1 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: I was assigned working Eurasian organized crime, Russian organized crime. 2 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: You know, one day your supervisor comes in and just says, hey, 3 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:15,239 Speaker 1: you're the expert. Become an expert in organized crime. We 4 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:18,080 Speaker 1: had to start a new squad and that was it, 5 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:19,120 Speaker 1: and that was my entree. 6 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 2: In January two thousand and two, FBI Special Agent Mark 7 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 2: Pinto had a lead that some Romanians were running a 8 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 2: credit card fraud operation in Las Vegas. They'd steal credit 9 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:35,559 Speaker 2: cards and get cash advances, always moving from casino to 10 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 2: casino to avoid suspicion. A lot of stolen cards, a 11 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 2: lot of Romanian runners, a lot of casinos. In other words, 12 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 2: a lot of money in play. 13 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: We didn't know who's who, We didn't know names. We 14 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: just had like a thunbnail sketch of what we thought 15 00:00:58,880 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: was going on. 16 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:05,119 Speaker 2: But Mark eventually got a big lead. He learned that 17 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 2: all the important players among the Romanians were gathering for 18 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 2: a private event at an Italian restaurant in Vegas. Mark 19 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 2: knew there was no way he could get into the restaurant, 20 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 2: and he didn't have an informant in the organization, so 21 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 2: he needed a clever way to collect the names of 22 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:27,199 Speaker 2: the Romanians who were there. The solution an old FBI trick. 23 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:29,759 Speaker 1: So i did the old homeless routine where I'm hanging 24 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: out where the kitchen cafe was cold concrete, you know, 25 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:36,120 Speaker 1: and you're just sitting there. 26 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 2: Mark, dressed like a homeless guy, sat outside the restaurant 27 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 2: for several hours, radioing in license plates. 28 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 1: And they're riding down the lice plate information so we 29 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: get an idea of who's coming in, who's going out, 30 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: get an eye on them. 31 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 2: Eventually, he and his FBI colleagues had enough they called 32 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 2: it a night. An hour after they left, there was 33 00:01:58,000 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 2: a shooting at the restaurant. 34 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: An argument ensued and random shots were fired and one 35 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 1: of the Romanians get hit. 36 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 2: A Romanian took a bullet and a leg, but the 37 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:14,119 Speaker 2: guy refused to go to the hospital. 38 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: He winds up dying. So now it's sort of like, Hey, 39 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:22,880 Speaker 1: we've got this credit card fraud case we're working, and 40 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,800 Speaker 1: some dude just get shot in a credit card fraud case. 41 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:28,840 Speaker 1: It's like, that's not supposed to happen. 42 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:32,920 Speaker 2: Mark had no idea what was going on. He was 43 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 2: on the outside and he really needed a way in. 44 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 2: But the FBI had a new source, a guy with 45 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:47,919 Speaker 2: inside information, a Romanian guy, a connected guy, a guy 46 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,240 Speaker 2: who said he knew all the players in Las Vegas. 47 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 3: Guys said sure, in your country. As soon as you come, 48 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 3: any fourth of entry stays. You see something, you say something. 49 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 2: I'm Trevor Aronson from Western Sound and iHeart Podcasts. This 50 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 2: is Alphabet Boys, Episode three, Code Name card Member. As 51 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 2: you probably know, Las Vegas has a long storied history 52 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 2: with organized crime. The mafia turned this patch of desert 53 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 2: into a city of casinos and showgirl theaters to entertain 54 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 2: the men building the nearby Hoover Dam, and from there, 55 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 2: Las Vegas expanded into a global entertainment capital, all while 56 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 2: funneling millions back to organize crime families in other cities. 57 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 2: Vegas has always been with the mafia, calls and open city. 58 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 2: It's a big place to make loads of money. Different 59 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 2: groups that might kill each other for infringing on territories 60 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:19,479 Speaker 2: and say New York or Chicago, will work together in 61 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:24,360 Speaker 2: a place like Vegas. It's a place where rivals can 62 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 2: become partners. 63 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:30,719 Speaker 1: So it was like the old days in LCNA Coast 64 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: and Ustra where they come here where this is an 65 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 1: open city. 66 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 2: This is Mark pinto the FBI agent again. 