Profiles in Cowardice, Continued: Quotes from FOIA documents provided by MSP concerning Wayne County’s investigation into the “polygrapher lead.”

Larry Wasser’s statements in Las Vegas have serious repercussions, as detailed in the narrative report from 2007.  I quote extensively from this part of the report because what Larry Wasser says and does on August 9, 2007 is such a contrast to his position after he retains attorney James Feinberg and decides not only to “not cooperate,” but to fight all the way to the Michigan Court of Appeals in an expedited appeal.  Even after losing, he continued to brag in the polygraph community (whatever TF that is) about how he “beat” our family.  Sorry, Larry, but you were battling Wayne County, not my family, and they beat you.  You were a snake when it came to that agreement you reached minutes before having to testify in court under oath, but you beat no one.  It’s hard to see, after reading the FOIA documents, what he, his attorney James Feinberg or attorney Laurence Burgess (on behalf of his wife), have to brag or feel good about.

8-8-07:  I met with Rob Moran today at the [Wayne County] Prosecutors Office and we presented our information about this possible lead to Judge Michael Talbot at the [Wayne County] Circuit Court.  [If you are asking yourself why Wayne County is doing all of this instead of Oakland County, you are getting tracking very well.  For Illinois readers, this would be like Cook County pulling the weight on an investigation involving the abduction and murder of four kids from various towns in Du Page County when one child’s body was found dumped in Cook County.]   We discussed the information and Judge Talbot approved an Investigative Subpoena for [Larry Wasser] and his files.  I obtained the signed Subpoena for [Wasser], which was an “order to appear” at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice (Circuit Court) at 2:00 pm on 8-16-07 in front of Judge Michael Talbot.

8-9-07:  After going to [Wasser’s] workplace [Wasser] Consulting Services, Inc.) and his home in [   ], I made phone contact with [Wasser], who agreed to come to Livonia Police Department to talk.  When [Wasser] arrived, I explained to him the information I had obtained from a witness and showed him a copy of the Subpoena I had from Judge Talbot at the 3^rd circuit court.   [Wasser] was visibly shaken by this, leaning forward and stating that I did not know how serious this is and he began ranting about case law that prohibits him from releasing this type of information, stating that it is privileged.  I explained to [Wasser] that even though I have a subpoena for him to appear and produce his records, if he [Wasser] just simply wanted to cooperate in this case and supply the information, then it would not be necessary to go forward with this investigative subpoena.  I reminded [Wasser] how serious and heinous the crimes were involving these children and that the families of these victims have been waiting for 30 years for resolution in this case.  [Wasser] stated that I didn’t understand, even if he wanted to help me in this investigation and supply me with the information, he could not, because he is bound by law, under the polygrapher, client privilege.  I asked [Wasser] I asked [Wasser] if it was true that the subject in question and his attorney are both now deceased, to which [Wasser]stated, “I guess you know everything.”  [Wasser] asked to be excused for a few minutes so he could call his attorney?  I took [Wasser] out to the lobby area of the police station so he could talk to his attorney.  After a few minutes [Wasser] came back in to the Detective Bureau to talk.  I asked [Wasser] if a Judge ordered him to release the information he has, and relieved him of  his responsibility under this privilege, or if his attorney told him it was okay, does he want to cooperate in this investigation and would he supply the investigators the information?  [Wasser] said he would “absolutely cooperate, 100 percent.”  [Yeah, right, Larry.  That’s why this bullshit had to go all the way to the Michigan Court of Appeals before you were told to turn over the name of your client and you still were a weasel.]  After a lengthy conversation & visit with [Wasser] he then told me, as he was leaving, that he was going to give me a couple of clues.  He told me that the person we were talking about was polygraphed by the Michigan State Police, about the Oakland County Child Killings, at the height of the investigation in the 70’s, [Wasser] said that as far as he knew this subject did not have an attorney at the time he was polygraphed by MSP.  I asked [Wasser] if he had records the records of this, to which he stated that he does not have the files from the 70’s.  [Wasser] also told me that the State Police Examiner that conducted the polygraph, [Ralph Cabot], was not the normal examiner at that time that was doing most of the polygraphs for the Task Force and Wasser stated that this particular examiner had cleared another suspect in a different case after that, that later failed their private polygraphs with him, [Wasser], involving the same type of crime.  [Wasser] explained that when this subject’s [Busch’s] attorney brought him in for a private polygraph, it ws about a completely separate crime that the subject had been involved in, after [rest of sentence, two lines, redacted].   [Wasser] stated further that this person made the statements (confessed) about the OCCK case, during the pre-polygraph questioning of this polygraph.  I asked [Wasser] if the subject and his attorney are in fact deceased [as Wasser had told Patrick Coffey in Vegas in July 2006], to which he stated that he could not tell me that without consulting his attorney first, nor could he give me their names.  I asked [Wasser] if I ran a few names by him would he tell me if it were the right subject.  [Wasser] then said that he would have to think a little bit about the name, but that he was sure he could come up with it and that it wouldn’t take too much for him to get it for me, as if indicating that maybe he does have records of this.  [Wasser] asked me several times where I got this information, adding that he believed he knew anyways.  I told [Wasser] that I was not at liberty to give him that information.  [Wasser] asked me questions about confidentiality, if he were to supply me with the information and asked about this getting to the media.  I explained that we could keep it confidential and even discussed some type of immunity.  [Wasser] at one point expressed concerns he has about the suspect’s family possibly filing a lawsuit against him for releasing the subject’s name.  I gave [Wasser] A.P.A. Rob Moran’s name and phone number for his attorney to contact.  At no time during this interview did [Wasser] indicate that the information about him taking a pre-polygraph confession from a suspect in the OCCK case 30 years ago , never happened.  Actually, [Wasser’s] reaction to what I had learned and the seriousness of how he was treating this, would indicate that this did in fact occur.  The interview was terminated.   (FOIA documents 01191-92.)

