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Dirty Cops past and present

Posted By: NNY78

Dirty Cops past and present - 04/07/14 07:38 AM

Beside Carracoppa and Eppolito who are some other bad good guys?

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Cops+behaving+badly+keep+watchdog+busy/9697780/story.html

Looks like the mounties are havin fun in Canada lol
Posted By: TheArm

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/07/14 03:23 PM

Joe Geambrone, Sr Utica police investigator, and one tim,e alderman candidate resigned for accepting a "loan" from Colombo associate Dannato Nappi in the early 80s
(It was a bribe)
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/07/14 03:42 PM

Utica has quite an LCN history for a small town.

Here is a link for a bunch of Cops and FBI guys linked to the OC

http://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_257.html
Posted By: TheArm

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/07/14 04:18 PM

Originally Posted By: NNY78
Utica has quite an LCN history for a small town.

Here is a link for a bunch of Cops and FBI guys linked to the OC

http://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_257.html


Indeed, Utica was and the eastern caplitalof the Buffalo Family, and the current skipper is on the short list to take over as boss of the Family.
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/07/14 04:25 PM

Arm, Have you heard that Todaro's grandson may be taking over in Buffalo?


This is very interesting

Is The FBI A Racketeering Organization?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/harveysilverglate/2013/07/31/is-the-fbi-a-racketeering-organization/
Posted By: bigboy

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/07/14 04:51 PM

There was a senior narcotics detective Sgt in the Buffalo police named Tuttolomondo and he was charged as I recall with robbing the recovered money and drugs. I think back in the 80's.
Posted By: TheArm

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/07/14 05:01 PM

Originally Posted By: NNY78
Arm, Have you heard that Todaro's grandson may be taking over in Buffalo?


This is very interesting

Is The FBI A Racketeering Organization?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/harveysilverglate/2013/07/31/is-the-fbi-a-racketeering-organization/


I have and he is definatly on the short list to take over, along with Carcone,Pugliese,Torio,Panaro and a few others
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/07/14 06:07 PM

Arm,

Back in the day when you were in Buffalo one of your co-workers wink owned a Wilson Farms store, a liquor store and another convenience store and ran a gambling operation all around and near Elmwood Ave and the old Psych hospital. What is he up to these days, did he retire or is he still active? He had a nice kid Chris who worked for him and ran one of the stores, built like a tank, he had two brothers almost as big but not involved in the life that I know of.
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/07/14 06:11 PM

Bigboy, Thanks for the info!
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/08/14 09:59 AM

More bad cops video, this guy forgot to take his meds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZW0gGKKYMg
Posted By: NorthsideIrish

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/08/14 11:53 AM

William Hanhardt
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/08/14 12:51 PM

Thanks NorthsideIrish!



Chicago cop Bill Hanhardt (above) flew high even after being linked to hit of businessman Allen Dorfman (center). After leaving force, Hanhardt started new career as jewel thief.


On a gloomy winter day in 1983, two gunmen ambushed a businessman named Allen Dorfman as he walked across a hotel parking lot in suburban Chicago.

The city's infamous Outfit mob might as well have left a calling card. The killers pumped seven shots into Dorfman's head. It was a classic gangland whacking.

Dorfman, 60, had been a lieutenant of International Brotherhood of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa. He got rich as proprietor of the union's murky pension funds but had been convicted of bribery a month before his murder. Facing life in prison, he was rumored to be cutting a deal to implicate both Teamsters and gangsters.

Chicago gumshoes stifled a yawn over the rubout. It was an occupational hazard murder, like a drug deal gone bad.

But one detail stopped cops cold. In Dorfman's little black book, investigators found the name of Bill Hanhardt, chief of detectives of the Chicago Police Department.

Hanhardt was a Windy City legend for his devilish ability to think like a criminal. He had collared dozens of hard-to-find perps, including several cop killers.

A Chicago cop since 1953, Hanhardt was seen as a bridge between old-school, sap-carrying policing and more enlightened modern methods. By reputation, he was as brainy as Inspector Morse, as leathery as Kojak, as passionate as Detective Sipowicz.

But was he honest?

Questions about mob connections had dogged Hanhardt for much of his career, even as he was being promoted to sensitive command positions.

Disgrace? What disgrace?

In 1979, Hanhardt was booted down to the traffic squad after he was accused of playing footsy with mobsters who ruled the city's corrupt downtown ward.

Yet, just months later, he was promoted to being chief of detectives by Police Superintendent Richard Brzeczek after the election of Mayor Jane Byrne.

Even after his name turned up in Dorfman's black book, Hanhardt was allowed to enjoy the twilight of his police career as a district commander.

In 1986, while still on the job, he acted as a defense witness in the Nevada conspiracy trial of Anthony Spilotro, the Chicago Outfit's man in Las Vegas. Hanhardt's testimony helped discredit one of the mobster's key accusers.

A few months later, he was feted by Byrne and hundreds of others at an elaborate retirement banquet.

Hanhardt seemed to ride off into the sunset with a wink and a snicker. He was hired as a consultant to the TV drama "Crime Story."

In 1995, author Richard Lindberg asked him to ruminate on his career as a cop. His reply dripped with cynicism.

"You knew that you're going to get screwed over eventually, so you went into the game with that thought in mind," Hanhardt said. "You got a wife. You got kids. So you got to think about the future, right? But I never liked thinking about the future. I liked to live for the moment."

Retired cop, active thief

Hanhardt retired to a handsome home in the suburbs, but he stayed busy in his dotage.

In October 2000, he was indicted as the leader of a band of thieves who stole $5 million in jewelry over 12 years beginning in 1984, while he was still a top cop. Hanhardt fenced the goods through friends in the outfit.

His gang "surpasses in duration and sophistication just about any other jewelry theft ring we've seen," said prosecutor Scott Lassar.

It seemed Hanhardt was able to think like a criminal because he was one.

He used techniques he learned as commander of the police burglary squad to devise diabolically clever thefts.

He tapped active cop friends and private detectives for leads on potential victims, targeting gem salesmen traveling with valises of valuable samples.

In some cases they simply tailed a salesman and broke into his vehicle: such jobs included a $300,000 gem theft in Wisconsin in 1984, $500,000 worth of Rolex watches in California in 1986, and jewelry thefts of $125,000 in Ohio in 1989, and $1 million in Michigan and $240,000 in Minnesota in 1993.

