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| Private Organization | The Music Corporation of America was a major entertainment corporation that became entangled in investigations related to organized crime and the broader network that Danny Casolaro termed 'The Octopus.' |
The Music Corporation of America was a major entertainment corporation that became entangled in investigations related to organized crime and the broader network that Danny Casolaro termed "The Octopus."
Organized Crime Allegations
Music Corporation of America was the subject of a Federal Bureau of Investigation wiretap investigation supervised by United States Attorney Marvin Rudnick and later by Richard Stavin, a member of the Organized Crime Strike Force. These investigations, which also involved Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Thomas Gates, led them to believe that Music Corporation of America had been penetrated by organized crime. Specifically, the wiretaps recorded communications between Robert Booth Nichols and Eugene Giaquinto, then president of Music Corporation of America home entertainment division. Giaquinto was also a board member of Nichols' holding company, Meridian International Logistics, which was under Federal Bureau of Investigation investigation as a source of funding for narcotics and the allocation of drug trafficking proceeds.[1]
The intercepted conversations reportedly revealed connections to La Cosa Nostra, including members of the Gambino Crime Family and Bufalino Crime Family. The wiretap application itself stated that the purpose of the interceptions was to determine the "source, type and quantity of narcotics/controlled substances, methods and means of delivery, and the source of funding for purchasing of narcotics/controlled substances." It was also apparent from the intercepted conversations that Eugene Giaquinto had a special relationship with John Gotti.[1]
Leveraged Buyout and Investigation Shutdown
At the time of these investigations, Music Corporation of America was being offered in a leveraged buyout to Japanese interests. An Federal Bureau of Investigation investigation could have jeopardized this sale. Consequently, the wiretaps were sealed by the Department of Justice, and no prosecutions were pursued. The Los Angeles Organized Crime Strike Force was disbanded, Richard Stavin resigned, and Thomas Gates closed the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigation. The Japanese ultimately purchased Music Corporation of America in what was reported as the largest corporate sale in U.S. history at the time.[1]
Marvin Rudnick, who lost his job for refusing to drop the investigation, later had part of his story told in the 1993 book Stiffed: A True Story of MCA, The Music Business, and the Mafia by William Knoedelseder.[1]
Connection to "The Octopus"
Danny Casolaro's investigation into "The Octopus" included Music Corporation of America, and he was reportedly told by Robert Booth Nichols about the leveraged buyout. Dan Moldea, in his 1986 book Dark Victory: Ronald Reagan, MCA, and the Mob, had previously labeled Music Corporation of America as "The Octopus," a term that likely inspired Casolaro's own use of the phrase.[1]
Footnotes
[1] Seymour, Cheri. The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.