Tabish friend admits payoff for alibi

Thursday, Feb. 24, 2000 | 11:12 a.m.

Jason Lee Frazier has admitted paying the mystery man "Ishma" $2,000 upfront to find witnesses to provide Rick Tabish with an alibi in Ted Binion's slaying.

Frazier, who is expected to receive immunity for his testimony against Tabish, laid out the alleged plot to pay off witnesses in a two-hour interview Friday with Metro Police homicide Detective James Buczek, the lead investigator in the Binion murder case.

The Sun has obtained an 81-page transcript of the interview in which Frazier, a 28-year-old Tabish friend and business associate from Montana, said he sought out Ishma at Tabish's request.

Tabish's attorney, Louis Palazzo, said this morning that he has read the transcript and isn't impressed.

"It's a very vague statement that seems to have a lot of uncertainty attached to it," Palazzo said. "I don't see anything there that lends credence to the notion that Rick Tabish was engaged in a plot to bribe alibi witnesses."

Frazier said in the interview that he believed Tabish's co-defendant, Sandy Murphy, knew Ishma and was aware of the scheme to find the witnesses.

"She was aware of most everything that was going on," said Frazier, who acknowledged staying with Murphy at her former Henderson apartment when he visited Las Vegas. "Ah, I believe that she knew about the money situation and that I was going to take care of it after Rick's approval."

Police are searching for Ishma, whom Frazier described as a slender, dark-skinned Hispanic man. His last name is unknown. Frazier told Buczek he believed Ishma might be a drug dealer or some sort of "underworld" figure.

Frazier said that he actually gave the initial $2,000 to Ishma's girlfriend.

Ishma, Frazier said, was to find three witnesses for Tabish. He said he never learned the identities of the witnesses, who were supposed to get $1,000 each.

He said he didn't know if the witnesses were ever paid.

At one point, Ishma told Frazier that the witnesses wanted "blow" or cocaine in return for their statements, the transcript said.

Tabish also was interested in recruiting witnesses who could rebut charges that he kidnapped and tortured a Las Vegas businessman into turning over interests in a Jean sand pit, Frazier said.

Frazier said Tabish's civil lawyer, William Knudson, appeared to be acting as a courier for Tabish while the alleged witness scheme was taking place.

He said he received several hand-written notes from Knudson, who like Frazier, was a regular visitor of Tabish at the Clark County Detention Center.

But asked by Buczek if it was fair to say Knudson was "knowledgeable of what was transpiring," Frazier responded: "He would never discuss it. All he would say is 'I have a letter from Rick.' "

Frazier was arrested in Missoula, Mont., Feb. 14 on a Las Vegas warrant seeking his testimony as a material witness at Tabish's March 13 trial. He currently is in jail on $1 million bond.

Following his arrest, Frazier gave Missoula detectives a three-hour videotaped statement and then another audio statement. He was interviewed by Buczek at McCarran International Airport upon his arrival here last Friday.

Ishma's name is listed on hand-written notes by Frazier outlining the plot. Police obtained the notes, which were on Rio hotel-casino stationery, from Frazier's wife, Bobbi.

The Sun reported last week that Frazier visited Tabish a half-dozen times in jail last summer when, prosecutors believe, the two men may have hatched the purported payoff scheme.

Frazier first saw Tabish at the Clark County Detention Center on June 25, jail records show.

That visit occurred the day after Tabish and Murphy were arrested in Binion's slaying.

Frazier next visited the jail on July 4 with his wife, Bobbi, who later tipped off police about the alibi scheme, records show.

And then without his wife, records show, Frazier visited Tabish on July 9, 12, 23 and Aug. 13.

Police learned of the reported bribery conspiracy from Bobbi Frazier in August, when she found the Rio notes in her husband's briefcase.

One of the notes said: "Three guys, $2,000 up front. The rest the day after they take the stand -- $4,000 later."

Jeff German is the Sun's senior investigative reporter. Reach him at german@ lasvegassun.com or 259-4067.