The weak link
INSIDE VEGAS by Steve Miller
AmericanMafia.com
March 27, 2006
Ousted San Francisco DA Terance Hallinan
Current Clark
County DA David Roger
LAS VEGAS - This is the story of two District Attorneys; former San
Francisco DA Terance Hallinan, and current Clark County DA David Roger
who may be following in his footsteps when it comes to
not enforcing laws pertaining to
the adult entertainment industry.
On December 2, 1998, a story entitled "Wages of Vice. Police find a way
to make money by busting massage parlors" authored by Renata
Huang appeared in the
San
Francisco Weekly. It stated:
"For the past two years,
the vice squad has been quietly collecting tens of thousands of dollars
in 'restitution' from women arrested in massage parlor raids. With the
blessing of (San Francisco) District Attorney Terrace Hallinan's
office, charges against the women are then dropped. Technically, the
women agree to enter a diversion program rather than go to court. But
unlike other diversion programs -- such as those for drunk drivers or
petty drug users -- this program doesn't include anything like
mandatory counseling, training, or community service. Instead, the
women are simply required to promise they will not stray again. And, it
seems, pay several hundred dollars to the vice squad and a nonprofit
organization for the favor of having their charges dropped."
Regarding our local District Attorney, on May 8, 2002, an editorial I
authored entitled "The company he keeps" was republished on
TwistedBadge.com. It
stated:
"Topless bar owner
Rick Rizzolo
recently kicked in $10,000 and organized a fundraiser for (Clark
County) District Attorney candidate David Roger. At an earlier
fundraiser held at his Canyon Gate home, Rizzolo introduced the
candidate to most of the other adult business owners and their wallets.
David Roger seems unconcerned that his chief fundraiser is facing at
least three court dates for alleged beatings, robberies, and a wrongful
death. He also doesn't seem troubled by the fact that Las Vegas Metro
PD has two cases against Rizzolo's business waiting for filing by the
DA's office."
In the case of DA Hallinan, even his city council and mayor were
unaware of the secret arrangement he made with massage parlors. Then he
went on national TV and declared that prostitution is a "victimless
crime," and he would not prosecute pimps, johns, or hookers in his
city. In 2004, Hallinan was defeated in a bid for a third term when the
restitution arrangement was made public by his opponent.
In the case of DA Roger, immediately after being elected to his first
term in 2002, he dropped all cases LV Metro Police had pending against
Rizzolo's blood soaked business, the Crazy Horse Too, something that
deeply troubled dedicated street cops and victims.
In the meantime, the FBI busted the Crazy Horse and one of its
competitors owned by Michael Galardi. In the first of two high profile
trials, transcripts of FBI wire taps just surfaced that incriminate
Rizzolo in the pay off's of local politicians,
cops,
and judges. The first trial, coined "Operation G-Sting," is expected to
be the opening act for a much bigger court drama later this year
entitled "Operation Crazy Horse."
The Sunday, March 26, front page
headline
of the
Las Vegas SUN blares
"Galardi dishes up dirt on club rival. Rizzolo fingered in secret FBI
reports." This story by
SUN
investigative reporters Jeff German and Steve Knigher confirms what
INSIDE VEGAS has been saying all along; that Rizzolo is about to go
down, and go down hard! But not before burying a number of Vegas "
Pillars" including
District
Court Judge Nancy Saitta, and ex-
city
councilman Mike McDonald.
But that's not our only problem. Like in San Francisco during the
Hallinan era, Las Vegas is also suffering from an out of control
prostitution problem fueled by an ultra liberal or incompetent DA. Over
150 pages are dedicated to hookers in the Sprint Yellow Pages, and hand
billers litter the Strip with similar fliers, but DA Roger looks the
other way caring less that the public finds this business to
be the "Most Embarrassing Thing About
Las Vegas" in this year's
Review-Journal Reader's Poll.
Its doubtful that Roger, like Hallinan, has struck a deal with the
unlicensed "masseuses" to pay "restitution," but the results are the
surely same; the uncontrolled spread of HIV and STDs, along with
trafficking in
human
sex slaves brought here from the Orient and Latin America. Because
of the lack of prosecution by Roger, Las Vegas is becoming another
"City by the bay" when it comes to rampant vice -- just look at the
Yellow Page below. The police department is not the culprit. Its the DA
who refuses to prosecute those who place these ads, their pimps, and
Johns -- along with the thugs who beat and kill people at the Crazy
Horse Too.
When all the dust settles on the G-Sting and Crazy Horse trials, and
after a few of our town's most promising politicians are hauled off to
"Club Fed," the question will finally be asked: "Where were our
District Attorneys during all this? Why did the Feds have to step in to
clean up our local mess?"
Today: March 26, 2006 at
8:22:8 PST
LAS
VEGAS SUN
FRONT PAGE
RICK RIZZOLO
testifies before a review board in 2000. Rizzolo is the target of a
sweeping FBI racketeering probe.
Since I started writing
about the Sin City sex industry scandals back in 1999, I too have
wondered where the buck stops? In interviews with good cops, it became
crystal clear that no matter how good a job Metro does preparing a case
for prosecution, including the locally brought cases against Galardi
and Rizzolo, its ultimately up to the District Attorney to decide
whether to prosecute. In the case of our current DA, David Roger, and
his two predecessors, Stu Bell and Rex Bell (no relation), when it came
to Rizzolo and his illicit business, ALL three turned the other way,
and the carnage and payoffs were allowed to continue.
Maybe that was their intention?
It wasn't as if the three local DA's didn't know what was going on (no
one could be that stupid), its more like they were being
paid to not take prosecutory
action, just like Hallinan admitted to doing.
Then there's those 150 pages of advertisements for prostitution...
Again, big money's at stake, and history has proven time and again that
Clark County District Attorneys care more about campaign contributions
and running for higher office (and possible cash pay offs) than the
well being of those who elected them.
Even with a clown mayor touting the benefits of opening
brothels
downtown, when it comes to political corruption and the societal
damage left in its wake, our weakest links in law enforcement are our
District Attorneys.
AmericanMafia.com INSIDE VEGAS columns that substantiate
Sunday's
Las Vegas SUN front
page story:
http://www.americanmafia.com/Inside_Vegas/8-15-05_Inside_Vegas.html
http://www.americanmafia.com/Inside_Vegas/12-27-04_Inside_Vegas.html
http://www.americanmafia.com/Inside_Vegas/7-26-04_Inside_Vegas.html
http://www.americanmafia.com/Inside_Vegas/1-19-04_Inside_Vegas.html
http://www.americanmafia.com/Inside_Vegas/5-19-03_Inside_Vegas.html