Its only nickel and dime! I hope this article will be an epiphany to naysayers, that this blind uninformed acceptability, enabled by politics and the absence of enforcement, will one day be a big deal. In my view, what Deputy Chief Dennis Richardson did isnt much different from what disgraced former Chief Willie Lovett did for nine years: Conspiracy to obstruct enforcement of criminal laws. (Lovett probably tossed every Razzle and hoop complaint at all his cheating carnivals.). That would surely subject them to a false arrest claim and a possible headline about their rip-off (the kids) church festival. Watch Gummo. Carnivals/fairs are a lot of hard work. Gummo was about white trash in a small dirt-poor town. Once this amiable operative talks the mark into using the free pass, it is already the beginning of the end. With no interest to investigate the game in question, the four responding officers allowed the swindlers to continue to rip-off children while backing off on their threats against me. Drift along, into the next jurisdiction to start it all over. So, I singled out a known scam artist operating one of the basketball games, Kenneth David Argo, a 12-year game agent for Huston. Frank had been granted state fair contracts in Michigan and Florida over the previous 25 years. It was a really good business for a long time, though. Hey! For example, this letter - from someone actually defending carnies and who says theyre much-maligned and decent people, acknowledges obviously rigged games as a given. He begins to search for a sympathetic police officer for help. From there, it grew into what it is today. On the night of November 29, 1988, near the impoverished Marlborough neighborhood in south Kansas City, an explosion at a construction site killed six of the citys firefighters. All players lay a bet down on a color and only one of the players throws a rubbery ball in a bin of 96 colored holes. Troops Cheated out of Money at Carnival,Armen Keteyian investigated a Texas-based company called Century 21 Shows at Fort Hood for allegedly defrauding its special guests: American soldiers returning from the Mid-east war or deploying to war. According to law enforcement sources, the outdoor amusement industry is at least a $10 billion-per-year business in North America, mostly a cash-based trade. He placed ads in gay publications posing as a young stud named Eddie Johnson to attract correspondence from unsuspecting readers. The Dixie Mafias territory stretched all over the South, from Georgia to Oklahoma. Twenty-four others, mostly women and children, had stayed behind at the campsite. To view the full story in Dearborn Patch, search the Net for St Anselms festival carnival contained scammers victimizing children at the games.. In 2014, Maple Leaf Amusement was running a church carnival on the grounds of St. Anselms in Dearborn Heights where a 13-year-old was playing the infamous Tubs of Fun hoax and was quickly cheated out of $16 after repeated losing attempts to win a new bicycle. Burbank's policy--like other municipalities'--has no teeth because it cannot stop someone with a criminal history from working at a carnival, said lawmakers and law enforcement officials advocating stronger legislation. "I hope we get through this without somebody being killed or getting raped," said Rep. Bill Black (R-Danville), who also has sponsored a failed bill. have largely been replaced by a bunch of rides and cheesy (somewhat rigged) games of skill crammed into a municipal or shopping center parking lot. A loud bell should sound when it is known that itinerant serial criminals are targeting members of the U.S. military and children with impunity. Gregorys little moon-walk act looks good on the six-o-clock news; however, everyone in the industry knows that carnival owners and managers are never in the dark about the corrupt features of every dirty game on their midways. This is the little-known story of the Cornbread Cosa Nostra.. I requested (verbally and in writing) that Richardson or his deputies investigate the fraud and gambling nature of the 12 deceptive (optical illusion) rims, where winning was nearly impossible, even for high school varsity players. No state requires background checks, said Bob Johnson of the Florida-based Outdoor Amusement Business Association, a national trade group. On February 6, 2015, Willie Lovett was sentenced to 7.5 years in federal prison for Conspiracy to obstruct enforcement of criminal laws and related gambling crimes. Unlike the traditional Mafia, this group was not united by ethnic heritage and had no known hierarchy or oath. As for the coworkers I got along with, I never asked them about their criminal background, so I couldnt tell you. In 2001, the U.S. Justice Department investigated the Gregorys and determined that from 1998-2001, Tony Rodham received a total of $323,769 in salary and loans from the Gregorys. . Because the job is so transient, some unscrupulous carnival workers have been known to commit minor or even major crimes while working in a town With a history of crime older than the United States itself, Biloxi had first gained a reputation as a haven for illicit gambling in the 17th century. In an attempt to skirt responsibility for the crooks in question, playing their crooked games, Century 21 Shows manager Jeremy Bendsons acted innocent when questioned by the reporter while playing the customary independent contractor card. Im a public librarian, and I gotta say I really dont like Larry who drinks in the bathroom checking that safety catch on the Scrambler, ya know? "For someone who has been convicted, served his time and is now released and rehabilitated, they have a right to work as well.". Volume rip-offs against vulnerable teens are