Oct 10, 2008 8:36 am US/Pacific
Inmate Says He Gave Drugs To Carona, Ducks Owner
SANTA ANA
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An inmate alleges that he supplied drugs to former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona (pictured), as well as the co-founders of Broadcom Corp.
AP
An inmate at Folsom Prison who claims he supplied drugs to Broadcom Corp. billionaire Henry T. Nicholas III says in a federal racketeering lawsuit that he also delivered cocaine to Nicholas' Broadcom co-founder and Anaheim Ducks owner Henry Samueli, as well as former Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona, it was reported Friday.
Brian Sun, Carona's attorney, told the Los Angeles Times that the allegation was "absolutely preposterous and a complete fabrication."
The inmate, Randy Lee Soderstrom, alleges he began supplying cocaine, ecstasy and other drugs to Nicholas after his employer, a travel company, assigned him in 2000 to work full time at Broadcom, The Times reported.
Nicholas was chief executive and Samueli was chairman and chief technology officer of the Irvine computer chip firm.
Soderstrom was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2004 after he was convicted of attempted robbery and attempted voluntary manslaughter, as well as other crimes.
He maintains the prosecution was a setup, with lying witnesses linked to Nicholas. He has filed a habeas corpus petition in federal court asking that his conviction be overturned.
Soderstrom filed his racketeering lawsuit without an attorney in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana last week, seeking unspecified damages from Nicholas, Samueli and other former Broadcom officers, according to The Times.
U.S. District Judge Alicemarie Stotler ruled this week that Soderstrom must get his criminal conviction overturned before the racketeering civil suit can proceed.
According to the lawsuit, Soderstrom also twice delivered cocaine and cash to Carona, who resigned in January to face federal corruption charges, according to The Times.
The suit said that on one occasion Carona tested the cocaine by taking a pinch with his fingers and inhaling it, The Times reported. It also alleges that in mid-2001 Soderstrom delivered cocaine to an unidentified Laguna Beach location where Samueli, Corona and others were present.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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