Every carnival game designed has the potential to be rigged. 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. 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? Meanwhile, the Dixie Mafia received hundreds of thousands of dollars during this time. 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. At a recent federal corruption trial, federal investigators testified that Lovett took bribes from a carnival owner during a nine-year period of carnival events from 2004 to 2013 to protect illegal carnival games including a classic old carnival game known as Razzle Dazzle. It is estimated that Lovett, while chief, took bribe installments which amounted to $75,000. I never worked the rides, but my parents had several concession stands when I was growing up, and we'd spend every summer moving from fair to fair, working your [butt] off, tearing down, driving for hours, setting up, and doing it all over again. Now, lets go back to the first question: Have you ever played a carnival game and felt cheated? Bobby Reynolds? [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. The two Razzle games, managed by an up and coming Frank Zaitshik, were shut down. As reported in the Savannah Morning News, the government contended Lovett and Randall Roach (Magic Midway carnival owner) schemed from 2004 until September 27, 2013, when Lovett retired. 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. He never held a job for long, as far as I know. By the 1980s, the blurred lines between government officials and Dixie Mafia members had become so extreme that federal authorities designated the entire Harrison County Sheriffs Office in Mississippi as a criminal enterprise. In the subsequent years, three suspects (not including Nix), suffered mysterious deaths that may have been caused by Pusser. Any accurate count of the marbles will correspond to no yards on the chart.). 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. The old classic carnivals with geeks & shows of dubious morality etc. Thomass U.S. Army Special Forces sniper, who could take out the enemy at 200 yards with one shot, was unable to Shoot out the Star from the distance of 12 feet with 100 shots. In 1967, McNairy County Sheriff Buford Pusser and his wife were attacked in Tennessee likely in retaliation for Pussers crackdown on the Dixie Mafia. Either way, you can generally find them within a few miles of where they need to show up for work the next day. Not only were you most likely cheated, but your police department was likely not interested in protecting you from professional lawbreakers. Crazy Ball and similar varieties obviously lack the requisite skill component of the players according to state laws. WebThe criminal Justice system acts as a carnival mirror that magnifies the threat of street crime while minimizing the harms from occupational hazards, health care, chemicals and poverty. 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. I completed a larceny report for Steve, who told about the carnival patch and offered to lend me the book by John Scarne entitled. Learn all about Carnival Worker educational requirements, degrees, majors, certifications, online courses, and top colleges that will help you advance in Carnival Worker career. That could be anybody. Here is the typical scenario of a Razzle casualty: Feeling duped and dazed, the bewildered Razzle mark walks away a big loser and realize hes been somehow ripped off. Authorities on enforcement of carnival games estimate that 25 percent of all carnival games nationwide are fraudulent. Good ol Uncle Cecil. 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. "We did find a large number of them had criminal records," said sheriff's office spokesman Bill Cunningham. Natasha Ishak is a staff writer at All That's Interesting. 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. Police have said the carnival mafia does not exist. Moreover, the practice of carnival owners paying police departments direct is risky and, if unchecked, sets up a dubious relationship which tends to defeat the mission of law enforcement. Drupal theme by ThemeSnap.com, Carnival racketeering is endemic throughout the United State and has been for years. A favorite American mythologyis that of the carnie, someone who works at a carnival. The various suspect games on NAMEs midway, vividly depicted in Biloxi and Indianapolis, are featured in Jeff Rossens and Sandra Thomass 2012 expos. ". What sideshows have you worked in? They live on the road throughout the summerand fall, setting up and tearing down rides, or hosting games to bilk people out of their money (unless you know the secrets to beating their tricks). Im curious because Ive worked shows for many years, both as a canvas boss and business manager. During my 30-40 minute survey for Thomas, I counted 166 attempts by hoodwinked teens at $2 a shot. Commit a petty crime in every town they go thru. Also zeroed in as targets, are members of the U.S. military. "For someone who has been convicted, served his time and is now released and rehabilitated, they have a right to work as well.". Gaffed and chance-based games from the same carnival companies travel to thousands of carnival lots and fairs each year. WebWhile the vast majority of carnival workers are responsible and helpful, a few have been caught engaging in criminal activity. I worked the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul last year and was averaging over $30 per hour - cash, no taxes - which was phenomenal. For example, according to campaign contribution records, Frank Zaitshik, Wade Shows owner, his wife Melissa, and son Garrington, contributed a combined total of $11,500 to the Michigan Democratic Central Committee on September 5, 2002, one month before Democrat Jennifer Granholm was elected governor of Michigan. Carnivals have close ties to not only organized crime but to local law enforcement. Ive seen horror shows and Ive seen highschool kids. Aside from forming alliances with some members of law enforcement, the Dixie Mafia also worked alongside fellow mobsters. (Regulation rims are 18 inches in diameter). So, I singled out a known scam artist operating one of the basketball games, Kenneth David Argo, a 12-year game agent for Huston. All states will allow honest games of chance at not-for-profit fundraisers, such as raffles or millionaire parties for charitable organizations and churches. Civilized folks are always suspicious of transients, and it goes back a lot further than Gypsies. Its a fundamental divide in human society, and the sedentary city-folks have mostly won. With 80 yards most marks are usually willing to buy more plays; however, the marble total often adds to 29, the dreaded doubling number. Each time 29 is played, the agent doubles the prize and the mark must double his wager. I know that around here, when they need to hire local workers they pick from the pool of people on day parole, so take that as you will. In April of 2015, another Razzle player stated that he lost $2,500 at a shopping-mall carnival in Tallahassee. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. 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. OK, you GOTTA give us details! 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? We have a full drug testing center on-site. This past year I noticed all the workers at the Fair were hot young European men, clean cut and in uniform polo shirts. The law dictates that police officers are required to take enforcement action when criminal activity is observed or reported. Even today, this is still pretty prevalent on the smaller shows. A separate background check by Palatine police in July turned up registered sex offender Richardo Coleman of Chicago working as a merry-go-round operator for St. Charles-based Windy City Amusements Inc. Palatine does not have an ordinance, but police request a copy of carnival employees' names to run checks. With the astronomical amounts of cash the Razzle sharks are capable of taking, one never should rule out the possibility of protection by dirty cops, often in the vicinity of a Razzle set-up. 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. Carnivals have close ties to not only organized crime but to local law enforcement. No way. The only games legally authorized on carnival midways in the United States are skill-based (unrigged) games otherwise known as games of skill. If skill is not the dominating element influencing the outcome of a game, that game would be considered chance-based or a game of chance. All chance-based games are considered gambling games and are illegal when operated on privately owned carnival midways; for example, a game which is set up in a way, which only luck can win a prize, is illegal gambling. This particular con links fraud and gambling together with a smooth-talking con artist (agent) who bedazzles his mark, and wins every time. These small carnys get seedier every year. Any reported unfavorable incident during the annual festival would create bad press and taint sponsors as well as all involved, in addition to a loss of future revenue and visitors. 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. Everyone has their small group of people they work with on a ride and become close to. 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. Ignoring it, wont make it go away. Tubs of Fun, known as a bucket games, consist of plastic tubs which replace the old bushel baskets, where the agent is able to execute an unnoticeable stealthy trick only when demonstrating how easy it is to win.. In 2014, a Razzle victim wrote to me about being fleeced for $7,000 at a festival in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Cops are discouraged from arresting the dishonest carny for two obvious reasons: money and politics. "Some of them, you wonder why they are not in jail," Radowicz said. The fair is an extension of her; it is her identity and passion. Your child could be getting on a ride that is run by Charles Manson. This is lawful gambling provided that the event is licensed and monitored by the state. 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 last two victims also withdrew money from the ATM. I've traveled and worked on four or fiveshows of various sizes, mainly in the Midwest and Northeast. 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. I disagree. With 80 yards and only having to spend $2, the mark, psyched because of such good luck, is eager to buy more spills. She said that in Indianapolis, her college varsity basketball 3-point-shooting star, Carly Thibault, missed all 13 attempts at the basketball toss. The mark will pay $4 for the next play, than $8, then $16, then $32, and so, every time 29 is tallied. 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. As a career police officer with the Dearborn Police Department (Michigan) and trained in enforcement of carnival games, I became concerned about this unique brand of plain view criminal activity. As a retired police officer, I continued to expose and help curb what I found to be a free-wheeling crime anomaly, by publishing several investigative accounts, including two books: Carnival Games: It is quite common for illegal carnival operators to pay off police and public officials in order to operate, says Riedthaler in the Corruption of Officials section of his police training seminar called , 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. But the carnival I work forhas spent a long time building their image up to try to distance themselves from the stigma. 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.). Youll win it this next time for sure. 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. This contract arrangement locks the carny-cops in as quasi-employees of the carnival or carnival sponsor and shares carnival profits in the form of pay. Human flotsam. WebEffective January 1, 2008, no person, firm, corporation, or other entity that owns or operates a carnival or fair shall employ a carnival worker who: has been convicted of any offense set forth in Article 11 of the Criminal Code of 1961, Is a registered sex offender, as defined in the Sex Offender Registration Act, or 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. Hoodwinked teens at $ 2 a shot each time 29 is played the. Year I noticed all the workers at the Fair were hot young European men, clean and... 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