Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago City Council officially proclaimed today Arthur J. Bilek Day in Chicago. The honor is in recognition of Bilek as he concludes a law enforcement career that spanned more than 60 years, culminating with his retirement from the Chicago Crime Commission.
"As Executive Vice President of the Chicago Crime Commission since 2010, Art Bilek has been one of the organization's greatest assets," according to J.R. Davis, Chairman and President of the Chicago Crime Commission. "Among his many accomplishments, Art Bilek spearheaded efforts to join forces with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in naming a new Public Enemy Number One. The title, originally coined for Al Capone by the Chicago Crime Commission in 1930, was assigned to Joaquin Guzman Loera in 2013. Guzman, one of society's most vicious, ruthless and powerful drug kingpins, was captured in Mexico in 2014," he said.
Art Bilek is considered to be one of the most knowledgeable and experienced persons in the field of organized crime in Chicago. "His initial exposure to organized crime was as a special investigator for the Cook County State's Attorney, working as one of the arresting officers in the Summerdale Police District's 'Burglars in Blue' scandal. He also worked on the Chicago Outfit's infamous 'floating crap game' and led the successful raid and arrest of Mafia Don Rocco Fischetti," Davis continued.
Under the leadership of Sheriff Richard Ogilvie, Bilek was named police chief and reorganized and reformed the corrupt Cook County Sheriff's Police Department and drafted legislation for improving law enforcement and crime fighting in Illinois.
"Art Bilek also contributed to academia by developing and writing the curriculum for the first baccalaureate program in criminal justice in the United States and served as founder, chairman and professor of the University of Illinois, Chicago, Criminal Justice Department," Davis added.
Bilek also served as the first corporate director of security for the Hilton Hotel Corporation and later as the Vice President and Corporate Director of Security and Investigations for the First National Bank of Chicago. He has been involved with the Chicago Crime Commission for 30 years and is a life member of the commission.
"While we wish our friend Art a well-deserved retirement, I told him to expect a periodic call from the Chicago Crime Commission looking for his invaluable advice," Davis concluded.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Led by Ambush Attacks, 2014 Saw 126 Law Enforcement Officer Fatalities Nationwide
Law enforcement fatalities in the U.S. rose 24 percent in 2014, reversing what had been two years of dramatic declines in line of duty deaths, based on preliminary data compiled and released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF).
According to the NLEOMF report, 126 federal, state, local, tribal and territorial officers were killed in the line of duty this year, compared to 102 in 2013. The number of officers killed by firearms in 2014 (50) was 56 percent higher than the number killed by gunfire in 2013 (32). Ambush-style attacks, as evidenced earlier this month by the shooting deaths of New York City Police Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos while sitting in their marked patrol car, were the number one cause of felonious officer deaths for the fifth year in a row. Fifteen officers nationwide were killed in ambush assaults in 2014, matching 2012 for the highest total since 1995.
Forty-nine officers were killed in traffic-related incidents this past year
, which was an 11 percent increase from 2013. Twenty-seven officers died due to other causes in 2014, including 24 who suffered from job-related illnesses—such as heart attacks—while performing their duties.
In 2011, officer fatalities spiked to 171, which led to a number of new initiatives and policy changes aimed at promoting law enforcement safety. The result was a sharp decline in line-of-duty deaths to 123 in 2012 and 102 last year—the lowest fatality figure since 1944. Over the past decade the average annual number of officer deaths has been 151. The deadliest year ever for law enforcement was 1930 when 300 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty. The deadliest single incident was the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, resulting in 72 officer deaths. There are more than 20,000 names of officers killed in the line of duty inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC, dating back to the first known death in 1791.
“We issue this report each year as a stark reminder that some 900,000 sworn law enforcement officers go out each and every day putting their lives on the line for our safety and protection,” explained NLEOMF Chairman and CEO Craig W. Floyd. “These brave men and women are willing to lay down their lives for us. The least we should do is honor and remember their service and sacrifice, support their families and do all that we can to make it safer for those who continue to serve.”
The statistics released by the NLEOMF are based on preliminary data compiled and do not represent a final or complete list of individual officers who will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in 2015.
For a complete copy of the preliminary report on 2014 law enforcement fatalities, go to: www.LawMemorial.org/FatalitiesReport.
Key Data as of December 29, 2014:
“With the increasing number of ambush-style attacks against our officers, I am deeply concerned that a growing anti-government sentiment in America is influencing weak-minded individuals to launch violent assaults against the men and women working to enforce our laws and keep our nation safe,” declared NLEOMF Chairman and CEO Craig W. Floyd. “Enough is enough. We need to tone down the rhetoric and rally in support of law enforcement and against lawlessness.”
Established in 1984, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to telling the story of American law enforcement and making it safer for those who serve. The Memorial Fund is now working to create the National Law Enforcement Museum, which will tell the story of law enforcement through high-tech, interactive exhibitions, historical artifacts and extensive educational programming.
According to the NLEOMF report, 126 federal, state, local, tribal and territorial officers were killed in the line of duty this year, compared to 102 in 2013. The number of officers killed by firearms in 2014 (50) was 56 percent higher than the number killed by gunfire in 2013 (32). Ambush-style attacks, as evidenced earlier this month by the shooting deaths of New York City Police Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos while sitting in their marked patrol car, were the number one cause of felonious officer deaths for the fifth year in a row. Fifteen officers nationwide were killed in ambush assaults in 2014, matching 2012 for the highest total since 1995.
Forty-nine officers were killed in traffic-related incidents this past year
, which was an 11 percent increase from 2013. Twenty-seven officers died due to other causes in 2014, including 24 who suffered from job-related illnesses—such as heart attacks—while performing their duties.In 2011, officer fatalities spiked to 171, which led to a number of new initiatives and policy changes aimed at promoting law enforcement safety. The result was a sharp decline in line-of-duty deaths to 123 in 2012 and 102 last year—the lowest fatality figure since 1944. Over the past decade the average annual number of officer deaths has been 151. The deadliest year ever for law enforcement was 1930 when 300 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty. The deadliest single incident was the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, resulting in 72 officer deaths. There are more than 20,000 names of officers killed in the line of duty inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC, dating back to the first known death in 1791.
“We issue this report each year as a stark reminder that some 900,000 sworn law enforcement officers go out each and every day putting their lives on the line for our safety and protection,” explained NLEOMF Chairman and CEO Craig W. Floyd. “These brave men and women are willing to lay down their lives for us. The least we should do is honor and remember their service and sacrifice, support their families and do all that we can to make it safer for those who continue to serve.”
The statistics released by the NLEOMF are based on preliminary data compiled and do not represent a final or complete list of individual officers who will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in 2015.
For a complete copy of the preliminary report on 2014 law enforcement fatalities, go to: www.LawMemorial.org/FatalitiesReport.
Key Data as of December 29, 2014:
- Firearms-related incidents were the number one cause of officer deaths in 2014, with 50. This was a 56 percent increase over the 32 officers shot and killed in 2013.
- Ambush attacks resulted in 15 officer deaths, the leading felonious cause of deaths among officers in 2014 and for the fifth straight year. The other leading categories of felonious deaths in 2014 were traffic stops or pursuits (8), investigating suspicious persons or activities (7), disturbance calls (6), attempting arrests (4), investigative activities (3), accidental shootings (2), burglary in progress (2), investigating drug-related matters (1), robbery in progress (1), and tactical situations (1).
- Traffic-related incidents were the second-leading cause of officer fatalities in 2014, with 49. This was an 11 percent increase over the 44 traffic-related deaths in 2013. Of these 49 officers, 35 were killed in automobile crashes, nine officers were struck and killed outside their vehicle and five officers were killed in motorcycle crashes.
- Of the 27 officers who died due to other causes this year, 24 were caused by job-related illnesses; one officer was strangled to death; one officer drowned; and one officer was killed in a fire-related incident.
- During the past year, more officers were killed in California (14) than any other state; followed by Texas (11); New York (9); Florida (6) and Georgia (5).
- Six officers killed in 2014 served with federal law enforcement agencies. Two of the officers who died during the past year served with correctional agencies, two were tribal officers and one was a military officer. Three of the 126 fatalities were female. On average, the officers who died in 2014 were 41 years old and had served for 12 years.
“With the increasing number of ambush-style attacks against our officers, I am deeply concerned that a growing anti-government sentiment in America is influencing weak-minded individuals to launch violent assaults against the men and women working to enforce our laws and keep our nation safe,” declared NLEOMF Chairman and CEO Craig W. Floyd. “Enough is enough. We need to tone down the rhetoric and rally in support of law enforcement and against lawlessness.”
Established in 1984, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to telling the story of American law enforcement and making it safer for those who serve. The Memorial Fund is now working to create the National Law Enforcement Museum, which will tell the story of law enforcement through high-tech, interactive exhibitions, historical artifacts and extensive educational programming.
Statement on Yearly Law Enforcement Officer Fatality Statistics
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund released preliminary fatality statistics for 2014. The data in the report shows that 126 federal, state, local, tribal and territorial officers were killed in the line of duty this year. The report further showed that in 2014, 50 officers were killed by firearms, 49 officers were killed in traffic-related incidents, and 27 officers died due to other causes including 24 who suffered from job-related illnesses—such as heart attacks—while performing their duties.
Attorney General Eric Holder made the following statement:
"These troubling statistics underscore the very real dangers that America's brave law enforcement officers face every time they put on their uniforms. Each loss is both tragic and unacceptable -- a beloved father, mother, son, or daughter who never came home to their loved ones.
"That's why, over the last six years, my colleagues and I have taken action to support these courageous men and women. As we speak, the Justice Department continues its efforts to empower local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement personnel to do their jobs as safely and effectively as possible. In 2011, I created an Officer Safety Working Group in response to concerns about violence directed at law enforcement. The department is currently funding thorough analysis of 2014 officer fatalities, including ambushes of law enforcement and other incidents, so we can mitigate risks in the future. And through groundbreaking initiatives like VALOR, we are providing cutting-edge training to help prevent violence against law enforcement, to improve officer resilience, and to increase survivability during violent encounters.
"Through our Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program, we're helping to provide lifesaving equipment to those who serve on the front lines. And through the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program, we're offering our strongest support to our brave officers and their loved ones in the toughest of times.
"Going forward, this unshakeable commitment to those who serve will continue to guide our efforts to improve 21st-century policing and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they protect.
"I have always been proud to support these selfless public servants. All Americans owe our courageous law enforcement personnel a tremendous debt of gratitude for their patriotic service, for their often-unheralded sacrifices, and for the dangers they routinely face in the name of public safety."
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
80 Year Prison Sentence For 2009 Gang Related Murder
A Chicago man has been sentenced to 80 years in prison for shooting a rival 13 times in a gang related attack.
Martell Hill, 31, was previously convicted by a jury for the 2009 murder of Jamar Taylor, 26. The unarmed victim was sitting in his car when Hill approached and opened fire.
According to prosecutors, during the afternoon hours of October 25, 2009, the victim was in his vehicle at 3938 W. Grenshaw St. on the city’s West Side when Hill approached the driver’s side and abruptly fired 13 shots into the car. Taylor was hit eight times in the head and four times in the chest, killing him instantly. After assassinating the victim in broad daylight and in front of a crowd of people, Hill casually walked away from the scene.
Nearly one year after the murder, several witnesses came forward and identified Hill as the shooter; he was subsequently arrested and charged with the brazen attack.
Cook County Judge Angela Petrone sentenced Hill to the 80 year prison term during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courts Building in Chicago.
Martell Hill, 31, was previously convicted by a jury for the 2009 murder of Jamar Taylor, 26. The unarmed victim was sitting in his car when Hill approached and opened fire.
According to prosecutors, during the afternoon hours of October 25, 2009, the victim was in his vehicle at 3938 W. Grenshaw St. on the city’s West Side when Hill approached the driver’s side and abruptly fired 13 shots into the car. Taylor was hit eight times in the head and four times in the chest, killing him instantly. After assassinating the victim in broad daylight and in front of a crowd of people, Hill casually walked away from the scene.
Nearly one year after the murder, several witnesses came forward and identified Hill as the shooter; he was subsequently arrested and charged with the brazen attack.
Cook County Judge Angela Petrone sentenced Hill to the 80 year prison term during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courts Building in Chicago.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Bio for James Dinan - Director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Program
James H. Dinan was named director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Program and an associate deputy attorney general in the Justice Department in 2010. The job of the task force is to improve coordination of anti-drug efforts among Justice Department agencies.
Dinan grew up in Arlington, Virginia, and attended Washington-Lee High School, where he played baseball. He also played one year at the University of Richmond, where he graduated with a B.A. Dinan received his J.D. from Drake University in 1986.
Dinan has worked as an assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., since July 1989, most recently as chief of the criminal division. He specialized in gangs, organized crime and drug trafficking. He helped prosecute the K Street Crew, a street gang involved in murders and drug dealing near the Capitol, as well as the Fern Street Crew and the L Street Crew, among others.
Dinan is married to Monica Dinan and has coached and helped administer youth baseball.
Dinan grew up in Arlington, Virginia, and attended Washington-Lee High School, where he played baseball. He also played one year at the University of Richmond, where he graduated with a B.A. Dinan received his J.D. from Drake University in 1986.
Dinan has worked as an assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., since July 1989, most recently as chief of the criminal division. He specialized in gangs, organized crime and drug trafficking. He helped prosecute the K Street Crew, a street gang involved in murders and drug dealing near the Capitol, as well as the Fern Street Crew and the L Street Crew, among others.
Dinan is married to Monica Dinan and has coached and helped administer youth baseball.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Last Week's "Fugitive of the Week" Arrested!
Last week’s “Fugitive of the Week,” Joshua John Torres surrendered to the U.S. Probation Office in Manchester, NH. Torres was being sought on an outstanding federal arrest warrant for violation of his conditions of supervised release. Torres was on supervision after being convicted and sentenced for distribution of cocaine. Torres was last known to live in Manchester, where he surrendered to his probation officer.
As part of the U.S. Marshals fugitive investigation, Torres was featured just last week as the “Fugitive of the Week.” The “Fugitive of the Week” is broadcast on WTPL-FM, WMUR-TV, The Union Leader, The Nashua Telegraph, The Patch, Foster’s Daily Democrat and is prominently featured on the internet. The “Fugitive of the Week” continues to be very successful tool that has resulted in the location and arrest of numerous fugitives since its implementation in 2007.
Torres’ surrender was due in part to the extensive media coverage. After Torres’ surrender, he was picked up by members of the NH Joint Fugitive Task Force and transported to the U.S. District Courthouse in Concord, NH.
As part of the U.S. Marshals fugitive investigation, Torres was featured just last week as the “Fugitive of the Week.” The “Fugitive of the Week” is broadcast on WTPL-FM, WMUR-TV, The Union Leader, The Nashua Telegraph, The Patch, Foster’s Daily Democrat and is prominently featured on the internet. The “Fugitive of the Week” continues to be very successful tool that has resulted in the location and arrest of numerous fugitives since its implementation in 2007.
Torres’ surrender was due in part to the extensive media coverage. After Torres’ surrender, he was picked up by members of the NH Joint Fugitive Task Force and transported to the U.S. District Courthouse in Concord, NH.
Sam Giancana Memorabilia Subject of Courtroom Fight in Las Vegas
A defunct Mafia museum claims an auction house sold dozens of articles once owned by Sam Giancana, though the museum owns them - having bought them from the late Chicago boss's daughter.
The Mafia Collection LLC sued Munari Auctions and William Woolery on Monday, in Clark County Court. The Mafia Collection claims that it warned Munari that it owned the Giancana collection, but Munari auctioned them off on Nov. 22 anyway. It's a rather tangled tale.
The Mafia Collection claims in the lawsuit that it paid $23,300 to buy the artifacts from Giancana's daughter, Antoinette McDonnell, in 2009, and that has the bill of sale. It bought the articles for the now-closed Las Vegas Mob Experience, which featured artifacts from many prominent gangsters. The artifacts include photographs, court documents, furnishings and personal effects once owned by Giancana and passed on to his daughter.
McDonnell initially was a paid consultant for the Las Vegas Mob Experience, which was owned and operated by Murder Inc., according to a Las Vegas Review article on a previous lawsuit 2011.
The Las Vegas Mob Experience was an interactive exhibit housed in the Tropicana Las Vegas hotel and casino from 2011 to 2013. It featured artifacts from Giancana, Bugsy Siegel, Anthony Spilotro and others.
Before that exhibit opened, McDonnell sued Murder Inc. and the Mafia Collection in Clark County Court. McDonnell claimed the Mafia Collection never paid her for Giancana's items and that the selling price was too low.
In the present lawsuit, the Mafia Collection calls that lawsuit "frivolous," and says that a judge ruled against McDonnell in July this year and ordered her not to get rid of the artifacts in question. But McDonnell turned over the stuff to Munari Auctions, according to the lawsuit, and Munari sold some or all of them in November.
