In April of 2004, Mike Danton (or Mike Jefferson, depending on who you speak to) and 19-year-old Katie Wolfmeyer were arrested and charged with hiring a hit man to kill Mike's agent, David Frost. News reports didn't admit to Frost being the alleged target at first, but as more and more details surfaced, the more obvious it became.
The reason I'm choosing to archive this story on this site is because the parallels between this case and Sheldon's were too similar to be passed off. Not only that, but in the days following the arrest, Sheldon's name was mentioned twice in two different posts on two different boards. So I did a little research, and decided that details about the case should be posted here.
Following are the May, 2004 articles regarding the case.
Page 2
Court Orders Danton Held Until Trial (5/8/04)
Danton Reads Statement From Jail Cell (5/8/04)
Motion is Filed to Move Danton (5/12/04)
Danton Hearing is Scheduled for May 21 (5/13/04)
Danton Begs for Help in Government Tape (5/13/04)
Judge Bars Contact Between Danton, Frost (5/15/04)
Danton Must Stop Contact With Agent (5/15/04)
Judge Injects Some Logic Into Danton Case (5/15/04)
Radio Station's Reporting Dives Deeper Into Danton/Frost Case (5/19/04)
Prosecutor Argues Danton Flight Risk if Released (5/20/04)
Exerpts From Tapes: "This Isn't Working, Dave." (5/21/04)
Court Hears Danton/Frost Phone Calls (5/22/04)
David Frost Barred From Junior Hockey League (5/27/04)
Court orders Danton held until
trial
By Derrick Goold and Michael Shaw
Published: Saturday, May. 08 2004
Blues hockey player Mike Danton tried three times to have his agent, David Frost, killed over the past six months, a prosecutor said Friday in explaining why the government believes Danton is a "danger to the community" and should remain in jail.
Details of both the prosecution's case and Danton's defense surfaced at a detention hearing in federal court in East St. Louis, but Magistrate Clifford J. Proud focused more on how "it would be easy for (Danton) to flee" in ruling to keep Danton, a Canadian citizen, in custody before his trial.
Danton's attorney had proposed moving Danton, 23, to a secure hospital setting where a shoulder injury could be addressed and his "mental health and possible addiction to medication" could be evaluated.
Until Friday, prosecutors had been silent since Danton's arrest on April 16 about the target of the murder-for-hire plot Danton is accused in. Sources told the Post-Dispatch weeks ago that Frost was the intended target.
In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Massey told the judge the target was, indeed, Frost, and that Danton had previously attempted to hire hit men in the St. Louis area.
"The evidence in this case is strong," Massey told the judge. "This was not an isolated incident. There were three attempts in the previous six months by this defendant to contact people with the intent that a murder be committed."
Frost, who said he was in California when reached by phone Friday after the hearing, continued to deny that he was the target. Frost did acknowledge he was in Danton's apartment April 15, the night a man who authorities say was hired as a hit man - and who was cooperating with the FBI - drove there.
Frost claims there was no real target. "He did try something twice before, but it wasn't what they think it was," Frost said. "Not at all. There's a lot more going here. There's a bombshell with this, and it's going to come out. It's a lot bigger than people think."
At Friday's hearing, Danton's
attorney, Robert Haar, questioned the prosecutor's identification of
the target. Haar said that in taped
conversations between Danton, co-defendant Katie Wolfmeyer and a cooperating
witness there "is no clear identification of the alleged victim."
Massey responded by stating that in previous attempts, Danton gave would-be hired killers a photo of Frost.
Frost has said Danton suffered from "delusions." Frost recently added that those may have been brought on by the use of painkillers - for a shoulder injury - in combination with other medication. At the hearing, Haar confirmed that Danton used painkillers to soothe his shoulder.
A Blues official said Danton had been prescribed a painkiller, Toradol, to alleviate pain in an injured shoulder and had been given only four 10-mg dosages. He received four pills in a 12-day span before the season ended; the next morning, April 16, he was arrested in San Jose, Calif.
"We know of no other additional medication he was taking at the time," the Blues official said.
Danton said nothing publicly at the hearing, whispering only with his representatives.
Sitting in the row closest to him were his mother, Sue Jefferson, brother Tom Jefferson and aunt Linda Gebe. At an arraignment on Tuesday, Danton made no eye contact with courtroom spectators. But his mother said that on Friday, he briefly made eye contact with her.
Four of Danton's Blues' teammates attended the hearing, including Ryan Johnson, Danton's roommate during road trips. Keith Tkachuk, Bryce Salvador and Barret Jackman also sat in the front rows.
Arguing for Danton's release to a secure treatment facility, Haar described Danton's state of mind during a taped phone conversation Frost had with Danton after Wolfmeyer had been arrested. Haar said the phone call illustrated how his client had "hit rock bottom emotionally."
