Judge
cuts short Bart Rizzolo's lawyer's plea to clear his client's name,
Vegas brings out the
hypocrisy in the Clinton campaign,
Councilwoman
Tarkanian's favors to Rizzolo,
Rick
Rizzolo's current and future abodes
INSIDE VEGAS by Steve Miler
AmericanMafia.com
January 28, 2008
Judge
cuts short Bart Rizzolo's lawyer's plea to clear his client's name
In what must have
been one of the most embarrassing moments of his long career as a
criminal defense attorney, Dominic Gentile (left) was repeatedly cut
short last
Thursday when he tried to convince Justice of the Peace Deborah Lippus
that his client's reputation had been
damaged by a six week long Restraining Order she issued.
His client was Bart Rizzolo, 77, a person who, through his corporation,
pleaded
guilty to racketeering for beating and robbing patrons at his
family's now defunct topless bar. Based on this background, the judge
showed little sympathy.
Rizzolo (right) attempted to
run over Buffalo Jim Barrier and another man while they were standing
in front of
Barrier's business which shares the parking lot with the shuttered
topless bar. The TRO
was based on a complaint
filed with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on November 16,
2007. Based on that complaint and witness statements, attorney Robert Lueck,
a former District Court Judge, on November 26
requested
and received a
Restraining Order against Rizzolo to protect Barrier.
For the next six weeks Rizzolo
was not allowed to come within 100 feet
of Barrier. Because Barrier's auto repair business is located next to
Rizzolo's government seized Crazy Horse Too, Rizzolo was also
prohibited
from accompanying prospective buyers on tours of the property while
Barrier was present in his business less than 100 feet away.
A source reported that C.B. Richard Ellis Realty Company, the firm
contracted by the United States Department of Justice to sell the
topless bar and property for top dollar, regularly invited the elder
Rizzolo along on tours to brag how his family made up to $54 million
per year running the business. However, my source said that Rizzolo
skipped telling buyers about the extortion methods he used to generate
such profits from unknowing tourists -- the same methods made
his son and 14 Crazy Horse employees convicted felons.
Being prohibited from coming on the property while Barrier is present
was
probably Bart's biggest problem because the Rizzolo's are doing
everything in their power to assist in the sale of the topless bar for
at least $28 million -- enough to cover all their court ordered
debts. If the joint sells for less,
then assets Bart's son Rick
Rizzolo illegally hid could
be
seized and liquidated to pay the difference.
The day began when Judge Lippus sentenced a young women convicted
of battery to six weeks of anger control counseling. Then the judge
turned her attention to the second case on her docket; Mr. Gentile and
his client who wanted to explain why he shouldn't be subjected to a
Restraining Order.
Gentile opened by telling the judge that the gravity of the case made
it unusual. The judge disagreed about it being unusual and cited the
law that empowered her to
issue the Order to prevent "criminal conduct."
Gentile again attempted to tell the judge that his client is a man of
honor, but the judge cut him short saying she would lift the
Restraining Order only if the "criminal conduct" ceased.
Judge Lippus then asked Barrier, "Has Mr. Rizzolo repeated any acts of
criminal conduct toward you since the Restraining Order was put in
effect?"
Barrier answered that he had not seen Rizzolo since the attempted hit
and run.
She then advised Barrier that if such "criminal conduct resumes," he
can file a new Restraining Order.
Robert Lueck argued that Rizzolo still poses a threat to his client
because Barrier has been harassed by Bart for over twenty years, and
Barrier was very helpful to the federal authorities who prosecuted the
Rizzolos, therefore he said Bart may again attempt to extract
revenge.
Judge Lippus repeated that if "criminal conduct resumes," you can file
a new Restraining Order."
Gentile tried to argue that no "criminal conduct" ever occurred, and
took exception to such words being used about his client. But
the judge interrupted saying she has a very busy schedule and needs to
move on to other cases.
She also stated that Barrier's request "met the
legal threshold," and that the Defendant or his attorneys did not
attend nor protest at the original hearing in November 2007; a
subsequent hearing in December; and are only now coming forth to say
there was an error in issuing the Order.
Judge Lippus repeatedly cut Mr. Gentile short when he tried to
embellish his client's "reputation." She stated, "The whole community
knows what happened."
This totally frustrated Gentile and Rizzolo who in previous years would
have had the satisfaction of seeing their enemy fined or jailed for
contempt of court for daring to bring a charge against a member of the
Rizzolo clan.
