by Josh Levin
748 Martin Luther King Jr.’s headquarters: “Modern Struggles, Modern Design—Dr. King and the story of Liberty Baptist Church,” Repeat: Writings on Architecture in Chicago and the World, January 17, 2011.
749 The Chicago police…to the collar: Arrest reports, August 26, 1965, and June 2, 1967, CPD/FOIA.
750 When they tracked down: Chicago bureau memo, February 9, 1967, FBI/FOIA.
751 On February 7: Arrest report and criminal history, CPD/FOIA.
752 She was arrested again: Arrest report, February 22, 1967, CPD/FOIA.
753 On March 6: Arrest report, CPD/FOIA.
754 On the afternoon of April 27, 1964: “‘She Took the Baby from My Arms’—Mother Tells How Boy Was Stolen,” Chicago Daily News, April 28, 1964.
755 “given the baby to another nurse”: “Baby Stolen From Parent At Hospital,” UPI/Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), April 28, 1964.
756 two hundred police officers: “Police Seek Baby Snatcher in Chicago,” UPI/Daily Register (Harrisburg, IL), April 28, 1964.
757 thirty-eight thousand Chicagoans: “Fronczak File Grows in FBI’s Hunt for Baby; 7,500 Suspects Are Eliminated,” Chicago Tribune, February 15, 1965.
758 “Our whole life”…“I believe that God”: Chicago Tribune Press Service, July 26, 1964; AP, October 27, 1964; and AP, April 27, 1965.
759 “Miss Taylor appeared one day”: “Probe aid queen tie to kidnaping,” Chicago Tribune.
760 Taylor told the Chicago Daily News: “Ex-husband bilked her, ‘welfare queen’ charges,” May 12, 1975.
761 he “never knew”: Summary of June 10, 1976, interview, FBI/FOIA.
762 On May 13, 1977: “Welfare Queen Gets Two to Six Years in Jail,” Chicago Tribune.
763 The bureau has declined: FBI Records Management to author, February 2015.
764 identified as a potential witness: Bishton testimony on legal costs, December 9, 1964, Wakefield estate.
765 “known Taylor to dress as a nurse”: Arthur Krueger written statement, February 25, 1976, Linda Taylor burglary case.
766 “as a registered nurse”: Katherine Freiman forensic evaluation of Linda Springer, October 4, 1994, USA v. Springer, BOP/FOIA.
767 when Sherwin filled out: Arrest report, August 25, 1974, CPD/FOIA.
768 ran a front-page interview: “Exclusive! Dead Policy King’s $763,000 Demanded by His ‘Daughter’; Has Papers to Prove Her Claim,” April 18, 1964.
769 “There is no remote possibility”: Fronczak and Tresniowski, The Foundling, p. 87.
770 “was capable of anything”: “Son Suspects ‘Welfare Queen’ May Have Stolen Baby Paul Fronczak,” abcnews.com, March 14, 2014.
771 “a little boy”: Examination, November 9, 1964, Wakefield estate.
772 black market for child adoption in Chicago: “Probers Told Baby Selling Hub in Chicago,” Chicago Tribune, January 6, 1959.
773 determine his real name: Virginia Griffin interview, additional complaint report, February 21, 1972, MSP/FOIA.
774 “The mother states”: “Special Neuropsychiatric Examination,” Sandra Harbaugh disability evaluation report, VA/FOIA.
775 granted a stipend: Investigation report, undated, VA/FOIA.
776 married Roosevelt Brownlee: Marriage record, June 26, 1972, FBI/FOIA.
777 “partially deaf”: Report of field examination, October 4, 1972, VA/FOIA.
778 a letter demanding $3,520: VA investigation summary, June 30, 1976, FBI/FOIA.
779 “the acorn seldom falls far from the oak”: “New ‘welfare queen’ makes her mark,” July 2, 1977.
780 “never learned the basis”: Interview summary, December 17, 1974, FBI/FOIA.
781 “greater than average intelligence”: Interview summary, December 20, 1976, VA/FOIA.
782 had shown up out of the blue: Interview summary, June 10, 1976, FBI/FOIA.
783 “dirty, hungry-looking”: Quoted in “Woman Is Charged In Burglary,” UPI/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 26, 1976.
784 two counts of child neglect: Arrest report continuation of narrative, February 26, 1976, Linda Taylor burglary case.
Chapter 16
Author interviews with Linda Giesen, Frank Deere, Charlotte Nesbitt-Langford, Magnolia Brison, Johnnie Harbaugh, Lou Cannon, Jim Lake.
785 New inmates came: “‘You feel like hell. You want out.…Tell all the people out there that this isn’t fun,’” Chicago Tribune Magazine, May 20, 1979.