The Sam Giancana Estate Auction featured 152 "lots," including photos, documents, furniture and police and coroner reports about the mobster's 1975 murder in his Chicago home, according to the auction catalog.
The Mafia Collection claims that Munari's auction was "reckless and done in circumvention of the law, court order and the directive of the artifacts' owner" and done "for the gain and profit of both McDonnell and itself."
Some or all of the artifacts are housed and controlled by McDonnell's "appointed agent in fact," William R. Woolery, according to the lawsuit.
Mafia Collection seeks declaratory judgment that it owns the articles, possession of it, and damages for conversion.
Giancana was boss of the Chicago mob from 1957 to 1966. His alleged ties to President John F. Kennedy and the CIA are the stuff of legend. The CIA allegedly sought his help to assassinate Fidel Castro. Giancana was shot in the head in his Chicago home in 1975. He was 67.
Thanks to Mike Heuer.
The Mafia Collection LLC sued Munari Auctions and William Woolery on Monday, in Clark County Court. The Mafia Collection claims that it warned Munari that it owned the Giancana collection, but Munari auctioned them off on Nov. 22 anyway. It's a rather tangled tale.
The Mafia Collection claims in the lawsuit that it paid $23,300 to buy the artifacts from Giancana's daughter, Antoinette McDonnell, in 2009, and that has the bill of sale. It bought the articles for the now-closed Las Vegas Mob Experience, which featured artifacts from many prominent gangsters. The artifacts include photographs, court documents, furnishings and personal effects once owned by Giancana and passed on to his daughter.
McDonnell initially was a paid consultant for the Las Vegas Mob Experience, which was owned and operated by Murder Inc., according to a Las Vegas Review article on a previous lawsuit 2011.
The Las Vegas Mob Experience was an interactive exhibit housed in the Tropicana Las Vegas hotel and casino from 2011 to 2013. It featured artifacts from Giancana, Bugsy Siegel, Anthony Spilotro and others.
Before that exhibit opened, McDonnell sued Murder Inc. and the Mafia Collection in Clark County Court. McDonnell claimed the Mafia Collection never paid her for Giancana's items and that the selling price was too low.
In the present lawsuit, the Mafia Collection calls that lawsuit "frivolous," and says that a judge ruled against McDonnell in July this year and ordered her not to get rid of the artifacts in question. But McDonnell turned over the stuff to Munari Auctions, according to the lawsuit, and Munari sold some or all of them in November.
The Sam Giancana Estate Auction featured 152 "lots," including photos, documents, furniture and police and coroner reports about the mobster's 1975 murder in his Chicago home, according to the auction catalog.
The Mafia Collection claims that Munari's auction was "reckless and done in circumvention of the law, court order and the directive of the artifacts' owner" and done "for the gain and profit of both McDonnell and itself."
Some or all of the artifacts are housed and controlled by McDonnell's "appointed agent in fact," William R. Woolery, according to the lawsuit.
Mafia Collection seeks declaratory judgment that it owns the articles, possession of it, and damages for conversion.
Giancana was boss of the Chicago mob from 1957 to 1966. His alleged ties to President John F. Kennedy and the CIA are the stuff of legend. The CIA allegedly sought his help to assassinate Fidel Castro. Giancana was shot in the head in his Chicago home in 1975. He was 67.
Thanks to Mike Heuer.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
MS-13 Gang Leader, Carlos "Catracho" Valdez, Pleads Guilty to Murder Conspiracy
A Hudson County, N.J., man admitted to trying to kill a rival gang member, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Carlos Valdez, a/k/a “Catracho,” 27, was indicted in July 2014 with numerous other top-ranking members of the international criminal street gang, Mara Salvatrucha (also known as “MS” or “MS-13”), for racketeering crimes, including conspiracy to commit murder. Valdez, who admitted to being the leader of an MS-13 set, or “clique,” operating in Hudson County, known as “Hudson Locotes Salvatruchas,” pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Stanley R. Chesler in Newark federal court to Count One of the indictment, engaging in a racketeering conspiracy, and Count Five, conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In autumn 2013, Valdez was recruited by Joel Antonio Cortez, a/k/a “Pee Wee,” a high-ranking member of Mara Salvatrucha’s national leadership, to join the “national program,” a scheme to consolidate the gang’s cliques under a single, nationwide organization devoted to violence, extortion, and drug trafficking. At the time, Cortez was incarcerated in a California state prison and used a contraband cellular phone to remain in contact with Mara Salvatrucha members on the East Coast. Cortez served as a top deputy for Jose Juan Rodriguez-Juarez, a/k/a “Sacerdote,” the leader of Mara Salvatrucha in the United States and the primary organizer of the new “national program.”
In November 2013, Valdez and other gang leaders in northern New Jersey hatched a plot to murder two brothers in Hudson County, New Jersey. Before carrying out the plot, Valdez and others sought authorization from high-ranking members in the gang’s national and international leadership, including Cortez and incarcerated members of the gang in El Salvador. Law enforcement learned of the murder plot during the course of its investigation and arrested certain gang members, including Valdez, before it could be completed.
Both of the charges to which Valdez pleaded guilty carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for March 16, 2015.
Carlos Valdez, a/k/a “Catracho,” 27, was indicted in July 2014 with numerous other top-ranking members of the international criminal street gang, Mara Salvatrucha (also known as “MS” or “MS-13”), for racketeering crimes, including conspiracy to commit murder. Valdez, who admitted to being the leader of an MS-13 set, or “clique,” operating in Hudson County, known as “Hudson Locotes Salvatruchas,” pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Stanley R. Chesler in Newark federal court to Count One of the indictment, engaging in a racketeering conspiracy, and Count Five, conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In autumn 2013, Valdez was recruited by Joel Antonio Cortez, a/k/a “Pee Wee,” a high-ranking member of Mara Salvatrucha’s national leadership, to join the “national program,” a scheme to consolidate the gang’s cliques under a single, nationwide organization devoted to violence, extortion, and drug trafficking. At the time, Cortez was incarcerated in a California state prison and used a contraband cellular phone to remain in contact with Mara Salvatrucha members on the East Coast. Cortez served as a top deputy for Jose Juan Rodriguez-Juarez, a/k/a “Sacerdote,” the leader of Mara Salvatrucha in the United States and the primary organizer of the new “national program.”
In November 2013, Valdez and other gang leaders in northern New Jersey hatched a plot to murder two brothers in Hudson County, New Jersey. Before carrying out the plot, Valdez and others sought authorization from high-ranking members in the gang’s national and international leadership, including Cortez and incarcerated members of the gang in El Salvador. Law enforcement learned of the murder plot during the course of its investigation and arrested certain gang members, including Valdez, before it could be completed.
Both of the charges to which Valdez pleaded guilty carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for March 16, 2015.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Stop Government Corruption Now Hotline Established
Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Vincent B. Lisi of the FBI’s Boston Division announced a new initiative designed to solicit the public’s help in identifying and targeting public corruption.
The initiative includes the launch of a new, toll-free tip line number, 1-844-NOBRIBE (1-844-662-7423), and a billboard campaign called “Stop Corruption Now.” The campaign will focus on targeting fraud and corruption at all levels of government.
Public corruption remains a top criminal priority for the FBI. It’s a breach of the public’s trust by government officials—whether elected, appointed or under contract—who use their public office for personal gain. It is a violation of federal law for any federal, state, or local government official to receive anything of value in exchange for or because of any official act. Due to the secretive nature of bribes, such crimes are often difficult to detect and even more difficult to prove without the assistance of concerned citizens. As a result, the FBI has set up a public corruption hotline for reporting tips at 1-844-NOBRIBE. Online tips can be submitted at tips.fbi.gov.
Various types of corruption include bribery, extortion, embezzlement, racketeering, kickbacks, and money laundering, as well as wire, mail, bank, and tax fraud. The public is encouraged to review these corruption questionnaires for contract corruption, economic stimulus, and government fraud (available at the conclusion of this release). If the answer is yes to any of these questions, individuals are asked to contact the FBI.
One area of growing concern over the last few years is the expansion of gaming which may also increase public corruption, financial, and organized crime.
“Concerned citizens are the FBI’s biggest asset when it comes to exposing people who are abusing the public’s trust and misusing taxpayer money to line their own pockets. This tip line is designed to be an easy way for those with knowledge of schemes to report those schemes,” said SAC Lisi.
The initiative includes the launch of a new, toll-free tip line number, 1-844-NOBRIBE (1-844-662-7423), and a billboard campaign called “Stop Corruption Now.” The campaign will focus on targeting fraud and corruption at all levels of government.
Public corruption remains a top criminal priority for the FBI. It’s a breach of the public’s trust by government officials—whether elected, appointed or under contract—who use their public office for personal gain. It is a violation of federal law for any federal, state, or local government official to receive anything of value in exchange for or because of any official act. Due to the secretive nature of bribes, such crimes are often difficult to detect and even more difficult to prove without the assistance of concerned citizens. As a result, the FBI has set up a public corruption hotline for reporting tips at 1-844-NOBRIBE. Online tips can be submitted at tips.fbi.gov.
Various types of corruption include bribery, extortion, embezzlement, racketeering, kickbacks, and money laundering, as well as wire, mail, bank, and tax fraud. The public is encouraged to review these corruption questionnaires for contract corruption, economic stimulus, and government fraud (available at the conclusion of this release). If the answer is yes to any of these questions, individuals are asked to contact the FBI.
One area of growing concern over the last few years is the expansion of gaming which may also increase public corruption, financial, and organized crime.
“Concerned citizens are the FBI’s biggest asset when it comes to exposing people who are abusing the public’s trust and misusing taxpayer money to line their own pockets. This tip line is designed to be an easy way for those with knowledge of schemes to report those schemes,” said SAC Lisi.
Monday, December 15, 2014
Kidnapping and Murder of DEA Agent Terry Watson Results in Decades in Prison for 3 Colombian Nationals
Three Colombian nationals were sentenced to decades in prison in the Eastern District of Virginia for their roles in the kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent James “Terry” Watson in Bogotá, Colombia, on June 20, 2013.
Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart and Bill A. Miller, Director, U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service made the announcement.
“Throughout his law enforcement career, Special Agent Watson’s service was both selfless and courageous,” said Attorney General Holder. “With this action, we continue our work to hold accountable those who were responsible for his murder. In the weeks ahead, we expect to take additional steps to bring the perpetrators to justice. And in all that we do, our nation’s Department of Justice will continue to honor Special Agent Watson’s sacrifice, to safeguard the nation he served, and to protect the values and principles he defended all his life.”
“Terry Watson was a courageous and accomplished DEA Special Agent who we will forever honor and remember for his dedicated career and sacrifice,” said DEA Administrator Leonhart. “DEA is grateful that those who carried out this reprehensible and senseless act are now facing U.S. justice. We will honor his life and career by continuing our global crusade with our domestic and international partners to defeat violent drug trafficking networks.”
Héctor Leonardo López, 34, Julio Estiven Gracia Ramírez, 32, and Andrés Álvaro Oviedo García, 22, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and aiding and abetting the murder of an internationally protected person. Today, U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee of the Eastern District of Virginia sentenced López to 25 years, Gracia Ramírez to 27 years, and Oviedo García to 20 years.
In addition, Wilson Daniel Peralta-Bocachica, 31, pleaded guilty today to obstruction of justice and Edwin Gerardo Figueroa Sepúlveda, 39, pleaded guilty on Dec. 9, 2014, to conspiracy to kidnap and aiding and abetting the murder of an internationally protected person. Sentencing hearings for Peralta-Bocachica and Figueroa Sepúlveda are scheduled for Feb. 18, 2015.
In the statements of facts filed with their plea agreements, López, Gracia Ramírez, Oviedo García, and Figueroa Sepúlveda admitted that they conspired to conduct “paseo milionarios” or “millionaire’s rides” in which victims were lured into taxi cabs, kidnapped and then robbed. They admitted that on the evening of June 20, 2013, they were part of a robbery crew that targeted Special Agent Watson. Gracia Ramírez picked up Special Agent Watson in his taxi, while López drove a second taxi carrying the assailants. Figueroa Sepúlveda entered the taxi carrying Special Agent Watson and shocked him with a stun gun while another defendant stabbed him. Special Agent Watson was able to escape from the taxi, but he later collapsed and died from his injuries. Oviedo García was part of the robbery crew, but shortly before Special Agent Watson was targeted, a third taxi encountered mechanical issues and Oviedo García stayed with the disabled taxi. Peralta-Bocachica admitted that in the days following the kidnapping and murder, he washed the taxi in which Special Agent Watson was stabbed, removing blood from the back seat then discarding the cleaning rags, before turning the taxi over to the Colombian National Police.
Two other defendants, Omar Fabián Valdes Gualtero, 27, and Édgar Javier Bello Murillo, 27, are charged with second degree murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap in connection with their alleged involvement in the murder. Trial is set for Jan. 12, 2015.
Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart and Bill A. Miller, Director, U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service made the announcement.
“Throughout his law enforcement career, Special Agent Watson’s service was both selfless and courageous,” said Attorney General Holder. “With this action, we continue our work to hold accountable those who were responsible for his murder. In the weeks ahead, we expect to take additional steps to bring the perpetrators to justice. And in all that we do, our nation’s Department of Justice will continue to honor Special Agent Watson’s sacrifice, to safeguard the nation he served, and to protect the values and principles he defended all his life.”
“Terry Watson was a courageous and accomplished DEA Special Agent who we will forever honor and remember for his dedicated career and sacrifice,” said DEA Administrator Leonhart. “DEA is grateful that those who carried out this reprehensible and senseless act are now facing U.S. justice. We will honor his life and career by continuing our global crusade with our domestic and international partners to defeat violent drug trafficking networks.”
Héctor Leonardo López, 34, Julio Estiven Gracia Ramírez, 32, and Andrés Álvaro Oviedo García, 22, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and aiding and abetting the murder of an internationally protected person. Today, U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee of the Eastern District of Virginia sentenced López to 25 years, Gracia Ramírez to 27 years, and Oviedo García to 20 years.
In addition, Wilson Daniel Peralta-Bocachica, 31, pleaded guilty today to obstruction of justice and Edwin Gerardo Figueroa Sepúlveda, 39, pleaded guilty on Dec. 9, 2014, to conspiracy to kidnap and aiding and abetting the murder of an internationally protected person. Sentencing hearings for Peralta-Bocachica and Figueroa Sepúlveda are scheduled for Feb. 18, 2015.
In the statements of facts filed with their plea agreements, López, Gracia Ramírez, Oviedo García, and Figueroa Sepúlveda admitted that they conspired to conduct “paseo milionarios” or “millionaire’s rides” in which victims were lured into taxi cabs, kidnapped and then robbed. They admitted that on the evening of June 20, 2013, they were part of a robbery crew that targeted Special Agent Watson. Gracia Ramírez picked up Special Agent Watson in his taxi, while López drove a second taxi carrying the assailants. Figueroa Sepúlveda entered the taxi carrying Special Agent Watson and shocked him with a stun gun while another defendant stabbed him. Special Agent Watson was able to escape from the taxi, but he later collapsed and died from his injuries. Oviedo García was part of the robbery crew, but shortly before Special Agent Watson was targeted, a third taxi encountered mechanical issues and Oviedo García stayed with the disabled taxi. Peralta-Bocachica admitted that in the days following the kidnapping and murder, he washed the taxi in which Special Agent Watson was stabbed, removing blood from the back seat then discarding the cleaning rags, before turning the taxi over to the Colombian National Police.
Two other defendants, Omar Fabián Valdes Gualtero, 27, and Édgar Javier Bello Murillo, 27, are charged with second degree murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap in connection with their alleged involvement in the murder. Trial is set for Jan. 12, 2015.
Secrets of the Herrin Gangs By Ralph Johnson & Jon Musgrave
Secrets of the Herrin Gangs tells the account of Ralph Johnson, an insider with the Shelton Gang who also worked with Charlie Birger at one time.
Originally published in newspapers across the country at the end of the Gang War during the Bloody Williamson years in January 1927, all 10 segments are compiled now for the first time in one volume.
In addition, Jon Musgrave reveals the mystery of Johnson’s true identity and his life of crime in the second half of the book.
Originally published in newspapers across the country at the end of the Gang War during the Bloody Williamson years in January 1927, all 10 segments are compiled now for the first time in one volume.
In addition, Jon Musgrave reveals the mystery of Johnson’s true identity and his life of crime in the second half of the book.
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Disabled Veteran Defends House from Thieves with His .45
Sixty-eight-year-old disabled veteran Joseph Sapienza was at home in Gastonia, N.C. when he heard a suspicious noise at his front door. Sapienza retrieved a .45-caliber pistol, placed it in a holster attached to a walker he uses to get around, and opened the door. There were two masked men on his porch attempting to get inside. Recalling what happened next, Sapienza told a reporter, “When they saw the .45, one ran one way up the street, and the other went the other way.”
