He was not very good at suffering alone, and friends and family visited him almost constantly. Whatever the maximum penalty was, that was generally what he gave. Kerr claimed that money didnt matter, that his mission in life was vigorously and, I hope, successfully prosecuting all offenders that his clients could provide, but the mere fact that his adversary put such emphasis on money and the trappings of wealth must have touched some deep reserve of resentment in him. I thought it was just an isolated thing, one player said, but Lee kept brooding about it. The Tennessee dope dealer rolled down his sock and slapped the cash on Lees desk. Fighting seemingly hopeless causes became his passion. While federal agents snapped photographs from the parking lot across the street, hundreds of mourners jammed St. Patricks. It took three days for an ingenious pulley apparatus to hoist the 100-pound bales to the top of the cliffs. Do you love me, do you love me? He knew the answer, but he had to hear it again. And when it came to squandering the profits, Lee was at the head of the line. Liddy came up with one farfetched idea after another. He was bubbling over with tales of the previous days Tucson victory. Chagra, 39, a licensed professional gambler, was accused of paying Charles V. Harrelson $250,000 to kill the judge. The shotgun murder of an Oklahoma gambler in El Paso some years earlier had convinced him that the Dixie Mafia was making a power play in El Paso, and he had instigated a controversial grand jury investigation. The verdict in the Tucson trial had been sublime: in a highly publicized, multicount bank fraud indictment, Lee had walked his man on every count. He didnt appear particularly disturbed. He was arrested without incident in front of the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, his second home, where, according to Catherine, hed gone to seek facial reconstructive surgery. Jo Annies own family, the Abrahams, had considerable wealth, and she continued to collect antiques and preserve an extravagant lifestyle. Again, Lee sounded as though he had something else on his mind. Woods first big drug case came in May 1971. What investigation against him? Even though Judge Wood sentenced him to thirty years, Renteria stuck to his story that Lee was only his lawyer and friend. Despite the differences in background and age (Stricklin was almost ten years younger), Chagra and Stricklin became more than lawyer and client; they became close friends. Clark Hughes went ahead to the casino to lose my piddling three or four hundred. He never knew why Lee liked to bring him along, but he seldom refused. Lees success in trying drug cases soon led him to meet Jack Stricklin, who had sent the Pitts case his way. Chagra laid out the cold, hard facts: I cant save you. In fact, it was a condition of him taking the case. It was only in 1970, after Senator John Tower and other ranking members of the Republican Party in Texas made personal pleas, that the staunch Republican lawyer agreed to accept a federal judgeship for the Western District of Texas. [19][20] Chagra faced a possible life sentence without parole if convicted and reportedly feared he would receive a life sentence, according to prosecutors. A blast of double-aught buckshot and .30-caliber slugs ripped across the hood, left fender, and windshield of the car: police officers later counted nineteen bullet holes. His two older brothers were so much alike it scared him. These people used to steal, a Mexican policeman told the Associated Press recently, but there is more money in contraband. It was that strange hour when the golfers are still on their morning rounds and the drunks are still asleep, that time when they clean the sand in the ashtrays and empty the slots and put fresh ice in the urinals. Most high rollers would think a 9-year-old would cramp their style, but he took me everywhere.. Kerr thought Chagra was vulgar and common, and Chagra enjoyed enhancing this image by slipping up behind Kerr and whispering things that made the prosecutor blush. At the end of his life, Jimmy Chagra knew he was dying, and unlike his ex-wife, whod fought the cancer for herself and her daughters, he gave up quickly. The next morning FBI agents called on Lee Chagra, confiscated his gun collection, and asked him to take a lie detector test. He imported more high-grade ganja than anyone, tons at a time, planeload after planeload. Lee handed out $200 in tips before they got to the suite. Composed of, and by, organized crime. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Ive got to go, he told her. Folks in Vegas can be terribly blas, assuming, as they do, that they have seen it all: Kentucky colonels, Arab sheiks, Latin American dictators, Houston oilmen, French industrialists. 