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Joseph Conforte

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Joseph Conforte
Born
Giuseppe Christophe Conforte

December 10, 1925
Augusta, Sicily
DiedMarch 4, 2019
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Cause of deathNatural
NationalitySicilian
CitizenshipUnited States, Brazil
Occupation(s)Brothel owner, restauranteur, boxing manager
MovementLegal prostitution
Criminal charges33 counts under RICO, pattern of racketeering
Criminal statusFugitive
SpouseSally Conforte

Joseph "Joe" Conforte (December 10, 1925 -- March 4, 2019) was a legal brothel owner from Sparks, Nevada, spokesperson for the legal prostitution movement, a professional boxing promoter, restauranteur, philanthropist, and Nevada statesman who embarrassed the United States Department of Justice and successfully swindled the IRS. He owned the Mustang Ranch brothel, impacted federal law and the laws of Nevada, and was a fixture of pop culture, affecting people's attitudes and opinions about prostitutes and prostitution.[1]

Conforte was also reportedly connected with organized crime, and was sometimes called the Godfather of legal prostitution.[2]

Early years

Conforte was born Giuseppe Christophe Conforte in Augusta, Sicily, December 10, 1925, the youngest of one brother and three sisters.[3][4] His birth date is often mistaken as January 6, 1926.[5] His mother died when he was five.[6]

Giuseppe traveled to Ellis Island on the Rex steamship in December 1937.[3][7] Giuseppe was given the name Joseph by immigration services. Conforte's father Agostino ran a small produce shop in Dorchester, South Boston, where he taught young Joe how to sell fruits and vegetables. Agostino also sold bootleg alcohol. As printed in Rolling Stone, 1972: "...this poor immigrant boy from Augusta, Sicily. When he stepped off the boat in New York 35 years ago, he was simply the pudgy, uneducated son of a Massachusetts bootlegger."[7]

Joe ran away from home to Manhattan in New York City at age fifteen.[3] He moved to Los Angeles in 1942 and soon leased the produce side of the Shermart Market in West Hollywood.[3]

Military service

Because of Joe's fake birth date, he was drafted late, enlisting into the Army on November 1, 1945, before his twentieth birthday.[8]

Early career

Joe Conforte operated illegal brothels in Oakland, California in 1952 and 1953. He moved to Wadsworth, Nevada in 1955 and started the Triangle River Ranch brothel. His operation grew and soon he met and teamed up with Sally Burgess, with whom he had a series of run-ins with law enforcement:[2][9]

  • Clark County, Nevada Undersheriff Lloyd Bell (1959): "We don't care where you (Conforte) stay. But don't stay in this county, or we'll pick you up again."[10]
  • Washoe County, Nevada Sheriff C.W. (Bud) Young (1959): "My deputies have been told to pick Conforte up wherever he shows his face in Washoe County."[11]
  • Ormsby County (State Capitol), Nevada Sheriff Howard Hoffman (1961): "He was told not to let the sun set on him here in Ormsby County."[12]

The Confortes expanded their prostitution business across Nevada.[13]

In 1960, Conforte was convicted of extortion by threat of Washoe County District Attorney William Raggio, and was sent to prison.[14]

In 1963, Conforte pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion while in state prison for extortion.[15]

In December 1965, Conforte was released from prison.[16]

William Raggio kept Conforte out of his jurisdiction with the creation of the 'evil reputation ordinance'. In 1966, Washoe County District Judge John Gabrielli ruled the ordinance unconstitutional, and Conforte returned home.[17]

In 1967, Joe and Sally Conforte took over the Mustang Bridge Ranch brothel in Storey County, Nevada.[18]

That year, the Nevada Gaming Commission had Joe on a list to be included in their Black Book of undesirables but did not add him for unexplained reasons.[19]

February 26, 1971, Nevada's Governor Mike O'Callaghan signed anti-vice bill SB214, also known as the county option brothel bill, into law, giving counties the ability to license and regulate brothels while outlawing Clark County-Las Vegas to keep Joe out.[20][21]

Mustang Bridge Ranch, with Sally Conforte as licensee, was first in the nation to be licensed under the new state law.[22] The event lead to instant fame for Joe Conforte who assumed the role as leader of the legal prostitution movement.

