THE KANSAS CITY MOB WAR – GARY JENKINS’S GANGLAND WIRE

Gary Jenkins is the producer to the DVD Gangland Wire. Gangland Wire is the documentary of the events that led up to and about operations Strawman I and Strawman II. Gary Jenkins has an insider view of Strawman, not only because he is the producer to Gangland Wire; but because he was an officer in the Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit that was listening to the wire that was recording the Kansas City Mob. If you have never heard of these two operations I am sure that you have seen them on the Big Screen, most famously in the movie CASINO.

If you recall in the movie CASINO Joseph Rigano played the role of Vincent Borelli. Vincent was the Kansas City Boss in the movie. Vincent Borelli was based on real life mobster Nicholas Civella. Nick Civella was the Boss of the Kansas City Family and the Kansas City Family reported back to the Chicago Outfit.  His Underboss Artie Piscano was played by Vinny Vella. Artie Piscano was based on real life mobster Carl “Tuffy” DeLuna. He was the Underboss to the Kansas City Family. Carl DeLuna was trusted across the country by all the different La Cosa Nostra Families. That is why he was responsible to make sure that each family got there cut of the Las Vegas Skim. In the movie CASINO, Artie Piscano was raided by the FBI and he dies from having a heart attack. Before he dies the FBI finds his notes and was able to bring down the Outfit. The real Carl was raided by the FBI but he did not die on the spot from a heart attack. The FBI did find his notes but they were encrypted. They had to figure out what the notes meant by matching it up to recordings of the gangsters and other evidence.

It all starts around 1971 in an old deteriorating industrial area in Kansas City. An entrepreneur named Marion Trozollo started to buy up all the abandoned building and renovating them for inexpensive spaces for art galleries, shops, eateries, and other family friendly locations. This development was driven by an art colony attracted by the cheap rent offered by Marion Trozollo. This part of town was called the River Quay (pronounced Key).

One potential issue with this renovation was that it’s approximation to another part of town. It was adjacent to the City Market. It was not the shops in the City Market competing with the shops in River Quay as being the problem. The problem was that the City Market was run by the Kansas City Mob and its boss Nick Civella. This thriving development of the River Quay would be too much temptation for the mob to not get a taste of the action.

A bar was opened up in the River Quay. It was called Poor Freddie’s and it was the second bar to open there. The tavern owner was a man named Freddie Bonadonna. Like Trozollo, Bonadonna could see the great business potential that the River Quay held. He was one of the first to take advantage of the vision being built by Marion Trozollo.

There was another man named Joe Canizaro. He was a developer from the New Orleans area. He has experience from building in the French Quarter of a mix of residential, artist shops, retail, and a bar scene. He was called upon by Marion Trozollo to help fulfill the vision of the River Quay.

In Kansas City there was a desire to build a conference center and a hotel in the downtown area. To fulfill the building of the conference center and hotel a block of seedy bars and strip clubs on 12th Street would have to be torn down. The city invested the money and they tore down these locations on 12th Street. In the demolishing of these businesses it displaced members of the Kansas City Mob who have been running this area up until the tear down. These mobsters needed a place to go to regain their traction in their illegal enterprises. They now had their eye on the River Quay.

A location that was a place for hipsters to hang out was converted into a porno theater called the Old Chelsea Too. This was very out of place compared to the rest of the thriving shops in the River Quay area. Freddie Bonadonna knew that this opening would jeopardize the River Quay development. He wanted to make sure that the area would be kept clean and maintain the family friendly vibe that was so essential to the growth and productivity of this area. This would put him at odds with the Kansas City Family who had always made their living by selling vice.

Other bars started popping up in the area. These bars, like the Old Chelsea Too, were out of place and did not belong in the River Quay. Freddie Bonadonna was desperate in maintaining the integrity of what he started. He would start to play a very dangerous game. He was going to help these mobsters on the surface but behind the scenes do everything that he could to ensure their failure. What makes Freddie Bonadonna think that he can get away with trying to play such a dangerous game? He has an in with the mob. His father was David Bonadonna. A Made guy with the Kansas City mob, working for a man named Willie Cammisano or “Willie the Rat” a Capo in the Civella Family. He earned the name of “Willie the Rat,” because he would stick murder victims in the sewer so that the rats could eat them. Freddie’s father’s connection was a way in to give the perception to the mob that he was sincere with his offer to help. As the old adage goes keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.

