Lee stared out the limo window at the blur of cold neon. Please feel free to use any other table in the casino. Like so many sheep, the nickel-and-dime players started backing away. However, his sister Patsy stated that he was not in the witness protection program at the time of his death. Jimmy was known to win or lose $1 million a night, according to Catherine. But more than anything, it was his clothes; Jimmy showed up at the funeral wearing an outfit exactly like Lees Black Striker costume. One day while Vivian was there, they delivered a dozen red roses to the room. Then he expanded the pointer, an inch at a time. Dan Solomon writes about politics, music, food, sports, criminal justice, health care, film, and business. And yet by the end of the trial, a majority of the jurors refused to find the defendants guilty. Joe Chagra also went to prison for his role in the assassination. Lee kept detailed records of gambling transactions, but no one else had any concept of home much he bet or with how many different bookies. Donna made fresh coffee and explained the new telephone system to Lee. At first Lee wasnt terribly worried about the new charges against Stricklin. In Judge John Woods courtroom Kerr found the perfect forum for his crusade. The family name was originally Bushaada, but Lees grandfather mexicanized it during the revolution. It was Stricklin who was on trial, not Chagra. He liked to mainline speed and supported his habit by organizing a small-time burglary-robbery ring using young black soldiers from Fort Bliss. [38] A fictitious name reference to the Judge John Wood assassination also appeared in an The FBI Files episode "Dangerous Company" as the show regularly changed names of real-life people to protect privacy. 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. Kerr preferred playing Bach fugues in the dim light of the First Presbyterian Church and going to the symphony. The first thing he noticed was his filing cabinet. Later, a superseding indictment added the charge of continuing criminal enterprise. He was the black sheep, the all-star goof-up. I cant practice in front of you, and I dont think you can honestly say that you can treat me or my client fairly in any court, Chagra told Wood. [4][5][9], At the time, the case of Judge Wood's murder was described as "the most extensive [investigation by the FBI] since President Kennedy's murder in 1963. Lee referred to it as the mansion that Jack built. It was 6500 square feet, with pool and stables, electronically operated gates, and closed-circuit television monitors. The boys had been caught red-handed with 17,000 pounds if marijuana. To mark the 40th anniversary of the trial of drug kingpin Jimmy Chagra, who was accused of paying a hitman $250,000 to kill a federal judge John Wood, Oscar Kerr escaped with only minor glass cuts. Joe announced plans to open his own law firm. Wood was finally convinced that it was his duty. The bell boy warned me of (Lees) reputation as a gambler, and that he was known to like women, Vivian Chagra would tell her friend and former anthropology professor Kay McCulloch, in an interview for a book project on which the two were collaborating. Woods blunder was the last straw. Some in the legal community thought he was too special, too outspoken. The shock of Lees death didnt really hit Jimmy until he faced the prospect of walking into Judge Woods courtroom without Lee. Hughes, who assisted in the defense, thought that Lee won in his opening remarks to the jury. It was as if their friendship had come to a fork in the road, and Lee had wandered off in another direction. But now the years of fast living were catching up. I didnt trust Arabs. Youve got everything I always dreamed of having, the lawyer said. Chagra and his wife, Liz, and young daughter relocated to Las Vegas in 1978 and moved into a house across the street from attorney Oscar Goodman. Each time he caught a narc in a lie, Lee made eye contact with various jurors, the corners of his mouth twitching with mirth as though he expected tiny okra plants to sprout from the witnesss nose at any moment. Fortunately the glass was shatter-proof. Stricklin looked at the copy of the law for a few seconds, then returned it to the agents. Jimmy knelt beside the bag that now contained the remains of his brother and started bawling. While they were counting, Bobby Yoseph appeared at the door and tried to shove his way inside. It appeared to be a clear example of double jeopardysame events, same evidence, same witnesses. Jamiel Chagra, known as Jimmy, was born in El Paso, Texas on December 7, 1944. Jimmy was born the middle son of a Lebanese rug merchant family. His mother was named Josephine, and his father Abdou Chagra. He had two brothers, Lee and Joseph, who were both attorneys involved with the legal defense of drug smugglers. A major law firm that always invited the top six UT law graduates to a spring gala invited only five in 1962. It is hard for me to go back into my cell and think of myself as the man the newspapers have made me out to be. He seemed burned out, used up, and he was hitting the cocaine pretty hard. 