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on mug shots tonight Bill hanhardt the
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most famous Chicago cop since the
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Untouchable Elliot Nest one of the
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toughest cops in Chicago brought more
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bad guys to the Justice shot more guys
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it was phenomenal just phenomenal he was
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that good and he was that strong and he
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was that powerful but the FBI is
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accusing bill hanhart of abusing his
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power and going from Big Time cop to Big
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Time crook hard to believe super cop
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could have been working with him I would
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have to describe him as Sinister he was
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just a person that was too deeply rooted
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uh with organized crime figures probably
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the highest ranking Chicago police
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officer to ever been indicted
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[Music]
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Chicago a tough rugged Midwestern town
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and this man is one of its most famous
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cops a man said to be as mean as the icy
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winds that blow off Lake Michigan a man
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whose legendary reputation has been
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challenged by a Federal indictment
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charging that he orchestrated a massive
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Jewel theft ring both while he was a cop
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and after his retirement in
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1986 the charges have left many in this
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city wondering what to make of his
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fabled
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career Bill hanhart became a police
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officer in 1953 and was soon proving
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himself by catching robbers and burglars
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Jewel thieves and stickup
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men hanhart shot up the ranks made
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detective and in just a few years was
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leading an Elite Squad called the
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criminal investigation unit or CIU the
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detectives that he uh handpicked to work
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in his unit were very good they could
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solve crimes they could not only solve
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crimes but often prevent them and in
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some instances they would be laying in
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wait uh for burglars and robbers to show
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up first time I heard of bill hanhart
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was prior to the time I was a police
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officer I was in college at the time
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there was a series of home invasions in
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1962 hanhart made the bus that would go
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a long way towards establishing his
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reputation a ruthless gang of robbers
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had pulled off more than two dozen
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heists in an upscale neighborhood on
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Chicago's north side those guys were
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tying up people in their sleep burning
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them with cigarette butts keeping them
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up all night asking where the money was
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you can't let that happen hanhart and
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his crew got information on which house
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the gang was going to strike next they
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set up an ambush and waited bill was
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going to pose as the person who lived
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there and answered the door you're
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dealing with vicious guys who would kill
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you in a heartbeat eventually the five
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heavily armed robbers made their way to
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the house one of them went for the door
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when bill went to open it it required
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more of a pool than one would be
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accustomed to and that tipped off the
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robber that something was up and that's
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when the shooting started it was a real
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shootout uh in the house down the street
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few blocks away chases and a couple of
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the offenders were killed two gang
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members were killed one was wounded and
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caught and two others escaped to
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Michigan only to be apprehended a few
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months later when asked about the
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shootout one of the two Nick gaido had
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this to say it was not a flight to avoid
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prosecution well what was it the flight
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to avoid Chicago Police
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bullets a corrupted police force the
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most corrupted police force in the world
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is in Chicago you think they wouldn't
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have given you a chance no never they
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would never give a man a
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chance gido may have criticized the cops
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but to the citizens of Chicago hanhart
