
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 1, 1994                   TAG: 9406010080
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder/Tribune
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

ILLEGAL ACTS NOTED IN INDICTMENT

Here is a look at some of the acts House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dan Rostenkowski was accused of in the 17-count indictment voted by a federal grand jury Tuesday:

Ghost employees

Rostenkowski was charged with using government money to pay at least 14 people a total of $500,000 over 21 years, though they actually did little or no work for his office. Instead, most did personal work or favors for him.

For example, one person was paid $20,000 from 1977 to 1986, though he did no work for the taxpayers. Instead, he took thousands of photographs for Rostenkowski - at his daughter's wedding, at parties at Rostenkowski's Wisconsin summer home, and at political events.

A 17-year-old received $1,500 in government paychecks in 1976. He did no congressional work but did cut the grass at Rostenkowski's summer home.

The son of an Illinois state senator received $48,400 in government paychecks without working in the congressional office. However, his father employed Rostenkowski's two daughters during the same period and paid them $48,000.

Another person received $10,400 in government checks shortly before marrying Rostenkowski's daughter. He did no work and was required to give most of the cash back to Rostenkowski.

A full-time employee of the Chicago Water Department received $90,000 worth of government checks periodically from 1976 to 1987. He cleaned Rostenkowski's Chicago office at most once every two weeks, while his wife cleaned Rostenkowski's home. The Rostenkowskis never paid her for the house cleanings.

Another person received $53,600, and his wife received $121,400. He did little work in the office; she did none. He did supervise the renovation of Rostenkowski's home, for which he received no other pay.

An employee of the House received $21,100 in checks from Rostenkowski's office for little or no official work. But he did pick up Rostenkowski's laundry, drive his family around town and work at political events.

Kickbacks

Several of the people who received ``ghost employee'' checks were required to cash the checks and return the cash to Rostenkowski's Chicago office manager, prosecutors said.

by CNB