Joe Canizaro bought out Marion Trozollo for the River Quay development. Freddie Bonadonna met with Joe Canizaro. He told Canizaro that he was going to introduce him to some people that were interested in building in the River Quay. You are going to tell them that you back them and support them. Once they leave we are going to do everything that we can to resist them.

Joseph Cammisano was the brother to “Willie the Rat.” He wanted to bring some Go-Go Girls down to the River Quay, but he couldn’t. He could not get a liquor license from a west side councilman. This councilman was a friend to Freddie Bonadonna. Joseph Cammisano was the leader of the other Kansas City mobsters that had their businesses on 12th Street. These gangsters were looking to the leadership of the Civella Family to handle and take care of the politicians and leverage their muscle to gain entry to the River Quay.

With all of the growth of the River Quay parking was scarce. Freddie Bonadonna had been leasing empty lots in the area from the city. It was great foresight on his part and became very lucrative. The city leased these lots cheaply to Bonadonna because they had no use of them and did not see the value in them like Freddie did. Soon enough Freddie Bonadonna was making a couple of thousand dollars each weekend. The Cammisano brothers wanted a cut of this cash money. They started asserting pressure and it was not before long that David Bonadonna was passing messages to his son that he needs to start helping these people and give them their cut. Freddie pleaded to his father that he did not want to help the Cammisano brothers nor did he want them in the River Quay. The father decided to take up for his son.

David Bonadonna went to Willie Cammisano and told him that his son did not want to help him or his brother Joe. Willie told David that he has to help them. David then told Willie that he was not going to force his son to help them establish businesses in the River Quay or give them a cut of the parking lot money. Cammisano told Bonadonna that his son could get hurt. Bonadonna said that if anyone was going to try and hurt his son Freddie they would have to go through him first. This put the two gangsters at odds with each other and forced a sit down with Willie Cammisano, David Bonadonna, and Nick Civella. At the sit down Civella did not broker a deal or offer a judgment to his warring constituents. He told them either to figure it out, or do whatever you have to do. A position Civella would later regret.

On July 22nd, 1976 about 30 days after that meeting with Civella and Cammisano, David Bonadonna was found dead in the trunk of a Mustang with five bullets to the head. Sonny Bowen, a man with a contract on his life for unrelated reasons and Gary Parker, a business partner of Freddie Bonadonna start to plan retribution for the murder of David Bonadonna. Freddie Bonadonna goes into hiding and the 12th Street gangsters started building Las Vegas like bars in the River Quay.

Sonny Bowen went on the attack and shot a Civella soldier named John Amaro or “Johnny Green.” Bowen killed this man in his garage which was also in the same neighborhood of Nick Civella, Carl Civella (Nick Civella’s brother), and Tony Civella (Carl Civella’s son). Mike Rufalo a soldier and confidential informant to the FBI were speaking to Sonny Bowen. Sonny Bowen admitted to Rufalo that he killed “Johnny Green.” He was hoping by telling Rufalo that Rufalo would flip and help Sonny take on the Civella Family. On the day for the wake of John Amaro, Sonny Bowen’s vehicle was seen outside of a bar called Pat O’Brien’s in mid-town Kansas City. On February 22nd, 1977 Bowen was murdered and shot to death in front of everyone. The Civella Family has also believed that Gary Parker also had a role in the murder of John Amaro. Later on August 5th, 1977 Gary Parker died from injuries he received after bomb was placed and exploded underneath his car.

On March 27th, 1977 after everyone from the River Quay went home for the night there was a large explosion. It was Pat O’Brien’s and Judge Roy Bean taverns that have exploded. Where the taverns once stood a 20 foot hole now exists. This is the end of the River Quay. Nick Civella knows that keeping a low key is critical in staying off the radar of the Feds. Now there were multiple murders and a couple of buildings that were blown up and all for what? Parking lot money!

Nick Civella was battling cancer and was heading off to jail for a gambling conviction so he stepped back. His brother Carl “Cork” Civella was going to step in for his brother. His brother got the knick name “Cork” because of his temper. His temper would rise and it would pop off like a cork. Nick Civella and “Willie the Rat” Cammisano were not close, but “Cork” Civella and “Willie the Rat” saw things eye to eye. However there was an order to put on the backburner any murder or acts of violence due to the fact that this would become front page news.

