Mark Polchan — a high-ranking member of the Outlaws motorcycle club who was also the righthand man to a Chicago mob boss — was sentenced Friday to 60 years in prison for helping run a group of criminals who robbed jewelry stores and bombed a business in Berwyn.
Polchan, 43, looked at one of his attorneys, his eyes wide, after U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman handed down the prison sentence. “Every dollar he made had a victim,” Guzman said of Polchan, who ran a pawn shop in Cicero that the judge said was “the epicenter” of the organized criminal enterprise.
Polchan was a career criminal who treated his family well but was in the business of “terrorizing the rest of us,” the judge said.
Polchan oversaw a group of men who robbed jewelry stores and also arranged for the bombing of a Berwyn storefront that was competing with a video-poker business run by reputed Cicero mob boss Michael Sarno, who is to be sentenced next month.
Polchan’s attorneys argued that he wasn’t a leader of the organization and that much of the testimony against him at trial was from unreliable informants — arguments the judge rejected.
Polchan declined to make a statement. “Your honor, I was gonna say some things, but I’m kind of overwhelmed by some of the things I heard,” Polchan said, after a description of his wrongdoing by federal prosecutor Amarjeet S. Bhachu. “I can’t do it.”
In handing down the sentence, Guzman said, “the public needs to be protected from Mr. Polchan and the idea that organized criminal activity might be worth something, might be worth doing.” The case was investigated by the ATF, the FBI and the IRS.
Polchan will likely spend more time in prison than his boss, Sarno, given the way the men were charged. When Sarno is sentenced Nov. 18, he can face a maximum prison sentence of 25 years, much less than Polchan.
Polchan was charged first in the case, and by the time the federal investigation was wrapped up against Sarno, the statute of limitations for the Berwyn bombing had expired, so Sarno couldn’t be charged with that crime. Polchan’s conviction on the bombing charge alone guaranteed him a minimum prison sentence of 30 years, a fate Sarno will not face.
Thanks to Steve Warmbir
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Rudy "The Chin" Fratto Pleads Guilty
“The Chin” has migraines.
It’s no wonder why Rudolph “Rudy The Chin” Fratto, 67, a reputed Chicago mobster, takes medicine for the crippling headaches.
Just a few months after he was released from prison for tax evasion, he pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Chicago to another crime — mail fraud for taking part in a scheme to rig bids for forklift contracts for trade shows at McCormick Place.
Fratto won one contract but couldn’t produce any forklifts, so the scheme made no money.
Still, Fratto is likely going to be sentenced to prison, from 18 to 24 months in February.
Despite all this stress, Fratto has been migraine-free recently, he told a federal judge Thursday afternoon. “But you haven’t had a migraine in the last few days?” U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber asked. “No, remarkably,” Fratto said.
In January 2005, Fratto met a consultant to a general contractor who set up trade shows at McCormick Place. The consultant was in debt to a Chicago attorney and mobsters in Cleveland after they invested in the consultant’s business, which failed.
Fratto offered to help the consultant with the debt but also wanted inside information on the forklift bids. Fratto was unaware that the consultant was already cooperating with the FBI and secretly recording conversations with him and others.
As it became clear to Fratto in 2008 that the feds were investigating him over bid rigging, he expressed confidence that he wouldn’t get caught, as long as everyone kept their mouths shut. Fratto worried out loud that the FBI could be bugging his phone but mentioned he was using payphones. He told the consultant to take the 5th Amendment if he was questioned before a federal grand jury.
“The only thing they could say is that we rigged the bid,” Fratto predicted. “How they gonna prove that?”
Outside court Thursday, the usually chatty Fratto, who once referred to himself as a “reputed good guy,” had no comment.
Thanks to Steve Warmbir
It’s no wonder why Rudolph “Rudy The Chin” Fratto, 67, a reputed Chicago mobster, takes medicine for the crippling headaches.
Just a few months after he was released from prison for tax evasion, he pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Chicago to another crime — mail fraud for taking part in a scheme to rig bids for forklift contracts for trade shows at McCormick Place.
Fratto won one contract but couldn’t produce any forklifts, so the scheme made no money.
Still, Fratto is likely going to be sentenced to prison, from 18 to 24 months in February.
Despite all this stress, Fratto has been migraine-free recently, he told a federal judge Thursday afternoon. “But you haven’t had a migraine in the last few days?” U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber asked. “No, remarkably,” Fratto said.
In January 2005, Fratto met a consultant to a general contractor who set up trade shows at McCormick Place. The consultant was in debt to a Chicago attorney and mobsters in Cleveland after they invested in the consultant’s business, which failed.
Fratto offered to help the consultant with the debt but also wanted inside information on the forklift bids. Fratto was unaware that the consultant was already cooperating with the FBI and secretly recording conversations with him and others.
As it became clear to Fratto in 2008 that the feds were investigating him over bid rigging, he expressed confidence that he wouldn’t get caught, as long as everyone kept their mouths shut. Fratto worried out loud that the FBI could be bugging his phone but mentioned he was using payphones. He told the consultant to take the 5th Amendment if he was questioned before a federal grand jury.
“The only thing they could say is that we rigged the bid,” Fratto predicted. “How they gonna prove that?”
Outside court Thursday, the usually chatty Fratto, who once referred to himself as a “reputed good guy,” had no comment.
Thanks to Steve Warmbir
ABC7 Chicago Investigative Report to Be Used by Feds in Michael Sarno Sentencing
Federal prosecutors are preparing to throw the book at Chicago mob boss Michael Sarno, using a page from an I-Team story.
In this Intelligence Report: Why the government's argument for a maximum sentence relies on something reported on ABC7.
Heading into Friday's sentencing, we have two very different portraits of Mike Sarno. He is either a good, family man and helpful member of the community, as his lawyers would have you believe, or he is a heavyweight mob boss with a ruthless management style as the government describes him.
Monday, U.S. prosecutors submitted to the court a 2003 I-Team report to support their argument that Sarno be sentenced to the longest possible term in prison.
ABC7's broadcast in June 2003 focused on a restructuring of the Chicago mob ordered by imprisoned outfit leader James Marcello. "Little Jimmy," as he is still known, was doing time for racketeering, gambling violations and extortion, and still running the outfit's business from the barbed-wire Hilton.
Included in the June 3, 2003, I-Team report was this information about who had been tapped to oversee the Chicago outfit: "This mob heavyweight, 350-pound Michael 'Fat Boy' Sarno, whom Marcello has just installed, according to U.S. law enforcement source."
Nine days later, 250 miles away, behind the walls of a penitentiary in Michigan, James Marcello and his brother Mickey discussed the I-Team's report.
JAMES MARCELLO: "How did they get a copy of the indictment? The motion?"
In recently released undercover FBI Marcello quizzes his brother on how the I-Team got its information.
MICHAEL MARCELLO: "Yea and ah, put together a new crew with the Trucker..."
A hand sign for a sizable waistline, according to prosecutors, is meant to indicate Michael Sarno, whose girth precedes him. Authorities say the gist of the jailhouse chatter: Sarno is connected to the top guy.
Based on his organized crime stature, this Friday, the government will ask that Sarno's sentence be enhanced to 25 years.
He was convicted last December with four other men of bombing a Berwyn video poker company that was competing with the mob. They were also found guilty in a string of outfit jewel heists.
In a separate filing Monday, defense attorneys dispute the contention that Sarno is a crime boss. They have submitted 100 letters from Sarno's friends, neighbors and relatives that portray him as a good family man and a fine American. They also cite his numerous health problems that they say could be compromised by a lengthy stay in prison.
Thanks to Chuck Goudie
In this Intelligence Report: Why the government's argument for a maximum sentence relies on something reported on ABC7.
Heading into Friday's sentencing, we have two very different portraits of Mike Sarno. He is either a good, family man and helpful member of the community, as his lawyers would have you believe, or he is a heavyweight mob boss with a ruthless management style as the government describes him.
Monday, U.S. prosecutors submitted to the court a 2003 I-Team report to support their argument that Sarno be sentenced to the longest possible term in prison.
ABC7's broadcast in June 2003 focused on a restructuring of the Chicago mob ordered by imprisoned outfit leader James Marcello. "Little Jimmy," as he is still known, was doing time for racketeering, gambling violations and extortion, and still running the outfit's business from the barbed-wire Hilton.
Included in the June 3, 2003, I-Team report was this information about who had been tapped to oversee the Chicago outfit: "This mob heavyweight, 350-pound Michael 'Fat Boy' Sarno, whom Marcello has just installed, according to U.S. law enforcement source."
Nine days later, 250 miles away, behind the walls of a penitentiary in Michigan, James Marcello and his brother Mickey discussed the I-Team's report.
JAMES MARCELLO: "How did they get a copy of the indictment? The motion?"
In recently released undercover FBI Marcello quizzes his brother on how the I-Team got its information.
MICHAEL MARCELLO: "Yea and ah, put together a new crew with the Trucker..."
A hand sign for a sizable waistline, according to prosecutors, is meant to indicate Michael Sarno, whose girth precedes him. Authorities say the gist of the jailhouse chatter: Sarno is connected to the top guy.
Based on his organized crime stature, this Friday, the government will ask that Sarno's sentence be enhanced to 25 years.
He was convicted last December with four other men of bombing a Berwyn video poker company that was competing with the mob. They were also found guilty in a string of outfit jewel heists.
In a separate filing Monday, defense attorneys dispute the contention that Sarno is a crime boss. They have submitted 100 letters from Sarno's friends, neighbors and relatives that portray him as a good family man and a fine American. They also cite his numerous health problems that they say could be compromised by a lengthy stay in prison.
Thanks to Chuck Goudie
2010 Statistics on Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted
According to information released by the FBI, 56 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty last year; 72 officers died in accidents while performing their duties; and 53,469 officers were assaulted in the line of duty. The 2010 edition of Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted released today provides comprehensive tabular data about these incidents and brief narratives describing the fatal attacks.
Felonious Deaths
The 56 felonious deaths occurred in 22 states and Puerto Rico. The number of officers feloniously killed in 2010 increased by eight compared with the 2009 figure (48 officers). The five- and 10-year comparisons show an increase of eight felonious deaths compared with the 2006 figure (48 officers), and a decrease of 14 deaths compared with data from 2001 (70 officers).
Officer Profiles: Among the officers who were feloniously killed, the average age was 38 years. The victim officers had served in law enforcement for an average of 10 years at the time of the fatal incidents. Fifty-four of the victim officers were male, and two were female. Forty-eight of the officers were white, seven were black, and one was Asian/Pacific Islander.
Circumstances: Of the 56 officers feloniously killed, 15 were ambushed; 14 of the slain officers were involved in arrest situations; eight were investigating suspicious persons/circumstances; seven were performing traffic stops/pursuits; six were answering disturbance calls; three were involved in tactical situations (e.g., high-risk entry); two were conducting investigative activity such as surveillance, searches, or interviews; and one officer was killed while transporting or maintaining custody of prisoners.
Weapons: Offenders used firearms to kill 55 of the 56 victim officers. Of these 55 officers, 38 were slain with handguns, 15 with rifles, and two with shotguns. One officer was killed with a vehicle used as a weapon.
Regions: Twenty-two of the felonious deaths occurred in the South, 18 in the West, 10 in the Midwest, and three in the Northeast. Three of the deaths took place in Puerto Rico.
Suspects: Law enforcement agencies identified 69 alleged assailants in connection with the 56 felonious line-of-duty deaths. Fifty-seven of the assailants had prior criminal arrests, and 19 of the offenders were under judicial supervision at the time of the felonious incidents.
Accidental Deaths
Of the 72 law enforcement officers killed in accidents while performing their duties in 2010, the majority of them (45 officers) were killed in automobile accidents. The number of accidental line-of-duty deaths was up 24 from the 2009 total (48 officers).
Assaults
In 2010, 53,469 law enforcement officers were assaulted while performing their duties. Of the officers assaulted, 26.1 percent suffered injuries. The largest percentage of victim officers (33.0 percent) were assaulted while responding to disturbance calls (family quarrels, bar fights, etc.). Assailants used personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.) in 81.8 percent of the incidents, firearms in 3.4 percent of incidents, and knives or other cutting instruments in 1.7 percent of the incidents. Other types of dangerous weapons were used in 13.1 percent of assaults.
Felonious Deaths
The 56 felonious deaths occurred in 22 states and Puerto Rico. The number of officers feloniously killed in 2010 increased by eight compared with the 2009 figure (48 officers). The five- and 10-year comparisons show an increase of eight felonious deaths compared with the 2006 figure (48 officers), and a decrease of 14 deaths compared with data from 2001 (70 officers).
Officer Profiles: Among the officers who were feloniously killed, the average age was 38 years. The victim officers had served in law enforcement for an average of 10 years at the time of the fatal incidents. Fifty-four of the victim officers were male, and two were female. Forty-eight of the officers were white, seven were black, and one was Asian/Pacific Islander.
Circumstances: Of the 56 officers feloniously killed, 15 were ambushed; 14 of the slain officers were involved in arrest situations; eight were investigating suspicious persons/circumstances; seven were performing traffic stops/pursuits; six were answering disturbance calls; three were involved in tactical situations (e.g., high-risk entry); two were conducting investigative activity such as surveillance, searches, or interviews; and one officer was killed while transporting or maintaining custody of prisoners.
Weapons: Offenders used firearms to kill 55 of the 56 victim officers. Of these 55 officers, 38 were slain with handguns, 15 with rifles, and two with shotguns. One officer was killed with a vehicle used as a weapon.
Regions: Twenty-two of the felonious deaths occurred in the South, 18 in the West, 10 in the Midwest, and three in the Northeast. Three of the deaths took place in Puerto Rico.
Suspects: Law enforcement agencies identified 69 alleged assailants in connection with the 56 felonious line-of-duty deaths. Fifty-seven of the assailants had prior criminal arrests, and 19 of the offenders were under judicial supervision at the time of the felonious incidents.
Accidental Deaths
Of the 72 law enforcement officers killed in accidents while performing their duties in 2010, the majority of them (45 officers) were killed in automobile accidents. The number of accidental line-of-duty deaths was up 24 from the 2009 total (48 officers).
Assaults
In 2010, 53,469 law enforcement officers were assaulted while performing their duties. Of the officers assaulted, 26.1 percent suffered injuries. The largest percentage of victim officers (33.0 percent) were assaulted while responding to disturbance calls (family quarrels, bar fights, etc.). Assailants used personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.) in 81.8 percent of the incidents, firearms in 3.4 percent of incidents, and knives or other cutting instruments in 1.7 percent of the incidents. Other types of dangerous weapons were used in 13.1 percent of assaults.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
William Anthony Degironemo, Reputed Chicago Outfit Operative, Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud
A co-defendant of a man reputed to be a top operative for the Chicago Outfit pleaded guilty Thursday in the rigging of contracts to supply forklifts for two trade shows at McCormick Place.
William Anthony Degironemo, 67, an Inverness resident who operated MidStates Equipment Rental and Sales, pleaded guilty to mail fraud in federal court.
As part of the agreement, prosecutors will move to dismiss a charge of making a false statement to a federal agency and will recommend that Degironemo be sentenced to up to 21 months in prison. Sentencing was scheduled for Feb. 16.
Degironemo and Rudy Fratto, a Darien resident and reputed mob lieutenant nicknamed "the Chin," were charged in 2010 after they were accused of using confidential information about competitors' bids to undercut the competition and win the contracts.
A consultant who owed $350,000 to organized-crime figures in Cleveland allegedly gave the information to Fratto in exchange for Fratto's offer to intervene with the Ohio mobsters, according to court documents.
Fratto's trial is scheduled to begin next month.
William Anthony Degironemo, 67, an Inverness resident who operated MidStates Equipment Rental and Sales, pleaded guilty to mail fraud in federal court.
As part of the agreement, prosecutors will move to dismiss a charge of making a false statement to a federal agency and will recommend that Degironemo be sentenced to up to 21 months in prison. Sentencing was scheduled for Feb. 16.
Degironemo and Rudy Fratto, a Darien resident and reputed mob lieutenant nicknamed "the Chin," were charged in 2010 after they were accused of using confidential information about competitors' bids to undercut the competition and win the contracts.
A consultant who owed $350,000 to organized-crime figures in Cleveland allegedly gave the information to Fratto in exchange for Fratto's offer to intervene with the Ohio mobsters, according to court documents.
Fratto's trial is scheduled to begin next month.
$1.6 Trillion Reported to Have Been Laundered by Organized Crime World-wide
Criminals may have laundered around $1.6 trillion in 2009, one fifth of that coming from the illicit drug trade, according to a new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The $1.6 trillion represents 2.7 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009, says the agency. This figure is in line with the range of two to five per cent of global GDP previously established by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to estimate the scale of money-laundering.
