Hate Crime Statistics Report for 2011 Released by FBI

In 2011, U.S. law enforcement agencies reported 6,222 hate crime incidents involving 7,254 offenses, according to the FBI's just-released Hate Crime Statistics, 2011 report. These incidents included offenses like vandalism, intimidation, assault, rape, murder, etc.

The data contained in this report, which is a subset of the information that law enforcement submits to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program, includes the following categories: offense type, location, bias motivation, victim type, number of individual victims, number of offenders, and race of offenders.

Highlights from the 2011 Report:

• Of the 6,222 reported hate crimes, 6,216 were single-bias incidents—46.9 percent were racially motivated, 20.8 percent resulted from sexual orientation bias, 19.8 percent were motivated by religious bias, 11.6 stemmed from ethnicity/national origin bias, and 0.9 percent were prompted by disability bias.
• Law enforcement agencies reported 7,713 victims of hate crime—victims can be individuals, businesses, institutions, or society as whole. Sixty percent of these 7,713 were victims of crimes against persons, while 39.8 were victims of crimes against property.
• Thirty-two percent of the 6,222 hate crime incidents reported took place in or near residences; 18 percent took place on highways, roads, and alleys; and 9.3 percent took place at schools or colleges. The remaining percentage took place at locations like houses of worship, parking lots, bars, government and office buildings, etc.

New in Hate Crime Reporting

Beginning in 2013, law enforcement agencies reporting hates crimes will be able to get even more specific when reporting bias motivation.

For example, the new bias categories of gender and gender identity—which added four new bias types—were added to the FBI’s hate crime data collection as a result of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Other bias types were modified to comply with the race and ethnicity designations specified by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Data submitted under these new specifications will be part of the UCR program’s new system, scheduled to go online next year. (The 2013 crime data will be published in 2014).

FBI’s Role in Investigating Hate Crimes

Hate crimes continue to be the highest priority of the Bureau’s civil rights program because of their heinous nature and their impact on victims and communities (see sidebar for case examples). They investigate hate crimes that fall under federal jurisdiction, assist state and local authorities during their own investigations, and in some cases—with the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division—monitor developing situations to determine if federal action is appropriate.

In addition to responding to hate crimes, they’re also taking a proactive approach to hate crimes overall. They’re integrating a cadre of analysts with their experienced investigators to not only establish a national threat picture but to identify risk factors that can be used by FBI field offices to assess the potential for hate crimes at the local level.

Increasing Hate Crime Awareness

Most of all, they’re working to increase awareness of these crimes by establishing liaisons with civic and religious leaders and credible community organizations. Through their UCR program, they offer training to help law enforcement recognize hate crimes and also assist their partners in developing their own hate crimes training programs.

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Is Michael Spatero Innocent of Killing Mobster Joseph Campanella?

On December 13th, The case of Michael Spatero: A Miscarriage of Justice? Spatero was convicted of the killing of mobster Joseph Campanella but many people believe he is innocent. A discussion with investigator Mike Pizzi and members of the Spatero family takes place on Crime Beat Radio.

Crime Beat is a weekly hour-long radio program that airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST., on the Artist First World Radio Network at artistfirst.com/crimebeat.

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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Playboy Bloods Gangster Pleads Guilty to Racketeering

A Las Vegas man pleaded guilty today in federal court to conspiring to conduct a racketeering enterprise as a member of the Playboy Bloods criminal street gang, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden of the District of Nevada.

Steven Booth, 27, aka “Stevie-P,” pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Phillip Pro in the District of Nevada to one count of conspiracy to engage in a racketeering enterprise.

According to court documents, the Bloods is a criminal street organization whose members engage in drug trafficking and acts of violence. The Playboy Bloods is a local affiliate of the Bloods, with control and operation within the Las Vegas metropolitan area. A subset of the Playboy Bloods is Full Throttle Clique, a group made up of Playboy Bloods members who engage in acts of violence, including murder.

According to Booth’s plea agreement, he is a member of the Playboy Bloods and the Full Throttle Clique. Booth pleaded guilty to conspiring to conduct and participate in the conduct of the affairs of the Playboy Bloods through a pattern of racketeering activity.

According to court documents, Booth aided and abetted the murder of security guard Brian Wilcox in the Jets housing complex located in Playboy Blood controlled territory in Las Vegas. On approximately January 20, 2004, Wilcox and another security guard approached Booth and several other Playboy Bloods and told them they had to leave the property. An argument ensued, and the security guards rode away on their bicycles to call for backup. According to court documents, a Playboy Blood fired a gun at Wilcox, hitting him three times, and Booth and the others fled the scene. On January 21, 2004, Wilcox was pronounced dead.

Booth also pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the murder of Billy Thomas. On October 31, 2004, Playboy Bloods and Full Throttle member Quazi Burns was murdered, and Playboy Bloods members believed that a rival Crips gang member was responsible for the crime. That night, according to court documents, several Playboy Bloods members, including the defendant, met at the Jets complex and discussed retaliating against the Crips. Booth and the other Playboy Bloods members got into two cars and spotted Billy Ray Thomas, who was working on his car, at Pecos Terrace Apartments in Las Vegas. According to court documents, several Playboy Bloods’ members got out of the cars carrying firearms, approached Thomas, and shot and killed him, believing that he was a Crips gang member.

At sentencing, scheduled for April 5, 2013, Booth faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Booth is one of 10 defendants charged in October 2008 with conducting racketeering activity through the Playboy Bloods criminal enterprise. To date, six defendants have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to prison on this indictment.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas D. Dickinson and Phillip N. Smith, Jr. of the District of Nevada and Trial Attorney Kevin L. Rosenberg of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

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New York Unions Are Still Mob Targets

The Genovese crime family has a well-earned reputation as the most feared of New York City's five Mafia organizations. An FBI bust this spring may weaken that standing. Local unions are hoping so. On April 18, an 18-count indictment was unsealed in Brooklyn federal court charging 11 arrestees with racketeering, embezzlement, extortion and other offenses. At least eight are Genovese soldiers or associates, including capo Conrad Ianniello, nephew of recently-deceased onetime acting boss Matthew Ianniello. U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch, Eastern District of New York, stated: "This indictment is the most recent chapter in this office's continued fight against organized crime's efforts to infiltrate unions and businesses operating in New York City." All defendants, save for one, have pleaded not guilty. Her spokesman told NLPC this week that all other cases are still pending.

New York's La Cosa Nostra families in recent years have seen attrition in their ranks as a result of aggressive law enforcement. Two cases stand out. In February 2008, federal agents arrested some 60 Gambino made men and associates (including Genovese and Bonanno members) for crimes including murder, racketeering, theft, and loan sharking. By the end of that September, virtually all defendants pleaded guilty; about three dozen were sentenced. The bust was part of a sweep, called Operation Old Bridge, coordinated with Italian authorities. Three years later, in January 2011, hundreds of FBI agents, U.S. marshals, and New York State and New York City cops arrested nearly 120 persons named in an 82-page, 16-count indictment for murder, racketeering, money-laundering, extortion and other offenses. It was the largest Mafia bust in American history. Nearly three dozen of those arrested were full-fledged members of the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese or Lucchese crime syndicates; others belonged to the DeCavalcante (Northern New Jersey) and Patriarca (New England) families. The entire Colombo leadership, for the time being, was taken out of commission. Dozens of other defendants were associates of various mobs.

Labor unions figured in each case. Nabbed in Operation Old Bridge was Louis Mosca, business manager for Laborers International Union of North America Local 325. He eventually pleaded guilty to mail fraud conspiracy for buying a book containing the names of union members on behalf of the brother of Gambino captain Lenny Dimaria. And Michael King, former contractor project supervisor-shop steward for Laborers Local 731, pleaded guilty to extortion. In the 2011 mob takedown, which has taken longer to prosecute, New York Mafia families controlled various operations of Cement and Concrete Workers Local 6A (a Laborers affiliate), International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 282, and International Longshoremen Association Local 1235.

Conrad Ianniello is a logical starting point for connecting the dots in this latest round of arrests and indictments. If nothing else, he's got an impressive mob pedigree. His uncle, Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello, who died of health problems at age 92 this August, served as acting boss for the Genovese family after godfather Vincent "the Chin" Gigante was sent packing to federal prison in 1997, the latter's "crazy man" act revealed as just that -- an act. The elder Ianniello controlled the Queens, N.Y.-based Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181 until he pleaded guilty in 2006 to two separate federal charges, the first for arranging payoffs from bus companies to Local 1181 officials and the second for extorting payments from trash hauling companies in Connecticut. He received respective prison sentences of 18 months and (concurrently) two years. His nephew, Conrad, picked up a few lessons during his youth. He was convicted for grand larceny in 1972 and gun possession in 1986. These brushes with the law apparently didn't put him on a straight and narrow path.

