A report by the U.S. House Committee on Government Reform concluded that United Shows of America, Inc. paid Rodham $240,000 for undocumented consulting services. Rigging a game by the use of bait-and-switch, sleight of hand, magic, or physics, to trick someone out of money is considered a form of larceny or fraud. The itinerant carnival owner pays the festival sponsor a fee or percentage of the take for the privilege of servicing the towns carnival-goers. Youll also find quite a few references to various arrests, some of Arrive at location in the afternoon, after working the last spot all night. The law dictates that police officers are required to take enforcement action when criminal activity is observed or reported. Bill Colgin/Getty ImagesThe Dixie Mafias territory stretched all over the South, from Georgia to Oklahoma. I quickly learned that the carnival in question donated $1,000 to the police department and some officers didnt want to upset the carnival workers and chance losing that gift. 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. Kirksey McCord Nix Jr., one of the lead figures of the Dixie Mafia, was suspected to be one of the men behind the hit. Learn all about Carnival Worker educational requirements, degrees, majors, certifications, online courses, and top colleges that will help you advance in Carnival Worker career. Pete Halat, Kirksey McCord Nixs former lawyer who once served as the mayor of Biloxi. Playing ignorant to his many crooked games including Razzle, Gregory, with feigned dismay and with an award-winning performance on camera, stated his intent to fire his swindlers. Carnival midways are the only venues in the United States where local In the carnival business, the slang synonymous with rig or trick is gaff; i.e., The game is gaffed. Most operators of gaffed games combine gambling with the gaff in order to pinch as much money as possible from the unwitting customer. It was a clear case of arson, and five people from Marlborough were duly convicted of the crime. Most carnies are just people with nowhere else to go - usually no family to speak of orskills to get them a career. "I just don't see how people can vote against it.". To top it all, the presence of uniformed police foot patrols on the midway creates imagined credibility and an erroneous impression of a safe and secure ambiance; a thriving situation and safeguard for migrating grifters (carnival jargon for swindlers). Assisting the NBCs Today show (and reimbursed for expenses) as their police carnival games expert, I was assigned by Thomas to investigate Michigan carnivals and especially the games at the 2012 Arab Festival, which draws about 300,000 patrons. My dad built his own candy apple stand when he was in college and stayed in the business for over 30 years. 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. (If it isnt documented, it didnt happen.), A police officer refusing to properly address or document a crime-in-progress complaint is tantamount to constructively playing into the hands of organized crime. He bought a truck-mounted merry-go-round and charged people 10 cents to ride it. These hardworking people are young and old, from all walks of life. She cleaned and closed up the pie stand, only to stay up into the wee hours counting money and balancing all of the cash registers' records, snatch a couple hourssleep, and get up early enough to set everything up and restock before the fair opened the next morning. Johnson called previous proposed legislation discriminatory. A wheel of fortune in progress on a for-profit carnival midway would be a case of illegal gambling. Your child could be getting on a ride that is run by Charles Manson. I conservatively estimate NAME to be a $150 million-per-year corporation based on its stated 15-million fairgoers annually and on an average of only $10 per capita. To view the full story in Dearborn Patch, search the Net for St Anselms festival carnival contained scammers victimizing children at the games.. So usually, we don't tell townies that we are carnies because they immediately judge us for it. To address the puzzling doggedness of plain-sight crooked carnival games, one has to first take a look at the history, criminalities, winks and nods of police, and the behind-the-scenes components enabling and perpetuating this century-old system of corruption. I dont have children, however, I do not plan to bring them [when I do] to the carnies that come through town here. This contract arrangement locks the carny-cops in as quasi-employees of the carnival or carnival sponsor and shares carnival profits in the form of pay. Which Animated Disney Movie Should Get A Horror Adaptation Next? Carnivals are ubiquitous in the Garden State, but an aura of mystery swirls around the people who stage the phantasmagoric spectacles that light up empty fields Every carnival game designed has the potential to be rigged. It is an ever-changing form of communication, in large part designed to be impossible to understand by an outsider. 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. Also zeroed in as targets, are members of the U.S. military. But it was getting harder and harder to make money, with each fairground becoming more of a bureaucratic morass every year. I watched as all the childs attempts were without the aid of the cagily removed energy-absorbing gaff ball. In many ways, Biloxi was an ideal place for the Dixie Mafias stomping grounds. We have a full drug testing center on-site. Gummo was about white trash in a small dirt-poor town. I never worked the rides, but my parents had several concession stands when I was growing up, and we'd spend every summer moving from fair to fair, working your [butt] off, tearing down, driving for hours, setting up, and doing it all over again. On display are these same games at the same locations overseen by the same police personnel and civic leaders annually. Convicted of bank loan schemes in 1986 and never spending a day in prison, the Gregorys befriended Tony Rodham, brother of President Bill Clintons wife, and now presidential candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and were awarded the contracts to operate his carnival, United Shows of America Inc., for President Clintons White House Press Picnic in 1998 and 2000. From the foul line, the rims appeared to be regulation and served to attract and dupe naive victims out of $2 a shot. 