by Owen Parr
I had the newspaper facing up on the table. At the left margin, there was a picture of the office building in which the offices of Evans and Albert were located. Right below that photo was a photograph of the front of our pub. Displayed prominently were our neon sign and logo, Captain O’Brian’s Irish Pub and Cigar Bar. Dammit, that looks great, I said to myself. I read the article aloud:
“Priest, ex-NYPD detective lead cops to arrests" By Barry Simon, The New York Trib “Not since the arrest of Bernard Madoff in 2009 have New York authorities seen a Ponzi scheme and fraud of this magnitude. The investigation started by former NYPD Homicide Detective First Grade Joey Mancuso and his half-brother, Father Dominic O’Brian, from Saint Helen’s Catholic Church in Brooklyn, on a hunch led local authorities, the white-collar division of NY’s FBI office, and the Securities and Exchange Commission to multiple arrests for fraud and arraignments for three local murders.
Mancuso and the Rev. O’Brian, licensed private investigators, began last Tuesday to ask questions about the suicide of Wall Street executive Jonathan Parker, who reportedly jumped to his death from his 21st-floor office window.
Asked why they began their investigation, Mancuso said, “The victim, Jonathan Parker, had been celebrating at our establishment the night before. My brother, Father Dominic, had spoken to him that evening and upon hearing of the suicide the next day, found it odd that Parker would’ve taken his own life.”
Mancuso and O’Brian initiated a series of questions from family and co-workers that led them to three murders and a slew of racketeering, money laundering, insider trading, securities fraud and murder charges against five suspects. With a flair for the dramatic, the brothers invited the suspects to their pub, Captain’s O’Brian’s Pub and Cigar Bar in Manhattan’s Financial District, together with law enforcement personnel, this past Monday and built a case against each of the suspects as they sat dumbfounded in the front row.
A witness at the proceedings called it “the best off-Broadway show of 2017.” One by one, each suspect was handcuffed as the brothers made their individual case against them, removing them to the back of the room until the final reveal. It culminated in a Hollywoodstyle production, with all suspects holding a sample of the murder weapon, a golf putter, used to allegedly strike Parker and then push him out the 21st-floor window.
I stopped reading for a second. Puffing on my cigar, I said, “Is that cool or what?”
Dom replied, “Great article so far, thank you for giving me credit.”
“You started the chain of events. How could I not?” I said.
“Keep going. It gets even better,” Marcy remarked. I read on. “Charged with the second-degree murder of Parker were Robert Evans and Albert Thomas III. Both partners are owners of a Wall Street hedge fund, Evans, Albert, and Associates. Allegedly, Albert struck Parker on the head with a golf putter, and then together, Evans and Albert pushed Parker out of the 21st-floor window of his office. The body came to rest on a second-story landing in front of the building and was discovered by passersby about an hour after the incident. Evans and Albert have pleaded innocent to the murder charge and are being represented by the law firm of Schultz and Essen.
To further complicate issues for the partners, a grand jury has recommended the indictment of Evans and Albert on charges of insider trading, creating a Ponzi scheme to defraud investors and racketeering after a whistleblower came forward and presented evidence supporting the charges. If convicted, each partner could face more than 100 years in jail, not including possible conviction and sentencing on seconddegree murder charges.
It is estimated that the Ponzi scheme alone involved over $30 billion, much of which was used to pay new investors throughout the years and to support Evans and Albert’s lavish lifestyles. Both men are well-known socialites in New York City and overgenerous donors to many local charities as well as local, state and national political parties.
In an unrelated case, the murder of a homeless person that occurred almost two years ago in the alley behind the 21 Club had gone cold. A witness, who had been hiding and fearing for his life, came forward. Detective First Grade Lucy Roberts and Mancuso, her partner back then, had investigated the case to a dead end. Roberts received a tip about the lost witness, located him, and put him under police protection.
The witness produced the murder weapon used to kill the homeless John Doe, identified now as Jimmy. A two-by-four was used to strike Jimmy in the head and kill him. Blood on the wood matched Jimmy, the victim. Specs of blood on the opposite end of the wood are being examined and compared to that of Robert Evans. Latent prints found on the wood have been already matched to Evans.
