Extortionalleged in Ward case

Defense attacks teen's motive behind charges Defense attorneys hammered away at the credibility of Marketing Professor Scott Ward's accuser yesterday, portraying "B.M." as a manipulator seeking money from a man who tried to help him. Jean Green, Ward's lead attorney, called to the stand Alan Hart, a licensed private investigator who had been hired by Ward's defense team to "provide covert sound and video" surveillance of B.M. Green later played for the jury the videotape that Hart made in his Haddonfield, N.J. office, using it to bolster the defense's contention that the charges against Ward stem from an extortion attempt. Although somewhat inaudible, the videotape depicted Ward, private investigator Jerry Cross, B.M. and his friend gathered for a meeting in Hart's office. After B.M. and Ward discussed on the tape a possible payment from Ward to B.M. of $12,000, Ward asked, "So basically what you're asking me to do is pay you $12,000 to tell the truth." After a pause, B.M. replied, "Yes." Green also called Cross as a witness yesterday. During Montgomery County Deputy District Attorney Mark Miller's cross-examination, Cross read three typed transcripts of telephone calls B.M. placed to Ward in early February of 1994 -- a few months after B.M. lodged his accusations against Ward. The phone conversations centered around the money B.M. was expecting from Ward. In his cross examinations of Hart and Cross, Miller questioned the ethics and legality of the covert tapings and transcriptions of B.M.'s telephone calls. He also noted that several key conversations were absent from the tapes. Cross admitted that B.M. was unaware that his conversation with Ward was being listened to and transcribed. Miller also asked Cross to read aloud parts of one of the transcribed conversations, which cast doubt as to whether it was B.M. or Ward who had initiated the talks about exchanging money for testimony. "How much do you want?" Ward asked in the transcription. "I told you last night," B.M. answered. "How much?" Ward repeats. "I told you last night," B.M. said a second time. B.M. testified Monday that he called Ward because he was cold and hungry. He also said in his testimony that it was Ward who initially brought up the topic of money, offering him $10,000 to go to court and tell Ward's "truth." Miller also said Cross and Ward acted unethically when they met B.M. in New Jersey -- where one-party non-consensual videotaping is legal -- without B.M.'s attorney, David Ginsburg, present. Yesterday morning, the prosecution rested after calling its last two witnesses. Both had been in close contact with B.M. at Sleighton, a reform school. Miller called Steve Silverman, program director at Sleighton, as a witness. Silverman testified that although B.M. initially denied that he had ever had any sexual contact with Ward, the teenager eventually admitted he engaged in oral sex with him. Silverman also said that, contrary to Ward's previous claims, "Ward is not, and never has been, on the National Board of Directors of Devereaux," a foundation aimed at helping troubled youths. Silverman added that B.M. said he was ordered by Ward to deny having had any sexual contact with him. Kathy Polero, a Sleighton psychologist, was the last witness called by Miller. She testified that B.M. was "reluctant to go to [her] because of his feelings of embarrassment" about the situation. But she said B.M. "disclosed that the defendant performed fellatio on him," and later admitted that he also performed oral sex on Ward. Polero said she arranged for B.M. to meet with Ginsburg because she felt B.M. would need legal representation throughout the proceedings following Ward's 1993 arrest for soliciting sex from minors. In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian yesterday, Ginsburg said that B.M. "does not stand to make nearly as much money [from his civil suit] as Ward's five high-priced lawyers, who are defending Ward, an accused child molester." "This case has been compared to the Michael Jackson case, but it really resembles the O.J. Simpson case," he added. Yesterday's session concluded with Green's direct questioning of Shawn Scanlon, a 27-year-old man who moved into Ward's home when he was in eighth grade. Scanlon said he met Ward 15 years ago through his probation officer, at which time Ward helped him to procure a job as a carpenter's helper. He spoke of about 10 other people -- including a family of five, two foreign exchange students and three young adults -- who lived at Ward's Ardmore home at various times. Scanlon said in his testimony that he had never observed sexual contact between Ward and B.M. Ward, who maintains his innocence, has taken a voluntary leave of absence from his academic responsibilities, according to Wharton spokesperson Chris Hardwick.

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