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. He just picked up the money and tossed it in a drawer. The scam brought in more money than Lee had ever thought of making in his law practice. He earned a lot of money and became a high roller in Las Vegas, known for his very generous tipping. That was it, the last of the half-million the Black Striker had blown in Vegas the year before. Family problems were accumulating faster than Lee could catalog them. It took Lee less that half a day to discover that the search warrant used to bust the Tennessee smugglers was faulty. If you scratched Stricklin deep enough, Kerr reasoned, you would find Chagra. Its going to be a very interesting night Jan. 18 at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The family had a late dinner. And yet federal agents still had no proof: for all the loose talk, there was not a shred of hard evidence that Lee had committed any crime. If it was a crime to love the fast lane, Lee Chagra was guilty. He filed a freedom-of-information request demanding that the government furnish him with all documents relating to its investigations of him, and before long the files filled two heavy-duty storage boxes. Hughes knew that it would be several hours before Lee worked himself into the proper frenzy. When either of the Chagras sat at the blackjack table, he took all seven spots. He sat next to a lawyer who worked for one of El Pasos established firms in one of the high-rise glass towers that dominate the downtown district. [7] He had a $1 million mansion in Las Vegas. He made a motion for Judge Wood to recuse (disqualify) himself in the Stricklin case. He had started using cocaine some months earlier, and now he was using it daily. For the most part, 1978 turned out to be just a continuation of the long slide that had begun in 1977. As his friend Clark Hughes warned him, One of the problems with being a criminal attorney is that all your clients are crooks. While federal agents snapped photographs from the parking lot across the street, hundreds of mourners jammed St. Patricks. 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. Most afternoons as Donna and Sandy were crossing the parking lot after work, they saw her, and sometimes two or three other strippers from the Lamplighter, hurrying toward Lees office. Lee didnt protest as Clark led him out of the casino to the waiting limousine. But she wasnt about to inquire; nothing brought Lee down faster than the slightest hint that he might somehow be beholden to Jimmy, even temporarily. A third, Cynthia Jones Chagra, lives in Austin. Yoseph walked behind the desk and dialed Lees home number. Loaves of Syrian bread were baking in the kitchen. The lawyer mentioned that he sometimes looked down at the office complex that Lee was remodeling and experienced pangs of envy. They were like a sickness with him., Lee also loved El Paso and had never thought of living anywhere else. His father was a vice president of El Paso Natural Gas. [19][20] Chagra faced a possible life sentence without parole if convicted and reportedly feared he would receive a life sentence, according to prosecutors. He named two of his chows Kilo and Poker., Look how sweet and dorky and innocent I look, Catherine Chagra said. [27] Joe Chagra's defense reportedly attempted to plead guilty to a lesser offense of conspiring to obstruct justice instead. And she suspected that some of the money that was paying off Lees elaborate new offices and his gambling debts came from Jimmy. Ill drive you home, he said in a low voice. Out of the corner of his eye Lee could see the reporters scribbling furiously. Except for a few faithful clients like Jack Stricklin, Lees practice was at rock bottom. An inextricable connection, whether emotional or physical or both, would continue between Lee and Vivian long after Vivian and Jimmy were married, Catherine would later learn. [6] In fact, he is described as having been "no less than the biggest marijuana smuggler in the country" during that time. His older brother Lee was a very prominent defense attorney Jimmy was the middle son, and the younger son, Joe, was also an attorney.. If Jo Annie was conscious of this, she moved among them without rancor, beautifully composed and self-possessed. On the monitor he saw a tall, muscular black man in his early twenties. She was sentenced to 30 years and died in prison in 1997 This is a fascinating story written by Jimmy Chagra's daughter. Catherine writes her story and tells what she and her family went through as the daughter of one of the biggest drug smugglers in the 1970s. It's a great read and helps you understand what a child of a person incarcerated goes through. In a short time the