In Western Texas, Powell was a prosecutor in the trial of American drug trafficker Jimmy Chagra for criminal enterprise violations. Lee held the picture so it caught the light. She still has paintings he made while locked up, a hobby he never resumed after getting a medical parole in December 2003. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Up and then down. Vivian said she didnt know. He would lend a stranger his last $100, knowing he was kissing it good-bye. If Stricklin cooperated, they would work for his early release. It was an incredible sight. You ought to pay me fifteen hundred dollars an hour to entertain customers. Someone had gone after Jo Annie, who had collapsed when she first heard the news but now wanted to be there with the family. The attempt on Kerrs life unleashed the most sweeping drug investigation in the history of the Southwest. I undermined their entire case of how the bullet got to the judge.. It was a shocking verdict after the FBI conducted its most extensive investigation since the Kennedy assassination. It had been months since anyone had seen him so animated. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. For pure gambling, Jimmy may have been the strongest anyone in Vegas ever saw. They had a surprise for Leea new Lincoln limousine with a portable bar, a TV, a stereo, and even a secret compartment to conceal his guns and playing cards. Universal Studios Is Coming to Frisco. I thought it was just an isolated thing, one player said, but Lee kept brooding about it. Almost every day Jimmy telephoned Lee from his new home in Las Vegas. Lee and Joe began to consider filing a harassment suit against Wood, Kerr, and various federal agents. Im the eagle! But Sandy noticed there were tears in his eyes. The case remains unsolved. But the mere act of talking on the telephone seemed to boost his confidence. Hardly a day passed that the flamboyant attorney didnt make the news. But Jimmy took most of the credit. [18] He was scheduled to appear before United States District Judge John Wood, a judge nicknamed "Maximum John" who had a reputation for giving out the maximum sentence allowed for drug-related crimes. A sample: Q.What about Lee Chagra? We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. As in: Heres a picture of Jimmy in Vegas with Muhammad Ali, both in black tie. Joe Chagra testified against the other defendants in exchange for pleading guilty to murder-conspiracy with a maximum sentence of ten years in a plea-bargain deal, and with an agreement that he would not testify against his brother Jimmy in a separate trial. Lee concurred and told other members of the family that Jimmy was dead broke and needed their help. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. Ten smugglers, two airplanes, and four U-Haul trucks had been seized in the predawn trap. At the victory party that followed the declaration of mistrial, one of the jurors told Lee: I know those boys did everything they said they did, but dammit, they didnt prove it!. She didnt know the details, but she had heard that Jimmy and his new wife, Liz, were living it up in Vegas. Who do you think you are? The pit boss had heard the spiel many times and smiled patronizingly as he personally counted out the stacks of $500 chips. For months Lee had been unable to shake the premonition that something wild and uncontrollable had broken loose. Florida Police Officer Treated After Being Exposed To Fentanyl During Stop, Youth Pot Abuse Jumps By 245% In Two Decades: Researchers, 'Cocaine' Cassie debuts new tattoo sleeve in racy photo as glamorous drug smuggler sets return to Australia. [15], Chagra's drug dealings came under close scrutiny by law enforcement and the judicial system. He didnt appear to recognize the name. Chagra's third wife, Elizabeth, was found guilty of delivering $250,000 to Charles Harrelson to kill Wood. To get to that part of the story, we have to go back in time, to the war on drugs that Richard Nixon initiated, and to three brothers in El Paso of Lebanese descent by way of Mexico. A.I think now its a separate dealIm not sure. Lee speculated that the attempt was an inside job. The interview was patently leading; most of the questions were of the when-did-you-stop-beating-your-wife variety. A month later, Jack Stricklin was standing before Maximum John Wood, contemplating life without parole. Jamie Boyd was the consummate politician. The family was breaking apart. Investigators, the press, and even the Chagras themselves have said for months that they expect Jimmy Chagra to be indicted for the first murder in this century of a federal judge. Im gonna take the joint apart., Caesars