For many years, all cases involving the Rizzolo's were mysteriously
scheduled in the court of former District Judge Nancy M. Saitta.
All these cases were decided in the Rizzolo's favor. In one case Saitta
even sanctioned
Barrier $4,500 for "wasting Mr. Rizzolo's attorney's time."
Since the Rizzolo's convictions, Judge Saitta has been elected to the
Nevada Supreme Court and is in trouble, and
no other judge has taken up the family's cause.
Prior to
Thursday's hearing, Gentile authored a January 8,
2008 letter
to Barrier threatening litigation if he didn't stop talking
to the press about the Restraining Order and "the effect your conduct
will have on his (Bart's) reputation."
Barrier was unfazed by the letter and asked the court to extend the
Order. Every move he made was covered by the local media because it
involved a member of the infamous Rizzolo family.
Gentile said his client had been falsely accused and that Barrier had
"perjured" himself. The Judge cut him off a third
and final time.
Dominic Gentile is best known for defending some of our
state's highest profile criminals, but his presence in Justice Court
was completely out of place. He's
accustomed to being in much higher courts defending high profile
criminal clients such as disgraced ex-Clark County Commissioner Lance
Malone. For this he's known to charge hundreds of thousands of
dollars,
and no doubt Rizzolo also paid dearly for his services in Justice
Court.
But last Thursday, Mr. Gentile stood with attorneys defending purse
snatchers, crack dealers, and spouse
beaters -- and he wasn't working pro bono.
Bart should have known that former Clark County Commissioner Lance
Malone, even with Gentile's best
efforts, was sentenced to six years in federal prison for taking bribes
from a competitor of Rizzolo. However, Malone's co-conspirators on the
commission received sentences of only 30 and 50 months respectively
after they turned government witnesses. But based on Gentile's advice,
Malone refused to cooperate with the Feds and received a much longer
sentence than his peers, something I'm certain Malone now regrets.
In Bart's case, his lawyer would have been a better friend to just
advise him to hold his temper and stay away from Barrier. Instead, Bart
didn't fare much better than Malone in court, and is
probably also regretting his choice of attorneys.
Based on the interest generated by Gentile's threat letter to Barrier
and the news coverage it received, Bart's now best known as a thug who
tried to use his vehicle to run over a man who cooperated
with the government to shut down a criminal enterprise. Not the falsely
maligned, patient, elderly gentleman Mr. Gentile tried to convey in his
letter,
and to the court.
According to Las Vegas City Attorney Brad Jerbic, "35
to 40 beatings had occurred at the Crazy Horse Too in three years."
During this period, Bart Rizzolo was a member of the club's management
team.
It's easy to understand why a legitimate judge would have little
sympathy for someone who was behind dozens of well publicized beatings
and robberies.
Like father like son... Bart Rizzolo's son Rick is currently serving a
one year and one day
sentence
in federal prison for Conspiracy to Defraud the United States. Bart was
spared serving time because of his age and the family's agreement to
sever themselves from the adult entertainment business for the rest of
their lives.
Based on his conviction, on April 19, 2007, the Las Vegas City Council
ruled: "People related by
blood or marriage or former marriage to (Rick) Rizzolo or any of the 14
other former Crazy Horse workers who pleaded guilty to federal felony
charges are banned from the property."
On August 29, 2007, the United States Government seized the Crazy Horse
property and locked Bart out of the building.
Barrier questioned why Rizzolo was on the property at the
time of the attempted vehicular assault?
"He had no business being there on November 16. It looked like he was
waiting for me to come out of my shop so he could get me. A week
before, he parked in back of my office and yelled 'Jimmy, Jimmy" trying
to get me to come outside. When I told my mechanic to tell him to come
inside, he drove away. Based on his corporation's plea of guilty to
racketeering that included condoning when his goons beat and crippled
people who refused to sign inflated credit card tabs, I was not
surprised when Bart tried to run me down. He has a reputation for being
around
violence." said Barrier.
Since being locked out, Bart has continued to be observed on the
property which inspired Barrier to report him as a trespasser to
Federal Marshals. On the day of the alleged hit and run attempt,
Barrier said he was not aware Bart was on the property until he
narrowly missed being run over by his black Range Rover.