Sapienza believes he may have been targeted by the criminals because of his disability.
Sapienza believes he may have been targeted by the criminals because of his disability.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Steven Mandell Gets Life in Prison for Sadistic and Depraved Plot to Kidnap, Extort, and Kill Victim in North Side Torture Chamber
A northwest suburban man was sentenced to life in prison for plotting in 2012 to kidnap, torture, extort and murder an innocent victim and then take control of the victim’s real estate holdings. STEVEN MANDELL, 64, formerly known as “Steven Manning,” of Buffalo Grove, was tried in February of this year and convicted of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, extortion conspiracy, attempted extortion, possessing a firearm during a violent crime, being a felon-in-possession of a firearm, and obstruction of justice.
“This was an extremely serious and disturbing offense,” U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve said in imposing the life term following a hearing in Federal Court. “Your actions in this case, Mr. Mandell, were evil . . . and showed a complete disregard for human life.”
The judge also imposed a mandatory consecutive five-year sentence for use of a firearm and a $5,000 fine. Mandell has been in custody since he was arrested in October 2012 and there is no parole in the federal prison system.
“Mr. Mandell was the mastermind of a truly barbaric crime,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Amerjeet Bhachu said in court. Mandell “was the principal author of an exceptionally sadistic and depraved plan to kidnap, torture, extort and murder,” Mr. Bhachu and Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur argued in a sentencing memo.
Mandell, a Chicago police officer for approximately 10 years until 1983, served more than a decade on Illinois’ death-row for a murder conviction that was later overturned on legal grounds involving the admissibility of evidence at his trial, not because of innocence.
A co-defendant in the 2012 murder plot, Gary Engel, who was 61 at the time, of Homer Glen and a former police officer in Willow Springs, committed suicide shortly after he was arrested with Mandell.
The evidence at trial showed that Mandell rented a location in the 5300 block of West Devon Avenue, known to him as “Club Med,” not knowing at the time that the FBI had installed a hidden camera and recording equipment after a cooperating witness reported Mandell’s plan. Mandell and Engel outfitted the rental location to restrain, torture and kill the victim. They developed a plan to lure him from his residence; stocked “Club Med” with all the tools they needed to carry out the crimes; and obtained all the trappings they needed to pose as police officers in connection with the victim’s abduction.
“This was an extremely serious and disturbing offense,” U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve said in imposing the life term following a hearing in Federal Court. “Your actions in this case, Mr. Mandell, were evil . . . and showed a complete disregard for human life.”
The judge also imposed a mandatory consecutive five-year sentence for use of a firearm and a $5,000 fine. Mandell has been in custody since he was arrested in October 2012 and there is no parole in the federal prison system.
“Mr. Mandell was the mastermind of a truly barbaric crime,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Amerjeet Bhachu said in court. Mandell “was the principal author of an exceptionally sadistic and depraved plan to kidnap, torture, extort and murder,” Mr. Bhachu and Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur argued in a sentencing memo.
Mandell, a Chicago police officer for approximately 10 years until 1983, served more than a decade on Illinois’ death-row for a murder conviction that was later overturned on legal grounds involving the admissibility of evidence at his trial, not because of innocence.
A co-defendant in the 2012 murder plot, Gary Engel, who was 61 at the time, of Homer Glen and a former police officer in Willow Springs, committed suicide shortly after he was arrested with Mandell.
The evidence at trial showed that Mandell rented a location in the 5300 block of West Devon Avenue, known to him as “Club Med,” not knowing at the time that the FBI had installed a hidden camera and recording equipment after a cooperating witness reported Mandell’s plan. Mandell and Engel outfitted the rental location to restrain, torture and kill the victim. They developed a plan to lure him from his residence; stocked “Club Med” with all the tools they needed to carry out the crimes; and obtained all the trappings they needed to pose as police officers in connection with the victim’s abduction.
Steven Mandell Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder Plot
After decades of drama in Chicago, including a murder conviction, death sentence, shocking exoneration and landmark lawsuit against the FBI, all Steven Mandell says he wanted to do was quietly live out his golden years in Florida. "I was happily retired, living with my lovely wife in a golf course community in Naples," Mandell, 64, said Thursday as he delivered bizarre remarks at his sentencing in a packed federal courtroom. "It was the perfect life."
Instead,he came out of retirement in 2012 and returned to Chicago, where he was soon arrested in a grisly plot to kidnap, murder and dismember a suburban businessman. Mandell said he was once again framed by an untrustworthy informant, continuing his "long FBI nightmare." But U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve was unmoved by the melodrama. Moments after the former Chicago cop wrapped up more than 30 minutes of mostly rambling remarks — including cheerfully wishing the judge a merry Christmas — St. Eve sentenced him to life in prison for kidnapping and extortion conspiracy and added a mandatory five-year sentence for a gun conviction.
It was an emphatic end for Mandell, a reputed underworld figure whom law enforcement has long considered a dangerous killer and elusive target.
Years ago Mandell — who then went by the name Steven Manning — was sent to death row for the drug-related 1990 slaying of a trucking firm owner. After his murder conviction was overturned on appeal, he won a landmark $6.5 million verdict in a lawsuit against the FBI. A judge, however, later threw out the verdict, and Mandell never collected a penny.
Mandell moved to Florida after the ruling and vanished from the public eye. Several years later, he came back to Chicago under his new name and soon was meeting with reputed mobsters at La Scarola restaurant on Grand Avenue, according to court records.
The latest case against Mandell unfolded in October 2012 when he and his accomplice, Gary Engel, were arrested outside the Northwest Side office of George Michael, a former banker and real estate mogul who pretended to go along with the macabre plan to kidnap Riverside businessman Stephen Campbell and extort him for his cash and property.
Michael had helped Mandell outfit a Devon Avenue storefront with an industrial sink, butcher table and other equipment needed to drain Campbell's body of blood and chop it to pieces. But Michael was wearing a wire for the feds, and the storefront — which Mandell dubbed "Club Med" — was rigged with a hidden FBI camera.
Engel hanged himself in his jail cell shortly after he and Mandell were arrested, authorities said.
In the videos played at Mandell's February trial, he laughed when he described how victims often come unglued before their deaths. He mimed a blindfolded prisoner, then drew a hand across his throat to signify a killing. He seemed to have mirth in his eyes as he made moaning sounds describing the carnage he could inflict.
"Uhhhh please ... aaaaaaahhhh! It's pitiful," Mandell said in one recording.
Mandell's attorney, Francis Lipuma, sought as few as 12 years in prison, saying Mandell should get credit for the two decades he spent behind bars for a murder he didn't commit. Lipuma noted that no one was actually harmed in the kidnapping plot and said if Mandell were released in his 80s, he'd be at a point in his life "when criminal activity would have concluded." But in asking for a life sentence, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu painted Mandell as a sadistic narcissist who "actually takes pleasure from hurting people." "He likes it. It arouses him!" said Bhachu, pointing to the defense table at Mandell, who took a sip of water from a Styrofoam cup.
In her ruling, St. Eve said Mandell's actions showed a "complete disregard for human life." "The pure delight that you showed in those videos … it came through loud and clear," St. Eve said. "The glee in your face was very apparent. It was, quite frankly, chilling."
St. Eve said a life sentence was necessary to keep Mandell from returning to a life of violence and crime.
When FBI agents raided Mandell's Buffalo Grove home after his arrest, they found more than $16,000 in cash in two separate stashes as well as thousands of dollars more in a safe-deposit box at a nearby bank, recent court filings show. Mandell has asked for the money to be returned to his 83-year-old wife, but prosecutors have objected in sealed filings.
Thanks to Jason Meisner.
Instead,he came out of retirement in 2012 and returned to Chicago, where he was soon arrested in a grisly plot to kidnap, murder and dismember a suburban businessman. Mandell said he was once again framed by an untrustworthy informant, continuing his "long FBI nightmare." But U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve was unmoved by the melodrama. Moments after the former Chicago cop wrapped up more than 30 minutes of mostly rambling remarks — including cheerfully wishing the judge a merry Christmas — St. Eve sentenced him to life in prison for kidnapping and extortion conspiracy and added a mandatory five-year sentence for a gun conviction.
It was an emphatic end for Mandell, a reputed underworld figure whom law enforcement has long considered a dangerous killer and elusive target.
Years ago Mandell — who then went by the name Steven Manning — was sent to death row for the drug-related 1990 slaying of a trucking firm owner. After his murder conviction was overturned on appeal, he won a landmark $6.5 million verdict in a lawsuit against the FBI. A judge, however, later threw out the verdict, and Mandell never collected a penny.
Mandell moved to Florida after the ruling and vanished from the public eye. Several years later, he came back to Chicago under his new name and soon was meeting with reputed mobsters at La Scarola restaurant on Grand Avenue, according to court records.
The latest case against Mandell unfolded in October 2012 when he and his accomplice, Gary Engel, were arrested outside the Northwest Side office of George Michael, a former banker and real estate mogul who pretended to go along with the macabre plan to kidnap Riverside businessman Stephen Campbell and extort him for his cash and property.
Michael had helped Mandell outfit a Devon Avenue storefront with an industrial sink, butcher table and other equipment needed to drain Campbell's body of blood and chop it to pieces. But Michael was wearing a wire for the feds, and the storefront — which Mandell dubbed "Club Med" — was rigged with a hidden FBI camera.
Engel hanged himself in his jail cell shortly after he and Mandell were arrested, authorities said.
In the videos played at Mandell's February trial, he laughed when he described how victims often come unglued before their deaths. He mimed a blindfolded prisoner, then drew a hand across his throat to signify a killing. He seemed to have mirth in his eyes as he made moaning sounds describing the carnage he could inflict.
"Uhhhh please ... aaaaaaahhhh! It's pitiful," Mandell said in one recording.
Mandell's attorney, Francis Lipuma, sought as few as 12 years in prison, saying Mandell should get credit for the two decades he spent behind bars for a murder he didn't commit. Lipuma noted that no one was actually harmed in the kidnapping plot and said if Mandell were released in his 80s, he'd be at a point in his life "when criminal activity would have concluded." But in asking for a life sentence, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu painted Mandell as a sadistic narcissist who "actually takes pleasure from hurting people." "He likes it. It arouses him!" said Bhachu, pointing to the defense table at Mandell, who took a sip of water from a Styrofoam cup.
In her ruling, St. Eve said Mandell's actions showed a "complete disregard for human life." "The pure delight that you showed in those videos … it came through loud and clear," St. Eve said. "The glee in your face was very apparent. It was, quite frankly, chilling."
St. Eve said a life sentence was necessary to keep Mandell from returning to a life of violence and crime.
When FBI agents raided Mandell's Buffalo Grove home after his arrest, they found more than $16,000 in cash in two separate stashes as well as thousands of dollars more in a safe-deposit box at a nearby bank, recent court filings show. Mandell has asked for the money to be returned to his 83-year-old wife, but prosecutors have objected in sealed filings.
Thanks to Jason Meisner.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Eric Omuro of myRedBook.com Pleads Guilty to Facilitating Prostitution
A California man pleaded guilty in connection with his operation of the myRedBook.com website to facilitate prostitution. This represents the first federal conviction of a website operator for facilitation of prostitution.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division
, U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag of the Northern District of California, Special Agent in Charge David J. Johnson of the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office and Special Agent in Charge José M. Martinez of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) San Francisco Office made the announcement.
Eric Omuro, also known as “Red,” 53, of Mountain View, California, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick of the Northern District of California to using a facility of interstate commerce with the intent to facilitate prostitution. His co-defendant, Annemarie Lanoce, 40, of Rocklin, California, pleaded guilty on Nov. 20, 2014, for assisting Omuro with the operation of the myRedBook.com website. Omuro’s sentencing hearing is set for March 26, 2015, and Lanoce’s sentencing hearing is set for March 19, 2015.
As part of the plea agreement, Omuro admitted that from April 2010 until June 25, 2014, he owned, managed, and operated a website known as myRedBook.com, which was previously known as sfredbook.com. Omuro admitted that the website hosted advertisements posted by prostitutes containing explicit photos, graphic descriptions of sexual services offered, and rates for the sexual services. The advertisements were searchable by geographic location, including cities throughout California, other U.S. states, and Canada.
Omuro admitted that members of his website and prostitutes typically used acronyms for sex acts, which were defined in graphic detail in the website’s “Terms and Acronyms” section.While prostitutes could post advertisements for free, myRedBook.com offered additional options for a fee. For example, prostitutes could pay a fee to have their advertisement featured more prominently on the website. Similarly, customers could access myRedBook.com for free. If a customer purchased a membership, however, the customer obtained early and enhanced access to prostitute reviews, enhanced prostitute review search options, and access to additional VIP forums, among other things.
As part of the plea agreement, Omuro agreed to the forfeiture of the domain names sfRedBook.com and myRedBook.com and more than $1.28 million in cash and property as proceeds and other property involved in his unlawful activity.
Omuro was arrested on June 25, 2014, on a warrant issued following his indictment.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division
, U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag of the Northern District of California, Special Agent in Charge David J. Johnson of the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office and Special Agent in Charge José M. Martinez of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) San Francisco Office made the announcement.Eric Omuro, also known as “Red,” 53, of Mountain View, California, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick of the Northern District of California to using a facility of interstate commerce with the intent to facilitate prostitution. His co-defendant, Annemarie Lanoce, 40, of Rocklin, California, pleaded guilty on Nov. 20, 2014, for assisting Omuro with the operation of the myRedBook.com website. Omuro’s sentencing hearing is set for March 26, 2015, and Lanoce’s sentencing hearing is set for March 19, 2015.
As part of the plea agreement, Omuro admitted that from April 2010 until June 25, 2014, he owned, managed, and operated a website known as myRedBook.com, which was previously known as sfredbook.com. Omuro admitted that the website hosted advertisements posted by prostitutes containing explicit photos, graphic descriptions of sexual services offered, and rates for the sexual services. The advertisements were searchable by geographic location, including cities throughout California, other U.S. states, and Canada.
Omuro admitted that members of his website and prostitutes typically used acronyms for sex acts, which were defined in graphic detail in the website’s “Terms and Acronyms” section.While prostitutes could post advertisements for free, myRedBook.com offered additional options for a fee. For example, prostitutes could pay a fee to have their advertisement featured more prominently on the website. Similarly, customers could access myRedBook.com for free. If a customer purchased a membership, however, the customer obtained early and enhanced access to prostitute reviews, enhanced prostitute review search options, and access to additional VIP forums, among other things.
As part of the plea agreement, Omuro agreed to the forfeiture of the domain names sfRedBook.com and myRedBook.com and more than $1.28 million in cash and property as proceeds and other property involved in his unlawful activity.
Omuro was arrested on June 25, 2014, on a warrant issued following his indictment.
Specifics on Dismantling of Major Drug Distribution Organization in Nashville
A major Nashville drug distribution organization believed responsible for dealing in more than 200 pounds of cocaine this year alone has been dismantled after an 8-month investigation led to the identification of 19 mid to upper-level dealers, all of whom are now jailed.
The investigation, led by Metro police officers assigned to the 20th Judicial District Drug Task Force, culminated Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in arrests and the execution of 51 search warrants throughout the area. Seized were 59 pounds of cocaine, 71 pounds of marijuana, more than $449,000 cash, 70 guns, 19 cars, 15 motorcycles and 5 All-Terrain Vehicles.
“We know this drug network was responsible for funneling large amounts of cocaine to street dealers throughout the greater Nashville area,” said Chief Steve Anderson, who serves as a Drug Task Force board member along with District Attorney General Glenn Funk.
“Violence often associated with street cocaine sales endangers innocent families and drags down neighborhood quality of life,” Chief Anderson said. “Disrupting this type of cocaine traffic is very important for the overall health of our city.”
“Regardless of a drug network’s complexity, we will devote the resources necessary to fully investigate and prosecute those involved in sending and distributing cocaine, marijuana, heroin and any other controlled substances on Nashville’s streets,” General Funk said. “We will never know for sure the number of crimes that have been prevented by the interdiction that has taken place over the past few days.”
The case began in April after undercover detectives confirmed that Nicholas Moore, 33, of 4643 Clarksville Pike, was selling multi-ounce quantities of cocaine. Intense surveillance and investigative work revealed that one of Moore’s cocaine suppliers was Melvin Reed, 27, of 4124 Home Haven Drive, who was dealing in multiple kilogram quantities. Reed’s supplier was determined to be Reginald Cooper, 31, of 1177 Hunters Chase Drive in Franklin. The man supplying Cooper was identified as John Childrey, 35, of 1725 Simpkins Street, who is alleged to have been receiving cocaine from Mexico via Texas.
