Stricklin hadnt yet met Lee Chagra, but he knew Chagras reputation. He thought nobody would love him without money. He would attach his belt to the giant solid-gold buckle with the thick crust of diamonds, and draw on his black alligator cowboy boots. What no one knew at this point was that the feds had already busted Wallace. Before Yoseph could think of an answer, Lee asked another question: What would you do if you came in and found Id been murdered?, This preoccupation wasnt totally without foundation. Much later, Lee Chagra learned that the single piece of evidence against him was a statement made by Tom Pitts, claiming that he and another drug dealer had once used Lees office to cut a deal. Dirty Darlings. Paperback November 6, 2015. by Catherine Chagra (Author) 168 ratings. The feds could never prove he had any part in the operation or even that he knew about it in advance, though he probably did. He spent more than 35 years defending some of the most notorious alleged Mob figures, including Meyer Lansky, Frank Rosenthal, Anthony Spilotro and Jimmy Chagra. Lees younger brother Jimmy, who grew up hustling and hanging out with some of Lees more prosperous clients, wanted nothing more than to be recognized as Mr. Big. When you live that way, chances are youll die that way too. Whether or not he knew the details, Lee surely sensed the magnitude of the disaster that was bearing down on him. Jimmy and his new business partner, Henry Wallace, were in Florida awaiting their first freighterload of Colombian marijuana, and from what Lee had heard, the operation had all the earmarks of a disaster. Crimes against persons are treated with extreme gravity, but crimes against the economy are treated with a wink and a smile. Lee despised Kerr, and Kerr had every reason to despise Lee. Then Kerr observed that the request for reportsis an overt act on the part of the defense attorneyto obtain government reports and documents concerning him. That is, concerning Lee Chagra. [28] Charles Harrelson got two consecutive life terms plus 5 years,[29] Harrelson's wife Jo Ann got 25 years[21] and Jimmy Chagra's wife Elizabeth was also sent to prison for 30 years for delivering the payout money. An inextricable connection, whether emotional or physical or both, would continue between Lee and Vivian long after Vivian and Jimmy were married, Catherine would later learn. Two of Chagras daughters, Christa and Catherine, now live in Smithville. He was up and down all his lifestruggling. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. He referred to all of his male friends as brother, and yet there was a time when he couldnt keep his hands off his real brothers wives and girlfriends. A scathing memorandum written in March 1975 by the chief judge of the Middle District of Tennessee declared the indictment to be obviously and fatally defective. He also said it was so worded as to be utterly meaningless, and therefore, the indictment actually charged nothing at all. Judge Frank Gray, Jr., went out of his way to rebuke agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and federal prosecutors, declaring that the restraints on the defendants liberty and their being forced to live for two years under a cloud of anxiety, suspicion, and often hostility violated basic principles of justice. His staff had completed the move while he was in Tucson, and in the morning he would officially take possession: it would be his first day there and, as fate decreed, his last. The district attorney, several district judges, and a former mayor stood elbow to elbow with Sailor Roberts, gambler Amarillo Slim, and at least a dozen convicted dope dealers. [14], Prior to his arrest, he accumulated approximately $100 million in various bank accounts, today amounting to about $500 million. On the trials 40th anniversary, Goodman and Chagras eldest daughter, Catherine, will look back at the case and what it meant for Goodman and the Chagra family.A book signing of Catherine Chagras Chagra: The King of Dope Drugs, Deceit and Dirty Darlings will follow this program.Member and Donor Exclusive: Enjoy a meet-and-greet with Oscar Goodman and Catherine Chagra at 6 p.m. prior to the program. Kerr was an empire builder, Boyd said. There was plenty of cocaine to guarantee a holiday spirit; at least five ounces had been delivered a few days earlier. In a secret interview with a group of DEA agents and prosecutors, Johnson had implicated at least sixty El Paso citizens as major drug traffickers. Standing in front of the mirror, he would snap the pearl buttons of his red cowboy shirt, then climb into the black Western-cut leisure suit. It was the way he sounded when he was counting money or totaling figures, an abstract, business-first attitude. He was not very good at suffering