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Mob Life: The Private World of Capone, Lansky, Gotti & Castellano Nov 17, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins sits down with author Jay Baer to explore the hidden, human side of organized crime’s biggest names — Al Capone, Meyer Lansky, John Gotti, and Paul Castellano. Jay’s book, Mob Life: The Private World of Capone, Lansky, Gotti, and Castellano, takes a unique look beyond the murders, rackets, and headlines to reveal how these mobsters actually lived — what they ate, how they dressed, their relationships with religion, and how they handled immense power and wealth. Listeners will hear: How Al Capone’s family sold his spaghetti sauce recipe to Ragu — their first commercial product. Why Meyer Lansky, the most devout of the four, was denied the right to die in Israel by Prime Minister Golda Meir. The lavish lifestyle and fatal missteps of Paul Castellano, the “Howard Hughes of the Mafia.” The contrast between Gotti’s flamboyance and Lansky’s low profile — and how each approach shaped their downfall. The staggering fortunes these men built — and how, in the end, they all lost it. Jay also shares his own lifelong fascination with organized crime, his career outside writing, and his upcoming project, How to Live Like a Gangster — No Prison Required, a look at mob values like loyalty, respect, and power through a modern lens. Gary and Jay swap mob history from New York to Kansas City, including a discussion of the real story behind scenes from Casino and Kansas City’s own underworld power struggles. ON AMAZON Wayne said 5.0 out of 5 stars Great Facts on the Mob Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2021Format: Kindle If your looking for a good fast interesting read on the Mafia, this is the book for you. Full of information on mob types that most have no clue about. You can't lose with this book I believe. 🎧 Listen now to uncover the side of the mob you’ve never heard before. 📘 Get the book: Mob Life: The Private World of Capone, Lansky, Gotti, and Castellano by Jay Robert Baer on Amazon 00:00 – Intro: Gary Jenkins welcomes Jay Baer 01:00 – Why Jay wrote Mob Life and his lifelong fascination with gangsters 03:30 – From detailing cars to writing true crime books 05:30 – Gary and Jay’s early mob reading influences 07:00 – Researching Al Capone’s private life 08:00 – Capone’s secret spaghetti sauce recipe sold to Ragu 09:00 – John Gotti’s love for Cracker Barrel and biscuits & gravy 10:00 – Meyer Lansky’s religious life and denied burial in Israel 12:00 – Castellano’s wealth, arrogance, and fall 14:00 – Jay’s next book: How to Live Like a Gangster — No Prison Required 15:00 – Loyalty and respect in the mob vs. business life 16:00 – How Castellano’s aloofness led to his murder 18:00 – The real Joe Watts story — the German who made millions 20:00 – Gary shares Kansas City mob stories and Casino connections 23:00 – The failed car bombing of underboss Tuffy DeLuna 25:00 – The Mob Museum and modern mob myths 26:00 – Jay shows his book Mob Life and shares fun mob trivia 28:00 – How much money mob bosses really made — and lost 30:00 – Why law enforcement didn’t chase mob money before the drug era 31:00 – Joe Massino’s $10 million cash and gold surrender 32:00 – Final thoughts: The mob’s empire always ends the same way Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent 'Brothers against Brothers' or 'Gangland Wire,' the documentaries click here. To purchase one of my books, click here. Transcript Gary Jenkins: Well, hey, all you wire tappers. Good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins. You know, I'm a retired Kansas City police intelligence unit detective and I am now a mob historian and with the podcast and a few other things, some books and stuff out there. Gary Jenkins: And I interview other mob authors as well as research stories. And today I have an author named Jay Bear. He has written a book about the mob, a really good, solid, historical, factually true book as kind of a basis for a novel he wants to write. So Jay, welcome. Jay Baer: Oh, thank you. I'm, I'm happy to be here. Jay Baer: This is really great. So I'm looking forward to this interview. Gary Jenkins: All right, Jay. Well, you know, we, we like the mob here and we like the the facts about the mob. When I read about your book, that's, that's when I got hold of you. I thought, well, this is so interesting. It is Mob life, the private world of [00:01:00] Capone, Lansky, Gotti, and Castellano. Gary Jenkins: And what did Al Capone wear? How much did it cost? Where did he buy it? You know, what, what kind of Italian, right? What kind of, what kind of food did Gotti like besides Italian and, and that kind of a thing. So I, that, that was really interesting, those esoteric little details that we don't really know usually. Jay Baer: What I wanted to do is I wanted to tell a different story. Everybody writes books about their crimes and law enforcement's effort to put them away. We've heard all that. So this was like something I wanted to do for years. Let me just tell a different story. And I did, and the book is filled with, you know what? Jay Baer: How much money they made, what they, how they dressed religious views really. Which there wasn't very much in religious views except for May Lansky. The rest of them were, even, even Paul Castellano, the the bishop did not wanna bury him in a Catholic, in, in a Catholic cemetery. And they fought him on it and they got him to do it. Jay Baer: [00:02:00] But yeah, none of 'em had really any religious views except for, may Lansky. Speaker 3: Mm-hmm. Jay Baer: He went to synagogue on a regular basis. He belonged, he did a lot of stuff, you know, during the war to help you know, catch the Nazis. Speaker 3: Mm-hmm. Jay Baer: In fact, there's a book out there, an older book with called Luciano's Luck and it's about their, what they did and how they got involved in the, you know, world War ii. Gary Jenkins: Interesting. Yeah, I had heard that. I've never really, I talked to one guy, an author that had a book really about the, more about the Navy guy that approached Luciano in prison and then worked with this guy named Sox Sox Lanza, who had the Fulton Street Fish market in, in trying to gather information about any possible Nazi saboteurs. Gary Jenkins: But I've never really got into that. Mayor Lansky area. So Jay, tell us a little bit about where you come from. You're not, you're not a career author. Sometimes I have guys that that's all they ever done. They've been newspaper reporters and written books and stuff. Tell us a little [00:03:00] bit about yourself. Jay Baer: Well, I'm from New York based, you know, originally you can probably tell with my voice, you know, forget about it and all that stuff. I knew you were from north of me. Where are you? Kansas, Missouri. Oh, okay. So. My father moved us down here to Florida, like, oh my God. 1972, and I've been here ever since. So, but I, I de, I started detailing cars when I was 28, and I've been doing that ever since and it's, you know, brought me, right now I'm kind of like, I only work in the mornings, you know, I'm almost 70, so I'm kind of like maybe semi-retired. Jay Baer: Yeah. But I'm never gonna retire because, I gotta find something to do all the time. So I write, and right now, you know, I wrote this book, mob Life and I wrote a book before that called Angels of Death. It's about two girls who are on the run for murder and they become killers for hire and realize they're in love with each other. Jay Baer: And I also wrote a nonfiction book about public speaking 'cause I [00:04:00] used to teach public speaking. I'm a distinguished Toastmaster. I did a lot of speaking over the years. I taught hundreds of people how to overcome their fear of speaking. So I wrote, I, I took my course and I put it into a book. Speaker 3: Mm-hmm. Jay Baer: It was only a very short book. Jay Baer: 'cause you know, people don't need a lot. I don't think people need a lot of information to be successful, but I've always been interested in gangsters ever since I was a kid. You know, my, my friends were listening to The Beatles. I was reading books about. Capone and May Lansky. So there's something about them that always intrigued me, their power, the women, the way that they just controlled so much, you know, they're very powerful men. Jay Baer: And it's just something I've kept, kept on for, oh my God, since 35 years. No, 55 years. Ever since I was a kid, 15 years old, I've been interested in gangsters. So, and I decided, hey, it's time to write about 'em. [00:05:00] Gary Jenkins: Interesting. You know what just outta teens in my teens, I first read my first. True Crime book, which was in Cold Blood by Truman Capote. Gary Jenkins: And man, that book, I was hooked then in that true crime. And so I was, I was in junior college right outta high school and, and I found green was it Greenfeld Jungle? By Ova DeMars. It was all about the mob in Las Vegas. It was. Thick, real dense book, but, but I bought into it, man, I, I love that book. I devoured that book. Gary Jenkins: I, I read one by a guy named Ken, a New York City detective named I think it was Joe Erno or Tony Tony Erno, I can't remember his erno and read that. And he really. You know, made these gangsters come alive in that book back then. And I remember even, even back then, I thought, boy, that veto genovese, that was a bad, that's a bad dude. Gary Jenkins: So they I understand. I got hooked on it early myself. Jay Baer: Oh, that was a nonfiction book. Gary Jenkins: Yeah. Right. Oh, okay. Jay Baer: Yeah. You know, there's a,

Inside Miami’s Drug War: Cops On the Front Lines Nov 10, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Intelligence detective Gary Jenkins sits down with Burt Gonzalez, a veteran officer from the Miami-Dade Police Department, for an unfiltered look inside one of the most violent and chaotic eras in American law enforcement history. Bert has published his story title The Real Greatest Show on Earth. With decades of experience spanning multiple divisions, Burt recounts the transformation of Dade County’s police force—from Metro-Dade to Miami-Dade—and now back to an elected sheriff. He walks us through the gritty evolution of policing in South Florida, where the drug trade fueled daily violence and cartel wars left bodies in the streets. Burt shares firsthand stories from Miami’s cocaine-crazed years, including a shocking drug bust that netted 208 kilos of cocaine and over a million dollars in cash, offering a vivid glimpse into the unpredictable and dangerous life of a street cop. Beyond the shootouts and seizures, we explore the human side of policing—the growing mental health crisis in Miami-Dade, the deadly unpredictability of domestic violence calls, and the emotional toll that constant exposure to trauma takes on officers. Burt emphasizes the importance of training, de-escalation, and support systems for those on the front lines. The conversation also previews Burt’s upcoming show, Sergeant Maverick, a podcast where he’ll tackle everything from police work and politics to financial advice for first responders—and even the decline of customer service in America. Join us for this candid, eye-opening conversation as Burt Gonzalez pulls back the curtain on the realities, dangers, and hard-earned lessons of Miami policing during the height of America’s drug war. Click here to get the book, The Real Greatest Show on Earth Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent 'Brothers against Brothers' or 'Gangland Wire,' the documentaries click here. To purchase one of my books, click here. Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers, welcome to the studio of Gangland Wire. I'm back here, and I have a fellow copper from down in Miami-Dade County, Florida, Burt Gonzalez. And, you know, I worked all the jobs on the police department, mainly spent my time in intelligence, so that's why I focus on organized crime. But I worked all the rest of the jobs, almost all of them. I never was a wheel man. But other than that, I think I did everything. And Burt's done a lot of things, too. So welcome, Bert. Thank you, Gary. Appreciate it. Glad to be here. And guys, you need to know, and we'll talk about this later, Bert has a book out there about his career and some great stories called The Real Greatest Show on Earth. And believe me, Bert, it is the real greatest show on Earth, isn't it? Well, that's why I named the book that. [0:49] I was thinking about what is it that we do and what do we call it out there ourselves, in the street, in the homes of our citizens and everything. And really, it's a circus. So that's where I came up with that. True circus. All right, now tell the guys a little bit about your department that you spent your time in and how you ended up going on that department and a little bit about the history of it and what it was like as you went over the years. So go ahead. So I was with Miami-Dade Police, formerly known as Metro-Dade Police, when I joined in 1983. And in the areas where my family moved here from New York and I followed a year later, the area was unincorporated Dade County at the time. It wasn't called Miami-Dade County yet. [1:40] And so the police of the jurisdiction was Metro Dade police. And our neighbor behind our house, Bob Johns, was a sergeant with Metro. So then all of my interactions, I've seen Metro everywhere. And then as I got to know Bob and I got to know more about the department, [2:00] Metro Dade is the largest department in the Southeast United States. Now is Miami Dade. It still is. And it's the sheriff's office, even though we didn't call ourselves that. We just called ourselves Metro-Dade and now Miami-Dade Police. It is a sheriff's office as of a few weeks ago again. First time in 60 years we've elected a sheriff. And that involves all the politics about the county governing itself away from the capital, Tallahassee. And then the voters here a couple of years ago said, we want to have an elected sheriff again, as opposed to an appointed director by the mayor and the county commission. And you know, as well as I do, that if you have an appointed chief or an appointed director, the mayor has control over them. So the director is not answerable to the citizens or the chief of police isn't really answerable to the citizens. They're answerable to the mayor. [3:04] And it caused a lot of problems. And finally, the citizens down here said, we want an elected sheriff again. In November, we elected a sheriff. One of my colleagues, Rosie Cordero-Stutz, who highly qualified, she was an assistant director with us. So now we're the sheriff's office again. [3:22] So the more I learned of what department I wanted to apply to, it was going to be Metro-Dade and only Metro-Dade. I didn't think about the city of Miami, which is another, the second largest department in South Florida. [3:37] But it was going to be Metro all the way. And there's going to be folks that may be here, listen to this, and going to say, well, that sounds pretty arrogant. Well, it is the best department down here for sure. And it is a leading agency around the country. And we're very proud of that reputation. So I joined Metro, like I said, in 83. [4:00] And two years later my brother got out of the army and he came on as well and I gotta tell you at that time it was the height of the cocaine cowboy wars when we came on. [4:13] This is what I was thinking, Miami Vice. You say Miami area in 1983. I'm thinking Miami Vice, maybe. You couldn't throw a rock without hitting a kilo of cocaine anywhere. I mean, it was everywhere. And the district that I work, Southwest District, we had a lot of dopers that lived there. They built these big houses. And of course, oh, that's not a doper there. Of course not, right? [4:41] Cameras outside. You know, and the thing about the cowboy wars at that time, besides the fact that cocaine was everywhere, we had a lot of dead bodies dropping all the time. And there was a time literally every day we were finding bodies all over the county, all our different districts. And the homicide rate was so high that our department had to create a specialized narcotics-focused homicide squad to handle it. So when you say Miami Vice, and also, I'm sure you've seen it and many of your viewers and our fellow colleagues, Scarface. Yeah. The movie Scarface. And that scene, I'm always reminded of that scene where Tony Montana and his crew are walking into the banks with duffel bags full of cash. Yeah. Well, I've got one story about that. And I was working, I worked mostly uniform in my career. I did a lot of training as well, but I also did plainclothes work. [5:58] And we did a lot of street-level narcotics. So I was on this crime suppression team playing clothes, and we were getting hit with a lot of driveway robbers. We have an affluent area in the district I was working. And from the expensive department stores. [6:19] Macy's, Bloomingdale, Neiman Marcus, the people would get followed home and get robbed in their driveway. And they're driving an expensive car, You know, so we got assigned to do surveillances and try to catch these bad guys. And, uh, like I wrote in the book, I always describe a bad guy as an asshole bad guy. Yeah. Cause that's what they are. Right. So what we were doing these surveillances and we hired extra officers, uh, to increase our numbers. Cause we were a small plainclothes squad. Mark, Sylvia and I, uh, went down this one street one night about eight o'clock at night. And it was dark, and as we drove by this one house, we see two guys looking in the picture window next to the front door. Look really suspicious. We drove down the street. We didn't see a car in the driveway. We came around. They were gone. Okay, we got something here. Go down, park in somebody's driveway. I got out, told the owner who we were. Can we park in your driveway? We're going to watch this house. We called the rest of the squad in. we surveilled for a while. [7:30] No movement so we went to the house Mark and I went to the back of the house, and what we in the backs of a lot of Florida houses they have what's called the Florida room it's like a second living room that's in the back of the house next to the yard or the pool, generally screened in or something like that when the other guys went to the front door and knocked on the door and a relatively of a young woman came to the door and Joe on our squad who had the gift of gab, she, he started, uh, interviewing her and said, well, there's two guys that were just here and they're gone. And she goes, there's nobody here. [8:13] So they relayed that to Mark and I, and we're staring at the two guys in the floor room with the kids in the, in the back of the house. Uh-oh. Okay. Right. So, you know, the, the plot thickens, right? Yes. Joe talked his way into the house and got the lady to sign a consent to search. We secured it. He did have a gift to gab, man. Big time. Big time. We secured the two. [8:40] Asshole bad guys, because that's what they turned out to be. And we searched the house. In one of the rooms, we found Mac 11 machine guns. We found a table with a ledger book on it that was a code book that we sent to the DEA. [8:59] We found suitcases with coffee grounds.

Monkey Morales: The CIA, Castro, the Mob and the JFK Connection Nov 03, 2025

In this explosive episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins dives deep into one of the most complex and mysterious figures of the Cold War era—Ricardo “Monkey” Morales, a Cuban exile whose life intersected with the CIA, the anti-Castro underground, Las Vegas mobsters, and even the JFK assassination. Gary welcomes Rick Morales Jr., son of Monkey Morales, and author Sean Oliver, co-writer of the new book Monkey Morales: The True Story of a Mythic Cuban Exile Assassin, CIA Operative, FBI Informant, Smuggler, and Dad. Together, they unravel the incredible life of a man who was at once a patriot, a spy, and a killer. Rick recounts growing up in Miami’s Little Havana, where his father’s shadow loomed large—rumored to have ties to the JFK assassination and known for his secret missions across the world. From escaping Cuba as a disillusioned Castro loyalist to training as part of the CIA’s Operation 40 assassination unit, Monkey Morales lived a life that reads like a spy thriller. Sean Oliver walks listeners through Monkey’s covert missions in Africa’s Congo, his deep ties to other operatives like Frank Sturgis and Barry Seal, and the secret wars that connected Cuban exiles, the CIA, and organized crime. The conversation also explores how Monkey became entangled with Lefty Rosenthal, the Chicago Outfit’s Las Vegas gambling mastermind, and how his bomb-making skills were used in mob turf wars across Florida. The discussion culminates with Morales Jr.’s chilling memory of his father confessing he was in Dallas on the day President Kennedy was shot—and that he had seen Lee Harvey Oswald in a CIA training camp. Whether you believe Morales was a hero, a villain, or both, his story weaves through some of the darkest and most intriguing chapters of 20th-century American history. 📘 Get the book: Monkey Morales: The True Story of a Mythic Cuban Exile Assassin, CIA Operative, FBI Informant, Smuggler, and Dad 🎙️ Highlights include: • How Monkey Morales went from a Cuban intelligence officer to a CIA-trained operative • The secretive Operation 40 and its links to the Bay of Pigs, the Congo, Watergate, and Dallas • Morales’s work for the FBI and the CIA—and his dangerous double life in Miami • His connection to mob figure Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal and the Outfit’s Florida operations • A firsthand account from Morales Jr. about his father’s claim to have seen Oswald in CIA training • The moral code of Miami’s Cuban bombers—and how it vanished when Colombian cartels arrived Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent 'Brothers against Brothers' or 'Gangland Wire,' the documentaries click here. To purchase one of my books, click here. Transcript Speaker: [00:00:00] All right, well, hey, all you wire tappers out there. It's good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. Uh. Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence unit detective turned podcaster now, and I have another story and we're gonna talk a little bit about the JFK murder and a connection to it, and a little bit about Lefty Rosenthal. Speaker: And you guys know that I know a lot about ref lefty Rosenthal because he was calling back to Kansas City every once in a while to our mob guys and, and so, so I'm really anxious to talk about this story, but first, let me introduce my guest today and I'm really excited to have these guys on here. Speaker: I have Rick Morales, Rick Morales, Jr, actually, and Sean Oliver. Welcome guys. Well, thanks Gary. Love the show. So, uh, you know, I, I looked at the two chapters you sent me and, and learned about the book and, and a little bit about your lives and especially yours, Rick, and it's, it's just fascinating as hell. Speaker: Rick and I were talking a little bit before you [00:01:00] came on here. We, I didn't tape it or anything, Sean, and about I had, you know, I was a policeman and I had kids growing up and, and Rick, his dad wasn't a policeman, but his dad was, was in that. Kind of a violent, kind of a uh, occupation, if you will, about bringing that edge of violence home to your family. Speaker: And there's no way to, you don't, you know, you know, let it loose on them, but you've been in some violent circumstance. All day long, or Rick's case, maybe his dad's case, maybe for the last several weeks. And then he comes home and, and so it's, it's just an interesting, uh, family dynamic I always think. But, let's start with you, Sean. Speaker: Tell us a little bit about where you came from. I know you're an author and you've been into wrestling. Speaker 2: Yeah. Um, I'm from a planet called New Jersey. No, no. Strange. I think you've covered a lot of my residents in the past. I, neighbor, just a couple of weeks ago ago, I heard you doing Bobby Manna, who was very much a, a local of mine. Speaker 2: Yeah. And my neighbor, Chuck Webner, who you may or may not know, not a mobster, [00:02:00] but I was a, I was a film and television actor for a long time. I, um, I directed television commercials. I, I was in entertainment and then I fell into covering professional wrestling. I wasn't a wrestler myself. I know the physique has you fooled. Speaker 2: Yeah, so I had a pro wrestling production company, and then through that, kind of fell into that world. And so my first few books when I started writing were covering that world. And then, um, wrote some novels and then, uh, my first foray into true Crime, certainly not reading it, but writing it came when I met a man. Speaker 2: Beside me known as, uh, Rick Morales Jr. When I found out who his father was. And I went on a hunt for someone alive who could talk to me about Ricardo Monkey Morales. And that's how I met Rick, I guess six years ago now, Rick. Yeah. Speaker 3: Six years. Speaker 2: Yeah. And we began [00:03:00] developing the story initially for television, um, as it's, uh, really lends itself to an episodic. Speaker 2: It's, yeah, it's so vast to the story, but COVID hit production shut down. We, it was impossible for anyone to produce anything of this scope. So about two years ago, I said to Rick, we had been past our last. Pass was, uh, Rob Reiner, I guess. And I said, Rick, I, let's do this as a book. You know, I have an inn in the publishing world. Speaker 2: I have, you know, multiple books out. Let's tell your dad, we gotta get the story out. So that's when we started doing this for publication. Speaker: Interesting, interesting. And it is interesting story. We go from, uh, JFK assassination to Las Vegas, like I said, and, and a whole bunch of stuff down in South America. Rick, you gotta tell us about yourself. Speaker: You know, Richard Morales. Yeah, Ricardo Mon Monkey Jr. I guess her dad was called Monkey Morales. So tell us a little bit about [00:04:00] your childhood. It had to be a little bit different than a lot of other childhood. Speaker 3: Yeah, Speaker: yeah. A little Speaker 3: bit different than Sean's, I would say. Yeah. I was, uh, born in Miami. I got older brother, younger brother, and a sister. Speaker 3: I was born in 63 in Miami the same year. JFK gets second vaccinated. So I was there, but I wasn't able to. To watch my dad do much 'cause I was only a couple of months old. So grew up in Miami. My dad and my mom left Cuba. My dad was a G two government agent for the Castro government when it took over. Speaker 3: And then during the two years between 58, 59 or 59 and 60. Disillusioned as much as many were. He was trying to figure out which way the direction of the country was going, and eventually they, uh, tried to kill him. They, they put him on a hit list because his father was a judge for Batista's regime and [00:05:00] had, his father was a judge in the Batista regime, so they were eliminating anybody that had to do anything with the Batist regime. Speaker 3: So eventually he escapes through the Brazilian embassy. He spends like 82 days there with a bunch of other people. And, uh, eventually they're taken out and he moves to Miami where he immediately goes to work for Cuban revolutionary groups. Because he's, he is got the abilities. He's a bomb maker. He is a master bomb maker. Speaker 3: He is a sniper, so he's been trained in the government and all those things. So he joins Cuban power groups in Miami trying to fight. Against the castor regime and, and the power. And that's where he starts making his name for himself and then that leads to further jobs with government agencies. CIA what All this time we're kids. Speaker 3: We're not aware in the early ages, like when I'm young, I'm not aware of what my father is [00:06:00] doing, but eventually there comes times when I see news stories on tv, they try to hide it from us, but they can't. We hear stories from friends. I would go to friend's house when I was young and they would one day be my friend, and then the next day they weren't allowed. Speaker 3: And when I would ask them at school, what happened is, your dad's Monkey Morales, he was involved in the JF Kennedy assassination. That's what everybody in Little Havana was saying. And so they weren't allowed to come to my house anymore for fear of anything happening at my house that they would become, uh. Speaker 3: Involved and heard or something. So I grew up with that stigma, you know, uh, as a child. Wow. Speaker: Crazy. Well, like, do you guys, uh, Sean, did you did you get into investigating any of these pro anti-Castro groups down in Southern Miami? They were, it was Southern Florida. They were all kinds of little groups down there. Speaker 2: Yeah, so you've got Cuban exiles coming here [00:07:00] landing in the waiting arms of the CIA who are able to train arm,

Anthony Russo: The Real Soprano Oct 27, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins welcomes author Gregory Macalino, whose book “Little Pussy and Long Branch: Perfect Together” offers a deep dive into New Jersey’s underworld and the life of one of its most notorious figures—Anthony “Little Pussy” Russo. Gregory begins by sharing his own story, growing up in Monmouth County amid the Italian-American enclaves where whispers of mob activity were part of daily life. His firsthand familiarity with the gambling, politics, and personalities that shaped the Jersey Shore inspired him to explore Russo’s remarkable and brutal reign. Gary and Gregory trace Little Pussy Russo’s rise from a small-time Newark street thief to a powerful player in the Genovese crime family, detailing how he infiltrated Long Branch’s political and law enforcement circles to control the town for over twenty years. Gregory explains Russo’s business acumen, his use of gambling and real estate ventures to mask criminal operations, and the dangerous rivalries that emerged with independent drug dealers who threatened his dominance. Listeners will hear how Little Pussy Russo’s empire ultimately unraveled amid violence, betrayal, and federal pressure. Gregory recounts dramatic gangland episodes, family connections, and the eventual collapse of a criminal fiefdom that had once seemed untouchable. The conversation also touches on how Russo’s world parallels modern portrayals of mob life—especially The Sopranos—revealing just how much real New Jersey mobsters influenced America’s favorite mafia fiction. As the discussion closes, Gregory reflects on the lasting cultural footprint of men like Russo and what their stories teach us about power, corruption, and community identity. This is a must-listen for true crime fans, Mafia historians, and anyone fascinated by how organized crime once ruled the Jersey Shore. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent 'Brothers against Brothers' or 'Gangland Wire,' the documentaries click here. To purchase one of my books, click here. Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers, good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. For those of you who don't know me, most of you do, I think, sometimes, a lot of repeat listeners out there, and I really appreciate all you guys that always come back and make comments on my YouTube channel and comment on my Gangland Wire podcast group page, and so I really appreciate all you. And for you guys that don't know me, I was with the Kansas City Police Department. I spent about 14 years in the intelligence unit. We worked the Sabella crime family here in Kansas city and a variety of other things like that, uh, retired and did a couple other things and find out my last retirement gig is I'm a podcaster. And then this has just been so much fun for me, guys. I really appreciate all your support. I'm getting to know all these authors all around the United States. There's not a place. If you're an intelligence, you like to have contacts where you can learn something or find out something or get something done. Well, there's not any city, I don't think, in the United States, I don't know somebody that's been on my podcast that I can call them up or email them and say, what about this or what about that? [1:06] So it's really broadened my life and this made my life much richer. So anyhow, today, without further ado, we have Gregory Macalino. Gregory, welcome. [1:17] Thank you. Great to be here, really, truly. Yeah, well, I really, as I told you when we were talking before, I really am pleased about getting you on the show and about your book that you wrote, Little Pussy and Long Branch, Perfect Together. This is about New Jersey and not just like New Jersey, just across the river, but down into New Jersey. And there's a lot of mafia activity that went on down there. And I've not really covered it very much, just a little bit. Years ago, Scott D.J. did a book. Uh, I can't remember the name of it now that got up into New Jersey. Uh, gang state, or I'm sorry, garden state gangland, garden state gangland. Yeah. And that was a God, that was, I was one of my early interviews. I sometime maybe in the first year, like five or six years ago. So. [2:04] Gregory has put together a book about Anthony Little Pussy and Long Branch, which is part of the Genovese family. And he has really studied this, but he grew up here. So, Gregory, tell us about your life. And you grew up in this area in Monmouth County and Long Branch. And what did you see that then stirred you to eventually write this book about it? Well you know um being in lawn branch you will find out that there is a huge italian community and someone everybody knew everybody that knew someone that was connected and somehow and not like heavy hitters or anything like that but more like you know there was tons and tons of bookies there was numbers runners uh the local the local mob dudes used to hire high school kids that I went to high school with to be the runners. [2:56] And so everybody knew somebody that was connected. And you couldn't help but know. And as you read the book, you will come to find out that Little Pussy completely infiltrated the whole municipality in terms of the local politicians, the city council. [3:14] There's accusations of the police chief. There's also Monmouth County police higher-ups that he completely corrupted and he basically ran the town of long branch for 20 years and he was in headlines constantly making headlines for 20 years and you'll be amazed that there used to be a local newspaper it was over 100 years old it was called um the the daily register i'm sorry the daily record it was out of long branch it was over 100 years old it stopped i think it started in the 1880s and it stopped in like the late 1970s so or just around just about 100 years old and And if you went a month without a blaring headline about the mob in Long Branch, you'd be completely surprised. Because I went through micro-spice and tons of records from the old newspapers. And every other week, there was some big major headline about Anthony Pussy Russo and his little gang of guys and what was going down. [4:14] And it was prevalent. It was just a constant. It's amazing. I believe it. I tell you a little side story. Uh, when my son was in high school, he had this friend from who actually spent all of his life up until they got to high school and his dad moved back here in Tom's river, New Jersey, which is kind of down in that area. And so my son, what they had, he loves sports and this kid loves sports. And he had, I looked down what he had. He had a parlay card. I said, where did you get that? He said, oh, he said, Eddie gets them. His dad gets them at work. He gets them from some guy that has one of those, uh, tow main wagons that comes around those coffee wagons and he gets them. And so we're making our picks. I said, what are you doing? [5:02] And he said, well, you know, I don't know. Big Ed got them, gave them to Eddie's, you know, we're just making our picks. We like put five bucks down or I think like put, I think only put a dollar, a dollar down on our picks. I just said, oh my God. I tell you what, we didn't have anything like that growing up, but in Tom's River, New Jersey and Long Branch in New Jersey, that was pretty prevalent. I got to say, you probably saw stuff like that yourself when you were in high school and on up since then. Yeah. That's like, that's like 40 minutes South of Long Branch. Also, Eddie Murphy, Eddie will be so proud of me to do this show. And I have to, I got to get ahold of him as soon as I get off of here. [5:42] And I'll probably give him this book after I get done with it. Cause he'll be really excited to read it. Anyhow, let's talk about Anthony big pussy Russo. [5:54] And, and he was, he was little pussy. His brother was big pussy. Okay. All right. All right. All right. Yeah. I got a little pussy. I just, my, my, I was trying to do two things at once in my mind. So go ahead. You go ahead and start telling us about this guy. Okay. So Auntie Little Pussy is from the Newark area. They migrated up to Newark from Brazil, the family. They were from a lot of Italians. Half of the Italians went to America and half the other Italians went to South America. So his family went to Sao Paulo, Brazil, I believe, and then they migrated to Newark. And he was born 1916, I believe. He was one of 13 children. the father died early and so he was on the streets of newark and he had two older brothers one was called ralph and the other one was called john ralph and john started working for richie boyardo who was a big you know big time bootlegger in newark and this is before the mafia was formulated before you know there was five family all that this is during prohibition and and So Anthony was like the runt of the family, and he idolized his brother, John. [7:05] Well, one thing led to another. They all started working for Richie Boyardo. The only reason Anthony Little Pussy rose to the heights he did is because of his brother, John. John was the opposite of him. Anthony was boisterous, a loudmouth. He loved to draw attention to himself and supposedly wasn't the sharpest tool in the box. But his brother was the total opposite of him. And he was a heavy hitter. He ended up going to jail in the 20s for a prohibition murder in the service of Richie the Boot. But because Richie at this point had influence, the 30-year stint that John got was reduced to only 10 years he got out. Meanwhile, the older brother, Ralph, was an incorrigible,

Inside the St. Louis Mob: Crooks, Killers, and Cops Oct 20, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins sits down with Tim Richards, a former St. Louis intelligence officer and author of Crook’s Kill and Cops Lie. Tim brings a wealth of firsthand knowledge from his years investigating the mob and navigating the thin line between law enforcement and organized crime. We dive deep into the history and dynamics of the St. Louis crime families and their ties—or lack thereof—to Kansas City and Chicago. Tim reveals how the St. Louis mob and the Syrian mob were into labor racketeering, ghost workers, and union control, profiting off federally funded projects. Click here to buy Crooks Kill and Cops Lie and to see all of Tim’s books • Listeners will hear gritty stories about: • The interplay between Kansas City, St. Louis, and Chicago mob families. • The “Syrian” mafia’s role in local unions, vengeance, and violence. • St. Louis mob figures like Paul Leisure, Mike Trupiano, and Jesse Stoneking. • An unforgettable encounter with Trupiano during a traffic stop. • The challenges police faced without legal wiretaps, relying instead on FBI intelligence. • The ripple effects of mob influence reach as far as Las Vegas gambling operations. From bloody reprisals to uneasy alliances, Tim shares not just history but lived experience—vivid accounts of hit jobs, betrayals, and the complexities of policing organized crime. As he reflects on how law enforcement strategies and technology have evolved, Tim leaves us with a powerful reminder of the mob’s enduring mark on Midwestern history. If you want an insider’s perspective on St. Louis mobsters and the Midwest underworld, you won’t want to miss this one. Subscribe to get more stories every week. This is a must-listen for true crime fans, Mafia historians, and anyone fascinated by how organized crime once ruled the Jersey Shore. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent 'Brothers against Brothers' or 'Gangland Wire,' the documentaries click here. To purchase one of my books, click here. 0:03 Welcome to Gangland Wire 1:02 Exploring Kansas City and St. Louis Mob Ties 4:19 The Influence of the Chicago Mafia 8:56 The Aladdin Hotel and Skimming Operations 11:41 A Deep Dive into Paul Leisure's Fate 15:12 The Old Italian Mafia and Its Tactics 23:09 Changes in Policing and Mafia Control 24:54 Personal Stories from the Streets 27:43 The Rise and Fall of Jesse Stoneking 33:05 Reflections on Organized Crime and Histor [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers, good to be back here in the studio, Gangland Wire. I have another former intelligence unit detective, Tim Richards. Now, you know, and if you don't, I didn't introduce myself. I'm sorry, guys. Some of you all may be new listeners. I'm Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective. Got this podcast, Gangland Wire. We deal with the mob. And I worked a mob in Kansas City, and Tim Richards worked in it in St. Louis, just across the state. So welcome, Tim. Thank you. Thank you, Gary. I'm really glad to have you. I was really glad to find this book. I've been working on a book myself. So I'm looking at your book, seeing how you did certain things and then going back to mine. And my story is a little bit different, I guess, but different, but the same. You know, we had very similar experiences, guys. When Tim and I first started talking on the phone, you know, it was like, oh, my God, that's like I was talking to another guy in the same unit, you know, because we had the same kind of experiences. [0:59] Some of them we'll talk about, some of them we won't talk about on here. But we're going to talk about the mafia primarily. And Tim, what I always found interesting, even back then in the 70s, there seemed to be little to no relationship or connection between Kansas City and St. Louis crime families. Do you remember that like that? Yeah, I recall that. We knew that Nick Zabella was a powerful guy in the families. But we never really saw anything that he was insane. St louis the chicago mafia controlled st louis with some help from detroit the detroit mafia. [1:37] They the chicago mafia came in here in the late 50s when they were rebuilding downtown st louis and they built the poplar street bridge which was called the tunnel project, they came through east st louis with a guy by the name of buster workman who controlled everything in East St. Louis, and they used ghost workers. It was a federal-funded bridge-building event, and they used ghost workers there, and these guys were getting rich. And in the meantime, they came over to St. Louis and infiltrated our two labor workers, 110 and 42. They also infiltrated 562, which is a five-fitters union, a very wealthy union, and they had them for decades. And they apparently Eventually controlled them 110 was controlled totally And 42 was controlled totally By the Chicago mob. [2:34] 562 eventually went under It was controlled totally by the Chicago mob And The Chicago mob ran everything here, Allegedly Some dabbling by Detroit I don't know how they worked that out But Detroit had some function here But um, Yeah, Tim, you go in your Crook's Kill and Cops Lie book, guys, and I recommend you get this if you want an inside look at the St. Louis Police Intelligence Unit at Police Intelligence Everywhere, why this book will give it to you. And you have a second book before we get too far into this. Hold that one up. I couldn't find my copy. It's over across the room somewhere. This is actually the sequel to Crook's Kill, Cops Lie. Okay. It's just another St. Louis Intelligence book. The unit was referred to as Intel 210, which was the code name for the unit within the police department. And this is my second book pertaining to the St. Louis Organized Crime Advice. This goes deeply into the intelligence unit and what we actually did and the things that went on between cops and crooks and FBI agents. And we were whores for the FBI. [3:48] We did all this shit. And the FBI would come over to our office and glean it all. But we didn't care. We enjoyed what we were doing. And we got to know these FBI guys, and we didn't mind helping them. The thing is that we couldn't get legal wiretaps. They could. And so we gave them information, whatever they needed. But anyway, both of my books pertain to that, intelligence and how the unit cops and the FBI and the other feds worked together trying to get these guys together. [4:20] It's interesting. In St. Louis and Kansas City, from looking at your book, it was basically the same, different than in other cities, I think. [4:30] We really worked closely with the FBI also. And like you said, we were their go boys. We went out and they said, hey, we got this going on. Why don't you go check this out? Well, see the FBI, they have these high level sources because they've got all this power and all this money to spread around. And, you know, they can kick a damn grand jury indictment aside if they want in order to put pressure on somebody. We couldn't do that. We didn't have any local wiretaps. We finally got a law. We ran one here and it was, I tell you what, you never want to do a wiretap unless you got a huge, huge, huge budget, which we never do. So, you know, it's the same way here. It's really interesting, you know, the talk about the labor racketeering in particular. You go into that pretty in depth because there's more than just Chicago and more than Italian mafias. And then you had the Syrian mob in St. Louis that got heavy into union racketeering. So it's just a really interesting mix down there, Tim. [5:32] Well, the Syrian mob, it was named, it was actually Lebanese. Oh, that's right. The FBI named it the Syrian mob, and it stuck. The newspapers picked up on it. We picked up on it. It was referred to as the Syrian mob. But they were political people. They were all politicians and business people within St. Louis. And the Leisure, Paul Leisure, Anthony Leisure, Paul Leisure was a hitman for years for the Chicago mafia here in St. Louis. But Tony Giordano, they wanted to kill another Syrian guy by the name of Jimmy Michaels for control of a 110, local 110. [6:11] Anthony Giordano told him to lay off of him because the Chicago mob told him, we don't want him killed. He had worked with them, for them, for years over in East St. Louis for Buster Workman. So Anthony Giordano told the Leisure to lay off of him. The reason they hated him so much is because some Michael's family killed a Leisure guy over in East St. Louis was back in the 50s shot him in a bar and got away with it and killed him and so there was there was a feud there between the two Syrian families the Lebanese families so the feud just festered and festered and festered and they wanted to kill jimmy michaels for two reasons revenge and control of local 110 jim uh anthony giordano died and that left jimmy michaels wide open so they blew him up in broad daylight with a car bomb on i-55 during rush hour and uh, But then this gang war broke out. Then the Michaels retaliated and blew up Paul Leisure in front of his mom. So I was at both of those scenes, certainly. They're in my book. My picture's in the book at the scene. [7:21] But it was an interesting time there. And the politicians were scurrying because they'd been in bed with these people for the last 30 years. I bet, yeah. I mean, yeah, they were scurrying. And it was just really crazy. There was another Lebanese family by the name of Webby, Sarkis Webby Sr. Was a lawyer and a very influential guy. And he owned the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. And they were skimming the money there. Somehow,

Did the Colombo Family Have an FBI Informant? Oct 13, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins pulls back the curtain on one of the FBI’s most troubling scandals—the case of Joe Stabile, a corrupt FBI agent whose fall from grace revealed just how deep organized crime’s influence could run. The story begins in November 1978, when Stabile pled guilty to corruption charges. But as Gary explains, that plea was only the tip of the iceberg. Behind it lay years of whispered rumors, shady deals, and quiet payoffs—stories that painted Stabile not as a straight-arrow G-man, but as a hustler working both sides of the law. Drawing on conversations with retired FBI agents who once worked alongside Stabile, Gary explores the tangled web of mob connections and compromised investigations. Listeners will hear how mobsters slipped him bribes to make gambling cases disappear, and how his background as a New York City cop may have set the stage for the choices that pulled him deeper into the mob’s orbit. The episode also highlights the work of honest agents, such as Tony Villano, who began piecing together the truth about Stabile’s corruption. Through case files, informant accounts, and law enforcement interviews, Gary demonstrates how the FBI struggled with a culture of silence that often protected its own—even when integrity was at stake. As the story unfolds, the lines between right and wrong blur, exposing systemic cracks inside federal law enforcement during a time when the Bureau was shifting its focus and fighting for credibility. Gary closes with reflections on the lasting impact of the Stabile case: what it meant for the FBI’s war on organized crime, and how Stabile himself may have continued to live in the shadows after his conviction—a man caught between two worlds, crime and law enforcement, never fully belonging to either. This is a must-listen for true crime fans, Mafia historians, and anyone fascinated by how organized crime once ruled the Jersey Shore. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent 'Brothers against Brothers' or 'Gangland Wire,' the documentaries click here. To purchase one of my books, click here. 0:06 Introduction to Joe Stabile 1:19 The Corruption Unveiled 3:14 Breakfast with Retired Agents 5:59 The Connection to Organized Crime 9:06 Investigating Stabile's Allegations 14:18 The Gambler's Payoff 20:19 Confronting Stabile 21:39 The Aftermath of the Indictment 23:35 Stabile's New Life 25:39 Reflections on Undercover Operations [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers, Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence [0:04] Unit detective back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. I welcome each and every one of you. I've got a story that it's really interesting how I found out about this. That's part of the story. Let's go back. Here's what I'm talking about. A corrupt FBI agent named Joe Stabile. That's S-T-A-B-I-L-E. November 1978. [0:26] It was a Monday and FBI agent Joe Stabile was pleading guilty in federal court to corruption charges. Now, you don't hear about this very much. I know a couple of three here in Kansas City over the years that got popped for doing something. A couple of them were involved in a stolen party or a stolen property ring. A couple of others were one of them was just running his mouth too much and he was drinking too much. I don't think they actually end up charging him anything, but he did run his run his mouth way too much. Joseph Beal only admitted in this guilty plea that he lied about some money transactions, but that's just a tip of the iceberg in this, folks. [1:03] The U.S. attorney for the Eastern District was sitting in the spectators that day, and afterwards he would say, you know, this just shows the determination of the Department of Justice to root out misconduct wherever it may be found in federal law enforcement. [1:16] Well, you know, that's a pretty strong statement after. So you'll find that they kicked this under the rug as long as they could. Absolutely as long as they could. The head of the organized crime task force there at the time said that there was a bunch of money that Stabile could not account for. He was writing some checks. He was taking some money in and then paying some money back out in a deal. And it was dirty and they had him, but they didn't have him that good. So they dismissed some other charges and charged him with perjury, and he denied receiving any illegal money. He had actually been involved with a New York City policeman and got a $15,000 payment for dismissing getting a case handled for the Clumbo family. But it really, in the end, he wasn't really convicted for that. It was a gambling deal involved. He was involved with New York City policemen. [2:06] Now, during that time, there was another New York agent named Anthony Avilano, who had made several allegations of wrongdoing against Joe Stabile. They both worked in the Colombo squad early on when they first met. And really, this became, there was a lot of agents sticking up for Stabile, just like I found that with that H. Paul Rico. There were agents, and they never really found any agents. There were policemen who made a case on him for being involved in a murder, a contract killing. He was a Boston agent. But there was a couple of agents that I interviewed and wrote a book several years ago, and they swear that he didn't have anything to do with that. So that was part of that whole filthy Boston office where John Conley ended up getting popped out of. And anyhow, they tried to say this was a Sicilian feud between several agents that were of Italian-American extraction. Well, that's a good way to pass this off and denigrate people. But it really wasn't that. This guy, this guy was dirty. [3:10] He ended up, he got about five years in the penitentiary and a fine. But let's go back and take a deeper look at this case. And here's how I got into it. I was having breakfast with a couple of local retired FBI agents. I mentioned this book, Brick Agent, and asked if they had ever read it or heard about it. And it's written by a former agent who was assigned to the OC squad in New York City in the 60s and 70s. His name was Tony Villano, and it's a pretty good book. [3:39] It's hard to find. It's really hard to find, folks. So good luck if you go out and try to buy it. I'll put a link to, I think there's one that's like $35 or $36, maybe $40. I can't remember. I was able to find it online. If you work real hard, you can find it in the Internet Archive online and get a look at it. But it's hard to do. Now, Volano, I started looking at Volano partly in this book and got interested in him because he was actually the first agent to develop Greg Scarpa. And he worked with Scarpa for quite a while. And when Villano retired and really with no, you know, no smell of any kind of hinky panky going on, like what later happened with Scarpa. Uh, but when he retired, Scarpa refused to be introduced to another agent, carry on any kind of relationship with the FBI. Uh, several years later, this Linda Vecchio made a run on Scarpa and brought him back in as a top echelon informant. And then they did a lot of stuff with him. Now, now, uh. [4:41] Villano is the guy that sent Scarpa down into Mississippi, and in his book, Brick Agent, he tells that story a couple of different ways with some slightly different twists on some of the things that have come out since. And he also names two different people as the informants that they sent down to the south to do these different undercover things on the Ku Klux Klan and try to find those bodies down there and the three civil rights workers down in Philadelphia and solve the murder of Medgar Evers. And there was another one, too. And he names, Villano names two different people trying to cover for Scarpa to make sure nobody can trace this back down to this one guy and it was Scarpa. So anyhow, that morning we were talking about Brick Agent Book and the name Joe Stabile came up because Bill Owsley has read the book. And he said that he worked with Joe Stabile when he was a pretty new agent here in Kansas City who was assigned to the OC squad in Kansas City. Now, Bill has two books on the Kansas City crime family, really great books. You want the whole overall picture of organized crime in Kansas City, his book Open City. [5:53] And then concerning his career, the second book is Mobsters in Our Myths. And that really starts about the time he got here in the 60s. And he was a case agent on the straw man case or the guy that really started the whole thing that brought down the Midwest crime families from skimming from Las Vegas casinos. Bill Owsley was the original case agent on that. You know, it's funny, by the time they actually had their trials, he was retired. And an even funnier story, ironic maybe you might call this, he was retired and he was doing different jobs in retirement. He worked for the NFL, I think, and maybe the NFL. [6:32] Major league baseball but he did some of those kinds of things and and alan glick came to town to testify now alan glick was a guy that got the 62 million dollar loan thanks to the bob and was kicking back through lefty rosenthal to put him in the context and and bill owsley he needed a bodyguard and a chauffeur so bill owsley took the job of bodyguarding and chauffeuring uh alan glick back and forth to the court when he came in to testify and you know uh you know so much for the mob's going to go out and kill you if you testify against them because they never did anything to this guy.

