Limited-time St. Valentine's Massacre display hits the Mob Museum

LAS VEGAS (KSNV News3LV) — One of the most infamous events in organized crime history happened 87 years ago on Valentine's Day.

The St. Valentine's Day massacre took place in Chicago, but this weekend, pieces of that crime scene are here in Las Vegas at The Mob Museum.

"This is the first time this evidence has ever been on public display," said Geoff Schumacher, the Director of Content for the Mob Museum. "It's a rare opportunity."

You'll find 2 Thompson machine guns on display. Lt. Mike Kline from the Berrien County, Michigan Sheriff's Office, where the guns are stored, says the significance of these firearms was that they were proven to be tied as the main murder weapons in the 1929 St. Valentine's Day massacre. They were uncovered, however, after a minor incident.

"Our department, two of our officers responded to a call of a wrecked car and a man running in the street," said Lt. Kline.

Lt. Kline explained that Officer Charles Skelley stopped the driver who caused the fender-bender and the driver, later identified as Fred Burke, fatally shot him. Burke's home was raided.

"The firearms, cash and arsenal were taken from Fred Burke's house in Michigan," said Lt. Kline.
A display also shows how the firearms were tied to the incident.

Dr. Calvin Goddard scientifically proved the link through pioneered ballistics testing techniques. He compiled a collection containing some of the original crime scene evidence.

The bullets pulled from the leg of Frank Gusenberg and from the forehead of Adam Heyer are on display. An autopsy report shows Reinhardt Schwinner was shot 23 times. They are just three of the seven victims, who were members of Bugs Moran's gang, gunned down execution style.

"There's something about being able to examine the evidence up close and take a look at it," said Schumacher. "Most crimes, you can't do that because police hold onto that and they hold it in their evidence vault and it stays there forever. In this case, we have this rare opportunity because it's so old that the same procedures were not followed back in the day in Chicago, so this evidence is available for public viewing. To me, that's something very different and something you don't see very often."
These artifacts go hand in hand with the permanent St. Valentine's Day Massacre wall display that's been at the Mob Museum since it opened in 2012. The original bricks from the warehouse wall show the bullet holes.

"Sadly, no one was ever prosecuted for the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. We think we know who did it, but they never went to prison for that crime," said Schumacher.

Some of the displays will only be here in Las Vegas until Monday, but the display with the autopsy report and retrieved bullets will remain through the end of the month.

Locals can stop by the museum for free until 9 p.m. Sunday evening, and out of state visitors can take advantage of a buy one-get one free admittance.


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Lovebirds spend Valentine's Day learning about Al Capone in Frankfort

Local author and historian Richard Lindberg

Frank Vaisvilas / Daily Southtown

 

Local author and historian Richard Lindberg shows slide photo of the aftermath of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre which took place in Chicago on Feb. 14, 1929.

 

Local author and historian Richard Lindberg shows slide photo of the aftermath of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre which took place in Chicago on Feb. 14, 1929. (Frank Vaisvilas / Daily Southtown)

Frank VaisvilasDaily Southtown

Besides gifts of flowers and chocolate, many people in Frankfort wanted to learn more about Chicago's infamous past with Valentine's Day.

The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre occurred on Feb. 14, 1929 when seven men were gunned down in a Lincoln Park neighborhood garage owned by North Side gangster "Bugs" Moran. The hit was allegedly ordered by his rival, and Chicago's most famous gangster, Al Capone.

Chicago-area author and historian Richard Lindberg spoke on Sunday about the attack, and the factors that led up to it during a two-hour presentation at the Frankfort Public Library.
"I don't think there's anywhere else in the country where we can celebrate (Valentine's Day) and also celebrate the life of the Chicago mob," Lindberg said.

Fred and Jennifer Rice thought the event would be the perfect way to spend Valentine's Day.

"I love Valentine's Day and he likes history, so this seemed like a good fit for us," Jennifer Rice said.
Lindberg, who's written 17 books, including his latest "Gangland Chicago," used a 1960s vintage projector to show slide photos of the prohibition era as he talked about the history of gangs and corruption in Chicago.

