by James Cohen
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| Roy Radin, center. |
In the mid-1960’s Roy Radin ran away from home at age 15 and joined the circus. In the mid-70’s he was a millionaire, running a Vaudeville Revue. He was on track to become a Hollywood producer by the mid-80’s -- but he didn’t live that long.
He hit some hard times in 1980, when a party at his Southampton, Long Island mansion made headlines after an actress from “Welcome Back, Kotter” claimed she was beaten and raped by two men and two women and then left unconscious on a train the next day. The train’s conductor was the one who alerted authorities.
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| Tasteful ads interwoven with the New York Magazine article about the party Malanie Haller was assaulted at. |
A few years later at a dinner party he met Lanie Jacobs and they went on a date to yet another party which apparently lasted three days.
Lanie Jacobs had reportedly moved to Los Angeles in 1982 to distribute drugs for a Miami drug dealer. A driver would bring the drugs from Florida to L.A. every six weeks or so and then Jacobs would sell them to other drug dealers.
She had made contact with Robert Evans, who produced Chinatown and The Godfather parts one and two. She wanted to get into the business as well and Evans needed financing for a new film, called The Cotton Club. She put Evans in contact with Radin, who was able to put together a deal that made the two men partners in a production company.
Radin and Jacobs, meanwhile, had a falling out: after she stiffed the drug runner who made her regular deliveries, he stole some of her cash and drugs and went into hiding. Jacobs believed Radin was involved.
Radin had 45% ownership of the new production company and Jacobs believed she should have half of that. Radin refused. She tried unsuccessfully to get him cut out by the other two partners.
On May 13, 1983, against the warnings of his new girlfriend -- a friend of Jacobs -- Radin agreed to have dinner with Jacobs. She had a limo take her to pick him up and take them to La Scala in Beverly Hills. Not completely trusting her, he had Demond Wilson, the titular Son of Sanford and Son, waiting in a car with a gun to follow them and ensure safe passage. Radin was Wilson’s manager.
Another car got between them, however, and Wilson lost track of the limo. A month later his bullet-riddled corpse was discovered by a beekeeper in a northern Los Angeles County canyon.
He was reported missing long before that, of course, but by the time the LAPD went looking for Jacobs she was gone. She had put her house up for sale the day before her dinner with Radin.
It took several years before detectives caught on to a bodyguard named William Mentzer, who was bragging to associates that he and two other men killed Radin for Jacobs. Mentzer’s boss agreed to help in a sting against Mentzer, who was put in contact with an undercover agent that discussed hiring him for a hit. Mentzer talked openly about other illegal jobs he was working, which led authorities to a Florida drug dealer named Larry Greenberger. Greenberger, however, was dead a week later, ostensibly having shot himself.
The coroner determined that it was not a suicide and attention was turned to his wife, who had reported the incident. His wife’s name was Karen ‘Lanie’ Greenberger.
Mr. Greenberger, it turned out, had assisted Lanie Jacobs in evading capture. The two were married and moved to a small Florida town called Okeechobee. As his wife, Lanie Greenberger was well liked by the community and had started a plastic surgery referral business, taking clients Mexico where surgery was significantly cheaper.
It’s unclear if she even knew the police were closing in on her.
She and the three men she hired to kill Roy Radin were all convicted and sentenced to life without parole.
Lanie Jacobs had reportedly moved to Los Angeles in 1982 to distribute drugs for a Miami drug dealer. A driver would bring the drugs from Florida to L.A. every six weeks or so and then Jacobs would sell them to other drug dealers.
She had made contact with Robert Evans, who produced Chinatown and The Godfather parts one and two. She wanted to get into the business as well and Evans needed financing for a new film, called The Cotton Club. She put Evans in contact with Radin, who was able to put together a deal that made the two men partners in a production company.
Radin and Jacobs, meanwhile, had a falling out: after she stiffed the drug runner who made her regular deliveries, he stole some of her cash and drugs and went into hiding. Jacobs believed Radin was involved.
Radin had 45% ownership of the new production company and Jacobs believed she should have half of that. Radin refused. She tried unsuccessfully to get him cut out by the other two partners.
On May 13, 1983, against the warnings of his new girlfriend -- a friend of Jacobs -- Radin agreed to have dinner with Jacobs. She had a limo take her to pick him up and take them to La Scala in Beverly Hills. Not completely trusting her, he had Demond Wilson, the titular Son of Sanford and Son, waiting in a car with a gun to follow them and ensure safe passage. Radin was Wilson’s manager.
Another car got between them, however, and Wilson lost track of the limo. A month later his bullet-riddled corpse was discovered by a beekeeper in a northern Los Angeles County canyon.
He was reported missing long before that, of course, but by the time the LAPD went looking for Jacobs she was gone. She had put her house up for sale the day before her dinner with Radin.
It took several years before detectives caught on to a bodyguard named William Mentzer, who was bragging to associates that he and two other men killed Radin for Jacobs. Mentzer’s boss agreed to help in a sting against Mentzer, who was put in contact with an undercover agent that discussed hiring him for a hit. Mentzer talked openly about other illegal jobs he was working, which led authorities to a Florida drug dealer named Larry Greenberger. Greenberger, however, was dead a week later, ostensibly having shot himself.
The coroner determined that it was not a suicide and attention was turned to his wife, who had reported the incident. His wife’s name was Karen ‘Lanie’ Greenberger.
Mr. Greenberger, it turned out, had assisted Lanie Jacobs in evading capture. The two were married and moved to a small Florida town called Okeechobee. As his wife, Lanie Greenberger was well liked by the community and had started a plastic surgery referral business, taking clients Mexico where surgery was significantly cheaper.
It’s unclear if she even knew the police were closing in on her.
She and the three men she hired to kill Roy Radin were all convicted and sentenced to life without parole.
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| 'Lanie' Greenberger as her verdict was read, July 23rd 1991. |
FOLLOWUP
Congratulations to TERRIBLE THINGS, which met its Kickstarter crowdfunding goal. If you missed our interview with co-creator Rob Hebert, here it is. I notice the $10,000 pledge which meant a tattoo for Rob is no longer listed.
