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Who Is Chief Inspector Simon? And How Does O'Grady Explain His Past? AS THE FLOOD FAMILY home, in a quiet north suburban Northbrook neighborhood was being terorized in the dark of night, by three swarthylooking individuals, they eventually screamed out the name, "Chief Inspector Simon." Now, one wonders who is Chief Inspector Simon? A check with Cook County Police Department Officers assigned to case report #89-063177 received a "we never heard from him" reply. CHIEF INSPECTOR SIMON is not known to many people in the Cook County Police Department nor in the entire Sheriff's Office of Cook County. He is, however, well known to the political operative and chief intimidator of Sheriff James O'Grady's administration - one James Dvorak by name. Mr. Dvorak is now the Cook County Republican Chairman, Undersheriff of Cook County and former Chicago Police Officer now known as a "BuyA Ticket To An O'Grady Affair" muscleman. JAMES DVORAK WAS, and for all that is known, still might be, a Vice-President of O'Grady's private detective, security and guard outfit known as Special Operations Associates, Inc. He was a lieutenant and the Commanding Officer of the Prostitution Unit of the Chicago Police Department before joining O'Grady's inept and highly politicized administration of the Office of Sheriff of Cook County. He is the number two man behind O'Grady. The Undersheriff is known throughout the Office as O'Grady's hatchet and point man. He would know all the right people and night people. Dvorak is a dear friend, Rush Street night life associate and mentor of Chief Inspector Simon who, it has been determined, works about two hours a day out of the Criminal Courts Building at 26th and California. BUT AGAIN, who is Chief Inspector Simon? What are his credentials? His background? Does anybody know him other than O' Grady, Dvorak and their political cronies who are now part-time deputy sheriffs, under Chief Inspector Simon, within the Sheriff's Office of Cook County? The answer is yes. A resounding yes. The federal authorities and the Cook County States Attorney's Office know him. He is Richard Simon. They know him well. He has a past, after all, but neither O'Grady or Dvorak want it known. The Chicago news media know him. John J. Flood knows him by his unsavory reputation and connections to the wellheeled associate of organized crime syndicate figures and ex-convict, Benjamin R. Stein. Mr. Stein is fondly known as "The King of the Janitors." Richard Simon is a good friend of Jim O'Grady, the "Reform" Sheriff and Mr. Dvorak "Reform" Undersheriff. These two men are Cook County's newest, roughest and underhanded political manipulators. CHIEF INSPECTOR SIMON, before becoming Chief Inspector Simon, was also known to one Karen Lee Koppel. He was known to her as Richard Simon, a Chicago police officer and close friend of Ben Stein. Mr. Stein bestowed his affection on her. It seems that Richard Simon moonlighted as a chauffeur and vice-president of one of Ben Stein's janitor companies back in 1980. He was close to Stein then and he still is now. In 1980, Stein paid $29,000 a year to Mr. Simon for his services. During this time, Miss Koppel was just one of Mr. Stein's many young girl friends. She is no longer around. She has disappeared. Shades of the Dianne Masters case. The last known person to see Miss Koppel alive since April 26, 1980 was... you guessed it... Chief Inspector Richard Simon. Mr. Simon was being of assistance to Mr. Stein when he was the last person to see her on the face of the earth. Miss Koppel had a meeting with Richard Simon at Flapjaw's Saloon, 910 N. Wabash Ave., a wellknown hangout in the Chicago Avenue (18th Police District) where Simon then worked as a police officer. Mr. Simon was meeting Miss Koppel at the behest and request of the ruthless Mr. Stein. He was offering her $10,000.00 from Stein to "straighten out her life. "It should be noted here that Mr. Stein hasn't quite straightened out his life after spending eighteen months in jail and having faced charges of tax evasion. Apparently Miss Koppel feared Mr. Simon because, before going to this particular meeting with him, she handed a guard at her office building a card that bore the name and address of her attorney. She told the guard, "call this number if I don't come back." MISS KOPPEL DID NOT come back and has not come back as of this writing. Shades of the Dianne Masters case which Shriff O'Grady and his office is well entangled in. O'Grady's security agency was even hired to investigate the Dianne Masters disappearance - to the chagrin of knowledgeable law enforcement officers. Maybe O'Grady, Dvorak, the Special Operations Associates, Inc. Security outfit or Chief Inspector Simon can find Karen Lee Koppel. Richard Simon has been given