The suspected leader of a Chicago-area street gang has been arrested for allegedly attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
JASON BROWN, also known as “Abdul Ja’Me,” provided $500 in cash to an individual on three separate occasions this year, with the understanding that the money would be wired to an ISIS soldier engaged in active combat in Syria, according to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Unbeknownst to Brown, the individual to whom he provided the money was confidentially working with law enforcement, and the purported ISIS fighter was actually an undercover law enforcement officer, the complaint states.
Brown, 37, of Lombard, Ill., has been arrested. He is charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. A detention hearing is set for Nov. 21, 2019, at 11:00 a.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sunil R. Harjani in Chicago.
The complaint alleges that Brown is the leader of the AHK street gang, which is based in the Chicago suburb of Bellwood and comprised of former members of other gangs, including the Black P Stones, Gangster Disciples, and Four Corner Hustlers.
Six other alleged AHK members or associates were charged in a separate complaint with federal drug offenses. According to the charges, AHK members allegedly trafficked various narcotics in the Chicago area, including a fentanyl analogue, heroin, and cocaine, and often boasted about the gang’s activities on social media. As part of the investigation, law enforcement shut down the gang’s operation of two illicit drug markets on the West Side of Chicago and executed search warrants at numerous locations.
“The conduct alleged in these two complaints presents grave risks to our communities,” said John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. “We will seek accountability to the fullest extent of the law.”
“These charges underscore the ceaseless efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to disrupt the illegal flow of money and drugs,” said Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI. “The FBI is proud to collaborate with its partners to make our neighborhoods safer and to keep valuable resources out of the hands of gang and terrorist organizations.”
U.S. Attorney Lausch announced the charges along with John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the U.S. Department of Justice, and Eddie Johnson, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Substantial investigative assistance was provided by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, Illinois State Police, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Lombard, Ill., Police Department, and Addison, Ill., Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shoba Pillay, Sean Driscoll and Nicholas Eichenseer of the Northern District of Illinois, with support from the National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section.
The alleged AHK members or associates charged with conspiracy to possess a fentanyl analogue, heroin, and cocaine with the intent to distribute are TRISTAN CLANTON, 34, of Chicago, RANDALL LANGSTON, 25, of Bellwood, Ill., his brother, BRANDON LANGSTON, 22, of Bellwood, Ill., HEZEKIAH WYATT, 19, of Hillside, Ill., LENOLIS MUHAMMAD-CURTIS, 24, of Bellwood, Ill., and FRANK THAXTON, 19, of Chicago. Clanton, Brandon Langston, Wyatt and Muhammad-Curtis have been arrested. Judge Harjani set their detention hearings. Thaxton is currently in the custody of state law enforcement, and a federal court appearance will be scheduled at a later date. An arrest warrant has been issued for Randall Langston.
According to the charges, Clanton is an influential AHK member who leads a drug trafficking operation in Chicago and Bellwood. The organization is responsible for trafficking more than a half kilogram of heroin, at least 474 grams of fentanyl analogue, and distribution quantities of cocaine and other drugs, the charges allege. Clanton and his crew sold drugs near two intersections in the North Lawndale and Humboldt Park neighborhoods of Chicago, according to the complaint. Law enforcement shut down the crew’s operation of these markets as part of the federal probe.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
La Mia Famiglia: Never Let Them Steal Your Name
From modest beginnings in a Pennsylvania coal mine to the height of success in Tampa, Florida
, there was one constant threat in the Scarpo family’s lives—the mafia. La Mia Famiglia: Never Let Them Steal Your Name.
In small-town Pennsylvania, Tony Scarpo’s grandfather Antonio, an immigrant from Bari, Italy, ran afoul of a gangster who terrorized the family for months. Antonio’s message to his children was: “Never let them steal your name.”
It was a lesson Tony’s father, Art Scarpo, took with him into the bar business in Tampa, a lesson he never forgot when the Trafficante crime family came calling. Alongside the Chicago Syndicate and New York’s Five Families, the Trafficantes were one of the pillars of the American Mafia. But little Tony had no idea why his father came home beaten and bloodied. He was just a kid growing up on the outskirts of Tampa, with little-boy dreams and calls to adventure. His ‘normal’ featured sideshow freaks, crime, violence, bizarre deaths—and murder.
