The Top Five Conspiracy Theories on JFK Assassination

As the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination draws nearer, the debate over who actually pulled the trigger rages on. Did Lee Harvey Oswald, as the The Warren Commission Report: The Official Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, concluded, use an Italian bolt-action Mannlicher-Carcano rifle to fire three shots from the Texas School Book Depository building, hitting President John F. Kennedy once in the neck and once in the back of the head? Or were there larger forces at work?

The belief that there was conspiracy to assassinate the president has only become more widespread with the passage of time.  As ABC News reports, the House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded in 1978 that Kennedy was “probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy.” A 2003 ABC News poll showed that 70 percent of Americans believed the JFK assassination was “not the act of a lone killer,” with 7 percent believing that Oswald was not involved at all.

So what is the truth? What really happened on Nov. 22, 1963, at Dealey Plaza in Dallas? We’ll probably never know, but we can continue to speculate. Below is a list of the top five JFK assassination conspiracy theories that have been bandied about over the years.

1.) The CIA Killed JFK

The Central Intelligence Agency has always been shadowy, mysterious organization, which lends itself perfectly to a conspiracy theory involving the JFK assassination. According to the Mary Ferrell Foundation, Kennedy made an enemy out of the CIA after the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in April 1961. As a result of that failed operation, CIA Director Allen Dulles (who would later serve on the Warren Commission) was forced to resign and many allegedly began to see JFK as a threat to CIA interests.

As the New York Post reports, author Patrick Nolan surmises that the CIA wanted “power, self-preservation and to stop the Kennedys’ plan to make peace with Cuba and the Soviets.” Nolan theorizes that a group of rogue CIA agents, including Richard Helms (who became CIA director a few years later), James Angleton, David Phillips and E. Howard Hunt (of Watergate infamy), used three shooters placed at different locations in Dealey Plaza -- the Book Depository building, the Grassy Knoll and the Dal-Tex building -- to pull off the assassination. In his book, “CIA Rogues and the Killing of the Kennedys: How and Why US Agents Conspired to Assassinate JFK and RFK,” Nolan uses physical, medical and film evidence, as well as eyewitness accounts, to reach his conclusion.

2.) The Mafia Killed JFK

The relationship between organized crime and the Kennedy family stretched back decades prior to the assassination, as President Kennedy’s father, Joseph P. Kennedy, allegedly engaged in bootlegging during the Prohibition era of the 1920s. As the Los Angeles Times points out, it’s also believed that Joseph Kennedy used his Mafia connections to help his son win the crucial state of Illinois during the 1960 presidential election against Richard Nixon. However, the mutually beneficial relationship between the Mafia and the Kennedy family would soon come to an end.

According to ABC News, one version of this theory posits that Mafia was angered with JFK after the botched Bay of Pigs invasion, as they had hoped to re-exert their presence in Cuba, which had been erased after Fidel Castro rose to power. Additionally, JFK’s brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, had become a crusader against the Mafia in his position as the nation’s top cop.

As the Post reports, Lamar Waldron, author of the book “The Hidden History of the JFK Assassination: The Definitive Account of the Most Controversial Crime of the Twentieth Century,” theorizes that the assassination was masterminded by New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello, with help from Santo Trafficante of Florida and Johnny Roselli of Chicago. According to the Waldron, Marcello used Italian hit men, smuggling them into the country from Canada, to commit the crime. Marcello reportedly bragged about pulling off the assassination to an inmate at a prison where he was serving time in 1985. “Yeah, I had the son of a bitch killed,” he allegedly said. “I’m glad I did. I’m sorry I couldn’t have done it myself.”

3.) Lyndon B. Johnson Killed JFK

If one wants a definitive answer as to who killed JFK, look no further than the man who benefited the most from his assassination. At least, that’s what author Roger Stone says in his new book, “The Man Who Killed Kennedy: The Case Against LBJ.” In an interview with Voices of Russia, Stone says that LBJ -- who was sworn in as president on a plane in Dallas just hours after the JFK assassination -- used longtime associate and hit man Malcolm Wallace to do the deed. As the Post points out, Stone alleges that Wallace’s fingerprints were found on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository Building, where the Warren Commission says Oswald fired his fatal shots.

According to Stone, Johnson insisted on both the trip to Dallas and the route through Dealey Plaza, where none of the buildings in the area were sealed off. Stone thinks LBJ both reduced the number of police officers on motorcycles on either side of the president’s car and ordered off the Secret Service agents that would have been riding on the rear bumper of the car.  In the interview with Voices of Russia, Stone believes that LBJ can be tied to as many as eight murders in Texas prior to the JFK assassination, in order to cover up his corruption, voter fraud and more.

4.) The Russians Killed JFK

To examine the theory that the Soviet Union killed President John F. Kennedy, one must look at the geopolitical situation in 1963. This was the height of the Cold War and the peak of anti-Communist sentiment in the United States. According to ABC News, conspiracy theorists frequently cite the notion that Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev was incensed at having to back down to JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis the year before, and had the president killed by the KGB in retaliation.

Another interesting connection is Oswald’s time spent in the Soviet Union. In October 1959, Oswald -- a former Marine -- defected to the Soviet Union, where he met his future wife, Marina. Marina’s uncle was a colonel in the MVD, which is the Russian Interior Ministry service.

According to Stratfor, there are numerous anomalies about Oswald’s time in Russia, including how the two were able to get permission to marry (a requirement for any Soviet citizen marrying a foreigner), as well as why Marina, an upper-middle class woman with an uncle in the government, would agree to marry an American defector with little prospects whom she had just met one month before.

In early 1962, Oswald, Marina and their daughter left the Soviet Union for the United States. As Stratfor points out, Marina Oswald was granted permission to leave the the country with an American defector within weeks of her request, an extremely rare, if not completely unheard of, turnaround. Why? Conspiracy theorists point to questions like these as evidence of Soviet involvement in the assassination of JFK.

5.) The Cubans Killed JFK

There are two separate sub-theories surrounding Cuba and the JFK assassination. The first, as ABC News points out, is that Castro had JFK assassinated in retaliation for the numerous attempts on his life during the Kennedy administration, courtesy of both the CIA and the Mafia. In 1968, Johnson told ABC News that “Kennedy was trying to get to Castro, but Castro got to him first.”

During an interview with Bill Moyers in 1977, Castro said the theory was “absolute insanity.”

The second, perhaps more plausible, theory involves a mixture of militant anti-Castro Cuban exiles in Miami, the Mafia and the CIA. As the Mary Ferrell Foundation points out, the anti-Castro Cubans were enraged by Kennedy’s failure to provide crucial air support during the Bay of Pigs invasion. This could have been seen as emblematic of Kennedy’s “soft” approach to communism, a charge that had already been leveled at him after he chose not to invade Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Did anti-Castro Cubans, working in conjunction with the CIA and the Mafia, assassinate JFK?

Thanks to Andrew Berry.

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Inside the Kwame Kilpatrick #PublicCorruption Case

When Kwame Kilpatrick became mayor of Detroit in 2002, he promised to revitalize the city. Instead, he shamelessly used his position to steal from the citizens he had vowed to serve.

“Criminal activity was a way of life for him, and he constantly used the power of his office to look for new opportunities to make money illegally,” said Federal Bureau of Investigations Special Agent Robert Beeckman, who investigated the mayor and his corrupt regime for eight years.

Last month, a federal judge sentenced Kilpatrick to a 28-year prison term for his role in a wide-ranging racketeering conspiracy that included extortion, bribery, and fraud. Thirty-two others have also been convicted of crimes in connection with the case, including Kilpatrick’s contractor friend Bobby Ferguson, who received a 21-year jail term.

Kilpatrick and Ferguson established a “pay to play” system that made breaking the law standard operating procedure. Kilpatrick extorted city vendors, rigged bids, and took bribes. He used funds from non-profit civic organizations to line his pockets and those of his family. And he was unabashed about it.

“His crimes were not the result of a momentary lapse in judgment,” said a document prepared for the court by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. “He systematically exploited his office to enrich himself, his friends, and his family.” For example, Kilpatrick and Ferguson obtained more than $500,000 from the state of Michigan and private donors for non-profit organizations they controlled. The organizations were supposed to help the community. Instead, the mayor spent large sums on himself for luxury vacations, spa treatments, and golf clubs.

The FBI opened a case on Kilpatrick in 2004, two years after he moved into the mayor’s mansion. “Initially, we had sources and a few cooperating defendants from other cases who revealed a pay to play scheme and that the mayor was behind it,” Beeckman said.

As the investigation unfolded, FBI agents—along with investigators from the Internal Revenue Service and other agencies—used court-ordered wiretaps and undercover operators to gather evidence. “Over the years, we employed every investigative technique we could,” Beeckman said.

