A Reuben and a Reynolds are among the items to be auction off. The goods, much of them seized from 12 mini-warehouses around the area when Drs. Richard Borison and Bruce Diamond were arrested, will be combined with art seized from drug dealers.CHRISTINE DE LESSIO/STAFF

Seized items from MCG researchers to be auctioned off

Web posted December 15, 1998

 Auction details:

By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer

The stately English poet Thomas Killegrew peers out from a massive swirl of oils, while nearby the frenetic doodlings of John Lennon lie flat on a table.

``You go from here,'' said auctioneer Dean Echols, striding from a long row of paintings, suits of armor and ornate antiques across the floor of Enterprise Mill, ``to here where you have furniture and things from their households.''

The auction Thursday of items seized from Drs. Richard Borison and Bruce Diamond will prove to be one of the more diverse Manheim Auctions has done, and they sell $28 billion worth of stuff a year, Mr. Echols said.

``This is one of the bigger ones,'' for seized property, Mr. Echols said. And perhaps one of the strangest, as the state of Georgia seeks to reclaim part of the $10 million the two former Medical College of Georgia researchers are accused of diverting from the school into their own pockets. The 335 lots up for auction amount to more than $1 million, though even the auction company doesn't have a precise total on its value, Mr. Echols said. The goods, much of it seized from 12 mini-warehouses around the area when the pair were arrested in February 1997, will be combined with some pricey art and jewelry seized by the U.S. Marshal's Service from drug dealers, including a painting by Flemish master Rubens appraised at $300,000, Mr. Echols said.

Borison Auction AUCTION ITEMS There are 332 items formerly owned by Borison and Diamond which will be auctioned off Thursday: •Items 1-50 •Items 51-100 •Items 101-150 •Items 151-200 •Items 201-250 •Items 251-300 •Items 301-332

People interested in bidding can attend the preview, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, when they will have a chance to check out the items and register, Mr. Echols said. There will also be some inspection time Thursday from 8 a.m. until the auction commences at 10 a.m.

Bidders must register, but don't have to pay admission. Only cash, cashier's checks or traveler's checks will be accepted and the government reserves the right to reject bids it considers too low. Mr. Echols said he expected about 300 people, including collectors from afar.

``We're expecting some people from Miami and we've had some calls from New York,'' he said. The CBS television news show ``48 Hours'' will arrive Wednesday to cover the auction, Mr. Echols said.

The parking lot outside the mill alone is evidence of the unusual nature of the seized loot. A life-sized metal statue of a warrior with arms outstretched lies next to stone lion heads and ornate bronze and mahogany doors, also with lion heads.

Much of the assembled artwork and antiques reflect Dr. Borison's desire to set himself up like an English lord in a castle he was building in Columbia County. Consider the dark wood paneling from an unknown French manor that Dr. Borison paid $19,000 for at Great Gatsby's auction house in Atlanta, which now lies in segments because it was taken apart and no one can figure out how it's supposed to go back together, Mr. Echols said.

Dean Echols, an auctioner with Manheim Auctions of Atlanta, stands in front of many pieces of artwork that will go on the auction block Thursday.CHRISTINE DE LESSIO/STAFF

``You would have to build a room (specifically that size) just to use it,'' Mr. Echols said. Or the scarlet upholstered throne-like chairs with gold-winged lion heads thrusting out from the arms.

``This would not fit in my home,'' Mr. Echols said, laughing. But they would probably be of great interest to a collector, he said. ``These are very expensive, the highest quality.''

Picking up a heavy frame nearby, he peers into it. ``Like this, this doesn't look like much but it's actually worth several thousand dollars.'' The antique leaded stained glass panels, which are backlit in the frame, are appraised at $9,800, ``but I think it's worth $15,000,'' Mr. Echols said.

It is that way with much of the items, he said.

``He seemed to be knowledgeable about antiques and art,'' Mr. Echols said. But on other items, it is hard to figure why Dr. Borison paid what he did, Mr. Echols said. It's a difference auctioneers often see between legitimate collectors and those spending their ill-gotten gains, he said.

``The people who haven't worked for it, like this person, they buy stuff on impulse,'' Mr. Echols said. ``They buy a lot of strange things you don't usually see. (Dr. Borison) went to an auction and put his hand up and never took it down.''

Dr. Richard Borison, former Medical College of Georgia researcher.FILE/STAFF

Now he's serving a 15-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in October to fraud and theft charges. The state, through fidelity insurance claims and what was recovered from the pair, has nearly regained the $10 million lost, officials have said. Georgia Assistant Attorney General David S. McLaughlin and Investigator Richard Hyde, who put the pair in prison, are still tying up the ends on the case, and interviewing Dr. Borison to determine if there will be anything further done, Mr. McLaughlin said.

``There's not much we can say publicly except there are some federal agencies that have some interest in this case and we are cooperating with them,'' said Mr. McLaughlin, who said he could not name the agencies.

But as far as recovering what was stolen, there is no mystery there, Mr. Laughlin said.

``We got it all,'' he said.

And it can be yours, for the right price.

Several medeival suits of armor will be auctioned off.CHRISTINE DE LESSIO/STAFF

Auction details:

Goods seized from former Medical College of Georgia researchers Richard Borison and Bruce Diamond will be auctioned off beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday at Enterprise Mill, 1450 Greene Street.

Registration and a preview of the items will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday. Another inspection will be held from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Thursday.

All bidders must be registered, and must have a Social Security number and picture ID. Cash, cashier's checks and traveler's checks only. There is no admission charge.

For more information, call 1-800-222-9885.