Narcos and Colombia - Jack Rausch

I thought I would switch things up this week.  The show Narcos on Netflix is a hit.  It has brought back the 1980’s cocaine world with a sterilized Hollywood view. The show tells the story of Pablo Escobar, the Medellín Cartel (which included Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha, Jorge Ochoa and his brothers Juan David, Fabio, the DEA Agent who pursued them). The movie Blow told the same story from the view of an American pilot. I thought some of you would want to know what it was really like inside the Cartel on a day to day basis. They all show the drug lords sending off tons of cocaine and then bringing home bags of cash.  How was the cocaine distributed and the money picked up? I urge you to read From the Cartel to Christ: How God restores stolen dreams. This book will take you into the dark world that was the cocaine trade of the 1980’s.

Why would I write about this book?  I will tell you the story.

In 2005 when I was writing Breakshot I started reaching out to people from my past. I ended up speaking to someone who I've known since high school.  She dated a man named Jack Rausch, who I became good friends with in the 1980’s.  I liked Jack and had not planned on writing about him.  I also figured he was either dead or locked up forever.  If Jack was not locked up, I figured he might be living in Medellín, Colombia where he grew up.  The way they deal with people in that city is not good and I did not want to cause him any problems.  So I did not include him by name in my book.  Jack had been a player with the Medellín Cartel for years in the 1980’s and the early 1990’s.

In 2009 I was put in touch with Jack and we decided to meet for lunch.  I left my office and went to El Polo Loco in Lake Forest.  This was a long way from our old days of Sushi and nightclubbing.  I was a little nervous because I rarely saw anyone from my past and I was not sure how he would receive me. When he walked inside I knew I made the right choice.  He greeted me with a strong handshake and a smile.  The years had been good to Jack, or so I thought.

We sat down to lunch and he told me the story that was his life since I last saw him. He continued doing the same thing that he always had in the 1980’s.  He had been arrested for his part in moving a 10,000 kilo load of cocaine.  He was charged with delivering 500 kilos of that load himself. For your information that is 1102.31 pounds of cocaine. He had been locked up since the mid 1990’s but according to him, his life was good.  He told me he had found Christ and that is when I rolled my eyes inside my mind.  I thought, “Oh great, another criminal who found God when he was in trouble.” I figured some kind of pitch was coming in a minute. It never came. The more I spoke to Jack, the more I realized that he was speaking the truth.  He was not in trouble, he was no longer a criminal and he was everything he said he was. He was a working guy who also worked at a ministry.  He never pushed it on me and now I know he knew I was not ready for it yet. He was happy and that was the thing I first picked up on.  In the 1980’s neither of us were ever happy, even with large amounts of cash coming in daily. Then he brought up that he was writing a book.  I thought that it would be great for him to get it out.  From the Cartel to Christ came out last year and it is a must read for anyone interested in the 1980’s Southern California drug world.  

I read it and it made me feel a little sick to my stomach.  It brought me back to a place and time that I was not sure I wanted to go back to at this time in my life.  

Jack’s story begins in Medellín where Jack grew up after his father left his mother.  Jack's father had started a couple of profitable banana plantations in the jungle regions of the country.  Jack however had no interest in school or bananas.  He wanted to be a mafioso.  A mafioso in Colombia is not the same as we know it.  Colombians had historically been known as smugglers in South America but as tastes changed, they moved into cocaine and they became known as mafioso.  Jack was in the right place at the right time if you consider that life good. Times were changing in the way they smuggled cocaine to America. It went from the mom and pop use of mules (aka people who carry the cocaine into the country) to airplanes filled with kilos in the 1980’s.

Jack begins when the Cartel was born and he is one of the few who made it out alive.

Jack’s first job had him waiting in the jungles of northern Colombia when a small Cessna plane made a quick landing on a makeshift runway carved out of the jungle.  Jack waited for a tractor loaded with canvas sacks full of kilos to pull up.  Another crew quickly refueled the plane as Jack and another man threw the sacks into the seatless plane.  The plane quickly accelerated and took off just barely clearing the trees.