Unsafe deposit boxes

The gang sometimes used the old spy scam of swapping identical bags with a salesman - a trick that netted $1 million worth of diamonds in Dallas in 1992 from a representative of J. Schliff and Son, a W. 48th St. jeweler.

Hanhardt's biggest score came in 1994. For two months before a gem wholesalers show at a hotel in Columbus, Ohio, a gang member checked in under the name Sol Gold and asked to store valuables in the hotel's safe-deposit boxes, which were in a secure room behind the front desk.

He systematically copied the keys until Hanhardt was able to create a master passkey. One night during the gem show, a desk clerk allowed "Mrs. Sol Gold" unsupervised access to the room. The safe-deposit boxes of eight gem dealers were relieved of some $2 million in valuables.

The jig was up when the woman went from accomplice to spurned wife and informed on the gang to the FBI.

City officials stammered to explain how Hanhardt managed to prosper as a cop and crook.

"The only thing I ever heard about him was good things," ex-Mayor Byrne told reporters.

"I know that he had an illustrious career," said his ex-police boss Brzeczek. "A lot of people knew him. He knew a lot of people. But I don't have any evidence whatsoever of him being mob-connected."

But the federal government had plenty of evidence, including 1,307 incriminating phone calls collected during a yearlong wiretap on his home phone.

For two years, cops and mobsters wondered whether Hanhardt would go to trial and give a public airing to his double life.

Bad cop, good cop

But he pleaded guilty in 2002. He was ordered to pay $5 million in restitution and packed away to a Minnesota prison for a 12-year sentence.

As they waved goodbye, Hanhardt's kin still viewed him as his good-cop mirage.

His son-in-law, Michael Kertez, called Hanhardt "probably the most wonderful detective in the history of Chicago."

Now 79, the disgraced top snoop faces a life behind bars until at least 2012.

dkrajicek@aol.com


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/chicago-crooked-article-1.291259#ixzz2yJYYFiKX
Posted By: TheArm

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/09/14 11:54 AM

Originally Posted By: NNY78
Arm,

Back in the day when you were in Buffalo one of your co-workers wink owned a Wilson Farms store, a liquor store and another convenience store and ran a gambling operation all around and near Elmwood Ave and the old Psych hospital. What is he up to these days, did he retire or is he still active? He had a nice kid Chris who worked for him and ran one of the stores, built like a tank, he had two brothers almost as big but not involved in the life that I know of.


That Store is still there on Lafayete and Elmwood The "official owner is John but Dad still very much runs it along with everything else. Lost track o9f Chris years ago, but from what I hear he and the old man are still active. Mr G was never made but has been a solid associate for decades
Posted By: Garbageman

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/13/14 07:25 AM

Originally Posted By: NNY78
Arm, Have you heard that Todaro's grandson may be taking over in Buffalo?


This is very interesting

Is The FBI A Racketeering Organization?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/harveysilverglate/2013/07/31/is-the-fbi-a-racketeering-organization/


NNY78 - That Forbes article is 100% on the money. Check out a post I made concerning Daniel Fama. They essentially extorted him and Fama isn't the only one. There are many, many more people they've done this to. Here's the thread link.

Extortion of Daniel Fama
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/13/14 08:19 AM

Garbageman, Thank you for the link. These FBI guys in many cases are no better than the guys their looking to put in the can.


Is The FBI A Racketeering Organization?



Now that the trial of Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger is grinding to its conclusion, the morally bankrupt dealings of the Boston branch of the FBI and its favorite local informants are once again making front-page news. Bulger is facing federal racketeering charges based on his alleged loansharking, extortion, distribution of illegal drugs, shakedowns of local drug dealers and at least 19 murders.

Bulger’s alleged crimes violate the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act, passed by Congress in 1970 to aid the FBI in taking down criminal organizations such as the Mafia and corrupt labor unions. The law defines a RICO as any organization that participates in, among other things, “any act or threat involving murder, kidnapping, gambling, arson, robbery, bribery, extortion, dealing in obscene matter, or dealing in a controlled substance or listed chemical.” The evidence produced so far at the Bulger trial clearly implicates Bulger and his Winter Hill Gang in racketeering acts. But that same evidence also shows that the FBI, built almost singlehandedly by the widely reviled J. Edgar Hoover (whose name still adorns the Bureau’s Washington, DC, headquarters – indicating that revilement of Hoover is far from universal), easily qualifies as a RICO.

The FBI’s culpability comes from its agreement to protect Bulger and his associates from local, state and other federal agencies’ investigations into their moneymaking schemes and murders. In exchange for this protection, Bulger passed along tips that helped the FBI take down the once-powerful Boston branch of the Patriarca New England Mafia crime family, led by the Angiulo family with headquarters in Boston’s North End. FBI handlers also passed tips to Bulger about his rivals and enemies, many of whom ended up in shallow graves around the Boston area not long after. As a result of this corrupt partnership – one might even call it a conspiracy – the FBI received widespread adulation for eliminating the Boston Mafia, while Bulger and his Winter Hill gang eliminated the competition for their lucrative rackets. (One could argue, we suppose, that the FBI and its partner Bulger conspired to violate anti-trust laws, but for current purposes we’ll stick to the anti-racketeering statute.)

When the game was up and Massachusetts prosecutors were about to issue an indictment against Bulger, Bulger’s FBI handler John Connolly, currently serving a 40-year state-imposed sentence in Florida for murder, tipped him off (for which Connolly served an earlier federal sentence). Bulger escaped and spent the next sixteen years on the lam. You read that correctly: in exchange for his help in taking down the Italian mob, the FBI helped Bulger avoid answering for the savage crimes that made him king of the Boston underworld. It was a match made in Heaven (or Hell, if one prefers). And, in fact, the match may well involve not just the Boston FBI, but the Massachusetts United States Attorney’s office as well. Bulger claims that a high official in the New England Organized Crime Strike Force (a collaborative effort spearheaded by the FBI and Boston US Attorney’s office) promised Bulger immunity for any crime, including murders committed in the future, that he might perpetrate during his cooperation with the feds in bringing down the Mafia. But we’ll likely never learn the whole truth about this, since federal District Judge Denise Casper, herself a former prosecutor, denied Bulger’s motion to present the jury with evidence to support his immunity claim. Even so, the evidence thus far adduced in the Bulger trial gives ample indication of the close relationship between the Winter Hill mob and the Boston FBI office.

