Details Released on Trenton Mayor's Conviction on Federal Extortion, Bribery, and Mail and Wire Fraud Charges

A federal jury found Trenton Mayor Tony F. Mack guilty on all six federal extortion, bribery, and mail and wire fraud charges against him, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Mack’s brother, Ralphiel Mack, was also convicted on three of the charges but found not guilty on three mail and wire fraud counts, following a five-week trial before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court. The Macks were charged in connection with a scheme to accept $119,000 in bribes in exchange for Mayor Mack’s official actions and influence in assisting cooperating witnesses in the development of an automated parking garage on city-owned land.

“The jury’s verdict solidly affirms what we first charged more than a year ago—that Tony Mack, with the helping hands of his brother and their cohorts, sold the mayor’s office and sold out the people of Trenton,” U.S. Attorney Fishman said. “We are very grateful to the members of the jury for their service.”

Tony F. Mack, 48, and Ralphiel Mack, 41, both of Trenton, originally were charged by complaint on September 10, 2012, with one count of conspiracy to obstruct commerce by extortion under color of official right related to the $119,000 extortion scheme. Also charged at that time was Joseph A. Giorgianni, 64, of Ewing, New Jersey. An indictment returned in December 2012 added charges against all three defendants.

Giorgianni pleaded guilty on December 13, 2013, to one count of conspiring with the Macks and others to obstruct interstate commerce by extorting individuals under color of official right, in addition to a separate extortion scheme, a narcotics charge, and illegal weapons possession, all charges unrelated to the Macks.

Mayor Mack was convicted of the six counts charged in the indictment:

• Conspiracy to obstruct and affect interstate commerce by extorition under color of official right
• Attempted obstruction of commerce by extortion under the color of official right
• Accepting and agreeing to accept bribes
• Two counts of wire fraud
• Mail fraud

Ralphiel Mack was convicted on the same first three counts and found not guilty of the mail and wire fraud charges. The jury members deliberated for seven hours before returning their verdicts.

According to documents filed in this case and the evidence presented at trial:

Mayor Mack, Giorgianni, and Ralphiel Mack conspired to accept approximately $119,000 in cash and other valuables, of which $54,000 was accepted and another $65,000 that the defendants planned to accept, from two cooperating witnesses (CW-1 and CW-2). In exchange for the payments, Mayor Mack agreed to and did assist CW-1 and CW-2 in their efforts to acquire a city-owned lot (the East State Street lot) to develop an automated parking garage (the parking garage project). The scheme included a plan to divert $100,000 of the purchase amount that CW-2 had indicated a willingness to pay to the city of Trenton for the lot as a bribe and kickback payment to Giorgianni and Mayor Mack. The mayor authorized and directed a Trenton official responsible for disposition of city-owned land to offer the East State Street lot to CW-2 for $100,000, significantly less than the amount originally proposed by CW-2.

The defendants went to great lengths to conceal their corrupt activity and keep Mayor Mack “safe” from law enforcement. For example, Giorgianni and Ralphiel Mack acted as intermediaries, or “buffers,” who accepted cash payments for Mayor Mack’s benefit. Mayor Mack also used another city of Trenton employee involved in the scheme, Charles Hall, III, 49, of Trenton, to contact other Trenton officials to facilitate the parking garage project and to inform the mayor when Giorgianni had received corrupt cash payments. Hall pleaded guilty before Judge Shipp in February 2013 to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to obstruct commerce by extortion under color of official right and one count of conspiring to distribute narcotics with others, including Giorgianni.

To conceal the corrupt arrangement, the defendants avoided discussing matters related to the scheme over the telephone. When those matters were discussed, they used code words and aliases. One such code word was “Uncle Remus,” which both Giorgianni and Hall regularly used to communicate to Mayor Mack that a corrupt payment had been received. For example, on October 29, 2011, Giorgianni telephoned Hall and informed him that Giorgianni had to “see” Mayor Mack and that “I got Uncle Remus for him,” meaning a corrupt cash payment that Giorgianni had received from CW-1 two days earlier. Giorgianni directed Hall to bring Mayor Mack to a meeting location controlled by Giorgianni (Giorgianni’s Clubhouse), stating “we gotta talk” because “I got something that might be good for him” and that “they’ve already come with Uncle Remus,” meaning a corrupt cash payment. On June 13, 2012, Giorgianni telephoned Mayor Mack and informed him that “Uncle Remus,” meaning a corrupt cash payment, “was there.” Mayor Mack replied, “I’ll call you, J. Okay?” In text messages to Mayor Mack related to the scheme, Giorgianni would refer to himself as “Mr. Baker.”

The defendants also concealed their activities by holding meetings concerning the corrupt activity away from Trenton City Hall, including at Giorgianni’s residence, an eatery maintained by Giorgianni known as JoJo’s Steakhouse, Giorgianni’s Clubhouse, and Atlantic City restaurants. At one Atlantic City meeting among Mayor Mack, Giorgianni, Hall, and CW-2, Mayor Mack instructed Giorgianni to ensure that no photographs were taken in order to conceal the corrupt arrangement.