an almost complaint-free luxury. Richardson was aware that I had been police trained and experienced in enforcement of carnival games. Loved it, although I didnt get along too well with my coworkers - it seems that girl is supposed to equal slut, and I never got the memo. I think most of these businesses will be gone in a few years. In 2004, four off-duty cops in New Orleans were implicated, with one of them federally indicted, for a charge related to conspiracy to protect and profit from a Razzle business during the carnival season. Pre-teens are allowed to play a classic gambling game called Crazy Ball at most festivals and fairs. A major stereotype I hate is that we are all crooks and criminals. Commit a petty crime in every town they go thru. I informed her that the gaffed carnival basketball rims are not bent by the carnies, but manufactured for the carnies, and for the designed purpose of creating a false impression of size and shape. Carnival racketeering is endemic throughout the United State and has been for years. I quickly learned that the carnival in question donated $1,000 to the police department and some officers didnt want to upset the carnival workers and chance losing that gift. Marcello tolerated the Dixie Mafias presence as long as they played by his rules and paid for his hospitality. With a greater number of gambling and crooked games, the carnival owner will increase his undivided claim to the unshared game loot. NAME actually had company shirts available for their carny-cops, stating SECURITY., While working the security detail on that NAME midway, are the Joliet cops supposed to protect and serve carnival-goers, or just the carnies? The itinerant carnival owner pays the festival sponsor a fee or percentage of the take for the privilege of servicing the towns carnival-goers. The total is then added up. Some believed the word to be derogatory. There must be collaboration among governmental agencies regarding the identification, tracking, and documenting of these interstate businessmen along with recognizing the moral and social ills associated with the intentions of most to take criminal financial advantage of children. In running background checks at five events, the Illinois attorney general's office and Cook County sheriff's department found that among 179 carnival employees, I havent thought about that in a long time. Assisting the NBCs Today show (and reimbursed for expenses) as their police carnival games expert, I was assigned by Thomas to investigate Michigan carnivals and especially the games at the 2012 Arab Festival, which draws about 300,000 patrons. This is lawful gambling provided that the event is licensed and monitored by the state. It does tend to be full of gossip since everyone works and lives with each other in close quartersRide and customer safety is the number-one priority. I completed a larceny report for Steve, who told about the carnival patch and offered to lend me the book by John Scarne entitled Scarnes New Complete Guide to Gambling.Scarne writes that the patch is a carnival front man who squares complaints with players and police. The patch, who is sometimes a lawyer (in carnival terms the mender or fixer), collects patch money from crooked game agents who pay him to bribe police or to patch up any problems with wiped out sore losers. The patch may arrive in advance of the carnival to make friends and deals. At three events checked this summer by the attorney general and sheriff's offices, no background problems were discovered. Buford Pusser supposedly took out several members of the Dixie Mafia to avenge his wifes death. In running background checks at five events, the Illinois attorney general's office and Cook County sheriff's department found that among 179 carnival employees, there had been 556 arrests and 125 convictions, according to a letter sent to law enforcement agencies. We certainly hope this deals them a major blow, said one attorney at the time. Getty ImagesBuford Pusser supposedly took out several members of the Dixie Mafia to avenge his wifes death. WebBusiness Insider asked current and former cruise-ship workers what they wish they could tell passengers but can't. For money, the sheriff and officers loyal to him would release prisoners from the county jail, safeguard drug shipments, and hide fugitives. The ball crazily bounces and rolls until it comes to rest on one of the 96 holes. The carny vocabulary is traditionally part of carnival cant, a secret language. Some of them love their job;some dislike it and do it to get by. The two Razzle games, managed by an up and coming Frank Zaitshik, were shut down. As part of a self-serving marketing ploy, some carnival owners publicize their plans to make donations to local charities, in an attempt to present themselves as compassionate people in order to gain respect and support of citizens they plan to flimflam. Well I dont think theyre shady as much as they simply look like they have come from extremely impoverished environments, or have led very harsh lives given the state of their average dental health, and their overall haggard look. The objective of the Razzle agent is to. The same carny-cops (police officers patrolling the midway), and the same returning interstate carny-outlaws appear to be working in concert for income at annual extravaganzas. I dont have children, however, I do not plan to bring them [when I do] to the carnies that come through town here. Every carnival game designed has the potential to be rigged. The carnival marketing target demographic currently ischildren, thereby creating a predictable and dependable source of income, as opposed to the time-tested art of cleaning out the occasional high-dollar Razzle-type mark by which there