He said the city has been steeped in vice since its inception. Even one of the city's founders, John Kinzie, murdered a man and hid the body in 1814, Lindberg said.

Local author and historian Richard Lindberg

Frank Vaisvilas / Daily Southtown

 

Local author and historian Richard Lindberg discusses an early 19th-century editorial cartoon depicting corruption in Chicago during a presentation at the Frankfort Public Library.

 

"Even one of our most famous citizens who has a street named after him was a murderer," Lindberg said. "Since then the city's been full of ruthless thugs."

 

And by the 1920s, gangsters such as Capone were allowed to operate with virtual impunity.
Lindberg said Capone's gang had murdered his North Side rivals one by one before going after Moran for control of the then-illegal liquor business.

Capone was conveniently out of town when the 1929 massacre of Moran's men occurred, he said.
The culprits were two men who dressed like police officers and two plain-clothed men. Lindberg said Moran missed being murdered that day because he went to a nearby coffeehouse after seeing the phony policemen enter his garage.

Lindberg said a gangster allegedly involved in plotting the assassinations later identified the murderers, but neither the FBI or Chicago police ever followed up.

Lindberg also related Chicago's criminal pastime with modern problems.

"Handgun crime is nothing new in Chicago, neither are gangs," he said.

But Lindberg added that the city is probably safer today than it was in 1900, when newspapers were "screaming" for officials to do something about rampant gun crime. He said a little boy back then could simply walk into a hardware store and purchase a gun with no registration.

Frank Vaisvilas is a freelancer for the Daily Southtown

Autopsy reports found from Chicago's Valentine's Day massacre

On Feb. 14, 1929, seven men were lined up against the wall in a North Side garage and gunned down execution-style. The infamous mob hit became known as the St. Valentine's Day massacre. Five known members of George 'Bugs' Moran's gang, one associate and a garage worker were killed. The hit was allegedly orchestrated by rival mob boss Al Capone, who was conveniently at his Florida home at the time.
(Chicago Tribune)

Tribune news servicesContact Reporter

Written by hand, the autopsies on the seven bullet-riddled bodies vividly describe why the Valentine's Day massacre of 1929 is still considered Chicago's most infamous gangland killing.
The reports were recently unearthed with inquest transcripts from a warehouse after eight decades, and the Cook County medical examiner's office is now considering how best to preserve and display them.

Executive officer James Sledge, a local history fan and a Chicago native, said he felt a chill down his back when he first read the documents outlining the attack at a Lincoln Park garage that left seven men dead and more than 160 machine gun casings littering the scene.
The attack, carried out by men dressed as city police officers, is widely believed to have been ordered by famed Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone. The crime was never solved.

Archive: Chicago Daily Tribune coverage of St. Valentine's Day MassacreOpen link

 

Shortly after Sledge joined the medical examiner's office in 2014, he asked for permission to look at the autopsy records. His staff took multiple trips to a Cook County government warehouse to find the reports, which were tucked away in a metal file cabinet.

Sledge is weighing where the documents should be stored and how accessible they should be, he told the Chicago Sun-Times in a story published Thursday.

"On the one hand, we want to have them readily available," Sledge said. "But we don't want them so accessible that we in some way anger some part of the population who feel we are not paying proper respect to the deceased."

The victims of the Feb. 14, 1929 massacre were five men who were known gangsters working for Capone rival George "Bugs" Moran, an optometrist who was friends with Moran's crew and a mechanic at the garage that served as Moran's headquarters. They were gunned down by four men, two of whom were wearing police uniforms. Since there was no evidence of a struggle, it's believed that Moran's men thought it was a police raid.

The documents that are now in Sledge's possession offer insight into the 87-year-old investigation of the unsolved crime.

"The reports are very graphic about what happened," Sledge said. "You read about history, you talk about it, but to have something in your hands — it gives you an odd feeling."

Those documents include an inquest interview with the optometrist's mother in which the coroner prepares her for the grisly state of her son's body. Other documents also outline the difficulties investigators faced while attempting to solve the crime, including witnesses who were too afraid to testify, the limits of forensic science and photographers who were eager to document the event.
Sledge wasn't immediately available for comment Friday.