Chintatown Sting Bonus Epsisode Oct 08, 2025

This is a bonus episode that contains a sample from the new, exciting podcast Chinatown Sting. The Chinatown Sting is a gripping investigative show about a group of mothers who took down Manhattan Chinatown's drug kingpin, Machine Gun Johnny. Lidia Jean unravels an entire network of women who were roped into Johnny's criminal underworld and found themselves playing the ultimate high-stakes game. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Listen to a preview of The Chinatown Sting now and find it wherever you get podcasts. Binge the entire season, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscription—sign up on The Chinatown Sting Apple Podcasts show page or at pushkin.fm/plus.

Machinegun Johnny in Chinatown Oct 06, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, Gary Jenkins, a former KCPD Intelligence Detective, is joined by Lydia Jean Kott (LJ), a producer at Pushkin Industries, the company founded by Malcolm Gladwell. LJ brings us inside the making of Chinatown Sting, a gripping new podcast that uncovers the fascinating and little-known story of Chinese organized crime, China White heroin, and characters like Machinegun Johnny in New York’s Chinatown during the 1980s. LJ explains how her interest in the case was sparked by a personal connection—her boyfriend’s mother was a federal prosecutor involved in the original sting. That legendary case centered on heroin smuggled from Hong Kong into Chinatown, hidden in packages and distributed through a network of mahjong-playing mothers. What began with a flagged parcel at the post office unraveled into a high-stakes undercover investigation. We explore how law enforcement managed to penetrate this tight-knit immigrant community, the risks taken by prosecutors like Beryl Howell, and the difficult moral choices faced by those caught in the middle—including a woman forced to choose between betraying a friend or saving herself. LJ also delves into the history of Chinatowns in America, where family associations and Tongs—formed initially as mutual aid societies—became intertwined with the vice industry. She connects this legacy to gangs like the Flying Dragons and their ties back to organized crime in Hong Kong. Our discussion is not just about drugs, gangs, and federal stings—it’s about storytelling, community, and the pursuit of survival. LJ shares how she and her co-reporter pieced the story together over the course of years of interviews and archival research, giving voice to people often overlooked in the larger mob narrative. If you’re fascinated by organized crime, hidden histories, or the way law enforcement takes on international networks, Chinatown Sting is a podcast you won’t want to miss. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. xx Gary Jenkins : [00:00:00] Hey, welcome all you wire tappers. Good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins. You know, I'm a retired Kansas City police intelligence unit detective turned podcaster. Gary Jenkins : I did a few other things in between, but this is the love of my life here, guys. And I was just talking with our guests that I don't do this for the money, but I do it for fun and, and it is a lot of fun and, and I can tell my guests today. Does it to earn a living, but she does it a lot for fun. She really is into it. Gary Jenkins : So it's Lydia Jean Kott, or we call her lj. Welcome. Lj, L.J. : thank you so much. I'm a huge fan of the show and it's an honor to get to be on it and to get to talk to you. Gary Jenkins : Well, cool. Thank you for that compliment. I really appreciate that. Kind of makes it worthwhile keeping coming back. I get those nice comments on my YouTube channel quite a little bit. Gary Jenkins : That kinda keeps me coming back when I get down a little bit. Anyhow first of all, you're. You're with something called Pushkin, P-U-S-H-K-I-N, which is a Malcolm Gladwell company. I think he started it and had [00:01:00] the first podcast early in the days. Mm-hmm. You know, I'm like one of the earliest I am the earliest Mafia podcast. Gary Jenkins : I think that ever first one had ever started, I believe long before. When did you start? Oh, . 2015, I believe. L.J. : Okay. Yeah. Early, early podcast days, Gary Jenkins : early podcast. I listened to Serial and I thought, man, I think I could do that and tell police stories. Gary Jenkins: Yeah. Gary Jenkins : So tell the guys a little bit about. Gary Jenkins : Pushkin and how this podcast industry works. We talked about this a little bit before, and I'm always kind of curious myself. You know, I'm, I'm what they call A GDI that's a goddamn independent. If you don't know what a GDI is, ask my son if he's gonna join a fraternity. He said, yeah, A GDI. So I'm a GDI. Gary Jenkins : But LJ is with a company and, but she's been all in all areas and aspects of the business. So tell the guys a little bit about. What we talked about, how this podcasting business works. L.J. : . So [00:02:00] Pushkin is a podcasting company in New York City and we do a whole, we produce a whole bunch of different podcasts. L.J. : So we produce a podcast called Against the Rules, which is hosted by Michael Lewis, who wrote my Ball story. Yeah, that's Gary Jenkins : a great one. But guys Against the Rules with Michael Lewis, who's a guy that wrote Moneyball. This is a great one. Go ahead. L.J. : So yeah, so that's the you know, that's the podcast that I work on, so I'm a producer on that show. L.J. : And Happiness Lab and Revisionist History. So we make a bunch of shows and we have, you know, people can come to Pushkin with ideas for shows, and then there's producers on staff, people like myself who then would help you make the show. You know, sometimes ideas originate within the company. So I actually, as a producer, pitched this idea to the higher ups at Pushkin, and then it became a show. Gary Jenkins : And this one here, this one here, to clarify, guys, this one here, Chinatown Sting is the name of it. We're gonna talk about. Chinese organized crime for a change rather than the Italian organized crime or some drug organization what we call a peckerwood. Peckerwood is non [00:03:00] Italian, by the way. Lj Gary Jenkins : yeah. I never Gary Jenkins: heard that. Gary Jenkins : Yeah, it's kinda local. It's little bit like saying hillbilly or a redneck drug association. But anyhow we use it as non Italian in Kansas City. Anyhow, she's gonna talk about some Chinese organized crime. So it's I'm really fascinated. I really wanna learn about this. I had just. Gary Jenkins : I was just thinking I need to do a story about Chinese organized crime and, and I was finding a little bit of stuff on YouTube, but not a lot. So, and then this opportunity came along and, and you know, I'm, I'm kind of promoting a competing podcast, if you will, but if you guys are like me, I listen to so many different podcasts that, you know, we're not in competition with each other. Gary Jenkins : A, a rising ship lifts all a rising tide lifts all boats anyhow, right. L.J. : Yeah. Yeah. You should listen to both the Gangland Wire and the Chinatown sting. You can, you can. Complimentary podcast. Gary Jenkins : Yeah. They are, they are in many ways, a little. I they complimentary L.J. : actually. Gary Jenkins : Yeah. A little different aspect of organized crime. Gary Jenkins : So LJ tell us about, you know, how'd you [00:04:00] first get interested in this story? Like I said, I was harping a hard time finding much about Chinese organized crime. So tell us how you got into it. L.J. : So I, there isn't, especially when I started working on this, which was like three years ago, there wasn't very much about Chinese organized crime at all. L.J. : But I, this is a little bit of a reveal of the podcast, but I got interested in it because my boyfriend's mom, actually, her name is Beryl Howell, . L.J. : But her career got started as a prosecutor, a federal prosecutor in New York City, in the eastern District. And her first big case started with this undercover sting that happened. In Brooklyn, because that's where the eastern Eastern District of New York is. And this case is kind of legendary in my boyfriend's family. L.J. : And I've known her actually, you know, for a really long time. So I'd always heard about this case and how this was the case that, you know, it helped, et cetera. It was her first big case. She was just a baby prosecutor at the time, et cetera, off in her career. It made a [00:05:00] huge impression on her. It was kind of like family lore. L.J. : And as a journalist, I've always been like. I wanna get to the bottom of it. Like I wanna find out, I've heard about her side of the story of this case, but I wanna find out about the people who, you know, who else was involved and kind of paint a full picture of this case. So it took me about, I think three or four years and I found a co reporter who speaks Cantonese. L.J. : Her name is Sh Wang. And we worked on it together. And we've been telling the story of this case. And what was really helpful is that we barrel my boyfriend's mom. Has this, she gave me this suitcase that was full of thousands of pages of court documents that she had saved. So it's all public record, but since this is from the 1980s yeah, you know, it can be, you can only read the documents in the courthouse actually, or you have to pay like a dollar in actual quarters to get it home. Gary Jenkins: Yes, L.J. : I had the advantage of having this suitcase where I could look through and it also had, you know, her notes and things that she underlined. So that was really helpful. So I spent, you know, we started by. [00:06:00] Reading those documents and then trying to find the people who are in the documents. Gary Jenkins : Wow. Gary Jenkins : That's so tell us about searching for some of these people that are in their documents. That's really hard to do because you're, you're looking into a closed society, a totally closed society to outsiders for the most part, except for the cops. I'm sure you, it was easy to find some of the agents or cops. Gary Jenkins : How did you start, when you start with the cops, how, how did that work? Was it a task force that you could find some supervisors and then they could turn you on to guys that would talk to you? L.J. : Yeah, I mean, maybe it would be helpful,

Dan O’Sullivan and The Outfit Sep 29, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins sits down with Dan O’Sullivan from the new podcast The Outfit to discuss the incredible story of Ken Eto, known in Outfit circles as “Tokyo Joe.” Ken Eto was unique: the only Japanese American member of the Chicago Outfit, and the only man to survive being shot three times in the head. Eto was the Outfit’s gambling kingpin on Chicago’s North Side, controlling operations along Rush Street, policy wheels in Black neighborhoods, Chinese games in Chinatown, and the Puerto Rican “bolita” numbers racket. His empire generated millions of dollars each year, placing him among the highest-ranking members of the Outfit. But success had its price. In 1980, the FBI caught Eto in a sting, and his Outfit bosses grew nervous—especially since he had ties to a cocaine deal with the Genovese family. Invited to dinner by a mobster who had never broken bread with him before, Eto knew it was a setup. Two gunmen shot him three times in the head. Miraculously, he lived, and his survival changed the history of the Outfit. Subscribe to Gangland Wire wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here [00:00:00] Hey, y'all, you wire tapers out there. Good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City. Missouri Police Intelligence unit detective with his own podcast. Now, believe it or not, I've been doing this for quite a while. Guys, if a lot of you guys have been following me for five, six years, you know, guys, you know, I was one of the first guys that did this podcast this kind of a podcast. And so I have with us today, one of the, maybe the most recent iteration of a Mafia podcast. I have Dan O'Sullivan welcome, Dan. Thank you, Gary. And I like you staking your territory, you know, like that I'm I'm a Johnny. Come lately. It's true. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I'm a og. You're the og. Exactly. I'm og. Yeah, right. I mean, I'm an associate. You're the godfather here, you know? And there you go. We gotta get the pecking order down. This is how. As was said to me by a historian, you know, the mob makes discipline in the military look like nothing, you know, so, yeah. However it [00:01:00] works, you know? Yeah. Well, yeah. That discipline is, and there's no appeal either, right? Yeah. So anyhow Dan and I, I think you're gonna have a partner in that. You're gonna have a podcast called The Outfit. Is that the name of it? That's right. The outfit got, which is, go ahead. You got it exactly right, Gary. Yeah. We me and my co-host, Alana Hope Levinson our new podcast, the outfits launching August 14th and just every week we're doing a different mob story that kind of explains something about, you know, America and, and you know, so whether it's how the milk wars in Chicago led to us having expiration dates on milk cartons, that's a crazy story to, you know. Who we're gonna talk about a little bit the history of Japanese Americans in the US or. Americans in Russia during the nineties and seeing that transition of democracy and the mob there. So we just we're having a lot of fun doing that. But it's great to be on your [00:02:00] show. I, I've loved your show for years, so really an honor to be here. Well, thank you so much. You know, I when I do a program here in the city, I usually started off with a comparison of, I want you people to remember all Italians are not criminals. Yeah. And, and what happened during. The turn of the century is really, has happened here recently. Mm-hmm. What happened was, all these people from a really poor country, Southern Italy and Sicily, came to the United States. They just wanted a piece of the pie. Right. They just wanted to, to have a, a way to get by. They wanted to earn, you know, earn a living and, and get a meal, and they weren't able to do that. They come here. At that time, the Irish and the English and the Germans, we had all the good jobs, right? We had all the police jobs, the fire jobs, they were squeezed out. They really could hardly get that kind of a job. And so they had push carts and, and you know, spaghetti joints as they used to call 'em restaurants, you could always do that. But they brought this thing from the old country called the Mafia, [00:03:00] and you've got all these young men who are bright and, and. Aggressive and, and you know, and then prohibition comes along and they take it. Yeah, they take it and they run with it. And, and you know, the same way today you got all these Hispanics come up and you got this narcotics thing, and, and they're, you know, they don't, you know, we're keeping 'em squeezed out for the most part. They don't speak the language and look a little different, so you're kind of squeezed out. So it is not comparing, not exactly apples and oranges, but there's a lot of similarities there on newly arrived immigrant populations. And they're not all criminals. It's such a good point that this repetition just, you know, I mean, look, I'm a journalist. I've covered the mob. I've written about it and, and tried to get really educated on it. Just you see this cycle over and over again. You know, like you said, my last name's O Sullivan, the Irish. By the time the Italians and Jews started coming more. Numbers to the us. Well look at Chicago. The Irish first off had been gangsters too, but they had just clammed up the ladder a little bit where they [00:04:00] controlled the political machinery. They controlled police, fire departments, these civil service jobs. So what was left, you know, by the time these guys came along, it was more just the same way, the more criminal thing. And you know, if you look at the stats today, I believe, I believe immigrants commit crime at a lower rate than native born Americans. Yeah, true. So, you know, because most of them are coming here to work, you know? Yeah, I know. So yeah, it's, it repeats itself. It's absolutely true. Yeah. It wasn't, I think it was Mark Twain said, history doesn't always repeat itself, but it rhymes. That's a, that guy the pride of Missouri, right? I mean, or is it Missouri Pride of Missouri? Gotta quote him. Yeah. Yeah. Anyhow, Dan, so let's talk about you know, some of the things you've done in your career. You've done a variety of things in the news and, and media. So tell us a little bit about what you've done in your past. Yeah, so I, I, we were talking earlier, I started out as a sports writer actually, which is, I, I was always interested in the mob for reasons I'll, I'll maybe get into, but doing sports [00:05:00] writing, I realized you kind of brush up against organized crime just in the course of doing that, you know? Yeah. So I wrote a piece, God, over 10 years ago now about. Labor exploitation and pro wrestling and you know, that that was run a bit and still to a degree is, is run a bit along underworld lines, you know with these sorts of shady syndicates all over the country. And, and over time that changed with the WWF and WE but still very dangerous for the guys involved. Obviously Hulk Hogan just passed away and, you know, kind of. And embodied it shifting from like a carnival thing to big business. But so I remember an outgrowth of that was the former boss of the WWE e Vince McMahon, it's not well remembered, was prosecuted by the federal government. For trafficking steroids. And they, it really was prosecuted like a mob case where they got a doctor to flip who was [00:06:00] supplying the, you know, whatever he wanted and shipping it across the country. So. I got into this bizarre story of a stabbing of an NBA player and the, the police subsequently breaking another. This was in New York, subsequently breaking another NBA player's leg with a baton. So I just started to drift towards crime. And then a few years ago, I wrote a story for Chicago Magazine. That was the history of the life of Kento, who I, I thought was just a, yeah. Fascinating figure, and I couldn't believe no one had done a deep dive on him. So I, I did that and and here I am today, now doing, now doing a lesser version of your podcast. Well, I'm sure it'll be good. You're gonna have high production values. I can see that already better than I had, especially when I first started. They're a little bit better now, but they're still not really. Good high production values. Well let, before we get into Ken Etto, let's talk about you. You mentioned you had a personal connection to the mob, your father, and something happened when Yeah. Where'd you grow [00:07:00] up and, yeah, because you're not from Chicago, that's not a Chicago accent, I know that. No, that's right. And yeah, so I grew up on Long Island in New York originally, which, you know, I was born in 1987, so I was just at the time that the mob was starting to get into trouble on Long Island because. At the time, I, I was a kid there. They were still very much in control, but the commission trial had happened. These, I grew up with all the, the John Gotti trials and, and obviously Long Island was very important, particularly to the Lucchese family for garbage and, and sanitation. And so my father was a telephone lineman for telephone splicer, excuse me. He would get irate if I said lineman. He was a splicer for the phone company for first Belan and then Verizon Ninex. But, so he had this very interesting thing of he would go out to these neighborhoods on Long Island that were.

Gun Smuggling, Castro, and the Pittsburgh Mafia Sep 22, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins sits down with journalist and author Rich Gazarik to explore a little-known corner of mob history—one that ties the Pittsburgh Mafia to Fidel Castro, stolen guns, and even the Kennedy assassination. Rich’s latest book, Gun Smuggling, Castro, and the Pittsburgh Mafia, shines a spotlight on Sam Mannarino, a Pittsburgh mob captain under boss John LaRocca, who hatched a wild plan in the early 1960s: supply Fidel Castro with hundreds of stolen weapons in hopes of carving out a piece of Cuba’s casino action. The scheme included an audacious plot to rip off 300 rifles from a National Guard armory in Ohio—an operation that quickly unraveled into chaos. From there, the conversation broadens into the Pittsburgh mob’s stranglehold on its city, including political corruption, bribery, and intimidation that reached into the mayor’s office and the police department. Rich recounts how Mannarino and his crew maintained a façade of respectability while ruling through violence and fear, leaving a lasting mark on Pittsburgh’s civic life. Drawing on decades of investigative journalism and declassified JFK assassination files, Rich also connects the dots between the Pittsburgh Mafia and broader mob influence in the 1960s. We discuss how figures like Carlos Marcello and Santo Trafficante emerged in congressional investigations, feeding speculation that the Mafia’s reach extended into Dallas on November 22, 1963. This episode uncovers a forgotten piece of organized crime history where local corruption, mob ambition, and Cold War politics collided. If you want to understand how Pittsburgh’s underworld tied into national events, you won’t want to miss this deep dive with Rich Gazarik. And get his book Gun Smuggling, Castro, and the Pittsburgh Mafia here. Subscribe to Gangland Wire wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, this is Gary Jenkins, [0:02] retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective. I'm here in the studio of Gangland Wire, and I have a story that is kind of topical right now because there's a movie being made about November 1963. And this isn't exactly about Kennedy assassination, but it's all around the Kennedy assassination. And it's about mob guys having connections down in Cuba and with Castro and out of Pittsburgh of all places. Now, go figure that. You know, I always think of Tropicante down in Tampa, and you've got Marcello down in New Orleans. You've got Ardo up in Chicago, and you always think of them, Giancana, having those connections. Well, there was a Pittsburgh guy named Sam Mannarino who had extensive connections down in Cuba. So welcome, Rich Gazarek. [0:51] Thank you, Gary. Appreciate it. Good to have you. Rich, tell the guys the name of your book. I don't have to. I'd have to lean over here and read it. It's a little bit long. So tell the guys the name of your book and a little bit about what it's about. It's called Gun Smuggling, Castro, and the Pittsburgh Mafia. And it was a faction of the Pittsburgh Mafia. [1:11] John LaRocco was the godfather of the Pittsburgh Mom. Sam Mannarino was one of his captains. And Mannarino and his brother Kelly had a casino in Cuba, San Suu Kyi, outside of Havana. And they didn't do very well with it and they eventually sold it. And at the time, Fulgincia Batista was getting a little bit greedy and he was on the outs with some of the mobsters because he wanted a bigger cut. And Sam Mannarino was wondering, what if I helped Castro in his revolution? Do you think he would. [1:51] Benefit? And do you think he would be gracious and maybe reward me with some influence in the gambling industry? And he had a longtime gambler friend who was managing by the name of Norman Rothman. And Rothman said, hey, I think we should go with Castro. Let's put our chips on Castro. But Sam wasn't a very right guy. And what he didn't realize is that Fidel Castro hated the mob as much as he hated Fulgencio Batista, and there was no chance. [2:21] But nevertheless, he wanted to try to ingratiate himself with him. So he came up with this harebrained scheme to provide Castro with guns. Mannarino went around looking for a crew to steal some weapons, so they centered on a National Guard armory in Canton, Ohio. And one night after the armory closed through the day, Somebody simply walked in, opened the door, and walked out with over 300 guns. No force break-in, no evidence of any kind of destruction. They simply must have had a key or an inside man. Put them in a van, drove off, never saw them again. They brought the guns to Kensington, Pennsylvania, which is a mob town just north of Pittsburgh. And they stored in Sam Mannarino's son-in-law's beer distributor. [3:19] And then they drove, now I'll explain to you a little geography here. I was raised in that area and I was 10 years old when this happened, but I wasn't far from New Kensington. The Allegheny River separates Allegheny County from Westmoreland County. So I lived on the Allegheny County side and I spent my misspent youth in New Kensington in pool halls and gowls. Half-hour's costs. So let me ask you a question a little bit about this now. John LaRocca, he was like the godfather of this entire area, really, even down in West Virginia. He was into eastern Ohio, all of western Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia. Yeah, but he was not involved. I just want to make it clear. He was not involved in this. This was one of Sam's, one of his many harebrained schemes, and he was on his own. Sam and Kelly Montarino, they ran this New Kensington area, which I hear you describe was a little bit like East St. Louis or Kansas. You got the main big city, but then you got the seedy side of town. That's what I hear you describe, like Cicero to Chicago. Right, exactly. And it was big. I mean, New Kensington in its heyday had gambling casinos throughout the town, houses of prostitution. But one of the things that was interesting was It's. [4:42] Alcoa was headquartered in New Kensington for a number of decades now. Yeah. And as long as Alcoa prospered, the mafia prospered. They made a ton of money because they had bookies on the shop floor at Alcoa every day up until noon collecting bets. So they were both intertwined a lot. And that's part of the theme of the book is that the interconnection between the mafia and Alcoa. Because when Alcoa eventually left in the early 70s, the mob died. It just stopped, became the town. The FBI wasn't even that interested in it anymore. And they had spent a lot of time investigating the Manorinos. So they get this group together and they steal the guns. And then they brought them over across the river, Allegheny River, into Allegheny County. And it's funny because I lived close when I was a boy. It was 10. I lived close to that airport. I remember reading the papers. It was big news to get this thing to come in. And they make all these arrests, all set for San Mannarino. They got all these people. In the woods was the state police, customs, and border patrol agents. [5:56] They were waiting for the guns to come. So the guns come. They're loaded on the plane. And just as they're about to move in on them, the plane takes off. [6:06] Now, it was overweight. didn't have a full tank of gas. So what they did was the pilot decided he was going to scoot down to Morgantown, West Virginia to refuel. [6:17] Border Patrol called the West Virginia State Police and they were waiting for the plane. And then the Border Patrol commandeered the plane and flew down and helped make the arrest. So everybody thought, well, this is it. It's done. But it turns out there was a lot more to it. Sam wanted to continue to buy weapons for Castro, but he needed a way to finance it. [6:44] So he turned to his mafia brothers in Canada. They went up to Brockville, Ontario, and got a crew, and they broke into a bank and stole over $12 million. [6:58] Now, part of that haul was over $2 million in bearer bonds. And they thought, you know, we can use this as collateral. So Sam sent one of his colleagues to Switzerland, and he goes to this bank and said, we want to borrow some money, and we're going to use these bonds as collateral. Well, the bankers got a little suspicious. They looked at the bonds, and the edges of the paper were singed from fire from when these guys broke into the vault and used settling torches to get the boxes open. So, they called the Swiss police, the Swiss police called the Interpol, Interpol called the Mounties in Canada, and the Mounties called the FBI. And we have this international intrigue going on with Mannarino's people meeting [7:52] Castro's agents in Italy to pass the bonds to him. Of course, at the end, Sam and all his colleagues got arrested in the United States for possession of those bonds. They didn't get arrested for breaking into it because they weren't in Canada at the time, but they did get arrested for possessing those stolen securities. [8:12] So they went to trial in Chicago, and Sam's luck held out, and all but one guy was acquitted, and he walked on it. By that time, John LaRocca was fed up, and so was Kelly, his brother, who fed up with the publicity that Sam was generating, and it kind of retired and put him on the shelf, so to speak. And Sam started talking to the FBI Having these long conversations.

Greg Scarpa: The Grim Reaper’s Double Life Sep 15, 2025

In this gripping episode of Gangland Wire, retired intelligence detective Gary Jenkins sits down with author Jonathan Dyer to explore one of the most complex and dangerous figures in Mafia history—Greg Scarpa, the Colombo family enforcer known as The Grim Reaper. Dyer, whose career spans military intelligence, law, and education, brings deep insight into Scarpa’s remarkable—and chilling—dual role as both a ruthless mob killer and a prized FBI top echelon informant. Together, Gary and Jonathan unpack the moral ambiguities, betrayals, and calculated violence that defined Scarpa’s career in the turbulent world of organized crime. Listeners will hear: How Scarpa balanced loyalty to the mob with his covert cooperation with the FBI. The structured, almost corporate way his crew operated—and how he enforced discipline with fear and bloodshed. The darker corners of his personal life, including family ties, marriages, and the impact of his choices on his children. The violent episodes, such as the murder of Mary Bari, underscore his brutality and the Mafia’s code of protection. From Cold War–era law enforcement collusion to the inner workings of New York’s underworld, this episode reveals how Scarpa manipulated both sides of the law to maintain power. Jonathan Dyer’s latest book, Greg Scarpa: Legendary Evil, offers the foundation for a conversation that will leave you questioning where law enforcement ends and organized crime begins. Subscribe to Gangland Wire wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, welcome all you wiretappers. Good to be back here in the studio of [0:03] Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, an entire Kansas City, Missouri police detective. Worked at the Organized Crime Unit or the Intelligence Unit for many years. And now I've got a podcast and we're all about the organized crime. As you guys know, all you regular guys and for new people, it's all about organized crime, particularly the Italian mafia in the United States. Now, I have an author here today, Jonathan Dyer. And Jonathan, I really am excited about having you on here because you have a different take about a much cussed and discussed subject or person, Gregory the Grim Reaper Scarpa. So welcome, Jonathan. Thanks, Gary. Thanks for having me. So tell the guys a little bit about yourself, a little bit about your background. Where'd you come from other than Marshall? We found out we have similar backgrounds, Marshall, Missouri, rural Missouri, farm life and Kansas City. So tell the guys a little bit about yourself. Well, in 1981, Gary, I joined the Army and spent about a year and a half in Monterey Defense Language Institute learning Russian. [1:10] After that, I went to Goodfellow Air Force Base for some cryptologic training. And then after that, I went to the National Security Agency in Fort Meade for some more training and then shipped overseas to Berlin for three years trying to keep tabs on the Soviet Army during the Cold War. After the Army, I entered law school at UC Davis in California. And after law school, I practiced law for about 10 years as a civil litigator. And then in 1999, I switched careers and became a teacher and taught government and U.S. History and criminal law and retired during the pandemic. And now I live in central Texas. Interesting. [1:52] This is off the subject a little bit, but I've always been curious about that language school. FBI agents go to that and military people go to it. I have tried to learn Spanish. You know, I'm a pretty good tourist. I've tried to learn French most recently. I haven't been there yet after I've worked on it with Duolingo, the new app to help you learn a language. But it's so hard to learn a foreign language. It is so hard. Do they have some tricks or techniques? I mean, did you really learn to converse in Russian or were you just like, you know, able to order a pizza or something? Well, the basic course in the Russian, at least back in the early 1980s, was 47 weeks long. And Gary, they've been at it for a while. So I think they have a pretty good plan. And it's intense. You're in a classroom six hours a day, and then you have about two or three hours of homework at night. So you're not just like I would do now, just kind of dabbling in it a little bit, looking at the sticks. And then after that first year, and it's going to sound like I'm patting myself on the back here, but I don't mean to do that. If you do well, you can take another six months right away. And at the end of that year and a half, I was certainly conversant in Russian. I was reading Russian. It was a good deal of fluency. [3:16] But I haven't really worked on it since then. So, frankly, it's mostly disappeared. But I think it's back in there somewhere. And if I needed to call up on it, I think I could bring it up. It would be if you went into a conversation with somebody who was a Russian speaker only, I guarantee, uh, you would slip back into it pretty shortly if you went to Russia. Now, was that full immersion? Did you like, we're not allowed to speak English any other time and didn't, you weren't with any other English speakers or were they that rigorous? [3:45] No, it wasn't. I mean, particularly in the beginning, there's no way to exist or survive without being able to speak English. And there was the classroom work in that second six months that I talked about was entirely in Russian, except for the military portion of it. We had some military senior NCOs who were also our instructors and they would flip back and forth between English and Russian. But our teachers in general were native Russian speakers. And again, during that last six months of the year and a half of training, it was, at least in the classroom, exclusively in Russian. Yeah. Wow. In order to pick up the nuances, if you're doing an overhear or looking at documents or whatever, in order to pick up the nuances of the country, if you will, that's another thing. You really have to know the language well. [4:48] Yeah. I mean, one of the things that I've heard that indicates fluency is if you understand the sense of humor of a foreign language. And I think I got to that point. Oh, we're good. And certainly the Russian sense of humor is different from the American sense of humor, but, um, again, um, not really doing much with it since my discharge from the army. Uh, even that I think is probably, uh. [5:14] Difficult to access at this point to be fine. Yeah. Interesting. Well, I just, uh, sorry to digress guys, but I just always found this fascinating learning a foreign language. I've always found that fascinating as hell. I went to Mexico and I spent two weeks living with a family down there. And that was the, that's why I asked that question. That was a rule. You were not supposed to speak English and they were not supposed to speak English with you. Although we, we had to cheat a little bit, but it was true. It's hard boy, but that full immersion, uh, that, That'll really amp up your ability to speak. Yeah, there's a very steep learning curve, and that'll do it. Jonathan Dyer is the author of 12 books, including six on Cold War espionage, a thriller series, The Nick Temple Files, which sounds interesting as hell. So, guys, I'll have a link to his author page on Amazon in order to find some of these other books that he's written. And it sounds like you've got a little inside track on the espionage thriller genre for what you did for a living, kind of like Ian Fleming and his James Bond series. Right. [6:22] But what we're here today to talk about is organized crime in the mafia. Jonathan wrote a book called Greg Scarpa, Legendary Evil. Now, a lot of you guys know Greg Scarpa. Greg Scarpa. There's our man himself, the many faces of mafia killer. And I guess my first question would be, he's been covered quite a little bit. And I was reading your book and you really have some interesting takes on this guy. But what got you interested in Greg Scarpa? Well, a writing partner and I were working on some scripts for a possible streaming series. And it was about the Brooklyn Mafia during the late 1970s and into the 1980s. And of course, Scarpa was the main character in that whole drama. And so my writing partner suggested I write a Scarpa biography. And at first I said, no, thanks. I've written fiction and I hadn't written a book-length piece of nonfiction. You know, in graduate school, law school, you write nonfiction, but nothing like this. And he kept pushing, gently but pushing, and finally I relented and said, okay, I'll do it, and started researching it. And that's how I got to writing a biography of Scarlett. [7:46] What did you find about Scarpa that, you know, why would his story be of interest in 2025? [7:55] Yeah, I think the duality of Scarpa's nature, the fact that he was both a mafia good fellow and at times a capo and also an FBI informant is just absolutely fascinating. You know, the stories about law enforcement and the mafia sometimes are very, they're intertwined as law enforcement attempts to get a handle on the mafia. And sometimes there's a closeness between them that is fascinating. And that's certainly the case with Scarpa and his 25 out of 30 years being a top echelon criminal informant to the FBI. So I think that's fascinating for people. And his personal life is fascinating, too. Yeah, it is. It is really fascinating.

A Narc’s Tale: Stories From the Underbelly Sep 08, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, I sit down with Keith Grounsell, a veteran lawman whose career spanned patrol, specialized units, and high-stakes undercover work with the DEA. Keith takes us inside the hidden world of narcotics investigations, sharing stories that reveal both the danger and the human toll of living a double life. We talk about how Keith’s upbringing as the son of a Marine pushed him toward public service, and how his path eventually led him into the shadowy world of drug traffickers. He recalls the adrenaline of undercover drug deals, the razor’s-edge risks, and the constant challenge of protecting his cover while keeping his integrity as a cop intact. Keith also reflects on the strain this life put on his family and the psychological pressure of staying in character for months at a time. His advice to new officers is candid and practical—emphasizing the need for physical fitness, community ties, and strong mental health to survive the demands of the job. Our conversation widens to the broader impact of drug trafficking on crime and communities, and the need for law enforcement to adapt to ever-changing threats. Keith also shares his writing journey, a four-book series titled Narc’s Tale, which chronicles his undercover assignments and the lessons he carried forward. This episode offers both gripping stories from the field and a rare inside look at the toll—and the nobility—of narcotics enforcement. Subscribe to Gangland Wire wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here 0:04 Welcome to Gangland Wire 1:07 Becoming a Police Officer 3:33 Life as an Undercover Agent 6:08 Tales from the Trenches 8:41 The Depths of Undercover Work 12:39 Surviving Dangerous Encounters 16:29 The Art of Blending In 21:06 The Challenges of Undercover Props 25:58 Navigating the Drug Underworld 28:14 Building Trust in Dangerous Situations 33:58 The High Stakes of Undercover Operations 36:58 Major Drug Busts in Kansas 42:08 Lessons from the Cartel 45:27 Advice for Young Law Enforcement 48:29 Writing and Reflection in Law Enforcement [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers, good to be back here in the studio at Gangland [0:02] Wire. This is Gary Jenkins. I am a retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Detective, as most of you know, because I've got a lot of regular listeners. And those that don't know, that's who I am. And I have another copper here with me today. I've got Keith Grounsel. Keith, welcome. Hey, Gary. Thanks for having me on the show. I'll tell you what, Keith. I love talking to and interviewing, but then our conversations before and after talking to these other coppers that have worked around the country. It's always fun. We talk the same language, I've noticed. And that's around the world, too. I haven't worked internationally. We're a universal group of people that always collaborate together and get along in different environments. Yeah. And then we start telling stories and it really gets good. [0:49] That's right. But we can't record all those stories. So we don't want to record some. We don't want to record. All right, Keith. Now you became a cop, you know, where are you from originally? [1:04] And then what, what, what made you think that you wanted to be a police officer? Me, I wanted to be a cowboy. [1:10] And so that was a close job to being a cowboy. So how about you? Yes. It's kind of funny. My dad was a United States Marine, 22 years. So I was raised by a career Marine. I was actually born in Beaufort, South Carolina at Parris Island at the Beaufort Naval Hospital there. And so I always knew I wanted to do some sort of service. I didn't want to sit behind a desk. I either wanted to go in the military, in the United States Marines, or do something else. And then I saw law enforcement probably around middle school when I really got interested in law enforcement and ended up going to college on a soccer scholarship, majored in sociology and criminal justice and got a job in law enforcement just in my local town right there and just fell in love with it and kind of found a knack in my career for going after drug traffickers. That was kind of my thing. More local level, not traffickers as a rookie cop, more just local bust and some occasional dealers and users and things like that. I really found it was giving me a natural high chasing them. It's like hunting humans. And I was like, man, this is what I want to do right here. So I emphasized that and I studied my tail off. I learned a lot about drug dealers, drug trafficking, drug users. And I led the department for a couple of two of the last three years in the first department in drug arrest. [2:29] So I went from there and transferred to a much larger agency, one of the top largest agencies in the state of South Carolina in Greenville, South Carolina. And it was pretty much day one orientation. They yanked me out of orientation. I take me to the captain's office, say, from now on, you're not allowed to associate with police officers. Now, granted, I've been a cop three years at this time. [2:51] And you need to work in the vice narcotics unit. You're going to report it this time. This is your sergeant. This is who your supervisor is and just go with them. And I had some older gentlemen in there that kind of took me under his wing and a female that worked undercover and another undercover. And they taught me the ropes, man. It was trial by fire. I really didn't know what I was doing. I made a lot of mistakes to tell you the truth. And thank God, didn't get indicted, didn't get in any big trouble and left there after a year, went to the sheriff's office, much larger agency, did three years undercover there. Then I wanted to reach that pinnacle in my career, I felt, in drug enforcement. [3:30] And I worked really hard and was hired on as a special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and did that. Man, I spent about a total of six years deep undercover. And that's taxing on a family is taxing on you as an individual. And I had an opportunity to, I tried to actually. [3:49] Transfer from out where I was in Kansas with the DEA back to South Carolina, where I had a support system for my family and I couldn't get a transfer. So I had an opportunity to do some Department of State contracting and I left the DEA and went to Afghanistan for a few years. That's where I got into contracting. I did that for a few years, got injured in Afghanistan, came back, worked my way back up, became a chief investigator, became a chief of police, I quickly learned the political realm and fighting corruption as a chief is very tough in a small town. [4:23] I lost my job early on getting in for 14 months, came back, indicted the mayor for public corruption. He got convicted in a three day trial of two or three crimes against moral turpitude and invited invited the head of investigations for a rape and murder cover up. And he pled guilty in that and then indicted the chief of police before me for extortion and his charges were dismissed on technicality. So I went through a gamut of different things and I came back, lasted about four years total and two more years after that. And we went from number 28, number one, safest city in the entire state. We went after the drug traffickers. I trained my whole entire department in drug enforcement and community policing. And it drastically helped the community and made it a safer place. But politics rared its ugly head again and the people that weren't indicted, they brought some people in to run to oust me as a chief and I had to go and that's why I got back into contracting. I went to Haiti for two years I went to West Africa for a couple years. I went to India Jordan, different places like that doing contract work and then I came back became a chief again. I was glutton for that punishment. [5:33] I probably shouldn't have done it a second time to be honest with you because I feel like i ran into the same thing i i helped the city drop 100 safety rankings in about a year period things were going really good until i uncovered some some corruption uh involving some police officers and went to deal with it and they dealt with me and it was time to go so so since that's been about a year now now about to get go back overseas so my career has been you know a crazy career, to say the least, and I feel like I've lived 10 lives. [6:08] So you had a four-book series called Narc's Tale. I do. So tell us, tell us, you know, some of your stories as an undercover. I can't think. Absolutely. Garden City, Kansas with DEA or, or maybe you have something like, well, your early cases there when you were. Oh, absolutely. There had to be some stuff that, that, that your hair back on the back of your head standing out and, and your shit your neck for a little bit. Give it, give us some of those stories out of your book. So I felt like I was kind of blessed as a, as an undercover, especially a deep undercover. Not many deep undercovers have worked at the city level, then the county level, then the federal level. So I got to experience all of it. And I will say this as a tribute really to the local narcs. Some of the most dangerous stuff that I ever did was dealing with a drug addict who was selling drugs. I mean, somebody like that that is high will shoot you in the face just to get enough money to buy a crap rock. So when I was working undercover at the street level,

Chuck Goudie talks Chicago Outfit Sep 01, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Intelligence detective Gary Jenkins sits down with veteran Chicago journalist Chuck Goudie, whose decades of reporting have made him one of Chicago’s most respected voices on organized crime. A fan of the show asked for more Chicago stories—and this conversation delivers. We dive into the legacy of the Spilotro family, sparked by the recent passing of John Spilotro, brother of the infamous Las Vegas mob figure Tony Spilotro. Chuck shares his reflections on how the Outfit has evolved, from its heyday of dominance in gambling, loansharking, and union racketeering to its much smaller—yet still persistent—presence today. Together, we revisit the Outfit’s historic ties to the Teamsters, the Strawman trials, and the legendary names like Anthony Accardo who shaped Chicago’s mob identity. Chuck solves a mystery and provides the name of the man who killed Sam Giancana. Chuck also offers personal insights into how mob families navigated the push and pull of blood ties, with some members rising into notoriety while others tried to lead straight lives under the shadow of organized crime. Our conversation shifts to Chuck’s recent investigative work on the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, exploring the long-standing theories and mob connections that keep the story alive decades later. This episode blends history, reflection, and storytelling—offering both an inside look at Chicago’s Outfit and a reminder of why these stories still captivate us today. 1:02 The Legacy of John Drummond 4:11 Current Status of the Outfit 7:28 The Last of the Spilotro Family 10:02 Family Dynamics of the Spilotros 13:18 Frank Calabrese's Las Vegas Fame 13:25 Giancana's Murder Investigation and who did it 18:18 Surveillance in the Giancana Case 22:03 The Straw Man Trials 25:40 Ken Eto's Gangland Story 27:52 Investigating Jimmy Hoffa's Disappearance 31:03 Closing Thoughts with Chuck Goudie Subscribe to Gangland Wire wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, welcome all you wiretappers out there. Good to be back here in the [0:02] studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective here in Kansas City. And, you know, guys, I have, I was talking with a fan not too long ago from Chicago, I think on the, maybe the Facebook group, and he said, you need to do more Chicago stories. And I had to admit, I hadn't done that many Chicago stories. I got caught up in New York a lot, It seemed like, and anyhow, we're back to Chicago and another guy's mentioned to another guy and we were talking and, and somebody said, I don't remember who, maybe that original fan said you need to get Chuck Goudie on there. He's been doing a lot of reporting on the outfit over the years. And I didn't really know who Chuck was. So I started searching. He did a recent story about the death of the last spilotro brother, John spilotro. So I thought, man, this is, this is it. This is what I got to do. So welcome, Chuck Goudie from Chicago. Well, it's quite an introduction. Some might call it a eulogy, but thankfully that's not what he does. [1:02] Really? Now, I think I told you earlier, you know, last time I interviewed a Chicago newsman, it was John Bulldog Drummond. Bulldog Drummond, I tell you what, he was the dean of Chicago newsmen, television newsmen, when it came to reporting on the mob. There's no doubt about it. And so I really welcome you, Chuck. You're kind of the new modern John Drummond. Thanks, Gary, for that. I'm happy to be mentioned in the same sentence or thought with John Drummond. I had the good fortune of working kind of side by side with him, different networks in the 1980s and into the 90s when he was still at it. And he certainly did. He set the stage for mob coverage in Chicago. The outfit, as it's known here, and John is still up and at him. And the times that I've spoken to him recently, we talk about the fact that on TV news in Chicago, I'm kind of the last person standing to keep track of these things. And so it's a heavy case of documents, as we say, to carry around these days. But there's still interest in it in Chicago. with not only the history of it, but where things stand in 2025. [2:20] Yeah, I've noticed that on the Facebook groups, and they're real heavily participated in might be the right word, because a lot of comments, a lot of people know, a lot of family members of mob guys that seem like are participating. It's true. [2:37] So you got to be careful what you say if you live up there. Kind of like that here in Kansas City. I kind of have to be careful. We got all these family members around. [2:45] That is true. Well, I'm always careful. And I do hear from people when I report on the deaths of old timers or even new guys who are trying to run the show these days. People do pay attention to it. That's for sure. Yeah, they still got something going. What would you say, just to encapsulate what the outfit is today in Chicago? [3:09] Well, there is a little bit of a range as to what the outfit status is these days, depending on who you talk to. The FBI still contends that the outfit is operating, that there are people who are still in positions of power, and that the street crews are still in place as they were even 50 years ago. Everybody seems to agree that it doesn't have the numbers that it once did. And I think that that should be evident. Some people think there may be only 10 or 15 day-to-day active members of the Chicago mob these days. But I think most people agree that it's in the dozens, but certainly no more than 100. And the rackets are the same, similar kinds of things. but not the amount of money trading hands these days. But they still run in the same circles. [4:07] It's still the same rackets that we saw decades ago in Chicago. Loan sharking, prostitution, a healthy, illegal gambling business that the outfit oversees, even as gambling largely is legal here and other places these days. Some union racketeering underway still. Um, so the same kinds of things, maybe just not as potent as it once was. Interesting. [4:36] So speaking of the union racketeering now, let's go back into history a little bit. You were in Kansas City during the straw man trials when that's what really, to me, it was the peak of the outfit's national influence at that point in time. Because they owned the Teamsters and the Teamsters Pension Fund and can make all those loans. So that was quite a time, wasn't it? Those days of straw man in Kansas City was the heyday, certainly in terms of dollars changing hands and the interconnection between the Kansas City mob, Chicago outfit, Cleveland, to some degree, New York and some organized crime families in the Northeast. And then Las Vegas, obviously, was the linchpin of it all, at least when it came to straw man. Yeah. And that's when really Tony spilotro, his name rose to the top. It wasn't before I have a, I listened to a wiretap where Joe Augusto was in Las Vegas is reading a newspaper to Tuffy DeLuna about, uh, that there were, somebody was writing out there and said, uh, spilotro and Aiuppa moving West. And Nick Civella in the background says, oh, God. [5:54] Well, as you know, there's a body of thought that Tony spilotro basically engineered his own demise by the way he operated in public. And if he had just kept quiet and not been as public about it, he probably would still be around today. So we're into the spilotro family. Yeah. The demise of the spilotro family. That's John spilotro. I'd never heard of him. Tell the guy, and I don't think most people have, tell us about him a little bit. I had never heard of John spilotro either. I probably saw him on a list of spilotro family members years ago, but he wasn't a major player. He certainly kept the quietest of all the Spalatros, certainly far more than his brother Tony did. [6:39] John spilotro lived in Vegas, Uh, apparently went out there with, uh, with the other brothers who landed in Vegas in the late seventies, early eighties. And, uh, and John spilotro kept quiet, although he was thought to be involved in, in a number of the rackets that the spilotro is most notably Tony got involved in, in the early days out there, the hole in the wall gang and other things that we're familiar with. And so when I heard that John spilotro had died, I thought it was worth a TV news story, certainly here in Chicago. That's a notorious family, infamous, if you will. And it was interesting to us, and I was to viewers, that this was the last of [7:25] the spilotro crime family, as we put it. And so that was the story that we did a few weeks ago after hearing John had died. Now, I believe that he ran the gold rush, which was a notorious pawn shop and jewelry place and was a notorious fence for stolen goods from all over the southwest part of the United States. So he had to know something, didn't he? [7:52] Absolutely. And I don't think anybody disputes that. But back then, you knew that it was Tony who was in charge of the family business and the outfit business in Las Vegas. And so he kind of fell in the line and knew his place, I think. I talked to his son shortly after he died, who was an attorney, a very well-considered, well-regarded attorney in Las Vegas, talked about his father's death. He knows exactly what happened over the years. [8:26] It's not a high point,

