Jim Cardiges

Children in the exclusive Nellie Gail subdivision dubbed Jim and Effie Cardiges' home "The Castle" for its domed, octagonal turret. Business associates who socialized with the couple agreed that the $760,000 house, with its extra-wide hallways and carpeted, air-conditioned garage, was indeed palatial.

American Honda Motor Co. was hit with seven separate lawsuits Wednesday by Honda dealers who say their businesses suffered financially in the 1980s while the Japanese car importer allowed a bribery ring to run rampant in its executive ranks. The lawsuits, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, bring to nearly 40 the number of suits lodged against Torrance-based American Honda since a federal investigation and trial unveiled the bribery scheme.

Two former American Honda Motor Co. executives, accused in a kickback scheme that allegedly defrauded the company of millions of dollars, pleaded innocent Thursday in U.S. District Court here. Lawyers for former Senior Vice President S. James Cardiges, 48, of Laguna Hills, called Cardiges a scapegoat but declined to elaborate. "We're confident the evidence will ultimately show that Jim Cardiges didn't defraud anyone, including American Honda," said his lawyer, Philip Israels of Sherman Oaks.

A courtroom battle erupted Thursday over whether a jury should be told about rumors and allegations that Japanese managers of American Honda Motor Co. knew of a massive bribery ring in the company. The government is trying to prove that two Americans who are former top officials of American Honda took millions of dollars worth of bribes from car dealers.

The attorney for the businessman accused of engineering an $11-million kickback scheme at American Honda Motor Co. says he will put Japanese business practices and trade relations on trial Tuesday when the racketeering and fraud case gets under way in Concord, N.H.

The attorney for the businessman accused of engineering an $11-million kickback scheme at American Honda Motor Co. says he will put Japanese business practices and trade relations on trial Tuesday when the racketeering and fraud case gets underway.

A Southern California auto executive at the center of a $15-million Honda kickback and bribery scheme entered a surprise guilty plea Tuesday, moments before the start of his trial in New Hampshire on federal racketeering, conspiracy and mail fraud charges. Stanley James Cardiges of Laguna Hills, former senior vice president of sales for American Honda Motor Co.

Stanley James Cardiges, a former top American Honda Motor Co. sales executive, said Monday that he believes the company's president knew he was on the take and asked for a Mercedes and other gifts himself. Cardiges, a Laguna Hills resident, is testifying as the key prosecution witness in the federal trial of two former colleagues accused of taking kickbacks from Honda dealers throughout the 1980s. Cardiges had been charged in the case but pleaded guilty in February.

American Honda Motor Co. was hit with seven separate lawsuits Wednesday by Honda dealers who say their businesses suffered financially in the 1980s while the Japanese car importer allowed a bribery ring to run rampant in its executive ranks. The lawsuits, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, bring to nearly 40 the number of suits lodged against Torrance-based American Honda since a federal investigation and trial unveiled the bribery scheme.

Stanley James Cardiges, a former top official with American Honda Motor Co., admitted Wednesday that he was "stretching" to protect himself when he said he believed his Japanese bosses knew he was taking kickbacks from dealers. The Laguna Hills resident, continuing to testify in the nationwide kickback and bribery scam, had said Monday that he had "heard" of gifts of golf clubs, expensive cars and free air travel for Japanese executives of American Honda.

Stanley James Cardiges, a former top official with American Honda Motor Co., admitted Wednesday that he was "stretching" to protect himself when he said he believed his Japanese bosses knew he was taking kickbacks from dealers. The Laguna Hills resident, continuing to testify in the nationwide kickback and bribery scam, had said on Monday that he had "heard" of gifts of golf clubs, expensive cars and air travel for Japanese officials of American Honda.

Stanley James Cardiges, a former top official with American Honda Motor Co., admitted Wednesday that he was "stretching" to protect himself when he said he believed his Japanese bosses knew he was taking kickbacks from dealers. The Laguna Hills resident, continuing to testify in the nationwide kickback and bribery scam, had said Monday that he had "heard" of gifts of golf clubs, expensive cars and free air travel for Japanese executives of American Honda.

Stanley James Cardiges, a former top American Honda Motor Co. sales executive, said Monday that he believes the company's president knew he was on the take and asked for a Mercedes and other gifts himself. Cardiges, a Laguna Hills resident, is testifying as the key prosecution witness in the federal trial of two former colleagues accused of taking kickbacks from Honda dealers throughout the 1980s. Cardiges had been charged in the case but pleaded guilty in February.

A former American Honda Motor Co. sales executive said Monday that he believes the company's president knew he was on the take. Stanley J. Cardiges, testifying at the trial for two former colleagues accused of taking kickbacks from Honda dealers, said Koichi Amemyia probably knew about 1991, when Amemyia gave him a bonus of $20,000 or $25,000. "He said, 'You don't need this,' " said Cardiges, the key prosecution witness.

Tentative witness lists for the Honda bribery and kickback case include figures from the world of auto racing, including an Indianapolis 500 winner. Lawyers for the defendants would not explain the connection of the sports figures to the upcoming trial. The U.S. District Court trial of two former American Honda Motor Co. executives, John Billmyer of Raleigh, N.C., and Dennis Josleyn of Penn Valley, Calif., is scheduled to begin Feb. 22 and last at least two months.

A Southern California auto executive at the center of a $15-million Honda kickback and bribery scheme entered a surprise guilty plea Tuesday, moments before the start of his trial in New Hampshire on federal racketeering, conspiracy and mail fraud charges. Stanley James Cardiges of Laguna Hills, former senior vice president of sales for American Honda Motor Co.

A Southern California auto executive at the center of a $15-million Honda kickback and bribery scheme entered a surprise guilty plea Tuesday, moments before the start of his trial in New Hampshire on federal racketeering, conspiracy and mail fraud charges. Stanley James Cardiges of Laguna Hills, former senior vice president of sales for American Honda Motor Co.

Yorba Linda Ad Man Admits Kickbacks: Gary Josleyn, 46, pleaded guilty in New Hampshire to conspiracy to commit mail fraud for sending a $100,000 check to Stanley James Cardiges, former senior vice president of American Honda Motor Co., said Assistant U.S. Atty. Don Feith. Josleyn owned a Yorba Linda, Calif. advertising firm that compiled brochures for Honda. His attorney, Robert Ridge of Pittsburgh, said Josleyn was pressured into paying off Cardiges.

A Southern California auto executive at the center of a $15-million Honda kickback and bribery scheme entered a surprise guilty plea Tuesday, moments before the start of his trial in New Hampshire on federal racketeering, conspiracy and mail fraud charges. Stanley James Cardiges of Laguna Hills, former senior vice president of sales for American Honda Motor Co.

The attorney for the businessman accused of engineering an $11-million kickback scheme at American Honda Motor Co. says he will put Japanese business practices and trade relations on trial Tuesday when the racketeering and fraud case gets under way in Concord, N.H.