Posted on 02/01/2007 12:45:38 AM PST by raccoonradio
Menino Wants Turner To Reimburse Cities
Boston police say they have made in arrest in connection to the suspicious device scare that turned out to be a marketing ploy for a television cartoon. The Peter Berdvosky was arrested in Arlington Wednesday night and charged under a recently enacted statute making it a crime to place a hoax device that results in panic.
The scare forced bomb units to scramble across Boston all day. The "devices" were actually magnetic lights which resemble a character on the show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force", on Turner Broadcasting's Cartoon Network.
WBZ spoke with the Berdvosky's lawyer and legal guardian Michael Rich, who said the Mass. College of Art student did cooperate with police. Rich also tells us the suspect is an exchange student from Belarus.
"It's very disturbing," said Rich, "that what was just (an) employment for a struggling artist turned into some major misunderstanding."
Berdvosky was apparently working for InterferenceInc.com, which was the company hired by Cartoon Network to carry out the ad campaign. He will be arraigned at Charlestown District Court on Thursday morning.
The suspicious device reports forced the temporary shutdowns of Interstate 93 out of the city, a key inbound roadway, a bridge between Boston and Cambridge, and a portion of the Charles River but were quickly determined not to be explosive.
"It's a hoax -- and it's not funny," Gov. Deval Patrick said.
"We apologize to the citizens of Boston that part of a marketing campaign was mistaken for a public danger....We deeply regret the hardships experienced as a result of this incident," said Turner Broadcasting Chair and CEO Phil Kent in a writen statement.
More Than ten devices were found in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville. Attorney General Martha Coakley believes 38 of the light up boards were planted throughout the city.
The first device was found at an MBTA subway and bus station located under Interstate 93 on Wednesday morning. The device was detonated and determined to be harmless, but as a precaution the station and the interstate shut down temporarily.
Then, around 1 p.m., four calls came into Boston Police reporting suspicious devices at the Boston University Bridge and the Longfellow Bridge, which both span the Charles River, and the corner of Stuart and Columbus Streets and at the Tufts-New England Medical Center.
Another device was found in Somerville under the McGrath Highway Bridge. The latest package was found outside Fenway Park around 5:30 p.m.
Mayor Menino said the hoax cost the state and cities about $750,000. He wants Turner Broadcasting to pay for it all.
“It is outrageous, in a post 9/11 world, that a company would use this type of marketing scheme. I am prepared to take any and all legal action against Turner Broadcasting and its affiliates for any and all expenses incurred during the response to today’s incidents. Boston will look to coordinate our efforts going forward with Cambridge, Somerville and any other affected agencies.”
"Aqua Teen Hunger Force" is a cartoon with a cultish following that airs as part of the Adult Swim late-night block of programs for adults on the Cartoon Network. A feature length film based on the show is slated for release March 23.
The surreal series centers on a talking milkshake (Master Shake), fries (Frylock) and a meatball (Meatwad).
The cartoon also includes two trouble-making, 1980s-graphic-like characters called "mooninites," named Ignignokt and Err -- who were pictured on the suspicious devices. They are known for making the obscene hand gesture depicted on the devices.
It said the devices have been in place for two to three weeks in 10 cities: Boston; New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Atlanta; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; San Francisco; and Philadelphia.
WELCOME TO THE AMERICA FOR BENEFIT TERRORIST CARTOON PLOT!
WBZ radio site:
>>Peter Berdovsky, 27, of Arlington, and Sean Stevens, 28, of Charlestown, were each charged Wednesday night with one count of placing a hoax device and one count of disorderly conduct, state Attorney General Martha Coakley said.
The two men worked together to place the devices, Coakley said in a news release announcing Stevens' arrest.
Highways, bridges and a section of the Charles River were shut down and bomb squads were sent in before authorities declared the devices were harmless.
Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner Inc. and parent of Cartoon Network, said the devices were part of a promotion for the TV show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," a surreal series about a talking milkshake, a box of fries and a meatball.
Authorities are investigating whether Turner and any other companies should be criminally charged, Coakley said.
Berdovsky and Stevens were scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Charlestown District Court, Coakley said.
"We're not going to let this go without looking at the further roots of how this happened to cause the panic in this city," Coakley said at a news conference.
Those conducting the campaign should have known the devices could cause panic because they were placed in sensitive areas, she said. Turner did not notify officials of the publicity campaign until around 5 p.m., nearly four hours after the first calls came in about the devices, she and others said.
Berdovsky was arrested at 8:15 p.m. at his lawyer's office. His lawyer's name wasn't available, and phone number believed to be Berdovsky's did not accept messages.
Stevens was arrested at his home in Charlestown at about 11:30 p.m., Coakley said. It could not immediately be determined if Stevens had legal counsel.
BTTT !!!
Mayor Menino said the hoax cost the state and cities about $750,000. He wants Turner Broadcasting to pay for it all.
Good hit Ted and Jane as hard as they can. I would think every person ought to sue who lost work etc for this stupid media stunt. I heard more cities were also being used but that they were able to stop it before it caused the problems Boston had...... The suspect is an exchange student from Belarus, if this is true.... we ought to sentence him to some jail time and deport him.
Stupid, ill-planned advertising campaign. Turner should be made to pay. But Aqua Teen Hunger Force kicks a$$!
"we ought to sentence him to some jail time and deport him."
This is a lot of overreacting.
I am sure it never occurred to them that it would cause a panic.
Terrorist don't set their bombs in cutesy packages with flashing lights.
I feel sorry for the poor Russian guy.
Of course, the devices were placed in Boston two weeks ago and the crack police force has managed to recover a whole 14 out of 38 devices. Now that's good work!
The Big Dig and Boston Marathon has been tying up Boston for years and costing extra police hours. Any arrests yet?
Furthermore, these charges aren't going to stick. They might get trespassing and littering.
Boston, once again, proves its a pathetic joke.
Helluva promotional campaign, too -- that goes unnoticed for two weeks! And the other 16 haven't even been found (a stealth promotional campaign doesn't make much sense to me, but what do I know?).
Much as I hate the Marathon, it's well-publicized ahead of time and AFAIK they get all the necessary permits.
It's a hoax only if it were intended to be perceived as something it wasn't. Evidently someone didn't bank on the fact that Americans are running scared.
There are actually Aqua Teen Hunger Force fans?
Agree with your first two comments though. Boston should send a bill to whoever approved this incredibly bad idea.
Hell yeah, it's (at times) a great show. Well, was...
I've never seen the show myself (and don't plan to), but Howie Carr's assumption was that it appeals to potheads. (The caller who was defending the show neatly evaded any comment as to his own status in that respect!)
ADDING a related thread to this thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1777152/posts?page=129#129
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1777152/posts
"Boston cops make arrest in devices ploy (media terrorist)"
Yahoo ^ | 1/31/2007 | KEN MAGUIRE, Associated Press Writer
Posted on 01/31/2007 6:45:54 PM PST by tobyhill
BOSTON
agreed, dumb campaign, but i still absolutely love ATHF and the mooninites......!!!
Well I could probably smoke even the most hardcore 'pothead' under the table, but I always thought the cartoon was just flat out stupid.
The men arrested are both nearly 30 years old.
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