October 27, 2003
Karen Lucchesi - Fate, Deceit and
Betrayal Come Together to Destroy a Dream
The first article in this series,
"Karen Lucchesi, Her Side of the Story and First Things
First" was posted on October 17, 2003..Click
Here to Read
Note: LNO has reviewed audio tapes of
the sting operation. However, the recording of the tapes were so
poorly done that attempts at digitally upgrading for inclusion on this
site failed to produce wave files of sufficient intelligible
quality. LNO has obtained additional video tapes and intends to
provide clips of the sting operation in the this series of articles.When
Karen Lucchesi met Anand Alloju and his wife Lisa at a party about five
years ago, she could never imagined that this man would one day be the
center of a criminal undercover sting money laundering operation by the
DEA. After years of endearment, trust, and friendship as her attorney,
Lucchesi received thanks via a federal indictment. The man she
called "Ani" had turned federal snitch to bargain for a lesser
sentence for his crimes. Events as diverse as Alloju's involvement with
an undercover agent and 9-11 combined to bring Lucchesi's business
empire to its knees in the form of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
La Plaza was generating $60,000 plus
per month last year in a down economy. |
The letters were removed from the
front of the building last week. |
After the chance meeting with Alloju, a
Fort Worth Attorney, Alloju began to handle some minor business issues
for Lucchesi. The friendship eventually extended to Lucchesi's parents,
sister and brother. Primarily as an extension of the friendship,
Lucchesi began to depend on Alloju to handle more and more routine
business issues on her behalf. At one point Lucchesi provided
Alloju a Power of Attorney. Alloju explained this authority would allow
him to expedite settlements on matters when her busy schedule took
Lucchesi out of town.
While Lucchesi's health problems with the disease Lupus was a driving
force behind her concept to build a "wellness center," the
disease was also taking its toll. She had often considered her
hectic schedule and long hours were having a detrimental effect on her
fragile health, but Lucchesi wanted to pursue her vision through
completion. Only when a business broker contacted Lucchesi in 2001
did she seriously consider selling the facility and taking a lesser
role. The broker explained to Lucchesi that an investment group
from Italy was seeking to buy a facility similar to La Plaza. Under
consideration were spas in California and Austin. In February
2001, the broker explained he had seen a video tape of Lucchesi's
operation and wanted to introduce the La Plaza Wellness Center as a
potential location for his clients to purchase. Lucchesi agreed to
consider selling La Plaza.
After the investment group conducted due diligence on Lucchesi and La
Plaza, a purchase contract was written for more than $8 million buying
95% of the facility and assets. The contract was scheduled to
close on September 15, 2001.
Click Here for a copy of the contract: Page
1, Page
2 .
Lucchesi's concept interested
investor's from Italy and they wrote a purchase agreement for
more than $8 million |
The attorney for the investment group
from Italy was in New York City on September 11, 2001 and witnessed the
attack by terrorists. The trauma of that event resulted in
financial transactions suddenly collapsing in a world trying to come to
grips with 9-11. The closing date on La Plaza was one of those
casualties.
In anticipation of the sale, Lucchesi had allowed a large portion of her
building to become vacant based on the future retail needs of the new
owners. However, the Italian group said they were now having
trouble putting the financing back into place after September
11th. While negotiations continued, Lucchesi began to seek a
bridge loan to cover the losses of preparing the facility for
sale. While Alloju did not represent Lucchesi in the sale of the
facility, Alloju was aware of the delay in the funding for the
investment group.
Lucchesi was able to obtain a $200,000
loan from a friend and felt secure that she could either bridge
operations to the sale or regroup by leasing out the areas she had put
on hold.
In August 2002, Alloju mentioned to
Lucchesi that he had a "playboy friend" from Monterrey Mexico
that would entertain a bridge loan of $300,000 to Lucchesi. While
she had already obtained a portion of the funds, Lucchesi said the
injection of these funds would allow her to pay off her friend's advance
and payoff some equipment that could help expedite due diligence and
finally close the sale.
What Lucchesi did not know was that
Alloju's "playboy friend" was actually an undercover DEA agent
by the name of Gonzalez. Apparently an informant had targeted
Alloju as "one predisposed or ready to commit a
crime."
According to Lucchesi, she was aware that Alloju's lifestyle probably
included the use of recreational drugs. However, Lucchesi says,
while friends, she did not party with "Ani" in that
manner. In fact, Lucchesi pointed out to Alloju that high blood
pressure and Lupus could literally make drug use of this nature
lethal.
On June 11, 2002, the DEA began a sting operation that before it was
over included audio, video and tails that put surveillance on
Alloju. Meetings with Alloju eventually resulted in his arrest at
a Grapevine hotel where he had met the undercover agent to launder
$500,000 in drug money.
The first contact with Alloju is described in a Department of Justice
document. The contact tells Alloju that he has a friend that would like
to launder some funds. Alloju tells the contact to have him call
his law office.
Click
Here to see DEA initial contact report.
On June 13, 2002 the Dallas DEA office
"formulated" plans to negotiate with Alloju to launder
$20,000. The sting is initiated when Alloju and the agent begin to work
on a deal to launder funds. To see the DEA first contact report - Page
1- Click
Here. Alloju describes to the undercover agent how he
could "make up a case" and charge a retainer fee. In the
made up agreement Alloju would allow the client to get all the funds
back except a present percentage when the "client" decided to
go elsewhere for legal help.
