The Cornbread Mafia: A Homegrown Syndicate's Code of Silence and the Biggest Marijuana Bust in American History (64 page)

'Ihe fact that sixteen of the seventeen arrested in Minnesota were granted voluntary surrender comes from internal DEA documents and was confirmed by Johnny Boone and others.'Ihe alphabetized list of Marion County-related marijuana busts comes from two FBI memos returned through FOIA requests, one from 1987 and one (a-m) from 1989, including, "'The evidence ... United States."

CHAPTER 9

Stories about Johnny Boone's rottweilers come from interviews with Boone, including, "Now, I'll tell you ..." Stories about Jimmy Bickett's lion come from Jimmy Bickett and others.

Details about the history of wild animals in Raywick come from the Lebanon Enterprise. Stories about Charlie Stiles buying Hyleme George's black bear come from interviews with Joe Downs, Mary Dee Stiles (Charlie's widow) and others.

"Good kitty ... nice kitty" comes from an anonymous source.

"Hey, your lion's ... tore all to pieces ... Come here, Chico" comes from Jimmy Bickett.

"I was probably seven or eight ... lions" comes from an interview with Paul Miles.

The story of the bust of Shewmaker's operation in Kansas comes from news reports from local newspapers, an open records request to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, a telephone interview with the Topeka Zoo's chief zookeeper and an interview with Fred Elder.

"PRIORITY ... For the first time ... was the case" comes from FBI files released through an FOIA request.'Ihe dollar amount was redacted based on the FOIA exemption that allows keeping secret a fact that could endanger future operations.

The Jack Anderson column from October 3, 1988, fell into my hands thanks to a sharp-eyed librarian in Topeka, Kansas. I called her and several other librarians to ask them to search their local newspaper archives for the dates surrounding the busts in late September 1988. When I received a package in the mail from Topeka, it included a printout of the Anderson column with a Post-It note attached, saying, "Isn't this interesting?" Yes, it is.'Ihank you, Topeka librarian.

Details about the establishment of the Maine connection with Miller Hunt come from testimony from Hunt in the federal trial of Jimmy and Joe Keith Bickett, including "When you're dealing cocaine ... and everything" and "like anybody else would ... tell him."

Details about the task force raid on Jimmy Bickett's farm by DEA Agent Richard Badaracco, state police, game wardens and others in order to seize Bickett's lion in an attempt to connect it to Shewmaker's lions come from FOIA-requested task force documents, including, "a distributor ... a lion cub."

"Do you have ... Taylor County plates" comes from an interview with Jimmy Bickett.

Richard Badaracco did not respond to multiple attempts to interview him for this book despite the fact that he resides in Louisville.

'Ihe January 23 FBI memo including "to assist ... transmitting device" was released through an FOIA request.

The quotation, "contrary to the investigative methodology ... for narcotics matters," comes from an FBI memo from March 1982, when FBI HQwas chastising the FBI field office in Louisville for assisting in the bust of Johnny Boone meeting the plane from Belize.

Details of the actions of Miller Hunt and Michael Haskell in February 1989 come from their sworn testimony as witnesses for the government against Jimmy and Joe Keith Bickett.

Joe Keith Bickett and I exchanged numerous letters when I began reporting this book, but he refused to go on the record with me about anything except for the fateful day of his arrest. Quotations, including "partying," "what seemed like a month," "Tank's in the kitchen ... have a cold one then," come from Bickett's letter to me, written to me from the federal prison in Manchester, Kentucky, from which Joe Keith Bickett was recently released after serving twenty-two years.

All the quotes that occur during this day following the scene at Joe Keith's cabin come from sworn testimony in federal court.'Ihe weather report from February 13 comes from the National Weather Service archives.

The FBI field office's report of the bust of the Bickett brothers to FBI headquarters, "For the information of the bureau ... this cartel," comes from a memo released through an FOIA request.

"Then, I think in'89 ..." comes from an interview with Charlie Bickett.

The summary portrait of Grand Bend, Ontario, comes from telephone interviews conducted with the editor of the local newspaper and an eyewitness to Shewmaker's arrest. Details of his bust come from references in news reports and internal documents released through FOIA.

"Is this all for me?" comes from an anonymous source.

Details from the June 5, 1989, meeting of the task forces come from FOIA documents, including "as this term ... participants."