The extortion conspiracy and attempted extortion charges are each punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. The bribery charge is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison. The mail and wire fraud charges are each punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. All the counts also carry a potential fine of $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for May 14, 2014

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Code Name: Johnny Walker The Extraordinary Story of the Iraqi Who Risked Everything to Fight with the U.S. Navy SEALs

This is the unforgettable story of how an ordinary Iraqi became a hero to America's elite warriors—and how that debt was repaid with the gift of freedom.

He was the seals' most trusted interpreter . . . and more

Night after night, while his homeland was being destroyed around him, he guided the U.S. Navy SEALs through Iraq's most dangerous regions. Operating under the code name "Johnny Walker," he risked his life on more than a thousand missions and became a legend in the U.S. special-ops community, many of whose members credit him with saving their lives. But in the eyes of Iraq's terrorists and insurgents, he and his family were marked for death because he worked with the Americans. . . . Then the SEALs stood up to protect the man who had watched their backs through the entire war.

Over the course of eight years, the Iraqi native traveled around the country with nearly every SEAL and special-operations unit deployed there. Using his wits to outthink the insurgency, Johnny Walker unmasked countless terrorists and helped foil an untold number of plots against Americans and their allies. He went on hundreds of missions, saved dozens of American lives—both SEAL and civilian—and risked his own life daily. He and his family lived in constant jeopardy, surviving multiple assassination attempts and a host of threats in Mosul, until a desperate escape through the desert late in the war took them to the relative safety of Baghdad.

Fearing for Johnny's long-term safety after the war, the SEALs—now as close as brothers to Johnny—took it upon themselves to bring him to the United States, where today he and his family live their version of the American Dream. He remains in the fight by helping train the next generation of American special-operations warriors.

For the first time ever, a "terp" tells what it was like in Iraq during the American invasion and the brutal insurgency that followed. With inside details on SEAL operations and a humane understanding of the tragic price paid by ordinary Iraqis, Code Name: Johnny Walker reveals a side of the war that has never been told before.

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Seven Defendants Indicted in Six Armed Robberies of Cell Phone Stores

Seven defendants were indicted on federal charges for their alleged roles in a series of at least six armed robberies of cellular telephone stores last year that extended from suburban Chicago to Indiana and downstate Illinois. Two defendants, Eric Rogers and Eric Curtis, who allegedly directed a robbery conspiracy, were arrested on federal charges in December following the robbery of a cell phone store in suburban Woodridge. The other five defendants, all of whom are in state custody, were charged federally for the first time in this district in a nine-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury yesterday and announced today.

Rogers, 39, of Hazel Crest, and Curtis, 29, of Park Forest, allegedly selected the stores that were robbed, recruited their co-defendants to participate in the robberies, provided them with firearms and other equipment, and paid them to commit armed robbery at their direction. They were each charged with one count of robbery conspiracy, three counts of robbery, and two counts of brandishing firearms; Curtis alone was charged with being a felon-in-possession of a firearm. Both remain in federal custody without bond.

Also indicted were: Marcus Harris, 20, of Chicago; Daniel Wright, 28, of Chicago; Andre Wadlington-Anthony, 27, of Harvey; Tony Johnson, 20, of Harvey; and Lavell Hughes, 41, of Gary, Indiana. Four of the five were charged with one count each of robbery and brandishing a firearm, while Wadlington-Anthony was charged with two counts of each of those crimes.

All seven will be arraigned on dates yet to be determined in U.S. District Court.

According to the indictment, the defendants in various combinations, committed the following armed robberies in 2013:

• January 31—Sprint store, 1323 West Lake St., Addison
• February 4—AT&T store, LaPorte, Indiana
• March 19—AT&T store, 41551⁄2 North Harlem, Norridge. Court documents allege the loss of approximately 100 phones and tablet computers valued at approximately $54,000 in this robbery
• April 4—Sprint store, East Peoria, Illinois
• April 8—T-Mobile, 110 South Waukegan Rd., Deerfield
• December 14—T-Mobile, 1001 West 75th St., Woodridge.

The indictment alleges that Rogers and Curtis also conspired with Rogers’ deceased cousin, Ryan Rogers, who, following the March 19 Norridge robbery, drove toward a Chicago police officer attempting to stop his vehicle and was shot and killed.

Each count of robbery carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and each count of brandishing a firearm carries a consecutive, mandatory minimum of seven years in prison and a maximum of life. Curtis also faces a maximum 10-years sentence on the felon-in-possession charge. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The indictment was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert J. Holley, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, which is composed of the FBI and the Chicago Police Department. The police departments in Addison, Deerfield, Homewood, Norridge, Woodridge, LaPorte, Indiana, and East Peoria, Ilinois, also assisted in the investigation.