A significant break in the case came when investigators discovered that Kilpatrick’s cell phone provider had kept an archive of all his text messages. “The messages were explicit,” Beeckman said. “He talked about bid rigging, bribes, and other criminal activity. He had no idea there would be a record of those messages.”

Investigators also followed the money, which left no doubt about Kilpatrick’s corruption. Before he became mayor, Kilpatrick’s paycheck from the state of Michigan was electronically deposited into his bank account, and he made regular withdrawals to pay bills and to get cash. After his election, he stopped making withdrawals and instead made only large cash deposits.

Kilpatrick’s bank records revealed more than $840,000 in unexplained expenditures above and beyond his salary as mayor—and none of that money was disclosed on his tax returns. “There were times,” Beeckman said, “when the mayor would hand one of the officers on his protective detail an envelope with cash and tell him to take it to the bank and pay his credit card bill.”

The beleaguered mayor pled guilty to two felony counts in 2008 and resigned his office. Two years later, he was indicted for mail fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion; in March 2013 he was found guilty of the wide-ranging racketeering conspiracy charges.

Why was Kilpatrick so brazen about his crimes? “He thought he was above the law,” Beeckman believes. “He thought he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it.”

That turned out not to be the case, thanks to the dedicated work of the investigators and prosecutors who ultimately brought Kilpatrick and his co-conspirators to justice.

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State Department Offers $1 Million Dollar Reward for the Dismantlement of the Transnational #OrganizedCrime #Xaysavang Network

Per Secretary of State John Kerry: "I am proud to announce the State Department’s first-ever reward for information leading to the dismantling of a transnational criminal organization, as part of our new Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program.

"The involvement of sophisticated transnational criminal organizations in wildlife trafficking perpetuates corruption, threatens the rule of law and border security in fragile regions, and destabilizes communities that depend on wildlife for biodiversity and eco-tourism. Profits from wildlife trafficking, estimated at $8–10 billion per year, fund other illicit activities such as narcotics, arms, and human trafficking.

"That is why the Department of State is offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the dismantling of the Xaysavang Network.

"Based in Laos with affiliates in South Africa, Mozambique, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and China—the Xaysavang Network facilitates the killing of endangered elephants, rhinos, and other species for products such as ivory.

"Several major seizures of illegal wildlife products have been linked to the Xaysavang Network.

"You can visit the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program website for more information on the program and reward offers.

"I encourage anyone with information on the members or illegal activities of the Xaysavang Network to contact the rewards hotline in Laos at +856 21 219565 and/or by email at TOCRP-Xaysavang@state.gov. All communications are strictly confidential. Rewards and amounts will be considered on a case-by-case basis." ~ John Kerry

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Kevin Trudeau, Weight Loss Infomercial Pitchman, Convicted of Criminal Contempt

Author and television pitchman Kevin Trudeau was convicted today of criminal contempt for violating a 2004 federal court order that prohibits him from making deceptive television infomercials that misrepresent the contents of his weight loss cure book. A federal jury deliberated approximately an hour after a week-long trial in U.S. District Court.

Trudeau, 50, of Oak Brook, had his bond revoked, and he was ordered taken into custody by U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman, who set a schedule for post-trial motions but no sentencing date.

Criminal contempt has no statutory maximum sentence. The Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The guilty verdict was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Tony Gómez, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago; and Robert J. Holley, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to the evidence at trial, Trudeau appeared in three television infomercials between December 2006 and November 2007 in which he willfully misrepresented the contents of his book The Weight Loss Cure “They” Don’t Want You to Know About. In April 2010, U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman issued an order to show cause why Trudeau should not be held in criminal contempt of a September 2, 2004 settlement in which Trudeau agreed not to directly or indirectly produce and broadcast any deceptive infomercials that misrepresented the contents of any book, including the weight loss cure book. (Federal Trade Commission v. Trudeau, No. 03 C 3904.)

In closing arguments today, prosecutors listed a litany of blatant lies and misrepresentations made by Trudeau in his infomercials. These included his claims that his book was not a “diet,” when in fact it required at least three weeks of eating 500 calories or less a day, and that a hormone found only in pregnant women that was required to be injected daily could be obtained “anywhere,” when in fact it could be obtained in the United States only through a doctor’s prescription. He also claimed that after finishing the diet, consumers could eat anything they wanted without regaining weight, when in fact the diet required severe food deprivation that lasts for life.

The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys April Perry and Marc Krickbaum.

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Eleven Members of #TwoGunzUp Gang Charged in Federal Court with Narcotics Trafficking and Firearms Offenses

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; George Venizelos, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Charles Gardner, the Commissioner of the Yonkers Police Department; and George N. Longworth, the Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, announced the unsealing of an indictment charging 11 defendants with a series of crimes, including the distribution of narcotics and the use of firearms in Yonkers, New York.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated, “Our drive to remove armed drug gangs from Yonkers remains unrelenting, as evidenced by today’s arrests and charges. With motivated and cooperative law enforcement partners involved, we are a step closer to our goals.”

FBI Assistant Director in Charge George Venizelos stated, “Combating the scourge of drugs in our cities remains a focus for this office. Like we’ve seen so many times before, these drugs also brought guns and violence. We will continue to work with any law enforcement agency to clean up our cities’ streets.”

Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Gardner stated, “This operation is yet another example of our successful partnership with federal authorities in targeting a violent street gang on a local level. It should be a warning to any other groups in Yonkers who choose to engage in this activity. I want to thank U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, the FBI, and the Westchester County Department of Public Safety for their efforts in this investigation.”

Westchester Public Safety Commissioner George N. Longworth stated, “This is another example of the tremendous results that occur when federal and local law enforcement work together to maximize our resources to combat drug trafficking and the violence that goes along with it. We remain committed to working with all our law enforcement partners to keep the people of Westchester safe.”

A two-count indictment, United States v. Joaquin Thatcher, et al., charges 11 members and associates of a violent street gang hailing from Riverdale Avenue, known both as Two Gunz Up and simply Riverdale, with narcotics and firearms offenses. Specifically, the following 11 members of Two Gunz Up—Joaquin Thatcher, a/k/a “Wu"; Paul Foster, a/k/a “Pauly Pistols"; Charlie Jiminez, a/k/a “350,” a/k/a “Gucci"; Torrel Smith, a/k/a “Assassin"; Craig Major, a/k/a “Millz"; Reese Moore, a/k/a “Loc"; Anthony Oliver, a/k/a “Ant Pooh"; Daquon Powell, a/k/a “DP"; Dwayne Carr, a/k/a “Weezy"; Jimmie Hughes, a/k/a “Jim Jim"; and Alexander McCray, a/k/a “AWOL”—are charged with conspiring to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, crack cocaine and marijuana from about 2006 up to about October 2013. Eight of these defendants are also charged with using, carrying, possessing, and discharging firearms during the narcotics conspiracy.

The indictment is the result of a long-term investigation conducted by federal, state, and local law enforcement officers working with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and supported by the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force. As part of that investigation, in March 2009, this office obtained indictments charging three members of Two Gunz Up and the Elm Street Wolves, an allied Yonkers street gang—Gregory Fuller, Davon Young, and Thomas Chambliss—with the January 2008 murder of a narcotics dealer in northern Yonkers. Fuller, Young, and Chambliss were each convicted after trial of murder, conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, robbery, and firearms offenses and were sentenced to 100, 65, and 45 years of imprisonment, respectively.

In August 2011, 66 Yonkers gang members—47 members and associates of the Elm Street Wolves, 12 members and associates of the Cliff Street Gangsters, and seven other individuals—were charged with narcotics trafficking and firearm offenses. Five of the Elm Street Wolves defendants were also charged with the murder of Christopher Cokley, a/k/a “Bracks,” a leading member of the Strip Boyz, a rival Yonkers gang. Each of those defendants has since been convicted, many of them facing mandatory minimum sentences of between 10 and 18 years of imprisonment. Only one of those defendants, Steven Knowles, the leader of the Elm Street Wolves, proceeded to trial. After trial, Knowles was convicted of murder, racketeering, narcotics, and firearms offenses and now faces a mandatory term of life imprisonment.

Two Gunz Up, from Riverdale Avenue, has historically been aligned with other street gangs, including the Elm Street Wolves and the Cliff Street Gangsters, in a violent dispute with a number of rival gangs, including the Strip Boyz from the nearby Schlobohm Housing Project on Schroeder Street in Yonkers. In June 2012, 23 members and associates of the Strip Boyz were arrested and charged with narcotics trafficking and firearm offenses. Fifteen of these defendants have pled guilty, with all but one facing mandatory minimum sentences of between 5 and 12 years of imprisonment. The remaining cases are not yet resolved.