Joe Conforte and/or Mustang Bridge Ranch were featured in numerous televisions and magazines, including:

  • 1971: TV shows 60 Minutes and Mantrap (Canada), and in Look magazine--photos by Marvin E. Newman
  • 1972: The Donahue Show, Rolling Stone--photos by Annie Liebovitz
  • 1973: Mantrap, Tomorrow with Margo St. James
  • 1974: Oui
  • 1975: Hustler, "The Girls of Nevada" by Gabriel Vogliotti[23], documentary movie "Mustang: The House That Joe Built" filmed at Mustang Bridge Ranch[24], interview by Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes, and a cameo in the movie "Charley Varrick" filmed at Mustang Bridge Ranch
  • 1976: New York and New West magazines

Conforte spoke publicly about the need and benefit of legal prostitution to organizations such as the Lions Club, Rotary Club, on national and regional TV shows, and on talk radio. From Rolling Stone, 1972: "...[he] has appeared nationally in magazine and television profiles, and is widely heralded as a folk hero for his fearless, one-man crusade to legalize prostitution in Nevada--and then "the whole goddamn country.""[7]

He was behind a 1971 initiative in California to legalize brothels in that state.[25]

In 1976, Conforte began sponsoring heavyweight Bernardo Mercado (Colombia) who went on to beat Trevor Berbick in 1979 to win the World Boxing Council Continental Americas Heavy Title. Mercado beat Earnie Shavers, the hardest puncher of his time, in March 1980, but lost to Leon Spinks later that year in an elimination bout to determine who would fight for the world title.[26]

The grand opening of Joe and Sally Conforte's Mustang Ranch brothel on May 15, 1976 received little to no coverage by the news media.[27][citation needed]

Infamy and crime

Conforte reportedly controlled organized crime in Northwestern Nevada, and was quoted in the Nevada State Journal on March 21, 1976: "Conforte said if organized crime elements move into Northern Nevada against his warnings, "Then there's going to be a war.""[28] In March 1976, the Washoe County Grand Jury released its Final Report on Joe Conforte, exposing his Mob ties and political connections across the country, resulting in Conforte suing the grand jury, newspaper editor Warren Lerude, and the Nevada State Journal and Reno Evening Gazette for printing the grand jury's unsubstantiated claims about him in various articles.[29][28] In a statement, Conforte noted: "The grand jury as it exists today in Washoe County is a colossal fraud. You can put 17 angels with one attorney in a grand jury room for two years, such as these grand jurors have been, and end up with 17 devils."[30] Warren Lerude made no retractions.[31]

Two weeks after the Mustang Ranch opened in May 1976, seventh-ranked heavyweight boxer from Argentina, Oscar Bonavena, was shot and killed at the front gate by Joe Conforte's enforcer, Willard Ross Brymer.[27][32] Conforte was accused of conspiring to murder the boxer but charges were never filed against him.[33]

In 1977, Conforte was convicted of tax evasion and fraud, and sentenced to twenty years in prison; fraud charges were added due to his regularly destroying his financial records.[34] In 1979, Conforte, while on appeal for tax evasion, was arrested for attempted bribery of the Lyon County, Nevada District Attorney John Giomi.[35]

Fugitive (1981-1983)

In December 1980, Conforte fled the country to avoid prison for the tax evasion conviction and also prosecution for the attempted bribery of John Giomi. Conforte lived as a fugitive of U.S. justice in Brazil for three years.[36] While living as a fugitive, Conforte claimed he had bribed federal judge Harry E. Claiborne (Nevada 1978-1986) who was his former attorney. The Department of Justice granted Conforte a reduced sentence in exchange for his testimony.[37] Conforte gave himself up to the U.S. federal authorities in Miami in December 1983.[36] He provided testimony of alleged bribes paid to Claiborne before a Reno grand jury and Claiborne was indicted based on those claims.[38]

