Gov denies being told of alleged Teamsters threats

By Jack Sullivan

August 10, 2000 Web posted at: 12:21 PM EDT (1621 GMT)

In this story: Horror stories Gov says "wait and see" RELATED STORIES

BOSTON, Massachusetts (The Boston Herald) -- Gov. Paul Cellucci insisted yesterday he was never told of alleged threats, shakedowns and intimidation by a Teamsters movie unit, but an industry executive called that claim ``preposterous.''

``I was surprised to hear about these allegations,'' Cellucci told the Herald. ``I wasn't told about criminal allegations. Those were never brought to my attention.''

But Brian Heller, who attended an October 1996 Cellucci fund-raiser organized by film business officials to air their grievances with the Teamsters, said there was little doubt the then-lieutenant governor was informed of the problems.

``That's preposterous,'' Heller said of Cellucci's assertion. ``I think he's either misremembering what happened or doesn't want to remember.''

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Heller said yesterday he had to leave the function early, but not before hearing Cellucci being told about physical threats and intimidation against industry officials who did not kowtow to the union's demands.

Heller, co-owner of several camera and lighting businesses, and others who attended the fund-raiser said Cellucci dismissed their complaints - offering only to ``mediate'' the situation with Local 25 President George W. Cashman.

``There's no question about it, those things were brought up,'' said Heller. ``He shuffled his feet and kind of said or mumbled something, in essence, a `boys will be boys' type of thing.''

Cashman, who has not returned numerous calls for comment, and members of his movie crew are the focus of a federal grand jury and Department of Labor investigation into alleged shakedowns of independent and studio movie makers.

While Cellucci yesterday said he recalled the fund-raiser, he said the only concerns brought to his attention were a proposed state-funded $13 million soundstage to be run in part by the Teamsters and ``some management-union issues.''

``They did not want the new soundstage to be built because they felt they would be competing with it,'' Cellucci said.

One of the fund-raiser's organizers said the soundstage was one of the issues, but that people attended the meeting with the clear intent of detailing their horror stories to Cellucci, a zealous movie buff who has made several junkets to Hollywood to curry favor with producers.

The officials said it would be hard to fathom that Cellucci did not understand the gravity of the problems.

``I find it very difficult to believe that would be the case,'' said the source. ``There were people at that meeting who had experienced the worst of it. . . . There was some pretty outrageous stuff that happened to people at that meeting.''

Cellucci also said recent Herald reports that the Local 25 movie crew is populated by ex-cons and Mob associates was also news to him.

The newspaper has reported that at least seven men involved in a string of armored car hold-ups - including one that ended in the execution of two guards in New Hampshire - have worked on the movie crew.

The Herald also has reported that several convicted bank robbers are drivers on made-in-Massachusetts movies and that Local 25 officials have imported several Rhode Island gangsters, convicted murderers and Hell's Angels to work on productions here while passing over longtime union members.

``No one's brought that to my attention,'' Cellucci said.

Sources have confirmed that federal investigators have subpoenaed records from the Massachusetts Film Office and begun interviewing state officials. Cellucci said he is unaware of that, but vowed to cooperate in any investigation.

The governor said he has no plans to initiate his own probe into the allegations, or take any action against Cashman.

``We'll wait and see what happens with the federal investigation,' he said.

Investigators are looking into allegations that Flynn, a union transportation coordinator, and other union members forced or coerced producers into renting their private equipment and padding expenses and overtime slips.

Flynn and the union's chief negotiator, Lou DiGiampaolo, acted as emissaries for Cashman in 1992 on a trip to meet with Hollywood producers to tell them Cashman's regime would be dealing with them differently from his predecessor.

Flynn also accompanied state officials on another junket, one that Heller wrote could spell trouble for Massachusetts filmmakers and workers.

The investigation, run by the labor department's racketeering unit, raided Flynn's Weymouth home in June looking for evidence in the case, sources said. Investigators have also collected records from the union's Charlestown office regarding films made in Massachusetts such as ``The Perfect Storm,'' ``Cider House Rules,'' ``In Dreams,'' ``The Good Son,'' ``The Next Karate Kid,'' and ``Good Will Hunting.''

Cellucci defended Cashman, a member of his transition team who he reappointed to a seat on the Massport board, in his running of the Teamsters' movie crew, saying the embattled union president has responded every time the governor called him after receiving a complaint. He said the ``old way'' of Teamster intimidation changed once Cashman took over as Local 25 president in 1992.

``My experience has been a positive one,'' said Cellucci, who was endorsed by the Teamsters in his 1998 gubernatorial campaign. ``We've brought the Teamsters out to Hollywood to show them there's a new way of doing things.''

But one industry official said it was clear Cellucci opted for political gain by the Teamsters endorsement rather than economic advances in furthering the film business.

``By his actions, it's clear he has chosen to embrace and go the Cashman route,'' he said.

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