Being Oscar (40 page)

Read Being Oscar Online

Authors: Oscar Goodman

In elementary school two friends, Spinks and Hurst, made sure I walked back and forth to school without having too many fights with the boys from St. Carthage. Mrs. Cecelia Chevone was smart enough to have me skip second grade at Bryant School after I wrote and produced a play called “Felix the Cat.” And the class of 206 students at Philadelphia’s Central High School convinced me I was no genius but did have a ken for leadership.

The boys at the Main Line’s Haverford School were socialites with whom I had little in common. But I did manage to conquer many of their debutantes. Haverford College, on the other hand, was an Elysium where Professors Desjardins and Reid and Coach Prudente made every day a pleasure.

The saving grace of Penn Law School was to come into contact with the most decent of men, Professor A. Leo Levin, and to have the opportunity to work as a bartender at social gatherings in the home of my criminal law professor, Louis Schwartz.

I learned how to practice law at the feet of some of the great defenders of citizens’ rights while in the courtroom. Many are mentioned in this book, but there are legions of others to whom I am also grateful and indebted.

To the decent judges with whom I fought tooth and nail, only to show more class than I had when embracing me after a case, I say thank you. And the same to the handful of prosecutors who lived by the adage that achieving justice is more important than winning.

A special thanks to Tom Cochrane of the U.S. Conference of Mayors who guided me throughout my mayoral tenure, and also to his wife, Carlotta, with whom Carolyn and I became dear friends. The same to all the mayors I met along the way who loved the city they represented and weren’t looking to seek “higher office.” In my mind, there is no higher office.

Thank you, too, to George Anastasia, a real author, who folded all my stories into a book.

I’m also grateful to the members of City Council who supported my dream of creating a renaissance in Las Vegas and to the city staff that made it happen: Joel, and Joel and Keith who put Humpty Dumpty back together. Finally, to my office staff, Sherry, Joey, and Ericka, who worked with me and, more important, rooted for me, all along the way.