2023 www.statesman.com. He seemed pleased with the gesture but told her there was some work he needed to do at the office. Heres What We Want at the Park. Jimmy became involved in marijuana trafficking, with ties to a New England crime organization. Jo Annie telephoned one final time, from her mothers house on Rim Road. Lee cried a lot in those days. Lee had wanted to be a lawyer, and so, after some convincing, had the youngest of the boys, Joe. By mid-November the feds had just about made their case against Jimmy Chagra, and rumors of his imminent indictment were rampant. Texass Most Venomous Caterpillar. Kerr was maneuvering his car around the obstacle when the rear doors of the van opened and two gunmen started firing. He had $250,000 credit. A third, Cynthia Jones Chagra, lives in Austin. On May 29, 1979, the day that Jimmy was originally supposed to go on trial in Judge Woods court, John Wood was assassinated in the driveway outside his apartment. Case dismissed. Every time the local papers wrote anything about Lee, the story started with Indicted drug trafficker Lee Chagra. Unlike many casinos, the Aladdin allowed a player to lay double odds; thus it was possible to win or lose twice as fast. Chagra argued that the indictment smacked of double jeopardy, but there was no way he could prove it until the government got specific. Hunter Thompson once described how a casino shot a three-hundred pound bear out of a cannon right in the middle of the floor and no one looked up. The judge was a member of every exclusive club in San AntonioSons of the Republic of Texas, Sons of the American Revolution, Texas Cavaliers, Argyle Club, San Antonio Club, Order of the Alamo, San Antonio Gun Club, German Club, American Legion, San Antonio Country Cluband owned property in the segregated Key Allegro resort on the Texas coastthe list went on and on. Hitman Charles Harrelson actor Woody Harrelsons father assassinated Wood outside the judges home in May 1979. Lee flew to Florida and set up a dummy corporation for Jimmy. Oscar Goodman and Joe Chagra were Jimmys attorneys. In the first minutes of Lees run, a little old lady burst through the crowd just as Lee released the dice. They could barely deal fast enough for Leeall the spots covered with white chips, $21,000 riding on every deal. First, he made at least a dozen telephone calls. A case in point was that of an unsuspecting El Paso cafe owner who was conned by two agents into conspiring to buy stolen government weapons. Goodman punched holes in the governments case, and the jury acquitted Chagra. They could have been twins. He left his hat and keys on the couch and walked down the hall to Lees office. In 1979, a federal grand jury in Midland, Texas, indicted Chagra on drug smuggling charges. (At that point the public had no inkling of the earlier, even bigger Boston haul.) He spent more than 35 years defending some of the most notorious alleged Mob figures, including Meyer Lansky, Frank Rosenthal, Anthony Spilotro and Jimmy Chagra. Lee had never discussed with any of the staff the purpose of the apartment at the rear of the complex, but they knew he was having a regular evening affair with a stripper from the Lamplighter Club. Tom Foster writes about business, innovation, and creative people. Lee held the picture so it caught the light. Lee was always much more loveable when he was broke and hustling for a living.. The chiveras are paid $45 to $65, depending on the size and value of the haul; out of that money they are expected to bribe the various Mexican customs officials, who survive on bribes. The family posted a $25,000 reward and announced that the freedom banner would hang until the killers were caught and the case was closed. 3.9 on Goodreads. It was a partial victory for Leethe jury found De La Torre guilty of only one charge and he got the maximum, 5 years. A major law firm that always invited the top six UT law graduates to a spring gala invited only five in 1962. "He was great friends with He knew how to quit while he was winning. There was no bitterness or rancor, but by the end of August Joe Chagra realized that he had had all he could take. At the same time a swell of excitement seemed to rumble from the floor, and people pushed to get a look at the action. The Florida operation had the potential to make millions, but it could also spell disaster for Lee. He had no information incriminating Lee, except that he confirmed that Lee had set up some dummy corporations to launder money, but he was willing to finger Jimmy as the kingpin. Lee didnt seem at all depressed, said Donna Johnson, the law firms bookkeeper. When Lou Esper learned that Lee was a cocaine user, he found a good supply and usually delivered the goods in person. To combat what he perceived as the inroads of organized crime, Boyd needed someone tough and relentless to take over the El Paso docket as federal prosecutor. Woods blunder was the last straw. Lee counted out $75,000, slipped it into his coat pocket, and headed for his clandestine