"It was a gut-wrenching, emotional conversation," Haar said. "This man here, Mr. Danton, is sobbing and crying. During the conversation you can hear him say how he's sick in the head. He can't do it anymore. He can't go on anymore. He is a mess. And he talks about ending his life."
Asked after the hearing if Danton is still a threat to himself, Haar said: "Obviously that is why we want him evaluated."
Despite remaining jailed, Danton could receive the mental health evaluation and treatment that his attorney sought. If a judge approves moving him for treatment, Danton would also be able to get shoulder surgery to mend muscle damage and a partially torn rotator cuff, injuries he sustained in a February game.
If Danton is convicted on murder-for-hire charges, lawyers estimate he would be sentenced to about 10 years.
Danton's family, who came into town for the hearing this week, left for their home in Brampton, Ontario, on Friday evening. Danton has been estranged from his family for more than several years, and Tuesday was the first time his mother had seen him in person for about 3 1/2 years.
On Friday, she said, she saw his eyes briefly.
"I did, I did see his eyes," Sue Jefferson said. "That was good. That was worth the trip. I had visions of them letting him come over and hug me. If that had happened, I'd have stayed forever. But it's too soon for that. Too soon."
Reporter Derrick Goold
E-mail: dgoold@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-340-8285
Courtesy St. Louis Today
Saturday, May 8, 2004
Danton reads statement from jail cell
ESPN.com news services
Calling Friday night from the
Clinton County (Ill.) Jail, where he's being held on murder-for-hire
charges, Mike Danton read a statement outlining a litany of blues to
a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Without the knowledge of his lawyer in the case, Robert Haar, the troubled
St. Louis Blues winger wrote his two-page statement on a yellow legal
pad and, with the help of his agent, David Frost, contacted the Post-Dispatch.
Ironically, it's Frost whom Danton is alleged to have targeted for a
hit.
Reading calmly, directly and slowly, according to the Post-Dispatch,
at times repeating phrases to assure that his statement was copied verbatim,
Danton reiterated his support of Frost and his disdain for his family.
Danton said his family's "recent publicity rants are nothing new."
"Their deceptions and lies throughout the past three weeks are
a sign of the erratic lifestyle that I have lived. I have changed my
last name to fully distance myself from the Jeffersons and in no means
have had or will have anything to do with them in the future."
This came after Danton had first thanked Frost, his friends, and the
Blues players and organization for their support.
Danton said he was feeling "OK, under the circumstances, you know,"
but he would not answer questions, saying he would only read his statement.
In his statement, Danton alleged "constant physical and emotional
abuse" by his family during a squalid upbringing that his parents
and their friends have refuted.
Danton described a "very troublesome" childhood. His complaints
ran from the amount of toilet paper in the house to the clothing he
was given.
His best friends, Sheldon Keefe and Shawn Cation, and Frost have echoed
Danton's allegations.
Stephen Jefferson, Danton's father, responded after the statement was
read to him.
"I'm really hurt by it," Jefferson told the Post-Dispatch.
"His mother will be floored. That's Dave Frost talking. You'd think
that his brother and his mother would remember these things, and they
don't at all.
"It hurts the family to hear that type of nonsense from him, but
it just shows how badly Mike needs help."
Danton read his statement after Frost had contacted a reporter Friday
to set up the call. Frost said that he and Danton's Ottawa-based attorney,
Michael Edelson, had been contacted earlier in the week by Danton about
making a statement.
Courtesy ESPN.
Motion is filed to move Danton
By Michael Shaw
Of the Post-Dispatch
05/12/2004
An attorney for Mike Danton did not succeed the first time, so he's
trying again to get the St. Louis Blues hockey player moved from jail
to a secure medical facility to be evaluated for possible psychological,
medical or addiction problems.
Lawyer Robert Haar filed papers Tuesday seeking to have Danton's detention order revoked or amended. The written motion mirrors Haar's spoken arguments at a bond hearing Friday, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Clifford J. Proud ordered Danton jailed until trial. Haar now wants a second opinion from another federal judge.
Danton, 23, a Canadian who had an apartment in Brentwood, is charged with two counts arising from an alleged murder-for-hire scheme.
At last week's hearing in court at East St. Louis, Haar made much of the "gut-wrenching, emotional" conversation between Danton and his alleged target, Danton's sports agent David Frost. In the motion, Haar said the conversation shows why Danton needs evaluation and treatment.
One difference is that the written motion provides Haar with the opportunity to cite legal precedents that he believes show that Danton has been unfairly detained.
He also noted that Danton's alleged accomplice, Katie Wolfmeyer, 19, of Florissant, is out on bond.
