Not so fast, Sherlock…
The odds of a Kansas City jeweler getting off the hook by cutting a deal with the Feds with no publicity whatsoever: in a word, slim.
So says two-time convicted felon and former special agent to the Kansas attorney general Craig Glazer, who as they say, has been there, done that. Even were the jeweler in question a first time offender, he’s still almost certain to spend some slam time along with a heaping helping of local news headlines to wash it down with, Glazer says.
Here’s how it works.
“It’s called spinning,” Glazer says. “The feds spin you in the opposite direction. Instead of working against law enforcement they get you to work for law enforcement. Because when the sentencing guidelines are big enough, 90 percent of people will cooperate.
“When I was in prison, the majority of people there had cooperated. People that had life sentences reduced to 20 years. Twenty year sentences reduced to 10 years. Ten year sentences reduced to five.”
Seldom do bad guys get a free pass these days, Glazer says.
“There’s two reasons why a guy like me or Rod Anderson of the Hereford House or a big name local jeweler will go to trial,” Glazer says. “It’s a game and the feds want big names because they’re in business to show the public they’re getting something done. And when they go out and arrest a bunch of nobodies, nobody cares. People want to read about Rod Anderson, they don’t want to read about Rod Smith.
“The federal government is in business and their business is to garner billions of tax dollars so they can upgrade their salaries. And in order to make that business work they have to show results.”
Meaning if push comes to shove and the feds can make it stick, no way the jeweler walks away with no one besides close friends and family any the wiser.
“Here’s the way it works,” Glazer says. “You come in with your attorney and your attorney talks to the assistant U.S. Attorney and says, is there some way we can work something out? Then you meet with the agents or whatever and they tell you what they want or ask what you can give them.
“A lot of the smaller fish will do more time because they have less to give the government. And the bigger fish do less time. One way you can tell if someone didn’t cooperate is if they go to trial like Rod Anderson did. If Rod had cooperated, instead of 15 years, he’d have gotten 10 or 12, maybe less.”
The odds that we’ll never know what went down with the jeweler?
“There’s only one way that’s going to happen and that’s if he goes into the witness protection program and it’s a really big deal,” Glazer says. “And my guess is, this isn’t going to be at that level. My guess is his lawyer’s trying to work something out and that might take some time. It could be six months; it could be three years. But in the end, he’ll probably do some time.
“Like I said, it’s a business and if the feds can swing a big name and it helps their cause, that’s just the way it is. There was a time when politicians and sports and movie stars were protected from prosecution. But today they can’t wait to bust those guys because it’s big news.”
As for how the bust went down, “Almost all crimes are solved because someone told on someone,” Glazer says. “There really isn’t this thing where they get a certain length hair and find fingerprints – that’s a load of crap. It’s almost always because someone tells on someone. Solving crimes is about people telling on people. And the way they get people to tell on people is they hand out huge sentences – and they’re not kidding either.
“For all we know, someone set the jeweler up – we don’t know. The feds always figure, where there’s smoke there’s fire, but sometimes there’s just smoke. I know, because I was in the middle of one of those. Almost never is a case solved by investigation; it ain’t Sherlock Holmes. The followup is CSI – fingerprints, phone records – but in almost all cases it begins with someone saying, ‘You’re looking for so and so.”
It is not a set up. I do know that much. I hope none of what I am hearing is even close to true because he has always been a great guy to me and many, many people here in K.C. Hopefully, it is a RUMOR that has taken up some legs…
stevie..heard the same rumours you have probably heard.
hearne has milked this story with lots of b.s.
sorry hearne…
kctv/kmbc/kshb/and fox all probably have heard the same
things…
hearne….give us thegoods…..you might be too late now!!!!!!
stevie…thanks for the email….no problem….people who
on here call me worse…I ‘ve to thick skin and when you
make statement like I mdake its part of te terrirotry.
