The Kalady Story
Catherine
Always wonder if he was a member of Harvey Berish's Drum Corps Publicists
Association. He was certainly well-known around the midwest in the 1960s...
From the Chicago Trib search pages - complete story below. No doubt, there will be
more mentions...
1. Doctor gets 10 years for role in fake death plot
Patient had sought to elude prosecution Matt O'Connor, Tribune staff reporter;
Chicago Tribune; Apr 23, 2005; pg. 15
Dr. Gabriel Taganyi, [Joseph Kalady]'s physician, had been enlisted to sign a death
certificate in 2001 confirming that Kalady had died, but he balked after he saw the
dead body in a recliner in Kalady's residence, authorities said.
2. Man admits he aided brother in murder plot
Chicago Tribune; Mar 16, 2005; pg. 3
Michael Kalady admitted that he lied to police and paramedics in a bid to fool them
into thinking that the corpse was that of his brother, Joseph Kalady.
3. Doctor admits murder plot role
He could get 10 years for lies about patient who faked own death Matt O'Connor,
Tribune staff reporter; Chicago Tribune; Feb 19, 2005; pg. 25
4. Murderer admits role in 2nd death
Chicago Tribune; Sep 23, 2004; pg. 3
Raul Rodriguez., 44, of Chicago, admitted he held down William White while Joseph
Kalady suffocated him as he sat in a recliner watching television in Kalady's
apartment, according to Rodriguez's plea agreement.
5. Woman pleads guilty to concealing death plot
Chicago Tribune; Sep 22, 2004; pg. 3
6. Sister admits lying about murder plot
Chicago Tribune; Apr 25, 2004; pg. 3
7. Bizarre plot comes to deadly end
Edited by Lara Weber (lweber@tribunecom) and Drew Sottardi (dsottardi@tribunecom);
Chicago Tribune; May 28, 2003; pg. 6
8. Suspect's death is real now, court told
He faced charges in phony demise Matt O'Connor, Tribune staff reporter; Chicago
Tribune; May 28, 2003; pg. 1
9. Woman admits her role in fake-documents scam
Chicago Tribune; Apr 2, 2003; pg. 3
Arlene Riley, of the 1800 block of North Monticello Avenue, admitted to knowingly
making false statements in Social Security documents to obtain cards for Joseph
Kalady, a man prosecutors allege is a scam artist who ran a fake document mill at
6342 W. Irving Park Rd.
<snip>
12. Death penalty sought against accused doctor
Matt O'Connor, Tribune staff reporter; Chicago Tribune; Nov 27, 2002; pg. 1
[Ronald Mikos] has pleaded not guilty. A lawyer for Mikos has characterized the
government's murder case against the podiatrist as largely circumstantial.
13. 4 more charged in killing
Man slain in ruse to help suspect escape, U.S. says Eric Ferkenhoff, Tribune staff
reporter; Chicago Tribune; May 3, 2002; pg. 3
The four new defendants include [Joseph Kalady]'s sister, Deamonda Smith, and his
niece, Deval Speer, both of whom allegedly lied to federal agents about their
knowledge of the plot, authorities said. The other two are Harry Rand, who allegedly
introduced [William White] to Kalady; and Peggy Flattery, a friend who flew to
Chicago from Boston, then made the drive back with Kalady when he skipped ...
14. 5 admit roles in slaying, U.S. says
Rudolph Bush, Tribune staff reporter; Chicago Tribune; Dec 21, 2001; pg. 4
15. ID fraud figure, pals charged in murder
Body tied to ruse in planned escape Matt O'Connor and Eric Ferkenhoff, Tribune staff
reporters Tribune staff reporter Karen Rivedal contributed to this reporter; Chicago
Tribune; Dec 8, 2001; pg. 1
[Gabriel Tiganyi] said he agreed to sign [Joseph Michael Kalady]'s death certificate
to give it a look of authenticity. While eating with Kalady's niece and her husband
at Chuck E. Cheese's on Sunday, Tiganyi was paged by Kalady and drove to his home in
the 2300 block of North Campbell Avenue.
16. 275-pound stumbling block
ID fraud suspect heavier than man found dead Eric Ferkenhoff and Matt O'Connor,
Tribune staff reporters; Chicago Tribune; Dec 7, 2001; pg. 1
His doctor explained in court that [Joseph Kalady] couldn't appear in court for
several weeks because of his condition. The same doctor, police believe, was in on
Kalady's alleged plot to switch White's body for his. According to the plan, the
doctor would show up at Kalady's North Side home Sunday after police responded to a
call from Kalady's brother, ...
17. ID fraud suspect not dead, cops say
Homeless man's body discovered as part of ruse Eric Ferkenhoff and Matt O'Connor,
Tribune staff reporters; Chicago Tribune; Dec 6, 2001; pg. 1
[Joseph M. Kalady] came under investigation for fraud early this year, according to
federal records. The State Department's Chicago passport office had discovered about
20 fraudulent passport applications, and investigators soon found a woman who said
Kalady and two associates paid her to apply for Social Security cards using
counterfeit birth certificates.