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and his men were nothing but Heroes they
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lived it they worked it they uh they
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were an intelligence Community they knew
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they had informance all over the city of
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Chicago they knew when a score was going
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to go down before it went down so and it
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was a very crack unit not not all that
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you just couldn't get into that unit you
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had to you had to prove yourself before
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you got into that unit only the uh only
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the sharpest coppers were in CIU they
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weren't directing traffic and they
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weren't handling little Mickey Mouse gas
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stations cars they were they were you
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know grabbing the big guys I remember
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sitting in the office one time and a
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bank robbery took place out in the
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western suburbs and a phone call came in
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from one of our units out on the
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street uh giving uh giving us the
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information of the bank property taking
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place and a general description of a
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vehicle and as soon soon as he heard the
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description of the vehicle he says
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that's so and so's
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car that's the kind of information he
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had no computers in those they receiv it
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was all in his head it was phenomenal
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just phenomenal hanhardt got his
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information from working the street and
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over time he knew all the players and
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all the angles everybody knew how each
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other worked you'd make an investigation
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of a score and you knew right away who
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did it the guy's got the MMO how he cut
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the save the jewelry guy everybody had
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their own specialty here's a veteran
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policeman who's a cop cup StreetWise he
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came up the he know the street he knew
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the good guys he knew the bad guys
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because he associated with the people uh
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who were known to be criminals and
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underworld figures he was avoided by
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some federal investigators because they
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thought he was U his background and his
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activities were a little bit over the
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line for law enforcement however he
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would tell you that this was necessary
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to cultivate informance I've done it
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myself I I'd sit and talk to stickup
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guys and burglars and send over a drink
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and you know but you got to you got to
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draw the line how far you'll do you'll
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go with them you're not going to spend
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time at their houses you you're not
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going to go out you know with him but if
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you see him out in public you send him a
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drink you talk to him you know it's only
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business you're a cop they're a burglar
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it's only business she can't take it
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personal hanhart and his crew the
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criminal Investigation Unit were
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constantly buding heads with the crooks
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of Chicago and his Quick Draw mentality
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even earned him the nickname Wild Bill
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by the late 60s and early 70s hanhart
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was in his prime a real cops cop and the
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leader of a powerful law enforcement
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unit in a tough City in 1976 when fellow
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police officer Terren Loftus died of a
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gunshot wound while breaking up a fight
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on the Chicago Street Corner hanhart
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Tracked Down the Killer and in 1981 when
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Deputy superintendent James Rearden was
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shot and killed hanhart personally took
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charge of the case he was the best in
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the country and he understood the Ive
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work he understood what it was all about
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Canard has a tremendous following there
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are many policemen that just love this
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guy when I was on the street as a cop
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hanhardt had a hell of a reputation
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probably one of the toughest cops in
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Chicago bill hanhardt is a fair man he's
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a courageous man his tough guy persona
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inspired Fierce loyalty among his men
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and his arrest record was unparalleled
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but to the US attorney in Chicago he had
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a dark side that would ultimately lead
