{"product_id":"the-jai-alai-murders-a-story-of-the-doj-the-fbi-and-their-mob-hitmen","title":"The Jai-Alai Murders: A Story of the DOJ, the FBI, and their Mob Hitmen","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn May 27, 1981, Roger M. Wheeler, Sr., was assassinated by professional hitmen at Tulsa's exclusive Southern Hills Country Club. Police responded in force, as Wheeler was one of the city's top business leaders who employed thousands. Wheeler was CEO of Telex Corporation, which competed with IBM; owner of American Magnesium, which competed with Dow Chemical; owner of Wheeler Oil; and owner of Miami-based World Jai-Alai (WJA), his first and only investment in legalized gambling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTulsa's police, who had never experienced such a brazen organized crime murder, feared that they wouldn't be able to solve this crime. Still, they were professional. Police cars fanned out across the city to try and spot the getaway vehicle; they kept news reporters from witnesses—some of whom were children; they photographed the crime scene from every reasonable perspective; and they found a puzzle—four unspent bullets left next to the victim's car. Were the unspent bullets the killer's trademark? Were they a warning to Wheeler's four male children? Police would debate that for years.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGiven that WJA's business was gambling, the normal reaction is to assume Wheeler was just another mobster. But every normal assumption quickly falls apart. Roger Wheeler had recently bought WJA for two reasons: it was highly profitable, and a team of ex-FBI agents led by H. Paul Rico kept the mob out.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRico had been \"one of the FBI's finest special agents.\" He was famous for developing critical informants. Under Rico's guidance, hitman Joseph Barboza gave testimony in federal court that led to the conviction and imprisonment of New England's Mafia boss. Then, Barboza testified in state court, which resulted in six men being convicted for the mob murder of \"Teddy\" Deegan. Barboza became the inaugural member of the Witness Protection Program.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the other hand, for nearly a year, Wheeler's son David had been programming a new computer at WJA's headquarters in Miami. WJA's chief accountant had befriended and taught David about Rico, WJA president Dick Donovan, and the possible influence of organized crime at WJA. David wasn't sure if these stories were true.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe day of the murder, when the hitman was preparing the attack, Rico came upstairs to the accounting department to ostensibly attend a retirement party for a bookkeeper. Instead of having some cake and visiting with the staff, Rico just stood and stared at David, the only member of the Wheeler family to ever work at WJA. A very few minutes after the party ended and Rico left, David received a phone call telling him that his father had been shot in the head. David took the next flight back to Tulsa to help support his mother.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt turned out that David couldn't even bury his father without one of the co-conspirators coming up behind him to try and convince him that Donovan and Rico were innocent. Meanwhile, Donovan was watching the action from across the street.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor years, Wheeler's murder received national attention. Detective Mike Huff led the investigation, with David offering any help he could. The FBI spied on and tailed the police; they lied to the police and family survivors; they arranged the murder of informants; and committed other crimes as well. An FBI agent even stole a newly discovered list of officials receiving bribes and made this critical evidence disappear.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMike eventually turned to our nation's public for help, which led us to appear on the pilot of \u003ci\u003eUnsolved Mysteries\u003c\/i\u003e and an episode of \u003ci\u003e60 Minutes\u003c\/i\u003e. For over 20 years, and with few exceptions, the underlying theme was battling horrific Federal corruption. Yet Mike solved this case.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor accuracy, this memoir is supported by over 1,200 references.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wheeler, Huff \u0026 Yadon LLC","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":52919450009917,"sku":null,"price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0477\/8731\/1254\/files\/9798999517425ita.jpg?v=1787536222","url":"https:\/\/itascabooks.com\/products\/the-jai-alai-murders-a-story-of-the-doj-the-fbi-and-their-mob-hitmen","provider":"Itasca Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}