The report, entitled Estimating illicit financial flows resulting from drug trafficking and other transnational organized crimeAll criminal proceeds, excluding tax evasion, would amount to some $2.1 trillion or 3.6 per cent of GDP in 2009, according to the report., also says that the “interception rate” for anti-money-laundering efforts at the global level remains low.
Globally, it appears that much less than one per cent of illicit financial flows are currently being seized and frozen.
“Tracking the flows of illicit funds generated by drug trafficking and organized crime and analysing how they are laundered through the world’s financial systems remain daunting tasks,” stated UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov, who launched the report today in Marrakech, Morocco, during the week-long meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Corruption.
The report points out that “dirty money” promotes bribery and corruption, finances insurgency and, in some cases, terrorist activities. It also destabilizes and deters legitimate enterprise, foreign investment and development.
All criminal proceeds, excluding tax evasion, would amount to some $2.1 trillion or 3.6 per cent of GDP in 2009, according to the report. Of this total, the proceeds of transnational organized crime, such as drug trafficking, counterfeiting, human trafficking and small arms smuggling, would amount to 1.5 per cent of global GDP, 70 per cent of which would likely have been laundered through the financial system.
The illicit drugs trade, which accounts for half of all transnational organized crime proceeds and one fifth of all crime proceeds, is the most profitable sector, UNODC notes.
The report focused on the market for cocaine, probably the most lucrative illicit drug for transnational criminal groups. Traffickers’ gross profits from the cocaine trade stood at around $84 billion in 2009.
While Andean coca farmers earned about $1 billion, the bulk of the income generated was in North America ($35 billion) and in West and Central Europe ($26 billion). Close to two thirds of that total may have been laundered in 2009.
The findings suggest that most cocaine-related profits are laundered in North America and in Europe. The main destination to process cocaine money from other subregions is probably the Caribbean.
The report says that for drug-related crime, there tends to be a significant “re-investment” of illicit funds into drug trafficking operations which have major negative implications for society at large.
Once illegal money has entered the global and financial markets, notes UNODC, it becomes much harder to trace its origins, and the laundering of ill-gotten gains may perpetuate a cycle of crime and drug trafficking.
“UNODC’s challenge is to work within the UN system and with Member States to help build the capacity to track and prevent money-laundering, strengthen the rule of law and prevent these funds from creating further suffering,” said Mr. Fedotov.
The $1.6 trillion represents 2.7 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009, says the agency. This figure is in line with the range of two to five per cent of global GDP previously established by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to estimate the scale of money-laundering.
The report, entitled Estimating illicit financial flows resulting from drug trafficking and other transnational organized crimeAll criminal proceeds, excluding tax evasion, would amount to some $2.1 trillion or 3.6 per cent of GDP in 2009, according to the report., also says that the “interception rate” for anti-money-laundering efforts at the global level remains low.
Globally, it appears that much less than one per cent of illicit financial flows are currently being seized and frozen.
“Tracking the flows of illicit funds generated by drug trafficking and organized crime and analysing how they are laundered through the world’s financial systems remain daunting tasks,” stated UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov, who launched the report today in Marrakech, Morocco, during the week-long meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Corruption.
The report points out that “dirty money” promotes bribery and corruption, finances insurgency and, in some cases, terrorist activities. It also destabilizes and deters legitimate enterprise, foreign investment and development.
All criminal proceeds, excluding tax evasion, would amount to some $2.1 trillion or 3.6 per cent of GDP in 2009, according to the report. Of this total, the proceeds of transnational organized crime, such as drug trafficking, counterfeiting, human trafficking and small arms smuggling, would amount to 1.5 per cent of global GDP, 70 per cent of which would likely have been laundered through the financial system.
The illicit drugs trade, which accounts for half of all transnational organized crime proceeds and one fifth of all crime proceeds, is the most profitable sector, UNODC notes.
The report focused on the market for cocaine, probably the most lucrative illicit drug for transnational criminal groups. Traffickers’ gross profits from the cocaine trade stood at around $84 billion in 2009.
While Andean coca farmers earned about $1 billion, the bulk of the income generated was in North America ($35 billion) and in West and Central Europe ($26 billion). Close to two thirds of that total may have been laundered in 2009.
The findings suggest that most cocaine-related profits are laundered in North America and in Europe. The main destination to process cocaine money from other subregions is probably the Caribbean.
The report says that for drug-related crime, there tends to be a significant “re-investment” of illicit funds into drug trafficking operations which have major negative implications for society at large.
Once illegal money has entered the global and financial markets, notes UNODC, it becomes much harder to trace its origins, and the laundering of ill-gotten gains may perpetuate a cycle of crime and drug trafficking.
“UNODC’s challenge is to work within the UN system and with Member States to help build the capacity to track and prevent money-laundering, strengthen the rule of law and prevent these funds from creating further suffering,” said Mr. Fedotov.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Michael Sarno Could Face 25 Years in Prison
The Chicago mob’s “Large Guy” could take a big fall — if federal prosecutors get their way.
Prosecutors are providing a detailed look at reputed Cicero mob boss Michael “The Large Guy” Sarno’s ties to organized crime in a new court filing as they ask a federal judge to sentence Sarno to the maximum possible prison sentence — 25 years behind bars.
Sarno was convicted in December of racketeering conspiracy and illegal gambling and is set to be sentenced Friday in federal court in Chicago. The conviction is Sarno’s third for mob crimes — and one that could put him in prison until his 70s.
Federal prosecutor Amar-jeet S. Bhachu describes Sarno as a career criminal who began his Outfit work in 1975. Prosecutors write “it is obvious that he does not care about the law.
“His interest today still lies with taking what he wants for himself and other members of organized crime . . .”
Sarno was convicted at trial with four other men in which prosecutors described a slew of crimes, including a bombing of a Berwyn company in competition with the mob’s video poker business along with a burglary ring that targeted jewelry stores.
Sarno ordered the bombing of the Berwyn business and controlled the burglary ring, prosecutors said.
Sarno began running the Outfit’s Cicero crew after the disappearance of mobster Anthony Zizzo in 2006, who is presumed to have been murdered, although his body has never been found.
Sarno, who at his biggest has tipped the scales at more than 300 pounds, has several mob nicknames, including “Big Mike,” “Large” and “Fat Ass.” When he was a free man, Sarno often was seen with his close friend, Salvatore Cataudella, convicted in a juice loan case. The pair was dubbed “Mutt and Jeff.”
They were referred to by the nicknames in a secretly recorded conversation between Chicago mob boss James Marcello and his half-brother Michael Marcello in 2003.
An attorney for Sarno could not be reached Sunday, but a former lawyer for him has disputed the characterization of Sarno by federal prosecutors and the FBI’s informants.
Thanks to Steve Warmbir
Prosecutors are providing a detailed look at reputed Cicero mob boss Michael “The Large Guy” Sarno’s ties to organized crime in a new court filing as they ask a federal judge to sentence Sarno to the maximum possible prison sentence — 25 years behind bars.
Sarno was convicted in December of racketeering conspiracy and illegal gambling and is set to be sentenced Friday in federal court in Chicago. The conviction is Sarno’s third for mob crimes — and one that could put him in prison until his 70s.
Federal prosecutor Amar-jeet S. Bhachu describes Sarno as a career criminal who began his Outfit work in 1975. Prosecutors write “it is obvious that he does not care about the law.
“His interest today still lies with taking what he wants for himself and other members of organized crime . . .”
Sarno was convicted at trial with four other men in which prosecutors described a slew of crimes, including a bombing of a Berwyn company in competition with the mob’s video poker business along with a burglary ring that targeted jewelry stores.
Sarno ordered the bombing of the Berwyn business and controlled the burglary ring, prosecutors said.
Sarno began running the Outfit’s Cicero crew after the disappearance of mobster Anthony Zizzo in 2006, who is presumed to have been murdered, although his body has never been found.
Sarno, who at his biggest has tipped the scales at more than 300 pounds, has several mob nicknames, including “Big Mike,” “Large” and “Fat Ass.” When he was a free man, Sarno often was seen with his close friend, Salvatore Cataudella, convicted in a juice loan case. The pair was dubbed “Mutt and Jeff.”
They were referred to by the nicknames in a secretly recorded conversation between Chicago mob boss James Marcello and his half-brother Michael Marcello in 2003.
An attorney for Sarno could not be reached Sunday, but a former lawyer for him has disputed the characterization of Sarno by federal prosecutors and the FBI’s informants.
Thanks to Steve Warmbir
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Mob Museum Now The National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement
Nothing personal, Las Vegas. It's just business.
The Mob Museum is now known as the National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement -- swapping its original Las Vegas title for one more reflective of its content, museum officials said.
The museum, which is scheduled to open Feb. 14, 2012, to coincide with the 83rd anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, will tell the story of organized crime as it affected the entire country, not just Las Vegas.
That isn't to say Sin City's mob stories are lessened in any way, said Jonathan Ullman, the museum's executive director. Prominent mob figures had a higher profile in other cities nationwide, including Chicago and New York.
"You really cannot tell this story without addressing larger national content," Ullman said. "We cover Prohibition, immigration and the evolution of the criminal justice system. We believe our name should reflect our status as a world-class museum and a foremost venue for an informal education on this subject matter."
The name change is showcased on the museum's website, themobmuseum.org. The decision was finalized in August and "embraced by representatives at the city, the museum board and other key stakeholders," Ullman added.
"We hope it's not perceived as a slight on anyone in the local community," he said. "There's a great deal of community pride in this venue."
Former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who used to work as an attorney representing reputed organized crime figures and was involved in bringing the museum to the area, said he welcomed the change. "It should be more expansive," Goodman said. "I think it should be called the international museum. As we got into this whole project, we saw this is an international story of folks coming from foreign lands into the United States as immigrants and becoming a part of what was referred to as organized crime."
Goodman added that no one should consider the change negatively. "This is a great thing," he said.
The $42 million Mob Museum will be dedicated to the history of organized crime and the law enforcement that hunted mobsters for decades. It is expected to draw 600,000 visitors annually once it opens at 300 Stewart Ave.
The Depression-era building is a historic former federal courthouse and post office included on both the Nevada and National Registers of Historic Places.
The Mob Museum is now known as the National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement -- swapping its original Las Vegas title for one more reflective of its content, museum officials said.
The museum, which is scheduled to open Feb. 14, 2012, to coincide with the 83rd anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, will tell the story of organized crime as it affected the entire country, not just Las Vegas.
That isn't to say Sin City's mob stories are lessened in any way, said Jonathan Ullman, the museum's executive director. Prominent mob figures had a higher profile in other cities nationwide, including Chicago and New York.
"You really cannot tell this story without addressing larger national content," Ullman said. "We cover Prohibition, immigration and the evolution of the criminal justice system. We believe our name should reflect our status as a world-class museum and a foremost venue for an informal education on this subject matter."
The name change is showcased on the museum's website, themobmuseum.org. The decision was finalized in August and "embraced by representatives at the city, the museum board and other key stakeholders," Ullman added.
"We hope it's not perceived as a slight on anyone in the local community," he said. "There's a great deal of community pride in this venue."
Former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who used to work as an attorney representing reputed organized crime figures and was involved in bringing the museum to the area, said he welcomed the change. "It should be more expansive," Goodman said. "I think it should be called the international museum. As we got into this whole project, we saw this is an international story of folks coming from foreign lands into the United States as immigrants and becoming a part of what was referred to as organized crime."
Goodman added that no one should consider the change negatively. "This is a great thing," he said.
The $42 million Mob Museum will be dedicated to the history of organized crime and the law enforcement that hunted mobsters for decades. It is expected to draw 600,000 visitors annually once it opens at 300 Stewart Ave.
The Depression-era building is a historic former federal courthouse and post office included on both the Nevada and National Registers of Historic Places.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Roberto Saviano, Author of Naples Mafia Book "Gomorrah", Wins PEN/Pinter International Writer of Courage Award.
Italian writer Roberto Saviano, who has lived under police protection since penning 2006 bestseller "Gomorrah" about Naples' mafia, has won the PEN/Pinter International Writer of Courage Award.
Saviano, 32, shares the award with Briton David Hare, who is perhaps best known for his work about British institutions.
Each year a British writer is honored with the PEN/Pinter award, established in 2009 by literary and human rights organization PEN in memory of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter, alongside another writer who has been persecuted for expressing his or her beliefs.
"Roberto Saviano took on the Neopolitan mafia, first in the novel Gomorrah and then in the film made from it," playwright Hare said at an awards ceremony in London on Monday.
"He did so at great risk to his own safety. My hope in sharing my prize with him is that a measure of recognition from PEN may, in however small a way, make his life easier."
Saviano, now living in hiding following threats to his life, sent a message expressing gratitude.
"When you feel that so many need to see, to know and to change, and not just to be entertained or comforted, then it is worth it to carry on writing," he said in a statement released by organizers.
Saviano, 32, shares the award with Briton David Hare, who is perhaps best known for his work about British institutions.
Each year a British writer is honored with the PEN/Pinter award, established in 2009 by literary and human rights organization PEN in memory of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter, alongside another writer who has been persecuted for expressing his or her beliefs.
"Roberto Saviano took on the Neopolitan mafia, first in the novel Gomorrah and then in the film made from it," playwright Hare said at an awards ceremony in London on Monday.
"He did so at great risk to his own safety. My hope in sharing my prize with him is that a measure of recognition from PEN may, in however small a way, make his life easier."
Saviano, now living in hiding following threats to his life, sent a message expressing gratitude.
"When you feel that so many need to see, to know and to change, and not just to be entertained or comforted, then it is worth it to carry on writing," he said in a statement released by organizers.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
John Gotti Movie Starring John Travolta is Placed on Hold
John Travolta’s upcoming movie about the notorious Gotti family has been put on hold due to financial issues, according to a report.
The Hollywood actor is due to star as late Mafia boss John Gotti, who died in prison in 2002, in upcoming movie Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father, alongside his real-life wife Kelly Preston and Al Pacino.
Filming is slated to begin in January ahead of a 2012 release date, but a new report suggests production has been put on hold. Showbiz411.com reports work on the project has come to a halt and won’t resume until more financing is secured.
A source tells the website, “If (producer) Marc Fiore doesn’t come up with money this week, and doesn’t show that more is coming, and that he’s really secured financing, it could all fall apart.”
The film’s producers are also facing a legal battle with Goodfellas star Joe Pesci, who is suing bosses at Fiore Films over allegations he was offered a $3 million deal to play Angelo Ruggiero, an associate of Gotti, but was later told he would be given a smaller part.
The Hollywood actor is due to star as late Mafia boss John Gotti, who died in prison in 2002, in upcoming movie Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father, alongside his real-life wife Kelly Preston and Al Pacino.
Filming is slated to begin in January ahead of a 2012 release date, but a new report suggests production has been put on hold. Showbiz411.com reports work on the project has come to a halt and won’t resume until more financing is secured.
A source tells the website, “If (producer) Marc Fiore doesn’t come up with money this week, and doesn’t show that more is coming, and that he’s really secured financing, it could all fall apart.”
The film’s producers are also facing a legal battle with Goodfellas star Joe Pesci, who is suing bosses at Fiore Films over allegations he was offered a $3 million deal to play Angelo Ruggiero, an associate of Gotti, but was later told he would be given a smaller part.
Monday, October 10, 2011
CRIME BEAT RADIO SHOW’S UPCOMING PROGRAM FEATURES HENRY HILL, LEGENDARY FORMER WISE GUY AND GOODFELLA
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Wise Guy, Nicholas Pileggi’s true crime masterpiece and a book that has been described as “the best book on organized crime ever written.” Wise Guy chronicles the life of legendary former gangster Henry Hill, the working-class Brooklyn kid who grew up to live the highs and lows of the gangster’s life. Hill’s story became the basis for GoodFellas, Martin Scorsese’s film masterpiece. In Goodfellas, Henry Hill, the narrator, famously says, “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”
CRIME BEAT: ISSUES, CONTROVERSIES AND PERSONALITIES FROM THE DARKSIDE on the Artist First World Radio Network is pleased to announce that on October 13th at 8 pm. EST, Henry Hill will be a special featured guest. Mr. Hill will discuss his former life inside the Mob, the book and the film, as well his current life and activities.
CRIME BEAT: ISSUES, CONTROVERSIES AND PERSONALITIES FROM THE DARKSIDE on the Artist First World Radio Network is pleased to announce that on October 13th at 8 pm. EST, Henry Hill will be a special featured guest. Mr. Hill will discuss his former life inside the Mob, the book and the film, as well his current life and activities.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
The Chicago Way Ideas Week Tour
There's this thrill running up my leg — and I haven't had it too often — but it sure has been tingling like mad ever since I heard about Chicago Ideas Week.