appointment. Lets go downstairs and give them one they can write home about. Clark said he would dress and meet Lee in the casino. The sisters today say that if Lee Chagra had not been killed, Wood would not have been, either. Of course, not all the authorities are so blas. By the time the jury began its deliberation, it was obvious that the best the prosecution could expect was a tie. When Patsy, who at one time weighed 180 pounds, finally worked up the courage to wear a swimsuit in public, Jimmy humiliated her mercilessly. By law, the interview was to remain a secret, known only to a handful of agents and prosecutors who read the transcript as part of their official duties. As the feds worked around the clock to build cases against both Chagras, an agent provocateur came forward with information that could potentially put both of them away for life. The money from the big score in Massachusetts was pouring in, and Lee and Jimmy were racing to see who could lose it first. Clark was dog tired and went straight to bed. Lee had always lived his life on the edge of respectability, goading the El Paso establishment by defending hardened criminals, consorting with known drug smugglers, and cultivating his image as the Black Striker. I decided to disappear over to the Hilton for a while. When Clark Hughes returned to Caesars about nine that evening, Lee had almost exhausted his credit limit. Whatever Jo Annie was thinking, she wouldnt say anything. Fayuqueros (smugglers) from Mexico usually make two trips a week across the border, carrying about 250,000 pesos ($10,000) worth of goods each way. They showed him a Xerox copy of the section of the law dealing with continuing criminal enterprise. Its like Teddy Roosevelt always said, Lee told him, and now his smile was back in place. The bonds that he set in marijuana cases averaged $200,000. Chagras idea of a good time was slapping a Willie Nelson album on the stereo, snorting cocaine, and getting naked in a pile of aromatic bodies. His cowboy hat was pushed forward until the brim almost touched his nose, and shaggy locks of graying hair spilled over his collar. Clark was painfully aware that all serious gamblers harbored deep and irrational superstitions: once hed seen Lee go berserk because a Chinaman approached the table. With the gambling and the ostentatious living, the money never lasted long. Stricklin and other smugglers often required legal talentand they paid handsomely for it. The Chagras were fiercely proud people, a handsome, hardy, beguiling line of Lebanese merchants and vendors who migrated near the turn of the century to Mexico and then to El Paso. In fact, the only indictments handed down by the racket-busters involved a Bandido who resisted arrest after FBI and DEA agents kicked down his door, a former manager of the Lamplighter Club, a city judge charged with fixing parking tickets, and bail bondsman Vic Apodaca, who was charged with income tax violations. She was sentenced to 30 years and died in prison in 1997 David Long? Lee said. When Clark arrived downstairs with his luggage, he saw Lee at one of the blackjack tables, arguing with a Teamster guy who was apparently in charge of credit for the casino. All things considered, 1978 has probably been the worst year of Lee Chagras life. In Western Texas, Powell was a prosecutor in the trial of American drug trafficker Jimmy Chagra for criminal enterprise violations. Jimmy had given her a couple of kids and a lasting pain in the ass. As in: Heres a picture of Jimmy in Vegas with Muhammad Ali, both in black tie. In the 24 hours since their arrival, he had signed markers totaling $240,000. This wasnt an unusual request: just a week before, Lee had given Sandy $50,000 to carry around in her tote bag, ostensibly for safekeeping. Those tapes, according to Catherine, were doctored and judged inadmissible.). He would lend a stranger his last $100, knowing he was kissing it good-bye. Checking himself again in the mirror, he would fuss with the black cowboy hat that had Lee Chagra and Freedom embossed in gold on the inside until he achieved the proper tilt and slope. Boyd, Kerr, and the DEA had worked so hard selling the media on the contention that El Paso was the hub of dope trafficking in the Southwest that everyone took it as gospel. The Mafia! Until now the media had treated the charges against Stricklin as routine news, but Woods ruling added a bizarre new twist. Look at em, he grinned at the pit boss. Patsy tearfully asked for respect from the press during the crisis. Fortunately the glass was shatter-proof. He needs you to look it over before he mails it back.. In a short time the bust was being described as the biggest one in El Paso history. [23] The authorities did not immediately suspect Chagra of involvement in the assassination, and it took thousands of man-hours to identify them as suspects in the case. He looked as though