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Polk Man Blames Friend In Murder-For-Hire Trial

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By ELAINE SILVESTRINI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 17, 2008

Updated: 12/17/2008 05:31 pm

TAMPA - TAMPA Randy Nowak says he only meant to get help from the Outlaws Motorcycle Club in filing a judicial grievance against his tax auditor and never meant to hire a hit man to kill her.

Nowak told a jury today a friend he loved like a brother manipulated him into hiring an undercover agent posing as a hit man to kill an Internal Revenue Service revenue officer.

Taking the witness stand in his trial this morning, Nowak denied wanting to kill the IRS officer, Christine Brandt, whom he described as "a nice lady."

Backed up by audio and video recordings of meetings between Nowak and his friend, Walt McGhee, the prosecution contends Nowak asked McGhee for help hiring someone to kill Brandt, who was auditing him and whom Nowak feared would find millions of dollars he had hidden.

According to prosecution evidence, McGhee alerted law enforcement and agreed to tape conversations with Nowak. McGhee said Nowak thought he would be able to find someone because Nowak thought McGhee was involved with the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. McGhee put Nowak in touch with an undercover law enforcement officer known only as the "Reaper."

In cross-examination , Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Riedel elicited from Nowak that he told his wife in September, "All I've got to do is get up there on the stand and turn on my boyish charm."

He also made another statement: "I kind of got myself into this situation. I made a choice. It was the wrong one."

In his direct testimony, Nowak said he went to McGhee with his tax problems because he knew McGhee had state tax problems and handled them with help from the Outlaws.

He said McGhee had tried over the years to get him to join the Outlaws but that Nowak declined because he thought they were dangerous and he didn't want to expose his family to that.

'You Knew They Were Murderous'

Nowak said McGhee said he had resolved his tax problems through a "judicial alliance" the Outlaws had in which a harassment grievance was filed against the auditor, leading to a restraining order that gave him time to get his affairs in order.

Nowak said he sought the same arrangement, which he understood would cost $20,000 but would be less expensive than hiring a tax lawyer.

Reidel ridiculed the idea.

"You knew they were murderous," she said, referring to the Outlaws in her cross-examination.

"Yes," Nowak responded.

"And you went to them for tax help?"

"They do various things," Nowak said.

Nowak said McGhee spoke to someone he called "Hammer," who was the president or retired president of an Outlaws chapter in Polk County. He said McGhee gave his phone number to a guy who would handle everything: Reaper.

McGhee later told him his tax situation was federal and therefore more complicated than McGhee's had been, Nowak said.

He said McGhee told him, "Hammer ordered a hit on her."

"I thought he was kidding," Nowak said. "He said, 'No joke. That's how they're going to handle it.' I said, 'Game's over. Not gonna happen.' "

He said McGhee then told him that if he upset the Outlaws, the retribution would be bad for Nowak and his family. "Once an order was given by somebody, they follow through."

Nowak said he reluctantly agreed to meet with Reaper. He said McGhee told him he would try to have Hammer call off the hit but that in the meantime he would have to meet with Reaper in Brandon and tell him everything he wanted to know.

"I headed to Brandon," he said. "I had a lot of misgivings about this."

He Says He Tried To Stop Deal

Nowak testified he gave Reaper the $10,000 down payment on the hit and got the IRS officer's home address from McGhee and gave it to Reaper.

He continued to go along with the arrangement, he said, all the while prevailing on McGhee to end it. "Walt says, "Brother, you've got an awful pretty wife and an awful pretty daughter. Be a player, and I'll get this squashed.' "

Nowak said Reaper intimidated him. "He was a scary individual," said Nowak, who is from Mulberry. "It was my understanding he knew everything about me - knew where my family lived."

"My mental focus was to tell the guy anything I needed to tell him and then get out of there and have Walt stop this thing."

Reidel played recordings of Nowak's conversations with McGhee and Reaper, showing Nowak volunteering to give Brandt's home address and physical description to Reaper.

At one point, Reaper tells Nowak he doesn't care if Nowak changes his mind as long as he gets to keep the $10,000 down payment. But Nowak never suggests he wants things to slow down or stop.

Nowak testified he never hesitated in his conversations or took up Reaper's offer to cancel because he was afraid he would anger the Outlaws and endanger his family.

In one conversation with McGhee, Nowak says, "If my wife and kids ever knew I did this, man, it would destroy me."

Nowak testified he was referring to the fact that he had turned to the Outlaws for tax help, not to hire a hit man.

In that same conversation, Nowak talks about Brandt and says, "I've got to get her out of the way." And, "OK, she's gone." And he asks, "Is she going to be totally missing or they would find her?"

Nowak testified he was referring to what would happen in the grievance process.

Toward the end, he said, McGhee told him Hammer was in South Dakota in a meeting over an Outlaws war with another motorcycle gang, the Hells Angels. He said he had to pay McGhee $1,000 to cover airfare for an Outlaw member to fly there to ask Hammer to cancel the hit.

Finally, he said, McGhee said everything had been taken care of. He said he didn't see anything in the news about an IRS officer being killed, so he assumed it was over.

Nowak said he went to his final meeting with the Reaper and took the $10,000 balance as a peace offering, not as compensation for a job done.

It was at that meeting that Nowak was arrested.

Reporter Elaine Silvestrini can be reached at (813) 259-7837 or esilvestrini@tampatrib.com.

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