Custino's

[ctchandler]

Since I started this thread with the following question ("please tell me where Custino's restaurants were located in the area"), and I received an answer on page 1, I would think it's time to close it.
C. T.

[MonkeesFan]

Since I started this thread with the following question ("please tell me where Custino's restaurants were located in the area"), and I received an answer on page 1, I would think it's time to close it.
C. T.

Sorry but no, keep it open until Custino's goes out of business

[Steve]

Custino's is dead.

[ljbab728]

You mean we don’t get to find out how much money the owners owe the state tax commission?

That ought to be of public record, at least at some point, and it sure seems news worthy given the amount of nice publicity this restaurant received from several sources when things were going well.

Why on earth would anyone care?

[Steve]

ou48a apparently isn't thrilled at the success Bud Elder enjoyed promoting the restaurant when it first opened (for the record, I was not involved in that early coverage and the first story I did was loathed by both sides of the dispute).

[ljbab728]

And I'm sure that's the only time you've ever been hammered by both sides of an issue, Steve. LOL

[boscorama]

I don't think this thread should be closed for discussion. It's not hurting anybody; if you don't want to read more, stop reading. Duh!

[ljbab728]

It's not hurting anyone but any interesting discussion has basically run it's course.

[ou48A]

Why on earth would anyone care?

How interesting it is or not is a matter of opinion.
As far as it being a dining establishment, yes it’s dead.
However the full consequences and drama are not likely over.

At times reading about this has almost been like reading the script of a bad comical play. It has also been a good lesson about how the ownership should have done better backgrounds checks on employees and on the industry in general from the very start. Doing so may have prevented some of the serious mistakes because this has certainly been a very good lesson in how not to operate a business. Clearly the legal consequences of this poorly operated business are not over with.

There are a wide variety of topics and opinions on this board that we often agree or disagree with and sometimes very strongly, so there really shouldn’t be a problem in keeping this thread open until the final chapters are written about the business and its fall out.
Who knows, maybe others can learn something from the mistakes of others.

[soonerguru]

It's not hurting anyone but any interesting discussion has basically run it's course.

Disagree. What will go into that vacated space now, and what new venture will Mr. Elder pursue? That seems worthy of discussion.

[ljbab728]

Disagree. What will go into that vacated space now, and what new venture will Mr. Elder pursue? That seems worthy of discussion.

Then that should be fodder for another thread.

[ljbab728]

How interesting it is or not is a matter of opinion.
As far as it being a dining establishment, yes it’s dead.
However the full consequences and drama are not likely over.

At times reading about this has almost been like reading the script of a bad comical play. It has also been a good lesson about how the ownership should have done better backgrounds checks on employees and on the industry in general from the very start. Doing so may have prevented some of the serious mistakes because this has certainly been a very good lesson in how not to operate a business. Clearly the legal consequences of this poorly operated business are not over with.

There are a wide variety of topics and opinions on this board that we often agree or disagree with and sometimes very strongly, so there really shouldn’t be a problem in keeping this thread open until the final chapters are written about the business and its fall out.
Who knows, maybe others can learn something from the mistakes of others.

LOL, so you're reading this thread to learn about how to avoid mistakes? It's seems much more like voyeurism. This isn't a matter of agreeing or disagreeing about topics or opinions. The amount of money owed to the state has absolutely nothing to do with learning about anything.

[RadicalModerate]

Then that should be fodder for another thread.

hello mudder . . .
hello fodder . . .
as far as posts go,
won't be anodder . . .
'cause Custino's
is now hist'ry
and the reason for their de-mise
ain't no myst'ry

[kevinpate]

It is what it is.

[Spaghettios]

What makes the story interesting is the history of Phillip Custino. Some of his history has been mentioned. His real name is Anthony Phillip Caliendo (uncle of comedian Frank Caliendo). In the 80s, he ran a prostitution ring out of brothels in Chicago and was convicted and sentenced to 6 years in prison on racketeering charges (google his name for the Chicago Tribune articles). He then apparently went into the Witness Protection Program and changed his name to Custino. In 2001, his oldest son, Anthony Jr., ran a securities scam and bilked investors out of 1.9 million dollars.