According to federal prosecutors, the younger Ianniello in 2008 shook down contractors and extorted payments from street vendors operating at the Feast of San Gennaro in Lower Manhattan's Little Italy. The annual festival had a reputation for mob infiltration until 1996 when then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani appointed a special aide, Mort Berkowitz, to oversee the event. Ianniello also allegedly engaged in racketeering conspiracy to facilitate illegal gambling. More apropos, he had his handprints on organized labor. During April and May 2008, noted the indictment, Ianniello conspired with two other defendants, Robert Scalza and Ryan Ellis, each a Genovese associate, to extort payments from an unnamed labor union so its leaders would refrain from further organizing at a Long Island work site. In this way, the defendants could reserve organizing for International Union of Journeymen and Allied Trades (IUJAT) Local 713, where Scalza served as secretary-treasurer.

Local 713 isn't the only mobbed-up Journeymen and Allied Trades affiliate. Two other defendants, James Bernardone, secretary-treasurer of the Bronx-based IUJAT Local 124, and Paul Gasparrini, were charged with racketeering conspiracy. The pair allegedly extorted payments from a subcontractor during approximately 2006-09 at various construction sites in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. The indictment cited Bernardone as a Genovese crime soldier and Gasparrini as a Genovese associate. Another indicted co-conspirator, Salvester Zarzana (see photo), previously had been president of United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners Local 926 until his ouster for his alleged abuse of his union-issued credit card. Zarzana now stands accused of extortion in connection with a Local 124 project site. The indictment identified him as a made man in the Genovese syndicate.

Union corruption in this round of indictments also involved persons not necessarily involved with the Genoveses. That would include John Squitieri, who in 2008 allegedly embezzled funds from employee pension and annuity plans of Local 7-Tile, Marble, and Terrazzo, an affiliate of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC). He provided nonunion tile workers for the renovation of the Paramount Hotel near Manhattan's Times Square. In this way, he could pocket union retirement plan contributions. Another individual, Rodney Johnson, a project manager at the Paramount Hotel site, was charged with obstruction of justice for impeding a grand jury investigation.

The three remaining defendants weren't involved in union activity, but they're significant notwithstanding. A Genovese family associate, William Panzera, and Robert Fiorello, were charged with loan-sharking and extortion. And the final defendant, Felice Masullo, a Genovese associate who had been considered for elevation to made man, was indicted on running an illegal sports gambling operation. This wasn't his first dust-up with the law. Several years ago he ran a restaurant with two brothers, Anthony and Angelo Masullo, until all three were charged with racketeering. Each pleaded guilty in November 2009. Felice Masullo received a prison sentence of 41 months for cocaine distribution, extortion and sports gambling. This case was part of a probe that secured racketeering pleas from former Genovese acting boss Daniel Leo and his nephew, Joseph Leo, for illegal gambling and loan-sharking; several other Genovese personnel were among the dozen charged. For Masullo, the story didn't end there. This April, with 15 months remaining in his sentence, he was hit with new gambling charges. He pleaded not guilty at first but then changed his plea to guilty, and was sentenced in October in Manhttan federal court to eight months in prison.

Like previous mob busts and indictments, this latest round underscores the still-pervasive power of the Mafia and the Genovese family in particular. And if there is a New York Mafia outfit whose ranks could use some thinning, it's the Genoveses, with an estimated 250 to 300 made men and another thousand or more associates. Federal authorities cite the need for continued vigilance even while acknowledging the blow they have struck against the mob's operations. FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Janice Fedarcyk explained in announcing the indictments: "Even as mob families seek and discover new ways to make money by illegitimate means, they continue to rely on tried-and-true schemes like extortion and gambling. The mob's purpose is making money, and how is less important than how much." And Robert Panella, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, stated: "The Office of Inspector General will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to vigorously investigate labor racketeering in the nation's unions."

Thanks to Carl Horowitz.

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Reputed Ties of New O'Hare Airport Janitorial Contract Winner, United Maintenance, Grows

A high-ranking employee of the contractor who recently won a $99.4 million janitorial contract with Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration once served a prison sentence after he was charged in the same corruption case as late Chicago mob boss Anthony “Big Tuna” Accardo.

Paul A. Fosco was convicted on racketeering charges in 1987, sentenced to a 10-year prison term and left federal prison in 1993, public records show. He now is an executive vice president of United Service Companies, according to his profile posted on the LinkedIn networking website.

United Service is owned by Richard Simon, a former Chicago Police officer who led the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau from 2002 to 2005. On Oct. 31, Emanuel’s administration chose one of United’s many companies, United Maintenance Co. Inc., to clean O’Hare International Airport for five years starting Dec. 15.

The Chicago Sun-Times first reported last week that Simon had partnered in yet another firm with William Daddano Jr., who was accused of organized-crime ties by Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the Chicago Crime Commission.

After shrugging off Simon’s business ties to Daddano this week, Mayor Rahm Emanuel was asked Wednesday to comment on Fosco. The mayor again defended the deal, which has faced heavy criticism from organized labor leaders. They say it will result in the dismissal of hundreds of union workers.

“Look, it was competitively bid,” Emanuel said, adding that United Maintenance would hire about 100 employees who currently clean O’Hare. “We will have a vigorous enforcement and make sure everybody lives by and appropriately stands by the law.”

Thanks to Dan Mihalopoulos.

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Former Gambino Mobster Faces Off Against Retired DEA Agent on Crime Beat Radio

On December 6th, Lou Ferrante, a former Gambino mobster, and Louie Diaz, retired DEA agent who took down Nicky Barnes, grew up in the same tough Brooklyn neighborhood. They go one on one in a discussion about their parallel lives.

Crime Beat is a weekly hour-long radio program that airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST., on the Artist First World Radio Network at artistfirst.com/crimebeat.

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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Chicago Mob Wives Whacked

"Mob Wives Chicago" has been iced.

The VH1 reality show featured five women married or related to reputed mobsters in Chicago.

A spokesman confirmed to the Chicago Sun-Times that the show will not be coming back for a second season after an 11-episode run.

Cast member Pia Rizza told the newspaper that the Sunday night summer time slot and competition with the Olympics were factors in the low ratings.

The show was a spinoff of "Mob Wives," which followed the lives of five New York women with husbands connected to the Mafia.

The Chicago show faced some opposition from an Italian-American group that objected to the Mafia stereotypes, and businesses that would not cooperate with the show.

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"Reporting the Revolutionary War: Before It Was History, It Was News" Showcases Unparalleled Collection of 18th Century Media and Its Historical Impact

Social media is often credited with igniting and organizing the Arab Spring revolution in the Middle East, yet this is not the first time that we have seen media act as a catalyst for such large-scale change.

Two hundred years ago, it was during the American Revolution that real-time reporting was responsible for uniting colonists looking to break free from British rule. Colonial newspaper reports kept the colonists motivated and informed; without them, it’s quite possible the revolution might not have happened.

For the first time, readers can experience the American Revolution as it was reported in Reporting the Revolutionary War: Before It Was History, It Was News . Author Todd Andrlik has compiled one of the most significant collections of colonial papers published between 1763 and 1783 and is among the nation’s leading authorities on 18th-century newspapers.

Reporting the Revolutionary War features vivid eyewitness accounts, battlefield letters, and breaking news compiled from hundreds of newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic, starting with the Sugar Act of 1764 and spanning three decades through the war to President George Washington’s farewell address in 1796.

Essays from 37 historians and American Revolutionary experts guide the reader through the initial dissent of the Boston Tea Party to the battlefields of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill to independence. They also provide insight on how newspaper accounts impacted each step of the revolution.

Reporting the Revolutionary War is also available as an enhanced eBook ($14.99) available on NOOK Color™ by Barnes & Noble that contains videos from contributing historians and an interactive timeline that allows readers to jump to newspaper articles related to a specific event.

Todd Andrlik is among the nation’s leading authorities on 18th century newspapers. He has built one of the most significant collections of American Revolution era newspapers – containing the earliest printed reports of practically every major event and battle from 1763 to 1783.

Andrlik estimates that 15% of his 18th century collection is made up of newspapers with less than five originals known to exist. About 100 newspapers, dating as far back as the 17th century, from his larger collection are currently housed in the Library of Congress.

Andrlik is also the curator and publisher of RagLinen.com, an online museum and educational archive of historically significant newspapers dating back to the 16th century.

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Raise a Glass at The Mob Museum's Repeal Day Party

Guests to Celebrate Our Constitutional Right to Drink with Live Music, Vintage
Costumes and—of Course—Lots of Alcohol

WHAT: Step back in time and raise a glass at The Mob Museum as it celebrates our nation’s constitutional right to imbibe at its Repeal Day Party. Explore both sides of the story in this unique historical setting with live music, vintage costumes, classic cocktails and other surprises.  For only a few “clams,” guests can throw down cocktails at a Roaring 20s after-hours party that is guaranteed to be the  “bee’s knees.”

WHY: On Dec. 5, 1933, Prohibition was lifted and Americans could once again legally drink. Resulting from a major reform govement in the United States, on Jan. 16, 1920, the 18th amendment was added to the constitution prohibiting the “manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors…within the United States.” Although alcohol consumption declined as a result, crime dramatically rose and the Great Depression hit. In December of 1933, the 21st amendment was drafted allowing states to create their own laws for alcohol and with that, the bars were open!