Following the Justice Court hearing, Barrier said, "After 20 years of
being harassed by Bart, I don't think it will stop. If the criminal
conduct happens again, I'll just have to file another Restraining
Order. Bart should have been the person Judge Lippus sentenced to six
weeks of anger control counseling."
Hypocrisy in the Clinton campaign
Hillary
Clinton touts her "35 years of experience in government," so 1984
newspaper quotes regarding her position against gambling are
relevant.
Hillary is
currently in favor of the expansion of casinos throughout the US. On
her "Hillary for President" website,
she is proud to have casino-expansion-outside-Nevada promoter
Jan Jones on her team.
On
the website, Jones proclaims, "As president, Hillary will value
innovation, bringing new industries and ideas to the forefront of the
national agenda."
Of
course the "new industries and ideas" Jones is talking
about consist of more casinos being plopped down on the Main
Streets of working class communities outside Nevada. She skipped any
mention of the associated negative social costs, and parasite
enterprises that cluster near casinos including pay day loan stores and
massage parlor brothels.
But
according to the following unpublished letter from UNLV
Professor William Thompson, Hillary once thought much differently
of gambling.
Professor
Thompson on January 12, submitted the following Letter to the
Editor to the Review-Journal, but editors chose not to
share it with readers.
|
January 12, 2008
Editor:
The Hillary Clinton team (Rory
Reid-Jan Jones) suggests that the senator from New York (et .al.) is
better suited to be president than Senator Obama. Why? Because
her team says SHE supports casino gambling.
As her
campaign
mantra is "Experience," we might ask if her "Experience" has always
found her supporting casinos. Not always.
She
did not support
casinos when she was an active part of Bill Clinton's gubernatorial
administration in Arkansas. There she was a primary leader in the
campaign against casinos.
On
October 13, 1984,
speaking to a rally on the capitol steps in Little Rock she called
casinos a "short term quick fix
solution" that would result in "damaging prospects." She added, "We are on the move in Arkansas. Why on earth would we want to give
ourselves a burden we can't carry and an image we don't want?" (Quotation
from Arkansas Democrat, October 14, 1984).
Now
maybe she has
done a flip flop, or just maybe "Experience" counts.
William N. Thompson
Note: I used the above
quotation
in my book:
John Dombrink and William N.
Thompson.
1990. The Last Resort: Success and Failure in Campaigns for Casinos.
Reno: University of Nevada Press, p. 149.
|
Rick Rizzolo's current and future abodes
I'm informed that convicted racketeer Rick
Rizzolo will gain an early
release in March. Following his release he's expected to reside in a
half way house for a period of six weeks. Then he is to
begin his supervised release which will be in effect until 2012.
Upon the completion of his community
custody program, Rizzolo is expected to move in to a 6,486 square
foot, 5 bedroom mansion with pool and spa owned by Cliff Diamond in the
posh Henderson community of Roma Hills. Diamond's mother, Renee
Diamond, is a local Democratic party activist who served one term
in the Nevada Assembly. It has not yet been confirmed whether Mrs.
Diamond
approves of her son's choice of room mate.
April 2007 - March 2008
Metropolitan
Detention Center (MDC)
535 N Alameda Street, Los Angeles, California
"The Metropolitan
Detention Center (MDC) is an
administrative facility for
male and female inmates located in downtown Los Angeles, off the
Hollywood Freeway (Highway 101) on the corner of Alameda and Aliso
Streets."
.
March 2008 - April 2008
Las Vegas Community
Corrections Center
2901 Industrial Road, Las Vegas, Nevada
"The
Las Vegas Community
Corrections Center (located four blocks south of the shuttered
Crazy
Horse Too on Industrial Road) provides transitional services in a
supervised environment in order to assist offenders in becoming
employed, law-abiding citizens in their respective communities. All
offenders are subject to a structured environment. A level system
exists in order to progressively increase an offender’s community
interaction. Assignments to the 124-bed center are made through a
contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Security measures include
24-hour custodial supervision, closed circuit cameras and frequent
census checks."
April 2008 and beyond
Roma
Hills - Henderson, Nevada
"Alluringly tucked away amidst
majestic Black Mountain is a charming, intimate escape of privacy and
relaxation. An awe-inspiring, peaceful community of only one
hundred and forty-four custom homes, Roma Hills enjoys the
warmth and
security of a guard gated, master-planned community. Encompassed
by sheer beauty and tranquility, the harshness of the city disappears
as you enter the amazing enclave that is Roma Hills. Enjoy an
intimate and peaceful setting with intoxicating views and stunning
scenery."
