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The Outfit in Lake Geneva, WI and Lake County, IL – a Documentary

 

The Outfit in Lake Geneva, WI and Lake County, IL – a Documentary

For a while I had wanted to do something of the Chicago Outfit in Lake Geneva, WI, not only to see what Al Capone may have owned but other outfit members as well.

My understanding is that Capone had a home in the area as well as storage for bootlegging coming in from Wisconsin (a story in itself) and others may have had homes in the 20’s in and around Lake Geneva, a place for them to get away from everything, and maybe to have meetings far far away from prying eyes.

After Capone, my understanding is that homes were still owned as get-away hunting and fishing spots as well as disposing of the bodies of those who ran afoul of the mob.

As a bonus, it is rumored that my guy Frank Balistrieri owned large acreage from his long-term leadership in running the Milwaukee Mob and involvement in the Vegas skim. After all, how do you  hide the millions he must have had from the IRS: landwords owned via straw men and corporate shells, and when he was sent away for the last time and his end days how better to pass it along to others without the government knowing much.

Funny thing is, two years ago I met a retired realtor who loved poking around the area of Bulington, WI and Lake  Geneva, looking for old coins, farm signs and  the like. He invited me more than once but I never went with him and I regret that. I know he had interesting stories of the area and would have been great to be in on the finds, not only the old coins or cool old seed signs, but the horde of coins, well over 10 lbs of dimes, quarters and gold one and two dollar bills, he found in a caved-in drainage ditch, using a cheap metal detector and an old school dowsing rod. We counted the bills about 300 in face value, way more as collector items and so many coins with silver. I do think the value as collecting items was quite a bit, and the last I heard from the guy is that he was moving to Deadwood, CO to try his hand at prospecting. It makes me think how much did he get? Did he go back for more? Are there other hordes to be found?

The Film

Not only can we look at the old homes of the outfit but also look into the story of if the Outfit did try to take over the Grayhound Track in Lake  Geneva, which would be a very interesting story. Can we find the old stashes for the bootlegging? The list goes on.

Then we have Lake County, from petty crime, a bit of corruption to a few murders and the story of an illegal casino, a murder with a few ghosts, maybe a bit of arson.

As I see it, Lake County, IL has quite the story to tell and we should tell it.

My thought is this could be a 90 minute to 2 hour documentary to be put on Amazon Prime and YouTube. I got a great presenter and a talking head for explaining some of the background when needed.

We got a research crew going now!

 

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Murder INK

Murder INK is to be held  on the 27th of June, 2020 at Parkview Playhouse featuring The Little Bakery Players.

The location for the event is 932 South 12th Street, Manitowoc, Wisconsin 54220. It is a day long series of workshops for True Crime Writers in the Southeast Wisconsin area. Both a short drive from Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin and a bit of a longer drive from Madison, Wisconsin.

The site opens at 8:30 am and the event ends at 6:00 pm.

Murder INK is designed to help both writers new to the field of true crime writing or those well established in the field gain or improve on skills from research.

These will include:

How to use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Wisconsin Open Records

Contacting and working with jailed offenders, including serial killers (for mature audiences only, 18 and above)

Use of kindle direct print and Amazon marketing services for self-publishing

How to use social media to expand book sales, from Twitter to YouTube

Interesting true crime stories

Paranormal experiences of trained investigators and how true crime authors can help to tell those stories

Murder INK is working on confirming a few more speakers, and will update the topics as they come on board.

The event will have a very limited number of tables for authors to sell books.

Food will not be sold on site but carry-in food is allowed and all are encouraged to visit the local coffee shops and diners.

Tickets are $30 each. Only paid tickets are available and tables are $50 and include one ticket.

We have 4 (four Tables)  and 25 Open Seats left

The only Ticket is a paid Ticket, the only table is a paid table and all must be bought prior, NO TICKETS AT THE DOOR.

Tickets are bought via Pay Pal ( wclingman@wi.rr.com)   in the note please include Name and contact information)

Questions ? Email wclingman@wi.rr.com or call 262-632-5336

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Mob Writer Turns To Erotica

Mob Writer Turns To Erotica

Co-writer of Frank Balistrieri: The Last Most Powerful Godfather of Milwaukee, Wayne “Mr. Big” Clingman, saw an opportunity to bring a bit of spicy naughtiness to the world of historical erotica.