All 11 defendants charged in the indictment were arrested or have previously been taken into custody. They were presented in White Plains federal court. The case is assigned to United States District Judge Vincent L. Briccetti.

Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and the Yonkers Police Department. He added that the investigation is continuing.

The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division and Violent Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Hartman and Andrew Bauer are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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The CIA Conspiracy to Murder John F. Kennedy is Explored on #CrimeBeatRadio

On November 14th, a command appearance by Peter Janney, author of Mary’s Mosaic: The CIA Conspiracy to Murder John F. Kennedy, on Crime Beat Radio.

Crime Beat is a weekly hour-long radio program that airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST. Crime Beat presents fascinating topics that bring listeners closer to the dynamic underbelly of the world of crime. Guests have included ex-mobsters, undercover law enforcement agents, sports officials, informants, prisoners, drug dealers and investigative journalists, who have provided insights and fresh information about the world’s most fascinating subject: crime.

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Robert J. Holley Named Special Agent in Charge of FBI's Chicago Division

Outgoing Director Robert S. Mueller, III named Robert J. Holley special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago Division. Mr. Holley most recently served as deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, Operations Branch I. In this role, he oversaw personnel and resources assigned to counterterrorism investigations.

Mr. Holley began his career as a special agent with the FBI in 1995. He first reported to the Chicago Division, where he was promoted to supervisory special agent of an international terrorism squad.

In November 2005, Mr. Holley was promoted and assigned to FBI Headquarters as a unit chief in the Counterterrorism Division. He transferred back to the Chicago Division in 2008 to serve as the assistant special agent in charge of the National Security Branch.

In June 2010, Mr. Holley was appointed to serve as a section chief in the Counterterrorism Division, where he was responsible for all U.S.-based international terrorism investigations. He was then selected to be the special agent in charge of the Indianapolis Division in October 2011.

An Indiana native, Mr. Holley served nine years in the U.S. Army as an infantry officer.

Mr. Holley is a 1977 graduate of Peru High School in Peru, Indiana, and a 1981 graduate of Ball State University.

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Federal Charges Brought Against 8 Alleged #BlackDisciples Gangsters, Accused of Dealing Narcotics in Chicago

A federal investigation targeting narcotics trafficking on the west and south sides of Chicago has resulted in charges against eight alleged members of the Black Disciples street gang. The charges are contained in eight separate criminal complaints filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago and unsealed following the arrests of six of the defendants. The charges were announced by Robert J. Shields, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

Each of the defendants faces one count of distribution of a controlled substance, either cocaine or heroin. One of the charged individuals was arrested in Peoria, and five others were arrested at various locations in and around Chicago by members of the FBI’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force. One defendant avoided capture and is considered a fugitive.

Those charged with distributing heroin are identified as John Smith, aka “Dope Boy,” 34, of 3050 Bella Court, Lisle, Illinois; Randy Porter, 37, of 1329 N. Stever Avenue, Peoria; Nigel Webb, aka “Niger,” 36, of 3101 West Monroe Street, Chicago; Sylvester Hudson, aka “Cool J,” 39, of 2001 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago; and Jethro Lacking, 37, of 7148 South Green Street, Chicago.

Those facing cocaine distribution charges are identified as Tavares Garrett, aka “Toot,” 34, of 545 North Monticello Avenue, Chicago; Gerard M. Liles, aka “Keppis,” 30, of 2930 West Harrison Street, Chicago; and Darnell McMiller, aka “Murder,” 28, of 1615 West 78th Street, Chicago.

The investigation that led to the charges began in 2010 and is part of the ongoing coordinated efforts by federal, state, and local agencies and departments to dismantle drug trafficking organizations operating in and around the Chicago metropolitan area. Agents and officers employed the use of sophisticated surveillance techniques and the controlled purchases of narcotics. According to the complaints, each defendant engaged in the sale of narcotics with individuals who were cooperating in the investigation. To date, the investigation has resulted in the recovery of one handgun and the seizure of approximately seven kilograms of powder cocaine, 1.3 kilograms of crack cocaine, 3.5 kilograms of heroin, one vehicle, and over $28,000.

Those taken into custody appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judges in Chicago and Peoria, and all were ordered held pending their next scheduled court appearances. The defendants face maximum penalties of 20, 30, or 40 years or life in prison. Depending on the charged offense, some may also face a mandatory minimum sentence of either five years or 10 years. The defendants also face maximum fines ranging from $1 million to $10 million.

Defendant Gerard M. Liles remains a fugitive and is the subject of a nationwide manhunt.

The Chicago FBI’s Safe Streets Gangs Joint Task Force is comprised of FBI special agents and officers from the Chicago Police Department.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Statement from Wynn Resorts, @WynnLasVegas, Regarding Its Developments in Pennsylvania

The Wynn Resorts Board of Directors recently met to carefully examine the feasibility and opportunities associated with the company's domestic development in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . At this time, the Board has decided that the best course for the company is to pursue business opportunities elsewhere.

The board took a host of factors into consideration, including the Philadelphia market performance over the past year and the competition which will result from the recent approval of gaming in the State of New York . Consequently, the company will withdraw its licensing applications in Pennsylvania.

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John "Junior" Gotti Stabbed

Former Mafia boss John "Junior" Gotti has been stabbed in a car park in Long Island after what he said was his attempt to break up a fight.

Gotti reportedly drove himself to a Long Island hospital with a bleeding gut on Sunday night. He had allegedly been assaulted outside a CVS store in Syosset.

Police are investigating the incident and his claim that a stranger stabbed him in the stomach after he got in the middle of a fight. The New York Post and other reports said he has declined to provide any more information to police.

Gotti, 49, was the reputed head of the Gambino crime family for much of the 1990s while his father, the late mobster John "Dapper Don" Gotti, was in prison. The elder Gotti - who had avoided conviction for a long time, earning the nickname of "Teflon Don" - died in prison in 2002.

His son said he left organised crime in 1999, when he pleaded guilty to racketeering charges that sent him to prison for six years. Since 2005, Gotti has been tried several times for racketeering. Each trial ended in a hung jury.

He says he now manages properties on Long Island.

His wounds are not life-threatening and he is said to be recovering at home.

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Michael Fassbender to Star in The Story of the #CutlerCrimeFamily in the upcoming movie #TrespassAgainstUs

The film is titled Trespass Against Us, and is the feature debut of director Adam Smith. The narrative will tell the story of three generations of the Cutler crime family. The protagonist, Chad Cutler (Michael Fassbender), seeks an escape from the criminal life his family has known for so long. Elements of action, crime and humor will be infused for what could prove to be an original take on the modern crime drama.

Alastair Siddons will pen the script, while British musical group The Chemical Brothers will compose and perform an original score for the film. Siddons, Gail Egan and Andrea Calderwood will produce for the successful London-based company Potboiler Productions.

Even with a recent string of successes, Fassbender is showing no signs of slowing down. While he has two films currently in theaters (The Counselor, 12 Years a Slave), he is also in the process of filming Slow West. After production wraps up Fassbender will be working on more of his highly anticipated projects including X-Men: Days of Future Past, the film adaptation of the popular videogame Assasin’s Creed (he will star as well as produce) and an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

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The Man Who Killed Kennedy: The Case Against LBJ, Tonight on #CrimeBeatRadio

On November 7th, Roger Stone and Mike Colapietro, co-authors of "The Man Who Killed Kennedy: The Case Against LBJ" appear on Crime Beat Radio.

Crime Beat is a weekly hour-long radio program that airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST. Crime Beat presents fascinating topics that bring listeners closer to the dynamic underbelly of the world of crime. Guests have included ex-mobsters, undercover law enforcement agents, sports officials, informants, prisoners, drug dealers and investigative journalists, who have provided insights and fresh information about the world’s most fascinating subject: crime.

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Free Day Offered by @TheMobMuseum on November 15th

The Mob Museum has an offer you can’t refuse.

Friday, Nov. 15, the museum, officially known as The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, will offer free admission for Nevada residents and buy one, get one free admission for tourists to mark the 62nd anniversary of the Kefauver Committee hearings in Las Vegas.

The U.S. Senate Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce began a series of hearings in 1950 to focus a spotlight on organized crime in America. The hearings were held in 14 cities across the United States.

On Nov. 15, 1950, U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver (Democrat-Tennessee) led the hearing in Las Vegas, which took place at the federal courthouse and U.S. Post Office (now The Mob Museum).

The hearings were instrumental in focusing the nation’s attention on the prevalence of organized crime in America.

“While these hearings shed light on the prevalence of organized crime throughout the United States, their outcome arguably shaped the evolution of Las Vegas as much as any other single event,” said Jonathan Ullman, executive director, The Mob Museum. “The crackdown on illegal gambling that followed the hearings drove operators to Las Vegas and Nevada — known as the ‘open city’ — and the only city/state in the country where gambling was then legal.”