Two Texas brothers who just days ago are alleged to have delivered cocaine to the organization, Omar Zamarron, 30, and Nicholas Zamarron Jr., 24, were arrested at Nashville International Airport Sunday as they were about to board a plane to Dallas. Seized from them was $34,000 in cash. Both were then charged with money laundering and, like the other defendants, will be facing charges of engaging in a large-scale cocaine conspiracy.
In addition to the persons referenced above, the following individuals are alleged to have been part of the conspiracy as mid-level distributors of cocaine to street dealers:
• Jeffrey Doss, 35, of 173 Star Boulevard;
• Louis Turner, 35, of 3923 Alameda Street;
• Charles Potter, 32, of 1330 Wenlon Drive, Murfreesboro;
• Elton Price, 32, of 8102 Bonnafair Drive;
• Demarco Moore, 34, of 1037 Center Point Road, Hendersonville;
• Royce Lake, 29, of 602 Kerry Hawkins Road, Lavergne;
• Thomas Ford, 34, 4100 Pleasant Colony Drive;
• Jason Horton, 33, 706 Eric Drive;
• Richard Batey, 35, 2600-B Acklen Avenue;
• Patrick Stanford, 29, 1327 12th Avenue South;
• Julian Rivers, 26, 1177 Hunters Chase Drive, Franklin;
• James Bratten, 65, 5011 Rawlings Road, Joelton.
Defendant Alexis Springer, 31, of 608 Chestwick Court, is alleged to have aided the conspiracy by arranging for stash houses and money laundering activities.
Large quantities of cocaine were recovered from two locations: more than 20 pounds from 2231 Kirk Avenue (Childrey’s alleged stash house), and more than 20 pounds from 5725 Cedar Ash Crossing (Potter’s alleged stash house). The majority of the marijuana recovered came from Potter’s Murfreesboro residence and also from Cedar Ash Crossing.
Liens are being placed on at least four properties, the first step in the process to actually seize the land. Those address are:
• 1725 Simpkins Street (Childrey’s home);
• 2220 Buena Vista Pike (stash location);
• 2304 Buena Vista Pike (stash location);
• 3700 Brickmont Drive (stash house).
Assisting in this investigation were detectives from the police department’s
Specialized Investigations Division, MNPD Canine, Aviation & SWAT Units, Flex officers from the North & Midtown Hills Precincts, Crime Suppression Units from all 8 precincts, MDHA Task Force, DEA agents, the 21st and 18th Judicial District Drug Task Forces, narcotics officers from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, Lavergne Police Department, Wilson County Sheriff’s Office and the Maury County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation, led by Metro police officers assigned to the 20th Judicial District Drug Task Force, culminated Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in arrests and the execution of 51 search warrants throughout the area. Seized were 59 pounds of cocaine, 71 pounds of marijuana, more than $449,000 cash, 70 guns, 19 cars, 15 motorcycles and 5 All-Terrain Vehicles.
“We know this drug network was responsible for funneling large amounts of cocaine to street dealers throughout the greater Nashville area,” said Chief Steve Anderson, who serves as a Drug Task Force board member along with District Attorney General Glenn Funk.
“Violence often associated with street cocaine sales endangers innocent families and drags down neighborhood quality of life,” Chief Anderson said. “Disrupting this type of cocaine traffic is very important for the overall health of our city.”
“Regardless of a drug network’s complexity, we will devote the resources necessary to fully investigate and prosecute those involved in sending and distributing cocaine, marijuana, heroin and any other controlled substances on Nashville’s streets,” General Funk said. “We will never know for sure the number of crimes that have been prevented by the interdiction that has taken place over the past few days.”
The case began in April after undercover detectives confirmed that Nicholas Moore, 33, of 4643 Clarksville Pike, was selling multi-ounce quantities of cocaine. Intense surveillance and investigative work revealed that one of Moore’s cocaine suppliers was Melvin Reed, 27, of 4124 Home Haven Drive, who was dealing in multiple kilogram quantities. Reed’s supplier was determined to be Reginald Cooper, 31, of 1177 Hunters Chase Drive in Franklin. The man supplying Cooper was identified as John Childrey, 35, of 1725 Simpkins Street, who is alleged to have been receiving cocaine from Mexico via Texas.
Two Texas brothers who just days ago are alleged to have delivered cocaine to the organization, Omar Zamarron, 30, and Nicholas Zamarron Jr., 24, were arrested at Nashville International Airport Sunday as they were about to board a plane to Dallas. Seized from them was $34,000 in cash. Both were then charged with money laundering and, like the other defendants, will be facing charges of engaging in a large-scale cocaine conspiracy.
In addition to the persons referenced above, the following individuals are alleged to have been part of the conspiracy as mid-level distributors of cocaine to street dealers:
• Jeffrey Doss, 35, of 173 Star Boulevard;
• Louis Turner, 35, of 3923 Alameda Street;
• Charles Potter, 32, of 1330 Wenlon Drive, Murfreesboro;
• Elton Price, 32, of 8102 Bonnafair Drive;
• Demarco Moore, 34, of 1037 Center Point Road, Hendersonville;
• Royce Lake, 29, of 602 Kerry Hawkins Road, Lavergne;
• Thomas Ford, 34, 4100 Pleasant Colony Drive;
• Jason Horton, 33, 706 Eric Drive;
• Richard Batey, 35, 2600-B Acklen Avenue;
• Patrick Stanford, 29, 1327 12th Avenue South;
• Julian Rivers, 26, 1177 Hunters Chase Drive, Franklin;
• James Bratten, 65, 5011 Rawlings Road, Joelton.
Defendant Alexis Springer, 31, of 608 Chestwick Court, is alleged to have aided the conspiracy by arranging for stash houses and money laundering activities.
Large quantities of cocaine were recovered from two locations: more than 20 pounds from 2231 Kirk Avenue (Childrey’s alleged stash house), and more than 20 pounds from 5725 Cedar Ash Crossing (Potter’s alleged stash house). The majority of the marijuana recovered came from Potter’s Murfreesboro residence and also from Cedar Ash Crossing.
Liens are being placed on at least four properties, the first step in the process to actually seize the land. Those address are:
• 1725 Simpkins Street (Childrey’s home);
• 2220 Buena Vista Pike (stash location);
• 2304 Buena Vista Pike (stash location);
• 3700 Brickmont Drive (stash house).
Assisting in this investigation were detectives from the police department’s
Specialized Investigations Division, MNPD Canine, Aviation & SWAT Units, Flex officers from the North & Midtown Hills Precincts, Crime Suppression Units from all 8 precincts, MDHA Task Force, DEA agents, the 21st and 18th Judicial District Drug Task Forces, narcotics officers from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, Lavergne Police Department, Wilson County Sheriff’s Office and the Maury County Sheriff’s Office.
Details on Thomas Leonardis Guilty Plea Proceedings and Sentencing for Conspiring to Extort
The former president of International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) was sentenced to 22 months in prison for conspiring to extort ILA Local 1235 longshoremen on the New Jersey piers for Christmastime tribute payments, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman and Eastern District of New York U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch announced.
Thomas Leonardis, 57, of Glen Gardner, New Jersey, the president of the union from 2008 through 2011, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to Count Three of a second superseding indictment charging him with conspiring to extort Christmastime tributes from ILA Local 1235 members. Judge Cecchi imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
During their guilty plea proceedings, Leonardis—along with Vincent Aulisi, 82, of West Orange, New Jersey, the president of ILA Local 1235 from approximately 2006 through 2007; and Robert Ruiz, 56, of Watchung, New Jersey, the delegate of the union from approximately 2007 through 2010 and former ILA representative—admitted that they conspired with each other and others to compel tribute payments from ILA union members, who made the payments based on actual and threatened force, violence and fear. The timing of the extortions typically coincided with the receipt by certain ILA members of “Container Royalty Fund” checks, a form of year-end compensation. Leonardis and Ruiz were suspended from their positions following their arrest in January 2011. Aulisi had already retired from his employment on the New Jersey piers at the time of his arrest.
Charges are still pending against three defendants in the superseding indictment, including a racketeering conspiracy charge against Stephen Depiro, 59, of Kenilworth, New Jersey—a soldier in the Genovese organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra. Since at least 2005, Depiro has managed the Genovese family’s control over the New Jersey waterfront—including the nearly three-decades-long extortion of port workers in ILA Local 1, ILA Local 1235, and ILA Local 1478. Members of the Genovese family, including Depiro, are charged with conspiring to collect tribute payments from New Jersey port workers at Christmastime each year through their corrupt influence over union officials, including the last three presidents of Local 1235.
In addition to the prison term Judge Cecchi sentenced Leonardis to serve three years of supervised release.
Aulisi and Ruiz previously pleaded guilty before Judge Cecchi to conspiring to extort Christmastime tributes from ILA Local 1235 members. In October 2014, Aulisi and Ruiz were sentenced to 18 months and 20 months in prison, respectively.
Thomas Leonardis, 57, of Glen Gardner, New Jersey, the president of the union from 2008 through 2011, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to Count Three of a second superseding indictment charging him with conspiring to extort Christmastime tributes from ILA Local 1235 members. Judge Cecchi imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
During their guilty plea proceedings, Leonardis—along with Vincent Aulisi, 82, of West Orange, New Jersey, the president of ILA Local 1235 from approximately 2006 through 2007; and Robert Ruiz, 56, of Watchung, New Jersey, the delegate of the union from approximately 2007 through 2010 and former ILA representative—admitted that they conspired with each other and others to compel tribute payments from ILA union members, who made the payments based on actual and threatened force, violence and fear. The timing of the extortions typically coincided with the receipt by certain ILA members of “Container Royalty Fund” checks, a form of year-end compensation. Leonardis and Ruiz were suspended from their positions following their arrest in January 2011. Aulisi had already retired from his employment on the New Jersey piers at the time of his arrest.
Charges are still pending against three defendants in the superseding indictment, including a racketeering conspiracy charge against Stephen Depiro, 59, of Kenilworth, New Jersey—a soldier in the Genovese organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra. Since at least 2005, Depiro has managed the Genovese family’s control over the New Jersey waterfront—including the nearly three-decades-long extortion of port workers in ILA Local 1, ILA Local 1235, and ILA Local 1478. Members of the Genovese family, including Depiro, are charged with conspiring to collect tribute payments from New Jersey port workers at Christmastime each year through their corrupt influence over union officials, including the last three presidents of Local 1235.
In addition to the prison term Judge Cecchi sentenced Leonardis to serve three years of supervised release.
Aulisi and Ruiz previously pleaded guilty before Judge Cecchi to conspiring to extort Christmastime tributes from ILA Local 1235 members. In October 2014, Aulisi and Ruiz were sentenced to 18 months and 20 months in prison, respectively.
Indictment Returned on Courthouse Bomb Threats
United States Attorney Walt Green announced the filing of an indictment returned by a federal grand jury that charges BRIAN CAVALIER, age 33, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with two (2) counts of making threats by mail, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 844(e). If convicted, the defendant could face significant incarceration, fines, restitution, and supervised release following imprisonment.
The indictment alleges that on or about November 1, 2013, CAVALIER mailed a threatening letter to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana in which he falsely and maliciously conveyed that a bomb had been planted in the federal courthouse and that the bomb was set to detonate within twenty-four (24) hours. According to the indictment, approximately one month later, on or about December 2, 2013, CAVALIER mailed a second threatening letter, this time to the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge, which also falsely and maliciously conveyed that a bomb had been planted in the state courthouse and that the bomb would soon detonate.
U.S. Attorney Green stated: “My office takes threats to the safety and security of our community’s judicial and governmental offices very seriously. Specific and credible threats not only disrupt the functioning of our government and affect the daily lives of many individuals who live and work in our community, but they also divert law enforcement resources from more critical missions.”
The indictment alleges that on or about November 1, 2013, CAVALIER mailed a threatening letter to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana in which he falsely and maliciously conveyed that a bomb had been planted in the federal courthouse and that the bomb was set to detonate within twenty-four (24) hours. According to the indictment, approximately one month later, on or about December 2, 2013, CAVALIER mailed a second threatening letter, this time to the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge, which also falsely and maliciously conveyed that a bomb had been planted in the state courthouse and that the bomb would soon detonate.
U.S. Attorney Green stated: “My office takes threats to the safety and security of our community’s judicial and governmental offices very seriously. Specific and credible threats not only disrupt the functioning of our government and affect the daily lives of many individuals who live and work in our community, but they also divert law enforcement resources from more critical missions.”
Monday, December 08, 2014
"Inside the Shelton Gang: One Daughter's Discovery" By Ruthie Shelton and Jon Musgrave
Inside the Shelton Gang: One Daughter's Discovery
tells the true story of what happens when a father’s wall of secrets begin to crumble and a family’s lost heritage of violence erupts from the front pages of history.
For daughter Ruthie it’s a discovery that will forever change her life as she learns what it meant to be a Shelton in the days of Prohibition and the decades following, to be a member of a crime family that rivaled Al Capone’s for control of Illinois.
Friday, December 05, 2014
Sheriff of the Year Award Winner: Keep your politics away from our guns
No other instrument or object in American society is more vilified and maligned -- or evokes more emotion and passionate debate -- than the firearm. Any category of death by unnatural causes should get attention. However, when that death occurs as the result of a gun being illegally used, reason and logic are marginalized, myths become facts and emotion drives the conversation.
The problem with the gun in America is that the left has politicized it. An entire advocacy has been developed and is part of their political platform. Their call for gun control is deceptively wrapped around a theme of reducing street violence and mass killings. The flaw in their argument is that none of the remedies they offer to reduce these senseless acts has anything to do with why this violence occurs. For the anti-gun cabal, this is more about defeating a political adversary, the influential National Rifle Association, than it is about reducing gun violence.
Universal background checks and limiting magazine capacity are offered as reasonable approaches to reducing violence. Neither of these suggestions is directly associated with gun violence. Instead, these technical fixes frustrate the overwhelming number of law-abiding American gun owners.
Our system of jurisprudence is predicated on punishing those individuals directly involved in committing crime, not those who are not. Gun control has never worked to eradicate violence. The cities of Chicago and Washington have had some of the strictest gun laws in America, yet they continue to experience high levels of gun-related, violent crime.
A little-talked-about truth is that gun control in America has its roots in racism.
Its original intent was to keep firearms out of the hands of black people, more specifically, newly-freed slaves. As Charles C.W. Cooke noted in his article "The Great Equalizer," civil rights champion Ida B. Wells said this about the value of bearing arms, "...the only case where the proposed lynching (of a Black man) did not occur was where the men armed themselves."
She went on to say that the "lesson that teaches, and which every Afro-American should ponder well, is that a Winchester rifle should have a place of honor in every black home and it should be used for that protection which the law refuses to give."
In a recent New York Times article, Charles W. Cooke quoted civil rights champion Ida B. Wells on the value of bearing arms: "'...the only times an Afro-American who was assaulted got away has been when he had a gun and used it in self-defense.'" And, quoting her further: "'... a Winchester rifle should have a place of honor in every black home, and it should be used for that protection which the law refuses to give.'"
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass also supported the right of blacks to arm themselves to guard against mob violence. As noted in Stephen P. Halbrook's book, "That Every Man Be Armed: The Evolution of a Constitutional Right," Douglass believed that "slaves without arms" could never attain freedom. Even the U.S. Congress at the time recognized the key role that arming blacks played in the ending of slavery.
In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court granted Otis McDonald, a Chicago resident, that same protection by validating his right to keep and bear arms when they struck down the city's unreasonable gun control ordinance. McDonald sued Chicago, claiming that the restriction prevented him from protecting himself and his home from gang violence.
Preventing private citizens the right to arm themselves for their own defense is a de facto death sentence.
Here are more effective ways to reduce gun violence:
First, let's rid ourselves of the fantasy that strict gun control is even achievable. In his blog for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Marquette University law professor Rick Esenberg said that "such a conversation about gun violence should be tempered by constitutional, political and practical realities. We are not about to ban the private ownership of guns in the United States."
Second, end social engineering experiments in the criminal justice system that see criminal perpetrators in a warped view as victims of society to be treated leniently. Punishment, when applied early in a criminal's career, is an effective deterrent to crime.
Finally, stop conditioning society that guns are evil. They save many more lives than they take. Instead, start providing gun safety education that teaches people to respect firearms, not fear them.
Thanks to Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr..
Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke, Jr. is a lifelong resident of Milwaukee. He received the 2013 Sheriff of the Year Award from the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association for "staying true to his oath, true to his badge, and true to the people he has promised to serve and protect."
The problem with the gun in America is that the left has politicized it. An entire advocacy has been developed and is part of their political platform. Their call for gun control is deceptively wrapped around a theme of reducing street violence and mass killings. The flaw in their argument is that none of the remedies they offer to reduce these senseless acts has anything to do with why this violence occurs. For the anti-gun cabal, this is more about defeating a political adversary, the influential National Rifle Association, than it is about reducing gun violence.
