I will usually see three to eight tubs on every midway of Wade Shows and North American Midway Entertainment. 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. Carny life is not an easy one. The few drifter-lifestyles left are heavily frowned upon. 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. Gaffed and chance-based games travel to thousands of carnival lots and fairs each year, raking in billions of dollars in ill-gotten gains with virtual impunity. It does tend to be full of gossip since everyone works and lives with each other in close quartersRide and customer safety is the number-one priority. Another 25 percent are illegal since they are gambling games. The game is designed to be impossible to spill eight marbles into holes for totals corresponding to any successful yardage gains on the conversion chart. As for the coworkers I got along with, I never asked them about their criminal background, so I couldnt tell you. These small carnys get seedier every year. The gang then broke into 10 trailers in search of valuables and cash. In my research spanning the last 17 years, I estimate that about 75 percent of carnival games on todays traveling midways are gambling, frauds, or a combination of both; up from law enforcements earlier estimate of 50 percent. There was also the infamous Gypsy Camp Murder in Louisiana. It was adopted after a stabbing by a carnival worker in 2001. I had observed the tub agent cheating the youngster with a deep-rooted bait-and-switch, shenanigan, called the deadening-ball trick, a slick maneuver to covertly conceal a gaff ball at the bottom of the angled tub prior to his demonstration. Cries for a state law started after a convicted sex offender working as a carnival worker raped and drugged a 15-year-old girl at the Illinois State Fair in 2001. Its a mix. There must be collaboration among governmental agencies regarding the identification, tracking, and documenting of these interstate businessmen along with recognizing the moral and social ills associated with the intentions of most to take criminal financial advantage of children. Dishonest carnival operators generally keep two sets of books, reporting only that sum of money as necessary, with the remainder unreported, states the Michigan Attorney Generals Carnival Games Manual.This 1987 publication is an important tool for law enforcement officers and prosecuting attorneys. 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. That would surely subject them to a false arrest claim and a possible headline about their rip-off (the kids) church festival. Carnival companies, not the state, should absorb the costs of background checks, lawmakers said. Youll also find quite a few references to various arrests, some of Some believed the word to be derogatory. Assisting the NBCs Today show (and reimbursed for expenses) as their police carnival games expert, I was assigned by Thomas to investigate Michigan carnivals and especially the games at the 2012 Arab Festival, which draws about 300,000 patrons. . Ignoring it, wont make it go away. At large expositions, such as a state fair, the money is massive and the split is different. he government contended Lovett and Randall Roach (Magic Midway carnival owner) schemed from 2004 until September 27, 2013, when Lovett retired. They dont draw a line, everything is fair game.. Carnival workers have also said they were forced to live in filthy trailers or bunkhouses. Gaffed and chance-based games from the same carnival companies travel to thousands of carnival lots and fairs each year. I informed her that the gaffed carnival basketball rims are not bent by the carnies, but manufactured for the carnies, and for the designed purpose of creating a false impression of size and shape. Ugh. Im not sure what other highly-transient, blue collar labor force[s] youre alluding to, but I disagree that carnies only seem different from such groups because of where and how they interact with the public. The life is really like a frat house on wheels:rampant [use of illicit substances]abounds. No state requires background checks, said Bob Johnson of the Florida-based Outdoor Amusement Business Association, a national trade group. The same carny-cops (police officers patrolling the midway), and the same returning interstate carny-outlaws appear to be working in concert for income at annual extravaganzas.This, combined with the hoodwink nods from corrupt public servants, seems to be the big American secret at fairs and festivals. But by the early 1990s, the syndicate had largely collapsed. During my 30-40 minute survey for Thomas, I counted 166 attempts by hoodwinked teens at $2 a shot. It is evident that the police officers oath of office is not upheld and easily forgotten by some. A lot of money came flowing in, said retired FBI Special Agent Keith Bell. I remember a lot of late nights when my mom would come home to our trailer late after the fairgrounds had closed. It's the exact opposite of what most folks describe. In 2014, a Razzle victim wrote to me about being fleeced for $7,000 at a festival in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Six flags is much better and safer. It was a crime spree that spanned four generations and crossed multiple states from Texas to Oregon, beginning in the early 1920s with ancestors who were The carny vocabulary is traditionally part of carnival cant, a secret language. (This practice, one would presume, should already be standard police procedure and routine.). Even today, this is still pretty prevalent on the smaller shows. I read every article, book, and case law I could find relating to these games. What sideshows have you worked in? By maintaining two sets of books, the carnival can cheat the charity out of a large amount of revenue for their purposes.. Kirksey McCord Nix Jr., one of the notorious leaders of the Dixie Mafia. WebEmployees felt