-rn rne Lamr ljon't Stumble In on This Bunch · \-rn rne Lamr ljon't Stumble In on This Bunch...
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\-rn rne Lamr ljon't Stumble In on This Bunch ByLILYKOPPEL A big man in a black fedora and trench coat over a plum-colored shirt and a matching tie, swung open the double wooden doors on a Thursday evening this month into a hidden back room with dark paneled walls surrounding red leather booths. Inside, a group of about 20 mosfly middle- aged men sat around a table run- ning the length of the room. Above them hung imitation Renaissance paintings in gilt frames. The regulars around the table looked like poker players from a Dick Tfacy comic, or char- acters out of the board game Clue. And so began the monthly meeting of the Society of Profes- sional Investigators at Forlini's, a venerable Italian restaurant be- hind the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building on Baxter Street in Chinatown. The restaurant, considered the Sardi's of law en- forcement, is where judges and mobsters sit side by side, digging into plates of pasta. A plaque on the wall designates the society's official meeting place around the corner from the booth where Robert M. Morgenthau, the Man- hattan district attorney, and a pa- tron for 35 years, eats twice a week. ni's that night was Albert Belch- er, a retired New York Police De- partment detective who works as a private investigator and is the society's sergeant-at-arms and doorkeeper, in case order needs to be restored. His services are often called upon as ajoke when the conversation gets boisterous. The presence of Mr. Zeldin, now the society's chairman, was tele- graphed by the distinct aroma of the cigar he smoked on his way to the restaurant. A former bodyguard for Whit- ney Houston, David P. Roberts, was also on hand. A dapper Eng- lishman with a silver pencil-thin mustache, in a pinstriped suit, he is the president of British Ameri- can Consultants, an investigation and surveillance company based in New Jersey. Efrat Cohen, 25, who came to America with her parents from Israel when she was 12 and who is new to the surveillance busi- ness, sat beside Mr. Roberts, She investigates local white collar crime, mostly involving insur- ance fraud, for his company. "One day, I just thought, wouldn't it be wonderful to be a private in- vestigator?" Ms. Cohen said, who wore a crimson top and ,pointy- toed heels. Across the table was Rainer Melucci, whose expertise in elec- tronic eavesdropping protection and antibugging services took him into the home of Tom Cruise in Los Angeles and the offices of the Church'of Scientology. He said he was practically investi gated by the church, which con- ducted several rounds of inter- views with him while deciding whether to employ him. The most memorable part of that process was a private screening of "The Firm" in Mr. Cruise's home thea- ter. Ronald Mark Semaria, a foren- sic accountant who specializes in employee and executive embez- zlement and identity theft, sat next to him. Cases he has worked involved check forgery, the pur- chase of gold bars by people as- sociated with the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and divorces involving hidden assets. Over red wine and antipasto, the talk covered topics from in- side jokes about stakeouts of cheating spouses, which some of the younger members are sent on, to national security. He is now lobbying in Wash- ington to protect private investi- gators' access Social Security numbers, the primary identifier in tracking people, especially those with common names or false identities. Those who have spoken before the society have included Robert F. Kennedy and John Cye Cheas- ty, a revered former member whose undercover work helped establish the I,t/aterfront Com- In addition to active and re- tired law enforcement agents, the society, which was established in 1956 and meets once a month, in- cludes lawyers who work in an investigative capacity and sev- eral genealogists, who help track down missing witnesses, lost heirs, delinquent debtors and people who jump bail. "It looks like Skull and Bones," Bruce Sackman said, referring to the secret society at Yale. A re- tired federal agent who has put a doctor and a nurse who were se- rial killers behind bars, he is now the senior investigator at Mount Sinai Medical Center dealing with fraud and employees who steal patients' identities. Observ- ing the room, Mr. Sackman, in a pink silk tie, added, "It's like a 1970s mafia movie." Until a few years ago, the soci- ety, which has 150 members, had been largely stagnant. But a for- mer president, David Zeldin, led what members call its "phoenix rising," recruiting younger mem- bers and reaching out to those who had fallen away. The group's Web site (www.spionline.org) plays the theme from "Peter Gunn." At the end of the table at Forli- mission, which investigates crim- inal activity on the docks of New York Harbor. At this meeting, the speaker was C. Gabrielle Salfati, director of the Offender Profiling and Crime Scene Analysis Research Unit at John Jay College of Crimi- nal Justice, who also trains police officers. Her area of expertise keeps audiences tuned in to tele- vision shows like "Law & Order" and "C.S.L" "There are an awful lot of myths that we get inside peoples' minds," Dr. Salfati said. "I'm go- ing to use murder as my exam- ple." She went on to describe. a case of the rape and murder of two young girls in a small town'in England and how profiling, had it been used at that time, could have helped solve it. She said a profile could have narrowed the pool of suspects by using scientif- ic research that would h4ve pointed to characteristics to look for. Instead, DNA samples from every male member of the cor,p- munity were tested. Of the crimes, Dr. Salfati said, "i:,ll spare you the details since wqlre going to have dinner." She sought to dispel a popuiar stereotype of the serial killer who was "obsessed with his mother and wears red stockings" just'ds the waiter, with red readihg glasses perched on the end of his nose, took orders for veal parmi- giana and chicken marsala JOSH HANER,/'THE NEW YORK TIMES Members of the Society of Professional Investigators meet monthly at Forlini's, in Chinatown.
Transcript of -rn rne Lamr ljon't Stumble In on This Bunch · \-rn rne Lamr ljon't Stumble In on This Bunch...
