This addendum is not exactly what I intended to address at the moment. However, some of my readers have urged me to share more details on a particular portion of my official criminal history. Addendums V, VIII, IX, and X address my criminal history fairly well. If you have not yet read these addendums, please find the time to do so. Here we will go a bit deeper into this topic.
Between 1990 and the early 2000s, I had twenty-four separate criminal cases lodged against me.
That’s right, I said twenty-four. Two dozen criminal cases in about two decades.
These cases were actual criminal cases. They were not minor traffic infractions or village ordinance violations. One of the criminal cases was a multi-count felony violation-of-probation matter consisting of dozens of alleged infractions. These criminal cases were all State of Illinois cases. Most were in the Circuit Court of Cook County, and a small number were in the Circuit Court of DuPage County.
Four of the criminal cases were bogus criminal traffic matters that, by default, generated civil cases called statutory summary suspension matters. Beyond even that, four bogus civil (non-criminal) emergency orders of protection petitions were filed against me. Three of these four bogus petitions were totally unrelated to any of the above indicated twenty-four-criminal cases, and had nothing whatsoever to do with criminal cases anywhere on this planet. One of the four bogus petitions was the product of a now deceased, dishonest and vengeful male criminal, who was in the process of absconding with ill-gotten gains of one of my female relatives’ inheritance, by means of trickery and deceit. The other three petitions were filed by the same person, who at one point went courthouse shopping in a clever, but unsuccessful, attempt to find a judge foolish enough to grant an unwarranted order of protection. No such luck for the petitioner after three failed attempts.
Twenty-one of these criminal cases, again mostly in Cook County, ended up being tossed out of court by the pertinent judges (including the multi-count felony violation of probation matter). Additionally, all four bogus statutory summary suspension matters were also tossed out of court by the judges. Dismissals of statutory summary suspension matters in Illinois are plainly referred to as rescinded. As for the four bogus civil (non-criminal) orders of protection petitions filed against me, not one was proven to be anything more than disingenuous. Therefore, each of the four bogus petitions for emergency protection were tossed out of court by the pertinent judges.
As a result of fair and reasonable discernment of many Cook County (and a few DuPage County) judges, my official criminal record substantiates that I have been convicted of only a mere fraction of the ludicrous number of charges lodged against me.
The following three criminal matters, among the scores of criminal cases, petitions, and violations illuminated above, are the only cases legally considered relevant to my official criminal record:
1) 1992 – Two counts of partaking in obstruction-spirited communications with two witnesses in a then-pending independent criminal matter totally unrelated to me.
Criminal sentence: 30-months of probation, including a condition that required an 8:00 pm to 7:00 am curfew for a number of months of the probation term. Additionally, a small fine was imposed.
This criminal sentence was fulfilled and was terminated satisfactorily, despite the prosecution’s repeated attempts to have me imprisoned. It should be noted that Addendum VIII well illustrates that this 1992 criminal matter originally included a bogus class x felony count that called for several years in prison as a mandatory minimum sentence. Thankfully, the judge was very prudent during a pre-trial conference in convincing the prosecutors that he saw through their nonsense.
Eventually the prosecutors wised up and dropped their bogus class x felony charge against me. Some have suggested that the charge was eliminated in a deal that required me to plead out to lesser charges. This might happen all the time on TV, but I have to stress that as a rule real prosecutors don’t throw away class x felony charges that carry mandatory prison time for drastically inferior charges that allow for probation, unless there was something very wrong with the criminal case in chief. As for any other information on this specific criminal case, you should read Addendum VIII.
2) 1993 – Possession of a homemade slingshot that’s handgrip featured a metal guard designed to protect the hand (especially the knuckles) of the user, which was ridiculously classified in Illinois as unlawful use of a weapon. The slingshot was being stored in a storage compartment of an automobile at the time police discovered it, as a result of a minor traffic stop.
Criminal sentence: 6-months of non-reporting conditional discharge (note: conditional discharge is considered more lenient than probation). Additionally, a small fine was imposed.
This criminal sentence was fulfilled and was terminated satisfactorily. It should be noted that this type of crime was a misdemeanor in Illinois at the time of my arrest and at the time of my sentencing. In my opinion such a criminal charge should still be a misdemeanor.
3) 2005 – Driving under the influence of alcohol.
Criminal sentence: twenty-four months of conditional discharge, including a number of hours of community service that I served during some of my spare time by helping out a not-for-profit corporation. Additionally, a small fine was imposed.
This criminal sentence was fulfilled and was terminated satisfactorily.
It is worth noting that on two occasions during the time my DUI case was pending, anonymous detractors sent highly slanderous and defamatory information about me to the judge. This judge was contacted at his office and also at his private residence, triggering a criminal investigation by the Cook County Sherriff’s Department. I am not aware of anyone being charged.
