Three Friends in Glare of Pr. George's Probe

The federal agents who recently raided seven Prince George's sites in an investigation of a county development sought information relating to almost three dozen people or companies, ranging from politically connected lobbyists to a carwash near Bowie.

But documents filed in court by federal authorities this week suggest that three men are at the investigation's center: a senior county fire official, a real estate broker and a former member of the County Council. Friends all, two have been investors in a planned development in Greenbelt, an apparent focus of the FBI probe, and the other sponsored council legislation benefiting the massive project.

They are in some respects figures from another era. The former council member, Thomas R. Hendershot, was active in county politics long before Prince George's became a symbol of black affluence. The developer, Patrick Ricker, and the fire official, Karl L. Granzow Jr., are members of extended families with deep roots in the county.

The men, whose homes and offices were raided Sept. 13, have been bound for more than a decade by family, financial and political ties. They have shared meals and golf games and vacationed together in Key West. The scope of the FBI's investigation is not clear, but the ties shared by the three appear to be one area under scrutiny.

Granzow referred all questions about his relationships with Ricker and Hendershot to his attorney, who declined to comment on them. Attorneys for Ricker and Hendershot also declined to comment.

Hendershot, 64, spent more than a dozen years on the county school board before he was elected to the council in 1997.

Although his law license was suspended for a time starting in 2000 for mishandling client fees, his political star never sank as he established himself during nine years on the council as a friend to blue-collar workers and well-heeled developers alike.

White-haired and plainspoken and sounding every bit the Philadelphia native he is, Hendershot made no secret while in office that he enjoyed being wooed, accepting meals and golf games from county businessmen, according to his disclosure forms.

A little known company called Trend that Hendershot incorporated in 2001 appears to have attracted particular attention from federal agents. Many of the documents taken by investigators from his home deal with the company, including Trend's checkbook, business cards, deposit slips and records starting in 2004. Agents also seized information about a golf outing.

Ricker, 49 and built like a power forward, is the scion to a family of successful liquor store owners that has been a fixture in county politics for generations. Gregarious and fast-talking, he has used his fundraising prowess to cement relationships with local and state politicians.

He is also known for extravagant tastes. The wedding of his youngest daughter in December at the Mayflower Hotel featured an ice sculpture and a full orchestra, according to two people who were there. From Ricker's offices and home, the FBI seized records about a Rolls-Royce.

Granzow, 43, started as a volunteer firefighter and rose through the ranks to become president of the firefighters union and eventually deputy chief of the department, a job once held by his father. He is known to be fond of socializing with politicians and businessmen, and one of his younger brothers is married to Ricker's oldest daughter.