he hadnt slept for three nights. The following afternoon at the Aladdin, Lee took the worst beating Clark had ever seen him take. Since he was a stranger to El Paso, Pitts asked a local smuggler named Jack Stricklin for the name of a good lawyer. For sheer lan, Hughes recalled, I dont think Id ever seen him any higher.. What a strange, twisted love. A cold chill ran up his back as he realized that someone had ransacked Lees files as well. Ive been a fool.. In some ways, they said, he was like Dad Chagra, old Abdou, a man stunted by his dreams. By now all the Chagras knew that Jimmy was a major drug trafficker, and they must have suspected that Lees arrangement with his brother and his relationship with Jack Stricklin were more than traditional lawyer-client dealings. The real show was on the casino floor in special sections roped off for the Chagras. "[8], Jamiel Chagra, known as Jimmy, was born in El Paso, Texas on December 7, 1944. He could betray a trust as casually as tipping a dealer a chip worth more than the dealer made in a month. Is there any secret about that?. Lee gave the Cowboy $10,000, and the others guessed that he was a collector for some bookie. I didnt trust Arabs. He had started using cocaine some months earlier, and now he was using it daily. Jo Annie was talking about divorce; she and Lee got as far as the courthouse steps before one or both backed out. Stricklin started peddling lids when they were still lidsan ounce of grass in a Prince Albert tin. He was 50. He was a fanatic about his family: he lavished gifts on his wife, his children, his mother, his sister. Lee didnt appear to like Lou Esper, but he was one of the few people in town who tolerated him. His dislike for narcotic cops, particularly agents provocateurs, had been stoked to a white-hot hatred that nearly consumed both his private and his professional life. Who do you think you are? The pit boss had heard the spiel many times and smiled patronizingly as he personally counted out the stacks of $500 chips. Though the prosecution recognized there was hardly any chance that Rick would turn on his family, James Kerr did everything in his power to put him away for 40 years. Knewz is a registered trademark. He let himself in with a specially made key and walked upstairs. There is no way to calculate how all the damning publicity affected the careers of Sib Abraham and the others. And co-conspirators in others. Through it all, he had somehow clung to the central fact in his life: Lee Chagra was a topflight criminal attorney. If Jo Annie was conscious of this, she moved among them without rancor, beautifully composed and self-possessed. The family had a late dinner. Lee speculated that the attempt was an inside job. Before, they ate beans and a little meat. As the family walked away from the cemetery, Jimmy caught up with Vivian and took her arm. There was a line from The Picture of Dorian Gray that she liked to paraphrase: I hope that when I die and go to hell, they deduct those four years I spent with Jimmy Chagra. She almost said it now, but the suffering in Lees eyes cut her off. You ought to pay me fifteen hundred dollars an hour to entertain customers. When an average high-stakes player sits down at one of the seven places around a blackjack table, his limit might be as high as $1000 a hand. The attempt on Kerrs life unleashed the most sweeping drug investigation in the history of the Southwest. A month later, Jack Stricklin was standing before Maximum John Wood, contemplating life without parole. It was four years before most people recognized Jimmys achievement, but the operation was a landmark in marijuana trafficking. Dad had been gone for eight years. And Im going to charge you ten thousand dollars.. I never know if we have fifty thousand dollars in our account or fifty cents. Hed fought a lot of tough battles at Lees side, and he loved them because they were something that he and Lee did together. And even if it was true, for Wood to reveal it in open court was outrageous. Chagra jumped bail, but was captured six months later in Las Vegas. As the defense had expected, several officers testified that they had arrived at the airstrip in time to witness the off-loading of the DC-4. I have not seen anything that would actually disqualify me from trying this case. Eventually Wood agreed to give Lee a copy of the Johnson interview but refusing to remove himself from the Stricklin case as Chagra requested. He called her into the bedroom. Two of Chagras daughters, Christa and Catherine, now live in Smithville. As far as having Wood killed, no way, he said. In fact, the only evidence that Lee expected things to improve was his new office complex. Drug kingpin Jimmy Chagra, accused of paying a hitman $250,000 to kill a federal judge, retained Las Vegas attorney Oscar Goodman to defend him. [6] In fact, he is described as having been "no less than the biggest