CHAPTER IO

"What's this press conference all about?" and other quotations throughout this section until "What's it have to do with me?" come from interviews with John Bramel.

Details from the press conference come from the coverage provided by the Associated Press, UPI and the Courier Journal. Quotations from the Courier journal include:

"What we are revealing today ...," "Each of these farms ...," "'Ihe organization ...," "'Ibis is the first ...," "'Ihe wholesale value ..." and "A major dent ... We intend to crush this organization."

"Wait a minute ...," "And wait..." and "Well, no" come from an interview with John Bramel, as do the details of his drive home.

"'Ihe DEA framed..." comes from an interview with Al Cross.

The arrival of the Action News vans is remembered by many people in Marion County. "Loretto, Kentucky ... nobody knows a thing" was remembered by an anonymous source.

"What makes you think ..." comes from an interview with John Bramel, as does "When are you gonna... arrested!"

Details about the coverage of the Cornbread Mafia in the Sydney Morning Herald come from interviews with Sandra Gwinn, including, "They didn't ... polenta."

"I wonder where ... that name" comes from an interview with Johnny Boone; "this term ... participants" comes from an FBI memo. "We were all sitting ... wild goose chase" comes from an interview with James "Jim Bean" Cecil.

CHAPTER

Information about the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, comes from interviews with Johnny Boone, Mr. Nice by Howard Marks and a pamphlet about the prison history sent to me by request from the public library in Terre Haute.'Ihere are very few sources about life inside Terre Haute penitentiary because, due to "Son of Sam"laws, no convicted felon can profit from the sale of a memoir, so first-person accounts from inside the prison are quite rare. For instance, Howard Marks's memoir, Mr. Nice, is not available for sale in America for that reason. I had to get my copy off eBay from a seller in the United Kingdom.

"Welcome to the gladiator arena" comes from an interview with Johnny Boone. Quotations from Howard Marks come from his memoir, Mr. Nice. Lists of types of prisoners inside of Terre Haute come from interviews with Johnny Boone and Mr. Nice.

'Ihe story of the friendship between Johnny Boone and Joe Testa, including "If you want it that bad ...," comes from interviews with Johnny Boone. Background information on Joseph Testa and his role in Brooklyn's "Murder Machine" as half of the so-called Gemini Twins, named after the Gemini Club in Bushwick, Brooklyn, where two hundred mob associates were allegedly murdered in the back room, comes from Murder Machine by Gene Mustain and Jerry Capeci.

'Ihe background on omertk comes from a number of sources, but a good one is an essay entitled "'Ihe Maffia [sic] and Omerta" by Richard Bagot in the February 1901 issue of the National Review, a conservative publication:

One of the most vigorous races, and one of the fairest spots in Europe, has lain for several centuries under the spell of a power as blighting in its influence on all social, moral, and economic development as it is mysterious both in its origin and in its action....

The struggle for self-defence [sic], the hatred and contempt for foreign rule, has produced in the Sicilian nature an unwritten code of honour [sic] which, although supremely egoistic in its origin, nevertheless can be, and very often is, the instigator of unselfish and even chivalrous deeds, and these, notwithstanding the savagery by which they are too often marred, compel an unwilling admiration.

It is this unwritten code of honour which constitutes the Sicilian Omerta ...

The story of a nineteen-year-old Marion County man who lied to police about being stabbed in the back comes from a short crime notice in the Courier Journal from late December 1981.

Boone's association with Howard Marks at Terre Haute comes from interviews with Johnny Boone, including "In there ... crazy."'Ihe background on Marks comes from his autobiography, Mr. Nice, which is not available on American bookshelves because of Son of Sam laws, including: "Terre Haute ... gymnasium" and "the hacks ... the prison."

The story of Boone refusing journalists' requests for interviews comes from interviews with Johnny Boone, as do details about UNICOR-made shivs, the cafeteria murder of Roosevelt Daniels and the blood sport made out of child molesters at Terre Haute. The story of Johnny Boone and Bobby Joe Shewmaker in Las Vegas comes from an interview with Johnny Boone, including, "a limousine, a big one ... else right now."

The story of Boone and Shewmaker talking through the windows at Terre Haute during Shewmaker's transfer through there comes from an interview with Johnny Boone, including, "Well ... to do."

