Paul Scharff's Blog, page 3

Paul Scharff on Wise Guy Talk Radio with Host Ricky Guns

Ricky Guns Host of Wise Guy Talk Radio

Your host Ricky Guns on Wise Guy Talk Radio Presents: My wonderful guest Paul Scharff author of the book Murder in McHenry which is a Motivational true story that reveals a son’s pursuit for justice and change in behalf of his murdered father’s Name. Now imagine receiving a random phone call 27 years later only to discover that your father was murdered? This is what Paul endured; now destined he is left with no other choice, but to crack down on the cold hard facts and evidence to justify his Father’s tragic, unsolved murder. Explaining “It has to be done!” are his very words….. This loving son is relentless and will stop at nothing to help encourage others to become more alert and educated on what steps to take regarding measures of awareness. Look for your time zone to see when my show starts.

Here is the link to the SHOW ENJOY!!

 

The post Paul Scharff on Wise Guy Talk Radio with Host Ricky Guns appeared first on McHenry County 1981.

Chicago Outfit Enforcer and Las Vegas Boss Tony Spilotro

Tony Spilotro was the enforcer sent out to Vegas by the Chicago Outfit.

My story MURDER IN MCHENRY relates to former mobster turned government witness Frank Cullotta. This is not a story about him but his former boss. You can say that Frank Cullotta started his Outfit Association when he was 10 years old fighting over shoeshine territory back in Chicago. The person that he was fighting with was a young and tough Tony Spilotro. They resolved the territory issue when Tony found out from his father that he was being extorted by the Black Hand years back. It was Frank’s father, Joe Cullotta, that relieved him of the extortion by killing the Black Hand extorters. Many years later Tony Spilotro was the Chicago Outfit enforcer sent to Las Vegas to look after the Las Vegas skim.

Tony was born May 19th, 1938 and grew up on the near west side of Chicago in a neighborhood called “The Patch.” Coming from the same neighborhood as the Outfit boss Tony Accardo, Sam Giancana, Jack Cerone, and others. Even as a young kid growing up he was very tough. Tony’s older brother would offer kids $5 to $10 to fight his brother Tony, but most would never take the challenge. His father Patsy Spilotro owned Patsy’s Restaurant. He hung out with a local gang robbing cars, and gas stations. He wanted to be an Outfit guy and he got connected around 18 or 19 years of age. He started robbing what was called the bank route for the Outfit.

They would follow bank messenger trucks and see what kind of scores they would be picking up from each location. The following week they would follow the truck again, but this time they would ambush the messengers and take the money. This was very lucrative and helped Tony get noticed by a couple of Outfit crews.

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Sam “Mad Sam” DeStefano

He got connected to Sam “Mad Sam” DeStefano. “Mad Sam” was a bookie that was known for torture, rape, and being an excellent earner. Tony would be mentored by him.

By 1962 he had already done many Outfit crimes, including what was dubbed as the M and M murders. They were dubbed the M and M murders because it was Jimmy Miraglia and Billy McCarthy that were killed.

It started when Billy McCarthy went to a bar called the Black Door in Rosemount, IL that was managed by Ronnie and Phil Scalvo. Their father was connected to the Outfit boss Tony Accardo. Billy got into a fight with them as they beat him up and threw him out of the bar. Billy went back to Jimmy Miraglia and Frank Cullotta wanting to plot revenge. Frank said that they were connected and he should forget about it. Billy and Jimmy did not forget about it and killed the Scalvos’ and a waitress.

Police photos made for the Rossi story of Frank Cullotta

The Outfit tasked Tony to find the murderers and take care of them. The Outfit had thought that Frank Cullotta was one of the murderers. Tony approached Frank and told him that he believed that he was not there but he was going to have to set Billy and Jimmy up or be killed himself. Frank called Billy to meet up with him but it was a faint for Spilotro to get at him. Tony did, and he beat Billy down with everything he had. Even still, the tough Irishman would not say who was with him when he killed the Scalvo brothers. Tony lost his patience and now enraged, grabbed Billy’s head and stuck it in a vice. He twisted the vice tighter and tighter sensing that Billy’s head was being smashed, but he still kept on going. Tony kept on twisting on the vice until finally his eye popped out of his head. Only then did Billy McCarthy gave up Jimmy Miraglia and asked to be killed. Tony obliged Billy’s request and found Jimmy offering him the same fate. Two weeks later both bodies were found in the trunk of Billy’s car.

In 1963 one of Mad Sam’s collectors, a loan shark named Leo Foreman threw Mad Sam out of his office. Citing this as an ultimate disrespect, DeStefano wanted revenge and gave Spilotro a call. Tony later lured Leo into the basement of a friend’s house. Spilotro grabbed Foreman and started to torture him. Tony was slicing skin off of Foreman and hitting him in the knee caps with a hammer while “Mad Sam” stabbed him 20 times with an ice pick. Much like Billy McCarthy, Leo Foreman begged to be killed.

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Frank Rosenthal or “Lefty.” He was the Chicago Outfit’s odds maker and gambling guru.

Tony was not only an enforcer but an earner. Tony started to get into the book making business for the Chicago Outfit. He had bookies kicking up to him a percentage of their operations. He also had his own operations that was enhanced by a friend named Frank Rosenthal or “Lefty.” They were an excellent match, as Tony was the brawn of the operation and “Lefty” was the brains. Rosenthal was an odds maker and he was very good at it, making lots of money for himself and those connected to him.

In 1967  the IRS raided Tony Spilotro’s Oak Park home where they found that he was running a very large book making business. They arrested Tony and Tony told IRS Special Agent Bob Fuesel to remember his name. He was going to become the big guy on the block. Tony was fined for this arrest but served no time.

In September of 1969 the Chicago Police Department found that Tony was running another book making business out of a basement of an abandoned building. The police got a search warrant for the building. When the police raided the building Tony was there and would not let them in beyond the steel doors of the building. The bets were written on paper that would quickly dissolve in water. When the cops got into the building, Tony did not have water, so he was eating the bets.

In 1971 Tony had done all that he could in Chicago to climb the ladder in the Chicago Outfit. The Outfit had an excellent business in Las Vegas known as the skim. They were skimming off the top the proceeds of cash that was entering into the mob controlled Casino’s. The Outfit needed to have someone out in Vegas to enforce Outfit rules and protect the skim. The bosses picked Tony based on his past as an earner and for killing in the interest of the Chicago Outfit. Tony accepted the new position and headed out to Vegas.

Upon landing in Las Vegas the Vegas PD met up with Tony at the airport. They were trying to intimidate him into leaving. It did not have the desired effect. In the upcoming weeks five bodies turned up tortured and dead in the desert. They were all loan sharks but were never traced to Spilotro.

In Tony’s wife’s maiden name, he opened up a gift shop in the Circus Circus Casino at a cost of $70,000. He used this shop as a base for all of his operations. Across town, his good friend, Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal was operating behind the scenes as the manager of the Stardust Hotel and Casino, for the Chicago Outfit. “Lefty” making sure that the operations were profitable for the bosses back at home and Tony making sure that no one or nothing got in the way.

Chicago had not forgotten about Tony Spilotro and indicted him for the Leo Foreman murder in September 1st, 1972. He was indicted with “Mad Sam” DeStefano along with “Mad Sam’s” brother, Mario DeStefano. “Mad Sam” was unpredictable and had a history of drawing unwanted attention in the courtroom. He would choose to represent himself, showing up in pajama’s, being rolled around on an ambulance gurney, and screaming through a bull horn. He wound up serving three years for contempt in a courtroom which he otherwise would have not have served any time at all. Tony, nor the Outfit could risk what “Mad Sam” might do in a murder trial. With the help of “Mad Sam’s” brother, Tony killed his mentor “Mad Sam” before going to trial. Tony was acquitted of the murder of Leo Foreman and headed back to Las Vegas.

Circus Circus was sold, so Tony had to sell his interest in the gift shop that he owned inside. He made a tidy profit on his $70,000 investment and was given $700,000 in return. Not bad for a three year investment. Tony was inviting big trouble for himself with the bosses back at home.

Geraldine McGee Rosenthal

He started an affair with “Lefty” Rosenthal’s wife, Geri. This is a big no-no in the Chicago Outfit. It is considered a big disrespect to get involved with another guy’s wife or girlfriend. They did not like to kill a guy over something like this but they most certainly would.

It was known throughout Las Vegas that Tony was a guy that you did not want to ever visit you. It was understood that if you were a dealer, or a pit boss and you were caught stealing you were going to be dealt with by Tony Spilotro or someone from his crew. It even got out to all other families around the country that you don’t go to Vegas to cause trouble or trouble would certainly find you. Tony had Vegas and everyone else in it, towing the line. With the money he had made selling his gift shop at Circus Circus, he opened another store. It was a jewelry store called the Gold Rush that was off of the strip. Things were good but the heat was still on. To maintain control of his operations, he called back home to Chicago to his childhood friend Frank Cullotta.

1981 The Hole in the Wall Gang. From left to right, Ernie Davino, Larry Neumann, Wayne Matecki, Leo Guardino, Joe Blasko, and Frank Cullotta.

He wanted Frank to come out with a crew to help enforce for Tony and the Outfit. Tony would allow them to steal to earn a living and they would only have to kick up to Tony and the Outfit on big scores. Frank Cullotta formed a crew together of Joe Blasko, Wayne Matecki, Ernie Davino, Leo Guardino, and Larry Neumann. The crew would earn the nickname the “Hole in the Wall Gang,” by the media. To work around the magnets around the doors and windows for alarm systems, they would punch holes in the wall or ceiling to bypass them. After Las Vegas has suffered a series of these type of break ins they were dubbed the Hole in the Wall Gang in the papers.

Things were going good for Frank and Tony until Tony got word that Sherwin “Jerry” Lisner got picked up for larceny and conspiracy. He was an associate of Tony’s that was familiar with him and Frank. Tony also got word that he was cooperating with the government. With everything at risk, Tony approached Frank and told him that “we got to do something about this guy.”

Tony gave the Ok for Cullotta to kill Lisner. Frank carried out the order and Lisner wound up dead floating in his pool at his house leaking blood from the multiple shots to the head. Everything was fine until Frank went back to Chicago and the bosses asked about the Lisner murder. That is when Frank realized that Tony did not get an Ok from the bosses at home to kill Lisner. This could be a big problem even for a guy like Tony.

In 1979 Tony was added to the famous Black Book. This would exclude him from entering any Casino in Nevada. Tony was now barred from entering all the places that he was supposed to watch after on behalf of the Chicago Outfit. Tony was taking too many risks. He was having an affair with “Lefty’s” wife, was selling stolen merchandise out of the Gold Rush, called a hit on Jerry Lisner without getting the Ok to do so, and now he was added to the infamous Black Book. Things are starting to heat up for Spilotro.

