Criminal Conversion

By Karma Nap-Ton

This book is about two best friends who grow up together in the hippie days of the ’60s. They grow up in a bad neighborhood and, like so many of us, become a product of their environment. While there is peace and love, there is also tumultuous times and self-destruction. So strap up and enjoy the ride down the road after life’s glamor and excess.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781646281466

Book preview

Chapter 1

A Birth in the Bronx

It was a blistering cold November morning back in 1948 when Hector Saulise Perez was born. He was born at Holy Cross Hospital on November 26 approximately 3:57 a.m. This was the neighborhood hospital, and the one and only of its kind in the underlying area. It was only ten blocks away from his parents’ apartment complex in the heart of the city, the Bronx, New York.

At this particular point in time, the Bronx was one of the most dangerous places in the world. Hector Perez was eighteen inches in length. He weighed seven pounds, six ounces with dark-brown hair and brown eyes. The proud parents were Mr. Juan Miguel Perez and his stunningly beautiful wife, Mrs. Maria Quantanilla Perez. Mr. Perez was a pretty husky fellow in stature at six foot five and weighing 265 pounds of solid muscle. He had dark-brown hair, brown eyes, and a mustache which resembled that of Colonel Custard.

His wife, Maria, on the other hand, well, let’s just say she was quite the opposite of her husband. Mrs. Perez was a petite little thing, at five feet tall and weighing a slender, 105 pounds. She was just as cute as she could be. She had long dark-black silky hair, huge light-green eyes, and a vibrant smile as bright as all the stars in the midnight sky—a smile that could brighten up even the darkest day.

Mr. Perez worked out of his truck, peddling fresh fruits and vegetables throughout various neighborhoods, none of which was like the one that he and his wife resided in. His wife, Maria, was unemployed at the time of her son’s birth. She had been terminated from her job two years earlier in 1946. This was the neighborhood factory that she worked in since she was thirteen years old.

The manufacturing company which specialized in all types of rubber and fabrics had to shut down their doors because of financial difficulties, after fifty years in business. She would now become a stay-at-home mom, literally speaking, tending to her newborn son’s needs, her husband’s needs, and all the household chores. Now remember, I mentioned earlier the Bronx, New York, was one of the most volatile places in the world. You did not want to be anywhere near there, let alone live there in the 1920s to the 1970s. It was notorious for its gang violence, by rival gang members’ gang bangers, so to speak. There were endless murders, drug dealing, and prostitution rings. The gangs ran and ruled the streets of the Bronx, New York, in those days. The streets were infested with real hard-core thugs, gang bangers, as they supposedly called themselves. It was so bad that all the husbands in the hood, as the gangs referred to it, would have to do all the outside errands. Yes, ladies, even the shopping. Husbands would not even allow their wives and children out in the mid of all this madness and chaos that was corrupting their streets. It was not only disallowed, it was prohibited for the wives and their children to be outdoors anywhere, at any time, day or night.

Chapter 2

The Foxes Rule

This came to be known as The Foxes Rule—which was first established by Mr. Ornesto (The Fox) Ortega, in 1936.

At the time, Mr. Ortega was the biggest drug lord in the world. He ran a multimillion-dollar-a-year drug ring, which consisted of many illegal substances, ranging from marijuana to cocaine and heroin, in its purest form. One good whiff or hit of this primo heroin would paralyze the central nervous system and respiratory system, which would result in a quick, painless death. It was this pure 92.8 percent raw heroin and cocaine, straight rock, right off the top, no cut added to it, that was raking in the most money. The only time that cut would be added to the drug was when the gangs got ahold of it. This was to add to their means of profit. It was the main source of making more money off the drug. Plus, add to the fact that they did not want to kill off their customers with the high potency that these narcotics contained.

Mr. Ortega, otherwise known to his peers as the Head Kingpin, was the main man in charge. He was, without a doubt, the number one, Drug Kingpin, of a vast drug empire that was rapidly increasing. The amount of money that his business was generating in numbers was astronomical. There was only one other person on the planet, besides his wife, that Mr. Ortega confided in and trusted. This was his closest friend and his right-hand man, Dave Diamond Duttchendorff. His real name was David (Paul) Duttchendorff. He started working for Mr. Ortega in 1932 at the age of sixteen. He quickly became the biggest drug runner for Mr. Ortega in the 1930s and well into the late 1940s. At that time, he was, the biggest drug runner in the world." He earned the nickname Dave Diamond, because of his love for diamonds, and he wore a ton of them. You name it—diamond rings, diamond bracelets, diamond necklaces, a brand-new Patek Phillipe watch, which at the time was worth about eighty thousand dollars. Mr. Ortega trusted him with his life and his family. Hell, he was like family, loyal as loyal could be.

He had it set up so that Dave Diamond would be a role model and a teacher to those who were new to the drug game. He was like a mentor to the up-and-coming youngsters who were new on the drug scene.—those who weren’t quite ready yet, or hip, to the game. This was to assure that Dave Diamond would be well-off financially and set for life. Just as long as he didn’t get killed along the way. He also did a lot of hits on the side for his boss with some fifty-plus bodies to his credit. This was a major promise and a show of good faith and loyalty that Mr. Ortega made to Dave Diamond from the beginning.

Mr. Ortega not only foresaw the future of how things were going but also where they were headed. He knew deep down within his being that all hell would break loose with the rival gangs, especially with the drug scene in the mix. The cutthroat violence that this lethal concoction would bring. It was this very same combination that in time would prove to be preposterous in proportion. If there was only one good deed that Mr. Ortega did in his lifetime, it was by far, hands down, the implementing of The Foxes Rule—a rule that not only protected the wives of the husbands but mainly their young, innocent children from the nonstop, daily crossfire that was erupting in their streets—the constant violence and bloodshed that was consuming the streets of the Bronx, New York.

