Preet Bharara, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and George Venizelos, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced yesterday that a grand jury sitting in White Plains has returned a two-count Indictment charging GREGG PIERLEONI with mail fraud and wire fraud.
The Indictment alleges that PIERLEONI embezzled more than $5.7 million over a period of more than six years from a Westchester-based moving and storage company where he had served as the Chief Financial Officer from 1987 to April 2013.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated: “As alleged, Pierleoni abused the trust placed in him by his employer to steal a substantial amount of money so that he could enjoy a lavish lifestyle. He now faces having to pay the real price for that lifestyle.”
Assistant FBI Director George Venizelos stated: “As alleged in the Indictment, motivated by personal greed, Pierleoni stole millions of dollars from his long-time employer. He lived beyond his means while repeatedly betraying his company’s trust. The FBI will continue to investigate and hold accountable individuals who steal and line their pockets with their victim’s hard-earned money.”
According to allegations in the Indictment unsealed earlier today: PIERLEONI moved funds from the moving company’s operating account to other accounts held by the moving company and a related entity. He then wrote checks from those other accounts to pay his personal American Express bills. PIERLEONI used the funds he embezzled to pay for collectible items, sports memorabilia, airline tickets and other travel expenses, artwork, tickets to sporting events and meals in restaurants.
PIERLEONI, 59, of New Fairfield, CT, faces upon conviction maximum sentences of 20 years' imprisonment on the mail fraud count and 20 years' imprisonment on the wire fraud count. Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the FBI.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney James McMahon is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Friday, January 03, 2014
Thursday, January 02, 2014
Condolences to Family of Victor J. Cacciatore Sr. Real Estate Magnate Testified at #OperationFamilySecrets Trial
Victor J. Cacciatore Sr. made the family name larger than life. Just take a drive past the iconic Jos. Cacciatore & Co. Real Estate sign that greets drivers just before the Chicago Stock Exchange on Congress, marking one of Chicago’s oldest and most successful real estate companies.
Much of what Mr. Cacciatore did was on a large scale. He raised a large family — 10 children — in the River Forest home he shared with his wife of 57 years, his high school sweetheart Charlotte. And he’d grow the family’s business empire beyond real estate to law, street sweeping, and banking.
Mr. Cacciatore, 83, died Monday after a long battle with cancer.
The son of a humble immigrant who came from Sicily at age 13, Mr. Cacciatore had big dreams for his family.
“I remember him saying, many times, ‘mediocrity should not be in your vocabulary,’” his daughter Susan Lasek. “He said ‘never be a procrastinator.’ He taught us that if you needed to do something, do it right away or it’s not going to get done. ‘Part of a successful person,’ he would say, ‘is that you do things. You’re a doer.’ My dad is a doer.”
“Everybody knew Vic,” said longtime friend John Turner, attorney at the Law Offices of Victor J. Cacciatore since 1963. “He always was a businessman, starting out with parlay cards in high school. His first big business adventure was selling chances on portable radios. He was a great raffle guy.”
But his youth wasn’t just fun and games. Mr. Cacciatore spent much of his time as a teen in his father’s real estate office, learning the tricks of the trade.
After graduating from DePaul University where he earned both his undergraduate and law degrees, he served in the U.S. Army as a Counterintelligence Corps Special Agent in France.
His ambitions upon returning led him to follow in his father’s footsteps, taking over his real estate firm Jos. Cacciatore & Co. and expanding it. But with financial success came some trouble. In 2007, he testified in the Operation Family Secrets trial about being extorted by the mob during the early 1980s. He was the victim of mob threats, including having his back windshield shot out and receiving threatening phone calls. He said he was initially extorted for $5 million and wound up paying $200,000 to get the Outfit off his back.
The threats were something he discussed with his closest friends, but it was a matter they kept in confidence. “It was extortion because he was doing so well. He was really doing well, and of course, he was one of the hits,” Turner said. “It didn’t matter that he was a good Italian boy. Vic was right in the middle. It was a perfect mark. When we found out [about the extortion], we couldn’t believe it.”
Turner called that time in Mr. Cacciatore’s life a “terrible, unfortunate thing.” “He was relieved when it was all put behind him, all finished,” Turner said.
Above all, Mr. Cacciatore’s home life was at the core of his success, friends and family say.
He met his wife Charlotte at age 15. They got married in 1956. “It was a beautiful strong marriage. They respected each other. They went through ups and downs but they loved each other,” Susan Lasek said. It was a great partnership, son Philip Cacciatore said: “My parents never had help . . . it’s pretty amazing. They’re amazing people.”