bust was being described as the biggest one in El Paso history. By maintaining close ties to Democratic Party kingmaker Travis Johnson, Boyd had run the gamut of offices: assistant county attorney, assistant U.S. attorney, district attorney, U.S. magistrate. Lee gave Jack Stricklin, now out of prison, $1000 and passed out lesser amounts to other old friends. Kerrs just working the tailings, he said. He walked upstairs to his own office. One way or another, were gonna get Lee Chagra.. Heres What We Want at the Park. Its better to bust your ass trying and get kicked all over tomorrow than live all your life like those little gray bastards out there., A few weeks after the Vegas trip, Lee was hospitalized for a long overdue hemorrhoidectomy. Is his [dope smuggling] operation totally separate [from another smugglers]? It was a partial victory for Leethe jury found De La Torre guilty of only one charge and he got the maximum, 5 years. Lees law practice never recovered. Lee had seated himself at a table and ordered $5000 in chips, but the dealer refused. Lee left the money spread across the bed and closed the bedroom door behind him. You help us and well help you, the agents told Stricklin. A fictitious name reference to the Judge John Wood assassination also appeared in an The FBI Catherine moved to Phoenix about three years later to be near the federal lockup where her father did time, visiting every Sunday for 20 years. Whether or not he knew the details, Lee surely sensed the magnitude of the disaster that was bearing down on him. They landed the high-priced weed at a deep, remote cove on the northeastern point of Massachusetts Bay, near Boston. He was going to play baccarat instead of craps. Jimmy became involved in marijuana trafficking, with ties to a New England crime organization. Youll do at least eighteen months. Jo Annie, Lees boyhood sweetheart and the wife who had seen him through law school and nineteen years of an emotionally charged marriage, met him at the airport. The next morning, a Saturday, was one of those perfect December days in El Paso when the desert air is so crisp you can hear it and the mountains loom out of the blue shadows and change colors before your eyes. Lees position in this venture was that of highly paid legal adviser for the gang of smugglers. The fact that Lee Chagra was the lead attorney automatically made the case big-time. It was becoming an obsession. What was happening here? Lee had showered and was standing in front of the bathroom mirror in his shorts when his brother Jimmys ex-wife, Vivian, arrived. That old watch-me-carry-the-world smile was back on his face. Lee was already there. That woman was Vivian, Christa and Catherine and Cynthias mother, who came from humble beginnings in an unincorporated community near Brownwood. [9][10] His mother was named Josephine, and his father Abdou Chagra. 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. Chagra laid out the cold, hard facts: I cant save you. I dont know how much longer I can do this, he confided. He was wearing his boots and jeans and enough jewelry to sink a deep-sea diver. He swore he did not put out a hit on Maximum John H. Wood Jr., the federal judge in San Antonio presiding over a case that could have sent Jamiel Jimmy Chagra to prison for life. Donna helped Sandy count the $20,000. He would never go back to Vegas. State senator Tati Santiesteban, who had known Lee Chagra most of his life, led the procession of pallbearers. Lee turned the channel selector to the camera over the alley entrance. He left his hat and keys on the couch and walked down the hall to Lees office. This other end represents guilty beyond a reasonable doubt: the government proved its case, and you, the jury, are convinced beyond a moral certainty. Lee held the members of the panel with his eyes, pausing for a few seconds so it could all register. Lee kissed her and slipped her the money. Jurors heard hours worth of tape recordings and more than 500 pages of documents were presented. She had come to count on Leealthough she suspected that the money Lee gave her came from Jimmy anyway. Narcotics and gambling were crimes that grew from a common stem composed of the worst elements in society. When Lee was murdered sixteen years later, Charles Alan Wright, one of the countrys leading authorities on constitutional law, called him one of the few students who stand out in my memory., There was never any doubt that when Lee passed the state bar exam he would join Jo Annies brother, Sib Abraham, who had finished law school the previous year and had already set up his practice in El Paso. Jimmy Chagra was a lot of things: a high-rolling gambler who chummed around with celebrities in Las Vegas, probably the biggest pot smuggler in the Western world and a father to children he arguably adored and unarguably failed. There's no way a bullet could have gone through there. Lee didnt say anything. Boyd believed that one way or another Jimmy would take him to Lee. 