Jimmy the Gent: The Rise and Fall of James Burke Aug 27, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins dives deep into the life of James “Jimmy the Gent” Burke. Prompted by listener Paul Blackwood of Edinburgh, Gary explores Burke’s world beyond the headlines of the Lufthansa heist. From his turbulent childhood in foster homes and orphanages to his rise as a feared and respected mobster in the Lucchese family, Burke’s story is one of violence, loyalty, and paranoia. Gary traces Burke’s early years of crime, his ties with Henry Hill and Paul Vario, and the meticulous planning of the Lufthansa heist that netted millions—and left a trail of blood in its aftermath. The episode also covers Burke’s role in gambling and drug rackets, his eventual downfall in the Boston College point-shaving scandal, and his complicated legacy in mob history. Was Jimmy the Gent a loyal operator, or a ruthless killer who trusted no one? Tune in for a gripping exploration of one of organized crime’s most enigmatic figures. Subscribe to Gangland Wire wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here 0:06 Introduction to Jimmy Burke 1:12 The Rise of Jimmy the Gent 6:19 Jimmy's Early Life and Influences 10:25 Family Ties and Notorious Names 14:41 Criminal Ventures Begin 17:51 The Notorious Lufthansa Heist 23:57 The Boston College Scandal 30:49 Conclusion and Legacy [0:00] I had a listener named Paul Blackwood from Edinburgh, Scotland, [0:04] email me with some great compliments about the show. So thank you, Paul. Hope you're listening to this. I will try to remember to send you an email just before I release this one. However, Paul suggested that I do a story that focuses more specifically on Jimmy Burke, also known as Jimmy the Gent. And I looked around, and I agreed with Paul. Burke is mentioned on many podcasts because we all want to discuss the famous Lufthansa. I want to talk about Henry Hill, some of the other mob people in the Lucchese family, but it seems like I wasn't really finding a show that was just focused on Burke. So, James, Jimmy the Gent, Burke and where he came from and where he went. [0:43] Oh, and don't forget to hit me up on Venmo, buy me a cup of coffee once in a while, or maybe go donate on the podcast. I appreciate it. It helps pay the bills and keep me going. Now, Burke may be one of the most famous mob associates of all times, I would say. Oh, there's some in Chicago. They had a lot of associates in Chicago. But because of, of course, Henry Hill and Robert De Niro playing him, [1:07] why, he probably would be the most famous mob guy who is not a made man. If Henry Hill had not gone into witness protection, if Henry Hill had not done that book with Nicholas Pelleggi, Wise Guys, or if the famous filmmaker Martin Scorsese hadn't taken Wise Guys and Pellegi's book and got Pellegi to help write a script and titled it Goodfellas. And when Robert De Niro took the part of Jimmy the Gent, his place in history was assured, I'll tell you that, especially in mob history. In my humble opinion, this book and film were arguably the best depictions of day-to-day mob life ever that I've ever seen. I thought it was amazing. He did a heck of a job at the casino. [1:55] And to see the egos of these guys, once they turn, are just amazing. When Lefty Rosenthal heard Robert De Niro was going to play him, he told Pelleggio, oh yeah, I'll work with you, I'll work on this. And I'm not sure what brought Henry Hill around, but I got a feeling it was probably the same thing. He found out Ray Liotta was going to play his part in a movie. Really, when these guys like Pelleggio start writing a book about this, They got the huge budget and they pay these guys, you know, no telling how much money, six figures and up. Heck, they paid Frank Galatis $5,000. Just sit down and talk to them the first time for 30, 40 minutes. So when you actually start telling a person's life story and on the big screen and in the book, why it's worth a lot of money, it's life changing money. I got a feeling. Now, the screenwriters in the film Goodfellas changed the name of Jimmy Burke to Jimmy Conway. there was some kickback from the family and they were wanting a piece of the action so they just changed the name. [2:54] Now, some people have claimed that, of course, this movie came out while Burke was still alive. He was in the penitentiary, and they said that he was so happy to have Robert De Niro play him that he phoned De Niro from the prison to give him a few pointers. And De Niro is pretty well known for this. He reaches out to these guys and meets them and spends a lot of time with them trying to get a feel for their character and what it would be like to be them for a while. Nicholas Pelleggi, they say, denies this, that De Niro and Burke have never spoken. But he said there were men around the set who knew Burke, and Henry Hill would have been one of them, and knew him really well and gave De Niro pointers. I kind of like the story that De Niro got a hold of Burke in a penitentiary and talked to him. [3:40] Burke was played by Donald Sutherland in another film called The Big Heist. See, everybody wants to talk about Lufthansa. I don't know how many books there's been written on that, several. It was a heck of a robbery. We'll get into that a little bit later. But let's take a look to see where Jimmy Burke came from. He was born in the Bronx, New York, so he never strayed too far from his birthplace. Like a guy, like if I'd have stayed up in Plattsburgh, Missouri, I'd have never got out of Clinton County. He was the illegitimate son to a woman named Jane Conway, who was a prostitute. He was actually an immigrant from Dublin, Ireland, so he was a real Irishman. He was the son of an immigrant directly from Ireland. The name of his father was never known. You know, the mother may not even known who the father was. At the age of two, the social services in New York City took little Jimmy Conway and put him in the first of many homes and also be in some orphan homes or whatever they, I don't know if they call them orphan homes anymore. They call them group living situations more than likely. But a large part of his early years was spent in an orphan home ran by the Roman Catholic Church, ran by nuns. They'd say that after she gave him up at age two, he never saw her again. [4:50] Now, as with many of these throwaway kids, he was in a lot of different places, the institutions, but a lot of different foster homes. You know, these people take in kids, and some of them are good, some of them aren't so good. They're just doing it for the money, and some of them take them in for sexual reasons. And so he would suffer physical and sexual abuse in some of these different places. He had a pivotal event that really shaped his life at age 13. He got in an argument with a foster father while driving in a car that the man turned around to smack Burke in the back seat. And we've all been there, you know, don't make me reach back there and whack you. When this guy did this, he crashed the car and he died. The deceased man's widow blamed Burke and gave him regular beatings until he was actually taken back into social services and placed with another family. The next one, sometime after that, I don't know if it was the one directly after that, but sometime after that, a family named Burke, which is where he ended up with this name, Burke, took him in as a foster child. And they had a, he would say later that it was a clean, comfortable and safe environment. And he loved those people. He lived out his teenage years on Rockaway Beach, close to Ocean Promenade. You guys that live in New York City and know that, you'll know exactly where that is. And he never really strayed too far from there either, kind of across the bay just a little bit. He said Burke would never forget their kindness, and for the rest of his life, he would visit these foster parents on special occasions. And when he started making some money, he started leaving large amounts of cash [6:16] and unmarked envelopes for them periodically. [6:19] The Burke family had adopted him, so he took the family name and kept it. Some say that he buried part of the 1978 Lufthansa heist, some of the loot that was never found at the Burke house on their property. [6:32] The majority of the take from that caper has never, ever been found. One of the mysteries of that, kind of like the, not the Lindbergh money, the money from, we had a kidnapping like the Lindbergh kidnapping and murder here in Kansas City. And they paid $600,000 and they only got about half of it back. And half of it ended up with the St. Louis policeman who was working with the St. Louis mob. And some of the money ended up in Chicago later on, but they never found about $300,000 of that $600,000. Jimmy Burke got older, getting up in his upper teens and 20s in 1920. [7:07] He, of course, his trouble with the law became more serious. Age of 18, actually, in 1949, he got five years in penitentiary for forgery, and he was already working for a Colombo family member named Dominic Remo Sarsani. They had a counterfeit check ring going. I remember working some of these guys. Somebody would steal a check from a business. Somebody would get what we used to call a check protector, And then they would, on that business account,

Beverly Hills Fire Newport Kentucky Aug 25, 2025

Retired Intelligence Unit Detective Gary Jenkins interviews author Robert Webster, president of the Kenton County Historical Society, about his book, The Beverly Hills Supper Club – The Untold Story Behind Kentucky’s Worst Tragedy. Webster revisits one of America’s deadliest nightclub fires, unearthing the possible mafia ties, cover-ups, and shocking safety failures that shaped this haunting night. Robert Webster outlines the rise of the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky, noting its glamorous past hosting Las Vegas–worthy shows—and its lasting link with organized crime in Northern Kentucky. The 1977 Fire and Its Devastation On May 28, 1977, the club was engulfed in flames, ultimately claiming 165 lives—making it one of the deadliest nightclub fires in U.S. history. Safety Failures and Code Violations Webster discusses staggering oversights: overcrowding far beyond legal capacity, lack of marked or accessible exits, absence of sprinklers or alarms, unsafe wiring, poor construction, and inadequate regulatory enforcement—true firetrap conditions. Unraveling the “Untold” Story What truly sets Webster’s work apart is his examination of the controversial claim that mafia operatives may have deliberately set the fire in retaliation for the owner's refusal to cooperate—a theory supported by previously unreleased documents, crew testimonies, and survivor accounts. Investigative and Legal Aftermath The episode highlights the State’s formal review of the arson allegations, which concluded they lacked “proof,” being largely speculative. Meanwhile, Webster’s book earned him a 2013 Kentucky History Award for its contribution to the record. Click here to get this fascinating account of this devastating fire in The Beverly Hills Supper Club – The Untold Story Behind Kentucky’s Worst Tragedy. Subscribe to Gangland Wire wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here Gary Jenkins: [00:00:00] well hey, all you wire tapper's. Good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. I have a, a little bit different sort of a story. It's it's part mob and, and part fire protection and a huge fire that was you know, it really hit the headlines all over the United States back in the seventies. It's Bob Webster, Bob really appreciate you coming on the show. I appreciate the invitation. Looking forward to it now, Bob, you got, you got a pretty good accent. You, you got about as good an accent as I do. We're a little bit different speaking, aren't we? Little bit a little bit different. My New York fans and my Chicago fans I bet. And my Southern fans you know, you got that, we got that kind of Midwest twang, I guess, if you will. Exactly. Kentucky and I'm from Missouri and you know, Bob, my, my first relatives came, of course, from Virginia first, then to Kentucky, and then onto Missouri. It's the, okay. It was the immigrant path back there in the 18 hundreds, and I got a ton of them that some of 'em are still down there actually from they came here in the [00:01:00] 1860s, just before the Civil War. They came to Missouri, but okay, but deep roots there in Kentucky. Oh, guys, the, the book is inside the Beverly Hills Supper Club, the untold story behind Kentucky's Worst Tragedy, and it happened in May 28th, 1977 as the Supper Club right along the Ohio River. And Bob is from that area and he does a lot of local history down there. And Bob, you've got other books out there, correct? I do, I'm working on number eight right now. Beverly Hills is certainly the most popular, but I've written books on other local history topics. I also have sort of a textbook out that's covers the, just a generalization of of history of Northern Kentucky came out about four years ago and just finished a historical fiction book. I, a lot of my, counterparts kind of teased me for writing a partly fiction book, but it's based on a true story. So I can get by with it, but certainly almost everything that I write is nonfiction, just the facts. Yeah. And this is totally [00:02:00] nonfiction, correct? Oh, absolutely. I looked at it well, researched, searched, and everything's documented. There's end notes for every chapter. It's, yeah, I could tell. So yeah, and I understand that right in historical fiction because. Can, you can make it more of an entertaining read, and you can tie things together that nobody knows, with a little literary or poetic license, if you will. And it does make it a little more entertaining to read sometimes. Yeah. Broaden out your audience somewhat, which we're always trying to broaden our audience, aren't we? Yeah. Like I said, it's based on a true story here locally, one of the neighboring counties, it's interesting that I've had several people contact me and say, I, I know what you're really talking about. I know this, I know the real story you're talking about. We don't wanna be sued. They know the truth part of everything, now, what is that historical fiction about? Is it a Kentucky crime? It's actually a murder mystery based on my own family. You know, I mentioned off camera that my first book was a family history [00:03:00] project, about 700 pages. So it was well in depth, but, you start researching things and almost every family runs into something that they were, not aware of. I ran into a murder. The more I read in the newspaper, I'm like, this doesn't sound like it really happened this way. This, this something else must be going on. So I did some research and said, this would make a really interesting book. I'd have to change some names and some facts and things. But it's called Ellison Station and it's based on a little town in Grant County. And it's gone over real well. Oh, well. Great, great. Well, let's get back to the book at hand and back to the Mafia. 'cause the mafia had a big part in getting this started or organized crime. Out of I believe it was Cleveland, or was it Cincinnati? Oh, the yeah, the actually Newport, Kentucky right on the, we're right across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio. Okay. They have some. Gambling and illegal activity that dates all the way back before [00:04:00] 1800. But the Volted Act with illegal alcohol peach, mit, Jimmy Brink, buck Brady, some of the well-known names here locally started the bootlegging operation. But, that's when the mafia really moved into the area. Originally from Detroit, they were part of the little Jewish Navy. But Frank Milano I, I pronounce it mo Delete, D-A-L-I-T-Z. Came down and, and he formed what they called the Cleveland four. So it was Mo and Sam Tucker and Morris Kleinman and Lou Rothko. And the early 1930s, mid 1930s, they moved in, pretty much, took over Newport took over part of Cincinnati, some of the other areas as well. But they really took over northern Kentucky, and the police and everyone down in Frankfort didn't seem to pay any attention to what was going on way up here in northern Kentucky. They just consider us part of Cincinnati, I suppose. But they moved in and basically torched a lot of [00:05:00] the owners of the clubs back then with the same philosophy either. Sell us your club and we'll keep you on as a manager and pay you a little bit of a, a stippen or we're you're gonna be outta business. And most of 'em most of the club owners took heed and, and sold their clubs. But there were a couple of people Glen Schmidt or Peach mit who owned the Glen Hotel in Newport said, no, he's not gonna be bought out. They burned him out too. Mm-hmm. But he moved out of town just a few miles to what, what is now Southgate, Kentucky. And he reopened what was the king castle. It was it had been vacant for a few years, but he figured he, he'd let the mob have Newport and he was gonna open up his club there in Southgate. But on February 3rd, 1936, the mob burned his place down again. And it would've gone unnoticed like all the other fires that had been going on for the last four or five [00:06:00] years. But there was a little 5-year-old girl who was the niece of the caretaker of the property, and she was killed in that fire. So there was an investigation and several of the mobsters went to jail Masterson, who was probably the mastermind, we think. Got away scot free. But bottom line is he was able to rebuild the club there. He renamed it the Beverly Hills Club, then it became the Beverly Hills Country Club. Mm-hmm. This is before the summer club era. But the mob didn't give up. They they moved in started harassing customers. They robbed the payroll a couple of times. They also performed what was called ding Doning. I don't know if. If you've heard of that. But they would send four or five of their henchmen into the lobby of this Glen hotel, and they would just urinate on the floor. They would do that every day. And he finally said, okay, I give up. And he sold the place to the mob. So by 1940 [00:07:00] 1938 to 1942, there were over 30. Illegal gambling casinos in northern Kentucky, all operated by the Cleveland syndicate. Yeah, that's mo d was, he, he was quite a mover and shaker. It's kind of interesting. He ends up being a a sterling citizen giving back to charity and everything out in Las Vegas. But yeah, those four guys you mentioned, those four Jewish guys, that Jewish cabal, if you will. Maybe not the best word, but, but cartel that started that they're gonna end up starting Las Vegas basically, but they absolutely right here in this Beverly Hills Country Club, if I remember right. Yeah,

Hollywood and the Chicago Boys: Stone Wallace on Mobsters in Tinseltown Aug 18, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City intelligence detective Gary Jenkins sits down with writer and mob historian Stone Wallace—a man whose path has crossed acting, broadcasting, boxing, and a lifelong fascination with organized crime. The focus of today’s conversation is Stone Wallace’s latest book, Hollywood and the Chicago Boys, which uncovers how the Chicago Outfit quietly moved in on Hollywood in the 1930s. With Prohibition fading, figures like Frank Nitti and Tony Accardo shifted their sights to new rackets in film unions, projection booths, and studio lots. Stone Wallace's obsession with the mob began at age seven with a library book on the 1920s. It lit a fire that would eventually lead Wallace to explore the violent glamour of the underworld in both fiction and nonfiction. Stone Wallace shares how he created the fictional studio boss Sam Bast, modeled after several real-life moguls, and how mob-connected actors like George Raft blurred the lines between movie star and made man. From behind-the-scenes extortion to real-life gangland enforcers like Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn, this episode connects the dots between celluloid dreams and street-level muscle. Stone Wallace's Amazon author page. 🔍 Highlights: Why Frank Nitti saw Hollywood as the Outfit’s next goldmine The real mob ties of actor George Raft The creation of Sam Bast, a fictional composite of Hollywood studio heads Extortion in the projectionist booths and labor unions Mobster myths vs. brutal realities—how fiction reflects fact 📚 Featured Book: Hollywood and the Chicago Boys by Stone Wallace — a hardboiled blend of true crime and noir fiction 🎬 Notable Names Discussed: Frank Nitti, Tony Accardo, George Raft, Jack McGurn, Sam Giancana 💬 Quote of the Episode: “Hollywood wasn’t just glitz and cameras. It was a new racket—and the Outfit wanted in.” 0:02 Introduction to the Underworld 1:25 Early Fascination with the Mob 2:29 Hollywood and the Chicago Boys 5:34 The Allure of George Raft 7:22 Researching the Mob's Hollywood Infiltration 12:05 The Role of Unions in the Mob 14:51 Tony Accardo: The Complex Character 17:05 The Impact of the Mob on Society 23:04 Writing Westerns and a Modern Sheriff 25:43 Upcoming Films and Future Projects Subscribe to Gangland Wire wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, good to be back here in the studio. Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective, worked a mob in Kansas City for, I don't know, 14, 15 years. And now in retirement, I am still investigating the mob. So, you know, I interviewed different authors who've written mob books, and I've got one on the line right now, Stone Wallace. Stone Wallace, he's been an actor, a broadcast announcer, a boxer, a celebrity interviewer himself. I've interviewed a couple of celebrities No big ones But a creative writing guy Media instructor Written advertising. [0:38] For different companies And he really started out writing westerns If I remember right Oh yeah He wrote stories If you ever read Louis L'Amour Which I did when I was young He wrote those kinds of stories But later he got into the mob So Stonewallis, welcome Thank you very much, Gary. It's a pleasure to be here speaking with you on your broadcast. Well, it's great to have you on. Tell the guys a little bit about your life, anything you would want them to know about you. Well, I suppose the most important thing would be that I've always had an interest in the underworld, and it started at a very young age. I was about seven years old or so when I was visiting my aunt, [1:21] and she had a library book there about the 1920s. And I was sitting there, I kind of flipped through the pages and I came to the section about the underworld, especially the Chicago underworld. [1:33] And I don't know what it was, but something pretty much clicked at that point. And I just found it incredibly fascinating. And it just kind of stayed with me. And to this day, it has never actually left me. I've been fascinated by the mob, especially the Chicago underworld. And I've done a lot of research into it. In fact, when I was in grade three, our teacher asked us to write a little short essay about, you know, an important historical figure. And I chose Al Capone, which raised a few eyebrows at that time. But that's how I went. And it just pretty much grew from there. And I became a fan of the old TV series, The Untouchables, and was fortunate later on in life to interview Robert Stack. And it just grew from there. It's never gone away. I've always been just totally fascinated by historical mobsters. Well, interesting. And your book that we're going to talk about that has just [2:27] come out is Hollywood and the Chicago Boys. I know a little bit about that story. These guys, they went out and they extorted the heck out of those film studios out there. They made a lot of money through the unions and then... After the unions, of course, the union extortion can then lead into extorting the employers. That's what they did. And they, you know, they knew how to do that in Chicago. But first, you wrote a book about George Raft, the man who would be Bogart. Now, George Raft is, I mean, he had his own real mafia background. [3:03] So tell us a little bit about George Raft. Well, I became interested in George Raft back in 1972 when I spent the summer with my aunt and uncle in Chicago. [3:12] And they were playing a couple of George Raft movies. We never got them here in Winnipeg. They didn't really play those kind of films here too much. But they played each Don I Die, and I forget the other picture, but each Don I Die in particular really just captivated me. I know who James Cagney was and I always admired him. But there was something about George Raft in this film, the strength and the presence that he had, that I just became instantly fascinated with him and began researching his life and his career and finding out he was a very interesting fellow. He did have underworld connections. In fact, that helped bring him to Hollywood back in the 1930s through working with Oney Madden, the bootlegger. But James Cagney, I think, summed it up best about George Raft. He said, George Raft was of the underworld, but he wasn't in the underworld. I believe he was in the fringes because he did help Oney Madden deliver liquor during Prohibition, but he was never actually, you know, a tough guy gangster type, although that's what he became famous for in movies, and plus his friendships with people like Oney Madden, and particularly Bugsy Siegel. Yeah, that would have happened out there in Hollywood, for sure, because Siegel had a lot of connections out there before his life was ended in Hollywood, and I read something about where Madden is the one that really suggested that he try his luck in the movies and bankrolled him a little bit until he got a break, which is important. [4:35] So that's the heck of a story on George Rappings. The real gangster who became a movie star. These guys all want to become movie stars. We've got one in Kansas City, kind of like to become a movie star, but he did it. Well, Bugsy Siegel, Bugsy Siegel as well, apparently had aspirations to get into film work, according to George Raft. [4:55] He bought motion picture equipment and apparently had George make some footage of him doing various roles. I'd love to see those films. I don't know if they even exist anymore, But he had aspirations to be a film star, I guess, based on his friendship with George. Well, if you can act, I can act too. But unfortunately, or fortunately, that never came to be. Yeah, I think we all think, well, that acting looks so easy. Anybody could do it. But believe me, nobody can do it except the people who are blessed with that talent, in my opinion. [5:30] Well, George Raft, don't forget, basically, he was always criticized for his acting. They said he was very wooden. He didn't show a lot of emotion, but he basically played himself. I mean, you look at someone like Humphrey Bogart, he could vary his characterizations from playing a tough guy in the Petrified Forest to doing Treasure of Sierra Madre, the Maltese Falcon, the African Queen. George Raft's films basically had him playing the same character, whether it was a gangster or a hero or a working man. The George Raft personality always seemed to come through in those roles. [6:04] Interesting. Interesting. So talking about Hollywood, let's start talking about Hollywood and Chicago boys. How'd you get in? How'd you do your research? I know this is actually a historical fiction, but it's based on real people and real facts. So tell us about doing the research on this and what you learned. Well, again, my interest in Chicago and Hollywood, I love old movies and stuff like that, and of course with my interest in your draft. I wanted to write a book that was like a fact fiction dealing with the Chicago mob moving into attempting to take over the Hollywood unions after Capone went away because Prohibition came to an end, and that was their most lucrative source of income. So, you know, Frank Nitti and Cardo and Paul Rica,

Tommy Greco Genovese Enforcer Aug 11, 2025

In this episode, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence detective, Gary Jenkins, interviews Gary Clemente, who offers profound insights drawn from his father's legacy as a pioneering FBI agent in the fight against organized crime. Gary recounts his father's pivotal role during the 1957 Appalachian mob conclave, detailing his unique rapport with notorious figures like Carlo Gambino and the psychological dynamics of engaging with mobsters such as Tommy Greco. We explore the complexities of mob family structures across the U.S. and how Peter Clemente’s fluency in Sicilian and understanding of criminal culture enriched FBI operations. Gary shares stories from his father's extensive writings, promising future revelations about their historical battle against organized crime and the impact of these narratives on American history. 0:07 Introduction to Gary Clemente 2:45 Peter Clemente's Unique FBI Career 8:32 Encounter with Tommy Greco 12:50 The Threats of the Mafia 17:04 Respect Among Mobsters 24:00 The Mafia's Structure and Connections 29:48 Stolen Goods and Local Crime 32:47 Nicola Gentile's Memoirs 35:13 Hoover and the FBI's Golden Era Get Gary Clement's book: Untold Mafia Tales From the FBI's Top Hoodlum Squad Subscribe to Gangland Wire wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. Transcript [0:00]Well, hey, all you wiretappers, good to be back here in the studio of Gangland [0:07]Introduction to Gary Clemente [0:02]Wire. I have a guest who has been on before, Gary Clemente. Now, Gary Clemente's dad was Peter Clemente, and he was one of the first members of the Top Hoodlum Squad in New York City and the first Sicilian FBI agent, I believe, that was assigned to the FBI anyhow. So, Gary, welcome. Thank you for having me back, Gary. Appreciate it. Long time no see. Yeah, really. Now, we talked about his investigation of Carlo Gambino before, and he was all over Carlo Gambino, and the Gambino squad even went down to Florida and ran some wires on him or hidden microphone down in Florida. Done. It was a pretty interesting story. So tell the guys a little bit, remind us a little bit about your father and what he was so unusual in that way. He was from Sicily, I believe, and spoke Sicilian, but was also attached to the Top Hoodlum Squad. So tell us about him. Exactly. Well, again, thanks for having me on, Gary. It's an honor to be on your program. You You've got a lot of great information. You've got a lot of mob guys on there. You're killing it on this program. No pun intended. Thank you. We like to kill it. [1:24]Kill it, but not really kill it. Yeah, really. I can't do the crime. I can't do the time. You know what Beretta said. If you can't do the crime, don't do the time. Well, I can't do the time, so I don't really physically kill it. But anyhow, thank you. Well, my pop was Peter C. Clemente, and he was a special agent with the FBI from 1950 to 1976. And in the early part of his career, he was doing security background checks to see if people were trying to get positions in the federal government that were very sensitive and whether they were members of the Communist Party USA and the Socialist Workers Party. So then 1957 comes around and they have the Appalachian mob conclave with all the top mobsters that were there that got together. Many of the big shots were there. Gambino was there, Genovese, Profaci, all the big shots were there. There were about 60 or so of them. And when that happened, when that got revealed, my father heard about it. The FBI started to put together a top hoodlum program. And every city would have its own top hoodlum squad. My father was in the New York office at that time. He wanted to be part of the New York. [2:45]Peter Clemente's Unique FBI Career [2:46]Top hoodlum squad so he put him for transfer into that squad because he said look i speak sicilian i wasn't born in sicily my parents were born there my grandparents were born there but i speak the language and i could deal with these people well i was very attractive to the bureau at that time because they did not have that many sicilian speaking yeah fbi agents so he became a part of the top of the squad, and proceeded to investigate all of these mobsters. Some of the first things he did was he did the first ever summary reports about people like Carlo Gambino and even Meyer Lansky. Meyer Lansky was not a part of the mafia, technically speaking, but he was a big associate. He helped to make a lot of money for them. So he did the first government summaries for them. Eventually, my father became the first one ever to do a face-to-face interview with Carlo Gambino on the streets of Brooklyn, New York. [3:49]Spoke with him face-to-face because he wanted to hear his voice, wanted to get the tenor and spirit of his voice. If they ever wiretapped him, my father would be able to identify his voice as the culprit, the one behind the crimes possibly being committed. After that in 1957 in 1962 my father became part of a wiretapping event that was the first ever time that carlo gambino had ever been wiretapped and this was a pretty monumental at the golden gate hotel slash motel in miami beach florida now picture this on one side of the room is Carlo Gambino in his suite, along with his wife Kate. [4:35]And people like Tommy Palmer, who was really known as Tommy Greco, and Jimmy Palmisano. Two of his lieutenants that used to come and visit him in that suite. For six weeks, he was there. Now, on the other side of that wall, that suite was none other than somebody with a white reel-to-reel a tape recorder along with a partner listening in on the conversations and, of Gambino through the wiretap that they put in the A block. And Gambino's man happened to be my father along with his partner, listening to his conversations and recording all of that. [5:18]And as I mentioned, Tommy Greco, a.k.a. Tommy Palmer, was one of the trusted lieutenants that Gambino used to consort with at that suite at that time. and my father used to listen in on those conversations. [5:37]Yeah, this Tommy Greco or Tommy Palmer, your father, he must have been a guy that was on the streets. He got out of his car, as we say. We used to have guys, some of them just stayed in their car. Some guys would get out in their cars and get on the streets and talk to these people and get close to them. And your dad must have been one of those guys because he had a little run-in with Tommy Greco. [6:00]Tommy Greco became the only mobster that ever threatened uh peter clemente to his face and so you want to talk about that a little bit you got a whole chapter in your book here uh untold mafia tales from the fbi top hoodlum squad you got a whole chapter on old tommy palmer and this situation tommy palmer guys you may or may not know him he's not exactly a household name and in the mob business but he was a he had been under lucky Luciano prior to ended up working under, uh, Carlo Gambino. And he was, uh, he was an old school guy that went way back to the Lonzas. He, he operated out of the Lonza restaurant, may have heard of Sox Lonza. He was in that family. Sox Lonza was a guy that ran the Fulton street fish market for the mob. And he was also the guy that, uh, the, uh, Navy went to when Lucky Luciano said he'd get people to help the Navy during World War II. These Lonzas, they were real instrumental in giving information about any possible saboteurs or Nazi spies during World War II. [7:10]Tommy Palmer, Tommy Greco, he is a guy that was a witness to a lot of history back in those days. Tell us about Tommy Palmer and your father. Well, Tommy was a trusted lieutenant, as I said, with Gambino, and he was one of the individuals that visited a lot. With Gambino when he was at the Golden Gate Motel and the wiretaps were on. I don't believe my father ever told Tommy that he was on the other side of the wall wiretapping him and was privy to his conversation with Gambino. I don't believe that my father ever said that to him. He never told me whether he did or not. I don't think that he did. [7:54]But years later, after my father was transferred from the New York FBI office down to the Miami office. He was still investigating organized crime as part of the Six Squad, they called it. And my father used to drive by Tommy's place at the Taramina Cooperative Apartments in the Hallandale, Hollywood area to visit in on him to see what he's up to, to see if he's dead or alive. Yeah. [8:32]Encounter with Tommy Greco [8:27]Because you didn't know half the time. Somebody could just think he's up and disappear. And if he's one of your subjects, you need to keep up on all of this. So every once in a while, he would visit Tommy, but not in a very social way. Tommy never liked it. He was always bothered by it, very annoyed by it. When my father would come by and see me, you probably know that too, Gary. You investigated the people. You would visit them, keep up on them. They didn't want to see you. They weren't very happy about it. [8:57]So one day my father went to see him knocks on his door Tommy opens it up Tommy's upset about this and he winds up pointing a finger, You know, my father like this. And he was really, and then he shook his head. And he said, these are the words he said that my father wrote down. He said, Clemente,

Bobby Manna: Genovese Consigliere Aug 04, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired intelligence detective Gary Jenkins exposes the brutal fall of one of the Mafia’s most calculating figures—Louis “Bobby” Manna, the Genovese consigliere who wielded silent power until a single wiretap changed everything. I have to credit Stephen Popkin for much of the research in this show, thanks, Stephen. From the mobbed-up docks of Bayonne to the smoke-filled offices of Queens Borough Hall, we follow the story of Irwin “The Fat Man” Schiff, a civilian fixer with deep Mafia and political ties. Schiff played both sides—until the feds flipped him. And when Manna found out, it sealed Schiff’s fate. Bobby Manna’s Rise: From the 1950s onward, Manna ran the Genovese family’s New Jersey rackets—extortion, labor corruption, and construction scams. He was quiet, feared, and always in the background—until FBI bugs in Casella’s Restaurant picked up murder plots against Irwin Schiff and even John Gotti. Irwin Schiff’s Double Life: A Jewish outsider in an Italian world, Schiff was the ultimate connector—tying mobsters, politicians, and union bosses together in backroom deals and rigged bids. But when he became a government informant, he became a marked man. The Hit: On August 28, 1987, Schiff was gunned down in a Manhattan restaurant. Three bullets in under ten seconds—“clean, no mistakes,” just like Manna ordered. The killing shocked the city and became the linchpin in a massive RICO case. The Fall of Manna: In 1989, Manna was convicted and sentenced to 80 years in prison. He died a frail old man after being granted compassionate release in 2025—but his downfall was sealed decades earlier, the moment the FBI pressed "record." Highlights of the Episode: 0:06 Introduction to Bobby Manna 1:56 The Rise of a Crime Boss 7:06 The Role of Irwin Schiff 12:24 Corruption in Construction 15:42 Fallout from Political Scandals 19:23 Betrayal and Consequences 24:22 The End of an Era Subscribe to Gangland Wire wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. XXXX [0:00] Hey guys, welcome back to Gangland Wire. This is your host, Gary Jenkins, [0:03] retired Kansas City Police Detective Intelligence Unit. And today we're going to dive into a deadly game of wiretaps, whispers, and betrayals and murder. This is the story of Louis Bobby Manna and really what brought him down. He was the feared consigliere of the Genovese crime family. And the one that was going to bring him down was the murder of Irwin, the fat man Schiff. He was a civilian fixer whose mouth got him killed. Now, from the mobbed-up docks in Bayonne to the backroom deals in Queensborough Hall, we'll trace how power was wielded in silence until the tapes started talking. And once they did, they were going to bring down one of the Mafia's most secretive tacticians, that's Bobby Manna. Bobby Manna once held one of the most powerful positions in the American Mafia in the 70s and 80s. He was the consigliere of the Genovese crime family when Gigante was in charge. He was the third in command. He also ran all the family's New Jersey operations, I mean, with some brutal efficiency. And he knew all the underworld's most feared players in the New York City area and that whole area. [1:13] And his influence stretched not only from the piers of Bayonne and the docks and the shipping industry, but also the political corridors of New York's construction rackets, which as you guys know, we all know the New York construction industry was the playpen of the mob. It was the bank of the mob. I mean, they made so much money. I think they made more money out of the construction business than they did out of gambling, which is, that's hard to believe, but they really made a lot of money out of that construction off the labor unions and the contracts and kickbacks and the concrete club, and they got a piece of every window that was sold to the New York City housing projects. [1:56] And, you know, Bobby Manna, by the time he turns 95, he's in prison. He's frail and riddled with disease. And he was finally granted compassionate release from the federal joint just a couple of months ago. He served 36 years of an 80-year sentence. And that 80-year sentence was for murder, conspiracy, and racketeering. Let's go back a little bit on Bobby Manna. His criminal career stretched back to the 1950s where he started as a longshoreman, of course. and he and his associates were arrested for assaulting a man that was trying to recruit for a rival union. So union racketeering, you know, stealing from the docks, all that kind of stuff that a young mobster in the 50s, you know, this is on the waterfront for real here. I mean, his street violence was his entry in a Genovese family, and you know anything about the Genovese family, one of the most violent families, I think, of all the five families. [2:48] They ruled a big chunk of New York and all of northern New Jersey there. Of course, he ascended through the ranks the usual ways and, you know, made his bones. And eventually he'll become the consigliere. He oversaw, as I said before, all the Jersey wing's activities, loan shark extortion, gambling, murder, theft from their docks. He was born and raised in Hoboken. He became a close associate with Vincent the Chin Gigante early in his mob career. He'll rent an apartment in Greenwich Village just to be close to Gigante's headquarters at the Triangle Social Club, and that's where Gigante lived. That's the streets that he walked around on acting like he was, you know, crazy. Surveillance reports noted that when Tony Salerno was supposedly the boss, he would be seen talking to Tony Salerno and Gigante together as they walked around the streets. He was a brother-in-law of a Genovese crime family mob associate, Gerald Durazzo. [3:45] According to the New Jersey District Court, Bobby Manna's crimes date back to 1952. He actually, he really ran his personal criminal operations out of an Italian restaurant in El Bucan called Casellas. It was at 615 First Street. He was kind of the lead man for the Genovese family. They had discussions with the Gambino crime family on how to divide that area equitably. And later on, you'll see that he does not like the. [4:17] Bobby Manna personally did not like the fact that John Gotti killed Paul Castellano without any approval by the commission. But also he's going to be worried about Gotti and if Gotti's going to try to move more into New Jersey and take something away from him after they had it all worked out between the Genovese's and the Gambino's. Now, one murder that he was responsible for kind of has a really long backstory to it. Gigante will assign this to him. It'll come out that a guy named Erwin, the fat man Schiff, was probably an informant of the FBI, probably a top-ish line informant. He was a notorious political fixer. So let's take a look at Schiff's history with the New York mob and the construction industry all throughout the 50s and 60s and 70s. There's an early surveillance memo with the NYPD Gambling Task Force. [5:16] Subject Schiff, seen with known gambler Moe the Lip Seltzer and an Italian mail letter ID to Salvatore DiStefano. He was a Lucchese associate. Conversations indicate involvement in bookmaking, collection work, and payoff routes. Now, you got to see that Schiff, he's connected to all the families in some manner over his lifespan. His real foothold from the mafia was not through any kind of violence, but through the construction and the garbage industry. because we know the mob also has their tentacles in the mob, I mean, in the garbage industry in New York City area. In the early 1960s, he began working with local trucking and sanitation firms that held contracts with the city and with those unions, and particularly the Teamsters Local 282. These firms were already under the influence of the Genovese-Lucchese families, and Schiff proved himself useful. He facilitated kickbacks. He helped rig bids. He bribed building inspectors, looked the other way. He had these really good contacts in the city bureaucracy, and he had good contact with other Brooklyn Jews from some of these neighborhoods, and these were all invaluable to help the mob get control of municipal construction. It's a 1968 wiretap in a restaurant in Sheepshead Bay. Lucchese Captain says, you got that union prick off our back? Sheff says, he's off. He's got a brother-in-law in the Department of Buildings. He don't want to make waves. [6:45] Lucchese Captain says, You're worth your weight in veal cutlets. You know that? That's kind of interesting to say to a fat man, but they thought that was pretty funny. Well, the fat man became a trusted civilian go-between for all these mob guys, the kind of guy that could talk to mob captains in the morning, joining board members in the afternoon, and other politicians in the evening. [7:03] He'll arrange political contributions and those kinds of things. He arranged no-show jobs for mob associates, mob members. He brokered sweetheart deals with trucking companies and on trucking routes. He made sure that unions stayed a friendly union on major building site. You know, you don't want an unfriendly union. You want a friendly union. He didn't carry a gun, but when he walked into a restaurant, the wise guys pulled out a chair for him.

The Mob and the Savings & Loan Scandal Jul 28, 2025

In this eye-opening episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins pulls back the curtain on a lesser-known chapter of American crime history — how the Kansas City mob capitalized on the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s to fuel its criminal empire. Gary takes listeners deep into the shadowy world of Nick Civella, the shrewd Kansas City mob boss whose knack for high-stakes financial deals made him a pivotal figure long after his rise to power in 1957. Discover how Civella leveraged massive loans — including the notorious $62 million from the Teamsters Pension Fund — to help finance Las Vegas casinos like the Stardust, creating opportunities for mobsters like Lefty Rosenthal to skim untold millions from the gaming floors. The episode traces how shifting interest rates and lax lending regulations cracked open the door for organized crime to exploit savings and loan institutions. Gary details how local mobsters compromised bank employees, funneled unsecured loans, and left behind a trail of financial ruin that reverberated far beyond Kansas City. You’ll hear gripping accounts of banks like Shawnee State Bank and Indian Springs State Bank, where insiders turned a blind eye — or worse — to the mob’s schemes. Listeners also meet Anthony Russo, a criminal attorney with deep ties to mob-run banking ventures, and Farhad Azima, a businessman whose name appears in allegations linking financial crime to covert government operations. These tangled connections paint a vivid picture of how the lines between legitimate business, organized crime, and shadowy politics can blur. Through vivid stories and insider knowledge, Gary breaks down how these Kansas City schemes mirrored the nationwide savings and loan crisis that ultimately cost taxpayers billions. From questionable loans backed by worthless assets to the fallout that reshaped the Teamsters Union and federal oversight, this episode reveals how deep the mob’s influence ran — and how fragile the American financial system can be when corruption goes unchecked. Tune in for a fascinating blend of true crime, history, and financial intrigue that exposes how power, money, and organized crime colluded behind the scenes to leave a lasting mark on American society. 🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. 💬 Subscribe to Gangland Wire for more stories straight from the front lines of organized crime. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. Chapters 0:04 Introduction to Kansas City Mob 3:03 The Savings and Loan Scandal 5:45 The Shawnee State Bank Scheme 7:19 The Indian Spring State Bank 9:45 Anthony Russo: The Mob Lawyer 12:08 Russo's Legal Troubles 15:23 Global International Airways Connection 18:19 The Arms Smuggling Allegations 21:09 Azima and Russo's Partnership 25:10 Russo’s Goodwill Trip 26:44 The Rental Money Scheme 28:42 The Dunes Hotel Loan 32:16 The Savella Family Indictment 34:10 Conclusion: Mafia and Scandals 35:15 Final Thoughts and Recommendations Transcript Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers, good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective, with another story, and it's going to be about Kansas City, but it's going to be how Kansas City was really, part of the, remember the big savings and loan debacle back in the 80s? Anyhow, we had a piece of that action here in Kansas City. Let's start off a little bit about the Kansas City mob family, which many of you guys may not know. Most of you probably do. Most of you guys, most of my guys that listen to this regularly, they know all about Kansas City. They know all about all the mob families. They like these kind of obscure stories that haven't been told and retold and retold. So my job is to continually try to find more of those stories. So this is one of them. uh you know we don't get you know uh Michael DeLeonardo we don't get John Gotti involved but but we've got a guy here in Kansas City that is a little known guy but he made a lot of money for the mob he was an interesting guy Nick Zabella has been the Kansas City mob boss you know since the 19th I would say since 1957 or so he was at Appalachian they just didn't get caught at the meeting himself. He was down the road. He was at a train station, a couple of train stops away. [1:30] Nick Savella, he didn't have any formal education, but he had a nose for good, big, sophisticated, money-making deals. He knew an opportunity when he saw it. I was on this local podcast with a guy named John Termini, and he had Nick Savella's great-grandnephew. I guess that's how you say it. It was Tony Ripe's grandson. Tony Ripe is Nick Savella's nephew. [2:00] And his kid, Anthony Savella, and he told me, and he called him Zio, which is Italian for uncle, said Zio plays chess while others play checkers, and that's true. I agree with that. Remember, Nick Savella is a guy that helped orchestrate that deal with the Teamsters Pension Fund to loan $62 million to a man named Alan Glick to purchase a Stardust and three other casinos, And Alan Glick, he was like a 32-year-old untested shopping center developer is all he'd ever done. Now, in exchange for that money that he was able to borrow from the Teamsters Pension Fund, he allowed them, that cartel of Kansas City, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Cleveland, he allowed them to put Lefty Rosenthal in the hotel and then Lefty Rosenthal, then put other people in the hotel and in the count room and, and in other areas of the hotel where they could then skim millions off the top of the casino receipts before the money even got counted. [3:04] Now, do you recall the savings and loan scandals in the 1980s? I kind of do. And, you know, by this time, by the 80s, the trials, the skim trials were starting and it was all exposed what they'd been doing. The Teamsters Pension Fund was under heavy, heavy federal scrutiny at the time. They'll eventually put the Teamsters Union into trusteeship and the fund and trusteeship. And the government will help appoint new overseers and regulators. And they'll really monitor that closely. And so all those loan kickback schemes they had done for years are dried up. They're gone. Alan Dormans, who was their main guy in Chicago, the guy that really was integral to getting all these pension fund loans, he's been killed. Mob bosses are all going to jail. One of their other guys, Jackie Presser out of Cleveland, they find out he's been an informant and he's testifying. And Roy Lee Williams, who was a teamster out of Kansas City, they got him on a case trying to bribe the senator from Howard Cannon, the senator from Nevada, with Joey Lombardo. He's going to jail, and he testifies about how, you know, they had been, the teamsters had been controlled by the mob and by him and Cleveland and Milwaukee and Chicago. [4:31] Now, if you remember in the 1970s, the feds raised interest big time on loans to combat inflation, when inflation was just out of control. We were getting, if you were getting paid during the early 70s or middle 70s when inflation went out of control, you remember you got 10, 12, 15% increases in your paycheck. It was crazy. And I also remember paying, I think it was 12% maybe on my first home loan during those years. So that will slow inflation down. As inflation slowed down, then they wanted to generate new business in the lending industry. So the Fed started losing their control on it. They had put a lot more controls on it with that much higher interest rate than other controls. They started loosening control on the lending institutions. [5:26] Now the mob is never going to sit on its hands when control is loosened, where there's a lot of money involved, whether it's casinos or banks or whatever. They see an opening. There's nobody watching the till, if you will, and nobody really monitoring the employees quite so closely. [5:43] They're going to start trying to get their hands into it. Now, for example, kind of during that time, there was a small scheme in the Kansas City Bank at the Shawnee State Bank. Somebody in our local mob family compromised a banker at this bank. Pretty soon, policemen were in there and they saw these low-level mob associates just accidentally and they called the FBI. A couple of low-level mob associates coming in and getting loans. [6:11] So they started looking at it and started kind of watching the bank. And at the same time, we came up with some other information that they had compromised a guy, a bank officer at the Shawnee State Bank. So then pretty soon they opened up a whole investigation on it. And they found out that these guys were getting these loans. They'd pass the money along to somebody in the mob, take a little piece of the action themselves. And then they'd never pay it back. I mean, you know, I understand it would ruin their credit. See, they never had any credit when they went in there. These were guys that didn't have any credit when they walked in. They never should have gotten a loan. They ended up taking everybody down on that. Shortly after that, there's another small bank in Kansas City, Kansas. It's called the Indian Spring State Bank. Now, Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas are like East St. Louis and St. Louis, you know, just across the state line. They have a small bank in a shopping mall. There's a little strip mall bank.