But Danton's largest hurdles were noted by Proud when he decided to keep Danton jailed: the hockey player has no family in the area, is a Canadian citizen, and said during a conversation with Frost that he considered fleeing from authorities.
All that prosecutors needed to keep Danton detained was to show that he was more likely to flee than not; that's what Proud decided last week.
Reporter Michael Shaw:
E-mail: mshaw@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 618-235-3988
Courtesy St. Louis Today.
Danton detention hearing is scheduled
for May 21
From Staff Reports
05/13/2004
A federal judge in East St. Louis on Wednesday set a second detention hearing for Blues hockey player Mike Danton at the request of the defense lawyer.
A federal magistrate judge ordered Friday that Danton remain jailed until his trial for what prosecutors say was a murder-for-hire plot.
Now, a U.S. district court judge will hear the lawyer's request to have Danton moved to a secure medical facility to evaluate possible psychological or addiction problems.
The hearing is scheduled for May
21.
Courtesy St. Louis Today.
Back to Top
Danton begs for help in government
tape
By Cheryl Wittenauer
Associated Press
05/13/2004
Attorneys for Blues player Mike Danton have asked a federal judge to
review a magistrate's decision to hold their client in an Illinois jail
while he awaits trial in an alleged murder conspiracy.
A motion filed this week in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis, Ill., asks for a prompt review of federal Magistrate Clifford Proud's May 7 order holding Danton at the Clinton County, Ill., jail.
Among other things, the motion says a 40-minute government tape illustrates the urgency of Danton's need for psychological help that he is not getting in jail.
In the tape, Danton sobs and begs for help, expresses thoughts of suicide, and says "I can't go on," "I can't do this anymore," and "I'm sick in the head."
A hearing on the motion is scheduled for May 21 before federal Judge Michael Reagan. A status conference on what evidence may be presented is set for 9 a.m. Friday.
Danton's attorney, Robert Haar, had asked Proud to assign Danton to a hospital for psychiatric treatment, including possible treatment for drug or alcohol dependency, and care for an injured shoulder. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Massey told Proud that Danton is a danger to the community and a flight risk.
Proud, noting the ease in which a Canadian citizen such as Danton could cross the border, ordered Danton to remain in jail. Haar said last Friday he would continue to push for bond for his client, scheduled to be tried July 20.
The motion says prosecutors did not prove that Danton is a flight risk. It says that when Danton learned of the FBI's investigation into the case in April, he planned to surrender voluntarily but was apprehended while standing in line to board a plane to St. Louis from San Jose, Calif.
The motion also says Danton has a strong incentive to stay in St. Louis and resume his life here once the criminal case has been settled -- and that co-defendant Katie Wolfmeyer faces the same charges and already has been released on bond.
The motion goes on to say that other courts have held that "logic, humanity and law" require consideration that troubled defendants be released to a confined hospital rather than detention.
Reached Thursday, Massey declined to comment on the motion.
The federal complaint alleged that Danton and 19-year-old Wolfmeyer, of the St. Louis suburb of Florissant, conspired to arrange a hit April 14 at Danton's apartment in Brentwood.
The complaint alleges that Wolfmeyer, at Danton's urging, contacted a man they thought would kill his agent, David Frost; instead, the man went to Columbia, Ill., police, who informed the FBI.
Danton was arrested April 16 in San Jose, Calif., a day after the San Jose Sharks knocked the Blues out of the NHL playoffs.
Wolfmeyer like Danton, faces charges of plotting a murder for hire. She is free on $100,000 bond pending a trial on July 13.
Massey divulged for the first time last week the government's belief that Danton had earlier considered killing Frost. Six months earlier, Massey said, Danton had tried to contact at least two others about a possible hit.
Massey said that after authorities became aware of the April plot, Frost called Danton at the request of police, and the conversation was taped.
The FBI's criminal complaint said
Danton was concerned that his intended target, now identified as Frost,
planned to go to the Blues with information that could damage his career.
Frost has said he urged Danton to get help for his use of painkillers
and sleeping pills and his erratic behavior.
Courtesy St. Louis Today
Judge bars contact between Danton,
Frost
May 15, 2004
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) -- St. Louis Blues player Mike Danton, accused
by federal prosecutors of trying to hire a hit man, must refrain from
talking with the man prosecutors say he wanted dead.
U.S. District Judge Michael Reagan ordered that no contact take place between Danton and his agent, David Frost, but said at a Friday status conference that Frost's family may continue to contact and visit the hockey player.
"Your best friends now are your attorneys," Reagan said. "It's best to keep your mouth shut."
Prosecutors had asked that Danton have "no communication, no intimidation, orally, in person or in writing" with Frost, who may be a witness at Danton's trial, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Clark.
