Good evening, Bridget Martin, Channel 2 CBS News reporter.
August 1, 2005
Yesterday evening, in a wide sweeping series of FBI raids under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), 65 year old Arrone Zasa was arrested and is being detained in a Federal jail cell. The actual location is unknown at present.
He's actually being held on charges of income tax evasion in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Services (IRS). They picked him up at his secluded mansion home on Long Island using search warrants issued by the Federal Government.
FBI Director, Lisa Cohen, in this morning's press conference said that over five million dollars was found in Zasa's safe, money never reported to the IRS. An additional three million dollars was found at his office in the Zasa Pharmaceuticals headquarters at the Brooklyn Heights docks, but the search warrants didn't permit the complete search of the premises.
Several Columbians were killed during the raid on a vessel docked at the pier near the Zasa facilities. It's a shame that none of those sailors survived to be questioned. A search of the vessel revealed over two million dollars worth of uncut cocaine. Ms. Cohen said that they are trying to confirm that these drugs were indeed headed for the Zasa Pharmaceuticals warehouse.
In other breaking news, the NYPD arrested Brittany Murphy, an American Airlines stewardess, for the murder of 45 year old novelist, Liam Peterson. In our earlier reports the cause of death was heart failure, but Lt. Joseph Friday stated in his Monday morning press conference that they now know that Ms. Murphy put adrenaline in Liam's wine to induce the heart failure.
Liam's wife, 28 year old singer and dancer, Jamie Peterson, has apparently agreed to testify against her girlfriend. More information will no doubt be available after Murphy is arraigned this afternoon. Katrina DeMarco has been assigned to the case by NYC District Attorney, Glenn Foy, and although she hasn't been accepting interviews, we understand she was the one that got Jamie Peterson to change her testimony last night regarding the death of her husband.
Turning to the weather, it's already hot and humid, 84 degrees, with possible scattered thunder showers throughout the day and evening.
