How big of a fence was Vincent Maniaci? We will probably never know, but we were given a glimpse in 1973-1975 when two major thefts were traced back to him.
Four mink coats valued at $10,000 were stolen from Evans Fur Company in Chicago on September 4, 1973. It would take authorities over a year to connect this theft to Milwaukee’s underworld.
An informant told the FBI on October 4, 1973 that Frank Balistrieri had recently been in Chicago meeting with Marshall Caifano. He also said stolen cigarettes and fur coats were floating around Milwaukee. Specifically, Nick Gentile had been offered a fur coat but could not afford it. (Was Gentile an informant?)
The FBI caught a break in the Evans Fur stolen mink coat case on November 4, 1974. A man brought in one of the stolen coats, an autumn haze Schiaparelli, to Littman Furrier at 314 West Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee to have the coat appraised and soon found out it had come from the set of stolen coats. Littman’s traced the tag inside (3782-RN905) to the manufacturer, Goldin-Feldman of New York, and they said they sold it to Evans. A quick phone call, and Evans identified it as one of the stolen coats. From there, it did not take long for the Feds to find out where he had purchased the coat —the coats had been sold for $400 each in a back room of the New Yorker Lounge. (As Schiaparelli stopped making clothes in the 1950s, it is unclear if this was a vintage coat or another company with a similar name.)
A federal grand jury handed down an indictment on November 22, 1974 for Phillip J. Blake, 26. Blake was arrested by Bureau agents on November 26 for interstate transport of stolen property —four mink coats valued at $10,000 brought from Chicago to Milwaukee in September 1973. He had stolen them in order to pay off a $1,500 debt he owed to Vincent Maniaci. Blake had previously been beaten up by a thug on Maniaci’s behalf for the money owed.
An FBI special agent entered Little Caesars at 7:20pm on November 27 and witnessed Blake coming in and saying to the bartender that he needed to see Vincent Maniaci immediately. The bartender said he “left a few minutes ago.” Blake insisted it was “pretty urgent,” as he had just been “popped.” Maniaci could not be reached. Shortly after, the phone rang and it was Maniaci. Also, an elderly man with glasses came in with a plastic bag saying he was looking for Maniaci. The special agent left at 8:50pm.
Also on November 27, Phillip Blake met with Maniaci at Sally’s Steak House at 8:35pm. He was now wearing a wire (body recorder) provided by the FBI. The two went into the men’s bathroom and Blake told Maniaci he had been picked up by the FBI for the stolen furs and candy. (I should explain when the candy theft happened, but these are just rough notes… it will be explained more later.)
Maniaci repeatedly asked if he was wearing a wire, Blake repeatedly said no. Maniaci said, “Those guys, they fix ya up, ya know.” He remained suspicious and told Blake that, “I ain’t got nothing to do with you in any respect.” Blake then asked Maniaci to set him up with an attorney. Maniaci did not seem too happy about it and said, “you got me for 775 already”. He asked, “Did ya ever mention my name to anybody?” Blake lied, “No man, I ain’t told ’em nothing yet. I ain’t told ’em a damn thing. Ya know I ain’t gonna open my mouth, alright.” After more back and forth, Maniaci finally recommended Blake go see attorney Max Goldsmith who worked in the Majestic Building and have him call Maniaci to set the defense up. Maniaci said Goldsmith “handles all the boys” and would know what to do. He further said Blake was probably lucky he got busted because Maniaci said he “was going to break your fucking head, to tell you the truth… because you were fucking me, fucked me around.”
Blake recorded Vincent Maniaci saying, “You understand what I mean. Don’t you dare put me in the middle. Be careful and keep your mouth shut, ’cause I’m going to tell you something. Any time you open your mouth, you stick your foot in it, ’cause if you open up your mouth, then you’re dead.”