To the embarrassment of the Department of Justice, in Harry E. Claiborne's bribery trial, Conforte flubbed the date of one of the two bribes and Claiborne had a solid alibi on the other bribe Joe alleged to have made. Jurors were deadlocked and the trial ended in a mistrial.[39] Conforte was prosecuted separately for the crime of attempted bribery of the Lyon County district attorney and sentenced to eighteen months in state prison to run concurrently with his federal sentence.[40]

Bankruptcy court

1982, while in Brazil, Conforte deeded his assets to Sally and she filed for bankruptcy in Reno.[41]

December 1984, Conforte was released from federal prison after serving twelve months of what was an original twenty-year sentence for tax evasion and fraud.[42]

Conforte served no jail time for the state crime of attempted bribery of the Lyon County district attorney.

The IRS drastically reduced the tens of millions of dollars of taxes Joe and Sally Conforte owed to $7.3 million.[43]

Conforte created a public offering of Mustang Ranch stock that could have satisfied the remainder of his debt to the IRS, but three attempts at the IPO failed. Joe then blamed the IRS for interference through his bankruptcy attorney.[18] Conforte's attorney, Peter A. Perry declared on September 21, 1990: "...[IRS] attempts at frustrating the sale[s] were not done in good faith in complete contravention of the agreement between Confortes and IRS to convert the Ranch to a Chapter 7."[44]

Forfeiture

In 1990, her health in decline, Sally deeded her assets to Joe and he prepared to file his own bankruptcy when federal prosecutors obtained emergency forfeiture in court while armed U.S. Treasury Department agents seized the Mustang Ranch and other property.[45] The IRS placed a trustee to operate the brothels in hopes of getting back the taxes Joe and Sally Conforte owed.[46]

Uncle Sam attempting to run a whorehouse became comedic fodder on late-night TV:

  • David Letterman: "Overseeing the ranch might be just the thing to get Washington mayor Marion Barry interested in government work again."[46]
  • Jay Leno: "If anybody has the experience to run a brothel, the honor should go to Congress."[46]

IRS swindle and retirement

In 1985, Conforte opened a Swiss bank account under the alias Jose' C. Montoya and began skimming profits from Mustang Ranch and sending them to the Swiss account with the aid of several accomplices.[47][48]

In 1990, Storey County, Nevada commissioners and the sheriff, who controlled county liquor and brothel licensing, demanded the IRS trustee overseeing the Mustang Ranches obtain a brothel license. When Sally Conforte tried to apply, however, the commissioners rezoned the area of Mustang Ranch to outlaw prostitution, forcing the IRS to sell.[49]

Using a proxy, Joe Conforte secretly bought the Mustang Ranch back from the government at pennies on the dollar of what he owed.[50] Conforte's brothel license with Storey County had been maintained throughout all this. The shell company that took control of Mustang Ranch hired Joe to run the place.[51] Conforte was quoted saying to the Storey County Commission, December 18, 1990: "The doors are already open. I'm here for one reason and one reason only, as a common courtesy, to let you know how it is."[citation needed]

Conforte retired to Rio de Janeiro in 1991.[52] The Mustang Ranch was sold to another company that was later found to be a subsidiary of the offshore A.G.E. Corporation of which Joe was the main shareholder.[53]

Sally Conforte died in 1992.[54]

In November 1995, the United States indicted Joe Conforte in absentia for thirty-three violations under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), including a pattern of racketeering. A superseding indictment in August 1998 added the A.G.E. Corporation and co-conspirators.[55] U.S. Department of Justice attempts to extradite Joe from Brazil failed.[56]

Former IRS Special Investigator Kemp Shiffer: "Is Joe Conforte a crook? Absolutely he is. He did everything we said he did. Extortion, conspiracy, bribery, racketeering, money laundering, wire fraud; he is guilty of it all. He's a crook, but he is a brilliant crook. The man stayed a step ahead of us the entire time. I worked that case for thirteen years... He slid right through and out of the country."[57]

