FBI Investigates Dele Disappearance

PAPEETE, Tahiti (AP) _ FBI agents met with prosecutors Sunday to discuss the investigation into the disappearance of former NBA player Bison Dele. <br><br>Half a dozen FBI agents had already arrived in

Sunday, September 15th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

PAPEETE, Tahiti (AP) _ FBI agents met with prosecutors Sunday to discuss the investigation into the disappearance of former NBA player Bison Dele.

Half a dozen FBI agents had already arrived in French Polynesia and more were expected Monday, officials at the gendarmes headquarters in Papeete said.

The FBI issued an arrest warrant for Dele's brother on Friday, the day after Dele's sailboat was found docked on the east coast of Tahiti.

The 55-foot catamaran, which Dele had named the Hakuna Matata, was found in the Tahiti port of Taravao. It had been repainted and renamed.

The FBI agents and local prosecutors were expected to set a date to carry out a full search of the boat, perhaps as early as Monday, the officials said, speaking on the customary condition of anonymity.

Police conducted an initial search of the boat and found no one on board. The boat was then sealed off at the behest of the FBI.

The 33-year-old Dele, also known as Brian Williams, hasn't been seen since July 8, along with his girlfriend Serena Karlan and the boat's captain, Bertrand Saldo. The three were planning to sail from Tahiti, in the South Pacific, north to Honolulu.

FBI agents are searching for Dele's older brother, Miles Dabord, also known as Kevin Williams.

Dabord, 35, was being sought on an unlawful flight warrant issued by the FBI bureau in Phoenix, where he is suspected of trying to steal his brother's identity, said FBI spokesman Andrew Black.

Police in Phoenix detained Dabord on Sept. 5 after he allegedly said he was Brian Williams and signed receipts with his brother's former name while trying to buy $152,000 in gold. He showed his younger brother's passport as identification before he was taken into custody by police, Black said. He then was released without being arrested.

Mexican police under the direction of the FBI located a hotel room in Tijuana on Thursday with personal items belonging to Dabord.

Dele, a member of the Chicago Bulls' NBA championship team in 1997, changed his name in 1998 to honor his American Indian ancestry.