The DEA summary of the meeting notes that Alloju asks if Gonzalez can
obtain some cocaine for "his girlfriends." Click
Here for Page 2.
Through a series of meetings Gonzalez
explains to Alloju that he must have multiple accounts to
"clean" his funds. Gonzalez continued to press Alloju to
find additional checking accounts and asked if Alloju knew anyone else
that he could involve.
It is apparent that Gonzalez is anxious to expand his net to catch
others in the sting operation. When Alloju mentions he has a friend with
multiple accounts (referring to Karen Lucchesi), Gonzalez says they
should get her involved. When Gonzalez is made aware that Karen Lucchesi
is the daughter of a well-known former baseball manager, he becomes
increasingly insistent that Alloju set up a meeting.
Many reading this article will likely and legitimately question the
ethics or the need for federal tax dollars to be used to
"entice" citizens to become involved in a crime. A
review of the "Charge of the Court" to the jury in Lucchesi's
federal trial, explains the action as follows:
|
In narcotics and money laundering offenses, law enforcement
personnel use one of the only practicable means of detection,
the infiltration of money laundering or narcotics organizations
and a limited participation in their unlawful practices.
Such infiltration is a recognized and permissible means of
investigation necessary to gather evidence of illegal
conduct. An agent does not violate any federal statute or
rule or commit any crime in infiltrating the criminal
enterprise.
The undercover activity may take many forms, including
persuasion, fraudulent representations, threats, coercive
tactics, promises of reward, or pleas based on need, sympathy or
friendship.
A solicitation, request or approach by
law enforcement officials to engage in criminal activity
standing alone is not an inducement. Law enforcement
officials are not precluded from utilizing artifice, stealth,
and stratagem, such as the use of decoys and undercover agents
in order to apprehend persons engaged in criminal activities,
provided that they merely afford opportunities of facilities for
the commission of the offense by one predisposed or ready to
commit it.
They may properly make use of undercover operations in which
they use false names and false appearances. They may
properly assume the roles of members of criminal organizations. |
No evidence was offered in this
particular sting operation that the characters were even remotely
involved in the laundering of drug money prior to the sting. One is left
only with the assumption that the enforcement efforts in this case was
based on the identification of those who were "predisposed or ready
to commit it" (a criminal activity).
The Tom Cruise movie "Minority
Report" was a futuristic look when law enforcement could arrest
people BEFORE they committed a crime because their computers allowed
them to know in advance who amongst the citizens was ABOUT to commit a
crime. Apparently the future is now in the Dallas DEA.
Alloju, the attorney, was more than happy
to accommodate a foreigner with a money cleaning problem. However,
the reach to Lucchesi appears to be much more problematic and
contrived.
What is not in question is that Gonzalez continued to press Alloju to
involve Lucchesi in their scheme by using Lucchesi for her checking
accounts. While there are reports of multiple audio, video and
literally secret agent tails on Alloju, Gonzalez appears to have met
Karen Lucchesi only twice. The meetings were in August and not
again until December.
Lucchesi describes her brief meetings
with Gonzalez as that of having disjointed conversations with an
individual that spoke in broken English. He primarily talked about
his girl friend, apparently unknown to his wife, and only made a casual
reference to Karen asking if she liked cocaine.
Lucchesi says she was depending on Alloju to deal with Gonzalez about
his potential interest in making a bridge loan. However, she said
that comments about drugs were awkward and made her uncomfortable.
Transcripts from the second and last Gonzalez visit to Lucchesi's
on December 12, 2002 shows Lucchesi making many references to her spa
packages and discounts to Gonzalez. The same transcript does not
include any reference by Lucchesi to drugs, money laundering or anything
of the nature.
As a result of the convergence of events,
Lucchesi's troubles were not limited to her upcoming federal trial.
The potential sale of the facility was still
on the table until two weeks before Lucchesi's federal trial in Fort
Worth. Without warning, three days before her trial was to begin, the
federal trustees walked into La Plaza and demanded everyone leave.
Lucchesi and a number of employees that had automobiles financed through
the business were told to leave their keys on the desk. When asked
for some time to make arrangements, the group, including Lucchesi, were
told they could "walk home."
The same trustees appeared in the court room during the testimony of
Lucchesi and then hired an ex-partner of Lucchesi to run her operation,
totally shutting her out of the business and any chance to complete a
sale. The result of the trustees' action dashed any hope of Lucchesi
completing a sale and therefore getting any financial equity from her
years of work. Lucchesi said it was particularly strange that an
ex-partner, that previously split owing her a considerable amount of
money, was selected to run her facility.
The next series will provide the full actual transcript as presented by
the government. As a warning in advance, the transcript is unedited and
not redacted in any fashion. The transcript includes language that
may be offensive. However, the evidence is being presented in a manner
to allow the reader to reach their own conclusions about the content.
Emails or letters in
support of Lucchesi will be forwarded to her parole officer, who will
make recommendations to Judge McBryde. Anyone wishing to urge that
Lucchesi be given an opportunity to remain free on bond during her
appeal may send comments to LNO and have them forwarded to the
appropriate party. Local business leaders that would like to show
support are encouraged to write on your letter head and send to LNO, PO
Box 332, Colleyville, Texas 76034. Anyone that wishes to assist
Lucchesi in any other fashion may also contact LNO and the information
will be forwarded. CLICK
HERE to Contact LNO on behalf of Karen Lucchesi. Readers are always
welcomed to submit "emails
to the editor" as well on any subject matter to LNO.
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