If the Bulger saga were the only example of such unsavory conduct by the FBI, one could argue that this level of corruption was not sufficiently embedded and widespread to constitute the kind of racketeering enterprise that the RICO statute targets. But the FBI’s lawless, or at least highly dubious, activity goes well beyond this.




There are the historical outrages, like the FBI’s spying on homosexuals to create rap sheets that J. Edgar Hoover could use against his political enemies, or the FBI’s round-the-clock surveillance of the highest levels of the civil rights movement (a Memphis undercover cop who was a regular FBI informant was present during the assassination of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.). Even earlier in the organization’s history, when it was still known as the Bureau of Investigations, an ascendant Hoover earned his chops overseeing the trumped up prosecutions of leftists, foreigners and other such “undesirables” in cases so egregious that they led concerned citizens to form the ACLU. During the McCarthy era, Hoover and his agents passed information to McCarthy’s staff, helping McCarthy destroy the lives of those who came in his sights.

More recently, the FBI has come under deserved scrutiny for the fatal shooting of Ibragim Todashev by an FBI agent. Todashev was under investigation as an alleged accomplice to Boston Marathon Bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev in a 2011 triple homicide and had undergone several earlier FBI interrogations apparently without incident. The official FBI story so far is that Todashev, on the verge of signing a confession, suddenly went crazy and lunged at the FBI agent, who then shot him. In early accounts, Todashev was armed with a knife, in later accounts he was unarmed. Official accounts also claim that two Massachusetts state troopers who had accompanied the FBI agent to Todashev’s apartment were conveniently out of the room when the shooting occurred, leaving no living witnesses except the FBI agent who pulled the trigger.

The Todashev shooting is not a fluke. According to the New York Times, FBI agents fatally shot 70 people and wounded another 80 between 1993 and 2011. While some may be shocked to discover that internal FBI investigators have deemed every single one of those shootings appropriate, those of us who see the FBI as a racketeering organization know that such self-justification is par for the course among such groups. Just ask John Martorano, the unrepentant Winter Hill Gang enforcer who confessed to twenty murders, all perpetrated while Bulger was under FBI protection, and served only twelve years after cutting a rather favorable deal with the feds.

The FBI can get away with this slew of supposedly justified killings because, like any good racketeering organization, the FBI hates conducting its business on the record. Its official rules ban the recording of interrogations and witness interviews, which are instead typically conducted by two agents, one of whom asks questions and the other of whom takes the notes that will eventually become the official report of the interview. Any witness or defendant who dares contradict this official report is subject to prosecution under a statute that provides for a five-year sentence for lying to a federal agent. This scheme of extorting (or, more politely, creating) testimony that aligns with what the FBI wants to hear largely explains the fact that a staggering 97% of federal cases end in guilty pleas.

Examples like these could fill this space a dozen times over, leading us to suspect that racketeering activity is so deeply ingrained in the agency’s culture that the FBI qualifies as a Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization under any reasonable reading of the RICO Act. Perhaps it’s time to shut down the organization, take Hoover’s name off the building, and start over. And when the job of either reforming or dismantling the FBI is done, perhaps we might focus our efforts on any of the other federal law enforcement agencies that have run off the rails, such as those that enforce the drug laws. Now there’s a fertile field just waiting to be plowed.

Silverglate’s research assistant, Zachary Bloom, who resides in Somerville, MA, co-authored this piece.
Posted By: Garbageman

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/13/14 04:16 PM

You know, that article is akin to Giuliani's 'RICO revelation' while reading Joe Bonannone book. Take any one of these huge takedown cases with multiple arrests, and I guarantee you get a hold of the disclosure (fat chance) and you will find evidence of extortion committed by the supposed good guys. Turns my stomach
Posted By: Garbageman

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/13/14 04:21 PM

And I would love for someone, somewhere, to wire up everyone who is about to get arrested on the next big mass arrest so they can record their own 302's. You would have to invent an authentic FBI internal affairs unit for that. Another dream.
Posted By: Dwalin2011

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/13/14 04:35 PM

It seems that all famous cases of crimes committed by the FBI originate from abuse of power, meaning they protect one criminal organization to fight another criminal organization, or shoot "bad guys" when it isn't necessary at all. But all these crimes are of the category "we wanted to do good by using bad methods". So, a question: were there any cases in the USA when the FBI committed "traditional" crimes, meaning crimes finalized to personal enrichment and pure increase of power, like Eppolito and Caracappa in the police? I mean, not just abuse of power to do something what originally was supposed to be a positive goal, but entering into the criminal world as a part of it?

I am interested because for example in Russia there are often arrests of gangs composed of entirely of cops, cops committing extortion, robbery etc. There is a recent trial of 2 FSB (secret service) colonels who had a businessman killed to steal and sell a building belonging to him, and then eliminated the hitman as well.
In Italy it's rarer, but here there was a gang of policemen robbers called the "Gang of the white number one" (La banda dell'uno bianca" ("L'uno bianca" - "the white number one" was their car).

Any similar cases in America?
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/13/14 06:33 PM

Dwalin, Here is a one, these FBI guys are not above reproach and have you ever noticed that lots of them over the years have been Italian?

Fbi Agent Took Bribes Of $850,000


March 15, 1985|By Kathleen Pellegrino, Staff Writer


A former FBI agent admitted Thursday that he accepted $850,000 worth of bribes and payoffs and took part in a cocaine-smuggling operation while working undercover for the federal government.

Dan A. Mitrione Jr., 38, of Cooper City, who resigned in June 1983 after 10 years with the FBI, pleaded guilty to two drug-smuggling charges and one bribery charge and could face up to 45 years in prison when he is sentenced.

U.S. Attorney Stanley Marcus asked that a sentencing date not be scheduled because the case is still under investigation. Marcus would make no other comment.

The case against Mitrione came to a quick conclusion Thursday, when he surrendered and at the same time agreed to plead guilty as part of an agreement with the U.S. Attorney`s Office.

Mitrione, who lives in Cooper City with his wife, immediately was taken into custody and made no comment about his decision to plead guilty.

As part of the plea-bargain agreement, he must forfeit assets that resulted from his illegal activity and will face no other criminal charges as a result of the investigation.

``He was responsible for the things he admitted, and that is why he chose to do what he did,`` said Daniel Forman, Mitrione`s attorney.

