Saturday, August 26, 2006

Tony Soprano Channeling Sam Spade


I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble. If I did, would you find me in those dark hours, eyeing some broad at Blinco's, about to find myself in the middle of the biggest story to hit town in years?

I'm Tony Soprano of the Court TV discussion board fame. No, not the guy on that TV show. I just took his moniker cause it gave me cover like a cheap toupee when a fella's follicles are few. I'm not afraid of cops like Gottlieb. I was there the night the caper with the fry cook went down.
Did I see it? No.

Gottlieb and I rub each other the wrong way, like a cheap wool suit you've had one year too long. Things were tense that night, my friends. I shot off my mouth a few times. As Gottlieb passed my barstool, he leaned in close. I could see the oily sweat on his shiny bald head. "Keep riding on me and they're gonna be picking iron out of your liver." He straightened up and, with his posse following him, sauntered out the door into the alley. What happened next, well, that's the most baffling mystery story in years.

A friend of mine, a newsie, was in Blinco's a few nights later. "Tony, Have the barkeep pour me some of that booze you're drinking, and I'll tell you a story you might want to hear."

"Good booze makes any tale you're going to tell one I want to hear." I motioned for him to pull out the barstool beside me. We waited till the dame serving us gave me a wink and sauntered back to the bar.

"Did you see Gottlieb's picture on the front page of the local rag. Did you read the piece saying his boss Nifong should be worried he's going down for the Blinco's gig?'

"Yeah, me and half the town saw that. What's your beef? Gottlieb's days as a Big Shot Bully are as numbered as a Currier and Ives calendar. The cook ratted him out, said the "Bald guy" was the instigator. Of the coppers here that night, Gottlieb fit that description like a Hong Kong suit you had made to order. He's as finished as a Dame from an East Coast Boarding school. He's going down.

The newsie smiled, took another sip of his drink. "Not so fast, Tony, Gottlieb may have hired a lawyer, but he ain't gonna take the fall. Our big story tomorrow is two young cops will take the rap for him. No way bossman Nifong will let his boy Gottlieb go down till the Dukies are duked out."

I took a drag on my cigarette and watched the smoke curl across the table. The newsie leaned in and pushed copy of the morning's paper my way. Our eyes met again as I glanced at the photos of the two cops charged."

But they have hair! There heads look like lucky sheep who ran from a careless shearer. No way they fit the Cook's description. And Gottlieb lawyered up faster than a railroad car on an icy stretch of track!”

"Exactly. Nifong's the boss. He ain't gonna let no stinking fry cook ruin the best campaign strategy since Washington rowed across a frosty river in Delaware. Gottlieb's the chief investigator. Three months later, he turned in ...pages of notes. His recollection of events added details to Nifong’s case like a New York seamstress adds sequins to a songbird’s gown. Gottlieb's in solid with the boss.”

I sat in stunned silence, not even a come hither look from the comely barmaid could stop my thoughts.

The newsie took another sip of the bourbon I bought him.

"It ain't the first time either. One morning. around 6AM, Gottlieb ran a red light and rammed his car into another guy's ride right here in Raleigh. When the smoke cleared, the wreck caused $7000 worth of damage. Our man Gottlieb didn't even get a ticket. Tony, if that was you or me, think the Raleigh cops would let it slide like a fried egg on a greasy stove?"

I leaned back. The newsie smiled a knowing smile. "Ain't gonna happen, Tony. Watch and see. The guy with the smashed car, the poor fry cook here that got knocked around? They are NOBODYS, Tony. And NOBODY cares.”

My beat can be ugly, my friends. The night can be cold. But this story chilled me like a eager bridegroom's champagne waiting to be uncorked. But it's not over yet.

Tony Soprano doesn’t go down easy.

******Footnote: Unlike some OTHER fiction writers LieStoppers feels the need to distinguish fiction from fact. Should the NYT wish to carry this story, LieStoppers will insist they disclose the difference. Tony Soprano was NOT in Blinco's the night of the Fry Cook beating, but we link to the basic facts of the story that ARE true.

Gottlieb Accident Report

Gottlieb Accident Report Page 2

Map to Blinco's

Intersection of Lynn and Creedmoor

Tony Goes To Blinco's

Blinco's Allegations

Blinco's Allegations, Updated

Baldo Described

Gottlieb Gets Off Again


15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lag in search of Lacrosse homes draws questions.

That is the title of a 4/1 Herald Sun article. In it, nurse Arico speaks generically about what a SANE nurse might say in a report. Note the similarity to the remarks seemingly attributed to Levicy in the NYT article regarding "blunt force trauma". It sounds like somebody took Arico's generic remarks and tried to say they were about the AV's exam.

"Theresa Arico is a sexual assault nurse examiner and coordinator of that program at Duke.

She described the process as a comprehensive combination of interviews and physical examinations of the person making the sexual assault complaint.

"You can say with a high degree of certainty that there was a certain amount of blunt force trauma present to create injury" by the physical examination, which uses a device called a colposcope to magnify a woman's internal parts where injuries consistent with a sexual assault would occur, Arico said.

But sexual assault nurse examiners do not render an opinion on whether a rape has occurred. That is for the State Bureau of Investigation to determine through its forensic lab work.

"I can reasonably say these injuries are consistent with the story she told," Arico said.

If DNA evidence is present where the assault was said to have occurred, that can further corroborate the victim's account, Arico said.