According to the website, "Chicago Ideas Week will bring the world's top speakers, together with Chicago's best thinkers, to create an ecosystem of innovation, exploration and intellectual recreation."
Excellent. Bring a bunch of politicians to Chicago, have them mix with Chicago politicians, feed them, and then encourage them to make speeches about how smart they are, and if that's not an ecosystem, I don't know what is.
"Meet the Press" is in town to help kick off the week on Sunday. Former President Bill Clinton will be hanging around, so you'll probably see him prowling the Viagra Triangle. But the highlight will be Monday's fantastic tour (only 15 bucks) by former Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago's fabulous Millennium Park, though I prefer to call it Billennium Park, since it cost about $50 million an acre. Sadly, Daley's tour is not open to the media.
Daley is expected to explain how he created the park, and how great it is. The prospect got me so tingly, I wanted to contribute to this "ecosystem" of ideas. And eureka, I think I've found it:
The Chicago Way Ideas Week Tour.
Daley could begin by opening it up to the media, particularly the "Meet the Press" crowd and other foreign correspondents. They'd rather hear Daley/Obama mouthpiece David Axelrod entertain them with songs of hope and change, but it's time the national media understood the Chicago Way.
The tour would begin at the park's Clout Cafe — Park Grill — where Daley's political adviser Tim Degnan somehow became an investor. Another investor was Daley's friend and fashionista, trucking boss Fred Bruno Barbara, who once, according to federal testimony, served as driver to Chicago mob boss Angelo "The Hook" LaPietra.
Once we fill up on those bland Clout Cafe chicken sandwiches, we could set off on our tour. First thing would be to stand before that gigantic $40 million silver bean, and look deep inside of it, to see all the wonders:
Like Chicago's budget drowning in $600 million or more of red ink, and all those contracts to cronies over the decades that sopped up the cash, all those hungry parking meters, and all those kids who drop out of school each year.
Stare further into the bean and you'd see businesses that received city development bucks and kicked into former first lady Maggie Daley's After School Matters charity, and all those cops who still aren't on the street because all the money is gone.
Daley could point out the city sewers that were inspected by President Barack Obama's political godfather, former state Senate President Emil Jones, who is now chairman of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority. Jones spent decades as a political double dipper, crafting legislation and also inspecting city sewers. But legend has it that during all those years of sewer inspecting, Jones never smudged his camel-hair coat. Not even once.
We'd then drive down to Kenwood, to the president's home, the one that convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko helped him with, and then back across the city, to the federal criminal courts, where Rezko's confidant, Republican boss Big Bill Cellini, is standing trial on corruption charges.
After that stop, we'd need some sunshine and a happy place, and you know where we could find it? Stearns Quarry Park.
The quarry was in Bridgeport, at 29th and Halsted streets, a few blocks from the mayor's home, and it was where, decade after decade, city trucking bosses would dump their construction debris.
There was nothing illegal per se about the dumping. What was illegal was all the bribery and other crimes committed by city officials and trucking bosses in the city's infamous Hired Truck program. So City Hall covered up the quarry, to erase our political memory. And it worked.
"Today," proclaims the Park District website, "visitors to Stearns Quarry Park can go fishing in a pond that retains old quarry walls; stroll along a wetland area that drains into the pond; watch for birds and other wildlife attracted by the site's vast range of native plants; fly kites in an open meadow; or take in the views of the cityscape."
Ponds. Kite flying. Meadows. Nice.
Later, Daley might want to take the "Meet the Press" panel to Division Street. There in 2004, a slight, 5-foot-3-inch, 125-pound David Koschman, age 21, was reportedly slugged by Daley's muscular nephew, Richard J. Vanecko, 6-3, 230 pounds.
Koschman died, there were no charges, and according to the Sun-Times, the files went missing, the Rush Street police detail didn't see anything, and nobody knows nothing.
Official Chicago doesn't have any idea what happened, even during Ideas Week.
Thanks to John Kass
According to the website, "Chicago Ideas Week will bring the world's top speakers, together with Chicago's best thinkers, to create an ecosystem of innovation, exploration and intellectual recreation."
Excellent. Bring a bunch of politicians to Chicago, have them mix with Chicago politicians, feed them, and then encourage them to make speeches about how smart they are, and if that's not an ecosystem, I don't know what is.
"Meet the Press" is in town to help kick off the week on Sunday. Former President Bill Clinton will be hanging around, so you'll probably see him prowling the Viagra Triangle. But the highlight will be Monday's fantastic tour (only 15 bucks) by former Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago's fabulous Millennium Park, though I prefer to call it Billennium Park, since it cost about $50 million an acre. Sadly, Daley's tour is not open to the media.
Daley is expected to explain how he created the park, and how great it is. The prospect got me so tingly, I wanted to contribute to this "ecosystem" of ideas. And eureka, I think I've found it:
The Chicago Way Ideas Week Tour.
Daley could begin by opening it up to the media, particularly the "Meet the Press" crowd and other foreign correspondents. They'd rather hear Daley/Obama mouthpiece David Axelrod entertain them with songs of hope and change, but it's time the national media understood the Chicago Way.
The tour would begin at the park's Clout Cafe — Park Grill — where Daley's political adviser Tim Degnan somehow became an investor. Another investor was Daley's friend and fashionista, trucking boss Fred Bruno Barbara, who once, according to federal testimony, served as driver to Chicago mob boss Angelo "The Hook" LaPietra.
Once we fill up on those bland Clout Cafe chicken sandwiches, we could set off on our tour. First thing would be to stand before that gigantic $40 million silver bean, and look deep inside of it, to see all the wonders:
Like Chicago's budget drowning in $600 million or more of red ink, and all those contracts to cronies over the decades that sopped up the cash, all those hungry parking meters, and all those kids who drop out of school each year.
Stare further into the bean and you'd see businesses that received city development bucks and kicked into former first lady Maggie Daley's After School Matters charity, and all those cops who still aren't on the street because all the money is gone.
Daley could point out the city sewers that were inspected by President Barack Obama's political godfather, former state Senate President Emil Jones, who is now chairman of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority. Jones spent decades as a political double dipper, crafting legislation and also inspecting city sewers. But legend has it that during all those years of sewer inspecting, Jones never smudged his camel-hair coat. Not even once.
We'd then drive down to Kenwood, to the president's home, the one that convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko helped him with, and then back across the city, to the federal criminal courts, where Rezko's confidant, Republican boss Big Bill Cellini, is standing trial on corruption charges.
After that stop, we'd need some sunshine and a happy place, and you know where we could find it? Stearns Quarry Park.
The quarry was in Bridgeport, at 29th and Halsted streets, a few blocks from the mayor's home, and it was where, decade after decade, city trucking bosses would dump their construction debris.
There was nothing illegal per se about the dumping. What was illegal was all the bribery and other crimes committed by city officials and trucking bosses in the city's infamous Hired Truck program. So City Hall covered up the quarry, to erase our political memory. And it worked.
"Today," proclaims the Park District website, "visitors to Stearns Quarry Park can go fishing in a pond that retains old quarry walls; stroll along a wetland area that drains into the pond; watch for birds and other wildlife attracted by the site's vast range of native plants; fly kites in an open meadow; or take in the views of the cityscape."
Ponds. Kite flying. Meadows. Nice.
Later, Daley might want to take the "Meet the Press" panel to Division Street. There in 2004, a slight, 5-foot-3-inch, 125-pound David Koschman, age 21, was reportedly slugged by Daley's muscular nephew, Richard J. Vanecko, 6-3, 230 pounds.
Koschman died, there were no charges, and according to the Sun-Times, the files went missing, the Rush Street police detail didn't see anything, and nobody knows nothing.
Official Chicago doesn't have any idea what happened, even during Ideas Week.
Thanks to John Kass
Friday, October 07, 2011
GC-Global Capital Attempting to Foreclose on The Las Vegas Mob Experience
The hits just keep on coming at the Las Vegas Mob Experience, where a lender is now trying to foreclose on its property including artifacts provided by mob family members.
The lender, GC-Global Capital Corp. of Toronto, charged in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that it’s entitled to foreclose after The Experience defaulted on debt and GC-Global was defrauded by Mob Experience developer Jay Bloom – though Bloom claims he’s the one who was victimized when he was induced under false pretenses to give up control of The Experience this summer.
GC-Global says in the lawsuit that in January it was approached by Bloom a few months before the attraction opened and that by April 4, GC-Global had obtained $3.189 million in loans that had initially been made by several individual investors to the experience.
These loans were secured by property owned by a Bloom company called the Mafia Collection LLC and GC-Global claims in the lawsuit it has a first lien position "in all personal property of Mafia Collection and all proceeds therefrom, which includes all of the artifacts and exhibits used for the Mob Experience."
The suit says the Mob Experience’s parent company, Murder Inc., defaulted on the $3.189 million in debt and asks the court to require the defendants – Murder Inc., Bloom and three Bloom companies – to show cause "why the collateral should not be delivered to the plaintiff."
It also asks for "a writ of possession directing the sheriff of Clark County, Nev., to seize the collateral from those locations where there is probable cause to believe it is located or will be found."
Murder Inc., which is now controlled by former Bloom partner Louis Ventre, has not yet responded to the suit. But it’s expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and reorganization soon as it faces not just the GC-Global lawsuit, but lawsuits filed by creditors including contractors that built the tourist attraction at the Tropicana resort on the Las Vegas Strip. On top of that, the Mob Experience is $500,000 behind in rent owed the Tropicana.
As was seen in the bankruptcy of Eva Longoria’s Beso restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip, the outcome of which was determined by Beso landlord Crystals, Mob Experience contractors as secured lien-holding creditors and landlord the Tropicana likely will control the fate of the attraction at that location going forward.
GC-Global is represented in Wednesday’s lawsuit by attorneys with the Las Vegas law firm Kaempfer Crowell Renshaw Gronauer & Fiorentino.
Those attorneys said in the suit that after GC-Global obtained the Mob Experience loans and was told in June that the Mob Experience couldn’t make the loan payments, it learned "defendants, through Bloom, had either negligently or intentionally made numerous misrepresentations concerning the defendants and the Mob Experience."
"Bloom stated that there were no outstanding amounts due and owing to contractors for the tenant improvements at the Tropicana," the lawsuit said. "The actual amount due and owing to such contractors was in excess of $4.5 million."
It is expected that Bloom will deny such allegations in his pending response.
"Moreover, it became known that Bloom and the other defendants were commingling funds with questionable accounting practices, which included Bloom using the defendants’ funds for his individual expenses (including $50,000 for a down payments on his house purchase)," the lawsuit charged. Bloom has already denied similar allegations by Vion and Strategic in his responses to their litigation.
"Bloom controlled virtually every aspect of the accounting process, and thus could commingle funds with his other enterprises at will, without being detected," the lawsuit charges. "It became known that Bloom made many payments to (his company) Eagle Group which were used for unrelated LLC companies that Bloom controlled."
Bloom in other lawsuits has denied allegations that he looted the company and says Ventre is the one who has looted the company since taking over this summer – charges denied by Ventre.
GC-Global in its lawsuit reiterated assertions that when it was learned the Mob Experience couldn’t pay its bills this summer, Bloom gave up 95 percent of his interest in Murder Inc. under an arrangement in which investors agreed to pump an additional $160,000 into the company to keep the doors open.
Wednesday’s lawsuit says this was because "no investors or creditors of the defendants would agree to attempt to salvage the Mob Experience unless and until Bloom relinquished any and all control over the Mob Experience."
Bloom, however, insists he put 95 percent of his stake in Murder Inc. into escrow as part of a deal in which an additional $5 million would be raised for the attraction, something that never happened.
Wednesday’s lawsuit says that after Bloom left the experience, GC-Global entered into a forbearance agreement with Murder Inc. agreeing not to file suit or foreclose on its collateral.
That agreement expired Sept. 24 and with Murder Inc. still in default, Wednesday’s foreclosure lawsuit was filed.
The suit raises the question of who actually controls some of the Mob Experience artifacts, charging: "Bloom indicated that all of the artifacts were paid for and held free and clear. That representation also turned out to be false. Bloom declined to disclose to the plaintiff, prior to the funding, that other entities or parties may hold the same security in the collateral as the plaintiff." Bloom has already denied similar arguments by Vion and Strategic in his answers in that accusation.
Wednesday’s lawsuit lifts to at least 11 the number of suits filed in the past year over the Mob Experience finances and to six the number naming Bloom personally as a defendant.
Attorneys for Bloom, his wife Carolyn Farkas and four Bloom companies, in the meantime, filed court papers Tuesday complaining that two creditors of the attraction, Vion Operations LLC and Strategic Funding Source Inc., have been using Ventre in a scheme to place Murder Inc. into bankruptcy.
Such a bankruptcy, Bloom’s attorneys complained, would strip Murder Inc. note holders of their interests in the company.
Vion and Strategic in August sued bloom over a deal in which they funded the attraction with $3.1 million as part of a $4 million receivables factoring deal. Under this contract, Vion and Strategic are entitled to 10 percent of the company’s receipts over time up to $4 million.
Bloom’s attorneys said in court papers Tuesday this lawsuit is improper as there has been no breach of the factoring agreement in which Vion and Strategic Funding have already received nearly $86,000 of the $4 million, representing all of their entitlement under their factoring agreement, according to Bloom, and therefore Bloom says there is no breach by Bloom or the other defendants as alleged by Vion and Strategic.
Bloom’s attorneys complained Murder Inc. was not named as a defendant in that lawsuit as part of the plot to put the experience into bankruptcy, because if Murder Inc. had been sued, a bankruptcy would stay the litigation against it.
"Despite failing to name the actual party to the agreements – Murder Inc. – as a defendant, plaintiffs are placing all of the blame on Bloom in is personal capacity for the alleged breach of these agreements, omitting from their claim both the actual parties to the agreement and their agent, Ventre, as co-guarantor," Tuesday’s court filing charged.
Bloom’s attorneys reiterated their charge that as part of their scheming together with Ventre, Vion and Strategic Funding submitted a "fraudulent email" to the court as an exhibit aimed at discrediting Bloom’s choice of a Canadian company to take over management of the attraction.
This allegation was denied by Vion and Strategic Funding, whose attorneys said that what looks like an altered email was actually the result of a simple cut-and-paste error, although Bloom has said the section of the e-mail deleted was from the middle of the e-mail's contents, not the top or bottom, making it unclear how a cut and paste could cause such an "inadvertent" modification as Vion and Strategic suggest.
It’s unclear if this false email charge will gain any traction as it wasn’t commented on last week by Clark County District Court Judge Gloria Sturman during a hearing in which she ordered that an accounting of the experience be performed to help her sort out the charges and countercharges in the case and decide if Ventre should be removed as manager.
Despite the lawsuits, infighting among investors and the possibility of a bankruptcy, the Mob Experience remains open at the Tropicana in a scaled-down format with the museum portion open but the interactive part closed.
Thanks to Steve Green
The lender, GC-Global Capital Corp. of Toronto, charged in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that it’s entitled to foreclose after The Experience defaulted on debt and GC-Global was defrauded by Mob Experience developer Jay Bloom – though Bloom claims he’s the one who was victimized when he was induced under false pretenses to give up control of The Experience this summer.
GC-Global says in the lawsuit that in January it was approached by Bloom a few months before the attraction opened and that by April 4, GC-Global had obtained $3.189 million in loans that had initially been made by several individual investors to the experience.
These loans were secured by property owned by a Bloom company called the Mafia Collection LLC and GC-Global claims in the lawsuit it has a first lien position "in all personal property of Mafia Collection and all proceeds therefrom, which includes all of the artifacts and exhibits used for the Mob Experience."
The suit says the Mob Experience’s parent company, Murder Inc., defaulted on the $3.189 million in debt and asks the court to require the defendants – Murder Inc., Bloom and three Bloom companies – to show cause "why the collateral should not be delivered to the plaintiff."
It also asks for "a writ of possession directing the sheriff of Clark County, Nev., to seize the collateral from those locations where there is probable cause to believe it is located or will be found."
Murder Inc., which is now controlled by former Bloom partner Louis Ventre, has not yet responded to the suit. But it’s expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and reorganization soon as it faces not just the GC-Global lawsuit, but lawsuits filed by creditors including contractors that built the tourist attraction at the Tropicana resort on the Las Vegas Strip. On top of that, the Mob Experience is $500,000 behind in rent owed the Tropicana.
