1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:20,599 Speaker 1: Mm hmmmm mm. If you've never been to Arizona, much 2 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:24,799 Speaker 1: of it is as you might expect, vast stretches of scrubby, 3 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: empty desert. I'm a fan of greenery, so I've never 4 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: thought of the Southwest as a place for me. But 5 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 1: to watch storm clouds gather on the horizon, or a 6 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:38,120 Speaker 1: glowing desert sun sink into darkness is sublime. To see 7 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:42,160 Speaker 1: oranges and purple's light up the sky, mountains backlit twilight, 8 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: to feel a dry breeze, It's an awe inspiring place. 9 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: I had only been to Arizona once before to Tucson 10 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: actually years ago, when I did a semester of grad school, 11 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: I flew into profile a militia leader who hunted down 12 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 1: undocumented immigrants with thermal cameras and a pack of German shepherds. 13 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:04,760 Speaker 1: Now back in Tucson, I had a much different mission. 14 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: After a trip to Phoenix, I had only a few 15 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: days left to track down sources as I investigated Jerry 16 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 1: Paisley's claim that the missing Congressman Nick Beget and Hail 17 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: Bogs were assassinated in nineteen seventy two their plane bombed. 18 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,760 Speaker 1: It was here in Tucson where Paisley wed Peggy Begets 19 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy four. It was here in Tucson where 20 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: he worked for two mafia families, the Bananas and the 21 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:32,400 Speaker 1: Lick of Olie's. And it was here in Tucson where 22 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 1: I hope to figure out once and for all, did 23 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: Paisley tell the truth? From my heart Media, This is 24 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: Missing in Alaska, the story of two congressmen who vanished 25 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy two and my quest to figure out 26 00:01:51,400 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 1: what happened to them. I'm your host, John Wallzac. This episode, 27 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: We're going to focus on two photos. It sounds simple, right, 28 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 1: just two photos. But these photos, the red dot photos, 29 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: are at the center of a web we will explore extensively. 30 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: These are the wedding photos that investigators secretly obtained and 31 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: marked up with stickers red dots with black numbers. Paisley 32 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,640 Speaker 1: is red dot number six, Peggy is red dot number seven. 33 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: Standing next to them are mobsters and X cop, a 34 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:34,839 Speaker 1: judge and others. I got the photos, the originals from 35 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: Tom Davis, who worked for the Arizona Department of Public Safety. 36 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:43,239 Speaker 1: While working undercover in Tucson in n Davis secretly observed 37 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 1: Peggy and Paisley's wedding in Phoenix. Davis and I spoke 38 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,080 Speaker 1: for more than five hours. After I left. We stayed 39 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: in touch. Hey Tom, how are you? I'm doing good 40 00:02:55,360 --> 00:03:00,919 Speaker 1: and sent Davis again. Is also one of the reinvestigators 41 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: who conducted the pivotal Paisley interview at the Pima County 42 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: Jail when Paisley first disclosed the alleged bombing of the 43 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:12,080 Speaker 1: congressman's plane. So I saw your text. You tell me 44 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: what the text said and just how you found it out. Okay. 45 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,800 Speaker 1: I pulled up Google Match and I went to the 46 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: corner of wilmotin Speedway. If you go there and you 47 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:32,080 Speaker 1: go in the main building, asked them where the old 48 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: Eldo Lodge used to be. The Eldrado Lodge is where 49 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: the wedding took place. Turns out it no longer exists. Well, 50 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: the buildings are still there, but today they're home to 51 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: the Mountain Oyster Club, a private club. I drove there 52 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: with Paul Decan, our supervising producer. The outside hasn't changed, 53 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:58,840 Speaker 1: still stone. The inside, however, has been renovated. It's western 54 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:01,920 Speaker 1: in ornate, a lot of would no more seventies to court. 55 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: We sat down with Pauline loftus, the manager. Could I 56 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 1: show you two photos and see if any of it 57 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: seems familiar. So these are photos from a wedding, a ceremony, 58 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 1: and a reception that took place in nineteen four on 59 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: this property when it was the El Dorado. Um m 60 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:30,840 Speaker 1: hmm not yet. Let me think about it for a 61 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: little bit. I mean, most of the doorways in the clever, 62 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: big archways, and this one's kind of just a small, 63 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:38,279 Speaker 1: regular doorway. It could almost be in the room that 64 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:43,599 Speaker 1: we're sitting in. Um or either that or in the 65 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: lobby there's or is that a picture behind them? Is 66 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: that a picture? It looks like a picture, yeah, so 67 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 1: or is it a mirror? It's hard to tell. Gums 68 00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: Tree detectives. Now, the three of us wandered through the club, 69 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:05,039 Speaker 1: impairing certain features, doorways, etcetera. To what exists today? Where 70 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:07,800 Speaker 1: were the red dot photos taken? Where was the bar 71 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:11,920 Speaker 1: where investigator Tom Davis sat undercover? Um, there's a bar? 72 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 1: Can you sure you were saying you think you know 73 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:16,600 Speaker 1: where the bar was? Could you take a We're going 74 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 1: to go around this way. I think it wasn't here 75 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:22,479 Speaker 1: because if you look at that window. I don't think 76 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:25,279 Speaker 1: this wall was here. I think that staircase was open 77 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 1: to upstairs because there were rooms up there, and so 78 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: you would have come down the stairs. There was the 79 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:37,839 Speaker 1: bar in here and then the doorway there and that window. Yeah, 80 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:41,160 Speaker 1: we thought we found some of the spots in the photos, 81 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,040 Speaker 1: but it was hard to tell. So much had changed. 82 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:46,880 Speaker 1: We don't have original plans of the building. We don't 83 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:49,479 Speaker 1: know half the time. We don't know what's in the walls. 84 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:53,040 Speaker 1: So it's like we have a lot of surprises nobody 85 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:57,400 Speaker 1: so far. No. No. In fact, we had a pretty 86 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:01,760 Speaker 1: major kitchen remodel last summer, and that kept occurring to me. 87 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:03,599 Speaker 1: I would think, my god, I hope we don't find 88 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: any bodies when they dig that. In the Peggy Paisley 89 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 1: wedding photos taken at the Eldorado, red dot number three 90 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:15,600 Speaker 1: is Pete look of Oli Jr. The son of mob 91 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:19,280 Speaker 1: boss Pete horse face look of Oli Senior. Pete Jr. 92 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:22,920 Speaker 1: Was Paisley's friend. He and his wife Cathy, even accompanied 93 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:26,280 Speaker 1: Paisley and Peggy on their honeymoon in Mexico. For months, 94 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:28,680 Speaker 1: I tried to reach Pete Jr. Who still lived in 95 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:32,479 Speaker 1: Tucson to no avail now. As we left the Mountain 96 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 1: Oyster Club, I pulled up another list of possible numbers 97 00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 1: and dialed away Hi the number. That ranger in recording 98 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:51,320 Speaker 1: the error can check the number and your call again. 99 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:57,640 Speaker 1: So apparently the rule of from is if you are 100 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:01,160 Speaker 1: an old mobster, you do not have a working phone number. 101 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 1: None of them have working phone numbers. They're all dead. 102 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:08,320 Speaker 1: They all sound like crazy modem sound. At the end. 103 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:11,680 Speaker 1: All I want to do is to call some mobsters. 