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Carmody sentenced to40 yearsBy Richard FatigatiStaff Writer If Mason City used car salesman John J. Carmody Jr., hadn’t pleaded guilty to rape and extortion charges in connection with a bizarre sex-blackmail scheme involving at least 10 women, it may have been difficult to develop a case against him, according to Cerro Gordo County Attorney Clayton Wornson Evidence against Carmody, 38, who was sentenced Tuesday by District Court Judge C.H. Wild to terms not to exceed 40 years each on two counts of rape and five years each on two counts of malicious threats to extort, might not have been permitted in court, Wornson claimed The sentences were ordered to be served concurrently, meaning 40 years is the maximum if the entire sentence is served.Wornson said submission of a lot of the evidence, which included more than 300 pictures of alleged rape victims involved in sex acts with Carmody, would be subject to the discretion of the court However, he added, “If we were successful in getting all the evidence in, there would be no question of conviction ”The case involves a large number of people over a long period of time. Wom-son said As a result, the situation to be portrayed in court would have been very complicated and would have required extensive corroboration.The more evidence permitted entered in such a case, the more vulnerable to appeal it would have been, said Wornson Carmody, who was transported to the Iowa State Penitentiary at Fort Madison Wednesday morning, became eligible for parole when he was sentenced, according to Barbara Freeman, administrative assistant for the Iowa State Parole Board In about four months Carmody will be interviewed at the prison. Then his case will be reviewed after one year Subsequent reviews will take place annually, until he is paroled, said Mrs. Freeman Carmody reportedly portrayed himself as a Mafia hitman and co-author of the bestseller, “The Godfather,” to at least several of his victims Two Mason City women, ages 23 and 20, and a 19-year-old woman from Knoxville, as well as thefamilies of the three women, are involved in the incidents, according to authoritiesPolice said other women from Iowa and Minnesota were also involved in the case In all, six counts of malicious threat to extort and 10 counts of rape were filed in the case, but Wornson recommended four extortion charges and eight rape charges be droppedReminding the court that while the incidents involved in the case are “bizarre but not “brutal or devastating.” Womson said there was justification for dropping the other chargesHe noted Carmody s guilty plea kept the names of alleged victims from coming under the “spotlight” of the press, adding the case could have involved “novel” decisions which might have resulted in appeals for the next 10 years. Carmody pleaded guilty Jan. 9 to having collected money from victims. According to Womson, the amount collected was about $1,500.Police said Carmody kept personal dossiers on the women in order to prevent them or their families from reporting him.The case broke last November when the aforementioned Knoxville woman and her familly contacted BCI agents in Waterloo Federal Bureau of Investigation officials were also involved in the investigation in connection with a Minnesota incident but dropped out of the case after Carmody was arrested Dec 9Other alleged rapes and their dates are:— A 19-year-old Mason Citv woman, July 2— A 26-year-old Cedar Falls woman, Aug. 8. She said $500 was paid to Carmody— A 19-year-old West Union woman, Oct 4— A 20-year-old Elkader woman, Nov.22— A 22-year-old Mankato, Minn., woman, Nov. 7.Police said the first incidents occurred early in 1975, with victims under force to recruit other women to participate in sexCarmody...(Please turn to Page 2)Deputy Sheriff William R. Vician and Carmod leaving, en route to state penitentiary
Newspaper Details
Mason City Globe Gazette
Mason City, Iowa, US
Wed, May 19, 1976
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
University O.
IA, USA 06 Feb 2024
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