BIRMINGHAM – When most people think of Tim Allen, they think Home Improvement’s Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor, not convicted dope peddler and ex-convict.
A Birmingham Seaholm grad, Allen wasn’t always the affable, well-liked comedian and television and film star we know today.
Tim Allen
Thirty five years ago this month Allen was arrested with over a pound of cocaine in his luggage at the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek Airport on October 2, 1978 and subsequently served more than two years in a federal prison before being paroled and heading to Hollywood to seek his fame and fortune.
Attending both Central Michigan and Western Michigan for college, Allen was 25 and already in the midst of trying to build a career as a comedian at the time of his arrest.
Charged with possession with intent to distribute over 650 grams of a controlled substance – a conviction holding a life sentence then – he pled guilty, turned witness for the government and was sentenced a three-to-seven year term behind bars for which he served two years and four months.
Police records from the case show that Allen provided information on roughly two dozen individuals he was in business trafficking narcotics with, some hailing from Oakland County, in exchange for the lighter punishment.
His stint in prison took place at the Federal Correctional Institution in Sandstone, Minnesota.
He was finally paroled in the summer of 1981.
“Mr. Allen was very reluctant to spend the rest of his life in prison, so he decided to play ball,” recalled one retired FBI agent familiar with Allen’s arrest and subsequent cooperation. “The information he gave helped build several other cases. After the entire ordeal and to his credit, he obviously went on to turn things around for himself quite well.”
Born Timothy Allen Dick in Colorado in 1953, he moved with his mom and older brothers to Birmingham following the death of his father in a car accident when he was 11 years old.
19 Comments
We (myself included) all have things in our youthful past we are not proud to admit to doing or saying.
With age comes knowledge and a little common sense. Hopefully!
ACL,
I am the first to give someone a second chance. In the case of Tim Allen, I believe that he did pull it together in life. However, his change in life was motivated by his desire to get out of prison (in my opinion). Only when he was facing life in prison did he take issue with his partners actions. I see a man that turned on his partners for a better deal that only included himself. I see nothing honorable here.
Joe, there are no loyalties or friends when it comes to the drug business. What he had possession of could have led to a very very long sentence. You think any of his drug friends were coming to his rescue? Regardless of his motives he did the right thing and turned his life around. He got a second chance and did pretty swell with it. When a person does the next right thing they will always reap the rewards. The rewards don’t always happen right away but with time and patience love,prosperity,and respect will return.Sometimes people have to be be cornered in a very tight space to choose the right thing.
Wait, is this the same Scott M. Burnstein who wrote the book on the Outfit from a few years back?
Yes.
Joe, I really suggest you bring Scott on as a regular contributor if possible. He really knows his stuff about the Outfit…and obviously Detroit as well.
Interesting idea. I would have to look into it.
Why in the hell would you write an article on Tim Allen?
regarding the piece that was published yesterday, I clearly did not write it. Please refer to editors note at bottom. Thanks.
Let me rephrase: “Why in the hell would you allow someone to put an article on your website about Tim Allen?” Your website is supposed to be about political corruption and organized crime. Not the boring non-relevant past of washed-out actors.
Dear Logic,
We write about everything. However, organized crime seems to be some of our regular stuff.
Speaking of drugs,I’m jonesing for a podcast.
I thought we might have been able to do a show today. However, we will do one on Sunday, November 3. Thank you.
I never found Tim Allen to be very funny. I mean other than that creep 70’s mustache. he probably had at least a few dusty coke bumps in that beast. Tool man.
This is a very disssapointing article Joe. I don’t see the relevance to your site, I’m sorry. The fact that you or Frank, or Ashleigh couldn’t come up with a new article or video in over three weeks disappoints me. What about that piece on Jack Indurante you promised? Or an update on Mags? Although you might want to wash your hands of him, your readers are curious. Also, what a better way to introduce Ashleigh to your readers than with an article. C’mon buddy, show us what u can do.
Well, we updated on Magnafichi in today’s Roundtable.
Nice job Joe! Best Roundtable yet.
Are you referring to the article where you posted under or something else?
Dear Joe, you have a great thing going here. Chicago has always been the seat of organized crime in America. They were the wildest, the most colorful and the most lethal. Our family has been flavored by those spices since my grandfather came over to the USA with his boyhood friend Louie Greenberg, who was trunked by God knows who, after Nitti died. he was partners with Nitti in Mannheim Beer. Grandfather started a custom furniture shop; which father joined after WWII where he served in Africa and then the Isle of Capri. He tried to start a wire service with some mob guys but grandfather said furniture only and threw them out on their ear.
Father was only a pea shooter but he did know them all. At 18 years old, bartender’s night off, he’d take me wit Gus G. to Tufanos (pre-restoration) where we would dine with some apparent heavy hitters as I would look them uo in Captive City where their photos were. We’d retire with The German to his Meat Block for an annisette and Joey’s aunt would bring over some Italian cookies. I was heavily influenced by the Italian culture all my life and learned enough to keep my mouth shut when it comes to names. Some of your wanna be’s should take my advice.
A story told to me by a friend doing time today told me this story: There were two men digging a hole outside of a town in Calabria. Some guy walks down the road, stops, and says, “Hey, why are you digging a hole?”
Silently, the men get out of the hole, hit him on the head with the shovel, bury him, and go home just as the sun sets.
Working on a book called crime, which ranges from anecdotal stories like the above and the last words of Doc Holiday to longer novellas about Chicago crime and the myth that drugs were never a part of Taylor Street. Of course the big boys didn’t want the smaller guys to make that kind of money. How else could they control them?