Charlotte was Polish. He was Italian. And she knew she had to learn a key thing to make him happy. “He loved my mom and my mom made him his favorite, homemade spaghetti and meatballs. That was his thing,” daughter Susan said. “She learned how to cook when they first got married. She didn’t know how to cook a lot of Italian dishes, so she learned from my grandmother Cacciatore. That’s how you win a man’s heart. Through the tummy.”
Mr. Cacciatore himself became a pancake maker, whipping up flapjacks for his family every Sunday. He took all 10 kids on fishing trips in Canada, and to an island in South Carolina. He talked about them in nearly all of his public speeches at charity and civic events. “There is one word that Vic used more than anything in the world, family,” Turner said. “He harped on that. Family was the basis, was the keystone, was the word he used every time he gave a speech. . . . He never failed to mention the fact that family was behind everything. And it wasn’t phony. It wasn’t just a catchphrase to use.”
Mr. Cacciatore was also a philanthropist, donating to his alma maters Mount Carmel High School and DePaul University, where he personally gave funds to construct Cacciatore Stadium, which serves as the athletic field at the Lincoln Park campus.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations are sent in memory of Victor J. Cacciatore to Misericordia Heart of Mercy, a nonprofit the family is very involved with.
In addition to his daughter Susan Lasek and son Philip Cacciatore, Mr. Cacciatore is survived by his wife Charlotte, his other sons Victor Jr., Joseph, Peter, Chris, and Danny; his other daughters Cynthia Bickel, Mary Beth Cacciatore and Gloria Turan; 21 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Visitation will be Friday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church in River Forest.
The funeral mass is to start at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Vincent. Burial to follow at the Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside.
Thanks to Tina Sfondeles.
Much of what Mr. Cacciatore did was on a large scale. He raised a large family — 10 children — in the River Forest home he shared with his wife of 57 years, his high school sweetheart Charlotte. And he’d grow the family’s business empire beyond real estate to law, street sweeping, and banking.
Mr. Cacciatore, 83, died Monday after a long battle with cancer.
The son of a humble immigrant who came from Sicily at age 13, Mr. Cacciatore had big dreams for his family.
“I remember him saying, many times, ‘mediocrity should not be in your vocabulary,’” his daughter Susan Lasek. “He said ‘never be a procrastinator.’ He taught us that if you needed to do something, do it right away or it’s not going to get done. ‘Part of a successful person,’ he would say, ‘is that you do things. You’re a doer.’ My dad is a doer.”
“Everybody knew Vic,” said longtime friend John Turner, attorney at the Law Offices of Victor J. Cacciatore since 1963. “He always was a businessman, starting out with parlay cards in high school. His first big business adventure was selling chances on portable radios. He was a great raffle guy.”
But his youth wasn’t just fun and games. Mr. Cacciatore spent much of his time as a teen in his father’s real estate office, learning the tricks of the trade.
After graduating from DePaul University where he earned both his undergraduate and law degrees, he served in the U.S. Army as a Counterintelligence Corps Special Agent in France.
His ambitions upon returning led him to follow in his father’s footsteps, taking over his real estate firm Jos. Cacciatore & Co. and expanding it. But with financial success came some trouble. In 2007, he testified in the Operation Family Secrets trial about being extorted by the mob during the early 1980s. He was the victim of mob threats, including having his back windshield shot out and receiving threatening phone calls. He said he was initially extorted for $5 million and wound up paying $200,000 to get the Outfit off his back.
The threats were something he discussed with his closest friends, but it was a matter they kept in confidence. “It was extortion because he was doing so well. He was really doing well, and of course, he was one of the hits,” Turner said. “It didn’t matter that he was a good Italian boy. Vic was right in the middle. It was a perfect mark. When we found out [about the extortion], we couldn’t believe it.”
Turner called that time in Mr. Cacciatore’s life a “terrible, unfortunate thing.” “He was relieved when it was all put behind him, all finished,” Turner said.
Above all, Mr. Cacciatore’s home life was at the core of his success, friends and family say.
He met his wife Charlotte at age 15. They got married in 1956. “It was a beautiful strong marriage. They respected each other. They went through ups and downs but they loved each other,” Susan Lasek said. It was a great partnership, son Philip Cacciatore said: “My parents never had help . . . it’s pretty amazing. They’re amazing people.”