67 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: And so you'll have some crossover for groups that don't 68 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:43,040 Speaker 1: agree with each other. They were kind of working together 69 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: on the QT to commit crimes in Las Vegas because 70 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 1: it's so easy and you don't have to worry about 71 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: getting shot in the back, you know, because you're in 72 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 1: the wrong neighborhood. 73 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 2: Now, what you probably don't know about Vegas is that 74 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:59,839 Speaker 2: when the old East Coast and Midwest crime families started 75 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 2: to klient in the eighties and nineties, the Eastern Europeans 76 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:09,839 Speaker 2: moved in. Today, in Vegas you're more likely to find Russian, Armenian, 77 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 2: Bulgarian and Romanian criminal syndicates. But surprisingly Vegas, as an 78 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 2: open city, has remained. The money in Vegas is still 79 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 2: just too good. 80 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:28,039 Speaker 1: So someone from one group may come here and do 81 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:31,040 Speaker 1: a little extortion. Someone from another group may do some 82 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 1: medicaid fraud. But you'll find that if they have some 83 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:39,920 Speaker 1: common interests here in Las Vegas, that sort of sidesteps 84 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 1: they're loyalties in Los Angeles because the bosses don't know 85 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 1: what's going on, so it's an opportunity to make money, 86 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:49,920 Speaker 1: kind of freelancy. 87 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,040 Speaker 2: This became Marx beeat for the FBI the nexus of 88 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 2: these various Eastern European organized crime groups. 89 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:00,840 Speaker 1: And so you have these weird, weird mix and one 90 00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: of the oddest mixes were the Romanian Armenian connection. 91 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 2: Mark had a hunch he suspected Romanian and Armenian organized 92 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 2: crime groups, despite being rivals in cities like New York 93 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:16,920 Speaker 2: and Los Angeles, had partnered in Las Vegas to make 94 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 2: money using stolen credit cards. But Mark didn't have much 95 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:25,320 Speaker 2: concrete information, and he didn't have anyone providing him with 96 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 2: eyes and ears on the inside. He needed an inn, 97 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 2: and that's when he first heard the name Flavio George Escu. 98 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 2: In August two thousand and one, Mark went to a 99 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:43,479 Speaker 2: hotel where Mark's partner and another agent were meeting upstairs 100 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 2: with Flavio. 101 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:46,800 Speaker 1: And I'm waiting down in the lobby and I get 102 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 1: a phone call and in the background, I hear the 103 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 1: primary agent in an animated discussion with Flavio, and all 104 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:57,360 Speaker 1: my partner says is you need to get up here. 105 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:03,680 Speaker 2: This animated thescussion arose from a basic misunderstanding at the 106 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 2: very beginning of Flavio's relationship with the FBI. Back in 107 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 2: June two thousand and one, Flavio first walked into the 108 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:19,480 Speaker 2: FBI's Las Vegas office offering information about various crimes. The 109 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:23,840 Speaker 2: FBI signed him up as a confidential human source, an informant. 110 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 2: Flavio insisted though, that he wasn't an informant, but instead 111 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 2: a friend of the bureau. As someone who grew up 112 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 2: under constant threat from police informants, this language was very 113 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 2: important to him. Now, the bureau hadn't figured out exactly 114 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:47,760 Speaker 2: what to do with Flavio and his information, So a 115 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:49,880 Speaker 2: couple of months after being signed up with the FBI, 116 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 2: Flavio had this first meeting at the hotel. 117 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:58,280 Speaker 4: He wanted to be known as a friend of the bureau, 118 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:01,760 Speaker 4: which is fine by me, it doesn't matter, but we 119 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:03,280 Speaker 4: still have all these regulations. 120 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 2: That's Robert Kleimer, the FBI agent in the room with Flavio. 121 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 4: You know, I was one of these agents that was 122 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 4: you know by the book. 123 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:17,480 Speaker 2: What happened was that Flavio had brought his friend a gift, and. 124 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 4: He brought I don't know, it's a few bottles of 125 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:25,280 Speaker 4: wine as a gift, and one of the rules as 126 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:29,240 Speaker 4: an FBI agent, you can't take gifts from your informants, 127 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:33,960 Speaker 4: and I was like, I can't, can't take it. And 128 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 4: I proceeded to tell him all the rules and this, 129 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:41,959 Speaker 4: and then he didn't. That didn't bother him, and he's like, no, no, no. 130 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:44,480 Speaker 2: By the time Mark made it from the lobby to 131 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:48,559 Speaker 2: the hotel room door, the no no nos had turned 132 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 2: into a full throated shouting match between Flavio and Robert. 