Additionally, the hearings were televised. Estimates are that 20 to 30 million people watched the hearings — double the audience of the 1950 World Series. The hearings weren’t censored and the American public heard frank and, at times, risqué comments. The hearings were considered history in the making and school systems even dismissed students early so they could watch them with their parents.

Exhibits at The Mob Museum detail not only the history of organized crime in the United States but also of law enforcement and the views of popular culture like comic books and movies.

“November 15 is an especially important date to us at The Mob Museum because our building houses the restored Federal courtroom where, on that date in 1950, the Las Vegas Kefauver Committee hearing took place,” Ullman said.

The Mob Museum, located in Downtown Las Vegas, will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15.

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Paul Bergin, Attorney-Turned-Racketeer, in Stunning Betrayal of the Law

Earlier this year, a man was put on trial in a federal courtroom in Newark, New Jersey. From the list of charges—nearly two dozen in all—he sounded like a gang leader, drug lord, or organized crime boss. He was accused of running a criminal enterprise, conspiring to murder a federal witness, committing wire fraud, distributing cocaine, and facilitating prostitution, bribery, and other crimes. But the individual who was ultimately convicted on 23 criminal counts and sentenced to life in prison was actually a high-powered Newark lawyer, a former New Jersey state and federal prosecutor-turned defense attorney.

His name is Paul Bergrin, and in the end, he sacrificed the oath he had once taken to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States for the chance to line his own pockets. As New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said following the jury conviction, “Bergrin’s conduct was a stunning violation of his role as an officer of the court and a betrayal of his roots as a member of law enforcement.”

For years, Bergrin and his law firm were highly successful. His busy client roster ran the gamut—from famous celebrities to gang leaders and drug traffickers. He was a man-about-town who wore expensive suits, drove luxury cars, and rarely lost a case. But after the 2004 murder of a federal informant who had damaging information about one of Bergrin’s criminal clients, the FBI began an investigation. They uncovered evidence that revealed Bergrin was using his law offices as a cover to conduct illegal activities to protect his criminal clients from prosecution and carry on their unlawful pursuits. He used his position as a criminal defense attorney to manipulate and disrupt court proceedings on behalf of his clients. And of course, he was paid handsomely for all of it.

Among Bergrin’s criminal actions:

• Counseling, intimidating, and sometimes bribing witnesses to offer perjured testimony in favor of his clients or to flee so they wouldn’t be available to testify;
• Coaching an eight-year-old murder witness to lie on the stand, resulting in the acquittal of one of his clients;
• Conspiring with clients to identify, locate, and murder witnesses who would testify against them;
• Using his law firm to launder money for clients, associates, and himself and to set up phony corporations or other legal entities to facilitate even more crimes;
• Running a drug trafficking operation and a prostitution business for two of his clients while they were in jail.
• Bergrin had so many crimes on his plate that he recruited others—including his girlfriend (who worked at the law firm), his law partner, and one of his criminal clients—to take part in his racketeering enterprise. All told, eight of the nine individuals charged in the 2009 indictment pled guilty.

The probe into Bergrin and his co-conspirators was complex and involved investigators from the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. After a 2011 trial which ended with a hung jury, his 2013 trial (Bergrin represented himself at both trials) ended a bit differently—the jury quickly found him guilty on all counts.

The case was proof once again that those entrusted with the guardianship of our legal system are not above the law.

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"The Jews of Chicago From Shtetl to Suburb" The fascinating, fully illustrated story of Chicago's vibrant Jewish community

Vividly told and richly illustrated with more than 160 photographs, The Jews of Chicago is the fascinating story of the cultural, religious, fraternal, economic, and everyday life of Chicago's Jews. This edition of Irving Cutler's definitive historical volume also includes a new foreword written by the author.

The first comprehensive history of Chicago's Jewish population in eighty years, The Jews of Chicago brings to life the people, events, neighborhoods, and institutions that helped shape today's Jewish community. Cutler intertwines neighborhood histories with representative biographical vignettes of some of Chicago's best known figures, such as Edna Ferber, Saul Bellow, Benny Goodman, Mel Tormé, Studs Terkel, Paul Muni, Mandy Patinkin, Emil G. Hirsch, Julius Rosenwald, Dankmar Adler, Arthur Goldberg, Philip Klutznick, and many others. From their roots in the Old Country to their present-day communities, Cutler captures in extraordinary detail the remarkable saga of the Jews of Chicago.

"Deeply absorbing even for non-Jews, because of the astonishing history of this ethnic group, an unmatched rags-to-riches story. . . . with crisp prose."--Chicago Sun-Times 

"Deserves a space not only on every Chicagoan's shelf, but on anyone's who is interested in the rich ethnic heritage of the Windy City."--West Coast Jewish News 

"A splendid study. . . . Presents the story with marvelous visual evidence, photo documentation, and superb ethnographic mapping of Jewish institutions in Chicago."--American Jewish History 

"Concise and thoughtfully written, The Jews of Chicago extends Chicago Jewish history . . . beyond any comparable history. It is a testament not merely to the impressive work that Cutler himself has done, but also to the community he chronicles."--Chicago Jewish History 

"A thought provoking history of the Jewish community's development in Chicago and its contribution to our city."--Chicago Tribune 

“Cutler does a masterful job of tracing the history of Chicago’s Jews from the German Jews who came in the 1830s and 1840s to the East European Jews who arrived in large numbers from 1880 to 1925.”--Jerusalem Post

Irving Cutler is professor emeritus of geography at Chicago State University and a founding member of the Chicago Jewish Historical Society. He has written extensively on Chicago and is well known for his tours by boat and bus and for his illustrated lectures on Chicago.

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Ralph Mariano, Former Senior Systems Engineer with U.S. Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command #NAVSEA, Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison as Mastermind of Multi-Million-Dollar Naval Fraud Scheme

Ralph M. Mariano, 55, of Warwick, Rhode Island, and South Arlington, Virginia, a former senior systems engineer with the United States Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) in Newport, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C., was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Providence, Rhode Island, today to 120 months in prison for masterminding a kickback scheme that defrauded the U.S. Navy of nearly $18 million dollars. Mariano pleaded guilty in May 2013 to conspiracy and theft of government funds.

Peter F. Neronha, United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island; Craig Rupert, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Vincent B. Lisi of the FBI’s Boston Field Office; Cheryl DiPrizio, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office; and John Collins, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mary M. Lisi.

At the time of his guilty plea, Mariano admitted to the court that from 1999 to 2011 he used his position at NAVSEA to direct Russell Spencer, a computer software specialist in Rhode Island, to submit millions of dollars in fraudulent invoices to Navy contractor Advanced Solutions for Tomorrow (ASFT), a now-defunct Roswell, Georgia and Middletown, Rhode Island company and to ASFT subcontractors. Mariano admitted that he directed ASFT and ASFT subcontractors to pay Spencer the full amount of the invoices with government funding ASFT received from the U.S. Navy. The invoices, processed by Patrick Nagle, chief financial officer of ASFT, totaled approximately $17,957,000.

Mariano admitted that he directed Spencer to distribute the funds to Mariano and to individuals close to him and that he received approximately $3 million dollars in checks beginning in 2003 and bi-weekly $3,500 cash payments from 2004 to 2011.

U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha commented, “Nothing does more to erode trust in government than when a public official acts not in the public’s interest but in his own. Mr. Mariano, whose sole obligation was to the United States Navy and, more broadly, to the taxpayers, instead served only himself and his associates, committing fraud on a massive scale. He spent millions of dollars of taxpayer money in every conceivable way, money that otherwise would have been used to protect the people of this nation. His actions are indefensible, and he deserves every minute of the lengthy sentence he received today.”

At the time of his guilty plea, Mariano admitted to the court that in addition to the money he received, at his direction $2,567,028 was paid to his father, Ralph Mariano, Jr.; $1,692,650 was paid to his brother, Joseph Mariano, and to his companies; $207,900 was paid to a veterinary laboratory company controlled by his sister, Michelle Mariano; $2,446,445 was paid to private entities controlled by Anjan Dutta-Gupta, CEO of ASFT; and $478,880 was paid to a company owned by Attorney Mary O’Rourke, of Warwick, Rhode Island.

“Mr. Mariano’s acts, while especially heinous individually, corrupted others, cost hard working Americans their jobs, and resulted in a tremendous loss to U.S. taxpayers, both financially and in their trust,” said Craig W. Rupert, Special Agent in Charge, Office of the Inspector General, Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service Northeast Field Office. “Mr. Mariano’s actions directly affected the readiness of our naval forces, and his sentence demonstrates the continuing dedication of DCIS and our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute corrupt government officials. Consistent with our mission to 'Protect America’s Warfighters,' DCIS remains vigilant to ensure the integrity of the DoD acquisition process and the safety and security of the U.S. military and the nation.”

