Warren Rasmussen first came to the FBI’s attention in September 1965, when they received a tip that he was distributing football parlay tickets. A check failed to verify this.
In April 1966, both an anonymous caller and the state attorney general’s office informed the FBI of Rasmussen’s distribution of gambling material. He was the president of the Union Loan Company (and Union Finance) in Kenosha, and based his gambling distribution out of two taverns: the Idle Hour (1200 52nd Street) and Penrod’s.
July 28, 1966: The FBI spoke with Kenosha PD for background on Rasmussen. He was allegedly a former president of the Kenosha Board of Realtors, but lost his license in August 1962 due to several fraudulent practices: misappropriation of insurance premium receipts, notorizing forged signatures, and more. He had been earning $10,000 annually. A check with the credit bureau showed Rasmussen was president of Union Loan, but this was only on paper – he made no income from this. His primary income came from being a salesman for Union Insurance. He had also been an electrician for American Motors in his early days.
August 27, 1966: An undercover agent with the state tax division was with Rasmussen, who told him that his baseball “jar tickets” come from Iowa, but did not go into detail. Rasmussen said he only picked up one batch per season. He was moving into football parlay cards, which were printed locally. He would pick them up from the printer in Milwaukee on Mondays, distribute them on Tuesdays, selling them $15 for 300 parlay sheets. Prior to placing his print order, Rasmussen called Texas and Detroit to get two different sets of odds and adjusted his cards accordingly. The agent suggested to the FBI it might be worth getting Rasmussen to ship orders to an FBI agent out of state, but the FBI resisted this and said they would rather find an interstate link (if one existed) naturally. The state agent said that in addition to gambling paraphernalia and insurance, Rasmussen apparently had an antique store in Chicago and a pet shop in Milwaukee, both legitimate.
September 3, 1966: The FBI told US Attorney James Brennan of the state tax agent’s idea, and he agreed with the FBI – encouraging an interstate crime where one did not exist could be seen as entrapment and was best left alone.
On the week of September 11, 1966, Rasmussen learned from a woman who was working with the state agent of the agent’s identity. Rasmussen went to the agent’s landlord and “bagged” his apartment – finding his badge, gun, cuffs and more. Rasmussen became panicky – now that the agent was known to tavern owners in Kenosha, it was possible someone would have to “pay” for the fiasco, and the likely targets would be Rasmussen or the woman.
On September 21, the undercover agent called Rasmussen to place a bet. He knew his cover was blown, but wanted to “tickle the wire.” Rasmussen took the bet, and said the agent had an envelope waiting at the Idle Hour with past winnings. The agent went there, and did not find any envelope.
October 6, 1966: Rasmussen’s printer was identified as Arthur Gerhard Wick, operating the Fine Arts Press at 1012 North Third in Milwaukee. Wick was doing a good business – taverns in Kenosha wanted the cards, but their previous source in Illinois was hesitant to supply them because of the constant John Doe investigations in Kenosha.
As a teenager, Wick was in a gun battle at 2300 West Wisconsin in March 1927 while evading arrest for forging a $14 check. He shot and injured Patrolman Paul Heinrich in the chest, while Wick took a bullet in the thigh. Wick served time in the Green Bay Reformatory. In March 1938, Wick was questioned about 100 paycheck forgeries and shot Detective Raymond Carlson in the head with a .38 pistol; Carlson lost his left eye. (Joseph Soukop was also arrested for harboring Wick. Soukop, Orville Sain and Thaddeus Walter Kruszewski were picked up as part of the “forgery ring.”) At trial, two jurors received mailed threats that they would get their heads “blown off” if they convicted Wick. Wick was sentenced to 30 years in Waupun, but released October 1946 – eight years. One month after release, he was caught having a woman pass forged checks for him. Out again in May 1956, he was sent back to prison for writing checks on an account under a fake business name.
On October 31, Rasmussen sold 500 football parlay cards to investigator Herbert Krusche for $25.
On November 4, “lightning raids” in Milwaukee and Kenosha rounded up 11 people connected to forged documents and betting cards after a yearlong investigation. To keep the raids secret, the state attorney general had the warrants issued by Walworth County Judge Ernst John Watts rather than a Kenosha judge. Christ Seraphim signed the Milwaukee warrants. Warren Rasmussen was picked up on a warrant charging him with dealing football parlay cards, possessing a pornographic movie and conspiracy to commit forgery. The movie showed a man and woman committing sodomy. Arthur Wick was also arrested, and was accused of printing gambling cards and having pornography. The print shop allegedly also had 500 forged drivers’ licenses. At his arraignment, Judge Seraphim asked if he had a record and Wick said yes, “for bad checks.” prosecutor said there was more than that. Wick then volunteered, “Oh, you mean my police record? That was 30 years ago.” Evidence against Wick and Rasmussen were photos of them in the print shop on October 24 with 3,000 parlay cards.
Others arrested in the raid, charged with accepting bets were: beauty shop owner Ann Judeika, tavern owner Kenneth Penrod, Wisconsin Gas foreman Michael Misurelli, tavern owner Gary Capozza, barber Carl Hermans, tavern owner Joseph Perone, tavern owner Felix Cairo, and AMC employee Chester Zanck. Keith McIntye was picked up for bartending without a license.
November 12, 1966: Sixteen more charges were filed against Rasmussen in Kenosha. They concerned running a lottery (baseball pool cards), receiving horse bets and transferring football parlay cards. DA Joseph Molinaro said this brought Rasmussen’s charges to 22, and he was also issuing warrants for two other Kenosha gamblers (Eugene Alfano and Robert Layden), not necessarily connected to Rasmussen. Rasmussen’s preliminary hearing was set: Febuary 23, 1967.