Carl Spero a rival gangster was seeing the disarray of the Civella Family; and saw this as an opportunity to take revenge for the murder of his brother Nick who was a Teamster member. He and his other brothers Joe and Michael were trying to take over the Civella Family. They would do anything to taunt or disrupt the Family’s operation. Carl Spero had one of his guys robbed the Brandmeyer & Civella Meat Company. This was easily traced back to Spero. The Spero brothers were all shot at the Virginia Tavern. Michael Spero was killed, Carl Spero was fighting for his life but paralyzed, and Joseph Spero was hit but less seriously wounded. Carl Spero was found shot gunned in the back lying in the street. When the police arrived they asked “Carl do you know who did this?” He said “Yeah.” The police than asked “Are you going to tell us who did it?” Spero said “No.” Both Joseph and Carl would later be killed by bombs that they were making to exact their revenge.

With Kansas City going to hell in a hand basket at the hand of the Civella Family the feds are hearing that “Cork” Civella and Underboss “Tuffy” DeLuna were planning more murders. They were told that the planning would take place at a bar called The Villa Capri. The feds planted a wire in this location. When the feds started listening to what was being picked up by the wire, they heard a lot of disco music. What they don’t hear is anything about the Spero brothers, or anything related to the River Quay or any other murders. What they do hear is them talking about Las Vegas, Teamsters, and skimming.

What the wire started to reveal was that Carl “Tuffy” DeLuna was receiving money that was being skimmed from Las Vegas Casinos that were controlled by the Chicago Outfit. Other crime families had interest in the Las Vegas skim as well. The learned that DeLuna was getting the cash from the casinos, taking the share for Kansas City and sending it back to Chicago, Milwaukee, and Cleveland. It was “Tuffy’s” job to get the money back to these Families. The feds were expecting to find out information on the mob in Kansas City and instead learn about what the Midwest mobsters were doing in Las Vegas for years. The Las Vegas skim by the La Cosa Nostra has been uncovered.

Gary Jenkins’s Gangland Wire has over two hours’ worth of mob history. Rarely do I get a book or a DVD that I learn something new about the Chicago Outfit, but that was not the case with this DVD. Jenkins’s tell the story of the River Quay and then spends another hour going over the actual wire taps that led to the Strawman Operations. These wire taps were incredible in the information that was uncovered. You hear Joe Agosto reporting back to Kansas City about “Genius.” That was Alan Glick the front man for the Chicago Outfit. His company the Argent Corporation owned the Outfit’s casinos, the Stardust, the Marina, the Hacienda, and the Fremont. He was only a Strawman (clean guy that was a front for the mob), hence the name of the operations that took down the mob in Las Vegas. You get insight to what the Kansas City Family thought about Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal and who may have placed a bomb in his car at Tony Roma’s in Las Vegas. Was it Tony Spilotro or the Chicago Outfit? Maybe not. Joey “The Clown” Lombardo calls Morris Shenker, an attorney and casino owner, and tells him that he will not make it to 73. Was Rosenthal a loyal tight lip odds maker running the Outfit’s casinos, or was he confidential informant? If you are mob historian always looking to learn more about mob history or you just enjoy all things mob, Gangland Wire flips the bill for everyone. Get Gangland Wire and get the insider’s view of taking down the Las Cosa Nostra’s hold on Las Vegas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KNOWLEDGE CENTER

I have put together some of the articles that I have written that are prevalent for the upcoming election in MARCH!. This is the Republican Nominee election but probably more important than the general election. It is most likely the winner in March will win in November and become sheriff. If you review the articles in the Knowledge Center, you will read all kinds of unbelievable things as it relates to this election.

 

Freedom of Information Act Appeal to get the remainder of my father’s file. In my efforts to get to the bottom of my father’s murder and what the McHenry County Sheriff’s office has done to me and my family 33 years ago. I filed a FOIA Request (Freedom of Information Act Request) to get my father’s case file. Many documents were withheld from my request. It is my believe the documents are withheld to protect guilty individuals that are known to Sheriff Keith Nygren and Undersheriff Andrew Zinke that covered up who actually killed my father during the original investigation. Start on page 11 to read what sounds like a murder mystery thriller, but this is my true life. It is backed by FBI reports, witness statements, and newspaper articles.

Andrew Zinke for McHenry County Sheriff, Really??? This article is based on my own father’s murder investigation and Undersheriff Andrew Zinke. I talked about how he made his own milestones and failed to meet every single one. How it took me calling NBC News Chicago to get Andrew Zinke to return my phone call about my father’s murder investigation, as he was the lead investigator. I am fighting to get the remainder of my father’s case file. It is my believe that Undersheriff Andrew Zinke and the Sheriff Keith Nygren are hiding and protecting individuals that covered up the true killer of my father during the original investigation.