18. U.S. sting uncovers fake ID scheme
Matt O'Connor, Tribune staff reporter; Chicago Tribune; Oct 25, 2001; pg. 1
PHOTO; U.S. Atty. [Patrick J. Fitzgerald] (center) and William Cotter of the Social
Security Administration announce charges Wednesday in a fake identification scheme.
http://ironside.cs.northwestern.edu/article.asp?articleID=5564&item=archives
Chicago man pleads 'not guilty' to murder charges, faking death
by Kelly Yueh
5/9/2002
Joseph Kalady, who was charged with murdering a Chicago man to avoid prosecution for
allegedly forging identifications cards, pleaded not guilty Thursday in federal
court.
Kalady is accused, along with seven friends and family members, of suffocating
William White late last year. Prosecutors say he hoped to fake his own death by
passing off White's dead body as his own.
In September, Kalady was charged with fraud in connection with leading a fake
identification ring in his North Side neighborhood. Prosecutors say on Dec. 2. 2001,
Kalady lured White, a neighborhood homeless man, to his Bucktown apartment and
smothered him with a plastic garbage bag.
According to prosecutors, Kalady's brother Michael further the plot by intentionally
misidentifying White's body as his brother's. White weighed 165 pounds at the time of
his death; Joseph Kalady weighs about 450 pounds.
Federal authorities went to the Illinois Cremation Society in Romeoville the day
after White died and confirmed the body in a cardboard box marked "Joseph Kalady" was
not him.
Two days later, on the day Kalady was supposed to appear in court and plead guilty to
the fraud charges, Kalady called prosecutors. They say he admitted he tried to fake
his own death by killing White.
At the time, Kalady faced up to 15 years in prison for the identity fraud charges,
including selling phony social security cards, birth certificates and Illinois
driver's licenses.
Kalady, 61, and his friend, Raul Rodriguez, are accused of the actual murder. Michael
Kalady and Gabriel Taganyi, the Kaladys' family doctor, are both accused of
participating in the murder plot.
Prosecutors said all four men could face the death penalty if convicted. The Kaladys
and Rodriguez pleaded not guilty Thursday in front of U.S. District Judge Sidney I.
Schenkier.
Taganyi did not enter a plea and was not at the arraignment. According to Janet J.
Kurek, the courtroom deputy, he is currently being held at a Jefferson, Wis. jail.
Three other friends and family members of Kalady who are accused in connection with
the murder have pleaded not guilty. The eighth person charged in the scheme, Peggy
Flattery, is accused of driving Kalady to a Boston suburb after White was killed.
Kalady was found by authorities in a condominium owned by Flattery a few days after
White died.
Defense attorneys said Flattery was not in court Thursday because she recently had
surgery in Boston. She is scheduled to appear in court next week.
http://www.dailyvidette.org/media/paper420/news/2005/04/25/State/Physician.Receives.S
entence-936481.shtml
Physician receives sentence
Published: Monday, April 25, 2005
CHICAGO (AP) - A Chicago physician who admitted lying to officials who were
investigating a fake identity case that involved the killing of a homeless man has
been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Dr. Gabriel Taganyi, 49, of Chicago pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy and
false statement charges. Under the plea bargain, the government agreed to dismiss a
charge that he aided and abetted in a murder.
At his sentencing Friday in U.S. District Court, Taganyi said there was no doubt that
there had been lapses in his judgment.
Taganyi's patient, Joseph Kalady, was arrested in August 2001 for operating what
federal prosecutors described as a fraudulent document mill out of a Chicago
storefront.
Two months after his arrest, a body described as Kalady's was found in his apartment.
But officials grew suspicious because the dead man weighed 175 pounds, while Kalady
weighed about 450 pounds.
Through fingerprints, the body was identified as William White, 47, a homeless man,
and authorities launched a search for Kalady.
Investigators found him in the Boston area. He was returned to Chicago and charged
with killing White.
Kalady, 62, died in prison in 2003 before he could be tried for murder.
Taganyi admitted he lied to a court official when he denied any knowledge of Kalady's
whereabouts after White's death.
In pleading guilty, Taganyi admitted Kalady confided in him that he planned to fake
his death and asked if the doctor would help by signing a certificate as if the body
was Kalady's.
Taganyi said he asked for time to consider the request and said his response to
Kalady "was sufficiently ambiguous to lead him to believe that he had agreed to
help," the plea agreement said.
In court on Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bart Huff said Taganyi decided against
signing the death certificate because Kalady weighed more than twice as much as
White.
If he had been convicted in connection with the murder, he would have faced a
mandatory life sentence, said Taganyi's lawyer, Keith Spielfogel.