Billy Ott was born on Saturday, November 23, 1940, in New York, New York. Ott was 21 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 4, 1962, with the Chicago Cubs. When he first stepped onto Wrigley Field, I was just a kid. Years later I found myself in front of a man with a stocky frame, and strong hands that looked as if they could squeeze the life out of you. To me he was just "Bill", a locksmith I had introduced myself to when I began my journey into the field of locksmithing.
Bill ran a vibrant lock and hardware business with his two sons which he was very proud of and would often brag about their skills in free hand mortising and automotive prowess. We would sit and talk for long periods of time and I would enjoy listening to the "old timer" as he would ramble off the nuances of complex locks and his days working in New York City when Segal Jimmy Proof locks and Medeco were everywhere. Watching his expressions and listening as he would roll back in time and share his wisdom gave me a sense that my time was well spent. Bill had also served as a police officer in New York City, something he never threw around or spoke of with embellishments. He was the strong and silent type so when he would take a seat at his workbench in the rear of his shop and invites me to sit, I was honored. I discovered a man rich with history, honor, love of family and country. Known as Papi to his grandchildren, he would shine with pride over the thought that he would be taking care of them after he would close his shop for the day. Bill is one of several mentors in my growth as a professional locksmith. I will never forget his advice at the time...."Save every little part, they come in handy when you need them." With that I would salvage everything imaginable and put them into parts bins, so much so that other locksmiths would laugh and say give the junk to Tom he takes anything! Late one night in freezing temperatures with little light in my service van, I remember the sinking feeling I had when a small retainer spring flew from the rear of a key-in-knob cylinder and disappeared into the darkness. After a few explicit remarks I sat down and remembered what Bill had taught me. Luckily, I had a replacement that I had salvaged from a discarded cylinder. It is amazing how the past is relevant, how old things have meaning and should not be forgotten and every little thing counts. Something as small as a spring and something as big as achieving playing in the major league! Billy Ott played for the Chicago Cubs! Although he would diminish this fact without fan fair in his humble way, he would on the other hand, praise the talent of those he played with as a teammate. To watch how he would squint his eyes as they would twinkle and purse his lips as he would describe the power or speed of another player was testament that this guy was the real deal. He admired them deeply. When I asked Bill about his salary, he would roll his eyes and laugh and say about $1500 a year! "Back then it was a privileged to walk on that field." he would say...a privilege. The date today is February 22, 2011 and it is "my" privilege to share my experience with Mr. Billy Ott. Although he is humble and considers his time in the majors minor, I would say that anyone who is given the opportunity to step onto Wrigley Field at a time when the entire major league had maybe 8 teams....was something to be proud of. Your a great guy Billy, and I am grateful for having you as a mentor and my friend. Enjoy your retirement and remember the Society of Professional Locksmiths is here whenever you want to pull up a chair and talk shop. Click this link to read more about Billy Ott. http://link-shrink.com/8732
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UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI RICHARD G. CALLAHAN United States Attorney February 18, 2011 For Immediate Release OWNERS OF FLORIDA LOCKSMITH SERVICE INDICTED IN SCAM TO OVERCHARGE FOR LOCKSMITH SERVICES St. Louis, MO: The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that the owners of a Florida based locksmith service were charged in a superseding indictment on multiple federal charges involving a scam to overcharge customers for locksmith services, as well as employing and harboring illegal aliens. According to the superseding indictment, Dependable Locks, Inc., headquartered in Clearwater, FL, managed a national network of locksmith technicians, operating from major population centers across the United States, including St. Louis. It also maintained a full-time staff of telephone operators and dispatchers, who were on duty 24 hours per day in Clearwater. The dispatchers received phone calls electronically forwarded from hundreds to thousands of telephone numbers listed nationwide for emergency locksmith services, all of which forwarded consumer calls to the call center in Florida. The dispatchers received the calls and the business dispatched locksmith technicians from the area of the call to respond. Many of the locksmith technicians working for Dependable Locks were aliens who were unlawfully present in the United States and were not authorized to work as locksmith technicians. The indictment alleges that the locksmith company engaged in deceptive marketing by purchasing directory listings and advertisements in cities across the United States that identified the business to the public as a set of local locksmith companies. The company’s listings used multiple business names, local phone numbers and fake local addresses that had no affiliation with the company. Phone calls to the listed phone numbers were automatically routed to the company’s call center in Clearwater, Florida. In addition, telephone operators for Dependable Locks were instructed by managers to mislead customers to believe that they would be charged around $54 for a car lockout, while the responding technician was instructed by managers to charge up to $179 for a lockout. Technicians used techniques such as accusing the consumer who objected to the overcharge of "theft of services," threatening to call the police, withholding the customer's keys or driver's license to compel payment or following the customer to an ATM machine to ensure payment. The locksmith technicians allegedly were allowed to split the profits of the fraudulently procured locksmith services with the company and were required to remit the company's share of the proceeds by regularly purchasing and shipping cash, checks and money orders to the Dependable Locks location in Clearwater, FL. "After more than a year of following numerous leads with ICE and the Missouri Attorney General's Office, we are pleased to see this case continue to progress," said Postal Inspector J.R. Ball of the St. Louis Field Office. He added, "The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is vigilant in investigating allegations where the mail or postal products are used to conceal or further a crime." DAVID PEER, Clearwater, FL; and ADAM OLIVKOVICH, address unknown, were indicted by a federal grand jury on one felony count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, five felony counts of mail fraud, one felony count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens for private financial gain and one felony count of engaging in a pattern of hiring unauthorized aliens. MOSHE AHARONI, Clearwater, FL, was indicted on one felony count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one felony count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens for private financial gain. Conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or a fine up to $250,000. Mail fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or a fine up to $250,000. Conspiracy to harbor unlawful aliens for private financial gain carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or a fine up to $250,000. Engaging in a pattern of hiring unauthorized aliens carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and/or a fine of $3,000 per alien. In determining the actual sentences, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges. This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorneys John Sauer and John Ware are handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. As is always the case, charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. |
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