As is the routine, Phillip skipped town owing lots of people money. Phillip moved to Wisconsin shortly after the second restaurant was opened, and Angelo is apparently back in California.

[SoonerQueen]

After reading the previous post, I am glad I never went to the new restaurant and quit going to the one on Britton Road. Too much drama on both sides between Phil and Bud.

[pickles]

I can't wait to hear more about this.

[RadicalModerate]

Music by which to review The 16 Pages/wait for Page 17.

è quello che è

[HangryHippo]

I can't wait to hear more about this.

HAHA! Fantastic.

[Spaghettios]

There's quite a bit online about the history of Anthony Philip Caliendo (aka Phillip Custino), his "Uncle Vito" Caliendo (some federal filings call him his brother) and their wacky exploits in the 70s and 80s. Here is a sampling of quotes:

"Evidence during the trial indicated that from 1978 to 1985, Vito Caliendo, 55, and his nephew, Anthony Caliendo, 40, organized an elaborate scheme that enabled customers at several suburban nightclubs to use their credit cards to pay prostitutes."
-----

"Vito Caliendo, 55, is ``an unrepentant, dedicated career criminal`` who operated a ``shabby, exploitive and filthy business,`` argued Kenneth Lowrie of the U.S. Justice Department`s Organized Crime Strike Force.

Caliendo; his nephew Anthony Philip Caliendo, 40; and six others were sentenced on racketeering charges that stemmed from the Operation Safebet investigation of prostitution and gambling in Chicago`s suburbs.

Lowrie said the prostitution ring was controlled by organized crime and he told U.S. District Court Judge Charles Kocoras that its leaders were linked to reputed Chicago mob boss Joseph Ferriola.

But after the sentencing hearing, Vito Caliendo said, ``tell them I`m Al Capone or whatever you want`` but that ``I have no involvement`` with the crime syndicate. When asked about Ferriola, he responded, ``I never met him in my life.``"
-----

"Convicted along with Caliendo was his nephew, Anthony Philip Caliendo, who warned Gervais that their dealings were a ``dangerous business`` and that he wasn`t dealing with Sears. Gervais needed Vito Caliendo, the nephew advised, because Gervais` business was doing so well that ``everybody wants a piece`` of him, according to the government.

That business involved replacing bills for prostitution with forged bills for legitimate services before forwarding them to credit-card companies for collection. Most credit-card companies do not allow prostitution or other illegal activities to be charged on their cards.

But when the Caliendos threatened to put Gervais in the ``trunk of a car`` if he didn`t pay about $40,000 in debts they said he owed them, he went to the FBI, which then took over National Credit Service, according to the government."
----

"Bachman testified that Aprati then told him that Anthony Philip Caliendo, the owner of Plato`s, was willing to pay $10,000 if the sheriff`s police would stop raiding his brothel. Caliendo was sentenced earlier this year to 6 years in prison on racketeering charges arising from his prostitution operation."
----

"Philip Caliendo, together with his brother Vito, owned and operated various houses of prostitution. Two of their establishments, the Western Health Spa and the Petite Lounge, served as the focal points for the federal investigation which culminated in the appellants' convictions. Although the Western Health Spa and the Petite Lounge differed in the manner in which they catered their services, the overall scheme was the same. The customer would enter the establishment, select a prostitute, negotiate a price and then pay for the service which was soon to be rendered. If the customer chose to pay with a credit card, the establishment would have to obtain authorization for the transaction by use of the interstate telephone wires."

