Thomas Gervais

The future of Operation Safe Bet is less certain.

30 miles northwest of Lyons, National Credit Service owner and FBI confidential informant Thomas Gervais lies awake in bed, attuned to the growing rumble of an approaching V8.

He watches headlights comb the ceiling as a car pulls up and stops across the street.

He listens as the engine runs and wonders who's inside.

That's P-A-T-R-E-O-N forward slash one word, Taming Lions.

The following discussion contains personal opinions and unverified allegations by interview subjects, which are not asserted as fact by this podcast.

After confidential informant Thomas Gervais leaks the story of Operation Safe Bed to legendary journalist Bob Woodward at The Washington Post, the FBI is forced to wrap up the undercover portion of the operation.

On August 10th, 1984, at 10.05 p.m., 300 federal agents and county sheriffs simultaneously raid 12 suspected brothels across Chicagoland, including Lions Clubs, My Uncle's Place, Petit Lounge, French 75, Club Algiers, and Michael's Magic Touch.

Didn't take no shit.

Joe Merin is also a trusted bag man, trusted enough that by the end of October 1981, Merin has convinced Michael Russo to use Thomas Gervais and Agent Larry Damron's National Credit Service to launder the club's prostitution money.

Between October '81 and July of 1982, undercover FBI agent Larry Damron meets with Merin at the Magic Touch over 40 times.

Larry Damron came in every week, every Monday night, during the time that I was working there.

And the FBI is concerned, because small, highly sensitive tape recorders have been installed underneath the driver's seat of the Vette to record Damron's conversations with NCS clients and targets.

If found, the recorders could tip the outfit off to the operation.

And if that's not bad enough, the Bureau is worried that confidential informant Thomas Gervais may have set Larry up.

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A stack of credit card chits before him.

His name is Thomas Gervais, and he's about to become Judy Petrucci's unwitting ally in her fight against crime and corruption in Lions.

Some people say I have the tenacity of a bulldog, and I knew that eventually something could be done.

It was a matter of time.

For Autonomous, I'm Chris Kosterzak, and this is Taming Lions.

Chapter 4, Safe Bet.

Thomas Gervais' ties to the adult entertainment business go back a generation.

According to reports, his parents were responsible for opening some of the first adult bookstores and theaters in Chicago.