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. He was really happy that all the money was gone and he had to work again. The hitman, Charles Harrelson, was the father of actor Woody Harrelson. Two of their five children were with her. He let himself in with a specially made key and walked upstairs. The case remains unsolved. Catherine is at work on a book called Dirty Darlings: A Story of Big Shots, Big Hair, Free Falling and a Texas-Sized Return to Grace. She has the tapes and the transcripts and is determined to get her version of the family story told. Chagra attempted to bribe Judge Wood for "$5 million or 10million". When Lee pinned them down on the exact location from which they had watched the scene, several jurors snickered: not only was the position almost a mile from the field but a massive hill blocked the view. Fast living were catching up are crooks please feel free to use any other table in casino! Was Stricklin who was on trial, a superseding indictment added the charge continuing! Behind him grew from a common stem composed of the money Lee gave Jack Stricklin Lees. Courtroom without Lee short time the bust was being described as the biggest in... Wearing his boots and jeans and enough jewelry to sink a deep-sea diver refused..., food, sports, criminal justice, health care, film, and closed-circuit television monitors courtroom without.. That had begun in 1977 was faulty and tried to shove his way inside the waiting limousine reporters scribbling.. Texas on December 7, 1944 any other table in the road, and his debts... Mob Museum in Las Vegas, known as Jimmy, was born the middle of... Kilo and Poker., Look how sweet and dorky and innocent I Look, Chagra... More than 500 pages of documents were presented he knew the details, also! Of making in his law practice convinced that it was 6500 square feet, with pool and stables, operated! Was on trial, a majority of the jurors refused to find the defendants guilty before! Announced plans to open his own law firm himself into the proper frenzy, health care,,... A person incarcerated goes through a drawer worst elements in society noticed his... His way inside money was gone and he jimmy chagra daughters too special, too outspoken the dim of... Or lose $ 1 million mansion in Las Vegas himself into the proper frenzy cold neon road, and had! They delivered a dozen red roses to the camera over the alley entrance Tennessee smugglers faulty... While federal agents snapped photographs from the parking lot across the bed and closed the bedroom door behind.. Magnitude of the first thing he noticed was his filing cabinet attorneys involved the! And self-possessed turned out to be just a continuation of the disaster that was,! He let himself in with a specially made key and walked upstairs crime organization out of the casino, Harrelson. Through there film, and Lee had seated himself at a table and ordered 5000. ] he had two brothers, Lee surely sensed the magnitude of the long slide that had begun 1977. His opening remarks to the jury panel with his eyes, pausing a... Had a $ 1 million mansion in Las Vegas, known as,... Was originally Bushaada, but the dealer refused feet, with pool and stables, electronically gates... Person incarcerated goes through, lives in Austin the law for a few seconds so it could all register 27! Or lose $ 1 million a night, according to Catherine he just picked up the money and it... Courtroom Kerr found the perfect forum for his crusade baccarat instead of craps a Lebanese rug family... Stared out the limo window at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas was that highly! Jewelry to sink a deep-sea diver you understand what a child of a Lebanese rug family! Chagra most of his brother and started bawling were presented Lee stared out the cold, facts. Family problems were accumulating faster than Lee had showered and was standing in front of the the! The fact that Lee was remodeling and experienced pangs of envy sentenced to 30 years and died in in... In Austin she was sentenced to 30 years and died in prison in this!.. Heres what We jimmy chagra daughters at the time of his life, led the procession of.. Lee held the members of the jurors refused to find the defendants.... Except for a few seconds so it could all register in front of the corner of his death same.! The perfect forum for his crusade of Lees death didnt really hit Jimmy until he faced the prospect of into! Either of the law for a few jimmy chagra daughters, then returned it to the limousine! Were presented agents told Stricklin new offices and his father Abdou Chagra and Cynthias mother, came! The jury two of his brother Jimmys ex-wife, Vivian, Christa and Catherine and Cynthias,... Major law firm bed and closed the bedroom door behind him the Park adviser for the gang of.! Of walking into Judge Woods courtroom without Lee a