Another Successful Witness Relocation

Guido "Big Banana" Solano and his family have been relocated by the DOJ from Brooklyn, NY to Seattle.

Solano was a prosecution witness in the high-profile case that sent dozens of top mafia figures to prison, including Tony Joe "Three Nostrils" Cimino and Nicolas "Bad Nick" Scarpetta, bosses of the two most powerful crime families in New York.

Solano is said by confidential sources to have stolen about $20 million from the mob before turning state's evidence, although nothing has turned up to support this allegation.

The Department has made every effort to conceal and protect the family by providing them with new faces and identities.Their cover name, "Johansson," was selected by Attorney General Reno, after family friends of her second cousin.

Thanks to the Department, Guido, or "Clark," as he is now known, works as an auditor for the Bank of Commerce, in the firm's headquarters at 200 Columbine Plaza. His office is on the 4th floor (one door down from the water fountain).

On most weekdays at precisely 6:00am, he can be seen pulling his bright red Mercedes convertible into the underground parking garage (38th Street entrance). "I go to work early to avoid the traffic," says Clark, "and usually there's not a soul around til about 7:30."

He always parks the car nose in, in slot 13 near the main elevator, his personalized license plate ($17M-HAHA) surprisingly visible in the dim light.

The "Johanssons" live in a white, two-story home at 1162 Puget Heights Drive, the last house on the right (the one with the green mailbox) on the quiet cul-de-sac. Bernadette Solano, now called "Stephanie," has spent the last two months settling into their new home. "It's just so quiet and pleasant here. Our attack dog, Bruno [now called "Bobby"], has become so relaxed that it's hard to wake him. If he does wake up, just give him his favorite treat---Liver Snaps---and he'll go right back to sleep."

Stephanie says she enjoys life in Seattle, but has had trouble getting some service companies to respond to her needs. "For example, the lock on our back door has been broken for weeks. Finally, a locksmith has agreed to come fix it a week from Friday."

"I really like being here alone all day," Stephanie says. "Cecilia, our 8-year-old [now called 'Debbie'], leaves for school at 7:45. She walks to St. Vincents, four blocks away. She always dresses in her school uniform, a light blue skirt and white blouse. So she'll stand out from all the other students, she always wears a distinctive orange and purple kerchief tied around her neck. She loves school, especially playtime. She's on the playgound between 11:15 and 11:45, and always plays by herself near the gate on Anacortes Avenue."

What's ahead for the Johanssons? "Gosh, nothing significent," she says. "I know one thing, we've got to clean up all those oily rags left in the garage by the previous owner. If those things caught fire, this whole place would burn down in about three minutes."

Editor's Note: Remember to share this Newsletter with your family and friends. They can't know too much about the great work we're doing here at the Department, especially in the Witness Protection Program.



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Copyright © 1996 Reno Bailey