Palace dispatched a Learjet, and in less than two hours a limousine deposited them at the casino door. The complex included not only a maze of well-appointed offices but also a fully equipped kitchen, a law library, and completely furnished two-bedroom suite. Though the prosecution recognized there was hardly any chance that Rick would turn on his family, James Kerr did everything in his power to put him away for 40 years. At the end of his life, Jimmy Chagra knew he was dying, and unlike his ex-wife, whod fought the cancer for herself and her daughters, he gave up quickly. Jamiel "Jimmy" Alexander Chagra (December 7, 1944 July 25, 2008) was an American drug trafficker, carpet salesman and professional gambler. Hadnt I already proven that wrong?. He nearly bankrupted the family carpet store and maybe even helped along Dad Chagras fatal heart attack. Patsy heard the bells from St. Patricks Cathedral in the next block and remembered Mom Chagra. Lee seemed restless and preoccupied, as though he were late for an appointment and couldnt wait for Jo Annie to leave. Clark Hughes went ahead to the casino to lose my piddling three or four hundred. He never knew why Lee liked to bring him along, but he seldom refused. If there was a single piece of new evidence, it wasnt mentioned, or even hinted at, in the indictment. The bell boy warned me of (Lees) reputation as a gambler, and that he was known to like women, Vivian Chagra would tell her friend and former anthropology professor Kay McCulloch, in an interview for a book project on which the two were collaborating. The feds could never prove he had any part in the operation or even that he knew about it in advance, though he probably did. Lee laughed with pride. The consensus had always been that Jimmy Chagra would never amount to much. That was the year Lee and Jo Annie started building their new home on Frontera Road in the Upper Valley. The judge was a member of every exclusive club in San AntonioSons of the Republic of Texas, Sons of the American Revolution, Texas Cavaliers, Argyle Club, San Antonio Club, Order of the Alamo, San Antonio Gun Club, German Club, American Legion, San Antonio Country Cluband owned property in the segregated Key Allegro resort on the Texas coastthe list went on and on. Lees finances were in shambles, but he still had plenty of credit in Las Vegas. Dirty Darlings Paperback November 6, 2015. WebCatherine Chagra, the oldest daughter of Jamiel "Jimmy" Chagra -- a convicted dope dealer accused but never convicted of masterminding the assassination of a federal judge in San In fact, the only evidence that Lee expected things to improve was his new office complex. Later he built a reputation as a hard-driving prosecutor in charge of the docket in Del Rio, where he and Judge John Wood became fast friends. The position of federal authorities was that even though Joe Chagra was a lawyer, he was also suspected in conspiracy to conceal the crime; therefore, their conversations were not covered by attorney-client privilege. On the morning of the day Lee was murdered, his bookkeeper, Donna Johnson, arrived at the office about ten oclock. From time to time agents provocateurs posing as clients came to his office to discuss a phony case, then ended up trying to score some drugs from him. The madness seemed to peak in November, when two men in a van sprayed Kerrs car with buckshot and .30-caliber bullets. But Vegas had never seen anything that surpassed the performance of Lee and Jimmy Chagra. Traditionally, gambling and smuggling are on a par with fixing parking tickets and hiring illegal aliens. United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, "TRIAL ON JUDGE'S DEATH HEARS ONE JAILED BROTHER DEFAME THE OTHER (Published 1982)", "Jamiel A. Chagra, 63, Drug Kingpin, Dies", "Joseph Chagra, 50, Lawyer Linked to Assassination, Dies", "Drug kingpin accused in slaying of federal judge", "Jailer recalls conversations with Woody Harrelson's father", "Las Vegas author developing documentary on drug kingpin Jimmy Chagra", "Hit man guilty in federal judge's death", "There was a murder at Christmastime 40 years ago", "Charles Harrelson, 69; father of actor killed federal judge", "Chagra Acquitted of Hiring Killer of Federal Judge", "Judge's 1979 slaying was 'crime of the century', "Joe Chagra, Convicted in Conspiracy to Kill Judge, Critically Injured", "SEARCH NARROWS IN '79 SLAYING OF U.S. JUDGE IN TEXAS (Published 1981)", "Drug kingpin Jimmy Chagra's daughter recalls his rise, fall", "Charles Harrelson Trial: 1982-83 | Encyclopedia.com", "GAMBLER IS ACQUITTED OF PLOTTING ASSASSINATION OF A FEDERAL JUDGE (Published 1983)", "Chagra