differently about being labeled a carnie, a name colloquially used to describe carnival workers. He agrees with legislators pushing a law requiring background checks but wants to make sure the carnival industry has input, specifically regarding who will pay for the checks. She was clearly astonished and interested in securing this elliptical type of rim for a demonstration during her Today feature. To view the full story in, NBC producer Sandra Thomass Today show and Dateline features used several hidden cameras at NAMEs carnivals in June, 2012, and were able to capture on film and describe the agents cheating deadening ball maneuver during both NBC 2012, narrated by NBCs national correspondent Jeff Rossen, entitled , Are carnival games cheating you - and your kids? As for the OP, I second WhyNot. As reported in the. Instead, the Dixie Mafia was a rag-tag band of crooks who were willing to do just about any crime if there was money involved. In 2004, four off-duty cops in New Orleans were implicated, with one of them federally indicted, for a charge related to conspiracy to protect and profit from a Razzle business during the carnival season. This is an ideal way for owners to feel they bought and own the loyalty of cops on their midways. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an criminal justice major. In the carnival business, the slang synonymous with rig or trick is gaff; i.e., The game is gaffed. Most operators of gaffed games combine gambling with the gaff in order to pinch as much money as possible from the unwitting customer. OK, you GOTTA give us details! YouTubePete Halat, Kirksey McCord Nixs former lawyer who once served as the mayor of Biloxi. According to information from a Dearborn police officer, in confidence, the police department security hired to patrol Dearborns Arab International Festival is annually awarded a $10,000 contract by festival sponsor, American Arab Chamber of Commerce, to pay overtime for the services of off-duty police officers who patrol the four-day event. CBS News exposed a carnival company which was cheating soldiers and their families out of money at the 2011 Fourth of July Freedom Fest at Fort Hood, Texas, the largest military base in the country. "I think it definitely warrants another look," said Rep. Kevin Joyce (D-Chicago), who has sponsored a bill requiring background checks that was killed in past sessions. 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. [citation needed] Most carnies no longer use cant, but some owners/operators and "old-timers" ("half yarders") still use some of the classic terms. Your child could be getting on a ride that is run by Charles Manson. WebCarnivals have a number of workers, each of whom has a specific role to fill. If a person cheats customers, it is likely that same person will cheat the government. In 2012, I was contacted by NBCs Today show producer Sandra Thomas, who wanted to consult with me regarding a story about carnival games. The numbers of arrests and convictions found in the background checks do not surprise Burbank Police Chief Bruce Radowicz. At three events checked this summer by the attorney general and sheriff's offices, no background problems were discovered. Drifter is closer, if you ask me. Knowing I was on firm ground, and having experienced a pattern of these intimidation tactics, arrest threats, and failed defamation suits on other occasions, I was wondering if these irritated cops wouldnt chance trumping up an arrest with creative writing. Carnival-related bribes and illegal transactions pave the way for the crooked migratory hustlers to trailer into your neighborhood for a weekend each year, never having a need to worry about arrest. 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. For money, the sheriff and officers loyal to him would release prisoners from the county jail, safeguard drug shipments, and hide fugitives. We open at around 5 or 6 pm on Saturday, close at 10 or 11pm, tear down rides (about four hours), drive them to the next spot (typically about 45 minutesto an hour and a half), then set them all back up (about sevenhours). Halat was released from prison in 2012, while Nix continues serving a life sentence. Meanwhile, the Dixie Mafia received hundreds of thousands of dollars during this time. Several scout-cars responded and one bully-type sergeant threatened to arrest me. As part of a self-serving marketing ploy, some carnival owners publicize their plans to make donations to local charities, in an attempt to present themselves as compassionate people in order to gain respect and support of citizens they plan to flimflam. Crazy Ball and similar varieties obviously lack the requisite skill component of the players according to state laws. Few cities have ordinances that require background checks. It is not uncommon for sheriffs or police chiefs to lend themselves to sizable remunerations to ensure that these affable outlaws operate on trouble-free turf. Countless other Democrat politicians split another $100,000 from the Gregorys. He has since risen to the pinnacle of the carnival world with his rigged games, his cash, his protectors, and his friends in high places. WebWhile the vast majority of carnival workers are responsible and helpful, a few have been caught engaging in criminal activity. The fair is an extension of her; it is her identity and passion. Huston, vice president of Operations at Pugh Shows at the time, was present when Argo was arrested. We have a lot of interesting family friends from the fair business. Carnivals have close ties to not only organized crime but to local law enforcement. At that point, when the agent tossed the demo balls in, the secret deadening ball absorbed the energy of the demo balls. I typed out my detailed fraud/gambling complaint for Richardson and provided him with a copy of the Michigan Carnival Games Manual. Frank has carnival