A federal complaint alleges that Danton and 19-year-old Katie Wolfmeyer, of the St. Louis suburb of Florissant, conspired to arrange a hit April 14 at Danton's apartment in Brentwood, Mo. It says that Wolfmeyer, at Danton's urging, contacted a man they thought would kill Frost; instead, the man went to Columbia, Ill., police, who informed the FBI.
Danton pleaded not guilty to the charges earlier this month.
Danton's lawyer, Robert Haar, told the judge the circumstances of his client's relationship with Frost were very unusual. Frost is Danton's agent, handling his personal affairs, but Danton regards Frost and his family as the only family he has.
In a statement read from jail last week to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Danton said he suffered both emotional and physical abuse during his childhood -- allegations which his parents and family friends have disputed. In the statement, Danton thanked Frost, his friends and the St. Louis Blues organization and players before he criticized his family.
Danton grew up Mike Jefferson, but legally changed his name two years ago.
Reagan's order does allow contact between Danton and Frost on business matters, but Haar must serve an intermediary. Danton also is barred during his contacts with Frost's family from speaking about the case.
The FBI criminal complaint said Danton was concerned that his intended target, now identified as Frost, planned to go to the Blues with information that could damage his career. Frost has said he urged Danton to get help for his use of painkillers and sleeping pills and his erratic behaviour.
Also at Friday's conference, Haar asked for permission to have a psychologist visit with Danton in jail to conduct an evaluation; Reagan said he would consider the request.
Earlier this week, Danton's lawyers asked the judge to review a magistrate's earlier decision to hold their client in an Illinois jail while he awaits trial. Among other things, the motion says a 40-minute government tape illustrates the urgency of Danton's need for psychological help that he is not getting in jail.
In the tape, Danton sobs and begs for help, expresses thoughts of suicide, and says "I can't go on," "I can't do this anymore," and "I'm sick in the head."
A hearing on that motion is scheduled for May 21 before Reagan.
Courtesy Canoe.
Danton must stop contact with
agent
By Michael ShawAnd Derrick Goold
Post-Dispatch
05/15/2004
A judge ordered Blues hockey player Mike Danton on Friday to stop all
direct contact - at least temporarily - with the man he's accused of
trying to have killed: his agent and confidant, David Frost. It was
the first intervention by authorities into the relationship since Danton's
arrest April 16 on murder-for-hire conspiracy charges. During the past
four weeks, Frost has claimed he has spoken frequently with Danton.
And he has continually denied the government's allegation that Danton
wanted him killed.
Responding to a request by a prosecutor to stop all contact by Danton
with anyone alleged to be a victim in the case, U.S. District Judge
Michael J. Reagan said Danton may still conduct business with Frost,
as long as it's done through defense lawyer Robert Haar. Danton, 23,
who is being held in the Clinton County Jail, is still allowed to talk
and meet with Frost's wife and two children, whom he also relies on
for support, the judge said. Reagan said Judge William D. Stiehl, who
is handling the case but was out of town on Friday, will have the final
say on whether the prohibition against direct contact with Frost will
remain in effect.
Haar told Reagan in Friday's hearing in East St. Louis that Danton "regards
Mr. Frost as the closet person to him. ... He regards Mr. Frost and
Mr. Frost's family as the only family he has. He has a very, very small
circle of people close to him."
Reached by phone, Frost said he has spoken to Danton almost every day
since Danton's arrest. "Bottom line, we're going to abide by whatever
the judge ruled - and by doing that it should expedite Mike into the
full-time therapy he needs," Frost said.
The judge noted that requests by prosecutors to shut down such contact
are usually approved automatically - typically to keep someone accused
of a crime from intimidating a witness. But in this case?
"It's hard to intimidate someone when you're wearing an orange
jumpsuit," Reagan said. Frost's comments Friday suggested he is
hardly intimidated. "Mike is like a son to me," he said. "Ever
since he was 11 or 12, we've always spoken to each other, almost every
day."
In his only public comments since his arrest, Danton last week denounced
his birth family and thanked Frost and his family. Haar said he was
concerned that Danton's jail stay is isolating his client emotionally.
He requested that Danton's mental condition be evaluated more intensely
than through the two 20-minute meetings with a psychologist currently
allowed each week. Reagan asked Haar to file a motion requesting an
increase in Danton's access to psychologists. Lawyers say the continued
relationship between the defendant and Frost is potentially volatile.
"If, in fact, there is continuing contact between a victim and
a perpetrator, it's difficult at best and disastrous at worst for the
prosecutor to step into," said W. Charles Grace, former U.S. attorney
for Southern Illinois. "It can blow up in your hands." One
risk is that an intended victim's view of the situation might soften.