While these are the only charges that resulted in convictions, some of the most interesting (and inquired after) accusations are not covered. I would like to go over a few of them here.
If my memory serves me correctly, the time of occurrence was either late 2002 or early 2003, when I was falsely arrested for battery (that was eventually successfully resolved). In due course the case was tossed out of court by the judge. In addition to the primary charge that was eventually tossed out of court, a secondary charge was filed against me. This second charge bogusly alleged that I had impersonated a judge during my contact with the police.
At the time I had recently concluded some work that I was doing with an attorney named Jack Cerone, where I assisted him in a number of private union mediation consulting conferences concerning labor issues among the employees of Hunt-Wesson, Inc. / ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston (then located in Northlake, Illinois). After being criminally charged for impersonating a judge, Jack advised me to hire one of his law firm’s attorneys to represent me.
Jack further advised that his referral would work out well for me, because the attorney he referred would be able to substantiate that I had served his law firm as a labor arbitrator/mediator, which would knock out the bogus impersonation charge. So, I retained the former Cook County prosecutor Jack advised me to hire. Her name is Jill Cerone Marisie.
She is Jack’s daughter, and I knew her well. While I would not say that Jill and I had a close friendship, I would say that we were certainly allies, because of my then close association with her paternal family and a number of their closest friends. We had vacationed together along with her husband and two children, and her parents, spending time at her family-owned property in Eagle River, Wisconsin. We had been in each other’s company countless times, at the office, restaurants, her parents’ Barrington home, and many other places. For a number of years I used to visit her paternal grandmother in Hollywood Florida for her birthday during the winter.
Shortly after Jill filed her appearance on my criminal case, which was out of Cook County’s Third Municipal District, she had the opportunity to have a pre-trial conference with the now retired Judge James Etchingham. Jill defended me on the charge of impersonating a judge successfully, which eventually caused the prosecutors to amend the charge to something insignificant as a last ditch effort to spuriously hold me accountable for something. Nevertheless, the court eventually tossed out the charge. However, the battery matter was handled slightly differently at the time. Jill advised me to plead out on the battery charge and to take some sort of a conditional discharge kind of sentence.
This was not what I wanted to hear. I knew that my actions were not criminal, so I was very much against pleading out, even if it were only on the one remaining count. Since I was interested in keeping a reasonable rapport with Jill at the time, I suggested that she withdraw from my case and keep the entire flat fee that she charged me for handling the whole case. I thought it would be best to avoid arguing with her. I’m pretty sure that by the time of my next court date, Jill filed her motion to withdraw from my case.
If my memory serves me correctly, I believe that Jill attempted to call me a few times over the days prior to the next court date, but I think that I avoided taking her calls, again, to steer clear of engaging in any tense conversations with her. I remember these details because she may have explained these points in open court and/or in her motion to withdraw that she handed me a copy of the day that she was granted permission to withdraw.
I brought in a new attorney, who clearly capitalized on Jill’s previous good work on the impersonation charge. The fact that Jill vouched for me earlier regarding the impersonation of a judge charge, is why I was successful in getting the case tossed out. The new attorney ultimately had the battery charge tossed out of court as well. The day the entire case was tossed out of court, Judge Nick Pomaro (now retired) was on the bench.
I recall very well that somewhere around August of 2003, I was unable to make it to my trial in the battery and impersonation matter because I was unwell on that particular morning. I phoned my new attorney and said I would not be able to make it to my trial that morning. A short while later I was informed that, without any evidence presented or required to prove my poor health that day, Judge Pomaro excused me for being absent on my trial date, and continued the trial to a more convenient date for the defense. This continuance date was when Judge Pomaro ended up tossing out the entire case.
Weeks later, my former friend William Daddono, III, made a startling statement to me about these legal matters. He divulged that his father discreetly helped me with the case. Daddono indicated that his father, William, Jr., sent word to the mayor of the town associated with the arresting police agency that he would like the mayor to give the police discreet orders to stand down in my criminal matter. Young William went on to explain that a relative of his family’s close pal “Nick” (whose relative was a half-brother or step-brother) was working for the relevant police agency as a police official. This supposed relative was purportedly temporarily serving the Daddono family as a discreet liaison to the mayor’s office for complicated reasons.
Assuming that the judge doesn’t have a half-brother or step-brother employed by the relevant police agency, I would suspect that the Daddono family’s “Nick” is someone other than Judge Nick Pomaro. Imagine that – two Nicks to consider!
I am always suspicious of those who seek credit for something after the fate of a matter in question that had already become known.