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to one of the the biggest scandals in
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the city's history when we return
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hanhart and the Chicago
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mob bill hanhart was born in Chicago he
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was a child of the Great Depression who
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hung out on the street corners and saw
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Mobsters driving around in their fancy
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cars and living the High Life the cops
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and theab in Chicago been very unique uh
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and it all started basically probably
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even before the days of Capone but
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Capone put a finishing touches to it uh
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he realized that he could not operate
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without police protection and he also
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knew he could not operate without the
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political figures under his control with
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prohibition gambling and prostitution as
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its main businesses the mob made
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millions of
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dollars meanwhile the public felt that
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the mob was just giving the people what
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they
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wanted pops panso an oldtime Chicago
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Thief recalls his days in the speak
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easys and the fierce competition Among
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The Gangs I was 15 14 years old I went
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across the street I bought a half a pine
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of whiskey I used to buy Up Bugs Moran
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on the South Side Al Capone had the
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north side said that's how the gang
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fight for the out started how come you
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don't come by no more over here you know
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I said I go bugs morand on the southide
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is cheaper there you know so that's how
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they have gun fight F taking our
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customers away it was the mob wars
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during prohibition that caused the St
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Valentine's Day Massacre when Capone
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took out most of his Rivals Capone was
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able to consolidate his power and
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Chicago has operated under one crime
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family ever since there's one family in
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Chicago so it's very easy for the mob to
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control who's operating in their town by
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the 1950s when hanhart became a cop the
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department was still struggling with
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corruption that was the oral of the
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1950s in Chicago that Chicago quote
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wasn't ready for reform that changed as
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the years went by you look back
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historically this uh Department this
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city fought reform tooth and nail
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whether it was in the political
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structure or in the uh law enforcement
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structure well back then before Civil
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Service came around uh you had to know
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somebody so you grabbed the hole of an
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alderman a PRI and Captain he may you
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know you always had to leave him an
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envelope somewhere and uh you had a you
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had a pull some strings uh you want to
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be in a police department worked for the
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city everybody had a guy you want to be
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a cop you want to be a fireman go see
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this guy and you know back in the 40s
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50s that's how guys came on a job when
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hannard joined the police department in
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1953 a lot of the people in the
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department their idea is you got to go
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on the take a little to get a little
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honest graph there was opportunities for
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police officer to grab things it was
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simply with f people said nothing wrong
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with honest graft as long as they're not
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involved in drugs give a break to a
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Tavern owner maybe they got a kid in
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their young the guy gambling everybody
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does it the guy's running Hooch after
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late hours don't worry about it so there
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was that or prostitution people want
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that one a police officer of the 1950s
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who led a life of crime gave a statement
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to the authorities that from his first
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day on the job he made $500 in
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gratuities I remember as a young agent
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working undercover in a uh in a gambling
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establishment which was a very large
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scale operation some police Lieutenant
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came in while was at the bar saying hey