In 1981 the Hole in the Wall Gang were planning their biggest score to date. It was the robbery of a very upscale second hand shop called Bertha’s in Las Vegas. Frank and his crew estimated that there was over $1,000,000 worth of jewelry and other valuables. Tony insisted with Frank that he would take a long a guy named Sal Romano. Frank did not want to bring him along as he did not trust him. Frank objected but Tony told him to take him anyway. On the 4th of July the Hole in the Wall gang was busted by the FBI breaking into Bertha’s. Everyone was picked up except for Sal Romano. He was an FBI mole and told the Feds everything.

The Feds reached out to Frank Cullotta to play a tape that they had. In the tape Frank could hear Tony’s voice talking to someone back at home in Chicago. Tony was telling the person on the tape that “he (Frank) had lost his mind and I no longer have control over him.” The other voice on the tape could be heard saying “You know what you have to do with your dirty laundry, take care of it.” Frank hears what everyone believes to be a contract on Frank’s life. It was not until April of 1982 that Frank’s neighbor was shot. About an hour later Frank’s phone rang and it was Tony Spilotro. Frank thinks that maybe that man shot next door was supposed to be for  him and Tony was calling to see if he was still alive. With a contract out on his life there are two choices for Frank, death or cooperation with the government. Frank Cullotta turns government witness.

Friends since childhood, now enemies, Frank Cullotta knew a lot about Tony Spilotro and the Chicago Outfit. He was a real threat to Tony and the bosses back at home. Tony went from feeling the heat to being engulfed in a four alarm fire. Frank turned government witness, his partner in the Las Vegas skim, Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal barely escaped a car bombing in the parking lot of Tony Romo’s, a restaurant, and “Lefty’s” wife, Gerri Rosenthal, died a month later in a Las Vegas motel of a drug overdose. In keeping with the string of bad luck Tony was indicted for the M&M murders with the help of Frank Cullotta.

That same year the court moved forward with the M&M murders back in Chicago. The judge questioned Cullotta, telling him that he thought that he knew an awful lot about these murders for having not been there. The charmed life for Spilotro had not yet ran out. It became Frank’s word against Tony’s. Tony was found not guilty. Only a month later after being found not guilty, Tony was charged again, this time for the skimming of the Vegas’ Casinos.

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Joe “Dove” Aiuppa. Chicago Outfit Boss

Tony was not the only one indicted in the Las Vegas Skim. Fifteen other members of the Outfit were indicted including Outfit boss Joey Aiuppa. This was going to be big trouble for Tony. Not only did his problems catch an Outfit boss but this at the very least was going to change everything on how the casinos were going to have to start reporting their revenue interrupting the cash flow to the Chicago Outfit.

Tony would suffer a heart attack during the conspiracy trial for the Las Vegas skim. He was not going to have to go to court with everyone else that was named in indictment. Tony also had the trial going on in relation to the botched Bertha’s robbery in Vegas. In that trial a juror had slipped a note to the judge that she believed that two of the jurors were paid off. The judge declared a mistrial. The mistrial was only a temporary reprieve. Tony’s walls were caving in on him. He had at one instance three trials going on at the same time. The Las Vegas skim, the Bertha’s robbery, and the murder of Jerry Lisner.

Tony And Michael Spilotro

In June of 1986, the new boss of the Chicago Outfit summoned Tony back to Chicago. He and his brother Michael were to report to the Outfit. They were told that Tony was going to be promoted and that his brother Michael was going to be made. Both the brothers knew that this was going to be a big day for them one way or another. They knew that they were either moving up the Outfit ranks or they were being setup to be murdered. In any case they knew that the upper echelon of the Outfit was calling and they had no choice but to appear before them.

On June 14, 1986 Michael picked up his brother Tony from the airport to meet with the upper echelon of the Chicago Outfit the very next day. Michael and Tony left their house without their jewelry, wallets, etc. Michael told his wife that he should be home before 9:00 PM and if he wasn’t home that he ran into problems. The brothers headed out to a home in Bensenville, IL to meet with the Outfit Leadership. The brothers were led downstairs to the basement where they recognized all who was there. Michael went to shake hands with one of the associates there and saw that they had rubber gloves on. Tony was heard asking “Can I say a prayer,” which got no reply. The men were beaten to death by fists and kicks. They were beaten so severely that they died in part because their lungs and airways being so full of blood, they could not breathe.

Indiana Cornfield were the Spilotro Brother’s were buried.

The dead bodies of the brothers were to be taken to a cornfield in Indiana. They were to be taken to Outfit Boss Joe Aiuppa’s farm to be buried. They did bury the brothers in a grave in a cornfield but it was not on Joe Aiuppa’s property. On June 23rd, 1986 a farmer noticed something funny in his cornfield. He thought originally there was a dear or an animal that was buried. When the authorities arrived and started to dig out the hole, the two brothers were found beaten to death in their underwear. The responsibility to making sure that they were buried went to John Fecarotta. He was gunned down in September of 1986 in part of botching up the burial of the two brothers. They were both waked at Salerno and Son’s Galewood Chapel Funeral Home and laid to rest in the Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, IL. I am very familiar with both places because when my father was murdered five years earlier he too was waked at Salerno and Son’s Galewood Chapel Funeral Home and laid to rest in the Queen of Heaven Cemetery.

In 1995 the film Casino was released. The movie starred Robert De Nero and Joe Pesci. Robert De Niro’s character Sam “Ace” Rothstein, was based on real life odds maker and gambling guru Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal. Joe Pesci’s character Nicky Santoro, was based on the real life Outfit enforcer Tony Spilotro. Most of everything in the movie CASINO was true to life, even though some of the events were taken out of context. The ending of the movie showed that the Santoro brothers (Spilotro brothers) were taken directly to a cornfield and were beaten to near death and then buried in the cornfield still alive. They were not beaten to death with bats but with fists and kicks, and they were not buried alive.

Tony and Michael Spilotro’s Gravesite before they were buried at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, IL.

No one was convicted for the murder of the Spilotro brothers until the Family Secrets Trial in Chicago. The FBI turned in a 43 page indictment in April of 2005. This trial was centered around information provided by Frank Calabrese Jr., who testified against his father, an Outfit Capo, Frank Calabrese Sr. The trial commended in June of 2007. There were ten Outfit members that were responsible for killing the Spilotro brothers. They were Nick Calabrese, James LaPietra, John Fecarotta, John DiFronzo, Sam Carlisi, Louie “The Mooch” Eboli, James Marcello, Louis Marino, Joseph Ferriola, and Ernest “Rocky” Infelice. Most of them had passed one way or another but Outfit James Marcello was convicted of the murders along with Nick Calabrese. James Marcello got life in prison, while Nick got only 12 years because of his cooperation with the prosecution during the trial.

To learn more about Tony Spilotro, I recommend deceased FBI agent Bill Roemer’s book the Enforcer.

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The Story behind the Larry Neumann Photo on the cover of MURDER IN MCHENRY

Photo of Larry Neumann on the front cover of the book MURDER IN MCHENRY

On the cover of my book, I have a photo of Larry Neumann in glasses. The day was August 1st, 1956. There is a large story behind that photo. A lot of lives were changed because of the events leading up to that day. This is that story.

On May 9th 1956, 28  year old Larry Neumann was at a Jazz bar called Mickey’s Miracle Bar at 1114 Argyle Street in Chicago, IL. The bar was owned by two brothers named Max and Mickey Epstein. On that day Neumann got to an argument at the bar. The argument in one paper suggested that it was with a woman friend. Larry Neumann’s one time boss and later mobster turned government witness Frank Cullotta, states that Neumann had told him that he was shortchanged less than $2.00 at the bar. Frank Cullotta ran the Hole in the Wall Gang during the 70’s and 80’s in Las Vegas. Neumann was a member of the Hole in the Wall Gang and they were all portrayed in the movie CASINO. The argument at Mickey’s Miracle Bar escalates to a fist fight with one or both of the Epstein brothers. Mickey Epstein was a onetime prize fighter. Neumann’s fiancé would later be quoted to saying that he was “very bitter about being beaten up” by the Epstein brothers. This incident resulted in the Chicago Police being called for a disturbance at the bar. Neumann was arrested and held by the Chicago Police until his release on May 25th. He may have been held because he was just in prison for robbery and had a police record going back to 1947 when Neumann was still in his teens.

Mickey’s Miracle Bar on 1114 Argyle Street, Chicago, IL.

On June 9th, 1956 around 2:00 PM, Neumann traveled back to 1114 Argyle Street. The same place he felt disrespected by the Epstein brothers, Max and Mickey. He walked back into Mickey’s Miracle Bar, but this time he had a double barrel shotgun in his hands. “I’m going to kill everyone in the place,” yelled Neumann as he walked into the bar to begin his murderous rampage. Everyone hit the ground including Max Epstein who was behind the bar. He was heard begging for mercy as Neumann was calmly walking, making his way to the bar. As Max Epstein continued to plea for his life, Neumann stepped onto the bar rail and leaned over towards Max, killing the 54 year old with shotgun blasts to the back. Neumann then took aim at Mickey Epstein who was hiding on the ground near or in a booth. Neumann fired his shotgun but did not hit Mickey Epstein his intended target. He hit Lois Gates who was a 28 year old operator of the “26 game,” a dice game. She too was pleading for her life but died due to the shotgun blast to the neck that she received from Neumann. Neumann seemed that he was going to open fire again but changed his mind. When he was moving towards the direction of the front door, it flew open at that very moment. It was the newspaper vendor named John Keller, who heard the shots outside of the bar. He was trying to block the killer’s path of escaping out of the bar. Larry Neumann pushed the 49 year old newspaper vendor on to the sidewalk outside the bar and cut him down with a blast to his side.  Neumann escaped on foot running down a long alley that ran parallel with the “EL” train tracks or elevated train. Neumann  was noted by police as a cool and deadly shooter. He had fired four times, calmly reloading during his murderous massacre and all died within minutes of being shot by Neumann.

This is a newspaper clipping from the Logansport Pharos Tribune. The article is dated June 8, 1956.

Police started a dragnet of the area which included the upper scale apartments located in downtown Chicago on Lake Shore Drive. Authorities in 16 states were notified of the triple killer now known in the media as the “Grudge Slayer.” In Chicago they had “shoot on sight” orders given for the “Grudge Slayer.” The widespread search was ordered because they received a report that he once stated, “If I ever get into trouble, I’ll head to Mexico.” The authorities were looking for his cream and brown 1953 auto heading south towards Mexico.

Monessen Daily Independent June 11th, 1956. In this article there was a false siting of Larry Neumann.

