Police officials in Wayne County and the City of Dearborn have been allowing known rigged games at their carnivals for the last decade while patrons were under the impression they were being protected by cops seen patrolling the midway. Aside from forming alliances with some members of law enforcement, the Dixie Mafia also worked alongside fellow mobsters. Some Dixie Mafia members were allegedly hired to collect debts and carry out hits for him. One month later, on October 1, 2002, Frank contributed $10,000 to the Republican Party of Florida Federal Campaign Account as Jeb Bush was running for reelection to governor of Florida. The mark must accumulate 100 yards (or over) to win that X-Box or HD TV. What sideshows have you worked in? In April of 2015, another Razzle player stated that he lost $2,500 at a shopping-mall carnival in Tallahassee. In the subsequent years, three suspects (not including Nix), suffered mysterious deaths that may have been caused by Pusser. As for the OP, I second WhyNot. In other words, carnies are not any more shady than other types of work crews that perform similar tasks - its just that people are put off by - to paraphrase Philip Marlowe - having to see the works when the lid is lifted off of life. During the 1960s, a group of criminals known as the Dixie Mafia began to creep across cities and towns in the South. The fair is an extension of her; it is her identity and passion. These drifting grifters pay the head carny for the front footage of their flat-store; as much as $100-a-foot per day, reliant on the games ability to steal money. 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. The party moves from town to town weekly, of course. Since then, very little has been heard about the Cornbread Cosa Nostra. I remember he went about two or three years (jobless) chasing down an injury lawsuit when he got hurt on a job. Kirksey McCord Nix Jr., one of the lead figures of the Dixie Mafia, was suspected to be one of the men behind the hit. If a person cheats customers, it is likely that same person will cheat the government. No one has an accurate figure because much of the cash is unreported industry-wide, said Riedthaler, also a retired Cleveland Police Department detective. Kirksey McCord Nix Jr., one of the notorious leaders of the Dixie Mafia. The mark will pay $4 for the next play, than $8, then $16, then $32, and so, every time 29 is tallied. I worked the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul last year and was averaging over $30 per hour - cash, no taxes - which was phenomenal. 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. Pre-teens are allowed to play a classic gambling game called Crazy Ball at most festivals and fairs. One guy in Kansas mortgaged his house and sent $30,000 to the scammers over a period of months. To make matters worse, some of the prisoners eventually confessed the scheme to victims and threatened to out them if they told anyone. Carnival game players lose 95 percent of the time says a carnival game enforcement specialist, Corporal Glenn Hester of the Glynn County Police Department of Brunswick, Georgia. ", In this CBS News Online, July 12, 2011, video. Nix and later Halat were both convicted in the conspiracy that led to the judges death. Im curious because Ive worked shows for many years, both as a canvas boss and business manager. The sheriffs revenge story was later depicted in the 1973 film Walking Tall. advance man - person who takes care of details that need to be handled in advance of a carnival WebCarnivals have a number of workers, each of whom has a specific role to fill. Gummo was about white trash in a small dirt-poor town. 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. NAME and Co CEO, Danny R. Huston, can gross $200,000 over the weekend and pay the sponsor one-quarter of the gross or about $50,000 for the privilege of servicing unprotected patrons. Along with other costs, in most cases, a contracted carnival owner pays the contract fee, (around $1million), in advance of a long-running state fair. . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Richardson was aware that I had been police trained and experienced in enforcement of carnival games. Federal law enforcement needs to pay attention to the probability of tax evasion, likely involving many millions of dollars annually, as well as checking for gambling equipment-trailers rolling across state lines in violation of the Johnson Act (Interstate transportation of gambling equipment). Party one night. But despite the massive crackdown on former members that followed, many believe that the group is still secretly active today. 