133 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:58,880 Speaker 2: Flavio was insistent the FBI agents must accept the wine. 134 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:03,720 Speaker 2: It's a gift from a friend. But Robert was just 135 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:10,199 Speaker 2: as dogmatic. He couldn't accept the wine. That's against FBI rules. 136 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 2: Neither man would back down. Finally Mark entered the room. 137 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 4: Mark Pinto's there and he's like, yeah, I can take it. 138 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 2: Mark grabbed the wine bottles. 139 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 4: They're probably still sitting in some evidence vault or something. 140 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 4: I don't know, probably aging really well. 141 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:34,520 Speaker 2: Mark wasn't as by the books as Robert. 142 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:37,320 Speaker 1: I would do whatever needed to be done for the 143 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:40,560 Speaker 1: good of the case that didn't violate the Constitution and 144 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:45,680 Speaker 1: didn't provide false testimony against any of the bad guys 145 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 1: because you got to play about the rules. But it 146 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:57,360 Speaker 1: doesn't mean that on occasion I didn't skirt some administrative policy. 147 00:09:56,040 --> 00:10:00,320 Speaker 2: The FBI rule in this particular situation was in venting 148 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 2: the agents from doing the work in Marx's estimation, so 149 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:07,400 Speaker 2: he ignored the rule, and now that the wine issue 150 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 2: was settled, Flavio and the FBI agents could talk. Mark, 151 00:10:12,040 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 2: dressed in a suit, took a seat on the hotel 152 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:19,560 Speaker 2: bed and listened. Flavio had brought someone with him to 153 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:21,560 Speaker 2: meet with the FBI agents. 154 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 1: That other person that was there was a young Romanian 155 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,160 Speaker 1: I believe was a waiter at a restaurant and he 156 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:34,200 Speaker 1: was being forced into stealing credit cards. 157 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:37,320 Speaker 2: Flavio knew the FBI was trying to crack the stolen 158 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:41,080 Speaker 2: credit card fraud ring. Then he heard about this waiter, 159 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:45,720 Speaker 2: so Flavio was facilitating an information exchange. 160 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:53,320 Speaker 1: Flavio was not involved in criminal activity at all, and 161 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:56,560 Speaker 1: what he would do is he would just talk to 162 00:10:56,559 --> 00:11:00,160 Speaker 1: people in the Romaining community and hear their concerns and 163 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:04,040 Speaker 1: provide that information. The main reason he did that is 164 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: because he knew that if anyone else provided that information, 165 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:13,600 Speaker 1: they would be in danger, and that's unusual. You usually 166 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:15,000 Speaker 1: don't run across people like that. 167 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:20,520 Speaker 2: Flavio knew that Romanians providing information about organized crime in 168 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:23,719 Speaker 2: Las Vegas faced not only threats to themselves in the 169 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:27,679 Speaker 2: United States, but also threats to their family members still 170 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 2: back in Romania. 171 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:32,719 Speaker 1: If you think you're protected here, your sister's house will 172 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:35,280 Speaker 1: be burned down, or the government will somehow seize the 173 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:38,360 Speaker 1: land and you'll be screwed. And where can they go. 174 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 1: You're lucky if your house just gets burned down, because 175 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 1: they're making a point. 176 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:48,840 Speaker 2: If you remember, when Flavio calls the CIA in twenty twelve, 177 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:54,240 Speaker 2: the response he receives is cold and detached, uninterested, almost 178 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:59,679 Speaker 2: But that's not how it went with the FBI. As 179 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:03,360 Speaker 2: it came clear that Flavio could provide information relevant to 180 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:07,120 Speaker 2: the credit card fraud ring, Mark became one of Flavio's 181 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:08,600 Speaker 2: FBI handlers. 182 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: I don't believe he was ever paid except for expenses, 183 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:14,520 Speaker 1: because he wouldn't accept money for he was a hard 184 00:12:14,559 --> 00:12:20,000 Speaker 1: worker and he really believed in keeping the United States 185 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:22,679 Speaker 1: the way it was. It was such a great place. 186 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:29,520 Speaker 2: FBI internal reports confirmed that Flavio never accepted money from 187 00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:35,320 Speaker 2: the FBI, which is very uncommon for an informant, or 188 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:39,120 Speaker 2: to use Flavio's preferred language, a friend of the bureau. 