LetsGoDU

Ice Rink Manager Under Scrutiny (this could be the next screenplay for a Soprano's Episode)

Left: It is alledged that Ice Hockey mobster....er, I mean Ice Rink Manager... Mike Vlassakis ran an hockey camp with squeeky clean but naive Air Force Academy coach Frank "Skates" Serratore
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Police are investigating whether a City of Omaha ice rink (Nebraska has ice rinks?) manager pocketed thousands of dollars in city fees and gave away ice time to finance his sons' memberships on local hockey teams (Hey, I think we all agree its going to a good cause).

Mike Vlassakis has been suspended with pay from his job managing the Motto McLean Ice Arena at Hitchcock Park and Benson Ice Arena Court.

He has not been arrested or charged with a crime (If jailed he should request a transfer to Orono City Jail. Their ice hockey team is supposed to be loaded next year).

Documents and interviews with people familiar with the investigation make it clear that authorities are looking into at least two areas:

• Billing for the use of city ice. Leaders of two local hockey groups have told police that Vlassakis reduced the groups' ice time bills and told them that the discounts were to pay for his sons' fees to play on their teams. The fees totaled thousands of dollars (ouch).

• Money for city hockey camps. These funds apparently made their way into a private bank account opened in 2002. Court documents indicate the city did not know about the account. U.S. Air Force Academy hockey coach Frank "Skates" Serratore (now there's a familiar name to DU fans), who lives in Colorado and helped run the annual summer camps, said he and Vlassakis split tens of thousands of dollars of that money. He said that was because they were running one week of the camps privately.

Police recently executed a search warrant to seize bank records related to the account, which is listed in Serratore's name.

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At this point I'm picturing Colonel "Skates" Serratore on the witness stand.... "You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives...You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.We use words like honor, code, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!"

Prosecuter: Thats great Frank. All I want to know, is did you know that the Ice Rink Manager was ripping off the city?

Serratore: Uh, No

Prosecutor: Next witness.

Vlassakis' attorney Tom Hoarty declined Friday to discuss specifics of the investigation but said that his client ultimately will be vindicated.

Vlassakis was suspended after a city investigation into one of his subordinates, Mike Fricke (this is beginning to sound like a Frick & Frack operation), turned up the financial issues. The city has fired Fricke, citing reasons not related to the criminal investigation of Vlassakis. Fricke has appealed his firing.

Authorities continue to probe Vlassakis' handling of city finances.

In an interview, Serratore defended the use of the private bank account. He said he and Vlassakis established a private corporation in 2002 to take in money for city camps held at the McLean arena at 45th and P Streets.

The account was set up when the number of one-week camps was increased from two to three to handle increased interest in the program, he said. The first two weeks were city camps, Serratore said, and the last week was a private camp (OVER CHARG-ING clap, clap, clappy, clap).

Serratore said city officials did not want to add the third week of camp, so he and Vlassakis decided to run it themselves. He said Vlassakis told him the city had approved the three-week, partly privatized (WTF?) format and that it was patterned after another ice program in Omaha.

Vlassakis' attorney, Hoarty, also said his client acted with the blessing of his bosses (the Chicago or Kansas City Family?).

Serratore said his understanding was that Vlassakis collected the money from the youths in the camps and turned over what was owed to the city for expenses and the first two weeks of camp. The two men split the profits from the third week - approximately $16,000 to $20,000, he said.

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Serratore said the $8,000 he received from the city was for the first two weeks and the other money came from the corporation for the last week (It's beginning to look like Scott Owens is the third highest paid college hockey coach in Colorado).

City officials tell a different story.

City Recreation Manager Kim Harman and Mayor Mike Fahey's chief of staff, Paul Landow, said the city should have received the money for all three weeks.

Harman said the $8,000 the city paid Serratore was to cover all three weeks of camps and Vlassakis did not take vacation for the third week, so he was being paid by the city for that week (who has time for a vacation when your kid plays youth hockey, much less afford one?).

The city paid the program's expenses for T-shirts and lunches (poor kids were probably being forced to eat crappy City of Omaha PB & J sandwiches) for the kids for all three weeks and it doesn't appear the city was reimbursed for use of the facility for the third week, Landow said.

"We don't believe it would be appropriate for a city employee, on city time, being paid by the city, working at a city facility, to operate a private business that takes city funds and converts them to personal use (what the heck do you think every mayor in America does?)," Landow said.

Authorities also are looking at ice time bills sent to the Omaha Metropolitan Amateur Hockey Association and the Gladiators Hockey Association.

"Information indicates that Mike Vlassakis has taken liberties with the city facility in order to benefit personally," Omaha Police Officer Mark Griffey stated as part of his request for the search warrant for the private account.

Gladiators president Margie Lowndes told Griffey that she had talked with Vlassakis. Her understanding was that when a "sponsorship credit" showed up on the group's bills, those credits were to be deducted from the Vlassakis' sons fees (this kid has more "sponsors" than NASCAR).

"Lowndes stated in effect that Gladiators Hockey was receiving free ice time in exchange for Mike Vlassakis's son's hockey fees to be paid (that sounds fair)," Griffey stated.

A bill from October 2004 listed two "sponsorships" for Vlassakis' sons - one for $1,475 and another for $1,327, he stated.

Lowndes declined this week to discuss Griffey's statement but said she was aware of no improper activity.

Another group, the Omaha Metropolitan Amateur Hockey Association, had an October 2001 bill for ice time reduced by $1,200. That amount was then credited to one of Vlassakis' sons, who was playing on an association team, according to the warrant (Sounds like Enron accounting).

When contacted about the warrant, association president Pat Meschede said his group questioned Vlassakis about the bill. Vlassakis responded that the city was sponsoring his son, Meschede said (Let's see if I've got this straight. The city of Omaha loves hockey so much its "sponsoring" an up and coming young hockey player, meanwhile UNO can't play home games against Michigan because of a high school wrestling tournament).

The group did not profit from the "sponsorship," Meschede said, because the credit on the bill was the same amount that Vlassakis owed (Wonder if UNO offers a degree in Ice Rink Management. Sounds like a lucrative industry).

Landow said the city would not agree to use taxpayer funds for the benefit of city employees' relatives.

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This article originally appeared in the Omaha World-Herald

POSTSCRIPT -- OMAHA — The city is demanding more than $84,000 from two men involved in a dispute over hockey camp proceeds.

City Attorney Paul Kratz sent letters this week to ice rink manager Mike Vlassakis and a hockey coach, Frank Serratore of Colorado, saying the two must repay the money by Feb. 10 or the city will sue.

The letters said Vlassakis and his wife, Jeannine, received a total of $48,784 and Serratore a total of $35,489 from hockey camps in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005