“The FBI has a simple message of deterrence: it would be wise for any public official who is considering illegal acts to realize that we have successfully investigated nearly every conceivable corruption scheme that’s been concocted. Should they decide to betray the public’s trust, I promise we will bring them to justice,” said Vincent Lisi, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “We pursue these investigations because the cost of corruption is high and the American public relies on us to do so.”

Cheryl DiPrizio, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s Northeast Field Office, added, “At a time when the Navy is making difficult strategic choices due to funding constraints, it’s particularly appalling that Mr. Mariano, who was employed to serve the navy, has instead caused significant harm to the navy, to sailors defending our nation around the globe, and to the American taxpayers who deserve honest and competent government employees. NCIS will continue to dedicate significant resources and work with our law enforcement partners in identifying and investigating all those who seek to steal from or defraud the Department of the Navy."

John Collins, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation, stated, “Today’s sentencing of Ralph Mariano brings to justice a key player in a public corruption scheme of massive proportions. Mariano and his co-conspirators developed a sophisticated scheme to defraud the government and they lined their pockets at the taxpayers’ expense. In addition to pleading guilty to conspiracy and theft charges, Mariano pleaded guilty to tax charges based on his failure to report these ill-gotten gains as income. Fraudsters should beware that such ill-gotten gains are taxable income. This investigation highlights the positive impact on justice, which is obtained through the collaborative efforts of multiple federal law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

In addition to pleading guilty to conspiracy and theft of government funds, Ralph Mariano also pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion. Mariano admitted that from 2006-2009, he failed to report $1,864,910 in income he received from Russell Spencer and that he failed to pay $726,650 in taxes to the IRS.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mary M. Lisi ordered Mariano to make restitution to the U.S. Navy in the amount of $17,957,000; to pay a $10,000 fine; and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his imprisonment. Mariano was ordered to self-surrender to the Bureau of Prisons by November 26, 2013.

Anjan Dutta-Gupta, 60, of Roswell, Georgia, who pleaded guilty on April 28, 2011, to one count of bribery, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 4, 2013; Russell Spencer, 59, of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, who pleaded guilty on July 25, 2012, to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and on April 19, 2012, to one count of lying to the FBI, is scheduled to be sentenced December 5, 2013; Patrick Nagle, 52, of Marietta, Georgia, who pleaded guilty on September 13, 2011, to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, is scheduled to be sentenced on November 15, 2013; Mary O’Rourke, 50, of Warwick, Rhode Island, who pleaded guilty on May 30, 2013, to one count of theft of government property, will be sentenced on December 5, 2013.

Ralph Mariano, Jr., 82, of North Providence, Rhode Island, who pleaded guilty on May 15, 2013, to four counts of tax evasion, was sentenced on August 16, 2013, to four years of probation.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lee H. Vilker, Terrence P. Donnelly and Dulce Donovan.

The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Defense-Defense Criminal Investigative Service; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Naval Criminal Investigative Service; and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.

This law enforcement action is part of President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. The President established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources.

The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch and, with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.

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#OrganizedCrime Expert Panel Hosted by WIU School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration @WIUNews

Faculty from the Western Illinois University School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration will serve as experts for the "Organized Crime: Domestic and International Challenges and Responses" panel event from 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6. in Stipes Hall 121. The event is open free to the public.

Faculty presenters and their topics include:

• Dean Alexander, associate professor of LEJA, director of the Homeland Security Research Program and member of the Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council Executive Board for the Central District of Illinois: "Organized Crime and Terrorism Nexus"
• Gregg Nozum, assistant professor of LEJA: "Terrorism and Drug Trafficking"
• Todd Lough, associate professor of LEJA. Lough is a former Chicago Police Department officer, and during his tenure with the CPD, he worked in a number of different capacities, including patrol officer, gang and tactical officer, neighborhood relations officer and gang violence analyst." Lough's topic for the panel is: "Organized Crime and Violence in Chicago"

"Organized Crime: Domestic and International Challenges and Responses" is organized by the Homeland Security Research Program and the School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.

WIU's School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration in one of the University's signature programs, and as of the Fall 2013 semester, the number of students enrolled in the School of LEJA's homeland security minor is more than 230, making it the fifth largest minor at Western.

For more information, contact Alexander at DC-Alexander@wiu.edu. Learn more about WIU's School of LEJA at www.wiu.edu/leja.

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Four Defendants Indicted in Alleged $10 Million Bank Fraud Scheme Involving the Sale of 26 Gas Stations in Four States

Four defendants were indicted on federal charges for their alleged roles in a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $10 million in loan proceeds from a suburban bank through the sales of 26 gas stations in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Two defendants, Charnpal Ghuman and Aga Khan, co-owned the gas stations and sold them to purchasers financed by the bank loans and guaranteed in part by the Small Business Administration. They allegedly recruited purchasers and arranged the loans through a bank loan officer, Akash Brahmbhatt, based on false financial representations, including false tax returns prepared by Shital Mehta, an accountant, both of whom also were indicted.

A fifth defendant, Khan’s brother, Shabbir Khan, was charged separately with tax offenses arising from the bank fraud investigation.

A 23-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury earlier this month was unsealed yesterday following the arrests of Ghuman, 34, of North Barrington, who was charged with 19 counts of bank fraud, three counts of bank bribery, and one count of filing a false federal income tax return; and Khan, 33, of Schaumburg, who was charged with four counts of bank fraud. Both men pleaded not guilty at their arraignment today and remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing at 10:30 a.m. Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Martin in federal court.

The indictment seeks forfeiture of approximately $10 million from Ghuman and Khan, as well as $198,180 in proceeds from the sale of Ghuman’s 2005 Porsche Carrera GT Coupe, which was allegedly purchased with fraud proceeds.

Brahmbhatt, 39, formerly of Naperville and currently living in Texas, and Mehta, 47, of Elk Grove Village, were each charged with one count of bank fraud. They were not arrested and will be arraigned on a date to be determined in U.S. District Court.

The arrests and charges were announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert J. Shields, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and James C. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, together with officials of the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General.

According to the indictment, American Enterprise Bank, based in Buffalo Grove, was authorized to process SBA loans on its own if the loan satisfied SBA qualifications and rules, including a requirement that SBA loans could not be used to finance 100 percent of a business investment.

Between 2006 and 2009, the defendants allegedly engaged in the scheme, which involved the sales of 26 gas stations, including stations in the Illinois towns of Macomb, Mendota, New Boston, Rock Island, and Silvis, as well as three other states.

As part of the scheme, Ghuman and Khan allegedly recruited purchasers of their gas stations who did not qualify for SBA loans and arranged for loans to be made in whole or in part in the name of the purchaser’s relative or friend who had acceptable credit, even though Ghuman, Khan, and Brahmbhatt knew that this straw purchaser would have no role in the gas station or repayment of the loans. In addition, the same three defendants caused false information and documents to be submitted to the bank, including false information about employment, income, assets, and liabilities; false tax returns allegedly prepared by Mehta; and false information about the purchasers’ contributions of equity.

Ghuman and Khan allegedly gave gifts to Brahmbhatt, including cars, in exchange for his alleged assistance in processing the fraudulent loans. The loan proceeds were paid to Ghuman and Khan as payment for gas stations owned by various business entities they controlled.

Ghuman alone was charged with filing a false federal income tax return for 2006, when he reported total and adjusted gross income of $203,583, and the total tax was $37,260, allegedly knowing that the actual amounts substantially exceeded those figures.

Shabbir Khan, 31, of Schaumburg, was charged separately yesterday with two misdemeanor counts of failing to file federal income tax returns for 2008 and 2009. He allegedly had gross income in 2008 in excess of $55,000 from his employment at a cell phone store and from broker’s fees paid to him by American Enterprise Bank as commissions on the loans, and gross income in excess of $30,000 in 2009 from his cell phone store employment.

Each count of bank fraud and bank bribery carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The tax count against Ghuman alone carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The tax charges against Shabbir Khan each carry a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. In addition to criminal penalties, including mandatory costs of prosecution, defendants convicted of tax offenses remain responsible for any taxes and interest due, as well as civil penalties of up to 75 percent of the tax owed. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines. The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Mecklenburg.