is always the chance of generating trouble via player beefs. Federal indictments involving four members of La Cosa Nostra in the carnival rackets resulted in convictions in 2013. I conservatively estimate NAME to be a $150 million-per-year corporation based on its stated 15-million fairgoers annually and on an average of only $10 per capita. Heres my take on it - it isnt that theyre any different than anyone else in a highly-transient, blue collar labor force, its just that theyre the only ones in such a position who come into contact with average families and kids in a situation where theyre ostensibly supposed to be having fun and the environment is supposed to be happy and jolly. Kirksey McCord Nix Jr., one of the notorious leaders of the Dixie Mafia. Its a mix. Not one ball went through any of the 12 stingy rims. "We did find a large number of them had criminal records," said sheriff's office spokesman Bill Cunningham. I was a carnie for a summer. Gaffed and chance-based games travel to thousands of carnival lots and fairs each year, raking in billions of dollars in ill-gotten gains with virtual impunity. Testimony was that Roach paid Lovett for protection from police while Roach cheated customers through such games as Razzle Dazzle also known as Razzle, which gave players no chance to win. Lovett was also fined $50,000. Far from a sophisticated organization, this crime ring was a loose network of thugs, as the FBI called them. [2] The word carnival, originally meaning a "time of merrymaking before Lent" and referring to a time denoted by lawlessness (often ritualised under a lord of misrule figure and intended to show the consequences of social chaos), came into use around 1549. They dont! I hope I have answered it for you. At the time, Nix was already serving a life sentence for a 1972 murder (unrelated to the death of Buford Pussers wife). In late 1991 and 1992, the grisly murder of Ault - involving carnival workers and satanism - dominated Indiana and Ohio headlines for months. Do a little googling on carnies and carnival workers and youll find thats a common assessment. Our excitement over cotton candy and carnival rides easily matches that of our kids. I had observed the tub agent cheating the youngster with a deep-rooted bait-and-switch, shenanigan, called the deadening-ball trick, a slick maneuver to covertly conceal a gaff ball at the bottom of the angled tub prior to his demonstration. To view the full story in, NBC producer Sandra Thomass Today show and Dateline features used several hidden cameras at NAMEs carnivals in June, 2012, and were able to capture on film and describe the agents cheating deadening ball maneuver during both NBC 2012, narrated by NBCs national correspondent Jeff Rossen, entitled , Are carnival games cheating you - and your kids? In 1967, McNairy County Sheriff Buford Pusser and his wife were attacked in Tennessee likely in retaliation for Pussers crackdown on the Dixie Mafia. I got into the life through family, and though I'm in college now, I will likely go out again next season. The mark will pay $4 for the next play, than $8, then $16, then $32, and so, every time 29 is tallied. Slick carnival entrepreneurs are business-savvy. In addition to carny jargon, some carnival workers used a special infix ("earz" or "eez" or "iz") to render regular language unintelligible to outsiders. There was also the infamous Gypsy Camp Murder in Louisiana. The new law, sponsored by State Senator There are several national stories in 2013 depicting how one tubs agent had depleted a victims back account. They will always refer to any bad guys as independent contractors and not employees of the carnival even when they are paying the carnival owner for the privilege of occupying cheating space. No one has an accurate figure because much of the cash is unreported industry-wide, said Riedthaler, also a retired Cleveland Police Department detective. Carnival owners, workers, and agents, known as carnies, who own, manage, or operate these chance-based games and share in the take, are conspiring to promote gambling. No way. For other uses, see. The cost of play builds exponentially. The truth is that some of the illegal games are property of the carnival owner, and not some fictitious ace-in-the-hole independent contractor. Most flat-joints are operated by errant freelancers. Furthermore, Lovett was convicted on two charges of extortion and two more charges of making false statements to the FBI. They even have their own language., At least thats what people think about carnies. This seedy history and the ongoing corruption of local officials made the city an attractive place for lawbreakers. The law dictates that police officers are required to take enforcement action when criminal activity is observed or reported. We have a lot of interesting family friends from the fair business. They collected roughly $12,000, although the victims may have underreported the theft to avoid tax troubles. Authorities initially speculated that the gang members had killed McDaniel because they were afraid that he was an informant, but others suspected that he was actually taken out by Pusser. These are people that the term transient doesnt even begin to touch. Yes, they are scraping by and yes they are poor, but labor ready hires anyone who is there to work at 6am in the morning . Johnson called previous proposed legislation discriminatory. This trickery employs a miscall or miscount known as carnival fairbanking, which is a duplicitous scheme, i.e., the flatty misguides the mark through alluring favoritism as an inducement to draw his prey further into the costly illusion of winning a luxurious prize and enormous cash. Dishonest carnival operators generally keep two sets of