786 prisoner A-87028…intake form: Prison record and April 5, 1978, photograph, IPRB/FOIA.
787 “a nationally known welfare cheat”: Carey, official statement of facts, IPRB/FOIA.
788 one journalist argued: “Dwight prison a monument to early women’s lib movement,” Daily Leader (Pontiac, IL), October 6, 1976.
789 The cottages had balky plumbing: “A warden’s view of prison life,” Chicago Tribune, May 20, 1979.
790 “Tell all the people out there”: “‘You feel like hell.’”
791 “All this place does”: “Women in prison: You learn ‘how to really hate.’”
792 three-hundred-plus convicts: “A warden’s view of prison life.”
793 he’d later say: “Judge wants Columbo behind bars,” Daily Herald, December 18, 1988.
794 “suburban sylph”: “‘Can’t never tell’ at Columbo trial,” Chicago Tribune, June 12, 1977.
795 front-page billing: “Columbo gets 200 years,” August 9, 1977.
796 “minor violation on her prison record”: “Follow-up: Welfare fraud winding down,” March 25, 1979.
797 Taylor was deemed: Prisoner information card, Linda Bennett, IPRB/FOIA.
798 The prison’s doctors…Nitrospan: Ibid.; Administrative Review Board meeting summary, revocation of good conduct credits, November 15, 1979, IPRB/FOIA.
799 $5 a day as seamstresses: “Rehabilitation? Women’s skills training falls short,” Chicago Tribune, August 5, 1980.
800 “routine shakedown”: Resident disciplinary report, October 3, 1979, IPRB/FOIA.
801 “set up by correctional guards”: Administrative Review Board meeting summary.
802 She also requested: Resident disciplinary report, October 3, 1979, IPRB/FOIA.
803 “will no doubt resume”: Ginex to Prisoner Review Board, December 11, 1979, IPRB/FOIA.
804 “be self-employed with sewing”: Early release worksheet, Linda Bennett, IPRB/FOIA.
805 “At age 50”: Parole officer report, April 27, 1981, IPRB/FOIA.
806 “she will remain”: Prisoner Review Board, order for discharge, IPRB/FOIA.
807 seventy-seven indictments: “30 more indicted in aid fraud sweep,” February 16, 1978.
808 “crying in front of the judge”: “State calls courts ‘soft’ on aid fraud,” February 19, 1978.
809 the Tribune wrote: “31 more indicted in welfare fraud probe; total now 342,” May 1, 1979.
810 in excess of $100,000: “Follow-up: Welfare fraud winding down,” Chicago Sun-Times, March 25, 1979.
811 “the new welfare queen”: “Woman to be arraigned in $118,456 aid fraud,” Chicago Tribune, May 1, 1978; “New ‘Welfare Queen’ charged in 505 counts,” Chicago Tribune, April 29, 1978.
812 reached a plea deal: Change of plea, January 8, 1979, People of the State of Illinois v. Arlene Otis, CCCC.
813 “Ice Cream Welfare Queen”: “‘Ice Cream’ aid fraud suspect held,” August 26, 1978.
814 “with illegally collecting”: “Woman charged in rip-off of $200,000 in welfare,” Chicago Tribune, May 19, 1980.
815 “has not received”: “Alone for Christmas—fear is companion,” December 4, 1979.
816 an in-depth feature: “There are crimes and there are crimes,” Chicago Lawyer, February 1980.
817 “bilking the welfare system”: “Grand jury indicts 27 more in welfare fraud,” Chicago Tribune, November 15, 1978.
818 disbanded its internal police force: Gardiner and Lyman, “Responses to Fraud and Abuse in AFDC and Medicaid Programs,�
�� p. 55.
819 631 people…$7.3 million: “41 indicted on theft charges in $700,000 welfare fraud,” Chicago Tribune, September 30, 1980.
820 just above ten thousand reports per year: IDPA statistics in “Aid abuse line works amid Gestapo charges,” Chicago Tribune, July 17, 1980.
821 57 to 60 percent of survey respondents: MacLeod, Montero, and Speer, “America’s Changing Attitudes Toward Welfare,” p. 181.
822 “accused of pulling off”: “Welfare Queen Surrenders: Accused of $289,000 Swindle,” June 14, 1978.
823 “on a par with somebody”: “Welfare Queen Sent to Prison: Invented 70 Children for $239,587,” December 28, 1978.
824 “possible record swindle”: “$300,000 Welfare Fraud Case Uncovered,” Los Angeles Times, December 19, 1980.
825 “My other car is a Rolls”: “California’s ‘welfare queen’ holds credit fraud title here,” Chicago Tribune, February 23, 1981.