As was seen in the bankruptcy of Eva Longoria’s Beso restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip, the outcome of which was determined by Beso landlord Crystals, Mob Experience contractors as secured lien-holding creditors and landlord the Tropicana likely will control the fate of the attraction at that location going forward.
GC-Global is represented in Wednesday’s lawsuit by attorneys with the Las Vegas law firm Kaempfer Crowell Renshaw Gronauer & Fiorentino.
Those attorneys said in the suit that after GC-Global obtained the Mob Experience loans and was told in June that the Mob Experience couldn’t make the loan payments, it learned "defendants, through Bloom, had either negligently or intentionally made numerous misrepresentations concerning the defendants and the Mob Experience."
"Bloom stated that there were no outstanding amounts due and owing to contractors for the tenant improvements at the Tropicana," the lawsuit said. "The actual amount due and owing to such contractors was in excess of $4.5 million."
It is expected that Bloom will deny such allegations in his pending response.
"Moreover, it became known that Bloom and the other defendants were commingling funds with questionable accounting practices, which included Bloom using the defendants’ funds for his individual expenses (including $50,000 for a down payments on his house purchase)," the lawsuit charged. Bloom has already denied similar allegations by Vion and Strategic in his responses to their litigation.
"Bloom controlled virtually every aspect of the accounting process, and thus could commingle funds with his other enterprises at will, without being detected," the lawsuit charges. "It became known that Bloom made many payments to (his company) Eagle Group which were used for unrelated LLC companies that Bloom controlled."
Bloom in other lawsuits has denied allegations that he looted the company and says Ventre is the one who has looted the company since taking over this summer – charges denied by Ventre.
GC-Global in its lawsuit reiterated assertions that when it was learned the Mob Experience couldn’t pay its bills this summer, Bloom gave up 95 percent of his interest in Murder Inc. under an arrangement in which investors agreed to pump an additional $160,000 into the company to keep the doors open.
Wednesday’s lawsuit says this was because "no investors or creditors of the defendants would agree to attempt to salvage the Mob Experience unless and until Bloom relinquished any and all control over the Mob Experience."
Bloom, however, insists he put 95 percent of his stake in Murder Inc. into escrow as part of a deal in which an additional $5 million would be raised for the attraction, something that never happened.
Wednesday’s lawsuit says that after Bloom left the experience, GC-Global entered into a forbearance agreement with Murder Inc. agreeing not to file suit or foreclose on its collateral.
That agreement expired Sept. 24 and with Murder Inc. still in default, Wednesday’s foreclosure lawsuit was filed.
The suit raises the question of who actually controls some of the Mob Experience artifacts, charging: "Bloom indicated that all of the artifacts were paid for and held free and clear. That representation also turned out to be false. Bloom declined to disclose to the plaintiff, prior to the funding, that other entities or parties may hold the same security in the collateral as the plaintiff." Bloom has already denied similar arguments by Vion and Strategic in his answers in that accusation.
Wednesday’s lawsuit lifts to at least 11 the number of suits filed in the past year over the Mob Experience finances and to six the number naming Bloom personally as a defendant.
Attorneys for Bloom, his wife Carolyn Farkas and four Bloom companies, in the meantime, filed court papers Tuesday complaining that two creditors of the attraction, Vion Operations LLC and Strategic Funding Source Inc., have been using Ventre in a scheme to place Murder Inc. into bankruptcy.
Such a bankruptcy, Bloom’s attorneys complained, would strip Murder Inc. note holders of their interests in the company.
Vion and Strategic in August sued bloom over a deal in which they funded the attraction with $3.1 million as part of a $4 million receivables factoring deal. Under this contract, Vion and Strategic are entitled to 10 percent of the company’s receipts over time up to $4 million.
Bloom’s attorneys said in court papers Tuesday this lawsuit is improper as there has been no breach of the factoring agreement in which Vion and Strategic Funding have already received nearly $86,000 of the $4 million, representing all of their entitlement under their factoring agreement, according to Bloom, and therefore Bloom says there is no breach by Bloom or the other defendants as alleged by Vion and Strategic.
Bloom’s attorneys complained Murder Inc. was not named as a defendant in that lawsuit as part of the plot to put the experience into bankruptcy, because if Murder Inc. had been sued, a bankruptcy would stay the litigation against it.
"Despite failing to name the actual party to the agreements – Murder Inc. – as a defendant, plaintiffs are placing all of the blame on Bloom in is personal capacity for the alleged breach of these agreements, omitting from their claim both the actual parties to the agreement and their agent, Ventre, as co-guarantor," Tuesday’s court filing charged.
Bloom’s attorneys reiterated their charge that as part of their scheming together with Ventre, Vion and Strategic Funding submitted a "fraudulent email" to the court as an exhibit aimed at discrediting Bloom’s choice of a Canadian company to take over management of the attraction.
This allegation was denied by Vion and Strategic Funding, whose attorneys said that what looks like an altered email was actually the result of a simple cut-and-paste error, although Bloom has said the section of the e-mail deleted was from the middle of the e-mail's contents, not the top or bottom, making it unclear how a cut and paste could cause such an "inadvertent" modification as Vion and Strategic suggest.
It’s unclear if this false email charge will gain any traction as it wasn’t commented on last week by Clark County District Court Judge Gloria Sturman during a hearing in which she ordered that an accounting of the experience be performed to help her sort out the charges and countercharges in the case and decide if Ventre should be removed as manager.
Despite the lawsuits, infighting among investors and the possibility of a bankruptcy, the Mob Experience remains open at the Tropicana in a scaled-down format with the museum portion open but the interactive part closed.
Thanks to Steve Green
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Where's Robert P. “Bobby” DeLuca Sr.
Where’s Bobby?
That’s the question that has been on the minds of mobsters, law-enforcement officials and followers of organized crime since four mobsters and mob associates were indicted last week on federal racketeering and extortion charges for shaking down several strip clubs and collecting $25,000 from a woman they threatened at work. But the indictment makes no mention of Robert P. “Bobby” DeLuca Sr., a major player in the New England La Cosa Nostra for more than three decades.
In papers filed in U.S. District Court, federal prosecutors noted that “made members” of the mob have cooperated with them in their investigation, and they have and will continue to rely on them in the prosecution of Edward C. Lato and Alfred “Chippy” Scivola Jr., made members of the New England mob, along with mob associates Raymond “Scarface” Jenkins and Albino “Albie” Folcarelli.
“During the course of this investigation, the FBI has developed additional witnesses, including formally initiated or made members of the New England La Cosa Nostra, who will testify that the [mob] exists, and will further testify about the activities of its members,” the papers say.
The prosecutors, William Ferland and Sam Nazzaro, also wrote that “these witnesses” will testify about the secret mob initiation ceremony in which the “made men” take a blood oath of loyalty to omerta, otherwise known as La Cosa Nostra’s code of silence. Part of the oath requires the mobsters to engage in acts of violence, including murder, when called upon by ranking members of the criminal enterprise.
DeLuca is an expert on mob initiations. In 1989, he was one of several mobsters, including then-mob boss Raymond J. “Junior” Patriarca, whom the FBI captured on tape during an induction ceremony in a house outside of Boston. DeLuca was one of the mobsters who, that day, became a “made man,” or full-fledged member of La Cosa Nostra.
The recording was the first time the FBI had ever recorded a mob induction, and it has been played at countless mob trials to show that the Mafia does indeed exist.
DeLuca’s star rose quickly in the mob. Once a small-time hood, the now-inducted wiseguy hitched his wagon to Boston-based mob boss Francis “Cadillac Frank” Salemme. But the high times were short-lived. In 1996, DeLuca was sentenced to 10½ years in federal prison for his role in the shakedown of Paulie Calenda, a Cranston businessman and mob associate.
The jury was convinced at the colorful trial, featuring sobbing strippers, mob informants and gangland thugs, that Gerard T. Ouimette, a feared mob enforcer, threatened Calenda for a $125,000 extortion payment. The panel also concluded that Ouimette was acting under orders from DeLuca.
The court papers filed last week do not identify the cooperating mob witnesses in the recent sweep, but they have fueled plenty of speculation that DeLuca has switched allegiances and is now working for his longtime nemesis: the Justice Department.
It’s ironic that some believe DeLuca is now a government informant, an accusation he cast about 10 years ago against fellow mobster Anthony M. “The Saint” St. Laurent Sr.
The indignity of being called a turncoat so infuriated St. Laurent that he solicited a Taunton, Mass., man to kill DeLuca. St. Laurent, 70, who is in a wheelchair and has been seriously ill for more than a decade, was charged and convicted of orchestrating the murder-for-hire scheme. He was just sentenced to seven years in federal prison.
At a recent news conference announcing the indictment and arrests, Peter F. Neronha, the U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island, refused to identify DeLuca or anyone else as witnesses for the government. Instead, he said, that he would only discuss what was in the indictment.
Jim Martin, Neronha’s spokesman, issued a standard “no comment” to a series of questions about DeLuca.
Is DeLuca cooperating in the federal investigation? Has he joined the federal witness protection program? Are the federal authorities concerned about the safety of the mobster, his wife and two small children?
“No comment,” he said.
The same questions were posed to state police Supt. Steven G. O’Donnell, a longtime mob investigator who has tracked DeLuca’s criminal activities for more than 20 years.
“I can’t tell you if he’s cooperating or not,” he said. “I have no concerns for Bobby’s safety or anybody’s safety” who chooses a life of organized crime. “That’s the world they live in.”
In North Providence, there is no sign of DeLuca, his wife, Gina, a former hairdresser, or their two young children. At first, nobody thought much about not seeing him around. Each summer, he would travel to Saratoga Springs in August for the annual horse races, but this summer he never returned to his old haunts.
In June 2009, Gina DeLuca bought the large, 4,746-square-foot colonial-style house for $340,000 from Christina Schadone, wife of Rep. Gregory J. Schadone, D-North Providence. On Aug. 1, less than two months ago, the house next to Greystone Elementary School, was placed on the market for $335,000.
The furniture has been cleared out and little more remains than steel-brushed appliances and a chandelier in the front foyer.
Paul M. Martellini, the acting police chief in North Providence, said he knew that the mobster lived at the address, but his department has received no reports of foul play involving the DeLucas. He checked the department records and said that police responded to the house on the morning of July 1 for a false alarm. At the time, he said, the family was living there.
“We have had no contact with him other than the alarm,” Martellini said. “We didn’t know that he hasn’t been around.”
After DeLuca wrapped up his federal prison sentence, he returned to Rhode Island and spent a few years in the state prison system.
Over the past six years, DeLuca, now 66, has worked at the SideBar & Grill, a small restaurant and nightclub at the corner of Dorrance and Pine streets. The establishment’s owner is lawyer Artin H. Coloian, once a top aide to ex-Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr.
Coloian hired DeLuca back in 2006 when he was in a work-release program at the Adult Correctional Institutions. He remained a fixture at the restaurant after he completed his prison sentence. He was often seen hanging out with Coloian or puffing a cigar as the two strolled down Dorrance Street.
Coloian, who has defended DeLuca in the past, insisted that his client is not cooperating with the federal authorities, but he refused to say whether he’s still employed at his restaurant.
“I’m not obligated to tell you who my employees are or are not,” he said, adding that he would not disclose the last time he saw the mobster.
Thanks to W. Zachary Malinowski
That’s the question that has been on the minds of mobsters, law-enforcement officials and followers of organized crime since four mobsters and mob associates were indicted last week on federal racketeering and extortion charges for shaking down several strip clubs and collecting $25,000 from a woman they threatened at work. But the indictment makes no mention of Robert P. “Bobby” DeLuca Sr., a major player in the New England La Cosa Nostra for more than three decades.
In papers filed in U.S. District Court, federal prosecutors noted that “made members” of the mob have cooperated with them in their investigation, and they have and will continue to rely on them in the prosecution of Edward C. Lato and Alfred “Chippy” Scivola Jr., made members of the New England mob, along with mob associates Raymond “Scarface” Jenkins and Albino “Albie” Folcarelli.
“During the course of this investigation, the FBI has developed additional witnesses, including formally initiated or made members of the New England La Cosa Nostra, who will testify that the [mob] exists, and will further testify about the activities of its members,” the papers say.
The prosecutors, William Ferland and Sam Nazzaro, also wrote that “these witnesses” will testify about the secret mob initiation ceremony in which the “made men” take a blood oath of loyalty to omerta, otherwise known as La Cosa Nostra’s code of silence. Part of the oath requires the mobsters to engage in acts of violence, including murder, when called upon by ranking members of the criminal enterprise.
DeLuca is an expert on mob initiations. In 1989, he was one of several mobsters, including then-mob boss Raymond J. “Junior” Patriarca, whom the FBI captured on tape during an induction ceremony in a house outside of Boston. DeLuca was one of the mobsters who, that day, became a “made man,” or full-fledged member of La Cosa Nostra.
The recording was the first time the FBI had ever recorded a mob induction, and it has been played at countless mob trials to show that the Mafia does indeed exist.
DeLuca’s star rose quickly in the mob. Once a small-time hood, the now-inducted wiseguy hitched his wagon to Boston-based mob boss Francis “Cadillac Frank” Salemme. But the high times were short-lived. In 1996, DeLuca was sentenced to 10½ years in federal prison for his role in the shakedown of Paulie Calenda, a Cranston businessman and mob associate.
The jury was convinced at the colorful trial, featuring sobbing strippers, mob informants and gangland thugs, that Gerard T. Ouimette, a feared mob enforcer, threatened Calenda for a $125,000 extortion payment. The panel also concluded that Ouimette was acting under orders from DeLuca.
The court papers filed last week do not identify the cooperating mob witnesses in the recent sweep, but they have fueled plenty of speculation that DeLuca has switched allegiances and is now working for his longtime nemesis: the Justice Department.
It’s ironic that some believe DeLuca is now a government informant, an accusation he cast about 10 years ago against fellow mobster Anthony M. “The Saint” St. Laurent Sr.
The indignity of being called a turncoat so infuriated St. Laurent that he solicited a Taunton, Mass., man to kill DeLuca. St. Laurent, 70, who is in a wheelchair and has been seriously ill for more than a decade, was charged and convicted of orchestrating the murder-for-hire scheme. He was just sentenced to seven years in federal prison.
At a recent news conference announcing the indictment and arrests, Peter F. Neronha, the U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island, refused to identify DeLuca or anyone else as witnesses for the government. Instead, he said, that he would only discuss what was in the indictment.
Jim Martin, Neronha’s spokesman, issued a standard “no comment” to a series of questions about DeLuca.
Is DeLuca cooperating in the federal investigation? Has he joined the federal witness protection program? Are the federal authorities concerned about the safety of the mobster, his wife and two small children?
“No comment,” he said.
The same questions were posed to state police Supt. Steven G. O’Donnell, a longtime mob investigator who has tracked DeLuca’s criminal activities for more than 20 years.
“I can’t tell you if he’s cooperating or not,” he said. “I have no concerns for Bobby’s safety or anybody’s safety” who chooses a life of organized crime. “That’s the world they live in.”
In North Providence, there is no sign of DeLuca, his wife, Gina, a former hairdresser, or their two young children. At first, nobody thought much about not seeing him around. Each summer, he would travel to Saratoga Springs in August for the annual horse races, but this summer he never returned to his old haunts.
In June 2009, Gina DeLuca bought the large, 4,746-square-foot colonial-style house for $340,000 from Christina Schadone, wife of Rep. Gregory J. Schadone, D-North Providence. On Aug. 1, less than two months ago, the house next to Greystone Elementary School, was placed on the market for $335,000.
The furniture has been cleared out and little more remains than steel-brushed appliances and a chandelier in the front foyer.
Paul M. Martellini, the acting police chief in North Providence, said he knew that the mobster lived at the address, but his department has received no reports of foul play involving the DeLucas. He checked the department records and said that police responded to the house on the morning of July 1 for a false alarm. At the time, he said, the family was living there.
“We have had no contact with him other than the alarm,” Martellini said. “We didn’t know that he hasn’t been around.”
After DeLuca wrapped up his federal prison sentence, he returned to Rhode Island and spent a few years in the state prison system.
Over the past six years, DeLuca, now 66, has worked at the SideBar & Grill, a small restaurant and nightclub at the corner of Dorrance and Pine streets. The establishment’s owner is lawyer Artin H. Coloian, once a top aide to ex-Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr.
Coloian hired DeLuca back in 2006 when he was in a work-release program at the Adult Correctional Institutions. He remained a fixture at the restaurant after he completed his prison sentence. He was often seen hanging out with Coloian or puffing a cigar as the two strolled down Dorrance Street.