Jimmy and the person who had come forward witnessed Evans in a heated argument with a second man in the alley behind the 21 Club. Later that evening, Evans came back and killed Jimmy, evidently fearing he may have heard the argument. Evans later disposed of the murder weapon in an alley around the corner, stashing it in a trash bin. The witness followed Evans and retrieved the murder weapon, securing it all this time with the hope of developing enough courage to come forward, which he now has done. Evans has been additionally charged with second-degree murder and has pleaded innocent.”
I stopped reading, making eye contact with both Marcy and Dom, “Did you notice the Congressman went unnamed?” I read on.
“A third suspect, Melody Wright, an aspiring actress and model, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Kathy Miller, who was struck by a car in a hit-and-run last Thursday night as she walked on the sidewalk after leaving her office. Miller was the assistant to Parker, and both were employed at the hedge fund company of Evans and Albert. Police continue to investigate the possibility that Wright didn’t act alone in the brutal killing of Miller.
Additional charges are pending against Wright, who allegedly has stolen and used various other identities to hide illicit offshore bank accounts under her various aliases. The law firm of Kapzoff and Associates is representing Wright. It is further believed that Wright is cooperating with authorities and may implicate Evans and Albert in the death of Miller.”
I had to put down the paper and take a break. “Can you believe the Pandora’s box we opened here?” Father Dom was smiling. “It sounds more like a few boxes all at once, my goodness.”
“Fellows, the phone has been ringing off the hook,” added Mr. Pat.
I asked, “Who’s calling?” Patrick replied, “It’s more like, who is not calling. I’ve taken messages, but you have local and national TV news producers calling. The AP and other news sources want an interview with you guys. There are invitations from cable news companies to appear on the morning shows. Even a well-known book publisher called with a potential deal. What do you want me to do?”
“We may have taken our little investigation business to a new level, wow. Continue to take messages, Patrick. We’ll decide later what to do,” I replied. “I have a question, Marcy.”
“About?” “Arturo, Kathy’s boyfriend. Isn’t he in line for a reward if the Feds recover money from Evans and Albert?” I inquired.
She responded, “The SEC has a reward program for whistleblowers payable out of the Insurance Protection Plan that could pay him anywhere between ten to thirty percent of any money recovered. But he has a problem.”
Father Dom seemed worried and asked, “What could that be?” Marcy turned to Dominic and added, “He admitted to you that he had some involvement in the Ponzi scheme and knew about some of the insider-trading tips. Didn’t he?”
“I don’t remember anything about that. Do you, Joey?” asked Dom, looking at me and shaking his head. “I have no recollection of that, no.” “If he isn’t implicated, he will be entitled to a reward. Plus, the IRS has another whistleblower reward system set up that might come into play.”
We all gazed at each other and smiled.
Marcy went over to the front entrance. Eyeing up and down the street, she said, “There’s a news van setting up shop across the street from your p
ub, boys.”
I applauded. “Patrick, better get ready for a busy night.”
Dom said, “Joey, let me read the rest. I need to get out of here, but I want to finish the story.”
“Read on, bro,” I said. “A fourth subject charged after Monday’s revelations is Adelle Parker, wife of Jonathan Parker, the first victim. Adelle Parker was charged with insurance fraud and the attempted murder of her husband. Allegedly, Adelle Parker and a co-conspirator, Robert Sands, fraudulently took out an insurance policy on the life of Jonathan Parker with the intent of killing him and collecting on the policy.
Sands, the lover of Adelle Parker, posed as her husband for the medical exam required for most new insurance policies. Sands, who is currently facing fraud charges on another case, is collaborating with authorities and has implicated Adelle Parker on the fraudulent insurance scheme. Kapzoff and Associates are representing Adelle Parker.