During a hearing before U.S. District Judge Eugene Spellman on Thursday, Mitrione stood with his head bowed even when answering questions from the judge about whether the plea agreement was the way he wanted to conclude the case.

``Yes sir, it is,`` Mitrione said.

Mitrione`s problems grew out of his involvement in an FBI undercover investigation dubbed ``Operation Airlift.``

Operation Airlift was designed to penetrate drug-smuggling rings, and Mitrione and an unidentified ``cooperating individual,`` or informer, approached traffickers to offer services to them.

According to the documents filed by Marcus, Mitrione began participating in the informer`s drug deals without permission and without notifying his superiors.

On one occasion, Mitrione drove a truck loaded with cocaine between Kokomo, Ind., and Miami to be distributed.

Marcus said Mitrione`s associates decided ``if he were stopped, he could show he was an FBI man, and wouldn`t be bothered.``

Mitrione received money, real estate and presents such as a Rolex watch, totaling $850,000, the court documents say.

Mitrione helped distribute 92.2 pounds of cocaine from a shipment of 517 pounds, according to court documents.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1985-03-15/news/8501100267_1_mitrione-operation-airlift-fbi
Posted By: Dwalin2011

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/13/14 06:49 PM

NNY78, thanks for the information, never heard of this case before.
By the way, I remember reading something about Casso having an FBI agent on the payroll, but was it true or just to divert attention from Eppolito and Caracappa?
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/13/14 07:00 PM

Originally Posted By: Garbageman
And I would love for someone, somewhere, to wire up everyone who is about to get arrested on the next big mass arrest so they can record their own 302's. You would have to invent an authentic FBI internal affairs unit for that. Another dream.


That would be great wouldn't it, someone should be watching the feds unethical behavior on a regular basis. While I think the vast majority of the men and women in law enforcement are honorable people there is that element that participates in activities that are akin to the very thing that they are trying to arrest others for, very hypocritical.
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/13/14 07:20 PM

Originally Posted By: Dwalin2011
NNY78, thanks for the information, never heard of this case before.
By the way, I remember reading something about Casso having an FBI agent on the payroll, but was it true or just to divert attention from Eppolito and Caracappa?


That's a good question, I have not read anything that would support an FBI guy was on Casso's payroll but anything is possible. Another good example of the feds being less than honorable is the whole Greg Scarpa thing. They let this guy continue to line his pockets and kill as long as he gave them info on other members.
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/14/14 03:29 PM

I wonder if this guy is related the Gambino boss wink

In the February 2012 issue of Townhall Magazine, Cefalu detailed the ATF corruption leading up to Fast and Furious and his retaliation case coming from inside the bureau that led to his firing this week.


My name is Vincent A. Cefalu. I am a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms under the U.S. Department of Justice. Welcome to our nightmare. I say “our” because dozens of us can’t write a single article, and I have been asked and am privileged to speak on behalf of my peers who have not had the opportunity to voice their concerns related to ATF mismanagement, particularly with Operation Fast and Furious. This grotesquely dangerous and reckless operation should have never been considered, much less allowed to occur. It employed the unprecedented practice of allowing firearms to be transferred to violent criminals without any interdiction effort at all, in hopes of somehow later identifying high-level Mexican cartel members. But it was the pattern of gross mismanagement that had been allowed to exist in ATF—and that I witnessed—which fostered an environment that unleashed this operation, violating public trust on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

At no time in my career prior to becoming a complainant against my own agency—the agency I love and have been honored to serve— could I have ever been convinced I would be the poster boy for whistleblowers and challenges to corrupt government. As a young Marine military policeman, I was thrilled, proud and honored to be in law enforcement. I never considered it work....

But I ended up the lead agent in a case with huge vendetta overtones by my state and local counterparts, where members of an ad hoc task force insisted on fast-tracking wiretap attempts against the suspects. I refused. When I reported this officially, senior management retroactively fabricated justifications for the actions they were preparing to take against me. This led to a network of frustrated agents and inspectors, which ultimately resulted in my being contacted regarding the gun-walking practices and cover-ups related to Fast and Furious. I took this information to Congress and advocated others to do the same.

In the 18 months leading up to Fast and Furious, Special Agent in Charge Bill Newell’s actions required that the agency had to pay out over a million dollars in settlements which should have led to his removal for the related conduct, had it ever been investigated and documented. Special Agent in Charge George Gillette had been disciplined multiple times, and his subordinates had logged dozens of complaints related to his incompetence and mismanagement. Had ATF dealt with them at the time, the Fast and Furious program would never have been undertaken. However, by attacking those who exposed corruption, ATF was able to keep their golden boys in place. This process was repeated all over the country (Newell has since been relocated to D.C. headquarters, but not fired). So pronounced was the mismanagement that ATF logged more complaints than either the DEA or FBI per agent. This is notable because the latter two are much larger agencies.

I write this article almost 6 years into the whistleblower process with ATF and only after millions of taxpayer dollars and countless hours of manpower have been expended by my agency to attack and discredit me and other whistleblowers.

The environment at ATF today is one where honest officers cannot act without fear of reprisal from dishonest officers. Such is this agent's story, and the story of many other whistleblowers, including those involved in Fast and Furious.

Whistleblowers are often put under the supervision of corrupt ATF officials who have the intention of retaliating against them no matter what the circumstances. The Department of Justice has done little to prevent this behavior despite the act of retaliation being illegal and a violation of the Whistleblower Protection Act.

ATF's termination decision comes just weeks after Senator Chuck Grassley sent a letter to Deputy Attorney General James Cole about a rift between the Reno ATF Field Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office.


As you may be aware, I recently contacted both Nevada U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Acting Director B. Todd Jones about allegations from whistleblowers that a breakdown in relations had occurred between ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) in Reno, Nevada.[1] I have not yet received a briefing from either of their offices.

The alleged breakdown is illustrated in a declination memorandum from the Reno USAO, which indicates that as of September 29, 2011, the Reno USAO categorically refused to accept any cases submitted by Reno ATF. The declination memo states, “We are willing to consider your cases again when your management addresses and resolves the issues at hand.”[2] Apparently as a consequence, ATF’s Reno Field Office has only opened one case in 2012, as the attached chart indicates.[3]

I have since obtained documents from whistleblowers which indicate that these issues were raised with ATF headquarters and the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) almost a year ago. According to one document, ATF agents in Reno notified ATF’s Internal Affairs Division of the issue on October 13, 2011.[4] According to a second document, an ATF agent in Reno notified OPR on October 25, 2011.[5] As you may know, because of ATF and the Reno USAO’s inability to resolve these issues, three ATF line agents and a supervisor were transferred out of Reno in April 2012.