The Man Who Ended Allie Boy Persico’s Run Jul 21, 2025

Gary and Mike also explore the uneasy dance between lawmen and mobsters—a world where unexpected moments of mutual respect could coexist with threats of violence. Mike shares stories of face-to-face encounters with figures like Rusty Rastelli of the Bonanno Family, offering rare insights into how respect, fear, and human decency sometimes blurred the lines between hunter and hunted. The episode dives even deeper into the chase for Alphonse “Allie Boy” Persico of the Colombo Family. Mike recounts the painstaking hours of investigation, the calculated street-level work, and the tension that came with tracking a fugitive deeply embedded in a culture of secrecy and retribution. His personal stories illuminate how local knowledge and personal relationships can make or break a case. This conversation crosses borders, too. Mike recalls his work in Sicily, where American and Italian law enforcement collaborated to disrupt crime syndicates that spanned the Atlantic. From tense raids to split-second tactical decisions, these stories reveal the global scope of the mob and the relentless pursuit of those who hunt them. Throughout the episode, Mike doesn’t shy away from the psychological cost of the job, navigating threats from criminal networks while maintaining unbreakable bonds with fellow officers. He reflects on these life-changing experiences in his book, Adapt and Overcome, which he describes as part memoir, part raw look at the human side of life on the front lines of America’s war against organized crime. For true crime fans, mob history buffs, or anyone fascinated by the delicate balance of law enforcement in high-risk territory, this episode is packed with vivid stories and personal reflections that remind us what it truly takes to track—and confront—the mob. 🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. 📚 Pick up Mike’s book: Adapt and Overcome 💬 Subscribe to Gangland Wire for more stories straight from the front lines of organized crime. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. [0:00] Well, hey, welcome all you wiretappers out there. It's good to be back here [0:02] in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective. And we're going to, you know, we talk about the mafia a lot, and we're going to learn a lot more about the mob, especially the New York City mob with a retired U.S. Marshal, Mike Pizzi. And I know I butchered that a lot, Mike, but come on. I really appreciate you coming on the show. Thank you. Thanks for having me. Well, Mike, I'm going to read you a little review I read on your book. A truly outstanding book not only gives the reader an understanding of what the U.S. Marshal Service does, it also takes you on a journey through its recent history that turned into what it is today. You come away from reading it with a true appreciation of the men and women [0:47] who serve in it. And I'll wholeheartedly agree with that, Mike. And you've got a lot of great stories about mob guys that you had something to do with. So let's start talking about kind of your early, you were raised around the mob. So tell us about that. [1:03] Yep. I was born in Brooklyn and raised in Brooklyn and lived there most of my life. And the house I was born in was one house off the corner of an infamous area known as 13th Avenue. And Sammy the Bull talks about it a lot because he was in a gang that was a little further down the street. But my bedroom window was the back of the Grim Reapers Mafia Club. And that's Gregory Scarpa. And so I grew up basically around those people, knew many of them, didn't like a lot of them. And I particularly never liked this fellow, Greg Scarpa, as some of the guys I grew up with started to be attracted in his direction. I didn't like it. So when I was, I was about 17 years old and I joined the Marines and I left the neighborhood for four years. [2:07] One of my assignments in the Marines was actually the Marine barracks at Naples, Italy. Oh, really? Where now you're going to be shocked at this. And I have the proof. Everything I say could prove. Where Lucky Luciano had an art studio on the same street where I was living. Because we didn't live on a base. We lived in a barracks. And the name of the street was Via Michelangelo di Caravaggio. So it was in the area called Manzoni in Naples, and I got to know him. Oh, really? Yeah. He ran a couple of clubs downtown, the El Sombrero and another club. And we'd make our way every other weekend when we had off. We never went out in uniform. We weren't allowed to. And I think the guy really loved Americans. And he would come to a local bar near our building where we were living in Manzoni and, he'd talk to us, you know, he'd come in with some of his bodyguards and some young girls, some foolish young Marines would go over and ask the girls, the dads without asking his permission. That was a big mistake. [3:21] So later on, I had a friend at another Marines house after we were wall out of the Marine Corps and he talked me into becoming a deputy marshal. I was driving trucks at the time where it was such a rough job that the guys never spoke. They only grunted. And I actually started to understand the grunts. [3:46] I think I worked a job or two like that in my late teens. Before that, I was a cement laborer. So, you know, just anyway, it was kind of a very good introduction to being around a lot of rough people. Yeah. But they worked hard. Eventually, I ended up in the marshal service and my partner, it was kind of like almost a place where the Democratic and Republican clubs would send people to retire. You know, a lot of the guys, some of the guys really worked hard, but a lot of them weren't. They weren't interested in working hard. So me and my partner, who I think was, his name is Jack Brophy, was the smartest guy I ever met. [4:35] And we started to do things that nobody else would do. We would take warrants and work in the morning and go out and work at night. And we hooked up with a group of Federal Bureau Narcotic Agents. Now I'm going to take you back a little bit. They were part of the Treasury Department at the time. And if you look at some of the people that were in that group, You had former OSS people, and maybe the OSS had then evolved into being the CIA. Later on, it was learned that some of these people had dual roles in the government. So we would go out with them after hours and look for people and do things and work and learned a lot. They were really very good investigators. And so we did a lot of fugitive work and in conjunction with them as well. You know, Mike, that Federal Bureau of Narcotics was... [5:30] The only agency at the time that gathered information on organized crime, on the mob, when the FBI was out chasing communists down and wearing suits and ties and interviewing people, the FBN, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, had been for years, been chasing down the mob people and putting the connections together. So you fell in with a good group of guys there. They're really a pre-mobile law enforcement agency. And I'm going to tell you that I got all of my organized crime photographs and charts from the old Federal Bureau Narcotics. [6:06] That was part of my study that I was doing. So they really, as you said, they were the number one group that was involved in this organized crime and they were putting it together. And so, ironically, at this time, if you remember the name of Joe Bonanno. Oh, yeah. He claimed that he was taken, kidnapped, and he disappeared. I remember that. And I'm in the Southern District of New York, which covers Manhattan, the Bronx, and 11 counties upstate. [6:37] And I'm looking at Joe Bonanno. He's sitting in the courtroom with an attorney by the name of Al Krieger. And I said to this other deputy, I said, that's Joe Bonanno. He's wanted. So we walked over and we arrested him. And we brought him down into our detention area. And the next thing you know, a whole bunch of FBI agents converged on our detention area, all bent out of shape. [7:02] And we said, listen, we know he's wanted. We arrested him. Do what you want with him. And I remember distinctly, he spoke with a very heavy accent. It was almost like he hadn't been speaking English for a while. And I could remember when I searched him, he had a lot of $50 bills in his pocket. I never saw that many $50 bills ever in my life. I think as a truck driver, I was making like $8,000 a year. And as a deputy marshal, I was making like $6,000 a year. [7:35] Working 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No overtime. Yeah. So anyway, yeah, it was a great experience and a good introduction. [7:46] And so later on, I transferred over to the Brooklyn office. Now that's Eastern district of New York. It was everything that I was doing at night. We would work in early morning, late night. Everything was taking me away from home. So going to Brooklyn was where I lived, and I was hoping someday to move to Long Island with my family. And so I took the transfer over to Brooklyn, and I started working with a great investigator, deputy marshal. Now, the Eastern District covers Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and all of Long Island. At the time, I think it was about 12 million people, and we had maybe 25 deputies. [8:31] But there was a really good supervisor who had the Medal of Honor from the corrections department, a city in New York,

A Mafia Counterfeit Ring Jul 16, 2025

Hey Wiretappers, listen to my short bonus episode. I'm looking for mob fans to read the first half of a memoir about my life, which is partly about being a cop and mostly about the Civella Spero War. Email me at ganglandwire@gmail.com and I'll send you a pdf to read. It's about 22,000 words. Once it's done, I'll send you a copy This week, we journey back to the early 1900s—a time when the first wave of Sicilian immigrants brought more than just dreams of opportunity to America. They also brought with them an age-old criminal code that would lay the foundation for the American Mafia as we know it. Our story begins with the Mustache Petes—those old-world mafiosi who preyed on their own immigrant communities through intimidation, extortion, and a cunning knack for organized crime. One of their earliest rackets? Counterfeiting. 💵 A Nationwide Web of Fake Money In 1901, the Secret Service—then the only federal law enforcement agency with a national reach—uncovered a brand-new counterfeit $5 bill in circulation. This was no small operation. The National Iron Bank of Morristown, New Jersey, had unknowingly unleashed a run worth $250,000—millions in today’s money. Agents quickly linked the phony bills to a sophisticated, coast-to-coast counterfeit ring run by Sicilian gang leaders like Ignacio “Lupo the Wolf” Lupo and Giuseppe Morello. These men were more than petty crooks—they were the original godfathers of organized crime in New York City. 🔪 Violence and Betrayal in the Shadows As the Secret Service tracked counterfeiters from Yonkers to Pittsburgh to San Francisco, they met ruthless opposition. Notorious mobsters like Vito Catone didn’t hesitate to attack federal agents. One desperate fugitive even tried to escape by lunging at agents with a knife, fleeing through a rail yard, and getting knocked down by bricks thrown from a moving train. Law enforcement, often under-armed and outnumbered, were up against killers willing to silence anyone in their way. 🩸 The Barrel Murder This bloody saga culminated in one of the earliest and most chilling mob murders on record: the infamous Barrel Murder of 1903. When a New York City woman stumbled upon a barrel with a nearly decapitated body inside, investigators connected the corpse to the Morello gang’s counterfeiting operation. The victim, Benedetto Madonia, had apparently been lured to New York to help secure legal fees for his jailed brother-in-law, Giuseppe DiPrimo—only to be betrayed and butchered by the very men he’d come to help. 🕵️ Secret Service Stings and Underworld Justice The Secret Service made arrests and even staged elaborate stings, using marked bills and informants to infiltrate the gang. But corruption, fear, and an underdeveloped justice system left many ringleaders untouched. One killer, Tomasso “Petto the Ox,” was freed despite damning evidence, only to be gunned down years later in a revenge hit that many believe was ordered by DiPrimo himself after his release from prison. 🔗 A Blueprint for the Mafia to Come These early black handers and Mustache Petes were rough drafts of the organized syndicates that would soon flourish under Prohibition. Counterfeiting required a clear chain of command, trusted lieutenants, and loyal foot soldiers—known back then as “queer pushers” who spread the fake bills far and wide. In many ways, it was a proving ground for the hierarchy that would one day run America’s underworld. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there. Good to be back here in the studio. This is a special bonus episode about the barrel murders and what's his name? Tommaso the Ox Peto and a lot of those guys, Joe Petrocino. It's kind of a shorty. And also, I'm putting this out because I'm asking for your help. I have a book that I've been working on about half, a little over halfway through. It's going to be a memoir about my career and mainly about my interactions with the mob during the Savella Spiro War and what we did during that time. So I'm doing it. I don't know. Maybe it's a little bit different sort of a style. [0:39] It's a real short and punchy and to the point style. I'm not I'm really trying to take all the words I can out of it. I need some feedback. I want to see, you know, I got 20,000 words and I don't know how many hours into this thing. And hell, I don't know if it's any good or not. And, you know, it may not be, it may be stupid for all I know, you know, I think it'll, I think you'll find it somewhat entertaining. And, and so I, I, what I'm looking for is some real critical feedback, you know, something that you like, something that you didn't like. You're not going to hurt my feelings. Promise me that. I mean, you see something you don't like, or you think I'm redundant, or you see some errors where I repeat myself in it or something. Let me know. It's about, I said, it's about halfway through. I got up to the point where, uh, Carl Sparrow has been shot. He's coming out of the hospital, and he has to go to dialysis and has to get his car fitted with hand controls. And so from there on, the war between the Savellas and Spiro is really on. Give me a feedback. [1:37] What you have to do, I think, is email me at ganglandwire at gmail.com. [1:42] Let me know, and I'll send you a PDF, and then you can get back with me. Thanks a lot, guys. Guys, now listen to my story about the Mustache Pete's and the early counterfeiting game. Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, back here in the studio all alone today, I've got a quick little story of early, early New York Mafia. [2:03] Really the mustache peach. When these guys got here, they're looking for money. They're looking for opportunity. They're denied a lot of opportunity, but they brought the mafia with them. They brought this criminal mentality with them. They started sending out black hand notes and preying on fellow immigrants from Sicily and Italy and kind of branched out from that. It preied on a lot of people. Now, one thing that got into early on was counterfeiting. And the law enforcement agency that had the responsibility to investigate counterfeiting back then was the Secret Service, and it still is today. The Secret Service was really the only nationwide law enforcement agency on a federal level back in those days. 1901, there's a brand new counterfeit $5 bill detected. Different banks across the country printed the banknotes back then. This was the National Iron Bank of Morristown, New Jersey. I read it was part of a production run of $250,000. Now, $250,000 in 1901 was a lot of money. Of course, they had to sell it for, you know, maybe 25 cents on the dollar, probably even less. So Secret Service agents quickly arrested Giuseppe Di Primo and a couple other guys for passing some of these counterfeit notes in Yonkers, New York in 1902. [3:30] Weeks later, they arrested Vito Laduca and a couple other associates down in Pittsburgh, and they attract them from New York to San Francisco and other cities across the United States. So they're like onto this counterfeit ring, and they were a nationwide counterfeit ring. One of these guys, Vito Catone, was a bad character. He tried to escape arrest by lunging at the agents with a knife and then ran away in the nearby rail yard, chased him down by commandeering a train, and then knocked him down by hurling bricks at him. Now, can you imagine that? They got a guy with a knife. You're chasing him through the rail yard. You jump on a moving train, jump off, throw bricks at him, and knock him down. Actually, he might not even have had guns. Law enforcement, again, didn't carry guns like they do today. [4:20] You know, he was such a bad character when he got to a hospital, he tried to kill a nurse and escape with some kind of a kitchen knife he'd picked up. They found out that the Morristown counterfeits were being distributed at the direction of Mafia leader Ignacio Lupo and Giuseppe Morello. Now, these were the two big-time mob bosses in the Northeast and in New York City, particularly back in. Lupo was Lupo the Wolf. Giuseppe Morello, he was like a godfather. After his arrest for counterfeiting Giuseppe Di Primo and his two partners were locked up in New York City's Leadlow Street Jail. Ignacio Lupo visited them and arranged payment of their attorney. And when they were standing trial, Lupo would go to the trial each day and then take news of how the case was progressing back to Giuseppe Morello. They were found guilty passing these counterfeits 1903. [5:21] That weekend they say Lupo, Morello and everybody else in the gang Were observed holding the meeting in the rear of their Prince Street saloon headquarters, Now the Secret Service is still working on these guys And they planned a sting operation against this group They got an informant with some Mark Bills They were going to purchase the counterfeits from the gang, they put together 11 search warrants for the homes and businesses of these men but. [5:51] The plan kind of stalled out. They were watching them pretty close, and an unfamiliar face showed up. And Giuseppe Morello and another guy were seen talking earnestly between themselves before taking the stranger to the back of a butcher stop in Manhattan. 5.30 the next morning, a Ms. Frances O'Connor was making her way to work, and she saw a suspicious barrel at East 11th Street. Looking inside, she was horrified, horrified, I say, to find a corpse. Not only was it a corpse,

The Murder of Teddy Deegan and the FBI Jul 14, 2025

In this gripping episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins unravels one of the most damning scandals in FBI history—a chilling story of corruption, betrayal, and a sanctioned murder that would stain the Bureau’s legacy for decades. Gary examines the sinister role played by FBI agent H. Paul Rico in the 1965 murder of Teddy Deegan. You’ll hear how, back in October 1964, Rico learned Deegan had been marked for a mob hit—yet the Bureau did nothing. Why? Because the killers were protected informants. Gary breaks down how the FBI built its case on the false testimony of mob informant Joe Barboza. Instead of stopping the murder plot, the Bureau sat on exculpatory evidence and let Barboza’s lies send Louis Greco, Henry Tamaleo, Peter Limone, and Joe Salvati to prison—two of them to death row. The FBI’s Informant Obsession: The Bureau’s relentless protection of violent informants like Barboza and Vincent “Jimmy the Bear” Flemmi reveals how an obsession with “winning” overshadowed basic justice. The Justice Department’s own admission in 2000 that they knew the real killers exposes just how far the corruption ran. From Cover-Up to Vindication: Follow the twisted timeline of the Deegan murder, the courtroom betrayals, and the decades-long fight to clear the names of the wrongfully convicted. Gary explores the human cost of a system that chose loyalty to informants over the truth. Why This Story Matters: This episode forces listeners to confront a haunting truth: when law enforcement trades integrity for convenience, innocent lives pay the price. Gary challenges you to rethink the myth of the Bureau’s infallibility—and to remember the names of the men who spent their lives behind bars for a crime they didn’t commit. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, good to be back here in the studio. This is Gary Jenkins, former Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective. I've seen a lot of things in my life, and I just heard something in that interview I just did with Detective Mike Huff from Tulsa that I had never heard before. [0:18] I mean, I've heard a lot of corruption things, but this one, it just went beyond the pale, especially there at the end where he said that this H. Paul Rico asked him about his kids and how old his kids were. That was like, you know, and I, you know, I talked with that guy long enough to know that he wasn't lying. You know, he wasn't making that up. That was, it was just beyond the pale, if you ask me. But today's episode is going to be a little bit more about H. Paul Rico and a dark chapter in the FBI history. Now, this is before John Connolly and the Whitey Bulger cover-up and all that. H. Paul Rico was the agent that really broke in Connolly, I think, and taught him the ropes. He was a slick FBI agent that had all the informants, that always had the inside track on everything, knew where the deals were. And so let's talk a little more about this one incident that we glossed over in that interview with Mike Huff about the murder of the Roger Wheeler down in Tulsa at the golf course, the Southern Hills Golf Tournament. [1:30] And it was all over control of Jai alai, all the money that came out of Jai alai. This thing, it just, it was a web of deceit that reached into the highest levels of federal law enforcement, as you could tell from what Mr. Huff was saying. [1:44] And so I'm going to tell you the story of the Edward Teddy Deegan murder. This is the FBI's legacy of shame. I read one article about this, and that's what they call this, the legacy of shame. [1:56] So let's go back to October 1964, the year I graduated from high school, actually. Boston FBI agent H. Paul Rico wrote a memo. He's got an informant whispering that Teddy Deegan, a known hoodlum in Chelsea, Massachusetts, is marked for death. There's a contract out on him. It's not just street talk, not just bullshit that he heard somewhere. This came from real solid mob insider informants. A few months later, another memo makes it all the way to J. Edgar Hoover himself. March 10th, 1965, it says that Vincent Jimmy the Bear Flemmy, who is Steve Flemmy, Stevie the Rifleman Flemmy's brother, I believe, and a guy named Joe Barbosa, have asked New England mob boss Raymond Patriarca for a green light to kill Teddy Deegan. And the word is they've already had one dry run on it. So what did the FBI do with this information? You know, they did nothing with it. They did absolutely nothing. They didn't warn Teddy Deegan, which I know FBI agents, and I know they've gotten information like this, and that's the rule is you go warn the person. And usually it'll be another guy involved in a lot of shenanigans that then they'll try to bring him in with that warning. I know we had one in Kansas City. They went to him, and he could have come in. He could have talked. He wouldn't talk, and like about two weeks later, he was dead. But you at least have to warn him, and it's an option or it's an opportunity for you to make a pitch to him. [3:24] Later on, they talked about in another memo that identified, this Jimmy the Bear Flemmi as a murderer of seven men, including Teddy Deegan. But it also said that from all indications, Jimmy the Bear is going to continue to commit murder. But this informant's potential outweighs the risk. It's crazy. And, you know, they said that in this Teddy Deegan, they claimed that Flemmy and Barboza and a couple other guys were behind it. And one of them set the trap, lured Deegan into a fake break-in, then shot him in the back of the head. And then a couple others finished up the job, but Flemme and especially Joe Barbosa, Joe the animal Barbosa, were highly placed FBI informants at the time. Really valuable assets. Two years later, 1968, four men, Louis Greco, Henry Tamaleo, Peter Limone, and Joe Salvati are convicted based on the testimony [4:25] of Joe Barbosa, who set up this murder, they're convicted for this murder. And the FBI knew that Louis Greco was in Miami at the time of the murder. They even had the witnesses. They had proof that he wasn't even in town at that time. [4:39] But, you know, and of course, they didn't reveal that, you know, that's exculpatory information that you can get your conviction turned around and at least get another trial on it. Now that you've got that information that the U.S. Attorney withheld from you, the FBI, whoever the law enforcement was that withheld from you. H. Paul Rico was overheard bragging at a mob party how easy it was to convict the four pigeons. They called them the four pigeons. They said it was funny. And one of them, Greco, who wasn't even in town at the time, got the death penalty. Now think about that one. There's a federal agent laughing about sending an innocent man to the death chamber. It's crazy. So over the next four years, you know, these guys are frantically trying to get the death sentences overturned, and they get them commuted to life after the Supreme Court hurt the case. Actually, it's after Supreme Court's ruling in Furman v. Georgia. [5:35] Tamaleo will die in prison in 1985 at 84. He was the oldest inmate in Massachusetts. Greco died in 95, had colon cancer, and a broken Hart. His son, Lewis Jr., drank Drano and took his own life a couple years later. Meanwhile, the FBI was doing everything they could to keep the truth buried. They even funneled false information to Governor Dukakis at the time, blocking any. [6:03] Opportunity for a commutation because they'd asked the governor for a commutation. They had, you know, these different pieces of evidence that proved they didn't do it. And the FBI fought it like crazy. Yeah, like they fought Mike Huff from looking into this whole Roger Wheeler [6:19] case any further than what he was able to do. Finally, in 2000, the Department of Justice uncovered secret FBI files that proved what many people had suspected over the years, that the FBI knew who really killed Deegan, and they had let four innocent men rot in prison just to protect informants. 2001, court will vacate the convictions of Salvati and Peter Lamone. Peter Lamone had spent over 33 years behind bars, but he was a young man when he went in, and he was 66 when he walked out a free man. Of course, they filed lawsuits, $300 million in claims for wrongful imprisonment, malicious prosecutions, and civil rights violations. And the judge that heard this ruled the state prosecution was procured by the FBI and nurtured by both federal agents and state officers who knew the charges were bogus. So we would have had the state of Massachusetts on the hook as well as the federal government. Congress got involved. They published a 2003 House report that said it was the greatest failure in FBI history. [7:20] Agents had suborned purgatory, protected murderers, and sent innocent men to prison, all in the name of protecting an informant. And that Joe Barboza, I mean, he was a deep-throat informant, but he was a loose cannon. I mean, you can't protect those loose cannons. In 2004, a Massachusetts judge posthumously cleared Greco. He was already dead. The lawyer for the family probably said this best. This was an innocent man who was framed, and the most amazing part is the government knew it. That same year, the family of Teddy Deegan, the man who was murdered, the victim in this, sued the government, too. Turned out, during that trial,

Paul Rico: Crooked Agent Gets His Due Jul 07, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Tulsa homicide detective Mike Huff joins host Gary Jenkins to break down one of the most shocking mob hits in U.S. history. Det. Huff tells about the 1981 murder of businessman Roger Wheeler at Southern Hills Country Club and the investigation that ended in the arrest of Boston F.B.I. agent Paul Rico. You can learn more about this story by reading Mike's book, Killing My Father: The Inside Story of the Biggest FBI Corruption Scandal in History. What started as a local homicide case quickly unraveled into a national organized crime conspiracy involving Florida Jai Alai gambling, the Winter Hill Gang, and notorious Boston mob boss Whitey Bulger. Huff shares how he uncovered links to FBI corruption, the Dixie Mafia, and hitman John Martorano, who eventually confessed to the killing. Huff also opens up about working with Roger Wheeler’s son, David, the emotional toll of the investigation, and how their joint efforts finally exposed the truth. His book Killing My Father reveals even more about this decades-long fight for justice. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers, good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. I have another former cop, a retired copper from not too far away from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and he has a heck of a story. He's written a book about it, but it's a heck of a story. Down in Tulsa, Oklahoma, they've got a mob murderer. Well, now, mob murders don't just go down every day in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and it's a really interesting story that ties clear back to to the highlight business down in florida to the winter hill gang in uh boston massachusetts uh to whitey bulger really and and a hit man named john moderano and to a one of the infamous corrupt fbi agents out of boston you know they seem to have had a problem in the boston fbi for a period of years there and a couple three of their guys end up going to jail uh over probably being a little bit overly uh that they forgot where the line was it looks to me like but anyhow it was uh it's a retired detective mike huff welcome mike, Well, hey, welcome to U2. Thank you for doing this. All right, Mike. Now, tell us a little bit about your career. You know, how did you come up through the ranks in Tulsa PD? Well, I started in January of 1975. [1:20] I got promoted to a detective in 1980. I didn't much like it. It wasn't enough action. I had a good career on the street. But I like my supervisor a lot. So I stuck with this being a detective. [1:39] In May of 81, May 27th, you know, I just got to work. I was checking on a guy that I had shot three weeks earlier who was in intensive care. We're just sitting there and we're talking about we're going to eat supper. And I was on the phone with the hospital. Checking on this guy's condition, and police radio came on and said, we need all the homicide detectives to head out to Southern Hills Country Club on a shooting. I guess 5-0s that night, you know, we hit it out there, and, you know, Southern Hills, even at that time, before a lot of all the major golf tournaments they've since had, was a very, well, it was the kind of place that I wasn't familiar with. [2:34] Everybody with money was part of that country club, and I wasn't one of that crowd. There's a middle-aged man swamped over in a seated car. He'd been shot between the eyes. It was a little bit foreign to me. You know, I'd been a homicide detective for a year and had been to a good bunch of homicides, but most of them were, you know, street murders or domestics, things like that. And so I knew this one was going to be a bit different, but I didn't know how different this was going to be. I think I was 25 at the time. My supervisor told me this was going to be my being in charge of the scene. So we started making assignments. Very little evidence of the scene. There were four live rounds laying right outside the opened doorway of Mr. Wheeler's Cadillac. You know, that was pretty puzzling. This one's right near one of the... [3:40] Really nice swimming pools out there, and we found a few witnesses. People had seen this car. It looked out of place. I don't know why anybody hadn't had somebody check it out. A couple guys sitting in the car. Mike, tell us a little bit about how did you figure out who this guy was? He was pretty well-known in Tulsa, and that's a pretty well-known country club guy. Just for your information, the Southern Hills Country Club is a primo, premier golf course here in the Midwest. And it's nothing but high-end, rich oil people in Tulsa, I believe, mainly went to that. And so tell us about how you figured out who this victim was. He had a nice car. Well, the people were abuzz and said, you know, [4:31] you don't know who this guy is. He owns a telex corporation. Well, that didn't mean a whole lot to me, other than they said, you know, he employs thousands of people. You know, this was a time that was before Google or the Internet or cell phones or anything. I think I had a police radio, and I don't even think pagers were invented yet. [5:02] Communication was tough. You know, the word started trickling in of who he was. I guess we were probably out at the scene for six or seven hours and documenting it and getting our pictures and all that kind of scene work. We went back to the station, detective area, we called it the bullpen. The bullpen was filled with brass, people they'd called in and whatever. The word was there was going to be a 13-man task force formed on this deal, and they started breaking that out. Boy, for some reason, I sure thought I wanted to be on it. And I got the word to the sergeant that there is a scene in the book that we wrote. This sergeant, Roy Hunt, was a legend. He had solved murders for decades. I really liked him. He liked me. He pulled me to the side and he said, hey, if you get involved in this, it's probably going to change your life. And he said, you've got a pretty good career down here. So, you know, this is probably going to screw it up, you know, if it doesn't kill you. I mean, I was so young, green, that I said, oh, man, I don't want to do this. He said, all right, let's drink to it. So he pulled out a bottle of whiskey and a couple of shot glasses from his desk. The good old days. [6:29] And so we need a, We had a drink about it. You know, I wasn't the only guy involved. I mean, involved in that task force. After about a couple weeks, the lead started dwindling. It boiled down to me and a really good fellow named Dick Bishop. We got assigned a case. You know, it was a good learning experience for me. I had Dick Bishop. I had my sergeant. You know, we were, for some reason, 1981, that was a big homicide year for Tulsa. We had close to 80 homicides. I was working around the clock. You know, I mean, I'd pick up a grounder here or there on top of this. [7:11] And so we stayed busy, but we got a call from the state police in Massachusetts. And they said, hey, I need to be up here. Actually, Dick and Sergeant Walter Hunt went to Boston. I didn't make that trip. But I just worked another homicide. Let me ask you a question here. At this point in time, I know a red ball like that, a hot case like that, where the phones light up at first with all kinds of bad leads and crazy leads, and everybody's running down all these leads. But you mentioned that there was a car in the lot that somebody mentioned was suspicious. Was that, had you figured out that was the car that had been occupied by whoever killed Roger Wheeler? Yes, sir. It was the late 70s, probably a 79 or 80, four-door, LTD, four-door. Two guys with beards were in the car and they were And somebody got a partial tag. That partial tag, I mean, we had conflicting information about even the partial tag. [8:22] I mean, we had a couple of witnesses with different partial tag numbers. [8:27] These guys were pros. They had stole the tag off a similar car. It was a huge dead end, but it took so much effort to follow that lead. This was a time, well, you know, it was just tell times. You couldn't sit down in front of the computer and do anything because there weren't computers. You know, that was a lead that we worked on. We also got a lead very early on that put us on to the Dixie Mafia, and those were some bad guys. The main guy, or the guy that was suggested as a shooter, resembled a composite drawing. We had an artist do a composite, and they were great composites. But somebody said, hey, that looks like Pat Early, Dixie Mafia guy. And he was the kind of guy that he would travel to do violence, got involved in labor disputes, things of that nature. And he lived down in southern Oklahoma. The other guy was believed to be a bondsman in Oklahoma City. We took off on that lead and I spent close to. [9:55] A couple months off and on three or four days a week in Oklahoma City we did surveillance on these guys we're trying to catch them up short doing something they were also dealing some, or smuggling some pretty good quantities of drugs we worked on that for with the state narcotics unit for months until we finally got them dirty with a pretty good load of drugs. [10:29] That's interesting, Mike, how you start in a murder investigation, and I've seen this happen here. You start in a murder investigation, and all of a sudden, you know, somebody, something else comes in that may have something to do with it and may not,

Gotti and Jimmy McBratney Jun 30, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, I pull back the veil on one of the most pivotal moments in John Gotti's rise through the ranks of the Gambino crime family—the 1973 murder of Jimmy McBratney. As a retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective, I bring a lawman’s eye to the tangled web of revenge, power plays, and myth-making that surrounds this infamous hit. We start with the murky legend: that Gotti made his bones by taking out McBratney, earning Carlo Gambino’s favor. But like many mob stories, the truth is far more layered. I examine the wave of underworld kidnappings gripping New York in the early '70s, led by Eddie Maloney and his gang, who impersonated cops to abduct mobsters for ransom. Caught in that chaos was Jimmy McBratney—an Irish tough guy with a soft side, a devoted father who hoped to leave the life behind. Through Maloney’s own words, I draw a portrait of McBratney as more than a casualty of mob politics. We explore his role in the kidnapping racket, the deadly fallout from a botched grab, and the inevitable spiral toward vengeance that would seal his fate. This episode also delves into the mysterious death of Manny Gambino, nephew of the boss, and how his murder—whether linked to McBratney or not—helped fuel a narrative that demanded retribution. Was Gotti the hand of that justice? Or was the story reshaped later to burnish his legend? We follow the footsteps of NYPD Detective Raymond Taylor and the team that tracked Gotti down. Their investigation, pieced together from reluctant witnesses and underworld whispers, ultimately cracked open the case—and helped launch the myth of the "Teflon Don." In the end, this story is more than just a mob hit. It's a study in blurred lines—between law and lore, loyalty and survival. Through wiretaps, memoirs, and police reports, I unravel a tale that speaks to the human cost of life in the shadows—and the power of a story to outlive the truth. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. Transcript [0:00] Well, hey guys, welcome back to the show. This is Gary Jenkins, [0:02] retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective. Well, I have a story about John Gotti and how he made his bones with the murder of Jimmy McBratney and that whole backstory behind that. It seems like with most mob stuff, there's two or three different stories about it. You know, we just have to go with people's memories, but yet mob guys will throw out different stories and, you know, in order to maybe throw the cops off or the agents off. And so you never really know exactly, but you just have to go to the sources of each of these stories and work it back from there. So I'm going to tell you these different stories, and you let me know what you think happened here. You know, the story is he made his bones by killing this Jimmy McBratney and got the respect of Carlo Gambino, which, you know, is mob lore now. Now, in the early 1970s, there was a series of kidnappings of New York City wise guys. and there's a book out there called tough guy the true story of crazy Eddie Maloney and this book Maloney. [1:05] Discusses in detail some of these kidnappings that he and his gang were involved with and Jimmy McBratney was part of this gang. The two men had met when they were incarcerated at Greenhaven State Prison in New York and they became close friends. [1:20] Maloney in the book describes McBratney as a devoted family man who stood six foot three, weighed 250 pounds, who was a weightlifter and he claimed that McBratney could bench press 400 pounds. Maloney said that Jimmy McBratney was locked up for armed robbery, said he was quiet, a listener and a learner. Pretty soon they were talking about doing things together whenever they got out. He also said that the guy knew a lot about guns, wanted to collect guns. Really, his heart was in his home life, his family life. He wasn't a guy that went out and played around. He loved his wife and two children. They had a house on Staten Island, and he wanted to save up enough to own a nightclub. And he said that actually McBratney was kind of prudish that whenever the talk in the yard at the prison was about women in a sexual manner, it upset him. He said his wife visited him regularly and wrote a letter every day. So he was a real family man. Now, after they were both released in October 1972, Maloney and Bratney became part of a kidnapping ring that they said. Now, Maloney claims was a brainchild of two other brothers. There were wise guys from the Gambino crime family, Filippo and Ronnie Miano. They only wanted 10% of the ransoms. [2:36] And Filippo told Maloney that his real motive for these kidnappings was revenge. He said, the guys I'm setting you up, fuck me around and my people around on many business deals in the past. And I want to see those greedy fucks suffer. That sounds like something somebody like that would say. I mean, He's got the lingo down, right, doesn't he? They were convinced that these kidnapping mobsters could be pulled off without the victim's family or anybody notifying the cops. [3:03] They believed they could get as much as $100,000 for each wise guy they snatched. Now, it's pretty dangerous snatching wise guys in New York City, but they're not going to the cops, but they're going to send out their own little detectives. They knew if they did get caught, the punishment would be, may probably torture, maybe more than just a bullet in the head, probably torture, and then the bullet in the head. Now, their little kidnapping gang was Maloney and McBratney, a guy named Tommy Genovese, who was a distant relative of Vito Genovese, a guy named Warren Chief Sherman and Richie Chasen. They'd get home addresses from these Miano brothers, and they had a two-team approach. Now, this is how Maloney reported this in his book. The first team would pretend to be police officers and use stolen badges and kidnap the wise guy from his home and then hold him in another location. The second team would then make the arrangements and pick up the ransom money. Now, the first kidnapping was of a Gambino capo named Frankie the Wop. Now, that escapade went off without a hitch, and the gang got away with $150,000. [4:08] Now, over the next couple of months, they did three more successful kidnappings. They were going along pretty good. The next one after that, their luck changed. Now, McBratney actually planned this one, and they were going to grab a Gambino loan shark. They'd gotten a name and address from the Miano brothers, and they only knew him as Junior. They didn't know any other name on him, at least Maloney didn't know any other name on him. So they went by Junior's house. They found him, stuck a gun in his stomach, put him in a car. When he got in the car, the victim put up a fight and Maloney hit him over the head a couple of times and then shoved him in the back seat. There's a couple of kids that saw that scuffle around the car and followed them for a little bit and got the license number and turned it over to one of the kid's uncles who happened to have some mob connections. So now this is in Gambino territory and they have lost a guy and now they've got the license number of the car that was used. [5:08] They traced the car to a friend of maloney's that's where they were holding junior in this junior now the gambino guys you know acted just like cops they went to the once they found out who'd done it they went to the guy's mother started asking questions about what was going on and where he might be when they found out about this mcbratney went into a panic and he realized that they probably had his name as well as maloney's and the sherman's they got 21 000 for Junior, and they were going to return the victim. Well, Sherman was supposed to tape Junior's eyes over before covering those sunglasses. Well, he didn't get it done right. Maloney claims that after driving a few blocks, McBratney became enraged because he realized Junior's eyes weren't taped over very good. Jammed on the brakes, Junior jumped out of the backseat. He knew the shit was about to hit the fan. He jumped out of the backseat, started running for his life. McBratney jumped out and started shooting at him. Sherman jumped out of the car and retreated to another car, to Maloney's car, who had been following along and they were going to take off. Sherman was pretty sure McBratney would kill him if he ever saw him again for chickening out like that. And Maloney, in his book, readily confirmed that fact. Maloney never would identify this junior as Carlo Gambino's nephew or say this was that same one. But after this kidnapping, Maloney and his little gang got together, except for Sherman, and Maloney said that he told McBratney that he ought to leave town. [6:34] McBratney declined to leave town. He said, I'm just going to keep a machine gun in my car all the time. [6:39] Well, about this time, Maloney was sent back to prison on a parole violation, and he was actually at a bar one night during this time, and he saw two guys talking to the bartender who were actually looking for him. The bartender knew him and played dumb, and he would later identify these two guys, what he described as stone killers, as John Gotti and Angelo Ruggiero were looking for him. Maloney also stated in his book about McBratney, he said, well, after he heard he'd been killed, he said, McBratney's death saddened me as nothing else in my life ever had. He's been a good friend.

Boston Crime Stories Jun 23, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, host Gary Jenkins sits down with author Daniel Zimmerman, whose investigative works dive deep into the dark corners of Boston's organized crime world. Zimmerman has written two gripping true crime books that reveal the raw and often tragic realities of life on the fringe of the Mafia. He recounts his research for his book, Shots in the Dark, which led him to an informal meeting with former New England boss Peter Limone. His first book, Shots in the Dark, tells the harrowing tale of Rocco Anthony Balliro, a Boston mob associate whose desperate and poorly planned rescue mission turned into a deadly shootout. Believing he was storming into danger to help a friend, Rocco unknowingly walked into an ambush set by Boston police. When the smoke cleared, the cost was unimaginable—his girlfriend and her young son lay dead. Zimmerman takes us behind the headlines, exposing the chaos, confusion, and heartbreak of that fateful night. Zimmerman’s second book, Chasson’s Run: The Prison Break That Captivated America and the Love Story That Fueled It, shifts focus to one of Boston’s most violent and manipulative criminals. This is the story of a man so dangerous, yet so persuasive, that he convinced a woman to help him escape from the infamous Walpole State Prison. It’s a tale of charm, obsession, and reckless loyalty—set against the backdrop of one of the most dramatic prison breaks in U.S. history. Join us as Daniel Zimmerman unpacks these explosive stories and reflects on the twisted loyalties, romantic delusions, and violent consequences that define Boston's mob lore. Click here to see Dan's books on Amazon. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. transcript [0:00] Hey, welcome all you wiretappers. Good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. I have today Daniel Zimmerman, a little bit different sort of a story. Now, he has another book a lot of you guys might be a little more interested in. We're going to talk about that just a little bit. But the main book we're going to look at is Chasson's Run. I think I pronounced that right, Daniel. It's actually Chasson. Chasson's Run. Chasing somebody, which kind of fits the picture here. I think it's a story that, well, Daniel Zimmerman, welcome. I really appreciate you coming on. Well, thank you. I appreciate you having me for this talk. Yeah. Now, Daniel, tell the guys a little bit about yourself. So tell the guys a little bit about your story. Well, oddly enough, I am a newspaper writer, but not the type you would think. I've been writing for over 25 years now, actually, a column or columns for local newspapers. And I cover, of all things, high school sports. I go out to area high schools. I watch the games. I take notes, take interviews, grab comments from players [1:00] and coaches, go home and write it. And a couple of days later, it's in the newspaper. Is that in the Boston area? Yes. Great Boston area. 25 years I've been doing it. You know, it's funny you say that because I did a library presentation for my first book. And one of the questions in the audience from a woman was, how do I translate writing high school sports into writing mob books? Yeah. And I told her, you know, there's two aspects of both. You have to, number one, be able to research, find out information. [1:29] Keep track of information, and be able to do an interview with your subjects. And in this case, it would be athletes and coaches. On the book writing side, you're reaching out to suspects and police officers and so forth. So there's a technique and there's a skill you learn in both. And I think they translate well into each other. You're really both just trying, in both situations, you're trying to get people to tell you a story and give you some interesting little sound bites in both stories. Trust me. Trust me. I get that a lot. As far outside of the newspaper writing, my full-time work over the last five decades has been the first part of my life I worked as an EMT, emergency medical technician, for a private ambulance service, but it happened to be a private ambulance service located within a 15, 20-minute range of two of the most notorious prisons in Massachusetts, MCI Walpole and MCI Norfolk. And the company that I worked for as an EMT, was tasked with transporting inmates to the hospital for a wide assortment, whether it be illness or injuries, stab wounds, you name it. We were the ambulance service that handled that. The second half of my life, I transitioned from being an EMT to working for a major utility, a gas company. And I was a supervisor who would oversee crews that would repair gas leaks in the street. So pretty dangerous work. [2:49] And it's kind of funny. I mentioned library talks. Another audience member had said to me, she said, so let me get this straight. You were an EMT going in and out of prisons on a regular basis. And then you switched to dealing with potentially explosive gas leaks and interview mob guys to write a book. [3:09] You know, how do you sleep at night? Sleep better. Sleep better that way. Get your adrenaline out during the day. So there's another book, Shots in the Dark, The Saga of Rocco Ballero. Okay, good. Tell the guys a little bit about that, then we'll get into this book. Well, Rocco was a small time, I describe him as a petty criminal. He was part of a mafia family out of the north end of Boston. His family, the Balleros, worked directly under the main family, the major family in the Boston area, and that was the Anjulos. The Anjulos, in turn, answered Patriaca, who was out of Providence, Rhode Island. So that was the tear. Rocco's family was two down from the top. And Rocco was at the time that this story took place, only in his early 20s, early to mid-20s. And again, just coming up in the business, so to speak. The same business that his five brothers and father were all involved with all through their lives. Unfortunately, he got swept up into a double murder that he was framed for. Two people perished, a 21-year-old woman and a two-year-old toddler killed in a crossfire. [4:16] And they were my aunt and my cousin. [4:18] That's how I knew the story. It was 1962. I was a toddler myself. I was only two years old, so I don't have direct memory of the incident. But obviously, I grew up, family members would tell me. And then when I got to a point where I was writing on a regular basis, I decided that I was going to tell the story. And I spent a year researching it, making sure that I had the material to do what I wanted to do. And then I reached out to Rocco. He was incarcerated at MCI Norfolk at the time. [4:46] And more or less, I wrote a letter and asked him if I could come see him. And he couldn't get me there fast enough. He wanted the story told. Yep. And so I went to visit him at the prison. And a few years later, you have the book written and done. And Rocco's story is told. Unfortunately, he didn't live long enough to see it happen. He died from cancer while still behind bars. I spent two years... Twice a week visiting with him at MCI Norfolk. I would go in on a Tuesday night and again on Saturday morning, and I would do these comprehensive interviews, more discussions, but I drew a lot of information from that. As time went on, Rocco and I became, I guess you could say we became friends. He introduced me to family members on the outside, provided me with documents, a stack of documents. He would mail me something every week. He introduced me to certain police officers, attorneys that were involved in his case. His brother and I became almost best of friends. We were having regular dinners. He would eat with his wife and me with my wife. We would go out to a local Italian restaurant and have a nice meal. He would tell me things, but then he would also, if there's something sensitive, he would say, you can't share this until I'm dead. [5:58] And as it so happened, he passed away and I was able to share some of the things that he told me. Oh, sounds to me like spending that much time with these guys. I certainly did. Actually, there were questions being asked. I was being followed. My phone, I know, was tapped for a while. It was an early time when I first started to go out and visit with these people and have meals with them. My wife would ask me, she says, you're not going to go work for these guys, are you? [6:23] I would joke and I'd say, yeah, maybe as a driver or something. You're right. I did meet a lot of interesting characters. I met people that folks would just not sit down to have a meal with them and not, you know, tremble the whole time. I got very comfortable with these folks. One of my best experiences, and I like to share this during my library talks, is that Billy Bolero, Rocco's older brother, had said to me one day, he says, Dan, I've got a surprise for you. And I said, well, what is it? And he says, well, if I tell you, it's not going to be an infinite surprise. We went to an Italian restaurant in Boston, right near the Mass General Hospital. And we sat in there and we're waiting for my surprise, having a quick meal. Needless to say, I'd done a lot of research for the book. So I knew what everybody looked like. I saw a gangster. I knew who he was and what his story was. Walking in the front door was a man with a bodyguard that had to be nine feet tall. I said to Billy, do you know who that guy is?