Becky Schlikerman, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office, said the office is still considering what to do with the documents.

The documents have to remain the property of the Medical Examiner's office because they are autopsy reports, she said.

Associated Press

Copyright © 2016, Chicago Tribune

Valentine's Day Massacre: 11 Things To Know About 1920s Mob Murders

A video presentation is projected on a wall at The Mob Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada February 13, 2012. The wall is an actual section of the garage where the infamous St. Valentines Day massacre took place in Chicago in 1929. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

 

If you were thinking this had anything to do with the 2001 thriller “Valentine,” think again! On February 14, 1929, seven men associated with the Irish gangster George “Bugs” Moran, one of Al Capone’s longtime enemies, were shot to death in the city of Chicago. This gang-related multiple murders are known as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

During the late 1920s, mob wars ruled the streets of the Wind City and Al Capone was recognized as chief gangster. Even though the murders were never officially linked to the kingpin, it is believed that he orchestrated this misdeed in order to eliminate his rivals and gain absolute control in the illegal trades of bootlegging (the illegal manufacture and sale of alcohol), gambling and prostitution.

Scroll down to learn more about the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre:

1)Between the years 1924 and 1930, Chicago was considered a lawless and violent city.
2) Al Capone took over from his boss Johnny Torrio in 1925.
3) Al Capone is the original “Scarface,” and his income from illegal activities was close to $60 million a year.
4) George “Bugs” Moran survived the massacre and told reporters “Only Capone kills like that.” Capone replied, “The only man who kills like that is Bugs Moran.”
5) The men who executed the Irish mobsters were dressed in cop uniforms.
6) The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre is considered Chicago’s gang war climax.
7) 70 rounds of ammunition were fired on the day of the killings.
8) When officers from Chicago’s 36th District arrived to the scene, Moran’s garage on the North Side of Chicago, Frank Gusenberg was still alive but refused to reveal the killers identities.
9) Capone’s alibi was that he wasn’t even in the city on the day of the massacre, he claimed to be at his home in Florida.
10) After the happenings, authorities dubbed Capone as “Public Enemy No. 1.”
11) The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre marked the beginning of Al Capone’s downfall

Next Book Signing

My next Presentation and book signing is coming up soon at the Westchester Public Library: http://www.westchesterpl.org/programs/newsletter.htm

To take a peek at my book go to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/History-Violence-Encyclopedia-Chicago-Murders-1st/dp/0615986935/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394923423&sr=1-2&keywords=a+history+of+violence

ORGANIZED CRIME

MURDERS IN CHICAGO

With Dr. Wayne Johnson, a former suburban police chief and former chief investigator for the Chicago Crime Commission

Saturday, March 19 @ 1:00 pm

Advance registration requested—contact Adult Dept 708-562-3573

Central figure in Chicago's red-light camera bribery scandal goes on trial

John Bills enters the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Jan. 11, 2016, to attend jury selection for his federal corruption trial related to the city's contract with the red light traffic camera company Redflex. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

 

By David Kidwell January 11, 2016

          

In his colorful 32-year career with the city, John Bills rode his political connections to rise from street lamp maintenance man to the top Transportation Department official responsible for growing Chicago's fledgling red-light camera program.

This week, Bills, a longtime political operative to the city's most powerful politicians, becomes the latest in a long line of city officials facing a federal trial on charges of using his position to line his own pockets.

Federal prosecutors say Bills, 54, was the central figure in a massive $2 million bribery conspiracy, accepting lavish hotel stays, sports tickets, vacations, a condo and cash bribes for each of the nearly 400 red-light cameras that catapulted the program into the largest in the nation.

The sweeping scandal — which by size alone ranks among the largest in Chicago's notorious history of corruption — was first uncovered by the Tribune in 2012 after the newspaper obtained a whistleblower memo detailing the questionable relationship between Bills and Redflex Traffic Systems Inc.

Bills has persistently denied the charges, refusing overtures from federal authorities interested to know the names of any others who may have benefited from the conspiracy.

"From the day he was first arrested they have always wanted him to cooperate and give them names of people further up the food chain," said Nishay Sanan, Bills' attorney. "His answer has always been that he didn't do it and there is no food chain."