Coloian, who has defended DeLuca in the past, insisted that his client is not cooperating with the federal authorities, but he refused to say whether he’s still employed at his restaurant.
“I’m not obligated to tell you who my employees are or are not,” he said, adding that he would not disclose the last time he saw the mobster.
Thanks to W. Zachary Malinowski
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Ken Burns: Prohbition
Ken Burns: Prohibition
is a three-part, five-and-a-half-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick that tells the story of the rise, rule, and fall of the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the entire era it encompassed.
The culmination of nearly a century of activism, Prohibition was intended to improve, even to ennoble, the lives of all Americans, to protect individuals, families, and society at large from the devastating effects of alcohol abuse. But the enshrining of a faith-driven moral code in the Constitution paradoxically caused millions of Americans to rethink their definition of morality. Thugs became celebrities, responsible authority was rendered impotent. Social mores in place for a century were obliterated. Especially among the young, and most especially among young women, liquor consumption rocketed, propelling the rest of the culture with it: skirts shortened. Music heated up. America's Sweetheart morphed into The Vamp.
Prohibition turned law-abiding citizens into criminals, made a mockery of the justice system, caused illicit drinking to seem glamorous and fun, encouraged neighborhood gangs to become national crime syndicates, permitted government officials to bend and sometimes even break the law, and fostered cynicism and hypocrisy that corroded the social contract all across the country. With Prohibition in place, but ineffectively enforced, one observer noted, America had hardly freed itself from the scourge of alcohol abuse – instead, the "drys" had their law, while the "wets" had their liquor.
The story of Prohibition's rise and fall is a compelling saga that goes far beyond the oft-told tales of gangsters, rum runners, flappers, and speakeasies, to reveal a complicated and divided nation in the throes of momentous transformation. The film raises vital questions that are as relevant today as they were 100 years ago – about means and ends, individual rights and responsibilities, the proper role of government and finally, who is — and who is not — a real American.
is a three-part, five-and-a-half-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick that tells the story of the rise, rule, and fall of the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the entire era it encompassed.The culmination of nearly a century of activism, Prohibition was intended to improve, even to ennoble, the lives of all Americans, to protect individuals, families, and society at large from the devastating effects of alcohol abuse. But the enshrining of a faith-driven moral code in the Constitution paradoxically caused millions of Americans to rethink their definition of morality. Thugs became celebrities, responsible authority was rendered impotent. Social mores in place for a century were obliterated. Especially among the young, and most especially among young women, liquor consumption rocketed, propelling the rest of the culture with it: skirts shortened. Music heated up. America's Sweetheart morphed into The Vamp.
Prohibition turned law-abiding citizens into criminals, made a mockery of the justice system, caused illicit drinking to seem glamorous and fun, encouraged neighborhood gangs to become national crime syndicates, permitted government officials to bend and sometimes even break the law, and fostered cynicism and hypocrisy that corroded the social contract all across the country. With Prohibition in place, but ineffectively enforced, one observer noted, America had hardly freed itself from the scourge of alcohol abuse – instead, the "drys" had their law, while the "wets" had their liquor.
The story of Prohibition's rise and fall is a compelling saga that goes far beyond the oft-told tales of gangsters, rum runners, flappers, and speakeasies, to reveal a complicated and divided nation in the throes of momentous transformation. The film raises vital questions that are as relevant today as they were 100 years ago – about means and ends, individual rights and responsibilities, the proper role of government and finally, who is — and who is not — a real American.
Sunday, October 02, 2011
Las Vegas Dinner with Real Mobsters
If you've ever wondered whether retired gangsters such as Henry Hill and Frank Cullotta know which fork to use at dinner, here's a chance to find out at point-blank range.
Next Tuesday, Hill and Cullotta will join their pal Tony Montana for a good old Italian feast at the restaurant inside the Royal Resort on Convention Center Drive. Tickets to what the mob wishes was their last supper are on sale at the hotel.
For Hill, who turned on his former compatriots in the Lucchese crime family in a life story that later became the subject of Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas," the dinner is a chance to get together with friends, entertain some mob aficionados and make a little scratch in the process. No longer in the Witness Protection Program, he lives quietly in Southern California and spends much of his day painting and drawing. And maybe looking over his shoulder once in a while.
The motivation for the dinner is simple. Even a retired wiseguy has to earn a living -- and a legal one, unless he wants to return to prison.
"No. 1, I kind of enjoy it," Hill says. "I like to sit down with some of my fans, tell stories and let them get up close and personal with me. I don't get rich, but it pays my gas money to Vegas and back.
"It's a legitimate hustle."
For years as a loyal member of Lucchese capo Paul Vario's crew, Hill would have sprinted from legitimate work. He was too busy committing a long list of felonies, serving prison time and generally living the life of successful mob associate. Even after he testified against his old friends, he had difficulty staying out of trouble. But he has obviously slowed down as he has gotten older. He is 68 and has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. In the Witness Protection Program, he also had difficulty earning a legal living. Federal authorities weren't keen on him surfacing for book signings and spaghetti dinners with fascinated fans.
"I was forbidden to do it by the Witness Protection people and the FBI," he says. "But I had to earn a living."
And unless you're an undertaker, there aren't a lot of square employment possibilities for guys with expertise in burying bodies.
His celebrity as a former hoodlum not only helps keep a roof over his head, it's taking him to the Sands convention center in October for a signing at the World Gaming Expo. Later this year, he'll meet fans in England.
He also gets to Las Vegas to play the slots. But times have changed for the former big-tipping gangster. He mostly plays quarters and observes wryly that it's a long way between drink comps at some Strip properties that cater to high rollers.
Cullotta, meanwhile, is the former Anthony Spilotro pal and admitted killer who eventually testified against his childhood friend. The fact Spilotro was looking to eliminate him might have been a motivating factor for Cullotta.
Of the three, Montana has remained most under the radar. The former Chicago Outfit and Spilotro associate is also the former proprietor of a dandy Italian restaurant at the Boulder City Hotel. Montana knows his marinara as well as he knows his mobsters.
Hill says of his new running mates in organized-crime marketing, "We're like the Three Amigos."
You know, only with felony records.
Speaking of felonious fellows, I hear former Gambino soldier Andrew DiDonato, also the author of a tell-all biography, will make an appearance at the mobster meatball fest.
While some locals will surely be repulsed by the concept, Hill notes, "A lot of people are fascinated with it. They're fans. To tell you the truth, I enjoy meeting them and seeing them have a good time."
Between his painting and public appearances, Hill sounds like he's finally found his niche outside the underworld.
"What can I say?" he says. "It keeps me out of trouble."
Thanks to John L. Smith
Next Tuesday, Hill and Cullotta will join their pal Tony Montana for a good old Italian feast at the restaurant inside the Royal Resort on Convention Center Drive. Tickets to what the mob wishes was their last supper are on sale at the hotel.
For Hill, who turned on his former compatriots in the Lucchese crime family in a life story that later became the subject of Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas," the dinner is a chance to get together with friends, entertain some mob aficionados and make a little scratch in the process. No longer in the Witness Protection Program, he lives quietly in Southern California and spends much of his day painting and drawing. And maybe looking over his shoulder once in a while.
The motivation for the dinner is simple. Even a retired wiseguy has to earn a living -- and a legal one, unless he wants to return to prison.
"No. 1, I kind of enjoy it," Hill says. "I like to sit down with some of my fans, tell stories and let them get up close and personal with me. I don't get rich, but it pays my gas money to Vegas and back.
"It's a legitimate hustle."
For years as a loyal member of Lucchese capo Paul Vario's crew, Hill would have sprinted from legitimate work. He was too busy committing a long list of felonies, serving prison time and generally living the life of successful mob associate. Even after he testified against his old friends, he had difficulty staying out of trouble. But he has obviously slowed down as he has gotten older. He is 68 and has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. In the Witness Protection Program, he also had difficulty earning a legal living. Federal authorities weren't keen on him surfacing for book signings and spaghetti dinners with fascinated fans.
"I was forbidden to do it by the Witness Protection people and the FBI," he says. "But I had to earn a living."
And unless you're an undertaker, there aren't a lot of square employment possibilities for guys with expertise in burying bodies.
His celebrity as a former hoodlum not only helps keep a roof over his head, it's taking him to the Sands convention center in October for a signing at the World Gaming Expo. Later this year, he'll meet fans in England.
He also gets to Las Vegas to play the slots. But times have changed for the former big-tipping gangster. He mostly plays quarters and observes wryly that it's a long way between drink comps at some Strip properties that cater to high rollers.
Cullotta, meanwhile, is the former Anthony Spilotro pal and admitted killer who eventually testified against his childhood friend. The fact Spilotro was looking to eliminate him might have been a motivating factor for Cullotta.
Of the three, Montana has remained most under the radar. The former Chicago Outfit and Spilotro associate is also the former proprietor of a dandy Italian restaurant at the Boulder City Hotel. Montana knows his marinara as well as he knows his mobsters.
Hill says of his new running mates in organized-crime marketing, "We're like the Three Amigos."
You know, only with felony records.
Speaking of felonious fellows, I hear former Gambino soldier Andrew DiDonato, also the author of a tell-all biography, will make an appearance at the mobster meatball fest.
While some locals will surely be repulsed by the concept, Hill notes, "A lot of people are fascinated with it. They're fans. To tell you the truth, I enjoy meeting them and seeing them have a good time."
Between his painting and public appearances, Hill sounds like he's finally found his niche outside the underworld.
"What can I say?" he says. "It keeps me out of trouble."
Thanks to John L. Smith
Friday, September 30, 2011
Dino Vitalo Pleads Guilty in Mob Racketeering Case
A longtime Cicero Police officer was sentenced to federal prison Tuesday for his role in a mob racketeering crew.
In this Intelligence Report: Two sharply different portraits of former officer Dino Vitalo were presented in court.
This is the epitome of good cop, bad cop, all within one cop. Forty-two-year-old Dino Vitalo was variously described Tuesday at his federal sentencing hearing as either the world's greatest policeman or the world's worst.
Vitalo was sentenced to two years in prison. He had pleaded guilty to providing police information to top members of the Chicago Outfit, most notably Mike "The Large Guy" Sarno. It was Sarno who led a mob racketeering crew and was convicted of blowing up a Berwyn video gaming company that was in competition with organized crime.
In court Tuesday afternoon, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu said that Vitalo's moonlighting with the mob -- and leaking sensitive information -- had a negative impact on the government's ability to investigate organized crime. In 18 years with Cicero Police, Bhachu said, Vitalo had "a pattern of not following the rules, "does not care about the rules," and "followed the rules he wanted to follow."
The Town of Cicero has long been dogged by organized crime connections, going back to Prohibition, when Al Capone established his gangland headquarters there. But, in court Tuesday, Dino Vitalo's lawyer suggested it was unfair to paint him "with a broad brush of a corrupt officer." Attorney Todd Pugh said he hoped that "a man's life isn't judged by his mistakes."
Pugh offered several letters applauding Vitalo, including one written by Cicero Police Commander Raul Perez, who praised Vitalo's years of dedication and service.
The prosecutor responded to those letters of support for ex-Cicero Patrolman Vitalo and said that "you have to have a screw loose in your head to think he is a top shelf officer."
Raul Perez himself is no stranger to discipline. He was suspended for misconduct while working as state police bodyguard to Governor Rod Blagojevich.
In handing down Tuesday's sentence, Judge Ronald Guzman observed that Vitalo was "very much at home with these people," members of the outfit, and that he was in cahoots with other cops.
One of the other outfit-connected cops, James Formato from Berwyn, was to be sentenced Tuesday but it was put off until late November.
Thanks to Chuck Goudie
In this Intelligence Report: Two sharply different portraits of former officer Dino Vitalo were presented in court.
This is the epitome of good cop, bad cop, all within one cop. Forty-two-year-old Dino Vitalo was variously described Tuesday at his federal sentencing hearing as either the world's greatest policeman or the world's worst.
Vitalo was sentenced to two years in prison. He had pleaded guilty to providing police information to top members of the Chicago Outfit, most notably Mike "The Large Guy" Sarno. It was Sarno who led a mob racketeering crew and was convicted of blowing up a Berwyn video gaming company that was in competition with organized crime.
In court Tuesday afternoon, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu said that Vitalo's moonlighting with the mob -- and leaking sensitive information -- had a negative impact on the government's ability to investigate organized crime. In 18 years with Cicero Police, Bhachu said, Vitalo had "a pattern of not following the rules, "does not care about the rules," and "followed the rules he wanted to follow."
The Town of Cicero has long been dogged by organized crime connections, going back to Prohibition, when Al Capone established his gangland headquarters there. But, in court Tuesday, Dino Vitalo's lawyer suggested it was unfair to paint him "with a broad brush of a corrupt officer." Attorney Todd Pugh said he hoped that "a man's life isn't judged by his mistakes."
Pugh offered several letters applauding Vitalo, including one written by Cicero Police Commander Raul Perez, who praised Vitalo's years of dedication and service.
The prosecutor responded to those letters of support for ex-Cicero Patrolman Vitalo and said that "you have to have a screw loose in your head to think he is a top shelf officer."
Raul Perez himself is no stranger to discipline. He was suspended for misconduct while working as state police bodyguard to Governor Rod Blagojevich.
In handing down Tuesday's sentence, Judge Ronald Guzman observed that Vitalo was "very much at home with these people," members of the outfit, and that he was in cahoots with other cops.
One of the other outfit-connected cops, James Formato from Berwyn, was to be sentenced Tuesday but it was put off until late November.
Thanks to Chuck Goudie
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Las Vegas Mob Experience Lawsuit Grows More Bizzarre
The lawsuit over control of the Las Vegas Mob Experience has grown more bizarre, with new charges that the Mob Experience manager feared for his life after a notorious gangster’s son demanded return of his father’s artifacts.
Jay Bloom, developer of the tourist attraction, is headed for a showdown in court with Experience creditors.
The creditors charge Bloom looted the company before he signed away most of his equity in the Experience this summer – but Bloom says he still owns the company, that the current manager is in cahoots with certain creditors and that the manager and those creditors are the ones looting the company.
Friday’s hearing was called in Clark County District Court so Bloom could press his request that the current manager, Louis Ventre, be replaced with a neutral third party manager selected by Mob Experience secured creditors.
At the same time, creditors Vion Operations LLC and Strategic Funding Source Inc. – which are aligned with Ventre – will press their request that a special master be appointed to conduct a complete review of the Mob Experience books and that Bloom be ordered to stop claiming he owns a substantial part of Murder Inc., the parent company of the Experience at the Tropicana resort.
In their latest legal filing on Wednesday, Bloom and his attorney again denied that Bloom had hijacked the Mob Experience website, saying it was Ventre who was responsible for nonpayment of the web hosting company’s fee.
They also said Vion and Strategic Funding had submitted a "fabricated" email to the court as an exhibit attacking Bloom’s choice of a third party to manage the Experience.
Most interestingly, Bloom’s new filing says that in an email, "it appears Ventre indicated he was in fear for his life."
This related to efforts by Vincent Spilotro, son of Anthony Spilotro, to retrieve some of his father’s artifacts from the Mob Experience and to get paid as a Mob Experience consultant.
In an affidavit signed Monday in which Spilotro sides with Bloom in the dispute, Spilotro says that in December he sold some of his father’s artifacts to a Bloom company called The Mafia Collection for $125,000 with $62,500 down – and also was retained as a consultant that month and was to be paid $5,000 per month by the Mob Experience’s parent company Murder Inc.
Spilotro says in the affidavit he agreed to defer the payment of the $62,500 owed for the artifacts until The Mafia Collection was in a position to make that payment. The affidavit says that after Ventre took over the Mob Experience in July, Murder Inc. stopped paying his consulting fee and that Ventre repeatedly promised to pay him but failed to do so. Spilotro said in the document that during the past three months, he’s been paid only 10 percent of what’s due him.
Spilotro said that in August, Ventre told him to drive in from California and that he would be paid $1,500 plus receive certain artifacts – but when he arrived Ventre failed to pay him.
The affidavit says the Mob Experience offered him artifacts belonging to The Mafia Collection in lieu of consulting payments.
Spilotro says he took the items and listed them for sale on eBay, but then removed them from eBay upon learning "Ventre did not have the authority to distribute the Mafia Collection artifacts in satisfaction of Murder Inc.’s debt."
"I further learned that Ventre indicated to GC Global Capital (a creditor) that he was `in fear for his life.’ Such a position is absurd and, in fact, on the day I was there with my wife, I was there for hours socializing with Lou and the employees," Spilotro said in the affidavit.
This supposed threat to Ventre appeared to come from an email to Ventre indicating Vincent Spilotro was "becoming extremely aggressive in his demands."