An indictment contains merely charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Nichols Kaiga Charged with Attempting to Illegally Export Aluminum Tubes to Malaysian Front for Individual in Iran

A Belgian businessman was scheduled to be arraigned on federal charges alleging that he violated U.S. laws by attempting to export aluminum tubes that were controlled for nuclear non-proliferation purposes from a company in Schaumburg, through Belgium, to a company in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, without obtaining a license from the U.S. Commerce Department, federal law enforcement officials announced. The case follows a lengthy undercover investigation in which the Schaumburg company, which was cooperating with law enforcement, actually shipped different non-controlled aluminum tubes to the defendant’s business in Belgium before they were allegedly illegally transshipped to Malaysia.

Court documents allege that the Malaysian business is a front company operated by an individual who is located at times in Iran.

The case involves 7075 T6 aluminum tubing with an outside diameter of 4.125 inches and an ultimate tensile strength of 572 MPa (megapascals), which is used in the aerospace industry, among other applications. As a controlled material, a license was required from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security to export the 7075 aluminum from the U.S. to Malaysia, but not to Belgium.

The defendant, Nichols Kaiga, 36, of Brussels and London, was charged with one count of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and two counts of making false statements on U.S. export forms in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury last Thursday. Kaiga has been in federal custody since he was arrested on June 25 in New York City, approximately a week after he arrived there. A criminal complaint filed at the time of his arrest was unsealed when he was indicted last week.

The charges were announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Gary Hartwig, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago; Robert J. Shields, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Ronald B. Orzel, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, Chicago Field Office. The Justice Department’s National Security Division is providing assistance in the case.

According to the complaint affidavit and the indictment, the Schaumburg company, identified as Company A in court documents began cooperating with law enforcement in December 2007. The cooperation began after a person identified as Individual A, who was at times located in Iran, attempted to purchase 7075 aluminum from Company A, to be shipped to a company in the United Arab Emirates, but was denied an export license. In late 2009, an undercover agent began posing as an employee of Company A.

Between November 2009 and February 2012, the indictment alleges that Kaiga, who was managing director of a Belgian company, Industrial Metals and Commodities, attempted to export 7075 aluminum from Company A to Company B in Malaysia without an export license. The complaint affidavit alleges that Company B was a front for Individual A in Iran. The false statements charges allege that Kaiga lied on Commerce Department export declaration forms, which stated that the ultimate destination and recipient of the 7075 aluminum were in Belgium.

In November 2011, material that was purported to be 7075 aluminum, but was actually substituted with a different aluminum by Company A in cooperation with law enforcement, was picked up from Company A by a freight forwarding company designated by Kaiga’s Belgian company. The material arrived in the Belgian port of Antwerp on December 1, 2011, and two months later it was shipped by a freight forwarding company to Individual A’s front company in Malaysia.

Violating IEEPA carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine, while making false statements to government agencies 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. The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raj Laud and Nancy DePodesta.

An indictment contains merely charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Joseph Mollica, Former Cook County Forest Preserve District Assistant Engineer, Charged with Accepting $10,000 in Kickbacks from Two District Contracts

Two facilities of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, which were spruced up in 2011, became part of an FBI sting investigation that resulted in federal charges against a former assistant engineer for allegedly taking $10,000 in kickbacks from two contracts he steered to a contractor who was cooperating with law enforcement. The defendant, Joseph Mollica, was indicted on two counts of federal bribery, law enforcement officials announced today.

Mollica, 52, of Elmwood Park, will be arraigned next Wednesday in U.S. District Court. He was released on his own recognizance after he was arrested on October 3 and charged initially in a criminal complaint. Mollica was an assistant engineer for the Forest Preserve District for more than 20 years until last week, and he and others had authority to influence and award contracts for work under $25,000.

Together, the indictment and complaint allege that on October 14, 2011, Mollica accepted a $6,000 kickback from a $24,900 contract to refinish and refurbish the Forest Preserve District’s headquarters building, where he worked, located at 536 N. Harlem Ave. in River Forest. On December 16, 2011, he allegedly accepted a $4,000 kickback from a $16,500 contract to power wash and stain the building and boardwalk and do caulking at the Sand Ridge Nature Center in Calumet City.

The indictment seeks forfeiture of $10,000 in alleged kickback payments.

In both instances, a cooperating individual, a construction company owner who recorded conversations and meetings with Mollica in which the contracts were arranged and the kickbacks were paid, appeared to perform the work properly and completely, according to the complaint affidavit of an FBI agent. The kickback payments occurred after the Forest Preserve District paid the cooperating individual for the work that was performed.

The charges were announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert J. Shields, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Each count of federal bribery carries a maximum penalty of 10 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. The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hotaling.

An indictment contains merely charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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David M. Mark Sentenced to Prison for Role in Mortgage Fraud Scheme

A lawyer from Louisiana who worked locally as a real estate agent, was sentenced to three years in prison for his conviction on conspiracy and fraud charges related to his involvement in a mortgage fraud scheme involving hundreds of Las Vegas homes and more than $50 million in losses, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

David M. Mark, 37, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Philip M. Pro. A jury convicted Mark on April 11, 2013, of one count of conspiracy to commit bank, wire, and mail fraud; two counts of bank fraud; and one count of mail fraud. Mark is free on a personal recognizance bond and must report to federal prison by January 31, 2014.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office has been working diligently with its law enforcement partners since the mid-2000s to investigate and prosecute hundreds of persons who took advantage of their positions of trust to commit mortgage fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “The harm to the community has been enormous, and we hope that the prison sentences that have been imposed have sent a message to others that this type of crime will not be tolerated.”

According to the indictment and evidence presented to the jury during the trial, Mark was employed as a real estate agent and transaction coordinator at Distinctive Real Estate and Investments, a company owned and operated by co-conspirator Eve Mazzarella who was convicted of fraud in December 2011 and sentenced to 14 years in prison. From about March 2006 to December 2007, Mark solicited persons with good credit to act as straw buyers to purchase homes in the Las Vegas area. Mark made arrangements to purchase the homes above the sellers’ asking prices and made arrangements for the excess funds to be redirected to business entities controlled by his co-conspirators under the pretense that they would make upgrades or perform repairs to the properties. Mark caused the straw buyers to apply for mortgage loans for the homes, knowing that the straw buyers could not afford and did not intent to make the mortgage payments. Mark caused false information concerning income, employment, assets, liabilities, and intent to occupy the homes to be placed in the straw buyers’ loan applications. Once the mortgage loans were approved by the financial institutions, Mark caused the financial institutions and escrow and title companies to make third party disbursements to shell companies controlled by his co-conspirators who had an interest in the transactions. Mark’s co-conspirators defaulted on the mortgage payments causing the properties to go into foreclosure and causing losses to the financial institutions of more than $50 million.

The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Pugh and Sarah E. Griswold.

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"Stop and Frisk" Public Safety Program Allowed to Continue Under Court Order

A federal appeals court Thursday blocked a ruling curtailing the New York Police Department's "stop-and-frisk" program, an order that could rattle the New York City political landscape and reverberate in law-enforcement agencies nationwide.

The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 3-0 order, halted a U.S. District Court ruling that ordered a monitor to oversee the stop-and-frisk policy and alter a related training program. The city had appealed the ruling and asked the circuit court to stay any immediate effects of the lower-court ruling pending the appeal.

Under the stop-and-frisk program, the NYPD routinely stopped passersby, especially in high-crime neighborhoods, to pat them down for weapons even when there was limited reason to suspect wrongdoing. The technique has been criticized for disproportionately targeting blacks and Hispanics in poor areas.

In practical terms, Thursday's order means the NYPD can continue the stop-and-frisk practice until the higher court rules on the appeal.

In a court proceeding for a 1999 lawsuit on the stop-and-frisk tactic, Judge Scheindlin asked lawyers suing the city, "[I]f you got proof of inappropriate racial profiling in a good constitutional case, why don't you bring a lawsuit?" according to the appeals court's order. Some of the lawyers involved in that case ultimately brought the lawsuit against the city that led to Judge Scheindlin's ruling curtailing the program.

In a written statement Thursday, the judge noted she had agreed with the city on a key issue. "I sided with the City and directed the plaintiffs to bring a new action rather than a contempt proceeding," she said. "I said I would take the case as related because the plaintiffs charged that the City had violated my order in [the older case]."

Legal experts said Judge Scheindlin's removal was unusual and that such moves happen only several times a year. Stephen Gillers, a law professor at New York University, said the court was likely swayed by the high-profile nature of the case and its potential to affect public safety, coupled with the judge's public interviews and the appearance she gave that she was openly encouraging lawyers to challenge the city in court.

While New York uses stop-and-frisk much more widely than most other cities, other police departments had begun to emulate the NYPD. Experts said the ruling would lead police in those cities to tread more carefully in their own tactics.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has credited the program with helping drive crime in New York City to record lows. But Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio repeatedly attacked the Bloomberg administration for using stop-and-frisk too often against minorities in high-crime neighborhoods, and said he would reduce its use.