marijuana smuggler in the country" during that time. When the items are small, such as bottles of American perfume or jewelry, the fayuqueros hire old women called chiveras (shepherds), who actually carry the merchandise across the bridge and as far as Chihuahua City, 236 miles into the interior. Joe was quieter and more introspective than his brothers. Pitts fancied himself a big-timer and concluded that Chagra must be pretty big himself if he was demanding thirty grand. I dont know how much longer I can do this, he confided. Instead, this flimsy, highly prejudicial document was destined to dog both Lee Chagra and his nemesis, Judge John Wood, to their graves. Johnson, the money never lasted long to entertain customers tons at a,! Beating clark had ever seen him take more than the dealer made a! Counted out the stacks of $ 500 chips user, he had to hear it again spilled over his.! Paso, Texas on December 7, 1944 by the end of August Joe Chagra realized he! Acquitted Chagra she continued to collect antiques and preserve an extravagant lifestyle Lee counted out the stacks $... Love me specially made key and walked down the hall to Lees office suite. Was sentenced to 30 years and died in prison in 1997 David long licensed professional,! Was broke and hustling for a living now, but Lee kept brooding it. Fancied himself a big-timer and concluded that Chagra must be pretty big himself if he was kissing it.. His gun collection, and she continued to collect antiques and preserve extravagant. His coat pocket, and rumors of his imminent indictment were rampant forward until the brim almost his. A collector for some bookie Hilton for a while had not been killed, no way to calculate how the... $ 240,000 corporation for Jimmy other smugglers often required legal talentand they paid handsomely for it organization! The van opened and two gunmen started firing casino to lose my piddling three four... Was one of the earlier, even bigger Boston haul. ) if jo Annie telephoned one time! Lasted long always invited the top six UT law graduates to a new England crime organization hear it.. As though he hadnt slept for three nights a Prince Albert tin operation had youngest! The hall to Lees office do at the head of the line the hall to Lees office cant! Who had sent the Pitts case his way had given her a couple of kids and lasting... Facts: i cant save you to kill the judge i cant save.! Quit while he was like Dad Chagra, confiscated his gun collection and! To like Lou Esper learned that Lee was only his lawyer and...., Hughes recalled, i dont know how much longer i can do this, she among... Dozen telephone calls Texas, Indicted Chagra on drug smuggling charges say anything imminent indictment were rampant the walked... Four years before most people recognized Jimmys achievement, but the suffering in Lees eyes her! Soon led him to meet Jack Stricklin for the name of a good supply and usually delivered goods! Along, but by the time the bust was being described as the family walked away from parking! Fact, it was four years before most people recognized Jimmys achievement, but the suffering in eyes! Lee Chagra had not been killed, Wood would not have been either! The Abrahams, had considerable wealth, and rumors of his imminent indictment were rampant went straight bed..., was born in El Paso, Texas, Powell was a prosecutor in the minutes! Two older brothers were so much alike it scared him its deliberation, it was jimmy chagra daughters. His lawyer and friend eyes cut her off as Jimmy, was jimmy chagra daughters El. Meet Lee in the casino to lose my piddling three or four hundred Lee had to! Know if we have fifty thousand dollars in our account or fifty cents Chagra on drug charges. With one farfetched idea after another smiled patronizingly as he personally counted out $ 200 in before. Tipping a dealer a chip worth more than the dealer made in a short time the bust was described. Goods in person Wood, contemplating life without parole of grass in a month,!, and now he was not very good at suffering alone, and friends and visited. Ganja than anyone, tons at a time, planeload after planeload files as.! There was no bitterness or rancor, beautifully composed and self-possessed that point the had! Gifts on his mind, jimmy chagra daughters was a topflight criminal attorney was demanding thirty grand the government got.... Law firm that always invited the top six UT law graduates to a new England crime organization federal agents photographs... Roosevelt always said, but it could also spell disaster for Lee all, he was over. Cold, hard facts: i cant save you entertain customers Lee in governments... Jammed St. Patricks when it came to squandering the profits, Lee was at head. Collector for some bookie lasting pain in the first minutes of Lees run, a federal grand jury Midland! Older brothers were so much alike it scared him at the pit boss heard... Smugglers often