Sanan describes the native South Sider as a longtime bureaucrat who had neither the authority nor the political juice to orchestrate a scheme of such magnitude.

 

He said the defense will hinge mostly on the credibility of federal witnesses who have cut cooperation deals, as well as the inability of federal authorities to track down most of the riches they have accused Bills of accumulating from the longtime camera vendor.

"He's been living paycheck to paycheck," Sanan said. "Hardly the kind of lifestyle you'd expect from a guy who took all the money they say he has taken."

In recent years, Sanan said, Bills has worked a series of menial jobs to make ends meet — pizza delivery, golf course maintenance, a security detail.

By contrast, federal prosecutors are expected to portray the then-No. 2 official in the city's Transportation Department as living the high life — flush with unexplained cash and frequenting ritzy hotels and pricey restaurants — as he secretly schemed to steer the lucrative city contract to Redflex and pepper the city with cameras.

For the first time in his more than two years in office, U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon is slated to personally prosecute Bills' case in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall. Fardon, who declined a request to be interviewed, played a key role in winning the conviction of former Gov. George Ryan on sweeping corruption charges in 2006 when he was an assistant U.S. attorney.

The former city transportation manager indicted in a $2 million conspiracy to bring red light cameras to Chicago met with then-Mayor Richard M. Daley and House Speaker Michael Madigan as he championed the agenda of the company that was secretly bribing him, federal prosecutors alleged Wednesday.

The former city transportation manager indicted in a $2 million conspiracy to bring red light cameras to Chicago met with then-Mayor Richard M. Daley and House Speaker Michael Madigan as he championed the agenda of the company that was secretly bribing him, federal prosecutors alleged Wednesday.
 

Jury selection is set to begin Monday. Bills faces 20 counts of mail and wire fraud, bribery, extortion, income tax evasion and conspiracy charges.

Among those on the prosecution witness list — some of whom will detail publicly for the first time their own roles in the criminal conspiracy — are Karen Finley, Redflex's former chief executive, and Bills' friend Martin O'Malley, who authorities say was hired as a consultant by the company for the sole purpose of acting as a bagman for bribes to Bills throughout the decadelong contract.

Both have pleaded guilty and have negotiated for reduced sentences in exchange for their cooperation.

Until 2012, Chicago's red-light camera program was lauded by Redflex and the city as a model of how an automated camera program should be run. After he was elected, Mayor Rahm Emanuel pointed to its success in his efforts to expand the program to include speed cameras.

That began to change following Tribune reports that detailed the alleged bribery scheme. At the time, Redflex had been the front-runner to win the speed camera contract. The company even hired Greg Goldner, a longtime Emanuel political ally and former campaign manager, as a national consultant.

But Redflex speed-camera aspirations in Chicago were doomed amid the Tribune reports that not only revealed the corruption scheme but also exposed how Emanuel had used bogus safety claims to sell the expansion to speed cameras. The newspaper also detailed how tens of thousands of drivers were unfairly ticketed because of widespread malfunctions and failed oversight of the red-light camera program that the city's inspector general later called "fundamentally deficient."

The scandal prompted Redflex to jettison six of its top executives, including Finley. Federal authorities opened their bribery investigation that includes allegations of similar practices by Redflex in 13 states. Emanuel fired the company and ordered the removal of 80 red-light cameras, promising reforms to improve oversight and management of the program.

Emanuel also scaled back his speed-camera plans. So far, the city has activated only about 150 speed cameras that have raised more than $81 million in fines. The older red-light camera program has generated more than $600 million in fines since 2003.

Bills retired from his $139,000-per-year job as the city's managing deputy commissioner of transportation in 2011, just as Emanuel was taking over City Hall from departing Mayor Richard Daley.

Immediately upon his retirement, Bills took a job with Goldner's consulting firm working on behalf of Redflex. Federal authorities say Redflex increased its payments on Goldner's consulting contract to make up for Bills' salary. He left Goldner's employ shortly after the scandal broke.

Bills rose through the ranks in the Daley administration at City Hall as part of the vaunted patronage army of House Speaker Michael Madigan, earning a reputation as a top fundraiser and vote-getter in Madigan's 13^th Ward Democratic Organization.

