MAKING THE CONNECTION FROM CUYAHOGA COUNTY CORRUPTION AND MEDINA COUNTY

In the prior segment to this blog, readers were shown the connections in the Cuyahoga County Corruption investigation between former Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo, former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, and Dimora's neighbor, drug runner, bomber, murderer (according to the late Angelo Lonardo) and reputed "Don" of the Cleveland Family of La Cosa Nostra, Russell J. Papalardo.


Having established those connections, one certain connection between Cuyahoga County corruption and Medina County corruption can be made in the person of former Brunswick Service Director SAM SCAFFIDE.


Regular readers of this blog may recall a prior post that, according to a well-placed source, SCAFFIDE had been terminated from his employment as Service Director by the Brunswick City Manager James Lukas in May 2011.

When approached by the media about SCAFFIDE'S firing, the Brunswick City Manager refused comment.  An online Cleveland Plain Dealer article about SCAFFIDE'S removal form his position as the Brunswick Service Director can be found at http://blog.cleveland.com/brunswicksuntimes/2011/05/scaffide_leaving_brunwick_serv.html .

The well-placed source reported that SCAFFIDE had been fired for MISAPPROPRIATION. 


Further, the source reported that SCAFFIDE got the job based upon the intervention of Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora.


OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE IN THIS ENTIRE MATTER IS THE FACT THAT CORRUPT MEDINA DEMOCRAT PROSECUTOR DINO HOLMAN HAS NOT UNDERTAKEN ANY PROSECUTIVE ACTION AGAINST SCAFFIDE, A DEMOCRAT COUNCILMAN IN TWINSBURG, OHIO, IF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE SOURCE IS ACCURATE.


Readers can easily review the prior post, captioned THE FIX IS IN! DINO HOLMAN WON'T PROSECUTE POLITICALLY CONNECTED FELLOW DEM PUBLIC OFFICIAL! easily found at http://medinacorruption.blogspot.com/2011/07/fix-is-in-dino-holman-wont-prosecute.html

Readers who have been following testimony in the Dimora trial will be aware that corrupt former Cuyahoga County Frank Russo, just this past week, offered testimony against his old pal Jimmy Dimora at DiMora's trial in U.S. District Court, Akron.

One particular interesting bit of Russo's testimony was his testimony that he and Jimmy Dimora did, indeed, approach judges in attempts to fix cases.  Convicted judge Bridget McCafferty was one of them.


Following are excerpts from an online article of the Newsnet 5 (TV channel 5) website.  The article can be found at http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/political/corruption_probe/frank-russo-names-judges-he-and-jimmy-dimora-allegedly-contacted-for-help-on-court-cases :

  -  "Frank Russo testified he and Jimmy Dimora called judges to "fix cases," and some names were mentioned in the trial for the first time. Russo also testified Dimora asked him to call judges on his behalf "at least five times."

  -  "One named of the first time was Judge Cheryl Karner. She is a domestic relations judge at the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas."

  -  "Another judge Russo said he and Dimora called for help was Judge Joseph F. Russo, a juvenile court judge at the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas." 
  -  "Frank Russo also named former judge Bridgette McCafferty , who already is in prison."

  -  "Russo also named Cleveland Municipal Court judges Joe Zone and Emanuella Groves, both of whom had not been mentioned before."


  -  "Russo said retired domestic relations Judge James Celebrezze also was contacted...."

  -  "Many judges over the years were called," Russo said in federal court late Wednesday afternoon."
  -  " Russo also named some bailiffs he and Dimora contacted, trying to reach judges."

Additional online articles about the corruption of the courts by DIMORA and RUSSO can be found at http://www.cleveland.com/countyincrisis/index.ssf/2012/02/jimmy_dimora_called_five_judge.html  and at http://www.cleveland.com/countyincrisis/index.ssf/2012/02/jimmy_dimora_trial_what_we_now.html

The evidence against Jimmy Dimora consists in no small part of hours of telephone conversations between Dimora and others, secretly recorded by the FBI pursuant to court ordered Title III wiretaps.

Turning back once again to former  Brunswick Service Director Sam Scaffide, most of the general public is unaware that SAM SCAFFIDE IS JIMMY DIMORA'S COUSIN !

The matter of the failure  of CORRUPT MEDINA DEMOCRAT PROSECUTOR DINO HOLMAN to initiate a prosecution of Democrat SAM SCAFFIDE, Democrat JIMMY DIMORA'S COUSIN, takes on a new dimension.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT JIMMY DIMORA PLACED A TELEPHONE CALL TO HOLMAN THE CORRUPT TO WARD OFF A CRIMINAL PROSECUTION OF SAM SCAFFIDE, HIS COUSIN?  