November 19, 1966: An informant in Kenosha said that Chief Leo Buchman was a “laughingstock” following the recent raids and displayed a “lack of intelligence.” Buchman had told the press he was not aware of the raids until after they happened. The truth was more that he had been informed last minute, and clearly knew because he had six of his men assist. Rather than saying he did not know, he could have merely said “no comment” and enjoyed the free positive publicity. Informant suspected Buchman was not so dumb as he was afraid because of the close ties between the hoodlum element and local government.
Around December 7, another charge came down on Wick for forgery. Investigator Herbert Krusche arranged through Rasmussen to have Wick print 50 cashiers checks from the Midland National Bank in the name of John Seymore. The agreement had been made October 31 in Wick’s print shop.
On December 7, Kenosha DA Molinaro moved to have Felix Cairo’s tavern license revoked for allowing Warren Rasmussen and Michael Misurelli to provide gambling at his bar, the Idle Hour. Molinaro said he had not tried to revoke a license in 7 years, but this was a blatant violation of the Thompson anti-gambling law. Cairo’s revocation stemmed directly from the November 4 raids.
On December 9, state agent Russell Nelson testified at a prelimary hearing for Cairo. He swore to receiving 300 football parlay cards from Rasmussen at Cairo’s tavern for the purpose of reselling them. Nelson further said he had made four bets at $2 each with Cairo between May and August. He won on one occasion and received $6.60 in an envelope from Cairo. Maurice Schmerling, Cairo’s attorney, asked Nelson if he placed bets with anyone else at the Idle Hour. Yes, with Rasmussen, seven times between May and August. This did not help Cairo and he was bound over for trial.
Also on December 9, tax agents gave the FBI a list of names and figures found at his Union Loan office on November 4. It was believed to be a list of gamblers and bets. The FBI file is redacted on the names, but one man listed appeared to be connected to the Clover Tavern in Kenosha.
December 15, Wick’s preliminary hearing was in Milwaukee. His attorney, Max Goldsmith, was there, but Wick was nowhere to be found. Judge Seraphim issued a bench warrant for his arrest. Soon, more forged checks from Wick had turned up in Green Bay and Manitowoc. Within a week, rumors were flying he would flee to Chicago or South America.
December 20, 1966: The FBI met with US Attorney Brennan to discuss the Rasmussen case. Brennan said at the present time he saw “insufficient evidence” to make a federal/interstate case out of the matter. Furthermore, Rasmussen had so many charges against him in two different jurisdictions that it would be just as well to let those play out.
January 1, 1967: Rasmussen’s license to make small loans was revoked by the state banking commissioner after an investigation found he was giving loans with interest rates greater than allowed by law. In other words, loan sharking.
April 20, 1967: Wick was arrested in Sheboygan while shopping in a Prange’s. Additional charges against him were filed there: three counts of passing worthless checks at Piggly Wiggly, possession of football parlay cards and fraudulently applying for a vehicle registration. Papers on him at the time of arrest showed he was working in Elk Grove, Illinois at Design Screen Printers under the name Art Wallace. Receipts had him visiting stores in Waukegan and Arlington Heights, Illinois.
Rasmussen finally went to Kenosha court in September 1967. Following testimony from agent Russell Nelson, Rasmussen was convicted September 13 by the jury of 22 counts of gambling. Defense attorney Maurice Schmerling was able to get Nelson to admit he, not Rasmussen, had initiated the bets (suggesting entrapment), and was able to get potential jurors removed if they had never played cards or drank at a tavern. But it wasn’t enough. Judge Harold Bode sentenced Rasmussen to pay $7,600 or spend 18 months in jail. Bode gave Rasmussen two months to pay.
October 16, 1967: Rasmussen pleaded guilty to his Milwaukee charges of forgery (driver’s license and payroll checks) and possessing gambling material. Judge Robert Gollmar of Baraboo, who was sitting in, dismissed a charge of possessing obscene material. Sentencing was delayed pending a presentence investigation.
November 7, 1967: Rasmussen paid $2,500 of his fine. Judge Bode granted hi ma one-week extension to get the other $5,100. He was able to do so on November 12, under deadline.
November 17, 1967: On 34 counts of worthless checks and 3 counts of forgery, Wick was sentenced to four years. Though he was given three years on many charges, they were ordered concurrently.
December 12, 1967: Judge Gollmar handed Rasmussen a $4,200 fine for his Milwaukee conviction. He gave a deadline of March 10 or face up to five years in prison. Gollmar used the sentencing to make a speech: “I have a great deal of difficulty in understanding how a man 54 years of age, who is a businessman… can become as greedy as you obviously have become in a desire to make money, regardless of whether you abide by the law or not. I don’t think that two years or ten years in Waupun would change your thinking one bit. I think you would come out of there the same greedy, selfish man I see standing before me. If there is anything that’s going to get you out of the habit of doing illegal things it is to hit you in the pocketbook.”
February 1, 1968: Tompkins Printing Equipment contacted the FBI in search of their 12×18 Chandler and Price printing press, which they had rented to Arthur Wick and (redacted) on June 21, 1965. Following Wick’s arrest in 1966, they never saw the press again.
July 1970: The IRS filed a tax lien against Rasmussen, saying he owed them $14,765.
Rasmussen passed November 6, 1982 in Kenosha at 69 years old.