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Edward KocheEdward Koche
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Session:         Page of 617

In any event, he's convicted. And I'm telling you there were a couple of newspaper reports that were not very good from my point of view -- associating me, so to speak, speaking for Frank Brasco who's convicted.

Well, Podell was under indictment. He was under indictment for having represented a client before a federal agency, which is a violation of the law -- he was a lawyer. He did receive money. His defense was that it was a campaign contribution, but it was very hard to understand how it could be a campaign contribution except as a phony one when... it was something like $100,000 that was paid by the client, and it was broken up into three different checks. The partnership, -which Podell did not participate in in terms of receiving money, got something like $39,090.25. And the campaign fund that Podell had, which he had access to, has got exactly the same amount. It was just too peculiar. And as I recall it, Podell made out the checks. He really could only be described as after the buck.

In any event, he's tried. Now, I know Bert Podell -- an interesting guy -- and he asks me to be a character witness. Well, what are you going to say? Especially when he calls me up either on Roshashonna or Yom Kippur -- I can't remember which -- but I'm home. And he says, “Ed, my case is coming to trial, and we need you as a character witness. Will you come?” What





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