Charlotte was Polish. He was Italian. And she knew she had to learn a key thing to make him happy. “He loved my mom and my mom made him his favorite, homemade spaghetti and meatballs. That was his thing,” daughter Susan said. “She learned how to cook when they first got married. She didn’t know how to cook a lot of Italian dishes, so she learned from my grandmother Cacciatore. That’s how you win a man’s heart. Through the tummy.”
Mr. Cacciatore himself became a pancake maker, whipping up flapjacks for his family every Sunday. He took all 10 kids on fishing trips in Canada, and to an island in South Carolina. He talked about them in nearly all of his public speeches at charity and civic events. “There is one word that Vic used more than anything in the world, family,” Turner said. “He harped on that. Family was the basis, was the keystone, was the word he used every time he gave a speech. . . . He never failed to mention the fact that family was behind everything. And it wasn’t phony. It wasn’t just a catchphrase to use.”
Mr. Cacciatore was also a philanthropist, donating to his alma maters Mount Carmel High School and DePaul University, where he personally gave funds to construct Cacciatore Stadium, which serves as the athletic field at the Lincoln Park campus.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations are sent in memory of Victor J. Cacciatore to Misericordia Heart of Mercy, a nonprofit the family is very involved with.
In addition to his daughter Susan Lasek and son Philip Cacciatore, Mr. Cacciatore is survived by his wife Charlotte, his other sons Victor Jr., Joseph, Peter, Chris, and Danny; his other daughters Cynthia Bickel, Mary Beth Cacciatore and Gloria Turan; 21 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Visitation will be Friday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church in River Forest.
The funeral mass is to start at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Vincent. Burial to follow at the Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside.
Thanks to Tina Sfondeles.
Wednesday, January 01, 2014
New Year Brings New Laws
The new year will add Illinois to the list of 20 states that permit marijuana to be used for medical reasons, and motorists will be allowed to go faster on some state highways but face greater restrictions on using their cellphones while driving, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.
Buyers of pets also will get new rights to get refunds for sick animals. School districts that teach sex education will be required to include the teaching of contraception. And tougher criminal penalties await those who use electronic communications to create flash mobs.
Those wide-ranging legislative initiatives represent some of the 201 new state laws passed and signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn during 2013 that take effect Jan. 1.
Some of the biggest legislative accomplishments from the past year, however, like the legalization of same-sex marriage and changes to state pension benefits, won't take effect until the summer, and the pension law is expected to be held up in legal challenge by public-sector unions.
Of the new laws taking effect at the start of 2014, the medical marijuana law is the most high-profile of the bunch, but those Illinoisans sick enough to qualify for using the drug may have to wait months before they can begin doing so.
That's because three state agencies — the Department of Public Health, the Department of Agriculture, and Department of Financial and Professional Regulation — are writing rules that have to be submitted to a bipartisan legislative panel by May 1 to clarify the new law.
The fine-tuning will cover everything from what ailments are covered beyond the 40 explicit conditions spelled out in the law, who can apply for licenses to open a dispensary or cultivation center, and what constitutes a physician-patient relationship.
"There are a lot of moving parts to this," said Melaney Arnold, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Health. She predicted the law wouldn't be fully implemented until perhaps "fall or winter."
Meanwhile, state transportation officials are preparing to increase speed limits to 70 mph on some rural interstates under a law that passed in May. That legislation was sponsored by Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, and Rep. Jerry Costello II, D-Smithton.
The Illinois Department of Transportation on Friday announced where higher speeds will be allowed, and the agency will start posting new signs sometime in early January. While speeds on most interstates throughout the state will increase, just some smaller stretches of in northern Lake, western Kane, and southern and western Will counties got the bump. The law allows counties in the Chicago area and Metro East near St. Louis to establish expressway speed limits lower than the 70-mph threshold sought statewide by Oberweis.
Motorists also will be affected by a new law barring the use of handheld cellphones for any purpose while driving. The legislation was carried by Rep. John D'Amico, D-Chicago, and Sen. John Mulroe, D-Chicago.
The law, which allows cellphones to be used in hands-free mode or with a headset, establishes a series of graduated fines for violators, ranging from $75 for the first offense up to $150 for the fourth and subsequent offenses. The first ticket a driver receives is not considered a moving violation, though later ones are.
Illlinois pet owners were given new consumer-protection safeguards under what was called the "puppy lemon" law that takes effect Jan. 1. That legislation allows buyers of dogs and cats from pet shops to obtain refunds or reimbursement of veterinarian bills for serious, undisclosed illnesses at the time of sale.
State lawmakers also took aim at sex-education curricula across the state. A new law applying to public school districts that offer sex education requires them to teach students between the 6th and 12th grades about contraception. The law also requires the "medically accurate" teaching of abstinence, a change from law that encouraged the teaching of abstinence "until marriage."