contracts there as well. Watch Gummo. In late 1991 and 1992, the grisly murder of Ault - involving carnival workers and satanism - dominated Indiana and Ohio headlines for months. Law enforcement must first recognize this systemic national illness and how it capitalizes on unprotected Americans. "Some of them, you wonder why they are not in jail," Radowicz said. Ive seen horror shows and Ive seen highschool kids. We certainly hope this deals them a major blow, said one attorney at the time. Since then, very little has been heard about the Cornbread Cosa Nostra. Burbank's policy--like other municipalities'--has no teeth because it cannot stop someone with a criminal history from working at a carnival, said lawmakers and law enforcement officials advocating stronger legislation. Learn all about Carnival Worker educational requirements, degrees, majors, certifications, online courses, and top colleges that will help you advance in Carnival Worker career. Unbeknownst to authorities, Dixie Mafia leader Kirksey McCord Nix Jr. was orchestrating an elaborate extortion scheme from behind bars. 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. The sheriffs revenge story was later depicted in the 1973 film Walking Tall. She cleaned and closed up the pie stand, only to stay up into the wee hours counting money and balancing all of the cash registers' records, snatch a couple hourssleep, and get up early enough to set everything up and restock before the fair opened the next morning. Carnival life is its own world, detached from mainstream lifestyles. As such, yeah, they do sometimes attract the less than savory folks. I got into the life through family, and though I'm in college now, I will likely go out again next season. This complaint and the 2011 complaint to Richardson vanished and both verbal and written statements were never filed in police records. A major stereotype I hate is that we are all crooks and criminals. Carnival midways are the only venues in the United States where local A continuing criminal enterprise is an example of organized crime. Pre-teens are allowed to play a classic gambling game called Crazy Ball at most festivals and fairs. 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. But even incarceration couldnt stop them from committing crimes. Argo was arrested on May 5, 2001 in the City of Taylor, Michigan, for operating fraudulent gambling machines. Most carnies are just people with nowhere else to go - usually no family to speak of or In an attempt to skirt responsibility for the crooks in question, playing their crooked games, Century 21 Shows manager Jeremy Bendsons acted innocent when questioned by the reporter while playing the customary independent contractor card. Hey! NAME and Co CEO, Danny R. Huston, can gross $200,000 over the weekend and pay the sponsor one-quarter of the gross or about $50,000 for the privilege of servicing unprotected patrons. Now, the mark plays for another $2 and the carny adds up the marbles in a slow accurate manner which will always translate to either no yards or 29 which is the doubling-up number on the chart and often hit because of the defeating number arrangement on the marble board. I was just a kid, so I dont know what all kinds of things he did, but I do know he had a few brushes with the law. For other uses, see. 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: The Perfect Crimes (2010) and Carnival Games: $10,000,000,000 Hoodwink Racket (2012). They never went anywhere and interacted at least occasionally with normal society. Yeah, it was a great movie, but I dont get the connection to carnies. From his prison cell in the Louisiana State Penitentiary, Nix created a lonely hearts scam that targeted innocent gay men. Thats exactly what I did. When cheating for money occurs, it is no longer a game, but a crime. All 12 rims on the North American Midway Entertainment (NAME) carnival midway measured 10.5-by-17 inches on elliptical axes. Most of the employees are actually nice people, but for many of them, it is almost a job of last resort. But really, what field doesnt? Step right up! 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. Here is the story of Edgar Allen Gregory Jr., who in 1993, was captured on film during a Dateline NBC hidden camera investigation for operating a racket-show while displaying several big-dollar-fraudulent gambling games on his mobile carnival midway at the North Tennessee State Fair. 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). By the 1980s, many top members of the Dixie Mafia had found themselves in prison. He would come up to my Moms (his sisters) house and stay while he would talk to the lawyers and go to court and stuff. My parents sold the business when I was still young, and I hated them for it because to a young kid, it was so much fun! I hope I have answered it for you. Which Animated Disney Movie Should Get A Horror Adaptation Next? The law dictates that police officers are required to take enforcement action when criminal activity is observed or reported. Carnival owners, workers, and agents, known as carnies, who own, manage, or operate these chance-based games and share in the take, are conspiring to promote gambling. Exclusive to Razzle is its signature conversion chart.. Theyre Other, therefore theyre not to be trusted. Jeff Blomsness of South Barrington-based All Star Amusements Co. said his company conducts background checks and drug tests on workers. 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. Well I dont think theyre shady as much as they simply look like they have come from extremely impoverished environments, or have led very harsh lives given the state of their average dental health, and their overall haggard look. 