,.
FEE-16-'94WED20:00ID:MENDOTAMENTALI-LTHTELNO:5(l8/244-2646
HonorableMfchaelNowakowski
Page2
February16,1994Re:
Leo
Wanta
CuoNo.:
RELEVANTHISTOR.Y
Mr.Wantastateshehasnoproblems.
He:
isaware
of
hischarges.andwasable
U)
repeatthem.Whenhewasaskedaboutthelegalbackground,hestated,
"1
waskidnappedfromSwit7.crland
by
thesheriffsfromWisconsin."He
correctly
seemedtoidentifytheantecedentsofhi,
being
senttoMMHl.I
was
able
to
separately
verifythis
whenIspoke
with
theAssistantAttorneysGeneralmentionedabove.Mr.Wanta
stated."Iwas
told
bythecourt~appointedattorney,Deborah
Smith.
thatI'm
not
competent.Shebasbetrayedme.She
didthis
justbecauseIrefusedtowaive
my
rights
at
thepreliminaryhearing."
Mr.
Wanta
has
arather
compllcatedexplanationabouthisfmancialand
tax
situation.Hestatesheisaspecialagentrecruitedin1984byWilliamCaseyofthe.CIA.Hedescribesnumeroushigh-!oundingschemes.
Including
cel1ingguns
to
NoriepofPanama.,eUingSaudiArabianoil
to
ThirdWorldcountries.beingconsidered
in
1982byPresident
Reaganforthe
post
ofInspectorGeneralofthe
Department
ofDcfcnJc,beingappointed
Ambas.adorofSomalia
to
Canada.
etc.
Mr.Wanta
deniespastpsychiatricormedicalproblems.He:stateshehasneverbeen
in
psychistrlchospitalsnorexperienced
any
emotionalorbehavioral
problems.
My
telephonecontact
with
hiswife,aswellas
withhismother.
essentially
confirmed
most
of
Mr.
Wanta'sself-descriptionsabouthis
Bfc.
Iquotehis
mother
-HI
onlyknowwhathetellsme.1dobelievehe
is
notlying.Idoknowhewas
in
Switzerland.
I
doknowhewaspickedupfor'bankfraudandtakenfrom
Switzerland
to
NewYo
de.
Idoknow
that
thefederalchargesagainsthimweredropped.Idoknowthathe
had
neverhadpsychiatricoremotionalproblems.Heindeed
was
avolunteerpoliceman.andheindeed
was.
abody
guard
to
theMilwaukee
mayor."Hiswifetold
methatshe
indeedhad,
onseveraloccasions,talked
to
peopleattheCIA;hiswifestated
that
the
CIAhadtoldherthatheindeed~undercover.Hiswifestatedthatovertheyearsshehadnotnoticedanystrangeorunusualbehaviorsonhispart.Shedidexpresssomedistressthatin
spite
ofvarioushigh-levelschemes,heneverseemed
to
deltver
any
money.Shestated
specifically,
"Ihaveneverknownhimtolie."Shedidadmit,however."Hedoesexpounduponthings!'Shestatedthat
they
hadseparatedsinceabouttwoanda
hAlf
years.
Shestatedhehaa
been
undertremendousstress,
in
thathelosthisfather
And
hisbrother
both
within..week,aboutthree
years
ago.She
&tated
he
wssindeedliving
with
a
very
closefriend
in
Singapore.
-whc
had
lately
supported
Leo.Shestated
that,similarly,
Mr.
Manachi,
theattomey
in
Canada.
alsosupported
Leo.
Shestatedthat
shehad
oncetalkedto
a.
CIAagent
in
Tennessee,andseveraltimestoaCIAphonenumber
in
MInnesota.She
stated
that
the
only
unusualthingshehadnoticed
wu
that
hewouldsometimes
gofor
three
to
four
days
without
sleep,Shestated
he
sometimest'slept
on
the
couch,and
helivedand
breathod
his
job."
My
phoneecntact
withAttorney
Pellino,en
2115,
revealed
that
Mr.Pellinohasindeed
been
contacted
by
many.
manypeopleto
take
up
Mr.
Wanta'staxcase.
Mr.
Pcllino
toldmeitwouldbe
very
unusual
for
the
s~
ofWisconsin
orfor
Illy
state
to
go
to
the
botherandlengthof
c;ttraditing
apersonfrom
Switzerland
limply
for
tax
evaslcn,
Mr.
Haag.
AssisWttAttorneyGeneralofWisconsin.toldmeonthephonethat
Leo
had
had
apreliminaryh~ng,aswellasastatusconference,butthathi!statusapparently
had
not
been
resolved,Mr.HaagmentionedhewasawarethatLeoandhiscourt-appointed
pUblic
defender,DeborahSmith..were"notgettingalonB,"
that
Ms.Smithhadsaidshewas
"havini
problemscommunicatingwithLeo."Mr.Haagmentioned
thatduringMa.Smith'sabsenceMr.DennisBurkewasactingasLee's
public
defender,
and
thatMr.Burke
reportedly
hadconcludedthat
Mr.
Wanta
was
indeedcompetent.Mr.Haagalso~xplained
to
mehowtheFBI
computer
had
leftawarrant
at
the
AmericanEmbassy
inSwitzerland,eventhoughtherewereno
federal