Universal background checks and limiting magazine capacity are offered as reasonable approaches to reducing violence. Neither of these suggestions is directly associated with gun violence. Instead, these technical fixes frustrate the overwhelming number of law-abiding American gun owners.
Our system of jurisprudence is predicated on punishing those individuals directly involved in committing crime, not those who are not. Gun control has never worked to eradicate violence. The cities of Chicago and Washington have had some of the strictest gun laws in America, yet they continue to experience high levels of gun-related, violent crime.
A little-talked-about truth is that gun control in America has its roots in racism.
Its original intent was to keep firearms out of the hands of black people, more specifically, newly-freed slaves. As Charles C.W. Cooke noted in his article "The Great Equalizer," civil rights champion Ida B. Wells said this about the value of bearing arms, "...the only case where the proposed lynching (of a Black man) did not occur was where the men armed themselves."
She went on to say that the "lesson that teaches, and which every Afro-American should ponder well, is that a Winchester rifle should have a place of honor in every black home and it should be used for that protection which the law refuses to give."
In a recent New York Times article, Charles W. Cooke quoted civil rights champion Ida B. Wells on the value of bearing arms: "'...the only times an Afro-American who was assaulted got away has been when he had a gun and used it in self-defense.'" And, quoting her further: "'... a Winchester rifle should have a place of honor in every black home, and it should be used for that protection which the law refuses to give.'"
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass also supported the right of blacks to arm themselves to guard against mob violence. As noted in Stephen P. Halbrook's book, "That Every Man Be Armed: The Evolution of a Constitutional Right," Douglass believed that "slaves without arms" could never attain freedom. Even the U.S. Congress at the time recognized the key role that arming blacks played in the ending of slavery.
In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court granted Otis McDonald, a Chicago resident, that same protection by validating his right to keep and bear arms when they struck down the city's unreasonable gun control ordinance. McDonald sued Chicago, claiming that the restriction prevented him from protecting himself and his home from gang violence.
Preventing private citizens the right to arm themselves for their own defense is a de facto death sentence.
Here are more effective ways to reduce gun violence:
First, let's rid ourselves of the fantasy that strict gun control is even achievable. In his blog for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Marquette University law professor Rick Esenberg said that "such a conversation about gun violence should be tempered by constitutional, political and practical realities. We are not about to ban the private ownership of guns in the United States."
Second, end social engineering experiments in the criminal justice system that see criminal perpetrators in a warped view as victims of society to be treated leniently. Punishment, when applied early in a criminal's career, is an effective deterrent to crime.
Finally, stop conditioning society that guns are evil. They save many more lives than they take. Instead, start providing gun safety education that teaches people to respect firearms, not fear them.
Thanks to Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr..
Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke, Jr. is a lifelong resident of Milwaukee. He received the 2013 Sheriff of the Year Award from the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association for "staying true to his oath, true to his badge, and true to the people he has promised to serve and protect."
Wednesday, December 03, 2014
14 Charged in Large Scale Sports Betting Operation
Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe today announced the arrests of 14 individuals on charges of unlawfully operating a sports betting enterprise that stretched from Rockland County to New York City and from Bergen County, New Jersey to Palm Beach, Florida. It is estimated that the ring took in millions of dollars a month over a 16-month period by accepting wagers on a wide variety of sporting events – ranging from professional football, basketball, hockey and baseball to college basketball, among others.
District Attorney Zugibe said, “The defendants are accused of operating an incredibly lucrative gambling operation – taking in millions of dollars a month. Such unlawfully earned profits are commonly diverted to more insidious criminal enterprises. In fact, the investigation uncovered evidence that the enterprise had links to organized crime.”
The defendants - who range in age from 27 to 74, are charged with Promoting Gambling, Possession of Gambling Records, Money Laundering and other offenses. Based on information obtained during the probe, there were approximately 60 court authorized search warrants in New York, New Jersey and Florida. To date more than $3 million dollars in cash and other properties have been seized.
The defendants arraigned before Clarkstown Town Justice
"Illegal gambling is not a victimless crime. Those who participate in these criminal enterprises often use threats, intimidation and even physical force to collect debts and regularly charge usurious interest rates on outstanding debts. In addition to our local and state partners, I want to thank our federal law enforcement colleagues and out-of-state police authorities for their cooperation and
efforts in this sweeping probe,” said Zugibe.
All of the defendants were arraigned before Clarkstown Town Justice Rolf Thorsen. All defendants were released on their own recognizance.
This is an ongoing investigation and it is anticipated that there will be further arrests.
District Attorney Zugibe said, “The defendants are accused of operating an incredibly lucrative gambling operation – taking in millions of dollars a month. Such unlawfully earned profits are commonly diverted to more insidious criminal enterprises. In fact, the investigation uncovered evidence that the enterprise had links to organized crime.”
The defendants - who range in age from 27 to 74, are charged with Promoting Gambling, Possession of Gambling Records, Money Laundering and other offenses. Based on information obtained during the probe, there were approximately 60 court authorized search warrants in New York, New Jersey and Florida. To date more than $3 million dollars in cash and other properties have been seized.
The defendants arraigned before Clarkstown Town Justice
- Patsy Capolongo, 8210 Spyglass Dr, West Palm Beach, Florida charged with Promoting Gambling in the First degree and possession of gambling records in the first degree.
- Carmine Potenza, 93 N. Pilgrim, Pearl River, NY charged with Promoting Gambling in the First degree and possession of gambling records in the first degree.
- Harry Floershiem, 6 Mountain View Dr, Tompkins Cove, NY charged with Promoting Gambling in the First degree and possession of gambling records in the first degree.
- Thomas Feeney, 6 College Rd, Nanuet, NY charged with Promoting Gambling in the First degree and possession of gambling records in the firs tdegree.
- Brian E. Kelly, 23 Carlton Rd, Pearl River, NY charged with Promoting Gambling in the First degree and possession of gambling records in the second degree
- Richard Simko, 5 Herbet Ct, Tomkins Cove, NY charged with Promoting Gambling in the second degree and possession of gambling records in the first degree, and criminal possession of a weapon in the 4th degree
- Richard Lacava, 622 Pelhamdale Ave, Pelham Manor, NY charged with Promoting Gambling in the First degree and possession of gambling records in the first degree
- Eric Wachter, 2430 Stuart St, Brooklyn, NY charged with Money Laundering in the Fourth degree
- John Tognino, 3191 Ampere Ave, Bronx, NY charged with Promoting Gambling in the First degree and possession of gambling records in the first degree.
- Robert Wisiak, 7356 196th St, Queens, NY charged with Promoting Gambling in the First degree and possession of gambling records in the first degree.
"Illegal gambling is not a victimless crime. Those who participate in these criminal enterprises often use threats, intimidation and even physical force to collect debts and regularly charge usurious interest rates on outstanding debts. In addition to our local and state partners, I want to thank our federal law enforcement colleagues and out-of-state police authorities for their cooperation and
efforts in this sweeping probe,” said Zugibe.
All of the defendants were arraigned before Clarkstown Town Justice Rolf Thorsen. All defendants were released on their own recognizance.
This is an ongoing investigation and it is anticipated that there will be further arrests.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Investigations to Proceed on #OperationChokePoint
As reported last month, a coalition of congressional representatives led by Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) had requested internal investigators at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to conduct formal inquiries into Operation Choke Point, as well as any officials and staff involved in the program. Rep. Luetkemeyer is now reporting that those requests have been granted. According to his press release announcing the decisions, “The correspondence I received from the FDIC and DOJ is a great first step in ensuring that those responsible for Operation Choke Point are held accountable and that Congress and the American people receive details and answers they deserve.”
Over the past year, the NRA has reported at length on the abuses of Operation Choke Point, an enforcement program involving DOJ and FDIC (among other agencies) that claims to target financial fraud, but in reality is being used to choke off banking services to legitimate, although politically-disfavored, businesses. These businesses include retailers of firearms and ammunition, a number of which have found their banking relationships abruptly severed with little or no explanation and without reference to anything the individual businesses did or did not do. Earlier this year, a congressional report based on examination of nearly 900 internal DOJ documents found that the operation's adverse effect on legitimate businesses was not merely an unintended side-effect but the outcome of a deliberate attempt to target entire business sectors that, while legal, were deemed objectionable by regulators.
Many questions about the program remain, including who decided which business sectors should be targeted, the extent of coordination between the agencies involved, and who within the Obama administration knew of or encouraged the activity. The forthcoming investigations should hopefully shed light on these and other important issues. What is clear is that DOJ and FDIC have a lot of explaining to do.
The NRA remains committed to shedding light on the abusive practices of Operation Choke Point. While other attempts to reign in Choke Point are underway -- including legislation and litigation by affected members of the financial services industry -- the ultimate solutions to such rank abuse of investigative and enforcement authorities is to ensure they are clearly revealed for what they are and to pinpoint the decision-makers and planners involved. Legislation and court orders, while beneficial and certainly indicated in addressing Operation Choke Point, are no substitute for integrity, sound discretion, and professional ethics. In this regard, Operation Choke Point may have more to say about the character of those administering the system than about the soundness of the system itself.
Over the past year, the NRA has reported at length on the abuses of Operation Choke Point, an enforcement program involving DOJ and FDIC (among other agencies) that claims to target financial fraud, but in reality is being used to choke off banking services to legitimate, although politically-disfavored, businesses. These businesses include retailers of firearms and ammunition, a number of which have found their banking relationships abruptly severed with little or no explanation and without reference to anything the individual businesses did or did not do. Earlier this year, a congressional report based on examination of nearly 900 internal DOJ documents found that the operation's adverse effect on legitimate businesses was not merely an unintended side-effect but the outcome of a deliberate attempt to target entire business sectors that, while legal, were deemed objectionable by regulators.
Many questions about the program remain, including who decided which business sectors should be targeted, the extent of coordination between the agencies involved, and who within the Obama administration knew of or encouraged the activity. The forthcoming investigations should hopefully shed light on these and other important issues. What is clear is that DOJ and FDIC have a lot of explaining to do.
The NRA remains committed to shedding light on the abusive practices of Operation Choke Point. While other attempts to reign in Choke Point are underway -- including legislation and litigation by affected members of the financial services industry -- the ultimate solutions to such rank abuse of investigative and enforcement authorities is to ensure they are clearly revealed for what they are and to pinpoint the decision-makers and planners involved. Legislation and court orders, while beneficial and certainly indicated in addressing Operation Choke Point, are no substitute for integrity, sound discretion, and professional ethics. In this regard, Operation Choke Point may have more to say about the character of those administering the system than about the soundness of the system itself.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Black Hand CEO, Charles “Chaz” Williams Files Second Lawsuit Against BET, @BETNETWORKS
Black Hand CEO, Charles “Chaz” Williams has filed a five million dollar ($5,000,000) lawsuit against BET Networks for tortious interference, defamation, and unfair business practice. The lawsuit, filed in Queens County, Supreme Court on September 24, 2014 is based on BET’s action in including Mr. Williams in a feature on its website under the title “INFAMOUS MUSIC MANAGERS”. Mr. Williams was named alongside other music managers including Pebbles, Jerry Heller, Lou Pearlman, Chris Stokes, Maurice Starr, and others. The story went on to state, “in 2003, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson accused him of participating in a 2000 shooting that almost killed the rap star.” Something to which Mr. Williams has never been legally implicated, charged, or convicted.
Mr. Williams alleged that BET acted with reckless, negligent, and malicious intent by printing unsubstantiated and false information about a criminal offense involving the attempt murder of 50 Cent. Mr. Williams stated, “I absolutely had nothing to do with the 50 Cent shooting. I have never been charged with or convicted of any offense against 50. There is no evidence or legal documentation in any federal or state court, nothing presented to a grand jury, or in any law enforcement file that support’s BET’s article…”
In the state lawsuit, it is also alleged that BET acted in retaliation for an earlier $20.5 million dollar copyright infringement lawsuit filed in federal court in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in 2013, against BET, A&E Networks, Apple, Netflix, Amazon, and Best Buy. That lawsuit is based on the unauthorized use of material Mr. Williams registered for copyright with the Library of Congress in 1999 and which BET incorporated in an episode of its American Gangster series featuring Mr. Williams, (CHAZ WILLIAMS, ARMED & DANGEROUS), and later distributed, licensed, and sold by the others named in the lawsuit. The copyright was filed by Mr. Williams just prior to a one (1) year story rights option film deal with Roc-A-Fella Films, a company once owned by Jay Z and Dame Dash. Mr. Williams went on to state, “…this is an ongoing thing with BET, another example of big business flexing and profiting off someone’s story without proper compensation. I’ve had issues with them in the past and they don’t stop. But let’s be clear, 50 Cent has never implicated me in any criminal activity in any court of law or to any law enforcement; to say otherwise, is irresponsible reporting on BET’s part.”
Mr. Williams and BET are scheduled to appear in both federal and state court in December
Mr. Williams alleged that BET acted with reckless, negligent, and malicious intent by printing unsubstantiated and false information about a criminal offense involving the attempt murder of 50 Cent. Mr. Williams stated, “I absolutely had nothing to do with the 50 Cent shooting. I have never been charged with or convicted of any offense against 50. There is no evidence or legal documentation in any federal or state court, nothing presented to a grand jury, or in any law enforcement file that support’s BET’s article…”
In the state lawsuit, it is also alleged that BET acted in retaliation for an earlier $20.5 million dollar copyright infringement lawsuit filed in federal court in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in 2013, against BET, A&E Networks, Apple, Netflix, Amazon, and Best Buy. That lawsuit is based on the unauthorized use of material Mr. Williams registered for copyright with the Library of Congress in 1999 and which BET incorporated in an episode of its American Gangster series featuring Mr. Williams, (CHAZ WILLIAMS, ARMED & DANGEROUS), and later distributed, licensed, and sold by the others named in the lawsuit. The copyright was filed by Mr. Williams just prior to a one (1) year story rights option film deal with Roc-A-Fella Films, a company once owned by Jay Z and Dame Dash. Mr. Williams went on to state, “…this is an ongoing thing with BET, another example of big business flexing and profiting off someone’s story without proper compensation. I’ve had issues with them in the past and they don’t stop. But let’s be clear, 50 Cent has never implicated me in any criminal activity in any court of law or to any law enforcement; to say otherwise, is irresponsible reporting on BET’s part.”
Mr. Williams and BET are scheduled to appear in both federal and state court in December
5 things you might not know about JFK's assassination
This year will mark 51 years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963. Whether you were alive at the time or not, you probably know that Lee Harvey Oswald killed the President, only to be fatally gunned down by Jack Ruby two days later.
You probably also know there are hundreds of conspiracy theories about who was behind the assassination, and whether Oswald was the lone gunman or if there was another shooter on the infamous grassy knoll.
Here are five things you may not know about the assassination of the 35th president of the United States:
1. Oswald wasn't arrested for JFK killing
Lee Harvey Oswald was actually arrested for fatally shooting a police officer, Dallas patrolman J.D. Tippitt, 45 minutes after killing Kennedy. He denied killing either one and, as he was being transferred to county jail two days later, he was shot and killed by Dallas nightclub operator Jack Ruby.
2. Assassinating the president wasn't a federal crime in 1963
Despite the assassinations of three U.S. presidents -- Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield and William McKinley -- killing or attempting to harm a president wasn't a federal offense until 1965, two years after Kennedy's death.
3. TV networks suspended shows for four days
On November 22, 1963, at 12:40 p.m. CST -- just 10 minutes after President Kennedy was shot -- CBS broadcast the first nationwide TV news bulletin on the shooting. After that, all three television networks -- CBS, NBC, and ABC -- interrupted their regular programming to cover the assassination for four straight days. The JFK assassination was the longest uninterrupted news event on television until the coverage of the September 11 attacks in 2001.
4. It led to the first and only time a woman swore in a U.S. president
Hours after the assassination, Vice President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president aboard Air Force One, with Jacqueline Kennedy at his side, an event captured in an iconic photograph. Federal Judge Sarah Hughes administered the oath, the only woman ever to do so.
5. Oswald had tried to assassinate Kennedy foe
Eight months before Oswald assassinated JFK, he tried to kill an outspoken anti-communist, former U.S. Army Gen. Edwin Walker. After his resignation from the U.S. Army in 1961, Walker became an outspoken critic of the Kennedy administration and actively opposed the move to racially integrate schools in the South. The Warren Commission, charged with investigating Kennedy's 1963 assassination, found that Oswald had tried to shoot and kill Walker while the retired general was inside his home. Walker suffered minor injuries from bullet fragments.
You probably also know there are hundreds of conspiracy theories about who was behind the assassination, and whether Oswald was the lone gunman or if there was another shooter on the infamous grassy knoll.
