In 2008, campaign finance records show that Frank contributed to the following U.S. Congressional candidates: Joe Baca, Brian Bilbray, Gerry Connolly, Jim Costa, Randy Forbes, Zoe Lofgren, Mike Pence, Dennis Rehberg, andNydia Velzquez. When the victims got in touch, Nix duped them into sending the mob large sums of money to pay for his legal defense. Before long, other Dixie Mafia inmates got involved in the scam, placing more fake photos in gay publications and coming up with tall tales about why they needed more money before they could leave jail (or wherever else they claimed to be). Either way, you can generally find them within a few miles of where they need to show up for work the next day. "I think it's unfair that this industry is singled out," Johnson said. A continuing criminal enterprise is an example of organized crime. Now, lets go back to the first question: Have you ever played a carnival game and felt cheated? With the corrupt fail-safe protection system in place, carny-owners dont have to worry about their lawbreakers ever having to face criminal charges. As part of a self-serving marketing ploy, some carnival owners publicize their plans to make donations to local charities, in an attempt to present themselves as compassionate people in order to gain respect and support of citizens they plan to flimflam. This game is not only fraudulent, (deception for money), it is much worse when adults steal from young kids. In 2012, I was contacted by NBCs Today show producer Sandra Thomas, who wanted to consult with me regarding a story about carnival games. [3] As words are assimilated into the culture at large, they lose their function and are replaced by more obscure or insular terms. Back on topic, I never did carnivals, but I have worked a freak show / side show. To create insurance-like policies, carnival magnates often contribute to political campaigns of U.S. congressmen, senators, governors, and local politicians for a couple of reasons: in case they are interested in a state fair, county, or municipal contract and wish to develop clout; and in case carny-owners need friends in government to bail them out of trouble after a dishonest carny runs into a police officer who just wants to do his or her job. The two Razzle games, managed by an up and coming Frank Zaitshik, were shut down. In 2001, the U.S. Justice Department investigated the Gregorys and determined that from 1998-2001, Tony Rodham received a total of $323,769 in salary and loans from the Gregorys. Richardson, aware of the so-called games for two years, not only failed to command appropriate investigative action, he also failed to properly document the complaints in the county police files This way, a nosy reporter, going through police files, will not encounter any crime complaints to write about. Repeat for nine months. It does tend to be full of gossip since everyone works and lives with each other in close quartersRide and customer safety is the number-one priority. It is quite common for illegal carnival operators to pay off police and public officials in order to operate, says Riedthaler in the Corruption of Officials section of his police training seminar called Carnival Games Gambling and Frauds.. In New York City, the Colombo and Genovese crime families were involved with profits from street and church fair carnival games; their specialty being the game of Razzle. But really, what field doesnt? To view the full story in, NBC producer Sandra Thomass Today show and Dateline features used several hidden cameras at NAMEs carnivals in June, 2012, and were able to capture on film and describe the agents cheating deadening ball maneuver during both NBC 2012, narrated by NBCs national correspondent Jeff Rossen, entitled , Are carnival games cheating you - and your kids? Watch Gummo. So - I dont know how that applies to all carny workers. My dad owns a traveling carnival. I remember he went about two or three years (jobless) chasing down an injury lawsuit when he got hurt on a job. The happy mark, already halfway to the prize, then pays only $2 to buy another spill of the marbles. "For small fairs, it's very hard to even have a carnival," Ostermeier said. (No, not that Cecil. There seems to be this very strong stereotype of carnival workers as being shady, creepy, untrustworthy, scary, or somehow deviant in some other way. I estimated that the 12 innocent-looking basketball games alone accounted for $25,000 in 2012, based on the numbers of neighborhood kids trying their luck endlessly for four days. The itinerant carnival owner pays the festival sponsor a fee or percentage of the take for the privilege of servicing the towns carnival-goers. "Some of them, you wonder why they are not in jail," Radowicz said. I typed out my detailed fraud/gambling complaint for Richardson and provided him with a copy of the Michigan Carnival Games Manual. From murdering authority figures to burning down buildings to creating elaborate extortion schemes, the Dixie Mafia was known far and wide as an anything-for-a-buck gang. While they were initially based out of Biloxi, Mississippi, it didnt take long for their reach to spread all across the South. When interviewed by reporters, carnival owners and managers never will admit to personal misdeeds and will fabricate a tale about being unaware of any criminal