Still, he professes to not even know a ballpark figure of either his income or his net worth. She had hosted a campaign fundraising event after the Land Use Committee vote and "Al Rosellini came and added a stack of checks to what was already a stack of checks. Wills told The Stranger during our endorsement meeting this year that Rosellini was a mentor to her and had asked her to "help solve a small business issue. Colacurcio was indicted last year along with his son, Frank Jr., and several associates. However, as Barnett and Feit wrote, Strippergate could not be talked about without talking about the moratorium, which many outlets were ignoring: In the wake of Strippergateand in the context of a questionable moratoriumit's clear the public and press have a hypocritical view of strip clubs. She has been to a number of the advisory committee meetings and confirmed that "there hasnt been a huge number of people actually in the room" and only a small number of dancers were present. Frank Colacurcio Obituary (1949 - 2020) - Newtown, CT - Connecticut Post Frank never appeared in D.C. but settled the assault charge by posting a peace bond-an old-time legal procedure that allowed him to put up $5,000 and promise not to hurt anyone for six months, or lose his money. The elder Colacurcio, after talking to an unexpected visitor for an hour on a recent Friday evening, suddenly looks at his watch and stands up. It was the site of Franks first major criminal mistake-getting caught-leading to a federal prison term and spurring a Bellevue law forbidding nude dancing in or near residential areas. Back when I was working, I couldnt even talk to anybody about [these issues], I was so afraid that I would get fired. She wont leave. He owns it with a nephew and uses it for fishing expeditions in Alaska. The first time, 1943, Frank was 25 and the girl, 16. Frank Colacurcio Jr. The few female reporters who encountered him then had a less kindly view: Frank was lecherous, even dangerous-drawbacks that male writers tended to overlook during happy hour. She also didn't know that she had to disclose that she had met with Rosellini before the council vote, or what Rosellini's history was with the Colacurcios. Legally theyre not allowed to retaliate, Jane explained. Frank Colacurcio Sr. Frank Colacurcio Sr., longtime resident of Newtown, Connecticut, passed away on September 28, 2020 at the age of 70. . Sam found his way to the federal pen in 1988 for skimming profits from topless bars in Arizona. Strippergate 101: Everything You Need to Know About a City Council According to a Seattle Weekly report from the time, Wills never explained why she showed up at the meeting of a committee she wasn't on. Cole would like to make it illegal. The assets of the Colacurcio organization were frozen by the government in June 2008 following a two-year investigation. But the dancers often arrive needy and vulnerable. Rather than marry, hed do the time, and did: two years for carnal knowledge. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on December 27, 1949, he was the son of Frank Colacurcio & Ethel Willis. His house is jammed between its neighbors on a busy strip of Bothell Way Northeast in Lake Forest Park. The King County prosecutor at the time determined that Wills was naive and there was no wrong-doing on her part. According to Orwall, at least one dancer was fired for organizing last year. As part of his plea agreement, FRANK COLACURCIO, JR. is also barred from participating in any adult entertainment enterprise in the state of Washington for the three-year term of supervised release which will follow his prison sentence. Colacurcio strongly denied it. In the 1950s, Colacurcio and his brother Bill were distributing vending, slot, pinball and cigarette machines. Coming up in Bellevue, Washington, he grew up during the so-called "rackets era," where drugs, gambling, prostitution and corruption ensnared businessmen, government officials and police alike. Colacurcio, the eldest son in a family of eight children, was convicted of "carnal knowledge" with a 16-year-old girl. 1995: Sent to federal prison for two years after violating probation by fondling a woman applying for a job at one of his clubs. I was among those who talked with Colacurcio back in his more expansive days. Francis Colacurcio, Sr. was the alleged crime boss of seattle for decadesHe started out as an enforcer for a local crime organization in Seattle that his fat. . It is headed to Gov. 2005: Found guilty of a misdemeanor, groping a strip-club waitress. "I've never done anything wrong," he says, quickly adding, "Does that include traffic violations? "We've always been very close; he's always given me advice on everything," he says. Besides the assault and tax-evasion convictions, Frank Colacurcio was convicted in 1971 of racketeering for bringing illegal bingo cards into the state. In a deposition in the divorce case, his mother, Jackie, wondered if Frankie was up to the job. Frank Colacurcio Sr.Frank Colacurcio Sr., longtime resident of Newtown, Connecticut, passed away on September 28, 2020 at the age of 70.Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on December 27, 1949, he was the Mary Engrav answered Emergency Medicine 32 years experience. Ann Forbes, also of Consolidated, maxed out to Wills in the spring of 2001. Robert Payton a.k.a "Bobby" - Right-hand man of Frank Sr. Frank Colacurcio Jr. appeared in court Friday. Three rows behind her sat Frank Colacurcio, Jr., a friend of Dadi's and onetime heir . Shira Cole has been out of the dancing business for three years. The extent of Colacurcio's involvement in the nightclub industry may never be known. Media attention became rampant. Each year, they voted to extend it. Scandal-ridden Seattle strip club to shut down | king5.com Writers liked him. Seattle's Crime Boss: Mafia Malarkey -- Or Was It? He wasnt naturally chatty, but talked animatedly if the subject interested him. Topless joints are cash operations and Frank learned quickly how to skim off the top, avoiding taxes. For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorneys Office, at (206) 553-4110. He had to have the honor. Mr. Colacurcio had been in declining health for some time, suffering from congestive heart failure. Mostly, she wants the clubs to believe women. Crime family based in Seattle, Washington, Frank Colacurcio Sr., Seattle's legendary organized-crime figure, dies at 93, Everett strip club a front for brothel, feds say, Strip club sting foreshadows possible federal charges, Colacurcio Sr., five others indicted on a charge of conspiracy and racketeering, "Frank Colacurcio Jr. gets prison term, $1.3M fine", "Frank Colacurcio Jr. "These club managers dragging their feet and acting like we have to do this the right way is literally causing harm to people," she said. That's been my one drawback. I dont want them to feel like they cant speak.. Hello, and welcome to Strippergate 101, a history lesson. In exchange, federal prosecutors agreed to dismiss fourteen other charges. [4] In 1957, Colacurcio began working with Portland crime figure James "Big Jim" Elkins to open prostitution houses in Portland. His prison time, mostly spent reading westerns, did him some good, he reasons. John Rosellini . Frank Colacurcio Jr. The Seattle crime family, also known as the Colacurcio crime family[1][2][3] or Seattle Mafia, is a crime family based in Seattle, Washington. While clubs are required to make changes, the laws are still going through the rule-making process with Washington State Labor & Industries and many clubs are waiting until those rules are finalized to implement blacklists and panic buttons. Still, after all the money Colacurcio earned - his 1993 divorce records listed more than $2 million in assets - he hardly lives in luxury. Federal agents say the three men, along with Colacurcio, Sr.,93,and Frank Colacurcio, Jr., 48,conspired to force club dancers to sell sex in order to pay hefty payments to club managers and keep . Which is not to say that the story of Frank Colacurcio, 79, Seattles next-best thing to a criminal godfather, has necessarily reached its final chapter. "And they say theres no greater teacher than experience.". His son, Frank Colacurcio Jr., already had pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge. To avoid trouble obtaining liquor licenses, Colacurcio had relatives and associates front as the business owners. So were talking, and this woman comes up and starts looking at the coffee table between us. Frank, today bespectacled, gray hair thinning, a bit heavier at 200 pounds, is in reasonably good health as he heads toward his 80th birthday next June-although his doctor, Dr. Frank Gleeson, says Frank has polycythemia rubra vera, a condition that can lead to thrombophlebitis, or blood clotting. The indictment further details how credit card machines and ATMs were used to facilitate the prostitution and how the proceeds of prostitution were laundered through various bank accounts. Brother Bill, who became known as the Pinball King of Seattle, and Frank, the Jukebox King, were accused of illegally undercutting competitors in the vending, jukebox, pinball, and cigarette machine business. The folklore that I remember growing up here in Seattle is that this was organized crime, if you will, and Mr. Colacurcio has no history suggesting that; there is no history of violence, there is no history of witness intimidation, there is no history of narcotics trafficking. Charges were never filed, but when rival operators claimed the brothers threatened them with bodily harm if they didn't join the Colacurcio Bros. Amusement Co., the Seattle City Council refused to renew William Colacurcio's operating license. According to Jane, in the months after the bill was passed, she spent a night consoling a 19-year-old dancer who had been assaulted in a VIP room. Frank Colacurcio Sr., the strip-club magnate whose organized-crime exploits covered more than half a century and coincided with Seattle's history of police corruption and reform, died Friday. "He gives me advice on what shoes to wear.". Frank Colacurcio, Sr., ran a strip-club empire and was depicted as a sort of Godfather of the Pacific Northwest. But hell, hes Frank fuckin Colacurcio, the comeback kid. Besides, Frank was colorful. For Sale: Colacurcio house in Lake Forest Park Frank Kinney, who tracked the Colacurcios and their associates for years but was never able to deal the blow that would knock them out. Son Frankie and his associates paid $1.8 million for the Papagayos property three years ago, and Frank himself is listed in court papers as worth at least $2 million, some of which he split with his wife during a 1993-94 divorce. 