alone, and friends and family visited him almost constantly. Borrowing heavily from Kerrs own wording, Wood totally agreed: This request appears to be primarily an effort by the defense attorney to obtain reports of an investigation pertaining to him. One time she wrote about sports. A rigorous and lengthy investigation into the murder brought Jimmy Chagra front and center. But now the years of fast living were catching up. Over the next year Lee had only a handful of cases. His grandfather had been an ironfisted sheriff of Bexar County when lawmen still fought off Apaches. Lees law practice never recovered. Chagra was also a heavy gambler in Las Vegas, Nevada, and attracted attention with his flamboyant ways. The scam brought in more money than Lee had ever thought of making in his law practice. With the help of their principled mother before her tragic death, and haunted by the shadow of their father, Dirty Darlings is a portrait of courage as three women attempt to re-assemble the shattered pieces of their lives. Lee had been accused of a lot of things, but this was the first time anyone had ever accused him of representing himself and not his client. Lee kept detailed records of gambling transactions, but no one else had any concept of home much he bet or with how many different bookies. Sometimes Jimmy pretended he was Lee, signing his name Lee Chagra and repeating Lees stories as though they had happened to him. Boyd, Kerr, and the DEA had worked so hard selling the media on the contention that El Paso was the hub of dope trafficking in the Southwest that everyone took it as gospel. The Indian worked as a collector for several Las Vegas casinos. And Im going to charge you ten thousand dollars.. Though the prosecution recognized there was hardly any chance that Rick would turn on his family, James Kerr did everything in his power to put him away for 40 years. Most high rollers would think a 9-year-old would cramp their style, but he took me everywhere.. Which for Jimmy was almost the same as being broke, Patty said. Jamiel "Jimmy" Alexander Chagra (December 7, 1944 July 25, 2008) was an American drug trafficker, carpet salesman and professional gambler. In 1979, a federal grand jury in Midland, Texas, indicted Chagra on drug smuggling charges. Jimmy was known to win or lose $1 million a night, according to Catherine. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Jo Annie, Lees boyhood sweetheart and the wife who had seen him through law school and nineteen years of an emotionally charged marriage, met him at the airport. It was as if their friendship had come to a fork in the road, and Lee had wandered off in another direction. The idea originated with a friend of his, a highly decorated former Army helicopter pilot who was rumored to have Mafia connections, and with Jack Stricklin, who provided most of the technical expertise. As he said the words, Lee extended the pointer to its full length. He loved the streets and the people who plied themwhores, gamblers, smugglers, cops. He ran a floating blackjack game and started peddling dope. Lee couldnt hold a grudge, but Jimmy was the kind who would get you by the balls and never let go, said Jimmy Salome, a longtime family friend. Its David Long, the first man said. I think he was sad about what he did to his kids. Lees position in this venture was that of highly paid legal adviser for the gang of smugglers. To mark the 40th anniversary of the trial of drug kingpin Jimmy Chagra, who was accused of paying a hitman $250,000 to kill a federal judge John Wood, Oscar Goodman, former mayor and at the time Chagra's defense attorney, will join the late mobster's daughter, Catherine, to revisit the event. With Redd Fox. Dirty Darlings Paperback November 6, 2015. He had an affinity for cards and dice, for dope dealers and shady politicians, for cripples and nightclub singers, for dabblers in the black market and exponents of the quick buck. No, you got it backwards, Lee said when he saw it. He gambled in Vegas and wrote bad checks and was constantly calling Lee to bail him out. Jimmy preferred the Sinatra penthouse with its white baby grand piano and spiral staircase. The real show was on the casino floor in special sections roped off for the Chagras. September 2022 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? They say Jimmy lacked ambition. If Stricklin cooperated, they would work for his early release. Jimmy had ruined it. Florida Police Officer Treated After Being Exposed To Fentanyl During Stop, Youth Pot Abuse Jumps By 245% In Two Decades: Researchers, 'Cocaine' Cassie debuts new tattoo sleeve in racy photo as glamorous drug smuggler sets return to Australia. I knew he was dying, Catherine Chagra said. Technically Lee had won the battle, but there was