Jack was paid 100,000 pesos or about 300 dollars in the early 1980’s. That was not bad money for his age or the times, but that is not what he wanted.  He was a newly licensed pilot and he wanted in on the transportation money.  Pilots could net 5,000 a kilo for transporting it to the US and they could carry about 400 kilos on a small plane.  They made a lot but they lived short lives.  The planes would run out of fuel and drop into the ocean or crash in the jungle never to be seen again.  Jack made a couple of runs but life as a pilot did not work out.  He was instead sent by the traffickers to the US to oversee the loads that came into the country from Colombia. They had started working together to put together huge loads that would serve to spread out the risk.  The system worked because before if a 500 kilo load was sent by one group and it was lost it was a huge hit.  The new way the load was split between five groups and that softened the hit if it was busted. The Cartel itself was not just the men whose names we know but a lot of small traffickers and later Traqueteroros, drug traffickers from good families that wanted to dabble.  They would pool investors cash and daddys money to put together loads. He started working in Miami until things changed there and the Colombians started migrating to Southern California. He was told that the office handling distribution in California had become available.  What that really meant was the guy who ran it before was dead or under arrest.  So Jack was soon on a plane to SoCal but just before he boarded the flight in Miami some DEA Agents grabbed him and had his baggage brought to them. It was bad to be a Colombian flying from Miami to Los Angeles in the 1980’s.  Once Jack landed at LAX he was picked up by another DEA team and searched again.  Once freed Jack made his way to a cheap airport hotel where he rested and watched TV.  A few days later he went to a payphone and made a call to the Miami office.  The next day his contract picked him up at the hotel and he disappeared into urban sprawl that is SoCal.  The Colombians had set up a system of offices to handle the importation, distribution and the handling of the cash.  

People have to remember that that cellphones were a few years away.  Pagers just beeped and you had to call into a service who gave you a message.  I paid 800 dollars for a pager and it was not even a display pager it just beeped.  Payphone calls were dime then and they all took incoming calls.  They set up a number of offices in Colombia that were a kind of logistical support.  Guys like Jack had the numbers memorized and they would call in with their code names.  They would be given contact names and numbers. They also set up other offices here in the US to serve the same purpose.  These offices never came into contact with the product aka cocaine so they didn't have the heat.  Jack and others would get here and chill in hotels until they felt there was no heat.  They would then get fake papers and IDs then move to a nice middle class neighborhood.  They would rent houses or condos buy cars and live normal lives until they got the call.  They would then go someplace and be handed a set of keys for a truck.  They would then drive the truck to a house they rented and unload the kilos of cocaine.  They would unpack it to protect the shipping method and separate the kilos for different groups here in the US.  Then they would drop off the truck and somebody would pick it up.  A week would be spent dropping off the load and then it was time to close down the house and find another. They would also get calls to pick up cash.  Rule number one was the cash and the drugs were never in the same place at the same time. That is why the way it is portrayed in the movies with guys standing around with machine guns when a deal goes down is stupid and wrong.  What do a bunch of Harvard guys know about the drug world but what they imagine?   Waiting for a load was a time for many like Jack to relax and have fun.  

Jack rented a home in Orange County and started going to school.  Life was normal until he had to pick up a load.  Then it was unpacking the Kilos marking down the symbols or stamps.  They would be wrapped blocks stamped with a penny or a queen with numbers and each one of these would be recorded into a ledger book.  Then they would divide them up according to deliveries.  They would drop off hundreds and then even lower amounts like 20 kilos which were closer to the street level dealer. Jack had to make a number of trips back to Medellín because the business was very much hands on and what happens there affects what went down in SoCal.

Next week I will write about what was going on in Colombia when El Doctor was running the business. I suggest buying the book if this topic interests you and you want a more detailed account.

