Post by KC on Sept 23, 2006 20:22:17 GMT -5
September 23, 2006 - MANATEE COUNTY -- An undercover detective posing as "Capt. Tony" eased into Cleopatra's strip club north of Palmetto and had drinks with two Manatee County deputies.
As their relationship solidified, Capt. Tony reportedly offered the deputies can't-beat deals on alcohol that he said he was getting from the shipping docks.
The deputy sheriffs, Charles Elsenheimer and his cousin Gary Harrison, bought into the tale, authorities say.
Both were arrested in July on charges of dealing in stolen property -- alcohol they knew or should have known was stolen, according to prosecutors.
But the case against the two officers is far from black-and-white, according to Elsenheimer's attorney, Derek Byrd.
The two deputies are among five officers who have resigned in the wake of a yearlong investigation by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office into corruption by off-duty officers at Cleopatra's. Elsenheimer and Harrison are the only ones charged with a crime so far.
Byrd called the investigation a massive waste of taxpayers' money.
"They went into this believing they were going to reveal the world's biggest conspiracy -- drugs, prostitution, " Byrd said in an interview Friday. "You would think they were investigating a terrorist plot to blow up the Capitol with the amount of resources they put into this."
Byrd called the investigation "a complete and utter joke" and said the charges against the two former deputies -- who both resigned in July -- will be difficult to prove in court.
Manatee County sheriff's spokesman Dave Bristow said he could not comment on the ongoing corruption investigation.
State prosecutors this week released thousands of pages of records that detail Capt. Tony's role in the case and his association with Elsenheimer, Harrison and the club's owner, Mark A. Shepard, who has not been charged.
Several undercover detectives, including an FBI agent, infiltrated Cleopatra's in Palmetto during the probe, which began in August 2005 in part from a citizen's complaint about off-duty officers hanging out at the bar.
Authorities used video and audio surveillance, among other tools, in building the criminal cases.
Capt. Tony, the made-up cover name for one of the officers, called Elsenheimer Oct. 19 and said he was looking to get more bottles of alcohol.
The investigator asked Elsenheimer if he wanted in.
"Uh, another bottle of Bacardi would be super," Elsenheimer said, according to sheriff's reports.
"You want a bottle of Bacardi?"
"Yes, sir," Elsenheimer said.
"All righty, uh, and your ... anybody you trust want anything?" the undercover officer said.
Elsenheimer said his cousin drinks the same rum and asked for two bottles.
An admitted coke dealer named Dean Roller, who said he sold the drug at Cleopatra's, claims he got warning tips from Elsenheimer about police surveillance. Roller said he once paid the officer $500 as thanks for a favor.
Byrd, the defense attorney, dismissed Roller's account, saying the felon was looking to make a deal with prosecutors in a racketeering case unrelated to the Cleopatra's probe.
The lawyer said there is no proof that Elsenheimer mingled with Roller at his house or offered advice on how to avoid getting caught dealing drugs.
Elsenheimer, 34, is charged with 13 counts of dealing in stolen property. He has pleaded not guilty. Harrison, 23, was charged with two counts and has also pleaded not guilty.
Authorities say additional Manatee County deputies could be fired for their off-duty association with Cleopatra's, whose owner and manager are named as suspects.
FBI agents got into the mix because one of the alleged conspirators is a federal convict named John P. Serendensky, a Cleopatra's bouncer whom everyone knew as Italian John.
Investigators questioned deputies about their relationship with Serendensky, who is under federal investigation in a money laundering scheme.
A judge in December 2000 denied releasing Serendensky on bond in a bank fraud, money laundering and cocaine distribution case. The judge said "no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of others and the community," court records show.
Serendensky, 31, was convicted of conspiracy in federal district court in New York and spent about three years in prison. Authorities say Serendensky, who could not be reached for comment Friday, is still on federal probation and that he owes more than $1.6 million in restitution.
Authorities list "Vitolano" as an alias for Serendensky in court records. He is the cousin of Edward Falcone, a former Sarasota County deputy who resigned in July amid the ongoing probe.
"Vitolano" is not a blood connection, according to Louis Vitolano of Sarasota, who said Serendensky is his niece's son.
Falcone, one of two Sarasota deputies to resign, has not been charged with a crime.
Manatee County sheriff's investigators showed numerous photographs of Manatee and Sarasota deputies to bouncers and bartenders to see if they recognized the faces.
