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RE: "I think I will believe the judge given that
(1) the guy who sued Simon was a convicted felon who
(2) had failed to disclose that information to Simon and his partners when they hired him. Isn't that true?"

Per the above:

#1 is true. Paul Edward Hindelang Junior was convicted of felonies related to drug trafficking (over 500,000 lbs. of marijuana) in early 1982 in Federal District Court in New Orleans.

#2 is also true, but that's not what the jury voted on.

What is the critical point is the timeline: Hindelang's 1981 arrest, 1982 conviction, and other stories which came out @1984 (involving former Miami Dolphins star Larry Czonka's associated allegations of drug trafficking, and allegations of Hindelang's attempts to bribe the Foreign Minister of the Bahamas) were abundantly noted by Associated Press at the time.

The issue is, did Simon and Sons do a sufficiently thorough background check BEFORE giving drug-peddler Hindelang over $23 million as an investment ??

The case file timeline of Simon's actions says: NO !

Simon and Sons made the deal by 2/11/98, but didn't order the background check (by Scherzer & Co. of Woodland Hills) until March 1998, and the report arrived in September 1998. In his book, Simon says you ALWAYS should do a background check on the people you do business with.

In my observation, his defense was not only bogus (which the jury rejected), but that publicly he's a hypocrite, and his character is unsuitable to hold the office of Governor.

What you are saying doesn't make sense. Why should it matter when they did the background check on this convicted felon. Isn't the key point that once they found out he was a convicted felon, Simon and his partners were entitled to fire him? The common sense position, which the judge adopted, was that, yes, Simon and his partners were entitled to fire this guy because he failed to disclose that he was a convicted felon when they hired him. And, more, importantly, the convicted felon was not entitled to a multi-million dollar jackpot just because he successfully concealed his criminal background until after he was hired.

What hasn't yet been reported, and I list here as a FR Exclusive, is the connection between Hindelang's post-prison firm "Pacific Coin" and money-laundering.

Look at the evidence. When he was released from his 20-Month Lompoc Federal Penitentiary sentence (which means he not only cooperated but was connected -- the 1981 DEA "Operation Grouper" arrests turned up protection of drug-runners by CIA contacts associated with the Bay of Pigs), Hindelang retained his money-laden Central American contacts.

Consider that the main obstacle for the cocaine cartels in the mid-to-late 1980's was the conversion of an abundance of currency assets into liquid funds accepted by financial institutions (banks) for transfer into "clean" assets.

Then consider the type of currency, ie non-traceable coins, that pay phone firm Pacific Coin was created to handle. It was subsequently acknowledged that Hindelang hid more than $50 million from the feds until 1998, and when asked Hindelang paid up without complaint -- but for some reason Pacific Coin wasn't seized by the feds.

Finally, the circumstantial smoking gun is Pacific Coin's location at 16200 Stagg Street in Van Nuys. Go there on a quiet Sunday morning, and you'll notice the back lot shares the 4' tall chain-link fence with the tarmac of the Van Nuys Airport (which, conveniently "shuts down" the tower late at night).

Taken together, you have a big-time drug trafficker, experienced at the logistics of moving large quantities of contraband amongst the innocent vehicles (boats, planes) of the recreating public, running an untraceable money-conversion firm, which is located just a short money-bag toss from the parking place of Lear-jets at the busiest (and relatively unsecure) private aviation facility in the US.

If Bill Simon couldn't piece this together, and he willingly gave Hindelang over $23 Million to be his business partner, how can you suggest he has the inclination or abilities to handle the largest State financial meltdown in US history?