Frank Colacurcio Sr., the strip-club magnate whose organized-crime exploits covered more than half a century and coincided with Seattle's history of police corruption and reform, died Friday. (At a 1985 legislative hearing on crime in New Mexico, a federal investigator testified that Franks gang then numbered about 50 throughout the West and was behind an assortment of topless-related enterprises.). But hey, Franks a macho guy. Sentenced to Prison in Strip Club Case Colacurcio Jr. Forfeits Millions in Cash and Property", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seattle_crime_family&oldid=1144903083, Organized crime groups in the United States, Articles with dead external links from May 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 March 2023, at 06:01. Out of the spotlight for several years, the Colacurcio name has resurfaced in recent weeks with the opening of two adult-entertainment clubs, Papagayo's in Bellevue's Overlake area and Babe's in that city's Factoria neighborhood. To avoid trouble obtaining liquor licenses, Colacurcio had relatives and associates front as the business owners. The judge politely refused; after all, how would it look for a probation officer to be supervising the boss of a nudie joint? Seattle newspapers were never quite sure what to call Frank. In a deposition in the divorce case, his mother, Jackie, wondered if Frankie was up to the job. He started our conversation talking about how he didn't even remember Heidi Wills and has only been paying attention to Council Member Kshama Sawant's race. "Some people would call it extravagant," the younger Colacurcio says of his lifestyle. In exchange, federal prosecutors agreed to dismiss fourteen other charges. 2005: Found guilty of a misdemeanor, groping a strip-club waitress. Which he did. Seattle Times staff reporter Louis T. Corsaletti contributed to this report. For decades, his name conjured up a seamy underworld of handshake deals, bare-breasted women and bundles of cash. Colacurcio, who died in 2010, was the owner of strip clubs Sugar's in Shoreline and Rick's in Lake Forest Park. I have had more back rent in the past year than I have ever had in my nearly 15-year career of dancing., Not all clubs use back rent, according to Frank Colacurcio Jr. (Yes, that Frank Colacurcio Jr.), whothough banned from running strip clubs in Washingtonis a consultant for Kittens Cabaret. Ann Forbes, also of Consolidated, maxed out to Wills in the spring of 2001. The extent of Colacurcio's involvement in the nightclub industry may never be known. After a 1991 guilty plea to tax fraud and the end of his 36-year-year marriage to Jackie Colacurcio about the same time, he and his son, Frank Colacurcio Jr . He was even mentioned in the McClellan Committee by James "Big Jim" Elkins, a major crime figure in Portland, Oregon. When questioned about the meeting, Frank Colacurcio replied with I went to Yakima to pick hot peppers, but I didnt pick no bananas.[4] The mention of bananas was a reference to the Bonnano family, which was involved in an internal war referred to by the media as the "Banana Wars". Heidi Wills and Strippergate - George Howland Jr. In court, the judge looked down and saw a much younger Frank this time. Business rivals claimed that he used threats to control the trade. Barnett.) Still, he professes to not even know a ballpark figure of either his income or his net worth. She has been to a number of the advisory committee meetings and confirmed that "there hasnt been a huge number of people actually in the room" and only a small number of dancers were present. Frank Colacurcio, Jr. Pleads Guilty in Strip Club Case Colacurcio, Jr The brothers later sold the coin-op business when the city refused to re-license them, but it didnt end there. Saturday, May 31, 2014. Frank Colacurcio Sr.Frank Colacurcio Sr., longtime resident of Newtown, Connecticut, passed away on September 28, 2020 at the age of 70.Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on December 27, 1949, he was the In 1981, U.S. prosecutors charged him with skimming profits from the Brass Tiger in Federal Way and the Bavarian Gardens in Factoria. Each year, the council reviewed the moratorium. The King County prosecutor at the time determined that Wills was naive and there was no wrong-doing on her part. best 10mm semi auto rifle. "How do you define criminal?" Frank Colacurcio Jr. a.k.a "Frankie" - Son of Frank Sr. Colacurcio Jr. said it's about "the question of what are the customer's rights" and there "has got to be some sort of fairness in everything. COLACURCIO, JR. agreed to forfeit the Talents West building at 8600 Lake City Way, admitting it was used as part . The indictments alleged Colacurcio Sr . He says he plays cards, dabbles in real estate and gives advice to his son and other associates who run the strip joints. What is he, 100, 150 years old? Francis Colacurcio, Sr. was the alleged crime boss of seattle for decadesHe started out as an enforcer for a local crime organization in Seattle that his fat. The story amused Franks friends, as did some of his tough-guy antics. Jane said that the clubs are worried theyll get sued by customers. He didnt, however, figure out how to avoid getting caught at it or, whenever