Spilotro’s father – who was killed in a brutal mob beating and buried an Indiana corn field – was immortalized in the movie Casino by Joe Pesci as Nicky Santoro, the sidekick to casino boss Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro).
Any suggestion Ventre was threatened is false, Bloom’s court filing said. "Spilotro, his wife and cousin drove in from California and spent hours with Ventre and the staff socializing and no threat was made to Ventre," Bloom’s filing said. "Not only did Ventre lie about being threatened, but Ventre also lied to Spilotro about his intent to pay him and about having the authority to disperse Mafia Collection artifacts."
Ventre, however, denied in an interview today that anyone has threatened him. "I’ve never been in fear for my life – not from Vincent Spilotro or anyone," Ventre said.
The bottom line is that for the Mob Experience, which remains open at the Tropicana despite the legal turmoil, Wednesday was business as usual.
That is, it was just another day of Bloom and Mob Experience creditors accusing each other of misrepresentations and looting the business.
Thanks to Steve Green
Jay Bloom, developer of the tourist attraction, is headed for a showdown in court with Experience creditors.
The creditors charge Bloom looted the company before he signed away most of his equity in the Experience this summer – but Bloom says he still owns the company, that the current manager is in cahoots with certain creditors and that the manager and those creditors are the ones looting the company.
Friday’s hearing was called in Clark County District Court so Bloom could press his request that the current manager, Louis Ventre, be replaced with a neutral third party manager selected by Mob Experience secured creditors.
At the same time, creditors Vion Operations LLC and Strategic Funding Source Inc. – which are aligned with Ventre – will press their request that a special master be appointed to conduct a complete review of the Mob Experience books and that Bloom be ordered to stop claiming he owns a substantial part of Murder Inc., the parent company of the Experience at the Tropicana resort.
In their latest legal filing on Wednesday, Bloom and his attorney again denied that Bloom had hijacked the Mob Experience website, saying it was Ventre who was responsible for nonpayment of the web hosting company’s fee.
They also said Vion and Strategic Funding had submitted a "fabricated" email to the court as an exhibit attacking Bloom’s choice of a third party to manage the Experience.
Most interestingly, Bloom’s new filing says that in an email, "it appears Ventre indicated he was in fear for his life."
This related to efforts by Vincent Spilotro, son of Anthony Spilotro, to retrieve some of his father’s artifacts from the Mob Experience and to get paid as a Mob Experience consultant.
In an affidavit signed Monday in which Spilotro sides with Bloom in the dispute, Spilotro says that in December he sold some of his father’s artifacts to a Bloom company called The Mafia Collection for $125,000 with $62,500 down – and also was retained as a consultant that month and was to be paid $5,000 per month by the Mob Experience’s parent company Murder Inc.
Spilotro says in the affidavit he agreed to defer the payment of the $62,500 owed for the artifacts until The Mafia Collection was in a position to make that payment. The affidavit says that after Ventre took over the Mob Experience in July, Murder Inc. stopped paying his consulting fee and that Ventre repeatedly promised to pay him but failed to do so. Spilotro said in the document that during the past three months, he’s been paid only 10 percent of what’s due him.
Spilotro said that in August, Ventre told him to drive in from California and that he would be paid $1,500 plus receive certain artifacts – but when he arrived Ventre failed to pay him.
The affidavit says the Mob Experience offered him artifacts belonging to The Mafia Collection in lieu of consulting payments.
Spilotro says he took the items and listed them for sale on eBay, but then removed them from eBay upon learning "Ventre did not have the authority to distribute the Mafia Collection artifacts in satisfaction of Murder Inc.’s debt."
"I further learned that Ventre indicated to GC Global Capital (a creditor) that he was `in fear for his life.’ Such a position is absurd and, in fact, on the day I was there with my wife, I was there for hours socializing with Lou and the employees," Spilotro said in the affidavit.
This supposed threat to Ventre appeared to come from an email to Ventre indicating Vincent Spilotro was "becoming extremely aggressive in his demands."
Spilotro’s father – who was killed in a brutal mob beating and buried an Indiana corn field – was immortalized in the movie Casino by Joe Pesci as Nicky Santoro, the sidekick to casino boss Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro).
Any suggestion Ventre was threatened is false, Bloom’s court filing said. "Spilotro, his wife and cousin drove in from California and spent hours with Ventre and the staff socializing and no threat was made to Ventre," Bloom’s filing said. "Not only did Ventre lie about being threatened, but Ventre also lied to Spilotro about his intent to pay him and about having the authority to disperse Mafia Collection artifacts."
Ventre, however, denied in an interview today that anyone has threatened him. "I’ve never been in fear for my life – not from Vincent Spilotro or anyone," Ventre said.
The bottom line is that for the Mob Experience, which remains open at the Tropicana despite the legal turmoil, Wednesday was business as usual.
That is, it was just another day of Bloom and Mob Experience creditors accusing each other of misrepresentations and looting the business.
Thanks to Steve Green
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Providence Strip Clubs Reputedly Pay $2 Million to New England Mafia
Federal prosecutors yesterday charged three alleged members of the New England Mafia and three associates with extorting money from Rhode Island’s adult entertainment industry since the 1980s, a racketeering scheme that netted its members some $2 million.
In a seven-count indictment unsealed in Providence today, federal authorities also indicate that the leadership of the Mafia in New England has shifted back to Boston after being under the control of Providence-based mobsters for the past several years.
In one portion of the 22-page document, alleged Mafia capo Edward (Eddie) Lato is quoted as saying that every time he meets with an unidentified Mafia figure in Boston, it is clear that the man is under surveillance by law enforcement.
“Every time I leave, there’s someone looking at me…there’s a guy on the corner every (expletive) time,’’ the 64-year-old Lato said, according to the indictment. “They’re following him…I mean…not that they’re not suppose (sic) to follow him, he’s the (expletive) boss.’’
Rhode Island US Attorney Peter Neronha said in a telephone interview yesterday that he would not identify the current leaders of the New England La Cosa Nostra. “The government views this is as a major step forward in eradicating the NELCN,’’ Neronha said of the Rhode Island crackdown in a telephone interview. “There is no question when charges are brought against seven individuals that are among the leaders of the NELCN – that’s a significant step.’’
In the indictment, prosecutors said that Rhode Island mobster Luigi (Baby Shacks) Manocchio, who is 84 years old, was the leader of the New England Mafia until he stepped down in 2009.
Last year, Carmen (The Cheese Man) DiNunzio, who led the Boston Mafia, was imprisoned after he pleaded guilty to delivering a $10,000 bribe to an undercover FBI agent. DiNunzio operated a cheese store in Boston’s North End on Endicott Street.
Lato, according to the new charges against him, allegedly met with a “high ranking’’ Mafia member on May 5, 2011, at the intersection of Endicott and Thatcher streets in Boston. The FBI searched the Boston Mafia associate after the meeting ended and seized $5,000 in cash.
According to the document, Lato told an associate a week later that the $5,000 included money he had extorted from Rhode Island nightclubs.
No one from Massachusetts was named in yesterday’s indictment.
In addition to the charges against Lato, also indicted yesterday was Manocchio, and alleged Mafia member 70-year-old Alfred (Chippy) Scivola, who has already pleaded guilty to earlier racketeering charges.
Manocchio is accused of masterminding the scheme that relied on the threat of force to extort as much as $6,000 a month from each club, payments made by the owners for years, authorities allege. The clubs were identified in court papers as the Satin Doll, the Cadillac Lounge and the Foxy Lady.
Manocchio’s illegal control over the Cadillac Lounge included forcing the owners to hire his hand-picked allies to manage the books or to work as bouncers, authorities allege.
Also charged were alleged Mafia associates Thomas (Tommy) Iafrate, Richard Bonafiglia, Theodore (Teddy) Cardillo and 47-year-old Raymond (Scarface) Jenkins.
Lato is charged with racketeering conspiracy, two counts of extortion conspiracy and two counts of travel in aid of racketeering. Scivola is charged with racketeering conspiracy and extortion conspiracy. Jenkins is charged with extortion conspiracy and extortion.
A seventh man, alleged Mob associate 53-year-old Albino (Albi) Folcarelli, allegedly joined Jenkins and Lato in a separate conspiracy to extort $25,000 in cash from a man known only as “Person A.’’
All seven are in federal custody.
Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer of the Department of Justice said the prosecution in Rhode Island, and the prosecution of organized crime figures around the country, offer a clear sign that the federal government is on the move. “We are just not going away,’’ he said in a telephone interview.
The investigation was conducted by a task force composed of federal and state law enforcement agencies and the Providence police, officials said.
Thanks to John R. Ellement
In a seven-count indictment unsealed in Providence today, federal authorities also indicate that the leadership of the Mafia in New England has shifted back to Boston after being under the control of Providence-based mobsters for the past several years.
In one portion of the 22-page document, alleged Mafia capo Edward (Eddie) Lato is quoted as saying that every time he meets with an unidentified Mafia figure in Boston, it is clear that the man is under surveillance by law enforcement.
“Every time I leave, there’s someone looking at me…there’s a guy on the corner every (expletive) time,’’ the 64-year-old Lato said, according to the indictment. “They’re following him…I mean…not that they’re not suppose (sic) to follow him, he’s the (expletive) boss.’’
Rhode Island US Attorney Peter Neronha said in a telephone interview yesterday that he would not identify the current leaders of the New England La Cosa Nostra. “The government views this is as a major step forward in eradicating the NELCN,’’ Neronha said of the Rhode Island crackdown in a telephone interview. “There is no question when charges are brought against seven individuals that are among the leaders of the NELCN – that’s a significant step.’’
In the indictment, prosecutors said that Rhode Island mobster Luigi (Baby Shacks) Manocchio, who is 84 years old, was the leader of the New England Mafia until he stepped down in 2009.
Last year, Carmen (The Cheese Man) DiNunzio, who led the Boston Mafia, was imprisoned after he pleaded guilty to delivering a $10,000 bribe to an undercover FBI agent. DiNunzio operated a cheese store in Boston’s North End on Endicott Street.
Lato, according to the new charges against him, allegedly met with a “high ranking’’ Mafia member on May 5, 2011, at the intersection of Endicott and Thatcher streets in Boston. The FBI searched the Boston Mafia associate after the meeting ended and seized $5,000 in cash.
According to the document, Lato told an associate a week later that the $5,000 included money he had extorted from Rhode Island nightclubs.
No one from Massachusetts was named in yesterday’s indictment.
In addition to the charges against Lato, also indicted yesterday was Manocchio, and alleged Mafia member 70-year-old Alfred (Chippy) Scivola, who has already pleaded guilty to earlier racketeering charges.
Manocchio is accused of masterminding the scheme that relied on the threat of force to extort as much as $6,000 a month from each club, payments made by the owners for years, authorities allege. The clubs were identified in court papers as the Satin Doll, the Cadillac Lounge and the Foxy Lady.
Manocchio’s illegal control over the Cadillac Lounge included forcing the owners to hire his hand-picked allies to manage the books or to work as bouncers, authorities allege.
Also charged were alleged Mafia associates Thomas (Tommy) Iafrate, Richard Bonafiglia, Theodore (Teddy) Cardillo and 47-year-old Raymond (Scarface) Jenkins.
Lato is charged with racketeering conspiracy, two counts of extortion conspiracy and two counts of travel in aid of racketeering. Scivola is charged with racketeering conspiracy and extortion conspiracy. Jenkins is charged with extortion conspiracy and extortion.
A seventh man, alleged Mob associate 53-year-old Albino (Albi) Folcarelli, allegedly joined Jenkins and Lato in a separate conspiracy to extort $25,000 in cash from a man known only as “Person A.’’
All seven are in federal custody.
Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer of the Department of Justice said the prosecution in Rhode Island, and the prosecution of organized crime figures around the country, offer a clear sign that the federal government is on the move. “We are just not going away,’’ he said in a telephone interview.
The investigation was conducted by a task force composed of federal and state law enforcement agencies and the Providence police, officials said.
Thanks to John R. Ellement
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Crime Beat Radio Show to Feature Nina Burleigh and Her Amanda Knox Sensational Murder Trial Book
After a high profile trial in December 2009 in Perugia, Italy, American Amanda Knox was sentenced to 26 years in jail for the brutal murder of British student Meredith Kercher. Since then, Knox’s lawyers have appealed Knox’s conviction and her case has attracted international attention. Now Amanda Knox is just a few weeks, perhaps days, from learning if her conviction will be overturned.
Crime Beat: Issues, Controversies and Personalities from the Darkside on the Artist First World Radio Network is pleased to announce that on September 29 at 8 pm. EST, noted journalist Nina Burleigh will be a special guest. In the timely program, Ms. Burleigh will discuss her best-selling book, The Fatal Gift of Beauty: The Italian Trials of Amanda Knox, which provides a close up and fascinating look at the Amanda Knox murder conviction and appeal.
In reviewing The Fatal Gift of Beauty, Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review and wrote: "[In] this powerful example of narrative non-fiction. Burleigh, who parses how the Knox trial was perhaps tainted, still presents a fair and unbiased portrait of a girl adrift in a foreign legal system and a culture rife with preconceptions about young American women." The Kirkus Reviews praised Fatal Beauty as a “standout among recent true-crime titles.
Ms. Burleigh is also an award-winning author of four books and has been published in the New Yorker, Time, New York and People, among many other publications.
Crime Beat: Issues, Controversies and Personalities from the Darkside on the Artist First World Radio Network is pleased to announce that on September 29 at 8 pm. EST, noted journalist Nina Burleigh will be a special guest. In the timely program, Ms. Burleigh will discuss her best-selling book, The Fatal Gift of Beauty: The Italian Trials of Amanda Knox, which provides a close up and fascinating look at the Amanda Knox murder conviction and appeal.
In reviewing The Fatal Gift of Beauty, Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review and wrote: "[In] this powerful example of narrative non-fiction. Burleigh, who parses how the Knox trial was perhaps tainted, still presents a fair and unbiased portrait of a girl adrift in a foreign legal system and a culture rife with preconceptions about young American women." The Kirkus Reviews praised Fatal Beauty as a “standout among recent true-crime titles.
Ms. Burleigh is also an award-winning author of four books and has been published in the New Yorker, Time, New York and People, among many other publications.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Al Capone and His American Boys: Memoirs of a Mobster's Wife.
In 1934, an attempt to publish Georgette Winkeler's memoir was squelched by the mob. Found buried in FBI files 50 years later, the manuscript is now the focus of a new book, "Al Capone and His American Boys: Memoirs of a Mobster's Wife."
Author William J. Helmer weaves gangster history into the pages of Winkeler's record of her life with a member of Al Capone's Chicago mob. Some of the history centers around the capture of Fred "Killer" Burke, with ties to Berrien County.
Helmer credits local historian Chriss Lyon with much of the account of Burke's capture and the events in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph leading up to it.
"I've been working with him for about three years on this," said Lyon, communications supervisor at the Berrien County 911 Dispatch Center and a local historian and author. She is credited on page 123 of Helmer's book and listed as one of the people to whom he dedicates the book. "She was a big help in picking up the details related to the car wreck and the capture of Burke. She got all kinds of details," Helmer said in a phone interview from his home in Boerne, Texas, near San Antonio.
Helmer said that while researching the 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre, he learned some basic information about Burke's killing of a police officer in St. Joseph, but that Lyon filled in many details.
Burke was a member of Al Capone's gang involved in the massacre, as was August "Gus" Winkeler, Georgette Winkeler's husband. The guns used in the massacre were found at a house Burke owned in Stevensville and are now with the Berrien County Sheriff's Department. Before he was captured, Burke - believed to be one of Capone's hit men in the massacre in Chicago — shot and killed St. Joseph policeman Charles Skelley in 1929 following a traffic accident in St. Joseph. Lyon helped provide details for that section of the book.
"I got acquainted with (Helmer) through a group of people who are all working on stuff related to Al Capone," Lyon said. "He was trying to find information about Georgette, and being a genealogist, I produced information that built my credibility with him."
Helmer stumbled upon Georgette Winkeler's manuscript buried in an FBI file while doing his own research.
He said that after her husband was murdered in 1933, Georgette Winkeler attempted suicide. Then she wrote her memoirs for a book intended to expose the workings of the Chicago syndicate. Her publisher declared the book "too hot" to publish, Helmer said, probably because she names several gangsters and was threatened by the mob.
Helmer said that a frustrated Georgette Winkeler gave her manuscript to the FBI office in Chicago, where he found it buried in a file decades later.