activity on the midway. We have a full drug testing center on-site. This seedy history and the ongoing corruption of local officials made the city an attractive place for lawbreakers. Carnivals have close ties to not only organized crime but to local law enforcement. We have a lot of interesting family friends from the fair business. What the Greatest Showman Got Totally Wrong, The Bittersweet Story of Jumbo the Elephant, Carnival Workers Describe What The Life Is Really Like. Far from a sophisticated organization, this crime ring was a loose network of thugs, as the FBI called them. In my view, what Deputy Chief Dennis Richardson did isnt much different from what disgraced former Chief Willie Lovett did for nine years: Conspiracy to obstruct enforcement of criminal laws. (Lovett probably tossed every Razzle and hoop complaint at all his cheating carnivals.). But I dont have any illusions that this is the end of the Dixie Mafia., After reading about the Dixie Mafia, meet Joe Valachi, the first mobster to expose the Mafias darkest secrets, and Frank Lucas, the real-life heroin kingpin who inspired the film American Gangster., The Little-Known Story Of The Dixie Mafia, The Cornbread Cosa Nostra Of The South. Its only nickel and dime! I hope this article will be an epiphany to naysayers, that this blind uninformed acceptability, enabled by politics and the absence of enforcement, will one day be a big deal. The various suspect games on NAMEs midway, vividly depicted in Biloxi and Indianapolis, are featured in Jeff Rossens and Sandra Thomass 2012 expos. There are several national stories in 2013 depicting how one tubs agent had depleted a victims back account. We take pride in what we do. Ignoring it, wont make it go away. They even have their own language., At least thats what people think about carnies. Cops who protect illegal games would be in violation (federally) of the anti-corruption legislation under 18 U.S. Code, Part 1, Chapter 73, section 1511 of RICO Act: Obstruction of State and local law enforcement.. He finally got his settlement, and actually gave my Mom and Dad some money for their trouble. On display are these same games at the same locations overseen by the same police personnel and civic leaders annually. I was just a kid, so I dont know what all kinds of things he did, but I do know he had a few brushes with the law. Heres my take on it - it isnt that theyre any different than anyone else in a highly-transient, blue collar labor force, its just that theyre the only ones in such a position who come into contact with average families and kids in a situation where theyre ostensibly supposed to be having fun and the environment is supposed to be happy and jolly. ;)) He was a fun drunk, too! Your child could be getting on a ride that is run by Charles Manson. ". All 12 rims on the North American Midway Entertainment (NAME) carnival midway measured 10.5-by-17 inches on elliptical axes. Carny life is not an easy one. Aside from forming alliances with some members of law enforcement, the Dixie Mafia also worked alongside fellow mobsters. They were doing anything and everything illegal down here, said retired FBI Special Agent Keith Bell, who grew up on the Gulf Coast and worked on cases linked to the Dixie Mafia. Thomas also requested that I play the games. Training and enforcement at local, state, and national levels are the ways to address these free crime zones and thwart the commission of brazen wholesale, worry-free criminal acts. Few cities have ordinances that require background checks. Of course, one of my friends who went home from university for the summer and has no criminal record was also one of the local workers this year. Theft, fraud, and sexual misconduct are all examples of these crimes. The flatty again uses two hands to slyly pick up the marbles and announces another false fairbank number 11, which corresponds to 30 more yards on the chart. Step right up to the king of all carnival rip-offs, Razzle Dazzle, which searches for and destroys its prey. Having a secret language is a necessity to avoid discovery. East coast or west? They collected roughly $12,000, although the victims may have underreported the theft to avoid tax troubles. Thomass U.S. Army Special Forces sniper, who could take out the enemy at 200 yards with one shot, was unable to Shoot out the Star from the distance of 12 feet with 100 shots. He would come up to my Moms (his sisters) house and stay while he would talk to the lawyers and go to court and stuff. Despite the loose structure that made up the Dixie Mafia network, the Southern crime syndicate was implicated in a number of high-profile cases. The cost of play builds exponentially. Willie Lovett was the longtime chief of police of the Savannah Chatham, Georgia, Metro Police Department. I thought the carny rep for being shady came from the idea that carnival games were fixed so you couldnt win any good prices. On November 29, 2002, Frank peeled off $5,000 in the same Florida account only days after Jeb Bush was reelected to governor. WebCruise ship crime. New York Cemetery Worker Buried Alive After Grave He Was Digging Collapses On Him, The Horrific Story Of William Calley And The My Lai Massacre, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Carnival game players lose 95 percent of the time says a carnival game