"A Friend Indeed"
It is often proclaimed that man's best friend is a dog, but did you ever expect that a sheriff's best friend is a notorious mobster?…An improbable relationship, especially for Sherrif Mike Carona, who just so happens to be the senior advisor to President Bush on national security issues, a former chairman of state crime commission, and the head of California's second-largest sheriff's department.
Indeed "America's Sheriff" (as Carona proudly refers to himself) has established a rather questionable bond with Rick Rizzolo, a man known to the FBI as a notorious mobster, tied to mob families in both New York and Chicago. Rizzolo presumably leads a comfortable life in his 3,700 square-foot-estate located on the beachfront of the glamorous Newport Beach. In fact, so comfortable is the life of Rizzolo that he is generous enough to be one of the main contributors to Carona's re-election campaign.
While the press has captured a handful of cozy pictures to confirm the meetings of this cozy duo, in places such as the Ritz Carlton --- both men with drink in hand and smile on face --- Carona's media consultants claim that these get-togethers have only taken place "two or three times," and that innocent Carona was completely unaware of Rizzolo's ties to the mob.
Perhaps Carona was blind to the loads of gold jewelry and odd connections Rizzolo has to politicians, Hollywood celebrities, and criminals (even those famous ones in movies). And maybe Carona didn't think to ask why his dear friend owns a strip club in Las Vegas that is referred to as a "racketeering enterprise" by a federal indictment. This joint would not disappoint the expectations that one would have for a topless joint owned by a mobster; it is run by members of fellow mafia kingpins and once Rizzolo decided to resolve a dispute with a baseball bat, consequently cracking the man's skull.
If only Carona knew what his friend was really like, and could see what others see. For instance, a fellow officer referred to Carona's relationship with Rizzolo as "disgusting" and even exclaimed, "What is Sheriff Carona thinking? He's either incredibly stupid or dirty as hell. Or both." This could also be asked in another relationship that Carona is part of. Freddie Glusman, another campaign contributor, is reportedly the match maker for this Rizzolo-Carona bond. Glusman himself is another stand up guy, he owns the posh Ritz restaurant,where the duo sips their cocktails and poses for pictures, and Piero's - a restaurant in Las Vegas that is known as a mob hangout. Glusman cares about the patrons of his restaurant too, he prides himself on giving them an intimate atmosphere where "no one gets bothered."
Apparently Carona appreciates the business ethics of Glusman so much he decided to reward him, along with a Nevada casino owner (Gary Primm) – not to mention yet another campaign contributor – with official Orange County Sheriff badges. Forget the official business of being in the Santa Anaheadquarters, or even bothering with in depth background checks…because Carona knows how to take care of his friends, he swore them in at the Ritz Carlton and celebrated with wine and cake.
Hopefully Carona was still be a supportive friend when Glusman abused his "sheriff" privileges and resigned only a few months after the ceremony, because that is just the kind of guy Carona is.
Carona promises that "no one is ever going to get close enough to me to compromise me…it just won't happen." It doesn't matter that some state police licensing agency refuses to recognize eighty-seven people Carona has deputized, nor should it matter that Carona's largest contributor (Charles Gabbard) is a convicted felon (he is only accused of burglary, robbery, and murder anyway). And, we can ignore the handful of sexual harassment charges filed against Carona.
The American public, or at least the County of Orange, can rest assured with Carona's promise in knowing what a great friend Carona is and what even better friends he has.
The real article can be found at The Orange County Weekly Online.
Link : http://www.ocweekly.com/news/news/dirty-stupid-or-both/25006/
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