826 thirteen names…forty-nine dependent children: “Woman Gets 8-Year Term in $377,000 Welfare Fraud,” Los Angeles Times, June 24, 1983.
827 “I think every year or so”: “Welfare Queens Are Exceptions,” December 25, 1980.
828 “She does have a Rolls-Royce”: “Information Please: The Public Gets Involved in Crime Detection,” Los Angeles Times, January 7, 1981.
829 “the promised land”: Minneapolis Star, June 25, 1981.
830 “tracking welfare recipients”: Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ), June 16, 1978.
831 “everything from guns”: “Prosecution is called key in preventing welfare fraud,” Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), June 4, 1980.
832 “No one in the United States”: Q and A at the White House, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum online.
833 “It’s easy. They just lie”: Roza Gossage quoted in “Welfare,” Reagan radio address on December 22, 1976, in Reagan in His Own Hand, p. 391.
834 “stumbling through the palm trees”: “Memo to Jimmy: A lot of folks want your job,” Gannett/Statesman Journal (Salem, OR), November 21, 1977.
835 “There’s a woman in Chicago”: “Stars at right: Simon Hoggart on the Bush and Reagan campaign trail in Texas,” Guardian, May 3, 1980.
836 Los Angeles Times said: “Statistics Analyzed: Record Doesn’t Always Support Reagan’s Claims,” April 12, 1980.
837 Time said…New York Times said: “Challenges to Statements Putting Reagan on the Defensive,” New York Times, April 13, 1980.
838 “crisis of confidence”: “The Malaise Speech,” July 15, 1979, American Presidency Project.
839 “I find no national malaise”: “A Vision for America,” November 3, 1980, American Presidency Project.
840 “so economically trapped”: August 3, 1980, speech transcript at the Neshoba Democrat online; and audio, Closed Captioning Project, YouTube.
841 “the rebirth of code words”: September 16, 1980, American Presidency Project.
842 1981 interview: “Exclusive: Lee Atwater’s Infamous 1981 Interview on the Southern Strategy,” Nation, November 13, 2012.
843 40 percent: Edsall and Edsall, Chain Reaction, p. 150.
844 “not make any special effort”: Survey form, 1976 preelection study, Survey Research Center, University of Michigan.
845 “too many people”: “Reagan urges minorities to ‘look beyond labels,’” AP/Journal News (White Plains, NY), August 5, 1980.
846 A month later: “Carter Says Reagan Injects Racism,” Washington Post, September 17, 1980.
847 “a racist in any degree”: News conference, September 18, 1980, American Presidency Project.
848 “bitter racist diatribes”: “Race Issue in Campaign: A Chain Reaction,” September 27, 1980.
849 “We want that federal government”: “Thurmond at rally: U.S. needs a change,” Jackson Clarion-Ledger, November 3, 1980.
850 “those with true need”: February 18, 1981, American Presidency Project.
851 “subject to almost inevitable fraud”: News briefing, May 2, 1977, American Presidency Project.
852 “his well-worn campaign anecdotes”: “Still Learning to be the Opposition,” Washington Post, February 15, 1981.
853 “his famous ‘welfare queen’”: “Reagans may attend summer wedding of Prince Charles, Lady Diana,” UPI/Galveston Daily News (Galveston, TX), March 1, 1981.
854 “$120 billion deficit coming”: “GOP Leader Says Reagan Hurting Minority Appeal,” AP/Alabama Journal, March 2, 1982.
855 “unfortunate if the president was misinformed”: “Reagan unverified on fraud stories,” New York Times, March 25, 1982.
856 An estimated 408,000: “Cutbacks to Hit 1 Welfare Family in 5,” Washington Post, September 22, 1981.
857 roughly one million people: “Reagan Weighs Plans to Cut Food Stamps Fund Even More,” New York Times, November 13, 1981.
858 a long front-page story: “Reagan’s 1st Year: Winners and Losers,” December 27, 1981.
859 would give him about 60 percent: “Trimming social programs; Reagan and the fairness issue,” Christian Science Monitor, June 29, 1982.
860 “people who are embarrassed”: “Going Hungry in America,” Boston Globe Magazine, May 23, 1982.
861 67 percent: Gilens, Why Americans Hate Welfare, p. 126.
862 Just seventeen of the ninety people: Ibid.
863 “horror stories about the people”: Remarks in Bloomington, Minnesota, February 8, 1982, American Presidency Project.
864 “neighbor caring for neighbor”: Remarks in New York, January 14, 1982, American Presidency Project.
865 “Is it news that some fella”: “Reagan Pushes New Federalism,” Daily Oklahoman, March 17, 1982.
866 “a lot of stories of people”: “Reagan criticizes ‘horror stories’—but look at some of his,” Boston Globe, February 15, 1982.
