had him under his thumb. There was one instance where we were downtown Omaha, one of the side streets, I had had a little bit of problem, the police had been up to my door and I was up at the Twin Towers. And they had come in to check to see if I had a photography studio. The officer just basically came to the door, that was about it, saw that I had it, I had a model release and left. And I was shook. And I had mentioned it to Larry. And he goes, well, well just take care of that. And shortly thereafter we were down on one of the side streets downtown and I was in the back seat of his white Mercedes and he pulls into the side street, man gets in, and I had been told at one time earlier that this was Chief Wadman. And Larry had handed him a small manila envelope filled with hundred dollars bills, a stack about an inch and a half, two inches thick. And basically said this will just take care of everything. And he told me then that my problems were over. And at that point I knew there was some real big problems. And I basically just, you know, shortly after that disappeared. I knew that there with two sets of books at the credit union. I knew that his accountant was pulling something. Larry had mentioned he'd paid his accountant a million dollars. And for this he could make anything look like it was right. And these were just things, bits and pieces along the way that Larry would let slip or things that I would notice. One trip to Minneapolis we stayed, I believe it was at the Ritz, and we had the presidential suite. Larry had me stay with him that night. And early in the morning a man came to the door and Larry had a briefcase, this man came in and he'd open it up and it was filled with bearer bonds.
 
THE COURT: What?
 
A. Bearer bonds. You know, pay to the order of bearer. And he had just basically given it to him. There was some cash in there. And I couldn't quite get the gist of what was what. And in that case he referred to the man as colonel and that was all, all that was said. So, you know, it's Larry had some interesting things. I believe he had some association with the Contra ordeal. That's financing it or whatever.
 
Q. (By Mr. DeCamp) Rusty, you say you got disenamored or nervous or scared, they said it was time to leave, did you do anything to protect yourself, any documentation of what was doing on, did you tape anything?
 
A. Oh yeah. Yeah, I had. Throughout the time I was in Franklin occasionally Id have a chance to get ahold of a computer disk and copy it. Photocopies of various ledgers and things that I knew where Larry had set aside from what they should have been. And I would at times sneak a piece of paper out to the copier, get it back and, you know, take the photocopy or send it some place to where hopefully it was safe. And make tape recordings, I usually kept a little tape recorder in my pocket to make notes. And occasionally I would turn it on if I felt something was rather suspicious and then I would secrete the tape out somehow, you know, to where it would be available hopefully.
 


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Q. Were there some at the Twin Towers?
 
A. Oh, yes.
 
Q. Did you attend those?
 
A. He wanted me to. I didn't want much of any part of it. So whenever I seen something like that was happening I tried to avoid it like the plague.
 
Q. All of the young people identified, quote, a Rusty Nelson, described you, much shorter beard. Where would they have seen you?
 
A. Well, he kept me rather prominent, you know, as I was with him, always had a camera with me.
 
Q. Did you travel with him?
 
A. Oh, yes.
 
Q. Travel where?
 
A. New York, Washington, D. C., Minneapolis, Chicago, you know, all over. Just wherever he wanted me. He'd call me up, might be midnight, say be ready to leave on the plane at 5:00 o'clock or 7:00 o'clock, whatever. Meet me down at Sky Harbor. He'd have a private jet waiting.
 
Q. Do you think people really believed that?
 
A. No. That's why made sure to take a couple pictures now and then.
 
Q. Do you recognize this --
MR. DECAMP: May I approach the bench, Your Honor?
 
THE COURT: You may.
 
Q. (By Mr. DeCamp) Do you recognize this?
 
A. Yes, I do.
 
Q. When was the first time you saw it?
 
A. Well, I haven't seen it for half a dozen years plus. It was seen last night.
 
Q. Where did you see?
 
A. Your office.
 
Q. Do you know how I got it?
 
A. You got it from the sheriffs department in Nebraska City.
 
Q. That's correct.
 
A. Where they got it from I have a good idea but I'm still trying to nail it down exactly.
 
Q. Their information to me, as I told you, was that it was mailed to them anonymously and the sheriff in Nebraska City called me and said sounds like something of that Franklin stuff and asked me to come pick it up.
 
A. Yeah. And where –
 
Q. Did you look at it?
 
A. Oh yes.
 
MR. DECAMP: May I open it, Your Honor?
 
THE COURT: You may.
 
Q. (By Mr. DeCamp) What's in here?
 
A. Pictures.
 
Q. How did these pictures, where did they come from?
 
A. Some of these pictures are from back in the time of the Franklin Credit Union. I worked for Larry King. For instance, this one was one that was taken at The Max. One of the Sunday night parties. I believe this was one of the male strippers that Larry had arranged for. He arranged for certain things like La Cage follies to come in, things like that. He would make special arrangements just to get these people to come in so he could have a special night or party or whatever.
 