Many have credited his outspoken stance against the policy with helping him win the Democratic primary election. He faces Republican Joe Lhota on Tuesday in the city's general election. In a statement, Mr. de Blasio said he was disappointed by Thursday's order. "We have to end the overuse of stop and frisk—and any delay only means a continued and unnecessary rift between our police and the people they protect," he said.

City officials praised it. "We could not be more pleased with the Court's findings," New York City Corporation Counsel Michael A. Cardozo said in a news release. "In short, the ruling of unconstitutional practices is no longer operative, and that question will now receive a fresh and independent look both by the appeals court and then, if necessary, by a different trial court judge."

Lawyers representing the lead plaintiff in the stop-and-frisk case said they were disappointed by the order and were reviewing legal options to challenge the appellate court's decision to remove Judge Scheindlin. "It's remarkable the lengths the appellate court has gone to take this case away from the judge who's worked hard on it for the past 14 years," said Darius Charney, a senior staff attorney at the Center on Constitutional Rights.

The appeals court didn't weigh in on the substantive arguments in the city's appeal in Thursday's order but said it would hear the merits of the case in March.

Thanks to Christopher Matthews.

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Michael DiFoggio, Key Government Informant, Committs Suicide

He was in tax trouble with the law.

His marriage was on the rocks.

His former pals in his mob-connected neighborhood had labeled him a “rat” for cooperating with the feds. And Tuesday night, it seems, it all got to be too much for Michael DiFoggio.

The 58-year-old — a key government witness who helped convict former Cook County Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno and former Ald. Ambrosio Medrano of corruption — shot himself in the mouth in the office of his Bridgeport plumbing business, authorities said.

Though DiFoggio’s passing immediately prompted speculation, police ruled out foul play, and his death was Wednesday ruled a suicide by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

His life had been falling apart for years.

Even as DiFoggio remarried in 2010, his tax problems were leading him to become an undercover FBI informant. Revealed by the Sun-Times three months before he pleaded guilty to tax evasion in October 2012, his cooperation meant he was ostracized in his tight-knit neighborhood, sources say.

Though he’d yet to be sentenced, his critical help for the feds meant he had a good chance of avoiding prison.That made him unwelcome at the Old Neighborhood Italian American Club, a hangout for businessmen and mobsters that his father co-founded, along with mob boss Angelo “The Hook” LaPietra. DiFoggio was told months ago that his membership wouldn’t be renewed.

At home, too, things were going badly. He’d been trying to sell his luxury house with indoor pool for $1.5 million, without luck. And less than two weeks ago, his wife, Fran Prado, filed for divorce.

His sad, final days were described in court papers she used on Monday to win an order of protection that banned DiFoggio from the family home on the 3700 block of South Normal.

According to Prado, DiFoggio recently canceled her credit card and took back her wedding ring, then — during an ugly argument that saw police called to their home Saturday night — shoved and grabbed her.

DiFoggio falsely told the cops that his wife had held “a butcher knife to his throat” and “had put poison in his ice cream,” Prado wrote, adding, “I fear that Michael will physically grab me again ...”

DiFoggio’s demise at 3126 S. Shields came after he’d had a phone conversation with his wife, sources said. It prompted fresh rumors about his cooperation with the feds and whether more indictments are expected.

“According to my clients on the street, there was a Second Act coming,” said prominent defense attorney Joseph “The Shark” Lopez, who has represented many organized crime figures.“There was actually a feeling that something else was about to happen — whether it’s true or not, who knows?”

Spokesmen for the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office both declined to comment.But there’s little doubt DiFoggio proved himself invaluable in his secret recordings of Medrano and Moreno.

Posing as a crooked developer willing to pay bribes to get a garbage transfer station located in Cicero, he, in December 2010, passed $5,000 to Moreno to grease the deal. Just months before, Moreno had been appointed to a Cicero business assistance committee by the town’s president, Larry Dominick.

At one point, Moreno told DiFoggio: “I don’t want to be a hog, I just want to be a pig. Hogs get slaughtered, pigs get fat.”

DiFoggio also helped snare Medrano in a health-care contracting sting last year.

Medrano’s lawyer, Gal Pissetzky, said that DiFoggio’s death left Medrano “shocked and saddened.”

Whatever DiFoggio did, “We’re all human beings,” Pissetzky said.

Thanks to Michael Sneed and Kim Janssen.

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Rick E. Brown Arrested for Alleged Role in $12 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme Operating Out of Medicall Physicians Group

A Rockford, Illinois man was arrested in connection with an indictment charging three Chicago-area residents for their roles in an alleged $12 million health care fraud scheme.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon of the Northern District of Illinois, Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Shields, Jr. of the FBI’s Chicago Office, and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh, III of the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Chicago Regional Office made the announcement.

According to the 10-count indictment returned on October 23, 2013,  Rick E. Brown, 56, and two other individuals allegedly participated in a Medicare fraud scheme operating out of a home visiting physician practice, Medicall Physicians Group Ltd. in Schaumburg, Illinois, that billed for services that Medicall never provided. Medicare allegedly paid the company approximately $4.7 million for fraudulently reported services from January 2007 to December 2011.

Brown and an alleged co-conspirator, Roger A. Lucero, 62, of Elmhurst, Illinois, are charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and health care fraud. The two men and another defendant, Mary C. Talaga, 53, of Elmwood Park, Illinois, are also charged with making false statements relating to health care matters.

According to the indictment, Lucero and Brown owned and operated Medicall, and Talaga submitted the company’s bills to Medicare. The indictment alleges that Brown instructed employees to bill Medicare for patient oversight and other services that were never provided, and Lucero created backdated records in an effort to conceal the fraudulent billings. Talaga is alleged to have billed Medicare for these services even though she knew they had not been documented, a practice that required her to fabricate the information submitted to Medicare.

The charges of health care fraud conspiracy and health care fraud each carry a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charges of false statements relating to health care matters carry a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

An indictment is merely a charge, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The investigation is being conducted jointly by the FBI and HHS-OIG and brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Brooke Harper of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,500 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.

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"Organized Crime in Chicago Beyond the Mafia" Explaining Chicago's mix of crime, corruption, and politics

This book provides a comprehensive sociological explanation for the emergence and continuation of organized crime in Chicago. Tracing the roots of political corruption that afforded protection to gambling, prostitution, and other vice activity in Chicago and other large American cities, Robert M. Lombardo challenges the dominant belief that organized crime in America descended directly from the Sicilian Mafia. According to this widespread "alien conspiracy" theory, organized crime evolved in a linear fashion beginning with the Mafia in Sicily, emerging in the form of the Black Hand in America's immigrant colonies, and culminating in the development of the Cosa Nostra in America's urban centers.

Looking beyond this Mafia paradigm, this volume argues that the development of organized crime in Chicago and other large American cities was rooted in the social structure of American society. Specifically, Lombardo ties organized crime to the emergence of machine politics in America's urban centers. From nineteenth-century vice syndicates to the modern-day Outfit, Chicago's criminal underworld could not have existed without the blessing of those who controlled municipal, county, and state government. These practices were not imported from Sicily, Lombardo contends, but were bred in the socially disorganized slums of America where elected officials routinely franchised vice and crime in exchange for money and votes. This book also traces the history of the African American community's participation in traditional organized crime in Chicago and offers new perspectives on the organizational structure of the Chicago Outfit, the traditional organized crime group in Chicago.

"Lombardo recounts more than 100 years of the rise and decline of various criminal organizations, including the Syndicates, the Forty-Two Gang, and the Outfit, in this history explaining the role of organized crime in Chicago. Because Chicago crime is depicted in many popular books and movies, this history will find eager readers everywhere."--Booklist

"Lombardo argues persuasively that organized crime is not a foreign deviance implanted by will but rather a condition made possible by circumstances of the place. Recommended."--Choice

"An authoritative and colorful history that covers the whole sweep of organized crime in Chicago and puts politics, gangs, and ethnicity into clear perspective."--Dominic Candeloro, coeditor of Reconstructing Italians in Chicago: Thirty Authors in Search of Roots and Branches

Robert M. Lombardo is an associate professor of criminal justice at Loyola University Chicago and a former Chicago Police officer. He is the author of The Black Hand: Terror by Letter in Chicago.

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#OrganizedCrime Group Dismantled by @RCMPgrcpoliceand @CanBorder

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) - Serious and Organized Crime Unit - South West District (SOC-SW), in partnership with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and assistance from the Hamilton Police Service (HPS) have dismantled an organized crime group allegedly involved in importing and trafficking cocaine into the Greater Hamilton Area.

Following a six month investigation, numerous search warrants were executed and the members of this crime group were arrested. During the investigation over 5 kilos of cocaine were seized by CBSA officers at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The cocaine originated from different South American destinations. Several illegal marihuana grow operations were also dismantled as a result of this investigation.

