Dem Op Bob Beckel in Court Sex Mess... Pair attempted to extort political analyst

Records: Pair attempted to extort political analyst
By LAUREN DUNN
Journal staff writer

A former host of CNN's ``Crossfire Sunday" and regular contributor to CBS ``This Morning" paid a Fairfax County woman to perform sex acts on him at his Maryland home and was then threatened that the incident would be made public unless he paid $50,000, according to Virginia court records.

Bob Beckel, a political analyst who managed Walter Mondale's 1984 presidential campaign, paid a woman $300 per hour to visit his home on June 27 and 29. Days later, he found a note on his car and a message on his answering machine demanding money and threatening to release evidence of the woman's visits to his family and the media, according to a search warrant filed Aug. 26 in Alexandria Circuit Court.

Beckel said Thursday that he cannot comment on the case because it still is under investigation.

Officer Joyce Utter, Montgomery police spokeswoman, acknowledged Thursday that Beckel was the victim of extortion and that he has been very cooperative. She would not comment on the case because it is still being investigated.

Three people from Alexandria, Washington, D.C., and Fairfax County were arrested and charged last week with extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion.

About 6 p.m. June 27, Beckel was at his Bethesda, Md., home when he found an Internet Web site with a photograph of a woman named ``Tiffany," who was dressed in provocative clothing. The site said she was available for regular sessions, bachelor parties and multiple-hour sessions, according to the warrant's sworn affidavit.

Beckel called the telephone number listed on the Web page and made arrangements for the woman to come to his house for a $300-an-hour massage, the affidavit states. The woman, who identified herself as Tiffany, arrived at his home and he paid her $600 for two hours.

During the visit, she performed oral sex on him and he revealed to her that he worked for a ``major media syndicate." She asked if he could say something to her in code while he was on television, but he said he could not, according to the affidavit.

Tiffany saw Beckel again at his home from 3 to 6 p.m. June 29 and received a check for $1,300. She performed oral sex on him and she agreed that she would return to his house July 1, the affidavit states. On July 1, she left him a message saying that she was going out of town and he never heard from her again, according to the warrant.

Beckel left town from July 5 to July 11; when he returned, an envelope was on the windshield of his car. The envelope contained a computer-generated letter that stated: ``for the last time, you need to drop off the money on Friday July 12, 2002 at exactly 4pm." The letter then stated, ``you might want to listen to your answering machine if you think I have prove of your actions," according to the affidavit.

Beckel remembered that he had a similar envelope in his mail from the previous day. He opened that letter and realized it was the first computer-generated extortion letter, according to the affidavit. The letter stated: ``I've been watching you for the past few months. Now in my possession I hold credible evidence of your illegal activities. This includes taped phone conversations, pictures, times, dates, dates and soliciting sex. These instructions are to be followed 100% or the above evidence stated will be turned over to your wife, your employer, and the newspapers."

The letter included demands for $50,000 in cash, all in $100 bills, a drop-off time of 2 p.m. July 7 and directions to the drop-off area on Potomac Street in Washington, the affidavit states.

Beckel then listened to his answering machine and recognized his first conversation with Tiffany. A male voice then told him to look at the message on his car, the warrant states.

Beckel went to see his lawyer and they went to the Montgomery County police station in Bethesda. Police set up a surveillance team and Beckel was given a bag, which contained a newspaper and a note that said, ``I am still working on the money, give me another week."

About 3:30 p.m. July 12, Montgomery police officers were at the drop-off location in the District and observed a green, two-door Chevrolet car that was being driven in a suspicious manner.

There were two men and a woman in the car. The car drove near the drop-off spot, but did not pick up the package, the warrant states.

Officers subpoenaed phone records and subscriber information for the telephone number listed on Tiffany's Web page. The listing came back to Annandale resident Maryam Massihi, who had been convicted of running a prostitution ring out of Fairfax County, the affidavit states.

Massihi pleaded guilty in January of running the ring and was sentenced to two years in prison, with two years suspended, according to Fairfax County Circuit Court records.

According to the affidavit, Massihi had run the Fairfax County ring with 28-year-old Abdullah Hamid. Hamid and his partner, Eric Holland, would drive female escorts to different locations, where the women would perform sex acts on clients.

