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Inside Vegas - Steve Miller

Steve Miller is a former Las Vegas City Councilman. In 1991, the readers of the Las Vegas Review Journal voted him the "Most Effective Public Official" in Southern Nevada. Visit his website at: http://www.SteveMiller4LasVegas.com


From Me Account? What You Mean?
Kimtran Rizzolo - October 12, 2011


Alfred E. Neuman - Mad Magazine

INSIDE VEGAS by Steve Miller
AmericanMafia.com
January 16, 2012

LAS VEGAS - Its as if her deposition answers were inspired by Mad Magazine cover boy Alfred E. Neuman's iconic philosophy; "What, Me Worry?"

On January 2, 2012, United States Magistrate Judge George Foley had heard enough gibberish from Kimtran Rizzolo, the stepmother of convicted racketeer Rick Rizzolo, and issued an ORDER in favor of beating victim Kirk Henry.

In the thirteen page document, Judge Foley ordered Kimtran to "provide full and complete responses" in writing to all interrogatory questions about where she hid $1,052,006.03 dollars. The money was part of a court ordered $10 million dollar restitution to be paid to Henry who suffered a broken neck and quadriplegia in 2001 after he disputed a padded bar tab at the Rizzolo family's former Crazy Horse Too strip club.

Henry initially sued Rick Rizzolo and his corporation The Power Company, Inc.  Fearing a judgment in Henry's favor, the Rizzolos staged a "sham" divorce, began mortgaging properties, and transferred all their liquid assets off shore.

Following her divorce in 2005, Lisa Rizzolo lied on her 2005, 2006, and 2007 tax returns stating she had no interest in any financial account in a foreign country. She has not yet been prosecuted, and there is no Statute of Limitation for filing falsified IRS tax forms. (Sec. 301.6501(c)-1 Exceptions to general period of limitations on assessment and collection (a) False return. In the case of a false or fraudulent return with intent to evade any tax, the tax may be assessed, or a proceeding in court for the collection of such tax may be begun without assessment, at any time after such false or fraudulent return is filed.)

In the meantime, Rick invested questionable funds in a Philadelphia strip club that was later sold. His share of the sale proceeds was $3 million which he willfully neglected to report to the IRS, Federal Court, the Henrys, or his parole officer. This landed him back in prison until June 2012.

Rick Rizzolo served only 10 months of his first 366-day prison term after being sentenced in 2006 for tax evasion.

Until the January 2012 Court Order was issued, Kimtran blamed her lack of language skill for evading all questions as to where she stashed the money transferred to her account by Rick's partner Philadelphia new car dealer Vince Piazza, and the names of her local co-conspirators. It is speculated that Rick Rizzolo from his cell in the Taft, California Federal Prison directed Kimtran on how to evade answering questions regarding the whereabouts of his money, i.e., pretend to not speak or understand English. It's also alleged that Rick's ex-wife Lisa Rizzolo is conspiring with him and Kimtran to swindle the money from Kirk Henry and the IRS.

Based on this information, Henry later added Lisa to his Defendant's list because the violence plagued Crazy Horse Too was the couple's community property in October 2001 when he was attacked and robbed. Henry also included Kimtran who is suspected of perpetuating a hoax to hide and launder her extended family's ill-gotten assets.

(Nevada is a community property state. Throughout their 27 year marriage, Lisa squandered money derived from Rick's racketeering.)

On pages 3 and 5 of his Order, Judge Foley explained:

Case 2:08-cv-00635-PMP -GWF Document 567 Filed 01/04/12 Page 3 of 13
"Plaintiffs point out that despite the fact that the deposition was taken over a month after the written discovery requests were served on her attorney, Kimtran testified that she did not recall ever seeing the discovery requests and she had not been requested to gather any documents. Kimtran also indicated at the beginning of the deposition that she had difficulty understanding English. Plaintiffs’ counsel stated that he offered to have a translator present for the deposition, but that Kimtran’s lawyer declined. Kimtran thereafter responded to many questions by stating that she did not understand, did not recall or did not know the answer. Although Kimtran was born in Vietnam, she has resided in the United States since approximately 1980. She worked for many years as a manicurist and owned her own shop. When confronted with a contradiction or inconsistency in her answers, Kimtran was apparently able to understand and attempt to correct her previous responses. During the deposition Kimtran also testified that she felt dizzy and was not feeling well, but did not wish to postpone the deposition to another day."