Chapter 3

Murder of a Mob Boss

He took this with him to the grave when he was gunned down in 1948 by two assassins’ bullets. The first bullet was lodged in the midsection of his back. The second shot, the fatal blow, was dead center to the back of Mr. Ortega’s skull, killing him instantly. It was a clean, clear-cut shot that buckled his knees as he collapsed face-first down on the concrete of his front-porch steps. This was, without a doubt, an execution-style hit, as the Mafia coined it. All you heard was the eerie penetrating sound of teeth smashing on the inside of his mouth as his head swiftly bounced off the cement steps. It was just then at this precise moment in time that the getaway car sped off into the distance.

His wife, who had already telephoned the police after she heard the first of the two gunshots ring out, came storming out of the house, screaming hysterically at the top of her lungs, long into the brisk winter air. She just stood there in shock, shaking frantically; her eyes were pierced down on her husband’s dead body that was sprawled out across their front-porch steps. Dropping to her knees, she then proceeded to pick up the limp body of her dead husband, placing his head upon her left shoulder, while she nestled him in her arms. She then began to rock him back and forth while crying loudly. A river of blood streamed all around them as she waited for the police and the ambulance to arrive.

In the few moments that followed, you could hear the unmistakable sound of sirens blaring in the background as just then the ambulance and squad cars pulled up at the scene of the crime. The ambulance hauled away his body while the two remaining police officers on the crime scene escorted her to the back seat of their squad car, where she would then be taken down to the police station for questioning.

Chapter 4

Mere Speculation

Well, needless to say, nothing ever came of the murder of Mr. Ortega. The investigation hit a dead end and has not yet been solved to this very day. No one has ever been charged or even held accountable for his murder. There was never a doubt in anyone’s mind that this was definitely a mob hit. As usual, in most, if not all, of these cases, when these mob hits are carried out by the Mafia, ironically there is never a shred of evidence left behind or ever found at the crime scene. Yes, there are, and will always be, a lot of speculations, rumors, and theories into the cause or reason of his death. Hell, most people believe that it might have been another rival drug lord looking to bump him off and take over his position as the new number one drug lord in the world. Until there is any credible, concrete proof, there is absolutely no way to know it is all in the way that people perceive things to be. Whether it’s through their limited ways or way of thinking or their thought process or even their feeling or feelings about certain situations, it may even be through their actions or reactions to some degree. Which most of the time is usually just a hunch or a notion.

To be totally honest with you, it’s a bunch of bullshit. It may be a valid claim, but most of the time, it’s an invalid claim, or claims, with nothing to back it up. So out the window it goes. The bottom line reads like this first and foremost, the main reason that most of these mob hits go unsolved is that they are just exactly that—a mob hit carried out by the Mafia. Need I say more.

Any way you decide to phrase it, the number one reason that most of these cases go unsolved is that no one in their right mind wants any trouble or problems with the mob. Not only will you come up missing, but your family and children may as well. The number two reason being that the cops are on the Mafia’s payroll to turn a blind eye to what is happening or going on and to keep their mouths shut. No matter how you look at it, or try to spin it, it’s plain and simple to see that Mr. Ornes to (The Fox) Ortega died a horrific death at the hands of his enemies—because of the extravagant lifestyle that he had chosen for himself.

Chapter 5

Devastating Demons

In the wake of his murder, he left behind his loving wife of fifteen years, Mrs. Amelia (Cosualla) Ortega, and their two-year-old infant son, little Don (Paublo) Ortega. The Ortegas would have had two children, but for the fact that his wife suffered a miscarriage in her fifth month of pregnancy in 1945, three years prior to the birth of her son. This was a devastating blow to her, and it would prove to be one, that in time, would change the course of her husband’s life forever, one that he was truly unable to get past. It was this very same demon that drove him to the edge of darkness—a demon so intense and destructive that it drastically haunted him throughout his whole life and up until the day of his demise, on January 13, 1948.

Nonetheless, he had a reputation as a shrewd businessman, one who had zero patience or tolerance for any kind of bullshit that crossed his path. He was a very serious and intense individual. A big-time drug-lord, whose drug empire was worth an estimated 750 million dollars at the time of his death. In every aspect, he was the biggest transporter of cocaine and heroin in the entire world. In his last will and testament that he had his lawyer, Mr. Francisco Hernandez, drawn up for him in 1945 after the unfortunate death of his firstborn child, he left the inheritance of his mass fortune to his wife. In the event that something was to happen to her, it would then be left to their one and only child, when he turned eighteen years old. Sadly enough, she died two years later in 1950 at the age of thirty-three. The cause of death was listed as respiratory failure. Some people say that she died of a broken heart. Well, given all the traumatic events that occurred during her lifetime, this would not be as far-fetched as it may seem. The lifetime of experiences that she had endured—all the pain and suffering that was ever so present in her life could be very exhaustive and overwhelming at times. This could very well be a plausible answer or reason for the cause of her death. It would surely not be too far-fetched to believe that she did die from a broken heart.

In the meantime, little Don (Paublo) Ortega would now have to be raised by his grandparents, Mr. Pedro Saurez, and his darling wife, Mrs. Vanchenza Saurez.

Chapter 6

Baby Girl

Now as far as the Perez family was concerned, they had their second child, a beautiful bouncing baby girl. They named her Alexandria (Virginia) Perez. She was