WHEN: Wednesday, Dec. 5 from 6 to 10 p.m.

WHERE: The Mob Museum
300 East Stewart Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89101

TICKETS: A special price of $19.33 (signifying 1933, the year prohibition was lifted) and $15 for museum members. Admission to Repeal Day includes:                                                            

•     Full access to The Mob Museum
•     Prohibition-era cocktail samplings and libations
•     Hosted by the “Big Cheese,” former Mayor Oscar Goodman
•     1920’s fashion contest, costumed characters and prizes
•     Live hot jazz music

Tickets available by calling the box office at 702-229-2743 or online at www.themobmuseum.org.

ABOUT MOB MUSEUM: A 501 (c) 3 non-profit, The Mob Museum is a world-class destination in downtown Las Vegas that tells the compelling story of organized crime  and law enforcement in Las Vegas and throughout America. Opened in February in the former federal courthouse and U.S. Post Office in downtown Las Vegas, this interactive Museum presents a bold and authentic view of organized crime’s impact on Las Vegas history, as well as its unique imprint on America and the world. For more information, visit www.themobmuseum.org.

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Mafia Prince: Inside America’s Most Violent Mafia Family and the Bloody Fall of La Cosa Nostra

Mafia Prince is the first-person account of one of the most violent eras in Mafia history —“Little” Nicky Scarfo’s reign as boss of the Philly family in the 1980s—written by Scarfo’s underboss and nephew, “Crazy” Phil Leonetti.

The youngest-ever underboss at the age of 31, Leonetti was at the crux of the violent downfall of the traditional American Mafia in the 1980s when he infiltrated Atlantic City after gambling was legalized, and later turned state’s evidence against his own. His testimony directly led to the convictions of dozens of high-ranking made men including John Gotti, Vincent Gigante, and his own uncle, Nicky Scarfo—sparking the beginning of the end of La Cosa Nostra.

Just as The Godfather and Boardwalk Empire defined the early 20th century Mafia, and Wiseguy and Casino depicted the next great era through the ’70s, Mafia Prince concludes this epic genre revealing the Mafia’s violent final heyday of the 1980s— straight from the horse’s mouth.

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Killer on the Road: Violence and the American Interstate, on Crime Beat Radio

On November 29th, Ginger Strand discusses her book, Killer on the Road: Violence and the American Interstate, on Crime Beat Radio.

Crime Beat is a weekly hour-long radio program that airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST., on the Artist First World Radio Network at artistfirst.com/crimebeat.

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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Stars from "The Sopranos" Join "The Westchester All Stars Christmas for Wounded Veterans" Concert

Former Yankee outfielder and Latin Grammy nominated jazz guitarist Bernie Williams will join "Sopranos" stars Vincent Pastore and Tony Darrow to lend their talents to "The Westchester All Stars Christmas for Wounded Veterans," a holiday concert to be held Friday, November 30th at 7:30 p.m. at the Irvington Town Hall Theater. The star-studded holiday spectacular will spotlight original holiday music performed by 13 Westchester County based bands and musicians. The proceeds from the event will benefit wounded veterans organizations, including The Gary Sinise Foundation, Veterans Adaptive Sports Inc, and The Montrose Veteran's Administration Hospital.

"November 30th will be an evening to remember in support of a noble cause," said Westchester All Stars founder Bill Edwards. "These extraordinary musicians, actors and recording studios jumped at the chance to record the 'Christmas For Wounded Veterans CD' and are volunteering their time to help make the concert a night of spectacular to raise money for wounded veterans. So many people in Westchester County have asked, 'What can I do to help veterans?' This is an event the whole family can attend that will benefit those brave men and women who have given everything for their country."

In addition to Mr. Williams, other performers scheduled to perform include: Vaneese Thomas, Jon Cobert, Tom Dudley Blues Buddha, Stolen Moments, Bill Edwards, Buried In Blue, Duchess Di and Dave Keyes, Scott and Mia Staton, Johnny Feds And Da Bluez Boyz, Gary Adamson, Chuck St. Troy, and Kristen Capolino. The artists and celebrities are donating all performances and appearances.

According to the Defense Department, more than 50,000 Americans have been wounded in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001. Equally insidious unseen wounds of war - post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and other forms of combat trauma - have affected nearly 42,300 patients. The health care bill for these veterans could reach half a trillion dollars over the next several decades, yet there is no money set aside to pay for their future health care costs. Veterans are dependent on appropriations approved by Congress. Without the tireless efforts by organizations such as The Gary Sinise Foundation,Veterans Adaptive Sports, Inc. and The Montrose Veteran's Administration, the road back for these veterans would be even more difficult.

Tickets for "The Westchester All Stars Christmas for Wounded Veterans" concert are $25, $30 and $50 and are tax deductible. Tickets can be ordered online here, or by calling the Irvington Town Hall Theater box office at: (914) 591-6602. Photos, artist bios and sponsor information for the "Christmas for Wounded Veterans" CD are available at the Westchester All Stars Christmas website, www.westchesterallstarschristmas.com.

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On the 50th Anniversary of His Assassination, JFK and The CIA Conspiracy on Crime Beat Radio

On November 22nd, Peter Janney discusses his book, The CIA Conspiracy: The Murder of John F. Kennedy, Mary Pichot Meyer and their Vision for World Peace, on Crime Beat Radio.

Crime Beat is a weekly hour-long radio program that airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST., on the Artist First World Radio Network at artistfirst.com/crimebeat.

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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Video of Frank Calabrese Jr on Mobster Confessions

Video Frank Calabrese Jr on Mobster Confessions

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R.I.P. to Jimmy Agnew, "The Best Crime Researcher in America"

Jimmy Agnew didn’t need Google. Before the Internet, Mr. Agnew plucked literary gold from mountains of obscure resources to provide research to some of the nation’s top true-crime authors. Legendary Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko once dubbed Agnew “the best crime researcher in America.” Mr. Agnew, 67, died on November 8th after battling pneumonia.

Tapping his police sources and well-informed bartenders and cabbies, his personal files of news clippings as well as little-known books, magazines and artifacts, Mr. Agnew did legwork for Charles Manson prosecutor and author Vincent Bugliosi; Chicago newsman Bill Kurtis, and journalist Nick Pileggi, who wrote the book “Wiseguy,” which became the film “Goodfellas.”

Pileggi credited Mr. Agnew with being “enormously helpful” with “Wiseguy” and “Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas.” Director Martin Scorsese turned both books into films. “Casino” was based in part on Chicago’s mobster brothers, the Spilotros. When Pileggi quizzed Mr. Agnew on the history of the Chicago mob or the names of the street bosses in any given era, Mr. Agnew always had “superior” information, he said. “He had terrific police sources who would tell him things they would never tell me because they didn’t know me,” Pileggi said.

“If Damon Runyon had chronicled Chicago — and done it a handful of decades hence — instead of Broadway in the ’20s, ’30s, he’d have based a character on Jim,” said celebrity profiler and author Bill Zehme. “He spoke Runyon fluently . . . broads and joints and dames and so on.”

With bushy eyebrows and a ruddy Irish face, Mr. Agnew resembled a cross between journalists Andy Rooney and Jimmy Breslin.

He befriended many Chicago journalists in the 1960s and ’70s in the smoky bars that comprised “the trail” — a sudsy pilgrimage that led from the Billy Goat to Riccardo’s and O’Rourkes, said his brother, Pat.

“He was a charter member of the regulars at O’Rourke’s Pub,” Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert, a friend who knew him for 40 years, said in an email. “In addition to his crime researching, he had a deep knowledge of movies and in my early years on the job sometimes showed me 16mm prints of films he thought I should see.”

Mr. Agnew’s authority on films helped land him a job as assistant manager of Chicago’s Clark Theater, a quirky showcase for cinephiles at Clark and Madison until it was razed in 1974. Mr. Agnew had a hand in picking out the features. He especially loved “Treasure of the Sierra Madre.”

His love of good film dialogue helped lead him to literature, according to his brother, who said the film and history buff “would have loved to see Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln.’ ”

Mr. Agnew got his start as a literary sleuth while working for prolific Chicago crime writer Jay Robert Nash, author of more than 70 books, including the “World Encyclopedia of Organized Crime.” Mr. Agnew’s brother said he did research for the Nash book “Dillinger: Dead or Alive?”

He also founded and edited a short-lived magazine — Real Crime Book Digest — that reviewed crime books. And he worked as chief researcher for Illinois Police and Sheriffs News, his brother said.

“I’m not successful,” Mr. Agnew told the Chicago Sun-Times in 2001. “I could not pay my bills by my research or my radio bookings. It’s just a hustle — a literary hustle to keep my hand in the action.”

Though literary paychecks were at times infrequent and less than lucrative, Mr. Agnew always could fall back on what he knew.

