Barrier

That piqued our interest so we invited him to dinner to learn more.

 

The day after the dinner, Karahalios called me to ask for a $400 loan. I declined, but later that day against my advice he borrowed the $400 from Barrier. He said he'd pay it back that afternoon.

Barrier and his Buffalo On Parade, Helldorado Days, May 2007
                   (AmericanMafia.com photo by Mike Christ)

Days passed, and Barrier and I made several attempts to recover the money.

First we were told "I'll drop it off this afternoon." Then he said it would be the next day. By the end of the week, Karahalios stopped taking our calls and didn't answer his e-mails on the subject.  I have not heard from him since November, until his name surfaced as the new "buyer" of the Crazy Horse Too.

 

 

 

In my opinion, the mob will do anything to keep two reported suitcases of cash per day leaving the back door of the strip bar while anyone who's purported to be the "owner" sleeps in Rick Rizzolo's private office.

 

So far, neither the City Council nor Judge Philip Pro have scheduled a hearing on whether to place a receiver to liquidate the Crazy Horse -- something both entities promised to do after June 30 if the strip bar was not sold.

Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian's husband Jerry was observed frolicking at Rizzolo's going away party in Newport Beach with dozens of organized crime types. Lois' son and husband also have business dealings with two of Rizzolo's closest friends Fred Glusman and Tony Tegano.

When asked whether the Council would close the Crazy Horse, she said it's up to business license director Jim DiFiore to schedule the hearing.

She's completely wrong! It's the responsibility of an elected person to put the item on the July 11 council agenda. For the past several years, DiFiore has been aiding and abetting Rizzolo -- most likely at the behest of Rizzolo's former lawyer Mayor Oscar Goodman.

 

And while this folly continues, beating victim Kirk Henry, now a quadriplegic, hasn't received a dime from Rizzolo's fortune to pay his mounting medical bills.
  

The Crazy Horse is currently in Mayor Pro Tem Gary Reese's ward, and was formerly in Tarkanian's ward before redistricting. The crimes occurred during their individual watch. Now either one of them is responsible for scheduling the hearing if Signorelli and Karas default on June 30.

Any buyer must place the entire purchase amount into escrow before June 30, and then go through a lengthy investigation.  Signorelli, as a favor from Goodman, did not have to complete the investigation before taking over the business. He at least had an existing liquor license in the city which may excuse that, but Karas does not. So to be fair to every other liquor license holder who could not operate their business prior to completion of their investigation, Karas should not be granted an unfair privilege just because Rizzolo is a friend of the Mayor and a Councilwoman's husband.

Or a receiver can be placed to run the business. However, receivers are in the business of making money and they have no incentive to quickly sell a property. They are paid a percentage of the gross and usually use the excuse that they are not getting "full market value" offers. These guys are notoriously corrupt and will immediately be approached by LCN to be under their control. This could go on for another two years while most of the money is skimmed.

Once a receiver is in there they are "officers of the court" and can persuade a judge to give them months or years to find a buyer willing to pay "full market value." Rizzolo's attorneys will argue fair market is $50 million when its actually only around $10 million tops without the liquor license, maybe $20 million with.

In the 1970s, the Dunes, Tropicana, and Riviera casinos actually fought to go into receivership. Under government appointed "receivers" such as attorney Morris Shenker, supposedly bankrupt casinos allegedly generated more skim than ever before, and without IRS oversight. The art of bankruptcy worked then, and can possibly be reapplied in the Crazy Horse case. Plenty of old time Las Vegans remember the formula and can teach it to the next generation.

The Feds should schedule an auction and chase Rizzolo and his wife for the balance. That would be the only legitimate way to handle this.

Never in the history of Sin City has a business been granted so many political favors, especially one that for years harbored 16 or more thugs who committed felonies on a daily basis that endangered the lives of our city's life blood -- tourists.

 

It's also time for Kirk Henry's attorneys Donald Campbell and Stan Hunterton to take action before their client's money and their legal fees go out the back door. 

 

This lien is to guarantee payment of any judgment up to $1 million dollars in the likely event Barrier wins his Harassment Lawsuit against Rick Rizzolo that was also reinstated by the court.

Judge Gonzalez, like everyone else involved in this case, is leery that debts will not be paid especially if the Crazy Horse goes dark and the land and dilapidated buildings are auctioned for fair market value; a fraction of what is claimed by Rizzolo's lawyers.

Hopefully, Judge Pro will attach all of Rizzolo's personal assets that were illegally transferred to his wife Lisa just prior to his indictment. He filed for divorce literally days before he was indicted. He was facing up to 20 years on a RICO charge. The government didn't want to spend vast resources if the case went to trial which was expected to last a year with close to a thousand witnesses. So he and his cronies got off easy with plea deals for only tax evasion, and his wife walked away with more than $10 million in joint assets along with $83,333 per month alimony.