Here are five things you may not know about the assassination of the 35th president of the United States:
1. Oswald wasn't arrested for JFK killing
Lee Harvey Oswald was actually arrested for fatally shooting a police officer, Dallas patrolman J.D. Tippitt, 45 minutes after killing Kennedy. He denied killing either one and, as he was being transferred to county jail two days later, he was shot and killed by Dallas nightclub operator Jack Ruby.
2. Assassinating the president wasn't a federal crime in 1963
Despite the assassinations of three U.S. presidents -- Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield and William McKinley -- killing or attempting to harm a president wasn't a federal offense until 1965, two years after Kennedy's death.
3. TV networks suspended shows for four days
On November 22, 1963, at 12:40 p.m. CST -- just 10 minutes after President Kennedy was shot -- CBS broadcast the first nationwide TV news bulletin on the shooting. After that, all three television networks -- CBS, NBC, and ABC -- interrupted their regular programming to cover the assassination for four straight days. The JFK assassination was the longest uninterrupted news event on television until the coverage of the September 11 attacks in 2001.
4. It led to the first and only time a woman swore in a U.S. president
Hours after the assassination, Vice President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president aboard Air Force One, with Jacqueline Kennedy at his side, an event captured in an iconic photograph. Federal Judge Sarah Hughes administered the oath, the only woman ever to do so.
5. Oswald had tried to assassinate Kennedy foe
Eight months before Oswald assassinated JFK, he tried to kill an outspoken anti-communist, former U.S. Army Gen. Edwin Walker. After his resignation from the U.S. Army in 1961, Walker became an outspoken critic of the Kennedy administration and actively opposed the move to racially integrate schools in the South. The Warren Commission, charged with investigating Kennedy's 1963 assassination, found that Oswald had tried to shoot and kill Walker while the retired general was inside his home. Walker suffered minor injuries from bullet fragments.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Al Sharpton Investigation Finds Millions in State and Federal Taxes owed by @TheRevAl, his non-profit company @NationalAction, and his for-profit company Raw Talent and Revals Communications
An investigation by The New York Times found that Rev. Al Sharpton owes more than $4.5 million in current state and federal taxes.
The figure includes taxes from Sharpton's personal income as well as from his for-profit company, Raw Talent and Revals Communications. Sharpton apparently owes more than $3 million in personal federal tax liens and $777,657 in state tax liens. Raw Talent and Revals Communications, meanwhile, owe another $717,329 in state and federal tax liens.
Sharpton's non-profit company, the National Action Network, has apparently underpaid the government federal taxes as well. The National Action Network's tax liability increased from $900,000 in 2003 to almost $1.9 million in 2006.
The figure includes taxes from Sharpton's personal income as well as from his for-profit company, Raw Talent and Revals Communications. Sharpton apparently owes more than $3 million in personal federal tax liens and $777,657 in state tax liens. Raw Talent and Revals Communications, meanwhile, owe another $717,329 in state and federal tax liens.
Sharpton's non-profit company, the National Action Network, has apparently underpaid the government federal taxes as well. The National Action Network's tax liability increased from $900,000 in 2003 to almost $1.9 million in 2006.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Beltran Veyva Drug Cartel Kingpin Extradited to United States from Mexico
One of the alleged leaders of the Beltran Leyva Organization, a Mexican drug-trafficking cartel responsible for importing multi-ton quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States, was extradited to the United States from Mexico on Nov. 15, 2014, and made an initial appearance yesterday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Kay of the District of Columbia.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director Joseph S. Campbell of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, New York Division Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Executive Associate Director Peter T. Edge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) made the announcement.
“Over the past two decades, the Beltran Leyva Cartel has distributed tens of thousands of kilograms of dangerous narcotics and engaged in a campaign of violence that sparked drug wars and jeopardized public safety across North America,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. “Today’s extradition of alleged kingpin Alfredo Beltran Leyva is an important step toward stamping out an organization that has ruined the lives of so many. The Justice Department is committed to working with our international partners to bring the rest of the organization to justice.”
“The arrest and extradition of Alfredo Beltran Leyva represents a significant milestone in combating transnational criminal organizations,” said FBI Assistant Director Campbell. “It is through collaborative efforts with our law enforcement partners that the United States will stem the tide of this continuing threat.”
“For years Alfredo Beltran Leyva, along with his brothers, was responsible for not only smuggling tons of cocaine to the United States, but also for the violence that has plagued the lives of Mexican citizens,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Hunt. “His extradition to the United States is an example of a commitment to international cooperation and the rule of law.”
“The illegal drugs distributed throughout the United States by the Beltran Levya Cartel ruined countless lives in this country and sowed violence and chaos throughout Mexico,” said HSI Executive Associate Director Edge. “The arrest and extradition of Alfredo Beltran Levya to face justice here for his crimes is a great victory for ICE HSI and our partner agencies.”
Alfredo Beltran Levya, 43, was indicted on Aug. 24, 2012, for international narcotics trafficking conspiracy in connection with his leadership role in theinternational drug-trafficking cartel bearing his family name.
According to a motion for pretrial detention filed by prosecutors, between the early 1990s until his January 2008 arrest by Mexican law enforcement, Beltran Levya allegedly led the Beltran Levya Organization with his brothers Hector Beltran Levya and Arturo Beltran Levya, the latter of whom was killed in a December 2009 shootout with the Mexican army. Since the 1990s, the Beltran Levya Organization, together with the Sinaloa Cartel, allegedly directed a large-scale drug transportation network, shipping multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America, through Central America and Mexico, and finally into the United States via land, air and sea. The organization also employed “sicarios,” or hitmen, who allegedly carried out hundreds of acts of violence, including murders, kidnappings, tortures and violent collections of drug debts, at the direction of the organization.
Following the January 2008 arrest of Alfredo Beltran Leyva by Mexican law enforcement authorities, the Beltran Leyva Organization severed its relationship with the Sinaloa Cartel, which was blamed for the arrest. This resulted in a violent war between the two drug cartels, and the murder of thousands of citizens in Mexico, including numerous law enforcement officers and officials.
On May 30, 2008, the President added the Beltran Leyva Organization to the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. On Aug. 20, 2009, the President specifically designated Beltran Leyva as a specially designated drug trafficker under the same Kingpin Act.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director Joseph S. Campbell of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, New York Division Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Executive Associate Director Peter T. Edge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) made the announcement.
“Over the past two decades, the Beltran Leyva Cartel has distributed tens of thousands of kilograms of dangerous narcotics and engaged in a campaign of violence that sparked drug wars and jeopardized public safety across North America,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. “Today’s extradition of alleged kingpin Alfredo Beltran Leyva is an important step toward stamping out an organization that has ruined the lives of so many. The Justice Department is committed to working with our international partners to bring the rest of the organization to justice.”
“The arrest and extradition of Alfredo Beltran Leyva represents a significant milestone in combating transnational criminal organizations,” said FBI Assistant Director Campbell. “It is through collaborative efforts with our law enforcement partners that the United States will stem the tide of this continuing threat.”
“For years Alfredo Beltran Leyva, along with his brothers, was responsible for not only smuggling tons of cocaine to the United States, but also for the violence that has plagued the lives of Mexican citizens,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Hunt. “His extradition to the United States is an example of a commitment to international cooperation and the rule of law.”
“The illegal drugs distributed throughout the United States by the Beltran Levya Cartel ruined countless lives in this country and sowed violence and chaos throughout Mexico,” said HSI Executive Associate Director Edge. “The arrest and extradition of Alfredo Beltran Levya to face justice here for his crimes is a great victory for ICE HSI and our partner agencies.”
Alfredo Beltran Levya, 43, was indicted on Aug. 24, 2012, for international narcotics trafficking conspiracy in connection with his leadership role in theinternational drug-trafficking cartel bearing his family name.
According to a motion for pretrial detention filed by prosecutors, between the early 1990s until his January 2008 arrest by Mexican law enforcement, Beltran Levya allegedly led the Beltran Levya Organization with his brothers Hector Beltran Levya and Arturo Beltran Levya, the latter of whom was killed in a December 2009 shootout with the Mexican army. Since the 1990s, the Beltran Levya Organization, together with the Sinaloa Cartel, allegedly directed a large-scale drug transportation network, shipping multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America, through Central America and Mexico, and finally into the United States via land, air and sea. The organization also employed “sicarios,” or hitmen, who allegedly carried out hundreds of acts of violence, including murders, kidnappings, tortures and violent collections of drug debts, at the direction of the organization.
Following the January 2008 arrest of Alfredo Beltran Leyva by Mexican law enforcement authorities, the Beltran Leyva Organization severed its relationship with the Sinaloa Cartel, which was blamed for the arrest. This resulted in a violent war between the two drug cartels, and the murder of thousands of citizens in Mexico, including numerous law enforcement officers and officials.
On May 30, 2008, the President added the Beltran Leyva Organization to the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. On Aug. 20, 2009, the President specifically designated Beltran Leyva as a specially designated drug trafficker under the same Kingpin Act.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
U.N. convention against organized crime Ratified by Barbados
The Government of Barbados has ratified the U.N. Convention on Transnational Organized Crime as well as three supplementary protocols dealing with human trafficking and firearms.
Parties to the Convention accept "the obligation to criminalize participation in an organized criminal group, money laundering, corruption and the obstruction of justice," the Barbadian government said in a statement.
Joseph Goddard, permanent representative of Barbados to the United Nations, handed over the instrument of ratification at U.N. Headquarters in New York.
Barbados also ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children; the Protocol against Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air; and the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition.
The Convention's aim is to promote cooperation between states to prevent and fight international organized crime more effectively.
The pact is composed of 41 articles outlining a framework to eliminate safe havens for criminal organizations, protect witnesses and stop money laundering.
Parties to the Convention accept "the obligation to criminalize participation in an organized criminal group, money laundering, corruption and the obstruction of justice," the Barbadian government said in a statement.
Joseph Goddard, permanent representative of Barbados to the United Nations, handed over the instrument of ratification at U.N. Headquarters in New York.
Barbados also ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children; the Protocol against Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air; and the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition.
The Convention's aim is to promote cooperation between states to prevent and fight international organized crime more effectively.
The pact is composed of 41 articles outlining a framework to eliminate safe havens for criminal organizations, protect witnesses and stop money laundering.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Eliezer Lazo Sentenced to 175 Months in Prison for Extortion Conspiracy
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Alysa D. Erichs, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), Miami Field Office, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announce the sentencing of Eliezer Lazo, 41, of Miami-Dade County. U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard sentenced Lazo to 175 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In addition, the Court ordered Lazo to pay a $17,500 fine, and to forfeit his right to $1.49 million in cash, several real properties and a vehicle.
Lazo pled guilty to one count of conspiring to commit extortion for his role in an alien smuggling operation that moved approximately 1,000 Cuban migrants from Cuba to Mexico, and then the United States. According to court documents, many of the Cuban migrants pre-paid for their illegal journey to the United States. Other migrants were Cuban baseball players who paid for the journey by entering into a contract with Lazo’s company—Estrellas del Beisbol—in which the migrants agreed to pay Lazo a share of their respective earnings from U.S. baseball teams. A third group of migrants, comprising of approximately 100 migrants, did not pre-pay for their journey and were held and restrained in Mexico. These migrants were beaten during phone calls with family members who were forced to pay $10,000 for the release of their relatives.
Lazo pled guilty to one count of conspiring to commit extortion for his role in an alien smuggling operation that moved approximately 1,000 Cuban migrants from Cuba to Mexico, and then the United States. According to court documents, many of the Cuban migrants pre-paid for their illegal journey to the United States. Other migrants were Cuban baseball players who paid for the journey by entering into a contract with Lazo’s company—Estrellas del Beisbol—in which the migrants agreed to pay Lazo a share of their respective earnings from U.S. baseball teams. A third group of migrants, comprising of approximately 100 migrants, did not pre-pay for their journey and were held and restrained in Mexico. These migrants were beaten during phone calls with family members who were forced to pay $10,000 for the release of their relatives.
Thursday, November 06, 2014
Washington Political Consultant Thomas Lindenfeld Pleads Guilty in Fraud and Corruption Scheme
Political consultant Thomas Lindenfeld, 59, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in a fraud and corruption scheme related to illegal campaign contributions.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Hanko of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Richard Gross of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement.
According to admissions in his plea agreement, Lindenfeld agreed to route an illegal $1 million political contribution for “U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah” during a 2007 campaign for elected office. The contribution was in the form of a loan routed through Lindenfeld’s political consulting firm, LSG Strategic Services Corporation (LSG). When the campaign donor attempted to collect on the outstanding balance of the $1 million loan, however, Lindenfeld and his co-conspirators, at the direction of U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, engaged in a complicated series of transactions using federal grant money and monies from Sallie Mae’s charitable arm illegally to repay the loan. These transactions were routed through several entities, including LSG, and were all falsely labeled as payments for services that were never actually rendered.
Lindenfeld admitted that, in exchange for the work he had done on the campaign, which included concealing the illegal campaign contribution, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah agreed to use his elected position to steer federal funding to Lindenfeld’s proposed environmental advocacy group, Blue Guardians. Lindenfeld further admitted that he created Blue Guardians at the direction of Elected Official A for the purpose of receiving the federal funding.
According to Lindenfeld, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah advocated for $15 million in federal funding for Blue Guardians as a reward for Lindenfeld’s services. Five hundred thousand dollars was approved in 2009 as an earmark through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Lindenfeld admitted, however, that the Blue Guardians did not exist in December 2009, and that he only created an email address, articles of incorporation, and a tax identification number for Blue Guardians in April 2010. After receiving questions from NOAA and members of the press, Lindenfeld declined the funding, stating that he and U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah decided it could be better spent on the oil spill in the Gulf. NOAA did not disburse the $500,000 to Lindenfeld or Blue Guardians.
U.S. District Court Judge Harvey Bartle III scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 25, 2015.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Hanko of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Richard Gross of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement.
According to admissions in his plea agreement, Lindenfeld agreed to route an illegal $1 million political contribution for “U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah” during a 2007 campaign for elected office. The contribution was in the form of a loan routed through Lindenfeld’s political consulting firm, LSG Strategic Services Corporation (LSG). When the campaign donor attempted to collect on the outstanding balance of the $1 million loan, however, Lindenfeld and his co-conspirators, at the direction of U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, engaged in a complicated series of transactions using federal grant money and monies from Sallie Mae’s charitable arm illegally to repay the loan. These transactions were routed through several entities, including LSG, and were all falsely labeled as payments for services that were never actually rendered.
Lindenfeld admitted that, in exchange for the work he had done on the campaign, which included concealing the illegal campaign contribution, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah agreed to use his elected position to steer federal funding to Lindenfeld’s proposed environmental advocacy group, Blue Guardians. Lindenfeld further admitted that he created Blue Guardians at the direction of Elected Official A for the purpose of receiving the federal funding.
According to Lindenfeld, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah advocated for $15 million in federal funding for Blue Guardians as a reward for Lindenfeld’s services. Five hundred thousand dollars was approved in 2009 as an earmark through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Lindenfeld admitted, however, that the Blue Guardians did not exist in December 2009, and that he only created an email address, articles of incorporation, and a tax identification number for Blue Guardians in April 2010. After receiving questions from NOAA and members of the press, Lindenfeld declined the funding, stating that he and U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah decided it could be better spent on the oil spill in the Gulf. NOAA did not disburse the $500,000 to Lindenfeld or Blue Guardians.
U.S. District Court Judge Harvey Bartle III scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 25, 2015.
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
Mob Film 'Idol's Eye' Shuts Down Production,
Deadline reports that the film’s production company and financier Benaroya Pictures has decided to cut off financing for the movie due to the producers’ failure to meet financing deadlines; the film was expected to begin filming in Chicago and Toronto in October. The film would have starred Robert DeNiro, Robert Pattinson, and Rachel Weisz.
Benaroya Pictures released a statement regarding the production’s shut down:
Idol’s Eye is a multilayered crime thriller surrounding the mob world, following the true story of a crew of robbers who were murdered after robbing the home of Chicago mob boss Tony “Big Tuna” Accardo in 1978. Assayas has recently been on the festival circuit celebrating his most recent film, Clouds of Sils Maria, starring Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart.
Benaroya Pictures released a statement regarding the production’s shut down:
“The company cannot continue to put its investment at risk and has been forced to stop cash flowing the production. This is something all of us wanted to avoid, but due to the producers missing a number of financing criteria deadlines that were mutually established by all parties, we were left with no other options. Benaroya Pictures plans to retain the rights of the film and move forward with production on the picture after we generate a revised script and assemble a new filmmaking team.”
Idol’s Eye is a multilayered crime thriller surrounding the mob world, following the true story of a crew of robbers who were murdered after robbing the home of Chicago mob boss Tony “Big Tuna” Accardo in 1978. Assayas has recently been on the festival circuit celebrating his most recent film, Clouds of Sils Maria, starring Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart.