Georgette met Gus Winkeler while she and her sister were operating a rooming house near downtown St. Louis. Despite some concerns about his behavior and his acquaintances, she soon married him. He promised to give up his old habits and companions. But Gus Winkeler soon resumed illegal activities with his old buddies, participating in a holdup with Fred "Killer" Burke, a St. Louis hoodlum. Winkeler was shot and, instead of taking him to a doctor, Burke removed the bullet from his arm with a razor blade. It was just the start of Georgette Winkeler's life with a gang member.
That life included her husband's involvement in the famous St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Orchestrated by Chicago mobster Al Capone, the plan was to eliminate north-side bootlegging rival George "Bugs" Moran, who escaped being killed. But the shooters, including Winkeler and Burke, killed five members of Moran's gang and a mechanic and optometrist who were known to hang out with gangsters.
Burke was never charged in connection with the massacre, but was convicted in Berrien County of the shooting death of the St. Joseph policeman and sentenced to life in prison. He died in Marquette Branch Prison in the Upper Peninsula in 1940.
On page 123 of his book, Helmer notes that Lyon learned, among other things, that Burke had been a model prisoner who raised canaries in his cell. Before he died, Burke wrote a note in a Christmas card to Jane Irene Cutler, widow of the late Fred J. Cutler, Berrien County sheriff at the time of Burke's arrest.
"If every boy had a chance to come in contact with a man like Fred Cutler, life would be different," Burke wrote.
Lyon said she was honored to work with Helmer, who she said has written "the gold-standard" in gangster history books.
Helmer is also the author of "The Gun That Made the Twenties Roar," ''The St. Valentine's Day Massacre," ''Dillinger," and "The Public Enemies Almanac."
Regarding his newest book, she said, "It's a great read, and there's a good amount of Berrien County reference."
In large part, that's due to Lyon.
Thanks to Julie Swidwa
Author William J. Helmer weaves gangster history into the pages of Winkeler's record of her life with a member of Al Capone's Chicago mob. Some of the history centers around the capture of Fred "Killer" Burke, with ties to Berrien County.
Helmer credits local historian Chriss Lyon with much of the account of Burke's capture and the events in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph leading up to it.
"I've been working with him for about three years on this," said Lyon, communications supervisor at the Berrien County 911 Dispatch Center and a local historian and author. She is credited on page 123 of Helmer's book and listed as one of the people to whom he dedicates the book. "She was a big help in picking up the details related to the car wreck and the capture of Burke. She got all kinds of details," Helmer said in a phone interview from his home in Boerne, Texas, near San Antonio.
Helmer said that while researching the 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre, he learned some basic information about Burke's killing of a police officer in St. Joseph, but that Lyon filled in many details.
Burke was a member of Al Capone's gang involved in the massacre, as was August "Gus" Winkeler, Georgette Winkeler's husband. The guns used in the massacre were found at a house Burke owned in Stevensville and are now with the Berrien County Sheriff's Department. Before he was captured, Burke - believed to be one of Capone's hit men in the massacre in Chicago — shot and killed St. Joseph policeman Charles Skelley in 1929 following a traffic accident in St. Joseph. Lyon helped provide details for that section of the book.
"I got acquainted with (Helmer) through a group of people who are all working on stuff related to Al Capone," Lyon said. "He was trying to find information about Georgette, and being a genealogist, I produced information that built my credibility with him."
Helmer stumbled upon Georgette Winkeler's manuscript buried in an FBI file while doing his own research.
He said that after her husband was murdered in 1933, Georgette Winkeler attempted suicide. Then she wrote her memoirs for a book intended to expose the workings of the Chicago syndicate. Her publisher declared the book "too hot" to publish, Helmer said, probably because she names several gangsters and was threatened by the mob.
Helmer said that a frustrated Georgette Winkeler gave her manuscript to the FBI office in Chicago, where he found it buried in a file decades later.
Georgette met Gus Winkeler while she and her sister were operating a rooming house near downtown St. Louis. Despite some concerns about his behavior and his acquaintances, she soon married him. He promised to give up his old habits and companions. But Gus Winkeler soon resumed illegal activities with his old buddies, participating in a holdup with Fred "Killer" Burke, a St. Louis hoodlum. Winkeler was shot and, instead of taking him to a doctor, Burke removed the bullet from his arm with a razor blade. It was just the start of Georgette Winkeler's life with a gang member.
That life included her husband's involvement in the famous St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Orchestrated by Chicago mobster Al Capone, the plan was to eliminate north-side bootlegging rival George "Bugs" Moran, who escaped being killed. But the shooters, including Winkeler and Burke, killed five members of Moran's gang and a mechanic and optometrist who were known to hang out with gangsters.
Burke was never charged in connection with the massacre, but was convicted in Berrien County of the shooting death of the St. Joseph policeman and sentenced to life in prison. He died in Marquette Branch Prison in the Upper Peninsula in 1940.
On page 123 of his book, Helmer notes that Lyon learned, among other things, that Burke had been a model prisoner who raised canaries in his cell. Before he died, Burke wrote a note in a Christmas card to Jane Irene Cutler, widow of the late Fred J. Cutler, Berrien County sheriff at the time of Burke's arrest.
"If every boy had a chance to come in contact with a man like Fred Cutler, life would be different," Burke wrote.
Lyon said she was honored to work with Helmer, who she said has written "the gold-standard" in gangster history books.
Helmer is also the author of "The Gun That Made the Twenties Roar," ''The St. Valentine's Day Massacre," ''Dillinger," and "The Public Enemies Almanac."
Regarding his newest book, she said, "It's a great read, and there's a good amount of Berrien County reference."
In large part, that's due to Lyon.
Thanks to Julie Swidwa
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Fashion Fetish Fete Event to Raise Funds for Veteran Support Services While Celebrating Chicago Fashion Leaders’ Humanitarian Achievements
Revamped Image Consulting (RIC), an image enhancement consulting company, announces the First Annual Fashion Fetish Fete (FFF) event that will take place this weekend, September 24th at Chicago’s Park West Venue in Lincoln Park and will be hosted by Aleah Connect of WCIU's Fashion Express. The event will not only award local fashion companies, designers and figures engaging in humanitarian efforts, but will also help raise funds for the Veteran Services offered by The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The event will begin at 6:00 PM (VIP) and conclude at 10 PM. Tickets cost $35/$50 VIP and may be purchased at fashionfetishfete.org.
Each year, FFF spotlights a Chicago-based charitable cause to help increase the awareness of the cause, educate attendees about what can be done to help, and to donate a generous portion of the event’s proceeds to support future programs and endeavors of the charity. This year, FFF will honor The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago and its incredible support of our veterans. Its veteran programs range from workforce re-training, job placement, temporary and permanent housing, counseling and more. Additionally, FFF will honor individuals and businesses within Chicago’s fashion industry for their notable humanitarian achievements.
This is an opportunity for business owners with an interest in Chicago’s retail and fashion industry to support Illinois veterans, raise awareness regarding their daily tribulations, and to honor Chicago’s altruistic fashion entities. The philanthropic 2011 event will include a fashion show featuring local designers, an awards ceremony, entertainment, hors d'oeuvres, cash bar, charitable fundraising, vendor offerings, and a VIP reception. A bonus runway addition will include three to five veterans on the walkway who will unveil their enhanced appearance resulting from a complimentary image make-over by Ravamped Image Consulting. Music will be provided by Obisoulstar and The Eletriqsoul Hideout.
“The first annual Fashion Fetish Fete will be an honor to host. I have seen first-hand through the eyes of my father after Vietnam, the transitional difficulties which can occur as vets try to return to civilian life after serving our country,” commented, Renita S. Manley-Garrett, owner of Revamped Image Consulting. “This event is not only a tribute to him, but to all those who have served our country with their time, their sacrifices, and many…their lives. Please join us as we leverage the inspirations of our local fashion community to support these programs and help ease their transition as our show of our gratitude.”
According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, “Veterans are twice as likely as other Americans to become chronically homeless.” Furthermore, the top reason cited for this statistic is the “lack of income due to limited education and lack of transferable skills from military to civilian life (especially true of younger veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan).”
A variety of sponsorship opportunities are available to local companies ranging from Goodie Bag inclusion to event marketing and advertising partnerships. Please contact renita@fashionfetishfete.org for more information about sponsoring the event.
Each year, FFF spotlights a Chicago-based charitable cause to help increase the awareness of the cause, educate attendees about what can be done to help, and to donate a generous portion of the event’s proceeds to support future programs and endeavors of the charity. This year, FFF will honor The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago and its incredible support of our veterans. Its veteran programs range from workforce re-training, job placement, temporary and permanent housing, counseling and more. Additionally, FFF will honor individuals and businesses within Chicago’s fashion industry for their notable humanitarian achievements.
This is an opportunity for business owners with an interest in Chicago’s retail and fashion industry to support Illinois veterans, raise awareness regarding their daily tribulations, and to honor Chicago’s altruistic fashion entities. The philanthropic 2011 event will include a fashion show featuring local designers, an awards ceremony, entertainment, hors d'oeuvres, cash bar, charitable fundraising, vendor offerings, and a VIP reception. A bonus runway addition will include three to five veterans on the walkway who will unveil their enhanced appearance resulting from a complimentary image make-over by Ravamped Image Consulting. Music will be provided by Obisoulstar and The Eletriqsoul Hideout.
“The first annual Fashion Fetish Fete will be an honor to host. I have seen first-hand through the eyes of my father after Vietnam, the transitional difficulties which can occur as vets try to return to civilian life after serving our country,” commented, Renita S. Manley-Garrett, owner of Revamped Image Consulting. “This event is not only a tribute to him, but to all those who have served our country with their time, their sacrifices, and many…their lives. Please join us as we leverage the inspirations of our local fashion community to support these programs and help ease their transition as our show of our gratitude.”
According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, “Veterans are twice as likely as other Americans to become chronically homeless.” Furthermore, the top reason cited for this statistic is the “lack of income due to limited education and lack of transferable skills from military to civilian life (especially true of younger veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan).”
A variety of sponsorship opportunities are available to local companies ranging from Goodie Bag inclusion to event marketing and advertising partnerships. Please contact renita@fashionfetishfete.org for more information about sponsoring the event.
Monday, September 19, 2011
2010 FBI Crime Statistics HIghlights
According to the figures released today by the FBI, the estimated number of violent crimes in 2010 declined for the fourth consecutive year. Property crimes also decreased, marking this the eighth straight year that the collective estimates for these offenses declined.
The 2010 statistics show that the estimated volumes of violent and property crimes declined 6.0 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively, when compared with the 2009 estimates. The violent crime rate for the year was 403.6 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants (a 6.5 percent decrease from the 2009 rate), and the property crime rate was 2,941.9 offenses per 100,000 persons (a 3.3 percent decrease from the 2009 figure).
These and additional data are presented in the 2010 edition of the FBI’s annual report Crime in the United States. This publication is a statistical compilation of offense and arrest data reported by law enforcement agencies voluntarily participating in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program.
The UCR program collects information on crimes reported by law enforcement agencies regarding the violent crimes of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, as well as the property crimes of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. (Although the FBI classifies arson as a property crime, it does not estimate arson data because of variations in the level of participation by the reporting agencies. Consequently, arson is not included in the property crime estimate.) The program also collects arrest data for the offenses listed above, plus 20 additional offenses that include all other crimes except traffic violations.
In 2010, there were 18,108 city, county, university and college, state, tribal, and federal agencies that participated in the UCR program. A summary of the statistics reported by these agencies, which are included in Crime in the United States, 2010, follows:
Caution against ranking: Each year when Crime in the United States is published, some entities use the figures to compile rankings of cities and counties. These rough rankings provide no insight into the numerous variables that mold crime in a particular town, city, county, state, tribal area, or region. Consequently, they lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents. Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis of the range of unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction. The data user is, therefore, cautioned against comparing statistical data of individual reporting units from cities, metropolitan areas, states, or colleges or universities solely on the basis of their population coverage or student enrollment.
The 2010 statistics show that the estimated volumes of violent and property crimes declined 6.0 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively, when compared with the 2009 estimates. The violent crime rate for the year was 403.6 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants (a 6.5 percent decrease from the 2009 rate), and the property crime rate was 2,941.9 offenses per 100,000 persons (a 3.3 percent decrease from the 2009 figure).
These and additional data are presented in the 2010 edition of the FBI’s annual report Crime in the United States. This publication is a statistical compilation of offense and arrest data reported by law enforcement agencies voluntarily participating in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program.
The UCR program collects information on crimes reported by law enforcement agencies regarding the violent crimes of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, as well as the property crimes of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. (Although the FBI classifies arson as a property crime, it does not estimate arson data because of variations in the level of participation by the reporting agencies. Consequently, arson is not included in the property crime estimate.) The program also collects arrest data for the offenses listed above, plus 20 additional offenses that include all other crimes except traffic violations.
In 2010, there were 18,108 city, county, university and college, state, tribal, and federal agencies that participated in the UCR program. A summary of the statistics reported by these agencies, which are included in Crime in the United States, 2010, follows:
- Nationwide in 2010, there were an estimated 1,246,248 violent crimes.
- Each of the four violent crime offenses decreased when compared with the 2009 estimates. Robbery had the largest decrease at 10.0 percent, followed by forcible rape with a 5.0 percent decline, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter with a 4.2 percent decrease, and aggravated assault with a 4.1 percent decline.
- Nationwide in 2010, there were an estimated 9,082,887 property crimes.
- Each of the property crime offenses also decreased in 2010 when compared with the 2009 estimates. The largest decline, 7.4 percent, was for motor vehicle thefts. The estimated number of burglaries decreased 2.0 percent, and the estimated number of larceny-thefts declined 2.4 percent.
- Collectively, victims of property crimes (excluding arson) lost an estimated $15.7 billion in 2010.
- The FBI estimated that in 2010, agencies nationwide made about 13.1 million arrests, excluding traffic violations.
- The 2010 arrest rate for violent crimes was 179.2 per 100,000 inhabitants; for property crime, the rate was 538.5 per 100,000 inhabitants.
- By violent crime offense, the arrest rate for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter was 3.6; forcible rape, 6.5; robbery, 36.6; and aggravated assault, 132.6 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants.
- By property crime offense, the arrest rate for burglary was 94.3; larceny-theft, 417.5; and motor vehicle theft, 23.1 per 100,000 inhabitants. The arrest rate for arson was 3.7 per 100,000 inhabitants.
- In 2010, there were 14,744 law enforcement agencies that reported their staffing levels to the FBI. These agencies reported that as of October 31, 2010, they collectively employed 705,009 sworn officers and 308,599 civilians, a rate of 3.5 employees for each 1,000 inhabitants.
Caution against ranking: Each year when Crime in the United States is published, some entities use the figures to compile rankings of cities and counties. These rough rankings provide no insight into the numerous variables that mold crime in a particular town, city, county, state, tribal area, or region. Consequently, they lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents. Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis of the range of unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction. The data user is, therefore, cautioned against comparing statistical data of individual reporting units from cities, metropolitan areas, states, or colleges or universities solely on the basis of their population coverage or student enrollment.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy
In 1964, Jacqueline Kennedy recorded seven historic interviews about her life with John F. Kennedy. Now, for the first time, they can be heard and read in this deluxe, illustrated book and 8-CD set.
Shortly after President John F. Kennedy s assassination, with a nation deep in mourning and the world looking on in stunned disbelief, Jacqueline Kennedy found the strength to set aside her own personal grief for the sake of posterity and begin the task of documenting and preserving her husband s legacy. In January of 1964, she and Robert F. Kennedy approved a planned oral-history project that would capture their first-hand accounts of the late President as well as the recollections of those closest to him throughout his extraordinary political career. For the rest of her life, the famously private Jacqueline Kennedy steadfastly refused to discuss her memories of those years, but beginning that March, she fulfilled her obligation to future generations of Americans by sitting down with historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and recording an astonishingly detailed and unvarnished account of her experiences and impressions as the wife and confidante of John F. Kennedy. The tapes of those sessions were then sealed and later deposited in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum upon its completion, in accordance with Mrs. Kennedy s wishes. The resulting eight and a half hours of material comprises a unique and compelling record of a tumultuous era, providing fresh insights on the many significant people and events that shaped JFK s presidency but also shedding new light on the man behind the momentous decisions. Here are JFK s unscripted opinions on a host of revealing subjects, including his thoughts and feelings about his brothers Robert and Ted, and his take on world leaders past and present, giving us perhaps the most informed, genuine, and immediate portrait of John Fitzgerald Kennedy we shall ever have. Mrs. Kennedy s urbane perspective, her candor, and her flashes of wit also give us our clearest glimpse into the active mind of a remarkable First Lady.
In conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of President Kennedy s Inauguration, Caroline Kennedy and the Kennedy family are now releasing these beautifully restored recordings on CDs with accompanying transcripts. Introduced and annotated by renowned presidential historian Michael Beschloss, these interviews will add an exciting new dimension to our understanding and appreciation of President Kennedy and his time and make the past come alive through the words and voice of an eloquent eyewitness to history.
Shortly after President John F. Kennedy s assassination, with a nation deep in mourning and the world looking on in stunned disbelief, Jacqueline Kennedy found the strength to set aside her own personal grief for the sake of posterity and begin the task of documenting and preserving her husband s legacy. In January of 1964, she and Robert F. Kennedy approved a planned oral-history project that would capture their first-hand accounts of the late President as well as the recollections of those closest to him throughout his extraordinary political career. For the rest of her life, the famously private Jacqueline Kennedy steadfastly refused to discuss her memories of those years, but beginning that March, she fulfilled her obligation to future generations of Americans by sitting down with historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and recording an astonishingly detailed and unvarnished account of her experiences and impressions as the wife and confidante of John F. Kennedy. The tapes of those sessions were then sealed and later deposited in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum upon its completion, in accordance with Mrs. Kennedy s wishes. The resulting eight and a half hours of material comprises a unique and compelling record of a tumultuous era, providing fresh insights on the many significant people and events that shaped JFK s presidency but also shedding new light on the man behind the momentous decisions. Here are JFK s unscripted opinions on a host of revealing subjects, including his thoughts and feelings about his brothers Robert and Ted, and his take on world leaders past and present, giving us perhaps the most informed, genuine, and immediate portrait of John Fitzgerald Kennedy we shall ever have. Mrs. Kennedy s urbane perspective, her candor, and her flashes of wit also give us our clearest glimpse into the active mind of a remarkable First Lady.
In conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of President Kennedy s Inauguration, Caroline Kennedy and the Kennedy family are now releasing these beautifully restored recordings on CDs with accompanying transcripts. Introduced and annotated by renowned presidential historian Michael Beschloss, these interviews will add an exciting new dimension to our understanding and appreciation of President Kennedy and his time and make the past come alive through the words and voice of an eloquent eyewitness to history.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Arthur Nigro Gets Life in Prison
A former Mafia boss from The Bronx and two violent henchmen were slapped with life sentences for a slew of crimes that included rubbing out a high-ranking mobster in Massachusetts.
One-time reputed acting Genovese family boss Arthur “Little Guy” Nigro and brothers Fotios “Fred” Geas and Ty Geas -- who all professed their innocence -- showed no emotion upon learning in Manhattan federal court that they would die behind bars.
Earlier this year, a jury needed only about an hour to convict them of multiple murder conspiracies, including a 2003 hit on Genovese capo Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno, a suspected mob informant.
The trial featured testimony from Mafia turncoat Anthony “Bingy” Arillotta, who infamously recalled that he had to strip naked before his induction ceremony to reassure Nigro and other nervous mobsters that he wasn’t wearing an FBI wire.
One-time reputed acting Genovese family boss Arthur “Little Guy” Nigro and brothers Fotios “Fred” Geas and Ty Geas -- who all professed their innocence -- showed no emotion upon learning in Manhattan federal court that they would die behind bars.
Earlier this year, a jury needed only about an hour to convict them of multiple murder conspiracies, including a 2003 hit on Genovese capo Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno, a suspected mob informant.
The trial featured testimony from Mafia turncoat Anthony “Bingy” Arillotta, who infamously recalled that he had to strip naked before his induction ceremony to reassure Nigro and other nervous mobsters that he wasn’t wearing an FBI wire.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Mafia Gardening 101
An elderly Italian man lived alone in New Jersey. He wanted to plant his annual vegetable garden, but it was very difficult work, as the ground was rock hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him in the garden, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament: Dear Vincent, I am feeling pretty sad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up the garden plot, my back won't take it anymore. I know if you were here my troubles would be over, as you loved the garden as much as I. I know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days, but you're not here, so guess the garden will just peter out, just like me. Love, Papa
A few days later he received a letter from his son: Dear Papa, Don't dig up that garden. That's where the bodies are buried. Love, Vinnie
At 4 a.m. The next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived, swarmed over the entire house and grounds and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left.
That same day the old man received another letter from his son: Dear Papa, Go ahead and plant the garden now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances. Love, Vinnie
A few days later he received a letter from his son: Dear Papa, Don't dig up that garden. That's where the bodies are buried. Love, Vinnie
At 4 a.m. The next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived, swarmed over the entire house and grounds and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left.
That same day the old man received another letter from his son: Dear Papa, Go ahead and plant the garden now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances. Love, Vinnie
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Feds Turn Profit on Auction of Mob Money
An unusual government auction of some cash once held by a Chicago mob boss is over.
In this Intelligence Report: Dozens of $500 and $1,000 bills owned by Frank Calabrese Sr. have fetched a small fortune.
It is rare to get money from the Outfit without having to pay it back -- plus some sizable interest. That's what they call a juice loan. Federal authorities, though, not only took some mob money found hidden in the walls of a home where boss Frank "the Breeze" Calabrese lived, they have sold it all at auction for a profit.
Three-quarters of a million dollars in cash was found stashed inside a basement wall, behind a Calabrese family montage at the Oak Brook home where Frank "the Breeze" once lived.
The money was seized as part of the famed Operation Family Secrets case, during which Calabrese was convicted of numerous gangland killings and is now serving a life sentence.
Over the past two weeks, an auction site has conducted online bidding for 125 of the bills, rare denominations of $500 and $1,000.
Federal officials say the U.S. Marshals service sold all 82 $500 bills and 43 $1,000 bills for more than face value. That means the government made at least $84,000 from the sale and likely hauled in more than $100,000.
On the open market today, such rare bills often sell for more than the face value, and a spokesman for the U.S. attorney said some of Calabrese's currency went for considerably more than the $500 or $1,000 face value denomination.
Authorities now have four days to confirm bids and two weeks to file a court notice of exactly how much was made in gross sales, which minus auction expenses, will be used to reduce Calabrese's hefty court-imposed fines and restitution.
Other Calabrese property seized from his home, including 1,000 pieces of diamond jewelry, is to be auctioned as well.
The feds say they hope to have all the final figures from the cash auction tallied by Labor Day. It is unclear where Frank Calabrese obtained the exotic bills.
Calabrese and the other bosses convicted in Family Secrets still have appeals pending in federal court.
Thanks to Chuck Goudie
In this Intelligence Report: Dozens of $500 and $1,000 bills owned by Frank Calabrese Sr. have fetched a small fortune.
It is rare to get money from the Outfit without having to pay it back -- plus some sizable interest. That's what they call a juice loan. Federal authorities, though, not only took some mob money found hidden in the walls of a home where boss Frank "the Breeze" Calabrese lived, they have sold it all at auction for a profit.
Three-quarters of a million dollars in cash was found stashed inside a basement wall, behind a Calabrese family montage at the Oak Brook home where Frank "the Breeze" once lived.
The money was seized as part of the famed Operation Family Secrets case, during which Calabrese was convicted of numerous gangland killings and is now serving a life sentence.
Over the past two weeks, an auction site has conducted online bidding for 125 of the bills, rare denominations of $500 and $1,000.
Federal officials say the U.S. Marshals service sold all 82 $500 bills and 43 $1,000 bills for more than face value. That means the government made at least $84,000 from the sale and likely hauled in more than $100,000.
On the open market today, such rare bills often sell for more than the face value, and a spokesman for the U.S. attorney said some of Calabrese's currency went for considerably more than the $500 or $1,000 face value denomination.
Authorities now have four days to confirm bids and two weeks to file a court notice of exactly how much was made in gross sales, which minus auction expenses, will be used to reduce Calabrese's hefty court-imposed fines and restitution.
Other Calabrese property seized from his home, including 1,000 pieces of diamond jewelry, is to be auctioned as well.
The feds say they hope to have all the final figures from the cash auction tallied by Labor Day. It is unclear where Frank Calabrese obtained the exotic bills.
Calabrese and the other bosses convicted in Family Secrets still have appeals pending in federal court.
Thanks to Chuck Goudie
Thursday, August 25, 2011
"Gangland" Fan Charged with Offering Police $100,000 Bribe
An Eau Claire, Wisc. motorist who allegedly had drugs, a loaded gun and thousands of dollars of cash on him when he was pulled over early Wednesday on the South Side was charged with offering police $100,000 to let him go, police said.
Christopher Parker, 24, of Fall Street in Eau Claire, was charged with felony attempted bribery, felony unlawful use of a weapon, possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia and traffic offenses, according to Gresham District police Lt. John Francis. Parker was expected in court Thursday
Parker allegedly offered officers $100,000 to let him go but was arrested instead, the lieutenant said.
Parker was behind the wheel of a 2002 Ford Explorer that was pulled over by police about 1 a.m. Wednesday in the 7800 block of South Lowe Avenue because the SUV only had one headlight, the lieutenant said.
The lieutenant said Parker claimed to be a History channel fan who watches a show called “Gangland.’’
According to the History channel’s website, Gangland is a series examining notorious street gangs in America.
Parker had the loaded Smith & Wesson .38 caliber semi automatic handgun, cannabis and $3,000 cash inside the SUV, according to the lieutenant.
According to the arrest report, Parker allegedly said, “I’m a dumb-a---- white boy from Wisconsin, I watch ‘Gangland’ and I came to the South Side of Chicago to act like a big baller.’’
The lieutenant said Parker told arresting officers he borrowed the gun for protection because he was “scared” to be driving on the South Side.
Calumet Area detectives are investigating.
Christopher Parker, 24, of Fall Street in Eau Claire, was charged with felony attempted bribery, felony unlawful use of a weapon, possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia and traffic offenses, according to Gresham District police Lt. John Francis. Parker was expected in court Thursday
Parker allegedly offered officers $100,000 to let him go but was arrested instead, the lieutenant said.
Parker was behind the wheel of a 2002 Ford Explorer that was pulled over by police about 1 a.m. Wednesday in the 7800 block of South Lowe Avenue because the SUV only had one headlight, the lieutenant said.
The lieutenant said Parker claimed to be a History channel fan who watches a show called “Gangland.’’
According to the History channel’s website, Gangland is a series examining notorious street gangs in America.
Parker had the loaded Smith & Wesson .38 caliber semi automatic handgun, cannabis and $3,000 cash inside the SUV, according to the lieutenant.
According to the arrest report, Parker allegedly said, “I’m a dumb-a---- white boy from Wisconsin, I watch ‘Gangland’ and I came to the South Side of Chicago to act like a big baller.’’
The lieutenant said Parker told arresting officers he borrowed the gun for protection because he was “scared” to be driving on the South Side.
Calumet Area detectives are investigating.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Beverly Bandits Search Continues
Robert D. Grant, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was joined today by Garry F. McCarthy, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD), in asking for the public’s help in identifying the individuals depicted in the below wanted flyer, who are responsible for the armed robbery of the First American Bank branch, located at 11821 South Western Avenue, on Tuesday morning.
The robbery took place just before 10:00 a.m., when two men, both brandishing handguns, entered the bank. One of the robbers stood guard over bank employees and customers from the lobby, while the second robber vaulted the teller counter. After removing money from an open teller drawer, he then forced an employee to open the vault, from which he took an undisclosed amount of cash, placing the money into a black plastic garbage bag that he brought with him.
The robbers then fled the bank and were seen entering a waiting automobile, described as an older model Chevrolet Monte Carlo, grey or silver in color, which was believed to be driven by a confederate. A partial license plate of K 9947 was observed by at least one witness.
As the vehicle was speeding from the area, a security dye pack inadvertently taken by one of the robbers, apparently activated. The robbers then began tossing dye stained money from the moving car. A few moments later, the get-away vehicle struck a City of Chicago refuse truck near the intersection of 116th Street and Oakley Street. Although the vehicle sustained extensive body damage, it was still drivable and continued to flee the area. No injuries were reported during the robbery or the subsequent auto accident.
The two robbers are described as black/males, 25-30 years of age, 5’7”-5’11” tall, medium build, with black hair and brown eyes. Both robbers were wearing what witnesses described as fake beards, black clothing, dark colored caps and gloves.
This case is being investigated by the Chicago FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF) which is comprised of FBI Special Agents, Detectives from the Chicago Police Department and Investigators from the Cook County Sheriff’s Police.
Anyone recognizing these individuals or having any information about this robbery is asked to call the Chicago FBI at (312) 421-6700 or any law enforcement agency.
The robbery took place just before 10:00 a.m., when two men, both brandishing handguns, entered the bank. One of the robbers stood guard over bank employees and customers from the lobby, while the second robber vaulted the teller counter. After removing money from an open teller drawer, he then forced an employee to open the vault, from which he took an undisclosed amount of cash, placing the money into a black plastic garbage bag that he brought with him.
The robbers then fled the bank and were seen entering a waiting automobile, described as an older model Chevrolet Monte Carlo, grey or silver in color, which was believed to be driven by a confederate. A partial license plate of K 9947 was observed by at least one witness.
As the vehicle was speeding from the area, a security dye pack inadvertently taken by one of the robbers, apparently activated. The robbers then began tossing dye stained money from the moving car. A few moments later, the get-away vehicle struck a City of Chicago refuse truck near the intersection of 116th Street and Oakley Street. Although the vehicle sustained extensive body damage, it was still drivable and continued to flee the area. No injuries were reported during the robbery or the subsequent auto accident.
The two robbers are described as black/males, 25-30 years of age, 5’7”-5’11” tall, medium build, with black hair and brown eyes. Both robbers were wearing what witnesses described as fake beards, black clothing, dark colored caps and gloves.
This case is being investigated by the Chicago FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF) which is comprised of FBI Special Agents, Detectives from the Chicago Police Department and Investigators from the Cook County Sheriff’s Police.
Anyone recognizing these individuals or having any information about this robbery is asked to call the Chicago FBI at (312) 421-6700 or any law enforcement agency.
Friday, August 05, 2011
Legendary Blues Musicians Jazz it Up in the Windy City
Blues music has been streaming its way throughout the United States for over a century and has progressed into a genre that incorporates so many forms of soulful music. With roots originating in the Deep South and traveling all the way to the Windy City , it’s no wonder legendary blues musicians are flocking to the first annual Illinois Central Music Festival, a Chicago blues festival that is sure to blow you away.
On Saturday, August 20th, come out to the West Loop and spend your summer day listening to the sweet sound of some of the most celebrated and talented blues artists in the country. Little Ray Neal Blues Band and their traditional blues music come all the way from Baton Rouge to share their power and soulfulness with the Midwest . Chicago native Billy Branch will also be on hand and filling the air with the sounds of his harmonica. A full schedule of performers is below:
Des Plaines – 1:00 p.m.
Little Ray Neal – 2:15 p.m.
Billy Branch – 3:00 p.m.
Big James – 4:45 p.m.
Sugar Blue – 6:15 p.m.
Larry McCray – 9:30 p.m.
Pro Jam – 9:30 p.m.
The Illinois Central Music Festival will take place from 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. at the intersection of Madison St. and May St. in Chicago ’s West Loop . Authentic Southern-inspired food will be provided courtesy of The CrossRoads Bar & Grill and will include comfort food favorites such as BBQ ribs, mac n’ cheese and pulled pork sliders. Beverage sponsors will provide fantastic libations for the adults in attendance and for those who want to make it a family affair, kids’ games such as a Moonwalk, Waterslide and Face-Painting will be on-site courtesy of The Fun Ones Co.
On Saturday, August 20th, come out to the West Loop and spend your summer day listening to the sweet sound of some of the most celebrated and talented blues artists in the country. Little Ray Neal Blues Band and their traditional blues music come all the way from Baton Rouge to share their power and soulfulness with the Midwest . Chicago native Billy Branch will also be on hand and filling the air with the sounds of his harmonica. A full schedule of performers is below:
Des Plaines – 1:00 p.m.
Little Ray Neal – 2:15 p.m.
Billy Branch – 3:00 p.m.
Big James – 4:45 p.m.
Sugar Blue – 6:15 p.m.
Larry McCray – 9:30 p.m.
Pro Jam – 9:30 p.m.
The Illinois Central Music Festival will take place from 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. at the intersection of Madison St. and May St. in Chicago ’s West Loop . Authentic Southern-inspired food will be provided courtesy of The CrossRoads Bar & Grill and will include comfort food favorites such as BBQ ribs, mac n’ cheese and pulled pork sliders. Beverage sponsors will provide fantastic libations for the adults in attendance and for those who want to make it a family affair, kids’ games such as a Moonwalk, Waterslide and Face-Painting will be on-site courtesy of The Fun Ones Co.
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