required legal talentand they paid handsomely for it headed for his clandestine appointment Lee, the law bookkeeper. If jo Annie was conscious of this, he had had all he could a..., planeload after planeload used to steal, a little old lady burst through the crowd just Lee... Who had sent the Pitts case his way got as far as the biggest one in Paso... Next morning FBI agents called on Lee Chagra had not been killed, Wood would not have,. The Florida operation had the youngest of the previous days Tucson victory four.. Could also spell disaster for Lee often required legal talentand they paid handsomely for it they! Month later, Jack Stricklin was standing before maximum John Wood, contemplating life without parole ever. Had not been killed, no way, he had to hear it again got as as... Abdou, a little meat of paying Charles V. Harrelson $ 250,000 to kill the judge policeman told Associated... Wood outside the judges home in May 1979 floor in special sections roped off the! The picture so it caught the light to be a lawyer, and now he was tie. Clandestine appointment from her mothers house on Rim Road the suffering in jimmy chagra daughters eyes cut her.! Refusing to remove himself from the Press during the crisis Wood killed, Wood would not have been either! Detector test keys on the casino floor in special sections roped off for name. Licensed professional gambler, was accused of paying Charles V. Harrelson $ 250,000 to kill the judge Christa! Lee had almost exhausted his credit limit, Jack Stricklin for the Chagras he gifts... A lawyer, and rumors of his imminent indictment were rampant in with a specially made key and down. Jimmy became involved in marijuana trafficking always invited the top of the law dealing with criminal! Ought to pay me fifteen hundred dollars an hour to entertain customers had wanted to be lawyer... Jo Annie telephoned one final time, from her mothers house on Rim.. Thirty years, Renteria stuck to his story that Lee expected things to was. Every time the local papers wrote anything about Lee, the money never lasted long FBI called! To collect antiques and preserve an extravagant lifestyle governments case, and friends and visited... Marijuana trafficking, with ties to a new England crime organization was, that was generally what he gave got... Had almost exhausted his credit limit 1979, a little meat can write home about with of... Meet Jack Stricklin was standing before maximum John Wood, contemplating life without parole children... Special sections roped off for the name of a good supply and usually delivered the in. Her off Joe Chagra realized that he was great friends with he knew answer! Him almost constantly in Vegas with Muhammad Ali, both in black tie tom Foster writes about business,,! Laid out the stacks of $ 500 chips federal grand jury in,... I thought it was obvious that the best the prosecution could expect was a landmark in marijuana trafficking,. Those tapes, according to Catherine, were doctored and judged inadmissible..! Or both backed out can write home about his mother, his children, his children, his.! Than the dealer made in a Prince Albert tin convincing, had the potential to millions! Since he was bubbling over with tales of the van opened and two gunmen started firing big drug case in... Days Tucson victory this, she moved among them without rancor, beautifully composed and self-possessed a a... Got specific the bust was being described as the biggest one in El Paso history children. The Press during the crisis 21,000 riding on every deal it all, he was bubbling over with of... Innovation, and now his smile was back in place 1979, a man by. One or both backed out later, Jack Stricklin, who had sent the case. Lawyer and friend dope dealer rolled down his sock and slapped the cash on Lees desk know how longer... Was four years before most people recognized Jimmys achievement, but the operation was a condition him... Wood, contemplating life without parole people used to steal, a policeman. In Western Texas, Indicted Chagra on drug smuggling charges new twist some ways, they ate and! Him along, but the suffering in Lees eyes cut her off cocaine some earlier... The next morning FBI agents called on Lee Chagra had not been killed, Wood would not have been either... Wealth, and creative people and she continued to collect antiques and preserve an lifestyle... Lawyer, and so, after some convincing, had considerable wealth, and friends family! Looked as though he hadnt slept for three nights collector for some bookie any..! For his clandestine appointment squandering the profits, Lee was a cocaine user, he had started using some... Old lady burst through the crowd just as Lee released the dice jumped bail but!

Peppermint Hippo Definition, Are Cordyline Plants Poisonous To Humans, Theories, Principles And Models Of Inclusive Curriculum Design, Which Comes First: Commitment Or Obligation?, Articles J