His childhood home was one of 39 rooms at an SRO (single-room occupancy) boarding house his parents owned in Uptown. Mr. Agnew later ran the place. He worked the night desk of a Rush Street apartment building until several weeks before his death, his brother said.

Mr. Agnew also worked for a time as a bartender at Uptown’s Shamrock Tavern.

His parents — John Agnew, from Crossmaglen, County Armagh, and Katie Gallagher, of County Donegal — met in 1929 on the boat that took them from Ireland to America. John Agnew worked in the Stockyards.

Young James attended St. George and Senn high schools, then Amundsen Junior College.

At 23, he served in the National Guard and was stationed outside the Conrad Hilton Hotel, headquarters for the Democratic Party’s 1968 political convention, as anti-war demon­strators clashed with police in the streets, chanting, “The whole world is watching.”

Zehme said Mr. Agnew quit drinking nearly 20 years ago and “helped a lot of people quit hooch thereafter, most generously and patiently.”

He recalled Mr. Agnew’s mastery of the fax machine in a 2001 Sun-Times interview. When Zehme was just starting to work on his Sinatra book “The Way You Wear Your Hat,” he said, “Within hours of my first conversation with him, maybe minutes, my fax machine began humming with these piles of pages filled with mad scrawls — phone numbers of people who might’ve once met Frank, names of books he was already hunting down for me, articles from long-extinct publications.”

Pileggi once told the Sun-Times: “He’s got phone numbers for people in prison!”

For the same 2001 story about Mr. Agnew, Bugliosi said of him: “He knows what’s going on everywhere in this country, no matter where it comes up. Now, I don’t know how he knows — don’t ask me — but if something appears in some obscure magazine, he’ll send me a fax . . . telling me I’m on page 44 of this magazine I’ve never even heard of. And I tell him, ‘Jimmy, how in the hell do you know?’ ”

Other survivors include another brother, John, and cousins Margaret Forker and Nora McCarthy, whom he considered sisters because they grew up in the same household.

A mass was celebrated in his honor at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church, 4200 N. Sheridan.

Thanks to Mitch Dudek and Maureen O'Donnell.

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Chicago Arts and Culture Groups Receive Grants for International Collaborations

MacArthur awarded new grants to 13 Chicago arts and culture nonprofits to conduct collaborations with arts organizations in 12 countries.  The grants are provided through MacArthur’s International Connections Fund, which aims to help Chicago nonprofit arts and culture organizations advance their work by collaborating with peer organizations abroad.

“Sharing artistic experiences and promoting cross-cultural learning can help inform, engage, and entertain audiences and bring fresh perspectives to the creative organizations involved,” said MacArthur President Robert Gallucci.

The following organizations will receive International Connections Fund grants:

Chicago a cappella – $18,500 in support of a musical and cultural exchange between artistic director Jonathan Miller and composer, choral director, and conductor Jorge Cordoba Valencia, a premier choral composer and director in Mexico.

Chicago Cultural Alliance – $40,000 for the cultural exchange of representatives of the Alliance’s Swedish American Museum, Chinese-American Museum, and Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art with ethnic museums in their home countries.

Contratiempo – $20,000 to collaborate with the bilingual alternative culture magazine Humanize, based in Madrid, Spain.  Each will contribute to the other’s publication.

Every House Has a Door – $32,500  to expand a Bristol, UK performance piece to include material developed from the Randolph Street Gallery Archive, held at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, through artist and performer residencies.

Fulcrum Point New Music Project – $50,000 to support the collaborative creation of a new work fusing western classical and Indian classical music by Fulcrum Point, the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, composer Param Vir, Fulcrum Point Artistic Director Stephen Burns, and sarod virtuoso, Soumik Datta.

Global Girls – $45,000 in support of a cross-cultural residency.  Girls from the South Side will share their techniques in using the performing arts to help learn new skills with students of Kattaikkutte Sangam, a residential performing arts school outside of Chennai, India.

Hedwig Dances – $50,000 for a collaborative exchange with DanzAbierta dance company of Havana, Cuba to jointly choreograph two dances that will be performed in both countries.

Latinos Progresando – $40,000 to establish an ongoing cross-cultural exchange between Chicago’s Little Village and Centro Cultural Bacaanda arts organization in Oaxaca, Mexico.  The experience will be developed into a theater piece.

Live the Spirit Residency – $45,000 to support a jazz education and composition exchange with London-based artist education and development group Tomorrow’s Warriors who will perform the work at the Englewood Jazz Festival.

portoluz – $50,000 in support of an exchange and performances of son jarocho music in Chicago, Berwyn, and Cicero between musicians from Chicago and Veracruz, Mexico.

Puerto Rican Arts Alliance – $40,000 to support an ongoing international collaboration with the Puerto Rican Philharmonic Orchestra and Quique Domenech, a master musician and teacher of the cuatro, a traditional instrument of Puerto Rico.

Silk Road Rising – $50,000 for collaboration with the American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University in Beirut to translate, adapt, and present a staged reading by Syrian playwright Saadallah Wannus.

threewalls – $22,000 to jointly curate a series of exhibitions with Or Gallery Vancouver and Or Gallery Berlin highlighting visual artists and work from the three cities.

International Connections Fund grants are limited to Chicago area nonprofit arts and culture organizations and other nonprofits with well-established arts programs that received a grant within the last three years from MacArthur or though the MacArthur Funds established at the Driehaus and Prince Foundations or through the New Communities Program directed by LISC/Chicago.  Learn more about MacArthur's International Connections Fund.

MacArthur awards more than $8 million annually to more than 200 arts and culture groups in Chicago and the region as an expression of its civic commitment to the place where the Foundation has its headquarters and where John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur made their home.  Grants are designed to help sustain the cultural life of the city and region.

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Cory B. Nelson Named Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Chicago Division

Director Robert S. Mueller, III has named Cory B. Nelson the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago Division. In this role, he will be responsible for FBI personnel and operations in northern Illinois. Mr. Nelson most recently served as the deputy assistant director of the Inspection Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and was responsible for its day-to-day operations, to include oversight of internal investigations and responses to external audits.

Mr. Nelson entered on duty as a special agent with the FBI in July 1991 and was assigned to the New York Division’s applicant squad. He was subsequently assigned to an organized crime squad, where he conducted investigations into the Genovese crime family. In addition to investigative work, Mr. Nelson was selected to lead one of the first Evidence Response Teams in the New York Division.

In August 1997, Mr. Nelson transferred to the San Antonio Division’s Brownsville Resident Agency and conducted narcotics investigations, served as a firearms and defensive tactics instructor, and was the SWAT assistant team leader. While in Brownsville, he responded to the Oklahoma City bombing and received an award from FBI Director Louis J. Freeh for his work.

In October 1999, Mr. Nelson became a supervisory special agent in the Criminal Investigative Division, Colombian/Caribbean Unit, at FBI Headquarters. In this role, he provided guidance and oversight of domestic and international narcotics investigations. In October 2001, Mr. Nelson was appointed senior supervisory resident agent for the Tampa Division’s Fort Myers Resident Agency. He supervised three resident agencies covering nine counties in southwest Florida and received a commendation from Governor Jeb Bush for his assistance in Florida’s counterterrorism efforts.

Mr. Nelson was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Denver Division in August 2005 and was responsible for the management of all criminal programs, the cyber program, all resident agencies in Colorado, and SWAT. During his assignment in Denver, he served as the FBI’s on-scene commander in Afghanistan between April and June 2006. He also served as the acting SAC of the division.

In April 2008, Mr. Nelson was named the deputy director of the Terrorist Screening Center and oversaw its operational components. He became chief of the Terrorist Financing Operations Section in May 2009 and managed units that gathered intelligence, formed partnerships, provided training, and investigated all aspects of international terrorist financing methods, trends, and activities.

Mr. Nelson was appointed the special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio Division in June 2010 and was responsible for all personnel and operations in south Texas, including 500 miles of shared United States/Mexico border.

He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the State University of New York at Albany and a Master of Business Administration from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business

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U.S. Citizen from Alabama Among Two Added to FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists List

Two individuals—one a United States citizen who allegedly provided support to a foreign terrorist organization, the other wanted for his alleged role in the overseas kidnapping of an American—have been added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list.

A third man wanted for questioning in connection with providing material support to terrorists has been added to the Seeking Information—Terrorism list.

Omar Shafik Hammami, formerly from Alabama, has reportedly been a senior leader in al Shabaab, an insurgency group in Somalia. Al Shabaab was designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department in 2008; it has since repeatedly threatened terrorist actions against America and American interests. Hammami allegedly traveled to Somalia in 2006 and joined al Shabaab’s military wing, eventually becoming a leader in the organization. Hammami—who has been indicted in the U.S. on various terrorism charges—is believed to be in Somalia.

Raddulan Sahiron, a native of the Philippines, is wanted for his alleged involvement in the 1993 kidnapping of an American in the Philippines by the Abu Sayyaf Group, designated a foreign terrorist organization in 1997. Sahiron, believed to be the leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group, was indicted on federal hostage-taking charges and may currently be in the area of Patikul Jolo, Sulu, Philippines.