Mr. Big, as Clingman liked to be called in the past, after reading so much silly fiction calling itself erotica, knew he could do a far better job, and with the ebook Alias Mr. Big, he has done so! In this short ebook, Clingman tells a story, set in the 1920’s, of Mr. Big who enters the world of rum-running, casinos and naughty fun in Belle City.

It was critical to me to have historical accuracy in this Mafia erotica where both the mob action terminology and my kink were talked about.

As one reviewer put it “If you can see beyond Mr. Big’s rough and tumble sexual energy, the set dressing and background research truly help sell the setting for the roaring 20s coming into their prime”.

If you want a work that is a bit more accurate and way more fun, Alias Mr. Big is for you!

This ebook is available on Kindle at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XG5FTMG

 

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A tale of Ted B !

 

The Lost Treasure of Ted Binion

You may not know who Ted Binion is off the get go. Ted was the son of gamed gambler/gangster, Benny Binion of Las Vegas fame and a prior mover and shaker in the Dallas, Texas underworld. Speculation is that Benny killed or had killed between five or seven men, mostly over unpaid gambling debts or attempts on Benny’s life. Let’s just say that Bemmy could be hard to get along with. In 1951, Benny would move to Vegas, start a casino and live a large life. This would include time in jail for tax issues.

Benny, to me, did a lot for Vegas in his lifetime.

After Benny’s death in 1989, Ted would play a role in casino operations after a few legal issues with his sister. His father’s death causes, as some would see, mental health issues as it would another member of that family.

Ted was (as his father was) a Silver Bug, owning a lot of it as did the casino. On or about the time the State of Nevada revoked his gaming licence, Ted owned a lot of silver, a bit of gold and, it is rumored, rare coins with other valuables taken to his ranch outside of Vegas and buried in an underground vault. I have read that this amount of treasure has been valued in the tens of millions (in 1990’s rates, $100+ million now).

Sadly, the loss of his father and his gaming license, along with issues with his girlfriend, led to a heroin and drug addiction, so few were shocked when he was found dead in his home next to empty pill bottles. The police knew that he had bought heroin the day before, so the first thought was OD or possibly suicide.

Kin of Ted’s did not accept the idea, they said that Ted was not as upset as others thought. The wanted his girlfriend looked into and found that he wasn’t the only guy hitting that well. After more investigation, Sandy Murphy (the girlfriend) and Rick Tabish (the other boyfriend) were arrested, tried, found guilty, tried again and found not guilty of murder but a range of other issues saw Sandy walked away with time serve and Rick spend a couple years in prision, though he is out now.

Sandy, I last read, was living with a much older, wealthy man.

My understanding is that the couple above did obtain some of the loot but that the vast majority of the loot has vanished. From time to time, others are caught on the old ranch trying to find it. To date, I think no one has. The county has some as well from the ranch that no one has yet claimed.

So where is it? Silver bars are not light. Nor are silver coins. So nobody just walked away with it. Nobody has come to Vegas and said, “Hey, look at what I found.” The vast amount is still out there, in the desert. I’m thinking that one day we should go looking for this.

Perhaps we will find Rick with a spade, still looking for silver.

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Podcasts Shows!

Have restarted the Podcasts with a series of what I call Blasts, so far we have, Mr Curtis. of Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist fame, you can buy his book here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085CN5HHX/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

The Podcast below

https://www.blogtalkradio.com/wayne_c/2020/04/22/houston-curtis-tells-his-story-far-more-interesting-then-any-film-could-be

 

And Gavin Schmitt wild show on Crime in Wisconsin Below

https://www.blogtalkradio.com/wayne_c/2020/04/23/gavin-schmitt-talks-mafia-in-madison

 

 

 

 

 

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Mr. Big Loves Slots

People sit at electronic slot machines at the Scientific Games booth during the Global Gaming Expo, Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

 

Mr. Big Loves Slot Machines!

Why, yes, yes I do love the slots. When my folks were still alive we would all go to Ho-Chunk Casino in Baraboo, WI, (https://ho-chunkgaming.com/wisconsindells/) and we would play the slots for a few hours at a time. It was fun spending maybe $20 each. We never really won anything doing so but the few times that I stopped in by myself I won about $50. Since I didn’t just feed the money back into the machine afterwards, I was able to spend it on toys. I remember my dad once won $300 or so and he turned around and invested it into a new lawn mower. It was always a fun way to spend time with the folks.