A typical exam might collect oral swabs, blood samples, hair and pubic hair. Special equipment might be used that emits a light that fluoresces when semen is present, for example. Fingernails could be scraped to look for an attacker's tissue. Any DNA material that does not match the victim's might be collected.

Arico said the DNA suspect kits that the Duke players provided under court order collect the same samples -- blood, oral swabs, hair and pubic hair."

Anonymous said...

Great Job Liestoppers! At least somebody is alive in Durham. The N & O & Herald-Sun are sleeping their way through summer!

Gottlieb is so dirty! I think this whole case was his idea! He probably grabbed onto this allegation and rode it like a horse. 33 page report from memory with only 3 pages of written notes in 4 months?

Anonymous said...

Well, I sure hope Gottlieb can ride a horse better than he can drive.

August West said...

"Yeah, me and half the town saw that."

Best line ever.

Anonymous said...

Is there any truth to the rumor that Gottlieb has a mongrammed colposcope he uses to floss with?

Anonymous said...

If I ran a red light and rammed some car I think the accident report would have more details than this one did. I guess that is a benefit of being a cop in a corrupt city.

Anonymous said...

See further discussion of this article, and NYT star witness Sgt. Gottlieb, at the following Free Republic thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1690672/posts

Anonymous said...

LieStoppers - Damn! You guys are good.

I hope you're anonymous too with that crooked crew from the BULL City.

Remember, what happens in Durham - stays in Durham. Oh, I mean it used to.

Looks like a new day has dawned with LieStoppers and forums like FreeRepublic.

Gottlieb and Nifong better get some shades like Tony Soprano because I'm afraid a bright light is going to be shining on their dirty dealings in Durham.

Anonymous said...

Now that is one well sourced article!

Unbelievable what corruption lurks down there in Durham.

Looking at your photos of that intersection, what do we attribute this accident to? - Overage Drinking?

Maybe Gottlieb was in a hurry home to pick up the Beer Bottles on his lawn before the Sun came up?

Isn't this the guy that drove the DNA samples over and personally delivered them? Now we know why it took so long to get the results back.

This story also casts many of the facts of the Duke case in a different light. Maybe Gottlieb was interviewing Jarriel Johnson for a job as his personal driver? Does this explain Gottlieb's interest in the Cab Driver?

You'd think maybe a newspaper in North Carolina would've discovered this information on preferential treatment of someone like "Head of Investigations" in DPD by a Police force investigating his participation in other crimes.

We've heard Nifong reads the blogs religiously. I expect he's going to have very bad heartburn and gastronmonical disturbances this weekend.

Thanks LieStoppers!

August West said...

http://crystalmess.blogspot.com/2006/08/douchebagsezwhut.html

Anonymous said...

When pondering Gottlieb, we must consider his creative genius!

Many believe alcohol cures Writer's Block. Gottlieb blessed with great creativity and artistic ability may have been trying to reach into the depths of his soul.

From a Washington Post article titled "Writers and Alcohol:"

"Do writers drink more than other people? It would seem so. Raymond Carver, acclaimed author of stories about America's working poor, died last August at the age of 50. "He began achieving recognition as a writer in 1967 when his story Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? was selected for the anthology Best American Short Stories, his obituary said. "But that was also the year he began to drink heavily...After being hospitalized for the fourth time, he turned to Alcoholics Anonymous..."

http://www.unhooked.com/sep/writers.htm

...

Anonymous said...

I know Mark Gottlieb. He's ruthless and enjoys messing with people. Everyone that knows of him, knows you don't get on his bad side, or anywhere near it.

He's pretty much untouchable and acts like it. I was at Bar with some others and Mark came with a friend that was supposed to watch the game with us. We were watching an NFL game. Mark thought someone was looking at him, and he yelled, what the Fu**
are you looking at! He wouldn't the guy alone and it was obvious the guy didn't want any part of him. The guy left about the third time Mark said something to him.

I have no idea about some of this stuff, but I know he's mean and he owns the place when he goes somewhere. He has a bad temper!

Sam in Raleigh

Anonymous said...

I know Mark Gottlieb. He's ruthless and enjoys messing with people. Everyone that knows of him, knows you don't get on his bad side, or anywhere near it.

He's pretty much untouchable and acts like it. I was at Bar with some others and Mark came with a friend that was supposed to watch the game with us. We were watching an NFL game. Mark thought someone was looking at him, and he yelled, what the Fu**
are you looking at! He wouldn't the guy alone and it was obvious the guy didn't want any part of him. The guy left about the third time Mark said something to him.

I have no idea about some of this stuff, but I know he's mean and he owns the place when he goes somewhere. He has a bad temper!

Sam in Raleigh

Anonymous said...

I know Mark Gottlieb. He's ruthless and enjoys messing with people. Everyone that knows of him, knows you don't get on his bad side, or anywhere near it.

He's pretty much untouchable and acts like it. I was at Bar with some others and Mark came with a friend that was supposed to watch the game with us. We were watching an NFL game. Mark thought someone was looking at him, and he yelled, what the Fu**
are you looking at! He wouldn't the guy alone and it was obvious the guy didn't want any part of him. The guy left about the third time Mark said something to him.

I have no idea about some of this stuff, but I know he's mean and he owns the place when he goes somewhere. He has a bad temper!

Sam in Raleigh

Anonymous said...

From a couple posts up -

"When pondering Gottlieb, we must consider his creative genius!"

PRICELESS !