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. The bill would increase fines for amusement companies for failing to check the criminal history of new hires. Most carnies are just people with nowhere else to go - usually no family to speak of or So this is a fair one to assume. Step right up to the king of all carnival rip-offs, Razzle Dazzle, which searches for and destroys its prey. On February 6, 2015, Willie Lovett was sentenced to 7.5 years in federal prison for Conspiracy to obstruct enforcement of criminal laws and related gambling crimes. Not an easy life. In 2012, I was contacted by NBCs Today show producer Sandra Thomas, who wanted to consult with me regarding a story about carnival games. [citation needed] Most carnies no longer use cant, but some owners/operators and "old-timers" ("half yarders") still use some of the classic terms. Basically, sedentary people dont like transient people. According to information from a Dearborn police officer, in confidence, the police department security hired to patrol Dearborns Arab International Festival is annually awarded a $10,000 contract by festival sponsor, American Arab Chamber of Commerce, to pay overtime for the services of off-duty police officers who patrol the four-day event. Prior to that episode, Frank was arrested, convicted and fined in Waterford, Michigan (1974), for running an illegal carnival game. Gaffed and chance-based games from the same carnival companies travel to thousands of carnival lots and fairs each year. Youths risk developing a gambling problem at the rate of two to three times that of adult onset. While we cultivate our childrens childhood memories, our own become entwined with theirs. Natasha Ishak is a staff writer at All That's Interesting. Chances are, cops wont comprehend (given that the mark didnt), or perhaps surmise that The sucker got what he deserved.. In 2003, Frank popped for another $5,000 for the campaign of New Mexico Democrat governor-elect, Bill Richardson. The carny vocabulary is traditionally part of carnival cant, a secret language. Dang, and I bet the smile you give wouldve made me buy more of whatever you were selling. Party one night. WebCarny allowed the carnival workers to hide the truth of their activities from the populace. Lists about the strange, fascinating, and horrifying history of circuses and carnivals in America and around the world. 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. At three events checked this summer by the attorney general and sheriff's offices, no background problems were discovered. But by the early 1990s, the syndicate had largely collapsed. When cheating for money occurs, it is no longer a game, but a crime. Along with other costs, in most cases, a contracted carnival owner pays the contract fee, (around $1million), in advance of a long-running state fair. With the likelihood that carnival business books are being cooked, the Internal Revenue Services expertise would be invaluable in uncovering money trails. State law prohibits child sex offenders from working at a carnival. The FBI and game enforcement experts are available to present seminars to police departments. Im curious because Ive worked shows for many years, both as a canvas boss and business manager. He died broke shortly thereafter. An Arizona man has been charged with human trafficking for allegedly holding Mexican workers hostage to staff his traveling carnival. All 12 rims on the North American Midway Entertainment (NAME) carnival midway measured 10.5-by-17 inches on elliptical axes. "I think it's unfair that this industry is singled out," Johnson said. 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. She said that in Indianapolis, her college varsity basketball 3-point-shooting star, Carly Thibault, missed all 13 attempts at the basketball toss. He finally got his settlement, and actually gave my Mom and Dad some money for their trouble. I've worked nine years at one of the largest single-unit carnivals in the country. The ball crazily bounces and rolls until it comes to rest on one of the 96 holes. Are the officers who wear NAME shirts really policing officers or just bouncers with the job of protecting games and ridding the midway of sore losers?. There must be collaboration among governmental agencies regarding the identification, tracking, and documenting of these interstate businessmen along with recognizing the moral and social ills associated with the intentions of most to take criminal financial advantage of children. Not to say that all carnies are no-goodniks, but I think theres enough evidence and history to see where the reputation comes from. It was adopted after a stabbing by a carnival worker in 2001. I know that around here, when they need to hire local workers they pick from the pool of people on day parole, so take that as you will. 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.. Drift along, into the next jurisdiction to start it all over. 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. It was a really good business for a long time, though. During the 1960s, a group of criminals known as the Dixie Mafia began to creep across cities and towns in the South. (Regulation rims are 18 inches in diameter). YouTubePete Halat, Kirksey McCord Nixs former lawyer who once served as the mayor of Biloxi. 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. I've traveled and worked on four or fiveshows of various sizes, mainly in the Midwest and Northeast. Ugh. have largely been replaced by a bunch of rides and cheesy (somewhat rigged) games of skill crammed into a municipal or shopping center parking lot. 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. Im not a betting man, but I am willing to lay heavy odds that federal law enforcement will make carnival racketeering a higher priority once they acknowledge all the components. Gaffed and chance-based games travel to thousands of carnival lots and fairs each year, raking in billions of dollars in ill-gotten gains with virtual impunity. Drifter is closer, if you ask me. "For small fairs, it's very hard to even have a carnival," Ostermeier said. The long hours of travel, erection (no pun intended, as I cant even imaging a Carny getting a hard-on with all the Meth in thier system) and tear-down of the carnival are custom-made for Meth abuse and Nut-jobs. Justice on Fire is OConnors detailed account of the terrible explosion that led to the firefighters deaths and the terrible injustice that followed. 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.. A central question was whether Rodham was paid by the Gregorys to gain White House access and help to obtain pardons or whether Rodham was paid for legitimate business services. This seedy history and the ongoing corruption of local officials made the city an attractive place for lawbreakers. Seven responded with insights into their job or advice for The owner, manager, or patch of a carnival who pays police security, either directly or indirectly through a third party, with the expectation of having police-protected illegal games, would be in violation of the federal RICO Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) U.S. Code, Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 11, section 201, Bribery of public officials. Gifts and gratuities handed out for the same purpose also amount to bribery.
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