104 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:15,440 Speaker 1: I kept striking out. I've reached a number that does 105 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: not accept solicitations. If you are a solicitor, please add 106 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:22,040 Speaker 1: this number to your do not call list and hang 107 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 1: up now. Otherwise, please press one or stay on the line. 108 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:41,080 Speaker 1: I'm gonna press one, thank you, lease hold Okay, I'm 109 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:43,400 Speaker 1: sorry this mailbox has not yet been set up by 110 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 1: the subscriber. Please try again later. Goodbye. Jee here trying 111 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:52,040 Speaker 1: to block me As a solicitor, I can't leave a 112 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: voicemail somebody who doesn't want to be found. Yes, we're 113 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: just gonna have to go to house then, So that's 114 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:05,640 Speaker 1: what we did. We went to Pete Lukavoli Jr's house. 115 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:09,680 Speaker 1: At first, We circled the block. Then we pulled up. 116 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:15,040 Speaker 1: I hopped out of the car and rang the bell. Nothing. 117 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 1: I knocked nothing. We drove to his brother, Mike's house nearby. 118 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 1: Mike Lacavoli isn't in any of the wedding photos, the 119 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 1: red dot photos. I think, I say I think because 120 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:32,440 Speaker 1: there are a few unidentified men. Maybe he is one 121 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: of the red dots. I don't know. Like Pete Jr. 122 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:38,560 Speaker 1: Mike had been friends with Paisley. When I walked up 123 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:42,840 Speaker 1: to Mike's door, I heard a muffled TV. I rang 124 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:48,560 Speaker 1: the bell, A dog barked. Someone told it to shut up. 125 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:56,880 Speaker 1: I waited. No one came to the door. The TV 126 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:05,079 Speaker 1: cut off. I knocked nothing. I wondered if the Look 127 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:07,240 Speaker 1: of OLiS had been tipped off that we were in town. 128 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:11,000 Speaker 1: I know that sound paranoid, but hear me out. The 129 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:13,959 Speaker 1: day before, I had spoken by phone with Louis Marconi, 130 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:16,680 Speaker 1: an X cop who back in the day was friends 131 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: with both Paisley and the Look of Olie kids in 132 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:23,120 Speaker 1: the wedding photos. Marconi is red dot number five. When 133 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:26,720 Speaker 1: we spoke, I played dumb, testing Marconi because I already 134 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:29,640 Speaker 1: knew the answer. I asked whether or not he attended 135 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:33,200 Speaker 1: Peggy and Paisley's wedding. He said no. I told him 136 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:35,600 Speaker 1: I had a photo of him at the wedding. He 137 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:39,240 Speaker 1: said basically, okay, prove it. Send me the photo. So 138 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:42,440 Speaker 1: I cropped out everyone but him and emailed it to him. 139 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:45,079 Speaker 1: He was like, yeah, that might be me. I'm not sure. 140 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:49,320 Speaker 1: I asked if he didn't recognize himself, maybe it was him. 141 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:53,680 Speaker 1: He said maybe it wasn't. That was a long time ago. Yeah, okay, 142 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:56,960 Speaker 1: but you don't recognize yourself. I asked him if he 143 00:09:57,040 --> 00:10:00,679 Speaker 1: still spoke with the Look of Olie kids. He said no. Remember, 144 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:02,760 Speaker 1: this was the day before Paul and I went to 145 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 1: the Look of Always Holmes. This is why I wondered 146 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:08,559 Speaker 1: if someone had tipped them off. I wondered if Marconi 147 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 1: had tipped them off. After we left Mike lick of 148 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 1: Ali's house, the house where someone was clearly home, but 149 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:18,320 Speaker 1: nobody came to the door. I called Marconi again. I 150 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:20,560 Speaker 1: asked again whether or not he was still in touch 151 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:23,360 Speaker 1: with the Lick of Olie kids. The day before, he 152 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:27,360 Speaker 1: said no. Today he said yes. I asked if he 153 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:30,280 Speaker 1: had alerted them that we were in town digging. He 154 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 1: got flustered and hung up on me. Frustrated, I turned 155 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:40,360 Speaker 1: my attention to Salth Spinelli Red dot number four. Spinelli, 156 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:44,240 Speaker 1: a mobster, was Paisley's close friend, his business partner, and 157 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 1: the best man at his wedding to Peggy Baggage. He 158 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:49,640 Speaker 1: was so close to Paisley, in fact, that even his 159 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:53,840 Speaker 1: father attended the wedding. Spinelli Sr. Is red dot number eight. 160 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:57,640 Speaker 1: At the time, I wasn't sure whether or not Spinelli Jr. 161 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 1: Was even alive. I'm good at finding people, but he 162 00:11:00,760 --> 00:11:04,520 Speaker 1: was a ghost for months. I called and called, an emailed, 163 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 1: and emailed and mailed letters to addresses all over the place. Now, 164 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:11,560 Speaker 1: in a last ditch effort, Paul and I drove around 165 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:15,480 Speaker 1: knocking on doors. The first was a bust an empty house. 166 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:18,079 Speaker 1: The second was an apartment on the edge of town. 167 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:21,400 Speaker 1: So I just went looking for this apartment that we 168 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:23,800 Speaker 1: thought Salth Spinelli might be in, and I knocked on 169 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:26,880 Speaker 1: the door. Had to walk through this apartment complex, and 170 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:31,840 Speaker 1: it's this kind of dingy, dark little corridor, so I 171 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:36,720 Speaker 1: was hoping I didn't get jumped. Um. But I knocked 172 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:39,320 Speaker 1: on the door and I could hear a woman, and 173 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:42,199 Speaker 1: then another woman, and then I could hear them talking 174 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 1: about me, just like who is this guy? Like, don't 175 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:49,800 Speaker 1: answer it? Should I answer it? Like he might ask 176 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:53,200 Speaker 1: about Graham or Grant, and so I don't. I'm like 177 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 1: the hiding some old lady or I don't know. It 178 00:11:57,320 --> 00:11:59,120 Speaker 1: was weird. And then I started walking away and I 179 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:01,240 Speaker 1: circled around the bill name because I said I was 180 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:05,080 Speaker 1: I was looking for Sal. And then they were completely quiet, 181 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:08,400 Speaker 1: and I stood there for like a minute, and I 182 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:10,840 Speaker 1: walked around the building started to leave, and this guy 183 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:13,880 Speaker 1: pulled up in a car and asked me, like, Hey, 184 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 1: are you banging on the door looking for a Sal? 185 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:19,520 Speaker 1: And I said yes, and he said, oh, I don't know, 186 00:12:19,559 --> 00:12:22,840 Speaker 1: no fucking Sal. So don't don't do that again. Don't 187 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:27,240 Speaker 1: bang on the door again. So this is seal possible 188 00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:30,960 Speaker 1: address number two. The first one was for sale and 189 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 1: nobody was living there. So on with Seal spelunking hunting. 190 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:41,080 Speaker 1: Please don't use this audio. We checked more addresses, but 191 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:45,960 Speaker 1: none worked. Turns out Spinelli's dead, so too is Toby 192 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:49,679 Speaker 1: levettter Red Dot number twelve, the judge who presided over 193 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:54,439 Speaker 1: Peggy and Paisley's wedding. Interestingly enough, Lovetta also presided over 194 00:12:54,480 --> 00:13:00,160 Speaker 1: sal Spinelli's nine extortion trial. Go figure as afternoon Mel did. 195 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:02,600 Speaker 1: In the evening, Paul and I decided to make one 196 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 1: final stop at the home of Alganum, Red Dot number one, 197 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:10,960 Speaker 1: except that failed to Ganum lived in a gated community 198 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:14,560 Speaker 1: and we couldn't get in by the way. Poor Paul. 199 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:17,960 Speaker 1: That day was his birthday and he was stuck driving 200 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,800 Speaker 1: me around Tucson looking for old mobsters. So we went 201 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:24,720 Speaker 1: back to our hotel and and then we kept working 202 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:27,800 Speaker 1: into the night. But work is a stretch. Paul is 203 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:29,840 Speaker 1: something of a foodie, so I told him to just 204 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:32,360 Speaker 1: pick a place wherever he wanted and we'd go there 205 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:41,120 Speaker 1: for dinner. Turns out he was cool with a desert 206 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:46,040 Speaker 1: tiki bar, specifically the Contiki, so dinner doubled as work. 207 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:54,800 Speaker 1: The Contiki. What a place. It's a tiki bar in Tucson, 208 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:57,680 Speaker 1: one of the oldest surviving tiki bars in the nation. 