Finally, a fifth suspect has been arraigned on money laundering and racketeering charges. Andrew Huffing, father to Adelle Parker, is facing charges for his alleged conspiracy to launder funds for the Mexican and California Lindo’s drug cartel. Ricardo Lindo’s, a Mexican national, has been under investigation by Federal authorities in the U.S. Lindo, who is also the owner of a Mexican business consortium, reportedly bought Andrew’s Sporting Goods stores from Andrew Huffing four years ago. Not only may he have overpaid for the business to launder funds, but he was also laundering illicit funds, with the assistance of Huffing, via cash sales for years, prior to Huffing’s ultimate sale of the business to Lindo.
Sands, who was the general manager for Andrew’s Sporting Goods stores, has provided authorities with information on the alleged money-laundering scheme.
I asked, “Anything else on the article?” Dom replied, “No, just a little more blah, blah, and that the reporter will follow up with a full expose of all the persons charged with crimes. But we already know that part. Don’t we?”
Patrick was obviously excited with all the commotion. “What do you guys want to do about the press and phone calls?”
“I’m sure as hell not in the mood to talk to any of them,” I
replied. “Father, you want to deal with them?” “Oh no, not me,” Dom replied. “I’ve got to get back to the church.”
Marcy said, “Father, I can give you a ride back.” I quipped, “I’m not staying here. Patrick, can you handle the bar?”
“Of course, Joey, not the first time. Get out of here.”
I turned to Marcy. “Dinner at your place?” “If we order in, no problem,” she responded. I moved in closer to her and whispered, “Now that I’m famous, I want to talk about our future.”
“Yeah, why don’t you make love to me tonight, and we can talk tomorrow?” “Sounds like a plan. I’ll let you make the first move.” “Don’t I always, Mancuso?”
Life is good.
EPILOGUE
None of the cases were immediately resolved; justice is not necessarily swift. The crimes that Joey Mancuso and his half-brother, Father Dominic O’Brian, exposed that Monday morning at their pub took a little over a year to finalize. All the attorneys worked ferociously on behalf of their clients.
Melody Wright was charged and found guilty of: Aggravated identity theft, a class D felony in the state of New York.
First-degree felony murder for the brutal killing of Kathy Miller.
Money laundering as a result of using false identities to obtain the funds. Tax evasion for failing to report the offshore accounts she held under her false identities and for failure to file a tax return for the same.
The prosecutors decided not to turn the case over to California, where Ms. Wright was facing additional charges for identity theft. While death is one of the penalties for first-degree murder and a class-A felony in New York, the death penalty was negotiated to a life sentence in a plea bargain because of her cooperation with authorities with respect to Evans and Albert, and her pleading guilty. Melody Wright is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women, a maximum-security prison, located in Bedford, New York State. All her offshore accounts were identified and confiscated. She was assessed a fine of one million dollars, which she was unable to pay. Federal authorities continued to seek the cooperation of Melody Wright in connection with Vittorio Agostino to no avail. Six months into her sentence, Ms. Wright was killed in prison, stabbed several times with a shiv—a crudely made knife. Her murder has not been solved.
Mrs. Adelle Parker was charged and found guilty of: Attempted murder, class A felony, because of her lover Robert Sands’ cooperation with authorities. Sands testified that Adelle and he had planned to kill Jonathan Parker with poison to collect on the insurance policy.
Premeditated, planned, deliberate, “hard” insurance fraud.
Money laundering related to her father’s ongoing laundering and the sale of Andrew’s Sporting Goods. Mrs. Parker was sentenced to twenty years at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility alongside Melody Wright.
Andrew Huffing was charged and found guilty of money laundering, again, because of the testimony of Sands, who served in the capacity of general manager at Andrew’s Sporting Goods since the business.
Huffing was sentenced to a inception of the five-year term at Lincoln Correctional Facility, a minimum-security prison facing Central Park in New York City on 110th Street. While the facility has a capacity for four hundred six prisoners, it currently houses two hundred seventy-five. The facility’s neighbors include the Met and the Guggenheim, Museum Mile, and the Dakota Apartments, where John Lennon lived and where he was shot. A year into his sentence, Andrew Huffing was broken out of prison. His body was found in Nogales, Mexico, by Mexican authorities. He had been shot once in the back of the head. That crime remains unsolved.