As he grew older, however, his father peeled back the veneer to reveal just how dangerous it was for a bar owner in Tampa and how devastating it was to say ‘no’ to the Trafficante crime family. But could the Scarpo family escape the reign of terror brought down by the mob while saving both their name and their lives?
Read this enthralling, heart-wrenching story of one family’s struggle against organized crime and of one boy’s coming of age that was anything but ‘normal.’
, there was one constant threat in the Scarpo family’s lives—the mafia. La Mia Famiglia: Never Let Them Steal Your Name.In small-town Pennsylvania, Tony Scarpo’s grandfather Antonio, an immigrant from Bari, Italy, ran afoul of a gangster who terrorized the family for months. Antonio’s message to his children was: “Never let them steal your name.”
It was a lesson Tony’s father, Art Scarpo, took with him into the bar business in Tampa, a lesson he never forgot when the Trafficante crime family came calling. Alongside the Chicago Syndicate and New York’s Five Families, the Trafficantes were one of the pillars of the American Mafia. But little Tony had no idea why his father came home beaten and bloodied. He was just a kid growing up on the outskirts of Tampa, with little-boy dreams and calls to adventure. His ‘normal’ featured sideshow freaks, crime, violence, bizarre deaths—and murder.
As he grew older, however, his father peeled back the veneer to reveal just how dangerous it was for a bar owner in Tampa and how devastating it was to say ‘no’ to the Trafficante crime family. But could the Scarpo family escape the reign of terror brought down by the mob while saving both their name and their lives?
Read this enthralling, heart-wrenching story of one family’s struggle against organized crime and of one boy’s coming of age that was anything but ‘normal.’
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Illegal Alien from Mexico Sentenced for Assault on Border Patrol Agents
A 24-year-old man from Zacatecas, Mexico, has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of assaulting three Border Patrol (BP) agents, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Luis Gustavo Ramirez-Saucedo pleaded guilty June 25.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana handed Ramirez-Saucedo a 33-month sentence. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following the sentence. At the hearing, the court heard additional testimony from three BP agents who testified as to how they were assaulted. Ramirez-Saucedo testified that he only intended to flee.
Authorities were working their assigned duties in Laredo during the late evening of March 29 when they responded to an alert of a large group crossing the Rio Grande River from Mexico. They made contact with various illegal aliens in the 20-person group, one of whom was Ramirez-Saucedo.
Soon after, Ramirez-Saucedo violently resisted the efforts of three BP agents to apprehend him, striking one in the face with his hand. Ramirez-Saucedo later assaulted another agent by throwing a ladder at him which struck him in the arms. He assaulted a third agent by striking him in the face with his forearm, causing his nose to begin bleeding.
Following his apprehension, Ramirez-Saucedo admitted he was a citizen or national of Mexico with no authority to be in or to enter the United States and had just entered the United States illegally.
Ramirez-Saucedo has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana handed Ramirez-Saucedo a 33-month sentence. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following the sentence. At the hearing, the court heard additional testimony from three BP agents who testified as to how they were assaulted. Ramirez-Saucedo testified that he only intended to flee.
Authorities were working their assigned duties in Laredo during the late evening of March 29 when they responded to an alert of a large group crossing the Rio Grande River from Mexico. They made contact with various illegal aliens in the 20-person group, one of whom was Ramirez-Saucedo.
Soon after, Ramirez-Saucedo violently resisted the efforts of three BP agents to apprehend him, striking one in the face with his hand. Ramirez-Saucedo later assaulted another agent by throwing a ladder at him which struck him in the arms. He assaulted a third agent by striking him in the face with his forearm, causing his nose to begin bleeding.
Following his apprehension, Ramirez-Saucedo admitted he was a citizen or national of Mexico with no authority to be in or to enter the United States and had just entered the United States illegally.