Tuesday, November 04, 2014
Stand in Line to Vote Today or You Could Be Standing in Line to Register Your Guns Tomorrow
The future of our Second Amendment rights comes down to one day— Election Day—Tuesday, November 4.
Tuesday’s elections are the most important of our lifetime. Our fundamental right to keep and bear arms has never been in greater jeopardy. This election cycle, we face the best organized and most well-funded attack on our freedom since our forefathers put pen to paper to ensure our Second Amendment rights.
As a Second Amendment supporter, you belong to one of the most effective civil rights advocacy organizations in the country. But make no mistake; our opposition is not to be underestimated. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has declared war on the NRA and the Second Amendment. We must not sit back and let him use his billions of dollars to impose his radical and elitist anti-gun agenda on the American people.
Your vote on Tuesday could ensure the strength of the Second Amendment for generations to come. Stay home, and we will only be able to watch as anti-gun politicians advance and enact legislation to erode our rights and disarm the American people. We must be sure our collective voices are heard loudly and clearly on Tuesday— the future of our freedom depends on it!
To ensure you know which candidates support or oppose our Second Amendment rights prior to voting on Tuesday, please visit www.NRAPVF.org.
Without the hard work of millions of NRA members, our right to keep and bear arms would have already been rendered all but meaningless, just as it has for the people of Australia and England, places that President Obama cites as model gun control jurisdictions.
We salute our members and their determination to win each and every battle, and the culmination of that battle is Election Day on Tuesday. You, the voters, ultimately determine America’s fate this year and for years to come. Freedom can be lost or gained incrementally. Your votes on Tuesday will ultimately determine which way the fate of our freedoms will sway. Now is your time to stand and fight!
Yours in freedom,
Chris W. Cox
NRA-ILA Executive Director
Tuesday’s elections are the most important of our lifetime. Our fundamental right to keep and bear arms has never been in greater jeopardy. This election cycle, we face the best organized and most well-funded attack on our freedom since our forefathers put pen to paper to ensure our Second Amendment rights.
As a Second Amendment supporter, you belong to one of the most effective civil rights advocacy organizations in the country. But make no mistake; our opposition is not to be underestimated. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has declared war on the NRA and the Second Amendment. We must not sit back and let him use his billions of dollars to impose his radical and elitist anti-gun agenda on the American people.
Your vote on Tuesday could ensure the strength of the Second Amendment for generations to come. Stay home, and we will only be able to watch as anti-gun politicians advance and enact legislation to erode our rights and disarm the American people. We must be sure our collective voices are heard loudly and clearly on Tuesday— the future of our freedom depends on it!
To ensure you know which candidates support or oppose our Second Amendment rights prior to voting on Tuesday, please visit www.NRAPVF.org.
Without the hard work of millions of NRA members, our right to keep and bear arms would have already been rendered all but meaningless, just as it has for the people of Australia and England, places that President Obama cites as model gun control jurisdictions.
We salute our members and their determination to win each and every battle, and the culmination of that battle is Election Day on Tuesday. You, the voters, ultimately determine America’s fate this year and for years to come. Freedom can be lost or gained incrementally. Your votes on Tuesday will ultimately determine which way the fate of our freedoms will sway. Now is your time to stand and fight!
Yours in freedom,
Chris W. Cox
NRA-ILA Executive Director
Sunday, November 02, 2014
Who’s been hacking Sharyl Attkisson’s computers? #Stonewalled
Who’s been hacking Sharyl Attkisson’s computers? Computers that turn themselves on in the night
, make strange noises, then shut themselves down. Whoever is doing it is using highly sophisticated spyware available only to our top intelligence agencies. Is someone sending Attkisson a message?
Washington, D.C., has always been a tough town for investigative journalists. But in the age of Obama, the government has taken the tried-and-true techniques of bureaucratic stonewalling to unprecedented heights. What’s more, it has added harassment, intimidation, and outright spying to the mix.
Through more than thirty years as an award-winning investigative reporter, Sharyl Attkisson fought tirelessly to uncover wrongdoing by those in power, whether major corporations, government officials, or presidential administrations of both parties. But when she started looking into stories involving the Obama administration’s mistakes and misjudgments in a series of high-profile cases—stories few in mainstream journalism would touch—she was confronted with the administration’s use of hardball tactics to discourage, block, and actively suppress her investigative work.
A dogged reporter with a well-earned reputation as a “pit bull,” Attkisson filed a series of groundbreaking stories on the Fast and Furious gunwalking program, Obama’s green energy boondoggle, the unanswered questions about Benghazi, and the disastrous rollout of Obamacare. Her news reports were met with a barrage of PR warfare tactics, including emails and phone calls up the network chain of command, criticism from paid-for commenters and bloggers, and a campaign of character assassination that continues to this day. Most disturbing of all, Attkisson reveals that as she broke news on Fast and Furious and Benghazi, her computers and phone lines were hacked and bugged by an unrevealed but tremendously sophisticated party.
Stonewalled: My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama's Washington is the story of the Obama administration’s efforts to monitor journalists, intimidate and harass opposition groups, and spy on private citizens. But it is also a searing indictment of the timidity of the press and the dangerous decline of investigative journalism and unbiased truth telling in America today.
, make strange noises, then shut themselves down. Whoever is doing it is using highly sophisticated spyware available only to our top intelligence agencies. Is someone sending Attkisson a message?Washington, D.C., has always been a tough town for investigative journalists. But in the age of Obama, the government has taken the tried-and-true techniques of bureaucratic stonewalling to unprecedented heights. What’s more, it has added harassment, intimidation, and outright spying to the mix.
Through more than thirty years as an award-winning investigative reporter, Sharyl Attkisson fought tirelessly to uncover wrongdoing by those in power, whether major corporations, government officials, or presidential administrations of both parties. But when she started looking into stories involving the Obama administration’s mistakes and misjudgments in a series of high-profile cases—stories few in mainstream journalism would touch—she was confronted with the administration’s use of hardball tactics to discourage, block, and actively suppress her investigative work.
A dogged reporter with a well-earned reputation as a “pit bull,” Attkisson filed a series of groundbreaking stories on the Fast and Furious gunwalking program, Obama’s green energy boondoggle, the unanswered questions about Benghazi, and the disastrous rollout of Obamacare. Her news reports were met with a barrage of PR warfare tactics, including emails and phone calls up the network chain of command, criticism from paid-for commenters and bloggers, and a campaign of character assassination that continues to this day. Most disturbing of all, Attkisson reveals that as she broke news on Fast and Furious and Benghazi, her computers and phone lines were hacked and bugged by an unrevealed but tremendously sophisticated party.
Stonewalled: My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama's Washington is the story of the Obama administration’s efforts to monitor journalists, intimidate and harass opposition groups, and spy on private citizens. But it is also a searing indictment of the timidity of the press and the dangerous decline of investigative journalism and unbiased truth telling in America today.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Racketeering Prison Inmate Charged with Assaulting a Correctional Officer
Erick Roman, 38, an inmate at the United States Penitentiary at Marion, Illinois, appeared today for arraignment in United States District Court in Benton on an indictment charging him with assaulting a correctional officer at that facility, Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today. The indictment, returned by a Federal Grand Jury on October 7, 2014, alleged that the offense occurred on August 20, 2014.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
At the time of the assault, Roman was serving a 60 year sentence from the District of Maryland for conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise. If convicted of the assault offense, Roman faces up to an additional eight years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release to follow his incarceration.
Following his arraignment, Roman was ordered held without bond and was returned to the custody of the Attorney General to await further proceedings. Roman’s next scheduled court appearance is a final pretrial conference on December 17, 2014, at 9:30 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Benton. A trial date of December 29th at 9:00 a.m. was also set.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
At the time of the assault, Roman was serving a 60 year sentence from the District of Maryland for conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise. If convicted of the assault offense, Roman faces up to an additional eight years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release to follow his incarceration.
Following his arraignment, Roman was ordered held without bond and was returned to the custody of the Attorney General to await further proceedings. Roman’s next scheduled court appearance is a final pretrial conference on December 17, 2014, at 9:30 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Benton. A trial date of December 29th at 9:00 a.m. was also set.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
A major historical biography of George C. Marshall
A major historical biography of George C. Marshall—the general who ran the U.S. campaign during the Second World War, the Secretary of State who oversaw the successful rebuilding of post-war Europe
, and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize—and the first to offer a complete picture of his life.
While Eisenhower Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, MacArthur, Nimitz, and Leahy waged battles in Europe and the Pacific, one military leader actually ran World War II for America, overseeing personnel and logistics: Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army from 1939 to 1945, George C. Marshall.
This interpretive biography of George C. Marshall follows his life from his childhood in Western Pennsylvania and his military training at the Virginia Military Institute to his role during and after World War II and his death in 1959 at the age of seventy-eight. It brings to light the virtuous historical role models who inspired him, including George Washington and Robert E. Lee, and his relationships with the Washington political establishment, military brass, and foreign leaders, from Harry Truman to Chiang Kai-shek. It explores Marshall’s successes and failures during World War II, and his contributions through two critical years of the emerging Cold War—including the transformative Marshall Plan, which saved Western Europe from Soviet domination, and the failed attempt to unite China’s nationalists and communists.
Based on breathtaking research and filled with rich detail, George Marshall: A Biographyis sure to be hailed as the definitive work on one of the most influential figures in American history.
, and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize—and the first to offer a complete picture of his life.While Eisenhower Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, MacArthur, Nimitz, and Leahy waged battles in Europe and the Pacific, one military leader actually ran World War II for America, overseeing personnel and logistics: Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army from 1939 to 1945, George C. Marshall.
This interpretive biography of George C. Marshall follows his life from his childhood in Western Pennsylvania and his military training at the Virginia Military Institute to his role during and after World War II and his death in 1959 at the age of seventy-eight. It brings to light the virtuous historical role models who inspired him, including George Washington and Robert E. Lee, and his relationships with the Washington political establishment, military brass, and foreign leaders, from Harry Truman to Chiang Kai-shek. It explores Marshall’s successes and failures during World War II, and his contributions through two critical years of the emerging Cold War—including the transformative Marshall Plan, which saved Western Europe from Soviet domination, and the failed attempt to unite China’s nationalists and communists.
Based on breathtaking research and filled with rich detail, George Marshall: A Biographyis sure to be hailed as the definitive work on one of the most influential figures in American history.
Monday, October 27, 2014
"Stonewalled" Sharyl Attkisson's Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama's Washington.
Seasoned CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson reveals how she has been electronically surveilled while digging deep into the Obama Administration and its scandals, and offers an incisive critique of her industry and the shrinking role of investigative journalism in today’s media.
Americans are at the mercy of powerful figures in business and government who are virtually unaccountable. The Obama Administration in particular has broken new ground in its monitoring of journalists, intimidation and harassment of opposition groups, and surveillance of private citizens.
Sharyl Attkisson has been a journalist for more than thirty years. During that time she has exposed scandals and covered controversies under both Republican and Democratic administrations. She has also seen the opponents of transparency go to ever greater lengths to discourage and obstruct legitimate reporting.
Attkisson herself has been subjected to “opposition research” efforts and spin campaigns. These tactics increased their intensity as she relentlessly pursued stories that the Obama Administration dismissed. Stonewalled is the story of how her news reports were met with a barrage of PR warfare tactics, including online criticism, as well as emails and phone calls up the network chain of command in an effort to intimidate and discourage the next story. In Stonewalled: My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama's Washington, Attkisson recounts her personal tale, setting it against the larger story of the decline of investigative journalism and unbiased truth telling in America today.
, and offers an incisive critique of her industry and the shrinking role of investigative journalism in today’s media.Americans are at the mercy of powerful figures in business and government who are virtually unaccountable. The Obama Administration in particular has broken new ground in its monitoring of journalists, intimidation and harassment of opposition groups, and surveillance of private citizens.
Sharyl Attkisson has been a journalist for more than thirty years. During that time she has exposed scandals and covered controversies under both Republican and Democratic administrations. She has also seen the opponents of transparency go to ever greater lengths to discourage and obstruct legitimate reporting.
Attkisson herself has been subjected to “opposition research” efforts and spin campaigns. These tactics increased their intensity as she relentlessly pursued stories that the Obama Administration dismissed. Stonewalled is the story of how her news reports were met with a barrage of PR warfare tactics, including online criticism, as well as emails and phone calls up the network chain of command in an effort to intimidate and discourage the next story. In Stonewalled: My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama's Washington, Attkisson recounts her personal tale, setting it against the larger story of the decline of investigative journalism and unbiased truth telling in America today.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Reuputed Genovese Crime Family Associates Have Bail Reduction by Superior Court Judge
Bail was reduced for several of the alleged Genovese crime family associates accused of running illegal financial schemes and sports gambling operations, but a Superior Court judge maintained $400,000 bail for alleged "capo" Charles "Chuckie" Tuzzo Thursday. ReuThe 80-year-old Tuzzo, however, posted $40,000 with a bail bondsman and was expected to be released later in the evening.
Tuesday, acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced the arrest of 11 alleged Genovese crime family members and associates, saying their schemes were evidence the Mafia had "evolved and learned to exploit sophisticated financial systems to hide and launder the proceeds of traditional street crimes.”
Tuzzo, of Bayside, N.Y. — a Genovese "capo" — and Vito Alberti, 55, of New Providence — a "made" soldier — allegedly report directly to the crime family's hierarchy in New York, Hoffman said. Tuzzo and Alberti allegedly received tribute from Genovese family members and associates for illegal financial operations in New Jersey such as check-cashing operations and multimillion-dollar sports gambling operation.
According to Hoffman, Domenick Puccillo, 56, of Florham Park oversaw the operations of Tri-State Check Cashing Inc., located on Avenue A in Newark’s Ironbound District, and other licensed check cashing locations. Puccillo is charged with first-degree racketeering, first-degree money laundering, conspiracy, criminal usury, possession of usurious loan records and operating an unlicensed check-cashing facility.
Puccillo allegedly extended lines of both cash and credit to customers, and charged annual interest rates ranging between one to three “points”, or between 52 and 156 percent. Individuals who used the business were typically indigent with poor credit, and were required to pay interest weekly, or face threats of violence from Puccillo and an associate, Robert "Bobby Spags" Spagnola, Hoffman said.
Spagnola, 67, of Morganville is charged with first-degree racketeering, first-degree money laundering, conspiracy, criminal usury and possession of usurious loan records.
Meanwhile, Vincent P. Coppola, 37, of Union allegedly headed a multi-million dollar illegal sports gambling business. Coppola, who is charged with first-degree racketeering, first-degree money laundering, conspiracy and promoting gambling, is the son of jailed Genovese capo Michael Coppola.
Bail was set at $400,000 with no 10-percent option for each of the individuals arrested earlier this week, but Judge James DeMarzo in Morristown reduced bail to $300,000 Thursday for following: Spagnola; Abel J. Rodrigues, 52, Bridgewater; Manuel Rodriguez, 49, Chatham; and John W. Trainor, 42, Brick.
Alberti's bail was held at $400,000. "It could have been higher," the judge told the court. "It could have been much higher. Multiples of what it was set at." But, DeMarzo later said, it was his inclination to reduce it. "Bail is not there to punish," he said. "It's there to make sure someone shows up at court."
Rodrigues, the owner of Portucale Restaurant & Bar, allegedly participated in the check-cashing operation by using his business to launder money and evade taxes. He and his associate, Rodriguez, are accused of cashing more than $400 million in checks and collecting over $9 million in fees over a four-year period during the course of the scheme.
Trainor and Jerry Albanese, 47, of Scotch Plains served under Vincent Coppola as part the illegal gambling operations, Hoffman said. Trainor allegedly became tied up with the ring after becoming indebted to the crime family — which later took over his car business, GTS Auto Carriers, and siphoned money from it. Trainor, who wasn't represented by counsel but had an application for a public defender, told the court he was "completely broke" and likely couldn't pay bail even if it was reduced significantly. "I went bankrupt," he said. "I'm completely broke. I have five small kids at home." Trainor said his wife's a registered nurse and works full time, so he stays home with the children. His 17-year-old daughter, Trainor said, was still recovering from a liver transplant she received in April.
Tuzzo, Alberti, Spagnola, Rodriguez and Trainor each made appearances in court via a closed circuit feed from Morris County Correctional Facility. Rodrigues and Pucillo posted bail earlier in the week.
Coppola, who wasn’t arrested on Tuesday, was picked up by police Wednesday, according to the Attorney General’s Office. His bail wasn't reviewed Thursday.
Despite several successful bail reductions by other alleged associates, Tuzzo's attorney, Gerald McMahon, didn't seek bail modification. McMahon said it was because the terms had already been set with the Attorney General's Office and "having my guy and his picture at the top of (the AG's) chart is not conducive to getting bail reduction." But, he said, he may later seek modification and recoupment of the bail paid in excess. "I look forward to trashing this case when we get to court," McMahon told NJ Advance outside of DeMarzo's courtroom.
