Carnival Games: $10,000,000,000 Hoodwink Racket: Organized Crime on American Midways

By Richard Margittay

Chances are you have been ripped off at a friendly traveling carnival, set up at your local fair or festival, because you had been left unprotected by police.

The intention of this book is not just to tell readers about the games which keep ripping them off, but most importantly to explain the clandestine behind the scenes workings of a not so friendly, well organized, criminal element.

From the innocent looking and usually rigged, two to five dollars per play "Duck Pond," to the $10,000 contribution by the itinerant carnival owner to the state or national political action committee or candidate, the author, a retired police officer, specializing in carnival midway game enforcement, has been able to associate a portion of illegally obtained cash proceeds from anonymous transient weekend midway scammers to carnival owners, to public servants, and also to distinguished politicians.

This 100-year-old entrenched system of confidence crime and public corruption still operates relatively unrestricted at weekend fairs and festivals in America.

Police simply do not arrest carnival thugs or their politician pals. No one cares about duped children or teenagers since many civic leaders ultimately get a cut of the midway loot in some way, shape, or form.

Because this traditional chicanery is actually endorsed by wink & nod carnival security (dubbed "carny-cops") and public officials, trusting carnival patrons have a high likelihood of being either swindled, pick-pocketed, or short-changed on American midways by anonymous serial criminals.

Unfortunately for unprotected American children, all but a few police agents nation-wide are either untrained, dont care, or are on the take, and refuse to address fraud (theft by deception) and gambling violations on their anything-goes, hit & run, carnival turf.

While crooked carnival owners operate these drifting mobile crime syndicates under the radar of federal law enforcement, few citizens know the full extent of the systemic immunity and corruption involved. Thus, victims of this multibillion-dollar racket continue to remain unprotected on 21st century carnival lots.

The authors exclusive investigation describes, for the first time, evidence of facilitation of free-wheeling criminal acts combined with the curious contributions/payoffs which enable this annual crime spree.

The author also uncovers crafty "payments" from culpable carnival owners and lists renowned U.S. politicians associated with the perpetuation of this ten to forty-billion-dollar per year, largely unregulated, rolling racketeer industry.


For more information, please visit www.carnivalcongames.com

You may email the author at [e-mail]

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 31, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456880538

Richard Margittay

Author, Richard Margittay, a retired police officer, is pictured with a display of three notorious carnival games. “Carnival Games: The Perfect Crimes” is an account of Margittay’s police experiences and his four-year investigation, which exposed evidence of corruption responsible for illegal games (fraud and gambling), often perpetuated under the protection of law enforcement. Please see “About the Author” p age inside this cover.

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 by Richard Margittay.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011903506

ISBN: Hardcover 978-1-4568-8052-1

ISBN: Softcover 978-1-4568-8051-4

ISBN: Ebook 978-1-4568-8053-8

This investigation has been published for the purpose of alerting federal law

enforcement regarding a system of racketeering. Additionally this report is a

plea for increased awareness and training for law enforcement

and caution for the general public patronizing fairs and festivals.

All events in this book, "Carnival Games: $10,000,000,000

Hoodwink Racket," are documented with corroborating evidence.

Any editorial comments associated with, or as a result of facts,

investigative experiences, information, and photographs,

are not to be construed as accusations of guilt.

All individuals or corporations involved in any questionable or

suspicious activity mentioned in this investigation, in any police report,

or associated in any way with criminal activity or wrong doing in connection

with this inquiry, are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Cover and interior photography by Richard Margittay

Cover graphics by Michael M. Vitti of Impressive Graphics.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

This publication will be available to law enforcement agencies and agents.

Author website is: www.carnivalcongames.com

Author e-mail address is: [e-mail]

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

93004

CONTENTS

Foreward

About the book

Introduction

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1    Cons, Cops, & Corruption

Chapter 2    Same Old Crooks, New Swindles

Chapter 3    Carny-cops Shield Rip-offs

Chapter 4    Plea to Top Cop

Chapter 5    TV Crew Ousted by Carny & Cops

Chapter 6    The Envelope

Chapter 7    Police the Crooked Games

Chapter 8    Where’s RICO

Summary

Epilogue    Razzle, The Big Score

Glossary

Recommended Reading and Video Viewing

Author Biography

DEDICATION

Carnival Games: $10,000,000,000 Hoodwink Racket is dedicated to those honorable American law enforcement professionals, prosecutors, and judges who take seriously their oath of office and genuinely care about victims of all crimes.