Grace said prosecutors can protect themselves from that by locking in
a victim's statements early, under oath in front of a grand jury.
In this case, the FBI said it has tape recordings of Danton soliciting
the help of a friend, Katie Wolfmeyer, 19, of Florissant, to set up
the murder. She also is charged in the case and is out on bond. Federal
public defender Phil Kavanaugh said a continuing defendant-victim relationship
is dangerous for the defense. A statement by the defendant could be
construed as incriminating, or as an attempt to obstruct justice by
coercing the victim. Prosecutors have said that agents tape-recorded
a call between Frost and Danton in which Frost asks Danton why he wanted
to have him killed, and Danton replies that he was afraid Frost would
leave him.
Grace confirmed that the Clinton County Jail in Carlyle, like all Southern
Illinois lockups where federal prisoners are held under contract, makes
recordings of all inmates' outgoing calls. Judge Reagan told Danton
it is "best to keep your mouth shut" about the case because
conversations with anyone other than a lawyer can be used against him.
Danton nodded.
Courtesy St. Louis Today.
Judge injects some logic into
Danton case
By Bernie Miklasz
Of the Post-Dispatch
05/15/2004
Finally, some common sense in the bizarre case of Mike Danton. Finally, someone has intervened to keep Danton and agent David Frost away from each other.
U.S. District Judge Michael J. Reagan has ordered a stop to all contact between Danton and Frost. It's about time. Prosecutors have named Frost as the intended victim of an alleged murder-for-hire plot hatched by Danton, the Blues' excitable-boy winger. So why was Frost being granted access to Danton? It was unusual, to say the least.
Frost has been a dominant figure in Danton's life, but unless Frost plans to defy the good judge's order, he'll find it difficult to tamper with Danton's head, the prosecution's case, or the strategy of Danton's defense attorney, Robert Haar. Unless Frost finds a devious way to maintain contact with Danton, Judge Reagan has put an end to a blatant conflict of interest.
Until Judge Reagan's intervention, the situation was preposterous. Danton is sitting in a jail cell, facing a possible prison sentence of 12 1/2 years if convicted. And yet it's obvious that Frost was still pulling Danton's strings.
Danton phoned the Post-Dispatch
and KMOX on May 7 to read a statement. In it, Danton assailed his parents,
accused them of neglect and abuse, and thanked Frost. (What a coincidence.)
It's clear that Frost orchestrated the call. On May 6, Frost told a
USA Today reporter that Danton soon would make a comment about his upbringing.
Then on May 7, Frost called reporters at the Post-Dispatch and KMOX
in advance, informing them to expect a call from Danton.
Frost and Danton obviously coordinated the effort. Think about that for a moment. Here's Danton, alone in jail and in deep trouble. And he's still permitting at least part of his life to be handled by Frost, whom he allegedly schemed to kill. This seems to be another example of the complete mastery that Frost has over his client.
Danton's attorney, Haar, was taken by surprise. He didn't know about Danton's phone calls until reporters told him. Previously, Frost told USA Today and other media outlets that Danton was delusional and using painkillers and sleeping pills in the hours before he allegedly tried to enlist the hit man.
This was ominous. How could Haar possibly begin to prepare a defense with Frost in the middle of everything, proposing his own theories for a legal defense? Haar may ultimately base his defense on Danton's troubled state of mind. And Frost's possible role in scrambling Danton's head looms as an important consideration.
If Frost wants to make himself look good and keep himself viable as an agent for current and future clients, he needs to draw attention away from his impact in affecting Danton's disturbing behavior. And one way for Frost to do that is to depict Danton as a druggie, unaware of his actions.
That's why Judge Reagan had to keep Frost away from Danton. Putting a gag order on Frost wouldn't be a bad idea, either. Frost has been trying to spin this story since Danton's arrest. And all of the spin has been designed to show that David Frost is the concerned agent, the kindly father figure, the compassionate friend, the good guy.
Others tell different stories. Frost was called a "monster" by Danton's father. Danton's younger brother, a hockey prospect, spent time with Frost, said he felt very uncomfortable, and soon returned to his family. Frost was called a "lunatic" by Rob Ciccarelli, the owner of Danton's junior hockey team in Canada at the time. A woman who housed Danton in his junior hockey days said she was alarmed by Frost's total control over Danton.
Frost certainly doesn't want to be portrayed as the man who drove Danton to such extremes that the only way out was murder.
Who is David Frost?
Now that Judge Reagan has stepped
in to isolate Danton and protect the integrity of this case, we may
finally begin to learn the truth.
Courtesy St. Louis Today.