A Rhode Island Mob Story Jun 16, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, host Gary Jenkins welcomes Anthony Pesare, a retired Rhode Island State Police Intelligence officer turned crime novelist. Gary and Anthony dive into the notorious Providence neighborhood of Federal Hill, a hotbed of mob activity. Anthony offers first-hand stories of surveillance, navigating tight-knit communities, and the challenge of identifying criminals who blend seamlessly into everyday life. He based his recent true-crime novel, They Always Win, on the exploits of Frank “Bobo” Marrapese Jr., a member of the New England Mafia Family led by Raymond Patriarca in the Federal Hill neighborhood. Anthony also wrote Back in the Game in his series on Gino Peterson, a Rhode Island State trooper investigating organized crime. He recounts one of his most notable cases involving a coin shop owner named Stephen Saccoccia, who orchestrated a sophisticated multimillion-dollar money laundering scheme using “Smurfs” to move drug money back to Colombia. When a low-level Providence area mobster tried to move in and extract a tribute, Saccoccia made one phone call, and the guy backed off. It’s a fascinating look into how organized crime adapts and evades detection. After retiring from law enforcement, Anthony served as a professor and dean at Roger Williams University before returning to police work as the Chief of Police in Middletown, Rhode Island. These experiences further enriched his understanding of police culture—something he brings vividly to life in his fiction. His debut novel, They Always Win, features Detective Gino Peterson, a character shaped by Anthony’s real-world insights. Through Gino, Anthony explores themes like addiction, loyalty, and psychological strain—pressures many officers face behind the badge. The novel includes storylines inspired by the murder of mob figure Richard “Dickey” Calley, with confidential informants and witness protection playing key roles in the investigation. Gary and Anthony’s conversation blends crime history, insider law enforcement tales, and the craft of crime fiction. They reflect on the bonds between officers, the emotional toll of the job, and the blurred lines between fact and fiction when writing from experience. Don’t miss this episode if you're fascinated by mob history, police intelligence work, or how real investigations can fuel gripping crime novels. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers, it's good to be back here in studio on Gangland Wire. I have a man today who has a career somewhat similar to mine. He was with the Rhode Island State Police Intelligence Unit, Anthony Passare. Anthony, welcome. Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be here. Thanks for the invitation. Love to talk about this stuff with you. Yeah, this has got to be fun, guys. It's going to be fun. I always like having these ex-intelligence unit mob cops on here because we have so much in common. It's like, you know, it's like we work together almost, but yet in different parts of the country. Now, Anthony is writing some books right now. He's turned a lot of his old experiences into fictional books with a fictional detective, but it's all based on real events. We'll talk about those books a little bit more later on. Anthony, you served, you were a college dean or a college professor, and you became a chief of police, and now you're writing novels. So tell the guys a little bit about your basic history. [0:59] Sure. I joined the state police when I was 22 years old, very young, obviously, like we all were. And I joined the state police and I was lucky enough to be stationed in the intelligence unit, work with some excellent individuals. As you know, no one does anything alone in law enforcement. It's always, you need the support of your fellow officers, prosecutors, and that sort of thing. So I was with the state police for 24 years because at the time they had a 25-year mandatory retirement. So you had to leave. So at 24, I was lucky enough to get a job as the assistant dean of the School of Justice Studies at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. I was there for six years. At the end of my sixth year, I was dean of the School of Justice Studies, which gave out undergraduate degrees in criminal justice, master's degree. And we also had a justice system training research institute where we brought a lot of offices in for in-service training. [2:02] But I was anxious to get back into law school. I loved the parents. I loved the students. The administration was good to me. But dealing with college professors is a whole different animal. And nothing against them. But that wasn't my culture. My culture was our culture. And as you know, it's different. And a lot of it has to do with respect. And I didn't feel that where I was working. So I was lucky enough. I applied and became chief of police in Middletown, Rhode Island. Which is just north of Newport, Rhode Island, which is a tourist attraction. There's a Navy base here. And I served for chief for 14 years. And I retired at the end of my 14th year. And I spent four years practicing law and actually prosecuting cases, misdemeaned cases for the town. [2:54] At the end of that sixth year, the town came back to me and asked me if I would come back as chief, which is really unusual to happen, at least in Rhode Island. But the chief that was hired after me decided to move on, so I went back. And I did that for two years, and I just retired in December. And I mention all of that because it provided me with the materials for the books I wrote, but it also gave me the best experiences I could ever have. I mean, I grew up in a tenement house in Providence. since we were probably poor, but we didn't know it. But I say to officers all the time. [3:36] You're in a unique position. You will be talking to captains of industry, rich people, poor people. You're going to be exposed to something. I've met presidents, I've met senators, and what chance would I have other than being a member of the law enforcement? So I grew up in an Italian neighborhood, so I took that, my upbringing, along with the fact that while I was under state police, we had three witnesses in protective custody. We were with them 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we made a lot of cases. And eventually, one of the cases we convicted a maiden member of organized crime for first-degree murder, which is highly unusual, as you know, to get. But the witnesses help us put a case together. [4:25] So when that case finished, I said, there's a story here. You know, there's a story here. And I wasn't interested in doing true fiction and reading transcripts and doing all that hard research. I wasn't interested in it. [4:39] I fictionalized my upbringing and these three people, but the framework is a real case. And so I did that and I published that, self-published it, and it did really well. That was your first book then. What was the title of that? It's called They Always Win. They always win, and it's part of the Gino Peterson series. The book that you have is the second book. I'm working on the third book. It's going to be a three-book series, and we'll close out Gino's chapter then. So I wrote that book, but then I got the Middletown job, and it was just so difficult to write. And so I put it off until before I retired. I put the second one together, [5:26] and that was published in November of last year. As you know, your best writing, I think, comes from real experiences, things that you've gone through in my career. [5:39] I was able to be on a task force with the FBI for two years, a money laundering case with wiretaps, buggings. It was just fascinating because as you know, the feds have all the resources in the world once they decide something. So this was a multimillion dollar money laundering scheme. And basically the gentleman was for like one, two, three percent of the total figures that he had to launder. He got back. He would take the cash at his business. It would come in 55 gallon drums. [6:20] Wow. Was this part of the patriarchal family then out of Providence? It was a maid guy connected to that. What was his name? So the person that ran the coin shop, it was called Sokosha coin with Steven Sokosha. He wasn't a maiden member or a mobster, but he was protected by the underboss of the family. [6:45] I remember once we were listening to him and he called the underboss and he said, Hey, so-and-so another maid guy keeps coming in here. You know what it's like when they see somebody making a lot of money. Could be anything. Stealing cars. Could be breaking into houses. They want a piece of it. And they're just very, you know, they'll convince you that you need their protection. And they do offer that protection. So someone was trying to get into Stephen's separation. And the mate, the other boss said to him, I'll make a call. Don't worry about it. So they were associated with the crime family in that they were protected. I mean, were they kicking something upstairs to the boss? I have to imagine they did. But it was just a fascinating operation. I've always said to myself, this gentleman was so talented. If he had put his efforts into running a business, he'd probably be running a Fortune 500 business. But instead, he wanted to do this. Yeah. So now, how did that work? You mentioned they're bringing in barrels with money in it. Have you had a coin shop?

Behind the Walls: Dave Grosky on Life inside with Chicago’s Jerry Scalise Jun 09, 2025

In this revealing episode of Gangland Wire, retired intelligence detective Gary Jenkins sits down with Dave Grosky, a man who spent over a decade inside federal prisons—and came out with a story unlike any other. From FCI Loretto to Morgantown to Milan, Dave’s journey through the prison system introduced him to a cast of characters that included notorious organized crime figures—none more compelling than Chicago mobster Jerry Scalise. Dave opens up about the realities of prison life, shattering the myth of so-called "white-collar prisons." He recalls how he started off flying under the radar, eventually becoming the go-to jailhouse lawyer who helped fellow inmates with their legal battles. His insider knowledge of the prison legal system offers rare insights into the inner workings of federal institutions and the complex struggles inmates face daily. The heart of this episode centers on Dave’s six-year friendship with Jerry Scalise, a former Chicago Outfit member and mastermind behind high-profile heists—including the infamous Graff Jewelry store robbery in London. Dave paints a surprising portrait of Scalise, describing him as intelligent, generous, and deeply respected behind bars. Despite Jerry’s criminal history, his actions inside prison—mentoring others, offering legal guidance, and preparing inmates for life after release—reveal a more nuanced, human side of the mobster. We also revisit some of Jerry’s most notorious exploits, including the legendary Marlboro Diamond heist. The fate of that diamond still remains a mystery, and Dave offers a few tongue-in-cheek theories of where it might be hiding today. Beyond the stories of crime and camaraderie, Dave speaks candidly about the psychological toll of long-term incarceration and the steep challenges of reentering society—especially in a post-pandemic world. His reflections reveal a broken system where few resources exist to support real rehabilitation, leaving many former inmates at risk of falling back into old patterns. This episode offers more than just mob tales and prison anecdotes—it’s a raw, thought-provoking look at crime, punishment, and the long road to redemption. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers, good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. You know, this is retired Kansas City Police Detective, Intelligence Unit Detective, I should add that, Gary Jenkins. A lot of y'all already know me, and if you don't, that's who I am. And I have a man here on the Zoom call that Dave Grosky, that Dave spent time with Jerry Scalise. He got a hold of me through LinkedIn, and he said, hey, I was in the penitentiary with Jerry Scalise, and he's a good guy. And I said, yeah, I'd love to tell his story. I said, can you get him to get on my show? Well, they can't get him to get on my show because I know Jerry's out and he's somewhere. I don't know where he is. I think he's in Chicago, but I don't know. And his old rap partner, Art Rachel's out. And Dave has met both those guys and other mob guys because he was in penitentiary with several of them. So Dave, welcome. I really appreciate you responding on the LinkedIn. Well, Gary, it's a pleasure. And, uh, yeah, I mean, I, uh, I was, uh, in several federal prisons for almost 11 years. I began at FCI Loretto in 2008 and there, there were some Gambinos and a variety of mob guys. I never really got to know them there. Well, I was, you know, I was new to prison, so I was really keeping quiet. [1:13] Just, uh, you know, really pretty much out of the gate. Cause I'm a lawyer by background. I was doing a lot of legal work, helping people. once people found out I was a lawyer, I was busy within two weeks, you know, busy until I left almost 11 years later, almost on a daily basis. [1:28] You said, how long did you spend? How long were you? Almost 11 years. It was a 14 year. I did have RDAP with the, uh. [1:36] RDAP program. So one year came off, but, you know, almost 11 years. And that was like a white collar crime. It was a white collar crime. A lot of people don't realize, by the way, on these white collar crimes, you know, because I was in three different federal prisons, FCI Loretto, Morgantown, and Milan in Michigan. Each of those prisons had about a 1,500 man population. I would say 15 or 20 white collar people in each of those prisons. I mean, you know, I would have friends visit me and they'd say, wait a minute, I thought this is a white-collar prison. No, there's no such thing as a white-collar. But anyway, people, yeah, the misconceptions of prison abound, you know, but, um, no, I met some, you know, I was mentioning to you before we started, what kind of the funny thing, when you watch Goodfellas, of course, you know, they're eating, they're eating great at prison. But guess what? The best cooks were these guys. And I ate with them quite often, particularly. [2:27] But Jerry's- They really have a connection to the commissary so they could get some, have a guy that Like Ray Liotta did, a Henry Hill character, run and go get South Valley. That does actually exist at Otisville in New York. That's a true story. I mean, they're able, and they bring food in. Not so much in my experience, but they just know how to work. You know, they just know how to prepare the food better. And, you know, of course, they've got runners who are, you know, they're bringing the right foods out from what the warden and the staff is eating. They're getting better quality. So, no, I ate pretty well with these guys. And, uh, you know, I did a lot of legal work. One of the guys in particular would call me as concierge. I got a kick in particular, though, I became very friendly with Jerry Scalise [3:11] at FCI Milan, my last six years in federal prison. And he's, he's a very interesting guy and a very, very good guy and a very good guy to go, really good person. And then I can tell you, uh, he was very helpful to me, but he was, he, he was, and it continues to be very helpful to a number of people when they come out. [3:30] And, you know, he's in his 80s now, but he's in unbelievable shape, you know, physical, you know, shape and health. And I talk to him all the time. [3:38] And, you know, we just have great talks about the prison system and everything, really. I mean, I just, he, but you would never know of his background and the things he might have been involved with, you know, from, you know, my discussions with him. So, you know, he's a private guy, too. And I don't, I don't know that. And I brought up the idea of him doing podcasts. And he could do a lot of them. I mean, Michael Mann, Los Angeles, a director, a very famous movie director. He's a close friend of his. And they've worked on movies and films and different things together. Now, he taught a very interesting course at Milan, by the way, on how to write a screenplay. He was very, very skilled. [4:18] Guys got a lot out of that course, and he enjoyed it very much. But go ahead. Let me fill in here exactly for people that don't know who Jerry Scalise is. Jerry Scalise was from Chicago. He was a Chicago outfit. He was, I think he was part of the wild bunch at one time, which was a bunch of killers running around doing some hits with Harry Aleman and, and different people like that, uh, shall the cell. And I can't remember all their names, but he was a career criminal with the Chicago outfit. Well-trusted guy helped with some murders. There's no doubt about that. And, but he was also a very good professional criminal and a thief. And he worked with a guy named Art Rachel and they called him the brain. They called him the monk and the brain. [5:03] Jerry was the monk because supposedly when he was young, his family wanted to go be a priest or something. I don't know if that's the real story. Maybe Dave could tell us, but they worked together and their most famous crime. [5:17] Most famous crime, most well-known crime, maybe in Chicago almost, didn't happen in Chicago. These two guys flew to London and went to a really high-end jewelry store called Graff Jewelry Store and scooped up a bunch of diamonds. They, like, pretended like, I think they had a hand grenade or something looked like a hand grenade and a gun, and they scooped up a bunch of diamonds. One of them was called the Marlboro Diamond, which was, I don't know, 40 or 50 carat diamond, which also had some kind of a story that had been owned by Lady Churchill at one time, but it was called the Marlboro Diamond. And they escaped, but they had... Rented a car and their own name and somebody was walking by as they walked out of the store and knew something was amiss and he got the tag number off the rental car and they traced it back to the airport and and found the flight that they were on and the fbi was waiting for him when they got back to chicago but the marlboro diamond and the rest of the swag was not there he stopped and mailed it somewhere and it's never been found so maybe jerry knows where the marlboro diamond is Jerry, now that's, that's, uh, Jerry's police. Now, Dave, can you tell us where the Marlboro diamond is? I wish I knew. I certainly can use it myself. [6:40] But you know, those are questions, you know, of course I never asked them, but, uh, some of our most fascinating private conversations over the years though, related to his time spent in prisons in England, uh, because a completely different world where he told me that,

The Smaldone Family: Denver’s Hidden Mafia Legacy Jun 02, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins takes listeners deep into a lesser-known corner of American mob history—Denver, Colorado. While most think of Denver as a gateway to the Rockies and a hub for skiing, few realize it also served as the long-standing stronghold of the Smaldone crime family. Gary uncovers the roots of organized crime in southern Colorado, beginning in Pueblo, where early mobster James Coletti, a one-time associate of the Bonanno crime family, helped lay the foundation. He and the infamous Carlino brothers, including Pete Carlino—dubbed the "Al Capone of Southern Colorado"—dominated bootlegging during Prohibition and attempted to expand northward. But peace efforts failed, and bloody gang wars soon erupted, culminating in drive-by shootings, betrayal, and ultimately murder. From there, the story shifts to Joe Roma, Denver’s would-be peacemaker and one-time crime boss, whose 1933 assassination created a power vacuum. Into that void stepped the Smaldone brothers—Clyde (“Flip Flop”), Eugene (“Checkers”), and Clarence (“Chauncey”)—who would dominate Denver’s underworld from the 1940s through the 1980s. Their North Denver restaurant, Gaetano’s, became both a community staple and a notorious mob hangout. Gary details the family’s criminal enterprises, from gambling, loan sharking, and bootlegging to jury tampering and racketeering, including the high-profile 1953 gambling raid that brought federal heat. But the Smaldones weren’t just feared—they were admired by many locals for their generosity, community involvement, and quiet acts of charity. They donated to orphanages, covered college tuition, and ensured no one in the neighborhood went hungry, blurring the line between gangster and good neighbor. The episode also explores the Smaldones’ national connections, including partnerships with mob bosses in St. Louis, Detroit, and Chicago. Gary breaks down their Las Vegas Riviera Casino skim, in collaboration with Anthony Giordano, and how FBI wiretaps and surveillance exposed their involvement in one of the Mafia’s most lucrative rackets. Figures like “Fat Willie” Villano, a nephew of Checkers, handled casino marker collections, sometimes doubling as muscle for overdue debts. As always, Gary brings a thoughtful and grounded perspective, asking: Were the Smaldones cold-blooded criminals or Robin Hood-style community protectors? The truth lies somewhere in between. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. Transcript In this episode, I delve deep into the intriguing world of organized crime in Denver, Colorado, a city not typically associated with mob activities. The focus of my research centers around the Small Dome family, who dominated the organized crime scene for several decades. Many listeners are surprised to learn that organized crime had roots in Denver, often overshadowed by its reputation as a skiing and outdoor paradise. But as we explore the historical timeline, we uncover how mob influence permeated this seemingly tranquil landscape. To kick off the narrative, I introduce the criminal origins in southern Colorado with figures like James Coletti, who made his reputation in Pueblo during the late 1950s. We examine Coletti's ties to the Bonanno family and his subsequent move to Pueblo, where he became embroiled in local organized crime. The podcast elaborates on key players like Pete Carlino, dubbed the "Al Capone of Southern Colorado," who aggressively expanded his bootlegging operations during Prohibition. I detail the thwarted attempts at peace meetings and the explosive gang wars that followed, highlighting the volatile atmosphere of the time. We transition to important figures like Joe Roma, who attempted to mediate tensions among rival gangs in Denver but ultimately became a victim himself. His murder in 1933 left a power vacuum that would soon be filled by the Small Dome family. This episode traces the evolution of their operations, including how the trio of brothers—Clyde, Eugene (Checkers), and Clarence (Chauncey) Small Dome—tackled gambling and bootlegging in the area. Their restaurant, Gaetano's, became not only a local hangout but a notorious hub for organized crime. I offer a glimpse into the personal lives of these mobsters, highlighting their connections and relationships with notable figures, including governors and other crime bosses across the country. The exploration includes their legal troubles, particularly the significant raid in 1953 that landed them behind bars for jury tampering and other charges. Yet, the Small Domes' charisma and community presence allowed them to maintain a degree of respectability, as they were known for their generosity and support of local causes, giving rise to conflicting narratives about their morality. Through this episode, I aim to paint a complex portrait of the Small Dome family: part criminals, part community benefactors. Their duality resonates through anecdotes of their charitable acts juxtaposed against their extensive criminal undertakings. I discuss the intricate dynamics of organized crime and how even those entrenched in illicit activities can exhibit traits of loyalty and compassion. Lastly, I highlight the broader implications and connections of the Small Dome family with other crime syndicates across the nation, including their links to Las Vegas and other mob families in St. Louis, Detroit, and Chicago. The episode concludes with reflections on the perpetual fascination with organized crime and its impact on American culture, as well as my ongoing commitment to unearthing hidden narratives beyond the well-trodden paths of New York and Chicago. This journey through Denver's underworld illustrates the complexities of human nature, where good and evil often intertwine in unexpected ways. [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, good to be back here in the studio, Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective. I have a story today I've been researching for a while, and I've had several people ask me about organized crime in Denver, Colorado. The Small Dome family ruled it for a long time, so we're going to go take a look at Denver, Colorado. You don't think of Denver, Colorado, having the mob. You just think of going skiing, the Rockies. And I can't think of their football team all of a sudden. Anyhow, it kind of started more. The earliest is down in Pueblo, Colorado, which is a few miles. I don't know, a hundred or so miles, a couple of hundred, maybe south of Denver. A guy named James Coletti was caught at the Appalachian Conference in 1957. And he had been in Pueblo for a long time. He was born in Italy. [0:56] When he first got to the United States, he was arrested several times in New York City in the New Jersey area. Then he moved west and settled in Pueblo. At one time, he was listed as a member in the early days. He was listed as a member of the Bonanno family. And that's probably because he was involved with the ownership of the Colorado Cheese Company with Joe Bonanno. So I would say he was a Bonanno-affiliated mobster, more than likely, and a maid guy, too, if he was at Appalachian. After him in Pueblo, I mean, he was there during this time. There's a brother named Pete and Sam Carlino. [1:32] And Pete Carlino got the nickname the Al Capone of Southern Colorado during Prohibition because there was a lot of bootlegging going on at the time as there was all over the United States. And they really wanted to expand their bootlegging empire from Pueblo on up to the bigger city in the capital city of Denver. Now, there was a guy named Joe Roma who was supposedly, quote, unquote, the boss of Denver. And he had a sit down with these brothers, [2:00] Carlino brothers. and trying to head off into kind of a gang war. In 1931, this Joe Roma, he was kind of like, he was more like Al Capone or maybe more like Lucky Luciano. He had a meeting of 30 of Colorado's top bootleggers in order to try to divide districts up and areas up or who had what area keep troubles down. And the cops at the time, of course, they were probably corrupt as hell, but they found out about it. And since these were all Italians, I'm sure they were all Peckerwood cops. They raided the meeting and the meeting was interrupted. There's really no compromise was ever agreed on. And what happened now, that was a gang war. [2:40] A few months later, Pete Carlino was standing on a Denver sidewalk and some gunmen and a automobile, a drive-by shooting, blasted him. I mean, they blasted the shit out of him, but he survived. Three months later, he and James Coletti, who I mentioned before, were killed at Carlino's home. So, you know, that's why it's kind of interesting. Another member of the Carlino gang went to the police and cooperated with the police. And he identified a guy named Bruno Morrow of Pueblo as the gunman. But in a kind of another bizarre twist of the war, there's Joe Roma. He really wanted, he did not want gang warfare. He just wanted to make money again, like Frank Costello or Lucky Luciano. [3:23] Roma hosted a $5,000 bail. So... For his rival Pete Carlino, Sam's brother, at that point in time. And after he had, Carlino had been arrested on some kind of an arson charge, a conspiracy to commit arson. So, you know, go figure.

From Homicide to Hollywood: Det. Don Tabak’s Journey May 26, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired intelligence detective Gary Jenkins welcomes a special guest—Don Tabak, a former LAPD homicide detective whose life story bridges the world of real crime and creative storytelling. With decades on the force, Det. Don Tabak shares the emotional and technical complexities of working on some of Los Angeles’s most brutal homicide cases. He recounts haunting moments from the field, including a harrowing investigation involving a kidnapped woman who miraculously survived an attempted murder. Don walks us through the steps that led to justice—and the toll that work takes on those who pursue it. After retiring from law enforcement, Don founded a private investigation firm that defends police officers and municipalities. However, his career took a surprising turn when a Hollywood producer approached him about adapting his real-life cases. That partnership gave rise to The Wiggle Room—an interactive crime-solving experience where audiences step into the role of investigator, uncover clues, and solve cases rooted in reality. It’s part thriller, part education, and all authentic. The conversation also touches on Don’s take on the O.J. Simpson case, offering an insider’s look at how public pressure and procedural missteps shaped one of the most infamous trials in American history. He explains the razor-thin margin between justice and error, and why evidence integrity remains a detective’s most crucial tool. Finally, Don Tebak unpacks the psychology behind effective interrogation, revealing how detectives walk the fine line between coaxing out the truth and understanding the emotional terrain of a suspect’s mind. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, welcome, all you wiretappers. Good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. I have a little different sort of a show for you today. We're not going to go down that path of organized crime. You probably get tired of that anyhow. And what I found, I found another retired copper named Don Tabak from L.A. Who's got in the entertainment business, just like yours truly. I guess I'm in the entertainment business. I'm in the entertainment hobby, as I just told Don. But, you know, anyhow, guys, welcome Don Tabak from LAPD. Hey, Gary, good to be here. Nice to meet you. Great, man. You got a good voice. You got a voice for radio. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Thank God. I have a good voice for radio, too. [0:40] Tell us what you're doing when you're retirement. Well, I opened up a private investigations business, Gary, when I left. And I primarily do police officer and municipality defense for critical incidents. So a lot of the things that happen across the country. After the fact, the lawsuit is filed, I'll be brought in to re-interview witnesses, talk to the officers, and try to mitigate what's going on with the lawsuit. And if the officer is in trouble with that as well, we'll represent the officer to try to make sure that we hopefully can clear him of any wrongdoing. You also, now how'd you get involved with this media business, the TV business? I got contacted throughout my career because of LA and some of the cases that we've handled in the past. It's media-friendly between law enforcement. So when I left about five years ago, A producer who had known a friend of mine had given this guy my name about, yeah, Don's had some unusual cases and worked this and that and whatever. And he called and we put together a couple of things that he wanted to try to bring to Discovery or Netflix in regards to some of my murders that I handled. [1:49] And however, they didn't work out or what have you. So about a year ago, he came up with a concept called The Wiggle Room. And this is a very small audience like an old nightclub room in a hollywood or in a hotel here in hollywood and it's basically like my part of this is to bring in me talk about a couple of my cases um it's interactive there's a live audience there and then at the end of the second half of this we'll talk about one of my crime scenes and let the people have a shot at it and trying to figure out what happened and who did it and did they have enough probable cause of good this and that and really get them an idea on how frustrating it is sometimes working some of these murders. [2:30] Interesting. So tell us about your police experience in this. Were you assigned to the LAPD homicide division or robbery homicide? How does that break down? Yes, sir. I started out as a young detective. I've worked a number of detective divisions. LAPD has 18 geographic divisions in the city of Los Angeles, and each one has a homicide unit. Although now it's centralized. But I eventually worked my way up to starting my own homicide unit. It was an arson bombing homicide unit. We worked in the same area as robbery homicide. Worked a buttload of cases over the 12 years that I worked murders before I retired. And handled all kinds of different things. Got involved with some phenomenal cases. I thank God wasn't here when OJ was being tried. It was my unit that did that. And just in the give and take of the murders in Los Angeles back in the day, there's a lot of interesting cases that we talk about in this crime scene live. I bet. So was that out of a division station, the Hollenbeck station? No, sir. It was out of our detective headquarters division, DHD. They call it the same area that our RV homicide division is in. Okay. So that's down at Parker Center? The specialized unit, yeah, it was. Yeah, downtown, the central. Okay. So you were the big boys compared to them. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's how we look at it, don't we? [3:54] That's how we look at it. You know, that's how it is. So I wasn't too varsity. I was kind of like between JV and varsity. Okay, all right. We all want to make the varsity on the PD. A lot of people don't understand that out there, the breakdown between different units, but we all want to make that first team. I'm a working B, Gary. Then some of those guys kind of like kick back on their laurels. The Hollywood detective. That's where I started. [4:20] Tell us about one of your early cases that you remember that was particularly interesting. One of the most grave cases I ever handled, Gary, was a young female that ended up living, but her backstory is pretty amazing. [4:38] She was the executive assistant to Wang Corporation. And Wayne was one of the first commercial-produced computers, word processing computers. And she had dropped her boss off at LAX and was taking his Porsche 925 prototype car back to where their offices were. And while stopped at a light on Sepulveda and 71st, right down the street from the airport, she was rear-ended on a very soft collision from behind. And she got out of the car. She walked back. He exchanged information. And one of the suspects took a gun in her belly. He said, get in the car. They put her back in the car. And for the next two days, they brutally raped, beaten, sold her for rock cocaine. And two days after the fact, they took her to an alley in South Central Los Angeles, dragged her out of the car. [5:33] One suspect punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground. And my other suspect put two bullets in the back of her head with a 38 caliber, um, revolver. Wow. She waited. For a second until she heard the car leave, this woman got up and walked a block and a half to an a.m. p.m. Mini-mart and asked the clerk to call the police. And then she collapsed. She was saved by surgery. For the next literally 20 hours, we worked this case day and night. We ultimately found both suspects. [6:09] And to hear this woman testify on a stand about what it was like having these two bullets shot in the back of her head is the most chilling, sad thing that I think I've had. To this day, I talked to her like it happened yesterday. She was an amazing woman. And the ironic part about this, Gary, is she wasn't married at the time. And after everything had happened, and I only stayed in contact with, I probably handled 50 of my own murders and not 100 total. And you lose back in the 70s and 80s and early 90s. Man, this place, there was 1,200 murders in the city of Los Angeles by themselves. So you didn't get to stay in contact with a lot of people. But I did with her for a couple of years. Then eventually I lost contact. Both the suspects were found guilty. Sentenced of 480 some odd years each in prison. Four years ago, Thanksgiving Eve, I got a call. And I'm sure you can attest to this or feel for this. It was a male, a young male. And he said, are you Don Tabak? And I said, yeah. And he goes, were you the detective that handled my mother, Carol Lepac's shooting? And my hair, like right now, the hair on my head is standing up. I went, I did. Who are you? And he goes, my name's Ryan Narai, and I am Carol's son. [7:25] And like, whoa, wait, what? So this was 33 years after this case had happened. She had passed away about a year before this, so three, four years ago. And Ryan wanted to find out exactly what had happened to his mother. She only articulated parts of what she called the event. And he wanted to find out. She became a conservationist up in Montana and divorced the husband. and it was just her and her son for a number of years. So Ryan came out to Los Angeles, a wonderful kid, looked almost exactly like his mom as I remember her.

Little Vic and the Great Mafia War with Larry McShane May 19, 2025

In this gripping episode of Gangland Wire, retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins welcomes back veteran crime journalist and mob historian Larry McShane to discuss his latest book, Little Vic and the Great Mafia War. Together, they dive deep into the violent and chaotic period known as the Third Colombo War—a brutal internal conflict that nearly tore the Colombo crime family apart. Larry offers exclusive insights from his research, including rare interviews with Andrew Arena, one of the five sons of Victor "Little Vic" Orena, the acting boss at the center of the war. These firsthand accounts reveal the deeply personal toll the Mafia war inflicted on the Arena family and expose the raw emotions behind the headlines. Gary and Larry revisit the key flashpoints of the conflict, including the botched assassination attempt on Orena. On June 20, 1991, A five-man hit team waited in a car outside the Long Island home of Victor Orena, the acting crime boss of the Colombo crime family. Orena recognized the vehicle—and managed to escape with his lifethe bloody street warfare that followed. We explore the complex dynamics between longtime boss Carmine Persico, rising star John Gotti, and powerful enforcer Greg Scarpa—whose shadowy relationship with the FBI cast a dark cloud over the entire war. The conversation also tackles the shifting nature of mob alliances, how loyalty turned lethal, and how the RICO prosecutions of the early 1990s reshaped the Mafia’s grip on New York. As the war’s body count climbed, so too did its consequences—both for the Colombo family and the broader underworld. Don’t miss this deep-dive into one of the most explosive chapters in Mafia history. And be sure to pick up Larry McShane’s Little Vic and the Great Mafia War for an even more detailed look at the treachery, violence, and fallout of the Colombo civil war. Click here to get Larry's book Little Vic and the Great Mafia War. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. You know, this is retired Detective Gary Jenkins from the Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit. And I have a man on the line right now, as you can see. Now, we couldn't get the video. I apologize for that. We couldn't get the video. So you got a picture. I mean, I'll have other pictures in there, but he's got a heck of a story. He's a mob author, a well-known mob author from New York. He was on the show before, and we talked about Vincent the Chin Gigante. He wrote Chin, The Life and Crimes of Mafia Boss Vincent Gigante. And Larry McShane also wrote Last Dawn Standing, The Secret Life of Mob Boss Ralph Natal. So welcome, Larry. I'm really happy to have you back on the show. Oh, I'm happy to come back. Thanks so much for asking. All right. So you have written this book. Really, it's about the Third Columbo War. Would you say that's what this book was about? Well, yeah, the third Columbo war is kind of the centerpiece of the whole thing. And then, you know, later in the book, we get on to some other things. [1:07] Legal things, what happened to the arenas and that sort of thing. But, yeah, it's it's a mob war book. What this is, is the title is Little Vic and the Great Mafia War. And, you know, these, these Columbo's, I tell you what, this, they coined, they must've coined the phrase going to the mattresses because the entire community. Span of the colombo family both before joe died there was killed and and up until the end they're always have to go to the mattresses people are always running around and cruise trying to kill each other and and this third one was was no different it's uh it's just crazy tell us a little bit about your process here how you started researching this not been a lot done about Vic Orena i don't know what kind of resources you got on that you have to report cases but you talked to some of these kids too, I believe, which is really interesting. You got some inside knowledge there. Yeah, I'll give you kind of the long version. I'd spoken to Andrew Orena, who's one of Vic's five sons, about doing something. He had approached me through a guy that we both knew. I thought it was a kind of story that isn't told often, and especially with the idea of the son cooperating, I thought, this is kind of interesting. You know what I mean? [2:20] So we shopped it around and, you know, we got no takers. The guy who helped me get the Chin book out, the guy from the publishing house, Kensington Publishing, was getting ready to retire. And he got a hold of me and he said, I'd like to do one more book with you before I retired. And I said, how about that Orena book that you sniffed me on? He said, well, send me the stuff. I'll take another look. And he took another look and he said, yeah, let's do it. It took a long while to get here. You know, I think, as you mentioned, the ability to have two of the Orena brothers, two of Vic's sons, I think, make this a different kind of book. You know, there's so much coverage of what happened back then in the early 90s because it was the last big mob war. And so I thought, you know, I thought and the publisher agreed that, you know, this is a story worth telling. Yeah, I mean, there's a lot from, you know, FBI agents telling, you know, this is what I remember. maybe even an informant or two out there. This is kind of what I remember, but they're really hard to find. But court cases, there's a lot out of the court cases, but you got the family, the view from inside the family, which I think is fascinating because these families, that Orena family, they stuck together. They truly were a old school Italian from Sicily mafia family. Yeah. John is the older brother who I spoke to. He was a made guy. He had a brother who was Vic Orena Jr. He was a made guy. [3:47] And Andrew, who I mentioned first approached me. [3:52] Um, was, was, was never a made guy cause his mom put the squash on it. [3:57] He said, you know, two sons in, in the life where, so he was, um, I guess you could say he was sort of mob adjacent. He, he, uh, he was involved in a lot of stuff and he knew about a lot of stuff, but he never, he never became a made guy. So now this, uh, you know, he, he was in the Clembo family and, uh, the Persicos had, uh, famously taken over from after Joe Clembo was killed and, uh, get them kind of mixed up alley boy and uh carmine the snake really were you know hand in glove with each other uh alley boy was i believe he was uh he was the younger wasn't he and so carmine took over clumbo family was in real flux at that point in time try everybody was kind of jockeying for a position i would imagine and and for a while it ran pretty smooth at the persicos carmine went to jail and And he named three people to run the family, if I remember right. And then, of course, another person called Little Alley Boy is going to move on up. It's kind of that way in Kansas City. If Nick Savella goes to jail, his brother of court becomes the titular head. He becomes the guy that everybody goes to and assumes he's the boss. He may not be exactly, and there may be other people doing a lot of things, but because of that name identification, why, uh, they're going to do it. And, and then Orena, a little bit Orena was right in there with them at that point in time. [5:22] So can you talk about that part of it a little bit? Well, when, uh, when Carmine Persco goes to jail, that's in the mafia commission trial, which is a big trial here. This was the start of Rico prosecutions around this time. And he, he very famously represented himself as his own attorney and got some pretty good reviews as well. Unfortunately, he did not get the verdict that he'd hoped for, despite his efforts. And he had been convicted on an earlier case. So he went to prison in. [5:51] 80 or he was convicted in 86 he had this prior conviction over him so he had 139 year sentence ahead of uh and and clearly you know he was not going to get out and return to running the family so they they bring in a middle manny type guy not not a guy with um i guess not a guy with a lot of juice and uh persco quickly turns on this guy he's executed in a garage in new jersey you know typical thing he's taking his friends back to his house and he never he never gets inside the house kind of thing you know yeah and so at this point uh the agreement is made among all sides that vicarina is going to become the uh acting boss which is interesting because Orena is more known as like a businessman and an earner you know he's got his own crew he's living at this point out in the suburbs of long island but he seems to be a choice that that everybody is in agreement with and things go smoothly kind of seamless once he takes over you know they have a lot of uh income flows coming in and out he's got as i mentioned his two sons vic jr and johnny capos in the family everything seems to be rolling in the Orena in his direction and then one night in the summer of uh 1991 he's coming back from dinner and he's almost at his house and he looks Sovereign sees a car with four faces that he recognizes. [7:15] Four of his fellow members of the family, and they're waiting to kill him. Fortunately for him, he sees them before they see him. He slams on the gas, gets out of Dodge. That's how the war kicks off, you know, with this attempted hit on Vicarina. It rather than taking him out proves to be, you know, a total failure. Yeah,

Pete Rose: Baseball Legend, Gambling Scandal, and Mob Ties May 16, 2025

In this special episode of Gangland Wire, host Gary Jenkins takes a deep dive into the life, career, and controversy surrounding Pete Rose, the legendary Major League Baseball icon who recently passed away at 83. Known as “Charlie Hustle,” Rose’s name is forever etched in baseball history with franchise records in games played, hits, and runs scored—primarily during his storied tenure with the Cincinnati Reds. Gary reflects on Rose’s gritty, high-energy playing style, recalling key moments like his controversial performance in the 1980 World Series, a memory that holds special weight for Kansas City fans. But Rose's career wasn’t just about records and accolades—it was also marked by one of the most notorious scandals in sports history. This episode tackles the darker side of Rose’s legacy: his gambling addiction. Gary explores how Rose’s betting habits led him into dangerous territory, including associations with mob-connected bookies, mounting debts, and investigations that eventually culminated in the damning Dowd Report. With evidence linking his bets directly to baseball games—including some he played in—Rose’s choices ultimately cost him his place in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Listeners will hear a detailed breakdown of Rose’s gambling spiraled out of control, the organized crime figures behind his wagers, and the broader integrity implications for the sport. Gary shares his perspective on the ongoing debate: Should Pete Rose be reinstated, or does the scandal outweigh his accomplishments? Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, there's that little special extra for you guys. Because of the passing of Pete Rose, former MLB star, I want to talk about what happened to him. He died of natural causes last week at age 83. You know, this guy was a hell of a ballplayer. I'm sure most, I think everybody should know who he is, but if you don't, I'm going to tell you a little bit about him. He mainly played with the Cincinnati Reds. He also played with the Phillies and maybe the Expos for a short period of time, but mainly the Phillies and the Reds. He set Cincinnati Reds franchise records like you couldn't believe, and he became the face of the Reds. After he retired from baseball, he became the Reds' manager for a period of time. We remember him pretty well in Kansas City because he played for the Phillies in 1980, and they beat us in the seventh game of the 80s series. He's a Cincinnati native, and he was the all-time leader for the Cincinnati Reds in games played, 2,722, played appearances, 12,344. [1:08] Runs scored, 1,741, hits, 3,358, singles, 2,490, doubles, 601, and walks, 1,210. I guess he wasn't a big home run hitter, but anyhow, he was a hell of a player. Plus, defensively, he was magnificent. He was hustling all the time. And his whole career, he had 4,256 hits. Now, anybody that goes over 4,000 hits is a pretty big deal in baseball. He was a hustler like you couldn't believe, both on the field and off the field. You know, once early in his career, he drew a lot of criticism for taking out a catcher in an all-star game when, you know, there's nothing at stake there. But he is blasted home, and the ball beats him home, and he just takes out that catcher. He played with complete abandon, if you ever remember seeing him play. [2:05] But he had an Achilles heel, and that's why we're here today. He was either a gambling addict, or at the very least, he wanted to gamble on sports so bad that he risked his entire career. [2:17] Over several years as he placed bets on baseball and other sporting events. He liked basketball, too. But he placed these bets with mob-connected bookies, and either it was directly to a mob-connected bookie or it was to a guy who was like a picker would, but he was connected to the mob. Because if you're going to bet with a sports bookie, trust me, you're within one degree of the mafia. [2:42] Because of his recent death, I want to take a look and see what evidence they had that caused Major League Baseball to react so strongly, because they banned him from ever participating in any league activities. He was already retired when this came out, and this ban has kept him from induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame. [3:01] A lot of controversy about that. Now that he's dead, I got a feeling they might put him in. But if he had not got caught up in the betting scandals and that hadn't come out he would have gone in the hall of fame at the very earliest opportunity on the because of his skills on the field you know and i forgot i think i say i always think of him as being with the reds but i should remember that he played with the phillies in 1980 he played in the 70s and most of his career with the cincinnati reds but but he played with the phillies in 1980 he played against us beat the royals in the world series in 1980 i'd forgotten all about that i remember watching him he was he played with a passion that guy played at 150 000 miles an hour every play i don't know you know i read somewhere about one of his wives or his wife was seen going to kmart wearing a you know like a ten thousand dollar fur coat driving a rolls royce so he was kind of uh kind of one of those kind of The guy is a guy from a humble background that made it big, but it's hard for him to deal with that. I know a kid that played baseball up in about a little bit younger than my son, and I knew the family. [4:13] And, you know, the dad worked at the Ford plant as a forklift driver, and they were from South Missouri, and they were just, they were nice people, and they were country people, and they lived real simply. And this kid went on to become a major league pitcher, and I think he's gone now because they don't last that long. But he was a big time. I won't mention the names, but he was a big time pitcher, but he came from really humble backgrounds. So I had to imagine what effect that would have had on that family. I remember, like, you know, none of the kids went to college that I remember. [4:45] The one brother is a little bit older, was more Scott's age. He worked, he was an auto mechanic. I took my car to an auto shop up north there where I used to live, and he was working as the auto mechanic in there. So, you know, this kid goes on and becomes a multimillionaire in the end. Now, you know, you've got family with this really humble background, people that make working man's wages, but yet you've got one family member who's a multimillionaire. I wonder how that plays out. So I hope he took care of his family at Christmas time and I hope he set up his brother in his own repair shop if he wanted to do it. Back in the day, in the 70s, when he was this hotshot player, he was the king of baseball back then. He hooked up with a guy named Ronnie Peters out of Dayton, Ohio. And Ronnie Peters was actually controlled by the Chicago Outfit Gambling Organization. You know, a lot of these, you know, these Peckerwoods, Ronnie Peters, a guy like that, he's pretty well got to be hooked up with a outfit in the Midwest like that with an outfit bookie. [5:50] He's got to kick bets up, but he's got to kick money up. He's got to have somebody to lay off to. He may need protection. But he was kicking up to a Chicago outfit mob crew leader named Dominic Basso. And Basso, he was in charge of all gambling operations in suburban DuPage County, Illinois, all of his life. But he also reached out into other places in the Midwest. You might wonder how they got on to Pete Rose. Not really going after Pete Rose, they were going after Dominic Basso. And they got his telephone. [6:29] Back in the day, they had the mobile phones that you could put in your car. They weren't really too mobile. They were pretty big. But they got on his mobile phone, got his mobile phone, and got some numbers, and started into it. And for some reason, I think Major League Baseball had already hired a thing called, a company called Business Risk International out of Oak Brook, Illinois. I think that's a suburb of Chicago. And there's a former FBI agent who met with one of the prosecutors, one of the DuPage County prosecutors, which that guy won't confirm or deny. And he was able to inspect the Basso court file and all the evidence. In that evidence, they found a list of 130 bettors, all identified by co-names with amounts of money next to those numbers. And the prosecutor would say that those numbers, that amounts of money total more than $225,000, which is a lot of money for one person. It indicated to them he was more of a supervisor over other bookies. [7:33] Which would then lend credence to the allegation that this Ronnie Peters out [7:39] of Dayton, Ohio, was dealing with Dominic Basso out of Chicago. They ended up creating a report called the Dowd Report. The Dowd Report's kind of the go-to document. If you want to look that up, folks, look up the DOWD Report. Talks about where Rose would even bet directly with Dominic Basso, phoning him and his Chicago residents to call in his bets. Now, he denied knowing Basso. His original bookie, Ronnie Peters out of Dayton, Ohio, he ended up getting shot. He survived it in 2002, but he got shot. I don't know what he did exactly, but that happens to many of these guys. January of 1991, the Chicago Crime Commission public identified Dominic Basso in a report titled Organized Crime in Chicago, 1990. He was identified as working for mob chieftains Ernest Rocco Infelice,

The Kansas City Narcotics Syndicate May 12, 2025

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary and retired FBI agent and mafia historian Bill Ouseley discuss the creation of the Kansas City Narcotics Syndicate, which emerged during the prohibition era as local mobsters adapted to the loss of revenue from bootlegging. The conversation explores how the organization capitalized on international trade routes—from Turkey to Sicily, France, Canada, and the U.S.—that were central to drug trafficking operations, including the infamous French Connection. Bill provides insights into the efforts led by Harry Anslinger, then-director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, to combat these syndicates. Despite Anslinger's tenacity, the Italian-Sicilian Mafia managed to turn narcotics into a lucrative enterprise. Kansas City played a significant role in this operation, with mob figures like Joe and Frank DeLuca orchestrating the drug trade as a formal, business-like entity. Tune in to learn about the federal crackdown, spearheaded by local narcotics agents, which ultimately disrupted this shadowy chapter of organized crime history. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. So anyhow. Well, anyhow, that's a, that was a little aside folks. Uh, we're gonna talk about the Narcotic Syndicate in Kansas City as an example. We got you up to, you know, creating this, uh, uh. Organization to, to fight these narcotics organizations. And, and they were developed with international connections and, and trade routes from Turkey to Sicily to maybe France, uh, um, Canada to the United States. I believe that's the way the French connection kinda was, uh, part of their operation was through Canada, but part of it was directly from Marsai into, uh. To, uh, the port in New York City. And so, but Kansas City had a big piece of that. So, bill, let's talk a little bit about, you know, Harry Anslinger and the Yeah. Early narcotics, uh, uh, bureau and, and fighting, you know, these specific mafia gangs here in Kansas City. Bill: Anslinger is director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics is going after. The, uh, trade routes. Of course, [00:01:00] they got narcotics agents in the various cities. They're establishing what's going on abroad. And at the same time, the uh, Italian Sicilian group, which is organized into what we call Cora, they're dipping their fingers into the drugs and making it a major operation. Anslinger, uh, his organization is truly the only one, I mean. Some local police departments, uh, uh, were involved certainly, but uh, on a federal basis they were the main stay. So, uh, while, while he's in working, the mob is working, you know, and Anslinger job is getting harder as they get better. What happened in Kansas City is our organization that consolidated during prohibition, seeing the end of prohibition, uh, the powers to be, uh, decide that losing [00:02:00] alcohol. They would replace it by going big time into a drug operation, and it was called the Kansas City Narcotics Syndicate. Our narcotics agent here, who was instrumental in, uh, breaking it up. Uh, he had another name for it, I forget right now, but it was like a, uh, subsidiary of the mob, which is what it was. They appointed one of the original founders of the organization, a guy named Joe DeLuca, and he was given the, uh, job. Of putting this together, he and his brother Frank, they put it together on a ba a criminal, I mean, on a business basis. Uh, this wasn't gonna be just supplying a few little people here or there, or supplying Kansas City drug pool. No. The, this was gonna be as big as they could possibly make it. So [00:03:00] they had. Managers, supervisors, uh, legal people, bookkeepers, salespeople, other representatives. They had the whole thing. They had the whole ball of wax put together as you would, uh, a business organization. They established their trade routes where they would get the drugs from. Their drugs were coming from. Uh, Sicily, right? The, the Opium deal in, uh, in the Orient, which was the original Maine supplier that sort of dried up, uh, at least in the sense of what the mob was doing, I think because they had greater contacts, uh, with the, uh, French and the Italian mafia in Sicily. They've established their trade routes and very, uh, very skeleton. I will mention what they did. They had supervisors looking after local salespeople who were making drug sales. They had a [00:04:00] courier who went to, uh, uh, Tampa. The drugs that were coming in were coming in through the French connection and the Italians in Sicily coming in to Cuba. Cuba had a go-between, uh, a Cuban, uh, political, uh, who was also a nation, um, internationally known drug dealer. The drugs went from him to the Antonino Brothers in Tampa, our courier. We'd go down to Tampa, bring the drugs back, they would be distributed to our salespeople, and they were covering, uh, all of the states adjacent to US, plus, uh, California and wherever they could establish a contact that that was the, um. Skeleton of the narcotics industry and later Anslinger identified it [00:05:00] as one of the earliest large scale, truly organized narcotics syndicate in the United States. Gary: Interesting. You know, I'm, I'm looking through your book here and one of the, one of the early stories here, uh, uh, everything's old, is new again about this, uh, car chase in, in 1923. You got two well dressed young men, speeding widely up and down the streets in a high powered car. Caught the attention of the police with little, uh, uh, not car chase, but uh, an investigation file to see who they were. Did a little surveillance on 'em and they ended up forcing their way into a, a residence that they caught 'em at, or they, they got in it and found, uh, four new car tires there and, and so they brought the tires in and they thought they were stolen, and they also found a suitcase there, which when they opened it up, it had a large quantity of morphine, cocaine, and opium. Value of, uh, $3,500. So they just stumbled on [00:06:00] to one of the first big drug busts in, in Kansas City from by accident. It sounds like you think that was all by accident by No, Bill: no, actually, uh, you are, you're describing the beginning. Uh, uh, of, of a narcotics investigation. As we well know, working organized crime, uh, you develop intelligence, you take one thing that happened, hope to connect it with something else, and this guy belongs to him and what have you. So what happened is the narcotic, when they arrested Tony Gizo, who was the driver of the car, and would one day be the Kansas City Mob Boss, and I might mention. Even though preceding the syndicate, many of these guys were dealing drugs, but not on this basis. It wasn't new to them. The narcotics agents were making buys, as I said, they, uh, last episode. They would've first to work undercover, make buys, develop [00:07:00] informants and, and, and work off of intelligence, uh, uh, and, um, uh, develop a scheme of things. Gradually, they're making buys here. They don't know that this is part. Of this national syndicate? Not in the beginning. Not in the beginning, but soon as it happens, A becomes connected to B. B comes connected to C. This guy belongs to that. They seize a suitcase that belongs to Pete DeGiovanni, one of the big guys in the back. The who are running things through Joe DeLuca. Uh, so now is a connection to the mob hierarchy. And then two things happened. They got a tip about the name Nicola, and that's all they knew. Connected to drugs. Well, Nick Ito was the, uh, on the [00:08:00] street, CEO. But they didn't know who he was. They didn't know what this meant, but it was in the back of their head. So that was one thing. The second thing that happened is in 19, I think it was, um, 39, a guy by the name of Nicola Gentilly, he was a fascinating character in his own right. He became one of the other large narcotic syndicate and he had ties to Kansas City. They were operating mainly in the south. So he and his partner come up to Kansas City and they try to sell their drugs to Kansas City. Kansas City says, you know what? We don't need your drugs. You know, we're bigger than that, but if you want to. Buy anything we have left over, we'll be happy to sell you. So they say, good, we'll do that. They go home the same year Gentilly is arrested [00:09:00] and in his dress book is the name Nicole Estado. Now there's another connection. This is a big deal. Who's this Impasto? Little by little they're putting this together. Then they see the big picture, uh, and and they go from there. And I might mention, because before I let you, I. See where, where you wanna go with this. Uh, a fellow by the name of Caram Musa, uh, had taken over as the drug carrier courier. Once the indictments were brought down, uh, which they were caram, Musa turned state's evident, uh, federal, uh, became a cooperating witness. That was a huge break for the narcotics people. And so they convicted, uh. Uh, 13 or 14 people, that little vignette with the GIZ O guy in a car, uh, connected with a lot of undercover buys and the dots [00:10:00] were connected and it exposed a sophisticated. Well organized. One seizure on today's market would've been, uh, over a half a million dollars. That was just one suitcase in one house. I think they turned, they, the term, uh, the figure of some $12 million a year. In 1940. Gary: Wow. That was a lot of money in 1940.