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the are coming uh you know close
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everything down hanhart CIU detectives
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were allegedly taking protection money
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as well according to Pops panco they all
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shook me down I had to go out stealing
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for
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them they didn't make I to get this one
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hey you didn't see us for two weeks I
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had to give him my half on it all the
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time so I don't get pants pants go in in
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true Chicago ask him when you ask him
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his occupation he says I'm a thief
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what's the thief's obstacle the police
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now who else arrested panso only the CIU
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people only hand H hers people so now
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he's saying they're shaking him down 40
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years later in the old days some people
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may have questioned the cop's honesty
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but never their toughness if you're
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messing with tough guys you got to be a
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tough guy and you know you uh you got to
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break some necks and back in those days
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they were tuning up guys in in a police
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department they were they were whacking
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a few guys and you know but that's what
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you had to do back then now you can't
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get away with it now cops be going to
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jail for what they did back in the' 60s
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and 70s let's face reality those who are
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StreetWise cops will tell you hey look
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we're not dealing with clergymen we're
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not dealing with nuns we're dealing with
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scum we're dealing with underworld
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figures we're unscrupulous to get these
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people you have to bang higher at the
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body maybe sometimes have to bend the
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rules a little bit that's the only way
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you're going to get those guys to the
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bar of Justice you can't treat him with
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good gloves it can be law of the Jungle
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when you're dealing with people like
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that in the 60s Bill hanhart had more to
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deal with than just bad guys the entire
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city was coming apart at the seams
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[Music]
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[Music]
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[Music]
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hanhart CIU cops were the best in
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Chicago and they worked Around the Clock
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if you're going to be a good cop and a
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smart cop you got to hang on the street
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with the people you got to understand
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how they talk how they react what they
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say and those guys from ciou did that
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they were Rush Street guys they hung
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around they partied with with people but
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that's the only way you can do it you
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cannot do it from an ivory Tower
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somewhere and expect to get on the same
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level so you have a lot of friends that
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are burglars and stickup guys the line
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between cops and Crooks has always been
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thin according to
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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[Music]
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Rizzo cops and bad guys are basically
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the same only one guy's on the side of
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the law the other guy isn't but your
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mannerisms your speaking where you grew
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up it's the same
00:14:00
every city in America has a neighborhood
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where the Wise Guys live work and play
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in New York it's Little
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Italy a mecca for Mobsters since the
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turn of the
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century and where John Gotti operated
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out of the ravenite social club in
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Philadelphia the mob controls South
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Philly and in Chicago it's a place
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called the
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patch the guys that came out of the
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patch are Taylor stre half of them
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became cops half became burglars well
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the patch of course is its own colorful
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history the patch seemed to be where all
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the organized crime leaders in Chicago
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were born uh where they were trained and
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where they went on to bigger and better
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things there were a lot of good honest
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policemen that came from the patch and
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uh I think it was just one of which how
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you moral values were that basically one