Shaykh Aminullah is wanted for questioning in connection with providing material support to terrorists…with the aid of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (designated a foreign terrorist organization in 2001). Among other activities, Aminullah allegedly provided assistance, including funding and recruits, to the Al Qaeda network; provided funding and other resources, including explosive vests, to the Taliban; and facilitated the activities of anti-coalition militants operating in Afghanistan by raising money in support of terrorist activities. He is believed to be in the Ganj District of Peshawar, Pakistan.

The FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists List was created in October 2001. They subsequently created the Seeking Information—Terrorism list to publicize our efforts to locate terrorism suspects not yet indicted in the U.S.

In addition to the beneficial aspect of worldwide publicity, individuals named to the Most Wanted Terrorists list must:

• Have threatened the security of U.S. nationals or U.S. national security;
• Be considered a dangerous menace to society;
• Have indicated a willingness to commit or indicate to commit an act to cause death or serious bodily injury; prepare or plan terrorist activity; gather information on potential targets for terrorist activity; or solicit funds or other things of value for terrorist activity;
• Have provided material support such as currency or financial services or assistance to a terrorist organization but do not necessarily have to belong to that organization;
• Be subject to lawful detention, either by the U.S. government based on an active federal warrant for a serious felony offense or by any other lawful authority; and
• Be the subject of a pending FBI investigation.
• Individuals on the Seeking Information—Terrorism list are being sought for questioning in connection with terrorist threats against the U.S. Unlike those on the Most Wanted Terrorists list, these individuals have not been indicted by the U.S. government.

If you have information about any of these men, please submit a tip or contact the nearest FBI office abroad or in the U.S.

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Cocktails and Capone at the Chicago History Museum

Cocktails and Capone at the Chicago History Museum

601 N. Clark St.

Chicago, IL 60614

312.642.4600

Wednesday, December 5

Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres 6:00–7:00 p.m.

Program 7:00–7:45 p.m.

Cocktails and book signing 7:45–9:00 p.m.

Join us for a spirited evening on the 79th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. John Russick, Director of Curatorial Affairs, discusses Chicago’s vibrant bootlegging and speakeasy scene of the Roaring 20s. We’re also joined by Al Capone’s great niece, Deirdre Capone, who will share family stories of “Uncle Al”. Bringing history out of the cellar, our friends from Templeton Rye Whiskey join us to chat about their connections to Prohibition and Al Capone. Stick around this juice-joint after our discussion to enjoy cocktails, mingle with fellow patrons, and catch a book signing. Deirdre Capone’s Uncle Al Capone and John Russick’s Crime in Chicago will be available for purchase. Ticket price includes complimentary Templeton Rye Prohibition era cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Presented in collaboration with Templeton Rye Whiskey.

Cost: $40, $30 Members

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Marilyn Monroe Discussed on This Week's Crime Beat Radio

On November 15th, Lois Banner discusses her book on Marilyn Monroe, "Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox" on Crime Beat Radio

Crime Beat is a weekly hour-long radio program that airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST., on the Artist First World Radio Network at artistfirst.com/crimebeat.

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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Chicago Crime Commission Stars of Distinction Awards

The Chicago Crime Commission held its Stars of Distinction, 2012 Awards Dinner on November 7th, to recognize outstanding individual and organizational contributions in fighting crime. Drug Enforcement Administration, Chicago Field Division Special Agent in Charge, Mr. Jack Riley was the keynote speaker at the event. Riley discussed the formation of the new Chicago Strike Force, comprised of federal, state and local law enforcement, and their plans for addressing violent gang-related crime in Chicago. Specifically, SAC Riley outlined their strategy for focusing on the choke point where drug cartel and gang members interact.

The program featured eight awards presented to individuals and the organizations they serve in recognition of their outstanding work in law enforcement. The Chicago Crime Commission also presented the fifth annual Mitchell A. Mars Prosecutorial Excellence Award to Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow for his efforts in the successful prosecution of the Drew Peterson case.

Additionally, a highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Paws of Distinction K-9 Unit Award to DEA Special Agent Robert Glynn and his canine partner Rudy for law enforcement excellence.

"The recipients of the Stars of Distinction awards exemplify the commitment of all law enforcement in their efforts to fight crime in Chicago. While gang members and other criminals provide an unending threat to our safety and security, it is important to recognize the heroes who put their lives on the line every day and celebrate the victories they have won," according to J.R. Davis, President and Chairman of the Chicago Crime Commission.

"The Stars of Distinction, 2012 Awards Dinner is a chance to honor those whose efforts have been instrumental in the successful pursuit of justice. It is an opportunity for us to thank them and celebrate their outstanding achievements along with their family, friends, and colleagues," Davis added.

Awards presented and recipients of the Stars of Distinction Awards will include:

LAW ENFORCEMENT EXCELLENCE AWARD
The Chicago Crime Commission Law Enforcement Excellence Award is presented to Sergeant David Cammack of the Cook County Sheriff's Police in recognition of his lifesaving heroics.

On May 10, 2012, Sgt. Dave Cammack responded to a shots fired/man down call in Ford Heights, Illinois. Upon arriving at the scene, he and his fellow officers found a man who was having difficulty breathing after suffering several gunshot wounds to his chest from a small caliber firearm. Fortunately, Sgt. Cammack is a licensed Emergency Medical Technician, and he assisted in attending to the man's wounds by placing what is called an Asherman Chest Seal on the victim. His quick reaction saved a man's life.

LAW ENFORCEMENT EXCELLENCE BY A TASK FORCE IN THE AREA OF VIOLENT STREET GANGS AWARD
The Chicago Crime Commission Law Enforcement Excellence by a Task Force in the Area of Violent Street Gangs Award is presented to the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Special Agents Scott R. Davis, Holly M. Barille and Stephanie Lambert; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Special Agent Christopher L. Bayless; the United States Attorney's Office - Assistant United States Attorneys Meghan Morrisey Stack and Jessica Romero.

The Belizean Bloods street gang was identified as an emerging threat in both Chicago and Salt Lake City, Utah. A gang faction aligned with the Black P Stone Nation's north side and south side factions prompted the Joint Task Force on Gangs to quell the potential rise of yet another street gang in Chicago. Operation Black Orchid and Operation Bloodhound, investigations into the operations of the Belizean Bloods street gang, were subsequently launched.

After probable cause was established, the law enforcement team executed a coordinated arrest of 60 Belizean Bloods members and associates in Chicago and Salt Lake City in November of last year, as well as the seizure of large quantities of cocaine and cash. The concurrent investigations effectively dismantled the leadership and narcotics supply chain of the Belizean Bloods and was a true example of effective law enforcement teamwork. The cases are currently being prosecuted by the Assistant United States Attorney's Office.

LAW ENFORCEMENT EXCELLENCE BY A TASK FORCE IN THE AREA OF ILLEGAL WEAPONS AWARD
The Chicago Crime Commission Law Enforcement Excellence by a Task Force in the Area of Illegal Weapons Award is presented to the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Special Agents Christopher Hedges and Scott Holladay; the Chicago Police Department - Task Force Officer Robert Smith; the United States Attorney's Office - Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay Jenkins; the Attorney General's Office - Assistant Attorney General Christina Mahoney in recognition of their outstanding collaboration and performance combating the Imperial Gangsters and the removal of illegal weapons in "Operation Mousetrap."

After a two year investigation, a large-scale search and arrest operation was conducted, resulting in the arrests of 29 Imperial Gangster members on June 12th, 2012. Along with a small amount of narcotics, investigators seized over 30 firearms. All members were charged with significant state and federal drug and weapons crimes, severely limiting the gang's ability to operate in the 14th and 25th districts. The case is currently being tried by the U.S. Attorney's Office and Attorney General's Office.

This case illustrates the long-standing commitment by Chicago law enforcement agencies to pursue gun crimes, especially when they intersect with drug trafficking. The life of a gun is very long, and the tragedy it can inflict is infinite. Removing these illegal firearms and the criminals using them from the city's streets will have a significant impact upon the safety of all of Chicago.

LAW ENFORCEMENT EXCELLENCE BY A TASK FORCE IN THE AREA OF ILLEGAL NARCOTICS AWARD
The Chicago Crime Commission Law Enforcement Excellence by a Task Force in the Area of Illegal Narcotics Award is presented to the Drug Enforcement Administration - Special Agents Timothy J. Oko and Jay R. Borns; the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Special Agents Eric J. McIntosh and Franklin Nivar; the Chicago Police Department - Task Force Officer David Bird; the United States Attorney's Office - Assistant U.S. Attorneys Greg Deis, William Ridgway, and Heather McShain for their work on Operation Gas Leak.

Operation Gas Leak was a joint investigation conducted by the DEA, FBI, CPD and the U.S. Attorney's Office. It targeted the Zetas Drug Trafficking Organization, one of the most violent drug cartels operating out of Mexico, Texas, and the Chicago metropolitan area. Once the team secured the cooperation of an individual associated with the Zetas money laundering operation, the team was able to conduct surveillance and verify money collected from drug transactions in Chicago.