On June 11th, 1956 there seemed to be a break in the man hunt for Neumann. He was spotted in the Granada Theater on the North Side of Chicago. It was heard that the police had trapped the 28 year old “Grudge Slayer” inside. As word got out, over 8,000 people had jammed on to the street outside of the theater nearly starting a riot. Two women had fainted from being crushed by the mob of people. There were already 15 squads of police already on the scene but they had to call for reinforcements to control the crowd. The police moved in on the man in the theater audience that fit Neumann’s description. When they caught up with the man, they realized that it was not Neumann. The search that started in the Chicago City Limits and later stretched to include much of the United States continued.

On August 1st , 1956, 200 police surrounded a three square mile area of Chicago’s near West Side. This was in response after two detectives reported that they were exchanging gun fire with who the detectives believed to be the fugitive dubbed the “Grudge Slayer”, Larry Neumann. The search was complicated by the fact that residents of the neighborhoods searched were curious to all of the police activity. They started staring out of their windows at the police and even going outside and mingling with them. Police were ordering the residents back into their homes and to lock their doors. At around 3:00 AM the police heard a woman screaming and moved in on the location. Mrs. Pat Ward, a 40 year old resident of one of the neighborhoods being searched was letting her dog outside. When she did, she saw Neumann and he rushed at her motioning her to be quiet. Mrs. Ward started to scream “Who are you, who are you?” and then collapsed. Apparently startled by the large man hiding underneath a porch. Neumann tried to flee but was captured by the police that heard Mrs. Ward’s cries.

Oshkosh Daily Northwestern August 2nd, 1956. Larry Neumann is captured on August 1st for the triple murder he committed on June 8, 1956.

Larry Neumann confessed to killing Max Epstein, Lois Gates, and John Keller. Neumann was found to have dyed his hair, grew a moustache, and gained 20 pounds to help disguise himself as he was on the run. Mickey Epstein, whose brother Max was killed by Larry Neumann, and whom also was a target of Neumann’s during his murderous rampage, stand face to face with the murderer. He stood their looking into his eyes and Neumann looking back, as Mickey pointed at the killer of his brother, a photo was taken. This Associates Press Photo was used in various newspapers and I now own that very same photo. If you click on the image you can see the two men staring each other down. Neumann’s lack of remorse burns past the stare of Mickey Epstein.

On December 17, 1956 while sitting in the Cook County Jail awaiting trial, Lawrence Neumann and nine convicted murderers staged a protest. They were protesting that their jail khaki denims had “Max. Security” stamped on them. They were all quartered in the maximum security section in the jail and ripped off the lettering. “You’re holding us like caged animals-this is ball and chain methods,” Neumann told Warden Jack Johnson. Larry Neumann was identified as the ring leader of this protest. Johnson reacted by sending the uniforms back to the tailor shop for patching and re-stamping.

1956 Press Photo Mickey Epstein Lawrence Neumann Detective Bureau James McMahon

On February 4th, 1957 the now 29 year old “Grudge Slayer,” Larry Neumann was sentenced to three 125 year terms for the murders of Max Epstein, Lois Gates, and John Keller, the murders that he committed just nine months earlier. He was sentenced by Chief Justice Wilbert Crowley to run all three terms concurrently. Neumann pleaded guilty to his crimes but threw himself on the mercy of the court. Neumann’s attorney Herbert Barcy argued that “his offense does not warrant the extreme penalty.” The Assistant State’s Attorney that prosecuted this case, Robert Cooney said that the state would “recommend nothing and waive nothing.” Cooney had said, however, that he felt Neumann “should be given a penalty to make sure he doesn’t kill anyone again.” That was the intentions, but he went on to kill at least three more people and likely more.

At the time, Illinois States Law would have required Neumann to serve at least one-third of his sentence before he would have been eligible for parole. That would have forced Larry Neumann to serve at least 40 years of his 125 year sentence. He would have been 69 years old before he was eligible for parole. The law changed and Larry’s father was wealthy. It is believed because of these two influences Larry Neumann served only 12 years of his three 125 year terms that he was sentenced by Chief Justice Wilbert Crowley.

Because the system failed to keep a sociopathic killer behind bars, Robert Brown, a jeweler was horrifically hacked to death with a machete by Larry Neumann when he and Wayne Matecki went to rob him. When Frank Cullotta turned government witness, he testified to this murder conducted by Neumann. On or about August 4th, 1983 the now 55 year old Neumann was found guilty of burglary, armed robbery, and murder of the 1979 killing. The death penalty was sought but Neumann would get life.

Daily Herald, August 8th, 1983. This article is stating that Larry Neumann was convicted for the 1979 murder and robbery of Robert Brown

On June 2nd, 1981 my father, 37 year old Ron Scharff and 32 year old Patricia Freeman would suffer the same fate as Robert Brown at the hands of Larry Neumann. Frank Cullotta and the FBI turned this information on over to McHenry County Sheriff George Hendle and the States Attorney for McHenry County Ted Floro. They were connected to the Chicago Outfit so they never pursued the murder of my father and Patricia Freeman. This is the consequence of a corrupt system in Illinois. A consequence that I now live with every day of my life from the time that I was ten years old.

LINK TO ALL NEWSPAPER ARTICLES USED FOR THIS STORY

LINK TO PICTURES FROM THE CAPTURE OF LARRY NEUMANN, MICKEYS MIRACLE BAR, AND THE HOLE IN THE WALL GANG

Flyer for Bill Prim for Sheriff fundraiser featuring Paul Scharff

The post The Story behind the Larry Neumann Photo on the cover of MURDER IN MCHENRY appeared first on McHenry County 1981.

Have We Forgotten the Pavlins or is EXCESSIVE FORCE in Vogue?

Have we forgotten about the Pavlins? It seems so. I posted a link to the You Know You’re From McHenry If… Group on facebook to a story that was on ABC News Channel 7 Chicago. I was appalled by some of the comments.

Photo from Jerry Connor, a personal injury attorney at Albert R. Pino’s Law Offices who is representing the family.

The story was about a 17 year old who had encountered three deputies and was placed in their custody. After the encounter, the 17 year old suffered a skull fracture, a fractured nasal bone, and possibly a detached retina. The 17 year old miner had noticeable bruising around both his eyes  and head, and broken blood vessels in the right eye. The 17 year old may suffer permanent brain damage from this incident. He is currently having troubles with balance and walking, memory, blurring vision and headaches.

The 17 year old boy was walking home on River Road when he was stopped by the sheriff’s department. They asked how old he was, and noticed that the minor may have been drinking. According to the eye witness the 17 year old minor was tackled by three deputies, handcuffed, and then repeatedly a deputy grabbed him by the hair and banged his head into the cement. One of the deputies was saying, “If you want to act like a tough guy, we’ll show what a tough guy is like.” The minor was cited for drinking underage and let go.

This brings up a lot of questions. There has been no statement or explanation other than Undersheriff Andrew Zinke stating “We have reviewed the police reports and audio/video from the in-car squad camera, as this case was well documented. . . We are confident that our deputies professional actions will be vindicated in the court of law, should a lawsuit be filed. “ The typical trust us response by Andrew Zinke, which we all know the worth of that.

When I posted this to the You Know You’re From McHenry If… facebook Group, there were actually some individuals that were defending the actions of the sheriff’s department. They cited that we did not know what happened or that he was underage drinking or that you don’t know what a  drunks can be like. As any or all of those things justify why a 17 year old minor who was walking home is now suffering head injuries that may result in permanent brain damage. Beyond the serious injuries we know that he was charged with underage drinking and that is it. No felony or misdemeanor charges that indicate that the 17 year old minor was unruly during this incident or anything else that indicates that he was combative to begin to at least justify his injuries. We know at least that much, without seeing the audio or video tape that was recording this encounter. This is correct, that I do not know what happened that night, but I have the common sense to know that know person’s life should be intervened by police which result in head injuries that may leave permanent brain damage. We should ALL know this. I was appalled that citizens were not demanding of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department, and they would rush to the defense of the police and not the 17 year old minor with possible brain damage. Even yet, there was one citizen that felt that brain injuries suffered were the consequence of him drinking under the legal age. Have we lost what is right or wrong, or has our humanity been forgotten?

Think of the parents in this situation. A parents heart would start to race just hearing that their son or daughter had an encounter with the police. To think the very first time that you see your son or daughter after you find out that they had a run in with the police, you look at them. They have blackened eyes, bruises around the head, their eye is red with broken blood vessels. They complain that they are unable to walk correctly, their vision is blurry, and headaches, major warning signs that your son or daughters injuries are very serious. Are we still thinking, “I bet there was good reason for my son or daughter to be suffering brain injuries.” Or “My son or daughter were drinking and they are underage, they deserved to have their head bashed in.” No parent thinks like this and most citizens do not either, but I am still surprised that a couple citizens do.

The other side of this is that we the public, do not know what happened. I have not seen the audio or video and apparently no else has either, nor will they. This incident would require explanation from any police entity. A professional police department would know this, and voluntarily provide explanation. I understand the desire wanting to give the deputies benefit of the doubt but have they earned this? Do we actually trust them? Do you remember the Pavlins?

The inside view of the broken front door window of Dr. Jerome and Carla Pavlin after McHenry County Sheriff Deputies smashed there way into the house.

The Pavlins are 80 year old Jerome and his 65 year old wife Carla. Their son was visiting them when the McHenry County Sheriff Deputies were at their door. When their son Carl opened the door the deputies told Carl that they were there to arrest him. Carl attempted to shut the door but the deputies kicked in the door smashing the glass of not Carl’s house but of Jerome and Carla’s home. A quick review of the 4th Amendement is in Order. It says: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” After they arrested Carl, Dr. Jerome Pavlin ordered the deputies out of their house. They did not leave and started a search of THEIR house, it was Carl that has the misdemeanor arrest warrant, not anyone else in that house. Dr. Jerome demanded again that they leave his house or show him a search warrant, and a deputy threw him down to the ground and handcuffed him. He was handcuffed so tight that he was bleeding from the wrist. Carla came down to see what was happening and tried to get the attention of the deputy that threw her husband down and cuffed him. She got his attention alright and was punched in the chest thrown back into a counter, fell,  and her hurt her back. Carla was also then arrested but had to go to Northern Illinois Medical Center with her husband. Both Pavlins needed medical attention and Carla was immobilized for two weeks.

The broken front door window of Dr. Jerome and Carla Pavlin after McHenry County Sheriff Deputies smashed there way into the Pavlin’s home.

This was obviously out of control, so the deputies, to justify their behavior, charged Jerome and Carla Pavlin. Both Jerome and Carla were charged with aggravated battery to a police officer and resisting arrest. They are the ones that were assaulted but they are the ones that were charged with aggravated battery. Then the deputies worked together in their filing of their incident reports falsifying what happed by the direction of their superiors. Working as a team to justify with lies their beating down of an elderly couple.