books, reporting only that sum of money as necessary, with the remainder unreported, states the Michigan Attorney Generals Carnival Games Manual.This 1987 publication is an important tool for law enforcement officers and prosecuting attorneys. With the likelihood that carnival business books are being cooked, the Internal Revenue Services expertise would be invaluable in uncovering money trails. Yeah, maybe. Convicted of bank loan schemes in 1986 and never spending a day in prison, the Gregorys befriended Tony Rodham, brother of President Bill Clintons wife, and now presidential candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and were awarded the contracts to operate his carnival, United Shows of America Inc., for President Clintons White House Press Picnic in 1998 and 2000. All 12 rims on the North American Midway Entertainment (NAME) carnival midway measured 10.5-by-17 inches on elliptical axes. So, they either rent or default on thier sub-prime mortgage. They never went anywhere and interacted at least occasionally with normal society. The Razzle agent, known as a flatty, carnival jargon for the operator of a crooked big-dollar table game called a flat joint or flat store, is a professional con man with an enticing appeal. Its not a gig where they ask too many questions about your personal or employment history or your plans for the future. Natasha Ishak is a staff writer at All That's Interesting. He agrees with legislators pushing a law requiring background checks but wants to make sure the carnival industry has input, specifically regarding who will pay for the checks. Also zeroed in as targets, are members of the U.S. military. There was no chance they would win at some of the games, said Keteyian. (If it isnt documented, it didnt happen.), A police officer refusing to properly address or document a crime-in-progress complaint is tantamount to constructively playing into the hands of organized crime. Cops taking the bribes are also in violation of RICO and similar state statutes. In my early years as a police officer of the Dearborn Police Department and working the information desk, a man named Steve Nowosielski walked in to complain that carnival employees were stealing from the patrons with Razzle at the city carnival only 100 yards from the police station. Carnys got nothin! During my 30-40 minute survey for Thomas, I counted 166 attempts by hoodwinked teens at $2 a shot. he government contended Lovett and Randall Roach (Magic Midway carnival owner) schemed from 2004 until September 27, 2013, when Lovett retired. It is evident that the police officers oath of office is not upheld and easily forgotten by some. I disagree. Repeat for nine months. A convicted sex offender, thieves and drug dealers were among carnival workers at Illinois community events this summer, according to a state and county investigation. Have you ever played a carnival game and felt cheated? Any accurate count of the marbles will correspond to no yards on the chart.). For a carnival owner or manager to deny responsibility is like saying I didnt run you over, my car did! When it comes to interviews, carnival owners and managers will act outraged while feigning ignorance about the rigged game and its perpetrat, John Wayne Gacy Confessed to Killing Dozens (December 22, 1978). Do a little googling on carnies and carnival workers and youll find thats a common assessment. We only do a handful of large events each season, generally for a month at a time. NBC producer Sandra Thomass Today show and Dateline features used several hidden cameras at NAMEs carnivals in June, 2012, and were able to capture on film and describe the agents cheating deadening ball maneuver during both NBC 2012 exposs narrated by NBCs national correspondent Jeff Rossen, entitled Rossen Reports: Are carnival games cheating you - and your kids?". A wheel of fortune, seen at a nonprofit fundraiser is an example of a legal form of gambling. To address the puzzling doggedness of plain-sight crooked carnival games, one has to first take a look at the history, criminalities, winks and nods of police, and the behind-the-scenes components enabling and perpetuating this century-old system of corruption. This game is not only fraudulent, (deception for money), it is much worse when adults steal from young kids. YouTubePete Halat, Kirksey McCord Nixs former lawyer who once served as the mayor of Biloxi. The gang then broke into 10 trailers in search of valuables and cash. Even today, this is still pretty prevalent on the smaller shows. In 2000, just prior to leaving office, President Clinton pardoned the Gregorys. Festival carnivals are usually sponsored by charitable service organizations such as Kiwanis, Jaycees, Shriners, or neighborhood churches, which lend legitimacy to the for-profit midway games. Carnival midways are the only venues in the United States where local police departments allow carnival lots to be free crime zones for illegal gambling, larceny, and fraud. It becomes very cliquey. Rigging a game by the use of bait-and-switch, sleight of hand, magic, or physics, to trick someone out of money is considered a form of larceny or fraud. From 1995 to 2002, Gregory and his wife, Vonna Jo Gregory, contributed heavily to politicians in national elections. As part of my research for the Today feature, each morning before the 2012 Arab Festival carnival opened, I measured the basketball rims and found, pretty much, what I had expected. With 80 yards and only having to spend $2, the mark, psyched because of such good luck, is eager to buy more spills. But it was getting harder and harder to make money, with each fairground becoming more of a bureaucratic morass every year. While we cultivate our childrens childhood