The evidence gathered enabled the team to gain permission to intercept cell phone conversations, use wiretaps, extreme surveillance, and tracking devices. The subsequent seizures occurred in April and June of 2010 and included over $14.5 million in cash, 246 kilograms of cocaine, 55,080 grams of marijuana, and 2 pounds of methamphetamine, and resulted in the arrests of 20 Zetas members. After their indictment by the U.S. Attorney's Office in November 2011, 15 of these subjects were arrested in a coordinated takedown, and law enforcement made additional seizures of $440,000 in cash, over two kilograms of black tar heroin, and ½ of a gram of cocaine.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
The Chicago Crime Commission Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement is presented to Robert Grant, former FBI Special Agent in Charge for the Chicago Field Office.

Former FBI Special Agent in Charge, Mr. Robert Grant began his career as a special agent with the FBI on November 13, 1983 and immediately distinguished himself as an outstanding crime fighter.

In 1989, Mr. Grant was promoted to supervisory special agent in the Inspection Division at FBI Headquarters. Mr. Grant was tasked to conduct several special internal investigations. Mr. Grant served as principle investigator assigned to evaluate allegations of criminal and ethical violations of FBI Director William S. Sessions. The investigation resulted in the dismissal of Director Sessions by President William J. Clinton in 1994.

In 1994, Mr. Grant was promoted to the Chicago Field Office, where he supervised health care fraud, public corruption investigations and other white-collar crimes. He also served as the field office white-collar crime coordinator and as acting assistant special agent in charge of the white-collar crime and administrative operations programs. While assigned to Chicago, Mr. Grant led a Health Care Fraud Task Force that developed innovative new techniques for use in the employment of undercover operations.

After a stint in San Antonio and Washington, Mr. Grant was promoted to Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Chicago Field Office in 2005. Since assuming leadership of the office, Mr. Grant has overseen several significant investigations, including the arrest of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on corruption charges, the racketeering indictment and conviction of numerous high-ranking members of the Chicago Outfit as part of the "Family Secrets" trial, and the arrest of two Chicago men on charges related to the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, India.

LAW ENFORCEMENT GANG EXPERTISE AWARD
The Chicago Crime Commission Law Enforcement Gang Expertise Award is presented to Cook County Sheriff's Deputy Franco Domma.

Investigator Domma has worked as a Gang Unit Investigator for 13 years at the Cook County Sheriff's Office. He has become the "go-to" person for the Chicago Police Department when it comes to developing or elaborating information obtained from Cook County Jail.

He has been the catalyst behind much of the information often forwarded to the Chicago HIDTA Office from Cook County Criminal Intelligence Unit. Domma has worked with numerous Law Enforcement agencies and assisted in numerous investigations, all of which he conducted with his usual enthusiasm and dedication. His knowledge of gangs and willingness to share that information was critical to publishing the Chicago Crime Commission's recent edition of The Gang Book.

The Chicago Crime Commission would like to extend its gratitude for Investigator Domma's generous willingness to work as the essential gang knowledge base needed in the publication of the Commission's recent edition of The Gang Book.

PROSECUTORIAL MERIT AWARD
The Chicago Crime Commission Prosecutorial Merit Award is presented to the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Special Agent Mark Quinn of the Violent Crime Task Force, Special Agent Edward McNamara of the Organized Crime Squad, Special Agent Mark Sofia of the Special Operations Group; the LaGrange Police Department - Lieutenant Christopher Noel; the United States Attorney's Office - Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amarjeet S. Bhachu and Stephen P. Baker.

This case recognizes the successful prosecution of Chicago Outfit members Joseph Scalise, Robert Pullia and Arthur Rachel. Known as the "Wild Bunch", the Outfit relied on this crew to commit murder if needed.

The FBI Organized Crime Squad, Violent Crime Task Force, and Special Operations Group initiated intensive cover surveillance of the defendants in the fall of 2009 and continued over the course of many months. These agents partnered with several local law enforcement officers who helped obtain the information needed for court authorization to install a listening device inside a van utilized by one of the defendants. Based on the conversations that were intercepted, agents moved in and arrested the defendants before they attempted to break into a residential dwelling on the south side of Chicago.

The U.S. Attorney's Office charged the defendants with racketeering conspiracy, interference with commerce by robbery, possession of firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence and felon in possession of a firearm. Scalise and Pullia pled guilty and face 9-10 years in prison, and Rachel was eventually convicted and sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison.

PROSECUTORIAL SPOTLIGHT AWARD
The Chicago Crime Commission Prosecutorial Spotlight Award is presented to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office Assistant State's Attorney Jim McKay, Assistant State's Attorney Veryl Gambino and Assistant State's Attorney Jennifer Bagby.

The case of People v. William Balfour garnered national interest because the victims were relatives of celebrity singer and actress, Jennifer Hudson. The level of interest also meant that the prosecution team's every move was scrutinized.

The Cook County prosecutors were faced not only with inevitable media attention but also with a case that produced no eyewitness and no confessions. They had to rely largely on circumstantial evidence, such as cellular telephone technology that was used to track Balfour's location at relevant times during the crime. The prosecutors also struggled with having to rely upon reluctant witnesses to testify against Balfour.

Despite all of these challenges the prosecution persevered. A jury convicted William Balfour of three counts of first-degree murder and sentenced him to natural life in prison without the possibility of parole.

MITCHELL A. MARS PROSECUTORIAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
The Chicago Crime Commission Mitchell A. Mars Prosecutorial Excellence Award is presented to Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow for his outstanding effort in the prosecution of former Bolingbrook police sergeant Drew Peterson in the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

After nearly two years of litigation before the Third District Appellate Court and the Illinois Supreme Court, State's Attorney Glasgow and his team were granted a ruling that would change the course of the case.

In April 2012 the Third District Appellate Court effectively overturned Judge Stephen White's earlier decision by ruling that the prosecution team could use eight statements made by both the victim prior to her death and by Peterson's still-missing fourth wife, Stacy, prior to her disappearance.

The Peterson prosecution was a five-year process that involved a number of groundbreaking initiatives. The Will County State's Attorney's Office conducted an 18-month Special Grand Jury investigation following the disappearance of Stacy Peterson. In addition, State's Attorney Glasgow filed a petition to exhume the body of Kathleen Savio, after which second and third autopsies revealed compelling new evidence that assisted him in proving she was murdered and not the victim of a slip-and-fall accident.

State's Attorney Glasgow also worked with the General Assembly to draft and enact new legislation that placed the concept of "forfeiture by wrongdoing" into the Illinois criminal rules of evidence. Forfeiture by wrongdoing enables prosecutors to enter relative and probative hearsay statements into evidence if they can prove a defendant killed a witness to prevent him or her from testifying. The Illinois Supreme Court eventually adopted the common law doctrine of forfeiture by wrongdoing in its decision regarding a DuPage County murder case and then adopted the federal rules on forfeiture by wrongdoing.

On September 6, 2012 after a lengthy and contentious trial, a jury convicted Drew Peterson of the first-degree murder of Kathleen Savio. He currently awaits sentencing.

PAWS OF DISTINCTION AWARD
The Chicago Crime Commission PAWS of Distinction Award is presented to DEA Special Agent Robert Glynn and K9 Partner Rudy.

This award recognizes the invaluable service that canine units lend to law enforcement. The 2012 recipients prove that these highly trained companions and their handlers very much deserve recognition for preventing and solving crimes, a task that would be much more difficult if not impossible without their unique collaboration.

This year the award goes to an officer-canine duo that, since February 2006, have seized more than $35 million in cash, over 925 kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of crack cocaine, 40 kilograms of heroin, 13 kilograms of MDMA, four kilograms of methamphetamines, and approximately one ton of marijuana.

This duo proves once again that dogs are indeed man's best friend, even in crime fighting.

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R.I.P. Wishes for True-Crime Author Edward W. Baumann

Edward W. Baumann, a prolific reporter and author of true-crime books, worked at five Chicago-area newspapers over a career that spanned nearly four decades.

Mr. Baumann's specialty was covering crime, from trials and executions to the exploits of the Chicago Outfit. Often working with Tribune reporters John O'Brien and Ronald Koziol, Mr. Baumann's wealth of sources led to myriad front-page stories covering the city's underworld.

"He covered the rough-and-tumble life down in Chicago," said Harlan Draeger, a former reporter for the Chicago Daily News and the Sun-Times. "And he really dug into the history and spirit of the newspaper, during the glory days of newspapering in Chicago."

Mr. Baumann, 86, died Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the home of stepdaughter Lisa McCammon in Paxton, Ind., said another stepdaughter, Leslie Ferraro. He had been suffering from a blood disorder and heart disease, Ferraro said. He was a lifelong resident of Kenosha, Wis.

Edward Weston Baumann attended Bradford High School in Kenosha and served with the Army Air Forces in the South Pacific during World War II. He then earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin.