From the Cartel to Christ on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/From-Cartel-Christ-Restores-Stolen/dp/0991380703

http://fromthecarteltochrist.com

The Richest Colombo?

When you first look at John Staluppi’s picture, you think of Robert De Niro eating everything he saw for one of his roles.  John Staluppi is not playing a role: he is what you see.  He is a super wealthy successful businessman who enjoys eating.

He has a museum in Florida called Cars of Dreams with over 100 classic cars.  It's only open 4 times a year for special charity events.  He owns car dealerships that sell over $2 billion a year in inventory.  He was a mechanic when he convinced his father to take a $5k loan out on the family home.  He was soon running a successful SunCo location.  

He then got in with Honda, who made motorcycles at the time but was not well known in the US. He soon grew that into 20 Honda car dealerships.  John knew how to bring in the cash.  

John Staluppi may have a dark secret in his past.  The FBI, the Suffolk County (N.Y.) District Attorney’s Office and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement claim he is a made member of the Colombo family.

During the 1980’s the police were able to get an undercover officer a job as his chauffeur.  The chaffeur saw him meet with Carmine Persico and other high level Colombos.

The NJ Division of Gambling Enforcement got ahold of his phone and appointment book.  They found numbers for Little Vic Orena, Theodore Persico Sr., and Pasquale Amato.

He was also invited to Capo Donnie Shacks daughter's wedding. She was a close friend of Teddy Persico Jr.  When I was around Teddy, he called Donnie’s daughter to pass things along to Donnie (who now lives in Los Angeles).

When the Colombo War broke out on the streets of Brooklyn in the early 1990’s John sided with Little Vic Orena.  He contributed $50k to the war effort, according to one Colombo turncoat.  He also provided Little Vic Orena another $50k for his defense when he was busted during the war. John then quickly switched sides back to the Persico faction.

Staluppi has a few other connections to the crime family.  In 2012 he bought “Club Diamonds” from a company managed by Thomas Farese, who has been described by the FBI as the consigliere of the Colombo crime family.  Thomas Farese was busted in 1998 for laundering money through his stripclubs.  

Rockland County Legislator Frank (Frankie Jr.) Sparaco is the son of Colombo family killer Frankie Blue eyes.  Frankie Blue eyes has now gone into witness protection and his son claims to have no contact with him.  Frankie Jr. did have contact with John Staluppi, who donated to his campaign.  John Staluppi was not the only one to donate to his campaign.  Michael Persico donated through Romantique Limousines.  Frankie Jr. also runs a vending machine company, Pops Vending, that has its machines placed in John Staluppi’s car dealerships.  

Frankie Jr. plead guilty to violating campaign laws and was sentenced to a jail term.

John Staluppi is now, among other things, a builder of super yachts that are known as the fastest in the world.  He is a huge property own in Florida and is said to be worth $400 million dollars.

He has not done bad for a guy who dropped out of the 10th grade in Bensonhurst, Brookly and was arrested for stealing cars and altering the VIN numbers in 1971.   He plead guilty to that crime and received 5 years probation, but bounced back and made his millions.

When you see smoke, there is usually fire. The truth will come out in the end.  

In a similar story, Dominic Longo was a made guy in the Los Angeles Family.  Longo Toyota is one of the largest Toyota dealerships in the country today but Dominic is no longer living.

Bill Ferrante

I have been asked if Louis Ferrante is related to Bill “The Crusher” Ferrante.  The answer is No.

In the 1990’s I was hanging around Jerry Zimmerman, who was a close friend of both Bill Ferrante and Sonny Franzese.  Jerry was a huge man and one of the best con men that ever lived. I called him the gentle giant.  The name Sonny Franzese is thrown around by many people.  I never met him in person, only spoke to him on the phone.  Most of the people who drop his name have never laid eyes on the man.  

Back in the days I was hanging with Jerry, I was working as a criminal also and I was known as one of the people who could get x rated movies made.  Porn was an outlet we used to launder money from other crimes.