In light of these facts, I am seeking to understand whether Justice Department management was also notified of the problems between ATF and the USAO in Reno, and if so, what actions were taken to rectify these issues. Your office, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General (ODAG), is responsible for overseeing both ATF and U.S. Attorneys.

Cefalu says he will challenge ATF's decision. The following was posted on CleanUpATF shortly after the termination was issued.


Well, they've finally gone ahead and done it. ATF's San Francisco hatchet men just served Special Agent Vince Cefalu with termination papers in the parking lot of a Dennys. They did this over a year and half after proposing the termination . Notwithstanding the transparently trumped-up nature of the so-called "charges" in question, proposing a termination and then excuting it over a year and a half later is prima facie evidence that the action is unsustainable and is virtually certain to be reversed on appeal.

Moreover, the allegations used as a basis for the adverse action are laughably unfounded, deliberately fabricated, and relied largely on the testimony of ATF officials who committed easily-provable felony perjury in open court and later in sworn depositions. I herein predict that a number of the people involved in this grotesque act of bald-faced unlawful retaliation and obstruction of justice will do significant jail time before this is all over.

I will also say with confidence that this was by far the stupidest , most ill-advised course of action that they (ATF management) could possibly have taken in this case. Rather than quietly settling what a mediocre first-year law student would recognize to be a Hindenburg of a losing case (for them), ATF just substantially amplified the damages award that Cefalu will, in my opinion, recover at trial. Talk about stepping in it.

It's well-known that ATF management and their viciously corrupt counsel are, for the most part, brutally self-serving and mean-spirited. But this Cefalu termination is nevertheless surprising in its utter incomprehensibility under the circumstances, from purely legal and elemental federal labor law standpoints. If they had any prayer of making the action stick, they had to do it more than a year ago, before so many additional events have transpired that will render the termination plainly unlawful and inescapably untenable. It's just plain moronic no matter how you slice it.

It seems apparent that ATF's leadership at all levels has degenerated to a pathetic state of paroxysmal, shoot-from-the-hip incompetence. They can't even do the wrong thing right.

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2012/10/12/atf_whistleblower_fired_in_dennys_parking_lot
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 04/16/14 07:33 AM

Came across this, has some good insights.

Police Corruption


Although studied and researched, the topic of police corruption, in large part, remains a mystery. Sir Robert Peel was credited with the concept that the police depend on citizen cooperation in providing services in a democratic society. As such, the detrimental aspects of police misconduct cannot be overstated. In terms of public trust for law enforcement, recent polls show that only 56 percent of people rated the police as having a high or very high ethical standard as compared with 84 percent for nurses.1

Over the past few decades, great strides have occurred in the law enforcement profession. To begin with, many police agencies have avoided hiring candidates who have low ethical standards and have identified those onboard employees early in their careers who might compromise the department's integrity. In addition, research has discovered new methods of testing candidates for their psychological propensity to act ethically. However, unethical conduct by the nation's police officers continues to occur in departments large and small.

Research into police corruption offers some understanding of the phenomenon in the hope of rooting out this behavior that serves to undermine the overall legitimacy of law enforcement. Theories on the role of society in law enforcement, the negative influence of an officer's department, and a person's own natural tendency to engage in unethical behavior have been offered as explanations of police corruption.2 So, the author poses the question: Is this noble goal to rid our nation's police organizations of unethical behavior possible and plausible?

Integrity

Officer Martin serves with the Rochester, New York, Police Department and is an adjunct instructor of criminal justice at Keuka College and Finger Lakes Community College.


First of all, the discussion of ethics as related to law enforcement must begin with a definition of the word integrity. One researcher has said that it is "the sum of the virtues required to bring about the general goals of protections and service to the public."3 He created a list of characteristics that he feels officers must possess to have integrity.
1.Prudence: the ability to discern between conflicting virtues and decide the best action to take
2.Trust: loyalty and truthfulness in relationships between officers and citizens, fellow officers, and supervisors
3.Effacement of self-interests: without this, officers may exploit their authority to further themselves
4.Courage: the mean between cowardice and foolhardiness
5.Intellectual honesty: not knowing something and being humble and courageous enough to admit it
6.Justice: not in its normal context, but, rather, adjusting what is owed to a particular citizen even when it may contradict what is strictly owed
7.Responsibility: intending to do the right thing, clearly understanding what the right thing is, and being fully aware of other alternatives that may exist; taking responsibility, rather than finding excuses for mistakes or poor judgment

Leadership

Leadership constitutes an integral part of police work, and the head of an organization holds the ultimate responsibility for its shortcomings. Conversely, this individual greatly can influence the success of an agency. As such, leaders have a significant impact in preventing corruption.

In working toward the goals of a department, the top executives play a primary role in forming the organizational climate. Those who strive to maintain a high standard of ethical conduct can serve as the key to prevent corruption and maintain the public's trust.4 As one researcher explained, principled leaders do not act to protect their own egos, try to put on a good appearance without substance in their decisions or efforts, or attempt to intimidate those under them. Instead, principle-based executives who work with their subordinates can take an important step toward creating an ethical climate by developing an agenda that explains the moral purposes of the department.

But, leaders bent on taking on the task of stopping corrupt behavior in their departments must use care. Unless a thorough understanding as to the nature, extent, and organization of corruption exists, efforts to combat it may be counterproductive. Without gaining the necessary understanding of the department's climate, administrators actually may lower morale among members and strengthen the solidarity of those who will start to doubt the ability of these people to effectively lead the agency. Moreover, such actions can waste valuable department resources.

While leaders certainly play an integral part in forming the overall climate of the organization, they alone cannot ensure that high levels of integrity are maintained. During a national symposium on police integrity, one speaker noted that it still is "our sergeants, lieutenants, and captains who have the daily and ongoing responsibility to ensure that the appropriate workplace standards are maintained."5 But, while ethical supervisors help maintain an ethical workplace, the opposite also remains true: uncaring and incompetent officials actually can promote misconduct.