He began his newspaper career in 1951 at the Waukegan News-Sun and soon became the Waukegan correspondent for the Chicago Daily News. In 1956, Mr. Baumann joined the Daily News full time, covering criminal courts. He worked on the paper's rewrite desk and was an assistant city editor before joining Chicago's American in 1962. He later became the American's city editor and then the administrative assistant to the publisher of a successor paper, Chicago Today.

"I have very positive memories of him as an editor and a rewrite man," said former American reporter Len Aronson. "He was a very good writer, and he was very much always interested in a good story. And he managed a tumult of rogues at the American. There were more curmudgeons and characters in that newsroom than I've ever met in my life, and he seemed to ride that wave with good equanimity and good humor."

In 1974, Chicago Today was absorbed into the Tribune, which Mr. Baumann joined as a senior staff writer.Mr. Baumann covered a host of high-profile crimes, including ones that were planned but never happened. He wrote a front-page article for the Tribune in 1984 about a mob plot to assassinate former Mayor Jane Byrne for failing to push hard enough for legalized casino gambling in Chicago.

He covered the 1986 slayings of Chicago Outfit member Anthony Spilotro and his brother, Michael. That same year, Mr. Baumann wrote a detailed analysis of the top 10 Chicago mob figures featured in a celebrated 1976 photo, which authorities seized during a raid of an alleged mobster's home.

The photo, taken at a suburban restaurant, has often been referred to by law enforcement figures as "The Last Supper." Mr. Baumann described each of the 10 figures' fates after the photo was taken, riffing off Agatha Christie's novel "Ten Little Indians."

Mr. Baumann also edited the Tribune's INC. gossip column after the column's founder, Aaron Gold, died. "We always called Ed 'Invisible INC.,' because he didn't want his name associated with a gossip column," said retired Tribune reporter and WGN radio host Kathy O'Malley. "He was the essence of the grumpy old man, but he also was one of the funniest people I have ever met. He had a wonderful sense of humor."

Retired Tribune reporter Michael Hirsley recalled Mr. Baumann as a "very competent, very bright newspaperman" with little ego. "He could be very understated and self-effacing," Hirsley said.

A three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, Mr. Baumann also was active in the Chicago journalism community, serving as president of the Chicago Press Club and a director of the Chicago Newspaper Reporters Association. Both before and after retiring from the Tribune, Mr. Baumann and Ray Shlemon prepared the paper's Pulitzer Prize submissions each year.

Mr. Baumann wrote or co-wrote 10 true-crime books, including a profile of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

"I really admired Ed's writing style," Draeger said. "He had a nice, flowing style with a nice, journalistic touch. His books all had that characteristic, too."

Mr. Baumann spent almost his entire career commuting from Kenosha to Chicago, and he once calculated that the miles he rode daily in his career added up to circumnavigating the globe 42 times.

After retiring from the Tribune in 1988, Mr. Baumann freelanced, writing travel articles and crime stories for the Tribune. He also spent 13 years as a volunteer with the Great Circus Parade in Milwaukee, working as a cowboy, a roustabout and an animal handler.

Mr. Baumann's first wife, Caroline, died in 1975. A daughter, Amy Cairo, died in 2010. In addition to his stepdaughters, Mr. Baumann is survived by his wife, Lenore; a son, Corey; another stepdaughter, Carole Reid; 12 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson.

After private services, a public luncheon is set for noon Saturday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 7104 39th Ave., Kenosha.

Thanks to Bob Goldsborough.

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U.S. Attorney’s Office to Conduct Election Day Monitoring in Chicago and Suburbs

The U.S. Attorney’s Office will monitor the general election in Chicago and surrounding suburbs on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, Gary S. Shapiro, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, announced today. As part of the monitoring effort, the office will operate a hotline for candidates or the public to call to report any complaints relating to voting. In addition, Assistant U.S. Attorneys and other personnel will be monitoring certain polling places, while other attorneys will be available to respond to complaints as needed.

The hotline number, staffed on Election Day only, is (312) 469-6157.

“This office has a long tradition of monitoring the polls on Election Day to help protect the integrity of the voting process,” Mr. Shapiro said. “No one who is entitled to vote should in any way be inhibited from doing so, and we stand ready to ensure a fair process for all.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Heinze coordinates the office’s election monitoring efforts and subsequent investigations, if any, in consultation with the Justice Department. The Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service will assist in this effort by following-up, if necessary, on any election fraud and voting rights complaints.

Complaints about ballot access problems or discrimination can also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington at 1-800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767.

Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting, may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice.

Violations of federal voting rights statutes carry penalties ranging from one to 10 years’ imprisonment and fines up to $250,000.

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Sal Polisi Discusses "The Sinatra Club: My Life Inside the New York Mafia " on Crime Beat Radio

On November 8th, Sal Polisi discusses his autobiography, "The Sinatra Club: My Life Inside the New York Mafia" on Crime Beat Radio.

Crime Beat is a weekly hour-long radio program that airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST., on the Artist First World Radio Network at artistfirst.com/crimebeat.

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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Adlai Stevenson's "The Black Book", A Timely Antidote For Jaded Politics

The Stevenson family has a unique place in American political history. The first Adlai E. Stevenson, Vice President of the U.S., collected stories, jokes and aphorisms in a loose-leaf binder throughout his long career. They were jotted on napkins, cards -- anything at hand. If it was worth keeping, it went in the binder which became known as “the black book.” His son, Lewis Stevenson, Illinois Secretary of State, contributed little, but his grandson Adlai II expanded the black book in his career as a lawyer, senior official in the Roosevelt and Truman administrations, Governor of Illinois, Presidential candidate and Ambassador to the UN.

Adlai E. Stevenson III inherited the black book, including contributions from friends and supporters around the world, and augmented it from his career as a Marine, lawyer, State Representative, State Treasurer, United States Senator, candidate for governor, international investment banker and ever the hereditary global sojourner and public policy activist. The black book was continuously organized and reorganized as a ready source of wit and wisdom for their speeches.

While a lack of civility is a symptom of today’s money-driven politics of ideology, tactics, religiosity and ignorance, the author believes Americans today yearn for the politics and culture which created America and made it great.

In Adlai Stevenson III’s The Black Book, he records American politics, culture and history as these men knew it. Since few, if any, American families have been as actively involved in public office and politics for as long as the Stevensons – beginning in the 1840’s with great-great-grandfather Jesse Fell who sponsored  Abraham Lincoln for President -- it is a unique history covering finance and economics, law and justice, the media, politics, religion, education, war, and so much more. In order to see the future you must see the past, from The Black Book.

Adlai E. Stevenson III has lectured widely, authored numerous articles and is the recipient of many honors, including Japan’s Order of the Sacred Treasure with Gold and Silver Star, and is an Honorary Professor of Renmin University in Beijing. He is Chairman of the Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy which aims to bring practitioners from the world together to address systemic challenges to democratic systems  and also Chairman of SC&M Investment Management Corp., an international financial intermediary. A graduate of Harvard College and Law School, he maintains an office in Chicago and a home with his wife, Nancy, on a farm near Galena, Illinois.

For more information on The Black Book or Senator Stevenson, please visit: www.adlai3.com. Available at bookstores nationwide and online at http://www.adlai3.com/purchase-cart.html

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White Bulger Seeks Additional 8 Month Delay in Trial

A lawyer for mobster James "Whitey" Bulger asked a judge Thursday to delay his trial by eight months, while a prosecutor argued that Bulger has already received "a 16-year continuance" by fleeing Boston and staying on the run all those years.

U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns didn't immediately rule on the defense request to move the trial from March until next November. Stearns said he expects to issue a written decision within the next few days.

Bulger, the former leader of the Winter Hill Gang, is accused of playing a role in 19 murders during the 1970s and 1980s. His lawyer has said Bulger plans to testify about his claim that he received immunity to commit crimes while he was an FBI informant on the Mafia. Bulger, now 83, fled Boston in late 1994 and was not captured until June 2011, when he was found in Santa Monica, Calif.

Bulger's lead attorney, J.W. Carney Jr., has repeatedly complained about the large volume of materials he needs to review before the trial, including more than 364,000 pages of documents turned over by prosecutors.

"We cannot possibly be ready to start the trial in March," Carney said Thursday. He said it is critical for the defense to be fully prepared in order for Bulger to receive a fair trial. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Kelly said prosecutors are opposed to the delay and accused Bulger of "continually trying to stall this case."

Stearns has twice rejected a defense request that he recuse himself from Bulger's trial.

Bulger's lawyers say Stearns should not preside at the trial because he was a federal prosecutor during a time in which Bulger claims he was given immunity for crimes he committed while he was also an FBI informant on the Mafia, his gang's main rival.

In a written response denying Carney's motion for the second time, Stearns said there is no connection between his former position as chief of the criminal division of the U.S. attorney's office and the organized crime strike force.