little doubt that Wood had landed a crippling, perhaps fatal blow to the attorneys already battered reputation. Hitman Charles Harrelson actor Woody Harrelsons father assassinated Wood outside the judges home in May 1979. It took three days for an ingenious pulley apparatus to hoist the 100-pound bales to the top of the cliffs. Jimmy knelt beside the bag that now contained the remains of his brother and started bawling. Pitts fancied himself a big-timer and concluded that Chagra must be pretty big himself if he was demanding thirty grand. Lee and Joe began to consider filing a harassment suit against Wood, Kerr, and various federal agents. Youve got everything I always dreamed of having, the lawyer said. Lee protected Jimmy, but he also contributed to Jimmys sense of inadequacy. Lee wanted to be head of the family, and Jimmy was constantly jealous of Lee because he stole the glory that Jimmy wanted. SOLD OUT: Against All Odds: Oscar Goodman and the 40th Anniversary of the Jimmy Chagra Murder Trial. Jimmys Florida operation, far from being an immediate disaster, disbanded after successfully offloading fifty tons of grass from a Colombian freighter in March. She was sentenced to 30 years and died in prison in 1997 Lee and several others heard the crash of metal against the patio door. It's going to be a very interesting night Jan. 18 at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas. Donna helped Sandy count the $20,000. But everyone said Lee was the best. Pitts arrived at Lees office looking like a hippie who had just crawled out of a Goodwill box but acting like the owner of a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. In Judge John Woods courtroom Kerr found the perfect forum for his crusade. When Lee pinned them down on the exact location from which they had watched the scene, several jurors snickered: not only was the position almost a mile from the field but a massive hill blocked the view. Im the eagle! But Sandy noticed there were tears in his eyes. Many a night, the Chagra brothers would play all six spots on a blackjack table, for anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 a hand. Some people though Lee Chagra didnt know how to quit, but that wasnt quite true. No Mafia figures were ever indicted. They could have been twins. A big blob of fat came pouring out, she remembered. In fact, the only evidence that Lee expected things to improve was his new office complex. There wasnt any Mr. Big, Johnson acknowledged, but if the narcs preferred to look at it that way, Lee Chagra was a good a name as any. He called himself a pacifist, and yet he was comfortable around violence. Former mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman is credited with the revitalization of downtown Las Vegas including The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and our very own The Mob Museum. Donna had never seen him before, but Lee said that he was expecting the man and pressed the electronic button to admit him. It was four years before we lost a case.. I knew that Vivian had been working on a book about the Chagra saga, McCulloch said. He liked to mainline speed and supported his habit by organizing a small-time burglary-robbery ring using young black soldiers from Fort Bliss. Kerr thought Chagra was vulgar and common, and Chagra enjoyed enhancing this image by slipping up behind Kerr and whispering things that made the prosecutor blush. By now all the Chagras knew that Jimmy was a major drug trafficker, and they must have suspected that Lees arrangement with his brother and his relationship with Jack Stricklin were more than traditional lawyer-client dealings. Lee adopted a wardrobe suitable to his imagea black cowboy hat, fancy handmade boots, and an assortment of expensive jewelry, including a gold bracelet that spelled the word freedom. Though neither knew it, this was the last time the two old friends would ever go to Vegas together. Lee loved being at the middle of the table, flanked by armed guards and at least one beautiful broad who would act as his lucky piece. Now the feds had a yard of hot real estate on their hands; they desperately needed someone to buy it. It was a totally ludicrous story, Sib Abraham recalled, but it got very serious when the jury convicted him. In time, Lee and Sib became targets themselves. All have, understandably, complicated feelings about their father. [7] According to George Knapp writing for Las Vegas CityLife, he was "the undisputed marijuana kingpin of the Western world. He cried when he thought of Jimmy. And it was killing Lee. Lee meant $10,000 for all three defendants, but Pitts didnt understand that. He had known that the DEA was watching him, but a grand jury? He couldnt have flushed it down the toilet faster than the way he gambled