Most importantly, this book is written to shed light on criminal activity thriving in the shadows of corruption, in hopes of giving protection to millions of voiceless victims of carnival related billion-dollar confidence crime; victims like Mobile, Alabama’s Cassie Holmes, swindled in 2010 by a vicious game called razzle, featured in this inquiry.

FOREWARD

Enforcement Specialists Advocate for Policing Games

Glenn Hester is currently a Master Police Officer with Glynn County Police Department in Brunswick, Georgia, but is most prominently known as the Police Magician.

Author of Carnival Cop, A Police Magician’s Personal Account Investigating and Inspecting Carnival Game Fraud, Glenn has been assigned to oversee and inspect many carnival midways in his state in addition to training police officers about illegal gambling and con games on the midways.

While educating police officers, citizens, and carnival agents, Glenn has encountered various forms of conflict from dishonest carnies, festival sponsor committees, and politicians.

Bruce Walstad, a retired detective sergeant from Franklin Park Police Department in Franklin Park, Illinois, is a nationally renowned law enforcement expert on carnival games.

Author of Carnival Policing Tactics, Carnivals and Carnival Games Fraud, his carnival policing tactics seminar entitled: Carnivals: Law Enforcement on the Midway, had been published in the February 1997, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin.

Investigator Walstad is one of only a few law enforcement instructors in the country with expertise in this specialty. He has appeared on several nationally syndicated television programs including, ABCs Oprah.

Now a private investigator, Walstad, a major contributor to my police training in carnival game enforcement, is still dedicated to educating the public and would-be victims to the ills of certain carnival games.

P.I. Walstad is featured in video links provided in this book.

Protecting citizens and standing up to wealthy and influential carnival owners are the reasons why I had asked Glenn Hester and Bruce Walstad to write some of their thoughts regarding the state of affairs in the carnival industry relating to corruption.

FOREWARD by Glenn Hester

In the early 60’s, the Andy Griffith Show featured an episode about carnival game fraud. Opie wanted to get his dad a birthday present and thought the easiest way to do that, with the little amount of money he had, was to win a prize at the traveling carnival in Mayberry.

Opie attempted a midway shooting game to win a razor for his dad, Sheriff Andy Taylor.

Not once did Opie hit the target.

After attempting it a few more times, Opie decided to stop playing, as he had lost almost all his allowance. He then enlisted his friend, Goober, to help him.

Goober, like Opie, failed to hit the target even once.

When Goober made a slip of the tongue to Sheriff Taylor about this, the sheriff decided to check out the game.

Andy and his lady friend Helen, went to the carnival and Andy observed the losing players.

Andy attempted to shoot and found the sites were somewhat bent, giving the player little chance at aiming for the target.

He compensated for the suspicious site and started winning time after time, filling Helen’s arms with toasters and coffee pots, etc.

The carnies had finally tried to stop Andy from playing until he produced his Sheriff’s star.

Andy then told the stunned carnies that a little boy will be coming by to attempt to win the razor. The nervous carnies told Andy they would make sure he won. Andy told them that the child would have to win on his own, without their help.

While Andy and Helen hid behind the curtain, Opie and Goober came by the booth. The carnies gave Opie the good gun.

Opie won the razor.

This episode depicted what has gone on at many carnival midways around the states for many years; people getting ripped off at certain games so the game agents could realize a better profit.

Carnival game fraud is not uncommon on the midways. Depending on which venue they play, there may be only a few illegal games or there may be many. I have personally witnessed a wide variety of rigged games on midways I have examined over the years.

I have also seen crooked games which gave no chance to the player and gambling games which had many people lined up attempting to win.

The sad part of watching people play the crooked games is they felt they would be given a fair opportunity to beat it. They must not have heard the expression, "You can’t beat a man at his own game."

Author Rich Margittay started investigating carnival game fraud long before I did. Having read his first book, "Carnival Games: The Perfect Crimes," I was most impressed with his drive and determination in ridding the midways of crooked games and illegal gambling, especially where children are concerned. I understood the pitfalls he went through as a law enforcement officer just trying to do his job.

Many of our law enforcement peers feel we should not show sympathy to victims of the midway because everyone knows games are rigged and suckers deserve what they get. Those officers seem to be forgetting about their sworn duty, as no one deserves to be taken by a scam, no matter what amount is fleeced.

What Sheriff Taylor told the carnies in the above mentioned episode holds true today. Crooked game agents give the midway a bad reputation. People who lost money to a crooked game agent spread the word to friends. This hurts the honest vendors, as they are stereotyped with the crooked game agents.

The author has taken on a large chore by investigating and making known names of those who are associated with crimes against Americans visiting a local fair or festival.

