I was blessed directly after this ordeal to meet and be deeply involved with so many smart, dedicated, and compassionate professionals—some of whom have become part of our extended family.
My brothers, Eddie and Buddy; my father, Joe; and my beloved wife, Janet, are the reason I am still here to write this book. What they endured the week of my captivity is way beyond anything you can imagine or describe, especially with two very young children to care for. I’d also like to thank Arnold and Sylvia Rosenberg.
A special thank you to Helen and Harvey Teich for being by my father’s side and caring for him during the week of my abduction.
Judge Jules “Jed” Orenstein, then a young Nassau County assistant district attorney, was instrumental in getting the investigation started. When he received the panicked call from Janet, he immediately connected with the NCPD to report me missing. Detective Chief Ed Curran and Deputy Inspector Dan Guido took the lead and were totally involved with my family throughout. They were among the most professional in law enforcement that I have had the honor to know.
Buddy Martin, our accountant, financial advisor, and friend, was instrumental working with the family and the bank in obtaining the ransom money, as was Martin Rosen, our attorney and friend, who provided expert financial and legal advice.
Detective Sergeant Frank Spinelli, NCPD and FBI Special Agents Joe Conely and Margot Dennedy moved into our house twenty-four/seven that week with Janet. Margot has become part of our extended family as well. The night I was released I spent being debriefed with FBI Special Agent Fred Behrends, whom I spent many subsequent days and hours with during the course of the investigation, including the hypnosis session. NCPD Chief Owens and Deputy Inspector Dan Guido were also present for my initial debriefing.
I must acknowledge Joan and Barry Kay. They came as soon as Janet called and stayed during the day with her. They allowed the FBI, NCPD, Buddy, and Janet to go to their house to talk privately whenever necessary. They also came every night to support and comfort Janet.
I must also acknowledge my former sister-in-law, Lois Teich, and my brother, Buddy. Lois and Buddy didn’t have any children at that time and always treated our son, Marc, as a son. They had him stay at their house for four days. Lois stopped what she was doing to help in any way that she could. Janet doesn’t know what she would have done without them. Also, Seymour and Phyllis Cohen, who came to look for me that fateful night and gave the family comfort and support during that horrific week.
I must give special note to Deputy Inspector Danny Guido, with whom I also spent numerous days and hours over the course of two years. Dan was the brightest person in law enforcement that I had the honor to know.
Special thanks to Assistant FBI Director John Malone and Supervising Agent Henry Schutz, who assigned scores of agents to the case.
FBI agents who were heavily involved in the investigation were Damon Taylor, Matt Mullin, Bill Stolarski, and especially Doug Ball, who investigated and arrested Richard Williams in California.
Detective Sergeant Dick McGuire (my personal hero) spent over two years full-time on the case, after which, his wife, Irene, was happy to be able to see him again! Dick was hand-selected by Dan Guido to lead the investigation and was instrumental in solving the case. Dick has become part of our extended family.
NCPD detectives who were instrumental during the investigation include Det. William Noble, Det. Charles Frass, Det. Lt. Saverto Soldo, Det. James Moran, and Det. James Magee. My thanks to all of these professionals. Thank you to Det. Jim Garvey, who spent months protecting me. Also, a special thanks to the NCPD lab that did amazing work during the investigation and preparing for trial.
Thank you to our NCPD security team—Dennis Delay, Charles Clark, Robert Bentivegna, John Farco, and the leader, Joe Polimine, who has become part of our extended family. This team was exceptional and with us nearly a year. Thank you also to the thirty detectives in the 6th squad who rotated shifts to protect our family.
Denis Dillon, Nassau County District Attorney, and his staff did an amazing, very professional, and most difficult job in the prosecution of this case.
Judge Alexander Vitale presided over a most difficult trial, the longest in Nassau County history up to that time. We are grateful for his wisdom and professionalism.
Henry Devine, Chief Assistant DA, selected the dynamic, dedicated, young ADA Ed McCarty to prosecute the most difficult case in State Supreme Court. Ed later went on to become a State Supreme Court Judge and then a Surrogate Judge. Our sincere thanks to all for an exceptional job.
I must also acknowledge all my employees at our company, Acme Steel Door & Partition, who knew I was missing but didn’t know any specifics and prayed for me.
I could not have even thought of doing this book without the expert advice, talent, and wisdom of Will Patrick, Michelle Hall, and Wynton Hall. Will and Wynton were able to digest this very complicated story into timelines, facts, and conclusions. And Michelle kept us on track during this difficult and all-consuming project. Both my wife, Janet, and I thank Wynton for all he has done for us in over a year of working together.
As there were so many people involved, if I was remiss in leaving anyone out, please accept my sincerest apologies.
With the publication of this book and the detailed information about the crime in it, I hope that there may be renewed interest in solving it. Accordingly, I am offering to pay $50,000 for information that leads to the return of a significant portion of the ransom money or the arrest and conviction of additional participants in the crime. If you have information about the crime, please contact Jacknap, Box 4155, 511 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10011.
If any ransom money is recovered as a result of this offer, I will donate it to The Federal Law Enforcement Foundation, whose primary mission is to provide financial assistance to all Federal and local law enforcement.