Mob ordered '03 bombing: feds
BERWYN | Say Outfit hired biker, explosives expert to hit rival gambling site
A 2003 bombing of a gaming house in Berwyn was ordered by the mob, federal prosecutors charged Tuesday.
Chicago mobsters hired an Outlaw biker with deep ties to organized crime and an elderly bomb expert to blow up the video gambling business because it competed with the mob's own lucrative gaming enterprise, prosecutors charged in court papers.
Mark Polchan, 41, and Samuel Volpendesto, 84, were charged last week with the bombing, which blew out several windows and destroyed the ceiling and wood frame above the doorway of C & S Coin Operated Amusements, 6508 W. 16th St.
Prosecutors revealed Tuesday that they believe Polchan and Volpendesto acted at the will of the mob, which targeted C & S after it failed to follow mob orders. The two allegedly worked with reputed mobster Michael Sarno, described as Outfit Member A in the filing, and referred to by Volpendesto as "the large guy," in FBI surveillance.
Sarno's home was among six locations that were the subject of search warrants last week as part of the investigation.
Prosecutors will ask a judge today to keep the two behind bars pending trial. The filing, authored by Assistant U.S. Attorney T. Markus Funk and Amarjeet Bhachu, alleges an extensive and wide-ranging criminal history on the part of Polchan, purportedly a high-ranking member of the Outlaws biker gang.
Tattooed on Polchan's left arm is GFOD, meaning God Forgives, Outlaws Don't. On his left forearm another tattoo brags 1%er, which the feds say means he's among the "1 percent of bikers who live a criminal lifestyle."
He's accused of involvement with the mob and "corrupt police officers," and of coercing a witness to recant his story in a murder case.
Prosecutors say despite his age, Volpendesto is a risk of flight and a danger to the community. They describe him as a bomb-making expert and say he admitted on recordings he took part in previous bombings.
The feds say they have a series of recordings that allegedly captured Volpendesto on tape talking about the 2003 bombing. At one point, he says: "We blew part of that away."
In one conversation with an informant, Volpendesto allegedly complained he was poorly paid for the bombing.
"[Polchan] made money . . . I made s- - -." Polchan may have been paid as little as $1,000.
If convicted, the two face a minimum of 35 years to life in prison.
Contributing: Steve Warmbir