“My Dog Ate My Homework”

LAS VEGAS - Last month, local mob lawyers Dean Patti and Tony Sgro told United States Federal Court Judge Philip Pro that they could not produce the court ordered financial records of convicted racketeer Rick Rizzolo and his wife Lisa because the documents were destroyed in a "flood" at their law office.

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Patti and Sgro then snatched $10,000 from the estate of the late Buffalo Jim Barrier. More on this later. Patti and Sgro's excuse for not producing the Rizzolo files is reminiscent of the little boy who told his teacher "My dog ate my homework!" The Rizzolo files are a necessary part of a civil attempted murder lawsuit brought by Kansas tourist Kirk Henry after his neck was broken in 2001 by a Rizzolo employee when he disputed an $88 bar tab at the couple's former topless bar, the Crazy Horse Too. One month following their purported "flood," Patti and Sgro filed another Motion in Federal Court seeking to delay or cancel Henry's right to examine their files. This time because the lawyers were not being paid to produce the documents. They can't have it both ways! The files were either destroyed in a flood, or they somehow dried out, but won't be made available until Henry pays the law firm to retrieve them, or the judge rules the files must be made available. Nonetheless, two court orders later, Henry's attorneys are still waiting to complete Discovery. The two excuses completely contradict one another, and that should be a red flag to the court. In their latest pleadings, Patti & Sgro assert: "Dean R. Patti has not refused to comply with the subpoena and he has not refused to produced (sp) documents or appear and testify. He merely asks for reasonable compensation for the intrusion on his business and that the date be set for when he is available." Patti goes on to say the Court Order is interfering with his vacation. This latest stalling tactic to prevent Henry's attorneys from knowing more about the Rizzolo's finances will test the mettle of Magistrate Judge George Foley Jr. In the past, Judge Foley has been very lenient with Rizzolo and his attorneys. On February 3, 2009, Judge Foley erroneously ruled to stymie Kirk Henry's ability to locate and collect the $9 million dollar settlement Rick Rizzolo agreed to pay him in exchange for a shortened prison sentence. After his release, Rizzolo welched on his agreement and Henry was forced to to locate the couple's hidden assets. Being successful in collecting his settlement would require cooperation from the court, but Judge Foley refused at the time. On March 23, 2009, Judge Pro wisely issued an Order overruling Judge Foley's bogus ruling and opened the door for Henry's attorneys to depose Lisa Rizzolo and find the whereabouts of the couple's hidden fortune. Now, on July 13, Judge Foley is scheduled to rule whether or not to sanction the law firm for not complying with Judge Pro's Order to produce the financial and personal documents necessary for Henry to locate the Rizzolo's assets. INSIDE VEGAS will report the outcome of the July 13 hearing.

Mob attorneys rob the grave of Buffalo Jim

It's been fifteen months since the death of Buffalo Jim Barrier. The former pro wrestler and Vegas garage owner operated an auto repair business next door to the Crazy Horse Too. He was the man who drew the FBI's attention to the long established racketeering enterprise run by the Rizzolos, and was given credit for putting Rick Rizzolo behind bars and shutting down his club, the scene of dozens of reported robberies, beatings, and at least two killings. Buffalo Jim was found dead in a Boulder Highway motel room the day after Rick Rizzolo was released from prison. (Click on this Las Vegas Weekly cover to read "Larger than life. The life and death of Vegas Most Colorful Character") In 2002, Barrier sued Rizzolo for harassment. Seven months before his untimely passing, District Court Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez ordered Rizzolo to deposit one million dollars into the court's escrow account. That's how solid the judge thought Barrier's harassment claim was! The suit was based on several years of Rizzolo trying to muscle Barrier into moving his business so the Crazy Horse could expand into its space. Barrier refused, and suffered having his customer's tires slashed, windows broken, paint keyed, vehicles illegally towed, and his business' air conditioning sabotaged on a regular basis. When Barrier had had enough, he sued (See "Barrier Sues Rizzolo For Harassment," June 26, 2002) Judge Gonzalez saw probable cause, and ordered Rizzolo to put $ 1 million in escrow. Full story plus pictures...