Joe Mammana Puts Up $2 Million in Rewards for 20 Missing Persons Cases … And the Bizarre Crime Stoppers Situation

Recently Joe Mammana put up $20 Million for 20 “Missing Person” cases in an effort to hopefully drum up new leads. $100,000 is reward money was given to the following missing person cases.

Last month, Patti Bishop, stepmother of Karen Jo Smith, who disappeared in Indianapolis on Dec. 27, 2000, contacted Mammana about her vision for a “Squeaky Wheel Tour” to draw attention to missing persons cases.
Mammana liked the idea and agreed to fund rewards to try to draw out information. In short order, he and Bishop devised a plan to offer $2 million for 20 cases for 20 days — Sunday through Nov. 24 — with $100,000 dedicated to each case. (Indy Star)

We were contacted by Patti Bishop, the step-mother of of Karren Jo Smith telling us of this special reward offer that is being done by Joe Mammana. The rewards runs from Sunday, November 5, 2006 through Friday, November 24, 2006.

However, recently there has been some other bizarre news going on as well regarding Joe Mammana, rewards and Crime Stopper’s of Ohio. Originally, Central Ohio Crime Stoppers stated that they were taking Philadelphia philanthropist, Joe Mammana, to court for an issue in the failure to pay reward monies in the Julia Popovich case.

“We’re very disappointed we had to go to this level,” said Crime Stoppers President Kevin Miles. “We’ve sent e-mails, we’ve sent phone calls. It’s not happening.” (NBC4)

Some other rather disparaging comments were made by Kevin Miles of Crime Stoppers which are difficult to believe. In my opinion, not having talked to Joe Mammana at that point to believe not only that Joe would need to borrow money from anyone, but more so that a representative from Crime Stoppers would air any dirty laundry like this in the press.

“About three or four months ago when he came to town, he had to borrow $100 off of me when I realized, how does a guy with a $100,000 watch need a $100 from a fat guy? That was when I said, ‘This doesn’t seem straight.’ And he said he would send it back to me and he never did.” (NBC4)

Seeing that reward money was being called into question, we decided to contact Joe Mammana and ask what on earth was going on as well as ask whether he would like to come on Scared Monkeys radio and explain. It seems that some of the discrepancies are coming from the following.

“Arrest and conviction. You just can’t pay for an arrest,” Mammana said in a phone interview from Aruba, explaining the criteria for payment.

But in one case, Mammana signed a contract to pay for information resulting in the arrest or indictment of a suspect. A grand jury indicted one man for the murder of an Ohio State student nine months ago. (WTHR)

 This is where the thing gets sticky. It is hard to believe that one would pay a reward for an arrest or an arrest and indictment. The reason being that neither an arrest or an indictment means a conviction. Let’s use the Natalee Holloway example. That would mean that a reward would have been paid every time a suspect was arrest? That would be insane. Or in the case of the Duke Lacrosse rape case. Three suspects have been arrested and indicated, yet many question whether the case will go to trial. That hardly seems like what the intent is of a reward to get information or leads on a missing persons case or a homicide.

However, now comes the really bizarre situation, the signed contract. In talking with Joe Mammana yesterday and earlier today, he states that the “so-called contract is a forgery.”

Philadelphia philanthropist Joe Mammana claimed that Central Ohio Crime Stoppers forged his signature on a contract that requires Mammana to pay $31,000 for information that led to the arrest and indictment of a suspect in the death of Julie Popovich.

Crime Stoppers officials said the claims are ridiculous. (NBC4)

We are in receipt of multiple items with signatures on it and are making some comparisons ourselves. In speaking with Joe Mammana, he stated that the contracts have been sent to hand writing analysts. Joe Mammana will provide us with the results when available. We will provide the documents for all to see in the near future.

Also others have come forward and states that Joe Mammana has paid rewards to other tipsters. This is really a bizarre and strange situation that looks like will end up with both parties suing each other.

“We pay based on arrest and conviction, that’s what we stand by. It’s been that way for 15 years. We don’t budge,” Mammana said.

Earlier this year, The Philadelphia Daily News reported that Mammana agreed to pay $6,000 to a Philadelphia tipster after a suspect pleaded guilty to killing a transit-authority employee.

Santo Montecalvo, vice president of the Delaware Valley Crimes Commission, a Philadelphia-area tip line, said Mammana also paid a reward in a rape conviction earlier this year. He did not reveal the amount, citing disclosure policies.

Montecalvo said Mammana has been a strong supporter of the commission. He said he is puzzled by the disagreement.

“I just don’t get it. I think it’s a terminology of words or a bad misunderstanding,” he said. (Orlando Sentinel)

We will be following this story and getting to the bottom of the signed contracts. This may become the next “RAthERGATE.” The question that I have is in previously meeting Joe Mammana, money was hardly an object. Now was this contract signed or not by Joe Mammana? I have seen some of the correspondence between the parties, which we will make public soon. What is beyond strange I have to say was the content of emails between what is supposed to be professional.

As they say … developing.