Case 2:08-cv-00635-PMP -GWF Document 567 Filed 01/04/12 Page 5 of 13
"During her deposition, Defendant claimed to have difficulty understanding the English language and she repeatedly responded to questions by stating that she did not understand, did not remember or did not know. Plaintiffs have not moved to compel Kimtran to provide more responsive deposition answers. Based on her real or feigned inability to understand the English language, and lack of recollection, a further deposition may not be useful. There is no legitimate reason, however, why Defendant Kimtran Rizzolo cannot provide full and complete responses to Plaintiffs’ written discovery requests with the assistance of her counsel and an interpreter, if necessary."

Here's a page showing some of the incoherent answers Kimtran gave during her October 12, 2001 deposition:


 
Transcript of Kimtran's full, amazing deposition:
http://www.stevemiller4lasvegas.com/RizzoloKimtranDeposition.pdf
http://www.stevemiller4lasvegas.com/RizzoloKimtranDeposition-Continued.pdf

After the deposition, Kimtran's highly respected criminal defense attorney Herb Sachs (left) complained:

1. Kirk Henry's attorneys didn't give Kimtran adequate time to answer their questions.

2. The government screwed up the value of the Rizzolo's former strip club by not operating it, and Henry should have attached and sold the club (to a Rizzolo straw man?) before the government seized the property.

3. The purpose of the deposition was solely to harass Kimtran.

4. Kimtran's late husband's Last Will and Testament was executed in 1999, "much prior" to him (secretly) receiving (a third of) the proceeds from the sale of the Philadelphia Crazy Horse Too.

5. Kimtran and Rick Rizzolo did not communicate about the Philly Crazy Horse Too sale at any time.

6. Any harm allegedly suffered by Henry was caused by its own actions.

7. Any harm allegedly suffered by Henry was caused by persons, firms or corporations other than Kimtran. (She didn't personally break Kirk Henry's neck, so let her keep his restitution money!)

It's as if Kimtran and Mr. Sachs were coached by Rick Rizzolo himself, even though the Federal Court issued an ORDER on October 27, 2011 clearly stating: "Defendant Rick Rizzolo shall not take any action, directly or indirectly or through any agents or anyone else acting on his behalf, to hinder the payments of the funds being held for or due Lions Limited Partnership to Kirk and Amy Henry in partial satisfaction of his restitution obligation to them."

What has become a mounting embarrassment to the U.S. Federal Court in Las Vegas is now the subject of an international forum involving legitimate asset protection attorneys.

Jay Adkisson is an attorney and writer living in Newport Beach, California, and a partner in the RISER ADKISSON LLP law firm. Nationally known as a leading critic of abusive asset protection and offshore strategies, Jay is the author, along with Chris Riser, of "Asset Protection: Concepts and Strategies" (McGraw-Hill, 2004).

A popular speaker, author and contributing writer to Forbes, Jay regularly speaks to professional groups and associations about the ethics and morality of asset protection planning, and the need for such planning to be fully disclosed and legal.

Because of his disdain for abusive asset protection and offshore strategies, Adkisson has taken particular interest in the Rizzolo case, and those who Rizzolo paid to put his off shore trust in place.

In Adkisson's recent blogs: "Rizzolo: Fraudulent Transferee Required To Fully Answer Questions About Receiving Assets From Debtor And Where Those Assets Went -- How A Creditor Can Make A Fraudulent Transferee Utterly Miserable," and, "Rizzolo: Offshore Trustee Not A Necessary Party," Adkisson and other legitimate attorneys write about the fraudulent transfer of Rick Rizzolo's ill-gotten assets to his stepmother and ex-wife, while discussing the trust company and "sleaziest of asset protection planners" who set up the Rizzolo's off shore trusts in 2005 and 2006 while Rick's criminal activities were making front page news that could not be ignored by his LV "asset protection planner."

"Here, the Court orders Kimtran Rizzolo to fully answer written interrogatories as to the whereabouts of assets, and is an excellent example of what creditors look for in chasing fraudulent transfers, as well as making totally miserable anybody who assists the debtor in hiding assets. At the end, the Court does not sanction Kimtran Rizzolo, but threatens that sanctions will be next unless she fully responds."

