The Pettiness Hits the Roof!
INSIDE VEGAS by Steve Miller
AmericanMafia.com
April 26, 2004
After a judge ruled a topless bar must pay for harassing
its neighbor, new problems arise
"I didn't have time to handle it myself, so I sent
one of my mechanics to court. My guy didn't even graduate high school,
but he wiped the floor with Patti & Sgro." -- Buffalo Jim
Barrier, 04/13/04
"Crimped" water line, 04/14/04
LAS VEGAS - On April 13, Las Vegas Justice Court issued a Finding of
Fact and Conclusion of Law stating that topless bar owner Rick Rizzolo
owes his next door neighbor, Buffalo Jim Barrier, $233.25 for damages and
$38.00 for court costs.
The judgment followed a courtroom battle that pitted an auto mechanic
against members of one of Las Vegas' most prestigious law firms, Patti
& Sgro. Barrier did not attend the court hearings, instead he sent
one of his employees to tell the story of how his landlord, Rizzolo, was
violating his lease by coning off common area parking spaces used by garage
customers, then having their cars towed without giving notice.
What makes this multi-hundred dollar story interesting enough
to warrant local news coverage is that Rizzolo is willing to spend additional
thousands in attorney fees to save losing face - this at a time when he
is facing federal indictment and should have better things to do!
On March 25, Dewayne A. Nobles, an attorney with Patti and Sgro, wrote
a letter to Barrier's attorney
Gus Flangas: "As to your complaint that my client, Crazy Horse Too,
is coning off the parking lot, the Landlord has given my client permission
to cone off areas within the parking lot. This is allowed only after other
tenant businesses have closed for the day and only on the side of the complex
farthest from Allstate Auto Marine. However, we will investigate this claim
with our valet service, which is an independent contractor, and certainly
correct any problem if it exists."
The coning and towing harassment continued, so Barrier sued in small
claims court.
..
The judge read Rizzolo's letter. His attorney's own words made it perfectly
clear that the coning was to occur only after Barrier had "closed for
the day," and was to be on the side of the building "farthest from
Allstate Auto Marine." Case closed. $271.25 was awarded to Barrier.
Then, Rizzolo hit the roof!
Following the trial, Barrier told Cathy Scott of Las Vegas CityLife
magazine, "Now it's official. I stopped him from harassing me." However,
he was celebrating way too soon. Rizzolo immediately appealed asking for
a new trial -- and a
new judge (Rizzolo donates tens-of-thousands of dollars each year to
judicial campaigns). Within hours, Barrier's air conditioners were sabotaged!
"Found supply water lines torn away from all
three evaporative coolers. One line down whole length crimped and folded
to restrict water flow. Removed damaged lines and replaced with new." -
Michael
Gamst, Technician, Las Vegas Air Conditioning, Inc., 04/14/04
The night following the $300 repair, the lines
were again tampered with! This time the vandals caused hundreds of gallons
of water to flood Barrier's roof. Barrier was summoned by the water company
to turn off the water. Later that week as desert temperatures approached
90ºF, the contractor had to be called back to reconnect the water
lines at Barrier's expense.
"Replaced entire water system for swamp coolers
on 4/14/04. (On) 4/23/04 - repaired vandalized water lines. Found cut water
lines." - Derek Keen, Technician, Las
Vegas Air Conditioning, Inc., 04/23/04
The building is twelve feet high and there is
no convenient way to gain access to the roof without an extension ladder
which would be very obvious to security that patrols the area 24/7. Only
someone authorized by the owner of the property could twice have
accessed the roof without being arrested for trespass.
Rizzolo's bar has new refrigeration units and
shares the same roof as Barrier's garage, therefore the roof area would
be worth protecting. Because the damage only occurs late at night to Barrier's
less expensive evaporative coolers, all indications are that the building's
landlord fully condones the vandalism. To pay the air conditioning repair
bills and hopefully stop the new-found harassment, Barrier filed another
small claims lawsuit.
"Vandalized"
water lines, 04/15/04
In Las Vegas' intense summer heat, no business
can legally operate without air conditioning. Therein lies the basis
for the vandalism according to Barrier who pays only forty-three cents
per foot for his 10,000 square foot garage. Rizzolo has for some time wanted
to expand his business, but Barrier's long-term lease is standing
in the way. Barrier has occupied the same space since 1976 and intends
to stay until his lease expires in 2009. Rizzolo has never offered to buy
him out.