189 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:44,520 Speaker 2: The FBI has more than fifteen thousand registered informants, and 190 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:46,960 Speaker 2: most of them are in the game for the money, 191 00:12:47,559 --> 00:12:51,240 Speaker 2: and informants can make a lot of money, in excess 192 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:56,360 Speaker 2: of six figures a year. But Flavio, he wasn't in 193 00:12:56,400 --> 00:13:00,840 Speaker 2: it for the money. Informants get paid for information friends, 194 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:05,120 Speaker 2: they do it as a favor. Flavio is working with 195 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:08,880 Speaker 2: the FBI out of a patriotic duty, out of a desire, 196 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 2: in Flavio's view, to defend the country. One of the 197 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 2: earliest FBI reports about Flavio lists his code name. 198 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:20,319 Speaker 1: I can still remember everyone by their code name because 199 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:22,920 Speaker 1: you'd referred to them by their code name when you 200 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:25,320 Speaker 1: had conversations with other investigators. 201 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 2: In the report, an FBI agent lists Flavio's code name 202 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 2: as Rolls Royce, no doubt, a reference to Flavio's business 203 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,640 Speaker 2: of shipping high end cars from Las Vegas to Europe. 204 00:13:36,559 --> 00:13:39,880 Speaker 2: But Rolls Royce is scratched out, and above it in 205 00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:44,679 Speaker 2: handwriting is Flavio's final code name, a reference to the 206 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:47,800 Speaker 2: Vegas credit card ring card Member. 207 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 1: My partner probably changed it when he started working with Flavio, 208 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:58,360 Speaker 1: just so we could remember what code name goes with who. 209 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:01,120 Speaker 2: And code name card member was ready to get to 210 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:03,959 Speaker 2: work more after the break. 211 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 3: With the AHBA, when I connect contact them the first time, 212 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:33,520 Speaker 3: first time in my life, what I wanted In Vegas. 213 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:38,360 Speaker 2: I'm having a phone conversation with Flavio George Escu, who's 214 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:41,200 Speaker 2: in a federal prison following a failed arms deal with 215 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:46,360 Speaker 2: some Colombians. I've asked Flavio what he remembers from over 216 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 2: a decade earlier, when he approached the FBI in Las 217 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 2: Vegas offering information about Romanian organized crime. 218 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:57,280 Speaker 3: They asked me, why you come to us? Why you 219 00:14:57,360 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 3: need what you need? You need money, you need protection, 220 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:02,240 Speaker 3: you need of what you need? Do you have any 221 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 3: charges you did something wrong? Because there's no people to 222 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:09,720 Speaker 3: come to our office and stand up and say something. 223 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 3: I said, Sir, in your country, as soon as you 224 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:15,480 Speaker 3: come any port of entries says you see something, you 225 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:18,320 Speaker 3: say something. And I said, I'm going to be one 226 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 3: day American citizens. But does organized crime destroyed the financial 227 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 3: system in the United States and makes me to be 228 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:28,480 Speaker 3: ashamed to say I am Romanian? That's why I came 229 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:31,920 Speaker 3: to your office, sir, And they said okay. 230 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:38,560 Speaker 2: Flavio says he always wanted to live in America to 231 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 2: be an American ever since his father caught him listening 232 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:44,800 Speaker 2: to Americans on the radio, and now that he was 233 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:47,920 Speaker 2: in the United States, he hated to see fellow Romanians 234 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:55,040 Speaker 2: committing crimes or abusing the system that was. As he says, 235 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:59,720 Speaker 2: his entire motivation for working with the FBI and naive 236 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:03,240 Speaker 2: believe that the post nine eleven slogan, if you see something, 237 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:08,120 Speaker 2: say something, we're words to live by. We're words that 238 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:10,400 Speaker 2: we Americans took seriously. 239 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:14,720 Speaker 3: I consider just this my country right now. They acceed 240 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:17,040 Speaker 3: me over here. They gave me citizenship, they give me everything. 241 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:19,240 Speaker 3: They said. You know, I have to pay my debt 242 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:20,440 Speaker 3: back to the United. 243 00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:24,960 Speaker 2: States after a youth spent under a brutal dictatorship. Flavio 244 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 2: tends to see the world in black and white, good 245 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:32,400 Speaker 2: and bad, and that view influenced his decision to cooperate 246 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:33,360 Speaker 2: with the FBI. 247 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:37,520 Speaker 3: This is always just my drive to you know, under 248 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 3: the US Romanians we taxt and myself, I participate in 249 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:45,840 Speaker 3: a revolution in nineteen eighty nine. I was in the 250 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:49,280 Speaker 3: street between the bullets and everything we take those sprout. 251 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:51,280 Speaker 3: We have a mindset to still on the side of 252 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:55,280 Speaker 3: the government and save license, save the country and fight 253 00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 3: for the country. 