it and lost it, she said. The perfect vehicle for the imperfect time. James Kerr was devoting almost all of his time to his organized-crime investigation. There was no way to count the number of ex-lovers who crowded the cathedral to say their last farewell, but they were discreetly scattered and only occasionally exchanged glances. What she didnt know was that he was in his private apartment, watching the game on TV with his friend Sailor Roberts, a bookie who had recently been busted in James Kerrs organized-crime probe. The position of federal authorities was that even though Joe Chagra was a lawyer, he was also suspected in conspiracy to conceal the crime; therefore, their conversations were not covered by attorney-client privilege. One way or another, were gonna get Lee Chagra.. He looked smaller than life as he stood there, facing the dresser, looking at the picture of his father and seeing his own reflection. Lee, the man was saying, Im not gonna say this againno more credit!. A book signing of This is gonna be one theyll write a book about, he told Hughes. Sib Abraham and some other old friends and members of the family were there. On the trials 40th anniversary, Goodman and Chagras eldest daughter, Catherine, will look back at the case and what it meant for Goodman and the Chagra family. "He was great friends with His father was a vice president of El Paso Natural Gas. He just picked up the money and tossed it in a drawer. "[35] It was otherwise described as "one of the most intense investigations in the annals of the FBI". Who do you think you are? The pit boss had heard the spiel many times and smiled patronizingly as he personally counted out the stacks of $500 chips. A major law firm that always invited the top six UT law graduates to a spring gala invited only five in 1962. It was an incredible sight. Then he expanded the pointer, an inch at a time. [23] The authorities did not immediately suspect Chagra of involvement in the assassination, and it took thousands of man-hours to identify them as suspects in the case. It was only the second time in US history that a federal judge had been killed. Goodman had represented Chagra in a previous drug case, which was undone by his client testifying. Lee laughed with pride. You sonuvabitch, how are you gonna pay off those markers?, He took a deep draw on his cigarette and pressed Clarks shoulder. His office and home telephone records as far back as 1970 had been subpoenaed, and so had his income tax records. The indictment was so vague as to make it impossible to respond or even to contemplate a defense. The sisters made mistakes, too, some by failing, in their youth, to realize that a substantial portion of their larger-than-life family history was a cautionary tale, an admonition that for some, life is best lived smaller and more quietly, away from big money and bright lights and celebrities with teeth so white and so impossibly perfect. Wood pressed on, however, announcing that the grand jury investigation concerned not only Lee Chagra and Stricklin; it also involved Sib Abraham and others. More likely it was because Lee, as chief justice of the student court, had spoken out against segregated dorms and football teams. It was called Capital Acquisition, and its purpose was to channel funds through several banks in Mexico and then into Jimmys new business. Donna hadnt seen him this happy in months. Wood began to crawfish. Two of Chagras daughters, Christa and Catherine, now live in Smithville. Hed brought corsages for all the women on the staff. Since he was a stranger to El Paso, Pitts asked a local smuggler named Jack Stricklin for the name of a good lawyer. The other lawyer couldnt appreciate the irony, but until that moment, Lee had always envied him. Catherine moved to Phoenix about three years later to be near the federal lockup where her father did time, visiting every Sunday for 20 years. And even if it was true, for Wood to reveal it in open court was outrageous. For the time being, the Jerry Johnson episode played itself out in obscurity, but the Chagra name burst into the headlines in the opening days of 1977. Catherine published a book about her life in 2015 titled Chagra: The King of Dope Drugs, Deceit and Dirty Darlings. She will be signing copies after the panel discussion. Lee told her he still had a pile of work on his desk. He had two brothers, Lee and Joseph, who were both attorneys involved with the legal defense of drug smugglers. To get to that part of the story, we have to go back in time, to the war on drugs that Richard Nixon initiated, and to three brothers in El Paso of Lebanese descent by way of Mexico. Paradoxically, though, Lee was secretly jealous of Jimmy. All rights reserved. A short time later there was a knock, and Lee admitted