Radio station's reporting dives
deeper into Frost-Danton case
By WILLIAM HOUSTON
Wednesday, May 19, 2004 - Page S2
Some good reporting by Mojo Radio
in Toronto produced news yesterday and, in doing so, gave us a further
glimpse into the strange world of hockey agent David Frost.Frost has
been identified as the target in a murder-for-hire charge against his
client Mike Danton of the St. Louis Blues. But on Mojo, Frost turned
the story around to make Danton's father, Steve Jefferson, a target.
Frost not only reiterated allegations that Jefferson emotionally abused
his son, but also raised unsubstantiated allegations that Jefferson
had a drug and alcohol problem.Frost went on say - again, without any
substantiation - that Danton was afraid of his father.The reference
to Jefferson having a drug and alcohol problem is a new charge, but
hardly reliable. Those who know or have met Jefferson describe him as
an ordinary blue-collar father, one who has become estranged from his
son. Moreover, Jefferson seems to have a good relationship with his
younger son, Tom Jefferson, a teenaged hockey player.
"Steve Jefferson is a very modest, straightforward guy," said
Mojo's Bill Watters, who interviewed Jefferson on Monday and then Frost
yesterday.The Globe and Mail's Christie Blatchford, author of a long
piece on the Danton case in Monday's paper, also appeared on the show
and said the Jeffersons struck her as a normal family.Media reports,
on the other hand, have portrayed Frost as manipulative and controlling,
an influential figure who turned Danton against his mother and father.The
interviews, conducted by Watters and Leafs Lunch co-host Jeff Marek,
were not hard-hitting, but it's unlikely any level of interrogation
could clarify this mess.
"If you've got one guy saying the other's lying, what do you do?"
asked Watters. "Do you pick Frost or Jefferson? I don't know how
you'll ever find out the truth.'' Which way does Watters lean? Late
in the show when he was talking to Blatchford about Frost, he said,
"This guy's got a pathological problem.'' Watters wasn't specific
about how Mojo was able to get the interviews, but this much we know:
Tom Jefferson is represented by Watters's friend Bobby Orr, the hockey
agent and retired superstar. That probably helped deliver Steve Jefferson
to the show. Frost went on a day later.
Courtesy The Globe and Mail
Back to Top
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Prosecutor argues Danton flight risk if released
Associated Press
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. -- St. Louis Blues forward Mike Danton was "too
cowardly" to kill his agent himself, instead enlisting the help
of a teenage fan and lover before the scheme unraveled, a prosecutor
alleges.
In a sharply worded brief seeking to keep Danton behind bars, Assistant
U.S. Attorney Stephen Clark also expressed concern that Danton, if freed,
could continue seeking to have agent David Frost killed."His attempts
to have Frost murdered on prior occasions evidence an ebb and flow of
desire," Clark wrote. "If he is released, it is possible that
he will again attempt to have Frost murdered, apparently depending on
how his relationship with Frost fares in the future."
Danton's attorney, Bob Haar, did not return messages Thursday.
A federal judge could decide during a hearing Friday whether Danton
gets released on bond pending trial. Danton has been jailed since his
arrest April 16.
Clark called Danton's flight risk "substantial," saying the
athlete presumably has the cash to easily slip into his native Canada.
Danton is accused of conspiring with 19-year-old Katie Wolfmeyer to
arrange a hit April 14 at Danton's apartment in Brentwood, Mo. Authorities
say the man they tried to hire to kill Frost went to Columbia, Ill.,
police, who informed the FBI.
"Too cowardly to commit the murder himself, Danton enlisted the
help of a teenager to arrange the murder," Clark wrote, describing
Wolfmeyer as a "fan and occasional lover of Danton."
Danton and Wolfmeyer have pleaded innocent.
The FBI says Danton was concerned that his intended target planned to
go to the Blues with information that could damage his career. Frost
has said he urged Danton to get help for his use of painkillers and
sleeping pills and his erratic behavior.
Courtesy ESPN.
Excerpts from tapes: "This
isn't working, Dave"
5/21/2004
Blues player Mike Danton and his agent, David Frost, were recorded in more than 1,000 minutes of conversation in 79 phone calls from a California jail over 12 days. Here are excerpts of two of those calls, played in court Friday.
APRIL 19, call made 10:33 p.m. California time:
Frost: "Remember this: It's her (co-defendant Katie Wolfmeyer) word against yours. Do not get sucked in. Know this ... She is going to do whatever she can to get out of this. The family's ripping you. She's ripping you. So (expletive) her. She's doing whatever she can to get off ... This is absolutely impossible to win this case in a criminal court. You'll lose. Swallow that down and chew it. Seven to 10 (years in prison) without question."
(On hiring somebody to kill Frost)
Danton: "Things were not good. I felt there was no other way. Either me leave, or ...."