his opportunity to assist in her disappearance. He was requested to appear before a Cook County Grand Jury by then State's Attorney Bernard Carey's special prosecution unit. However, Mr. Simon, a police officer and Stein front-man, politely refused to testify on advice of his lawyer. This, however, does not seem to bother former Chief of Detectives O'Grady, former Superintendent O'Grady and now "Reform" Sheriff O'Grady. SO ON SATURDAY NIGHT, April 26, 1980 at 10:30 p.m., Miss Koppel vanished and has never been found. The last person known to have seen her is Richard Simon, after making the $10,000.00 Stein-related offer to this close female friend of Stein. Shades of the Dianne Masters case once again. WOULDN'T ONE THINK Mr. O'Grady would be able to see the similarity? Unfortunately, he has not seen too much in his highly political career. He chooses not to as he is well aware that it's not good politics to see and know too much. Especially when one might be called to give testimony on devious matters. One of Ben Stein's other close friends beside Mr. Simon, now known as Chief Inspector Simon, but not known to Cook County Police Department officers, is Dominic Senese, the notorious Teamster offical who barely survived a "hit" attempt as his home earlier this year. Mr. Stein and Mr. Senese owned the Sherman House Hotel together, purchased with a $5.25 million dollar loan from the Teamster Pension Fund. This property was then sold to the State of Illinois which then built Republican Governor James Thompson's abortion of a building monument to himself.. It is a structure, now known as the State of Illinois Building, located across the street from the County Building and City Hall. This is the house that Big Jim Thompson built and everyone has been having a good laugh over it ever since. It cost the taxpayers a lot of money. Joey Glimco, another Teamster union man and outfit guy, is also Stein's friend. Glimco is close to the Hogan Family, the father and son team which controls Local 714, Machinery, Scrap Iron, Metal and Steel, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen, Handlers, Helpers, Alloy Fabricators, Theatrical, Exposition, Convention and Trade Show Employees, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which controls the workers at McCormick Place, where Stein controlled the janitors and where O'Grady's Special Operations Associates Agency provides services since he became Sheriff. Reformer O'Grady used to bemoan his plight prior to achieving office as Cook County Sheriff. Prior to his election, O'Grady could't get his security group any lucrative work at the exposition center. Special Operations Associates has it now. LOCAL 714 of the Teamsters has long been known for its outfit connections. The people ho have worked for them are a who's who of organized crime. It is the only Teamster Local in the country with major inroads into law enforcement. Guess where those inroads were made? You're right. Reformer O'Grady's Deputies and Correctional Officers are represented by Teamsters Local 714. Local 714 didn't get into the Sheriff's Office easily. The "two Jimmys" gave eager but quiet support. That is O'Grady and Dvorak by name. Oh well, this story keeps going round and round. But there is definitely more to come. The end is not in sight. In retrospect, however, is there any wonder now that John J. Flood has concern for the safety of his family when somehone like Richard Simon dispatches three of his part-time deputy goons to his home, in the darkness of night, allegedly to retrieve credentials? Credentials which O'Grady, while he was undersheriff during the tenture of Richard Elrod, originally gave personally to Mr. Flood, a prominent police officer and union leader. Mr. Flood has and continues to receive threats on his life. Mr. Flood has been told by Teamster people, amongst others, "We'll get you." O'Grady is well aware of this but that does not seem to matter. If Mr. Flood disappeared, there would be one less strong critic of O'Grady's ineptitude and strange relationships. BY THE WAY, let it be known that O'Grady took back Mr. Flood's star while he, O'Grady, was dealing with the 714 Teamsters people. Mr. Flood personally gave the star to O'Grady and Dvorak in O'Grady's office in the Daley Center. Mr. Flood, to no avail, still pointing out that his life was in danger. Street rumors have it that the 714 Teamster Hogan Family have Deputy stars and credentials. There are rumors that Ben Stein has a Deputy star also and has been a generous backer of O'Grady. COULD THE STAR that Mr. Flood was forced to turn in by O'Grady, thus removing Flood's ability to defend himself have been given to one of these close friends of "Mr. Clean," Mr. "Reformer," Mr. "I Don't Know Anything" O'Grady? 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