Security and the Fourth International 2023

 

Socialist Equality Party (US) sold assets to and worked for business linked to the "Chicago Outfit" 

Suspect

In the wake of the scandal that broke out in the aftermath of the leaking of the ownership of a multi-million dollar printing company, Grand River Printing and Imaging (founded in 1978 by David North) by leading members of the Socialist Equality Party, David North and Barry Grey (or to be precise, their wives), and also likely due to the economic crisis of 2008 and the general decline of the printing industry, Grand River Printing and Imaging (GRPI) appears to have begun liquidation in 2013.[0] [0.1]

Before the final auctioning off of the remainder of it's assets, likely worth millions, certain assets of GRPI had already been sold in what was itself certainly a very lucrative sale to the printing business American Litho, lead by executives connected to the mafia and union "strongmen." [1] [see below] 

SEP members continued working for American Litho in executive positions, praising it publicly in the press, and continue years after information about its executives connections to the mob came out in high-profile court cases.

What happened to all of the money from the sale of GRPI's assets to American Litho and others? Was it used to build the SEP? Were comrades that had contributed decades worth of work towards building a printshop rewarded? 

The extremely under-developed "marketing apparatus" of the SEP indicates that the answer to these questions is no. One thing is known: some of the money was invested into a new venture - a marketing company, the latest major commercial front of the Socialist Equality Party, which harnesses the talents of writers attracted to the WSWS to produce "copy" for a much more developed and lucrative marketing operation, one directed not towards any useful production for the Party, but private profit. [2][2.1][2.2] 

Clearly, something is rotten in the state of Denmark. We say: Oppose the conspiracy to defraud the members of the International Committee! This large accumulation of wealth must be used to build the World Party!

Most importantly: does the SEP have connections to organized crime? 

Addendum: 

We solicited comments from several people who study the mafia that we consulted in regards to the situation outlined above. Below we report some of their comments:

The first said that if members "actively helped it by running [American Litho] then there is no innocent explanation... that's pretty sketchy and I think its harder to explain continued employment with the firm."

A second person we consulted suggested it could bear the marks of a government operation. They said that "Maybe they [SEP members] [were] approached by law enforcement." "There was a Colombo bust around a decade ago, it sort of involved something like that... when the FBI was looking into the crew, they went to these [business] partners and were able to get them to provide information on the mobsters. If I recall correctly, they even wired up to record stuff." 

The others speculated that if American Litho is a criminally connected enterprise, that would indicate that "there's no innocent explanation and at that point they're criminals helping further the criminal activities of a criminal organization" and that "the[y] know" what they are involved in.

Further information on American Litho and its mafia connections:

1. After the selloff of assets to American Litho, members of the SEP became employees at American Litho, including a leading member who took up a position as a sales executive.

2. Ex American Litho Vice President and Co-Owner M. Dziuban conspired with the mafia to extort money: [3]

3. The American Litho salesman approached by Dziuban in the early stages of his conspiracy is identified as a "soldier" in the Chicago Outfit. 

4. The mob muscle selected for the extortion scheme was a former union bodyguard, G. Brown.

5. Carol Stream, a village where American Litho is headquartered, is in an area home to many other mafia run operations.

6. The President/owner of American Litho is married into the family of the Chicago Outfits "caporegime."[4][4.1]

Along with Brown, Dziuban, an owner at American Litho, "works for" Mob Lieutenant P. Carparelli. From this it appears that American Litho is almost certainly a commercial front of the "Chicago Outfit." [5]