Ind. locksmith pleads guilty in video poker blast

CHICAGO - An Indiana locksmith admitted Friday that he supplied explosives to a man who boasted of mob ties and who is accused of setting off the blast that wrecked the offices of a video poker company.

Kyle Knight, 44, of Merrillville, Ind., also admitted taking part in a series of jewelry store robberies and agreed to cooperate with the investigation, which began with high-profile raids on meeting places of the Outlaws motorcycle club but is evolving into an organized crime case.

Knight is expected to provide key testimony as federal prosecutors delve deeper into the ring that operated in Chicago's western suburbs.

He admitted in a signed plea agreement presented to U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman that he furnished explosives for Samuel Volpendesto, 84, one of two men charged in the February 2003 bombing that ripped apart the suburban Berwyn offices of C&S Coin Operated Amusements.



Prosecutors say the blast was a message from the mob to the company to quit horning in on its $13 million monopoly on west suburban gambling.

Defense attorney Alexander Salerno denied at an August hearing that Volpendesto or co-defendant Mark Polchan, 41, had any ties to the mob.

Knight, who has been jailed since his arrest by federal agents last year, stood by clad in a bright orange prison jumpsuit as Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet S. Bhachu outlined the government's case.

In his plea agreement, Knight said he spoke with Volpendesto, described by prosecutors as the former operator of a Cicero strip club, at a Fourth of July party in 2002. Knight said he supplied the fireworks.

"Volpendesto had bragged to the defendant about his associations with organized crime, and had also engaged in other criminal activities with the defendant, including robbery," according to Knight's plea agreement.

The document said Volpendesto asked if Knight knew how to blow out the windows in a 25-foot by 35-foot structure without wrecking the building.

Later, according to the document, Knight supplied two Ziplock bags of explosive powder and a 20-foot fuse for Volpendesto's use. But the document suggested that the arrangement was not made directly with Volpendesto but through an unidentified go-between referred to as Individual B.

Knight said he left the materials at a store in February 2003.

He also admitted taking part in several robberies. At the holdup of one jewelry store, he said, he struggled with a clerk and his gun discharged, hitting the clerk in the chest. The wound was not fatal.

Prosecutors calculated that, based on a history of previous convictions, Knight could be sent to prison for a maximum of 27{ years. But in exchange for his cooperation, the government is recommending a sentence of 15 years. Gettleman still must approve the agreement.

Gettleman set no sentencing date at the request of prosecutors, who want to see how well Knight keeps his end of the bargain. He set another hearing in the case for Dec. 2.

Chicago Tribune

News Added: 04 September, 2008

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