Andrew Zinke plus Rita Corporation equals ON THE TAKE Brian Goode and his RITA Corporation was a person of interest and focal point for the investigation of the distribution of 30 plus tons of marijuana. Undersheriff Andrew Zinke told Brian Goode of the investigation. Two days later, according to Koziol, (Sgt. Koziol was working on the investigation and filed a complaint against Zinke) Goode gave Zinke’s election campaign a $5,000 donation. The RITA Corporation address is the same address as Andrew Zinke’s campaign headquarters.

McHenry County Deputy Zane Seipler under siege, Again!! Zane Seipler is a whistleblowing deputy that was fired by Keith Nygren after he exposed the sheriff’s office for racial profiling. Nygren was forced to hire Seipler back after he lost an arbitration ruling, a court hearing, an appellate court hearing, and a failed attempt to be heard by the Illinois State Supreme Court. After Seipler was hired back, Nygren fired him again. Zane Seipler is currently fighting to get his job back.

Another McHenry County Deputy under siege, Scott Milliman Scott Milliman was a deputy and former right hand man to Sheriff Keith Nygren. He was fired by the sheriff for whistleblowing that the sheriff allegedly transacted in ticket fixing, bribery, general corruption, fraud in a SBA Loan, and in tapping Milliman himself to kill a McHenry County Judge and a Coroner’s Candidate. Scott Milliman is currently fighting to get his job back.

How Gary Gauger got to DEATH ROW This is the real life, tragic story of Gary Gauger. He was falsely arrested and sent to Death Row by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department for the double murder of his parents. Investigators from the sheriff’s department rigged a false confession so that they could convict him.

 

McHenry County Ethics Commission, Ethical or NOT!?!? The McHenry County Ethics Commission conducted a hearing of a complaint filed by Cal Skinner that Undersheriff Andrew Zinke used a government computer for a very politically charged email. The hearing was ran over by Zinke’s attorneys Mark Gummerson and Rebecca Lee. The sign up sheet to speak at the hearing went missing but found in the possession of Rebecca Lee. The commission went into secret session, made its decision, and did so without explanation.

First Electric Newspaper v.s. Sheriff Nygren and EEO Officer Donald Leist Pete Gonigam won a Public Access Bureau (Illinois States Attorney) appeal for the release of a 100 page report conducted by the McHenry County Sheriff’s office. The report exonerated Undersheriff Andrew Zinke after he told Brian Goode that he and his RITA Corporation was a the focal point of a drug investigation by the DEA.

Zinke’s middle finger may cost Cal Skinner $5,000 After filing a valid ethics complaint against Undersheriff Andrew Zinke for using a government computer for his campaign, Cal Skinner was to face Zinke’s attorney Mark Gummerson. Gummerson was lobbying for a $5,000 fine against Skinner filing a valid complaint. An act of bulling and intimidation of a McHenry County citizen.

 

Will McHenry County be Ripped Off by Special Interest in Sheriff Election? I question the interest and the contribution to Undersheriff Andrew Zinke’s campaign from the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150 election. I send a letter to the President-Business Manager of the union James M. Sweeney.

 

IUOE Local 150 and Andrew Zinke. Is this Gangster Money for a Gangster Cop? The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150 contributes money to Undersheriff’s Andrew Zinke’s campaign. They have known ties to the Colombo and Gambino Crime Families.

 

Undersheriff Andrew Zinke Shuts Down Cal Skinner’s Blog Site Undersheriff Andrew Zinke’s campaign was able to get Cal Skinner’s website, mchenrycountyblog.com shut down by falsely accusing him of stalking and linking to obscene material. Read here on how Zinke’s campaign resorts to breaking the law to silence a citizen’s voice.

 

Andrew Zinke Fearful to Debate Bill Prim Lies to Get Out of It. Undersheriff Andrew Zinke is so fearful to debate Bill Prim for McHenry County Sheriff that he lies to get out of it. Zinke knows that he would be out matched, outwitted, and the truth of his corrupt character would be revealed to the citizens of McHenry County. Instead of enduring such damage to his campaign he lies to coward out of it.

 

Is Sheriff Nygren and Undersheriff Zinke Intimidating and Tampering with Federal Witnesses? Is Sheriff Nygren and Undersheriff Zinke intimidating federal witnesses? Or are the deputies fighting back? Donald Leist, the sheriff’s in house lawyer sent a letter to 30 deputies and correctional officers to be interrogated prior to their depositions in a federal case. Would that work anywhere else in the US or just McHerny County?