So far, the U.S. Federal Court has almost completely agreed with Kirk Henry's attorneys who on December 19, 2011 filed a MOTION with the Court that included the following request for summary judgment:

Case 2:08-cv-00635-PMP -GWF Document 563 Filed 12/19/11
"Rick Rizzolo's fraudulent scheme to defraud Plaintiffs out of the money from the Philadelphia sale involved his father, Bart Rizzolo, and stepmother, Kimtran Rizzolo. Moreover, his wife, Lisa Rizzolo played a substantial role in arranging the transfer of proceeds to Kimtran Rizzolo after her husband's death. To be sure, Defendant's familial conspiracy to assist Rick Rizzolo's evasion of his legal obligations is an important factor when establishing fraudulent intent under the UFTA (Uniform Fraudulent Transfers Act).

Accordingly, it is respectfully requested that this Court grant summary judgment to Plaintiffs Kirk and Amy Henry in the amount of $1,052,006.03. This sum represents the total amount of money that Rick Rizzolo fraudulently transferred to Bart and Kimtran Rizzolo in order to conceal assets from Plaintiffs and frustrate the recovery of the debt owed to them. All of these funds derive from Rick Rizzolo's surreptitious sale of his interest in TEZ Real Estate (Philadelphia Crazy Horse Too) and therefore rightfully belong to Plaintiffs."

The Court is currently considering Henry's summary judgment request, but has also generously allowed Kimtran time to complete her written interrogatory answers preparatory to the Court's decision. If she's truthful, the Court may excuse her previous evasive tactics. If not, she stands to be cited for criminal contempt.

Putting her in further legal peril, it's been confirmed that Kimtran personally paid Rick Rizzolo's attorneys (below) hundreds of thousands of dollars on his behalf.

...
        Dominic Gentile, Paola Armeni, Margaret Lambrose, Tony Sgro, John Dawson, Dean Patti

According to Judge Foley:

Case 2:08-cv-00635-PMP -GWF Document 567 Filed 01/04/12 Page 9 of 13
"Request for Production No. 17 asked Defendant to '[p]roduce documents which record, reflect, refer or relate to the payment of legal bills, restitution of any other debts, liabilities or financial obligations on behalf of Rick Rizzolo since January 1, 1995.' Defendant responded to this requests by referring to her response to Request No. 13 in which she stated: 'No documents are in possession of Defendant.' Unless Defendant paid Rick Rizzolo’s attorney's fees in cash and received no receipt, there should be documents in Defendant's possession, custody or control, such as canceled checks, bank statements, or receipts reflecting such payments. There may also be other documents concerning the payment of the fees or the alleged underlying debt obligation. Because there is no reasonable assurance that Defendant has made a diligent effort to locate responsive documents in her possession, custody or control, there is also no reason to believe that such documents do not exist or that Defendant cannot produce them. Defendant is ordered to supplement her response to Request No. 17 and produce any and all documents in her possession, custody or control that are within the scope of this request."

Up until their deadline of January 13, 2012, Mr. Sachs and his client were supposedly burning the midnight oil striving to comply with the Court's Order and provide "full and complete" written answers to Kirk Henry's long ignored interrogatory questions.

They should have especially taken note of the following caution Judge Foley issued regarding their last chance to file a complete response:

Case 2:08-cv-00635-PMP -GWF Document 567 Filed 01/04/12 Page 5 of 13
"The Court cautions Defendant Kimtran Rizzolo that if she fails to comply with this order, she may be subject to appropriate sanctions under Rule 37(b)(2), which can include a citation for contempt of court (emphasis added)."

Herb Sachs (left) did not gain his reputation by defending Alfred E. Neuman type clients. He really has his hands full continuing to represent Kimtran in Henry's UFTA (Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Action) lawsuit, and what has clearly become an eleventh hour effort to keep her from being charged with criminal contempt. And if she refuses to provide "full and complete" responses to Henry's interrogatory questions, even a lawyer as experienced as Sachs won't be able to help her.

INSIDE VEGAS will monitor the Federal Court to learn whether Kimtran filed "full and complete" responses before last Friday's deadline, or if the deadline was extended.

Will Kimtran and Lisa Rizzolo soon become examples of, in Jay Adkisson's words, what creditors look for in "...making totally miserable anybody who assists the debtor in hiding assets?"

Is Rick Rizzolo hiding behind his ex-wife and stepmother's skirt tails?  And if so, will the women get stuck paying for his actions after Rick's June 12, 2012 release when he's expected to resume partying like a rock star?


 
 
 

The Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Dublin, California, is a low security facility housing female offenders. FCI Dublin is located 20 miles southeast of Oakland.
 
 



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