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. They were doing anything and everything illegal down here, said retired FBI Special Agent Keith Bell, who grew up on the Gulf Coast and worked on cases linked to the Dixie Mafia. For 15 years, his city has required carnival companies to submit employees' names--since a 10-year-old boy was sexually molested by a carnival worker who had just been released from prison for a similar offense. This mirror serves the rich and powerful while it shapes a negative and distorted view of the poor minority. But years later, it became a terrifying criminal I completed a larceny report for Steve, who told about the carnival patch and offered to lend me the book by John Scarne entitled Scarnes New Complete Guide to Gambling.Scarne writes that the patch is a carnival front man who squares complaints with players and police. The patch, who is sometimes a lawyer (in carnival terms the mender or fixer), collects patch money from crooked game agents who pay him to bribe police or to patch up any problems with wiped out sore losers. The patch may arrive in advance of the carnival to make friends and deals. WebBusiness Insider asked current and former cruise-ship workers what they wish they could tell passengers but can't. An Arizona man has been charged with human trafficking for allegedly holding Mexican workers hostage to staff his traveling carnival. They dont! In reach of the big payoff at 95 yards but broke, the mark is encouraged by the slick talking flatty to go to the automatic teller machine (ATM) and return with more money stating: You need just a few more yards to win a thousand dollars for each hundred you invested. But it was getting harder and harder to make money, with each fairground becoming more of a bureaucratic morass every year. Not only were you most likely cheated, but your police department was likely not interested in protecting you from professional lawbreakers. Federal indictments involving four members of La Cosa Nostra in the carnival rackets resulted in convictions in 2013. It is evident that the police officers oath of office is not upheld and easily forgotten by some. WebCruise ship crime. The mark will often return and become heavily invested, as the doubling effect will drain his bank account before reaching the goal line. So this is a fair one to assume. State legislators said carnival companies have exaggerated costs to kill bills. I dont know if it compares, but I do know that some people there worked the shady angle purposefully. WebAnswer (1 of 2): Ahh.. ciazarn. That pretty much sums it up. 15.5% of Carnival Workers are Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% of Carnival Workers are Black or African American, 5.4% of Carnival Workers are Asian, 4.5% of Carnival Workers are Unknown, and 0.1% of Carnival Workers are American Indian and Alaska Native. I've worked nine years at one of the largest single-unit carnivals in the country. 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 dont have children, however, I do not plan to bring them [when I do] to the carnies that come through town here. 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. "I'd recommend you stay with [your children] every ride and every attraction on the midway. He died broke shortly thereafter. Carnivals have close ties to not only organized crime but to local law enforcement. The Outdoor Amusement Business Association advocates for carnival companies to conduct background checks and wants to work with legislators to draft a law that can be fair to companies, Johnson said. 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.). ", In this CBS News Online, July 12, 2011, video. 47% of Carnival Workers have a high school diploma degree, 10% major in criminal justice. On the night of February 18, 1969, at least five alleged members of the Dixie Mafia ransacked the Skeebow Trailer Court near Lake Pontchartrain, where traveling carnival employees had set up their camp. Carnival game players lose 95 percent of the time says a carnival game enforcement specialist, Corporal Glenn Hester of the Glynn County Police Department of Brunswick, Georgia. Im not a betting man, but I am willing to lay heavy odds that federal law enforcement will make carnival racketeering a higher priority once they acknowledge all the components. 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. But did the Dixie Mafias grip on the American South really end in the 1990s? A favorite American mythologyis that of the carnie, someone who works at a carnival. Many have no address, pay no taxes, and are otherwise isolated from everyday society. Thomas also requested that I play the games. 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. Not an easy life. "For small fairs, it's very hard to even have a carnival," Ostermeier said. Our excitement over cotton candy and carnival rides easily matches that of our kids. These are people that would otherwise be homeless if not for the ability to count to 2 with both hands. Theres something inherently interresting in flirting with the danger of putting your entertainment in the hands of a untrustworthy-looking stranger, and I know more than one of our crew made extra money just off of their image / appearance in that way. The various suspect games on NAMEs midway, vividly depicted in Biloxi and Indianapolis, are featured in Jeff Rossens and Sandra Thomass 2012 expos. The British form of fairground cant is called "polari". This style eventually migrated into wrestling, hip hop, and other parts of modern culture.[4]. Marcello, one of the most powerful leaders in organized crime in America, operated in New Orleans around the same time that the Dixie Mafia was coming to power. These drifting grifters pay the head carny for the front footage of their flat-store; as much as $100-a-foot per day, reliant on the games ability to steal money. With the corrupt fail-safe protection system in place, carny-owners dont have to worry about their lawbreakers ever having to face criminal charges.