86 - died November 30, 2011 at her home. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Where he resides today. Francis Colacurcio Sr. (June 18, 1917 July 2, 2010)[1] was an American mobster and boss of the Seattle crime family known for running strip clubs in Seattle, Washington. stop cool math games 2 bedroom duplex for rent san antonio under 1000 Seattle strip club boss Frank Colacurcio Sr., longtime scourge of law I keep saying that Id like to talk about other issues, but theres not enough time, Cole said. The charges were dismissed against Colacurcio Sr. after his death. In 2008, local police and federal agents raided Colacurcio's home and business. A lifelong . Writing to the court, prosecutors noted that this sentencing is a final chapter in a long running criminal enterprise. schneider funeral home mt vernon in obituaries frank colacurcio construction. He also got a reprimand from his exs lawyers for the bad habit of lying to a judge: Clearly, says an entry in court papers, the respondent [Frank] did not make a forthright and candid disclosure of his assets and financial affairs. In 2003, law enforcement launched a criminal investigation in the Seattle area known as "Strippergate. In March 2006, the FBI started a multi-agency task force to investigate alleged organized crime, racketeering, and cold case murders tied to Frank Sr. Everyone calls Frank Francis Colacurcio Sr. just plain Frank. Nonetheless, those who know him are sure he sits in prison planning his exit and his next business move. Colacurcio Jr. pled guilty in 2011. Levy contributed $600 to Jim Compton on April 18, 2002; the moratorium was passed on April 22, 2002. [4] The vending machine businesses became important to organized crime figures who easily skimmed money. The story amused Franks friends, as did some of his tough-guy antics. The Colacurcio Bros. Amusement Co. (Frank, Bill, and other brother Sam), was rumored to be strong-arming customers and sabotaging rivals. He's been banned from working in the adult entertainment industry for life and said he is currently a "consultant" for a strip club called Kittens Cabaret in Georgetown. While the scandal was resolved, the appropriate council members fined, the dirty campaign funds returned, the re-zoning law repealed, and, eventually, the moratorium lifted, has enough time passed for Heidi Wills to be trusted again as a Seattle council member? The case was investigated by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Seattle Police Department with assistance from the King County Sheriffs Department, Everett Police Department, Snohomish County Sheriffs Office, and the Pierce County Sheriffs Office. Although Colacurcio never testified, Committee Counsel Robert F. Kennedy did question him about his alleged racketeering activities in Seattle. In 1981, U.S. prosecutors charged him with skimming profits from the Brass Tiger in Federal Way and the Bavarian Gardens in Factoria. Yet he is consistently vague about how many dancers he employs and how many clubs he runs. Eight current or former dancers make up the committee. A daughter of Seattle's Oromo community, Biftu Dadi was remembered as a smart, spirited young woman. Oftentimes, thats through back rent. (However, most dont show up at the monthly meetings. In declining health, Colacurcio died at the age of 93 of heart failure, on July 2, 2010, at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle;[1] he was buried at Acacia Memorial Park in Lake Forest Park. But hey, Franks a macho guy. Seattle's Frank Colacurcio - YouTube Now banished to the sidelines by the terms of his probation for a tax-fraud conviction, Seattle's former topless-dance king, now nearing 80, is not allowed to work for or even frequent the adult-entertainment clubs he once ruled. The next meeting is on Monday, February 10 at 1:30 p.m. in L&Is Tukwila offices. Members of the conspiracy were indicted in June 2009. In April 2010, the first group of defendants, all Colacurcio associates, entered guilty pleas and the strip club properties were closed. Says the associate today: I told Frank to let me buy this round. In 1957,[2] he was subpoenaed to testify before the U.S. Senate Rackets Committee. The training will incorporate a crash course in financial independence, being an independent contractor, dealing with workplace harassment, and more. It ended much like it began-with some girl calling the cops. Crime family based in Seattle, Washington. USDOJ: US Attorney's Office - WAW "Quasi-judicial rules are really important," Wills said. He was self-employed for many years. Since the divorce settlement, ex-wife Jackie Colacurcio has lived in a