Keep in mind that Wasser will early and often claim to be unable to remember the name of this client, yet he expresses direct concern about the suspect’s family filing a lawsuit against him for releasing the subject’s name.  Who could afford to mess with such a lawsuit–after 35 years–and who has attorneys on retainer for any number of reasons?  People who have more money than God with some alleged reputation to uphold that goes along with the cash.  And Chris Busch’s family fell into that category—or close enough.  I told the detective working on this lead back in 2007–before any of us knew this guy was the son of a bigwig at GM back when that meant a hell of a lot in the Motor City and its suburbs–that there is no way Wasser doesn’t remember this guy’s name or the entire pre-polygraph interview.  I remember telling the detective that Wasser probably remembers to this day what the guy was wearing and what his breath smelled like.  He was sitting next to someone completely evil.  And once I learned that this guy was in fact the son of the GM’s CFO for European and North America Divisions, and saw his very distinctive mug shot, I knew for sure that not only did Wasser remember this animal’s name, as well as who his father was, but that every cop in the Birmingham/Bloomfied area knew who this freak was, even if people were too afraid to press charges for the criminal sexual conduct incidents that fell short of abduction and murder.   I’m not saying these PDs  knew he might have had any involvement in the OCCK cases.  I am saying this freak got plenty of free passes back in the day, including that botched polygraph by Ralph Cabot at the MSP, and he felt invincible.

And, unsurprisingly, Wasser’s back-and-forth about wanting to help and be cooperative turns out to be total bullshit.  I think it’s safe to say that the position he was in after being retained by Jane Burgess to polygraph Chris Busch was one that none of us would have wanted to be in back in 1977-78.  But Wasser and Jane Burgess decided to do things one way and would have to live with it for the rest of their lives.  I contend that Larry Wasser based the rest of his career and his involvement at high levels in polygraph associations subconsciously or consciously defending what he did that day.  It became part of who he was.  He has been on governor-appointed committees influencing the drafting of legislation governing polygraphers. Think about that.  There is no way he is going to let some piece-of-shit victims’ family members or independent polygraph examiner undermine the cred he thinks he built over 35 years of defending what he did.  I would really like to meet this guy, look him in the eye, and ask him why he still maintains Patrick Coffey was lying about their discussion in July 2006.