209 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:01,080 Speaker 1: This is the place where a core THNK to Jerry Paisley. 210 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 1: Peggy Beggett allegedly dined with Joe Banano in the summer 211 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:08,680 Speaker 1: of nineteen seventy two before Nick Beggett, her husband disappeared. 212 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:12,360 Speaker 1: The inside can best be described as dark and tropical. 213 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:15,640 Speaker 1: Paul and I sat down, We ordered a few drinks. 214 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:18,840 Speaker 1: For hours, the only music that played was the Red 215 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:22,040 Speaker 1: Hot Chili Peppers. At first, we didn't tell our server, 216 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:25,080 Speaker 1: Kaylee Anne, who we were or why we were there. 217 00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 1: When we did tell her, she was, to say the 218 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:33,160 Speaker 1: least surprised. So we are standing outside the CONTI key, uh, 219 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 1: could you tell me your name? Kyle? And how long 220 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:39,320 Speaker 1: have you works here? I've warned here I think about 221 00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:41,960 Speaker 1: five months so far? And what do you know about 222 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 1: this place? How old is it? Well, it was either 223 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 1: sixty two or sixty three that it first got established. 224 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:51,360 Speaker 1: It started as a fine dining steak restaurant. From what 225 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:55,840 Speaker 1: I've heard, people say that the interior has barely changed 226 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:58,080 Speaker 1: besides the point that they got rid of the red 227 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:03,840 Speaker 1: carpet finally this last year. And we've had like birds 228 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 1: and lizards outside on what is our patio now? So 229 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:11,800 Speaker 1: have you ever seen any mobsters in here? I have 230 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:15,080 Speaker 1: not seen any mobsters. Do you know who Joe Bano was? 231 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:17,800 Speaker 1: I have no idea who that is. Okay, so Banana 232 00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:20,120 Speaker 1: was the guy. Have you ever seen the Godfather? Yes? 233 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:23,480 Speaker 1: Okay Banana was the guy. Who inspired Don Corleone and 234 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:27,120 Speaker 1: The Godfather, and he was he was in New York 235 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:31,200 Speaker 1: and he retired, quote retired to Tucson and he actually 236 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:33,960 Speaker 1: lived here for a very long time and died. And 237 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:38,920 Speaker 1: there's an allegation from someone who was associated with him 238 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:42,440 Speaker 1: that in the summer of nineteen seventy two that Joe 239 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:47,600 Speaker 1: Banano met with the wife of a congressman at the Contiki. 240 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 1: But hearing this and just standing outside the Conti Ki 241 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:57,440 Speaker 1: and we've all tell us your neighbor a good Kaylee, 242 00:15:57,560 --> 00:15:59,200 Speaker 1: John Paul. The three of us have all been in 243 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:01,480 Speaker 1: there for what three hours? You're probably be in the 244 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 1: locker than us. What is what do you think here that? 245 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:10,560 Speaker 1: I mean, I just couldn't imagine that happening in the 246 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:13,440 Speaker 1: place that it is now, and considering that it's like 247 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 1: a tiki bar. People come here like from all over 248 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:19,040 Speaker 1: the United States just to kind of collect our mugs 249 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:21,800 Speaker 1: and do other things like that in our scorpion bowl 250 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:23,680 Speaker 1: is what we're known for, which just has a lot 251 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:28,160 Speaker 1: of boozes. So it's kind of crazy to think at 252 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:30,560 Speaker 1: one point something like that could have happened because it 253 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:33,200 Speaker 1: just seems like a free loving place. But if I 254 00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:35,840 Speaker 1: mean I could believe it if it really was the 255 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:39,240 Speaker 1: luxurious steakhouse that everyone made it out to be beforehand, 256 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:42,200 Speaker 1: because of course, why when mobsters go there? Right from 257 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:48,360 Speaker 1: what we know from movies, that's just that I cannot 258 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 1: fully wrap my mind around it. From how the Conti 259 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:58,920 Speaker 1: key is now, the County keys and FBI documents, I 260 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:00,960 Speaker 1: couldn't see that. I mean, we just have a lot 261 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,240 Speaker 1: of fun people that come in. It's such a diverse crowd. 262 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 1: But tell me, could you describe the Contiki to me? 263 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:11,320 Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, Well, you can definitely tell that it 264 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:13,679 Speaker 1: has some history to it. I mean just with the 265 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:16,440 Speaker 1: decorations and everything we've had, like a lot of them 266 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:22,200 Speaker 1: are original pieces that are in there. I mean, it's 267 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:25,359 Speaker 1: just a fun place. It's so when you drive up 268 00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:28,320 Speaker 1: to the Contiki, you're thinking, what is this because the 269 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:32,040 Speaker 1: buildings on the side, some of them aren't feels like 270 00:17:32,119 --> 00:17:34,520 Speaker 1: some of the storefronts and all that. And you just 271 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:37,520 Speaker 1: walk inside and it's like you're in your own little oasis, 272 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:39,920 Speaker 1: and you're like, there's no way that in the middle 273 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:44,080 Speaker 1: of Tucson on Arizona could be this place. And I 274 00:17:44,119 --> 00:17:46,399 Speaker 1: mean people just come here to have fun, have a 275 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:51,120 Speaker 1: good time escape. It's an island escape. And to hear 276 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:55,840 Speaker 1: the allegation that allegedly an assassination plot was hatched partially 277 00:17:55,960 --> 00:18:00,440 Speaker 1: at the Contiki and that it's in FBI documents. I mean, 278 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:03,359 Speaker 1: the Tiki is supposed to be a happy place either. 279 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:06,320 Speaker 1: My manager, he's like, it's it's a Tiki day, It's 280 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:09,800 Speaker 1: a day in Tiki paradise. So I couldn't imagine that 281 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:21,399 Speaker 1: an assassination was planned in the teach. I know, I 282 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:25,680 Speaker 1: know it sounds absurd, but guess what, The conti Ki 283 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:29,239 Speaker 1: was controlled by the mob, at least in part. A 284 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:32,240 Speaker 1: few months after our Arizona trip, I traveled with another 285 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:35,600 Speaker 1: one of our producers, Chris Brown, No, not that Chris Brown, 286 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:38,720 Speaker 1: to Columbia, Missouri, where we spent a day digging through 287 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:43,880 Speaker 1: archived records at the State Historical Society of Missouri. Why Missouri, Well, 288 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:46,399 Speaker 1: we had been granted special access to a trove of 289 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:50,199 Speaker 1: valuable records. These records were compiled in the seventies by 290 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:53,680 Speaker 1: journalists working on the Arizona Project. The project launched in 291 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 1: the aftermath of the assassination of reporter Don Bowles, who 292 00:18:57,119 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 1: was killed in Phoenix by a car Bomb amazingly indies 293 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:04,159 Speaker 1: records which document widespread crime and corruption. Chris and I 294 00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:08,440 Speaker 1: kept finding names. We recognized the Bananas, the Lick of Olie's, 295 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:14,640 Speaker 1: Jerry Paisley, Peggy Beggitte, Danny Zivinach sal Spinelli, Louis Marconi, 296 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:20,080 Speaker 1: Joeya Tarola, and the Contiki. Yes, even our beloved Contiki. 297 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:23,480 Speaker 1: I found the Conti he described three times as a 298 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: mob owned business, specifically that Pete Likavoli Senior owned it 299 00:19:27,359 --> 00:19:30,520 Speaker 1: at the time, at least in part. Again, the Conti 300 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:34,000 Speaker 1: key was the place where, according to Paisley, Peggy Beggett 301 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 1: allegedly met with Joe Banano. In the records, I also 302 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:40,960 Speaker 1: found a memo dated December sixteenth, nineteen seventy six, written 303 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:44,440 Speaker 1: by Alex Dressler, the reporter who secretly observed Peggy and 304 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:50,800 Speaker 1: Paisley's wedding. The subject Bill Bonano, Joe Banano's son, Quote D. S. 305 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 1: Forty is a confidential law enforcement source in Anchorage, Alaska. 