Sheriff Nygren requested that the State Police do an investigation of the incident. They put a report together never interviewing the Pavlins or at the time Deputy Zane Seipler. When the report was released, it exonerated the department of any wrong doing. Andrew Zinke with great zeal embraced these deputies (this includes Deputy Greg Pyle who is sitting in the Boone County Jail for Ten counts of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault) and slammed the McHenry County State’s Attorney Lous Bianchi for dropping the charges.

“It proves (the deputies) did their job and did it right,” Zinke said. “Lou Bianchi should explain why he dismissed criminal charges against the Pavlins and subsequently convened a grand jury before an investigation into the facts of what actually occurred.

“The highly irregular act of investigating the office you represent as a client calls into question professional and ethical concerns,” he added.

The courts strongly disagreed with the conduct of the deputies. Not only were charges dropped against the Pavlins but they won a civil suit for $300,000 on the taxpayers dime.

So I ask again, why are we giving the sheriff’s department the benefit of the doubt? Do we really trust them? What I described in each of these circumstances is at the very least a lack of police professionalism in manner and conduct. What if that was your child, or brother, or if that was your parents or grandparents? Would any of this be ok with you?

I don’t claim to know what happened or any other inside knowledge of the incident with the 17 year old minor; but I don’t begin my inquiry wondering what this kid did to these three deputies. It just scares me to think that if we as citizens don’t show great concern and demand explanation when something like this happens, it will continue. It is our sons, our daughters, our parents, our grandparents, that will continue to be victimized. Please for all of our sakes care and demand more for your fellow citizens; STOP CREATING MORE VICTIMS by the REGIME and vote them out in 2014!!

Flyer for Bill Prim for Sheriff fundraiser featuring Paul Scharff

The post Have We Forgotten the Pavlins or is EXCESSIVE FORCE in Vogue? appeared first on McHenry County 1981.

IUOE Local 150 and Andrew Zinke. Is this Gangster Money for a Gangster Cop?

A few weeks ago I noticed something peculiar about a contribution made to Andrew Zinke’s campaign for sheriff. The contribution was from the IUOE or the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150. What I found peculiar was that they were not Headquartered in McHenry County. They are in over 40 counties in 5 states for this local. They have a Hall in Lakemoor, IL but that I believe is actually in Lake County not in McHenry. Why would they have an interest in this sheriff’s election in McHenry County?

Local 150 International Union of Operating Engineers

In trying to provide myself some clarity on the subject I sent a letter to James Sweeney the President and Business Manager for Local 150. In my letter to Mr. Sweeney, I asked what is the Union’s interest in the sheriff election for McHenry County. I also asked if he was aware of the way that the sheriff’s office conducts themselves. I liken their behavior as “gangsters,” but noted the reasons why I did. I told Mr. Sweeney if all possible I would like a response in a couple of weeks and a lack of response was a response of affirmation that they did understand that they supported gangsters. My article and copy of the letter that I sent can be found here, Will McHenry County be Ripped Off by Special Interest in Sheriff Election?

While I waited for a response that I was never to receive, I found some things of interests that explained that they do indeed know that they are supporting gangsters in the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. First, people that I talked to about these guys were afraid to talk about them. I heard the same reference from people over and over again,  “I don’t want to get ran off the road.” If they were familiar with this union at all, that was the standard reply. I could except this once or twice, but after that I felt like there was a real trend here. I started to do my own search on the web and then I fully understood their fears.

The International Union of Operating Engineers is the tenth largest  union in the country, or at least that is what I could find. Then they are divided into Locals across the country and members report to their Locals. In short, we have to look at this from a national and local level. As of July of this year, members of Locals 12 and 501 have filed suit against their union. They have cited that the International Union of Operating Engineers have violated the RICO Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations). You typically only hear the RICO Act being cited in mob cases. Some of the allegations being made are death threats against restive members, kickbacks to officials from employers that have short changed pension and training funds, one official is accused of using union money for entertainment and breast enhancements for a girlfriend; and another flew to auto races and family get-togethers on an $8.6-million jet ostensibly purchased for union business. You can read the LA Times article here. In a Wall Street Journal article from this year states that Richard Griffin, former attorney for IUOE has been named as a defendant in federal racketeering lawsuit that claims he was complicit in covering up union embezzlement. The Wall Street Journal article can be found here. Here is another article written by Rebekah Kearn of the Courthouse News called, Members Say Bosses Ran Union Like the Mob. This is more of the same thing noted in this article. Here is another article from the National Legal and Policy Center linking IUOE to the Gambino crime family in New York. The article is called the Gambino Mobster Sentenced in NYC Construction Scam. Here is an article the New York Daily News from December of last year about a Colombo Mobster named Charles Panarella, getting am award from the IUOE. This is while he is being charged with racketeering conspiracy and supervising the Colombo crime family’s influence over union Locals 14 and 15 of the IUOE. Mobster, 90, who avoided trial claiming too ill, makes appearance to receive award.

There were many, many more articles that I could have continued to cite about the union at a national level, so let’s change gears and look at Local 150 themselves. William “Bill” Dugan was the previous President of Local 150. He stepped down from his position in June, 2008. He stepped down after the Chicago Sun-Times disclosed that the FBI and Labor Department were probing his potentially illegal use of union resources. He was sentenced to three years of probation for demanding farm equipment for his buffalo farm in Maryland from organizations that employed Local 150 workers. He was also sentenced for committing related offences. He had to pay over $40,000 fines and restitution. Here are a couple of articles on Mr. Dugan from the National Legal and Policy Center. The fact that Mr. Dugan was a thief stealing from his own union and from business’s’ that employed Local 150 workers did not prevent the current president Mr. James Sweeney from presenting Mr. Dugan with an award. Here is a document from the States Attorney’s office requesting a denial of Mr. Dugan’s request to travel and receive this award.

If you want to learn more about Local 150 and it’s allegations of RICO (Racketeer, Influenced, and Corrupt Organizations Act) search “International union of operating engineers” “local 150” RICO. These guys strike fear in those that oppose them. From death threats, to destroying trucks and equipment of non-union members, and intimidation. Don’t take my word for it on these guys, do your own research, it is actually rather easy in this case. This brings me back to Undersheriff and Sheriff Candidate Andrew Zinke.

Undersheriff Andrew Zinke and the Rita Corporation on RT 31

This is one of Andrew Zinke’s biggest supporters. They gave him over $12,000 just for signs. If you are contemplating on voting for Andrew Zinke, really think about who he is bringing to the table. We recognize supporters, supporting their candidate because they reflect their own values. What is the moral values of the leadership of the International Union of Operating Engineers?  Based on their rap sheet you would have to suggest Death Threats, Embezzlement, and stealing from their own membership is the values that they hold true. They see the best candidate in support of their values is Undersheriff Andrew Zinke. Simply put, gangster money for the promise of a gangster sheriff. The moral compass tells us to be on the opposite side of this one.

If you have not come to the conclusion already, this is easily one of the most important elections in McHenry County in decades. It is an opportunity to get our community back. A community that has been hijacked by special interest for at least the past 40 years. A vote for Zinke is continuation of Nygren’s Good Ol’ Boy network of self-interest. We are not asleep anymore and our eyes are wide open to the tyranny that is on display. This article is only one more example of many of what is now in the conscious of the community. Do not wait for the DOJ (Department of Justice) to fix our community, we are all armed to defeat them. We are armed with voice to get the word out and a vote to execute change. We have an option in Bill Prim for Sheriff. It is time to commit for change, down with the Regime!!

Flyer for Bill Prim for Sheriff fundraiser featuring Paul Scharff

The post IUOE Local 150 and Andrew Zinke. Is this Gangster Money for a Gangster Cop? appeared first on McHenry County 1981.

Mob Con 2013 Las Vegas Part IIII Frank Calabrese Jr.

Being from the Chicagoland area I was very familiar with the Family Secrets Trial. This was the largest trial of its kind as it named the entire Chicago Outfit (mob) as a criminal enterprise. The reason that it was called the Family Secrets Trial is because of who the Confidential Informant (C.I.) was and who the C.I. was informing on. The C.I. was Frank Calabrese Jr. and he was informing on his father, Frank Calabrese Sr. While I was at Mob Con 2013 in Las Vegas, I was able to meet Frank Calabrese Jr. and this in part is his story.

Frank Calabrese Sr Mugshot Chicago 1990

Frank Calabrese Sr. was born on the West side of Chicago. He dropped out of school very young and sold newspapers as a kid. He came from a poor family and started a life of crime. Eventually he would work his way into loan sharking and illegal gambling. When a debtor could not pay the high interest on a loan, Frank Sr. would take their car, their business, or anything of value for the debt. He took over a repair shop that had arranged to do repair work for Cellozi-Ettelson Chevrolet. At one time they were the largest Chevrolet dealer in the country and If you are from the Chicagoland area in the 70’s, 80’s or 90’s, you will always remember their commercials, “where you always save more money.” Frank worked for Angelo “the Hook” LaPietra in the 26th or Chinatown crew. Angelo was an Outfit boss and got his nickname because he would take his victims and put them on meat hooks piercing through their ribs. Frank Sr. would also kill in the name of the Outfit. He would become a Made Guy and later a Capo under LaPietra.

Frank Sr.’s brother Nick Calabrese started to help his older brother in his loan sharking business. Nick was not like his brother. He graduated from high school and even served in Vietnam. He was more soft spoken then his brother Frank but always looked up to him. From helping his brother out with the “juice” loans, he quickly graduated to becoming one of the Outfit’s hit men. Nick became a Made Guy like his brother but never made Capo.

Frank Sr. had quite the reputation on the street and people were afraid not to pay Frank’s father. He started to groom Frank Jr. in his teens. In other families across the country, family members are often fast tracked into the mob. The Chicago Outfit was different. The Chicago Outfit did not encourage bringing family members into the mob. It was an unspoken rule. A rule that Frank Sr. would ignore.

Frank Sr. would approach Frank Jr. as a teenager, and tell him that he would need help today. He was bringing in his son slowly into the mob, and Frank Jr. was showing promise. He started moving up the crime ladder, he moved to arson, extortion, and beating up people. Frank Sr. was seeing his son as an opportunity to make money and strengthen his crew. To understand Frank Jr.’s story you have to go back in time.