---------------------------------------------------------------
Councilwoman
Tarkanian's favors to Rizzolo
The cities of
Newport and
Laguna Beach, California are infested with Vegas expatriates
who are cronies of disgraced
Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona. They include Rick
Rizzolo, Fred Glusman, and Gary Primm (pictured with Carona in these Orange
County Weekly photos).
The INSIDE
VEGAS column of November 12, 2007 tells about the wife of former
UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, another Newport Beach vacation
home owner and Rizzolo pal, who recently did the incarcerated topless
bar owner two huge favors.
Jerry attended Rizzolo's Going to
Prison Party at Glusman's Ritz
restaurant in Newport several weeks after his wife LV Councilwoman Lois
Tarkanian voted to issue a liquor license to a Rizzolo straw man in
order to keep the blood soaked Crazy Horse Too's liquor license and
non-conforming zoning active until after Rizzolo is released from
prison.
But as soon as the
straw man took over, he invited Rizzolo's
entire family back on to the property to help him run the place.
Jim Barrier photographed them coming and going from the building, then
gave me a call. I informed the city council. Without the family's help,
the business soon failed, and the council revoked
the guy's liquor license on July 30, 2007, shutting
it down. With no buyer in sight (there still isn't) December rolled
around and the hours started ticking away until the adult zoning was to
permanently expire and revert the use back to warehouse only, thereby
ending ths protracted -- sordid story.
The Crazy Horse Too's zoning
should have quietly expired on December 30, 2007 rendering the
place forever unusable as a topless bar. But Councilwoman Tarkanian for
some
unknown reason sprung into action and sponsored a custom designed
ordinance to allow liquor serving businesses in non-conforming zones
twelve months to reopen if
they are closed down. The previous law mandated that bars would
permanently lose their non-conforming zoning if they were dark for more
than six
months, but now the Crazy Horse has until June 30, 2008 to reopen
thanks to
the Tarkanians. Her law affected only the Crazy Horse Too though she
claims it was to help a bar-b-que chicken restrauant on
West Charleston that's in conformance with zoning laws.
Now I've been told that Councilwoman Tarkanian is very concerned that
no one in Orange County find out about her favors. She told one of my
best sources, "Please ask Steve not to publish this in Newport Beach.
That's where all Jerry's friends live." Why is she so concerned about
the fate of a mobbed-up topless bar? Her husband can best answer that
question.
When asked why she changed the law, she said it was requested by LV
developer
Ernest Becker, another Newport Beach home owner. Several weeks later,
she told another INSIDE VEGAS source that she did it at the request of
"the federal government."
Orange County, specifically Laguna and Newport Beach, is becoming known
as Clark County's new "Government Center" where many of the important
decisions that affect our day to lives take place.
Recently when MGM boss Terry Lanni called a Las Vegas press conference
to discourage Nevada voters from voting for the ballot initiative to
raise the gross gaming tax 3% to pay for education, he flew into town
on his corporate jet for the conference.
During his short stay, he told us it would be better if small business
paid for education instead of casinos. He didn't mention that Nevada
education is a low priority because construction workers, bus boys,
maids, dealers, porters, and car parkers don't need a high school
diploma or college degree to make a good living here.
Local media swooned over his brilliance and joined in to encourage
average taxpayers to bare the monetary burden for educating the kids of
thousands of illegal aliens MGM and its competitors lured
here to work
for minimum wage -- or less. Many taking jobs from those who are
legally in the United States and have been displaced by those who will
work for less thereby increasing the public's burden to pay for
unemployment compensation, emergency room bills, and provide jail space.
When the applause subsided, Terry flew back to the beach in time for
dinner with his Vegas pals.
During last week's Democratic caucus, Laguna Beach homeowner Jan Jones
flew into town to shadow Hillary Clinton and whisper the casino
industry's mantra in her ear.
Do we really need California elitists flying in to tell us how to run
our city, county, state, and nation?
Now these same folks are schmoozing Senator Hillary Clinton and her
handlers.
Casino owners need all the help they can get from the federal
government so they can build casinos in other states to compete with
Nevada. Ex-Mayor Jan Jones is their Laguna Beach cheer leader.
Keep your eye on Orange County and our state's -- and possibly our
nation's -- phantom government lurking there
just out of view.
Copyright © Steve Miller