OR IS IT POSSIBLE THAT JIMMY DIMORA PLACED A CALL TO CORRUPT MEDINA COUNTY JUDGE CHRISTOPHER COLLIER TO THAT SAME END?  AFTER ALL, LAPDOG COLLIER IS AN ITALIAN, HAVING BEEN BORN CHRISTOPHER CALAFATO.   THOSE OLD ETHNIC ITALIAN ROOTS CAN RUN REALLY DEEP.

The recent testimony in Dimora's trial demonstrates that Dimora and Russo have a history of intervening in legal matters in the courts.

WAS SUCH A PHONE CALL EVER MADE?  ONLY DIMORA, SCAFFIDE, HOLMAN THE CORRUPT, AND LAPDOG JUDGE COLLIER KNOW FOR SURE!

DOES THE FBI HAVE A RECORDING OF SUCH A TELEPHONE CALL?  ONLY THE FBI KNOWS FOR SURE AT THIS POINT.

IF, HOWEVER, SUCH A PHONE CALL HAD BEEN MADE, HOLMAN THE CORRUPT AND/OR LAPDOG JUDGE COLLIER HAVE GOT TO BE CRINGING AT THE PROSPECT THAT THEY MAY HAVE BEEN RECORDED!

TIME WILL TELL!

MUCH MORE TO COME ....

AN EXPLOSIVE ORGANIZED CRIME CONNECTION TO MEDINA COUNTY

Regular readers of this blog may recall a prior post at this blog exploring the potential influence of Organized Crime figures upon decisions and events, or lack thereof, in the CORRUPT COURTS OF MEDINA COUNTY, OHIO.  That prior post, captioned JUST THINKING THROUGH THIS POSSIBLE ORGANIZED CRIME CONNECTION BETWEEN MEDINA AND CLEVELAND, easily found at http://medinacorruption.blogspot.com/2010/11/just-thinking-this-possible-organized.html .


In that prior post, the blogger noted that former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy DiMora, currently on trial in U.S. District Court in Akron on numerous charges arising from public corruption in Cuyahoga County (including RICO charges - Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization), lives directly across the street from Russell J. Papalardo, the reputed head (Don) of the Cleveland Organized Crime Family.  Papalardo, who currently works as a licensed real estate agent for Carriage Hill Realty, a firm owned and operated by his brother Fred Papalardo.


Anyone who has been following the Cuyahoga County Corruption investigation and the current trial of Jimmy DiMora has learned that former Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo and DiMora were closely aligned in the corruption that pervaded Cuyahoga County Government.  In fact, Frank Russo, who has already pled guilty to his crimes and been sentenced to a term of 21 years in the United States Penitentiary, has offered compelling testimony this past week, strongly implicating DiMora in matters of public corruption.


Interestingly enough, Russell Papalardo's brother, Fred, in addition to his ownership and operation of Carriage Hill Realty, was employed by Frank Russo in the Cuyahoga County Auditor's Office.


Certain of the above facts can be checked and verified at http://www.cleveland.com/countyincrisis/index.ssf/2008/12/dimoras_neighborhood_attracts.html


IT IS CLEAR, FROM THE CONNECTIONS DRAWN ABOVE, THAT, AT THE VERY LEAST, RUSSELL PAPALARDO, REPUTED DON OF THE CLEVELAND FAMILY OF LA COSA NOSTRA ("OUR THING") IS IN THE PROVERBIAL "LOOP" ALONG WITH RUSSO AND DiMORA.


Russell J. Papalardo was convicted in 1986 in U.S. District Court, Cleveland, for his involvement in an elaborate and profitable cocaine ring, along with others with ties to the Cleveland mob.  Papalardo served a sentence of four years in the Federal Penitentiary.


A little research has developed some rather interesting and "explosive" historical information about Russell Papalardo.


Readers of this blog who are old enough may recall the mob war raging in Cleveland in the 1970's between Irish and Italian old-time gangsters.  In fact, the recent film Kill the Irishman took a stab at portraying the conflicts between Danny Green, John Nardi (allied with Greene), Keith Ritson and members of the more orthodox Italian mob, headed at the time by John Scalish and succeeded by Jack Licavoli a/k/a Jack White. While the film may be entertaining, it has taken significant license with the facts as the blogger, who had a law enforcement interest in and contact with some of those criminals at the time, recalls them to be.


More to the point, Organized Crime Figure John Nardi, an associate of Danny Greene was killed on May 17, 1977 by a Trojan Horse bomb.  This is to say, Nardi's car was parked in the parking lot of the former Teamsters Headquarters, at the time located on East 18th Street, between Carnegie and Prospect. The Italian mob placed another auto, laden with explosives, beside Nardi's car.  The bomb was remotely detonated when Nardi exited the Teamster Headquarters and entered his own car.