he got out of stir, how not to go back to the female commodity business. In some cases he owns the property; in others he works as a "consultant.". Some in law enforcement believe Colacurcio's time in prison opened the door to competition, and today the Detroit-based Deja Vu chain has the edge on the number of local strip clubs. Colacurcio, the eldest son in a family of eight children, was convicted of "carnal knowledge" with a 16-year-old girl. At one time, the Colacurcios dominated the topless-nightclub industry in the Puget Sound area and were financing clubs in Alaska, Arizona, Texas, Oregon and New Mexico. Later, while out on parole, Colacurcio was convicted of fondling a woman applying for a job at one of his clubs. As part of his plea agreement, FRANK COLACURCIO, JR. is barred from participating in any adult entertainment enterprise in the State of Washington for the three year term of supervised release which will follow his prison sentence. (However, most dont show up at the monthly meetings. Last month, she was the only dancer who showed up in person. Franks star began its notorious rise in the late 1950s, amid a series of hearings and newspaper reports pointing to him as the man behind illegal gambling, prostitution, and payoffs at clubs in downtown Seattle and around the state. I dont want them to feel like they cant speak.. Sixteen years later, Wills told The Stranger that the Colacurcios had "bundled campaign funds to me, Judy, and Jim." I doubt they want to out themselves as having been in a strip club and having been accused of bad behavior.. Or is a guy, I dont know. Colacurcio strongly denied it. "He gives me advice on what shoes to wear.". The charges were dismissed against Colacurcio Sr. after his death. Francis Colacurcio Sr. (June 18, 1917 - July 2, 2010) [1] was an American mobster and boss of the Seattle crime family known for running strip clubs in Seattle, Washington. She sits down and rubs it and pokes around and starts asking about it. Frank Sr.: from modest roots to racketeer | The Seattle Times She tries to make it to every meeting. "You keep so busy, I've got so many things on my mind.". Frank Colacurcio - Wikipedia Its been horrible for Frank, too: Women have not only kept him in the money, but also in the courts. Frank Francis Jr. is called Frankie. He owns it with a nephew and uses it for fishing expeditions in Alaska. That's been my one drawback. Brutal spasms aside, Frank never quite made the criminal big time. This was Franks favorite place. Its one of those wood-burl tables, for sale for $600. Aside from a brief partnership with a friend as an interior designer, Jackie Colacurcio says she dedicated her life to raising her only son. Pauole was at that point an unindicted co-conspirator safely ensconced in the witness protection program, and in order to stay there, and out of prison again, was ready to finger Frank and Frankie. He violated his terms in one fell swoop in May 1995-grabbing, kissing, and propositioning a teenager he was interviewing for a topless job. At the time Strippergate had happened, Wills had been a city council member for five years. FBI Frank Colacurcio Jr. Sentenced to Prison in Strip Club Case If passed, the property tax levy will help fund behavioral health infrastructure in the region. [4] In the 1970s, Colacurcio met with Bonanno crime family member Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno in Yakima, WA to discuss a business relationship. Colacurcio: No Regrets -- `I'll Never Be Retired Retired. Not Until I'm Frank said no way! In 1959, Colacurcio was subpoenaed by the U.S. Senate Rackets Investigating Committee to testify in a nationwide probe of the coin-machine industry. Boom, coins all over, and youre down the street. ", First of all, Jane told me, I think if someone is blacklisted from a club they would be embarrassed to sue the clubmost of our customers are married men. Exactly how much the family and its associates reaped in profits over the years remains a mystery. The guys wiggling and screaming and saying, Dont drop me, I got the money, Ill give it back! We never did tell the guy he was smooching another guy.). We've all done things that weren't right up to kosher.". Seattle's Crime Boss: Mafia Malarkey -- Or Was It? Besides nude dancing and doing time, their common interests apparently include a longing for females. ", "He said that the neighbors didnt want to see additional parking because they didnt like the strip club that had been there for ages," Wills said, "and that he would erectsorry for the play on wordsa large barrier to prevent noise and other altercations from being visible to the surrounding neighbors, and that they would hire a parking lot attendant. Though Colacurcio admits he isn't a "straight arrow," he hesitates when asked if he is a criminal. Rosellini was not charged in the investigation. Sudden sharp pain under right rib cage when bending over And, Colacurcio was supposed to have met with the son of New York mob boss Joseph Bonanno. Besides the assault and tax-evasion convictions, Frank Colacurcio was convicted in 1971 of racketeering for bringing illegal bingo cards into the state. A nightclub owner testified he paid Colacurcio $3,000 a month for police