Latest Gun Poll Shows Nearly 7 in 10 Feel Safer in an Armed Neighborhood

An overwhelming seven in 10 Americans say they would feel safer living in a neighborhood where individuals could own a gun for self defense, the latest indication that support for comprehensive gun control is fading. Rasmussen Reports found that 68 percent of voters polled would feel safer in an armed neighborhood. Just 23 percent said they'd feel safer in “a neighborhood where nobody was allowed to own a gun.”

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Fake Suicide Banker Aubrey Lee Price Appears in Federal Court to Face Multi-Million Dollar Wire Fraud Charges

Yesterday, Aubrey Lee Price was presented at the federal courthouse in Brunswick, Georgia, near where he was arrested. The defendant, who sent acquaintances a suicide note stating that he planned to kill himself by throwing himself off a high speed ferry boat in Florida, has been wanted since June 27, 2012, when the Honorable Viktor V. Pohorelsky, United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York, issued a warrant for Price’s arrest based on a complaint filed by the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. At the time, Price was charged with wire fraud in connection with his use of brokerage accounts in New York to misappropriate millions of dollars belonging to a bank in southern Georgia where Price was a director. A grand jury in Brooklyn later expanded the charges against Price to include securities fraud in connection with Price’s theft of funds from both the bank and other investors in investment funds controlled by Price. The defendant also faces a charge in the Southern District of Georgia.

The arrest was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and George Venizelos, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI).

According to the indictment, Price managed investment funds PFG LLC (“PFG”) and the Montgomery Growth Fund (“Montgomery Growth”). Starting in or about June 2009, PFG raised approximately $40 million from approximately 115 investors from across the nation. Price unsuccessfully invested PFG funds in various equity securities, options, and real estate, including farms in South America. To cover up his losses, Price allegedly lied to his investors by posting fake account statements on a secure PFG website that fraudulently reflected fictitious assets and fabricated investment returns.

The indictment further states that, starting in or about January 2011, Price became a director of Montgomery Bank & Trust (“MB&T”), a financial institution in Ailey, Georgia. After telling MB&T that he would invest the bank’s capital in U.S. Treasury securities, Price instead lost much of the bank’s money by investing in risky equity securities and options. Price also embezzled MB&T money to pay redemptions to some PFG investors. The indictment charges that Price covered up his embezzlement and losses of MB&T’s funds by giving the bank’s management fabricated documents falsely indicating that approximately $17 million was on deposit in the bank’s name at a large financial services firm in New York.

“Aubrey Lee price created a life and death out of whole cloth, telling hundreds of investors and a Georgia bank that their money was safe when he was flying high, and telling the world he was dead when his lies crashed down around him,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “But Price proved as unsuccessful at faking his own death as he was at faking his victims’ investments. Every person who seeks to harm our financial markets through fraud should be on notice. With the help of our law enforcements partners, both federal and local, we will find you, and we will hold you accountable for your behavior in a court of law.” Ms. Lynch expressed her grateful appreciation to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Atlanta Regional Office, and the Lowndes County Georgia Sheriff’s Department for their cooperation and assistance in the investigation. She also thanked the Glynn County Georgia Sheriff’s Department, who arrested the defendant following a traffic stop.

The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David C. Woll, Jr. and Brian Morris.

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Gregg Pierleoni Indicted on Charges He Embezzled $5.7 Million from Moving and Storage Company

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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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.

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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."

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