Buffalo Jim Barrier in front of shared building
(LV Review Journal photo)
Because he expects Rizzolo to continue tampering
with his coolers throughout the summer, Barrier hired a private investigation
firm to install hidden wireless cameras on his roof to photograph perpetrators
in the event future acts of vandalism occur. If vandalism continues, the
video surveillance photos will be entered as evidence in a separate, multi-million
dollar harassment
and racketeering lawsuit currently pending* in district court. They
will also be made available to federal authorities who are investigating
Rizzolo for alleged ties to organized crime and racketeering. So far, Rick
Rizzolo has not been charged with any crime.
Diagram from camera manufacturer's website
Several bullet-size cameras were installed on his garage roof according
to Barrier. Their ultra high frequency signal cannot be detected by present-generation
scanners. The cameras work in almost total darkness and their batteries
last up to six months. Until recently, the technology
was only available to federal law enforcement agencies but is now offered
by certain licensed investigation firms.
This is not the first time the two rival business
owners have engaged in video surveillance of one another. In December 2000,
one year before Rizzolo bought the 2.6 acre industrial center for $5.5
million cash, it was disclosed he was "spying" on his neighbor with the
use of a hidden camera. At the time, Rizzolo was trying to prove the garage
owner was dumping toxic waste into the storm drain - a lease violation
that would trigger an eviction making way for the expansion of the topless
bar. However, Barrier was never found to have committed any such offense.
Rizzolo's "spy" camera
(Photo by Mike Christ)
The covert operation was discovered when one of
Barrier's mechanics spotted a strange box on the roof of the adjacent warehouse
where Rizzolo leased a garage/office. Barrier hired a professional photographer
to document the find. Photographer Mike Christ climbed up on the roof to
discover a camera aimed at Barrier's business with a coaxial cable leading
across the roof to a location above Rizzolo's garage where it disappeared
beneath the tar paper.
While Christ kneeled in front of the device taking
photos, bar manager Al
Rapuano suddenly stormed out a back door of the bar with several bouncers
(later confirmed to have long criminal
records). A close-up image of Mike Christ had obviously appeared on
a monitor inside Rizzolo's business causing the sudden reaction. Rapuano
ordered the ladder be taken down trapping Christ on the roof.
Rapuano (front), Vinnie
Faraci (white shirt) and
bouncers take down ladder
(Photo by Mike Christ)
Soon, Rick Rizzolo appeared in the alley, a place
well known for violent
encounters. The photographer, who said he felt threatened, called 911
on his cell phone.
Rick Rizzolo (white hair) watches as stranded
photographer
takes photos from rooftop with Allstate Auto
in background
(Photo by Mike Christ)
When a police unit was spotted entering the alley,
Rizzolo and Rapuano retreated into the bar.
Rizzolo and Rapuano exit as police arrive on
the scene
(Photo by Mike Christ)
Since Christ photographed the entire episode,
his photos and an accompanying story appeared several days later on the
front
page of a local newspaper. Patti & Sgro, on behalf of Rick Rizzolo,
sued the paper for defamation and filed a motion for a gag order. Their
gag order was immediately denied, and two years later their defamation
suit was dismissed.
(L to R) Attorney Tony Sgro consoles
Vinnie Faraci and Bart Rizzolo during
FBI
raid of topless bar in Feb. 2003
(AmericanMafia photo by Mike Christ)
Barrier is expected to be called as a witness
in the event Rizzolo and his associates are indicted. Some sources close
to the federal investigation consider the towing, and now the vandalism,
as attempts to intimidate a federal witness.
"I wish all this chicken shit harassment stuff
would end. He's such a cheap Scrooge!"
said Barrier after he learned of Rizzolo's appeal.
All this over a $271.25 small claims judgment...
*United States Federal Court Judge Philip Pro put a stay on all civil
lawsuit discovery pending federal indictments. Therefore Barrier's harrassment
and racketeering trial date, along with the trial date of Kirk
Henry in his attempted murder action against Frederick Rizzolo, have
been vacated until further notice.
* If you would like to receive Steve's frequent E-Briefs about Las Vegas'
scandals, click here: Steve Miller's Las Vegas E-Briefs
Copyright © Steve Miller
email Steve Miller at: Stevemiller4lv@aol.com