"The RCMP and our partners are committed to ensuring a safe and secure Canada by reducing the threat and impact of organized crime groups. The importation and trafficking of harmful, illegal drugs and their related crimes have a devastating effect on our communities, like those in the Greater Hamilton Area. Project OPLATO is a fine example of inter-agency cooperation targeting organized crime groups that only seek to enrich themselves with no regard for the health and safety of our Communities." said Inspector Todd Gilmore, OIC-RCMP SOC-SW.

"I want to congratulate all the officers involved in this project on its successful outcome," said Goran Vragovic, Regional Director General, Greater Toronto Area Region, CBSA. "It's partnerships like these between the RCMP and CBSA, that ensure the safety and security of Canadians by stopping the flow of illegal narcotics at the border that are used to fuel criminal enterprises."

The subjects below have been arrested and charged with the following offenses:

•     Jorge Alejandro Rodriguez-Oliva (age 29) from Stoney Creek, Ontario
•     Edson Ariel Rosales (age 40) from Hamilton, Ontario
•     Nicolas Salciccioli (age 25) from Stoney Creek, Ontario
•     Importing cocaine contrary to section 6 (1) CDSA
•     Conspiracy to commit an indictable offence contrary to section 465 (1) of the CC

•  Edina Kalmar (age 29) from Waterdown, Ontario
•  Conspiracy to commit an indictable offence contrary to section 465 (1) of the CC

Further arrests and charges are anticipated.

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Supported by @DeCeccodal1886 “Opening the Vaults: Wonders of the 1893 World Fair” Opens @FieldMuseum

One hundred and twenty years after winning its first Gold Medal in the New World at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, De Cecco, the premiere Italian pasta company, will commemorate that singular honor with a special event at The Chicago Field Museum’s new exhibition:  “Opening the Vaults: Wonders of the 1893 World Fair,” which opens October 25.  Also known as the World’s Columbian Exposition, the retrospective exhibition takes a look at the Fair that was a glittering showcase of architecture, culture, technology, and food, and attracted people from around the world.

The Fair brought visitors closer than ever before to unique wonders like exotic animals, international cultures, as well as strange new products and technological innovations from around the world.  It was the birthplace of Juicy Fruit chewing gum, the Ferris Wheel and The Field Museum as well.  “De Cecco pasta was introduced to the world at this Fair as well, and was awarded the Gold Medal for superior manufacture, color and firmness after cooking,” says Marco de Ceglie, CEO of De Cecco USA.

To commemorate their prestigious honor and the innovations of the Victorian Era, De Cecco will sponsor a special luncheon featuring a mouthwatering menu of its award winning pasta, served up at the Museum’s prestigious Founder’s Room, followed by a docent tour of the exhibition on October 25th (also known as World Pasta Day).

De Cecco is Italy’s premium pasta, chosen by renowned chefs because they know the secret to making unsurpassed pasta – the De Cecco difference!  Carefully crafted in the mountains of Central Italy, De Cecco uses a proprietary process to make its 160 pasta varieties. Production starts with full control of the milling process and using only the heart of durum wheat to produce premium semolina, then mixing it with cool natural waters from De Cecco’s own mountain spring, drawing the semolina dough through bronze dies and drying the pasta very slowly at low temperature.  Over the years De Cecco has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, and was recently inducted to the Italian Trade Commission’s Hall of Fame. Founded in 1886 by the De Cecco brothers in the Abruzzo region of central Italy, today De Cecco exports to more than 87 countries and is the world’s third largest manufacturer of pasta. Their product line includes premium pasta, sauces, and its own brand of olive oil, among other related fine foods.

“Opening the Vaults: Wonders of the 1893 World’s Fair” will be on view at The Field Museum October 25, 2013 – September 7, 2014.

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"The JFK Collection" On DVD - 8 Films Covering His Life, His Death and His Legacy

HISTORY presents The JFK Collection, an impressive 3-disc DVD set exploring one of America’s most legendary families available on October 22 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Chronicling the life and legacy of our nation’s 35th President John F. Kennedy, the 8-film collection arrives just in time for the 50th anniversary of one of the most talked about moments in American history.

Featuring hours of content celebrating his iconic life, The JFK Collection 3-disc DVD set will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98.

Go inside the life of John F. Kennedy, a reckless rich kid who lived on the edge and became a WWII hero and a president who challenged the nation as it had never been before. This comprehensive family portrait also includes hour-long biographies of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Joseph P. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Ted Kennedy.

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Courtroom Drama Spotlights The Right To Stand Your Ground - A Cry For Justice

No mother should have to endure the ordeal that Jackie Carpenter and her family were put through as a result of her son's arrest after he accidentally shot a man stealing from his worksite. And never in her wildest dreams could this Georgia mom have known that she would become an author as a result of this terrifying experience, that her two books would be made into an award-winning movie, or that her son's case would be considered "textbook” in the annals of legal cases and be taught to future first year law students!

Taking first place recently in the Alaska International Film Festival, Stand Your Ground: A Cry For Justice by Triple Horse Studios is the award-winning movie that tells the gripping story of Jackie Carpenter's quest to save her family. Jackie's idyllic life was frozen in time the day she heard her son was arrested for felony murder when all he did was defend his worksite from constant theft. Unfortunately, as he held the men at bay while waiting for the police to arrive, his gun accidentally fired and one of the men died. This is a movie that everyone needs to see because it shows how something that happens in a split second can change a life forever. While it has all the terror and tragedy of a blockbuster movie hit, this one is real life!

Stand Your Ground, showing in select theaters beginning January 17, 2014, tells the explosive story of the ten-month trial and how Jackie Carpenter's faith was tested to the max. The trailer for the movie won Award of Excellence in the Best Short Competition and Award of Merit in The Accolade Competition, and has been nominated as Best Picture in the ICVM Crown Awards and entered in the Gideon Film Festival! Please watch: http://acryforjusticemovie.com to see the exciting trailer.

Feeling physically, mentally and emotionally ill through the first six months of this ordeal resulted in Jackie questioning her faith. All this loving mom knew was that she needed God on her side throughout the trial and she prayed relentlessly, asking for strength and renewed faith. Once she stopped doubting, courage replaced fear and she knew that God heard her plea.

Jackie's first book, The Bridge: Between Cell Block A and a Miracle is Psalm 91 (Xulon Publishing) tells the traumatic events after her son's arrest and how she used the prayer of protection, Psalm 91, to help face the turmoil of emotions raging through her and help her find the strength to hold her family together. Her second book, Georgia Justice, is a story of building faith. Jackie was able to overcome the grips of doubt and depression and her book acts as a guide for anyone wanting to renew and strengthen faith and hope on the road to ultimate victory.

Jackie Carpenter has been a featured guest on television, radio, and in newspaper articles. For information on Jackie and her books, or the extraordinary movie that will have audiences white-knuckled and hanging on to the edge of their seats, please visit: www.bridgetoamiracle.com.

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Hope Ippoliti, Former Turnberry Controller Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for $6 Million Embezzlement

The former controller for the company that owned or developed the Residences at MGM, Town Square shopping center, Turnberry Place, Turnberry Towers, and the Stirling Club in Las Vegas was sentenced to 37 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay approximately $5.6 million in restitution, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

Hope Ippoliti, 52, of Las Vegas, who pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro. Ippoliti was permitted to self-report to federal prison by January 14, 2014.

“This was a significant amount of money that was embezzled over an almost five-year period,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “Ms. Ippoliti victimized not only Turnberry Associates in the amount of $5.6 million but caused irreparable harm and financial damage to the many victims and business entities employed and supported by Turnberry Associates.”

Ippoliti worked as the Western Regional Controller for Turnberry West Realty, a subsidiary of Turnberry Associates LLC. In that capacity, Ippoliti had signatory authority and access to certain Turnberry bank accounts. From about May 17, 2007, to about January 12, 2012, Ippoliti and a co-defendant, Rocco Lazazzaro, conspired to steal from Turnberry Associates and its affiliates. Ippoliti created fund transfer requests containing false information that the funds were intended for business-related purposes when she and Lazazzaro actually intended to withdraw the funds for personal use. Ippoliti faxed or e-mailed the fund transfer requests from Nevada to Turnberry Associates in Florida to cause the transfer of funds into Bank of America accounts over which she had signatory authority. Ippoliti and Lazazzaro deposited and cashed checks and cashier’s checks drawn on Bank of America bank accounts belonging to Turnberry Associates and its affiliates. The total losses to Turnberry Associates and its affiliates were $5.6 million.

Lazazzaro, who has a lengthy criminal history, was sentenced on August 22 to 51 months in prison.

The case was jointly investigated by the FBI and the United States Secret Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina M. Brown.

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