Frost: "Are you having these feelings now?"
Danton: "No."
Frost: "What are your feelings now?"
Danton: "It's up and down, like a roller coaster."
(Apparently speaking in code, where "Young Nat coach" is Dave
Frost and "Pascal" is $25,000 said to be owed to Frost, an
apparent reference to Danton's teammate who wore No. 25, Pascal Rheaume)
Danton: "We can't be talking in code like this because I'm not catching this."
Frost: "My Young Nat coach, I owe him Pascal and I want you to take care of him."
APRIL 19, call made 10:48 p.m. California time:
Frost: "What do you think I care about now?"
Danton: "Getting me off."
Frost: "I want you to be OK. We can never have you feeling like this again."
Frost: "Make sure you express remorse for the call, but not remorse for the way you feel...."
Danton: "What am I supposed to say when the lawyers ask why did you order this?"
Frost: "It is not an option to go to court. If we go to court, you are (expletive) done. Are we clear? This is going to be a negotiation - that we've already started."
Danton: "I don't know what you're saying.... (Expletive) the code, man."
Frost: "Then you're going to spend 10 years in jail."
Danton: "No, I'm not. It's not going to happen."
Danton: "This isn't working, Dave. We've got to find something
else. I'm not catching you. So you've got to find something different."
Frost: "You have to allow your emotion to be real."
Frost: "Your attempt to hire somebody was - "
Danton: "Stupid."
Courtesy St. Louis Today.
Court hears Danton-Frost phone
calls
By Michael ShawAnd Derrick Goold
Of the Post-Dispatch
05/22/2004
Hockey agent David Frost and his client, Blues player Mike Danton, tried
to obstruct justice by concocting a phony insanity defense during hours
of jailhouse phone conversations in the days following Danton's arrest,
a federal prosecutor said Friday. After hearing three of 79 recorded
conversations between Danton and Frost played at a hearing in East St.
Louis, a judge decided to keep Danton jailed pending trial on charges
that he conspired to have Frost killed.
"The bombshell that Frost told the press is coming is blowing up
in Danton's face," Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen B. Clark told
U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. Reagan in characterizing the calls.
Clark called Danton a "tough guy on the ice" and "coward
off the ice," and accused him of "hiding behind" the
skirt of Katie Wolfmeyer, 19, who is accused of being his accomplice
in the plot. Authorities declined to say whether charges would be filed
against Frost, or more against Danton. But there was an indication that
a grand jury is still looking into the case.
Said Clark: "Frost and Danton have been conspiring to obstruct
justice to conjure up a phony defense." The only issue Friday was
whether Danton's release on bond would pose a flight risk or a danger.
Defense lawyer Robert Haar failed in an effort to get Danton moved to
a secure medical facility for psychological and physical evaluation.
Unaware that prosecutors had CDs of jailhouse conversations - let alone
that officials planned to play them Friday - Haar argued the recordings
had no place at the hearing. But prosecutors presented hours of testimony
from FBI Special Agent John Jimenez, and several recordings, which Judge
Reagan allowed over Haar's relentless objections.
FBI agents obtained more than 16 hours of phone recordings from the
jail in Santa Clara County, Calif., where Danton was held after his
arrest April 16 following the Blues' season closer in San Jose. The
"collect" calls were placed over a 12-day period to a number
at a location in Orange County, Calif., where Frost was staying. Clark
played two 15-minute calls from April 19. In them, Frost told Danton
he would face seven to 10 years in prison if he didn't convince doctors
that he's mentally unstable. "When that process starts, you've
got to be good," Frost said of Danton's visits with a hockey league
psychiatrist. Later, Frost said, "It's not an option to go to court.
If we go to court, you are (expletive) done. Are we clear? As long as
you understand there is one way and one way only and that's psychiatric
treatment." Frost also told Danton to "tell the truth,"
and that counseling is "the only way out (and) it's going to work
because you really do need it."
Authorities insist that Frost knew he was the target of Danton's murder-for-hire
plot, yet Frost tried to comfort Danton in these calls while pumping
him for information - including information about what the FBI has said
were two other plans by Danton to kill Frost. Frost grilled Danton in
one recording about giving Frost's photo to someone characterized by
the FBI as another potential hit man. They are heard talking about how
to handle the implications of that, with Frost suggesting they say it
was to identify Frost to keep him from being "nailed in the crossfire."