The possibility exists that no matter how conscientious they are and how thoroughly they do their jobs, first- and second-level commanders cannot keep an officer inclined to act unethically from doing so.6 The ratio of officers to supervisors is too high to allow for close enough oversight. However, in police work, leadership is not solely defined by rank. Instead, all officers need to exude some leadership skills because they operate, for the most part, without direct supervision.

Officers receive training and a large quantity of rules and regulations and are entrusted to perform their normal day-to-day duties within those guidelines. Supervisors generally are not involved unless a complaint against an officer or a serious incident requires their response. So, while it is incumbent upon the leaders to create an atmosphere that promotes ethical conduct, it falls to each member of the organization to ensure that this standard of integrity is carried out.

Finally, mentoring younger officers can allow corruption to spread. Once a void is created by the lack of strong or cohesive leadership, it will fill with substandard or unethical officers looking to bolster their ranks. Therefore, it becomes imperative that effective leaders—who share the same goals—be in place to set the standard for subordinates to see and emulate.

Work Environment

Law enforcement professionals completely understand that their typical work environment may be less than ideal at best and life threatening at worst. Within minutes, officers must solve problems that have taken days, months, or sometimes years to develop. In this environment, excellence is a necessity. A single incident in law enforcement can have devastating effects felt throughout the country; this serves to illustrate the intolerance of police misconduct in American society.

"The major cause in the lack of integrity in American police officers is mediocrity."7 Leadership that allows for mediocrity to first exist and then remain, rather than demanding the highest level of conduct within a department, can create a climate ripe for misconduct. However, a high degree of ethics that will prevent leaders from compromising their integrity in lieu of expediency or personal profit can stifle potential misconduct.8

In police work, results are measured in such terms as the number of arrests and the amount of weapons and drugs recovered. This being the case, officers will find ways to accomplish these tasks or risk being passed over for promotions or specialized assignments. As a result, some officers may choose to "cut corners" or violate the law and not even consider their conduct unethical. In an interview following his conviction and subsequent incarceration for his activities, one officer explained, "The pressure is to produce, to show activity, to get the collars. It's all about numbers, like the body count in Vietnam. The rest of the system determines if you got the right guy or not."9

It is this push for results by administrators that some officers can interpret as their agencies not caring or wanting to know how those results are obtained. These officers may see it as a license to get results at all costs. Because policing often is equated to war (e.g., the "war on drugs"), this war mentality can produce many of today's integrity issues.

Such a work environment causes officers to feel that they are doing what is wanted by their organizations and the public. However, when their conduct becomes illegal or unethical, their departments impose punishment. Then, afterwards, the officers may continue with the behavior because the pressure to produce results is greater than that to follow the rules. Further, the fear of punishment usually is not enough to change unwanted behavior.10

So, while no law enforcement agencies should tolerate mediocrity, another aspect of the moral makeup needs to be patience. Those who engage in criminal conduct do so as a matter of business. Rarely are they committing such an act for the first time. It is this notion that needs to be instilled in the psyche of today's police officers. The fact that an offender is known is the key. If officers cannot arrest that subject on one occasion, other opportunities will arise, thereby removing the imperative need to compromise their integrity to get the "bad guy" now.

Police Subculture

The profession of policing, as well as many others, has a subculture unto itself. The morbid sense of humor perhaps illustrates one of the most widely known characteristics. In relation to corruption, however, the police subculture either can prevent the existence of it or be a vehicle to spread it throughout a department. This subculture may be the most difficult aspect to address.
A subculture is a group of individuals who generally share attitudes, perceptions, assumptions, values, beliefs, ways of living, and traditions. Because police work entails so many experiences unique to the field, the subculture almost can become stronger than the officer's family ties. Additionally, work schedules outside the normal realm can lead to feelings of isolation that further strengthen the bond of the subculture.

Senior officers may test new members of the law enforcement profession. For example, they may see how amiable recruits are to accepting gratuities. It long has been believed that this practice can be a gateway to more serious corruption as it provides the opportunity for corrupt intent.11 Accepting the free cup of coffee is the example most often used, and it is held that once officers engage in minor illegal or corrupt behavior, they find it easier to do more.

But, accepting small gratuities is a test of loyalty. In the corrupt subculture, fidelity becomes more important than integrity, and officers learn that their peers frown upon morality and independence.12 Research into this process of inculcating recruits into the group found that newer officers were more willing to admit to seeing unethical acts (e.g., accepting free food) committed by other officers than were those with more time on the job. One conclusion would be that the length of time an officer is exposed to this socialization process, the greater its impact.
When this loyalty to the subculture becomes too strong, the solidarity that follows can adversely affect the ethical values of the officers. The typical "us versus them" mentality creates an allegiance to the members stronger than that to the mission of the department or even the profession. And, the "them" may include not just nonpolice but also their organization when officers feel a disconnect and animosity between themselves and administrative policies. Thus, conflicts can and will arise when personnel face a choice between what may be ethically right and their devotion to the other members. Such a strong fidelity toward their fellow officers over commitment to do what is right causes members to trade their integrity for that loyalty.

A distinct line exists between constructive dedication that results in team cohesiveness and misguided allegiance that pits a group or an individual against the overall law enforcement mission. It is important that leaders have a means of gauging the atmosphere of their agency. Every police organization will (and probably should) take pride in doing difficult and dangerous tasks. In addition, a certain cohesiveness likely will occur between those who share job experiences. This probably exists more in units considered elite because of the greater dangers and difficulties in those assignments.

In such units, pride can evolve into a general feeling of superiority among its members. This, in turn, can lead to a type of separation from the rest of the agency. When this occurs, these units may develop their own conduct, which may not align with departmental policy and procedure. The "this is the way we do it in this unit" mentality begins to set in. If left unchecked, it can lead to a feeling of being untouchable, especially when coupled with a lack of strong leadership. In monitoring this cohesiveness, effective leaders can detect when the pride that members feel toward doing their difficult and dangerous job and the closeness of sharing that experience with their coworkers crosses into an unhealthy misdirection of loyalty.

Corruption Prevention

The obvious sought-after result of all of the research into police corruption is the eradication of that malady. Each topic discussed so far plays an integral role in determining the ethical standard. As such, it becomes crucially important to focus efforts toward these specific elements.