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went into crime the other one went into
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law enforcement you saw a good fellas
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and you saw a casino it's basically the
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same you grow up you you you start
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respecting the people around you that
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drive the nice cars and have the money
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and sooner or later you got to make a
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decision do you go left do you go right
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you know and uh some guys go left some
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guys go
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right hanhardt was able to cultivate
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sources in the patch and all over the
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city a lot of people were jealous of him
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he knew how to develop informational
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sources he knew how to develop
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performance it's the most difficult
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thing in the world to develop sources of
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information whether he intimidated
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somebody into becoming an informant
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because the way he looked at him or
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because of his Charming personality he
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had more knowledge than most Chicago
00:15:44
policemen did about Jewel thieves about
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burglars and people like that on the
00:15:48
other hand there was an element of
00:15:50
people with the FBI and other federal
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law enforcement agencies particularly
00:15:54
those who were involved in organized
00:15:55
crime detection working with organized
00:15:57
crime figures that took a dim review of
00:15:59
Bill H's career they told me without any
00:16:02
question and without any reservation
00:16:05
keep an iron like the away from do was a
00:16:07
person that was too deeply rooted with
00:16:10
organized crime figures how involved was
00:16:13
he with Mobsters coming up Han Ard and
00:16:15
the Vegas
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connection Chicago is a city that has
00:16:21
always operated in the shadow of larger
00:16:23
than life mafia figures like Al Scarface
00:16:26
Capone and Sam Momo ganana in the 1960s
00:16:30
chanana ruled the Chicago mob also known
00:16:33
as the outfit and feared no one as the
00:16:36
head of CIU hanhart was supposed to be
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watching giancana's Street Crews but
00:16:41
there were rumors within the department
00:16:43
that some Mobsters had hanhart in their
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pocket when I first was going to attempt
00:16:48
to make uh Bill hanhart a u Source I was
00:16:52
surprised by Chicago Police intelligence
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unit to be aware of his background and
00:16:58
that is the he was alleged by them to me
00:17:02
to be a very close associate of high
00:17:04
level organized crime figures if I did
00:17:07
attempt to make a source of him that
00:17:08
he'd be using the information that I
00:17:10
would be exchanging with him to his
00:17:13
advantage and going back to uh his uh
00:17:16
Associates within organized crime let
00:17:18
them know what I was doing hanhardt
00:17:20
wasn't the only cop in ciou that may
00:17:22
have been too close to Mobsters look at
00:17:24
his partner uh the guy he was real close
00:17:27
with John henchy a mob guy gets blown up
00:17:30
and killed and he gets hundreds of
00:17:32
thousands of dollars in this guy's will
00:17:35
you know come on there's more to it than
00:17:37
Mei speculation about hanh Hart's
00:17:40
relationship to the Mob followed him
00:17:42
throughout his career even as he
00:17:44
ascended to the top echelons of the
00:17:46
department while raising his seven
00:17:48
children with his wife Angie when hanh
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hard retired uh there was a large party
00:17:53
thrown for him at a Suburban banquet
00:17:56
facility and a number of police
00:17:58
officials who attended the retirement
00:18:00
party were shocked uh to find known
00:18:03
organized crime people occupying some of
00:18:05
the tables at the retirement party but
00:18:07
hanhart never seemed troubled by his
00:18:09
image and his reputation as a top-notch
00:18:12
detective always overshadowed the rumors
00:18:14
of mob ties he became so famous in
00:18:17
Chicago for catching burglars that
00:18:19
Hollywood hired him as a consultant on
00:18:21
the movie Thief hanhart was still on the
00:18:24
police force when Michael man made a
00:18:26
movie in Chicago about a thief that's
00:18:28
being being manipulated by the mob and
00:18:30
the police you've been putting down two
00:18:33
three scores a month months in months
00:18:35
out you want to put down contract scores
00:18:37
all over the country working directly
00:18:39
for me I am self-employed icy lice no
00:18:43
Furs no coin collections no stock
00:18:45
certificates no treasury bonds no
00:18:47
nothing just diamonds of cash I'll make
00:18:49
you a millionaire in four monthy in an
00:18:51
ironic twist Man cast real cops as bad
00:18:54
guys and real bad guys as cops don't you
00:18:57
know you got to come up was amazed at
00:19:00
that movie that they allowed this
00:19:03
cracked Chicago Police Unit to be
00:19:07
photograph the story line was that they
00:19:10
were running these Jewel thieves and
00:19:12
taking a 10% uh Kickback from
00:19:15
them we got a problem I come here to
00:19:18
discuss a piece of business with you
00:19:20
what are you going to do you going to
00:19:21
tell me fairy
00:19:23
tales what's wrong with you
00:19:30
now whether it was Michael man's idea
00:19:33
and the coppers went along with it to
00:19:34
get parts in movies I don't know but in
00:19:36
the movie everybody in there is a
00:19:38
burglar or a cop the set of thief was a
00:19:41
unique atmosphere the usual barriers
00:19:43
separating cops and Crooks had been
00:19:45
Stripped Away what's really amazing is
00:19:48
back in the 60s and 70s the same guys
00:19:51
that were shooting at each other killing
00:19:53
each other cops and burglars are now
00:19:55
making movies together and that that
00:19:59
amazed the hell out of me come on every
00:20:01
morning I walk in for 5 months say hi
00:20:04
what the hell do you think that I do I'm
00:20:07
a thief go and I think that movie Thief
00:20:10
put cops and burglar together on a whole
00:20:12
different level that they never were on
00:20:14
before and I'm listening to guys in the
00:20:15
bars here on Rush Street talking about
00:20:17
what's your motivation what you know and
00:20:20
cops telling burglar how to act and uh
00:20:23
being Consultants on these films hey I'm
00:20:25
talking to you hanh Hart's interaction
00:20:27
with burglars as a consultant on the
00:20:29
movie Thief is an eerie foreshadowing of
00:20:31
the federal allegations against him
00:20:33
today either life imitates the movies or
00:20:36
movies imitate life because what they're
00:20:39
now accusing Hanah har of is what the
00:20:42
whole movie Thief was
00:20:44
about Federal authorities have had their
00:20:47
eye on hanhart for over two decades in
00:20:50
1981 it was made public that the feds
00:20:52
called hanhart before a grand jury
00:20:55