Ramirez-Saucedo has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Monday, November 04, 2019
Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells
Everyone knows the hits
: “Hanky Panky,” “Mony Mony,” “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Crimson and Clover,” “Crystal Blue Persuasion.” All of these songs, which epitomize great pop music of the late 1960s, are now widely used in television and film and have been covered by a diverse group of artists from Billy Idol to Tiffany to R.E.M. Just as compelling as the music itself is the life Tommy James lived while making it.
James tells the incredible story, revealing his complex and sometimes terrifying relationship with Roulette Records and Morris Levy, the legendary Godfather of the music business. Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells, is a fascinating portrait of this swaggering, wildly creative era of rock ’n’ roll, when the hits kept coming and payola and the strong-arm tactics of the Mob were the norm, and what it was like, for better or worse, to be in the middle of it.
Now in paperback, after five hardcover printings, Tommy James’s wild and entertaining true story of his career—part rock & roll fairytale, part valentine to a bygone era, and part mob epic—that “reads like a music-industry version of Goodfellas” (The Denver Post).
: “Hanky Panky,” “Mony Mony,” “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Crimson and Clover,” “Crystal Blue Persuasion.” All of these songs, which epitomize great pop music of the late 1960s, are now widely used in television and film and have been covered by a diverse group of artists from Billy Idol to Tiffany to R.E.M. Just as compelling as the music itself is the life Tommy James lived while making it.James tells the incredible story, revealing his complex and sometimes terrifying relationship with Roulette Records and Morris Levy, the legendary Godfather of the music business. Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells, is a fascinating portrait of this swaggering, wildly creative era of rock ’n’ roll, when the hits kept coming and payola and the strong-arm tactics of the Mob were the norm, and what it was like, for better or worse, to be in the middle of it.
Now in paperback, after five hardcover printings, Tommy James’s wild and entertaining true story of his career—part rock & roll fairytale, part valentine to a bygone era, and part mob epic—that “reads like a music-industry version of Goodfellas” (The Denver Post).
State Representative Luis Arroyo Charged with Offering Bribe to Fellow Lawmaker in Return for Support of Legislation #Corruption #Details
Illinois State Rep. LUIS ARROYO has been charged in federal court with offering a bribe to a fellow state lawmaker in an effort to influence and reward the lawmaker for supporting legislation that would benefit Arroyo’s private lobbying client.
Arroyo, 65, of Chicago, is charged with one count of federal program bribery, according to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Arroyo made an initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez and was ordered released on a personal recognizance bond. The next court date was not immediately set.
The complaint was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI; and Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Stetler and James Durkin.
Arroyo has represented the 3rd District in the Illinois House of Representatives since 2006. He has also managed Spartacus 3 LLC, a private lobbying firm in Chicago.
According to the complaint, on Aug. 2, 2019, Arroyo offered to pay $2,500 per month to an Illinois state senator in return for the senator’s support of sweepstakes-related legislation that would benefit one of Arroyo’s lobbying clients. On Aug. 22, 2019, Arroyo met with the senator at a restaurant in Skokie and provided him a check for $2,500 as an initial payment, with the expectation that additional payments would be made for the next six to 12 months, the complaint states. The check was made payable to a nominee of the senator for the purpose of concealing the illicit payment, the complaint states.
Federal program bribery is punishable by up to ten years in prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Arroyo, 65, of Chicago, is charged with one count of federal program bribery, according to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Arroyo made an initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez and was ordered released on a personal recognizance bond. The next court date was not immediately set.
The complaint was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI; and Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Stetler and James Durkin.
Arroyo has represented the 3rd District in the Illinois House of Representatives since 2006. He has also managed Spartacus 3 LLC, a private lobbying firm in Chicago.
According to the complaint, on Aug. 2, 2019, Arroyo offered to pay $2,500 per month to an Illinois state senator in return for the senator’s support of sweepstakes-related legislation that would benefit one of Arroyo’s lobbying clients. On Aug. 22, 2019, Arroyo met with the senator at a restaurant in Skokie and provided him a check for $2,500 as an initial payment, with the expectation that additional payments would be made for the next six to 12 months, the complaint states. The check was made payable to a nominee of the senator for the purpose of concealing the illicit payment, the complaint states.
Federal program bribery is punishable by up to ten years in prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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