Nick Calabrese Mugshot Chicago 1990

In September of 1986 the Outfit ordered a hit on John Fecarotta. Frank Calabrese Sr.’s crew was tapped to do the job. Fecarotta was an enforcer that fell out of favor for not kicking up what he should to the Outfit’s leadership. This was going to be Frank Jr.’s initiation to kill. Frank Sr., Frank Jr., and Nick Calabrese practiced the hit in their basement. Nick spoke up and told Frank Sr., that he should be the one to do it. This deprived Frank Jr. from doing his very first hit. Frank Jr. was upset because he really wanted to show his father that he was ready to be a full fledge working member in his father’s crew.

Four years later, after being deprived of being a hitman for the Chicago Outfit, Frank Jr. was married with a daughter. This caused problems between him and his father. Frank Jr. was often late meeting with his father, or he would have some kind of commitment to his family that he would attend to. Frank Sr. would find this all very inexcusable. It got to the degree of his father beating him, or full on assaulting him. Whenever he would earn some money, he would have to give it to his father. This created a lot of stress for Frank Jr. He turned to using cocaine as a way to escape his enforcer father.

It was difficult for Frank to deal with his father. His father demanded that he would be on call 24/7. Should he not be available when needed, his father answered with a barrage of left and rights. Frank Jr. was loyal to this man and this is what he gets in return. He feels that he needs to get away from his father, so he needs to get some money together. Frank Jr. decides that he is going to get the money from his father.

His father had money hidden everywhere. It was in the millions of dollars and Frank Jr. knew where it was all hidden. He was going to take some money from his father. He may have been Frank’s father but he was also a killer. He would often beat and choke his victims to death. Once he thought that they were dead, he would slit their throat to make sure that they stayed dead. Now Frank Jr. was going to take money from this man, his father, and Outfit killer.

Frank Jr. winds up taking over $800,000 dollars. Not what he took originally but over time, with an increasing drug habit, that is what he took. He used some of that money to buy cocaine to sell. This was Tony Accardo’s Chicago Outfit, and under Tony’s rules drug dealers were dealt with in the same way, murdered! That is exactly what is going to happen to Frank Jr. if the word gets out on the street that he is dealing cocaine. Frank Jr.’s client base included cops, lawyers, mayors, and even senators. He was that secretive and trusted by these men.

Frank Calabrese Jr on ABC News Chicago

Four years later, Frank Sr. takes an audit of his stash of cash and finds $800,000 missing. Frank Sr. marched to Frank Jr.’s house. Frank Jr. can see the 10,000 mile stare in his father’s eyes through the window of the door. Nobody stole $800,000 from Frank and lived to see another day. Frank Sr. asks for his money and Frank Jr. denies knowing anything about it. Frank Sr. assaults his son and told him that he wants that money back. He tells his son that everything that is yours is now mine and that includes you. I own you! Frank Sr. orders his son to call him three times a day. After being treated like a slave by his father, Frank Jr. could not take it anymore, and he stops calling his father.

That did not last long. There were other sides to Frank Sr. than just the brutal enforcer and loan shark. Sometimes he could act like a dad and that is what Frank Jr. was trying to connect to all of his life. His father called him and it seemed like he was having a good day. Frank Jr. is going to make the most of it and meets up with his dad. They were walking through a side door of a garage and  his father is right behind him as he unlocks the door, walking into the garage.  At that moment Frank Jr. realizes that he is being set up, his father is going to kill him.

Frank Sr. pushes his son into the garage grabbing him by the throat and pointing a gun in his face. His dad was going to kill him, but Frank Jr. pleads to his father. He tells his dad that he needs help. He has a drug problem and he does not understand why he does the things that he does. He needs help and only his father is able to give him the help that he needs. Frank Sr. pulls back and for whatever reason his son is going to make it out of the garage alive.

Maybe distracted by their dysfunctional relationship, the Calabress’ do not notice that they were being watched by the FBI for the last five years. Frank Sr., Frank Jr., Nick Calabrese, and other members of the crew are all arrested. They are charged with extortion, mail fraud, conspiracy and racketeering. Frank Sr. approached his son and asked him to plea him out so he is out of this. His father will make this even with him for the money that he took. Frank Jr. comes to the realization that his father was never going to be a father. He was always going to be a mobster that hustles business for the Outfit. Outfit business was always going to come before his son or before anything else for that matter.

They all plead guilty to the charges. Frank Jr. starts to serve his time early so he can get away from his father. Before Frank Jr. went to start to serve his time, his father and himself met at the lawyers office to talk. It felt like a father and son type of moment. Frank Sr. thinks that they should make a vow to one another. Frank Jr. agrees, and tell his father that he is never going to do drugs again. Frank Sr. vows to his son that he is going to step back from the Outfit. Frank Jr. was living up to his vow but his father was not. He was still running his crew from prison.

Frank Jr. knows that things are not going to change with his father. That means things are not going to change for him. What was Jr. going to become? Maybe a hitman for the Chicago Outfit? There was no way out without becoming a cold blooded killer for Frank Jr. except for one.

Paul Scharff and Frank Calabrese Jr. at Mob Con 2013 on September 7th. Frank turned Government Witness and brought down the leadership of Chicago Outfit, in the Family Secrets Trial.

From prison Frank Jr. types up a letter to a FBI agent that had arrested him. In this letter he told them that he wanted to help them keep his father in prison for the rest of his life. He does not want a reduction in his prison term, or any money in return. The feds take Frank Jr. up on what he knows. He started to wear a wire recording his conversations with his father at the prison.

Frank Jr. had to get his father to talk about all the crimes that he committed. The murders, the extortions, and anything else that he could get his father to own up to on the wire. Frank Jr. approached his dad and said, you told me that the Outfit doesn’t kill innocent people, but you killed an innocent woman. Frank Sr. right away corrected his son and told him that he did not kill that woman, he was sitting in the lookout vehicle. This first omission was conspiracy. From there Frank Sr. would talk about a couple of other murders he had committed and another conspiracy he was involved in.

In June of 2007 was the beginning of the Family Secrets Trial. This would rock the foundations of the Chicago Outfit. After years of collecting evidence there were 14 indictments made against the Chicago Outfit. The five main defendants in the case was Frank Calabrese Sr., James Marcello, Joseph “The Clown” Lombardo, Paul “The Indian” Schiro, and Anthony “Twan” Doyle. Frank Jr.’s uncle, Nick Calabrese turned government witness against his brother and the Outfit.

The murder of John Fecarotta, the murder that Frank Jr. was suppose to do until his Uncle intervened, was botched. Fecarotta was killed, but Nick left a bloody glove behind. The feds were able to lock in Frank Jr.’s story with the DNA on that glove. The feds admitted that they never would have suspected Nick Calabrese as being a hitman, he just seemed to mild mannered to be that ruthless. 18 murders were finally put to rest. This even included the murders of Tony and Michael Spilotro back in 1986. Their murders were portrayed in the Movie CASINO when they were beaten to death and buried in a corn field.

This case hit kind of close to home for me too. James Marcello is/was (I just don’t know for sure) the Chicago Outfit boss. His half brother was named Michael “Mickey” Marcello. He was my father’s vendor for the coin operated devices for both of our bars. He is in my book MURDER IN MCHENRY as Mickey “the Jukebox Guy,” and he gave me a full size video game machine called Ambush for my bedroom as a kid. He was convicted in the Family Secret trial for an illegal video-poker business. This was unrelated to Frank Jr.’s testimony.

Frank Calabrese Jr. has since written a book called Operation Family Secrets, it is a New York Times Best Seller. He lives a normal life with his family, not living in the witness protection program. When I met him, he was very hospitable and very kind. I was happy that he was willing to trade books with me and I enjoyed our conversation. I hope that Frank Jr. always stays safe.

The post Mob Con 2013 Las Vegas Part IIII Frank Calabrese Jr. appeared first on McHenry County 1981.

Paul Scharff is a “Disenfranchised Son, with an Axe to Grind, Who’s Out to Sell his Book”

Paul Scharff is a “disenfranchised son, with an axe to grind, who’s out to sell his book,” is a comment that I found on my article on Andrew DiDonato that I did two weeks ago. I think that is more than ok to have a difference of opinion and/or debate a subject to bring all points to light. However, when I find a comment disguised as being objective in attempt to marginalize a more accurate view, that is not acceptable. The commenter was concerned that I would not post their comment on to my site. Not only did I post it to my website but I will address the comments here in this article to give it more than fair play. My objective is first to clarify what I have actually said to what I have not said and to provide accuracy to statements that are meant to mislead and/or to deflect truth. Below is the actual comment made on my website and below it is my reply and thoughts about those that choose to insulate themselves in a bubble for the purpose of propping up the Regime.

Really? says:

October 18, 2013 at 4:02 pm  (Edit)

Paul- As a newbie to McHenry County, I have to ask–on what basis are you making the assertions that McHenry County is tied to the mob? I’ve visited this site before and have read about your father and what happened +30 years ago–but aside from a Union donation–where’s this mob link? This line of conspiracy theory has been laid out before–each person has announced that the “end is coming” and all the electorate evil deeds will come to light–but the reveal is always another day away. Sorry, but you’re sounding a bit like a disenfranchised son, with an axe to grind, who’s out to sell his book by lambasting elected officials by safely quoting that you “heard from several sources”. I’m sure this post will never see the light of day, but it has to be said…

The first thing that struck me as being inaccurate is they identified themselves as a “newbie” to McHenry County,” as not to be identified as a supporter of the Regime as I believe them to be. As a newbie this commentator certainly has entrenched themselves in opinion that personally took me years to cultivate. Maybe you are a really fast learner, so that is fine. But then it begs to ask, how did you find me or know that I even existed, or even care what I think? I receive no press coverage from the Northwest Herald (they are in the pocket of the Regime), I have not done any local radio, nor is my book sold in McHenry County. You are passionate in telling a murder victim’s son that he is disenfranchised about his father’s murder. That would seem tacky to say the least or most certainly cruel, as that is closer to the truth. In my opinion I don’t believe that you were trying to be tacky or cruel; but a supporter of the Regime and not likely a newbie. Newbie or not, that is irrelevant to the obvious need for truth and knowledge.

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Hole in the Wall Gang Member Larry “Lurch” Neumann 1981

I have made one assertion about McHenry County being tied to the mob or the Chicago Outfit. I assert that former Sheriff George H. Hendle was connected to the mob. I have linked him to the Outfit through their attorney Adam Bourgeois. I did this with FBI reports, a newspaper article, and witness statements. You can review my documentation of this fact in my FOIA Appeal to the Illinois States Attorney. You can start to read on page 11. George Hendle not only did not question my father’s killer Larry Neumann as a suspect, but he was going to testify on his behalf in another murder trial according to the Las Vegas Sun. The fact that Larry Neumann was convicted of a triple murder in 1956 did not seem to bother Sheriff George Hendle.

Tony Spilotro was the enforcer sent out to Vegas by the Chicago Outfit.