My step father would go meet up with his pals from the VFW, sit around and play a bit…BS. They’d play a lot. Ho-Chunk went out of their way to be kind to the older vets that came in. And why not? The money they fed into the machines was just as valuable as anyone else’s and it more than made up for some free coffees. It cost them almost nothing to make these vets feel at home and it was nice to see. Nice, too, was seeing the non-casino businesses that the tribe invested in with the earnings from their casinos such as the free clinic or the health club that was open to everyone.
Just like any other casino, they made a ton of money. After all, that’s exactly what a casino is designed to do: Make money. Casinos know that the longer you stay, the longer you play and the more money the house makes. More than once here in Milwaukee, at the Pottawnmi Casino (https://www.paysbig.com/), I was ahead a few $$ from playing slots but I ended up giving every penny (and more) back. My guess is that many do as well. (They should sell T-shirts).
Since they opened, this has expanded at least twice and it has done a lot for Milwaukee with little thanks back (I have stories).
Over the 100+ years of operating, casinos/gaming companies have spent God only knows how many millions of dollars on research on the psychology behind gambling. The gaming industry knows a lot about what rewards to offer compared to the time spent playing, how the lighting of the casino draws us in and how the machines themselves. There has been so much research pumped in this direction that we can only begin to imagine how much they know.
Of course, if they could get the player to put a few more coins into the machines (times the many, many players in the casino), then they have paid that investment back in full (and fast!).
 Nice thing, too, is that unlike craps, there are no rules to learn to play the slots. You just put your money in, pull the lever and watch the lights go crazy. How easy is that?
Turning our attention over to crime, let us not forget the early marriage of the mafia, slot machines and corrupt political leaders who protected them. The best example of early mob ties of this manner is Frank Costello (mafia) and Huey Long (the Governor of Louisiana). It was said that Long allowed slots in the city for a percentage. Another example is how the teamsters of the 60s-80s, the mafia and LDS banks then skimmed money from many of the casinos in Vegas. Slows have been seen as not only a fun way to pass a few hours but also as a way for forgotten tribes to make investments in their community and for shady crooks and shifty leaders to make a lot of money. A ton of money, in fact.
When the heat came down in New York and the slots of the mob had in the city came under attack, Costello knew he better move – to a far nicer place, a place where if you bribed someone they actually stayed bribed. It also helped to have a few ports under control (union control and hijacking) and many state contracts to give out. Louisiana had a governor with a bad reputation of taking bribes, major ports with little oversight and so much money being pumped into state contacts that the word oversight wasn’t even being used. BOOM, can you say slots? Suddenly there were slots everywhere and everyone wanted to have a few drinks and play for a bit. And look at that, suddenly you could have your booze and play your machines. How could you lose? Poor Mr. Jones who turned that nice guy offering the slots down… Why, just look at that, the state police just raided his joint? Oh no, then it caught fire? Gee, maybe he should’ve taken the slot machine after all.
More fun in Vegas was how coin scales got rigged so that the mob could get their fair share before the government got theirs. The take was in the millions in the ’60s, with only a few people having to be killed off to make it happen.
All that history and how gambling can be used to create jobs (and make a small fortune) is why I love it so much.
So very happy to have met Josua O’Connell of Know Your Slots Fame https://www.knowyourslots.com/  on  Twitter ( @knowyourslots  )   and been able to pitch the idea of a joint project on basic slot play in Mr. Big Talks: Slots. A great, great guy.
Reading this basic guide will help you enjoy the machines and, with Lady Lucky on your side, win more than you lose playing. Just don’t forget: The House always wins in the end.
Brought to you by :  Mr. Big Talks : Blakjack    Get your Copy Here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086T2QJNX 
Buy the Kindle Today !
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Crazy Times

 

So…. here we are.

With the way that events have played out, there is no way that either of the mafia books (Frank Goes to Vegas or the one of the mafia in Buffalo) will be able to finish this year. Originally it was expected that Frank Goes to Vegas would be done around June and Mafia in Buffalo around August but it has been a strange year. And that’s putting it lightly, since it just continues to get weirder. As much as I was looking forward to the books, events can (and do!) dictate actions and with my appointment coming up I will not plan anything after this year.