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. We only do a handful of large events each season, generally for a month at a time. I was a carnie for a summer. Yeah, maybe. A continuing criminal enterprise is an example of organized crime. Other blue collar labor force workers generally have a predictable place to spend the night, if only because they need to be at work the next day. East coast or west? Back on topic, I never did carnivals, but I have worked a freak show / side show. Here is the story of Edgar Allen Gregory Jr., who in 1993, was captured on film during a Dateline NBC hidden camera investigation for operating a racket-show while displaying several big-dollar-fraudulent gambling games on his mobile carnival midway at the North Tennessee State Fair. Not only were you most likely cheated, but your police department was likely not interested in protecting you from professional lawbreakers. Some believed the word to be derogatory. This seedy history and the ongoing corruption of local officials made the city an attractive place for lawbreakers. Michael L. Cella was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and sentenced to 3 years in prison for fondling the children while strapping them in for rides. A poll conducted by Carnival Biz, an Internet link to carnival business, reveals that over 70 percent of participants feel they are cheated on a carnival midway. 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? Do a little googling on carnies and carnival workers and youll find thats a common assessment. There were hundreds of victims. Training and enforcement at local, state, and national levels are the ways to address these free crime zones and thwart the commission of brazen wholesale, worry-free criminal acts. The law dictates that police officers are required to take enforcement action when criminal activity is observed or reported. FacebookKirksey McCord Nix Jr., one of the notorious leaders of the Dixie Mafia. I paid Argo $9 and missed all five shots. Seven responded with insights into their job or advice for No state requires background checks, said Bob Johnson of the Florida-based Outdoor Amusement Business Association, a national trade group. I typed out my detailed fraud/gambling complaint for Richardson and provided him with a copy of the Michigan Carnival Games Manual. Nixs former lawyer Pete Halat, who later became mayor of Biloxi, blamed the missing money on his former law firm partner Vincent Sherry, who was then a judge of the Second Mississippi District Circuit Court. A major stereotype I hate is that we are all crooks and criminals. Well, up until this year the State Fair would hire a lot of day workers from the local homeless population. 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. 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. One of the top leaders of the Dixie Mafia, Kirksey McCord Nix Jr., had been caught running a scam from prison and even ordering a mob hit from behind bars. Its what linguists call a cant which is their term for a private language. The few drifter-lifestyles left are heavily frowned upon. ;)) He was a fun drunk, too! But it was getting harder and harder to make money, with each fairground becoming more of a bureaucratic morass every year. On display are these same games at the same locations overseen by the same police personnel and civic leaders annually. WebWhile the vast majority of carnival workers are responsible and helpful, a few have been caught engaging in criminal activity. This is the little-known story of the Cornbread Cosa Nostra.. Authorities on enforcement of carnival games estimate that 25 percent of all carnival games nationwide are fraudulent. Ward Hall? Ive seen horror shows and Ive seen highschool kids. 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. Young teens are the now the focus at carnival festivals. In 2008, campaign finance records show that Frank contributed to the following U.S. Congressional candidates: Joe Baca, Brian Bilbray, Gerry Connolly, Jim Costa, Randy Forbes, Zoe Lofgren, Mike Pence, Dennis Rehberg, andNydia Velzquez. If you were one of the players lucky enough to have your money on that color at 32-to-1 odds against, you would win a stuffed animal. This impeded rebound, giving the impression of an easy win as the grifters demo balls never bounce out. Therefore theres a psychological disconnect created by the incongruity of the bright flashy lights and colorful displays and cheesy music and rides, and the down-trodden, rough-necked cigarette smoking laborers who set it all up and keep it running. Some of them love their job;some dislike it and do it to get by. With 80 yards and only having to spend $2, the mark, psyched because of such good luck, is eager to buy more spills. Many have no address, pay no taxes, and are otherwise isolated from everyday society. confuse the mark, build him up repetitively and let him believe he is close to the big win. 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. Justice on Fire is OConnors detailed account of the terrible explosion that led to the firefighters deaths and the terrible injustice that followed. Yeah, it was a great movie, but I dont get the connection to carnies. They dont have ties in the community. The festival officials did not like my presence (which is normal), so they called police about me. 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. (This practice, one would presume, should already be standard police procedure and routine.). 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. There are no exemptions for carnival zones. Barton County District Judge Mike Keeley on Friday also sentenced Christine Tenney, 40, of La Marque, Texas, Their job ; some dislike it and do it to get by town to town weekly, of Marque. 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