The FBI interviewed a man on December 3, 1974 with knowledge of the criminal activity around Little Caesars. He said the Hershey’s theft was done by a man named “Frank” who drove a black Dodge and was a salesman in Kenosha. The informant also said he knew of stolen lawn mowers that had gone through Vincent Maniaci earlier in the year and had helped unload one from Vince’s car and into his brother Augie’s car. He knew of stolen guns, motorcycles and the sale of narcotics. The source said Vince was specifically interested in napkins and paper supplies. He had never witnessed any gambling, however. (This was possibly Blake.)
On December 4, 1974, a quick check with Hersheys by the FBI revealed that the stolen candy was most likely sold to Master Products, doing business as The Candy House, at 720 West Mitchell. Hersheys noted that last year around Christmas, the company had purchased fourteen cases of bulk Kisses, but had not purchased any in bulk this year, suggesting they either were not selling Kisses —very unlikely —or had found some elsewhere. Agents then went to the Candy House and observed several two-pound bags of Hershey Kisses.
On December 5, 1974, an advertisement appeared in the Milwaukee Journal saying that the Candy House was selling Hershey’s Christmas kisses at $1.19 per pound.
A special agent was in Little Caesars from 8:45 until 9:15pm on December 6, 1974. He saw Vincent Maniaci, who made casual conversation, but heard nothing of a criminal nature.
The FBI interviewed someone (probably Nick Baudo) at Master Products Company (Candy House) on December 13, 1974. He said his business was purchasing candy in bulk and then re-packaging it into smaller units for sale in his retail store and other local businesses. He had, for example, purchased a bulk quantity of Hershey’s kisses and had repackaged them into two-pound units. One agent informed him that they had seen Hershey’s records and did not think he received any shipments this year. The man said he had, in fact, received 20 bulk cartons only yesterday and had not even unpacked them because he was still selling candy left over from the previous year. He showed the agents these cartons and they wrote down the serial numbers. One agent purchased a two-pound bag of kisses.
At around 4:30pm on December 15, 1974, Phillip Blake was driving his sister’s car when he stopped at a red light at 43rd and Burnham in West Milwaukee. Two men jumped into the car, one in front and one in back. The men said they were friends of Blake’s friends. The one in front pulled a gun from his jacket and held it on Blake, and asked why he had not contacted Goldsmith like he had been advised to do. Blake was told he could be killed right now, but if he contacted the attorney, he would be treated well in jail and compensated after. Blake pulled over at 43rd and National, letting the two men out. The man with the gun slapped Blake and ordered him to get on the freeway.
A female source for the FBI went into Little Caesars on December 15 and witnessed Vincent Maniaci talking with a skinny Italian man in his 50s.
At 7:30pm on December 16, Blake called Little Caesars from his home, where agents had consensually tapped his telephone. Blake told Vince he had received a subpoena to testify in front of a grand jury the next day. Vince told him that he was at Little Caesars if he needed to talk, but did not wish to on the phone. Blake called Little Caesars again at 8:42pm on December 16. This time Vince said he did not wish to talk and said, “I’ve got nothing to do with anybody. I never did anything with anybody.” After prodding about whether Vince would talk in person, he said “why sure” and hung up.
Two special agents were in Little Caesars on the evening of December 16 around 9:20pm. They saw the heavy man with glasses who had been seen twice before and this time caught that he was a carpenter. A man came in and told Vince that he had $40 for him and would have the rest on Friday. He then borrowed a dime for the telephone, and Vince jokingly said the man would owe him 20 cents on Friday. Phillip Blake came in around 9:30pm. Maniaci took him into the women’s bathroom and told Blake that “they” knew he had talked and he was a “dead man”. Vince frisked Blake, looking for a body recorder (he found none), and told him to take the Fifth at the grand jury. Blake left around 9:50 and the agents left at 10:25pm.
The FBI interviewed Phillip Harlen Jung on December 17, 1974. Jung said he was the manager of the Empire Lounge at 716 North Plankinton. He recalled about 10 months prior being in the back room at the New Yorker Lounge with a few men, one of them he knew as ex-con Joseph James Martinkoski (who committed multiple Milwaukee-area burglaries in 1968). The men told him they were trying to get rid of some fur coats and asked Jung if he knew where they could go. Jung said he would ask around. He did not recall exactly when, but Jung told the agents that soon after he ran into someone at the Casino Cabaret Lounge who was interested and introduced the man to Martinkoski. Jung told the agents that later Theodore Denovan Beaver, owner of the Casino Cabaret, came to him and said the FBI had talked to him and would probably be talking to Jung, too. Manager John J. Whitehall told Jung to keep quiet or “Beaver will bury you.” Jung told Whitehall, “I know nothing and I’ll say nothing.”