Bulger claims that Jeremiah O'Sullivan, a former federal prosecutor who led the New England Organized Crime Strike Force, gave him immunity. O'Sullivan, who died in 2009, denied protecting Bulger from prosecution for violent crimes during his testimony to Congress in 2002.

In a written response filed in court Wednesday, Kelly called Bulger's immunity claim "absurd" and said his decision to flee Massachusetts is "entirely inconsistent" with someone who believed he had immunity. "Obviously, James Bulger never once thought he had legal immunity for his crimes and that is why he remained a fugitive for so long," Kelly wrote.

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How Lou Peters Took Down Joseph Bonano Sr. and The Mob

In 1977, things were going well for Lou Peters—he was living the American dream with his wife and three daughters, running a successful Cadillac dealership in Lodi, California. And in June of that year, he got an offer he couldn’t refuse.

A man approached Peters expressing interest in buying the dealership. When told it wasn’t for sale, the man was insistent, telling Peters to “name any price.” Finally, Peters said he would sell it for $2 million—nearly twice what the business was worth. The man accepted—then told Peters that the buyer was none other than Joseph Bonnano, Sr., head of the Bonnano organized crime family, who wanted the dealership to launder the family’s illegal funds.

Initially taken aback upon learning of mafia involvement, Peters eventually agreed to the sale, recounting, “I didn’t understand why these people wanted to come into our county. And I wanted to find out.” He then went to a local police chief and told him what had happened. When the chief asked what he was going to do next, Peters replied, “Well, I’m going to the FBI.”

And to the FBI he went, telling all. The FBI saw an opportunity to take down Bonnano and asked Peters for help. He was on board. “I felt it was the right thing to do, and I just did it,” he said.

Over the next nearly two years, Peters played the part of a corrupt businessman, gaining remarkable access to the Bonnano family and even becoming a close companion of Joseph Bonnano, Sr. To gain his confidence, Peters recalled saying something to “the old man” along the lines of, “Well, this should really bring me into the family”—to which Bonnano replied, “Lou, you’re already in the family.”

Through it all, Peters never took his eye off the ball—gathering evidence, secretly recording conversations, and debriefing agents on what he had learned. And his efforts weren’t without personal sacrifice…besides the risk to his life, he had to obtain a (temporary) legal separation from his wife not only to protect his family but also to have a credible reason to move out of his house—and into an apartment that was being monitored by the FBI.

In the end, Peters got what we needed. When he told Bonnano—during a recorded call—that he had been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury regarding his dealings with the family, the old man directed him to destroy any records that could be linked back to him and his associates. Peters took the tape to the FBI agent on the case. While listening to it, the agent jumped up and said, “You got him!”

Thanks to Lou Peters, Joseph Bonnano, Sr. was found guilty of obstructing justice and sentenced to five years in prison—the first felony conviction in the mob boss’ long life of crime.

To show its appreciation, in October 1980 the FBI presented Peters with an award for his selfless and valiant actions…an award that has been granted annually for the past 30 years as the Louis E. Peters Memorial Service Award, bestowed upon the citizen who best exemplifies the standards set by Peters in providing service to the FBI and the nation.

Shortly before his death in 1981, Peters said, “I was very proud of what I did for my country.” The country is very proud of him, too. Thanks, Lou Peters.

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The Racketeer by John Grisham is Released Today

Given the importance of what they do, and the controversies that often surround them, and the violent people they sometimes confront, it is remarkable that in the history of this country only four active federal judges have been murdered.

Judge Raymond Fawcett has just become number five.

Who is The Racketeer? And what does he have to do with the judge’s untimely demise? His name, for the moment, is Malcolm Bannister. Job status? Former attorney. Current residence? The Federal Prison Camp near Frostburg, Maryland.

On paper, Malcolm’s situation isn’t looking too good these days, but he’s got an ace up his sleeve. He knows who killed Judge Fawcett, and he knows why. The judge’s body was found in his remote lakeside cabin. There was no forced entry, no struggle, just two dead bodies: Judge Fawcett and his young secretary. And one large, state-of-the-art, extremely secure safe, opened and emptied.

What was in the safe? The FBI would love to know. And Malcolm Bannister would love to tell them. But everything has a price—especially information as explosive as the sequence of events that led to Judge Fawcett’s death. And the Racketeer wasn’t born yesterday . . .

Nothing is as it seems and everything’s fair game in this wickedly clever new novel from John Grisham, the undisputed master of the legal thriller.

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Skinny Joey Merlino, Former Philly Mob Boss, Calls "Jersey Shore" Guys a Disgrace to Italians

Ex-Philadelphia mafia boss "Skinny Joey" Merlino -- who served 12 years in federal prison for racketeering -- says the guys from "Jersey Shore" are a big, fat "disgrace to the Italians" ... seriously.

Merlino -- who was released from the slammer last year -- was at LAX yesterday, where he was picked up from the airport by Howard Stern's favorite mob family member Johnny Fratto.

It's unclear why Joey is in L.A. -- but as Johnny drove off with Merlino riding shotgun, he picked an interesting song choice to bump in his car ... Elton John's "Philadelphia Freedom."

FYI -- Merlino was rumored to have been a heavy gambler before he got locked up ... and when we asked if he had any advice for Harvey (who's been getting killed with his NFL picks) ... "Skinny Joey" had one solid piece of advice ... and it involves one Thomas Edward Patrick Brady.

Thanks to TMZ.

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NCTC Praises Service of IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman

As expected, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced last week that commissioner Doug Shulman would be stepping down when his term expires next month.

On Thursday, the National Community Tax Coalition (NCTC) -- the nation’s largest membership organization of groups offering free tax preparation and asset-building services for low-income families -- praised the dedication to diversity and inclusion that Shulman showed in his administration of the federal government’s tax-collection and -enforcement agency.

“The community tax preparation field has long been able to count on Commissioner Shulman’s commitment to quality and efficiency in the IRS’ operations,” said Jackie Lynn Coleman, executive director of NCTC. “Commissioner Shulman was dedicated to inclusion – inviting individuals from all across the spectrum to discuss the impact of any policy changes and offering ideas on how best to serve American taxpayers. Low- and moderate-income families, in particular, could count on the commissioner’s consideration while moving the IRS forward.”

Commissioners are nominated by the President, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Shulman, who was confirmed in 2008, will officially leave the IRS on Nov. 9. Steven Miller – who currently is deputy commissioner for services and enforcement – was named acting commissioner.

“NCTC wishes to congratulate Mr. Shulman on his effective years as IRS commissioner and wish him good luck in future endeavors. We look forward to continuing our work with acting Commissioner Miller to further serve low- and moderate-income taxpayers.”

The National Community Tax Coalition is the nation's largest, most comprehensive membership organization for community-based organizations offering free tax and financial services to low-income working families. The coalition and its national network of members are dedicated to strengthening economies, building communities, and improving lives through tax assistance and asset building activities that produce financial security, protect families and promote economic justice.

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Sons of Anarchy New Season

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Mob Hit Site "Purple Hotel" to Get Extreme Makeover

There are plans for a major makeover at the site of one of the most infamous mob hits in Chicago history. A development company recently purchased Lincolnwood's famous "Purple Hotel", and plans to make it the anchor of a new restaurant and retail complex. The building has sat empty for five years.

"It'll be attractive, and because it has such great heritage with having this iconic structure behind it, it should do pretty well," Mayor Gerald Turry said.

Part of that heritage is rooted in Chicago Outfit history. Teamsters lawyer Allen Dorfman was gunned down by two men in the Purple Hotel's parking lot in January of 1983. The month before, Dorfman was convicted along with Chicago Outfit leader Joey "The Clown" Lombardo of trying to bribe a Nevada U.S. Senator, as part of the mob's takeover of several Las Vegas casinos.

Art Bilek of the Chicago Crime Commission was a detective who worked dozens of mob cases. He says Dorfman was assassinated because the Outfit feared he'd talk to get a lighter sentence. "Of course he was going to talk. There was no question about it, so he had to go," Bilek said.

Now, nearly 30 years later, the Purple Hotel may soon be back in business. But, it may have one more mob story to tell, first. The new owners say they've been contacted by location scouts for the FOX series "The Mob Doctor" about possibly using the hotel in an upcoming episode.

Thanks to Dane Placko.

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Former FBI Agent, Robert Whitman, Discusses "Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures" on Crime Beat Radio

October 11, In a command appearance, Robert K. Whitman, former FBI agent discusses his book, Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures, on Crime Beat Radio.

The Wall Street Journal called him “a living legend.” The London Times dubbed him “the most famous art detective in the world.”

In Priceless, Robert K. Wittman, the founder of the FBI’s Art Crime Team, pulls back the curtain on his remarkable career for the first time, offering a real-life international thriller to rival The Thomas Crown Affair.

On the air since January 28, 2011, 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.

Crime Beat is currently averaging 130,000 listeners plus each week, and the figure is growing. Crime Beat is hosted by award-winning crime writer and documentary producer Ron Chepesiuk (www.ronchepesiuk.com) and broadcast journalist and freelance writer Will Hryb.

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