enters guilty plea in Wood murder trial", "Forty years ago, U.S. District Judge Wood assassinated in San Antonio by Woody Harrelson's father", "Elizabeth Chagra, plotted to kill judge", "5 things to know about Sidney Powell, the Dallas lawyer formerly on Trump's legal team", "For Trump advocate Sidney Powell, a playbook steeped in conspiracy theories", "Newspaper says Chagra deal includes early release for wife", "Man implicated in assassination of federal judge now free", "TEXAS LAWYER ADMITS ROLE IN PLOT TO KILL FEDERAL JUDGE (Published 1982)", "Jamiel Alexander Chagra, 63; was mastermind of international drug ring", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jamiel_Chagra&oldid=1124413746, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Pages using infobox person with multiple parents, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Jimmy, Justin, Jackie, Catherine, Csilla, Christa, Cindy, This page was last edited on 28 November 2022, at 20:15. Lee flew to Florida and set up a dummy corporation for Jimmy. Stricklin hadnt yet met Lee Chagra, but he knew Chagras reputation. Crimes against persons are treated with extreme gravity, but crimes against the economy are treated with a wink and a smile. And hed better. I knew that Vivian had been working on a book about the Chagra saga, McCulloch said. Although Wood had devoted his career to civil law, there was no more ardent law-and-order advocate anywhere. Catherine published a book about her life in 2015 titled Chagra: The King of Dope Drugs, Deceit and Dirty Darlings. She will be signing copies after the panel discussion. Clark was dog tired and went straight to bed. Lee protected Jimmy, but he also contributed to Jimmys sense of inadequacy. Lees vial of cocaine was open on the corner of his desk. Lees morning coffee was perfect, and the cocaine was first-rate. There was a steel floor safe sunk into five feet of concrete, but like the other safes, it hadnt yet been completely installed. Robinson later admitted. Lee referred to it as the mansion that Jack built. It was 6500 square feet, with pool and stables, electronically operated gates, and closed-circuit television monitors. A short time later there was a knock, and Lee admitted two hookers to the room. They knew about the safe in the floor of the bathroom, but there were othersone beneath the carpet near the fireplace in the living room of the private suite and another in the master bedroom. The case wound up in Woods court. I knew he was dying, Catherine Chagra said. His harsh, unbending policy of sentencing and his blatant pro-prosecution posture astonished lawyers and embarrassed other judges, including those that sat on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Jamiel Chagra, known as Jimmy, was born in El Paso, Texas on December 7, 1944. Jimmy was born the middle son of a Lebanese rug merchant family. His mother was named Josephine, and his father Abdou Chagra. He had two brothers, Lee and Joseph, who were both attorneys involved with the legal defense of drug smugglers. It was during this period that Lee was introduced to Mickeys black sheep uncle, Lou Esper, a pale, seedy, rat-faced Syrian hoodlum who had spent about half his fifty years in prisons. By now all the Chagras knew that Jimmy was a major drug trafficker, and they must have suspected that Lees arrangement with his brother and his relationship with Jack Stricklin were more than traditional lawyer-client dealings. They implicated Lou Esper as the man who had planned the heist and supplied the weapons. His cowboy hat was pushed forward until the brim almost touched his nose, and shaggy locks of graying hair spilled over his collar. Chagra, 39, a licensed professional gambler, was accused of paying Charles V. Harrelson $250,000 to kill the judge. Im sick and tired of being the fall guy, Lee said, and Vivian knew that he was talking about Jimmy. The lawyer mentioned that he sometimes looked down at the office complex that Lee was remodeling and experienced pangs of envy. He looked smaller than life as he stood there, facing the dresser, looking at the picture of his father and seeing his own reflection. Boyd, Kerr, and the DEA had worked so hard selling the media on the contention that El Paso was the hub of dope trafficking in the Southwest that everyone took it as gospel. It was not the kind of clutter Lee Chagra would leave. Gambling and women, said Lees old friend and fellow lawyer Clark Hughes. By law, the interview was to remain a secret, known only to a handful of agents and prosecutors who read the transcript as part of their official duties. 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