modest bayfront home in Poulsbo, trying to avoid the spotlight. We never did tell the guy he was smooching another guy.). She also didn't "explain why at least $8,455 from Colacurcio-connected campaign donors did not raise concerns in her mind until after weeks of media scrutiny," the Weekly wrote. Frank Sr.: from modest roots to racketeer | The Seattle Times Hadn't they made the inroads to prevent this? Jr. Pleads Guilty | Seattle Met That was his deal, he didnt trust anyone. In 2003, a criminal investigation began in Seattle known as "Strippergate" focusing on strip clubs owned by Frank Colacurcio, Sr. and his son, Frank Colacurcio Jr. During the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones told COLACURCIO, JR. It appears you followed in the footsteps of your father your entire life. You are at a crossroads right now in what you do in your life. The indictments alleged Colacurcio Sr . I have had more back rent in the past year than I have ever had in my nearly 15-year career of dancing., Not all clubs use back rent, according to Frank Colacurcio Jr. (Yes, that Frank Colacurcio Jr.), whothough banned from running strip clubs in Washingtonis a consultant for Kittens Cabaret. For example, Levy contributed $600 to Heidi Wills on April 27, 2001; the moratorium was renewed on April 30, 2001. She told the officers Frank had sexually attacked her during a visit to his family home in Bellevue. [10] On July 2, 2010, boss Frank Colacurcio, Sr. died at the age of 93. Seattle Times staff reporter Louis T. Corsaletti contributed to this report. Ameduri said that L&I is working to improve this. I saw another side one night in the late 1970s. Conviction overturned on appeal; case awaiting retrial. Forgive me while I rehash an issue you probably thought was long-dead. I dont have any doubts Frank will be back, says a longtime friend. Wills, who served one four-year term, 2000-03, as an at-large city councilmember, is currently . This was a big disappointment to the head of the party, who was Franks old friend. He never hung around long, and his associates kept the nudie business humming, taking their cues from Frank long-distance. Frank Colacurcio. For less than a million dollars, you can own the home of deceased organized crime boss, Frank Colacurcio. Or is a guy, I dont know. FBI Frank Colacurcio Jr. Sentenced to Prison in Strip Club Case [4] In the 1960s, Colacurcio opened topless clubs in Seattle and skimmed money. A parade of police and officials were linked to an illegal gambling/payoff system in Seattle bars and bingo parlors. The mostly cash businesses kept investigators close on his trail, trying to expose crimes associated with the strip clubs. In 1988, Sam pleaded guilty to profit skimming, Daniel pleaded guilty to obstructing an investigation by providing false information to investigators and prosecutors, and Patrick Colacurcio pleaded guilty to attempted trafficking in stolen property, all related to the operation of topless bars in Arizona. While the public was outraged because the apparent cozy relationship between Rick's and city hall led to eight new parking spaces, they've ignored the same cozy relationship year after year when it has led to a de facto ban on new clubs. public synchronized void methodint i string msg. The pinball industry in particular was loaded with competitive violence: Five car bombings linked to the pinball battles occurred in the early 1960s, but police never solved them. [3][6][7][8] The strip clubs owned by Colacurcio were being used as fronts for brothels. When Jane spoke out about workplace issues last year the club retaliated in sneaky ways. If passed, the property tax levy will help fund behavioral health infrastructure in the region. Last year, strippers (also called dancers) organized with Working Washington to get their concerns about the industrya highly regulated mess that has created a virtual monopoly in the stateheard by legislators. The woman said Frank first asked her to go home and cuddle and be lovey, then kissed her and offered her money. "None will last if not run properly.". Sentenced to Prison in Strip Club Case Colacurcio Jr. Forfeits Millions in Cash and Property", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seattle_crime_family&oldid=1144903083, Organized crime groups in the United States, Articles with dead external links from May 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 March 2023, at 06:01. Kinney believes the Colacurcios have no connection to East Coast crime families but are "their own variant of organized crime" - a notion Colacurcio has long scoffed at. [4] By age 18, he had opened his first trucking company. Jane said that the clubs are worried theyll get sued by customers. His conviction in that case was reversed on appeal. Immigrating first to New York, William followed other relatives to Seattle and became a hard-working truck farmer in South King County. He looked like the president of the United States or something, says a former employee. That mentality seemed to be at play in a much larger issue: A strip club moratorium that had been in place since 1988.