Note: Many individuals gain their temporary or one-shot celebrity by way of the good things they do, but others, by their misdeeds. Under the heading "Notorious celebrity" will appear a miscellany of miscreants. Then will follow other more specific categories of wrongdoers who have captured the media's and hence the public's attention: mass/serial killers, other murderers, spies/traitors, disgraced political figures, disgraced business figures, disgraced media figures, and disgraced religious figures. And what a fascinating rouge's gallery they are!
Most of the notorious temporary celebrities that come to be known to U.S. audiences are either born and bred in the American brierpatch, or else live in the United States. An exception is Mehmet Ali Agca, the young Turkish man who in 1981 tried to shoot and kill Pope John Paul II in Rome's St. Peter's Square.
Ali Agca had a rough youth, was a member of a street gang, and was trained in terrorist activities by a far-right Turkish faction called the Grey Wolves. At the age of 21, he shot and killed a liberal newspaper editor in Istanbul.
Ali Agca got a life sentence but escaped prison.
In 1981, he made his attempt on the Pope's life, succeeding in wounding the pontiff in the abdomen and one arm. Ali Agca told more than one story about who hired him to shoot the Pope--Bulgarians, the Soviet KGB, the Turkish mob, and even Freemasons-- and was given a new life term.
AT one point, Ali Agca claimed to be the second coming of Christ. Before his death in 2005, the Pope met with his attempted assassin and pardoned him. The Pope also claimed that the assassination attempt was tied in with the mysterious three secrets of Fatima.
In 2000, Italian president Carlo Ciampi pardoned Ali Agca, but he was returned to Turkey to serve out his sentence for killing the editor. Italy's Supreme Court overruled Ciampi's pardon.
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Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Notorious celebrity: Gilbert Bland
The name Gilbert Bland enjoyed a tiny shard of temporary media-awarded celebrity in 1995 when he was caught slicing a valuable map out of an old book at the Peabody Library in Baltimore, MD.
Bland is presented here as a single example of what some people term a "slasher"--someone who defaces and steals old and rare documents.
Bland was a Florida antiques dealer who specialized in old maps. Like other slashers, he would visit the rare book room of various libraries, locate his prizes, cut them out of their books, and spirit them out of the libary under his clothing.
When caught by Peabody guards, he reportedly had four old maps on him. Eventually he was charged with the theft of some 250 old and valuable maps. In 2000, a travel writer named Miles Harvey published a book about Bland's escapades: "The Island of Lost Maps."
Bland is presented here as a single example of what some people term a "slasher"--someone who defaces and steals old and rare documents.
Bland was a Florida antiques dealer who specialized in old maps. Like other slashers, he would visit the rare book room of various libraries, locate his prizes, cut them out of their books, and spirit them out of the libary under his clothing.
When caught by Peabody guards, he reportedly had four old maps on him. Eventually he was charged with the theft of some 250 old and valuable maps. In 2000, a travel writer named Miles Harvey published a book about Bland's escapades: "The Island of Lost Maps."
Notorious celebrity: Lorena Bobbitt
When crime involves sex in some way, temporary celebrity of the notorious kind is usually not far behind. Such was the case when Lorena Bobbitt grabbed a knife and gave her allegedly abusive husband, John Wayne Bobbitt, a very special whack, cutting off his, er...member while he slept.
The ex-Marine and nightclub bouncer's missing part was located and reattached surgically.
Lorena was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1993 and spent 45 days in a mental institution. She resumed the use of her maiden name, Gallo, and moved in with her parents.
Some years thereafter, she was accused of assaulting her mom by punching her. Not a happy story.
The ex-Marine and nightclub bouncer's missing part was located and reattached surgically.
Lorena was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1993 and spent 45 days in a mental institution. She resumed the use of her maiden name, Gallo, and moved in with her parents.
Some years thereafter, she was accused of assaulting her mom by punching her. Not a happy story.
Notorious celebrity: Joey Buttafuocco
Joey Buttafuocco seems to be the kind of guy that trouble just naturally follows around.
His big 15 seconds of fame came in 1992 when his teen-age lover, Amy Fisher, shot Buttafuocco's wife, Mary Jo, in the head. Mary Jo recovered, and Amy, after her release from prison, has passed through a brief career as a newspaper columnist and into a dubious new career in the pornography industry.
Joey served half a year for statutory rape, had a few more moments in the sun as a television show guest, then went back into the auto repair business. In 2003, he was again arrested, this time for suspicion of insurance fraud.
A photo of Joey and May Jo appears below.
His big 15 seconds of fame came in 1992 when his teen-age lover, Amy Fisher, shot Buttafuocco's wife, Mary Jo, in the head. Mary Jo recovered, and Amy, after her release from prison, has passed through a brief career as a newspaper columnist and into a dubious new career in the pornography industry.
Joey served half a year for statutory rape, had a few more moments in the sun as a television show guest, then went back into the auto repair business. In 2003, he was again arrested, this time for suspicion of insurance fraud.