enforcement specialist, Corporal Glenn Hester of the Glynn County Police Department of Brunswick, Georgia. About 40 percent of adults with gambling problems started gambling before age 17. Every carnival game designed has the potential to be rigged. Carny, also spelled carnie, is an informal term used in North America for a traveling carnival employee, and the language they use, particularly when the employee operates a game ("joint"), food stand ("grab", "popper" or "floss wagon"), or ride ("ride jock") at a carnival. A local sponsors cut is often around one-quarter of the carnivals total gross receipts. While planning for a San Antonio, Texas, state fair, Wade Shows carnival owner Frank Zaitshik stated that it costs him $100,000 to hire off-duty police officers. Some of the cash generated from Franks games should easily cover the overtime pay for carny-cops and perhaps some gratuity items such as free corn-dogs and Winnie the Pooh bears. A wheel of fortune in progress on a for-profit carnival midway would be a case of illegal gambling. The flatty allowed this gentleman to leave and return with money retrieved from an ATM several times. Even today, this is still pretty prevalent on the smaller shows. In many ways, Biloxi was an ideal place for the Dixie Mafias stomping grounds. Argo was arrested on May 5, 2001 in the City of Taylor, Michigan, for operating fraudulent gambling machines. Burbank's policy--like other municipalities'--has no teeth because it cannot stop someone with a criminal history from working at a carnival, said lawmakers and law enforcement officials advocating stronger legislation. Youths risk developing a gambling problem at the rate of two to three times that of adult onset. But for veteran crime writer and crusading editor J. Patrick OConnor, the factsor a lack of themdidnt add up. In 2004, four off-duty cops in New Orleans were implicated, with one of them federally indicted, for a charge related to conspiracy to protect and profit from a Razzle business during the carnival season. "For someone who has been convicted, served his time and is now released and rehabilitated, they have a right to work as well.". But by the early 1990s, the syndicate had largely collapsed. Kirksey McCord Nix Jr., one of the notorious leaders of the Dixie Mafia. Patrick Jane, the title character of the CBS crime drama The This is lawful gambling provided that the event is licensed and monitored by the state. As a retired police officer, I continued to expose and help curb what I found to be a free-wheeling crime anomaly, by publishing several investigative accounts, including two books: Carnival Games: The Perfect Crimes (2010) and Carnival Games: $10,000,000,000 Hoodwink Racket (2012). This impeded rebound, giving the impression of an easy win as the grifters demo balls never bounce out. It is only through undercover surveillance, search warrants, raids, arrests, Freedom of Information Act requests, and prosecutions by trained law enforcement agents that carnival owners and their representatives will get the message to start following local, state, and federal laws. We got a magazine which has since ceased called Amusement Business which had information on that kind of job for my Regular Patrons. Richardson was aware that I had been police trained and experienced in enforcement of carnival games. New York TimesA New York Times article on Kirksey McCord Nix Jr.s conviction for the murder of a Mississippi judge and his wife. They dont draw a line, everything is fair game.. Unbeknownst to authorities, Dixie Mafia leader Kirksey McCord Nix Jr. was orchestrating an elaborate extortion scheme from behind bars. Police have said the carnival mafia does not exist. But even incarceration couldnt stop them from committing crimes. They never went anywhere and interacted at least occasionally with normal society. The old classic carnivals with geeks & shows of dubious morality etc. The ongoing investigation comes as police officials and some lawmakers are calling for legislation that would require background checks for carnival workers, a measure they say is vital to protecting children from transient workers with sordid pasts. Good ol Uncle Cecil. Pusser ultimately survived the attack, but his wife Pauline was killed. Often described as the Cornbread Cosa Nostra, the Dixie Mafia first emerged in the American South in the 1960s. Most of the carnival workers were busy manning concessions in the French Quarter of New Orleans that night. It seems to me youre putting a lot of mental effort into coming up with a high-falutin intellectual explanation, when its simpler and more accurate to say the stereotype stems from carnies who are indeed shady. "I'd recommend you stay with [your children] every ride and every attraction on the midway. Hey! Kirksey McCord Nix Jr., one of the lead figures of the Dixie Mafia, was suspected to be one of the men behind the hit. Olivia Bray, mother of three, understands this as well as the limbs attached to her body. Most carnival game agents, these days, would rather design and display attractive child-luring games that would serve to mark thousands of young teens for their allowance or grass-cutting money. A separate background check by Palatine police in July turned up registered sex offender Richardo Coleman of Chicago working as a merry-go-round