By the time Russ was in his late teens and early 20s, he was an accomplished petty criminal. As he drifted through the early stages of adulthood, he accumulated 13 convictions for criminal activity. He was known for his table pool hustling in local bars and for finding ways to make a quick buck. His crimes were relatively minor, but like most criminals or drug addicts, he had an early impactful introduction to anti-social activities that tended to escalate over time. Akin to an unrepentant drug addict, criminals eventually reach a point in their lives when they die because of their endeavors or end up in jail. At an early point in his life, Russ had been seduced by gambling, hustling, petty criminal activity, and womanizing. There were no guardrails on his activities.
In college, I remember taking a class that discussed nature versus nurture. Was Russ born with a predisposition to antisocial behavior, or did he learn it from a family that lacked structure or discipline? In many ways, Russ and I had the same upbringing. Neither of us had a curfew nor very little discipline. At a young age, I could come and go as I pleased, and if I stayed out late at night, it was of no concern to my mother or stepfather. One major difference between Russ and me was our friend groups. My group revolved around friends in the neighborhood and church, while Russ’s friends came from the west side of Saginaw and usually included guys who were heading in the same direction as he was.
When Russ was 37 years old, he was arrested on gambling charges and for maintaining a gambling house. In addition to the felony charges, he was charged with 48 misdemeanors. Gambling activities were conducted at Russ’s house, and, according to the police, he had 50 to 60 regular customers. The Saginaw News reported that Russ’s gambling activities generated gross income of $55,000 per week. The equivalent amount today would be $202,000, or approaching $1 million per month. The felonies carried a possible sentence of 5 years in prison, and the misdemeanors carried a possible sentence of 2 years in prison.
Many years later, when I was an attorney in Alexandria, Virginia, I was appointed by the federal courts to defend an underling runner in a major gambling enterprise. The head of the operation was a local sports radio personality who discussed sports with callers on the radio airways. His illegal side hustle was running a major gambling ring. What I learned while defending one of his underlings was that local gambling rings often lacked the capital to cover their losses. So, if Russ’s clientele were all wagering that Michigan would beat Ohio in football, Russ needed to place a bet, called an “off-bet,” with a better-funded gambling group that Michigan would beat Ohio, so that if Michigan did win, Russ would have enough funds to pay his clientele. To me, this shows that Russ’s gambling activities were substantial and that he likely had interactions with more sophisticated groups in the criminal underground.
Russ’s petty crimes had officially ended.
(Next week: the Saga of Russ – Part 4)
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