Posted: Friday, 27 February 2009 11:38AM
How Will The Fortune Cookie Crumble?
Steve Corbett Reporting
Friday, February 27, 2009
The man sitting at the bar at the Scranton Chinese restaurant turned and looked my way.
I sensed him staring as I ordered my take-out one Friday night last year.
“You Corbett?” he finally asked.
“Yeah,” I said.
“You know who I am?” he asked.
“Help me out,” I said.
“Bob Kulick.”
I hadn’t heard his name for years, let alone seen him. I don’t think I ever met him or even talked to him. But he knew me from columns I had written about events over the years in which he was deeply involved.
One of those events involved former Luzerne County Judge Arthur D’Alessandro, who went to federal prison on a tax rap. I remember sitting in the dirty judge’s chambers one day as he refused to answer my questions.
Eventually he threw me out of his office after telling me to bet on him and his innocence.
I’m glad I don’t gamble.
He did.
And he lost.
So did his buddy Kulick, who also went to prison on tax charges.
Another Kulick buddy was the late great Congressman Dan Flood, who resigned in disgrace after getting snared in a federal public corruption probe. Kulick once worked for Flood and played a part in his downfall.
Now Kulick told me that was all behind him and that he was sitting on top of the world.
He told me that night in the Chinese restaurant that he was married and that he and his wife were in business together. Her parents were the well-respected and wealthy owners of the Pocono Raceway.
Kulick sounded happy and confident, although even at his worst times he likely appeared happy and confident.
Our talk then turned to Louis DeNaples, the money man from Dunmore who had been charged with perjury for allegedly lying to state gaming officials about his alleged relationship with organized crime figures, particularly with Billy D’Elia, the reputed head of the Bufalino crime family.
Kulick said that he and D’Elia grew up together and that D’Elia stopped by Kulick’s house almost every day. Although I had written about D’Elia for many years, I never knew about the connection with Kulick.
But it made sense.
And now Kulick was telling me how the authorities could absolutely link D’Elia and DeNaples.
His theory made sense.
We talked some more and he told me that I should stop by the house someday. We shook hands. I grabbed my quart of Mao Po tofu and left.
Not long after our meeting, feds indicted Kulick on gun charges for threatening a former employee with a gun he was not supposed to possess because he is a convicted felon.
Kulick eventually pleaded guilty as did D’Elia, who was busted on money laundering charges and threatening to kill a witness. D’Elia is doing nine years and cooperating with the feds in their cases against Kulick and others.
Now Kulick is perturbed.
So he’s talking, too.
In court documents, Kulick has now put former Luzerne County President Judge Michael Conahan in breakfast meetings with Kulick and D’Elia. Kulick said that Conahan and D’Elia talked about cases in which D’Elia associates had an interest.
Ace Citizens Voice reporter Dave Janoski reports today that Conahan and D’Elia attended at least one lavish party at Kulick’s house.
Conahan has pleaded guilty to accepting kickbacks and is preparing for prison. He has since resigned as a member of the board of directors at the Dunmore bank where accused perjurer and Poconos casino owner DeNaples served as chairman of the board until he, too, was forced to step aside.
I’m rooting for Kulick and hope he can once again turn his life around.
Telling the truth will help.
And I’m hoping that he and D’Elia can reconcile and together provide information to law enforcement officials that will help rid our region of political corruption.
My wish is a big order.
We’re not talking bean curd chop suey here.
After this main course, there’s no telling what the fortune cookies might say.
|
Corbett
E-Mail
Print