The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Parente.

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

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The King of Chicago announced for iOS and Android

Legendary game developer, Cinemaware, takes center stage on the gaming landscape once again, announcing that the classic Mob game from 1986 returns on your Android and iOS mobile devices soon!

One of Cinemaware’s original and most popular titles, “ The King of Chicago – Emulated Amiga Edition” puts you in the war for Al Capone’s throne when it comes to iOS and Android devices in the upcoming weeks. Set in the 1930s, deep within the prohibition era, “ The King of Chicago” is the original gangster myth game.

You’ll be performing drive-by shootings with your Tommy gun, bribing corrupt officials, assassinating rivals and carving your way to the top of Chicago’s Mob in order to be included in the formation of a New York crime syndicate. As if that weren't enough, the player also has to stay one step ahead of the law and keep his girlfriend satisfied by catering to her crazy whims and desires – or risk losing her! With force or words, it is your call…but be nice to your gang, or they will send you down the river!

“Lissen up, when youse action and story combine just poifect, somethin' snazzy happens on the screen,” said Pinky Callahan, mouthpiece for Cinemaware. “Cinemaware pulled the trigger on that stuff back in the 1980s; and it ain't no different now. People are always yappin' at us to bring back our games, as we obliged last year with Rocket Ranger – Emulated Amiga Version. We's in the process of releasin' several classic and new titles in 2014, like Wings: Remastered Edition. And just a tip between us wiseguys...download the game or youse gonna be wearing a pair of concrete shoes. If youse catch my drift.”

The King of Chicago – Emulated Amiga Edition features the original game, complete with all of the original missions, story and gameplay sequences. The game also features a customized mobile control interface and the original game manual.

The Android version will be available at the end of January, followed by the Apple iOS version in early February. The game will be available on Google’s Play store and Apple’s iTunes, as well as Amazon's appstore and Samsung-Chillingos' 100% Indie appstore.

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Four #MS13 Gang leaders sentenced for conspiring to commit senseless acts of murder, attempted murder, and armed robbery

For nearly four years, four leaders of various Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, factions operating in the Atlanta metro area terrorized the community through their flagrant disregard for life—conspiring to commit senseless acts of murder, attempted murder, and armed robbery. But a multi-year, multi-agency law enforcement effort recently took down this criminal enterprise, eradicating a deadly threat from the streets of Atlanta. Ernesto Escobar, Miguel Alvarado-Linares, and Dimas Alfaro-Granados will be spending the rest of their lives in prison, while Jairo Reyna-Ozuna will be behind bars for more than a decade.

The MS-13 gang is composed primarily of immigrants and/or their descendants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. In the U.S., this extremely violent criminal organization got its start in Los Angeles and then spread out to a number of states around the country, including Georgia.

In Atlanta, as in other areas, members are usually organized into groups called “cliques” that operate under the larger MS-13 umbrella. Each clique has a leader who conducts regular meetings to plan and discuss crimes against rival gangs. In this case, we saw clique leaders reporting back to MS-13 leaders in their home countries about MS-13 activities in the Atlanta area.

The four defendants in this case, who reportedly lived by the credo “rape, kill, control,” perpetrated their crimes for seemingly minor reasons—to enhance their reputations among fellow gang members, to protect their turf from rival gangs, or to exact revenge for a real or perceived slight. The robberies were usually committed to obtain funding to support the criminal enterprise, providing money and weapons to gang members—including incarcerated individuals in the U.S and elsewhere.

Some of the heinous crimes the defendants were charged with included:

• Murdering a fellow MS-13 member who was thought to be cooperating with police;
• Ordering an MS-13 member who wanted to leave the gang to first commit an act of violence, leading the departing member to shoot into a car believed to be carrying rival gang members—killing the passenger and wounding the driver;
• Returning to a nightclub following a fight with a suspected rival gang member and fatally shooting a man walking through the club’s parking lot;
• Going back to a gas station after a scuffle with two teenagers who worked there and fatally shooting one of them as he painted lines in the parking lot;
• Murdering a 15-year-old boy—a suspected 18th Street gang member—with a shotgun.

The case was investigated by the Atlanta Safe Streets Task Force, made up of investigators from local, state, and federal agencies, including the FBI. Another key partner was the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Directorate.

Federal participation in this case allowed a number of effective tools to be brought to the table—perhaps most importantly the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) and the VICAR (Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering) statutes with their tougher penalties. Investigators also made use of physical and court-authorized electronic surveillances and confidential informants.

The charges against the four subjects in this case were part of a broader multi-agency investigation of MS-13 in Atlanta, concluded in 2010, which resulted in arrests of, charges against, and/or deportation of 75 members.

Proof positive that dedicated, cooperative efforts among law enforcement agencies can and do win out over dangerous criminal conspiracies.

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