306 00:19:54,920 --> 00:19:58,040 Speaker 1: He told me that one of his confidential informants, a woman, 307 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:00,560 Speaker 1: was on a huge Air West flight to December four, 308 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:04,959 Speaker 1: ninety six from Phoenix to San Jose. On board the plane, 309 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:07,800 Speaker 1: sitting next to her was a man who identified himself 310 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:11,040 Speaker 1: as Bill Bonano. When she told him she was from Anchorage, 311 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,959 Speaker 1: he stated that he had a bar in Anchorage. Because 312 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:16,640 Speaker 1: of salth Spinelli and Jerry Paisley's involvement with a bar 313 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:18,920 Speaker 1: in Anchorage and the fact that they have been close 314 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:21,760 Speaker 1: to Bill Bonano in the past, it is conceivable that 315 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:25,480 Speaker 1: Banano meant that this was his bar end quote. If 316 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:28,600 Speaker 1: this source was accurate, and if Bill Bonano was referring 317 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:31,639 Speaker 1: to Paisley's bar, then he was in fact referring to 318 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:34,960 Speaker 1: the Alaska Mining Company the bar co owned by Paisley, 319 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:38,760 Speaker 1: Peggy Baggett, and Danny Zevanich as his bar, a Banano bar. 320 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:43,760 Speaker 1: Another Dressler memo, citing a different law enforcement source, said quote, 321 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:47,760 Speaker 1: the word is that Peter Locavoli Jr. Year old son 322 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:51,800 Speaker 1: of Detroit mafia boss Peter Locavoli Sr. With Jerome, Max 323 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: Paisley and Salvator Spinelli, are in the process of setting 324 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:58,400 Speaker 1: up their own group. This alliance would consist of younger 325 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:01,520 Speaker 1: members of the Likavoli and Banana families and would attempt 326 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:05,840 Speaker 1: to control gambling, narcotics, trade, and prostitution organized in Western 327 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:10,200 Speaker 1: United States and Alaska. Information has it that Licavoli would 328 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:13,240 Speaker 1: head up this new organization with Paisley and Spinelli, who 329 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:16,240 Speaker 1: both hold allegiances to Joseph Bonano, who would control the 330 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 1: lucrative Alaska market. It appears that younger members of different 331 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:24,159 Speaker 1: organized crime families, namely the Likavolian Banano families, are forming 332 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:27,639 Speaker 1: to control the operations in the Western States, including Alaska. 333 00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 1: This new venture apparently has the sanction of the old 334 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:35,119 Speaker 1: downs Joseph Bonano Senior and Peter Likavoli Senior end quote, 335 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:40,119 Speaker 1: and there was much much more. In December nineteen seventy two, 336 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:43,439 Speaker 1: according to one document, mob boss Joe Banano met at 337 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:47,439 Speaker 1: a Tucson hotel with two men, including Joeya Tarola or 338 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:51,120 Speaker 1: Joey the i Ayah Tarola again was the man Paisley 339 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:54,400 Speaker 1: claimed dined with him, Peggy Baggett and Joe Banano at 340 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:57,119 Speaker 1: the Conti Ki in the summer of nineteen seventy two, 341 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:00,200 Speaker 1: the man who allegedly gave Paisley the lock suit case 342 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:02,919 Speaker 1: with a bomb that he flew to Alaska, the bomb 343 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:06,720 Speaker 1: that allegedly killed the missing congressmen. Another memo states that 344 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:10,600 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy five, Jerry Paisley sal Spinelli and Nick 345 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:14,320 Speaker 1: Begett Jr. Attended a Banano wedding in Tucson, though it 346 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:18,440 Speaker 1: doesn't specify which wedding. Quote. We are interested in these 347 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:22,840 Speaker 1: people because of information that they are involved in running prostitutes, narcotics, 348 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:26,840 Speaker 1: and stolen goods from Arizona to Alaska, with Peter Licavoli 349 00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:30,440 Speaker 1: Junior in charge of the criminal group end quote. Back 350 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:34,359 Speaker 1: in the seventies, Pete Lacavoli Junior denied these allegations. I 351 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:36,720 Speaker 1: tried several times to reach him for comment, but he 352 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:41,560 Speaker 1: didn't respond. Nick Begetts Junior declined an interview request in 353 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:44,840 Speaker 1: March nineteen seventy five, and this was deering Paisley's marriage 354 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:48,160 Speaker 1: to Peggy Baggage. An informants saw Paisley with Bill Bonano 355 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:52,240 Speaker 1: and Sal Spinelli. Quote Paisley and Spinelli are involved in 356 00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:57,879 Speaker 1: the following activities and Anchorage cocaine, speed, prostitution, gambling, and 357 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:02,800 Speaker 1: stolen turquoise jewelry end quote quote Stolen turquoise jewelry is 358 00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:05,880 Speaker 1: being run from Arizona through the Nick Vegats jewelry store 359 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:09,720 Speaker 1: and Anchorage end quote. Also in the archives. And yes, 360 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:11,960 Speaker 1: I know you're probably sick of me. Using that phrase. 361 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:14,879 Speaker 1: I found a copy of Jerry Paisley and Peggy Beggat's 362 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:18,920 Speaker 1: divorce settlement. Paisley and Peggy filed for divorce on March eighth, 363 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:23,600 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy six, reconciled, filed again for divorce on September thirtieth, 364 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:27,359 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy six, and finally were granted to divorce on 365 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:31,400 Speaker 1: November sixteenth, nineteen seventy six. As part of the divorce settlement, 366 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 1: Peggy kept several pieces of land in both Arizona and Alaska. 367 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,680 Speaker 1: Paisley renounced his interest in the Nick Begets Junior jewelry store. 368 00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:42,399 Speaker 1: Peggy kept a nineteen seventy six Buick Wagon, a seventy 369 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:46,080 Speaker 1: six Oldsmobile, a seventy four Jaguar, and as seventy three 370 00:23:46,119 --> 00:23:50,639 Speaker 1: Dotson quote. Jerry gets the seventy five Caddy end quote. 371 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:54,520 Speaker 1: The settlement also details how Peggy, Paisley, and Danny Zevanich 372 00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:57,760 Speaker 1: split up ownership of Max Inc. Their business, the one 373 00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:00,840 Speaker 1: behind the Alaska Mining Company. I could go on and 374 00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:03,720 Speaker 1: on and on, but I have to get to explosives. 375 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:07,320 Speaker 1: In the red Dot photos, the Paisley Peggy wedding photos, 376 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:11,439 Speaker 1: there are three unnamed men Now, via these records, I 377 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:14,199 Speaker 1: was finally able to identify one of them as Robert 378 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:18,800 Speaker 1: Thomas Smith or Bobby Smith. Paisley and Smith were business partners. 379 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:22,399 Speaker 1: They started a company called the Paisley Smith Construction Company, 380 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:26,680 Speaker 1: and guess what. In nineteen Smith was indicted on extortion 381 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:31,240 Speaker 1: charges after allegedly bombing a Tucson nightclub. Another man, Victor 382 00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:35,720 Speaker 1: Vincent Livingston, was indicted alongside Smith. According to a memo 383 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:39,760 Speaker 1: I found, Livingston was quote an explosives expert who once 384 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:43,119 Speaker 1: worked for the Apache Powder Company. Smith reportedly is a 385 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:46,439 Speaker 1: driver for Livingston when they're on a job end. Quote. 386 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:49,120 Speaker 1: So here we have a man in Peggy and Paisley's 387 00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:51,480 Speaker 1: wedding photo, one of the red dots, who was a 388 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:55,879 Speaker 1: driver for and indicted alongside an explosives expert who allegedly 389 00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:59,400 Speaker 1: bombed a Tucson nightclub in nineteen sixty eight. But wait, 390 00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:04,720 Speaker 1: there's more. A memo dated January nineteen seventy seven states 391 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:07,800 Speaker 1: that salth Spinelli, Paisley's close friend and the best man 392 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:11,119 Speaker 1: at his wedding to Peggy Baggage, had quote ties to 393 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:14,439 Speaker 1: a Robert Lloyd Lusk, who was present when Charles O 394 00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:18,320 Speaker 1: Louderback was arrested in Alaska for possession of one pound 395 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:22,000 Speaker 1: of heroin, a half pound of coke, twenty one firearms, 396 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:26,919 Speaker 1: live moorder rounds, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. End quote. 