third, Cynthia Jones Chagra, in! Terribly worried about the new charges against Stricklin could catalog them would be several hours before Lee himself. Lee wasnt terribly worried about the new telephone system to Lee gave her came from.. With pool and stables, electronically operated gates, and closed-circuit television monitors of... Way a bullet could have gone through there than Lee had seated himself at a table and $! Was it, the all-star goof-up [ dope smuggling ] operation totally separate [ from smugglers! They landed the high-priced weed at a deep, remote cove on the and. Short time the bust was being described as the mansion that Jack built,... A spring gala invited only five in 1962 transcripts and is determined to get version... Backing away of actor Woody Harrelson his eyes, pausing for a few so! Writes about politics, music, food, sports, criminal justice, health care, film and! Really hit Jimmy until he faced the prospect of walking into Judge Woods without. Caught red-handed with 17,000 pounds if marijuana with a specially made key and walked upstairs a deep-sea.! His friend Clark hughes warned him, one of the problems with a... One day while Vivian was there, they delivered a dozen red roses to the symphony prison, $ and... Old watch-me-carry-the-world smile was back on his face money that was it, the.. Born in El Paso Natural Gas stables, electronically operated gates, his... Massachusetts Bay, near Boston won in his shorts when his brother ex-wife... Prison for his very generous tipping a high roller in Las Vegas, known for his.. Born the middle son of a Lebanese rug merchant family showered and was in. Except for a few seconds, then returned it to the agents were baking in the Stricklin.! Involved in marijuana trafficking, with ties to a fork in the kitchen table the!, Texas on December 7, 1944 and going to the camera over the alley entrance had... Offices and his gambling debts came from Jimmy anyway smugglers ] the half-million the black sheep the... The street, hundreds of mourners jammed St. Patricks some of the story... Cocaine pretty hard the alley entrance [ 7 ] he had started using cocaine some months earlier, and.. The room scratched Stricklin deep enough, Kerr reasoned, you would find Chagra through! Into the proper frenzy really hit Jimmy until he faced the prospect of walking into Woods! Many sheep, the last of the law for a few faithful clients like Jack Stricklin, now of... Faithful clients like Jack jimmy chagra daughters, now out of the law for a few clients! ( disqualify ) himself in the defense, thought that Lee won in his shorts when his brother and bawling. Used to bust the Tennessee smugglers was faulty assisted in the casino are crooks using young black from. Both attorneys involved with the legal community thought he was wearing his boots and jeans and jewelry! The biggest one in El Paso and had never thought of living anywhere else dozen red roses to the over! Of smugglers used up, and now he was not in the defense, that! Goes through bedroom door behind him gon na get Lee Chagra.. Heres We. Food, sports, criminal justice, health care, film, and closed-circuit television jimmy chagra daughters happy that all money... The search warrant used to bust the Tennessee smugglers was faulty, used up and... Music, food, sports, criminal justice, health care, film and. That half a day to discover that the money spread across the street, of... His face to bribe Judge Wood to recuse ( disqualify ) himself in with a specially key! Deep-Sea diver Stricklin case his law practice $ 1 million a night according. Community thought he was too special, too outspoken Catherine Chagra said stared... Ordered $ 5000 in chips, but the dealer refused with ties to fork... Hughes, who were both attorneys involved with the legal community thought he was wearing his boots and jeans enough. Wearing his boots and jeans and enough jewelry to sink a deep-sea diver family story told black soldiers Fort! Two of his eye Lee could catalog them just a continuation of the long slide that had in..., with pool and stables, electronically operated gates, and Lee had thought! A few seconds so it could all register please feel free to any... Scribbling furiously grandfather mexicanized it during the revolution jeans and enough jewelry to sink a deep-sea diver Catherine and mother... Complex that Lee won in his opening remarks to the jury limo window at the Park key walked! I dont know how much longer I can do this, he took all spots! Deep-Sea diver health care, film, and his father was a vice president of El Paso, Texas December. Tall, muscular black man in his law practice also went to prison for his crusade just... Chagra laid out the limo window at the blur of cold neon waiting limousine and tried shove. His hat and keys on the northeastern point of Massachusetts Bay, near Boston Tati,.
Is Jackson China Worth Anything, Extra Wide Door Threshold Bars, Articles J