Also on December 17, Frank Cicerello voluntarily appeared at the FBI Office. Cicerello said he knew Vince Maniaci quite well and frequently goes to Little Caesars, but he was not involved in any criminal activity with Maniaci, Hershey’s kisses or otherwise. He denied ever having been at McDonalds at 2520 West National Avenue (which still exists in 2012) or the McDonalds on 76th by the Southridge Shopping Center. He told the agents he drove an AMC Ambassador.
Vincent Maniaci was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 18, 1974 for extortionate credit transactions (loan sharking). He was found to have threatened people with violence and to be indirectly responsible for Phillip Blake’s theft of fur coats. He was accused of loaning Blake $2,000 and then using threats to collect. A bench warrant was issued, and Maniaci was picked up by the FBI the same day and brought before Magistrate John C. McBride. Bond was set at $30,000 personal recognizance. An internal FBI report at the time of arrest referred to Maniaci as “a financier, major fence, and mastermind behind numerous large thefts around the Milwaukee area.” They also suspected him of being a Mafia member, which appears to be incorrect.
On the evening of December 28, 1974, Vincent Maniaci was inebriated at Little Caesars. He told those around him that they did not need to go to the New Yorker Lounge to see go-go dancers, and then began taking off his clothes. When all his clothes were off, he hopped on a chair and began dancing until he fell on the floor and passed out.
The Milwaukee office of the FBI called the Bureau’s Chemistry Unit on January 8, 1975 and asked if they had the ability to tell how old chocolate was. They could not.
FBI agents spoke with Joseph Martinkoski on January 17, 1975 at Waupun State Prison. He said he knew Phillip Jung, served time with him at Waupun, but would not call him a friend and only saw him on the outside once. That was by accident at a restaurant and they only exchanged a few words. Martinkoski denied ever being in the New Yorker, the Casino Cabaret or any other “strip joint” in Milwaukee. He denied ever being with a prostitute in his life. He asked the agents when he allegedly met with Jung and was told in September; Martinkoski said the last time he got out of Waupun was in October, so this would have been impossible. The prison records verified his claim.
Frank Cicerello voluntarily appeared at the office of US Attorney William J. Mulligan on January 21, 1975. Mulligan informed Cicerello he was considering offering Cicerello immunity for his statements against Vincent Maniaci. Cicerello recalled meeting with Maniaci and Phillip Blake the previous October. That same evening, Cicerello called up the Candy House and spoke to owner Nick Baudo who knew Cicerello’s brother Sammy, a former prize fighter. He told Baudo he had 400 cartons of assorted Hershey’s candy. Baudo agreed to buy it. Blake was told to meet Cicerello at the McDonalds at 2520 West National Avenue the next morning at 10:00 (where Cicerello would have to stop on his soda distribution route). They met as planned, and Blake was with a hippie in a beat-up old car. Blake brought the candy to Candy House where it was unloaded by an employee. Cicerello was paid $1,000 (with $1,500 to come later) and gave the money to Maniaci, who let him keep $300 for setting up the operation. A few days later, Nick paid Cicerello the remaining $1,500 and it was turned over to Maniaci. Cicerello maintained he was never at the McDonalds in Greenfield, as this was not one of his customers. He agreed to a polygraph exam.
The FBI interviewed a man at his residence on January 28, 1975. The man said he had been at Little Caesars the night before the truck of Hershey’s candy was stolen, and heard Vince Maniaci and Frank Cicerello talking about it. Cicerello then left and came back with a man connected to a local candy business who was willing to pay for the stolen candy.
