Subpoena thickens plot in case of dead restaurateur

Lawyers for ex-Chicago cop charged in bizarre scheme seeking records into possible arson death of Highland Park man

April 11, 2013|By Jason Meisner and John Huston, Chicago Tribune reporters
  • Chicago Tribune illustration
Chicago Tribune illustration (Nancy Stone)

Seven months after a well-known restaurateur was found dead in a fire that destroyed his Highland Park home, Lake County authorities have revealed that his popular Italian restaurant had been burglarized on the same day and that an accelerant may have been used to ignite the blaze.

The new details emerged after lawyers for a former Chicago police officer accused in a plot to extort, murder and dismember a Chicago-area real estate magnate subpoenaed Highland Park police for all its records in its investigation into the September death of Giacomo Ruggirello, longtime owner of Trattoria Giacomo in neighboring Highwood.

The reason for the subpoena was unclear Wednesday. Keith Spielfogel, who represents the ex-cop, Steven Mandell, would not comment on the possible connection between the two cases.

Highland Park police, meanwhile, are seeking to quash the subpoena, saying turning over its records could jeopardize the investigation and that nothing about Ruggirello's death appears to be connected to the charges against Mandell.

"I do not believe that any of the information in our investigative file is necessary for or would even assist Mr. Mandell in his defense in that case," Highland Park police Cmdr. Gerald Cameron said in a sworn statement.

Cameron said in his statement that the origin of the fire remained undetermined but a chemical analysis "may point to the use of an accelerant." Police learned that Ruggirello's restaurant had been burglarized on the day of the fire, which "heightened our investigative awareness," he said. Several potential witnesses had been interviewed.

Firefighters responded to Ruggirello's split-level ranch house in the 1700 block of Midland Avenue shortly after midnight Sept. 24 and found the building engulfed in flames. Ruggirello's body was inside but was so badly burned it took investigators a month to confirm his identity through DNA, authorities said.

Days after the fatal blaze, the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force confirmed that it was involved in the investigation. Police officials contacted by the Tribune on Wednesday would not comment on the status of the investigation.

The Italian-born Ruggirello, 61, immigrated to the United States from Palermo, where his family ran a bakery and cafe. He opened Trattoria Giacomo in the mid-1990s.

The bizarre case against Mandell, 62, unfolded in October when federal agents swooped in and arrested him and an alleged accomplice, Gary Engel, as they prepared to abduct the businessman from a Northwest Side realty office.

Prosecutors alleged Mandell and Engel planned to take the victim to a nearby vacant office space they called "Club Med," which had been outfitted with saws, handcuffs and an industrial sink for draining blood. After his arrest, Engel hanged himself in jail.