A major consideration in rooting out misconduct is not hiring unethical individuals. Agencies adequately must screen candidates and hire the most conscientious ones because they have a higher degree of integrity. Conscientiousness can be assessed through conduct because, as one researcher states, an incorruptible person "is truthful in word and deed just because truthfulness has become second nature with him."13

Once new hires are on the job, their leaders must continue to work toward creating an atmosphere of ethics and integrity. Fostering such a climate is an integral part of reducing unethical behavior. In a study conducted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, 7 of the top 10 issues determined as critically important to officers actively working in the field of law enforcement involved ethics and integrity. Positively, the research concluded that a majority of the agencies surveyed (80.3 percent) commit resources to train instructors to teach ethics courses, and 72 percent of the organizations said that they provide some ethics-related training beyond the basic academy experience. But, while almost all of the agencies (83.3 percent) taught ethics to recruits in the academy, only a surprising minority (34.4 percent) had ethics as a rated category on their field training reports for those new officers.14

An apparent recognized demand exists for expanded training hours, more quality training resources, and greater involvement with ethics training at all levels of the organization, but the number of hours dedicated to this training remains rather insignificant in the face of such a need. "Strategies for accepting the fact that officers do not control their police role, but do have absolute control over their integrity and professionalism have to be taught and practiced."15

Conclusion

Policing requires perfection and unyielding ethics and ultimately depends on each employee's own level of knowledge, rationality, and devotion to moral excellence. Anything less than perfect ethical conduct can be disastrous for a department, a community, and an entire nation. While officers are only human and will continue to make mistakes, ethical misconduct cannot be tolerated.

To ensure the ethical behavior of their officers, agencies must possess three basic tenets. First, they must have a policy in existence that spells out their ethical mission and sets standards that officers must live up to. Second, strong and ethical leadership must exist and be in place. These executives set the tone for the department and lead by example, never choosing the easy route in lieu of the ethical one. Third, agencies must ensure that they hire ethical people and appropriately deal with those onboard who are not. In short, an ethical police organization "will require the scrupulous adherence to existing policies and standards, the ability to detect an individual or collective pattern of performance which falls short of that expectation, and the courage to deal with those who are responsible for those failures."16


http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/public...professionalism
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 06/04/14 01:17 PM


More supposed good guys behaving badly

Former Brooklyn D.A. Allegedly Used Drug Money For Campaign



Former Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes has raised eyebrows after reportedly using more than $200,000 in seized drug money for an unsuccessful political campaign.

Hynes, who served as Brooklyn's D.A. for more than 20 years, was exposed in a recent city inquiry with paying a consulting firm $219,824 in 2012 and 2013 to help him run for his old position last year as a Republican. The money went to the firm of 89-year-old political consultant Mortimer Matz for “public relations and communications services rendered.” Funds that were seized from drug dealers and other criminal defendants were used to cover the costs, which is categorically not allowed. Investigators also found that from 2003-2013, the D.A.’s office paid the firm about $1.1 million from state asset forfeiture funds.

Justice Barry Kamins, then Brooklyn’s administrative judge, has also come under fire after the report from the Department of Investigations. They reviewed 300 emails sent and received by Kamins and Hynes, which “demonstrate that (Kamins) engaged in political activity as a sitting judge.” The emails showed that Kamins advised Hynes on how to attack his Democratic opponent, Kenneth Thompson, during debates in 2012 and also how to respond to negative news reports.

The report was referred to the office of state attorney general Eric T. Schneiderman and it’s possible that Hynes could face felony larceny charges. However, his reputation had already been damaged after several inmates were released last fall who had been wrongfully convicted of murder during his tenure. Reports also surface during that same time about alleged unlawful tactics employed by his office both during his tenure and his recent campaign run.


http://www.thefix.com/content/former-brooklyn-da-used-drug-money-campaign
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 06/04/14 01:30 PM

Another bad apple purged in Delray Beach. This county's cops and commissioners are so corrupt its a running joke down here.


By Marc Freeman, Sun Sentinel
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Former Delray Beach Police Officer Dave Chin is now a convicted felon because of his lies and misdeeds concerning a romantic interest in a woman he arrested in 2011.

Chin, 37, pleaded guilty Monday to five felony charges: three counts of official misconduct and two counts of perjury in an official proceeding.

While those counts altogether carry maximum of 25 years in state prison, Chin was sentenced to six months in Palm Beach County Jail under a plea deal with the State Attorney's Office. He'll serve the punishment on house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor.

Chin, represented by defense attorneys Flynn Bertisch and Michael Salnick, appeared before Circuit Judge Robin Rosenberg and acknowledged his crimes rather than proceed to a trial and leave his fate up to a jury.

Prosecutor Marci Rex called the plea agreement "an appropriate resolution to this case."

Salnick agreed.

"Considering the fact that he is not going to jail, I believe it was a fair resolution," he told the Sun Sentinel.

According to a report filed for Chin's August 2012 arrest, the married officer had sent text messages to Natalie Jerue, a friend of a confidential informant, telling her she was pretty and asking her out on movie and dinner dates.

While he was a member of the department's Street Narcotics Enforcement Unit, Chin in June 2011 charged Jerue with trafficking Oxycodone, a painkiller. But investigators accused Chin of falsifying some of the facts in Jerue's arrest report.

Later, in an effort to help Jerue's case, Chin sent a memo to the State Attorney's Office, which he attributed to his supervisor, saying that on the day of her arrest Jerue started providing information to police that led to several narcotics arrests, the seizure of approximately 200 Oxycodone pills, several handguns, a rifle and $3,800 in cash.

But it was all lies, authorities said.

The trafficking case against Jerue was later dropped, according to court records.

At the time of Chin's arrest and subsequent suspension, the police chief said the officer's actions were "not a direct reflection of the dedication and hard work done daily by the men and women of the Delray Beach Police Department."

But Chin's misconduct turned out to be quite costly for the agency, because in September 2012 the State Attorney's Office dropped at least 20 cases that involved Chin's work as a police officer.

Narcotics charges resulting from arrests of suspects from 2010 to 2012 were tossed because of the tainted connection with Chin.

Chin's felony convictions mean the disgraced cop won't be able to wear a badge ever again, prosecutor Rex said after Monday's court hearing.

"He will lose his right to vote, own firearms, and be a law enforcement officer," she said.

But Chin's already pursuing new career opportunities, anyway.