I’ve not been working in the jewelry biz for about 8 years…
leading jdwlers had about 400 members at the time….
now I thinl they’re down to maybe 200.
but growing up in kc…the jewelry biz was run by
m.o.t’s (memebers of the tribe)…..tivols/hurst/krigels/
meyer/the place at 105th and Metcalf I think was zeffs…
the leased places in the dept. stores like macys/dillards/
famous barr….and since my family essentialy was is
biz downtown my dad/uncle knew them al..
they’d all go to vegas on the junkets together….and what
a gambling group they were…but they were froma different
generation…..
used to go up to te races with my dad and the cascones
and go to (the big one in Omaha….was horribly boring but
the wives all loved going there…berg something).
anyway back in those days the markups were huge…
wheni found out they were 300/400 % I nearly fell over.
but htye’d negotiate to make the sale.
remember buying my first necklace from ben hurst
downtown (we would take the bus downtown from
across from mcgonigles)…..and learned how to negotiate.
Its a great business….but like the rest of business the
margines have shrunk.
its nothing likeit was before…and hence its takenba
toll on he entire business.
good luck….hear you’re doing well…and wish you
continued luck in the future.
I think you came to our house…you were a tall guy….
did you hang out with theb jewish kids out south?
you may have known my sister…
but continued success…
salud/mazel tov/la haim!!!!
Harley
breakingstory is out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not a lot of facts in any of these stories. You’re as bad as TKC but at least he will post CaseNet screenshots and links. At this blog, there’s nothing but the blathering of you and your friends.
If by “not a lot of facts” you mean “no facts at all”, then yes.
Easy, Mysterious…
Don’t make me enroll you in a Paul Wilson weekend long column reading marathon
I find your comment offensive. Speaking as one of your loyal readers, the main reason I come to this blog is to read Paul Wilson’s take on topics, far and wide. I find him a erudite, sophisticated voice of reason, a rising star in the blog world and you’re lucky to have him. He is, after all, Paul D Wilson, the most interesting man in the city.
But is he allways write?
No, Mike, only Harley is always right…..only Harley….
thanks paully…..
I’m batting 1000 so far…
bring it on boys…
the wizard knowsall !!!
I just love getting you guys talking about me
all the time…
I could leave this blog for a month and
you’d still try to prove me wrong….hahahahaha.
hey…waiting for big jewelry heist suspect.
Harley, my pal, do yourself a favor and lend yourself some credibility. You said IRS story wouldnt live past end of May (2 weeks term at the time)
Harley; The IRS story is a Republican scam, wont last past end of May.
Reality: Lois seeking immunity as of today.
Harley = WRONG, no way around it, using only the facts you so long for.
Admit it, douche nozzle.
Hugs and Kisses
Paulie
Don’t forget about you, Dear Blog Reader.
I see by your zip code you live in TKC Country…enjoy
Those pics are called “case net?” I thought the term was soft porn; who knew?
Wilson…the irs story….of probably will be news again…mainstream hasn’t
covered it…
we’re starving the kids…the citys are falling…we can’t create enough jobs..
this pipeline in pure b.s….they won’t take care of the veterans….the pharma
industry runs the country….the aca had a tough start but now its roling but
some politicans would rather kill the medicate expansion and save trillions
than give in to a black president….Christie is toast…cruz is out….
Hillary will bring in 1.8 billion to spend in 5 months with 2 million
volunteers ready to work for her….romeny still out there was qoutebd
as says “look at that” in astonishment when he saw big Christie try to
make it down the airplane aisle because he was fat…
the tea party hold up everything positive tht the real repubs and dems
could get passed….both political parties will go down under a
wave of corruption wit all their campaign cash….the thief lobbyists
are spending billions to shape the country against the fewb middle
class people wit money to spend…
both sides lie//steal/cheat…and we’re so obesssse with trying to fight
each other that webnver see thebreal villaiins in our government…
te power brokers on both sides who have stolen every dime they can.
its not one side of the other…just read or watch something besides
fox or msnbc. Christie goes down..so will menendez (di anyon think
that new jersey wasnot the most corrupt state next to Illinois?)
and all the while the seniors/kids/vets/single moms/disable/the hungry
/medicare recipients/and the rest who a safety net was built for suffer.
chuckels and his hate only disgusies what we all know. The country needs
a new direction.
so for all the anti black crime buys on kcc and tkc…Obama has a program
perfct for yu. Its called my brothers keeper. Your chance to make a huge
differneceand change someones world. go down and world with one of
these at risk kids . change their heart and their life compass. Instead of
hate ….bring your heart and the skills you have to help these kids.
We know wht they have…broken homes/no discipline….no structure…no
guidance or role model….but each of us can change one…
AND IF YOU SAVE JUST ONE…YOU SAVE THE WORLD!!!!!!!!