397 00:25:27,359 --> 00:25:30,240 Speaker 1: So Spinelli was one degree of separation from a guy 398 00:25:30,359 --> 00:25:34,320 Speaker 1: arrested in Alaska for possession of drugs, guns, thousands of 399 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:39,040 Speaker 1: rounds of ammunition, and live moorder rounds. There's still more though, 400 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:45,040 Speaker 1: there's still Suitcase Charlie. Yes, Suitcase Charlie. Journalists working on 401 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 1: the Arizona project received multiple reports that Suitcase Charlie, whose 402 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,560 Speaker 1: real name was Charles Cochrane, was the man who allegedly 403 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:56,159 Speaker 1: rigged the bomb that killed investigative reporter Don Bowles. A 404 00:25:56,280 --> 00:26:00,040 Speaker 1: source said, quote, Charles Suitcase Cochrane should be question and 405 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:03,879 Speaker 1: about his electronics knowledge in relation to the bowls case. So, 406 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:07,680 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy six, only four years after Jerry Paisley 407 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:11,520 Speaker 1: allegedly transported a mafia bomb from Arizona to Alaska, a 408 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:14,479 Speaker 1: bomb he claimed was put on the missing Congressman's plane, 409 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:18,200 Speaker 1: we have a guy named Suitcase Charlie, who also allegedly 410 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:21,120 Speaker 1: worked for the mob, had electronic knowledge and was good 411 00:26:21,119 --> 00:26:24,800 Speaker 1: at rigging bombs. Pinpointed it as the person who allegedly 412 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:28,160 Speaker 1: built the remote controlled bomb that blew up reporter Don Bowls. 413 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:32,119 Speaker 1: None of this proves anything, it's just odd. It shows 414 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:35,280 Speaker 1: that there was at least one mob connected explosives expert 415 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:38,120 Speaker 1: in Arizona in the seventies able to build a high 416 00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:42,760 Speaker 1: tech bomb. And another twist. Remember, and it's okay if 417 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:45,280 Speaker 1: you don't, I get it. This is a lot of information. 418 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:49,639 Speaker 1: A man named Victor Livingston. Livingstone was the explosives expert 419 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:53,439 Speaker 1: tied to Bobby Smith. Smith attended Paisley and Peggy's wedding. 420 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:57,080 Speaker 1: Livingston was indicted in nineteen sixty eight for allegedly bombing 421 00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:00,640 Speaker 1: at Tucson nightclub, and Livingston once worked for the Apache 422 00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:05,439 Speaker 1: Powder Company. Well, here's the twist. In nineteen eighty four, 423 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:09,040 Speaker 1: the Arizona Republic ran a series of articles detailing how 424 00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:12,359 Speaker 1: terrorists responsible for more than thirty bombings in the Philippines 425 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:15,400 Speaker 1: around nineteen eighty were trained in the desert near Tucson. 426 00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:19,919 Speaker 1: And wait for it, the terrorists used explosives purchased from 427 00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:23,840 Speaker 1: the Apache Powder Company. Yes, these terrorists in the Philippines 428 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:26,240 Speaker 1: were trained in the desert near Tucson by a man 429 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:29,520 Speaker 1: who bought explosives in nineteen seventy nine and nineteen eighty 430 00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:33,080 Speaker 1: from the Apache Powder Company, the same Apache Powder Company 431 00:27:33,119 --> 00:27:36,320 Speaker 1: for which Victor Livingston, the explosives expert with ties to 432 00:27:36,359 --> 00:27:40,080 Speaker 1: Bobby Smith, worked. The same Bobby Smith who attended Paisley 433 00:27:40,119 --> 00:27:43,720 Speaker 1: and Peggy's wedding and started a construction business with Paisley. 434 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:46,840 Speaker 1: According to the Republic, a smuggler involved in a terrorist 435 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:50,120 Speaker 1: ring was arrested at the Manila Airport after quote one 436 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:53,800 Speaker 1: of his suitcases was found to contain bomb components, including 437 00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:57,440 Speaker 1: fifteen sticks of dynamite wrapped in brown wax paper marked 438 00:27:57,480 --> 00:28:02,920 Speaker 1: amagel number one Apache Powder comp Penny Benson, Arizona, October nineteenth, 439 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:07,159 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy three. So around nineteen eighty terrorists in the 440 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:10,480 Speaker 1: Philippines used dynamite with a stamped on date only one 441 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:14,760 Speaker 1: year after Nick Baggage disappeared, dynamite procured from a company, 442 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:18,239 Speaker 1: the Apache Powder Company, for which Victor Livingston worked as 443 00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:21,920 Speaker 1: an explosives expert, the same Victor Livingston whose driver was 444 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:25,359 Speaker 1: Bobby Smith, the same Bobby Smith who attended the wedding 445 00:28:25,359 --> 00:28:28,520 Speaker 1: of Peggy Baggage and Jerry Paisley and started a construction 446 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:32,320 Speaker 1: company with Paisley. This is a lot of information I know, 447 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:37,000 Speaker 1: so to recab. The Arizona Project records document close ties 448 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:40,440 Speaker 1: between Jerry Paisley and the Banana and Likavoli families. They 449 00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:43,360 Speaker 1: showed that joe Bonano and Joey A. Tarola or Joey 450 00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:47,240 Speaker 1: the I were spotted together two months after the congressman disappeared, 451 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:50,840 Speaker 1: only a few months after Banano and Iya Tarrola allegedly 452 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:53,840 Speaker 1: met with Peggy Baggage. They showed that Paisley was one 453 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:57,160 Speaker 1: degree of separation away from an explosives expert who procured 454 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:00,080 Speaker 1: dynamite from a company whose dynamite was later used has 455 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:03,000 Speaker 1: been more than thirty terrorist attacks in the Philippines. They 456 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:06,160 Speaker 1: showed that Sal Spinelli, Paisley's close friend and best man, 457 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:09,000 Speaker 1: was one degree of separation from a man arrested in 458 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:12,840 Speaker 1: Alaska with live mortar rounds. They showed the possibility that 459 00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 1: the Bananas had some steak in the Alaska mining company 460 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:19,880 Speaker 1: the Bar run by Peggy Beggett, Jerry Paisley, and Danny Zevenage. 461 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:24,040 Speaker 1: These records show so many things. Now do they prove 462 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:28,360 Speaker 1: that the missing Congressman's plane was bombed. Absolutely not. But 463 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:31,360 Speaker 1: in my opinion, it becomes harder and harder to write 464 00:29:31,360 --> 00:29:34,520 Speaker 1: off Jerry Paisley's allegations when you're looking at an avalanche 465 00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:37,480 Speaker 1: of documents prepared not by me, but by a team 466 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:41,120 Speaker 1: of forty investigative reporters back in the seventies, documents that 467 00:29:41,160 --> 00:30:09,800 Speaker 1: back up parts of Paisley's story. The Golden Interview, the 468 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:12,520 Speaker 1: interview I wanted more than any other, was one with 469 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:16,840 Speaker 1: Jerry Paisley himself. Unfortunately, Paisley died in prison of liver 470 00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:21,440 Speaker 1: cancer in September, a year before I started researching this, 471 00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:24,400 Speaker 1: so I never had a chance to speak with him. However, 472 00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:29,160 Speaker 1: I found something interesting an old blog written by an 473 00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:32,960 Speaker 1: anonymous Arizona prisoner who used a pseudonym and mailed out 474 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:36,320 Speaker 1: dispatches that someone else posted online. The name of the 475 00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:40,680 Speaker 1: blog John's Jail Journal. On it, the author wrote frequently 476 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:44,000 Speaker 1: about his friend to Tony's, a fellow prisoner he described 477 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:46,920 Speaker 1: as a mafia mass murderer who left the corpses of 478 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:51,520 Speaker 1: rival gangsters from Tucson to Alaska. Two. Tony's was quote 479 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:55,840 Speaker 1: a Detroit Irish Italian whose wit could upstage Rodney danger Fields. 480 00:30:56,240 --> 00:30:59,440 Speaker 1: I was highly suspicious by this point that two Tony's 481 00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:03,440 Speaker 1: was in fact. Jerry Paisley, the blogger, quoted two Tony's 482 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:06,400 Speaker 1: as saying, quote, I sent a few motherfucker's to the 483 00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:09,320 Speaker 1: other side, but if they were alive today, they'd probably 484 00:31:09,360 --> 00:31:12,800 Speaker 1: be trailer park trash eating out a chef Boyard Cans, 485 00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:15,640 Speaker 1: so I did him a favor. He described Two Tony's 486 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:17,880 Speaker 1: as a fan of the author Tom Wolfe and as 487 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:22,040 Speaker 1: someone critical of mass market fiction. Stephen King, for one, 488 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:26,720 Speaker 1: according to two Tony's, was quote running a fucking McDonald's franchise. 