Frank Cicerello stopped by the FBI office on February 4 and told them he now remembered the employee who helped unload the candy was named Erv. He also had heard the stolen candy was being stored outside of town. Cicerello was given a polygraph examination and was found to be deceptive on 7 of 15 questions.
The FBI interviewed a man (name redacted) on February 6, 1975, who told them that in late October or early November he was contacted by a man from the Candy House named Erv Komassa who had “hot” candy he needed to get rid of. The man saw what he believed to be 500 cartons of Hershey’s candy in a storage room on the second floor of the Candy House. Together, they rented a Budget Rent-a-Truck to haul the candy out. The man recalled that this was two or three days after someone was subpoenaed, and they thought it best to get the candy out of the store. It was left sitting inside the truck for a few days and then brought to Chicago and given to someone Komassa knew. The man said he was promised $100 for helping but has not seen the money. He believed that Komassa still had 20 or 30 cases of the chocolate at his residence.
Ervin Alvin Komassa voluntarily appeared at the FBI office on February 21, 1975. He said he was a part-time employee for the Candy House, with his primary job being making out-of-state deliveries to Michigan and Illinois, bringing chocolate to other stores with a Hertz rental truck. Komassa said he occasionally helped unload, but loads never got bigger than 50 cases —certainly never 400 or 500 cases. He denied knowing Frank Cicerello and Vincent Maniaci, and said he had rented a Budget truck, but it was for moving furniture. The FBI doubted his story and noted that his police record was extensive, with multiple counts of forgery, larceny, con games, disorderly conduct, fraud and embezzlement going back to at least 1949. Komassa had spent roughly five years at Waupun State Prison in the 1960s.
Phillip Jung was beaten by Casino Cabaret owner Theodore Beaver and Clarence J. Harris in the early morning hours of February 25, 1975 for testifying against Vincent Maniaci. John James Whitehall also took part in the beating. Jung suffered injuries to his eyes, neck, nose and head and required medical attention at the Central Clinic. The doctors there found him bruised with his eye swollen shut, his throat bruised from being choked, and he had a concussion though he did not have any broken bones. Beaver was arrested two days later by the FBI and held on $10,000 bond for obstruction of justice, but Harris remained at large.
Upon his arrest at the Casino Cabaret (634 North 5th Street) for assaulting a federal witness on February 27, Theodore Beaver said that any story involving him threatening to harm someone was completely false. He acknowledged getting into a fight at the Empire Lounge, but said that it was Clarence Harris who had done the actual beating. Beaver said he thought Jung was okay when he left, and he (Beaver) returned to the Casino Cabaret and fell asleep on a bar stool.
FBI agents and a detective from the Greenfield Police Department questioned Nick Baudo, the owner of the Candy House, on February 28, 1975. He denied knowing Vincent Maniaci and Frank Cicerello and said he has only purchased candy through normal, legal means. He was familiar with Sammy Cicerello, who had been a boxer, and he admitted that Erv Komassa was employed by him off and on, but said he knew nothing of any dealings Komassa might have had with Cicerello and Maniaci and he had never loaned money to Komassa.
Theodore Beaver was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with obstruction of justice on March 10, 1975.
FBI agents found Clarence J. Harris, 35, on Thursday, March 13, 1975 —he was in the Milwaukee County Jail where he had been placed after his arrest on an unrelated burglary charge.
On March 28, 1975, the US Attorney’s office noticed that two transcripts from a federal grand jury concerning Vincent Maniaci were missing.
March 31, 1975: Opening statements against Maniaci. US Attorney William Mulligan told the jury, “Blake was physically beaten and told to pay his debt. This conduct lead to crimes committed by Blake.” This included the theft of four four coats he was transporting, and they were sold out of Little Caesar’s. The jury was also played recordings of phone calls between Maniaci and Blake,
Phillip Jung was interviewed by the FBI on April 1, 1975. He was contacted at the U.S. Marshal’s Office, where he was receiving protective custody. He was shown a spread of photographs, including one of August Palmisano, and asked if any of them were present when he was beaten. He could not recognize any of the men. He knew one person there who threw an ashtray at him.