The shift to the Bickett brothers' court case comes from reviewing motion filings and transcripts of their trial and subsequent hearings, including the window provided into the holding cells at the Bullitt Countyjail provided by the testimony of assistant jailer Danny Joe Maraman and inmate Robert Lamb, including, "'That's not..." and "You may..."

Courtroom quotes from the Bickett trial come from court transcripts, including "What I intend ... monitors" to "Yeah ... any horse."

As to allegations that the DEA altered the tape used to incriminate Joe Keith Bickett, DEA Agent Richard Badaracco declined repeated attempts to be interviewed for this book, so add this to the bin labeled "Things We'll Never Know."

Details about prison transfers to Manchester come from interviews with Johnny Boone. Quotations from the September 10, 1991, ruling of Joe Keith Bickett's appeals come from his court case file.

The story of the 1995 death of the Bicketts' sister, Patricia, and her husband comes from news reports and interviews with Charlie Bickett.

Stories of Johnny Boone and Jimmy Bickett in prison come from interviews with Boone and Bickett, including the tense weight-room showdown with Money and his crew and Jimmy Bickett trash-talking during bocce games. "Spaghetti-eatin' motherfuckers" and "Why do you call ... Is that all?" come from an interview with Jimmy Bickett.

Details about Charlie Bickett working at the prison and Cliff Todd bribing public officials and going to prison himself come from interviews with Bickett and Cliff Todd.

The details and narrative of the bust of Jeff Boone and his wife on the Boone farm come from the police report, released through a KORA open records request.

The fact that Jeff Boone escaped the Minnesota bust by hiding in a hay bale for three days comes from an anonymous source.

Judge George's ruling to throw out the search warrant was also included in the state police file returned through a KORA request, as remembered in an interview with Jacky Hunt.

Joe Keith Bickett mailed me a copy of the June 25, 2007, ruling on his final appeal, including "Upon review ... DENIED."

I attended the memorial service for Steve Lowery and witnessed Al Cross's eulogy.

CHAPTER 12

Details and statistics about Ham Days from 1981 and 1989 come from the Enterprise.

I got the tip that Bobby Joe Shewmaker's lions were at the Houston Zoo from the chief zookeeper at the Topeka Zoo. The notion that Chico ended up in a Spielberg movie comes from a half-forgotten memory of Jimmy Bickett.

The story of Jimmy Bickett and Charlie Bickett playing chicken in 2007 comes from an interview with Johnny Boone.

The scene between me and Boone in my apartment from February 12, 2008, is built from Obama's quotations, which I pulled from a transcript of the events. The quotations between Boone and me are from memory, including "There probably ... D.C." to ".. . second term."

Charlie Bickett's quotation that he knows it "sounds crazy" that he's going to vote for "that [n-word]" comes from my hearing it on more than one occasion.

"Orphans get killed" was said to me by my agent at the time, Richard Abate, then at Endeavor, now at 3Arts.

"Naw ... job" comes from memory.

I witnessed Charlie Bickett writing his bets with a Sharpie on the side of his refrigerator, and I regret not taking a photo of it. When I returned home in 2009 after living in New York City for a year, Bickett had replaced it.

Obama's election return numbers come from precinct-by-precinct reporting from the Lebanon Enterprise.

Details about the bust on Boone's farm in late May 2008 come from the reporting in the Springfield Sun, including over $5 million" to It started with ... at $340,000."

Due to the fact that the case remains open at the time of this book's deadline, no open records request was responded to, and the law enforcement officers involved in the case, including the DEA, the US Attorney's Office in Louisville and the US Marshals Service in Louisville and its headquarters in D.C., all declined comment.

The story about law enforcement almost catching Johnny Boone at his son's grave in St. Dominic Cemetery comes from an anonymous source.

My interview with Rick McCubbin, retired US marshal, took place in his new office in the Bardstown Police Department.

"I didn't ... don't care" comes from movie The Fugitive, 1993.

"Oh, I know ... in the trunk" comes from Paul Miles, an eyewitness in the car.

My interview with Charles "FedEx Chuck" Price took place in Lebanon while Price was making his rounds.

The quotations about the bearded man with the gun outside Boone's daughter's wedding come from the bearded man himself, but because he told me that story without knowing who I was or that I was writing a book, I decided to not include his name here.