Q. What about these two pictures, do you recognize them?
 
A. That's Larry King at, it's a black history museum in Harlem in New York City. He supposedly contributed considerably to. It was pretty much brand new building, they just dedicated it right before we had gotten there.
 
Q. What about this one?
 
A. That's inside his mansion on Embassy Row in Washington, D. C.
 


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Q. You know that I traveled out and he gave me permission to go through some of those 27 boxes.
 
A. Yes.
 
Q. Are you aware of that?
 
A. Yes.
 
Q. And I presume you know what's in those boxes but --
A. Oh, I used to.
 
Q. I presume you know much of the material with detailed diaries --
A. Yes.
 
Q. -- and pictures go back to the time when you were with Larry King, are you aware of that?
 
A. There should have been some in there. They still exist I would probably be surprised, but I would expect they should have been there. They were when I left Portland, I was moving back to Nebraska.
 
Q. How many pictures would you estimate there are? I only saw a small fraction, to be honest with you.
 
A. In all I probably had a few hundred of Larry King's that I had personally.
 
Q. I was going to say, I saw pictures then it looked to me to total somewhere between 10 and 20,000 maybe. Negatives, the pictures.
 
A. Oh, there would have been way more than that. There was, there should have been 108,000 slides is what I had in that van when I left Portland. As for pictures, there probably was 20, 30,000 prints and negatives.
 
Q. And you knew I requested the court out there preserve that evidence?
 
A. Yes.
 
Q. So it could at some day in some way get back here to Nebraska?
 
A. Actually it was supposed to have been returned to you.
 
Q. Yeah. Well, that's never occurred. But anyway. Those pictures and your diaries are in that material, is that correct?
 
A. Yes.
 
Q. And those diaries –
 
A. Most of them.
 
Q. -- detailed various things dating back to when you were in Nebraska with Larry King, is that correct?
 
A. Yes. There should be in there along with others that I have –
 
Q. These pictures would then documents or verify or prove your association, relationship with Larry King or working with him?
 
A. Yes.
 
Q. The existence of some of the young people back then, is that correct?
 
A. I believe so.
 
Q. Did you spend a lot of time in Larry King's office?
 
A. Oh, yes.
 
Q. When I say Larry King's office –
 
A. At the credit union.
 
Q. In Larry King's personal office or just the credit union?
 
A. His personal office.
 
Q. What were you doing there?
 
A. Basically I was told to sit there and look pretty. I was, the biggest thing was to keep quiet, you didn't I see anything, but if we need you to do something you're there. You know, it was, it was somewhat like an assistant, I guess. It was, I got the feeling that I was being groomed, that's what obviously it was. He, when I first met him he saw me, yeah, this, you'll be perfect for this and that and the next thing. Next thing he goes, you look like you just stepped out of Good Will. You're going to be with me you got to have decent clothes. He took me down, I believe it was Landon's, underneath the Red Lion there's a store called Landon's men's wear and brought me in and just basically bought a new set of clothes for me. And it wasn't I anything cheap at all. It was very expensive things. And, you know, he, it was basically like that from then on. We go on shopping trips, Minneapolis, New York and things like that. And he'd say, okay, this, this and that. And sometimes he'd buy the clothes, other times he'd have people that also worked with him would, basically he'd tell them, okay, here's my credit card, go out and make him look good.
And, you know, that was it. He'd go -- there's one day we went to Minneapolis and then believe it was Presbyterian church had a resort that we went out. He was trying to get some money or something like that. You know, reissue some certificates of deposit. And he'd made it a point that I was all dressed up, he said, I want you to look like a cowboy tonight. And then we went to there and then he introduced me to a few people there. He, the way I could make it out from what he was doing was basically going into these organizations, selling them certificates of deposit that were bogus. And they were making out the checks to the Franklin Credit Union to a numbered account or something I believe.
 
Q. You're aware of the fact that Larry King was convicted of doing those very things and he's serving a sentence in prison at this very time, right?
 
A. I knew he was in prison, didn't know what they actually got him convicted of.
 
Q. I want to talk about some other aspects of Larry King's conduct. Which were never dealt with, at least in a courtroom. That has to do with some of the things you brought up on child pornography, so on, so forth. Was he involved in having parties, for example, where children were brought in and used, or young people?
 
A. Oh, yes. Him and Alan Baer.
 
Q. Who?
 
A. Alan Baer.
 
Q. Where were these parties?
 
A. Lot of times they'd be in Alan Baer's home out in Regency Park. There were some he had a catering company, trying to think. I can't remember the exact address on it. It was in north Portland. He used to bring people down to the bedroom in the Franklin Credit Union and for his -- he'd have somebody come in, they'd go downstairs for the afternoon or something for a quickie. He'd have them up at the penthouse, his house in Embassy Row. It was just basically anywhere Larry went there was party to follow him. He always had an entourage with him. It was rare to see him without at least half a dozen or dozen people dragging behind.
 


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