While Workforce Safety and Insurance executives made headlines this week, there's also a quiet story of a near-retirement age former WSI employee who sits in the back of every courtroom that's marked for a Sandy Blunt or Romi Leingang hearing.

It's Jerry Becker, the man whose name was thrown around quite a few times during the Aug. 24 prelim for Blunt and Leingang. And whose name is likely to resurface time and time again if the two defendants go all the way to trial.

In case there are a few readers still unaware of the WSI hearings, here's the lowdown:In late 2006, a company-wide e-mail was sent out containing a copy of an Office of Management and Budget report of salary information for the agency. The report is a matter of public record, and it's been nicknamed the "jrunnings"e-mail, because that's the name that appeared in the sender box.

A WSIinvestigation into who sent the e-mail ensued; at some point during the investigation, a list of at least seven names was produced, according to testimony by Highway Patrol Trooper Shannon Henke, who was lead investigator into whether the WSIinvestigation was performed legally.

During the WSI investigation, pictures were allegedly produced of the suspects to create a photo lineup to show to employees of the Mandan Public Library, where the e-mail may have been sent from;some images may have been obtained from Department of Transportation photos, some from the agency's intranet.

This is where the current felony charges stem from:conspiracy to disclose confidential information.

But what does this have to do with Jerry Becker?

After WSI's investigation, Blunt allegedly attended a WSI Special Investigations Unit meeting and identified the sender of the e-mail as Becker. According to testimony, he asked investigators to confront Becker at his home.

No one complied, and Becker says he's not sure what he would've done had someone come knocking on his door.

Because, Becker says, he didn't do it.

"I did not send out the e-mail,"Becker said.

During the preliminary, the fact that Becker denied ever sending it never came up, only that he was identified as the sender by Blunt. Icalled him one afternoon last week, seeking some comment or even hoping to confirm what was in the actual e-mail.

He chuckled when I went through the identification process:"Is this Jerry Becker? Yes?The Jerry Becker who used to work at WSI? Who may have sent out a company-wide e-mail containing salary information? Yes? Well, uh, did you?"

Reporters do not always claim the virtue of grace or tact.

"No, I didn't,"he said, very clearly. He told the Highway Patrol the same thing. He wasn't aware that his name had been implicated, he said, until he was shown the testimony of one of the investigators.

But it may be easy to see how WSI came to that conclusion:Becker said the original OMB report was requested by a newspaper reporter, who then sent the report on to him. Becker did receive the report, and sent an e-mail to another party.

"I did not send it to WSIemployees,"Becker said. "I forwarded it on to another person, yes. Just one."

Becker retired from WSI on Oct. 31, 2005. It was an early retirement, he said, and one that he was not necessarily comfortable with. He'd been in loss prevention for 21 years.

Now Becker tirelessly attends any public board meeting or hearing dealing with WSI. He's an observer in the back, always listening and most decidedly judging.

But no matter how many times his name will be thrown around during any further hearings or trials, he says he'll hold true that he was not the sender of the agency-wide e-mail.

"I will swear on a stack of bibles to the pope himself that I did not send that e-mail. No one can even begin to get close to prove that I did,"he said.

(Reach reporter Crystal R. Reid at 250-8261 or crystal.reid@bismarcktribune.com.)