489 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:30,040 Speaker 1: He's pumping out books like he's making quarter pounders. Two 490 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:33,840 Speaker 1: Tony's was also critical of pop music. His words not 491 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:37,160 Speaker 1: mine quote, Don't give me no country in Western with 492 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:40,000 Speaker 1: some hillbilly winding about how some granny got drunk and 493 00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:42,360 Speaker 1: rain over him in a pickup truck. Don't give me 494 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:45,560 Speaker 1: no rap with egotistical ghetto stars singing about their bitches, 495 00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:48,720 Speaker 1: big booties, how much jewelry and money and dope they've got, 496 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:51,160 Speaker 1: and how they're driving around in benzes with bottles of 497 00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:53,480 Speaker 1: crystal in one hand and a crack pipe and the 498 00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:58,320 Speaker 1: other gimme handles. Messiah gimme Strauss's thunder and lightning. Anyone 499 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 1: who doesn't like that as a fucking anim sacrilegious Nietzsch 500 00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:05,760 Speaker 1: was right. Life needs music. To Tony said that when 501 00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:09,840 Speaker 1: he committed murder, he felt a satiating rush. Quote. It's 502 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:12,400 Speaker 1: not easy going into a heavily armed hotel room at 503 00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:14,680 Speaker 1: two in the morning and blowing a guy's face off, 504 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:17,440 Speaker 1: but it gives you a feeling of living on the edge. 505 00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:21,320 Speaker 1: So two Tony's seemed to be Jerry Paisley, but I 506 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:25,640 Speaker 1: wasn't a hundred percent sure. Thankfully, the anonymous blogger eventually 507 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:29,320 Speaker 1: revealed his real name, Sean Atwood, a young British man 508 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:33,800 Speaker 1: imprisoned in Arizona for trafficking ecstasy. Atwood, who was deported 509 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:35,800 Speaker 1: to the UK after he got out of prison in 510 00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:39,280 Speaker 1: two thousand seven, is now a prolific author and public speaker. 511 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:43,880 Speaker 1: We spoke by Skype, and how long after you arrived 512 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:50,840 Speaker 1: in prison did you meet Jerry Paisley. I met him 513 00:32:51,040 --> 00:32:58,320 Speaker 1: and late two thousand and four, I think. So when 514 00:32:58,360 --> 00:33:02,640 Speaker 1: you write about Jerry, you use the pseudonym to Tony's. 515 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:05,120 Speaker 1: Did he ask you to use a pseudonym and not 516 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:09,440 Speaker 1: to use his real name. Yes, Um, is it uncomfortable 517 00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:13,000 Speaker 1: for you that I know who to Tony's is What 518 00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:18,440 Speaker 1: is slightly uncomfortable is that he asked me not to 519 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:24,520 Speaker 1: bring any heat on his ex and the family. So 520 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:30,280 Speaker 1: he asked that everything regarding the descriptions be substantially changed. 521 00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:35,560 Speaker 1: When you say his ex, you mean one of his wives. Yes, 522 00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:42,000 Speaker 1: his first wife or second Paisley's second wife was Peggy Baggage. 523 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:44,640 Speaker 1: What did he tell you about Peggy? I mean did what? 524 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:47,880 Speaker 1: Did he his marriage to her? How did he describe that? 525 00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:50,160 Speaker 1: He said it was one of the happiest periods of 526 00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:53,200 Speaker 1: his life, but he sucked it up. Did he say 527 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:56,520 Speaker 1: why he funked it up or what what led to it? Yeah? 528 00:33:56,560 --> 00:34:01,440 Speaker 1: Because of that addiction to the lifestyle and because he 529 00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:06,880 Speaker 1: had got um cocaine which exacerbated his dark side. But 530 00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:09,919 Speaker 1: did you did you sense any animosity on his part 531 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:15,320 Speaker 1: towards Peggy? No? I felt felt more the other way around. 532 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:18,880 Speaker 1: That he felt that that he had been in a 533 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:22,680 Speaker 1: good situation and that he had brought There are a 534 00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:27,280 Speaker 1: lot of problem, problems and trouble and risk Atward stood 535 00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:30,600 Speaker 1: out in prison. His nickname was England. He was an 536 00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:33,359 Speaker 1: intellectual who read more than a thousand books in less 537 00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:37,200 Speaker 1: than six years. Peasley took a liking to him. Can 538 00:34:37,239 --> 00:34:39,640 Speaker 1: you describe Jerry to me? What was he like as 539 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:42,000 Speaker 1: a person, What was his personality like? What did he 540 00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:44,239 Speaker 1: look like like when you first met him? Can you 541 00:34:44,280 --> 00:34:50,480 Speaker 1: describe that? Very confident, very charismatic. He had already served 542 00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:53,920 Speaker 1: a considered amount of time in prison, so he was 543 00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:58,680 Speaker 1: an older guy. But like Uncle Junior character of the Sopranos. 544 00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:01,840 Speaker 1: And if you ever watched a movie like Good Fellows 545 00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:06,040 Speaker 1: our casino, it was like he just walked off that 546 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:10,560 Speaker 1: movie set. The way he spoke, his mannerisms just like 547 00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:15,080 Speaker 1: a character of Good Fellows a casino. Eventually, Paisley asked 548 00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:18,239 Speaker 1: Atwood to write his biography on the condition that he 549 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:22,880 Speaker 1: continued to mask Paisley's identity even after Paisley died. Paisley 550 00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:25,960 Speaker 1: told Atwood that he wanted to protect his family. And 551 00:35:26,040 --> 00:35:29,320 Speaker 1: I think this is very important because if Paisley was 552 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:33,040 Speaker 1: a full blown sociopath who just craved media and attention 553 00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:37,000 Speaker 1: and notoriety and fame, why would he care whether or 554 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:39,880 Speaker 1: not he was named in his own biography. After he 555 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:45,040 Speaker 1: died in eighteen, Atwood published Paisley's biography, The Life Story 556 00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:48,480 Speaker 1: of Two Tony's, in a book called The Mafia Philosopher. 557 00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:52,480 Speaker 1: In parts of the book, Atwood used composite characters and situations, 558 00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:56,399 Speaker 1: so I'm not going to quote from it directly. Interestingly enough, 559 00:35:56,640 --> 00:35:59,480 Speaker 1: there is no mention of Paisley's claim that the Missing 560 00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:02,799 Speaker 1: Congress were assassinated. Were you aware that he made these 561 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:06,839 Speaker 1: claims in ninety, that he told investigators that he transported 562 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:11,719 Speaker 1: explosives to Alaska and that he played a part in 563 00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:15,560 Speaker 1: at least in terms of transporting a bomb in the 564 00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:21,920 Speaker 1: plane going down. No, I was not. He never discussed 565 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:28,160 Speaker 1: that with you. Now. Now, Paisley could have discussed these 566 00:36:28,160 --> 00:36:30,720 Speaker 1: claims with Atwood and asked him to keep them quiet. 567 00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:34,479 Speaker 1: But Paisley is dead, so we only have Atwood's word here, 568 00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:37,560 Speaker 1: and I believe him. Atwood and I discussed the issue 569 00:36:37,560 --> 00:36:41,040 Speaker 1: of truth again. Who do we as a society choose 570 00:36:41,120 --> 00:36:44,839 Speaker 1: to believe? Who do we instantly right off? This might 571 00:36:44,920 --> 00:36:49,560 Speaker 1: sound purely philosophical, but it's not. It's very practical because 572 00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:54,720 Speaker 1: if the FBI wrote off Jerry Paisley's claims in solely 573 00:36:54,760 --> 00:36:57,680 Speaker 1: because of his past, because he was a criminal, that 574 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:00,960 Speaker 1: matters it means that he could have told almost anything 575 00:37:01,239 --> 00:37:04,160 Speaker 1: and the Bureau would have said, this guy's a criminal, 576 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:08,160 Speaker 1: can't believe any of his claims onward, Maybe the FBI 577 00:37:08,280 --> 00:37:11,400 Speaker 1: sincerely thought Paisley was lying, Maybe they just didn't want 578 00:37:11,440 --> 00:37:14,600 Speaker 1: to get involved. Maybe someone told them to drop the case. 579 00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:18,360 Speaker 1: I don't know, but in my opinion, if someone like 580 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:23,160 Speaker 1: Jerry Paisley makes serious, substantial claims, those claims deserved to 581 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:27,040 Speaker 1: be investigated, and other claims Paisley made were in fact 582 00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:30,600 Speaker 1: investigated just by members of local and state law enforcement, 583 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:34,320 Speaker 1: not the FBI. Remember, Paisley was convicted of a second 584 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:37,800 Speaker 1: murder because he told Arizona investigator Tom Davis that he 585 00:37:37,880 --> 00:37:40,640 Speaker 1: shot someone at death in a motel, and Davis actually 586 00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:44,080 Speaker 1: followed up and did his job, unlike the FBI. And 587 00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:47,520 Speaker 1: if you still say, well bullshit, John, let me ask 588 00:37:47,560 --> 00:37:51,440 