Sheriff Hendle was also subpoenaed to testify on behalf of Tony Spilotro. If you are unfamiliar who Tony Spilotro is, Joe Pesci played him very accurately in the movie CASINO. This is the only connection to Chicago Outfit that I have asserted. However, you did mention the Union in reference to the mob. I am unsure if that is accurate to say that they are connected to the Outfit, but I would suggest that was smart of you to suspect them.

Local 150 International Union of Operating Engineers

You were referencing the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150. A little research of them paints an interesting picture of their leadership. If you go to the National Legal and Policy Center site and search “International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150,” you will find 19 articles on them that includes allegations of RICO. Which stands for, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Mob organizations are often charged with this law and Andrew Zinke has his hand out for their money. What is this group that is headquartered out of McHenry County getting for their money. Things that make you go, hum?

My mother and father, Ron and Kathy Scharff at our bar the PM Pub in 1977.

You mention that my father’s murder took place over 30 years ago, as if he was irrelevant. He was my father, I miss him, and I wish that he was here to have guided me further in life beyond the age of 10. My youngest brother Steve, does not even have a single memory of his own  father because he was taken so very young. Or maybe you were referencing 30 years as something has changed at the sheriff’s office or the government of McHenry County. The only thing that has changed is the number of victims that are produced.

Let’s go over some of their work over the years.

Murder of Ron Scharff and Patricia Freeman. Murder was covered up as directed by the Chicago Outfit. This is a 32 year old murder case that almost all involved are dead, but I cannot get my father’s complete case file. Why? Because Sheriff Keith Nygren, Undersheriff Andrew Zinke, and EEO Donald Leist are currently participating in a cover up by not releasing the file. I have inquired to Andrew Zinke about my parents guns that were taken when my father was murdered. He said that there was no evidence of them at the crime scene or the inventory reports, ignoring the constant references of them by deputies in the witness statements. Not to mention Zinke’s handling of my father’s murder case was a series of Andrew making his own milestones and missing every single one.

Gary Gauger, of Richmond, was wrongly convicted of murdering his parents and sentenced to death.

The Gary Gauger case. Gary is sent to Death row on a made up confession by the sheriff’s department for killing his parents. Four years later an appellate court saw the errors in the way of the sheriff’s department and released him. It was later discovered that the sheriff’s department allowed two Outlaw bikers to remain free for the murder of Gary’s parents until the Feds finally got them. This case is used by Death Penalty Advocates all over the country as what can go wrong with the system. Series of Chicago Tribune articles here.

Undersheriff Andrew Zinke and the Rita Corporation on RT 31

Undersheriff Andrew Zinke tipping off Brian Goode, that he was a person of interest in a DEA investigation. Brian Goode contributes $5,000 to Zinke’s campaign after the tip. The tons of marijuana was allegedly heading to the same address as Zinke’s campaign headquarters. Zinke does not deny tipping off Brian Goode. The sheriff Investigation finds no wrong doing or violation of Sheriff Orders. There is a 100 page report by the sheriff’s office that clears Zinke of any wrong doing. Sheriff Keith Nygren and EEO Donald Leist are fighting in the courts with tax payer dollars to keep this report hidden, ignoring the Illinois State’s Attorney’s office that told them to release it. Things that make you go, hum? Chicago Tribune article here.

McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren and Deputy Scott Milliman during better times.

Scott Milliman, former right hand man for Sheriff Nygren, makes a deposition that he was tapped by Nygren to kill Judge Floeter and a coroner’s candidate, Dave Bauchmann. He also alleges that the sheriff is trafficking illegals from Zacatecas, Mexico to McHenry. Defrauding the Small Business Administration on loans. Excepting of bribes, and ticket fixing. We can gauge the creditability of what Milliman has said by what he has gained by telling the truth. HARDSHIP!! Article at bettergov.org here.

Under the leadership of Sheriff Nygren, former Sergeant and Deputy Greg Pyle headed the Internet Crimes against Children Task Force. His own deviant behavior has been brought up but ignored until he was charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a child, and producing child pornography by the sexual exploitation of a child. The sheriff’s department referenced this as a  “domestic issue involving the officer and his family,” while he remained on the payroll after his arrest. Chicago Tribune article here.

The broken front door of Dr. Jerome and Carla Pavlin after McHenry County Deputies smashed there way into the house.

Thugs from the McHenry County Sheriff’s office went to the house of 80 year old Dr. Jerome, and 65 year old Carla Pavlin. Without a search warrant they kicked down their front door smashing all the glass in an attempt to arrest their son who did not live there for a misdemeanor charge. Without permission deputies entered the home and would not leave, even after being told to do so. While the deputies were conducting their illegal search, Carla was on the phone with 911 trying to get protection from the Crystal Lake Police. Jerome was violently thrown to the ground and placed under arrest. Carla was punched in the chest by a deputy knocking her backwards into the granite counter causing serious injury to her back. Carla was immobile for two weeks. Both Pavlins were brought to the Northern Illinois Medical Center for medical attention and both were charged with felony aggravated battery and resisting arrest. It was later found out that deputies arrest reports were written together and changed at the direction of supervisors.  Sheriff Keith Nygren has gone out of his way to say that he backs these deputies 100%. Chicago Tribune article here.

Former Deputy Zane Seipler spoke out against the racial profiling being conducted by the sheriff’s office. Three sheriff’s investigations found the allegations to be baseless. However the Chicago Tribune conducted its own investigation of the claims and found that Pablo Toxqui-Zavala and many others like him, had brown skin, spoke Spanish and was from Mexico, was labeled white by the sheriff’s department. Nygren had fired Zane Seipler as retaliation for speaking out. The firing of Seipler has gone

Deputy Zane Seipler

to arbitration, and they agreed that Seipler should be hired back. Nygren took this to circuit court and the judge said hire Seipler back. Nygren takes this to the appellate court and the appellate court judge says hire him back. Nygren then tries to take this to the Illinois Supreme Court (no kidding) and was told to go away. He was forced to hire him back to where he has currently fired him again. Nygren’s own attorney has said that they expect that Nygren will be forced to hire Seipler back. Sheriff Nygren has no problems spending tax payers money for his vendettas against people. In this case hundreds of thousands.

These are not the only short comings of the sheriff’s department or these men. In your comment to me you say This line of conspiracy theory has been laid out before–each person has announced that the “end is coming” and all the electorate evil deeds will come to light–but the reveal is always another day away. These are the evil deeds that have come to light. They are in the public domain. Everything that I write about is in the public domain. I don’t have to say that I “heard from several sources,” this stuff is in the paper.  I never once said that anyone was coming for these guys, as I have little faith in a system that has not imprisoned these men already. I don’t suggest to anyone that they wait for justice in a form of a arrest and prison term. I tell the people that the system has already failed you and we must throw these men out ourselves. We have an election that is coming up in 2014, to take that opportunity.

You also referenced that I am a disenfranchised son, with an axe to grind, who’s out to sell his book by lambasting elected officials. What these public officials have done is lambasted themselves. If they did not make the paper, I would have nothing to write about. My book has been an excellent tool. I do not even have to sell a single copy of MURDER IN MCHENRY. The fact that it exists allows me opportunity to keep the corruption of McHenry County in the public’s eye. It gives me plenty of opportunities to be interviewed by people that want to speak with me about what is going on back home. I was on a radio show yesterday, I will be on another at the end of the month, and I have a speaking engagement to help raise money for Bill Prim to beat Zinke in the election in November. Since my story is so compelling based on the actions of the Regime, it looks like these opportunities are going to keep on coming. When the McHenry County Sheriff’s department victimizes me and my family as a kid, they did that to me and them. When the McHenry County Sheriff’s department victimizes me and my family as an adult, they did that to me and them. I have observed countless other’s being victimized by these guys. I did not ask to be here, they put me here.  As a son honoring his father, and US Marine fulfilling a moral mission, I am accused of having “an axe to grind,” for keeping this in the public’s eyes, hearts, and minds, Really?

This article was not for the commenter who obviously is in support of the Regime. They exist in a bubble in lieu of moral conscious. This is for all of you who care about the community of McHenry County; our home. Don’t be tricked by a slide of hand with arguments that never existed to give birth to talking points to serve the purpose of propping of the Regime. Don’t wait for the Department of Justice to come and correct our problems. Stick with the perception of how things actually are and what your good common sense tells you. To beat the Regime, everyone must stand up and be accounted for in March and again in November. Don’t let your hand get caught in a coon cage set by the Regime!

Flyer for Bill Prim for Sheriff fundraiser featuring Paul Scharff

 

The post Paul Scharff is a “Disenfranchised Son, with an Axe to Grind, Who’s Out to Sell his Book” appeared first on McHenry County 1981.

Mob Con 2013 Las Vegas Part III Kenny “Kenji” Gallo

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Kenny “Kenji” Gallo former Colombo and LA Crime associate turned government witness.

I met Kenny “Kenji” Gallo at Mob Con in Las Vegas, when I was selling my book MURDER IN MCHENRY. We were all at the cocktail party at the Tropicana in Las Vegas for Mob Con. He was talking to Andrew DiDonato, a former Gambino Associate and a friend of mine. Andrew had walked off and I was talking to Kenji. He had figured out that I had a story and it related back to Frank Cullotta and his book. He said “I know who you are, I had read a couple of articles about you.” I was taken by that and then flattered. I would be flattered if anyone knew who I was, but I was watching Kenji on the Discovery Channel’s FLIPPED: A Mobster Tells All, right before I flew to Las Vegas for Mob Con. I like Kenji, and enjoyed the conversations that we had at Mob Con. He has an incredible story and this is his.

Kenny “Kenji” Gallo is from Irvine California, not the typical city for a mobster tale. He grew up in an upper middle class neighborhood. His parents divorced and his mother later was remarried. He did not get along with his stepfather. His mother and stepfather would threaten that they were going to send him to military school. One day that was no longer a threat, because that is where they sent him.

Going to military school open up a lot of facets for the future of Kenji’s life. It taught him leadership, organization, tactics and strategy, but it also taught him about pot, coke, and it is no good to be victimized by others. Kenji stayed in military school until he was 16 years old and went back to Irvine, California.

His stepfather had not given up on the idea of trying to straighten Kenji out. Whether he was in public school or military school, he would always find trouble. His stepfather found him a job working as a busboy at a restaurant. What his stepfather did not know was that the restaurant was owned by Joe Avila. Joe Avila was one of the biggest cocaine dealer in Orange County, California. The first time that Kenji saw Joe, he knew he wanted to be just like him.

Kenji was influenced by Joe Avila. It was not long before he would start doing work for Joe at the restaurant and on the street. He moved through having ounces of coke to trafficking kilograms. By the time he was 17 years old he was making lots of money. He had a chance encounter at a local gym that would expand his criminal and personal life.