memories, our own become entwined with theirs. I had alienated some ranking officers because I thought my job in law enforcement was to protect festivalgoers and to crack down on the crooks. Not to say that all carnies are no-goodniks, but I think theres enough evidence and history to see where the reputation comes from. (AP) Three carnival workers have been charged with capital murder in the fatal shooting of a couple at a Kansas fair whose bodies were I am well aware of the acceptability of these games by the general public and the misplaced attitude of Whats the big deal? Because of the mixture of carnival-related contract money and politics, the unwritten rule in Dearborn and other towns figures to be: No enforcement of midway games!, NAME also had a contract to pay off-duty Joliet, Illinois, police officers an hourly rate of $49.92 to work security at a weekend shopping mall carnival. You have to be clean-shaven, no tattoos (if you do, you have tocover them), and wear clean uniforms. I think the reputation of carnies goes back much, much further to the suspicion and hatred of people like the Gypsies and extending today to our dislike of fucking hippies. If legislation is passed to require companies to foot the bill for background checks, it might force them to pass costs on to already cash-strapped county fairs, said Tom Ostermeier, president of the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs. He was an alcoholic. There were at least two casualties: Margie George, a 44-year-old fortune-teller who was hacked to death for refusing to reveal the location of a supposed safe, and Gary Elbert McDaniel, a known Dixie Mafia associate who turned up dead a month after the murder. Carnivals have close ties to not only organized crime but to local law enforcement. Justice on Fire is OConnors detailed account of the terrible explosion that led to the firefighters deaths and the terrible injustice that followed. These are people that would otherwise be homeless if not for the ability to count to 2 with both hands. "CARNY | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's", "Butthole Surfers | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carny&oldid=1142138230, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2007, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2011, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "Rusholme Ruffians," released on the album, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 18:41. Jeff Blomsness of South Barrington-based All Star Amusements Co. said his company conducts background checks and drug tests on workers. When interviewed by reporters, carnival owners and managers never will admit to personal misdeeds and will fabricate a tale about being unaware of any criminal activity on the midway. But maybe theyre not all completely bad, huh? Its what linguists call a cant which is their term for a private language. (Regulation rims are 18 inches in diameter). At large expositions, such as a state fair, the money is massive and the split is different. But the carnival I work forhas spent a long time building their image up to try to distance themselves from the stigma. The owner, manager, or patch of a carnival who pays police security, either directly or indirectly through a third party, with the expectation of having police-protected illegal games, would be in violation of the federal RICO Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) U.S. Code, Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 11, section 201, Bribery of public officials. Gifts and gratuities handed out for the same purpose also amount to bribery. Certain totals correspond to successful yardage gains printed on the perplexing conversion chart. Meanwhile, the Dixie Mafia received hundreds of thousands of dollars during this time. It should be standard procedure throughout the U.S. for all police departments to require officers to complete written reports on all midway game complaints, with case numbers issued to complainants and victims. About 40 percent of adults with gambling problems started gambling before age 17. With the corrupt fail-safe protection system in place, carny-owners dont have to worry about their lawbreakers ever having to face criminal charges. The big con: With very close examination, it is revealed that the marble board is 3s- and 4s- heavy, making 29 the eight marble average tally. In New York City, the Colombo and Genovese crime families were involved with profits from street and church fair carnival games; their specialty being the game of Razzle. What level of education is required for Carnival Workers? Bill Colgin/Getty ImagesThe Dixie Mafias territory stretched all over the South, from Georgia to Oklahoma. Sponsors, and especially church festival committees, likely make the mistake of trusting carny-managers under the ill-judged impression that they (sponsors) share game profits. In many ways, Biloxi was an ideal place for the Dixie Mafias stomping grounds. What sideshows have you worked in? The objective of the Razzle agent is to confuse the mark, build him up repetitively and let him believe he is close to the big win. A major stereotype I hate is that we are all crooks and criminals. Theft, fraud, and sexual misconduct are all examples of these crimes. As for the OP, I second WhyNot. On the night of February 18, 1969, at least five alleged members of the Dixie Mafia ransacked the Skeebow Trailer Court near Lake Pontchartrain, where traveling carnival employees had set up their camp. "For small fairs, it's very hard to even have a carnival," Ostermeier said. Mafia to avenge his wifes death ( Regulation rims are 18 are carnival workers criminals diameter. 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