254 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:00,880 Speaker 2: So, working with Mark Pinto, Flavio started helping the FBI 255 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:03,880 Speaker 2: figure out how the Romanians ran their credit card fraud 256 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:08,440 Speaker 2: ring and who inside the organization could be recruited as 257 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:15,080 Speaker 2: other informants. Flavio acted as a kind of spymaster for 258 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:19,840 Speaker 2: the FBI, putting together his own network of informants within 259 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:24,639 Speaker 2: the Romanian community and then funneling the information he received 260 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:29,280 Speaker 2: to Mark another federal agents, all while protecting the identities 261 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,040 Speaker 2: of his Romanian contacts. 262 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:35,800 Speaker 1: I know that he would reach out to certain people 263 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:38,119 Speaker 1: and say, hey, what's the problem. I could help you, 264 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:43,320 Speaker 1: And of course, being an investigator, you want where'd you 265 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:45,840 Speaker 1: get that information? I want to talk to that person, 266 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,760 Speaker 1: and then that's now a process of getting that person 267 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:53,840 Speaker 1: to agree to take the risks that are going to 268 00:17:53,840 --> 00:18:00,480 Speaker 1: be involved. And Flavio didn't like these young people taking 269 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:10,080 Speaker 1: those risks. He'd rather be the go between. The problem 270 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:14,359 Speaker 1: is he is not a criminal, and so he doesn't 271 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:18,600 Speaker 1: talk like a criminal. He doesn't talk about the things 272 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:21,720 Speaker 1: regular criminal guys would talk about, you know, about the 273 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:24,800 Speaker 1: drinking and going to strip clubs and you know, lavishly 274 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:29,399 Speaker 1: spending their ill gotten gains. He wasn't that guy. So 275 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:31,880 Speaker 1: he was able to get some of the baseline information. 276 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:35,439 Speaker 1: But basically he had his own group of informants, if 277 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:36,080 Speaker 1: you will. 278 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:37,640 Speaker 4: That's it. 279 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:43,040 Speaker 2: Mark's opinion is that Flavio didn't have an angle. Unlike 280 00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:45,119 Speaker 2: most informants. He didn't want money. 281 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:48,119 Speaker 1: We didn't pay him for the information we paid for. 282 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 1: I believe some expenses when he traveled when we directed 283 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:53,560 Speaker 1: him to travel and go somewhere and meet some people. 284 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:57,919 Speaker 2: But that was it. But could Flavio have had an 285 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:03,959 Speaker 2: angle other than money? Mark says no. Flavio says no. 286 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:08,560 Speaker 2: But ultimately this is something that is impossible to fact check. 287 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:14,520 Speaker 2: It's a question mark, maybe not one in big boldface type, 288 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:19,040 Speaker 2: but it's there. Perhaps Flavio really was providing information to 289 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:22,800 Speaker 2: the FBI out of a sense of patriotic duty, or 290 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:27,280 Speaker 2: maybe Flavio had some other angle, an angle I can't 291 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:31,920 Speaker 2: figure out, an angle Mark could never figure out. Because 292 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:38,640 Speaker 2: let's be clear, what Flavio did, providing information for years 293 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:49,320 Speaker 2: to the FBI for no benefit. That's unusual anyway, whatever 294 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:53,639 Speaker 2: is motivation, Flavio was helping the FBI find informants and 295 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:55,840 Speaker 2: building a list of names of the players involved in 296 00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 2: the Las Vegas crime ring but he was also helping 297 00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:02,040 Speaker 2: the FBI figure out how the Romanians were stealing the 298 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:08,760 Speaker 2: credit cards. It turns out that the whole operation was huge. 299 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:17,080 Speaker 1: So one of the higher end gyms here you pay 300 00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:20,960 Speaker 1: to go in and or you have this outrageous membership, 301 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:24,480 Speaker 1: they have those little key locks. You know the issue. 302 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 1: You are key, and what this guy would do is 303 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:28,920 Speaker 1: you go in and he'd pay and he'd work out 304 00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:32,840 Speaker 1: and then he would send out one of the guys 305 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:36,280 Speaker 1: or go outside to a van and he'd copy the key. 306 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:39,359 Speaker 1: And you're like, that's a lot of work for one key, 307 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:43,119 Speaker 1: but he would do it over the course of month 308 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:46,320 Speaker 1: a year, so you'd have a copy of just about 309 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:47,880 Speaker 1: every key that was in there. 310 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:52,000 Speaker 2: After time, Once the Romanians had copies of keys for 311 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:56,520 Speaker 2: all the lockers, they'd systematically steal credit cards from the wallets. Well, 312 00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,240 Speaker 2: the owners of those cards were working out in the gym. 313 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:02,560 Speaker 2: This wasn't quick and dirty, grab and go theft either. 314 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:06,880 Speaker 2: The Romanians had developed a sophisticated system. 