A photo of Joey and May Jo appears below.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Notorious celebrity: Andrew Burnett
A 2001 road rage crime that completely revolted American audiences was committed outside the San Jose International Airport by 27-year-old Andrew Burnett.
Upset that driver Sara McBurnett had involved him in a fender bender, the angry young man stopped his own car, stomped up to her driver's window, reached in, grabbed her bichon frise dog Leo, and threw the tiny creature out into traffic, where it was instantly killed.
In court, his lawyer argued that the dog had bitten him. Having none of that, the jury found him guilty and gave him three years. It came to light that he had reportedly beaten another dog to death in 1995.
Remarkably, Burnett, serving as his own attorney, brought suit against McBurnett in 2003 for libel and mental anguish (emotional distress).
Upset that driver Sara McBurnett had involved him in a fender bender, the angry young man stopped his own car, stomped up to her driver's window, reached in, grabbed her bichon frise dog Leo, and threw the tiny creature out into traffic, where it was instantly killed.
In court, his lawyer argued that the dog had bitten him. Having none of that, the jury found him guilty and gave him three years. It came to light that he had reportedly beaten another dog to death in 1995.
Remarkably, Burnett, serving as his own attorney, brought suit against McBurnett in 2003 for libel and mental anguish (emotional distress).
Notorious celebrity: Santos Cardona
This blogger feels a trifle mean for including Santos Cardona in this section of the blog because Cardona was killed while on military duty in Afghanistan in 2009. Still, the events that brought him his 15 seconds of fame were not at all admirable even though he was no doubt acting under orders.
Sgt. Cardona was one of the U.S. Army MPs shown on videotape torturing prisoners at Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq during 2003 and 2004.
Specifically, Cardona was a dog handler and was shown having his dog menace and bite various prisoners. In 2006, a military court found him guilty of dereliction of duty and demoted him to specialist, fined him, and gave him 90 days at hard labor.
Some Americans, safe at home but still frightened, applauded his actions. Others pointed out that by mistreating or torturing prisoners, we lower ourselves to the level of our enemy. Still others were convinced that the enlisted men and women shown in the Abu Ghraib videos seen on television around the world were simply the fall guys or scapegoats for their superiors, who had approved such measures. Some said the orders from the top had come from the White House and from the CIA.
Cardona served his time and returned to active duty. He was reinstated as a sergeant and was sent to Kuwait, ironically to train Iraqi police. Embarrassed, the Army announced that he would be returned stateside for a different assignment.
Sgt. Cardona was one of the U.S. Army MPs shown on videotape torturing prisoners at Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq during 2003 and 2004.
Specifically, Cardona was a dog handler and was shown having his dog menace and bite various prisoners. In 2006, a military court found him guilty of dereliction of duty and demoted him to specialist, fined him, and gave him 90 days at hard labor.
Some Americans, safe at home but still frightened, applauded his actions. Others pointed out that by mistreating or torturing prisoners, we lower ourselves to the level of our enemy. Still others were convinced that the enlisted men and women shown in the Abu Ghraib videos seen on television around the world were simply the fall guys or scapegoats for their superiors, who had approved such measures. Some said the orders from the top had come from the White House and from the CIA.
Cardona served his time and returned to active duty. He was reinstated as a sergeant and was sent to Kuwait, ironically to train Iraqi police. Embarrassed, the Army announced that he would be returned stateside for a different assignment.
Notorious celebrity: Robert Chambers
The Preppie Killer" was the sobriquet given by the media in 1986 to the strapping and fashionable looking Robert E. Chambers, Jr., who eventually pled guilty to manslaughter in the death of an 18-year-old girl with whom he had had sex.
The victim was Jennifer Levin, the place of the crime, New York City's Central Park.
Chambers was given his sobriquet because he had been a scholarship student at various prep schools before he entered and was thrown out of Boston University.
The victim's body was found the day after the killing not far from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The cause of death had been strangulation.
Chambers admitted having had sex with Levin after the two left a bar, but he claimed that she had demanded rough sex. His jury gave him 5 to 15 years.
He was released in 2003 and in 2004, he was arrested on drug charges. Having served a short term, Chambers, by this time 41, was again arrested in 2007 for selling drugs. This time his sentence as 19 years.
The victim was Jennifer Levin, the place of the crime, New York City's Central Park.
Chambers was given his sobriquet because he had been a scholarship student at various prep schools before he entered and was thrown out of Boston University.
The victim's body was found the day after the killing not far from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The cause of death had been strangulation.
Chambers admitted having had sex with Levin after the two left a bar, but he claimed that she had demanded rough sex. His jury gave him 5 to 15 years.
He was released in 2003 and in 2004, he was arrested on drug charges. Having served a short term, Chambers, by this time 41, was again arrested in 2007 for selling drugs. This time his sentence as 19 years.
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