Another law takes aim at mob attacks organized with help from social media sites like Twitter or Facebook and targeted random pedestrians along North Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile and other tourist areas. The law doubles the maximum prison term to six years for anyone who uses social media and text messaging to organize violent "flash mobs."
Buyers of pets also will get new rights to get refunds for sick animals. School districts that teach sex education will be required to include the teaching of contraception. And tougher criminal penalties await those who use electronic communications to create flash mobs.
Those wide-ranging legislative initiatives represent some of the 201 new state laws passed and signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn during 2013 that take effect Jan. 1.
Some of the biggest legislative accomplishments from the past year, however, like the legalization of same-sex marriage and changes to state pension benefits, won't take effect until the summer, and the pension law is expected to be held up in legal challenge by public-sector unions.
Of the new laws taking effect at the start of 2014, the medical marijuana law is the most high-profile of the bunch, but those Illinoisans sick enough to qualify for using the drug may have to wait months before they can begin doing so.
That's because three state agencies — the Department of Public Health, the Department of Agriculture, and Department of Financial and Professional Regulation — are writing rules that have to be submitted to a bipartisan legislative panel by May 1 to clarify the new law.
The fine-tuning will cover everything from what ailments are covered beyond the 40 explicit conditions spelled out in the law, who can apply for licenses to open a dispensary or cultivation center, and what constitutes a physician-patient relationship.
"There are a lot of moving parts to this," said Melaney Arnold, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Health. She predicted the law wouldn't be fully implemented until perhaps "fall or winter."
Meanwhile, state transportation officials are preparing to increase speed limits to 70 mph on some rural interstates under a law that passed in May. That legislation was sponsored by Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, and Rep. Jerry Costello II, D-Smithton.
The Illinois Department of Transportation on Friday announced where higher speeds will be allowed, and the agency will start posting new signs sometime in early January. While speeds on most interstates throughout the state will increase, just some smaller stretches of in northern Lake, western Kane, and southern and western Will counties got the bump. The law allows counties in the Chicago area and Metro East near St. Louis to establish expressway speed limits lower than the 70-mph threshold sought statewide by Oberweis.
Motorists also will be affected by a new law barring the use of handheld cellphones for any purpose while driving. The legislation was carried by Rep. John D'Amico, D-Chicago, and Sen. John Mulroe, D-Chicago.
The law, which allows cellphones to be used in hands-free mode or with a headset, establishes a series of graduated fines for violators, ranging from $75 for the first offense up to $150 for the fourth and subsequent offenses. The first ticket a driver receives is not considered a moving violation, though later ones are.
Illlinois pet owners were given new consumer-protection safeguards under what was called the "puppy lemon" law that takes effect Jan. 1. That legislation allows buyers of dogs and cats from pet shops to obtain refunds or reimbursement of veterinarian bills for serious, undisclosed illnesses at the time of sale.
State lawmakers also took aim at sex-education curricula across the state. A new law applying to public school districts that offer sex education requires them to teach students between the 6th and 12th grades about contraception. The law also requires the "medically accurate" teaching of abstinence, a change from law that encouraged the teaching of abstinence "until marriage."
Another law takes aim at mob attacks organized with help from social media sites like Twitter or Facebook and targeted random pedestrians along North Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile and other tourist areas. The law doubles the maximum prison term to six years for anyone who uses social media and text messaging to organize violent "flash mobs."
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
"Chefs to the Max" Dinner Series to Launch at @RxBoilerRoom on Sunday, January 19th #SavetheDate
WHAT: An array of the most prestigious chefs will be joining together to launch “Chefs to the Max,” an ongoing dinner series designed to benefit critically injured longtime food journalist Max Jacobson.
The news release with the chef line-up, ticket information and more will be sent later this week.
WHO: Two days before Christmas, Jacobson was struck by a car while in the crosswalk at Windmill Parkway and Pecos Road as he walked from home to the gym. He sustained severe brain trauma from the accident. He is currently in critical condition at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center.
Jacobson, whose 64th birthday is on New Year’s Eve, is currently Vegas Seven’s restaurant reviewer. Prior to that, he covered Orange County for the Los Angeles Times for 15 years. He moved to Las Vegas in 1999 to be the lead critic for Las Vegas Life. He has also written for numerous national culinary publications including Saveur and Gourmet. Jacobson recently co-authored “Eating Las Vegas” with fellow food critics Al Mancini and John Curtas.
WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 19
6 to 10 p.m.
WHERE: Rx Boiler Room at Mandalay Bay
3930 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89119
The news release with the chef line-up, ticket information and more will be sent later this week.
WHO: Two days before Christmas, Jacobson was struck by a car while in the crosswalk at Windmill Parkway and Pecos Road as he walked from home to the gym. He sustained severe brain trauma from the accident. He is currently in critical condition at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center.
Jacobson, whose 64th birthday is on New Year’s Eve, is currently Vegas Seven’s restaurant reviewer. Prior to that, he covered Orange County for the Los Angeles Times for 15 years. He moved to Las Vegas in 1999 to be the lead critic for Las Vegas Life. He has also written for numerous national culinary publications including Saveur and Gourmet. Jacobson recently co-authored “Eating Las Vegas” with fellow food critics Al Mancini and John Curtas.
WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 19
6 to 10 p.m.
WHERE: Rx Boiler Room at Mandalay Bay
3930 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Monday, December 30, 2013
Delanio Benford Sentenced to 113 Months in Federal Prison for the Robberies of Rockford-Area Banks and Credit Union
A Rockford, Illinois man was sentenced in federal court before U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Kapala to 113 months in prison without parole, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for robbing two Rockford-area banks and a credit union. Delanio Benford, 34, pled guilty on March 22, 2013, to the robbery of Associated Bank, 3333 N. Rockton Ave., on June 22, 2010; PNC Bank, 6709 E. Riverside Blvd., on July 15, 2010; and Members Alliance Credit Union, 6951 Olde Creek Rd., on July 28, 2010 and September 11 , 2010. Benford was also ordered to pay restitution of $38,771 to the banks and credit union. Benford will not be eligible for parole.
Two other individuals have also pled guilty and been sentenced in related cases:
Prince Williams, 27, of Rockford, pled guilty on April 19, 2012, to six counts of bank/credit union robbery and one count of armed bank robbery, all in Rockford, including: First Northern Credit Union, 2235 12th St., Rockford, on May 3, 2010; National City Bank (now PNC Bank), 1551 Sandy Hollow Rd., on June 10, 2010, while armed with a handgun; Associated Bank, 3333 N. Rockton Ave., on June 22, 2010; PNC Bank, 6709 E. Riverside Blvd., on July 15, 2010; Harris N.A., 1275 Bennington Rd., on July 22, 2010; and Members Alliance Credit Union, 6951 Olde Creek Rd., on July 28, 2010 and on September 11 , 2010, while using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. Williams was sentenced by Judge Kapala on December 4, 2013, to 128 months in federal prison without parole and five years of supervised release following imprisonment and was ordered to pay restitution of $56,644.35 to the banks and credit unions.
Michael Buck, 28, also of Rockford, pled guilty on October 3, 2013, to the robbery of Members Alliance Credit Union on September 11, 2013, and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard to 125 months in federal prison without parole, three years of supervised release following his release from prison, and ordered pay restitution of $12,180 to Members Alliance.
The sentencing was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert J. Holley, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Rockford Police Department and Rockton Police Department assisted in the investigation.
The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Pedersen.
Two other individuals have also pled guilty and been sentenced in related cases:
Prince Williams, 27, of Rockford, pled guilty on April 19, 2012, to six counts of bank/credit union robbery and one count of armed bank robbery, all in Rockford, including: First Northern Credit Union, 2235 12th St., Rockford, on May 3, 2010; National City Bank (now PNC Bank), 1551 Sandy Hollow Rd., on June 10, 2010, while armed with a handgun; Associated Bank, 3333 N. Rockton Ave., on June 22, 2010; PNC Bank, 6709 E. Riverside Blvd., on July 15, 2010; Harris N.A., 1275 Bennington Rd., on July 22, 2010; and Members Alliance Credit Union, 6951 Olde Creek Rd., on July 28, 2010 and on September 11 , 2010, while using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. Williams was sentenced by Judge Kapala on December 4, 2013, to 128 months in federal prison without parole and five years of supervised release following imprisonment and was ordered to pay restitution of $56,644.35 to the banks and credit unions.
Michael Buck, 28, also of Rockford, pled guilty on October 3, 2013, to the robbery of Members Alliance Credit Union on September 11, 2013, and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard to 125 months in federal prison without parole, three years of supervised release following his release from prison, and ordered pay restitution of $12,180 to Members Alliance.
The sentencing was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert J. Holley, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Rockford Police Department and Rockton Police Department assisted in the investigation.
The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Pedersen.
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