315 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:10,360 Speaker 1: That's what gets me. These guys work so hard at 316 00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 1: doing this stuff. If they got a legitimate job, they'd 317 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:17,040 Speaker 1: be rich. I mean, because they're willing to put in 318 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:20,159 Speaker 1: the work they I mean, they work harder at not working, 319 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:23,280 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. It would just crack me up. 320 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:25,000 Speaker 1: But yeah, one of the guys here had a little 321 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 1: ban a key service, and that's what he would do. 322 00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:28,159 Speaker 1: He'd cut the keys. 323 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:31,480 Speaker 2: Sometimes the thief would just write down the credit card 324 00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 2: and driver's license information, and the credit card and ID 325 00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:39,760 Speaker 2: would be duplicated later using special equipment. Other Times he'd 326 00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:42,680 Speaker 2: take a card, but always the one in the back 327 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:46,159 Speaker 2: of the wallet, the one you're least likely to notice 328 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:46,879 Speaker 2: is missing. 329 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,199 Speaker 1: Would they take that single credit card? If they're going 330 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:53,080 Speaker 1: to physically steal the credit card, then put everything back, 331 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:55,480 Speaker 1: don't take anything else. There could be ten thousand dollars 332 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:57,080 Speaker 1: in the wallet. They're not going to take it because 333 00:21:57,080 --> 00:21:57,920 Speaker 1: it'll compromise it. 334 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:02,560 Speaker 2: A lookout always, an attractive woman would be stationed on 335 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:05,239 Speaker 2: the gym floor keeping an eye out for anyone who 336 00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:07,760 Speaker 2: might be headed back to the locker room too soon. 337 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:10,160 Speaker 1: And if it looked like they were going to finish 338 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:13,280 Speaker 1: working out, they might have a pretty young thing go 339 00:22:13,359 --> 00:22:15,240 Speaker 1: up to them and start chatting to help with them, 340 00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:18,320 Speaker 1: to distract them so they had enough time to get 341 00:22:18,359 --> 00:22:22,200 Speaker 1: a number of credit cards. This is throughout the whole country, 342 00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:25,439 Speaker 1: and gym's are the favorite because that's where you leave 343 00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:27,520 Speaker 1: your wallet. I mean, it's obvious. 344 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:34,320 Speaker 2: The Romanians in Las Vegas had partnered with Armenians throughout 345 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:38,840 Speaker 2: the country in cities from Seattle to Miami. The Armenians 346 00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:41,720 Speaker 2: would steal credit card information from someone in one city, 347 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:45,840 Speaker 2: and within hours, the Romanians would print a fake credit 348 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:49,520 Speaker 2: card and take that card to one of Vegas's casinos. 349 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:55,479 Speaker 2: It was quite the operation, and Flavio's assistance to the 350 00:22:55,520 --> 00:23:00,840 Speaker 2: FBI was invaluable in helping agents penetrate the credit card ring, 351 00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:05,199 Speaker 2: an operation that was bringing in obscene amounts of cash 352 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:09,680 Speaker 2: using cards from across the country. That's up to the break. 353 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:43,240 Speaker 1: He's a little bit of a strange guy. He's gregarious, 354 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:46,600 Speaker 1: he's a nice guy, but you kind of push away 355 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:48,320 Speaker 1: from a little bit because he's just strange. You don't 356 00:23:48,359 --> 00:23:49,080 Speaker 1: know what he's after. 357 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:53,800 Speaker 2: This is Mark Pinto. He's talking about Flavio George. 358 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:58,080 Speaker 1: Escu and maybe his i'll just call it technique wasn't 359 00:23:58,119 --> 00:24:02,240 Speaker 1: refined enough, but it's his person. If he wore jeans, 360 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:06,440 Speaker 1: they were obviously designer jeans. When he wore clothes, he 361 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:10,760 Speaker 1: wore a lot of linen never needed to shave. His 362 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:12,000 Speaker 1: hair is never tozzled. 363 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:16,120 Speaker 2: Mark had a reputation for forming bonds with his informants, 364 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:20,840 Speaker 2: becoming perhaps closer than his FBI supervisors would have preferred, 365 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:26,280 Speaker 2: and he and Flavio became friendly with a common appreciation 366 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:28,160 Speaker 2: for the finer things in life. 367 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:31,840 Speaker 1: I'd take him to restaurants once a while, nice restaurants 368 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:34,200 Speaker 1: because he knew about good food. Because he said, Hey, 369 00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:38,639 Speaker 1: this place has really good foiguah. Now I don't have 370 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:40,880 Speaker 1: any kids, so we had some money and then go, hey, 371 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: we're gonna I'll take you to foiguah. And it's funny 372 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:47,040 Speaker 1: because he's one of those guys that orders it then 373 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:49,480 Speaker 1: sends it back to get overcooked, you know what I mean. 374 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:52,480 Speaker 1: And that's kind of they sound like a snob, but 375 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:56,040 Speaker 1: I mean, that's disposable income. You do whatever you want 376 00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:58,520 Speaker 1: with it. But that was my entertainment and it just 377 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:00,680 Speaker 1: cracked me up because he was that's the way he was. 378 00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:03,399 Speaker 1: He'd only eat organic chicken. He's one of those guys. 379 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:07,960 Speaker 2: Well. Working together in Las Vegas, Mark and Flavia formed 380 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:11,800 Speaker 2: a bond, a kind of bond that isn't typical between 381 00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:18,280 Speaker 2: an agent and informant. Friends. That's the term Flavio prefers, 382 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:22,600 Speaker 2: but I don't think that's right. They're more like colleagues, 383 00:25:23,119 --> 00:25:25,400 Speaker 2: like equals. 