1943 - 1995

Home    Search    Print    Login    Add Bookmark

• Birth	20 Jun 1943	Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio
  Gender	Male
  Died	1 Feb 1995	Salem, Columbiana, Ohio
  Person ID	I524	Barbarowa Neighborhood
  Last Modified	20 Apr 2008 09:43:55
  Father	Walter (Wladyslaw) Stanley KUCZEK, b. 18 Oct 1900
  Mother	Sophia LAKUSZ, (or Wakus), b. 1910
  Family ID	F181	Group Sheet
  Family	Patricia J.
  Children	1. Jeffrey J. KUCZEK   2. Laura K. KUCZEK
  Family ID	F450	Group Sheet

• Event Map

  Event Birth - 20 Jun 1943 - Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio  = Link to Google Maps   = Link to Google Earth




• Notes

  ~PRIVATE: John J Kuczek, ex-owner of Cle Thunderbolts, faces trial in fraud casePlain Dealer 02 Nov, 1993, pg. 01 sec. E ~PRIVATE: BOLTS" EX-OWNER FACES TRIAL ACCUSED IN FRAUD CASE The Plain Dealer; Cleveland, Ohio; Nov 2, 1993; DENNIS MANOLOFF PLAIN DEALER REPORTER; Page: 1E ~PRIVATE: John J. Kuczek, former owner of the Cleveland Thunderbolts of the Arena Football League, is scheduled to go on trial Monday in Miami in a fraud case. ~PRIVATE: Kuczek was charged in two counts of a 28-count federal indictment against Harold Sahlen Jr. and five others. In the principal count that included Kuczek, the charges were bank fraud, mail fraud and securities fraud. ~PRIVATE: The defendants allegedly bilked thousands of public shareholders in the defunct firm Sahlen & Associates of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., according to the indictment. ~PRIVATE: The firm provided private investigative and security guard services. It collapsed in 1989 after its directors announced that it was under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly fraudulant accounting practices. According to the indictments, the company created $45 million in phony revenues to entice investors. ~PRIVATE: Kuczek, president of Kuczek & Associates Inc., an insurance brokerage firm in Boardman, declined comment through his office. ~PRIVATE: Kuczek bought the Thunderbolts after the 1991 season and moved them from Columbus. Within the past year, Kuczek transferred his majority share of the Thunderbolts into an irrevocable trust for his grandchildren, said Michael T. Rossi, president of T-Bolts Acquisition Inc., which now owns the team. Kuczek's son, Jeff, is the general manager. ~PRIVATE: Rossi issued a statement: ~PRIVATE: "Earlier this year, Mr. Kuczek divested himself of all stock of the corporation which owns and operates the Cleveland Thunderbolts. As a result, he no longer owns any stock, nor is he an officer or member of the team's board of directors. Despite the fact that Mr. Kuczek denies all wrongdoing ... given the pending charges, it was agreed that it would be in the best interests of the Thunderbolts for him to give up his ownership and management interests. ~PRIVATE: "Mr. Kuczek has been identified in only one of the substantive counts, and he has categorically denied any wrongdoing. Kuczek has pleaded not guilty and expects to be acquitted at trial." ============ ~PRIVATE: John J Kuczek, 51, Boardman, former owner of the Cleveland Thunderbolts, found dead in the Timberlanes Inn of Salem; coroner to rule on cause of deathPlain Dealer 06 Feb, 1995, pg. 1 sec. D ~PRIVATE: Death of John J Kuczek, former owner of the Thunderbolts, appears to be a suicide, Columbiana Cty coroner saysPlain Dealer 07 Feb, 1995, pg. 3 sec. D HISTORY: DEATH OF KUCZEK `APPEARS' A SUICIDE The Plain Dealer; Cleveland, OH; Feb 7, 1995; OLIVERA PERKINS PLAIN DEALER REPORTER; Page: 3D ~PRIVATE: The death of John J. Kuczek, former owner of the Thunderbolts, appears to be a suicide, a county coroner said yesterday. ~PRIVATE: "There was no evidence of foul play," Columbiana County Coroner William A. Graham said. "It appears to be a suicide." ~PRIVATE: Kuczek, 51, once owned the Thunderbolts, an Arena Football League team. He lived in the Youngstown suburb of Boardman Township. ~PRIVATE: No marks indicating a cause of death were found on the body, Graham said. He said he would not rule on what killed Kuczek until he receives toxicology test results later this week. Graham also said he would try to determine whether Kuczek could have died of a heart attack. ~PRIVATE: Kuczek was found dead Saturday in the Timberlanes Inn of Salem. Graham said his examination showed Kuczek died about 8 p.m. Wednesday. Graham said he had not performed a formal autopsy as of yesterday afternoon. ~PRIVATE: Salem Police Sgt. Patrick Mango said yesterday no suicide note had been found. He said police had ruled out robbery and other forms of foul play because there appeared to have been no signs of struggle. ~PRIVATE: Originally from Cleveland, Kuczek graduated in 1961 from St. John Cantius High School in the city and attended classes at John Carroll University. He went on to found R & R Builders and the Luxor Managment Co. He was married in February 1965. ~PRIVATE: He is survived by his wife, Patricia J.; one son, Jeffrey J., of Cleveland; one daughter, Laura K. Rossi of Boardman Township; two brothers, Stanley of Aurora and Ted of Cleveland; three sisters, Ceil Sobczyk of Cleveland, Josephine Pajak of Strongsville, and Genevieve Czarnecki of Brook Park; and five grandchildren. ~PRIVATE: Material tributes may be made to J.J. Kuczek Foundation, in care of Second National Bank, 7098 Lockwood Blvd., Boardman Township, Ohio 44521. ~PRIVATE: A memorial service is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday in St. Dominic Church, 77 E. Lucius Ave., Youngstown. There will be no calling hours. Arrangements are being made by the Fox Funeral Home. OBIT: KUCZEK, JOHN J: Son of Walter-Obit Plain Dealer 08 Feb, 1995, pg. 8 sec. B