Jan. 23, 2001--

Former Olympic bid executive Dave Johnson claims the bid committee was swindled into paying $1,000 a month to an imaginary daughter of an IOC delegate, who actually kept the cash for himself..

The money was all wired to a woman named Zema Gadir at a London Bank account.

This woman was supposed to be the daughter of General Zein Gadir of Sudan. But she didn't exist--a fact Johnson didn't know for years after the payments stopped--his lawyer acknowledged yesterday.

It wasn't until the Olympic scandal broke and Zein Gadir finally admitted to the IOC that Zema was actually a pseudonym for himself that Johnson realized he had been swindled.

Johnson and his former boss, Tom Welch, have been indicted on 15 federal counts in the Olympic bribery case. Their trial is set for June.

Also in the Olympic bribery case, Tom Welch and Dave Johnson will soon have the money to pay for what's expected to be an expensive defense.

Lawyers for the men worked out an agreement with the New York-based insurance company for the 2002 Games so that the company will pay for their attorney's fees.