Ray Goldenberg wrote:
> Hi Howard,
>
> FWIW, this is not a new development. It was known many months ago.
See below for a NEW development.
http://www.nytimes.com
January 7, 2006
Grand Jury Reviews Report of . on Cruise Ship
By ALISON LEIGH COWAN
A federal grand jury in Connecticut is investigating the disappearance
of George Allen Smith IV, the Greenwich man who has been missing since
his honeymoon cruise of the Mediterranean last summer, and is also
looking into a report of the . of an 18-year-old woman on the ship
two days after Mr. Smith disappeared, according to people with
knowledge of the investigation.
Some of the same passengers who were seen drinking and partying with
Mr. Smith and who later helped him back to his room the night he
vanished, appear on videotapes of the alleged .ual assault, according
to Royal Caribbean, the operator of the cruise.
The mystery behind Mr. Smith's disappearance somewhere between Greece
and Turkey in the early hours of July 5 has been the subject of a
Congressional hearing, news programs and Internet blogs.
But the case took an unexpected turn this week when Royal Caribbean
disclosed that it had expelled two families from the ship four days
after Mr. Smith's disappearance because of "an allegation of .ual
assault against a female passenger" by some members of those families.
Two videotapes of the alleged assault, made by the participants, are
now in the hands of the authorities, the cruise line said, adding, "The
young men involved contended the encounter was consensual, but the
woman adamantly denied that."
Keith Greer, a lawyer representing one of the families, said yesterday
that the . report was now part of an F.B.I. investigation. He said
he was hired by the family to help them cooperate in the investigation
and to pursue civil remedies. He said he had notified Royal Caribbean
of his clients' intention to sue over their removal from the ship.
One member of that family, Josh Askin, a 20-year-old college student,
has told reporters that he and three friends from a New York-based
family also removed from the ship had helped Mr. Smith return to his
cabin after a night of drinking. Mr. Smith disappeared a short time
later. According to Mr. Greer, Mr. Askin believes that neither he nor
his friends "did anything criminal" at any point on the cruise.
Both Mr. Greer and company officials said that Mr. Askin was prevented
by crew members from debarking when the ship docked at Kusadasi,
Turkey, the morning after Mr. Smith's disappearance. They said he was
put in a room with the missing man's wife, Jennifer Hagel Smith, as she
was being informed that her husband was lost, and was questioned about
the disappearance later that day by Turkish authorities in his parents'
presence, before being released.
The Smith matter was eventually taken over by agents from the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, who boarded and inspected the ship on July 7
when it arrived in Piraeus, Greece. Royal Caribbean officials say that
by then the .ual encounter had happened but had not yet been brought
to their attention.
By the time the woman notified them, on July 8, the ship was back at
sea en route to Naples, Italy. Royal Caribbean said it promptly
notified the F.B.I. and Italian authorities about the woman's
allegation. Italian and American officials boarded the ship when it
docked in Naples early on July 9. Two tapes - one obtained by the
company and one handed over by parents of one of the young men involved
in the .ual episode - were turned over to the Italian authorities,
who later gave them to the American authorities, the company said.
The company said it expelled the young men and their families shortly
after local authorities concluded their questioning of the young men.
Lisa Bull, a spokeswoman for the F.B.I. in New Haven, described the
investigation into Mr. Smith's disappearance as "a very active and far-
reaching one," but declined to say whether the office was also
investigating the . report.
Mr. Greer said that he believed his client, Josh Askin, was aware of
the .ual encounter at the time but "was not involved in having .
with the girl" and "didn't have physical contact."
Arthur Gershfeld, a criminal lawyer for some of the young men involved
in the .ual encounter, said he had every confidence "that the
gentlemen I represent will not be implicated in any type of wrongdoing."
He said that "the F.B.I. has all the evidence and yet the F.B.I. does
not feel that this is a problem. These are good people who are being
tormented by this investigation. This cruise turned out to be a
nightmare."
A family friend speaking on behalf of the 18-year-old woman said the
cruise line had provided her with excellent care and had responded
swiftly to the charges. He asked that his name not be disclosed to
shield the woman's identity, but said that she was "angry and looking
forward to her day in court."
Mr. Gershfeld declined to say whether his clients had helped put Mr.
Smith to bed the night he disappeared or whether they had even been
drinking. As painful as it might be for the Smith family, he said, "No
one did anything to this gentleman."
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