investigators wanted to know who leaked
00:20:57
sensitive information to Anthony Shola a
00:21:00
cop under investigation for ties to
00:21:02
organized crime during a title 3 wire
00:21:05
tap on Shola Shola says that the G is
00:21:09
watching me the government the other
00:21:12
person in F how do you know says H
00:21:14
hanhardt told me he had a relationship
00:21:17
with a man by the name of Irving Wier of
00:21:18
Niles Illinois who was a baale bondsman
00:21:21
Wier had a lot of ties and friends with
00:21:23
outfit he was his name was also surfaced
00:21:26
with the with the death of Ellen Dorfman
00:21:28
alen dman was a insurance executive was
00:21:31
convicted in 1982 along with some crime
00:21:33
syndicate figures uh in federal court
00:21:36
and was murdered in Gangland style in
00:21:38
1983 Han ard's name apparently surfaced
00:21:40
when investigators found his name in uh
00:21:43
darman's address book friends of hannard
00:21:45
will say why he had contacts like people
00:21:47
with Dorfman or Wier was that they could
00:21:49
be sources then there was the case when
00:21:51
hanart testified at a Las Vegas trial of
00:21:54
a man by the name of Anthony spalatro
00:21:56
who allegedly looked after the Chicago
00:21:58
mob's interest in the gambling Mecca he
00:22:00
testified Under The credibility of a key
00:22:02
government witness hanhart was subpoena
00:22:05
to testify at Tony spalatro trial
00:22:07
because of Frank colada a former outfit
00:22:09
member and spalatro friend who entered
00:22:12
the witness protection program hanhart
00:22:14
had known Cola and spilatro from their
00:22:16
days as Chicago burglars I was brought
00:22:19
up to hanh Hart's office he says sit
00:22:22
down
00:22:24
Frankie and I sat down and he said get
00:22:26
him a cup of coffee you want a sweet
00:22:28
roll you want to anything I said yeah no
00:22:30
just coffee's good and he says you know
00:22:33
he says uh I'm really
00:22:35
shocked he says I couldn't believe my
00:22:38
ears when I found out that you were on
00:22:42
that score downtown the Big Jewel
00:22:45
robbery so I looked at him and I said I
00:22:48
don't even know what score you're
00:22:49
talking about and he said oh you know he
00:22:51
everybody knows about that score he's
00:22:53
but not everybody knows who was on that
00:22:55
score he except me colada was surprised
00:22:58
by hanh Hart's inside information and
00:23:01
his high level of contacts within the
00:23:03
Chicago mob I come to find out later
00:23:05
that uh it came from Tony's boss uh who
00:23:10
told him see because the diamonds that
00:23:13
we robbed out of that jewelry score went
00:23:17
to the outfit and that's how we got our
00:23:19
money theart and that crew were
00:23:21
constantly on spalatro he had a temper
00:23:23
he had uh he was kind of crazy he uh
00:23:26
little guy for some reason those little
00:23:28
guys are always
00:23:30
tough spalatro toughness was the reason
00:23:33
the mob sent him to Las Vegas to ensure
00:23:36
they got their cut the power would come
00:23:38
out of Chicago and Tony would get these
00:23:42
messages and he would relay it to me
00:23:46
what needed to be done in the casinos
00:23:48
there was the skimming there I didn't
00:23:50
have anything to do with that but I was
00:23:52
informed that the money was being
00:23:54
skimmed out of the casinos my presence
00:23:56
was known that if you were steal and you
00:23:59
worked in the casino you had a little
00:24:01
problems if you got caught spilatro
00:24:04
began to operate without approval from
00:24:06
Chicago and when the bosses got upset he
00:24:09
tried to blame colada Tony had put a
00:24:12
contract out on me he made it look like
00:24:15
I was the
00:24:17
maniac that was running around killing
00:24:20
people and everything and robbing
00:24:22
everything in Vegas when in fact he was
00:24:25
the one that was directing all these
00:24:27
orders Cola turned government witness
00:24:30
and spalatro went on trial in
00:24:32
1986 his heavy-handed style had gotten
00:24:35
him in trouble and he relied on hanhart
00:24:38
to shoot down Kat's testimony hanhart
00:24:40
would argue that he was subpoena to
00:24:41
appear there he didn't have any choice I
00:24:43
didn't know until he was done
00:24:45
testifying that he was up there and he
00:24:48
testified on me and I got a laugh at and
00:24:49
I said this guy's nuts as he's fronting
00:24:52
himself off hanh heart's testimony may
00:24:55
have given spalatro a hung jury and a
00:24:57
second chance but the mob wanted to
00:24:59
cover their tracks and before there
00:25:01
would be another trial spilatro was
00:25:03
found beaten to death in an Indiana
00:25:11
cornfield next on Mugshots the feds Indi
00:25:15
hanhart and Chicago's toughest cop faces
00:25:17
his biggest case
00:25:18
[Music]
00:25:23
ever by 1986 Bill hanhart had done it
00:25:26
all he had risen from trollman to Deputy
00:25:29
superintendent and when Hollywood came
00:25:31
calling again he hung up his gun and his
00:25:33
badge and went to work on a TV series
00:25:36
about his life bill
00:25:38
hanhardt um and Michael man were fairly
00:25:41
close for a while Bill uh was a
00:25:45
consultant for Michael man on developing
00:25:49
scripts for uh Crime Story some of the
00:25:53
scripts that were developed were
00:25:55
developed based upon some cases that
00:25:57
hand was personally involved Michael man
00:26:00
apparently bought most of the real cases
00:26:04
that the CIU handles then it's finina
00:26:07
who started it he was a CIU copper
00:26:10
finina played Hanah Hart's part cuz he
00:26:11
was the head of that unit but
00:26:14
um all of crime stories was basically
00:26:18
Chicago scores after a short stint as a
00:26:21
Hollywood consultant hanhart seemed to
00:26:23
have vanished but according to Federal
00:26:25
authorities he was far from inactive
00:26:30
Thursday October 19th 2000 Federal
00:26:33
authorities announced that they have
00:26:34
broken up one of the most sophisticated
00:26:36
and prolific jewelry theft rings in the
00:26:39
country operating for over a decade and
00:26:41
netting $5 million in Jewels the FED say
00:26:45
these criminals got the help of Chicago
00:26:47
policemen over the years the city has
00:26:50
struggled with corruption ranging from
00:26:52
street cops committing robberies to the
00:26:54
superintendent of police resigning from
00:26:56
the force in 1997 for close ties to
00:26:59
organized crime figures what shocked the
00:27:02
people of Chicago this time was that the
00:27:04
feds arrested Bill hanhardt the former
00:27:07
Chief of detectives and one of the
00:27:09
highest ranking cops ever to be indicted
00:27:11
in federal court in the Federal
00:27:13
indictment hanhart is described as the
00:27:15
ring leader of a daring and
00:27:17
sophisticated group of Thieves they
00:27:19
arrested Joseph bazinsky as his
00:27:21
Lieutenant Sam Deano who owned a
00:27:23
nightclub on Rush Street guy alello who
00:27:26
worked at a jewelry store in in the
00:27:28
suburbs of Chicago Paul Shiro was picked
00:27:31
up in Arizona and William Cherry no
00:27:34
Brown is still at large once you start
00:27:37
developing these friendships and start
00:27:39
sharing proceeds of crimes with people
00:27:42
then you've step way over that line it's
00:27:44
no longer law enforcement you're one of
00:27:46
the bad guys I have never known bill
00:27:49
hanhardt as a police officer to
00:27:52
compromise his Integrity or his
00:27:55
reputation for honesty as a police
00:27:57
officer that's what's so amazing about
00:28:00
uh this indictment hard to believe that
00:28:03
uh uh you know super cop could have been
00:28:06
working with
00:28:08
[Music]
00:28:22
them4 let's go
00:28:25
with Bill hanhart Rose through the ranks
00:28:28
on his strength as a detective the feds
00:28:31
claim he switched sides and used his
00:28:33
experience at catching Crooks to become
00:28:35
one of the top Jewel thieves in the
00:28:37
country we covered stories involving