My “work” brought me to the right place at the right time, because Jerry and Bill decided to become partners in a wholesale porn warehouse. I was on parole at the time and my parole officer was on me about getting a job.  So when I was chosen to go to Fort Lauderdale by Jerry to meet his partner Bill, I was really happy.  It was a great way for me to get out of town and out of sight.

I met Bill and we hit it off immediately. Only a select few of us were allowed to call Bill “Billy,” including Jerry Zimmerman and Sonny and Michael Franzese. I also met Billy's younger sister Gina, who was the widow of Vinny Lynch.  Vinny was a bank robber and a suspect in over a dozen murders.

I would get to the porno warehouse early everyday before Bill or Gina arrived. I answered the phones a lot and more than a few times it was Sonny calling.  He often called not only to speak to Bill but to speak to Gina also.  Sonny and Gina were close and had been since the 1970s.  I quickly discovered Sonny and Gina had a long off-and-on relationship.  Bill never bragged or spoke about his criminal activity.  If anything, he played it down.  He is 30 years older than me and had quite a record.  Bill Ferrante, also known as “The Crusher” and his partner Vinny, aka “The Butcher” (not to be confused with Vinny Lynch the bank robber) were in Michael Franzese’s innermost circle. They were the two main enforcers for Michael during the gasoline scam. Bill had gas stations all the way from Long Island down to Florida.

Bill and Vinny (The Crusher and The Butcher) were partners involved with a multi million dollar counterfeit scheme that also included stolen bearer bonds. They were so slick that the agents from the secret service tried to infiltrate them. The undercover secret service guys went along on some of their deliveries. They met with the crusher and the butcher and gave them a downpayment of $10k on some paper and when they returned they were busted.  They were both given the maximum sentence that the judge could give them.  Immediately upon their release both men resumed their roles with Michael.

Soon Michael and his whole crew were in the gas business. To this day, the gasoline scam was the largest money maker in organized crime history. For years everyone was flying high.  The pressure became too much and a player in gas business, Larry Lorizzo, decided to flip in 1986. That was all the government needed, and they started falling like dominos. They started rolling up the whole operation and nobody was safe.  Most of the Russian criminals who had worked alongside them in the gas business also plead guilty.  

Bill was soon indicted by the state of Florida.  To make it worse, he was already out on $250k bond from the feds.  While in the Dade County jail he hired Jayne Weintraub and she represented him in his state RICO trial.  

One day during the trial everyone was asked to evacuate the courthouse. They all thought it was a bomb scare. When they all came back to the courtroom there was Larry Lorizzo in the witness box.  All 500 pounds of him.  He was sitting there surrounded by marshalls, ready to testify how Bill was part of the Colombo family, a collector for Sonny, and Michael’s enforcer.  A lot of guys testified against Bill in his state RICO trial in which he was facing 30 years.  Could it be a surprise that he got convicted? Bill was off to prison, once again, to do his time.  Bill hired Stanley Neustader to represent him on his appeal. 2 ½ years later  Neustader won Bill’s appeal. The Feds could not try him because the state found him guilty.

Michael Franzese never testified against Bill. Bill found out Michael became an informer while he was in prison.  One thing I must say about Billy, he is a stand up guy.  I miss him, his sister Gina and my late friend Jerry Zimmerman. Don’t ever think for a moment that Bill is related to that other Ferrante guy on TV who claims to be a former gangster (Louis Ferrante). I never met Sonny in person, only over the phone.

Battista “Benny” Geritano

Battista “Benny” Geritano is a long time Gambino Family Associate and a real tough guy who comes from a long line of wiseguys.  He once had a problem with a young made guy from the Lucchese Family.  The guy came to see him and the guy started telling him he had better watch the way he spoke.  Benny looked at him and said, “Why? Who are you? You got guns?  I got guns. Get lost.” This is how Benny felt towards guys who for one reason or another got inducted into a family and then thought they could throw their weight around.  He would respect you if you were a tough guy and laugh in your face if you were not, regardless of your status.

