U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Litigation Release No. 15121 / October 15, 1996

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION v. WESTERN EXECUTIVE GROUP,
INC., CASH SYSTEMS USA, INC., CHARLES R. RIETZ, ROBERT R.
PARRISH, ROBERT J. STRUTH and R. STEPHEN EDGEL,
Civil Action No. 96-6938 GHK (JGx) (C.D. Cal.)

     The Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission")
announced that on October 7, 1996, the Honorable George H. King,
United States District Court Judge for the Central District of
California, signed a Temporary Restraining Order ("Order")
halting a Ponzi scheme involving investment contracts for the
sale and leaseback of automated teller machines ("ATMs").  The
defendants offered the ATM investment program over the Internet
to the public and raised over $3.49 million from at least 132
investors nationwide.  This is the first lawsuit involving ATMs
and the largest lawsuit involving Internet investment fraud
brought by the Commission to date.

     In its Complaint, the Commission alleges that the defendants
have operated a Ponzi scheme from at least September 1995, when
they began offering and selling investments involving the sale
and leaseback of privately owned ATMs (ATMs not affiliated with
banks).  Through simultaneously executed agreements with both WEG
and Cash Systems, investors purchased ATMs from WEG for $23,950
and immediately leased them back to Cash Systems.  Investors were
guaranteed monthly lease payments for five years which payments
would allegedly return all of the investors' principal and a
yield of 17.4% per year.  However, as of July 1996, only 42 ATMs
were operational even though the defendants had sold 195 ATMs,
and only 2 of the 42 ATMs made enough money to cover their
associated monthly lease payments and expenses.  Consequently,
the defendants were using new investor funds to pay existing
investors their monthly lease payments.

     The Commission obtained an order temporarily enjoining the
following entities and individuals from future violations of the
antifraud and registration provisions of the federal securities
laws: Western Executive Group, Inc. ("WEG") headquartered in
Reno, Nevada; Cash Systems USA, Inc. ("Cash Systems")
headquartered in Reno, Nevada; Charles R. Rietz ("Rietz") of
Mesa, Arizona; Robert R. Parrish ("Parrish") of Gilmer, Texas;
Robert J. Struth ("Struth") of Southern California; and R.
Stephen Edgel ("Edgel") of Carmichael, California.  The order
also imposes an asset freeze against WEG and Cash Systems and
appoints a temporary receiver over WEG and Cash Systems.  A
hearing to show cause why a preliminary injunction should not be