The Mob and Narcotics: A Troubled History May 05, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, Gary Jenkins sits down with retired FBI agent and organized crime historian Bill Ouseley for a deep dive into the Mob’s transition from bootlegging during Prohibition to dominating the narcotics trade. Ouseley, known for his books Open City and Mobsters in Our Midst, shares insights from his years investigating the Kansas City crime family and the Vegas skimming cases. The conversation traces how organized crime evolved after Prohibition, finding new profit in the rising black market for drugs. From the early days when narcotics were sold in pharmacies and corner stores to the complex, international networks run by the Mob, Ouseley explains how organized crime adapted and thrived. Jenkins and Ouseley discuss the rise of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics in 1930, the societal shift in attitudes toward drug use, and how policy changes created a perfect storm for the Mob to exploit. Ouseley highlights how figures like Harry Anslinger pushed for punitive drug laws that unintentionally fueled organized crime, and how the government’s focus on punishment over treatment helped entrench addiction and criminal networks. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. 3:20 The Rise of Narcotics in the Mob 5:22 Early Drug Regulation and Public Response 8:23 The 1800s: Opium and Society 12:08 Government Approaches to Drug Issues 13:54 The Impact of Prohibition on Narcotics 17:42 Consolidation of Narcotics Operations 24:17 Anslinger and the Federal Response 36:26 Kansas City’s Narcotics History Ahead [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, it's Gary Jenkins, [0:02] retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective and later sergeant. Welcome to Gangland Wire. I have a friend of mine that I'm interviewing today. You might notice there's not going to be any video with a bunch of images in there. It's FBI agent Bill Ouseley. Bill, he was the case agent for all the skimming from Las Vegas cases from the Kansas City end. We worked with him over the years hand in glove in the intelligence unit. And he's a good guy. He still lives in Kansas City. He's written a couple of books, by the way. He's got Open City, which is the history of the Kansas City mob, starting back in the Black Hand days and going all the way up till about the time he came here in the early 60s. Then he wrote a second book, which is really about his career and all the different cases he worked with additional information about the local Savella family, which would have been the Savella family by the time he got here in the, I think, 1964, maybe. I graduated from high school in 63. [1:02] Today, we're going to talk about the history of the mob and narcotics. You know, it's all a much-discussed subject that whether they approve of them dealing in narcotics. You know, they do on the QT, they do in different ways. They invest money, maybe loan money and high rates of interest, if you will, to narcotics dealers or some of them, you know, deal directly. You know, the Bonanno family was famous for dealing directly with narcotics. Genovese went to jail for dealing in narcotics. So historically. [1:34] Kansas City, I don't believe Nick Savella really, he did not approve of it. He didn't allow his guys to do it directly. There were some people that were indirectly involved in narcotics. Now, whether they kicked money up or whether they were using their own money or somebody else's money to invest in these narcotics operations, we never really found out. Those books are, I'll have links to them down below in the show notes. So you might want to get those if you want to know a lot more about the Kansas City crime family and his work here. And by the way, so many of those cases in that book that the second book, Mopters in Our Midst, I think I forgot to say the name of that, Mopters in Our Midst. A lot of those cases I'm reading the book when I first got, it's like, well, I was there. I did that. I, you know, I, I stirred up this little bit of information and, and which the Bureau then takes and runs with, which is what we do. You know, we, we like, maybe they'll come to us and they'll hear about something and we'll go out and, and run surveillances and get license plate numbers and bring them back. And it'll help them make, make sense of what's going on, whatever the investigation ends up being. [2:44] Today, now listen up. We're going to plumb the depth of Bill Ouseley's knowledge about the earliest days of narcotics and the laws that were developed and society's look at narcotics. To me, it may be a little bit dry for you, but I think it's a really interesting conversation that I have with Bill. Thanks a lot, guys. With the end of Prohibition, they needed a new field. [3:13] Narcotics was now starting to become a big deal. You know, it was not just the [3:18] Chinese and the opium dens. So during Prohibition, the mob didn't really pay much attention to it. They kind of kept their fingers in a little bit. Yeah, because Cork got arrested and this guy got arrested. And there were guys dabbling in it. But it wasn't the moneymaker that it became. I see. Until the mob gets into it, then they get in. And that's what the story is here. One of the earliest of these groups to put narcotics on a major business basis was Narcotics Syndicate here. The Kansas City Narcotics Syndicate. And the story of how they put it together. And then, of course... In 1930, finally, they came to the conclusion the laws were good, but they needed to be enforced. And in 1930, the Bureau of Narcotics was established. [4:14] Anslinger came in. He was a tough guy. What interested me was not only the beginnings of so many of these Cosenostra families and how they started, and that's what I covered in Open City, the history of the beginnings of the Kansas City family. But as I went through that, what was very interesting to me on a sociological basis was how the mob continually followed and prospered as regulation came in. The greatest of those examples, prohibition. They regulated liquor. Thousands and millions wanted liquor. Somebody had to provide it. And the mob was there or was created during that period. I could go through sports, horse racing, boxing, and all sorts of areas that the government or the state decided to come in and regulate that particular activity. And then somebody had to fulfill the black market need because the customers don't just quit. [5:19] You know, prohibition came in. If anything, it made more drunks. So anyway, one of the stories within the story is how this happened with the narcotics situation and that maybe it wouldn't have been as big as it became if there had been more thought behind legislation, more enforcement. [5:43] More dedication to eradicating the problem rather than just at the time suppressing it. You have to go back, and where are. [5:53] We're talking now about the Midwest and Kansas City. This has been duplicated in other areas. But keep in mind that my focus is on what happened in our area. Again, it's mirrored around the country. But in the 1800s, there was drug use in the 1800s. It was recreational. It was doctors prescribing these elixirs and opium-based medicines. People's problems. They were even treating addicts by just keeping them in supply. There was no regulation at that time, no government regulation. Most states didn't bother with it. And at that time, they sort of blamed the problem as it developed on the Chinese. [6:45] Most of the opium coming in was coming in from China. The Chinese had the opium smoking dens and what have you. And it was a major situation at that time. But as with all of these vices, the time came when the public became concerned. And just like they were concerned with liquor, that led to the prohibition. This happened with the drug use, which was unregulated. And the social workers and activists in the community started to raise the issue, and that led to the first regulation by the government of any substance, the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1908. So regulation began then, in a sense. Soon, states started jumping in with laws and regulations and what have you. What we need to also focus on, because of how this developed, is who were the pool of drug users at that time? [8:01] They were the street people, thieves, pimps, whores, the police characters. This was not your corporate board. This was not cocaine up on Madison Avenue. And many, many women were addicted. [8:18] There was a product called Laudanum, which was an elixir, and it had opium in it. And they took it for various reasons. And if they couldn't get it, their doctor would prescribe it for them. In fact, the doctors continued to be an enormous supply of opium at that time. So, you have to consider the character of the pool of users that was available. It wasn't a big deal. [8:47] But with regulation, as it always happens... [8:51] The criminal element starts to come in because as you suppress one thing, that need has to be fulfilled. And when it's things like alcohol or drugs or betting, sports betting, or wanting to go to the prize fights and it's illegal, they'll make it legal. I'm kind of curious about the, yeah, really, the 1800s, my dolly off for women with menstrual cramps. Yeah, well, they did a little dose in between. But now, like,

Inside a Chicago Mob Family with Kurt Calabrese Apr 28, 2025

In this compelling episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City detective Gary Jenkins sits down with Kurt Calabrese, son of infamous Chicago Outfit enforcer Frank Calabrese Sr. Kurt opens up about what it was like growing up in the shadow of one of the most feared men in organized crime and living through the seismic fallout of the Family Secrets Trial. Kurt shares a deeply personal account of his childhood in Elmwood Park, an Italian-American neighborhood where the surface was peaceful but the undercurrent ran dark. He recalls days spent playing sports and evenings surrounded by neighbors who seemed like family—but behind the closed doors of their three-flat home, fear and control ruled. As the episode unfolds, Kurt discusses the moment he began to understand the truth about their father’s real occupation. Taught to lie and protect the family's image, they told classmates their dad was an engineer—masking a far more dangerous truth. The psychological burden of carrying this secret is a recurring theme in Kurt’s story. Kurt paints a vivid picture of mob family dynamics, the juxtaposition of family life and violence, and the emotional toll of being raised by a man, he both feared and revered. He reveals the lasting impact of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his father and how it contributed to his own diagnosis of complex PTSD. Listeners will hear firsthand what living through the Family Secrets Trial was like, a landmark case that exposed the Chicago Outfit’s inner workings. Kurt Calabrese speaks candidly about the threats he and his family faced, the betrayal from his brother Frank Jr.’s cooperation with the FBI, and his complicated relationship with the truth, loyalty, and justice. We also learn about Kurt’s marriage to Angela LaPietra—the granddaughter of another mob figure—and the intense family conflict that followed. From physical altercations with his father to the ripple effects on his children, Kurt doesn’t hold back. Click here for Kurt's website. Finally, Kurt introduces his podcast, Underbelly: Killing Kurt, where he digs deeper into his story to expose the unseen scars left by a life entangled in organized crime. This episode is an emotional and eye-opening exploration of how mob life impacts not just communities but also the families at its core. Kurt Calabrese is not just telling his story—he’s reclaiming it. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! [0:00] Well, hey, welcome all you wiretappers out there. It's good to be back here [0:03] in the studio of Gangland Wire. I have a story today and an interview, as you can see. My interviewee is Kurt Calabrese. Now, Kurt Calabrese is from Chicago and he grew up in a Chicago outfit family. Now, a lot of you guys know, if you're real mob aficionados, you know about the Family Secrets Trial. And his father, Kurt's father, was Frank Calabrese Sr., his brother, Frank Calabrese Jr., who we had on the show several years ago. One of my earliest interviews, actually. And then his uncle, Nick Calabrese, ended up going to Witness Protection Program. And so that's why they called it the Family Secrets Trial, because it was all centered around the Calabrese family. So I really look forward to talking to Kurt. And Kurt, welcome. [0:53] Thank you, Gary. Thank you for having me. So, Kurt, we talked a little bit before the show. And, you know, what I found kind of fascinating in a way was partly not the [1:04] mafia stuff particularly, but your childhood. You all grew up in this three-story or three, what'd you call it? A three-flat? Flat, yeah. Three-flat house where your father, mother, grandparents, your brother, you, your uncle, Nick, all lived in this same house. [1:27] Now, tell us a little bit about what that was like. And you might talk about the neighborhood, too. So, you know, tell us a little bit about what that was like. Well, the house that we lived in, actually, my father had built. It's a three flat. It's three apartments. And he had a family room, a very big family room built onto the house also with a garage and a room in it. Very unique building that he had built. But he had it built for family. So we grew up there. We lived there almost our whole lives. And I was in a community called Elmwood Park. Which is a suburb right outside Chicago, in fact, right on the border of Chicago. A very quiet neighborhood, very, I'm not going to say ethnic, but a lot of Italian grew up there. A lot of different nationalities, but probably predominantly Italian. It was a very nice neighborhood to grow up in. Everybody knew each other, very closely knit neighborhood. One of those neighborhoods where you didn't have to lock your doors. A lot of things went on in that neighborhood. It was a very closely knit neighborhood, and I enjoyed it. I loved growing up where I grew up because I had a lot of friends that I grew up with, and there was a lot to do. [2:47] Outside of the house, we had a pretty normal childhood as far as playing baseball and hanging out with our friends and going to school and played football and basketball. A lot of sports inside our home was a little bit different than it was in other people's homes, which I didn't realize until I wasn't a kid anymore when I realized that what went on in our house didn't go on in other homes. Interesting. Now, I've noticed that in Kansas City, our little Italy section and other cities, I see people talking about their neighborhoods, Italian neighborhoods. [3:22] Back at one time, they were really safe. Nobody was going around breaking in houses, let alone robbing people on the streets. They were really safe because people took care of each other. They were out on the streets. They weren't hiding back in their homes all the time. They were out on the streets. Said, there's a stranger that came through there. You know, everybody had their eye on it. Believe me, I know it was a policeman working an Italian neighborhood, a Peckerwood policeman. You know, we call non-Italians or Peckerwoods down here. I don't know if you call non-Italians Peckerwoods up there, but they call us Peckerwoods. You see a Peckerwood driving through there, you give him the eye, like, who is that guy? Was it like that in your neighborhood? Yes, it was. It was, you knew, like I said, everybody kind of knew each other. And if somebody came into that neighborhood and didn't belong there or was doing something they shouldn't be doing, it was, you knew right away. You were, there were people out on the street all the time. And I mean, it was one of a few Italian neighborhoods. I mean, there were probably five or six very strong Italian neighborhoods in the Chicago and Chicagoland area that were, you know, predominantly Italian and Elwood Park being one of them. And not to mention that, uh, you know, there was a lot of mob guys that lived in our neighborhood So that, you know, that was something that made people feel safe back then in those neighborhoods, you know, and people still talk about that because, uh, you know, you don't really have neighborhoods like that anymore, unfortunately. [4:45] Yeah. I have to ask in Kansas city, there was this deal started in Italian neighborhood. If you tied a red ribbon around your, uh, steering column, nobody would break into that car. Did you have anything like that? That warned people off? There was a mob car, Bob connected car. No, not really. I mean, you know, growing up a lot of, a lot of. [5:06] Guys I grew up with and people in the neighborhood had, uh, horns hanging from their mirrors, uh, you know, the Italian horn, uh, which warded off evil and, you know, the evil eye. So, I mean, that, that was something that maybe could be considered similar, but a lot of, a lot of people that were Italian just had those hanging from their mirrors. So nothing like, like that, that I can remember. That was probably before my time. I saw one when I was a young police, but I saw when this guy got killed in his car, You know, I was overlooking at the car just out of curiosity. I was a street policeman still. There was a red ribbon around the steering column. So I thought, [5:42] well, you know, that rumor is true. So growing up, your father and your Uncle Nicky are involved in this outfit business, shall we say. When did you first start to realize that there was something a little bit different? I know on The Sopranos, they did a whole show about the kids starting to realize that their dad was a little bit different than the other dads. When did you first notice that? It was grammar school, probably mid-grammar school. I started to, there were, you know, there was people talking and, you know, there was a story that was put in a newspaper. I think it was about sixth grade maybe. And it was on the front page of the newspaper was a picture of a house. And it was a story about, you know, organized crime, about the outfit. It was funny because that day. [6:31] We didn't get the newspaper a lot in our house, but that day, particular day, there was no newspapers around the area. So it was, you know, we weren't supposed to see that, but, um, and we didn't, I didn't see it personally. It was pointed out to me by some friends. So I guess it would be easier to say that my friends kind of caught on quicker than I did. You know, what was going on? Again, that was going on,

The Mob and Rock and Roll Apr 21, 2025

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode of Gangland Wire, host Gary Jenkins interviews the prolific chronicler of the American Mafia, Jeffrey Sussman. Listeners will learn about Morris levy and the mafia's influence on the roots of the world's most important cultural influences, American Rock and Roll. Two of the most important men who influenced the rise of rock and roll were Morris Levy and Alan Freed. Levy had close ties with the Genovese crime family. Levy was the notorious head of the record label Roulette Records. Reportedly, Morris Levy used illicit money from the family to fund his businesses, with several members of the mob said to be present at his meetings. At the time, Freed and other corrupt Disc Jockeys corrupted the entire industry with their "pay for play" of records, which became known as "Payola." Morris Levy terrorized young performers into giving up thier royalities. Meyer Lansky, AKA the “mob’s accountant,” was one of the most successful mafiosos in history and had many investments in jukeboxes. Reportedly, he “controlled every Wurlitzer jukebox in the New York area”. So too, did the Chicago Outfit (who rose to power under Al Capone) have many dealings with Lansky and his jukeboxes. A mob history book, The Outfit, argues that the Wurlitzer Corporation accused Lansky and his Chicago associates of disrupting the distribution of Wurlitzer jukeboxes. The Outfit is also said to have worked closely with Jules Stein, head of the Music Corporation of America. Apparently, Stein, the mob, MCA, and Meyer Lansky had all worked at least in some form with the mob fixer Sidney Korshak, a prominent mafia name in Los Angeles. Click here to get Backbeat Gansters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Rock Music by Jeffrey Sussman. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

Does Chris Franzblau Really Know the Exact Location of Jimmy Hoffa? Apr 14, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, host Gary Jenkins interviews Chris Franzblau, author of The Last Mob Lawyer. Franzblau represented Meyer Lansky in his deportation hearing, he represented Genovese labor racketeers like Anthony “Tony Pro” Provenzano and Jerry Catena. He knew Jimmy Hoffa very well. Chris shares his remarkable career as a defense attorney for prominent figures in organized crime, offering a firsthand look at the legal battles that have shaped mob history in his book, The Last Mob Lawyer: True Stories from the Man Who Defended Some of the Biggest Names in Organized Crime. The conversation begins with Franzblau’s background—his education at Duke University Law School, service in the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps, and training in cryptography. He then details his transition from prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office to private practice, coinciding with the federal government's intensified pursuit of La Cosa Nostra under Attorney General Robert Kennedy. A twist of fate led him to represent high-profile mobsters when established defense attorneys left the scene, catapulting him into the world of organized crime defense. Franzblau shares captivating stories of his legal work with infamous figures like labor leader Jerry Catena and Anthony “Tony Pro” Provenzano. He sheds light on mob influence in unions and high-stakes power struggles, including the bitter feud between Anthony “Tony Pro” Provenzano and Jimmy Hoffa. He also discusses the FBI’s controversial surveillance tactics, J. Edgar Hoover’s wiretapping strategies, and how landmark legal battles helped expose the government's overreach in investigating organized crime. Adding to the intrigue, Franzblau touches on the mob’s connections to Hollywood and celebrities, including Frank Sinatra’s complex ties to the underworld. He also offers a compelling story surrounding Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance, hinting at new information that could reshape the narrative. Throughout the episode, Franzblau offers insight into the ethical dilemmas of defending mobsters, debunking the myths that attorneys are complicit in their clients’ activities. He also weighs in on the handling of Teamsters' pension funds, contrasting transparency in his experience with the corruption seen in other cities. This episode is a must-listen for true crime enthusiasts, mafia history buffs, and legal minds alike. Don’t miss Franzblau’s inside stories and deep knowledge of mob history—Click here to grab a copy of The Last Mob Lawyer to dive even deeper into these gripping tales. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] So, hey, welcome all you Wire Tappers. Good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. I have The Last Mob Lawyer. Now, you know, we did a series on mob lawyers, Bruce Cutler and, what's his name, Jerry Nagel and a bunch of those guys. Well, I have Chris Franzblau. Now, he has written a book called The Last Mob Lawyer. And I really, I started looking at his stuff and the promos that his editor put out. And he really has had an interesting career. You know, he did some stuff with Mayor Lansky and around the Hoffa case. And he's got a lot of really interesting stories. So welcome, Chris. I'm really happy to have you on the show. [0:44] Thank you. Good morning. Chris, tell the guys a little bit about, you know, your law school experience and your early practice of law, how you developed into becoming a defense lawyer. You don't just jump out and start defending big-time criminals. We know that. So where'd you go to law school? Well, I went to law school at Duke University in North Carolina. [1:08] Kind of a good Southern school almost, huh? After you got out of law school, then I believe you went in the service. I believe we talked a little bit earlier. You went in the service. So tell the guys about, and you went in as a, in the JAG Corps, the Judge Advocate General. Is that what you went in as a lawyer in the Navy? Not quite. I went in, I went to this very extensive training to become a Naval officer before there was a JAG unit in the Navy. Okay. And then during that period of time, though, they sent me to what's called, after we finished that hectic program, and the Navy sent me to a very top secret cryptography school. [1:53] So that I could have those kind of duties if I were assigned to that. And then they sent me to Navy Justice School because I'd been a lawyer so that I could also do court-martial work in the Navy. [2:07] Then when I got out of Newport, that was all training in Newport. And then I was assigned to an admiral down in Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. In Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was part of the command of the Pensacola Admiral in Florida. The Last Mob Lawyer, you're going to get out of the Navy, you're going to go into private practice, I believe. Now, this book, guys, I want to read you something about this book. Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco, said, The Last Mob Lawyer, true stories from the man who defended some of the biggest names in organized crime. It's a book that pulls back the curtain on mob life in a way only an insider could. [2:51] Chris Franzblau's extraordinary legal career offers a fascinating glimpse into the dangers, the characters, and the often bizarre legal wrangling that defines the mob heyday. The Last Mob Lawyer is an essential read for anyone interested in the darker side of American history. So it sounds like a really good read and a fascinating read for a mob fan of which my guys out there that are listening, my regular listeners, especially, they are mob fans. They want to know all the intimate behind the scenes details. And I know you've got some being the lawyer and you're the first actual mob lawyer I've talked to. I only talked to a guy who was a lawyer who studied mob lawyers. So you're the first one I've talked to. Guys, listen to Chris tell a little bit about how he got into defending the mob or defending and organized crime guys. Again, you just don't drop out of, Law school, the Navy, and defending mob guys. How did that come about, Chris? [3:50] Ironically, before I got out of the Navy, just shortly before, which was in the late 50s and early 60s, that's when the federal government was starting to unwind this organization they call La Cosa Nostra and organized crime and the mob. [4:10] That's the way they had denoted these investigations. It started with Kefauffer and McClellan, and then there was that famous meeting in Appalachia. But I wasn't even here then because I was still in the Navy. So I got out of the Navy, and then I wound up as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office. [4:32] And that was the beginning of the prosecutions of organized crime, basically by Robert Kennedy, who was the attorney general when John Kennedy was president. And I was in the U.S. attorney's office doing investigations, criminal investigations. So I'd done some criminal work in the court marshals in the Navy, so it was a natural for me to go to the U.S. attorney's office in New Jersey. So when I got out, as luck would have it, a couple of the well-known criminal defense lawyers died. There weren't too many people doing that kind of work. And as luck would have it, coincidentally, when I was a young man, a boy, a teenager, I knew some people who were later identified as organized crime figures, mostly, for example, Jerry Catena or the guy they called the boot, Boiardo, the boot. And because they played golf at the same country club, and I was a pretty... [5:39] Skillful golfer at that time, as was the admiral in Pensacola. So that all worked out very well. So they knew me as to what would have it. And I came out of the U.S. Attorney's Office as organized crime was developing. Then what happened was very early on, because I'd done this federal work, I represented a labor leader named Riggie, who later went to prison and his father in that one union, and the father was being deported, and I tried that case, and we beat the deportation back then at different times. And then I got to meet Sam the Plumber, the famous Sam the Plumber, Sam DeCalvacante. And that opened up a Pandora's box because in that, But I uncovered the fact that J. Edgar Hoover had done these very secret investigations, wiretapping and so forth, in Sam the Plumber's office without a search warrant. And then when I asked for the discovery, they had to, after a year and a half of trying not to have to produce that discovery. [6:50] Then they had to divulge it, and they'd divulge it to the newspapers, and it uncovered this huge amount of organized crime, the interrelationships, and so forth. And that kind of put me on the map, and I was very young at that time. I was in my early 30s, probably. You know, Chris, that really almost put... The mafia on the national map, almost as much as Appalachian and some of these other things, because those tapes were dynamite. And they released the transcripts of some of those tapes of Richie the Boot talking so candidly about the mafia and everything. They were dynamite. So you're the guy that really caused those to be released. That's really interesting. Yes. At that time, you know, Giuliano was the U.S. Attorney in New York. and after the Appalachia meeting,

Genovese Killer Anthony Arillotta and Mob Life Apr 07, 2025

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this Gangland Wire Crime Stories episode, Gary Jenkins interviews Anthony Arillotta, author of South End Syndicate: How I Took Over the Genovese Springfield Crew. Arillotta shares his firsthand experiences within organized crime in Springfield, Massachusetts, offering a raw and authentic account of his rise through the ranks. Arillotta discusses the historical roots of the Springfield mob, tracing its ties to the Genovese family in New York. He provides insights into the city’s Italian American community, the evolution of ethnic gangs, and how he was drawn into the criminal underworld despite his family’s legitimate business background. From his early years in gambling and marijuana distribution to his close association with made member Al Bruno, Arillotta details the inner workings of the mob, including the delicate balance between financial success and violence. He sheds light on the mafia's induction ceremony, the betrayals, and the power struggles he faced. He discusses notorious figures like Freddie and Ty Geas and the murder of Whitey Bulger. Beyond the crime, Arillotta reflects on his post-mafia life, his current business ventures—including a wine brand called Pazzo—and his efforts in youth mentorship to steer others away from the path he once followed. Tune in for a gripping conversation that uncovers the realities of life inside the Genovese Springfield crew, the dangers of organized crime, and one man's journey from the underworld to redemption. Get a copy of Anthony's book click here on the title, South End Syndicate: How I Took Over the Genovese Springfield Crew. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there. Good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. I am here with Anthony Arillotta. [0:07] As you guys, if you are on Facebook at all or on YouTube, you may know this name. He has been quite prolific, and he's got a great book out there, and he's got a hell of a story to tell. And he's a really – I just told Anthony, I said, you know, you're a great interview because you know your stuff. And, Anthony, you really do. Welcome, Anthony. Oh, thank you, Gary. Thank you for having me. Looking forward to this. Now, the book is South End Syndicate, How I Took Over the Genovese Springfield Crew. [0:37] And so, you know, I want to read just a little bit about one thing. I'm really impressed with this particular promos for your book, little blurbs that you get other authors to write in your book. T.J. English, who is New York Times bestselling author of The Westies and several others. And I just interviewed him recently, a prince of a fella. And this guy's word means something to me. And T.J. Writes, the last days of the Roman Empire if you were populated by snitches, gamblers, mobsters, lowlifes, and homicidal maniacs. In other words, this book is entertaining as hell, chronicling one small parochial, though notorious, faction of the American mafia in Springfield, Massachusetts. Ariadna tells the story of the whole damn thing. South End Syndicate is a worthy addition to any organized crime bookshelf. So Anthony, that's, that's quite a compliment from a guy like TJ English. Wouldn't you agree? Oh, I agree. Definitely. That was a really good write-up that he gave. And, uh, you know, he knows his, uh, he knows the, um, uh, the genre. So he does, he, he knows how to write it and, and he knows it, you know, he really knows it. He really does. Yeah. And he said, he, um, you know, his re you know, he can detect. The true, the true to the faith. Yeah. It's got a good bullshit detector. I could tell that when I interviewed him. Yeah, that's, yeah, that was really impressive. [2:02] Anyhow, so let's get down to talking about the book. You know, right now you're not in witness protection or anything. You did testify, but you're not in witness protection. So that's, I've noticed there's a lot of guys like that out there that are living on the streets so much for the old get you no matter what. But in the end, you wrote this book about your life, but you also talked a little [2:26] bit about the old days, I believe. You know, I talked, let's talk about the old days in Springfield, Matt, just a little bit before we get into that. You know, I interviewed this, I think it was Gina Cunningham. Her grandmother was Pasqualina Albano, and she had a heck of it. And that's a heck of a story. There's a lot of inner fighting and all that going on. And that was when Springfield got connected to the Genovese family in New York. Could you explain to the guys kind of how that first worked, how they, the, the Springfield became basically a crew or not a, maybe not a crew, but a, its own entity, but yet we're connected to the Genovese family. Yeah. So like you have drugs today, you had alcohol back then. [3:10] Organized crime really wasn't established at that time where they had traditional mafia of families back in the early 1900s, but you still had Italian immigrants. And with that came a way that the Italians lived and brought their traditional ways over to America. And so they got involved in bootlegging, protection rackets, some of the same rackets that continued on throughout the years. Springfield was heavily populated with a large Italian immigrant city. It was flooded, a lot of, you know, you know, from Calabria, Naples, Sicilians, all, you know, throughout Italy. It just flooded into Western Mass to Springfield. And so back in those days, there was a lot of gang activity, like you would call today. It was the same thing, gang activity, The only was, you know, instead of Latinos and blacks and, you know, whatever other Chinese, it was, you know, a lot of Italian, Jewish and Irish gangsters, you would call them. And so Springfield was heavily populated with that. They started to create some known figures back then. And just through the hustling and the bootlegging created an organized crime presence throughout Western Mass in Springfield. How they got involved later on. [4:39] With the New York connections where, you know, New York is heavily populated and then it's only two hours away from Springfield. So there was some big heavyweights and a lot of people are related. This one particular guy, the Miranda family, they were like heavyweights in the Genovese family. And so I believe Philomena ended up marrying one of the Mirandas. One of her husbands was a Miranda and he was, you know, I, I believe it was, uh, Mike ended up being on the, uh, later on and like maybe in the fifties, but he was like on, uh, uh, you know, one of the panel administration for the, uh, Genovese crime family. And he had relatives in here. He was related to the Fioris. [5:29] And so, um, you know, it's just like, you know, they had a satellite crew where they, you know, big no Sam Kane. He was from Calabria. He was, uh, you know, was in New York, but then came to, uh, Springfield. And so, you know, you got these active organized crime criminals and that's when the mafia started to get organized, you know, in the thirties and starting to get structure and territories, they started getting the territories down. So there's no, you know, they could stop the violence and the murders and, and, and have like territory split out so everyone could earn peacefully and big no sam kafari ended up being one of the uh you know well you're going back to like you know philomena she was actually a woman i think they shot her like 30 times and um there was a few murders uh the guy the one of the bosses uh siniscauchi he was murdered biori i believe was murdered there was a lot of brutal murders back in the early 1900s here. And so when Sam came in, he kind of solidified his presence. And then the structure came out where there was mafia induction ceremonies. [6:39] And Sam ended up blasting from the thirties all the way up into 1984 when he passed away, never spending one night in prison, never going to prison. He was just, he was a legendary mafia boss that, you know, you could put up there with Carlo Gambino, Tony Accardo. There was a, But he was a very notorious, he was at the Appalachian meet in 1957 when all the mobsters got rounded up. [7:03] And he was there as a representative. So... [7:08] Yeah, and that's how Springfield pretty much formed its base with the Genovese side through. I know the Mirandas had a big role in it because of blood ties. [7:19] Yeah, I think that Mike Miranda was, when Vito Genovese went into the penitentiary, he appointed a three-person commission to keep running the Genovese family. And he was one of those three people. And then he had these relatives out here at Western Mass. So just a natural kind of a connection, it sounds to me like pretty, pretty interesting stuff. How that, you know, how that developed, you know, you mentioned about comparing this to blacks or Latinos today and the gangs, you know, anytime you have a large cohort of people, newly arrived immigrants. [7:53] And so Italians get here. What I've noticed in Kansas City, the Italians got here. Well, the Irish had been here for quite a while, and they had all the police and fire and, you know, Trice Holland jobs, you know, the lower end jobs sewed up and the unions.

Did Alto Knights Replace the Ravenite? Apr 03, 2025

In this bonus episode of Gangland Wire, I follow up on my interview with Mafia historian Anthony DeStefano to discuss New York City's organized crime more. One of the most significant topics Anthony and I covered was the Alto Nights social club. This was not only the title, but also the central character in the recent Mafia film written by Goodfellas scribe Nicholas Pileggi, who starred Robert De Niro in dual roles. Gary sets the record straight on two pivotal New York crime hangouts—the Ravenite Social Club and the Alto Knights Social Club—which the media frequently confuse. The Ravenite at 247 Mulberry, tied to Carlo Gambino, played a crucial role in his rise to power after Albert Anastasia’s assassination. Meanwhile, the Alto Knights Social Club, at 86 Kenmarre, emerged from the old Cafe Royale, a well-known bookmaking hub, solidifying its place in Genovese family history. Only three blocks separated these clubs, but they were miles apart in Mafia history. Listeners will hear about notorious gangsters who frequented the Alto Knights, including Vito Genovese, Michael Miranda, and infamous enforcer Buster Ardito. Through historical anecdotes and law enforcement surveillance records, this episode paints a vivid picture of mob life—its power struggles, criminal enterprises, and the relentless pursuit by federal authorities. Click the link on Anthony DeStefano's name to see his mob books. Subscribe to get gangster stories weekly Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers. Good to be back here in Studio Gangland Wire. A little bonus episode here. Hopefully, you just listened to or watched my interview with Anthony DeStefano, who had these books about Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, and from which Nick Pileggi researched to write his screenplay for the most recent movie that's just released, Alto Nights, It's a pretty interesting movie. We haven't seen a movie about the mob in the 50s since the 50s or the 60s, I don't think. And they talk about the Alto Knight Social Club. That's what this was all about, the Alto Knight Social Club. It was a Genovese social club. But what I've noticed is there's a lot of discussion about where was this club? And there's a whole school of thought, thanks to the New York Times or another New York newspaper, were obviously conflating the Ravenite Social Club and the Alto Knights Social Club. Two different clubs. So let's look at the Ravenite, which was at 247 Mulberry Street. And what the papers are saying, that the Alto Knights name was changed by Carlo Gambino when he inherited it from Albert Anastasia after he was killed. Barbershop Quartet, if you remember, murdered him in the Barbershare most famous mob photos ever, I think. Bosley Gambino changed it to the Raven Knights, Raven Knights, like, you know. [1:26] Knights with a sword and the raven, because he loved the Edgar Allan Poe poem so much, the one called the Raven, you know, the Raven, quote, the Raven nevermore. Now, it seems kind of weird that Gambino must have been a pretty erudite, sophisticated mob boss. If you read Edgar Allan Poe and poems, you know, I remember it because it's just so immensely popular. It got to, you know, quote the Raven nevermore. It's such a great line that, you know, you've heard of it. I don't think I ever read the whole thing. It's certainly not for fun, maybe in school. And Raven Nights was then slurred into Ravenite. And, you know, that makes sense. And that became Paul Castellano's club. Uh neil della croce really don't neil della croce took it from carlo gambino and and then castellano as he was promoted to boss not della croce uh he never went down there that was that was the the kick on him was he never wanted to get his hands dirty and come down to on the street level where all the guys hung out and and so that's when gotti after he had castellano killed. [2:34] He moved his crew from the Bergen Hunt and Fish Club in Ozone Park and the Queens over to Manhattan, you know, the center of the world, Manhattan, New York, and took over the Ravenite, probably the most bugged or most attempted bug club ever. And this was about two blocks away from another club at 86 Kenmare, same general vicinity, real close to the old original New York City Police headquarters, or they called it the Broom Street Addicts or something like that. And the 86 Kenmare was a well-documented bookmaking center, and it was known as a Café Royale back in the day. Now, going back to 247 Mulberry Street, you know, it was, there's another story that says it was Albert Anastasia's club. This is a Ravenite, and it was called the Knights of the Alto Social Club. And he took it over from Joseph Profaci, who inherited it from Lucky Luciano in 1936. And so in order to, you know, the 247 Mulberry Street was always a Gambino Club, regardless of exactly how it got there. But Anastasia, Carlo Gambino took over that crime family after Anastasia was murdered. And, you know, I suppose he could have named it the Raven Knights Club. I don't know. But then when Neil Delacroce dies, he gives it to his underboss, really, because he doesn't like going down there anymore. [4:02] 1985, Mr. Neil dies. John Gotti has had Paul Castellano murdered, and he's now the boss of the Gambinos. And he moves over there, like I said before. But if you think historically, this was Albert Anastasia's club, for sure. [4:19] Gambino club, it's just always been a Gambino club, not a Genovese club at all. And the Alto Nights in the movie Social Club is a Genovese club. Now, the other location is 86 Kinmar, K-E-N-M-A-R-E. That's about two blocks away from the Ravenite. [4:38] Still in the same area, Chinatown. You call that Little Italy, I'm not sure, in the Chinatown area. That's where Anthony DeStefano claims the Alto Nights Social Club was after it was the Cafe Royale. There's an old article that I found that shows some bookmaking going on and a guy named Willie, they said Willie Morati, who was a Genovese guy, was actually probably Willie Moretti was arrested there. So it goes back as a club Royale as a. [5:10] Or Café Royale as a Genovese club, which then became the Alto Knights. Found a surveillance photo with the caption, Alto Knights Club, and that's where these photos were taken. And that was, you know, many early members of the Genovese crime family, as well as Ben Ovidio Genovese and his underboss, Michael Miranda, were there. Another source, Scott Bernstein, reports from FBI surveillance logs in 1958. They documented that a Genovese soldier named Sally Byrne, called Sally Byrne, Salvatore Granello, said he was arriving at the Alto Night Social Club in the afternoon to meet with Genovese to discuss some recent jewelry heist and hijackings that Genovese was owed a piece of. And so, you know, he also talks about in 1955, the Genovese was photographed by the NYPD narcotics squad, going on walking talks with one of his Newark, New Jersey lieutenants, Little Pussy Russo, outside the Alto Night Social Club, which indicates it's a different club. And this is in that area. And then it's probably, it's got to be where this Club Royale used to be because the Club Royale was at this 86 Kenmare. I found an article that said that. Never could find anything that said that address, that Kenmar address, but it's a different location from the Ravenite. [6:37] 1950s era newspaper, several photos taken in front of the Alto Knights Social Club. I may have said that before, showing Vito Genovese and a consigliere Michael Miranda standing there with some other photos of Genovese guys. You know, Michael Miranda, he was longtime consigliere, and he was actually part of the one. When Genovese went to jail after Costello and Luciano purportedly set him up to take a pension and actually ended up with a 15 year sentence for dealing narcotics and went to Atlanta. He set up a three-man ruling panel, which was Tommy Ryan Ibole, who was the acting boss, but Vito Genovese remained the boss, and then Jerry Catena and Michael Miranda. And they ran it, but Genovese relayed orders in the penitentiary. He did not like to give up control. Another photo in front of this alternate social club that shows some more long-term, well-known Genovese guys. A guy named John Ardito called him Buster Buster Ardito. He was a capital regime in the Genovese crime family under Mike Miranda. [7:49] Caption said that he was a well-known narcotics peddler, and he was talking with Alphonse, good-looking Al Criscolo, who was also a well-known Genovese family soldier, and that Criscolo had been arrested once by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics when they, what the article said, smashed an international dope syndicate in 1945. I couldn't find out much else about him. A lot about Buster Ardito. He lasted in the Genovese family, clear up to modern times, up in the 2000s. Came from Brooklyn. His legitimate cover job or a cover company, he was part owner of Butcher Shop at 590 East 156th Street in South Bronx. He was involved in narcotics. He took pops, took pinches for narcotics, extortion, loan sharking, gambling, the usual stuff. He was described as a button man in Michael Miranda's crew. Ardito was once busted for slipping some medicine to a guy. A Genovese mobster was on trial in 1983, Gus Cercio. [8:58] And all of a sudden he had a heart attack,

Anthony DeStefano on Mafia History & Alto Nights Mar 31, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire, I sit down with award-winning journalist and Mafia historian Anthony DeStefano to discuss New York City's organized crime. We discuss his meticulous research on New York’s most infamous mobsters and how his background in newspaper journalism has shaped his storytelling. One of the most significant topics we cover is Alto Nights, the highly anticipated Mafia film written by Goodfellas scribe Nicholas Pileggi and starring Robert De Niro in dual roles. Anthony shares how his books Top Hoodlum, which focuses on Frank Costello, and The Deadly Don: Vito Genovese Mafia Boss played a crucial role in Pileggi’s research. He also gives us an inside look at the film’s development, including how real-life mob history is translated to the big screen. We explore the legendary rivalry between Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, diving into their power struggles, assassination attempts, and Costello’s efforts to legitimize himself while staying deeply tied to organized crime. Anthony reveals new details from unseen FBI interviews, shedding light on Costello’s complex underworld dealings. We also discuss Costello’s mentorship under Lucky Luciano, the infamous Manhattan meeting that escalated tensions with Genovese, and how Vincent “Chin” Gigante played an unexpected role in Costello’s fate. Beyond the mobsters, we also examine the women behind the Mafia men, discussing how the personalities of Costello’s and Genovese’s wives influenced their rise and fall. Anthony breaks down the casting choices for Alto Nights and the creative liberties taken to heighten the drama. Finally, we reflect on why the public remains fascinated with Mafia history, from books to films to documentaries. If you love true crime, mob history, and behind-the-scenes Hollywood insights, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. Click the link on Anthony DeStefano's name here to see his mob books. Subscribe to gangster stories weekly Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, welcome, all you wiretappers out there. Good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. We have a show today with Anthony DeStefano. Now, any of you guys that read my books, and especially about the New York Mafia families, you probably know this name, Anthony DeStefano. And welcome, Anthony. I'm really glad to have you on the show, because you have been a huge contributor to the knowledge base of Mafia history in this country. Welcome. Well, thank you. Thank you for having me, and thank you for that very kind word. You know, I've read some of those books, and you're a good writer. You're like an old newspaper guy, right? [0:38] Well, yeah, I still am. That's right. You still are. You and, well, Nick Pileggiis an old newspaper guy. Larry McShane is a newspaper guy. There's several of you guys in New York that kind of cut your teeth on the mob news, and there's a lot of news there. And speaking of Nick Pileggi, you got involved with this movie that he's written a screenplay for called Alto Knights. It's creating quite a stir among mob fans right now. They're really anxiously waiting for this movie to come out with Robert De Niro playing two parts of [1:13] all things. I don't know how that works, but we'll see when the movie comes out. So how did you get involved with this? I'm sure you know Nick Pileggi and known him for quite a while. And he probably reached out to you when he got the job to do this. Is that how that worked? Yeah, what happened was, I've known Nick for a long time, like you said, and we were talking one day, I was doing research for a different book on the Lufthansa heist, and we were talking, but Nick started to veer off into talking about Frank Costello at length. And he was saying, look, I'm writing scripts. I think, you know, I make a great movie. [1:50] And he said to me, you know, I think he also makes a good book. And I thought for a second and I said, yeah, you're right. And I spoke to my publisher and we decided that let's do a book right away. A book right away. You know, we can get into the story. By the time the film comes out, we'll be there. [2:11] Well, little did I know the way Hollywood works is that, although I could get a book out pretty quickly, and I did with Frank Costello, the book called Top Hoodlum, Nick's film was not going to happen right away. You know, you got to go through a process out there with Hollywood. You got to get a director. You got to get a producer. You got to get talent. You got to get money. So it took about six years before this project really got off the ground. running. In the interim, I wrote about three or four other books, one of them being Vito Genovese, you know, Vito Genovese, The Deadly Don. So these books all came together at the same time. [2:52] And Nick had both books, Top Hoodlum and Deadly Dawn, on his desk to write the script for the Alto Knights. And, you know, it's a process. It's really, you know, he had to do the research. He had to rummage through my books and my files. And, you know, I did this for him because I've known him a long time. And it was kind of thrilling to see this finally get off the ground. And you know he put the script together i think in 2023 and by 2024 probably late 23 they were in production and they had a delivery date or actually a premiere date sometime in the fall of 2024 well again hollywood never works where you think it's going to work and this date It got pushed back or forward into late 2024, then early 2025, and finally March 21st, 2025. [3:57] Which is the new premiere date, the date when it's going to hit the screens. You know, it was a process. You had to get funding. You had to get actors, actresses, and, you know, it all came together. But it took a while, and it was Nick's sort of passion to do this story, [4:15] because what What it did was meld together a lot of the mob history from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. And that's what was crucial here. It happened that way. It took a long time. The finished product is going to hit the screens very soon. It's hard to make a good movie. Let's hope that he hits it out of the park, which I think he and Scorsese did with Casino for sure. Yeah. And Goodfellas also. And I assume you were working on the Lufthansa heist. He probably consulted with you somewhat on that. Lufthansa Heiss was part of that. Actually, in other words, I consulted with Nick. [4:53] Oh, did you really? Yeah. He had had the Wiseguy book, and of course, they did Goodfellas. And Lufthansa was part of that. So it was important that when I write my Lufthansa book, that I had to talk to Nick. And he was very generous with his information. [5:09] We sort of swapped stories. And of course, we got into Frank Costello. Yeah. Interesting. Yeah. Speaking of Frank Costello, you know, I was kind of looking back on him and about your book. And I see that you were able to find some some secret interviews with federal investigators and some private meetings he had with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. Tell us a little bit about that. Well, Frank was debriefed probably one or two times. [5:34] By the FBI. Now, he really didn't give them that much, but he defended himself saying, look, I'm a businessman and I never stole a nickel from anybody. He tried to put his best foot forward. Those I found in his FBI files. And also there was some litigation when he was fighting against his deportation order back in the early 60s, I think it was. He gave a statement And there was material included in that bit of litigation, which also sort of helped the story. It helped him with his own words and with the words of other people who worked with him. [6:17] So it was interesting. It's interesting to find that stuff. Yeah, that really would be a fine, just be fun to read and put in some historical perspective. And speaking of historical perspective, you know, he was mentor. His first boss was Lucky Luciano and he was actually running Luciano family, uh, when Luciano was, was gone. So, uh, talk a little bit about that and his partnership with him. It seemed like Luciano was a real businessman and Frank was a real businessman. They wanted to run this thing with less murder, although they created it on murder, but they wanted to run this thing with less murder. Now, that transition there, that's really interesting to me. Well, Luciano is credited with creating the concept of the commission and the sort of almost corporate organization for the mob with all the families. We get together in sort of a ruling council, like a board of directors, and try to mitigate violence and run things as a business. Costello was, of course, under Luciano at the time and during that period. Luciano got convicted, as you know, on a prostitution case and got sent away to prison. And the caretaker really was Frank Costello of that family. [7:35] Ultimately, after World War II, Luciano was allowed to go to Italy. His sentence was commuted, I suppose, and he went to Italy. So we had Costello nominally in charge. [7:54] And interestingly, when Luciano left the country, Vito Genovese came back because he was ducking murder rap out of Brooklyn. He fled to Italy, got palsy with Mussolini, and ultimately worked as a translator, if you believe it, for the U.S. [8:11] Armed Services Provisional Government after the war. But, of course, they got wise to veto,