"The National Credit Card Service ("NCS") was formed by Thomas Gervais exclusively for the purpose of laundering illicit credit card receipts for Chicagoland strip joints and brothels. In late 1978, Gervais offered his services to the Mansion House, a Caliendo establishment which functioned as a house of prostitution. For approximately a year, Gervais provided his service to the Mansion House without a hitch. Soon thereafter, however, the relationship soured from Gervais' perspective. The Caliendos began to "pressure" Gervais into taking them on as partners in his business. When he balked, a "tax" was instituted on Gervais' business by the Caliendos because of his monetary success. Moreover, the bank which Gervais was using to process the charges from the Mansion Club discovered the Mansion Club's illegal operation and closed its account and froze the funds. Gervais was stuck with approximately $12,000 in the frozen funds which represented charges made by the Mansion Club. These were funds which Gervais would end up covering at the risk of bodily injury. He was also "invited" by the Caliendos to get out of the credit card processing business. Soon thereafter, Gervais contacted the FBI and agreed to introduce an undercover FBI agent as a partner in NCS."

"The House of Kobe, a Japanese restaurant in Schererville, Indiana, was one of the legitimate businesses targeted by the conspiracy to process its illicit credit card receipts. In early 1982, Philip Caliendo approached Samuel Schultz, the owner of the House of Kobe. Caliendo informed Schultz that he had recently lost his merchant number for his American Express account and asked Schultz if he could process the receipts for his "catering, limousine and entertainment" business through Schultz's American Express account. Schultz ultimately agreed after repeated requests. Charles Swanson, an investigator for American Express, soon discovered, however, that Schultz was processing credit charges for Caliendo's houses of prostitution and closed the House of Kobe account. Unfortunately for Schultz, Swanson also froze the funds which American Express owed on the outstanding receipts, including those funds which represented the charges made at the Caliendo's houses of prostitution. After being threatened by Philip Caliendo with the prospect of having to deal with "the organization or Uncle Vito", Schultz agreed to pay out of his own pocket the amount of the Caliendo's charges which American Express refused to honor."

"Susan Barker, formerly a prostitute at Plato's Castle, ultimately became Philip Caliendo's live-in girlfriend. She admits that she was present on various occasions during which Caliendo and others discussed various aspects of the operation of the enterprise's prostitution establishments. Moreover, the testimony revealed that Barker was present during various transactions in which credit slips directly related to the enterprise's prostitution activities were laundered through legitimate businesses. She claims, however, that her presence on these occasions was only that of a "passive bystander." This claim is suspect in light of Barker's involvement in other facets of the conspiracy's operation, however. For example, the record revealed that Barker served as manager of RVS Books, an adult bookstore adjoining the Western Health Spa whose operation was closely affiliated with that of the Spa. In this capacity, Barker was involved in discussions with Caliendo and other spa employees about a plan to have female spa employees serve as "movie critics" for those customers who watched movies in the bookstore's video booths. As Barker points out, however, this plan never materialized. Finally, the testimony revealed that Barker was often the recipient of business records and receipts, including credit card slips, which were taken from the Western Health Spa and RVS Books to Philip Caliendo's house on a daily basis."
----

"Counts Twenty-Seven and Twenty-Eight charged Michael Mundee and Anthony Philip Caliendo respectively with perjury before the Federal Grand Jury in violation of 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1623. Both Mundee, who was granted a Judgment of Acquittal on the perjury count, and Caliendo, who was found guilty of perjury, have voluntarily dismissed their appeals from the underlying convictions. Defendant John Coppini, although he filed a Notice of Appeal, did not file a brief in support of that appeal."

"As one of many racketeering acts alleged in the indictment, the government charged that Philip and Vito Caliendo conspired to obtain property from Gervais' credit operation by means of extortion."

[Easy180]

Someone's ^ not a fan

[Dubya61]

It's always interesting to see how many posts some have under their belt when you read something derogatory.

[OKCTalker]

I recommend that this thread either be locked or moved to "Nostalgia & Memories."

[pickles]

Have we peeled back the many layers of this onion yet?

[Tydude]

i thought we are going to end this thread and this is the 400 post for this thread WOW