There was no was no explanation in court of why there would be any shooting at all. Frost is heard making halting attempts to speak in what appeared to be a code, which Danton often failed to understand. Frost referred to himself as the "Young Nat coach," an apparent reference to Frost coaching Danton on a youth hockey team known as the Toronto Young Nationals. Frost pressed Danton several times on why he wanted the 'Nat coach' killed. "God, you must've wanted that 'Nat guy' gone, huh?" Frost asked, followed by a long pause. "Did you?" "No," Danton responded meekly. They later spoke of "Pascal," which authorities believe is a reference to Danton teammate Pascal Rheaume, who wore jersey No. 25. Jimenez, the FBI agent, said that was believed to be a reference to $25,000 that authorities claim Frost demanded from Danton. The money is one possible motive for a murder conspiracy, Jimenez said, among the others suggested so far in the case. Haar, Danton's lawyer, said he heard nothing in the recordings suggesting that Danton had obstructed justice.
"Mr. Frost is the dominant person in this relationship," Haar told the judge. "Mr. Frost is the one directing that things be done." Other than to say that there's no debt owed to him from Danton, Frost referred questions to his lawyer, Barry Short of St. Louis. "David Frost has not obstructed justice in any fashion," said Short, who was hired before Frost appeared before the grand jury last month. "I have no knowledge that any charges will be filed."
Besides the jailhouse phone calls, authorities played recordings of voice mail messages Danton left for Wolfmeyer and for someone authorities described as a potential hit man from an earlier attempt to have Frost killed. The FBI says Danton relied on Wolfmeyer to find him a hit man. Based on this new evidence, Clark recalculated Danton's maximum penalty at about 24 years in prison, if convicted. That was more than twice the original estimate, inflated under federal sentencing rules by the obstruction of justice allegations and claims that Danton was ringleader of a conspiracy that included at least four others. Those four would include Wolfmeyer, of Florissant, who faces the same charges as Danton; the hit man she is alleged to have tried to hire, who turned the plot in to the FBI; and two confidential witnesses who both told the FBI that Danton wanted them to kill Frost.
Authorities apparently are still gathering evidence in the case. FBI Agent Jimenez said he had interviewed Danton's teammate, Ryan Johnson, two days ago, shortly before Johnson testified before a grand jury in East St. Louis. Before concluding the hearing, Judge Reagan again admonished Danton not to speak about his case to anyone but his lawyers. Despite Haar's concern that Danton may be suicidal and "emotionally isolated," the judge prohibited Danton from speaking with what has been his support group: Frost's family or another Frost client, Danton's best friend, Sheldon Keefe. The judge had already barred Danton from direct contact with Frost.
"With clear and convincing evidence, the government established that the defendant may have engaged in obstruction of justice," Reagan said. "Both Danton and Frost are potential targets for a conspiracy charge for obstruction of justice for manufacturing of a defense and manufacturing of evidence."
Reporter Michael Shaw: E-mail:
mshaw@post-dispatch.com Phone: 618-235-3988 Reporter Derrick Goold E-mail:
dgoold@post-dispatch.com Phone: 314-340-8285
Courtesy St. Louis Today
David Frost barred from junior
hockey league
WebPosted Thu May 27 19:26:33 2004
CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Another door has closed in the face of David Frost.
The controversial hockey agent has been told he can't serve as a coach
or in any other capacity for the Pembroke Lumber Kings of the Central
Junior A Hockey League. CJHL commissioner Mac MacLean informed the Lumber
Kings of his decision on Tuesday. The league is honouring an indefinite
suspension handed Frost by the Greater Toronto Hockey League in the
mid-1990s for falsifying a document.
Frost served as an assistant coach for at least three games in March when Kevin Abrams, the Lumber Kings' general manager, head coach and minority owner, was suspended for one game after a brawl in a playoff game. The matter also illustrates a significant loophole in Hockey Canada's rules regarding coaches, general managers and trainers. Hockey Canada, which governs the country's amateur ranks, requires players to sign a branch transfer, according to MacLean. The transfer card lists information on any suspensions, which means another league in Canada likely would honour the suspension. However, coaches, general managers and trainers are not required to sign such a card, MacLean said.
"I would have thought Hockey Canada would have learned a lesson from the Graham James case," MacLean said, referring to the junior coach in Alberta who was jailed for sexual abuse. "You and I could be suspended in Ontario, go coach in Alberta or B.C., say nothing, and they have no way of knowing. "That's wrong. It's something that has to be cleaned up." Sheldon Keefe, another Frost client, owns the Lumber Kings.
Two weeks ago, Frost was prohibited from contacting St. Louis Blues forward Mike Danton, who remains in jail after being accused of plotting to kill Frost, his agent. Danton, who was named by Keefe as a director of the Lumber Kings, has remained in jail since his arrest on April 16. The government alleges Danton and 19-year-old Katie Wolfmeyer conspired to arrange a "hit" on Frost at Danton's apartment in Brentwood, Mo. Frost has publicly denied that he was the target of the alleged murder scheme.
Courtesy CBC with files from Canadian Press