Did Frank Balistrieri Bomb My Cousin Augie Mar 24, 2025

Gary interviews Mary Spicuzza, an investigative reporter with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who discusses her personal connection to the Milwaukee organized crime landscape through her cousin, Augie Palmisano. Augie was killed in a car bombing in 1978, an event that had a significant impact on Mary’s family, yet was rarely spoken of. Growing up, Mary’s father instilled in her a cautionary respect for organized crime, advising her to avoid falling in with the "wrong crowd." However, this left her with limited understanding of Augie's life and tragic death until she delved into extensive investigative research. Mary chronicles her journey into uncovering the mystery surrounding Augie's murder, citing familial silence and societal stigma against discussing such topics. With Augie being part of the Milwaukee crime family, the Balistrieri Family, his history revealed a world filled with complexity, where he was not just a victim but also an active participant in gambling. Mary emphasizes that Augie ran a bar and was deeply involved in the gambling scene, but he was also a caring figure in his community, known for his generous acts and connections with local residents. This narrative complicates the typical portrayal of organized crime figures and invites listeners to see them as multifaceted individuals rather than solely as criminals. The conversation touches on the broader context of organized crime in the 1970s, detailing how crime families in cities like Milwaukee, Kansas City, and Cleveland interlinked in schemes, particularly the infamous Las Vegas skim operation. Prominent figures like Frank Balistrieri, known as a ruthless mob boss in Milwaukee, are discussed, highlighting the violent measures he allegedly employed to assert his dominance. This included extortion and bombings, methods that claimed lives and instilled fear within the community. Augie's murder was surrounded by speculation; many believed it was due to a refusal to pay tribute or cuts to Balistrieri, who was known for his violent reputation. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Click here to listen to Mary Spicuzza's podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers. Welcome back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is retired Sergeant, Kansas City Police Department Intelligence Unit, Gary Jenkins, as you all know. And I have a really interesting show today and really interesting interview. I've not done much on Milwaukee. And you know, Milwaukee really was a part of the cartel, if you will, of Kansas City, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Chicago that skimmed all that money from Las Vegas. And I've done a little bit on Milwaukee, and I've got one old show where we had a relocated witness from Milwaukee who was here in Kansas City, and we were starting to make a case on him, but then it came out he was a witness, and they sent him on to another city. But today I hear Mary Spicuzza. Mary, welcome. [0:42] Thank you so much for having me. Now, Mary, tell me how I should really pronounce Spicuzza. Well, if you're in Sicily, my family's from Termini Moresi, and I've gone back to visit a few times, and they will say, if they see my name or my passport, they'll say, ah, Maria Caterina Spicuzza. There we go. There we go. So I don't expect you to say that, but it's always lovely this time of year if you want to go and you can practice. [1:08] Yeah, I've been wanting to go. I'll get there eventually. I'm sure I want to see the volcanoes is one of the things I want to see. [1:15] So Mary is an investigative reporter with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and she also has her own personal connection to the Milwaukee crime family, the Ballesteri family, her cousin, and she has done a whole investigative piece on that, a big long article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which is online, by the way. I'll have a link to that article down below. And she started her own podcast talking about this journey that she had in trying to uncover the murder of my cousin Augie, and that's the name of the podcast, guys, My Cousin Augie. So look down in the show notes for that, uh, that link. So Mary, welcome. And, uh, you know, I, this is just, uh, it's gotta be compelling as heck because you were, you know, you knew Augie and you know, all these guys and you're, [2:01] you were warned by people not to get into this. So start telling us about how you got into this. [2:07] Yeah. So this was something that, um, uh, My family did not talk about and like pretty aggressively didn't talk about. So my dad was very, my dad and cousin Augie, Augie or August, Augustino, Palmisano, they were born and they were both born around the same time. I believe they grew up together as cousins. But at a certain point, well, Augie was killed when I was a very little girl. He was killed in 1978. And my dad would not talk about it. And he would only say things like, don't fall in with the wrong crowd. You know what happened to Cousin Augie. Don't gamble. You don't want to end up like Cousin Augie. [2:51] Don't talk back to the wrong person. You know what happened to Cousin Augie. And it was like, Dad, and I was a baby of five. And we're all like, Dad, we don't know what happened to Cousin Auggie because you won't tell us. We just know it was something really, obviously really bad happened to him. But I went years before I realized what had happened to Cousin Auggie. And what had happened was that he was leaving for work one morning and went [3:15] down to his parking garage and tried to start his car and was immediately killed. There was a car bomb, and it blew up. [3:24] He was burned very badly and killed instantly. Luckily for the city and for others, nobody was in the parking garage at the time. And because it was like an enclosed concrete big parking garage, the damage was contained to just empty cars and the building itself. But it could have been. I talked to some retired police officers who talked about with that kind of explosion and the amount of sticks of dynamite that were used in the booster that it could have damaged several city blocks and killed a lot more people if it had gone off in the open. Yeah. And he was known, your mob boss up there, Frank Balistrieri, was known as the bad bomber. He liked to use bombs. Yes, he did like to use bombs. It was interesting because I wonder if how much of that was like a nickname in real time or like a nickname after the fact as people, because I heard like some people called him like Mr. B for Mr. Balistrieri or Mr. Big or Mr. Slick. fancy pants was one that yeah and i know some of the kansas city uh organized crime leaders kind of mocked him and called him fancy pants because they didn't necessarily like him um but i do think yeah he is somebody i don't think we know um i know there are rumors that he was behind a bombing or two in las vegas including the failed um if the failed car bombing that someone survived because of the car, like the makeup of the car. [4:53] So I think, but yeah, Augie was killed. Obviously no one was ever convicted in the murder. Frank Balastrieri was convicted of other things. So we can't say definitively who ordered it and who placed the bomb, but I think we have a pretty good idea of what happens. So tell us a little bit about your cousin Augie. He didn't just appear one morning and have a bomb placed in his car. There's some backstory here. So tell us a little bit about Augie. Yeah. So I learned a lot of this backstory as I was reporting because I knew so little about him from us not talking about him. But from what I was told. And what I was able to report. I did request all the FBI files on Augie. He was a gambler. I don't want to portray him. And even some of our family members were like, we don't want to portray him as this saint or angel. [5:43] He was a gambler. He was a bar owner. A lot of gambling was going on in his tavern, some horse racing, some sports gambling, some money was changing hands, we will say. And this was in a neighborhood that's known as the Third Ward in Milwaukee. Now it's kind of this posh neighborhood where there's boutiques and places for like boozy brunches and anthropology and plant stores. [6:13] But it was not that neighborhood back then. This was where a lot of the Milwaukee Sicilians. When they came to Milwaukee, a lot of us, myself included, our grandparents when they got here, or great grandparents, grandparents in my case, Milwaukee, the third ward was a pretty, very working class, very like pull yourself up by the bootstraps. Lots of people did what my family did was sell fruit, sell bananas, selling places where you could work, even if you didn't know English and you didn't have like a high school education because a lot of people just didn't have that privilege. But it was a rougher neighborhood back then. And Augie's was kind of, it had, it was kind of, it was changing when Augie was killed. And I don't know what he would think if he was able to, you know, come back or my grandparents come back and see it now because it's such a different world. But back then there was a lot of people working round the clock in the produce business and they'd want to go and have a drink and some food and maybe do a little gambling afterwards. [7:12] But, you know,

Who Killed Superman? The Hollywood Moguls Mar 17, 2025

Gary welcomes back Michael Benson, an author known for his insightful explorations of organized crime and Hollywood history. Benson has collaborated with Frank DiMatteo on several mob-related books, including The Cigar: Carmine Galante and Mafia Hitman, illustrating the intricate ties between criminal enterprises and key figures' personal stories. In Hollywood Moguls: The Lives and Times of Hollywood Film Pioneers Nicholas and Joseph Schenck, Michael documents stories of corruption and mob infiltration and reveals that Craig Reeves, Superman, was murdered and did not commit suicide. As the conversation unfolds, the host and Benson delve into the Skank brothers' encounters with organized crime. They recount how notorious Chicago Outfit extortionists sought to muscle in on the movie theaters by taking over the projectionists' union. The brothers cleverly turned this threat into an opportunity, negotiating a deal that ultimately benefited both sides while ensuring their continued financial success. This anecdote exemplifies the intertwining of crime and commerce during the era, showcasing how the Skank brothers operated in a morally gray space to maintain power. Benson narrates incidents from Hollywood's scandalous past, explicitly focusing on Fatty Arbuckle, one of the Skank brothers' most prominent stars, whose career unraveled due to a notorious scandal in the 1920s. Arbuckle’s involvement in a tragic incident highlighted the dark side of celebrity culture and the lengths to which the Skank brothers went to protect their financial interests, including paying for Arbuckle’s trials. Through Arbuckle's story, the conversation touches on the reputational risks that could derail even the most profitable careers and the measures Hollywood took to manage public relations crises. Click here to buy Michael's book: Hollywood Moguls Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, it's good to be back here in Studio Gangland Wires. Colder in hell here in Kansas City today, as you can tell by [0:06] the flannel shirt I'm wearing. And I see my guest, Michael Benson, is wearing some more cold weather clothes, too. So anyhow, Michael Benson is our guest today. I've had him on before. He has written several mob books with Frank DiMatteo. I just actually just really read with, in detail, really read through this story of Carmine Galante's cigars. It's really, really a good book. It was kind of interesting to really sit and go through a book, you know, line by line rather than just, you know, going through it real fast is really good. Well-written. And then we got Mafia Hitman by Frank DiMatteo and Michael Benson. That's, that's the story of the guy that really killed Joey Gallo. Not the Irishman. So you got a couple more, I believe. We love Scorsese, but he prefers stories that aren't quite true. And he tells them really well. Yeah. But it's not history. Yeah. And Frank had a kind of a front row seat to a lot of these. You're a co-author. [1:05] He is the authority. Yes. He is. He truly is. He's a good guy too. The first book he wrote about his own father and a lot about that. It's got to be. Well, you know, the deal that he wrote a book called Lion in the Basement. About Joey Gallo and the lion in the basement on President Street. And Gary Goldstein at Kensington Books read it and said, this is a diamond in the rough. And that's how I got involved with Frank. He came to me and said, can you turn this into a book that people in Kansas City will read? And I think he actually said Kansas City. He said, Mr. and Mrs. Kansas City will read. [1:39] And I said, sure. And it turned out, Frank, I got along and the rest is history. We're writing mafia history like it's never been written before. Yeah, no, I agree. I totally agree. So we're going to do some more shows on this with you guys. So anyhow, moguls, the life and times of Hollywood film pioneers, Nicholas and Joseph Schnick. Is that how you pronounce that? [1:59] Wow. That's the worst pronunciation I've ever heard. That's what I'm famous for. You realize that nobody gets it right, but that was special. Oh, no, it's skank. Skank, huh? Yes. I don't know how you get that out of S-C-H-E-N-C-K, but skank. It's Russian. And their descendants pronounce it shank, which is a little easier on the ear. Yeah. But I think one of the reasons that the Skank brothers weren't better known is because Americans reacted just that way to the sound of their name. They were referred to as the Skunk Brothers by their enemy. Oh, it's easier to make fun of somebody. They hid behind other people's logos. They ran Lowe's Inc. Marcus Lowe was long passed away. And they ran 20th Century Fox. Fox no longer had anything to do with it. It was the Skank Brothers. Interesting. So how'd you get into this? Well, my friend Craig Singer, who was a film director, Good Night to Die, 645, The Dark Ride, about a haunted amusement park, came to me and said that he had worked with the great nephew of the Skank brothers. And they were wondering why nobody had ever written a biography of them, considering they were the most powerful brothers in show business history. And Craig said, who? Who? [3:18] And eventually we found out that there were some reasons why they had almost slipped off of having a legacy, despite, uh, Nick being the eighth richest man in America at one point, the only Jewish man in the top 10, uh, his brother, Joe, not far behind. They ran three out of the five major studios in Hollywood, um, and tremendously powerful, but Nick in particular didn't like publicity, paid a publicist to keep his name out of the newspapers. His family was trained not to talk about him. They don't talk about grandpa. They don't talk about daddy. And so they almost lost their legacy, but Craig and I stepped up. We went back in time, searched the archives, found everything else to know about these men. They had fascinating lives. And we don't have to worry about them being forgotten anymore. Nick and Joe Skank, three times as powerful as the Warner Brothers. And if they had named the company after themselves, they would be just as famous. Interesting. I was wondering why I heard of Louis B. Mayer and David O. Selznick and names like that are like household words, but these guys, I had not heard those names. Nick is Louis B. Mayer's boss. [4:31] And sometimes you'll hear in old movies, you'll hear it referred to like the studio bosses. We have to check with New York. Yeah. And that means the money people who were in their Gatsby mansions on Long Island, they're actually calling the shots. Interesting. That is really a deep dive into the early foundations and look at the movie industry. And you touch on the mob in the movie industry. Assorted and crime-ridden, yes. Oh, it was. I mean, there's so many great crime stories in there. It's hard to believe. I mean, there's a lot of good just actual history, but there's a lot of great crime stories in there, too. You would have to agree with that. Joe and Nick faced a lot of big enemies. I mean, as we'll talk about, the mafia tried to take a bite out of them. The U.S. Government did not like the fact that this was a major industry being run by a handful of un-Christian men. [5:24] And in the long run, the thing that got them was television. You know, they stayed really, really powerful until TV invaded the living room. And they were old men by this time. And I think that younger skanks would have seen TV as an opportunity. They saw it as competition and they lost. But before that, they took on the Chicago outfit and in a weird way, created a system where everybody made money, which I think is the forte of really, really rich men. What happened was there were these two low lives in Chicago named George Brown and Willie Bia. [6:05] And they were extortionists. They ran a protection. And they went up and down Fulton Avenue and they said to everybody with a shop or a restaurant or a bar, they said, you pay us and nothing bad will happen to your place. If you don't pay, you know, who knows? You can get a firebombing or something. And they decided that they were going to take on movie theaters. [6:28] And they had some minimal success. They got payments out of Benny Balaban, who's a Chicago magnate of theaters. So they decided to hit up on the Skank brothers. And, uh, well, actually what happened was they, they, they, first they had, they got the money from, from Balaban and went to a casino and started spending it very fast. And frank nitty watched this and said where a couple little lives like that get all that cash so he calls them in they think they're gonna get whacked but he says look you're thinking small you're small time what you got to do is you got to think big and the do not threaten a fire bombing or or even a brick through the window in order to pull off a really classy extortion scheme You have to make it always appear as if no crime is being committed. [7:20] So what they did was they took over the projectionist union. All the projectionists who showed the movies at all the theaters had a union. And the mob saw it as politically weak, went in, bullied their way in, and took over. And they come to the Skank brothers and say, you have to pay us or else the projectionists go on strike.

The Sadistic Reign of Mad Sam DeStefano Mar 10, 2025

In this episode, Gary takes a deep dive into the ruthless life of Mad Sam DeStefano, one of the most brutal enforcers in organized crime history. A notorious loan shark tied to the Chicago Outfit, DeStefano’s reputation for violence and torture made him a feared figure—even among his fellow mobsters. Born in 1909 in Illinois, DeStefano’s criminal career began early, leading him from street gangs to the infamous 42 Gang and eventually into the Outfit ranks. His path to power was paved with violence, intimidation, and a sadistic pleasure in collecting debts through extreme methods. From his days as a political fixer to his reign as a feared loan shark, we uncover the chilling techniques he used to maintain control, including stories of his soundproof torture chamber and psychological manipulation of victims. We also explore his relationship with Tony Spilotro, the mentee who would eventually play a role in his demise. As DeStefano’s erratic behavior and grotesque acts pushed him further into instability, his allies turned into enemies, sealing his fate in a brutal execution. Join me as we revisit the twisted legacy of Mad Sam DeStefano, a man who thrived on fear but ultimately fell victim to the same violent world he helped create. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:03]Introduction to Mad Sam DeStefano [0:00]Well, hey, all you wiretappers, welcome back to the studio of Gangland Wire. I have an old show that I did like seven or eight years ago, a long time ago, and I haven't retouched this guy since. So I went back in and looked at it and did some new stuff and re-edited it. So I have the story of Mad Sam DeStefano, who was a Chicago outfit loan shark collector. I'll tell you what, wait till you hear this guy's story. A lot of you may have heard of him. He's pretty well known, been pretty well reported on. But this guy is, he is what we call affectionately a piece of work. So settle back and listen to the story of the life of the most brutal loan shark collector and loan shark that probably ever was that I know about. He liked to torture. This guy is Sam, Mad Sam DeStefano. And I'd heard of Mad Sam. Of course, all you guys up in Chicago know about Mad Sam. He was kind of the guy that taught Tony Spilotro all the tricks of the trade on being a gangster. He was one of the first guys that Spilotro was given, was sent to his crew or Spilotro joined his crew. But Mad Sam, we'll tell you a little bit about the history of Mad Sam. Mad Sam was born in 1909. [1:21]And he would go on to become a big-time loan shark and a political fixer and a sociopathic killer for the Chicago outfit. I heard of, there's a guy a lot of you all know, a Chicago, former Chicago-based FBI agent named William F. Romer Jr. He wrote several books on the mob that a lot of people cuss and discuss and argue about whether he was telling the truth or making stuff up. But regardless what you think of Bill Romer, he did know Chicago Outfit better than anybody. And he considered DeStefano to be the worst torture murderer in the history of the United States. He said that this guy was a mentally unstable and sadistic person that was used by the Outfit as an enforcer and a juice loan collector. Sam, Mad Sam, was born in Streeter, Illinois. [2:09]His father was a laborer named Sam DeStefano Sr. His mother's named Rosalie. Both of them had been born in Italy and immigrated to the United States in 1903. So Mad Sam was a citizen. He was born here in 1909. His dad was kind of an up-and-comer in a way. He started out as a laborer and worked in a coal mine downstate in Heron, Illinois. They had some labor-related turmoil, but I looked it up. It was the Heron Massacre. A bunch of union members killed a whole bunch of strikebreakers down there, And then the company brought in some thugs to beat up the union people. So he just got out and went up to Chicago and moved into Little Italy on the west side of the loop down there and around Taylor and Western, I think. Looking at Mad Sam, one of the earlier reports about his criminal activity was in 1926. He would have been about 17 or 18 years old. He was arrested and turned over to the Niles Police Department, which is a suburb of Chicago, as being a fugitive for breaking out of jail. He joined a gang. It was called the 42 Gang. [3:19]1927, July the 1st, several hundred of these West Side gang members showed up threatening violence against a police sergeant for arresting DeStefano and for shooting DeStefano's associate, Harry Casgrove. So he had established a reputation by the time before he was 20 years old, really, and had people following him and looking up to him. Started out with a charge of rape. [3:44]Early Crimes and Rise to Infamy [3:45]Best I can gather, DeStefano and another gang member, Ralph Orlando, had lured. Actually, they had waited outside a movie theater and found a 17-year-old girl walking home alone. And they forced her into an automobile and drove her to a garage where she was sexually assaulted by several other gang members. [4:05]Orlando and DeStefano were found guilty of this crime. Now, he got a lighter sentence because the police, for somehow the police were called. I don't know how, some neighbor must have heard the girl screaming or something. Police were called, and they burst in, and they arrived before DeStefano had the opportunity to rape the girl. So he had a much lighter sentence. He only did three years. [4:28]He was a member of the 42 gang sometime during this time, which was the junior varsity, if you will, for the Chicago outfit. Many young guys in Chicago graduated from the 42 gang to join the outfit. And one of the most famous ones was Salvatore Sam Giancana, or Momo. They call him Momo. [4:46]The press coverage that the 42ers had gotten for all their different crimes had captured the attention of the outfit. And particularly Al Capone, they were used to do burglaries and fence their property for them and help in the bootlegging. They need a lot of people to drive trucks and guard truckloads of beer and help establish enforcement around speakeasies and set up speakeasies and gambling games. They'd hire them for runners and truck drivers. They were a little bit out of control, all these young guys, but they did have their uses. It was probably one of the more highly skilled of these young guys. And he had a reputation as a, his early reputation was a skilled wheel man. And I don't mean a motorcycle officer. If you remember, we had that whole conversation about whether you're the getaway driver or you're a motorcycle officer for the Kansas City Police Department. So he was not a motorcycle officer. He was a getaway driver and he was known to be calm under pressure. He quickly became a protege of Tony, Joe, Anthony, Joe "Batters"Accardo and Paul the Waiter Rica, who were some of the early bosses after Al Capone and Frank Nitti. Giancana would bring a number of his 42 gang members, like Mad Sam, into the outfit, and he would go on to become actually the boss of the outfit by 1957. [6:06]He will later kind of have to abdicate and travel to Mexico, and he will eventually be killed, but that's a whole other story. He's the one that brought Mad Sam DeStefano from the 42ers into the big time. [6:18]DeStefano himself soon became involved in bootlegging and gambling. In 1932, he was wounded by a policeman during a grocery store robbery. Later that year in August, after that, DeStefano appeared at a hospital in Chicago's west side with bullet wounds, which refused to explain. So he was getting around, but this was, he was in his early 20s in 1933. He must have been part of a robbery crew because in 1933, DeStefano was convicted of a bank robbery up in New Lisbon, Wisconsin, and sentenced to 40 years in the penitentiary. Well, the political fix must have got put in because within eight years, his sentence is commuted by the governor, and he's released in December of 1944. [7:04]DeStefano returned to prison in June 1947 for possessing counterfeit sugar ration stamps. During the war, they had to ration tires, gasoline, and sugar in particular, and I think meat was rationed too. What these guys would do, DeStefano was working, And when he got out of the joint in 1944 at the end of the war, he was working in a place where they did printing. And we had access to printing facilities and started printing up counterfeit sugar ration stamps and selling to people. He got popped for that, went back to the penitentiary. And this was a good penitentiary term for him. He was sent down to Leavenworth, and there he met outfit members Paul, the waiter Rica, and Louis Campagna. When he came out in 1947, he must have got their attention, and he probably made sure everybody was safe, and he was kind of a bad actor, so he was a tough guy. After he was released, he immediately got a civil service job with the city of Chicago in the garbage dumping foreman. And by 1952, the fix for him getting that job must not have stuck or he probably created a lot of trouble or wasn't showing up or something because city officials discovered that he had omitted his criminal record from his application. They didn't prosecute him, but I think he lost his job at that time. [8:22]Loan Sharking and Political Fixes [8:23]During the 1950s, he went on to be a full time outfit loan shark operator.

Mafia Cops: NYPD Corruption and Murder Mar 03, 2025

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. The Mafia Cops: NYPD Corruption and Murder with Michael Connell. In this explosive episode of Gangland Wire, I uncover the shocking true story of two NYPD detectives who became hitmen for the Mafia. Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa weren’t just dirty cops—they were fully embedded in the Lucchese crime family, leaking intelligence, setting up murders, and betraying the very system they swore to uphold. Joining me is Michael Connell, author of a gripping account of their crimes. We break down how these officers, once respected members of law enforcement, used their badges to serve the mob. Eppolito’s deep family ties to organized crime and Caracappa’s access to high-level police intelligence made them the perfect duo for Gaspipe Casso and the Lucchese family. Their corruption ran so deep that they not only provided inside information but also carried out Mafia-ordered executions—including the tragic killing of an innocent man due to a case of mistaken identity. We discuss how their downfall unfolded, from a shocking whistleblower to the relentless detective work that finally exposed them. We dive into the role of Betty Heidel, a grieving mother determined to find justice for her murdered son, and Detective Tommy Dades, who helped piece together the case that brought Eppolito and Caracappa to justice. This story concerns power, betrayal, and the dark intersection between law enforcement and organized crime. Don’t miss this deep dive into one of NYPD's most astonishing corruption cases. Find Michael's book Blood on the Badge at this link. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! #TrueCrime #BostonMafia #OrganizedCrime #GanglandWire #AngiuloFamily #FBI #Surveillance #MafiaHistory Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there. Good to be back here in Studio Gangland Wire. I have an author today, some stories about the mafia cops, the mob cops in New York City, Caracapa and Eppolito. Those two guys were bad dudes. So I have Michael Connell. Welcome, Michael. Hey, it's great to be here. Thanks. Thanks. Great to see you again. Yeah, you too. Yeah, you've been on the show before, haven't you? I have, yes. For my previous book, I guess that we were here together three or so years ago. Was it that long? Was it Abrellis? Was it Abrellis' book? It was Abrellis, right, exactly. Yeah, that guy's a character. Abrellis, also known as Kid Twist, who went out the window of a hotel in Coney Island. [0:48] Nobody knows exactly how he went out, but one thing's for sure, it wasn't voluntary. The canary could sing, but he couldn't fly, right? Exactly. So, guys, I know you all know me, but I'm retired intelligence unit detective Gary Jenkins, Kansas City Police Department. Got this show, Gangland Wire, and we deal with the mafia almost every week. So this story is blood and the bads, the mafia, two killer cops, and a scandal that shocked the nation. I know you know some of y'all will know this story about Steve Caraappa and Lou Eppilito I want to tell you what Joe Pistone who everybody knows is Donnie Brasco, said about this book "Cannell pulls back the veil to refill law enforcement's most lurid chapter an entwined tale of decorated detectives on the mafia payroll a true account of police depravity unearthed with intensive reporting. And it really was. I mean, these two guys, Michael, they were unbelievable. They were depraved, depravity. I think that's a really good word to say. They were like mafia people that went undercover on the cops, I would say, wouldn't you? [2:04] Yeah, I mean, the story essentially is that these two decorated detectives in the NYPD were on the mafia payroll and on the Lucchese crime family payroll in the late 80s and mostly the early 90s. And Louis Eppolito, who was really kind of the main guy, was born into a mafia family. His father was a Gambino Capo known as Fat the Gangster. And his uncle was a Gambino Capo known as Jimmy the Clam. And so Louis Eppolito was born into a prominent mafia family, but he rebelled against his family and joined the NYPD. And he became a detective, mostly working in South Brooklyn. Slowly but gradually, his family drew him back into the family business. And his patron in the mafia was an underboss known as Gas Pipe Casso. And so Louis Eppolito and his friend and partner, a man named Stephen Caracapa, were feeding Gas Pipe Casso sensitive police information. Who was under surveillance? Whose phones were tapped? [3:30] Most importantly, who was an informant? Who was a rat? And so... [3:40] What did Gas Pipe Casso do when he found out who the rats in his ranks were? Well, he hired Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa to facilitate the murder or assassination of the rats. And in at least one case, Eppolito and Caracappa pulled the trigger themselves. So they were bad guys. You know, among the detectives that I interviewed and that I got to know and got to be friends with in the course of interviewing this book, many of them said that they considered this to be the worst case of police corruption in the history of New York. And, I mean, I don't know if I would make that claim myself. I'm not sure that I'm qualified to make that claim. But certainly this is among the worst cases of corruption in the country's history. [4:34] There's no doubt about it. I saw that documentary about the 7-5 about all the corruption of more street policemen against people who were dealing narcotics on the street level. And that was pretty widespread corruption among a whole precinct. But these guys, they were targeted and against the higher echelon informants. How were they able to find out names of informants and things like that? Now, where did they work? You have to be, you have to work certain places in the police department to be aware of a lot of this information. You're just Joe Blow street cop out there doesn't know a lot of what's going on. Where did they work that gave them access to this kind of information? [5:16] Well, for the most part, the way they found out was that Stephen Caracappa, Louis Eppolito's partner, worked in what was called the Major Case Squad. So the Major Case Squad, of course, was working on the most prominent cases and made a real effort to work on organized crime cases. And Caracappa, he had worked it out so that in the Major Case Squad, he was a kind of point man for all of the paperwork. People would report to him. They would call him every morning. They would file their updates and information to him. He would compile them, and then he would send them along to the higher-ups. So Caracapa was uniquely positioned to know exactly what was going on, to know what everybody was working on. And not only that, but he had access to FBI and DEA information. So whenever this information crossed his desk, he would send it along to the Lucchese crime family. And for the most part, this information was accurate. In one tragic case, he passed information along to Gas Pipe Casa, the underboss. [6:32] And Casa ordered the shooting of a young man named Nicky Guido. The shooting occurred in Brooklyn on Christmas morning. Nicky, who was 26 years old, came outside with his uncle to show his uncle his new car, and he was shot to death there. The problem was that it was the wrong Nicky Guido. It was a case of mistaken identity. The Nicky Guido that Gas Pipe Casa was seeking, same name, also lived in Brooklyn, but lived in an adjacent neighborhood. So that was a rare case of the information being faulty. Years later, when Casso was interviewed about this on 60 Minutes, he said, these things happen. He brushed it off. He dismissed it. [7:22] Wow. That's, you know, those, that's Karakapa being, getting himself in a position where all the paperwork went through him so he could see everything was going on. A few years later, Gotti's people will develop an informant in the intelligence unit. He was actually an injured detective, a guy named Bill Peist. And that's all he did was handle the paperwork and he had all this information. So he was really valuable to them for a period of time. So that's really interesting because you've got to be in the right place to get any kind of decent information. Right. [7:54] Go ahead. Go ahead. You know, I'm just going to say it's worth remembering that all of this is taking place at a time when Rudy Giuliani and other prosecutors were using the RICO laws to bust the mob. The mob bosses were desperate. They were desperate for information. They were desperate to find out who was under investigation. The days when they could more or less do what they wanted in New York were coming to a close, and Giuliani was rounding people up. These two cops working for the Lucchese-Quine family were kind of a lifeline for the mob. Gas Pipe Caso referred to them as his crystal ball, and that's really what they were. They were like a crystal ball. I wonder, did it become known among other mob guys that they had this source of, or Caso had this source of information? Did they like, I was coming bug gas pipe about, hey, find out about this, find out about that? [8:53] Yeah, I mean, people knew that gas pipe had a crystal ball, but they only knew this people as the crystal ball.

Gennaro Angiulo Wiretapped Feb 24, 2025

In this episode of Gangland Wire Crime Stories, I dive into the intricate world of the Boston Mafia, focusing on the notorious Gennaro Angiulo family and their operations. As a retired Kansas City police intelligence detective, my fascination with organized crime has led me to some of the most compelling stories in law enforcement history. Today, I’m joined by Ian Cross, an expert on Boston’s underworld, for a deep dive into the city’s mob landscape, the power struggles between the Italian and Irish factions, and the innovative tactics used to dismantle these criminal empires. We start with a behind-the-scenes look at the FBI’s surveillance methods—how agents installed covert microphones, maintained secrecy, and penetrated the Mafia’s inner circles. I share a striking Kansas City case where a courtroom revelation exposed a long-hidden bugging technique, shedding light on the FBI’s relentless efforts. Ian provides his expertise on Boston’s organized crime scene, detailing how law enforcement’s meticulous strategies put pressure on the Angiulo family’s gambling empire. Ian also introduces us to The Big Dig, his previous podcast exploring Boston’s controversial tunnel project and its ties to corruption and organized crime. This leads us to the heart of today’s episode—Gennaro “Jerry” Angiulo, the underboss who controlled the city’s illegal gambling operations from the North End. We discuss his rise to power, his strategic avoidance of violence, and the FBI’s elaborate efforts to bring him down through surveillance and legal maneuvers. As we unpack the Angiulo family’s criminal enterprise, Ian shares gripping details of the FBI’s wiretaps—how agents captured Jerry’s conversations, exposing the inner workings of Boston’s Mafia. We also explore the broader impact of these investigations, including the tensions within the organization and the shifting landscape of organized crime in the city. Ian previews his upcoming podcast, Scratch and Win, which explores the Mafia’s transition from controlling underground gambling to the rise of state-run lotteries. It’s fascinating how organized crime adapts to new realities while continuing to operate in the shadows. Join us for this in-depth discussion on one of Boston’s most influential Mafia families and the law enforcement strategies that ultimately took them down. Don’t forget to subscribe for more true crime stories from organized crime. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! #TrueCrime #BostonMafia #OrganizedCrime #GanglandWire #AngiuloFamily #FBI #Surveillance #MafiaHistory

From Smuggler to Redemption Feb 17, 2025

In this gripping episode of Gangland Wire, Gary Jenkins sits down with Ted Pryor, a man whose life story is a rollercoaster of discipline, danger, and redemption. Ted’s journey begins in law enforcement, where his martial arts expertise earned him respect among police departments. But a fateful decision led him down a very different path—one that plunged him into the high-stakes world of South Florida smuggling. Ted recounts how a family member introduced him to the trade, starting with a seemingly simple marijuana operation. Before long, he found himself entangled in a dangerous underworld, rubbing shoulders with major players in Miami’s drug scene. As a bodyguard for a notorious trafficker, he balanced his life as a kickboxing champion with the risks of organized crime, struggling to reconcile these two identities. The stakes escalated when law enforcement finally caught up with him. Ted shares the harrowing details of a dramatic police chase and his courtroom battle to reclaim his future. His firsthand insights into the legal system, the pressures of incarceration, and the turning points that led him to change his life make for a compelling narrative. Ted has now dedicated himself to a new mission—helping at-risk youth break free from the cycle of crime. Through his foundation, he provides educational opportunities for underprivileged children, believing early intervention is key to keeping them off the streets. His story of transformation, resilience, and giving back is inspiring. Ted’s book, Three Times World Champ, chronicles his extraordinary life, with all proceeds supporting his charitable efforts. Tune in to hear how one man went from the depths of the drug trade to becoming a champion for change. Buy the book click here Three Times World Champ Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretapers, welcome back here in the studio of Gagland Wire. It's great to have you back. I have a very interesting character, if you will, a guy that's lived more lives than you could believe. You know, I'm Gary Jenkins, a retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective, and I have this podcast now, and I've been putting out these shows for about seven or eight years, guys, and I really appreciate all you guys that have been with me from the start. There's several of you I know and I've gotten to know been with me from the start. So go on to my Facebook group or make comments on my YouTube page. And let me get to know a little more about each one of you, because I always respond to any kind of a comment on that or the Facebook page, Facebook group. So we have Ted Pryor. Ted, welcome. [0:48] Thank you, Gary. Thanks for having me on. Now, guys, Ted's written a book. You know, I get a lot of authors on there. Saves me doing the research, Ted. I have to admit, it saves me doing a lot of research. You guys know your stuff. The name of the book is Three Times World Champ, the death-defying true story of a kickboxer turned drug smuggler turned business icon. And believe me, guys, that is J. Ted Pryor. What a hell of a story from the middleweight kickboxing champion of the world to world champion marijuana smuggler down in South Florida and right in the heart of drug smuggling territory, which is, you know, really carved out a niche down there. But later on, businessman and a chef. And I just don't know, Ted, start telling us about yourself, kind of how you got going and where you're at. [1:37] Gary, it's interesting that you were in law enforcement and you retired as a detective. And, you know, I was in law enforcement my whole life as a young kid. I used to be, I used to be, when I was training, I became a black belt and started training to become a world champion kickboxer. And I used to train all the police departments in West Palm Beach. [1:58] And I was a tactical commander, teach them how to search and seizure, teach them how to cuff a guy, put him in a till cold without killing somebody. So I was very influential with the police departments in all of South Florida. And then I started teaching the DEA, FBI, Secret Service through a guy named Joe Hess, who was the heavyweight champion of the world. [2:18] So I was in law enforcement most of my young life, I would say from 17 to my mid-20s. [2:26] And as I was doing that, I got into the pot smuggling business. [2:33] I noticed one thing in your book, you became Elvis Presley's bodyguard for a period of time. Yeah, I did. And I got that through Joe Hess as well. Interesting story. I was working at the police academy. I mean, I was number five in the world kickboxing champion in my division, which was a super middleweight championship. [2:50] Elvis Presley, Shelton Parker was a martial artist. And Elvis Presley did a little bit of martial arts when he went to the service. And not that he was good at it, but he just loved the martial arts and karate. And he liked the aspect of it. He became an honorary black belt. Shelton Parker was a big martial arts guy. And Elvis said he wanted the best. He wanted the world champion. So he reached out to Joe Hess. And I just won the world title as well. And he wanted us to bodyguard him so we had the privilege of bodyguard him for his last year of his life and it was fantastic because you know i was like 20 years old and i was the last of the defense me and joe for the women to get to him and it'd be a stage and i'll tell you tell you a funny story is we're at a concert and mostly women gorgeous women and we'd have about 20 guys in the front anybody that got past those guys had to come up to me and joe and we would put our arms around their waist and lay them down. And, you know, this one particular time, this girl had Elvis's scarf and put it around my neck and started choking me as I was bringing her down to the floor. It was, you know, she was beautiful. I laid her down and she left the scarf on my neck. And I still have it to this day. And Elvis goes, how'd you get that scarf? I go, one of your fans tried to choke me. He goes, well, you earned it, keep it. [4:09] But it was a You know, we did it for about a year, and then we got a phone call one day that he passed, and it was kind of bad. But, you know, it was a great experience, and he was a great guy. And he was in his, you know, later years. He was very overweight, and, you know, he didn't even like to be touched because he was perspiring so much. But overall, it was a great experience, and, you know, it was one of the most fabulous times of my life. I can only imagine traveling with the— All the beautiful 20-year-old women. And he had all the beautiful young girls and what they call his mafia. [4:44] Mafia, exactly. Elvis' mafia, all his buddies, his entourage. He'd have a hell of an entourage traveling with him. And he bought everything for everybody. Hell, I understand he would go into a town. If he liked some cops, he might buy some cop a brand new car because he loved cops. Yep. It was nuts. Very generous guy. And he gave so much faith and so much trust in his manager. As we all know, he pretty much took all of his money and gambled it all away. And he was just a generous, beautiful person. So, Ted, how did you end up in the drug dealing business? I see. Well. I'm reading through this, and I see you started out at a young age. As many guys do, somebody said, hey, man, you want to make a run, make some really good money for just a little short run? Too good to be true. Yeah. So as I was training, I was working at a correctional counselor and guys coming out of state prison. I was called the CC1. And basically, they'd come out of prison. I'd find them jobs. And it was a work release camp. And it was getting them to basically get themselves back in and not just throw them on the street and have them go back to crime. [5:52] They had got a job. So I was a counselor. And now that was a counselor, my mom was like 47 years old and she had cancer, pancreatic cancer. And my brother and my sisters, they all smoked pot. I never did. When I found my brother's pot, I'd throw it and flush it down the toilet because I was like a mini law enforcement guy at that point, guy in my life. [6:12] And my mom would get really sick with the chemo and stuff. And the only thing that would help her, and I'd stop hearing her moan and cry all the time, is when my sister and my brother gave her a joint and she'd smoke it and it took the chemo pain away from her. So one day, my brother-in-law said to me, he goes, hey, Ted, you'd like to make $5,000. I go, well, yeah. I go, I make $7,000 a year in the law enforcement. He goes, well, you make $5,000. That isn't 1977, 78. And everybody knew what Florida was becoming. And he goes, you're just going to drive this car from Hollywood to Naples across Alligator Alley. He goes, in fact, take your girlfriend with you. So her name was Tanita. I put her in the car, took the car to the other side of Alligator Alley and came back with another car. And I had like 500 pounds of pot. I didn't know what it was in there. I kind of figured, but I dropped it off, came back with maybe $50,000, $60,000. And I got $5,000 a month. So that's how it started. [7:15] And I did that probably once or twice a month. Next thing I know is I have a safety deposit box stashed with $50,000 or $60,

The Presidents and the Mob Feb 10, 2025

In this episode, retired Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins talks with Eric Dezenhall, an author and former Reagan's White House aide, about his new book, Wiseguys and the White House. Eric shares his unique perspective on the fascinating and often overlooked intersection of organized crime and American politics. His curiosity on the subject began with a seemingly casual remark from a colleague about mafia influence in his hometown of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. As a young aide in the Reagan administration, that moment set him on a path to explore how deeply organized crime has intertwined itself with the fabric of American society and government. Throughout the conversation, Eric discusses how perceptions of mobsters have shifted over the decades. In the early 20th century, gangsters were often seen as vital community figures. They provided services like gambling and liquor during Prohibition—illegal but in high demand—and were viewed as filling a societal need. By the 1970s, however, that image began to unravel. Organized crime became a symbol of decay, corruption, and violence, far removed from the Robin Hood-like aura it once carried. Eric brings to life the stories of legendary mob figures like Meyer Lansky, detailing Lansky’s surprising role during World War II. Lansky, alongside other organized crime figures, worked with the U.S. Navy to prevent Nazi sabotage along the East Coast. Eric explains how this alliance complicates the narrative of mobsters as purely criminal; during wartime, they were sometimes perceived as patriotic contributors to the national effort. Their involvement underscores the ambiguity surrounding these figures, who operated in both legitimate and illegal spheres. As the conversation moves into modern times, Eric discusses how organized crime continues to influence political and business landscapes. He points to figures like Donald Trump, who openly acknowledged the realities of navigating a business world shaped by organized crime in cities like New York. Eric also examines how presidents such as Reagan, Nixon, JFK, and Joe Biden managed relationships with organized crime—relationships that, while morally complex, often played a role in advancing their careers and shaping American politics in lasting ways. This episode offers a compelling look at the intersection of crime, politics, and history through Eric Dezenhall’s sharp insights and years of research. By sharing stories of infamous mobsters and pivotal historical moments, Eric reveals a side of organized crime that is often forgotten: its influence on the nation’s leadership and its occasional alignment with patriotic causes. It’s a conversation that challenges our assumptions, blending history, politics, and crime into a nuanced and captivating narrative. Ger Eric's books. See other books by clicking here. Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, welcome, all you wiretappers. Glad to be back here in studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Detective, a later sergeant, and I have in the studio today a prolific mob author and a guy that's written with, I know you guys know, Gus Russo and the outfit book in Chicago. Well, this is a contemporary of Gus Russo, Eric Dezenhall. Eric, I really appreciate you coming in and sharing your stories about the wise guys in the White House with my wiretappers here. Thanks very much for having me. And I won't say too many things about Gus, given that I talk to him every day. And I don't want to have to face him. So I'll be kind. Yeah, he's a good guy. I interviewed him once. I got to get him back on. You know, there's a lot of new books coming out all the time. But I need to get him back on because he's so knowledgeable. So we're not here to talk about Gus Russo. We're here to talk about wise guys in the White House, which is probably kind of topical right now. The White House has been more topical in the last, what, eight years or so than [1:03] it's ever been in my entire 79 years. It's just crazy. But first of all, Eric, tell the guys a little bit about your past writing. You have a whole bunch of books. And so tell the guys a little bit about your story through the last 10, 15 years. [1:18] Well, I've written 12 books. This is my 12th. [1:22] My fiction tends to deal with organized crime. My nonfiction deals also with organized crime. My last book actually was with Gus Russo called Best of Enemies, and it was the true story of two spies, a CIA guy and a KGB guy, who were assigned to flip each other, but they ended up becoming best friends and bringing down the worst traitor in American history, the FBI's Robert Hansen. I had done a historical novel. I've known some of Meyer Lansky's family much of my life and had access to a lot of his records. And I did a historical novel called The Devil Himself about his role with Luciano during World War II. and I fictionalized it, even though it is a factual story. I used the basis of fact to tell the story of Lansky because of so much of what I learned about what he emotionally wanted out of the World War II project, as well as the Navy commander. I mean, I'm not really a creature of the mob, even though I grew up around it. I'm more of a creature of Washington, where I've lived for 40 years. And what was interesting to me about the World War II story was not just the mob, but the naval officer who took the risk of working with the mob. And it's one of those things where classic Washington story, you take a risk, you're told to win, and when you win. [2:49] Then everybody goes, oh my God, this guy worked with mobsters, which they knew, and then what happened to his career, which was devastating. [2:57] So I've been very interested in the myths and realities of World War II. And the new book, Wise Guys in the White House, this has been cooking for about 40 years. I was a young aide in Reagan's White House. Yeah. [3:11] I tell the story at the beginning of the book where on one of my first days i told my boss she said where do you live where you're from and i said i'm from cherry hill new jersey there was a big mob war at the time uh when angelo bruno had been killed in march of 1980 and my boss said uh oh cherry hill that's that's big mafia and i said well yeah the gambinos lived there they were my neighbors and uh but muhammad ali lived there too and she and one of the people said well you know the mob killed JFK. And I said, what are you talking about? Oh, they run the country. I said, we're 20 feet from the Oval Office. Where are you? Do you know these guys? Where are you getting this? And it's stuck with me for 40 years. And finally, enough files came out, enough people were willing to talk that I thought I had a book in the history of the presidency in organized crime, what really did happen, what didn't happen, what people think happened that didn't happen. And the bottom line is there have been extensive dealings going back to the FDR administration with organized crime. But it's not like the president at three in the morning is inviting mobsters [4:25] into the Oval Office and then they're tiptoeing out. It's much more attenuated, but it's very, very real. [4:33] Yeah, it's it's much more sophisticated or or like so many different cutouts. The president never talks to, you know, Carlo Gambino or John Gotti or any of these guys. But these guys talk to their local politician who then has a connection to the larger party, maybe on a state level. And then on a state level, then they end up maybe up with the with the attorney general or something. I think the Chicago, uh, the, the, uh, Chicago film, uh, scandal where the, the Chicago outfit guys, Paul Reek and some of them got out of prison early out of Leavenworth early with Harry Truman's help. Right. With, with his, his, uh, uh, uh, attorney general, Tom Clark's help. And Truman had to know that that was going on, but Truman was owed his career to Pendergast. So it, in, in a, you know, indirect way. So it's, you know, that's, that's just how it works. [5:31] That's right. And we, you know, with Harry Truman, I mean, a lot of people, everybody knows that he came from a political machine, but they don't know that it was a mafia controlled machine, not just a political machine, the Lazio family. And you hear you had a person who was selected by a mafia machine who ended up becoming president of the United States. And of course, dropped the bomb on Japan. Did the mob have anything to do with that? No. But it's amazing to think that history turned on a president that was, in fact, selected with the help of organized crime. And Truman, interestingly, is not unlike Trump in the sense that he admitted that to a large degree, his dealings with the mob. And I think one of the things we'll talk about is the extent to which some people, everything was about the appearance of respectability. Nobody cared if they did business with the mob. They cared about it coming out. And Truman was oddly candid over his career about it. He wasn't completely candid. And I think one of the things we'll get to is what's been interesting about Donald Trump, as only Trump can do, he will come out and openly admit on national TV repeatedly to having dealt with organized crime. And then somebody will say, well, did you deal with organized crime? And he'll say, no, I would never do that. But that's Trump. [6:57] And that's kind of built into his stock price. Yeah, that's for sure. Yeah, that I think another thing, Eric, I'd like to get your comment on this. It seems like the 30s, 40s, and 50s on up to the 60s, it finally started changing in the 70s. [7:16] Politicians, local politicians, and even society as a whole did not look upon the mafia as this evil thing. They looked at them more as part of the culture, part of society. You know, the fact that, you know, they provided gambling, you know,

Big Apple Mafia: Stories From the Five Families Feb 06, 2025

Gary Jenkins tells about how the FBI recruited the man known as "The Grim Reaper." Scarpa's earliest arrests found him informing to the FBI.