As proof of his family’s criminal bona fides, William pointed out that my step-uncle, Romie Nappi, had his criminal colleagues fix the sentencing portion of a criminal case for his father many years earlier, perhaps somewhere around 1970, when his father, William, Jr., purportedly maimed a school-teacher in front of numerous witnesses. According to young William, Romie made sure that William, Jr., only served a small number of partial weekends in a very comfortable unit of the Cook County Jail.
If it were not for the fact that I know William Daddono, III, very well for being extremely mendacious by nature, I might have had more confidence in his claim that his father discreetly intervened on my behalf in helping secure a just outcome in the matter where I knew that I had not violated any laws of the land. As a side note, I have good reason to believe that in some cases the previously referenced mendacious nature of young William may be hereditary to an extent for a number of other members of young William’s family.
The fairness that Judge Pomaro showed by excusing my absence on my trial date, made me think that he was simply a judge with decency, who perhaps had a profound ability of accurately sensing innocence, and treating the innocent, or presumed innocent, with kindness.
Regardless of which “Nick” may have been more helpful to my now long eliminated problem, if I weren’t truly innocent, I trust that a much different outcome would have been reached by Judge Pomaro.
The main reason I brought the impersonation dismissal into this piece is to correct misinformation that’s in the public about my previous gig as an arbitration/mediation consultant in connection with Jack Cerone, Esquire. The impersonation dismissal is one of the numerous supporting factors of the existence of my now long retired position. If I did not truly hold the position, I would have been found guilty of the charge. This fact is plain and simple.
Now for the bogus 2005 phone harassment case brought by my now former friend, Jack Cerone, Esquire, which resulted in me not being convicted. For those unfamiliar with this matter please read Addendums VI and VIII.
On the day of the then first scheduled trial date, which appeared in the public record, an unknown and unauthorized source called Cerone around 5:00 am, purporting to be an employee of the prosecutor’s office with an urgent message. This messenger related that the trial was canceled and that the complaining witness was excused from appearing in court later that morning. For those of you unfamiliar with criminal court proceedings, if the complaining witness does not testify at trial, the case often goes in favor of the defendant (as it should in legitimate situations). Typically, when rare spoofs as the one that I just described take place, the defendant is almost always the prime suspect.
Whoever made this call was clearly unaware that the trial was in fact really postponed. Obviously, the caller-culprit was trying to jackpot me. It was meant to look like I, the defendant, was trying to cause the complaining witness to not show up for trial.
Fortunately for me, the prosecutor and my attorneys had already been well aware for a couple of days by this time that the trial was going to be continued (I was also aware of this continuance in advance). My attorneys and the prosecutor had a phone conference a couple of days before the then scheduled trial date and mutually decided to postpone the trial. The public record did not immediately reflect this last minute change. Apparently, the person behind the call was monitoring the public record. Therefore, when the culprit carried out his or her spoof, it was blatantly obvious that I could not have been the person playing games with the complaining witness, as doing so would have been totally illogical.
Again, all concerned parties already knew there was not going to be a trial. Even if I were hypothetically the kind of person who would try spoofing the complaining witness in a ridiculous attempt to deter the witness from showing up for trial, I would not carry out such spoof on a day when I had advance notice that the trial was going to be postponed. Nevertheless, this spoof triggered a brief investigation. I am not aware of any charges filed against anyone.
Now that I have addressed some of the myriad of cases spuriously brought against me, I ask the obvious question. What could explain all of this madness?
Discovering that one person had actually faced twenty-four criminal cases (that included a class x felony charge in one of the cases), four statutory summary suspension matters, and four petitions for emergency orders of protection, is more than enough to make any reasonable person feel deeply concerned about such a defendant. However, when one discovers that a defendant had twenty-one of his or her twenty-four criminal cases (including the class x felony that was dismissed), and all four of his or her statutory summary suspension matters, and all four of his or her petitions for emergency protection, tossed out of court by the pertinent judges, one must wonder what the circumstances concerning the defendant truly entail.
All of the matters explained in the previous paragraph constitute a very troubling pattern of bogus arrests, statutory summary matters and petitions for emergency protection. What are the problems regarding my unusual official criminal record and general criminal arrest history?
It might be reasonable to assume I am mentally ill, and before I managed to miraculously control this long-term sickness I engaged in an absurd string of criminal actions.
However, I am willing to declare that I am not mentally deranged. I also realize that when it comes time to declare one’s own sanity, one is typically not thought of as the most credible or qualified authority on clearing him or herself. Therefore, I will point out some supporting facts to bolster my declaration of being sane. I have never been committed to an insane asylum. I am not under the care of a mental health physician. I have not been prescribed any psychotropic medication, not now, not ever. I have never been referred for or have sought treatment of any kind from a psychiatrist.