McMahon, who is licensed to practice law in New York — where Tuzzo lives — but not New Jersey, was vouched for by his son, a licensed New Jersey attorney, in the court proceedings Thursday. Regarding the case, he said, "Don't you get immunity after 80 for a glorified gambling arrest?"
Tuzzo, Alberti, Pucillo, Spagnola, Rodriguez, Coppola, Rodrigues and Trainor are all facing charges including first-degree racketeering and money laundering, each of which could land them in jail for up to 20 years.
Alberti, Trainor, Rodrigues and Rodriguez are also facing tax-related charges for their illegal activity related to the check-cashing businesses and other endeavors.
Flor Miranda of Newark and Jennifer Mann of Bayonne who were charged in connection with the alleged illegal financial operations didn't have their bail reviewed Thursday. Albanese's bail also wasn't reviewed Thursday. Miranda and Mann are each accused of helping to keep records and file false reports related to the schemes.
The Attorney General's Office was represented by Deputy Attorney Generals Jacqueline Weyand and Ray Mateo.
The matter is next scheduled to go before Superior Court Judge Robert Gilson on Nov. 19.
Thanks to Justin Zaremba.
Tuesday, acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced the arrest of 11 alleged Genovese crime family members and associates, saying their schemes were evidence the Mafia had "evolved and learned to exploit sophisticated financial systems to hide and launder the proceeds of traditional street crimes.”
Tuzzo, of Bayside, N.Y. — a Genovese "capo" — and Vito Alberti, 55, of New Providence — a "made" soldier — allegedly report directly to the crime family's hierarchy in New York, Hoffman said. Tuzzo and Alberti allegedly received tribute from Genovese family members and associates for illegal financial operations in New Jersey such as check-cashing operations and multimillion-dollar sports gambling operation.
According to Hoffman, Domenick Puccillo, 56, of Florham Park oversaw the operations of Tri-State Check Cashing Inc., located on Avenue A in Newark’s Ironbound District, and other licensed check cashing locations. Puccillo is charged with first-degree racketeering, first-degree money laundering, conspiracy, criminal usury, possession of usurious loan records and operating an unlicensed check-cashing facility.
Puccillo allegedly extended lines of both cash and credit to customers, and charged annual interest rates ranging between one to three “points”, or between 52 and 156 percent. Individuals who used the business were typically indigent with poor credit, and were required to pay interest weekly, or face threats of violence from Puccillo and an associate, Robert "Bobby Spags" Spagnola, Hoffman said.
Spagnola, 67, of Morganville is charged with first-degree racketeering, first-degree money laundering, conspiracy, criminal usury and possession of usurious loan records.
Meanwhile, Vincent P. Coppola, 37, of Union allegedly headed a multi-million dollar illegal sports gambling business. Coppola, who is charged with first-degree racketeering, first-degree money laundering, conspiracy and promoting gambling, is the son of jailed Genovese capo Michael Coppola.
Bail was set at $400,000 with no 10-percent option for each of the individuals arrested earlier this week, but Judge James DeMarzo in Morristown reduced bail to $300,000 Thursday for following: Spagnola; Abel J. Rodrigues, 52, Bridgewater; Manuel Rodriguez, 49, Chatham; and John W. Trainor, 42, Brick.
Alberti's bail was held at $400,000. "It could have been higher," the judge told the court. "It could have been much higher. Multiples of what it was set at." But, DeMarzo later said, it was his inclination to reduce it. "Bail is not there to punish," he said. "It's there to make sure someone shows up at court."
Rodrigues, the owner of Portucale Restaurant & Bar, allegedly participated in the check-cashing operation by using his business to launder money and evade taxes. He and his associate, Rodriguez, are accused of cashing more than $400 million in checks and collecting over $9 million in fees over a four-year period during the course of the scheme.
Trainor and Jerry Albanese, 47, of Scotch Plains served under Vincent Coppola as part the illegal gambling operations, Hoffman said. Trainor allegedly became tied up with the ring after becoming indebted to the crime family — which later took over his car business, GTS Auto Carriers, and siphoned money from it. Trainor, who wasn't represented by counsel but had an application for a public defender, told the court he was "completely broke" and likely couldn't pay bail even if it was reduced significantly. "I went bankrupt," he said. "I'm completely broke. I have five small kids at home." Trainor said his wife's a registered nurse and works full time, so he stays home with the children. His 17-year-old daughter, Trainor said, was still recovering from a liver transplant she received in April.
Tuzzo, Alberti, Spagnola, Rodriguez and Trainor each made appearances in court via a closed circuit feed from Morris County Correctional Facility. Rodrigues and Pucillo posted bail earlier in the week.
Coppola, who wasn’t arrested on Tuesday, was picked up by police Wednesday, according to the Attorney General’s Office. His bail wasn't reviewed Thursday.
Despite several successful bail reductions by other alleged associates, Tuzzo's attorney, Gerald McMahon, didn't seek bail modification. McMahon said it was because the terms had already been set with the Attorney General's Office and "having my guy and his picture at the top of (the AG's) chart is not conducive to getting bail reduction." But, he said, he may later seek modification and recoupment of the bail paid in excess. "I look forward to trashing this case when we get to court," McMahon told NJ Advance outside of DeMarzo's courtroom.
McMahon, who is licensed to practice law in New York — where Tuzzo lives — but not New Jersey, was vouched for by his son, a licensed New Jersey attorney, in the court proceedings Thursday. Regarding the case, he said, "Don't you get immunity after 80 for a glorified gambling arrest?"
Tuzzo, Alberti, Pucillo, Spagnola, Rodriguez, Coppola, Rodrigues and Trainor are all facing charges including first-degree racketeering and money laundering, each of which could land them in jail for up to 20 years.
Alberti, Trainor, Rodrigues and Rodriguez are also facing tax-related charges for their illegal activity related to the check-cashing businesses and other endeavors.
Flor Miranda of Newark and Jennifer Mann of Bayonne who were charged in connection with the alleged illegal financial operations didn't have their bail reviewed Thursday. Albanese's bail also wasn't reviewed Thursday. Miranda and Mann are each accused of helping to keep records and file false reports related to the schemes.
The Attorney General's Office was represented by Deputy Attorney Generals Jacqueline Weyand and Ray Mateo.
The matter is next scheduled to go before Superior Court Judge Robert Gilson on Nov. 19.
Thanks to Justin Zaremba.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Corrections Officer & Chicago Police Dispatcher Among 7 Charged in Alleged Plot to Smuggle Contraband into Cook County Jail
Nearly three ounces of marijuana was confiscated after it was found hidden inside two sandwiches that a Cook County corrections officer allegedly tried to smuggle into the Cook County Jail last year in exchange for a $200 bribe. As a result of that seizure and an allegedly broader conspiracy, the corrections officer, three inmates, two civilians, and a Chicago police dispatcher are facing federal charges in connection with alleged smuggling of marijuana and other contraband into the jail, sheriff’s department and federal law enforcement officials announced.
In June 2013, three jail inmates allegedly conspired with two civilian women to bribe JASON MAREK, a corrections officer for the Cook County Department of Corrections since May 2011, to bring marijuana, cigarettes, tobacco, alcohol, food and other contraband into the jail for inmates’ consumption and for further distribution within the jail, according to a three count criminal complaint.
According to the charges, an ounce of marijuana, which sells for approximately $200 outside the jail, could be sold for five times as much, or $1,000, inside the jail.
Marek, also known as “Murder” and “Murda,” 29, formerly of Orland Park, was assigned to the 3 to 11 p.m. shift at CCJ, Division 9, Tier 2H, when the alleged marijuana smuggling was thwarted on June 21, 2013. He was arrested and was released on his own recognizance after appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert in Federal Court.
Between June 15 and 24, 2013, three jail inmates—THADIEUS GOODS, PRINCE JOHNSON, and LAVANGELIST POWELL—who were housed in the same tier where Marek was assigned, allegedly conspired with two women to bribe Marek to smuggle the marijuana and other contraband into the jail. During a recorded telephone call from the jail on June 15, 2013, Goods told his wife, PEARLISA STEVENSON, that, with her help, he had the opportunity to make some money by selling marijuana inside the jail as long as he also had a corrections officer willing to help him.
“Rooting out corruption in the Cook County Jail is a top priority of mine,” said Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart. “I’m thankful to our federal partners at the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for working closely with my staff to conduct such a thorough investigation and to charge this far-reaching case.”
The arrests and charges were announced by Sheriff Dart, together with Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert J. Holley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The investigation was a joint effort between the FBI and the Sheriff’s Office of Professional Responsibility, with Sheriff Dart’s full support, to improve the security and integrity within the Cook County Jail.
Goods, also known as “Big Weasy,” “Weasy,” and “Wang,” 36, of Calumet Park; Johnson, aka “Primo,” 32; and Powell, aka “JuJu” and “Juicy,” 22, both of Chicago, remain in state custody and will be transferred to face the federal charges on a date yet to be determined.
Stevenson, aka “Wang Wang,” 29, and NATOSHA McCOLLUM, aka “Tasha,” 21, who is Powell’s girlfriend, both of Chicago, were arrested and were released on their own recognizance after appearing before Magistrate Gilbert.
Those six defendants ― Marek, Goods, Johnson, Powell, Stevenson, and McCollum ― were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana.
The seventh defendant, STEPHANIE LEWIS, 40, of Chicago, a “supervisor police operations” in the police dispatch group in the city of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications, and who is Johnson’s girlfriend, was arrested last night. She was charged with one count of illegally accessing a law enforcement computer to assist the alleged extortion and drug distribution conspiracy. Lewis and three others ― Powell, Johnson, and McCollum ― were also charged with conspiracy to access a law enforcement computer to further extortion and a drug conspiracy.
Lewis was also released on her own recognizance. Marek, Stevenson, McCollum, and Lewis were each ordered to return to court at 9:30 a.m. Friday for a status hearing before Magistrate Gilbert.
According to a 48-page complaint affidavit, Goods and Powell pre-sold marijuana to inmates within the CCJ. In June 2013, inmates transferred funds to Stevenson and McCollum via the jail’s Inmate Trust Account system, allegedly to purchase marijuana and other contraband, which Goods, Powell, and Johnson expected to be brought into the jail. After collecting the money from other inmates, McCollum and Stevenson discussed with Goods and Powell their efforts to purchase marijuana from drug dealers outside the jail. Johnson and Lewis allegedly coordinated the delivery of contraband to Stevenson for delivery into the jail, and on June 21, 2013, Stevenson delivered the marijuana and other banned goods to Marek. At the same time, McCollum and Stevenson paid Marek a $200 bribe to smuggle the contraband into the jail. Marek attempted to deliver the marijuana to Goods but was intercepted by the FBI and the Sheriff’s Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility as he entered the jail.
After Marek failed to deliver the marijuana and contraband, Goods, Powell, and Johnson allegedly worked with McCollum and Lewis to obtain Marek’s home address and information about his family to threaten Marek and convince him to bring additional contraband into the jail. Johnson allegedly contacted Lewis and, after informing her that Marek had accepted a bribe but failed to deliver the goods, asked Lewis to provide Marek’s personal information, including his home address and names of family members because Johnson and Goods planned to send their associates to Marek’s house. After receiving Marek’s license plate number from McCollum, Lewis allegedly conducted an inquiry of Marek’s license plate on an OEMC computer linked to an Illinois State Police database, which queried the National Crime Information Center database, and Lewis then provided Marek’s home address to Johnson, the complaint alleges.
In June 2013, Good, Powell, and Johnson were housed in the jail’s Division 9, Tier 2H, where Marek was assigned for a 90-day rotation. Tier 2H is located on the second floor of the south tower of Division 9, which is located at 2834 West 31st St., Chicago, and is comprised of two interconnected three-story buildings that house general population male inmates with a maximum security classification.
Each count of the complaint carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
In June 2013, three jail inmates allegedly conspired with two civilian women to bribe JASON MAREK, a corrections officer for the Cook County Department of Corrections since May 2011, to bring marijuana, cigarettes, tobacco, alcohol, food and other contraband into the jail for inmates’ consumption and for further distribution within the jail, according to a three count criminal complaint.
According to the charges, an ounce of marijuana, which sells for approximately $200 outside the jail, could be sold for five times as much, or $1,000, inside the jail.
Marek, also known as “Murder” and “Murda,” 29, formerly of Orland Park, was assigned to the 3 to 11 p.m. shift at CCJ, Division 9, Tier 2H, when the alleged marijuana smuggling was thwarted on June 21, 2013. He was arrested and was released on his own recognizance after appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert in Federal Court.
Between June 15 and 24, 2013, three jail inmates—THADIEUS GOODS, PRINCE JOHNSON, and LAVANGELIST POWELL—who were housed in the same tier where Marek was assigned, allegedly conspired with two women to bribe Marek to smuggle the marijuana and other contraband into the jail. During a recorded telephone call from the jail on June 15, 2013, Goods told his wife, PEARLISA STEVENSON, that, with her help, he had the opportunity to make some money by selling marijuana inside the jail as long as he also had a corrections officer willing to help him.
“Rooting out corruption in the Cook County Jail is a top priority of mine,” said Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart. “I’m thankful to our federal partners at the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for working closely with my staff to conduct such a thorough investigation and to charge this far-reaching case.”
The arrests and charges were announced by Sheriff Dart, together with Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert J. Holley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The investigation was a joint effort between the FBI and the Sheriff’s Office of Professional Responsibility, with Sheriff Dart’s full support, to improve the security and integrity within the Cook County Jail.
Goods, also known as “Big Weasy,” “Weasy,” and “Wang,” 36, of Calumet Park; Johnson, aka “Primo,” 32; and Powell, aka “JuJu” and “Juicy,” 22, both of Chicago, remain in state custody and will be transferred to face the federal charges on a date yet to be determined.
Stevenson, aka “Wang Wang,” 29, and NATOSHA McCOLLUM, aka “Tasha,” 21, who is Powell’s girlfriend, both of Chicago, were arrested and were released on their own recognizance after appearing before Magistrate Gilbert.
Those six defendants ― Marek, Goods, Johnson, Powell, Stevenson, and McCollum ― were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana.
The seventh defendant, STEPHANIE LEWIS, 40, of Chicago, a “supervisor police operations” in the police dispatch group in the city of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications, and who is Johnson’s girlfriend, was arrested last night. She was charged with one count of illegally accessing a law enforcement computer to assist the alleged extortion and drug distribution conspiracy. Lewis and three others ― Powell, Johnson, and McCollum ― were also charged with conspiracy to access a law enforcement computer to further extortion and a drug conspiracy.
Lewis was also released on her own recognizance. Marek, Stevenson, McCollum, and Lewis were each ordered to return to court at 9:30 a.m. Friday for a status hearing before Magistrate Gilbert.
According to a 48-page complaint affidavit, Goods and Powell pre-sold marijuana to inmates within the CCJ. In June 2013, inmates transferred funds to Stevenson and McCollum via the jail’s Inmate Trust Account system, allegedly to purchase marijuana and other contraband, which Goods, Powell, and Johnson expected to be brought into the jail. After collecting the money from other inmates, McCollum and Stevenson discussed with Goods and Powell their efforts to purchase marijuana from drug dealers outside the jail. Johnson and Lewis allegedly coordinated the delivery of contraband to Stevenson for delivery into the jail, and on June 21, 2013, Stevenson delivered the marijuana and other banned goods to Marek. At the same time, McCollum and Stevenson paid Marek a $200 bribe to smuggle the contraband into the jail. Marek attempted to deliver the marijuana to Goods but was intercepted by the FBI and the Sheriff’s Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility as he entered the jail.
After Marek failed to deliver the marijuana and contraband, Goods, Powell, and Johnson allegedly worked with McCollum and Lewis to obtain Marek’s home address and information about his family to threaten Marek and convince him to bring additional contraband into the jail. Johnson allegedly contacted Lewis and, after informing her that Marek had accepted a bribe but failed to deliver the goods, asked Lewis to provide Marek’s personal information, including his home address and names of family members because Johnson and Goods planned to send their associates to Marek’s house. After receiving Marek’s license plate number from McCollum, Lewis allegedly conducted an inquiry of Marek’s license plate on an OEMC computer linked to an Illinois State Police database, which queried the National Crime Information Center database, and Lewis then provided Marek’s home address to Johnson, the complaint alleges.
In June 2013, Good, Powell, and Johnson were housed in the jail’s Division 9, Tier 2H, where Marek was assigned for a 90-day rotation. Tier 2H is located on the second floor of the south tower of Division 9, which is located at 2834 West 31st St., Chicago, and is comprised of two interconnected three-story buildings that house general population male inmates with a maximum security classification.
Each count of the complaint carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
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