Speaker 1: you this. If your spouse or mine disappeared, and shortly 589 00:37:51,520 --> 00:37:55,520 Speaker 1: thereafter you married a violent, mob connected person who later 590 00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:57,759 Speaker 1: claimed they played a part in the disappearance of your 591 00:37:57,800 --> 00:38:00,799 Speaker 1: first spouse, do you think invest the gators would take 592 00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:04,560 Speaker 1: those claims seriously? Because I do. None of this is 593 00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:07,640 Speaker 1: to say that I fully believe Jerry Paisley is to 594 00:38:07,719 --> 00:38:11,440 Speaker 1: say again that his claims should have been investigated properly 595 00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:14,640 Speaker 1: by the FBI. How else do you answer the question 596 00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:17,040 Speaker 1: of whether or not he was telling the truth. I 597 00:38:17,080 --> 00:38:21,920 Speaker 1: think that people on the outside looked at Jerry and 598 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:25,600 Speaker 1: what he said, and even today people look at him 599 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:28,239 Speaker 1: and say, well, that was a violent guy. I don't 600 00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:32,360 Speaker 1: believe anything he said. Um, you know, at the same time, 601 00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:35,600 Speaker 1: like I sit there looking at politicians every day who lie, 602 00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:41,160 Speaker 1: and it really seems in part to be a kind 603 00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:44,400 Speaker 1: of just a judgment call, like partially a class issue, 604 00:38:44,920 --> 00:38:47,320 Speaker 1: you know, I mean, everybody lies, and I guess the 605 00:38:47,440 --> 00:38:52,440 Speaker 1: question is should should we believe anything that Jerry said? 606 00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:56,480 Speaker 1: Should we believe anything that anyone says. I'm believe in 607 00:38:56,520 --> 00:39:03,759 Speaker 1: critical thinking, and I'm just a reporter, So I was 608 00:39:03,880 --> 00:39:06,760 Speaker 1: just the means by which Jerry could tell his story, 609 00:39:08,200 --> 00:39:11,719 Speaker 1: and it's up to the reader to make that decision 610 00:39:12,400 --> 00:39:15,600 Speaker 1: what they believe in, what they don't believe. I can't 611 00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:17,640 Speaker 1: judge him. I mean, he saved my life in prison 612 00:39:18,040 --> 00:39:22,799 Speaker 1: over a situation. He definitely had a heart, and I 613 00:39:22,880 --> 00:39:26,480 Speaker 1: saw the human side of him when we said goodbye, 614 00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:28,560 Speaker 1: you know, he was there was tears in his eyes 615 00:39:28,719 --> 00:39:32,000 Speaker 1: when we said goodbye at the fence. He told me 616 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:33,879 Speaker 1: that I was like the sun that he'd never had. 617 00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:40,000 Speaker 1: So people commit extremely violent acts, but they're still human beings. 618 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:44,240 Speaker 1: You can't write him off just because and say everything 619 00:39:44,280 --> 00:39:46,840 Speaker 1: that he said his lives because he was a violent person. 620 00:39:47,960 --> 00:39:50,640 Speaker 1: Everybody's got that in them. That's one thing he taught me. 621 00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:54,040 Speaker 1: I asked Atwood what else Paisley shared with him about 622 00:39:54,040 --> 00:39:58,080 Speaker 1: Peggy Baggage? Were you aware that her former husband was 623 00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:05,480 Speaker 1: a congressman? Yeah, he told you that. Yeah, what did 624 00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:09,960 Speaker 1: he say about that? He was very excitable about it, 625 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:13,759 Speaker 1: but he never like revealed a bigger picture that you're 626 00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:16,399 Speaker 1: telling me. When you say excitable, what do you mean 627 00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:19,319 Speaker 1: by excitable? There was a look in his eyes if 628 00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:23,400 Speaker 1: there was more and it was a big deal, but 629 00:40:23,640 --> 00:40:26,920 Speaker 1: he never expanded on it. If let's say that Jerry 630 00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:29,400 Speaker 1: was telling the truth that there was some kind of 631 00:40:29,440 --> 00:40:32,080 Speaker 1: foul play involved, why do you think he would have 632 00:40:32,120 --> 00:40:37,440 Speaker 1: not told you? Okay, I can't um. I don't know 633 00:40:37,480 --> 00:40:40,920 Speaker 1: whether he was involved or not. But my best guess 634 00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:44,000 Speaker 1: on why he wouldn't have told me it was because 635 00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:47,040 Speaker 1: he was trying to steer away anything that could hurt Peggy. 636 00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:50,000 Speaker 1: Did he express regret about how he treated Peggy and 637 00:40:50,040 --> 00:40:54,400 Speaker 1: treated the kids. Yes, what did he say. He said 638 00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:59,719 Speaker 1: that cocaine had scrambled his decision making processes and he 639 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:03,560 Speaker 1: at this. You know, he was living in this huge house, 640 00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:07,680 Speaker 1: he was loving being a dad to the kids, and 641 00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:11,799 Speaker 1: his own kid would come out from Arizona and it 642 00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:16,320 Speaker 1: was all hunky dory, and then he just started slipping 643 00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:21,760 Speaker 1: into his owld ways. But even worse because he started 644 00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:25,359 Speaker 1: murdering people and he just let the family down and 645 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:29,440 Speaker 1: brought a lot of risk and danger into the lives. 646 00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:34,000 Speaker 1: Did he ever discuss taking part in any bombings for 647 00:41:34,160 --> 00:41:39,560 Speaker 1: the bananas, like my understand he did. Yeah, he bombed 648 00:41:41,160 --> 00:41:46,479 Speaker 1: the wigs Salon, he bombed um. It's in the book. 649 00:41:46,520 --> 00:41:48,560 Speaker 1: I can't I can't specifically remember off the top of 650 00:41:48,560 --> 00:41:51,680 Speaker 1: my head right now. But he dynamited a few places 651 00:41:51,680 --> 00:41:55,320 Speaker 1: for the bananas. Was one of a judge's house, a 652 00:41:55,400 --> 00:42:04,120 Speaker 1: judge named Ebode. Yes, that's it. Yeah, believe he did that. Why, 653 00:42:05,040 --> 00:42:10,160 Speaker 1: he just was really proud of it. And that didn't 654 00:42:10,200 --> 00:42:12,600 Speaker 1: seem to be any ambiguity when he was telling me that. 655 00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:16,160 Speaker 1: So when I didn't want things any details changed, it 656 00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:20,399 Speaker 1: just told it me straight. So do you understand why 657 00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:22,680 Speaker 1: all of this is so fascinating to me? You have 658 00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:26,480 Speaker 1: a guy, you know, I'm not I'm not judging you know, Jerry, 659 00:42:26,480 --> 00:42:28,680 Speaker 1: I never met him, But you have a guy who 660 00:42:29,800 --> 00:42:33,520 Speaker 1: was a multiple murderer, a bomber, ties to the bananas 661 00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:36,759 Speaker 1: and the look of Olies. Marries the widow of a 662 00:42:36,760 --> 00:42:40,839 Speaker 1: missing congressman sixteen and a half months after her husband disappears. 663 00:42:41,560 --> 00:42:46,960 Speaker 1: Later tells investigators that he transported explosives to Alaska. Uh 664 00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:51,040 Speaker 1: and that somebody else, another man who they later went 665 00:42:51,080 --> 00:42:54,080 Speaker 1: into business with, UM told him that he put a 666 00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:56,320 Speaker 1: bomb on the plane and that he was given equity 667 00:42:56,320 --> 00:43:02,360 Speaker 1: in the business because of his role in the alleged assassination. 668 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:08,840 Speaker 1: You understand why this is so absolutely like fascinating to me? Yeah? 669 00:43:08,880 --> 00:43:11,400 Speaker 1: I do, I really do. You know. I write books 670 00:43:12,120 --> 00:43:17,880 Speaker 1: with conspiracies, um. I wrote book about Barry Sealed. They said, 671 00:43:19,600 --> 00:43:24,239 Speaker 1: cocaine flying pilot and all this stuff. It's fascinating to 672 00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:28,080 Speaker 1: me as well. And it's just a shame that, you know, 673 00:43:28,200 --> 00:43:33,120 Speaker 1: he didn't reveal any of that to me. It's it's 674 00:43:33,160 --> 00:43:36,120 Speaker 1: interesting because I would have thought that if he would 675 00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:39,600 Speaker 1: tell anybody, he would tell you. And as far as 676 00:43:39,600 --> 00:43:43,560 Speaker 1: I can tell other than discussing it, he never shared 677 00:43:43,600 --> 00:43:46,680 Speaker 1: the story with anybody ever again, So he didn't even 678 00:43:46,719 --> 00:43:51,080 Speaker 1: tell me that he discussed it with the investigations, which 679 00:43:51,640 --> 00:43:57,480 Speaker 1: indicates to me that there was a lot more to 680 00:43:57,560 --> 00:44:00,000 Speaker 1: that story that he didn't tell me. If he wouldn't 681 00:44:00,120 --> 00:44:03,319 Speaker 1: tell me even that, and what else did he know. 682 00:44:28,080 --> 00:44:30,520 Speaker 1: Back in Tucson, Paul and I worked hard as the 683 00:44:30,560 --> 00:44:33,279 Speaker 1: hours ticked down toward our flight out of town. In 684 00:44:33,360 --> 00:44:36,640 Speaker 1: terms of interviews, Arizona was mostly a wash. We got 685 00:44:36,640 --> 00:44:39,719 Speaker 1: Tom Davis and Steve Fowler and that's about it. Most 686 00:44:39,719 --> 00:44:42,040 Speaker 1: of the red Dots were dead. The rest we either 687 00:44:42,080 --> 00:44:44,799 Speaker 1: couldn't reach or they wouldn't talk to us. So we 688 00:44:44,880 --> 00:44:47,719 Speaker 1: decided to use our remaining time to visit places tied 689 00:44:47,719 --> 00:44:51,160 Speaker 1: to the story. We visited the Sahara Motel where Paisley 690 00:44:51,239 --> 00:44:55,120 Speaker 1: murdered a man. Now it's an apartment complex. We visited 691 00:44:55,120 --> 00:44:57,880 Speaker 1: a plane graveyard, but that was just for fun, and 692 00:44:57,920 --> 00:45:00,760 Speaker 1: at the very end, we visited the Spanish Trail Motel. 693 00:45:01,560 --> 00:45:03,920 Speaker 1: It's been a long trip in Arizona. Paul and I 694 00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:07,719 Speaker 1: have been here a few days and we have had 695 00:45:07,760 --> 00:45:10,919 Speaker 1: people back out of interviews. We've been calling numbers left 696 00:45:10,960 --> 00:45:16,640 Speaker 1: and right. Old mobsters apparently don't like phones or email. 697 00:45:17,440 --> 00:45:21,359 Speaker 1: They don't really like to be contacted. So, yeah, Paul 698 00:45:21,400 --> 00:45:24,440 Speaker 1: and I are standing at the Spanish Trail Motel and Tucson. 