He worked out at the same gym as a gentleman named Peter North. You may already recognize the name but if you don’t he starred in many adult movies. Peter North introduce him to the scene. Kenji’s interest was not in porn itself but the business. It was an all cash business. He was able to take the cash from cocaine and launder it through making porno films. It was a great way for him to account for all of his cash but he would learn who really controls the LA porn business.

The mob controlled the porn business and Kenji was cutting into it. The mob sent an associate to steal all his master tapes to his movies. This did not sit well with Kenji, and he moved into action. He went back to the mobster’s office with a handful of hardcore LA Crips. They were threatening these guys to give Kenji his money for the films. They were waving guns in the face of these deadly mobsters. The mobsters were taken by this young upstart and instead of retaliation it led up to a meeting with a Colombo associate Jerry Zimmerman.

Kenji Gallo and Jimmy Caci

Zimmerman was impressed with Kenji and thought that he had a lot of potential. Jerry started to move Kenji from street level crime to more sophisticated crimes committed by the mob. Jerry Zimmerman was not the only influential person that he would meet and take interest in him. He met a New Yorker named Jimmy Caci who was a LA Capo in the Los Angeles mob. He would further refine Kenji in the ways of the La Costa Nostra. Kenji also stayed rooted in the adult film industry.

He became close with Tabitha Stevens and later married her. She was an adult movie star in LA. Through his marriage with Tabitha, he started to move back and forth from LA to Las Vegas.  It helped broadened his empire, but it also got the attention of the FBI in Las Vegas. Tabitha’s grandmother called her and asked to speak to Kenji. It struck them both as being odd but Kenji got on the phone with Tabitha’s grandmother. He was told that the FBI was just at Tabitha’s grandmother’s house and they wanted to meet with him.

Kenji agreed to meet with the FBI and before he left he gave his wife his wallets and personal effects. He was going to meet them with nothing other than a shirt an jogging pants because he was convinced that they were going to arrest him. At the restaurant where they agreed to meet, Kenji was frisked for weapons. After seeing that he had nothing on him, he was led to the back where there was a private room with a bunch of agents. Kenji asked if they would arrest him now, so not to prolong the inevitable in his mind, They told him that they had no interest in doing that.

They told him that they knew about his car insurance scam that he was running and they could put him away for this and other RICCO like charges. However if he would be willing to wear wire they would help him out. He knew his choices were to wear this wire, or be put away for life under some RICCO charges, or death. With those options cooperating with the Feds was the only real choice.

Kenji was very enthusiastic about his new mission. His FBI handlers had to reign him in. Kenji felt that he was being underutilized. He had so much information on the criminal world in LA and Las Vegas, there was no way that his handlers were going to keep up with it. With Kenji’s connection to the Colombos’ through LA, it was felt that he would be the perfect candidate to infiltrate the mob in New York.

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Carmine “The Snake” Persico. Boss of the Colombo Crime Family

One of the first jobs that they gave Kenji was to pick up Teddy Persico Jr. from jail after doing 17 years. Teddy was the nephew of Carmine “The Snake” Persico. Carmine was the longtime boss of the Colombo crime family taking over after the assassination of Joe Colombo. The Persicos’ were known for their brutality and their fervor to kill.

They gave him a garbage bag filled with items for Teddy including a cell phone. He arranged with his FBI handlers a drop off point to give them the phone so they can place a bug in it. Kenji picked it back up from the FBI and later picked up Teddy from jail. They all were in a limo with some escorts from his porn connections and the garbage bag. He gave Teddy the garbage bag of items and he had to show him how to use the cell phone. Teddy was in jail before cell phones and did not know how to use it. Before Teddy even got back to his home, he had already committed some crimes all taped by the FBI. Kenji would over time earn the respect of Teddy and would become part of his crew.

One day Kenji was asked by Teddy if he thought that he was getting everything that he deserved out of the rackets. Kenji told him that he did not think so. He said that you live in an apartment but the other guys have houses. You have a Mercedes but it is leased. Teddy said that he owned a piece of the trucking company and Kenji challenged did he really. This created a riff and this got the attention of Emanuel Garofalo or “Manny.”

Manny was not a made guy but he had plenty of connections. He was kicking up to Teddy because he was his Capo. Manny wanted to meet with Kenji so they did at a restaurant. The place was cleared and Kenji sat across from Manny. “I need to know what you told Teddy?” Manny had asked. Manny wanted to go to the trucking company with Kenji to talk to Teddy. Kenji told him that he was not going to tell him anything and he was not going anywhere with him either. He got up and left the table to get back to his car. He knew he was in trouble and Manny was following him. In his car Kenji had a gun. He was told by the feds no violence but easier said than done with a Colombo associate is chasing you down. He got in car willing to run over Manny if needed be and left the area. Kenji knew that he was in trouble.

Teddy heard what had transpired between Manny and Kenji, which raised doubt about who Kenji really was. Teddy was going to take Kenji on a hit, knowing full well that informants cannot participate in such a thing, ever! Teddy was going to hit a made Colombo guy named Craig Marino. Previously there was a power struggle in the Colombo crime family. Craig Marino was part of a different faction then the Persicos’ and now he was going to pay. Kenji is trapped. He cannot get to a phone, he is riding with Teddy. If he runs off, Teddy will know that he is an informant and kill him on the spot. What is Kenji suppose to do? His circumstances were fluid, he just went through the action of getting ready for the hit of Craig Marino.

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Teddy Persico, was a capo in the Colombo Crime Family. He was also the nephew of Carmine “The Snake” Persico.

Craig was setup to be on the street so he could be ambushed by Teddy’s crew. Everyone was moving into place including Kenji so he can make the decision of a lifetime. Kill Craig Marino and blow your deal with the FBI and go to prison. The other option is to run off and get killed by Teddy Persico or one of his crew.  As all were saddling up for the ambush it was noticed that there was a cop in the area on the same street that hit was going to take place. Teddy called off the hit and Kenji did not have to make that decision of a life time.

If Kenji stayed in Brooklyn, he would have to kill, to be able prove his loyalty to the Colombos’ or be killed for turning on them. The Feds pulled Kenji out. He was undercover for almost eight years. An incredibly long time to be undercover. Kenji would have to fulfill his obligations to the Feds, and testify against Teddy and the Colombos’. He joined the Witness Protection Program  and left after a year.

He is now a mixed martial arts fighter. It gives him an opportunity to talk to people about his life, especially teenagers that are at that fork in the road. Kenji has 20 years of experience of what he believes was a waste of his time, his effort, his life. Making a bunch of money for old men, and hoping that one of your best friends don’t kill you, does not equate to much of a life.

Kenji has since written a book called BREAK SHOT: A Life in the 21st Century American Mafia. He also runs his website http://breakshotblog.blogspot.com/  He writes about the real truth about Organized Crime. Take a look at his book and website and see how he is making a difference.

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Mob Con 2013 Las Vegas Part II Andrew DiDonato

Last week I shared with you a letter that I sent to Mr. James M. Sweeney, the President-Business Manager of Local 150 International Union of Operating Engineers. His union contributed $12,308.50 to Undersheriff Andrew Zinke’s campaign for Sheriff of McHenry County. I want to know why this Joliet based union is kicking in on his campaign and you should too. We all should want to know their interest in our election and why they choose to support a gangster regime. Hopefully Mr. Sweeney can provide clarity to those questions soon. While we wait, I want to introduce you to some of the great people that I have met at Mob Con 2013.

The folks that attended this event were not only former mobsters and the cops that chased them. There were true crime authors, journalist, a CIA operative, private investigators, people related to the movie CASINO, and of course a victim’s son. Some of the people that I have met wore many of these hats. All of the people that were there were united at least under one flag, we are all against corruption; whether it is law enforcement, government, or the mob.

Andrew DiDonato on ABC Channel 13 Action News Las Vegas.

I want to introduce you to Andrew DiDonato. I knew Andrew before Mob Con. Denny Griffin was working on  Andrew’s Book, SURVIVING THE MOB, when Denny and I were raising awareness on my father’s case and trying to get Larry Neumann named as the murderer. Denny and Andrew also had me on their radio show right before my book was to be released. Andrew has an incredible story to tell and I want to share some of his story with you.

Andrew was no stranger to the mob. He grew up with family members that were connected to the mob in New York. Andrew is from Brooklyn and he started to get the attention of the mob when he was just 17 years old by shaking down drug dealers. He would approach them and tell them that someone is going to hurt you, but I can help. I can keep them away from you if you can kick back up to me. One day one of his drug dealers that he offered protection to, told him that someone had moved in on his territory selling weed. Andrew had to act fast and with conviction. He approached the unwanted dealer, cracked him in the head with a police baton, and sent him to the ER. Andrew made true on his word and the protection that he offered and never had a problem after that.

After his taste of shaking down dealers, he moved quickly into other ventures. Stealing cars, drug dealing, extortion, book making, loan sharking, and anything else that would prep him to be a good soldier to a New York family. With his abilities as a criminal and his envy for “the life,” he was on his way. Shortly after working on the street he would come face to face with Nicky Corozzo.

Nicky Corrozo was a made member of the Gambino Crime Family. Like Andrew he was from Brooklyn and he was a rising star in the Gambino Crime Family. He would later become Capo and acting Gambino boss.

Hearing of the exploits of Andrew, Nicky was impressed. He put the word out on the street that he wanted to meet with Andrew. Andrew wasted no time and met with Nicky. Nicky told him that if you run into any trouble out in the street to let people know that he was with him. At the age of 17 years old, Andrew was now a Gambino Associate.

Sometimes the New York families will fight among each other. Andrew found himself in the midst of an escalation with some of the Lucchese associates. The escalation turned into a gun fight where Andrew’s boss was in the cross hairs. Andrew pushed Nicky’s head down in the car that he was sitting in, to protect him from the flying bullets. No one was hurt, but Nicky ordered the Luccheses that did this dead. Andrew waited for these guys, and he was able to move up on them in his vehicle while Luccheses sat in theirs. The Gambinos moved in and shot the Luccheses  vehicle up. Again no one was hurt, including the Luccheses. Instead of continual escalation it was decided that they would have a sit down with the Luccheses. Out of the sit down the Luccheses wanted the shooter to settle the score; Andrew! However, that was not going to happen. Nicky is a made guy and there was no orders to shoot at him, a big no no in the world of the mob. That settled the beef between the two factions and Nicky had a soldier that he could trust and Andrew thinks that he has family that has his back.