In 1999, Mustang Ranch was again seized by the federal government and shuttered.[58]

Death

It is believed that Joe Conforte died in Brazil on March 4, 2019 at age 93 from pneumonia associated with Alzheimer's and a heart condition. No news article, death certificate, or public sources corroborate his passing. His place of burial or entombment is also unknown.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ Joseph Conforte v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, A-584 Rehnquist (U.S. Supreme Court January 12, 1983)459 U.S. 1309 (1983)
  2. ^ a b Miller, Ken (November 14, 1986). "Nevada's world-famous brothel". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 18.
  3. ^ a b c d Farrell, Barry (August 2, 1976). "The Killing At the Notorious Mustang Ranch". New West. p. 35.
  4. ^ "Death Notice: Agostino Conforte". Nevada State Journal. November 28, 1972. p. 16.
  5. ^ "Why Conforte has different birthdays". Reno Gazette-Journal. March 23, 1984.
  6. ^ Death Record, Italia, Siracusa, Siracusa, Stato Civile (Tribunale), 1900-1942, Imprescia, Francesca|url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89CT-Q9NS
  7. ^ a b c Greene, Robin (November 23, 1972). "Joe Conforte, Crusading Pimp". Rolling Stone. p. 26.
  8. ^ "Conforte, Joseph: Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946". U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. 1945.
  9. ^ "Ex-Vice King Sues on Arrests". Nevada State Journal. August 26, 1960. pp. 1, 12.
  10. ^ "Bagnio Owner Finds Clark Climate 'Cool'". Reno Evening Gazette. October 26, 1959. p. 10.
  11. ^ "Conforte Nabbed Twice in Battle With Raggio". Nevada State Journal. December 5, 1959. p. 18.
  12. ^ "Conforte, law often clash". Reno Gazette-Journal. November 14, 1986. p. 18.
  13. ^ "Lyon County Closes Houses Of Ill Fame". Reno Evening Gazette. December 8, 1959. p. 13.
  14. ^ "Jury Convicts Conforte of Plot". Nevada State Journal. June 3, 1960. p. 1.
  15. ^ "Conforte Asks Reduction In Tax Evasion Sentence". Nevada State Journal. August 16, 1963. p. 7.
  16. ^ "Conforte Released". Nevada State Journal. December 3, 1965. p. 1.
  17. ^ "'Consorting' Law Declared Invalid". Nevada State Journal. October 13, 1966. p. 1.
  18. ^ a b "Mustang Chronology". Reno Gazette-Journal. August 8, 1999. p. 14.
  19. ^ UPI (Carson City, Nevada) (November 30, 1967). "Nevada's Black Book Revamped". The Argus. p. 2.
  20. ^ "Governor Signs Anti-vice Bill". Nevada State Journal. February 26, 1971. p. 2.
  21. ^ "N.R.S. 244.345, 8: limitation on licensing of houses of prostitution". Nevada State Legislature.
  22. ^ Phillis, Michael (January 27, 1991). "Conforte continues to thwart licensing challenge". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 13.
  23. ^ Vogliotti, Gabriel (1975). The Girls of Nevada. Citadel Press. pp. 83–176. ISBN 0-8065-0378-5. Retrieved February 10, 2021. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  24. ^ "Mustang: The House That Joe Built". Golden Globes. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. 1975. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  25. ^ Astor, Gerald (June 29, 1971). "Legal Prostitution Spreads in Nevada". Look. p. 36.
  26. ^ Bernardo Mercado's Professional boxing Record BoxRec.com
  27. ^ a b Oliva, Mark (May 22, 1976). "Boxer Bonavena slain at Mustang, Conforte bodyguard arrested". Reno Evening Gazette. p. 1.
  28. ^ a b Oliva, Mark (March 21, 1976). "The Meeting: Police Link Conforte With Crime Family Figure". Nevada State Journal. p. 3.
  29. ^ "The Report: Investigation Began With Conforte Land Deal". Nevada State Journal. March 16, 1976. pp. 1, 2, 10–11.
  30. ^ McMillan, Doug (March 16, 1976). "Conforte: Report Brings Laughter". Nevada State Journal. p. 2.
  31. ^ "No Retraction: Journal, Gazette Stand By News Stories About Conforte". Nevada State Journal. April 2, 1976. p. 1.