Alphonse "Allie Shades" Malangone was a Capo for the Genovese Family and a huge money maker.  He ran the Fulton Fish market and controlled a lot of the private carting industry. He also had restaurants and nightclubs in Brooklyn. His status as a money maker never stopped Benny from messing with Allie Shades’ girlfriend, Margo. He was told to stop and he kept it up.  Allie Shades banned him from the Brooklyn night spots Pastels and Turquoise. Benny didn't care and he would show up at the clubs anyway with the rest of his friends until the guys running the clubs would beg his friends to leave so they wouldn’t have trouble.  Margo and Benny eventually had a falling out and she ran to Allie Shades, who went to the Gambinos for a sit down over it.  Nothing happened to Benny though.

Benny’s stepfather Anthony "Shorty" Mascuzzio was once one of John Gotti’s inner circle.  That is, until he went to shakedown Bedrox  (a Mid-town disco) where he began pistol whipping the owner who then took his gun away from him and shot him dead. Benny’s stepbrother, Anthony Mascuzzio Junior is a Gambino who went away until this year for being part of a marijuana trafficking group. He also used a baseball bat on some black thugs that tried to steal his Rolex once.  

Preston J. Geritano was Benny’s uncle and a Genovese associate.  He was stabbed to death by his brother-in-law, Genovese mobster Andy Gargiulo, aka Andy Wilson, in front of Amici’s in Brooklyn.

Preston J. Geritano Junior was arrested for money laundering.  

Benny was part of what would be called the Night Drop Crew by the Feds.  The crew robbed banks by prying open the night deposit boxes and taking the deposits.  They developed remote controlled drills and used fishing gaffs to retrieve the cash.  

They all had walkie talkies and police scanners.  They got away with it from 1993 to 2003.

Benny ended up with a 71 month sentence for his part in the 10 year crime spree.

He went away and did his time.  He was busted for smoking weed when his urine test came back dirty.

An FBI Agent testified at his parole hearing that he was a suspect in four separate murders.  

Then Benny got into a fight in April of 2011 on Court Street in Brooklyn with Mark Iacono, owner of Lucali pizzeria. He was soon stabbing him on the sidewalk until both men were bloody.  Benny took off from the scene and was later found at a hospital with stab wounds including some in his back.  Benny and Mark both declined to press charges or testify in front of a grand jury.  Benny however did tell the court during his parole hearing some strange stuff.  He told the court he had been a Gambino associate and that members of a crime family wanted him dead.  He then told the court that he was trying to go straight.

The same FBI agent who claimed he was the suspect in four murders told the court that Benny was also a suspect in a bank burglary in Bensonhurst Brooklyn that took place over a holiday weekend.

The FBI had him under surveillance but failed to keep track of him.

Benny managed to get away with that stabbing but he was soon in trouble again.  This time on the night of December 23, 2012 he went to Nouveau bar in Brooklyn. He must have been in a foul mood because when a guy named Nunzio Fusco bumped into him Benny went crazy. Nunzio apologized to him and went to the bar for some drinks.  Benny followed him and Nunzio told him again he was sorry and did not want any trouble.  Benny shoved Nunzio’s girlfriend and Nunzio jumped to her defense.  Benny and Nunzio were soon trading punches until bouncers broke it up.  Benny took off and Nunzio noticed he was bleeding.   He had been stabbed three times.  Twice in the gut and once in the shoulder.  Detectives went to the bar owner who turned over a video of the incident.  The video showed Benny with the knife.  A few days after turning over the video to the police the bar owner was shot on Staten Island. He lived but he claims to not have seen the shooter.

Benny went to trial on the stabbing charges and was found guilty.  The judge gave him 12 years in prison.  He will be be 50 when he gets out and he will still be plenty tough.