Mrs. Anita Schilling, sister to Adelle Parker and daughter of Andrew Huffing, was successful in her trial, with her attorneys proving that Mrs. Schilling was neither privy to nor an active participant in the money-laundering scheme concocted by her father. The authorities were successful in a “claw back” of two million dollars from her trust, as a result of proving that part of the gains from the sale was from illicit profits. The claw back included an agreement to limit the amount to the two million or fifty percent, whichever was greater, of the amounts recovered from Evans and Albert client-invested funds.
Robert Evans was charged and found guilty of: One count of first-degree class-A felony murder for the killing of “Jimmy” or John Doe in the alley behind the 21 Club and one count of second-degree class-A felony murder for the killing of Jonathan Parker.
One count of conspiring to kill Kathy Miller, a felony murder. Securities fraud and insider trading as a result of Kathy Miller’s boyfriend’s testimony, even though the SEC had investigated the charges on a prior occasion and were unable to bring charges.
Operating a Ponzi scheme and defrauding investors. Again, the testimony and records brought by Miller’s boyfriend were the smoking gun that sealed the case for the prosecutors.
Tax evasion. Evans received two sentences of twenty-five years each for the murders of Jimmy and Jonathan Parker, each sentence to be served separately, and ten years for conspiracy to commit murder. Additionally, he received a sentence of twenty years for securities fraud and insider trading. Awaiting the completion of those eighty years in prison was a sentence of one hundred years for the charge of operating a Ponzi scheme. No additional time was added for the tax evasion conviction. Additionally, Evans was fined five million dollars and the forfeiture of his real estate properties. Mrs. Evans was allowed to keep two hundred thousand dollars and a small condominium in Albany, New York, as her personal residence.
Thomas Albert III was charged and found guilty of:
One count of first-degree class-A felony murder for the killing of Jonathan Parker.
One count of conspiring to kill Kathy Miller.
One count of the attempted murder of Joey Mancuso. Secu
rities fraud and insider trading like Evans.
Operating a Ponzi scheme and defrauding investors, like Evans.
Tax evasion. Albert is serving twenty-five years for the murder of Jonathan Parker, plus ten years for conspiring to commit murder. He will serve an additional twenty years for insider trading and securities fraud. Like Evans, an additional onehundred-year sentence awaits him for operating a Ponzi scheme.
Additionally, two portfolio managers at Evans, Albert, and Associates were charged and found guilty of insider trading, securities fraud, and operating a Ponzi scheme. Both received fifty-year prison terms.
Both partners and their two portfolio managers are serving their time at the Clinton Correctional Facility in New York, the largest correctional facility in New York State.
Arturo Alvarez, Kathy Miller’s boyfriend and an analyst at Evans and Albert, wasn’t charged with any crimes. As a whistleblower, he was entitled to receive from the SEC’s Insurance Protection fund anywhere from ten to thirty percent of any funds recovered from Evans and Albert. It would take two years for the authorities to recover any funds, but Arturo was to receive three million dollars. The IRS was also in line to recover unpaid taxes from Evans and Albert. Once collected, Arturo would receive an additional bounty from the IRS.
Edmonton Daniels, or Ed, was the second homeless person in the alley the day “Jimmy” was murdered by Evans and the prime witness in that murder. Ed would receive, as a gift, three hundred thousand dollars from Arturo Alvarez. With the funds and a government grant, Ed would open a homeless shelter in Harlem and became the director of the facility.
Joey Mancuso and Father Dominic O’Brian had been promised two hundred thousand dollars from Arturo Alvarez for solving the murder of Kathy Miller. The IRS awarded them a “whistleblower informant” award of fifteen percent of the taxes and penalties recovered from Ms. Melody Wright’s offshore accounts.
The notoriety paid off before the money came in. Mancuso appeared on Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, and The O’Reilly Factor days after the charges were filed against the five suspects. The brothers are considering being consultants in a TV series offered to them by the cable channel USA. They continue to solve crimes from their headquarters, Captain O’Brian’s Irish Pub & Cigar Bar in Manhattan’s Financial District.