  32. ^ "May 22, 1976: Prizefighter murdered outside Mustang Ranch". RGJ Archives. Reno, Nevada. May 22, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  33. ^ Frady, Steven R. (September 8, 1978). "Bucchianeri denies he withheld death threat letter". Nevada Appeal (Carson City). p. 5.
  34. ^ UPI (Reno, Nevada) (October 29, 1977). "Conforte Dealt 20-Year Prison Sentence". Las Vegas Sun. p. 4.
  35. ^ Zappe, John; Oliva, Mark; McMillan, Doug (July 3, 1979). "Conforte charged with bribery". Reno Evening Gazette. p. 21.
  36. ^ a b O'Driscoll, Patrick (December 16, 1983). "Brothel owner wants to return to Brazil". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. back page.
  37. ^ Cooper, Dick (February 25, 1984). "Conforte plea bargain disclosed". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1.
  38. ^ Phillis, Michael (December 11, 1983). "Role reversal for Judge Claiborne". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1C.
  39. ^ Miller, Ken (April 14, 1984). "Claiborne left hanging; new trial set for July, Mistrial called after 8 days of deliberation". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1.
  40. ^ Melton, Wayne (December 10, 1983). "Conforte gets 18 months". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1.
  41. ^ Sally Conforte, Chapter 11, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Reno, Nevada, BK 82-966, Docket from November 26, 1982
  42. ^ "Conforte released from federal prison". Reno Gazette-Journal. December 12, 1984. p. 1C.
  43. ^ Miller, Ken (November 26, 1983). "Brothel owner wants land sale to cut tax bill". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1.
  44. ^ Joseph Conforte dba Mustang Ranch, debtor BK 90-1331, Request for Judicial Notice, October 29, 1990, Exh. A: Perry Declaration dated September 21, 1990 in Sally's BK 82-966
  45. ^ Mullen Jr., Frank; Cox, Don (September 19, 1990). "Bankrupt Mustang closes shop". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1.
  46. ^ a b c Voyles, Susan (September 22, 1990). "Bordello puts Nevada back in national spotlight". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 5.
  47. ^ United States v. Joseph Conforte, Peter A. Perry (U.S. District Court - Reno Nevada December 15, 1994)CR-N 95-00049 HDM
  48. ^ Henderson, Mike (June 23, 1999). "Witnesses testify Conforte paid officials to keep brothel". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 11.
  49. ^ Fitten, Ron (October 4, 1990). "IRS still plans to sell Mustang, despite bar on prostitution". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1B.
  50. ^ Phillis, Mike (November 14, 1990). "Sold! For $1.49 million". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1.
  51. ^ Brenn, Courtney (December 19, 1990). "Mustang alive and kicking, Brothel opens amid confusion over legality". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1.
  52. ^ Henderson, Mike (August 23, 1991). "'This time I'm serious'". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1B.
  53. ^ Timko, Steve (January 30, 1997). "IRS thinks Conforte still owns Mustang". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1D.
  54. ^ Bremner, Faith (September 8, 1992). "Mustang Ranch's Sally Conforte dead at 75". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1.
  55. ^ United States v. Joseph Conforte, Peter A. Perry (U.S. District Court - Reno Nevada)CR-N 95-00049 HDM
  56. ^ Henderson, Mike (October 23, 1999). "Brazil won't return Conforte". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1.
  57. ^ Breen, Erin (May 30, 2004). "Conforte IN EXILE". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 10.
  58. ^ Henderson, Mike (August 10, 1999). "Feds lock door at the Mustang". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1.
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