U.S. Trial Starts in "Sky Caine" Case
As written in the (Hammond, IN) Post-Tribune
HAMMOND - A Miami lawyer charged with helping drug smugglers conceal ownership of an airplane is the first defendant in the federal government's "Sky Caine" investigation to stand trial.
Steven M. Greenburg, 40, is accused of filing incorporation papers for a restaurant and food business prosecutors contend was a front for a smuggling ring that relied heavily on airplanes to move thousands of punts of marijuana and cocaine from foreign countries to Northwest Indiana and other parts of the United States.
The reason for forming the corporation, Assistant U.S. Attorney William Grimmer told a U.S. District Court jury during opening arguments in Greenburg's trial Tuesday, was to hide the true ownership and use of the plane and thus make it easier to retrieve the plane if seized by law enforcement authorities.
Grimmer further alleged that Greenburg knew the president of record of "Marlowe International Investments Inc.," Mitch Aspra, was actually George A. Hicks, an unindicted co-conspirator in the "Sky Caine" case who cooperated with Drug Enforcement Administration agents in the investigation.
Hicks will apparently be a key government witness and defense lawyer Edwin Marger of Atlanta wasted no time in attacking Hicks' credibility. In his opening statement, Marger characterized Hicks as a cocaine addict who was paid $50,000 by the government during the course of the investigation.
Marger said Greenburg knew Hicks only by the name of Mitch Aspra and "had no reason to question whether Aspra was Aspra."
The name for the corporation, Marlowe, came from the combining parts of the names of Ronald E. Markowski, 44, formerly of East Chicago, the alleged mastermind of the smuggling ring, and another of the 41 defendants in the case, Terry Lowe, who used several other aliases.
It was Markowski, Marger said, who brought Hicks/Aspra to Greenburg's office and said Aspra would be the firm's president. Greenburg was handling another civil law matter for Markowski at the time, Marger said.
Marger said Greenburg was "out of the picture" by April 1980 when "he was asked to leave because they weren't satisfied with the work he was doing."
Marger indicated that Markowski is willing to testify on Greenburg's behalf if granted immunity from prosecution for what he might say in court. Judge Michael S. Kanne took the request under advisement and was to rule later Tuesday or today on the somewhat unique request.
Markowski is to stand trial here later this month.
When "Marlowe Investments" was formed in November 1979, prosecutor Grimmer said, Greenburg "knew" it was phony and promised "to take care of getting the plane back" in the event of trouble.
Greenburg did this the following spring, Grimmer charged, after the plane was abandoned in Indiantown, Fla., following a flight from the Bahamas.
He said Greenburg met with several "Sky Caine" defendants at a Ft. Lauderdale restaurant to discuss retrieving the aircraft.
Grimmer charged that in March 1980 Greenburg checked with Bahamian officials to see if it was safe for Hicks to return there after another plane crash.
At least seven "Sky Caine" defendants have pleaded guilty. One, George J. Chiattello, of Burnham, Ill., identified as Markowski's co-ringleader, is expected to testify as a government witness.