Nardi died on the spot.  No one was ever charged with his murder.


Later in time, Cleveland Underboss Angelo Lonardo ("Big Ange') became the boss of the Cleveland Family of La Cosa Nostra and was convicted in U.S District Court for his involvement in a drug ring.  Lonardo, after having been sentenced to a term of life imprisonment in the United States Penitentiary, decided that it was time to pay ball with the Government.


Reviewing the testimony of Angelo Lonardo before the United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on April 15, 1988, and more specifically Lonardo's supplemental Affidavit to the Committee, one can find the following excerpt:

R. 5/15/77 JOHN NARDI: I understand Nardi was killed
by a bomb placed in an automobile which was parked next to Nardi's by Curly Montana and Poppalardo.. Nardi's death was authorized by Jack White Licavoli who was the boss of our family at the time.

In sworn testimony before the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, by way of Affidavit, Lonardo testified that John "Curly" Montana and Russell J, Papalardo placed the Trojan Horse Bomb in the Teamsters Parking lot, causing the death of John Nardi.


There are several sources available to access Lonardo's testimony and Affidavit.  One of them can be found at http://fubar.com/angelo-lonardo-s-testimony/b339971-1145987


This, of course, is the same Russell J. Papalardo who is "in the loop" of public corruption, along with Frank Russo and Jimmy DiMora.


In the next post, the blogger will detail the now not-so-tenuous connection to the Medina County Courts.


MUCH MORE TO COME ....

JUST THINKING THROUGH THIS POSSIBLE ORGANIZED CRIME CONNECTION BETWEEN MEDINA AND CLEVELAND

Since I've come upon the fact that corrupt Medina County judge COLLIER, has changed his name from either CALAFATO  or COLAVECCHIO, depending on who you talk to, and learning that he is from the Collinwood/Euclid area just set me to thinking.


A trip to the Cuyahoga County Probate Court should straighten the name issue out.


Be that as it may, in years bygone, the Collinwood area spawned a number of local Mafiosi and hangers-on.  Many are now dead, imprisoned, or just retired because they've just become too old to keep up with the younger generation.

However, old habits and old family ties are hard to die.

It appears that there may very well be an Organized Crime connection between Medina and Cleveland that we have stumbled upon.

Acknowledging, first and foremost, judge COLLIER a/k/a COLAVECCHIO a/k/a CALAFATO is a transplant from an Italian area in Cuyahoga County, that he was appointed to the position of judge, and that he has never had any Democrat opposition in the last two General Elections gives me pause to consider just how "lucky" COLLIER a/k/a COLAVECCHIO a/k/a CALAFATO has been.

Or is it purely luck?             

The political corruption corruption in Medina County may very well run much deeper than I had originally contemplated when I first began to publish this blog.  In fact, it now appears that Medina public corruption is linked inexorably to the public corruption in Cuyahoga County.

Consider the following:

Corrupt judge COLLIER a/k/a COLAVECCHIO a/k/a CALAFATO purports to be a Republican, yet he is strictly obedient to DINO HOLMAN, the Democrat county prosecutor.


They say that politics makes strange bedfellows.  That may be true, but a common bond of public corruption makes them all kissing cousins.

I have been told by a reasonably reliable source of information that Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy DiMora, a mover and shaker in the Cuyahoga County Democrat Party, has been able to "accomplish some things" in Medina County through his contacts with Democrat politicos in Medina County.  That information appears to be pretty solid.

Of course, as most already know, DiMora has been indicted by a Federal Grand Jury for his alleged involvement in Cuyahoga County public corruption.

As fate would have it, DiMora lives in a $450,000.00 home in Independence, Ohio, directly across the street from Russell J. Papalardo, a real estate agent and owner of Carriage Hill Realty in Independence, Ohio.

Now, one can rightly assume that DiMora and Papalardo, both of Italian descent, and being neighbors, just might be friendly with one another.

There is, however, just one little wrinkle.  PAPALARDO is reputed to be the current head of the Cleveland Family of La Cosa Nostra, the Mafia.

One can easily imagine how, PAPALARDO might want something done in Medina County, say like making sure that COLLIER/COLAVECCHIO/CALAFATO did not have any Democrat opposition in the Medina County General Elections.

Just a gentle word from PAPALARDO to DIMORA could easily result in a phone call from DIMORA to one or more Medina County Democrat politicians, perhaps even DINO HOLMAN himself, and it's a done deal.  So, that's how it's done, with hardly a ripple.

Think this scenario too far-fetched?  If so, just look to the north to Cuyahoga County and reconsider.
You may wish to read this revealing article at http://www.cleveland.com/countyincrisis/index.ssf/2008/12/dimoras_neighborhood_attracts.html

MUCH MORE TO COME ....