INDEX

Abraham, Dustin Lee,
200

Adamson, Arnie,
187
,
188–189

Agosto, Joe,
128

Alberta, Vince,
255

Allison, Jo Ann/Tommy and Merck case,
182–184

Anderson, Aldon,
145

Angel Blade
(movie),
198

Anka, Paul,
95

Ann Margaret,
199

Apprentice, The
(television),
220

Argent Corporation,
120
,
129

Atkins diet,
242

Auerhahn, Jeffrey,
177
,
178

Baken (Calise), Rick,
72–73

Baker, Manny,
57–61
,
190

Barrie, Dennis,
212
,
213

Baylin, Oscar,
11

Beckley, Gil “The Brain,”
43–44
,
50

Bell, Lloyd,
31

Beloff, Diane,
162
,
163

Beloff, Leland,
159
,
160
,
161
,
162
,
163

Berns, Chuckie,
126

Bettman, Gary,
252

Bingham (Crockett case witness),
28
,
29
,
30
,
31
,
32

Bingham, Jay,
186
,
187

Binion, Benny,
6–7
,
67
,
144
,
145

Binion, Jack,
67

Binion, Teddy,
151–152

Black Book,
x
,
74
,
75
,
76
,
77
,
78
,
120
,
133
,
229

Black, Mrs. Homer,
29

Blake, Archie,
85–86

Blake, Jimmy,
18

Blasko, Joe,
67

Bluestein, Frankie,
78

Bobblehead dolls,
xi
,
4
,
240

Bombay Sapphire gin,
241
,
256

Bonavena, Oscar,
148

Boston, Joey,
51

Botha, Frans “The White Buffalo,”
91–92

Brando, Marlon,
199

Brazina, Paul,
209

Briggs, Mitzy,
129

Bryant, Brad,
97–98

Butler, Bob,
35

Bybee, Shannon,
76

Caan, James,
201
,
202

Caesars Palace,
21
,
69
,
99
,
126

Cahn, Bill,
51–52

Canzoneri, Tough Tony,
87

Caramandi, Nicky “The Crow,”
54–55
,
159
,
160–161
,
162–163
,
167

Carter, Jimmy,
144
,
145

Casino chips/Goodman caricature,
240
,
257

Casino
(movie),
126–127
,
133–134
,
195–196
,
199
,
212
,
263

Cassidy, Bill,
237–238

Chagra, Jimmy

     
background/description,
96
,
99–100
,
101
,
107
,
203

     
drug allegations/trial and,
96
,
98
,
101–102
,
103–106

     
Spilotro and,
95–97
,
100

     
Wood’s murder trial,
103–105
,
106
,
108–115
,
203

Chagra, Joe,
106
,
107
,
108

Chagra, Lee

     
background/description,
97
,
98–99
,
101

     
civil suit against Wood and,
98–99
,
100
,
102

     
drug-dealing allegations,
98
,
101

     
murder,
100–101

Chagra, Liz,
101
,
105
,
106–108

Chan, Jackie,
197

Chandler, Happy/family,
97–98

Chesnoff, David,
177–178

Circus Circus,
68
,
69
,
71
,
127

Civella, Nick

     
background/description,
80–81

     
feds bugging prison,
106

     
Goodman/Goodman’s family and,
xi
,
67
,
79
,
82
,
83
,
84
,
98

     
Goodman/wiretap case and,
53

     
Rosenthal and,
135
,
136

     
skimming and,
127–129

Claiborne, Harry

     
background/description,
71
,
79
,
141
,
142–145
,
153–154
,
155
,
157

     
case against,
141
,
147
,
149
,
151–152
,
153–155

     
as federal law enforcement target,
145–147
,
149
,
151–152
,
153–155

     
impeachment and,
xi–xiii
,
141
,
142
,
155–157

Clinton, Hillary,
226

Clinton, President,
190
,
231

Cohen, Sam,
47

Cohen, Willie,
68

Collins, Jon,
31–32

Come Blow Your Horn
(play),
13–14

Conforte, Joe,
147
,
149–150
,
152–153

Conforte, Sally,
147–149

Coolidge, Martha,
200–201

Cotton Club, The
(movie),
77

Crime/criminal cases

     
burglary vs. robbery,
27

     
jurors return/verdict and,
29
,
38

     
Scottish verdict,
116

     
television programs vs.,
27
,
198

     
See also
Goodman, Oscar/defense attorney career
;
Law enforcement
;
specific cases/individuals

Crockett, Lewis “Brown” and Goodman setup,
73

Crockett, Lewis “Brown”/case

     
background,
27
,
28

     
polygraph deal,
33–35

     
trials,
28–32

CSI
(television),
198–200
,
220

Cullotta, Frank,
122
,
123
,
124
,
129
,
130–131

Cusumano, Joey,
77–78

Dalitz, Moe,
6–7

Danson, Ted,
199

DeJesus, Esteban,
88

DelGiorno, Thomas “Tommy Del,”
161–162
,
167–168

DeNiro, Robert,
134
,
195–196

Dennis, S.G., Jr.,
163–164

Departed, The
(movie),
174

DePasquale, John,
42–43
,
44
,
46
,
47

Dickinson, Angie,
197

Dirty Pictures
(movie),
212–213

Domenica, Sister (“singing nun”),
133

Donaghy, Tim,
253

Drug legalization/taxes,
264
,
268–270

Dugas, Julian,
255

Duhamel, Josh,
202

Duran, Roberto,
88

Edwards, John,
226

Emanuel, Rahm,
228
,
230

Epp, Dan Van,
218–219
,
222

Farrakhan, Louis,
230

Ferrara, Vinny,
xi
,
173–178
,
213

Finney, Mark,
113–114

Fishburne, Laurence,
199

Flamingo Hotel-Casino,
17
,
18
,
47
,
48

Foley, Roger,
49
,
79

Foley, Tom,
26

Foster, Frances,
199

Fountainebleau Hotel,
45
,
47
,
49

Fox, Byron,
53

Franklin, Ben,
14

Franklin, George,
32–34

Fratiano, Aladena “Jimmy the Weasel,”
124–125

Fretwell, Betty,
212

Fullam, John P.,
163

Gambling

     
addiction,
250
,
251

     
overview,
251–253

Gans, Danny,
197

Garland, Judy,
143

Gaughan, Michael,
194
,
210

Gehry, Frank,
222–223

Genovese crime family,
36

George, Phyllis,
98

Ghanem, Elias,
93

Giancana, Sam,
132

Giuliani, Rudy,
89

Glassman, Tony,
207

Glick, Allen,
74
,
129

Godfather, The
(movie),
77
,
201

Golden Nugget,
42
,
193

Goldmark, Carl, Jr.,
41

Goldmark, Hazel Seligman,
41

Goldstein, Ruby,
51
,
118

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