867 “He has several responsibilities”: “Reagan Quoted As Assailing TV Coverage of the Recession,” New York Times, March 18, 1982.
Chapter 17
Author interviews with Diana Hibbler, Patricia Dennis, Theresa Davis, Karen Walker, Jane Snell-Simpson, Neil Fahrow, Timothy Nugent, Sandy Paderewski, David Thompson, Reta Hunter, Barbara B. Hunter, Johnnie Harbaugh, Carol Harbaugh, Dave Baron, Kenneth Lynch, Bruce Woodham, Byron Keith Lassiter, Thomas Ray Reynolds, Bill Tom Gavin, Tom Pelham, Mary Paul.
868 He’d joined the Marine Corps: Beneficiary identification record, VA/FOIA.
869 twenty-nine of the men…114 were wounded: 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines command chronology, June 1969, 33USMC.com.
870 “nervousness”: Veteran’s application for compensation or pension, November 1969, VA/FOIA.
871 The document, dated January 20, 1976: Marriage license, VA/FOIA.
872 showed footage of Ray: March 7, 1977.
873 AP snapped a picture: “‘Welfare Queen’ Convicted,” May 13, 1977, AP Images online.
874 “mental condition”: Veteran’s application for compensation or pension, October 1977, VA/FOIA; VA deferred rating decision form, December 1977, VA/FOIA.
875 was just twenty-five years old: John S. Ray death certificate, CCCO.
876 a prominent Chicago entrepreneur: “Honor Lena Bryant in Sunday tribute,” Chicago Defender, April 26, 1975.
877 Miss Black USA pageant: “Beauty college,” Chicago Defender, July 24, 1974.
878 “no industry, no policeman”: “The ‘rural South’ looms just beyond suburbia,” Chicago Tribune Magazine, December 13, 1981.
879 “own part of ‘America’ forever”: Moscickis Realty ad quoted in “Pembroke: Promise of good life unfulfilled,” Chicago Tribune, August 28, 1974.
880 “preprogrammed for poverty”: “Dirt Poor,” Chicago Tribune Magazine, February 28, 1999.
881 A veteran of World War II: World War II army enlistment records, Ancestry.com.
882 nurse’s aide at the VA hospital: Arrest report, January 31, 1978, CPD/FOIA.
883 a check issued to Loyd: Arthur Krueger written statement, February 25, 1
976, Linda Taylor burglary case.
884 three of them went in together: Complaint to foreclose mortgage, November 28, 1977, National Homes Acceptance Corporation v. Sherman F. Ray, et al., CCCC Chancery Division.
885 two-story stucco house: Real estate sales contract, March 20, 1978, Willie E. Butler, et al. v. Sherman F. Ray, et al., CCCC Chancery Division.
886 loan backed by the Veterans Administration: Advice regarding indebtedness of obligors on guaranteed or insured loans, September 6, 1978, VA/FOIA.
887 A foreclosure action: Complaint to foreclose mortgage.
888 In July 1977, he forged: Case summary, Home Indemnity Co. v. The First National Bank of Waukegan and Willtrue Loyd, Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, LexisNexis.
889 “deceptive practice”: Arrest report and mug shot, January 31, 1978, CPD/FOIA.
890 shoplifting: Criminal history and mug shot, September 4, 1980, CPD/FOIA.
891 Ray was hospitalized: Answer and counterclaim, October 24, 1985, Linda C. Ray v. Veterans Life Insurance Company, Sarasota County Circuit Court.
892 the VA brushed off: Kozlowski (adjudication officer) to Ray, November 23, 1982, VA/FOIA.
893 seven-foot snake: General case report, August 25, 1983, Kankakee County Sheriff’s Police/FOIA.
894 “would go down to pick corn”: Willtrue Loyd statement, September 27, 1983, Sherman Ray death inquest, Kankakee County Coroner, KCSP/FOIA.
895 Metal pellets: Report of coroner’s physician, Sherman Ray death inquest, August 30, 1983, KCSP/FOIA.
896 “usually associated with stupor”: Full autopsy report, October 3, 1983, Sherman Ray death inquest, KCSP/FOIA.
897 “did not see the incident”: Timothy Nugent testimony, September 27, 1983, Sherman Ray death inquest, KCSP/FOIA.
898 two life insurance plans: National Home Life Insurance Company: Lassiter (Northern Service Bureau) to Kankakee County Coroner, June 12, 1984, KCSP/FOIA; Veterans Life Insurance: Policy application, July 31, 1982, Linda C. Ray v. Veterans Life Insurance Company, Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida (Sarasota County).
899 On August 28, she sent: Application for United States flag for burial purposes, VA/FOIA.