00:28:39
outfit burglars that were sophisticated
00:28:41
but I don't anything compared to this
00:28:43
each allegations that came out recently
00:28:45
the Hallmark of this jewelry theft ring
00:28:48
was its extreme sophistication and
00:28:51
planning this was a nationwide theft
00:28:53
ring that ranged not just in the midwest
00:28:56
we're talking about montere California
00:28:57
we're in occurred Columbus Ohio Dallas
00:29:00
Texas and so on and so forth in fact the
00:29:03
feds accuse hanhart of orchestrating
00:29:05
eight jewelry scores as far back as
00:29:08
1984 culminating in a daring Heist of
00:29:10
$1.5 million in jewels from hotel safety
00:29:13
deposit boxes during a jewelry
00:29:15
convention in
00:29:16
Ohio traveling jewelry salesmen were
00:29:19
hanh hard's targets according to the
00:29:21
feds the thieves pocketed $5 million in
00:29:25
stones and watches
00:29:28
they would also according to the
00:29:29
government now were able to put e
00:29:31
dropping devices in those Vehicles
00:29:33
transmitters they could follow those
00:29:36
cars they wiretap some of the
00:29:38
conversations involving these wholesale
00:29:40
jewelry salesmen they were able to
00:29:42
follow them they make duplicating key
00:29:45
equipment so keys that could make for
00:29:47
get their way into a car so it was a
00:29:48
widespread operation they would get
00:29:50
information about these fellows from the
00:29:52
law enforcement computers they would go
00:29:54
to trade shows that not normally aren't
00:29:56
open to the public get to know who who
00:29:58
some of these jewelry salesman were what
00:30:00
their travel patterns were things like
00:30:01
that and how much swag so to speak they
00:30:03
might be carrying with them well the
00:30:05
activities that that bill hanhart and
00:30:07
some of his associates are accused of at
00:30:09
this point it's not rocket science it's
00:30:12
not rocket science it's it's just
00:30:14
rudimentary thievery it's uh stealing uh
00:30:18
targeting people it's doing your
00:30:20
homework a little bit but there have
00:30:22
always been professional thieves and
00:30:24
this is a professional crew and I would
00:30:27
have to liking it to an organized crime
00:30:29
Crew That's the Way jewelry scores
00:30:31
usually go down watch a guy for a little
00:30:34
while uh sooner or later the jewelry
00:30:36
salesman is going to put the stuff in
00:30:37
his trunk uh go to get something to eat
00:30:40
stop somewhere else and you you hit the
00:30:42
trunk there's there's a million ways to
00:30:44
do it when you investigate things when
00:30:45
you're in law enforcement for 20 30
00:30:48
years you know how to do something like
00:30:50
that if you get to a point where you
00:30:51
want to turn into a thief you're going
00:30:53
to know how to do it the Federal
00:30:54
indictment against hanhart contains a
00:30:57
detailed account of the last Heist his
00:30:59
crew is accused of pulling in October of
00:31:03
1996 the salesman was followed prior to
00:31:05
the theft to get the car's vehicle
00:31:07
identification number with that a
00:31:10
duplicate key was
00:31:12
made then the salesman was followed on a
00:31:14
trip to
00:31:17
[Music]
00:31:20
Indiana what hanhart and his crew did
00:31:22
not know was that the entire scheme was
00:31:25
allegedly caught on camera by the FBI
00:31:30
[Music]
00:31:38
when the salesman stop to eat they set
00:31:41
up Lookouts
00:31:43
[Music]
00:31:59
and then they stole
00:32:00
$58,000 in
00:32:05
watches all under the watchful eye of an
00:32:08
FBI surveillance team according to Media
00:32:10
reports
00:32:16
[Music]
00:32:28
once the thieves saw how little there
00:32:29
was they returned the watches presumably
00:32:32
to wait for a better
00:32:35
score but there were no more scores the
00:32:38
FBI had been listening to hanh Hart's
00:32:40
phones since January of
00:32:42
1996 and the tap stayed active but the
00:32:45
action stopped according to the
00:32:47
indictment hanhart knew his phones were
00:32:50
tapped before the FBI told them before
00:32:55
the FBI sent out the inventories to
00:32:58
people like me whose conversations with
00:33:01
him were
00:33:03
overheard he knew that ahead of time
00:33:05
they never would have put this thing
00:33:06
together I really don't think they had
00:33:09
the Smoking Gun uh in this case I mean
00:33:11
for 5
00:33:13
years uh apparently there was leaks that
00:33:15
there was going to be an indictment in
00:33:16
this case and statue of limitation
00:33:19
almost ran out down the last couple of
00:33:23
weeks so I think it was a Do or Die
00:33:25
situation Ernie Rizzo was working
00:33:27
working a divorce case that eventually
00:33:29
gave the feds everything they needed Sam
00:33:32
Deano an alleged member of hanh heart's
00:33:35
crew and nephew of a notorious outfit
00:33:37
member was getting a divorce from his
00:33:39
wife Karen we started looking for assets
00:33:43
which uh led us to safe deposit box her
00:33:47
attorney suggest that we open a safe
00:33:49
deposit box uh photograph everything in
00:33:52
the Box um we wound up uh going to the
00:33:57
safe deposit boxes photographing uh a
00:34:00
lot of jewelry that were in the boxes uh
00:34:03
some ID um apparently phony ID and uh
00:34:08
some wir tap equipment and um um car
00:34:13
bugging devices but no one reported it
00:34:16
uh I knew about it for two years and you
00:34:19
know it's not my job to help the FBI put
00:34:21
their case together so we just left it
00:34:23
in the safe deposit box and it stayed
00:34:25
there it came to light when Sam's
00:34:28
attorney uh started filing motions in
00:34:31
his divorce proceeding demanding the
00:34:34
jewelry back if you've got a client uh
00:34:37
that the FBI has been looking at for 5
00:34:39
years looking for jewelry and evidence
00:34:42
it's really kind of a silly move to keep
00:34:44
mentioning these names in open court and
00:34:46
talking about jewelry and safe deposit
00:34:48
boxes and apparently a couple months ago
00:34:52
fell on the years of the
00:34:53
FBI um C case was a couple weeks ago FBI
00:34:58
grabbed her put her in protective
00:35:00
custody gave me a grand jury subpoena to
00:35:02
turn over anything that I may have taken
00:35:03
out of the box and confiscated all the
00:35:06
jewelry in a box coming up have the feds
00:35:09
built a solid case or did they make the
00:35:11
evidence fit the crime to settle a
00:35:13
grudge against
00:35:15
hanhart in 1998 the FBI tried to
00:35:19
jumpstart the investigation against
00:35:21
hanhart by tipping the media the story
00:35:23
first broke in the spring of 1998 when
00:35:25
it was revealed that the Federal Bureau
00:35:27
of investigation other federal agents
00:35:29
had put a wiretap on the Suburban home
00:35:31
of Bill hanhart wir Taps Are Not Unusual
00:35:34
many wir Taps being conducted at all
00:35:36
times but this was one of the longest
00:35:37
the wire tab on Han ard's house
00:35:39
according to Federal documents ran for
00:35:42
almost a year prior to that wiretap a
00:35:44
former burglar who was well known in
00:35:46
outfit Circles by the name of Bobby De
00:35:48
Beek seagull had been cooperating with
00:35:51
Federal authorities he and possibly some
00:35:53
others that they were using now in the
00:35:55
witness protection program begin quot to
00:35:57
speak spilling the beans according to
00:35:59
Media reports seagull was in prison for
00:36:02
pulling a heist in Florida where he shot
00:36:04
up a sheriff's car while making his
00:36:05
getaway he approached the FBI with
00:36:07
information on a corrupt Chicago cop if
00:36:10
Bobby to be seagull is saying
00:36:13
anything uh against hanhardt I
00:36:16
personally think it's concocted and it's
00:36:18
retaliatory and keep in mind that
00:36:20
seagull is part of a network of thugs
00:36:23
and hoodlums in a Penitentiary that over
00:36:25
the years hanhart has put there some of
00:36:28
the men arrested with hanhart had