384 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:28,600 Speaker 1: He's just telling me to stop chewing tobacco. It's bad 385 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:31,919 Speaker 1: for your health. Stop chewing tobacco. I'm like, but I 386 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:34,000 Speaker 1: love tobacco and I'm going to be dead at fifty anyway, 387 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:36,080 Speaker 1: so what's it matter. Well, it turns out I'm not 388 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:39,040 Speaker 1: dead at fifty, and I stopped chewing tobacco, so that 389 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 1: was it. 390 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 2: Normally, there's a power imbalance in the relationship between an 391 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:47,640 Speaker 2: agent and his informant. The agent, usually cold and detached, 392 00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:52,520 Speaker 2: holds the power. But Mark and Flavio trusted each other, 393 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,480 Speaker 2: so there was a kind of mutual respect, and that 394 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:05,560 Speaker 2: isn't common. Mark and Flavia would ultimately spend a couple 395 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:08,280 Speaker 2: of years working together to crack the credit card fraud ring, 396 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:11,440 Speaker 2: and what they discovered was that some of the credit 397 00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:15,280 Speaker 2: cards that the Romanians stole came from Vegas, but most 398 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:19,800 Speaker 2: were from far away from cities like Seattle, Los Angeles, 399 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:24,639 Speaker 2: New York, Miami, and that's where the Armenians came into play. 400 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:31,720 Speaker 1: The Armenians had a nationwide network of thief teams that 401 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:35,160 Speaker 1: would travel throughout the United States and steal credit cards. 402 00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:39,080 Speaker 2: Within hours of stealing credit card information across the country, 403 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:42,160 Speaker 2: the Armenians would transfer the card information to the Romanians 404 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:45,119 Speaker 2: in Las Vegas, who would print fake IDs and cards 405 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:48,200 Speaker 2: and then go to casinos to request cash advances. 406 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:52,280 Speaker 4: Vegas makes it easy to get your hands on money, 407 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:57,800 Speaker 4: because that's kind of how Vegas prospers. 408 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:02,480 Speaker 2: This is Robert Climber, the Buy the Books FBI agent 409 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:04,639 Speaker 2: who was working with Flavio and Mark Pinto. 410 00:27:05,119 --> 00:27:10,480 Speaker 4: So they would go into the casinos and go right 411 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:15,560 Speaker 4: up to the cage and get cash. These casinos want 412 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:18,080 Speaker 4: your money, so they'll give you the money off the 413 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:21,120 Speaker 4: credit card, thinking you're going to stay in the casino 414 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:24,959 Speaker 4: and gamble, and you know, long and short of it 415 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,600 Speaker 4: is the casino gets to keep the cash, but not 416 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:30,080 Speaker 4: in this case. They'd walk right out of the casino 417 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:35,560 Speaker 4: with the cash and they were doing close to like 418 00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:37,160 Speaker 4: fifty thousand dollars in a week. 419 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:42,439 Speaker 2: In Yeah, the Romanians were making serious money. 420 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:46,240 Speaker 1: I mean they're drinking crystal, they're waving money around, getting 421 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:48,399 Speaker 1: the best tables at places, and that's pretty amazing. 422 00:27:53,119 --> 00:27:56,200 Speaker 2: As just one example. According to these internal FBI reports, 423 00:27:56,280 --> 00:27:59,960 Speaker 2: based on Flavio's information, John Badia, one of the alleged 424 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:02,920 Speaker 2: leaders of the ring, was a frequent visitor to Crazy 425 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:05,840 Speaker 2: Horse IWO, a now closed strip club that had been 426 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:08,560 Speaker 2: a favorite among mob guys since the late nineteen seventies. 427 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:13,600 Speaker 2: It was also a destination for a list celebrities visiting Vegas, 428 00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:17,119 Speaker 2: with reports of Brad Pitt, Robert de Niro, James Kahn, 429 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:20,320 Speaker 2: and Mike Tyson being among the club's patrons. But Dia 430 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:22,679 Speaker 2: would drop seven to eight thousand dollars a night at 431 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:26,720 Speaker 2: Crazy Horse two, according to FBI reports. But Dia is 432 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:29,879 Speaker 2: currently serving a federal prison sentence for an unrelated case. 433 00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:34,920 Speaker 2: One of the FBI reports, based on Flavio's information, described 434 00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:40,240 Speaker 2: a wild and expensive party the Romanians through. I think 435 00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:42,760 Speaker 2: it was Crazy Horse. It might have been another club, 436 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:45,120 Speaker 2: but it was this Romanian band. I guess had come 437 00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:48,360 Speaker 2: from Romanian play do you know this story? And they 438 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:50,520 Speaker 2: I guess they were throwing money at the stage. 