KENNEDY INTIMIDATION CASE DETAILS UNSEALED

RECORDING REVEALS FOUL MOUTH, VIOLENT TEMPER, PHYSICAL THREAT TO INFORMANT

Special to the readers of milwaukeeworld

By Michael Horne

The complaint in the intimidation case 08CR0009 against art swindler James F. Kennedy was unsealed yesterday, Monday, February 4th, 2008, by Morton Denlow, U. S. Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court of the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
Kennedy was arrested in Florida on January 25th, 2008, and brought back to Illinois, where a warrant for his arrest had been issued on January 9th, 2008, one day after Kennedy made an intimidating telephone call to an undercover informant in a government investigation into art fraud. [See previous Milwaukeeworld coverage.]
According to the criminal complaint filed under seal on January 9th, Postal Inspector John D. Donnelly had been the leading an investigation of a "scheme by James Kennedy to defraud consumers through the use of the mail and through interstate wires," since March 2006.
During the course of the investigation, Kennedy received the cooperation of an unnamed person identified as "Individual A," described as "a longtime personal acquaintance and business associate of James Kennedy."
Under Donnelly's supervision, Kennedy and Mr. A had undercover meetings. "In these meetings Individual A wore an undercover audio recording device, and in some of the meetings Individual A also had an undercover video recording device. In addition, Individual A conducted many consensually recorded undercover telephone calls with James Kennedy. This information tended to show the possible commission of a mail fraud or wire fraud by James Kennedy."
According to agent Donnelly, he made Kennedy aware of the investigation in January, 2007. On December 21st, 2007, Donnelly met with Kennedy's lawyer, "Attorney B," "for the purpose of previewing for Attorney B some of the government's criminal evidence against Kennedy, in order to advance negotiations between the parties." Kennedy was not present, but Donnelly played some of his surreptitious recordings. "The recordings made apparent the identity of Individual A and that he had cooperated in obtaining evidence against Kennedy."

NOW, FOR THE GOOD STUFF

A few weeks later, on the morning of January 8th, 2008, Individual A called Donelly, saying Kennedy had left a message threatening Individual A with bodily harm. Donnelly reviewed the message, which we share here in its cleaned-up version. [For the unexpurgated version, check the link to the complaint filed above. -- Ed.]

KENNEDY'S VOICE MESSAGE TO "INDIVIDUAL A":

""I thought you were my friend. You're a dirty, lousy, no-good, ****-sucking, ***off-bastard. You recorded me and video taped me. You ***off mother******. I'm gonna get you, baby. You're gonna, gonna, gonna go down big time now. Because I'm not ****ing around with you anymore, Goddamn it. They told me everything you done. I heard it -- and I didn't believe it. So there you go, don't ever ****ing call me again." [Thus far, no crime. -- Ed.]

KENNEDY CONTINUES:

"And if I see you, I'm going to beat the living piss out of you -- you ***off *****. [There's the crime! --Ed.]
And, by the way, I need my fifteen thousand dollars that you never sent me any art in ****in' Florida, you ***off, cheating, lying, *****, mother******."