View Full-Size Image

 

If FBI finds 'The Clown,' some people might not be laughing In Chicago, they're playing "Where's Waldo?" with mob boss Joey "The Clown" Lombardo. Lombardo melted into the cityscape after the FBI dredged up an armload of old murder cases and, not coincidentally, requested samples of DNA from him and Outfit-connected guys from the West Side to the West Coast. What's worse, according to the Chicago Tribune's John Kass, veteran thug Nick Calabrese is cooperating with federal authorities. With his well-established connections, Calabrese is capable of giving Lombardo fits. Could he also have a line on the 1986 murders of Tony and Michael Spilotro? At the time of his death, Tony Spilotro was the most-publicized street enforcer in Las Vegas history. Authorities believed he had the blood of two dozen murders on his hands, but with attorney Oscar Goodman at his side Spilotro was never convicted of a felony. That record of courtroom success, however, did not prevent Spilotro's superiors in the Chicago outfit from retiring him to a hole in the ground in rural Indiana. The Spilotro brothers murder mystery isn't the only homicide that might unravel. There are plenty more unsolved snuffs attributed to Outfit business, and that is sure to take agents to Southern Nevada, where Lombardo once had substantial juice. Lombardo was sentenced to 15 years in 1983 for conspiring to bribe Nevada U.S. Sen. Howard Cannon in association with a federal investigation of the mob-dominated Teamsters Central States Pension Fund. The Teamsters bankrolled Las Vegas casinos that were run and ripped by connected operators. Lombardo and other mob figures also were convicted of conspiring to skim nearly $2 million in untaxed profits from several casinos fronted by the Argent Corp., a Teamsters loan beneficiary. But that, as they like to shout in Las Vegas, is ancient history. It's not the first time Lombardo's name has been tied to mob hits. In February 1983 he was named on FBI wiretaps in connection with several unsolved gangland slayings. After serving a lengthy prison sentence, Lombardo made a point of announcing that he was through with the street life. He even took out an ad in a newspaper. But it appears the FBI isn't finished researching Lombardo's life story. In Las Vegas, Lombardo's name is mentioned occasionally because his brother, Rocco "Rocky" Lombardo, is employed by Rick Rizzolo at the Crazy Horse Too. Rizzolo, subject of a federal investigation into the violence at his topless club, wisely claims no friendship with Joey the Clown. But he admits he's met the man. In a 2002 deposition taken in the civil case associated with the beating outside the Crazy Horse of Kansas City tourist Kirk Henry, Rizzolo told attorneys Don Campbell and Stan Hunterton that he was introduced to Joey Lombardo. Not that Rizzolo admitted knowing whether Rocky Lombardo's brother was in any way notorious. Q: Is that Joey the Clown Lombardo's brother? Rizzolo: I wouldn't know. His brother's name is Joey. I don't know if he is a clown or not. He's not. But Lombardo is apparently a gracious host. In a deposition taken in March, Crazy Horse executive Albert Rapuano admitted dining with Lombardo in the company of Rizzolo and others. A: I believe I probably was in a group that had dinner, a group of eight, 10, or 12, and I believe ... I was introduced to him. Q: Did you have dinner with him more than once? A: I'm trying to think, because if it was more than once it probably was between one and two or three times. Q: Was Mr. Rizzolo with you on any of those occasions? A: Yes. Rapuano apparently reads the newspapers more closely than Rizzolo. He at least admits to having heard Lombardo's name in association with criminal activity. Q: Do you understand Mr. Lombardo to be a high-ranking member of the La Cosa Nostra Chicago family? A: Reputedly from what I read. Q: Do you understand him to be a convicted ex-felon? A: Again, from what I read and what the news portrays. Neither Rizzolo nor Rapuano said they knew much about Lombardo, but it's clear the FBI and attorneys Campbell and Hunterton suspect otherwise. goto reviewjounral.com for more information on this artcle.