Twice, while simply taking pictures, he was actually thrown out by his peers, who were ordered to do so by their superiors. Why would another law enforcement officer do this to a brother? The answer is simple: Politics.

Regrettably, politics plays a key role in law enforcement, as it does in many other things. Money talks and we are advised to walk the line. For some, who have tried to overcome this, it was an unwise career move. Thankfully, Rich is retired and answers to no political party.

The author has brought about some changes but describes his frustration with the prevailing notion of wink & nod by civic leaders. He feels that the twisted concept of preservation of friendly crime on the midway instead of prevention is a real problem facing society and law enforcement.

The little known underlying causes of this age-old existing condition at festivals and fairs, troubling and embarrassing as it is, needed to finally be brought out in the open.

I applaud the author for his dedication, even in retirement, for doing all he can to combat organized crime on the midway.

Although, perhaps not healthy or wise, he has provided evidence implicating culpable carnival owners, game agents, politicians, and ranking public officials.

Because of his efforts, trusting fair-going citizens may someday get the needed protection on the midway.

Glenn Hester

Police Magician

FOREWARD by Bruce Walstad

For twenty-five plus years, I have investigated carnivals and carnival games as a police officer and now as a concerned citizen. Over that time span, I have observed some very curious goings on with regards to carnivals and their methods of operations. It certainly made me wonder at times.

It has been suggested by many fellow police officers, that the carnivals know how to work the politics of operating and protecting their business.

It is hard to measure the amount of political influence carnivals have and how deep it runs.

Do politicians accept political contributions from carnivals? Of course they do.

Are favors asked in return? I suspect they are, but actually proving such a thing is not an easy task.

I believe that the author of this book will make that task a reality.

Inv. Bruce Walstad, Ret.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Are you one of those people that is easily lured to a friendly traveling carnival set up at your local fair of festival? Chances are you have been ripped off at the tempting midway games.

The intention of Carnival Games: $10,000,000,000 Hoodwink Racket is not just to tell readers about the commonly seen midway games which keep swindling them, but also to explain the clandestine behind the scenes workings of this not so friendly, well organized, criminal element.

From the innocent looking and usually rigged, two to five dollars per play Duck Pond, to the $10,000 contribution by the itinerant carnival owner, to the state or national political action committee or candidate, the author, a retired police officer, trained in carnival midway game enforcement, has been able to associate a portion of illegally obtained cash proceeds from anonymous transient weekend midway scammers, to carnival owners, to public servants, and also to distinguished politicians.

This hundred-year-old entrenched system of confidence crime and public corruption still operates relatively unrestricted at weekend fairs and festivals in America.

Police simply do not arrest smiling midway predators or their politician pals.

No one seems to care about duped children or teenagers, since many civic leaders ultimately get a cut of the midway loot in some way, shape, or form.

Because this annual crime wave is actually endorsed by winking carnival security (dubbed carny-cops) and public officials, trusting carnival patrons have a high likelihood of being either cheated, pick-pocketed, or short-changed on American midways by anonymous serial criminals.

Unfortunately for these unprotected Americans, all but a few police agents nation-wide are either untrained, don’t care, or are on the take and refuse to address fraud (theft by deception) and gambling violations on their anything-goes, hit & run, carnival venues.

While crooked carnival owners operate these drifting mobile crime syndicates under the radar of federal law enforcement, few citizens know the full extent of the illegal games and age-old public corruption involved. Thus, victims of this multibillion-dollar racket continue to remain unprotected on 21st century carnival lots.

This investigation describes, for the first time, evidence facilitating the free-wheeling criminal activity along with the curious undercurrent of contributions and payoffs enabling this annual crime spree.

The author uncovers sly payments from culpable carnival owners and lists renowned U.S. politicians associated with the perpetuation of this ten to forty-billion-dollar per year, largely unregulated, mobilized racketeer industry.

INTRODUCTION

If you have ever ventured money at a carnival midway game and felt cheated, you can bet on it!

The traveling carnival at your annual festival or fair is part of the only legitimate industry in the world which rips off millions of people, hurts thousands more with rides, and causes death annually. Yet these annual rolling extravaganzas, along with their sordid reputations, are welcomed into your community each year with the blessings of your civic leaders.

Did you know cheating or deception for money is the crime of fraud? Even the innocent looking child’s game, known as the duck pond can be illegally rigged many different ways and usually is.

Most carnival workers are born into the family business with thievery almost a birthright for many. There is much pride and status in the big score.

Surely, thousands of carnival employees are honest, hard-working, and wholesome citizens; but too many are ex-convicts, substance abusers,