- Chris Paciello
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Chris Paciello (born Christian Ludwigsen,[1] September 7, 1971, Brooklyn, New York) is a convicted felon who was a nightclub owner in Miami in the 1990s. After serving a prison sentence, he is currently a restaurant owner in Los Angeles.[2]
Paciello grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. When he was 16, his family moved to Staten Island. Three years later, he left home and changed his name to Chris Paciello (Paciello is the maiden name of his mother, Marguerite). The name change partly reflected a rejection of his father, who faced charges for burglary, auto theft, and attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance during the 1980s, and from whom Paciello has been estranged ever since.[1] Paciello's elder brother, George Ludwigsen, has been convicted and jailed for various, separate burglary charges.
In 1994, Paciello moved to Miami and opened a nightclub called Risk at the same venue as one previously owned by actor Mickey Rourke in November 1994. In April 1995, Risk burned to the ground under unusual circumstances two months after it opened. Paciello used the club's insurance money to open a new place, Club Liquid in South Beach, bringing in Ingrid Casares as co-partner. Liquid became a center of Miami's South Beach nightlife in the 1990s. Madonna, a friend of Casares, was a frequent guest. She and Paciello were linked romantically in tabloid reports.[3] He has also been linked to Niki Taylor, Jennifer Lopez, Naomi Campbell, Daisy Fuentes and Sofia Vergara.
Paciello had connections to New York crime families,[1] and regularly committed robberies as teenager in Brooklyn. In December 1992, Paciello admitted to his involvement in a $300,000 bank robbery at a Chemical Bank in the Staten Island Mall.[4] In February 1993, a FBI investigation resulted in Paciello's arrest for being the getaway driver in a home invasion on Staten Island which he allegedly masterminded, in the course of which a Staten Island housewife, Judith Shemtov, was shot dead in her home by a thug named Thomas Reynolds.[5] On December 1, 1999, Paciello was charged with robbery and murder in New York. In October 2000, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to ten years in prison, a more lenient sentence than he would normally have received in exchange for being a government witness.[6]
In September 2006, Paciello was released after serving six years in prison and placed on parole.[4] He later moved to Los Angeles, where he owned two Cristoni pizzerias, both now out of business. Paciello was arrested over a street fight in 2008, but no charges were filed.[7]
A film called Kings of South Beach (2007) was made about his time in Florida. Another film, reportedly based on Paciello's life, Unmade Man.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Bastone, William (April 7, 1998). "Thug Life". Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/1998-04-07/news/thug-life. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
- ^ a b Friedman, Roger (May 1, 2008). "Madonna nightmare on film". Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353585,00.html?sPage=fnc/entertainment/madonna. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
- ^ Rick, Marin (February 9, 1998). "Spring Break 1998: Miami's New Wave". New York Magazine. http://nymag.com/nymetro/travel/features/2231. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
- ^ a b "Tab recants story on Madonna and club king". Staten Island Advance. October 23, 2008. http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1224761411135420.xml&coll=1. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
- ^ Kolker, Robert; Ethan Brown (April 10, 2000). "Unmade Man". New York Magazine. http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/crimelaw/features/2758. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
- ^ Feuer, Alan (October 14, 2000). "Club Owner Pleads Guilty in Mob Murder Case". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/14/nyregion/club-owner-pleads-guilty-in-mob-murder-case.html. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
- ^ Update on Paciello's move to L.A.
Categories:- 1971 births
- Living people
- Bonanno crime family
- Colombo crime family
- American mobsters of Italian descent
- Nightclub owners
- American restaurateurs
- People from Brooklyn
- People from Staten Island
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