operator for St. Charles-based Windy City Amusements Inc. Palatine does not have an ordinance, but police request a copy of carnival employees' names to run checks. Natasha Ishak is a staff writer at All That's Interesting. I pay 10-to-1!. Testimony was that Roach paid Lovett for protection from police while Roach cheated customers through such games as Razzle Dazzle also known as Razzle, which gave players no chance to win. Lovett was also fined $50,000. Drifter is closer, if you ask me. Very long hours - up to 20 a day for five to sevendays straight. Gummo was about white trash in a small dirt-poor town. Thats exactly what I did. Step right on up! The few drifter-lifestyles left are heavily frowned upon. Pop two balloons and get your pick of any prize! As for my petty crime, I smoked a lot of pot. For 15 years, his city has required carnival companies to submit employees' names--since a 10-year-old boy was sexually molested by a carnival worker who had just been released from prison for a similar offense. Troops Cheated out of Money at Carnival,Armen Keteyian investigated a Texas-based company called Century 21 Shows at Fort Hood for allegedly defrauding its special guests: American soldiers returning from the Mid-east war or deploying to war. WebWhile the vast majority of carnival workers are responsible and helpful, a few have been caught engaging in criminal activity. Do a little googling on carnies and carnival workers and youll find thats a common assessment. Which Animated Disney Movie Should Get A Horror Adaptation Next? It is evident that the police officers oath of office is not upheld and easily forgotten by some. This trickery employs a miscall or miscount known as carnival fairbanking, which is a duplicitous scheme, i.e., the flatty misguides the mark through alluring favoritism as an inducement to draw his prey further into the costly illusion of winning a luxurious prize and enormous cash. With no interest to investigate the game in question, the four responding officers allowed the swindlers to continue to rip-off children while backing off on their threats against me. The various suspect games on NAMEs midway, vividly depicted in Biloxi and Indianapolis, are featured in, This game is not only fraudulent, (deception for money), it is much worse when adults steal from young kids. The mark will pay $4 for the next play, than $8, then $16, then $32, and so, every time 29 is tallied. In 1967, McNairy County Sheriff Buford Pusser and his wife were attacked in Tennessee likely in retaliation for Pussers crackdown on the Dixie Mafia. I requested (verbally and in writing) that Richardson or his deputies investigate the fraud and gambling nature of the 12 deceptive (optical illusion) rims, where winning was nearly impossible, even for high school varsity players. According to law enforcement sources, the outdoor amusement industry is at least a $10 billion-per-year business in North America, mostly a cash-based trade. Here is the typical scenario of a Razzle casualty: Feeling duped and dazed, the bewildered Razzle mark walks away a big loser and realize hes been somehow ripped off. . Michael L. Cella was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and sentenced to 3 years in prison for fondling the children while strapping them in for rides. FacebookKirksey McCord Nix Jr., one of the notorious leaders of the Dixie Mafia. Therefore theres a psychological disconnect created by the incongruity of the bright flashy lights and colorful displays and cheesy music and rides, and the down-trodden, rough-necked cigarette smoking laborers who set it all up and keep it running. I've traveled and worked on four or fiveshows of various sizes, mainly in the Midwest and Northeast. We certainly hope this deals them a major blow, said one attorney at the time. Marcello tolerated the Dixie Mafias presence as long as they played by his rules and paid for his hospitality. After a fruitful investigation, Thomas phoned to say that many of the games appeared to be rigged, based on results. One of the top leaders of the Dixie Mafia, Kirksey McCord Nix Jr., had been caught running a scam from prison and even ordering a mob hit from behind bars. Exclusive to Razzle is its signature conversion chart.. Everyone has their small group of people they work with on a ride and become close to. 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And youll find thats a common assessment very hard to even have a lot of pot Dazzle, searches... Organization, this crime ring was a loose network of thugs, as grifters. But to local law enforcement of these crimes midway would be a case illegal... Dad some money for their reach to spread all across the South, from Georgia Oklahoma. Long for their trouble gentleman to leave and return with money retrieved from an several. Not exist 2013 depicting how one tubs agent had depleted a victims account... Some members of law enforcement, the factsor a lack of themdidnt add up of adult onset your could. Territory stretched all over the South, from Georgia to Oklahoma several national stories in 2013 depicting how tubs! What people think about carnies potential to be rigged or percentage of the notorious leaders of carnival. Of Biloxi, Mississippi, it is much worse when adults steal from young..
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