He spent decades as a top precinct captain, helping to marshal troops and money for Daley, Madigan and other political candidates they supported.

Prosecutors have outlined in court papers how Redflex sought to use Bills' connections in securing city business, prompting Bills as early as 2008 to reach out to Daley and later Madigan in an effort to legalize speed cameras. Authorities have not alleged that Madigan or Daley did anything improper.

In addition to his political ties, Bills' family also has colorful connections to an even more insular organization — the Chicago mob.

Bills' cousin, Guy, was an Outfit turncoat who entered the federal witness protection program, records show. During a brawl, his uncle was once shot by Angelo "The Hook" LaPietra, who would later become the infamous South Side mob boss. His dad, who spent 35 years working in the city's forestry department, was arrested in his youth for taking bets on horses.

Archives of the Chief Investigator, Fall 1998

Chicago’s First Campus Gambling Summit

 

by Wayne A. Johnson

Chief Investigator

 

  In the Fall of 1997 the United States Attorney from the District of Arizona conducted a Grand Jury Investigation into allegations of Point Shaving at one of the premier basketball schools in the nation. It was during that time that a savvy investigator working for Sports Illustrated contacted the Office of the Chief Investigator of the Chicago Crime Commission following an instinct of Chicago Organized Crime involvement in the Arizona State case. Since then, prestigious Northwestern University suffered a similar embarrassment within their less than stellar Basketball Program.

 

  The results of these investigations have sent shock waves through the NCAA and Division I programs across the country. So, in the Spring of 1998 when DePaul University, Athletic Director Bill Bradshaw contacted the Chicago Crime Commission, through Chicago Police Officer, Jim Marino (a former DePaul basketball star), it was clear that an opportunity had presented itself for DePaul to take the lead amongst Division I schools in the Midwest in addressing a problem that for years was ignored, and that is exactly what they did.

 

  After several months of planning, on September 30, 1998, at the James R. Thompson-State of Illinois Center, DePaul University, the Chicago Crime Commission, and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office (through yet another DePaul star, Assistant Attorney General Joe Ponsetto), put forth what has been described as the greatest panel of experts on Campus Gambling to share a stage together.

 

  This one day event brought out the Attorney General of Illinois, Jim Ryan and Chicago Crime Commission, President Thomas B. Kirkpatrick, to welcome an audience of Division I Athletic Administrators, Coaches, Compliance Officers, Trainers, Security and other staff close to the issues, along with many Law Enforcement Personnel who are burdened with a responsibility to police and prosecute these cases in an urban setting.

 

  The Master of Ceremony, Bill Bradshaw did a wonderful job of facilitating the event which included an official position on the topic from Bill Saum, Agent & Gambling Representative, NCAA. Federal Investigators Randy Sealby (FBI) and Tom Moriarity (IRS) recounted their experiences in pursuing these types of investigations. This fit well with accounts from convicted student athletes from Northwestern University as they talked about their experiences and how it has changed their lives.

  One of the most interesting sessions of the day was the appearance of Joe Lodge, Assistant United States Attorney, District of Arizona (Arizona State case prosecutor) along with Assistant United States Attorneys Pat Collins & Mark Vogel (Northwestern University case prosecutors) in a panel discussion about their respective cases, fielding questions from the audience.

  And the day was highlighted by appearances from Tom Grey, Director, National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion, Wayne A. Johnson, Chief Investigator of the Chicago Crime Commission, Rick Telander, Chicago Sun-Times, ESPN Magazine, Rick Taylor, Athletic Director, Northwestern University, who provided great insights to this National Dilemma.          

  But last and certainly not least was the appearance of former MOB Gambling Supervisor William “BJ” Jahoda who has appeared on College Campuses across the country speaking out on the evils of gambling. This was BJ’s first appearance in the Chicago area since his MOB defection in 1993. Security was a concern, but BJ delivered.

  In the near future the Chicago Crime Commission will field inquiries from Northwestern University, Northern Illinois University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago about campus gambling issues and what can be done to stop the spread of this epidemic!!!