00:36:30
low-level connections to organized crime
00:36:33
and criminal records according to the
00:36:34
Chicago crime commission bazinsky the
00:36:37
man accused of being hanh Hart's
00:36:38
Lieutenant had been on the crime
00:36:40
commission's radar in the past but it
00:36:42
was his bizarre behavior after his
00:36:45
indictment that Drew headlines bazinsky
00:36:47
is known for his in taxic for his
00:36:51
disregard for all the mandates set forth
00:36:54
by the court thank God they finally
00:36:56
locked them up I think it was ludicrous
00:36:58
all the chances he was given repeatedly
00:37:01
leaving home confinement to go to a
00:37:03
Tavern near his house groping women
00:37:05
there hitting his girlfriend this guy
00:37:07
really needs a good slap himself to
00:37:09
shake him out of it he's he sounds like
00:37:11
a real goof hanhart was arraigned with
00:37:13
his alleged cohorts but was bailed out
00:37:16
by family members who found the charges
00:37:18
hard to believe if he uh was involved in
00:37:22
a jewelry ring why is he broke I mean he
00:37:24
had to borrow in his house to pay for
00:37:26
the attorney 's friend Richard breik
00:37:29
also could not comprehend the
00:37:30
allegations I knew of binski because he
00:37:33
doesn't live that far away from here uh
00:37:36
I do not know the other people at all in
00:37:39
fact there are people in that indictment
00:37:41
that bill hanhardt does not know the
00:37:44
picture of Bill hanhart that the feds
00:37:46
have shown to the public is far
00:37:48
different from the modest yet proud man
00:37:50
Richard breik knows as a friend and
00:37:52
former colleague his home is comfortable
00:37:55
people are always welcome there they
00:37:57
treated very special when they come
00:37:59
there by his wife and himself bill is
00:38:02
nothing more
00:38:04
than a husband a father a
00:38:08
grandfather and a retired cop with a
00:38:13
great reputation breik feels that the
00:38:16
feds have a history of making the facts
00:38:18
fit the theory and that playing hard
00:38:19
ball is a routine part of their practice
00:38:22
in the parking lot of Lake Forest
00:38:24
Hospital he uh was grabed so to speak by
00:38:30
three FBI
00:38:32
agents and uh not inconsistent with the
00:38:37
history of the
00:38:39
FBI uh they lied to him they said they
00:38:41
had a warrant for his
00:38:43
arrest they had no warrant for his
00:38:45
arrest it will take more than the words
00:38:47
of convicted felons and reports of wir
00:38:50
TAPS to convince breik that the feds got
00:38:53
the right man that someone who has
00:38:56
spent is entire life
00:39:00
putting notorious bad people in
00:39:05
jail would cross over the
00:39:09
line is
00:39:11
somewhat ludicrous for astounding I
00:39:14
think if you're a cop you should that's
00:39:16
your feel that's what you you should
00:39:18
stay in you shouldn't try to play Both
00:39:20
Sides uh I don't think it's right but I
00:39:23
just can't believe how a guy would go so
00:39:24
many years straight up and never catch
00:39:27
any heat and years afterwards what is it
00:39:31
70s now that you'd get involved in
00:39:33
something as silly as uh you know
00:39:35
popping trunks I don't think he was
00:39:37
surprised that they came after
00:39:39
him uh there are certain people in the
00:39:42
federal government whove made a career
00:39:45
trying to get hand
00:39:47
hurt the government doesn't basically go
00:39:50
after anybody until information is
00:39:52
obtained uh or given to them by somebody
00:39:55
they just don't run out in the street
00:39:57
why and spent all day long harassing
00:40:00
somebody because they don't like him uh
00:40:02
I never had a case in which uh we would
00:40:04
quote went after somebody whether this
00:40:06
is an open and shut case or the feds
00:40:08
have overreached in their effort to get
00:40:10
bill hanhardt will be determined by a
00:40:12
jury in federal court what is for
00:40:15
certain is the indictment of Bill
00:40:17
hanhart shows that there is still a
00:40:19
suspicion in Chicago that the cops and
00:40:21
the mob are just too
00:40:24
cozy next on mug shots Bill H hanhart
00:40:27
takes on the federal
00:40:32
government bill hanhart is not used to
00:40:34
being the underdog after a lifetime of
00:40:37
chasing Crooks the hunter has become the
00:40:39
hunted he was once surrounded by friends
00:40:42
colleagues and admirers but now stands
00:40:45
alone to face his accusers and it will
00:40:47
take all his determination to see him
00:40:49
through this most important fight of his
00:40:52
life he's been keeping a low profile at
00:40:55
his home in the Chicago suburbs helping
00:40:57
his lawyers prepare a defense and while
00:41:00
everyone awaits the outcome of his trial
00:41:02
the charges have created a Chasm among
00:41:05
law enforcement I think anybody who
00:41:07
betrays the trust of his fellow officers
00:41:10
anybody who betrays the badge given to
00:41:12
him to uh protect honor and serve the
00:41:15
citizens is a judice it's just resisting
00:41:19
that urge and it's not stepping over
00:41:21
that line that
00:41:23
99.9% of all policemen are able to do
00:41:27
the first lesson that he's learned is
00:41:29
who his real friends are what's
00:41:31
important to bill
00:41:34
today is his wife Angie of 50 plus
00:41:39
years his six daughters and one
00:41:42
son and his 17
00:41:45
grandchildren and his handful of friends
00:41:48
he was such a dynamic figure such a
00:41:51
successful police officer as a detective
00:41:53
and a detective chief that often he was
00:41:56
given a free reign
00:41:57
uh there was not necessarily the sort of
00:42:00
review that other officials in the
00:42:02
department might have been subjected to
00:42:05
he was that good and he was that strong
00:42:07
and he was that powerful he was a man he
00:42:09
was the type of guy that uh he would put
00:42:12
the gun on the side the badge on the
00:42:14
side and go Toe to Toe with you at this
00:42:17
point and in looking at the things that
00:42:19
I've heard over the years and the things
00:42:21
that have been brought forth by the
00:42:22
federal government I would I would have
00:42:25
to describe him as sinister
00:42:28
I would consider his behavior as a
00:42:31
betrayal to true law enforcement
00:42:34
professionals the newspaper Clips don't
00:42:36
tell me anything talk about some some
00:42:40
Interstate Nationwide jewelry ring I
00:42:44
know the defendants are not talking to
00:42:46
the newspapers I know the defense
00:42:48
attorneys are not talking to the
00:42:49
newspapers so this is the government
00:42:52
story in the
00:42:54
newspaper bill hanhardt and his attorney
00:42:56
have declined comment in fact most of
00:42:59
his former colleagues have chosen not to
00:43:02
talk hanhardt and his legal team have
00:43:05
decided to lay out his story in court
00:43:07
before a jury of Chicagoans have a good
00:43:10
day I look at indictments whether it be
00:43:13
hanh hard or others the success rate is
00:43:16
going to be high and chances are that
00:43:18
he's going to be convicted they usually
00:43:20
won't take it a trial unless they have a
00:43:22
solid
00:43:23
case uh I would imagine they have a lot
00:43:26
on them
00:43:27
and uh and if they do I imagine he's
00:43:31
going to go to jail for quite a while
00:43:33
when reporters followed bill hanhart out
00:43:36
of federal court you could see how he
00:43:38
tried to maintain his dignity at 72 he
00:43:41
is suffering from prostate cancer and
00:43:43
while he awaits a trial postponed by his
00:43:46
defense team Chicago awaits an answer I
00:43:49
think very few people in Chicago believe
00:43:51
it because H's always had a hell
00:43:54
reputation Tough Cop toughest cop so
00:43:57
when it came down everybody you know
00:43:59
really in in a days wondering could this
00:44:02
really have happened
00:44:04
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sh
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