"He's turning the page and moving forward," Salnick said.



http://www.cbs12.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_16468.shtml
Posted By: Moe_Tilden

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 06/04/14 01:32 PM

Gigante first used the mental-patient act to beat a conspiracy rap in 1970. He had been inducted for bribing the entire five-man police force of Old Tappan, N.J., in an attempt to obtain information regarding a state investigation into Genovese activities in that state.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/family_epics/genovese1/9.html
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 06/04/14 01:42 PM

No surprise this is connected to a garbage contract.

Delray Beach city manager suspended for 90 days pending an investigation

By:
Laura Santos

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. - After listening to more than a dozen residents, and drilling City Manager Louie Chapman Jr. regarding the findings of a Palm Beach County Inspector General investigation, city commissioners voted Tuesday evening to suspend Chapman for 90 days with pay.

City Mayor Cary Glickstein called the special meeting after a general's investigation found that Chapman had mislead commissioners and investigators under oath about a $60,000 purchase of garbage carts.

Commissioners voted 3 to 1 in favor of the suspension, with Commissioner Adam Frankel casting the dissenting vote.

Commissioner Al Jacquet was not present at the meeting.

Commissioner Jordana Jarjura’s motion earlier in the evening to fire Chapman failed in a 3-1 vote, with Frankel again voting no.

City rules require four yes votes to fire the city manager.

The general’s report concluded that Chapman and Lula Butler, community improvement director, mislead commissioners by asking permission in January for $60,000 to purchase garbage carts, although they had ordered the carts in September.

Butler presented her resignation to the commission before the beginning of the special meeting.

The report further stated that Chapman told investigators that he was unaware the carts were ordered before the commission’s approval in January. When confronted with an email he sent authorizing the purchase, Chapman changed his story and told an IG investigator he should have told commissioners the carts had already been purchased.

Chapman was suspended for 90 days, effectively immediately while the Palm Beach County Inspector General conducts a new investigation into any other violation of just cause in Champman’s employment contract.

If Chapman is terminated with just cause, he would not receive the 20-week severance pay included in his contract with the city.

http://www.wptv.com/news/region-s-palm-b...n-investigation
Posted By: dixiemafia

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 06/04/14 02:03 PM

You can't talk dirty cops/feds without John Connolly in Boston or Anthony "Twan" Doyle in Chicago.
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 06/04/14 02:21 PM

Moe, Thanks for the info and the link smile
Posted By: NNY78

Re: Dirty Cops past and present - 06/04/14 02:24 PM

Dixie,

Thanks for the info on Doyle. smile

Hulking and corrupt Chicago cop Anthony "Twan" Doyle, messenger boy for the Outfit's murderous Chinatown Crew, sat stroking his throat during his federal sentencing hearing Thursday.

He used the fingers of his big left hand gently on his own neck, as if he were petting a sleeping cat with a bunch of bananas.


After listening to the lawyers, fingernails skimming his chin, Twan stood and told the judge he was guilty of "bad judgment." He received 12 years for helping the mob.

Doyle was muscle for the Chinatown loan sharks, and I couldn't help but picture those big mitts on some bust-out sports gambler's neck, a bartender, maybe a trader, the guy blubbering, watery-eyed and agreeable after Twan was done.

Gone were his fitted suits and the black shoe-polish hair. Twan was in federal orange, his white hair slicked. Federal prosecutor Marcus Funk was saying terrible things that had been borne out in testimony during the historic Family Secrets trial:

That Anthony "Twan" Doyle became a Chicago cop, and while working in the police evidence section, he was willing to help destroy crucial DNA murder evidence. And that if this evidence was lost, it would have effectively killed the case that solved 18 mob homicides and sent two Outfit bosses and a hit man to prison.

Then there was that business about Doyle agreeing that an electric cattle prod would be just the thing to use on Outfit hit man turned federal witness Nicholas Calabrese.

"He betrayed everything he pretended to stand for," Funk told U.S. District Judge James Zagel. "He betrayed his oath as a law-enforcement officer. He betrayed the public trust. Mr. Doyle is a disgrace."

But Twan hasn't betrayed his longtime close friend and patron, reputed overall mob street boss Frank "Toots" Caruso.

For all his bad deeds, Twan actually did perform one great public service to the taxpayers of Illinois, our state of corruption, and to Chicago, the political city where corruption is boss. He performed this service on the witness stand during the trial.

That's when he offered up the now-classic Chicago word -- chumbolone.

"And now there's a word made popular in the press, in a well-read column," said Twan's attorney, Ralph Meczyk, a loyal reader of mine. "The word is chumbolone, and that word means fool. He wasn't a chumbolone. But he was a chum."

Twan has his Outfit bosses. But the rest of us are bossed by Illinois politicians. And we put up with the never-ending corruption, our taxes increasing, our property values shrinking, the bosses enriching friends and relatives with our cash.

Clearly, we taxpayers must be a bunch of chumbolones. We keep paying and paying.

But where does Twan, the Outfit's cop, fit in this state of corruption?

Chicago politicians have danced with the Outfit since Paul "The Waiter" Ricca came from Sicily and let Al Capone get all the publicity. Even today, people close to Mayor Richard Daley have Outfit connections.

Daley's friend and mayoral fashion consultant, waste-hauler Fred Bruno Barbara, was mentioned in testimony during Family Secrets as a former driver for mobster Angelo LaPietra. Daley's other Bridgeport trucking boss friend, Mike Tadin, had Outfit killer Ronnie Jarrett on his payroll, until Jarrett was gunned down in Bridgeport, a murder mentioned repeatedly during the trial.

Mayoral political brain Tim Degnan works on development deals with Bridgeport developer Tommy DiPiazza, who has done real estate deals with the Outfit's reputed top bookie, Raymond John Tominello, known from Chinatown to Rosemont as "Rayjo."

The Illinois Republicans aren't much better. Actually, they're worse because they won't provide a serious alternative. The GOP establishment talks reform, but this week they've been busy in Springfield stopping rank-and-file Republicans from voting to select their own party leaders.

The nominal head of their party is Andrew McKenna, but his dad is a solid Daley guy. The big boss is indicted Republican insider William Cellini, a partner in many multimillion-dollar city and state development deals with Daley's close friend and favorite developer, Michael Marchese.

"Mr. Doyle really doesn't like it when you write the chumbolone columns," Meczyk told me after the hearing. "He hates it."

Well, tell him we'll discuss it when he gets out of prison, one chumbolone to another.

jskass@tribune.com

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-...holas-calabrese
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