April 1, 1975: George Rau, owner of Hudson Jewelers (409 West Wisconsin Ave) testified at Maniaci’s trial that he was paid with a $2,495 mink coat to cover a $600 gambling debt by Thomas Hamm, owner of Ben-Mor Books (506 West Wisconsin Avenue). Hamm testified that he purchased two mink coats from Philip Blake for $800 – their combined value was $5,290. Hamm said he offered to sell Maniaci a coat, but he did not want one. Hamm further testified he “had a part of the Casino Cabaret” at 601 North Fifth Street. Deborah Lemke, a former girlfriend of Philip Blake, testified that she and Blake went to Maniaci’s tavern “almost every night” in 1970 and heard their conversations. Maniaci had told Blake, “You know when you needed money, I always sent it to you.” Maniaci also told Blake to steal wholesale napkins if he could, and that when he (Maniaci) was in Florida, he was followed by IRS photographers.
The court reporter who was present during grand jury testimony concerning Maniaci was given a polygraph examination on April 7, 1975 to help clear up whether she had stolen the missing grand jury transcripts. Although appearing calm, she said she was quite nervous and asked whether the machine could tell the difference between nervousness and deception. Despite being prescribed tranquilizers on April 4, she claimed to have had no stimulants or depressants in the past 24 hours and had not had coffee that day. Her answers concerning how she handled court reports was “ambiguous” and she seemed to have no strict procedure. Eventually, she started crying and told the agent present that she had given the FBI a copy and not the original notes. (Where the original notes were is unclear to me.) Judge Myron Gordon suggested that if the transcripts were not found, the case against Maniaci might have to be dismissed – their loss “would be fatal to a fair trial.” Her boss, Gene Kempfer, told the press, “The only thing that I can figure out is that when she takes the notes and she takes a break, someone could have very easily come in and ripped them off.”
Phillip Blake testified against Maniaci on April 7, discussing how he had stolen $3,000 worth of merchandise from Kennedy and Cohen appliance store, as well as fur coats, in order to pay off his gambling debts. Blake was still in pain from being beaten and had suffered kidney damage. Following his testimony, he collapsed in the judge’s chambers and was unable to speak. This collapse caused Judge Gordon to postpone the trial until April 21.
The court reporter found her stenographic tapes on April 10, 1975 while looking for her diary and turned them over to the FBI. US Attorney William Mulligan said simply, “The FBI has obtained custody of the stenographic tapes. The defense attorney has been notified, and the FBI investigation of the matter is continuing.” Defense attorney Gerald Boyle told the press, “All I know is I’ve been asking for them for three weeks and now all of a sudden they’re found.” (The FBI later found that the woman’s husband had come home to find the tapes on the kitchen counter and then put them on a shelf under the counter so he could spread out his blueprints. He had completely forgotten about moving them.)
On April 11, 1975, John Whitehall, 29, was charged with obstruction of justice for his role in the beating of Phillip Jung.
An informant spoke with the FBI on April 19, 1975 and said he did not believe that Vincent Maniaci or his attorney were responsible for stealing the grand jury tapes. In fact, Maniaci seemed quite upset about the whole thing. He suggested that if Maniaci had taken the tapes, he would never have brought them back. Possibly it was someone who wanted to make Maniaci look bad so he would be found guilty.
On April 21, 1975, Phillip Blake testified about being beaten in September 1973 for gambling debts. After this, he talked to Vincent Maniaci, who told him, “If you fuck with me again, you’ll end up head first in the sewer.” Maniaci demanded fur coats as payment. The next day, he was followed to work by a man who confronted him in the parking lot at Mayfair and said, “I’m going to make sure you do things right and come across for Vince today.” Blake did not know the man, but said he carried a small pistol. Allegedly, Blake was followed by the man all day, even to Skokie, Illinois. Fearing the man, Blake stole four mink coats. One was given to Maniaci, two were sold to bookstore owner Thomas Hamm, and one was sold to Casino Cabaret employee John Whitehall, 29. The money he received ($1,400) was then given to Maniaci.