protection. facts management parent login. Each year, they voted to extend it. USDOJ: US Attorney's Office - WAW Frankie pleaded guilty to a single felony tax charge. The indictment further details how credit card machines and ATMs were used to facilitate the prostitution and how the proceeds of prostitution were laundered through various bank accounts. ", He says the several months he spent in prison were "more or less a vacation.". schneider funeral home mt vernon in obituaries frank colacurcio construction. In the following years Colacurcio continued to expand his strip-club business. She would also like to change restrictive zoning laws and end prohibition in clubs across the state (it is illegal to consume alcohol in Washington strip clubs.). Frank colacurcio jr - agg.saligia-kunst.de Seattle crime family - Wikipedia Nicholas Furfaro a.k.a "Nick" - Nightclub manager, known member since 1963 and high ranking member. While clubs are required to make changes, the laws are still going through the rule-making process with Washington State Labor & Industries and many clubs are waiting until those rules are finalized to implement blacklists and panic buttons. Writing to the court, prosecutors noted that this sentencing is a final chapter in a long running criminal enterprise. And even the road to that progress is difficult for dancers who see these improvements, while necessary, as merely scratching the surface in an industry that many are desperate to change in bigger, more sweeping ways. But that's the extent of his "mob connections." I dont remember his name, says a friend of Colacurcios, but the guy had made off with funds from the state Democratic Party. 86 - died November 30, 2011 at her home. But there have been several meetings with the adult entertainment advisory committee. A report issued by the State Patrol Organized Crime Unit to law-enforcement agencies in 1979 alleged that Colacurcio controlled a crime group operating topless taverns and other businesses in the state. Despite city prohibitions, the corrupt practices were tolerated by cops who profited through kickbacks and payoffs (a First Avenue bar operator today says he still has this tendency, when spying a beat cop walking through his door, to put a paper sack full of cash on the bar as he did in the 1960s, and tell the officer, Lunch.) [10] On July 2, 2010, boss Frank Colacurcio, Sr. died at the age of 93. (Many of them written by Erica C. Junior, 48, pleaded guilty to a racketeering-conspiracy charge in June 2010. Seattle crime family. During the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones told COLACURCIO, JR. It appears you followed in the footsteps of your father your entire life. You are at a crossroads right now in what you do in your life. [4] In the 1960s, Colacurcio opened topless clubs in Seattle and skimmed money. But, one thing at a time. I talked with Frank Colacurcio Jr. to see what he recalled from the 16-year-old event. They havent even decided which panic buttons to use (Cole and Jane both want a button that triggers flashing lights) or where to place the buttons. Earlier this summer, I put up a Facebook post about Wills and Strippergate-a City Hall scandal involving illegal lobbying and political money laundering by Frank Colacurcio, a vicious gangster. (In a related 1991 case, Nick Furfaro, Franks old friend since they started up the Magic Inn on Union Street in 1963, was convicted of a tax violation and, as part of his short sentence, was told he had to give up his job running one of Franks places, Sugars, the North Seattle soda-pop-and-nude-dancing emporium. For example, Levy contributed $600 to Heidi Wills on April 27, 2001; the moratorium was renewed on April 30, 2001. His son, Frank Colacurcio Jr., already had pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge. In 1981, Junior testified as a hostile government witness "I look at Frank Colacurcio as my dad, my friend and a very special person." Theyll try to make sure they rack up a lot of back rent and are in debt to the club, Jane said. "The donations were a way to get their attention. "To tell you the truth, my memory's really hazy. Mostly, she wants the clubs to believe women. Colacurcio Strip Club Associate Files Suit | Seattle Met Frank Colacurcio Jr, son of the Boss of the Colacurcio - Reddit The woman was running before her feet hit the ground. With the permanent closure of these strip clubs, divesting the defendants of millions of dollars, and the transfer of the club properties to the government, Seattle is now a safer and cleaner place to live, said Marcus Williams, the IRS Special Agent in Charge of the Pacific Northwest. Still, in divorce papers filed in 1993, Frankie's mother, Jackie - Colacurcio Sr.'s wife of 36 years - said she believed her ex-husband was still running the show. Cole would like to make it illegal. That one peed him off, says an old friend, because it was a setup deal; they lied to get him. Frank, today bespectacled, gray hair thinning, a bit heavier at 200 pounds, is in reasonably good health as he heads toward his 80th birthday next June-although his doctor, Dr. Frank Gleeson, says Frank has polycythemia rubra vera, a condition that can lead to thrombophlebitis, or blood clotting.