\-rn rne Lamr ljon't Stumble In on This BunchByLILYKOPPEL
A big man in a black fedora andtrench coat over a plum-coloredshirt and a matching tie, swungopen the double wooden doors ona Thursday evening this monthinto a hidden back room withdark paneled walls surroundingred leather booths. Inside, agroup of about 20 mosfly middle-aged men sat around a table run-ning the length of the room.
Above them hung imitationRenaissance paintings in giltframes. The regulars around thetable looked like poker playersfrom a Dick Tfacy comic, or char-acters out of the board gameClue.
And so began the monthlymeeting of the Society of Profes-sional Investigators at Forlini's, avenerable Italian restaurant be-hind the Manhattan CriminalCourts Building on Baxter Streetin Chinatown. The restaurant,considered the Sardi's of law en-forcement, is where judges andmobsters sit side by side, digginginto plates of pasta. A plaque onthe wall designates the society'sofficial meeting place around thecorner from the booth whereRobert M. Morgenthau, the Man-hattan district attorney, and a pa-tron for 35 years, eats twice aweek.
ni's that night was Albert Belch-er, a retired New York Police De-partment detective who works asa private investigator and is thesociety's sergeant-at-arms anddoorkeeper, in case order needsto be restored. His services areoften called upon as ajoke whenthe conversation gets boisterous.The presence of Mr. Zeldin, nowthe society's chairman, was tele-graphed by the distinct aroma ofthe cigar he smoked on his way tothe restaurant.
A former bodyguard for Whit-ney Houston, David P. Roberts,was also on hand. A dapper Eng-lishman with a silver pencil-thinmustache, in a pinstriped suit, heis the president of British Ameri-can Consultants, an investigationand surveillance company basedin New Jersey.
Efrat Cohen, 25, who came toAmerica with her parents fromIsrael when she was 12 and whois new to the surveillance busi-ness, sat beside Mr. Roberts, Sheinvestigates local white collarcrime, mostly involving insur-ance fraud, for his company."One day, I just thought, wouldn'tit be wonderful to be a private in-vestigator?" Ms. Cohen said, whowore a crimson top and ,pointy-toed heels.
Across the table was RainerMelucci, whose expertise in elec-tronic eavesdropping protectionand antibugging services tookhim into the home of Tom Cruise
in Los Angeles and the offices ofthe Church'of Scientology. Hesaid he was practically investigated by the church, which con-ducted several rounds of inter-views with him while decidingwhether to employ him. The mostmemorable part of that processwas a private screening of "TheFirm" in Mr. Cruise's home thea-ter.
Ronald Mark Semaria, a foren-sic accountant who specializes inemployee and executive embez-zlement and identity theft, satnext to him. Cases he has workedinvolved check forgery, the pur-chase of gold bars by people as-sociated with the Taliban and AlQaeda, and divorces involvinghidden assets.
Over red wine and antipasto,the talk covered topics from in-side jokes about stakeouts ofcheating spouses, which some ofthe younger members are senton, to national security.
He is now lobbying in Wash-ington to protect private investi-gators' access Social Securitynumbers, the primary identifierin tracking people, especiallythose with common names orfalse identities.
Those who have spoken beforethe society have included RobertF. Kennedy and John Cye Cheas-ty, a revered former memberwhose undercover work helpedestablish the I,t/aterfront Com-
In addition to active and re-tired law enforcement agents, thesociety, which was established in1956 and meets once a month, in-cludes lawyers who work in aninvestigative capacity and sev-eral genealogists, who help trackdown missing witnesses, lostheirs, delinquent debtors andpeople who jump bail.
"It looks like Skull and Bones,"Bruce Sackman said, referring tothe secret society at Yale. A re-tired federal agent who has put adoctor and a nurse who were se-rial killers behind bars, he is nowthe senior investigator at MountSinai Medical Center dealingwith fraud and employees whosteal patients' identities. Observ-ing the room, Mr. Sackman, in apink silk tie, added, "It's like a1970s mafia movie."
Until a few years ago, the soci-ety, which has 150 members, hadbeen largely stagnant. But a for-mer president, David Zeldin, ledwhat members call its "phoenixrising," recruiting younger mem-bers and reaching out to thosewho had fallen away. The group'sWeb site (www.spionline.org)plays the theme from "PeterGunn."
At the end of the table at Forli-
mission, which investigates crim-inal activity on the docks of NewYork Harbor.
At this meeting, the speakerwas C. Gabrielle Salfati, directorof the Offender Profiling andCrime Scene Analysis ResearchUnit at John Jay College of Crimi-nal Justice, who also trains policeofficers. Her area of expertisekeeps audiences tuned in to tele-vision shows like "Law & Order"and "C.S.L"
"There are an awful lot ofmyths that we get inside peoples'minds," Dr. Salfati said. "I'm go-ing to use murder as my exam-ple." She went on to describe. acase of the rape and murder oftwo young girls in a small town'inEngland and how profiling, had itbeen used at that time, couldhave helped solve it. She said aprofile could have narrowed thepool of suspects by using scientif-ic research that would h4vepointed to characteristics to lookfor. Instead, DNA samples fromevery male member of the cor,p-munity were tested. Of thecrimes, Dr. Salfati said, "i:,llspare you the details since wqlregoing to have dinner."
She sought to dispel a popuiarstereotype of the serial killer whowas "obsessed with his motherand wears red stockings" just'dsthe waiter, with red readihgglasses perched on the end of hisnose, took orders for veal parmi-giana and chicken marsala
JOSH HANER,/'THE NEW YORK TIMES
Members of the Society of Professional Investigators meet monthly at Forlini's, in Chinatown.