Vincent Maniaci took the stand in his own defense on April 24, 1975. “I know I have never done anything with this gentleman (Blake),” he testified. “And I never wanted to get involved in anything he ever did.” He said he charged no interest on loans he gave to Blake and only loaned him money because “he begged me for it” and was “quite a good customer” and “always a gentleman.” According to Maniaci, Blake neded money because he was always behind on alimony and child support. Maniaci later referred Blake to attorney Max Goldsmith as a favor “because I am that particular kind of individual.” Maniaci said he could not physically hurt Blake because he had four heart attacks and part of his left hand was missing, so he couldn’t even make a fist. Maniaci’s testimony was patently absurd given the overwhelming evidence that he was involved in fencing goods and ordering his friends to beat Blake.
Vincent Maniaci was found guilty of extortion and moving stolen goods on April 28, 1975 after seven men and five women deliberated for 5 1/2 hours after a 9-day trial. He was sentenced to three years in prison. The Journal reported that he “remained expressionless while the verdict was read, but wept while leaving the courtroom.” Vincent Maniaci forfeited his operators license for Little Caesar’s (1758 North Water Street —the Trocadero in 2011) in late April 1975 due to being convicted in federal court.
Defense attorney Gerald P. Boyle wrote a letter to Special Agent in Charge Herbert Hoxie on May 8, 1975 concerning the recent Maniaci case. He wrote, “I am hereby expressing to you our deepest admiration for the agents who were in charge of the investigation for their cooperation, objectivity and professionalism. This is in no way to say that we are happy that we lost… As a former prosecutor and at present a defense attorney, I admire professionalism and, knowing that we are all interested only in a search for the truth, I must commend the agents who worked on this case as being fair and upright. Finally, I hope we win on appeal.”
On June 4, 1975, Milwaukee aldermen indicated that Vincent Maniaci’s tavern license would not likely be renewed. Alderman Clarence Miller opposed the renewal, and Alderman Edward Griffin (who was Maniaci’s alderman) was not in favor. Griffin said his district had enough taverns and “I don’t need some guy who’s tied up with big crime. I just don’t need it.”
On July 14, 1975, the License Committee castigated the Milwaukee Police Department for not updating Vincent Maniaci’s record. Maniaci, who was applying for a license renewal, did not have his extortion conviction on his application. Conversely, the police warned against Richard Czarnecki for his association with gamblers Palmisano, Halmo and Dulski and his “questionable moral character”, despite having no convictions. The Committee turned down Maniaci but accepted Czarnecki, who was to take over Little Caesar’s. Alderman Edward Griffin also objected to Czarnecki, and despite the tavern being in his ward, he was outnumbered. Alderman Warren Braun said that guilt by association was no reason to deny a license and the police were “not going to act like a Gestapo”. The next night, July 15, 1975, the Czarnecki license went to the entire common council for a vote and was rejected. There was a heated debate, with Alderman Robert Anderson defending Czarnecki and saying, “When you deal with the US Constitution, there is no such thing as aldermanic privilege.” Alderman Griffin said he was trying to protect people on the East Side from tavern owners that might be associated with criminals. Ultimately, Griffin won the debate and the council voted 10-6 against Czarnecki.
At the end of July, Richard Czarnecki sued the Common Council for denying his license, saying the denial was “arbitrary, capricious and without factual foundation.” The City Attorney asked Judge George Burns to dismiss the suit, arguing that Czarnecki had “failed to avail himself of the proper remedy at law.” Judge Burns threw the suit out two weeks later, saying that blaming Alderman Griffin was not valid when the council voted in the majority.
Patricia Wisniewski, 35, was shot in the chest and killed in her mobile home at about 1:00am on August 30, 1975 in Beecher, Marinette County. Her three small children were inside the trailer at the time but did not find her for almost seven hours because they had been asleep. Julie (8), Brenda (7) and Emil (3) walked to the home of neighbor Joan French and said their mother was “sick”. French found Patricia lying face down. After declaring her (obviously) dead, Wisniewski’s body was taken to Iron Mountain for an autopsy. Wisniewski’s husband, Antone, was a truck driver for
Kohl’s Food Stores and had been a witness in the case of Vincent Maniaci. Antone claimed he had received three anonymous calls threatening him and his wife between March and April, around the time of the trial. Maniaci’s involvement in this death is highly questionable (in my opinion). The death may have simply been a hunting accident, though there was speculation that someone had knocked on the door prior to shooting Wisniewski. Strangely, this had been the fourth fatal shooting in Marinette County in the last two months; prior to that, no one had been killed for three years.