Dondre Hall, a Cleopatra's bouncer, said he'd see Falcone "once in a while" at Cleopatra's.
www.heraldtribune.com/article/20060923/NEWS/609230320
As their relationship solidified, Capt. Tony reportedly offered the deputies can't-beat deals on alcohol that he said he was getting from the shipping docks.
The deputy sheriffs, Charles Elsenheimer and his cousin Gary Harrison, bought into the tale, authorities say.
Both were arrested in July on charges of dealing in stolen property -- alcohol they knew or should have known was stolen, according to prosecutors.
But the case against the two officers is far from black-and-white, according to Elsenheimer's attorney, Derek Byrd.
The two deputies are among five officers who have resigned in the wake of a yearlong investigation by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office into corruption by off-duty officers at Cleopatra's. Elsenheimer and Harrison are the only ones charged with a crime so far.
Byrd called the investigation a massive waste of taxpayers' money.
"They went into this believing they were going to reveal the world's biggest conspiracy -- drugs, prostitution, " Byrd said in an interview Friday. "You would think they were investigating a terrorist plot to blow up the Capitol with the amount of resources they put into this."
Byrd called the investigation "a complete and utter joke" and said the charges against the two former deputies -- who both resigned in July -- will be difficult to prove in court.
Manatee County sheriff's spokesman Dave Bristow said he could not comment on the ongoing corruption investigation.
State prosecutors this week released thousands of pages of records that detail Capt. Tony's role in the case and his association with Elsenheimer, Harrison and the club's owner, Mark A. Shepard, who has not been charged.
Several undercover detectives, including an FBI agent, infiltrated Cleopatra's in Palmetto during the probe, which began in August 2005 in part from a citizen's complaint about off-duty officers hanging out at the bar.
Authorities used video and audio surveillance, among other tools, in building the criminal cases.
Capt. Tony, the made-up cover name for one of the officers, called Elsenheimer Oct. 19 and said he was looking to get more bottles of alcohol.
The investigator asked Elsenheimer if he wanted in.
"Uh, another bottle of Bacardi would be super," Elsenheimer said, according to sheriff's reports.
"You want a bottle of Bacardi?"
"Yes, sir," Elsenheimer said.
"All righty, uh, and your ... anybody you trust want anything?" the undercover officer said.
Elsenheimer said his cousin drinks the same rum and asked for two bottles.
An admitted coke dealer named Dean Roller, who said he sold the drug at Cleopatra's, claims he got warning tips from Elsenheimer about police surveillance. Roller said he once paid the officer $500 as thanks for a favor.
Byrd, the defense attorney, dismissed Roller's account, saying the felon was looking to make a deal with prosecutors in a racketeering case unrelated to the Cleopatra's probe.
The lawyer said there is no proof that Elsenheimer mingled with Roller at his house or offered advice on how to avoid getting caught dealing drugs.
Elsenheimer, 34, is charged with 13 counts of dealing in stolen property. He has pleaded not guilty. Harrison, 23, was charged with two counts and has also pleaded not guilty.
Authorities say additional Manatee County deputies could be fired for their off-duty association with Cleopatra's, whose owner and manager are named as suspects.
FBI agents got into the mix because one of the alleged conspirators is a federal convict named John P. Serendensky, a Cleopatra's bouncer whom everyone knew as Italian John.
Investigators questioned deputies about their relationship with Serendensky, who is under federal investigation in a money laundering scheme.
A judge in December 2000 denied releasing Serendensky on bond in a bank fraud, money laundering and cocaine distribution case. The judge said "no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of others and the community," court records show.
Serendensky, 31, was convicted of conspiracy in federal district court in New York and spent about three years in prison. Authorities say Serendensky, who could not be reached for comment Friday, is still on federal probation and that he owes more than $1.6 million in restitution.
Authorities list "Vitolano" as an alias for Serendensky in court records. He is the cousin of Edward Falcone, a former Sarasota County deputy who resigned in July amid the ongoing probe.
"Vitolano" is not a blood connection, according to Louis Vitolano of Sarasota, who said Serendensky is his niece's son.
Falcone, one of two Sarasota deputies to resign, has not been charged with a crime.
Manatee County sheriff's investigators showed numerous photographs of Manatee and Sarasota deputies to bouncers and bartenders to see if they recognized the faces.
Dondre Hall, a Cleopatra's bouncer, said he'd see Falcone "once in a while" at Cleopatra's.
www.heraldtribune.com/article/20060923/NEWS/609230320