So I could go looking for another co-writer but that’s not going to happen. Most feel they should get a car and a mortgage payment as a fee and I will not be able to find someone I trust like Zack Long. Men like him are hard to find and as hen’s teeth.
So rather than just having that info for the books live on my hard drive, I will post it to my blog so that others may read it and gain a better understanding of the topic and perhaps they’ll even be able to use it in books of their own.
As you may or may not know, the Mr. Big Talks line of books are starting to come out with:
both out now
 
and Mr. Big Talks Texas Hold ‘Em Poker and Mr. Big Talks Slots to be out late April to Mid-May. All will be in ebook format, though I may combine them together to make for one big paperback. All links will be posted.
I also have a notebook you can get as well.       https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0863RMSQ3
Oh and Frank got a new cover
    Get The Kindle Here that make Frank happy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S15JL4B
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Not Dead

Not Dead

Sorry for the last of postings in the last couple weeks, I got caught up in a few small issues that just grew and grew until they were larger than I could have predicted and trying to get three Mr. Big Talks books done and out (as well as the book on the mob in Buffalo) had to slow down as a result.

You’ve already guessed it but I need to do a far better job in managing my time. I’ve done a bad job so far and that isn’t helped by the way the wheels are spinning on Frank Goes to Vegas or this virus that’s going around.
As you know, Mr. Big Talks Craps is done and out and you can find it here. I hope to have Mr. Big Talks Blackjack done in another week. I had originally hoped for this week but we have to learn to go with the flow when obstacles are thrown in our way.
Frank Goes to Vegas needs to be reset. It didn’t get the backing on GoFundMe that was hoped for. This tells me that few, if any, want to see this book or to help out. So the question that I am left with is whether I do it at all. I have a large amount of research that I would rather see get used for something. The GoFundMe will stop soon since nobody seems to be interested.
I need to get Buffalo Mafia finished and out. I have firm deadlines on that one and a great editor and cover designer. These are amazing resources that are just waiting for the signal to get working.
So, again, sorry for the lack of postings but there are exciting things on the horizon.
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Hey, Mr Big Talks: Craps

     

 

The first book in the Mr. Big Talks series on casino table games has started ! The first in the series is out on Amazon now, its a short E-Book on Craps teaching a bit of history, the basic rules, and some ideas in playing the game.

A few ways you can get this book

On Amazon (Kindle) at this link (cost .99 + tax) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085KSSXR4

PDF via Email  send  $1.00 to my Pay Pal wclingman@wi.rr.com and in the comments please put craps and your Postal Address then you get the PDF by Email  and two Chicago Outfit stickers Via U.S.P.S.  Outside the USA if you want the stickers its $3.00 or the $1. gets you just the PDF of Mr. Big Talks: Craps

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Let’s Make a Book!

 

Let’s Make a Book!

Sadly, no we are not going to be getting into bookmaking. I leave that to those with the right skill sets to pull it off but that wouldn’t be me, I lost my cash, fast, on the NFL this year.
What I am thinking about in regards to book making is writing a series of short ebooks on popular casino games found in Vegas and Atlantic City.
Right now, the games under consideration are black jack, craps and roulette. There would also be a fourth book that covers everything a beginner needs to know about hitting Las Vegas. From travel information to what you need to know before you hit the tables, the guide will make hitting Vegas a cinch.
These ebooks will cost $0.99 when purchased alone or you can get all four in a box set for $2.99. Proceeds from these books will go towards funding my next book on the mob in Vegas: Frank Goes to Vegas is about how the mafia skimmed millions of dollars from Vegas casinos and cover the mobsters and the bankers involved to show you how they did it using everything from fixed weight scales to hiding cash in a newspaper. It was a crazy story that left dead bodies all the way from Vegas to Mexico.
I will also be offering sponsorships for these books. For $50, you can have you or your company listed in the book with a hyperlink straight to your site. This is a great opportunity to include a discount code or other promotional gift that will help to invite readers to come stay in Vegas and spend money in your business. It costs next to nothing for your business but could bring a fine return.
The line of books should hit the shelves on Amazon by March/April.
If you are interested in sponsorship or have any other questions, please contact me at wclingman@wi.rr.com.