1B8N18KMx

• THE FRANKLIN COVER·UP
Mysterious Scandal Begins Taking Shape in Omaha," headlined
the New York Times.
Three years later, people living outside eastern Nebraska
are unlikely to be aware of the Franklin scandal, and those in
the region have been told that the case is closed. Larry King
is serving his jail term for misappropriation of funds, after a
guilty plea. Law enforcement at the local, state and federal
levels said there was no evidence of drug-peddling, organized
child abuse, or satanic activity by King. The allegations of
child abuse were "a carefully crafted hoax," according to one
of the two grand juries that examined the affair. A chiefwitness,
Owen, stands convicted of perjury.
The day after Alisha Owen's conviction, 3,000 Nebraskans
responded to a local radio station's poll; 94% of them said
they believed that she had been railroaded and that there was
a cover-up.
What the public suspects, the careful investigator of the
Franklin case confronts face to face. This case is far from
closed.
This book will explore the substance of the Franklin case,
much of which has never been revealed to the public until now.
That means evidence concerning key players, which apparently
was never brought before, or was ignored by, the grand juries. It
means evidence gathered for the Nebraska Legislature's special
committee on the Franklin case, which found and verified the
tracks of criminal activity, where law enforcement purported
to see none. The legislative investigation, which began in
November 1988, ended on January 9, 1991, when a new Legislature
was sworn into office, and the investigative committee
authorized by the previous Legislature was automatically terminated
as required by the state constitution. The Legislature had
the option to renew the investigation, but did not; many
members knew or suspected what the stakes were, and were
terrified.
• • •
I write about the unfolding of the Franklin case, its exposure
and its cover-up, as not only an eyewitness, but a participant
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