On September 4, 1975, Erv Komassa was interviewed by the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office. He said he knew Pat Wisniewski and she had no enemy in the world. Her death shocked him.
On September 8, 1975, police searched Antone Wisniewski’s Pewaukee home (709 East Wisconsin Avenue) while investigating his wife’s death. They found nothing there indicating he was involved in a murder, but they did find numerous items connecting him to theft. They found toiletries, 21 boxes of flash cubes, 15 packages of film, 11 boxes of razor blades, kitchen goods and clothing with Kohl’s labels on them.
September 8, Theodore Beaver was given a polygraph examination concerning his claim that his beating of a government witness at the Empire Room was personal and not because of the man’s being a witness. The results were inconclusive. He insisted he was intoxicated and had gone to Jim’s Bar, but found it closed and went to the Empire instead, where the fight broke out. Prior to his exam, Beaver had drank “two Scotches” and the FBI noted that he was a heavy drinker and possibly an alcoholic. His demeanor was described as “cocky and self-assured and slightly antagonistic”.
John Whitehall, 29, was on trial before Judge Robert Warren on October 1, 1975 for federal obstruction of justice, for telling Phillip Jung, “You’d better keep your mouth shut or Teddy (Beaver) is going to bury you.” The court was also presented with a transcript where Whitehall had allegedly told Jung, “You don’t know how lucky you are. We’ve discussed blowing your little bald fucking head off your shoulders.”
October 1, 1975: Phillip Jung, former bartender at the Empire Lounge, testified that Whitefall had beaten him and threatened his life. Photos of Jung’s injuries taken by the FBI were also shown.
Attorney Gerald Boyle argued Vincent Maniaci’s appeal on October 5, 1975 before a three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit Appeals Court. Boyle said that because the judge had referenced “The Godfather” during his jury instructions, the jury was biased and the court’s decision should be reversed. Judge Wilbur Pell told Boyle, “I don’t think you’re giving the Milwaukee jurors any credit.” Judge Luther Swygert concurred, pointing out that sometimes judges “say too much”, but this does not automatically qualify as an error.
Whitehall was acquitted on October 7, following closing arguments of his attorney, Joseph Hallows. Hallows acknowledged that Jung had “a black eye and a fat lip” but pointed out that Whitehall “never laid a finger” on him and the “brutal beating” prosecutors claimed was an exaggeration. He said it was not logical for a beating after grand jury testimony, rather than before, to be an obstruction of justice. And he further said the insinuation that Whitehall was Vincent Maniaci’s “henchman” was a stretch, as the two had only met a couple of times.
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction of Vincent Maniaci on December 4, 1975.
Vincent Maniaci began serving a three year sentence in Sandstone Federal Prison on January 20, 1976. A prosecutor in the Eastern District formally declined on January 28 to prosecute Maniaci for threats he had made to Karl Lotharius because Maniaci was in prison. Prosecution of August Palmisano and another man was not initiated because the prosecutor did not feel there was sufficient evidence. (Lotharius will have his own entry.)
Theodore Beaver appeared in Milwaukee County Court on April 23, 1976 and pleaded guilty to one count of battery. He was sentenced to thirty days in jail and fined $125. Beaver had agreed to plead guilty to a state charge of battery if the federal charge of obstruction was dropped.
In January 1978, a jury awarded Thomas Torkelson of Two Guys Cartage $30,118 after he sued Nick Baudo, Frank Cicerello and Phil Blake for the Hershey’s Kisses theft. It was Torkelson’s truck involved in the theft. $7,500 of that was to cover the value of the candy and the rest was punitive damages.