OTHER NEWS - March 27, 1996

Man Charged in Brokerage Client List Case: John Greer has been indicted on charges of trying to extort $5 million from Smith Barney Inc. in exchange for returning a confidential list containing the names of the brokerage’s 650,000 clients. Greer is accused of trying to sell the stolen microfiche list of Smith Barney customers and their personal account information to a Smith Barney broker in Scottsdale, Ariz., in late January. Smith Barney, a unit of Travelers Group Inc., alerted the FBI, which secretly tape-recorded phone calls between Greer and Smith Barney executives who pretended they were willing to pay him the money. The FBI arrested Greer on Feb. 5. He was released on a personal recognizance bond after a ing to court documents. If convicted of extortion and conspiracy charges, he could face a 20-year prison term and a $250,000 fine. Details about Greer weren’t immediately available.