THE CHIEF SAYS.....
by Chief
Investigator, Wayne A. Johnson
ORGANIZED CRIME IN
CHICAGO
The recent release of many Chicago Upper Echelon
LCN (La Cosa Nostra) leaders had concerned law enforcement officials throughout
the Chicagoland area. Many of these individuals are on parole and being watched
closely. My experience in Organized Crime tells me that some may slip up and be
violated, while most will become a little more efficient in their day to day
operations and continue to build million dollar homes in areas such as;
Naperville, Inverness, and other areas in DuPage and Lake Counties where nary a
Lawman can afford to reside. Well not to fret, some assistance has come to Law
Enforcement in the form of “Mother Nature” herself. It seems that during the
last year many of these lifelong criminals have died soon after their release.
UNION NEWS
Well, as the young Turks (the next generation of
Organized Crime Leaders) continue to
abuse and steal from labor unions in the area, Some very dedicated
Special Agents from the U. S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector
General, continue the task of weeding
these individuals out of the Unions under the watchful eye of the Federal
Judiciary. But, like most Law Enforcement Agencies they are overworked and
understaffed. Recently, the Chicago Police, Gambling Unit provided some
assistance in this effort with the arrest of a Laborer’s Local President in the
possession of over $300,00.00 in wagers and a dozen cell phones, apparently to
carry out this sizable Gambling operation. It is imperative that we follow suit
with a conviction to facilitate his ejection from office. We at the Chicago
Crime Commission will pay particular attention to this case in the local
courts.
VIDEO POKER MACHINES
The devices
continue to plague the city and suburbs by taking millions of dollars from the
pockets of hard working citizens who have become hooked on the devices and the
dreams of a winning hand. In the initial research the Chicago Crime Commission
has amassed, we see some familiar names in Organized Crime, involved in the
distribution of these machines. It is this involvement more than anything else,
that inspires us to continue this research and ultimately provide our Lawmakers
with recommendations to alleviate this menace to society. Recently, Federal
Prosecutors have won a conviction in New Orleans and filed Racketeering Charges
against two former State Senators and several others alleging involvement in a
bribery scheme involving Video Poker. In the near future this case will be
reviewed to assist in our effort in solving this growing problem.
UIC ORGANIZED CRIME CONFERENCE
In March of 1997, The University of Illinois at
Chicago, Office of International Criminal Justice, held a
three day conference on Organized Crime, focusing on Non-Traditional Organized
Crime Groups, just as we at the Chicago Crime Commission near completion of our
new and timely publication “The New faces of Organized Crime”. At this time we
would like to commend the efforts of Crime Commission Member Dr. Richard Ward,
Sean Malinowski, and Gene Scaramella for their efforts. In my opinion it was the
most comprehensive consortium dealing with these issues the Midwest has ever
seen.