So perhaps I am a criminal mastermind who knows how to play the system.
Aside from the fact that a criminal mastermind would almost certainly never have been charged twenty-four times in such a short time, I can share some credible examples to debunk this idea. If I were a criminal mastermind, I would be advising Chicago mobster Rudy Fratto how to better manage his dog-and-pony-show style mob boss routine, so that it would be very lucrative and free of legal problems. In all seriousness, if I were a criminal mastermind that would mean that I would be smart enough to refrain from the public attention that I am cultivating for myself on American News Post.
Maybe I am simply above the law, a scion of a politically powerful family consisting of political and union racketeers in the Chicagoland area?
I think not.
The only two fixers in my family were my step-uncle, Romie Nappi and my father, Armando Fosco. My father died in early 1987, which was three years prior to my debut as an adult defendant. My Uncle Romie’s onset of dementia became somewhat noticeable around 1997, and the majority of the criminal cases and other matters that I once faced occurred after Romie became senile. Any allies I had were effectively politically gone by around the time my legal problems began.
So what explanations are left?
Persecution complexes and conspiracy theories are not for me. The idea that sinister cabals of wildly powerful villains are secretly contriving to ruin a life makes for good TV, but quickly falls flat in the real world. However, Chicago is a small town in a lot of ways, and making an enemy or two in the wrong places can lead to a whole world of pain and suffering on a small scale. So while I would find it incredulous to believe that a totally innocent man would be convicted of a list of horrifying felonies and thrown into prison at the whim of some nebulous power broker, I find it easy to believe that some spiteful, middle management lackeys with a few well-placed friends could mount a campaign of harassment and extortion against someone like me.
I suspect it’s possible that for many years I have been some sort of a target among somewhat of an unsophisticated (perhaps flunkies is a better way of putting it) and unscrupulous network among the extremely small portion of bad law-enforcement personnel, primarily throughout (but not limited to) the north and west-Cook County areas. Apparently, these suspected culprits were more eager than they were prepared to frame me upon discovering chance opportunities that suddenly thrust me into their crosshairs. I believe the significant pattern of numerous bogus criminal cases lodged against me is the work of an unsophisticated network just as I previously described.
Why would they want to cause problems for me? I don’t feel comfortable speaking on behalf of those who I suspect may have tried framing me over the years. If my suspicions are ever proven to be correct in the future, maybe one day I will meet one of them and ask what motivated them to cause me problems?
Former Chicago Policeman Steven Mandell, presently serving life in federal prison.
Steve Mandell’s crooked cop cohorts, or any savvy crook, who have unsavory allies connected to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office can likely monitor my movement. In or around early 2007, a bogus alert on my identity was submitted by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office into the Illinois Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS). The alert falsely indicates that I threatened a Cook County judge, which is patently untrue. This is yet another example of the harassment that I have to deal with.
By having this alert in place all law-enforcement personnel who come in contact with me are required to report their experience with me to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. Several years ago I filed a complaint with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, asking for the alert to be withdrawn, but it was ignored. This alert was more of an issue when I used to drive an automobile, as driving sometimes causes contact with law enforcement. This false alert is the prime reason that I have long abandoned addressing any requirements to possess and/or maintain a valid driver’s license. I haven’t driven in several years, which may have protected me from having my movement monitored by corrupt detractors.
So now you have a closer look at the rambling mess that constitutes my numerous interactions with the law. While this multi-decade farce has absorbed my time and treasure, I do take solace in the fact that we live in the United States, and this is a nation of law. It is a matter of law that without a finding of guilt, the presumption of innocence stands like a mountain. The bulwark of the 5th, 6th, and 14th Amendments shields us from capricious charges, like those leveled against me by corrupt men and women. Thankfully the presumption of innocence in our great country has not been overwhelmed by the bad intentions of some of her less savory citizens.
God bless America.
PS
A clarification worth noting:
Three of the above indicated 21 criminal cases described as “tossed out of court,” were dismissed by the court after a term of court supervision was completed satisfactorily, which of course by law prohibited a conviction from being applied to my official criminal record. As a rule, courts grant supervision on less serious matters.
Two of the three matters resulting in court supervision were non-alcohol driving-related infractions from 1993 and 2003. The third matter was a 2005 Class B misdemeanor.
The Mafia Report Series:
5/13/20 – Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit
5/31/20 – Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit – Addendum One
6/4/20 – Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit – Addendum Two
6/24/20 – Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit – Addendum Three
7/18/20 – Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit – Addendum Four
6/11/21 – Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit – Addendum Five
8/28/21 – Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit – Addendum Six
9/17/21 – Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit – Addendum Seven
9/29/21 – Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit – Addendum Eight
10/11/21 – Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit – Addendum Nine
10/23/21 – Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit – Addendum X