439 00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:55,160 Speaker 1: No, that's a regular thing. So what happens is it 440 00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:59,600 Speaker 1: Bill go to a restaurant and usually it's a proprior 441 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:02,320 Speaker 1: to the They know and the proprietor knows, they're probably 442 00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:06,200 Speaker 1: doing something sketchy because you you don't throw cash around 443 00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:10,160 Speaker 1: like that. But they'd have these Romanian bands come in 444 00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:14,160 Speaker 1: and they'd throw these big parties. And remember, most of 445 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:17,800 Speaker 1: these people are not from here. They're from somewhere else, 446 00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:21,320 Speaker 1: which means La or Seattle or wherever else they're hailing 447 00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:24,120 Speaker 1: from to come to our fine city to commit crime. 448 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:28,080 Speaker 1: So what they would do is they would reserve the 449 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:30,600 Speaker 1: restaurant for night, whatever restaurant it is, and the band 450 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:33,000 Speaker 1: would play and you know, the food's brought out and 451 00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:35,280 Speaker 1: the wine's flowing. When it was a good song, they 452 00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:37,200 Speaker 1: just throw money on the ground and at the end 453 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:39,520 Speaker 1: of the night they would fill up trash bags full 454 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:44,440 Speaker 1: of cash. And it was funny because the bands used 455 00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:48,360 Speaker 1: to play on the competitive nature of the two teams, 456 00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:52,120 Speaker 1: and so whoever threw out the most money, you know, 457 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:55,479 Speaker 1: at a higher position, So they just throw out more 458 00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:57,719 Speaker 1: money and someone requests that saying, hey, this song is 459 00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:00,960 Speaker 1: for so and so, and they just throw money. Yeah, 460 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:04,920 Speaker 1: we had that on some videotapes. It was incredible watch 461 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:08,120 Speaker 1: because they would have to take breaks to clean the 462 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:11,320 Speaker 1: money off the floor because it was getting dangerous. People 463 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:13,400 Speaker 1: were slipping on the money when they were dancing. 464 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:18,480 Speaker 2: So much money, so many bills that the Romanians would 465 00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:21,480 Speaker 2: slip on the piles of cash beneath their feet. 466 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:25,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, it was just it's insane. I mean, it's a 467 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:27,160 Speaker 1: huge amount of money and we only scraped the surface. 468 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:29,080 Speaker 1: There's only so many of us, and we did the 469 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:30,760 Speaker 1: best we could. But it was a good couple of years, 470 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:31,800 Speaker 1: you know, working this stuff. 471 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:40,120 Speaker 2: But Flavio, the FBI's secret spymaster, could outwit his fellow 472 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:44,560 Speaker 2: Romanians forever. The guy in charge of the Vegas crew 473 00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:49,800 Speaker 2: somehow figured out that Flavio was working with the FEDS, 474 00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:56,000 Speaker 2: and he put a price on Flavio's. 475 00:30:55,440 --> 00:31:01,200 Speaker 3: Head, but not whole crime organization. They to everyone to 476 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:03,959 Speaker 3: kill me, to pay somebody to kill me, and somebody 477 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:06,880 Speaker 3: should my cart and everything. And I didn't say one 478 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:09,720 Speaker 3: word to I didn't go, I didn't try, I didn't claim, 479 00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:11,440 Speaker 3: I didn't do anything. 480 00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:17,240 Speaker 2: That's in the next episode. This is up in arms, 481 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:46,080 Speaker 2: season two of Alphabet Boys. Alphabet Boys is a production 482 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:49,440 Speaker 2: of Western Sound and iHeart Podcasts. The show was reported, 483 00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:53,360 Speaker 2: written and hosted by me Trevor Aronson. For more information 484 00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:55,880 Speaker 2: about the series or to drop as a tip, head 485 00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:59,360 Speaker 2: to our website Alphabet Boys dot x y z. You 486 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:02,520 Speaker 2: can contact me on Twitter or Instagram at Trevor Aronson. 487 00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:06,960 Speaker 2: The show's instagram is Alphabet Boys dot pot. If you're 488 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:10,120 Speaker 2: enjoying Alphabet Boys, tell your friends about the show. Personal 489 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:13,600 Speaker 2: recommendations are the best recommendations. And if you want to 490 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:17,440 Speaker 2: see an illegal arms deal from the inside again, it's 491 00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:21,680 Speaker 2: Alphabet Boys do xyz. You'll find undercover recordings and documents 492 00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:24,960 Speaker 2: related to Flavio's case. Finally, you can help us ride 493 00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:27,520 Speaker 2: the algorithms by leaving a rating or review on your 494 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:30,840 Speaker 2: favorite podcast app that helps other people find us. And 495 00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:31,600 Speaker 2: thanks for listening.