Friday, March 21, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
COLUMN: John L. Smith
Schiff court appearance grist for the mill of conspiracy theorists
It was a conspiracy theorist's field day Wednesday morning at the Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse.
"Federal Mafia" author Irwin Schiff had the first of what figures to be many days in court before U.S. District Judge Lloyd George as the self-described tax protester unsuccessfully fought a Department of Justice motion for a temporary restraining order. The government wants to stop all Schiff materials that give readers illegal advice, including recommending that they submit a "zero return" tax form to the Internal Revenue Service.
The court was packed with Schiff allies and a few IRS agents. Schiff claims filing income taxes is voluntary, but he was thoroughly rebuffed by the no-nonsense George, the courthouse namesake.
For those in the crowd seeking veiled connections, it was one more reason to distrust the federal government. For the IRS employees present, it was a little relief from a major irritant.
BURNING LOVE: Former mayoral aide Bill Cassidy, in the clink on arson charges, is reaching out to try to patch things up with his estranged wife, Xiao Ping. Since he's accused of torching her massage school, this love connection might be a long shot.
Does the flame of true love burn eternal?
Depends on the accelerant, I guess.
SIERRA (COUNTER) POINTE: Several residents of the Sierra Pointe apartments near the Boulevard Mall say they're law-abiding citizens and hate the drug dealers who've given the place a notorious reputation. Sierra Pointe is locked in a legal battle with the Clark County Housing Authority.
MARCH MADNESS: How often do local sports books root for wiseguy bettors? I hear it happened Thursday during the Brigham Young University-Connecticut game in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The pros bet BYU up 5 1/2 points, but the public bet even harder on Connecticut.
A last-second basket by BYU made the game fall on 5, with UConn defeating the Cougars 58-53.
CUSUMANO & CO.: Casino Black Book denizen Joey Cusumano has twice been mentioned in the press recently due to his public friendships with controversial skin merchant Rick Rizzolo and mob lawyer-turned-Mayor Oscar Goodman.
Those guys could ruin Cusumano's reputation.
GOODMAN vs. GOODMAN?: Municipal Court Department 6 candidate Stefany Miley has received plenty of face time with Mayor Goodman (both share Tom Letizia as a campaign adviser), and there's another Goodman interested in that race. Attorney Ross Goodman, the mayor's middle son, is on the committee to elect Bill Gonzalez, who is managed by Howard Stutz.
For the record, the mayor says he's endorsing no one in the that race. He is, however, standing by Chief Judge Toy Gregory in Department 1. Gregory and Goodman have been friends for 38 years.
Other contenders and candidates in Department 6 include former DA hopeful Abbi Silver, who has solid name recognition and is represented by Mike Slanker, and Gary Pulliam, who is running out of Mark Brown's office. Others in the hunt are Lillian Davis, Bill Henderson and Larry Weinsteen.
HOUDINI'S BIRTHDAY: Monday marks the 129th birthday of Harry Houdini, and the folks at the Houdini Museum inside The Venetian are set to celebrate with a party starting at 6:30 p.m. Then it's on to Canaletto's until the food, uh, vanishes.
Invitations to the magic show are handcuffs.
Wasn't that also the invitation to the Fetish & Fantasy Ball?
Just checking.
ON THE BOULEVARD: Column subject Dr. Jeffrey Brookman serves his country in a Marine Corps unit on the Iraqi border. Although the Marines call him colonel, his official rank is captain in the Navy Reserves. ... Expect a controversial tax on the satellite industry to float at the Legislature today. ... More federal action in the Caribbean, where sources say a large bookmaking office was raided recently with March Madness tipping off. ... In response to a column reporting only seven locals showed for the Southern Nevada simulcast of a Senate Taxation Committee hearing on the $1.1 billion revenue-raising proposal, a reader writes, "Our problem is that we are busy working to pay our taxes and keep a roof over our head and feed our families."
Have an item for the Bard of the Boulevard? E-mail comments and contributions to Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 383-0295.