Things change quickly for Andrew. In a hot-headed rage with a guy that was making passes at his girlfriend, he shoots him in the head. The guy loses his eye sight in one eye but lives. Andrew winds up in prison for four years. He was put away on the testimony of a childhood friend that was driving around with him that day. Andrew thought the guy should have been intimidated or killed so he would not testify against him. He thought that was what the “family” is all about. When he gets out of prison he goes back to his crime family were Nicky explains to Andrew that there are things that are bigger than him. More or less he learns that he is expendable and there is no loyalty among the bosses for good soldiers kicking up to them.

Disenchanted with the Gambinos, Andrew breaks his parole, and goes on the lam committing crimes with other New York Families. Now the Gambinos are looking for him and so is law enforcement. Andrew was on the street for 14 months and eventually snuck back home. While home he started to date a girl whose father was a mobster.

The girl’s father heard that Andrew was dating his daughter and sent one of his guys to have a sit down with him. Andrew was unsure if this was a setup but he went to meet the associate anyway. As he was talking to this man sitting on a park bench, Andrew noticed a woman sitting on a park bench across from him. He realizes that it is his mother. She is clutching a pistol in her hand. She thought that this may be a setup as well, and wanted to protect her son. Andrew is losing his mind because if this associates sees his mother, he is most likely going to shoot her. Andrew knows that he is going to have to kill him first before he would be allowed to do that. Luckily it was legit. The father wanted to relay to Andrew that he was to hot right now, and he did not want him endangering his daughter. As soon as the conversation was over, Andrew ran over towards his mother on the park bench and grabbed the pistol away from her. She loss it, and broke down, another message to Andrew of what life in the mob is really all about. Making a mother cry because she is fearing for the life of her son.

Still in the life, Andrew had to resort to crime to fund him being on the run. He was planning to rob a bank when he was swarmed by vehicles and men with guns. To his relief it was the feds and not a crime family there to assassinate him. However, Andrew realizes he is now facing real time, not just four years like before,  he was facing 40 years for his crimes.

Kenji Gallow, Paul Scharff, Andrew DiDonato, and Dennis N. Griffin at Mob Con 2013 September 7th. Kenji Gallow is a former Columbo Crime Family member, Andrew DiDonato is a former Gambino Crime Family Member, and Dennis N Griffin is a nationally renowned true crime author.

Now it was time to reflect on his life. Andrew figured that there was no one there for him and there was no such thing as a “family,” it was all folklore. For a reduction of his sentence to four years, Andrew spent his time at trials testifying against members of different  New York crime families that he committed crimes with, which included Nicky Corozzo. After he served his time, he goes into the witness protection program.

Since then Andrew has co-authored his book with my good friend Denny Griffin called SURVIVING THE MOB. It is an excellent book. It provides insight to the New York mob which is different in some ways to the Chicago Outfit. I did not spoil anything here, there is a ton of stories left in Andrew’s book to read. Other than I know that all of his stories are true it is hard for me to imagine that he has done all of these things. When I talk to him,  he is really a genuine guy; but then again that is because he is.

After Mob Con I hung around Las Vegas to go see the Mob Museum. While I was paying for my ticket I hear Andrew. I thought cool, I will hurry up pay for my ticket and check out the museum with him. When I ran around the coroner to catch him, I ran into an exhibit where I see Andrew on a big monitor talking about his experiences. Oh well, on my own walking through the museum as initially planned.

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Will McHenry County be Ripped Off by Special Interest in Sheriff Election?

Local 150 International Union of Operating Engineers

I am going to change gears and talk about the potential of having our election for Sheriff being ripped off by special interest dumping cash into the election. I will get back to Mob Con Part II next week if nothing else comes up.

This week on www.mchenrycountyblog.com, Cal Skinner wrote an article on a contribution to Undersheriff’s Andrew Zinke’s campaign for sheriff. Here is the article Operating Engineers Pop for $12,308.50 in Signs for Andrew Zinke. Local 150 popped $12,308.50 for signs. This is almost half of what Zinke had in the bank for his campaign, so it is a large contribution.

My concern is about an election that should be decided on merit now being decided on marketing. Bill Prim vs. Andrew Zinke is a no brainer and most in the community will see it that way, so on merit Zinke does not have a chance. However, the Regime has friends with very large pocketbooks and have the potential buying the election through large contributions and shouting over everyone else. This is the only way that Zinke can win so it will be the route taken. This should concern us all.

If you read the local blogs and the comment sections you will see that the election has already started and has become very heated. Each side has a large stake in all of this. Those of us in the Bill Prim camp our fighting to get our community back and rid our community of corruption and gain transparency for our processes. The Regime is fighting to maintain control of their power and influence of McHenry County. So what is Local 150’s angle in all of this? I don’t know but we need to find out.

Why is this union kicking in so hard on this election when they are based in over 40 counties in five states? This is a red flag.

This is what I propose to do about this. I am going to write a letter to Mr. James M. Sweeney, President-Business Manager of Local 150 International Union of Operating Engineers. You will find a copy of this letter below. In this letter I am detailing what it is that they are really supporting, which is corruption. Everything from fixing tickets, to child pornography, to solicitation of murder. We are going to gut check Local 150. I am also going to cc a contact that I have over at the National Legal and Policy Center. The NLPC has a long history of working with citizens to expose corruption in government. Let it be known that we are watching and now taking action when things don’t pass the smell test. When we see something that is not right, that becomes an invitation to poke around; the Regime does not like that kind of stuff.

You can play a role in this too. Contact Mr. James M. Sweeney. Let him know that you are watching. Send him a letter or leave him a message that you are looking forward to hearing a reply back to my letter, but contact him. Let’s take this opportunity to move into action and fight for what is ours, the community of McHenry County. I will post the response from the union when I get it and below is their contact information. When you show action, you spark fear in the heart of the Regime and their supporters, so take ACTION NOW!!

​

Address​

​Phone

​Fax

Local 150 Headquarters/District 1 Hall​

6200 Joliet Road, Countryside, Illinois, 60525​
708-482-8800​
​708-482-7186

 

LETTER TO JAMES SWEENEY OF LOCAL 150

CC: Ken Boehm, Chairman of National Legal and Policy Center

 

Dear Mr. James M. Sweeney,

My name is Paul Scharff and I would like to introduce myself and inquire about a contribution that Local 150 had made to Andrew Zinke’s campaign for sheriff. Before I inquire I should explain who I am first.

I am the oldest son of Ronald Scharff who was gunned down at our bar in Lakemoor, IL, the same location of your District 3 Hall in 1981. He was killed with his employee Patricia Freeman, a mother of two. This murder was unsolved for 27 years until it was brought to my attention that murderer was named in a former mobster’s book. Andrew Zinke was assigned to reinvestigate my father’s case. Although the murderer was correctly named as the killer of my father and Ms. Freeman, Andrew Zinke’s conduct and treatment of myself, as the families representative, throughout the investigation was unbecoming to say the least.

Besides creating his own milestones that he continually failed to meet, he was secretive and not forthcoming of any new information. He would not return my phone calls for status updates until I contacted the NBC 5 News Chicago. Channel 5, in turn contacted him on my behalf. He then gave me a detective to contact for status updates. That same detective told me that he could not provide me any new information. I inquired about my parents guns that were taken into evidence that have gone unaccounted for. He told me that they did not find them in the evidence sheets or photos, so they did not exist. However, multiple witness statements states that Sheriff Deputies were in procession of at least one of my father’s gun or guns. After 1,200 man hours into this investigation the only new information that he provided to myself, my mother, and my two brothers is that the woman that more or less called a hit on my father also accused my father of raping her. She did make the accusation but I think the information provided was for my benefit to slow down my pursuit of the truth. Even today, I am fighting to get the remainder of my father’s file, a 32 year old murder case that is solved, and all the people relevant to the case are all dead. I know longer think that I am chasing ghosts in my pursuit of justice, but live guilty people and Andrew Zinke hides them.

Here is what I was able to uncover in less than 20 man hours that Andrew Zinke felt was not as relevant of the woman’s accusation of rape, an accusation that Andrew Zinke himself felt was untrue. I traced the original investigator Sheriff George Hendle to the Chicago Outfit (mob). He was going to testify on behalf my father’s murderer in a different murder trial. The man that killed my father was convicted in 1957 of a triple murder prior to these three additional murders, a fact that George Hendle knew. George Hendle was also subpoenaed to testify on behalf of Tony Spilotro. If you are unsure who he is, Joe Pesci’s character in the movie CASINO was based on him. I have plenty of other supporting evidence in the form of news articles, FBI reports, and witness statements.

If my personal experience of a murder victim’s son is not convincing of the lack of moral fiber and the character of Andrew Zinke, consider some of his other actions. He tipped off Brian Goode that he was a person of interest in a joint operation with his own sheriff’s department and the DEA. In a ten month period 60,000 pounds of marijuana was being trafficked and at least one truck load was destined to Brian Goode’s Rita Corporation. Mr. Goode made a $5,000 contribution to Zinke’s campaign after the tip (a contribution still less than half of Local 150’s), and the destination of the intercepted marijuana was the same address of Andrew Zinke’s Campaign Headquarters. This obviously blew the investigation and Zinke does not deny telling Brian Goode this information. Brian Goode still sits on the McHenry County Merit Commission which is responsible for the promotion and discipline of deputies.

Andrew Zinke was tapped by Sheriff Keith Nygren to replace him as sheriff. Sheriff Nygren has been alleged to be involved in a lot of crime. It is alleged that he has taken bribes, ticket fixing, racial profiling, trafficking illegal aliens from Mexico to McHenry County, and requesting a deputy to kill a judge and coroner’s candidate. Under Sheriff’s Nygren’s watch, Deputy Greg Pyle was on the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and is now being charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a child and producing child pornography by the sexual exploitation of a child.

Now I am inquiring about your support and contribution to Andrew Zinke. Were you aware that Local 150 Union of the Operating Engineers were supporting gangsters in this election? Local 150 is one of the largest supporters with your contribution of $ 12,308.50, why? Local 150 is in over 40 different counties in five states, why make such a large contribution in McHenry County? If Local 150 Union of the Operating Engineers were unaware that they were supporting injustice and corruption, would you be willing in a press release to recant your support and financial backing to Andrew Zinke’s campaign for sheriff? I would hope that you would submit a response to the inquiry of these four questions in a two week time frame.

I have been advocating for myself and the good people of McHenry County for justice and transparency. I will be posting this letter and your reply to it on my website. My website is www.mchenrycounty1981.com. I get over 10,000 visitors a month. It is mostly people from McHenry County and it grows month over month. A lack of a reply is a reply, or an affirmation that Local 150 Union of the Operating Engineers supports the Regime. I want to thank you for taking the time read my objection to the support of Andrew Zinke for McHenry County Sheriff. I hope to hear from you soon.

 

Paul Scharff

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