699 00:45:24,920 --> 00:45:27,879 Speaker 1: The sun is almost completely behind the mountains. It's getting dark, 700 00:45:27,880 --> 00:45:32,080 Speaker 1: it's breezy. The sky is pink and purple and blue, 701 00:45:32,160 --> 00:45:34,800 Speaker 1: and you can see palm trees and wound the periphery 702 00:45:34,800 --> 00:45:39,040 Speaker 1: of this beautiful old motel that's now completely decayed. There's 703 00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:42,080 Speaker 1: rust and broken glass and needles and an old shopping 704 00:45:42,120 --> 00:45:45,040 Speaker 1: card and it's very much the epitome of what you 705 00:45:45,040 --> 00:45:50,040 Speaker 1: want to photograph and explorer and exploration. Uh. And one 706 00:45:50,080 --> 00:45:52,839 Speaker 1: of these buildings here with the smashed out windows could 707 00:45:52,880 --> 00:45:56,239 Speaker 1: have been the place that Jerry Paisley lived, or the 708 00:45:56,320 --> 00:45:59,919 Speaker 1: room that he said he brought Margaret, who he later 709 00:46:00,000 --> 00:46:03,040 Speaker 1: said was Peggy Baggetts, who after she met allegedly with 710 00:46:03,120 --> 00:46:07,719 Speaker 1: Joe Banano. And there's only a slight glimmer of light 711 00:46:07,840 --> 00:46:11,600 Speaker 1: left here at the Spanish Trail Motel. Paul, you want 712 00:46:11,600 --> 00:46:16,560 Speaker 1: to hop the fence? Sure, Okay, so we're gonna I'm 713 00:46:16,560 --> 00:46:18,640 Speaker 1: gonna let Paul hop the fence first, because he's six 714 00:46:18,680 --> 00:46:21,920 Speaker 1: to I'll just use Paul as a ladder. I'm not 715 00:46:21,920 --> 00:46:25,279 Speaker 1: gonna hop defense. We didn't hop the fence. So at 716 00:46:25,280 --> 00:46:27,360 Speaker 1: the end of this trip in Arizona, we're standing on 717 00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:30,799 Speaker 1: the side of a rusted out motel And honestly, there 718 00:46:30,800 --> 00:46:34,000 Speaker 1: have been some surprises, but mostly it's been a frustrating trip. 719 00:46:34,360 --> 00:46:36,280 Speaker 1: We haven't been able to interview many of the people 720 00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:39,400 Speaker 1: that we wanted to. Nobody's answering the damn phone. We've 721 00:46:39,480 --> 00:46:43,440 Speaker 1: showed up at uh Peter Likavoli's house twice today alone, 722 00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:46,000 Speaker 1: so all we're doing is circling Tucson trying to find 723 00:46:46,640 --> 00:46:52,440 Speaker 1: octogenarian mobsters and no answers and no answers, so the 724 00:46:52,440 --> 00:46:55,360 Speaker 1: soun's almost gone and hopefully somebody doesn't jump out of 725 00:46:55,520 --> 00:46:59,279 Speaker 1: bush on this creepy alley and and you know she 726 00:46:59,400 --> 00:47:03,399 Speaker 1: have a shivn my rib. Thankfully, though our Arizona trip 727 00:47:03,520 --> 00:47:07,080 Speaker 1: wasn't a total bust. We got two good interviews. And 728 00:47:07,160 --> 00:47:10,000 Speaker 1: remember Bob Martinson, the man who broke the news to 729 00:47:10,040 --> 00:47:13,720 Speaker 1: me via text that Cokey Roberts Hail Boggs's daughter died. 730 00:47:14,120 --> 00:47:17,040 Speaker 1: The Bob Martinson I told you was important and asked 731 00:47:17,080 --> 00:47:22,960 Speaker 1: you to remember well on September in that very same text, 732 00:47:23,280 --> 00:47:25,960 Speaker 1: the one in which Bob told me Cokey died. He 733 00:47:26,120 --> 00:47:28,760 Speaker 1: also sent me something I had been waiting on for weeks, 734 00:47:29,200 --> 00:47:32,279 Speaker 1: the exact coordinates of where he found part of Assessma, 735 00:47:32,800 --> 00:47:35,919 Speaker 1: part of what could be the missing plane. So armed 736 00:47:35,960 --> 00:47:38,960 Speaker 1: with this a latitude and longitude, we were off to 737 00:47:39,040 --> 00:47:48,839 Speaker 1: Alaska next time on missing in Alaska. If you were 738 00:47:49,080 --> 00:47:51,399 Speaker 1: a Republican in the head of the Young Republicans Club, 739 00:47:51,440 --> 00:47:55,360 Speaker 1: why were you arranging a flight for two Democratic congressman 740 00:47:56,040 --> 00:48:00,239 Speaker 1: That's my own business. I don't care who are before 741 00:48:00,280 --> 00:48:02,919 Speaker 1: as long as they paid the bill was like, that's 742 00:48:02,960 --> 00:48:06,080 Speaker 1: where they did, but the flight was unpaid. It was 743 00:48:06,120 --> 00:48:17,400 Speaker 1: a free flight. Before we go an epilogue In December nineteen, 744 00:48:17,600 --> 00:48:22,160 Speaker 1: I got a voicemail from someone surprising Rosalie Banano. Rosalie, 745 00:48:22,320 --> 00:48:25,200 Speaker 1: now three, is the daughter in law of Joe Banano, 746 00:48:25,400 --> 00:48:28,840 Speaker 1: who she calls Mr b. In nineteen fifty six, she 747 00:48:28,960 --> 00:48:32,280 Speaker 1: married his son Bill at a lavish mafia wedding. Joe, 748 00:48:32,440 --> 00:48:35,680 Speaker 1: her father in law, and Bill, her husband, have both died. 749 00:48:36,120 --> 00:48:38,719 Speaker 1: I called Rosalie back and left her a voicemail on 750 00:48:38,760 --> 00:48:42,799 Speaker 1: her jitterbug phone, and then for a while nothing. When 751 00:48:42,800 --> 00:48:45,440 Speaker 1: I called again in April. However, she picked up. She 752 00:48:45,600 --> 00:48:47,960 Speaker 1: was friendly. She even asked how I was holding up 753 00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:51,560 Speaker 1: in New Orleans during the pandemic. She kindly answered my questions, 754 00:48:51,640 --> 00:48:54,759 Speaker 1: but didn't want to do a recorded interview. Rosalie said 755 00:48:54,800 --> 00:48:57,399 Speaker 1: that she and the other Banana wives were mostly kept 756 00:48:57,400 --> 00:48:59,640 Speaker 1: out of the loop. They spent their time in the kitchen. 757 00:49:00,080 --> 00:49:02,120 Speaker 1: I asked if I could run some names by her 758 00:49:02,200 --> 00:49:05,800 Speaker 1: to see if she recognized them, and she agreed. Unfortunately, 759 00:49:05,960 --> 00:49:09,680 Speaker 1: she didn't recognize most of them, including Jerry Paisley, though 760 00:49:09,719 --> 00:49:11,520 Speaker 1: she said she was going to check with someone who 761 00:49:11,600 --> 00:49:15,280 Speaker 1: might know more and get back to me. Rosalie did, however, 762 00:49:15,480 --> 00:49:19,200 Speaker 1: remember joe Aya Tarola, the Banano lieutenant Paisley Claine gave 763 00:49:19,280 --> 00:49:22,200 Speaker 1: him a lock suitcase that contained a bomb, the bomb 764 00:49:22,239 --> 00:49:25,680 Speaker 1: allegedly put on the missing Congressman's plane. Aya tar Rolla 765 00:49:25,800 --> 00:49:29,240 Speaker 1: is also the man who allegedly dined with Paisley, Peggy Baggett, 766 00:49:29,320 --> 00:49:31,960 Speaker 1: and Joe Banano at the Contigui in the summer of 767 00:49:32,040 --> 00:49:36,160 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy two. Rosalie told me that Joeya Tarola and 768 00:49:36,239 --> 00:49:39,839 Speaker 1: Joe Banano were close. She remembers seeing Ayah to rolla 769 00:49:39,920 --> 00:49:43,200 Speaker 1: around Banano's house She said the two men respected each 770 00:49:43,200 --> 00:49:46,000 Speaker 1: other a lot. Before the call ended, I had two 771 00:49:46,040 --> 00:49:49,800 Speaker 1: final questions. First, did she know of any Bonano business 772 00:49:49,800 --> 00:49:53,880 Speaker 1: ceilings in Alaska? She said no, but again reiterated that 773 00:49:53,920 --> 00:49:56,320 Speaker 1: she was kept out of the loop. And I asked 774 00:49:56,400 --> 00:49:59,400 Speaker 1: whether or not any documentation from the seventies still exist, 775 00:49:59,560 --> 00:50:03,680 Speaker 1: received checks, diaries, stuff like that. She said that after 776 00:50:03,760 --> 00:50:06,239 Speaker 1: Joe Banano died, she sold a trove of his old 777 00:50:06,280 --> 00:50:09,560 Speaker 1: checks on eBay and made a small fortune. However, she 778 00:50:09,680 --> 00:50:12,000 Speaker 1: told me that since Bill Bonano, her husband died in 779 00:50:12,000 --> 00:50:15,360 Speaker 1: two thousand eight, she still hasn't gone through his filing cabinet. 780 00:50:15,719 --> 00:50:18,480 Speaker 1: She said doing so might be a good project, and 781 00:50:18,560 --> 00:50:21,440 Speaker 1: she said she would contact me if she found anything interesting. 782 00:50:22,680 --> 00:50:25,799 Speaker 1: This week, I have two tasks for you, one specific 783 00:50:25,880 --> 00:50:28,759 Speaker 1: and one vague. First, we're going to post the red 784 00:50:28,800 --> 00:50:32,319 Speaker 1: dot photos online. If you recognize any of the unidentified 785 00:50:32,320 --> 00:50:36,160 Speaker 1: wedding guests, let us know. Second, this episode is packed 786 00:50:36,200 --> 00:50:40,200 Speaker 1: with information, so maybe listen again, take notes, and see 787 00:50:40,239 --> 00:50:42,719 Speaker 1: if you can find anything we missed. If you do, 788 00:50:43,040 --> 00:50:45,799 Speaker 1: let us know. You can reach us by phone at 789 00:50:45,840 --> 00:50:49,640 Speaker 1: one eight three three m I A tips. That's one 790 00:50:49,760 --> 00:50:54,120 Speaker 1: eight three three six four two eight four seven seven 791 00:50:54,480 --> 00:50:59,080 Speaker 1: again one eight three three six four two eight four 792 00:50:59,480 --> 00:51:03,040 Speaker 1: seven Evan, or you can reach us via email at 793 00:51:03,160 --> 00:51:07,080 Speaker 1: tips at i heeart media dot com. That's tips t 794 00:51:07,400 --> 00:51:11,600 Speaker 1: I P s at i heeart media dot com. An 795 00:51:11,640 --> 00:51:15,160 Speaker 1: important note, none of the people Jerry Paisley claimed took 796 00:51:15,200 --> 00:51:18,840 Speaker 1: part in or had knowledge of the alleged bombing, Joe Bonano, 797 00:51:19,200 --> 00:51:23,840 Speaker 1: Joey A. Tarola, Danny Zavanich, Gene Fowler, Larry Fowler, or 798 00:51:23,840 --> 00:51:27,960 Speaker 1: Peggy Baggage were ever charged with or convicted of crimes 799 00:51:28,000 --> 00:51:31,640 Speaker 1: tied to any of Paisley's allegations. Peggy Beggatt and Danny 800 00:51:31,719 --> 00:51:34,600 Speaker 1: Zavanache declined multiple requests for an on the record interview. 801 00:51:34,920 --> 00:51:38,920 Speaker 1: Gene Fowler was unavailable for an interview. Joe Bonano, Joeya Tarola, 802 00:51:39,000 --> 00:51:42,560 Speaker 1: and Larry Fowler are dead. Louis Marconi, the X cop 803 00:51:42,600 --> 00:51:45,279 Speaker 1: who was friends with Paisley, also was never charged with 804 00:51:45,480 --> 00:51:49,040 Speaker 1: or convicted of any crimes tied to any of Paisley's allegations. 805 00:51:49,520 --> 00:51:53,680 Speaker 1: Marconi declined multiple requests to do a recorded interview. Finally, 806 00:51:54,000 --> 00:51:57,680 Speaker 1: in his seventies, Pete Lookavoli Jr. And Mike Lackavoli vehemently 807 00:51:57,719 --> 00:52:00,640 Speaker 1: denied reports that they were involved in organized crime rings. 808 00:52:01,080 --> 00:52:04,120 Speaker 1: The Lick of OLiS didn't respond to multiple interview requests. 809 00:52:05,560 --> 00:52:08,400 Speaker 1: Ben Boland is our executive producer. Paul Decan is our 810 00:52:08,400 --> 00:52:12,680 Speaker 1: supervising producer, Chris Brown is our assistant producer, Seth Nicholas 811 00:52:12,719 --> 00:52:16,280 Speaker 1: Johnson is our producer. Sam T. Garden is our research assistant, 812 00:52:16,520 --> 00:52:19,640 Speaker 1: and I'm your host and executive producer, John Wallzac. You 813 00:52:19,680 --> 00:52:22,080 Speaker 1: can find me on Twitter at at John Waalzac j 814 00:52:22,280 --> 00:52:26,880 Speaker 1: O n w A l c z a K special 815 00:52:26,920 --> 00:52:30,919 Speaker 1: Thanks to investigative reporters and editors or ire and specifically 816 00:52:31,320 --> 00:52:35,040 Speaker 1: executive director Doug Haddocks. Thanks also to everyone at the 817 00:52:35,040 --> 00:52:39,360 Speaker 1: State Historical Society of Missouri, including John Console, Kevin George, 818 00:52:39,440 --> 00:52:42,000 Speaker 1: and Beth Pike. And a big thank you to Pauline 819 00:52:42,000 --> 00:52:45,520 Speaker 1: Loftus for showing us around the Mountain Oyster Club. Missing 820 00:52:45,560 --> 00:52:47,840 Speaker 1: in Alaska is a co production of I Heart Media 821 00:52:47,960 --> 00:52:48,920 Speaker 1: and Greenfork Media.