is spread over five or ten other accounts. So what they got is pyramids.”
“So every dollar that goes into the bank is diverted into so many other accounts, you don?t see any big
sums going anywhere and it doesn?t wave any red flags at the Lepers,” I said.
“Exactly,” he said. “If you weren?t looking for something, you?d never tumble over it. Thing is, they
seem to be using these accounts for legitimate purposes. Payrolls for Triad employees, accounts
payable and receivable for the Bom Dia restaurant, Jalisco Shrimp Company, Thunder Point Mar ma..
. the Seaview Company, Hojan and Rajah, whatever that may be. . . hell, there could be a couple of
hundred accounts. This Cohen is a genius. If he had to, he could probably legitimately account for
most of the money going into these pyramids.”
“There?s got to be a reason for going to all that trouble,” I said. “There?s got to be some skimming
accounts, or payoff accounts.”
“Yeah, I agree,” he said. “But what are they? We?re looking at one pyramid off another here. Creative
bookkeeping compounded by creative computer techno logy. So maybe some of these accounts are
payoff accounts or skim accounts; there?s no way to tell which ones.”
Stick was right. The system, although devious, was not illegal. What was illegal was using the bank t
channel illegal monies from gambling, prostitution, narcotics,, and whatever else, into legitimate
accounts and then siphoning off some of those accounts without reporting the income to the IRS. The
big question was how they were doing it.
“We?ll never unravel it all without a key list of all their accounts,” said the Stick.
I said, “Stick, we?re close to nailing them. Cohen must have this defined somewhere. It?s far too
complex to keep in his head.”
“Probably in a computer of his own,” said Stick. “And there?s no way we can access a private
terminal.”
“Then one damn thing is for sure,” I said. “We?ve got to keep Cohen alive. He?s got the key to the
puzzle.”
“Wanna put „em under protective custody?” Stick said. “I can?t think of anything else to do. We?re
baby-sitting „em around the clock now.”
“Yeah, and so far it hasn?t helped any of them,” I said.
There was one other possible answer. We could offer to put Cohen in the witness protection program
if he would cooperate with us. And I know what my answer to that proposal would be if I were
Cohen. I?d tell me to get stuffed.
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