The trio employed several women and Massihi trained the women and taught them how to act, the affidavit states.

A registration check on the green car showed that it was registered to Holland, 28, of Alexandria. On July 18, detectives observed the same green car in front of Holland's home, the affidavit states.

Fairfax County police told Montgomery officers that Hamid was using a newer-model Cadillac Escalade. A check on his registration showed that Hamid's address was the one on Massihi's telephone records.

Montgomery police also checked Hamid's bank records, which indicated that both of Beckel's checks had been deposited into his account.

The Alexandria warrant authorized city and Montgomery police to search Holland's home at 37 S. Bragg St. About $700 in cash and a box of documents were recovered Aug. 23 from the home.

Alexandria police would not comment on the investigation because it is being led by Montgomery police. ``It is a routine investigation that crosses over state and county lines and it is typical to have a local law enforcement department assist," said Amy Bertsch, city police spokeswoman.

Massihi, 23, whose real name is Angela Anglin, Holland and Hamid were arrested and charged Aug. 21 in connection to the extortion case. Anglin and Holland are being held without bond at the Alexandria Adult Detention Center. Hamid was released on a $50,000 bond.

They were not charged with prostitution or running a ring because police are focusing on the extortion investigation, Utter said. Extortion carries a heavier penalty than prostitution.

Beckel, known in political circles as a liberal pundit, made headlines after the 2000 presidential election, when Republicans said he tried to persuade some members of the electoral college to vote for Democrats.

During Mondale's 1984 primary campaign for president, Beckel adopted the phrase ``Where's the beef?" to describe a lack of substance in rival Democrat Gary Hart.

He wrote a syndicated column in the Los Angeles Times until October 2000 and has made appearances on ``CBS News", ``NBC Nightly News", ``Face the Nation" and ``Meet the Press". He co-hosted ``Crossfire" in the late 1990s and continues to hold television contracts with CNN and work as a political consultant.

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Bob Beckel

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Combining political savvy, sharp wit and top-level campaign experience, Beckel is one of the nation's premier political analysts. He writes a syndicated column for The Los Angeles Times, hosts CNN's Crossfire Sunday, and is a regular contributor to CBS This Morning. The founder and president of a highly successful political consulting firm, he managed Mondale's 1984 presidential campaign, politicizing Wendy's "Where's the beef?" slogan.

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Biography

Combining political savvy, campaign experience and a sharp wit, Bob Beckel has emerged as one of Washington's leading political analysts. Bob brings a veteran's perspective from his years in the White House, on Capitol Hill and leading dozens of election campaigns. In his own captivating style, he blends wry tales of life in the political trenches with a strategist's concise analysis, entertaining as he informs.

After a political baptism in Robert Kennedy's 1968 campaign, a tour of duty in the Peace Corps and a successful stint heading up his own consulting firm, Bob joined the government in 1977. As the youngest deputy assistant secretary of state in history, he steered the controversial Panama Canal Treaties through Congress. He moved to the White House to head an administration effort to press Congress into passing the Mideast and Salt II Treaties.

He resumed his career as a political consultant until Walter Mondale asked him to manage his 1984 presidential campaign. As national campaign manager, he oversaw Mondale's successful race for the Democratic nomination. Beckel is credited with pulling together the campaign after its defeat in New Hampshire, and he became known as the man who so effectively wrapped "Where's the Beef?" around Gary Hart.

During the 1988 presidential campaign, Beckel was an on-air consultant for ABC News. He regularly appeared on CBS This Morning and as the on-air consultant for WUSA/Channel 9 News in Washington, DC during the 1992 presidential campaign. For the two years it aired, he was the moderator on Fox Television's weekly public affairs program Off the Record. He was also a co-host on Mutual Radio's Buchanan & Company.

Beckel is president of Bob Beckel and Associates, a political analysis and public affairs company he formed in 1985 which monitors trends and developing issues in American politics for its clients.

Beckel is also a popular speaker and commentator. He is co-host of CNN's Crossfire Sunday and regularly appears on CBS This Morning. He has appeared often on CBS News and NBC Nightly News and is a frequent guest on shows such as Face the Nation, Meet the Press and Nightline. In addition, he writes a syndicated column for the Los Angeles Times.

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Do you suppose "Tiffany" wanted some of that action?

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