two hookers to the room. Id lay next to him and stroke his arm and hed say, Baby, I think I might go to hell. He didnt apologize for anything; he just said, I think Im going to hell. I said, You just have to ask God to forgive you, Daddy. I dont think he felt bad about the crimes. By early autumn 1976 Lee was back in El Paso, pumping money. He named two of his chows Kilo and Poker., Look how sweet and dorky and innocent I look, Catherine Chagra said. The best guess is that they divided at least $5 million. He could betray a trust as casually as tipping a dealer a chip worth more than the dealer made in a month. Food, drinks, girlsanything one might fancy was there in a whisk. With virtually unlimited spending at the hotel, and often left to entertain herself, shed go down to the lobby and buy so many toys that security had to haul them back to the suite. In a short time the bust was being described as the biggest one in El Paso history. Marriage license #D875871, Marriage License Records, Las Vegas. Sometime in the middle of the night, after everyone else was asleep, Lee changed clothes and drove to his new office. It is estimated that one out of every five households in these two communities of one million is supported by some type of illegal activity. Minimum sentence was ten years, maximum was life. It is hard for me to go back into my cell and think of myself as the man the newspapers have made me out to be. By the time Lee finished dressing, Jo Annie had breakfast readyfreshly baked Syrian bread, butter, and a variety of fruit preserves. Vivian did her best to smile. Lee gave Jack Stricklin, now out of prison, $1000 and passed out lesser amounts to other old friends. Finally, he would pose with the ebony cane with the gold satyrs-head handle, squinting and turning until he was satisfied. In Western Texas, Powell was a prosecutor in the trial of American drug trafficker Jimmy Chagra for criminal enterprise violations. He certainly knew about it before the feds did. [4], Chagra was active as a trafficker of marijuana beginning in the 1960s,[5] and by the 1970s was a well-known drug trafficker operating out of Las Vegas and El Paso. In the seven years or so that it had been in on the books, few had bothered to read that section of the drug law. One strategy that Liddy and the newly created Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) finally settled on, as defense lawyers in El Paso soon realized, was the use of agents provocateurs, whose job it was to create crime. Those words, that adamant denial, were lost until this years Halloween floods in Central Texas displaced them from the attic of Jim McCullochs home on Bluff Springs Road in Southeast Austin, where for decades the transcribed words of Chagras ex-wife and the federal prisoner had been stored, then forgotten. Lee turned the channel selector to the camera over the alley entrance. November 2022 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? Technically and legally, the unsworn interview shouldnt even have been a part of the grand jury report. One of the soldiers, David Leon Wallace, signed a confession that not only admitted the robbery and murder of Lee Chagra but also substantiated Lees seemingly paranoid belief that he was being stalked. The shotgun murder of an Oklahoma gambler in El Paso some years earlier had convinced him that the Dixie Mafia was making a power play in El Paso, and he had instigated a controversial grand jury investigation. He had seven children, including a daughter named Catherine, who wrote a memoir about the family. Jimmy Chagra died of cancer on July 25, 2008. He was living in a trailer camp in Mesa, Arizona. Jimmy and the crew of the chartered jet were arrested by Colombian authorities. That was why I jumped bond. [6] In fact, he is described as having been "no less than the biggest marijuana smuggler in the country" during that time. While Lee ate, Jo Annie puttered with the Christmas decorations. In the summer of 1975, Jimmy finally hit the big time. The madness seemed to peak in November, when two men in a van sprayed Kerrs car with buckshot and .30-caliber bullets. He made a motion for Judge Wood to recuse (disqualify) himself in the Stricklin case. Kerrs just working the tailings, he said. With the gambling and the ostentatious living, the money never lasted long. Jo Annie telephoned one final time, from her mothers house on Rim Road. All shed ever had was a future somewhat less than promising. Narcotics and gambling were crimes that grew from a common stem composed of the worst elements in society. Catherine Chagra Patrick Beach View Comments 0:00 0:56 Last December, we brought you the story of Catherine Chagra, daughter of Jamiel Jimmy Chagra, the
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