The Last Days of John Gotti Feb 03, 2025

Retired KCPD Intelligence Unit Detective Gary Jenkins takes listeners inside the Federal Prison Hospital at Springfield and the final days of John Gotti's life. Former inmate Mark Black wrote Black Truth: The Last Days of Gotti. He takes us back to his early days in the prison system, recounting his initial charge and transfer to the Springfield Federal Medical Center. There, he forged profound relationships with high-profile mafia members, gaining rare insights into their lives, codes, and the unspoken rules governing their world. Among these encounters, his time with Greg DePalma and John Gotti of the Gambino family stands out. Mark shares vivid stories of their mutual respect and the deep conversations that revealed Greg’s storied past, including connections to infamous figures like Tony Ducks and Fat Tony. Through these aging mobsters, Mark paints a fascinating picture of how street reputations followed them into prison, where they exchanged tales of past glories and upheld the mafia’s sacred code of honor. The episode also explores Mark’s interactions with John Gotti, offering a unique glimpse into the infamous mob boss’s life behind bars. Mark delivered meals and kites (messages) for Gotti as a prison orderly. He tells about the stark contrast between Gotti’s outward bravado and the signs of stress and resignation from solitary confinement. Mark Black became Gotti's "eyes and ears" in the prison outside his solitary confinement. Tensions rise as Mark delves into the story of a proposed hit on Nicky LaSorsa. He recounts the volatile dynamics of trust and betrayal, particularly involving a convicted drug kingpin, Jose Reyes, who sought to manipulate alliances and set up John Gotti Jr. and Greg DePalma for an early release from several life sentences. Mark’s role as an intermediary in these dangerous scenarios highlights the precarious balance between loyalty and treachery that defines the mafia lifestyle. Through these gripping accounts, Mark offers listeners an insider’s view of the unyielding nature of mob loyalty and the ever-present risks of living by its code. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you Wiretappers, welcome back here to the studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit Sergeant, and I have an interesting guy. He has a book, of course. You know, a lot of my guys have books. Where's that book? Oh, The Last Days of Gotti. You might want to check that book out. It's very well written. I'll assure you that. Mark D. Black. Mark, welcome. I really appreciate you coming on the show. Well, thank you, Gary. Now, Mark, as I've gone through this book, you you're like my friend, Steve St. John, who I have some other shows with many of my regular fans will know that name. And you were an orderly down in Springfield and the federal hospital and the prison hospital down there. Now, how did you even end up in the federal prison system? I guess is my first question. [0:51] Well, I was charged with drugs and firearms violation, and I got seven years in state and then the feds. And then when I got done with my state sentence, I went to the feds and did some time at El Reno in Oklahoma City. And then when I was timing out, they decided to send me to Springfield Federal Medical Center to work to take care of the sick inmates. [1:17] Yeah, they have a bunch of those guys. I've seen pictures of old Tony Ducks Carollo and fat Tony Slerno. And there's these old guys are just sitting there in their wheelchairs and they can't really get around. They can't do anything. So, so you were the guy that helped them out. Yeah. Well, Greg Palma, that's who I knew at first. And that, that was what happened the first day, you know, I was an orderly on his unit. He asked me to push him to Catholic mass. And so I pushed him to Catholic mass and he asked me to, push him to the back and there was an old man sitting back there also in a wheelchair, and they talked through the whole mass uh the catholic mass the whole time and it was kind of disrespectful but you know everybody just let him do it and then when he got out he told me that that was tony ducks corella that he was talking to and that they had been really good friends and he said that they uh tony had had some problems with john at one time but all was forgiven and they were friends uh and then i'd see him i'd see him with uh tony at mass every once in a while but tony was on another unit so so you got to know greg de palma pretty well as my if i remember right. [2:29] Yeah. When I got on the unit, I was on his unit for quite a while, like almost a year and a half. And one of the ways that we got to be friends is that I was a gopher for the guard there. And I had a schedule down and he wanted and I would take smoke breaks in the bathroom. You weren't supposed to do that. But Greg DePalma asked me if he could ride in the car. [2:53] So we started doing smoke breaks in the bathroom on his unit. And uh when that when i knew the guard wasn't available and we got to know each other like that and he started you know after about a couple of months he started telling me stories about uh about himself so he's this is a guy that is born and bred in the new york city mafia and you know he rose to a pretty high level and he lived that life so how did that translate inside the penitentiary system did he have you know where he had guys other guys that were there that gave him a certain respect did you see that you know if you think about the well one of the things you know when i first met greg you know i was an orderly there and he said that i could put my my belongings in his room that nobody would steal him and he was one of the guys would leave his cigarettes laying out on his bed which showed that like he had like a lot of respect and people kind of feared him in there but not he didn't really you know i was when i first got there i started playing chess with this guy named Curtis and he was a pimp. And he also knew Greg from the outside, but he told me that Greg really didn't speak to anybody besides I was the first guy that he had ever really spoke to, um, uh, and hung around with besides his mafia friends. [4:12] And so Greg, he was pretty secretive, uh, until, until I met him and he didn't really talk to hardly anybody. Did he bring the, he brought the kind of the mafia code into the penitentiary. Could you see that? [4:26] How did that play itself out? [4:30] Well, you know, one of the reasons I wrote this book was because, uh, um, you know, I didn't really think about too much when I first got out, I was trying to rebuild my life. But one of the things that when I was looking up the stuff he had told me, he told me that he dated Elizabeth Taylor, which I didn't believe. Um, you know, he had talked, he'd talk about, uh, his time at the West Chester premier theater that he ran. Um one time he came down the uh the hallway waving a newspaper rag that had frank sinatra you know him uh i guess big paulie and some of the other friends and he was telling me that that was his baby and then he and he and he told me that kind of stuff like that and then one of the things when i started looking this up i found this uh interview by jack falcone and he was a fbi agent that had infiltrated Greg's crew. And, you know, he made him to look like a kind of a bumbling, comical character, which just didn't sit right with me. [5:29] Greg, it was kind of like, you know, Tony Montana in the movies where he said, all I've got is my word and my balls, and I don't bust them for anybody. And that was Greg De Palma. And he lived that life fully. He was fully committed to the mafia and this thing of theirs. And he was loyal to a fault. I mean, all these guys that I hung out with, they, they were, they were fully committed to, uh, this, uh, this thing of theirs is that's what they called it. Did they seem to express any regret for getting all this time? No, they didn't actually. They, they saw that that was part of the part of doing business. One of the, you know, some of the regrets that, um, that Greg had, I heard that, uh, Sam Cagnini told me when he, you know, like I said, I played chess in the orderlies. [6:17] Common area. And I got to know Sam Cagnetti through Greg because he wanted to play me chess. But Sam told me that Greg's wife was always busting his balls over his son, but he didn't really elaborate. The only thing that he really regretted was that, I guess, Sammy Gravano, with who ratted him out, he said that really broke his heart, John's heart. And he said that, you know, that he would have taken a bullet for Sammy and he called him a cocksucker. I mean, everybody, anybody that he didn't like you was a cocksucker. [6:50] And he said that, you know, that Sammy just didn't rat John out. He rated, he ratted a whole bunch of people out, which I didn't really know anything about that. When I first went, I didn't know anything about, I didn't even know who Greg DePalma was. I'd heard about John Gotti from the newspapers and, and all that, but I didn't know anything about the Gambino crime family. I didn't know who Greg De Palma was and, uh, or, or, uh, uh, uh, Sam Cagnini, who Greg introduced me to because Sam played chess too. And he was a very secretive guy.

Bobby Boriello Jan 08, 2025

In this episode, retired intelligence unit detective Gary Jenkins examines the life of Bobby Boriello, a key figure in the Gambino crime family and closely associated with John Gotti. I explore Boriello's beginnings in South Brooklyn and his ascent as an enforcer for the Gallo gang, detailing his numerous criminal activities and connections that allowed him to evade serious consequences. This show covers his involvement in significant events, such as the assassination of Paul Castellano and the tensions with the Genovese family. I reflect on the violent and tumultuous nature of his life, culminating in his murder in 1991, which highlights the inherent dangers of organized crime. As Borrello's story unfolds, I delve into the themes of loyalty, betrayal, and power dynamics within the Mafia, offering personal insights and humor. This will be the last episode until February. The next episode will host Mark Black, who tells about his life in the Federal prison hospital in Springfield and his care of John Gotti as he battled cancer and other mobster's plots. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation, click here To rent Ballto Theft: Burglary Murder Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes, click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! [0:00] A little story about Bobby Boriello, who was a Gambino soldier and a big moneymaker [0:05] for the Gotti family and the Gambino family. You want to call it the Gotti family or the Gambino family? It never did become the Gotti family, did it? Much to John Gotti's chagrin, I'm sure. Anyhow, this is going to be the last one for the month of January. I'm going to take some time off. I'm going to take a little vacation. And I've been working pretty hard at doing my books. And I've done a couple of books, a New York book and the Chicago book. And I'm getting set for the next year, doing some other things this next year. So I'll get back to putting one out at least every week at the last of January. I know the one I've already got it set that we're going to come back into like, I think the last Monday or Sunday in January is going to be a guy named Mark Black, who was in the penitentiary in Springfield, the hospital, federal hospital down there. With John Gotti and some other guys. And he got all embroiled in some. [1:02] Some mafia drama, carrying messages from one person to the other. And, and so anyhow, it's a really interesting story. It'll be a great one to come back to. So I hope you guys all had a Merry Christmas and a happy new year. I'm not very good at wishing people all that kind of stuff before I forget about it. I just put out podcasts. That's all I do. You know, me, I'm just a plain guys. Guys, come on back in February. Hey, all you wiretappers out there. Glad to be back here in the studio. Glad to have you in the studio with me. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Detective and now podcasters. Most of y'all know. If you don't, why keep listening. You'll learn who I am [1:43] and what I'm about. I have a lot of fun doing this. Going back to New York today, guys, going to Bobby Borrello. [1:50] Bobby Boriello was a gaudy guy, if you remember right. He probably is one of the trigger men on the Castellano hit. Now, going way on back, he grew up in South Brooklyn, and he grew up in a neighborhood that was dominated by several mob families, Gambino, Genovese, and the Columbo crime families. He was surrounded by mobsters from, you know, from the time he was a little kid. His younger brother, Stevie, was close to Crazy Joe Gallo and Albert Gallo and Frank Ileano. Um steve played a role in getting gallows crew uh really ensconced in south brooklyn and and their rackets down there and he brought bobby in and he was really he was a big kid and he got a reputation pretty quick as an enforcer within the gallow gang but he moved on beyond that Now, between 1967, 1972. [2:49] His rap sheet grew considerably. He was arrested six times from weapons possession to assault, larceny, gambling, the usual stuff, you know. No matter what, he didn't go to jail, and his criminal career advanced. Didn't go to jail. Bobby Boriello didn't go to jail because he became important to different mafia guys, and they got those political connections. By the 1980s, he will become a made man in the Gambino family. [3:18] And what's interesting is Mikey Scars DiLeonardo will talk about being inducted by Sammy the Bull Gravano with Junior Gotti, and because John Gotti did not want it to look bad, did not want him, he to make his own son, he didn't think it looked good, Bobby Borrello will be inducted in that same ceremony with Mikey Scars and Junior Gotti. He really will have strong ties with all these guys, John Gotti, Sammy the Bull, Nicholas and Jojo Carrozzo. Borrello will be seen with Gotti quite a little bit. They were like friends. They'll spend weekends on Long Island gambling and partying and going to performances and just, you know, general social things as well as the business. Bobby Borrello conducted most of his business as he got, you know, after he became a made guy at the one over a golf club. It was in Carroll Gardens in New York. It was a social club. It was operated by a paraplegic gangster named Joe Pitts. It's Joe Pitts Corneliaro. This dude was involved in loan sharking and gambling. He'll eventually be killed. These guys, there's constant danger surrounding them. Constantly, they're in danger. During his early years in the Gambino family, and even before, he was suspected of being involved in more than one murder. That gives him a hell of a reputation out there. [4:44] Uh, other criminal activities are extorted, the usual extortion, loan sharking and drug trafficking. And, you know, he really had a good solid status within the Gambino family. He could take care of business. He could make money. He could do what needed to be done. And, you know, the Gambino's under Gotti, they didn't mind dealing. [5:02] They didn't mind taking that drug money. You know, he was also part of junior Gotti's crew when John Gotti promoted his son to Capo and Sammy, the bull wanted that done for some reason this crew had some guys jackie cavallo charlie cornelia tommy twits cassia polly and dominic fat dom borghese he was involved you know all over new york city and particularly south brooklyn worked with anthony toto anastasio and some other guys like that you know he was involved with the eventually become involved with the trucking construction loan sharking because that's what gambinos do they were in trucking construction and loan sharking as well as gambling and hijacking and all the usual things late 1980s he got into the world of strip clubs like i noticed in kansas city they did the same thing later on they started getting into strip clubs there's a guy named steve kaplan who was paying tribute to him and junior gotti for different strip clubs all up down the east coast so he really and And, and, and Michael. [6:09] Mikey scars was involved in that one down in, uh, extorting money from that one down in, uh, uh, Atlanta, Georgia. [6:16] So these guys, you know, really reached out with their strip clubs as he rose up in the ranks, his most powerful ally was junior Gotti. [6:24] And, and he was actually junior Gotti named him a boss over some other guys and his crew and December, 1990, after John Gotti senior was indicted, he created a five man ruling panel over the Gambino family and Junior is part of that. Bobby Borelli, you know, is operating alongside of him and operating his rackets out of his Brooklyn Social Club. John Gotti. [6:48] Ordered Borelli to eliminate a guy named Louis De Bono, who was a Gambino soldier who had gotten a really lucrative contract to install fireproofing foam in the Twin Towers. After De Bono's death, Borelli takes care of Louis De Bono. Sammy Gravano, Sammy the Bull, takes over that business and kind of a lot of tensions in the family over that. Borelli tried to kill a Genovese crime family associate named Preston Geritano in Brooklyn on the street. The hit failed. It led to like a kind of a negotiation between the Genovese and Canvino crime families, which they do that. And in the end, Gertano was allowed to live, but he can't try to get revenge against Borrello, Bobby Borrello. Bobby Borrello's luck will run out April 13th, 1991. [7:43] Killed him right in front of his house in Bensonhurst. Now, go figure that one. And that's not really, but guess who did it? It wasn't a Gambino that had this done. It was a Lucchese, a big Frank Lasterino, chimed twice in the head and five times in the body. [7:59] Anthony Casso, Gas 5 Casso, ordered this. He had gotten the information from his NYPD officers, Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracoppa, about where to find him. They had done a little surveillance on him, knew where he lived. Just getting into his 1991 Lincoln town car, wife Susan, their two children were inside the house, unaware that their husband and father had been killed just outside. You know, when he was killed, he was under investigation by multiple federal agencies and the Kings County District Attorney's Office for this cocaine trafficking conspiracy and for his suspected role in the murder of Paul Castellano. A guy named Dominic LaFaro had identified Bobby Borrello as one of the shooters, And he also claimed that Bobby Brello was, uh, one of the Gambino's family's most, most, most accomplished hit men.

36 Rules of Mafia Bosses Jan 06, 2025

In this Gangland Wire episode, host Gary Jenkins sits down with RJ Roger, Host of No Excuses with Michael DiLeonardo podcast, to delve into his fascinating book, The Don: 36 Rules of the Bosses. In this book, RJ outlines 36 leadership rules derived from effective leaders' behaviors in organized crime and corporate America. These rules, rooted in extensive historical research on the five New York mafia families, highlight universal power dynamics in all hierarchical structures, offering actionable insights for anyone striving to succeed—whether as a business executive or an everyday worker. RJ challenges the romanticized portrayal of mob life, focusing instead on the stark realities of leadership within the mafia. Together, Gary and RJ draw parallels between the underworld and legitimate organizations. For example, RJ discusses the principle of “using skilled men to your benefit,” a lesson that applies across industries—including Gary’s experience in law enforcement. Both mafia bosses, police commanders, and corporate leaders face the challenge of navigating human dynamics, where the rules of engagement can make or break their success. Throughout the conversation, RJ shares captivating stories of mob bosses and their relationships with underlings, shedding light on the nuances of leadership. The discussion touches on the importance of appearances, with RJ explaining how a leader’s presentation can shape perception and loyalty among followers. He emphasizes the delicate balance of being approachable and authoritative to maintain command—an insight that resonates across fields. Please tune in to this thought-provoking episode to uncover the leadership lessons from the mafia that can inspire and guide us in our endeavors. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation, click here To rent Ballto Theft: Burglary Murder Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes, click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Speaker1: [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there. Good to be back here in studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective and later sergeant. I'm back here with another guest, an author and a fellow mob podcaster, RJ Roger. Welcome, RJ. Speaker0: [0:17] Thank you for having me, Gary. And I mean that this is not just camera stuff. I always wanted to have a discussion with you. I remember reaching out to you on Twitter once over before I even started working with Michael. And I just, as a respecter of what you do, because you have an elegant, classy podcast and in what we do, it ain't the norm. So I'm a major respecter. Speaker1: [0:41] Well thank you thank you i i kind of back i didn't understand that twitter thing back there but i have some vague memory that i don't know anyhow well finally we meet and we just had a nice little discussion about mutual mutual woes in the podcast industry and personal uh personal things to get to know each other a little bit and guys uh i assure you rj knows what he's talking about and he's a true gentleman and he has a great podcast you know uh you know i'm the one i have to take credit for this, RJ. I'm the one that got Mikey scars or Michael D. Leonardo on the air the very first time by happenstance and luck in a way I find out, but then I knew it was, it was just a lucky just somehow he just felt a certain way one day and he said, yeah, I'll come on your podcast. And now RJ has Mikey scars or Michael D. Leonardo on his podcast regularly. So you want to check that podcast out. Uh, tell us just a little bit about your podcast, RJ, so guys can find it Speaker0: [1:40] But you are right i always get i always take the credit i brought michael scars out of the shadows yeah and i got that line from um coast of notion news that was like his headline he said rj roger brings michael de leonardo from the shadows and but the truth is you were the first guy to have to do a discussion with him i just so you took the Speaker0: [2:03] the ball up the field and i took it over the you. Speaker1: [2:06] Took it over the goal line Speaker0: [2:07] Um so as far as the show with michael and i i was a original was doing a solo mob podcast and i made a production i made a show on michael and it made its way to him through his son he liked it he reached out to me we became friends so that's a fast forward very fast way of how we met and for the first several months We were just friends. I met him in person. I flew out to see him. We spent some time together. And we were kind of... Talking about some different things. And eventually we came together and made an agreement on working together. Took him a while to want to come out and do like a long form show. But, but again, it wasn't our relationships, not a business relate. It wasn't a business relationship. We were friends that started a show. We wasn't business guys that became friends. We were friends first and then started the show. So we're at, we're on YouTube. Speaker0: [3:07] You can search Mikey Scars Find our show Our YouTube show We're primarily on Patreon now Same name, Mikey Scars We do 8 shows a month on Patreon And it's been We've done a lot of really good stuff We talk about a lot of things in his life And he goes back In my opinion, the last live and made, Major Five family figure that's out there His name goes back to Sicily over 100 years He has a long, long history He's three, four generations deep inside of Cosa Nostra. So it's been fun to talk with a guy who has so much understanding of the life in a more nuanced way. Speaker1: [3:47] Yeah, he really does. And he's articulate enough that he can really, as you say, a nuanced way, he can tell the story. And so, you know, now you've done this book here, The Don, 36 Rules of the Boss. Speaker1: [4:03] R.J. Roger. Now, is this your first book? I'm not sure. I can't remember. Speaker0: [4:08] Yes, it's my first official book. That's a major release book, traditional published book, first one. Speaker1: [4:16] Didn't you tell me that you also used some stuff from Michael in your book to help explain some of these rules of the boss? Because he's got firsthand knowledge of that. That's not like just reading it from somebody else who got it from somebody else. He's got firsthand knowledge of working with a boss. Speaker0: [4:35] Now, the first, the 30, so what I had done, I wrote the 36 rules before I even met Michael, years and years before I met Michael. That was really, I had this theory on 36 rules of a mafia don, of a boss, just a boss, not a captain or underboss. I looked at, you know, the history of the American mob bosses in the five families. And I've researched their whole life, like the social behavior study, essentially. And I didn't look at the mafia for what they claim to be. We're honored society. We only kill our own. We don't deal in drugs. We don't touch a boss. You're untouchable. You can't kill without permission. All the stuff that they claim to be, that's not these 36 rules because a lot of that is. Speaker0: [5:22] Fluff. It's not real. So I looked at their actual behaviors. Like what did they actually do? How did they actually treat people? Were they truly an honored society? So I looked at their history and what I found is 36 common things that you could find among the leaders of the five families. So I wrote that theory. That theory that I completed was what I was taking around. Michael didn't, I didn't even know Michael yet, that theory. And then when I met my agent and producer, he said, you know, we need to do more storytelling and give more examples so readers can understand how these rules are applied. So we began to re-edit the book and re-craft the book. And that's what you have here. And some of Michael's quotes and a couple of things he said, I used in some of the historical narratives that I put in the book. But largely, I met Michael late down the line. I was done with the book, really. I put a couple of quotes and things in, but I met Michael when the book was already completed. Even this version of it. Speaker1: [6:26] You know, I'm looking at some of these rules, like use a skilled man to your benefit. It's kind of like as a sergeant in the police department, I had a tax squad or had an intelligence unit. I would try to find skilled people to bring them in and then use them to my benefit, if you will, because I'm the sergeant, I'm the boss here. I get the credit and then my captain gets the credit, too, because you have this really skilled guy. So a lot of these rules are just what somebody in business would use, it appears to be. Speaker0: [6:56] Well, I'm glad you said that because I'm not so into the mafia. I like to read about the subject a little bit and watch the movies, but I wouldn't have spent 12 years of my life working on a mob book necessarily Speaker0: [7:11] that has no moral value or something that's not beneficial to people. A regular working Joe, a guy like yourself, a guy that's a police officer or a guy who's working in some kind of legitimate business. So the concept behind the whole thing is exactly what you said. People all people are not gangsters but gangsters are people and there's a particular way in a capitalistic society a society that respects capitalism and has a hierarchy structure of you start at a entry level and through your your service you rise up within it and you. Speaker0:

The Mafia Opens Its Books Jan 01, 2025

In this bonus episode, retired police intelligence unit detective Gary Jenkins looks into a fascinating New York Times article from March 21, 1976, that sheds light on a pivotal moment in the Mafia's history—reopening their membership rosters after nearly two decades. This marked a significant turning point for the five Mafia families, where they were again allowed to induct new members into their ranks. I discuss how this decision was made cautiously, with each family permitted to initiate only ten new members, ensuring that those chosen were proven loyal and financially savvy operatives who could withstand the challenges of Mafia life. As I analyze the shifts in power dynamics and the emergence of new figures, I point to key players such as Carmine Galante, whose ambitions peaked when he returned to the scene following a lengthy prison sentence. I provide insights into how the old guard of Mafia leadership began to decline, making way for fresh ambition and new strategies, particularly in narcotics. The interplay of rivalry, loyalty, and the ever-present financial machinations within the families illustrates the complexity of Mafia politics as they sought to adapt and thrive amid evolving criminal enterprises. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, glad to be back here in Studio Gangland Wire. I've got a little bonus episode, I think. I don't know how long it's going to be, but not too long. Steve Popkin, the fan of the podcast, sent me a link to a New York Times article. Actually, it was out of the New York Times archives. They have an archive that you can access. It was dated March 21st, 1976, and the title was Five Mafia Families Opened Rosters to New Members. Well, this is back when they opened the books, finally. We hear a lot about that. The books were closed. The books were opened. They opened the books in 1976. There's a lot of guys who were made right after that. [0:43] It's hard to figure out who they all are. It'll take a lot of time, but you all know who was made in 1976, 1977, during those years would have been right after the books were opened back up. They had to get the commission to approve of that, and there was five families [1:02] on the commission at the time. I assume Chicago probably was, but since it was a New York deal, they probably just kept it within New York mob bosses to vote on whether they would open up the books again. Now, in this article, I bet when they read this, some of these guys read this article, they were about to shit because here's their business right down on the street. And I know they read those articles. I've got a wiretap where Nick Savella is reading an article or actually Tuffy DeLuna is reading an article to him where the, I believe it was the Wall Street Journal, was saying that Iupa was moving out west and moving into Las Vegas. And Nick Civella says, oh, boy. [1:49] And anyhow, so, you know, I know they read this stuff and they pay attention to it. And to see this out on Front Street like this, I don't know. Anyhow, the article said that each family had been given permission to initiate 10 new members. [2:04] And they were instructed that they had to get these, take these guys from proven moneymakers within their own family, people that they knew. because, you know, they know that they can be infiltrated. So they want to make sure that people that didn't have any legal problems faced them at that time. Now, you know, you're going to get some legal problems eventually. So you just have to, you know, people whose family members you know or maybe you're an extended relative of your own, if you're a maid guy or you're a boss, you want somebody that's proven their loyalty. Somebody's gone to the joint and kept their mouth shut before. I mean, a guy that goes in, does a tray or five years or whatever. Somebody does 10 years. I know a guy here in Kansas City, my friend, Steve St. John, he did 10 years. Now, he wasn't involved in a mafia crime, but he didn't talk. And he's the kind of guy that, you know, people will look out to, you know, to hold up to this higher standard, to higher and high esteem in that world. And, you know, he does not commit any more crimes. Would he be a guy that you would want to commit a crime with? Bright guy, and he didn't talk, and he could have. Believe me, he knew stuff, and he could have talked, and he wouldn't do it. The books were closed in 1957 after Joe Valacci started testifying in 1962. [3:27] He talked about the different—he described the ceremony for the first time, the whole pricking of the finger, burning of the hand, the loyalty oath, which has been reported by other people that have come in angelo uh leonardo reported it i found that one he really did it in detail and they even taped one in boston area in the patriarchy family here in the last several years so they shut down the books they were so scared of infiltration and. [3:57] Finally, the heads of the fine families met and they opened them up, given these kind of certain restrictions, if you will. Each guy can get 10 people, select proven moneymakers and that kind of thing. They still take the oath of silence. [4:15] And there's no doubt that it was going to be tightly controlled by these mob families. As the FBI at the time said, they reported in this article says they've been holding initiation ceremonies in New York for the past month. My boss reads that. He said, come on, what's up with this? This agent said that these ceremonies have been held in the homes of underbosses and selected family captains, not in the homes of the bosses because they think they have too much surveillance on them. Apparently, he said, the initiation ceremony they were using at that time was still really close to what Bellacci had described. The guns, knives laying there, the oaths of silence, the whole thing. And some of them that were initiated at the time, and I'd be curious, you know, get a hold of me or comment on the Facebook or on the YouTube. Who all was made during this time? This report indicates a guy named John Russo, who was a driver and a bodyguard for Frank Thierry, who was supposedly the boss of the Vito Genovese family at the time. He would have been kind of a new boss. It's another thing. There were some new bosses at the time. I think that's one reason they got this through. Benaro Magano. He was the guy known as Benny eggs. I've heard of him. He's a very successful bookmaker and loan shark Salvatore franchise. He was, uh, He ran all the gambling operations for Sonny Franchise, who was a captain in the Colombo family. [5:38] Kind of the article surmised, and probably they got this from an agent, this kind of shows the decline of Carlo Gambino, his lessening of his influence in some of the newer mob, like I said, some of the newer mob bosses were coming in at the time. [5:55] It also kind of showed the emergence of Carmine Galante. He had come back out of jail and he had like assumed he was going to be the boss of the Bonanno family uh just spent 15 years in jail kept his mouth shut you know he felt like he was owed and he was owed and of course we had time Rusty Rustelli was inside at the time and and he was supposedly the heir apparent I believe but he really led the fight to open the books now if you remember he was trying to bring in the zips he was bringing these Sicilians to pump up his family and get into narcotics. He knew those guys, you know, first of all, they didn't really speak the language. And if he brought them over, they would be so loyal to him that he could trust them to be loyal to him. And he wanted to be able to make those guys, you know, at the time they had a pretty new boss, the Lucchese family and Tony Duck, Tony Ducks, Anthony Corralo was a new boss. He came from Queens, the Queens faction of that family, Carmine Persico. So he was in jail at the time, prison for a period of time during this time. But he had just come through the Columbo Wars and taken over. And, you know, he orchestrated the hit on Joey Gallo and finally ended that whole mess there. And everybody got out the mattresses and went back home, I guess. Now, he was in prison. He had appointed his brother, Alphonse, to run the family. [7:17] Galante's argument, according to the article, was all the mafia families were declining. And the old guys were getting older that's what happened here in kansas city when everything went to shit on them after the skim trials but they were all like 80 years old all the main guys except for a couple were 80 years old gotta get some new blood in we gotta get some money makers in we got people get into new rackets of course what he was thinking about was getting into narcotics being made is you you guys are all students of this and most of you know probably more about it than i do And there's like real deal made guys out there, people who have been or people in witness protection. I hear from different people that obviously are a lot better, more connected than what you might believe. They wouldn't pay attention to a podcast like this. But, you know, they call themselves a good fellas, you know, the book title, good fellas. And they have the right. One thing you get is a good fella. You have the right to a sit down. If there's no disagreement,

The Infamous Vinnie Teresa Dec 23, 2024

In this last interview with our good friend and contributor, Camillus "Cam" Robinson, Gary and Cam discuss the infamous government informant Vincent "Vinnie" Teresa. Cam died recently and I will feel this loss for a long time. His gentle nature and prodigious work effort was always a great benfit to the podcast and to everybody around him. Rest in Peace to my friend and collaborator in this crazy world of mafia history. Camillus was a great historian and an excellent writer. Check out his book by clicking on the title, Chicago Swan Song: A Mob Wife's Story. Lisa Swan became the wife of Frank Calabrese, Jr., a collector for his father, the notorious and brutal Frank “Frankie the Breeze” Calabrese, a high-ranking member of the infamous Chinatown Crew. It’s all here. The money, the violence, the drugs, the greed, and the murders that surrounded her, as well as her deep passion to break free from a lifestyle that could change with the flash of a single bullet. Swan’s firsthand, intimate look inside the insular and secretive Chicago Outfit details her life inside the Calabrese Clan, one of the First Families of the Chicago Mob. She describes, with clarity and occasional humor, her discovery of the dark side of the Mafia and her battle to save herself, her children, and eventually her husband from the gritty realities of the Mob. In this episode, we learn that Vinnie Teresa was an early mobster in the FBI's vaunted Top Echelon Informant program. In the end, Vinne Teresa was caught in an act of perjury when he tried to implicate Meyer Lansky in a criminal conspiracy. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers, good to be back here in the studio, Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Detective and now podcaster, documentary filmmaker. And I am here with my good friend and periodic co-host, if you will, Amulus, Camillus Robinson. Cam, thanks a lot for coming on the show. Gary, I always have a blast. I mean, you and I, you got me started in this and anytime I can come on, we just love to. We have a good time getting together, don't we? Yeah, we do. So oh you know a little aside i was just researching some old stuff on chicago or newspaper clip and i saw there was a grand jury about gambling in gary indiana see cam used to live up by gary indiana and we did a show about the gary indiana family that's right. [0:49] Ran by chicago of course hell chicago ran everything some people even say they ran kansas city they didn't really but they had a lot of influence down here kansas city next savella did not do much if he thought iupa wouldn't approve he wouldn't do it he he got iupa's approval on any major things outside of kansas city for sure they had a swung a big stick didn't they absolutely savella wasn't the kind of guy who answered to people but i think he was smart enough to know who were the big fish in the pond yeah he was smart anyhow we're going to talk about Vinnie Teresa. Vinnie Teresa is one of the earliest mob books I ever read. I'll never forget, Kim. I was in a library in the junior college. I must have been taking a class and I was just poking around. I found this book about the mafia. I wasn't into organized crime at the time. I started reading this book about this Vinnie Teresa and all the stuff that he talked about, which is pretty controversial. That first one was My Life in the Mafia in 1973, which he wrote with another guy. Do you remember that book? I know you've referred to his testimony in his books. [1:56] Absolutely. I learned a lot about what you can pick up from a lot of what Vinnie Teresa is just the inner workings and the day-to-day sort of scumbaggery that these guys, the scams and the cons and the, and ripping people off and how they lean on people. It really, it being so early, people didn't have a friend reference except the Godfather. And yeah, that book really, really opened my eyes to a lot of things. [2:21] Interesting. You know, his, his second book, he documents his life during his time in witness protection. And that was in 1975. Then later on, 1978, he wrote actually a fictional novel called wise guys. And I don't, I don't, I've never read it. I've never heard anybody talk about it. So I don't know what that's about. Um, My mother told me when his stuff first came out, people didn't believe it could possibly be true. It was like we just said, it being so early, people just didn't have a frame of reference on what the mob was and certainly nobody coming in from the cold. And she said, I remember people talking, oh, he can't, none of that can be true, can it? Can that be really how these guys operate? Now, he was, his grandfather came from Sicily, who was a mafia member in Sicily and bootlegger during Prohibition. So he comes by it, honestly, being in the mob, shall we say. [3:18] I gave him a lot of gravitas with some of the old foot in the door. You know, every one of these guys we've ever done anything about their whole life, that would start out, you know, they get caught by burglar doing burglaries and robbing stuff as teenagers. And he got expelled from school for violence against the teachers and all that kind of stuff. He was in, according to what I read, he was an inveterate gambler, he was a degenerate gambler. Total degenerate. Early age. He goes in the Navy for, everybody had to go in the service back then. I'm talking like right after World War II, if you were of a certain age, even all the way up till, I don't know, 1970s till the end of Vietnam. Everybody did two years. If you didn't go to college and get married and have a kid, you went in. And he went in the Navy, but that didn't last very long. Bad conduct discharge. So. Roly poly fellow too. So I can't imagine him doing his PT too effectively. I don't imagine he was real gung ho on doing those pull-ups and running the obstacle course. Let alone all this just runs. Yeah. [4:31] So of course he gets married and as they all do and start getting jobs and he gets caught stealing from his employers i mean it's a usual deal but you know he's got mob connections so with the patriarchy family so now he you know guy a good thief like this what's he gonna do they're gonna see him and they're gonna pick him up and he'll start getting involved with them Remember much about his early days with Patriarcha family? You know, I know that, you know, as I said, because of his family connections that entered him in with a Patriarcha, the guy, one of the guys who predated Patriarcha, Joe Lombardo was sort of like the old man, sort of like the, some of the older guys who would be around Kansas City that, that Civella would go and, and, and pay his respects to and seek their counsel. Joe Lombardo was that kind of guy in Rhode Island that patriarch would always go and seek his counsel and sit with him as an equal in a way. And because Teresa had those, he worked for Joe Lombardo in some limited capacities early on as a youth, sort of cartage theft and trucks and different things. But he really, because he had that pedigree, that was what really gave him, he got to skip a couple of steps when it came to getting in with the big names. And he was a sharp guy, really was a good earner, just like you said, he just degenerate gambler. [5:55] Yeah, it's an interesting life. These guys, they've got this history and this background. They take a man, he starts making connections with him. He was kind of a white collar crime guy from early on because he was a big gambler. Gamblers are always going to be white collar crime guys. One of his early things he did was insurance jobs, getting a business building, doing an insurance gig. From then on, he starts making money for people and it's a no brainer from then on. And he even gets involved with taking gambling junkets to Las Vegas. Back in those days, you had to go to Las Vegas. And so they'd come up with junkets. We had one in Kansas City. That's what they use as a cover to bring the skim money back out of the Tropicana. The gambling junket by a guy named Carl Caruso. Well, he started running gambling junkets from the New England area to go to Las Vegas. And even I also went to England down the Caribbean where they'd gamble at casinos. [6:48] Teresa went to Haiti and he, per his account, had some stuff. Ties to Duvalier and the leadership of Haiti. I think the idea of Junkets is kind of not known today what exactly that was and what kind of, it was basically like a mafia travel agent, you know, and you would book a tour and the hotels would give kickbacks and they would give a percentage and the money lost. And there were different ways to make money, but you'd get a bunch of guys together and fly them out into the Caribbean or fly them to Cuba or flying to Haiti or flying to Las Vegas. And it was just a gambler series of gamblers seeking the mob as a travel agent and then get it knowing that they would then have a good time because they're going out there with the mob who run Vegas anyway. And there was a minimum you had to. [7:34] Gamble with so much money. I don't know the exact details of it, but you had to gamble. I think here it was, man, this is back in the middle seventies. It was like $2,500. I think at the minimum, you had to be gambling with $2,500. And you know,

Vincent “The Chin” Gigante Admits the Truth Dec 16, 2024

In this episode, Gary sits down with former FBI agent Mike Campi, a key figure in the investigation that led to the downfall of Vincent "Chin" Gigante and the Genovese crime family. Mike takes us inside the complex world of organized crime, explaining how Gigante, infamous for his feigned insanity, managed to evade law enforcement for years while secretly running the family’s operations from the shadows. Mike shares the critical role of informants like Cookie D’Urso, whose cooperation provided the FBI with essential insights that brought them closer to Gigante. Together, we explore the meticulous surveillance and wiretapping methods used in the investigation, uncovering the challenges of gathering evidence against individuals skilled at evading law enforcement. The conversation covers the evolution of the case from labor racketeering to a full-scale investigation into the Genovese family’s activities. Mike recounts the internal tensions and bureaucratic obstacles within the FBI and local law enforcement during this high-stakes operation. We also dive into the theme of loyalty and betrayal within the mob. Mike tells stories of brutal retributions, betrayal, and hypocrisy in mob culture, where ambition and greed often overtake family loyalty. He highlights how figures like Cookie D’Urso and George Barone went from mob insiders to crucial witnesses, with their testimonies and recorded conversations playing a decisive role in bringing Gigante to justice—ultimately resulting in Gigante’s admission in court that he had faked insanity for years. The episode wraps up with Mike’s reflections on the current state of organized crime, exploring how some tactics have evolved, yet the underlying nature of organized crime remains largely unchanged. This episode offers a gripping look into the strategy, patience, and grit it takes to tackle organized crime from the inside out. Click here to get Mike's book, Mafia Takedown: The Incredible True Story of the FBI Agent Who Devastated the New York Mob Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript 0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers. Welcome back here in the studio of Gangland [0:03] Wires. Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City police detective from the intelligence unit. And I have a FBI agent today named Mike Camp. And Mike Campy was a case agent of a huge investigation on a Genovese family. This is the case that they turned a guy named Cookie Durso. And that guy ended up talking about Vincent the Chin Gigante. And in the end, that squad that Mike was attached to figured out how to get enough information to get Vincent Gigante to admit in open court that he had been put on an act all those years. You know, if you're not familiar with their story of Vincent the Chin Gigante, he was a boss of the Genovese family and he had put on an act and he was crazy. Wandered around Little Italy and Greenwich Village, wherever he lived, [0:50] somewhere there in Manhattan, in a bath robe and talking to himself and all that. And he did it for years and years and really avoided a lot of a lot of heat when he was actually the boss of the genovese family and they put uh fat tony salerno out as the boss and everybody thought he was a boss and and so this is a guy that really ends up exposing that and he does this huge long investigation on the entire family so just sit back and listen to mike campy so uh we're gonna talk about vincent the chin gigante today when When I was investigating, when my squad changed from labor racketeering. [1:27] Eventually became a focus on. [1:30] The Genovese organized crime family. Rather than being assigned, I wanted to open my own investigation. And we have control files that have historic information from cooperating witnesses and informants that stores the... So I went back and I reviewed the files from volume one up to the last volume [1:51] to focus on who I wanted to open investigation on. And I opened on... The reason I opened the investigation on nicky the blonde frustaci was because he was well liked by many people both chin gigante because nicky was involved in boxing as was chin yeah but also uptown with fat tony salerno and nicky's neighborhood was over by historic where lucky luciano over on first avenue on the east side with 11th street and so he was my focus and originally. [2:26] But I had him, according to information, being placed by chin with Jimmy Ida, who was the acting consigliere, eventually became official consigliere. So the surveillance and all other topics, you know, tapped into Jimmy Ida being a focus with Nikki DeBlanc and others. And so it took a bunch of years because we had a bunch of problems with the title three reinstallations. They got caught a number of times, both PD and the FBI. But at some point right now, Jimmy Ida is doing life in prison as a result of that investigation because of his role as the consigliere in coordinating murders of various individuals. [3:14] Sanctioned murders from the Genovese family. And I thought focusing on Jimmy Ida and Nikki the Blonde, because Chin was pretending to be crazy for all those years, that the likelihood of somebody maybe wanting to cooperate because they're taking a hit for a guy who's wearing a bathrobe, living the life, you know, as bizarre as it seems. [3:38] I thought that that was a good possibility of getting cooperation. And that investigation resulted in the arrest and conviction pleas of the acting administration for the Genovese family to include Laborio Belomo, Barney Belomo, who's the current boss. [3:56] He was the acting boss. Mickey D'Amino Generoso, who was the underboss, old timer, never gone. I don't think he ever went to prison, but for this case, and Jimmy Ida and a whole bunch of other people. But that said, we didn't get the cooperation, but the investigation facilitated the cooperation of Mike, future cooperation of Mike Durso actually reaching out in coordination with his defense attorney to meet with me to facilitate his cooperation. And, This was all supposed to be just a six-month investigation. This was in 1998, June of 98. And we were trying to get to December to arrest the people that shot him in the head, killed his cousin, his best friend, at their social club. And these guys were involved. The one guy, Carmine Pizza, Carmine Pulido, I had involved with previous bank robberies. And so the whole thing was going to address that type of criminal conduct. But because of the recordings we made right from Jump Street, you can clearly see that Durso had a unique reputation with his mentors. He was proposed for induction. He couldn't retaliate and kill the people that shot him in the head. [5:25] Because, you know, there was so many different people cooperating between Al D'Arco, Sammy the Bull Gravano. They were like, you'd have to kill five of them. If you don't kill five of them, somebody may cooperate. So this all, though, facilitated with recordings about Chin, his role in continuing to... [5:47] Manage and be the boss of the Genovese family, even when he was in prison. I mean, we made recordings with Tommy Cafaro, who was Vincent Fish Cafaro's son, and this uptown crew of guys that were with Barney Belomo, who was also in prison. And these recordings were just so specific and detailed over a three-year period that it caused other problems for the Genovese family, to include a historic figure, George Barone, cooperating. And George Barone was somebody that went back to Vito Genovese days. [6:25] That he was the guy that the Genovese family utilized to really facilitate the [6:32] control of the ILA, the Longshoremen's Union, on a national level. And that's during the process of when it went from manually loading ships to the containerization process. So it was just and they wanted durso towards the end when we took the case down to basically kill george barone and and that's the part i the things i like to point out in the book about the hypocrisy of that life you know to where your criminal family is supposed to come before your blood family yeah and i'll say you know numerous murders that are to me clear examples of the hypocrisy. You know, you're joining a group of guys with a lot of egos and, you know, they're treacherous and even they may say that they love you. It doesn't really have any meaning because they're the guy that's going to shoot you in the head. So the whole thing with George Perón, which is a perfect example of how, The blood family in Chin Gigantes, it appears to have maybe come before the crime family. George Barone was owed a modest amount of money, 70 grand, I think it was, or a little under 70 grand. He made millions. [7:50] This one individual owed George this money before George went to prison was a guy who was affiliated as an associate of the Genovese family. Chin was a capo at the time, I believe. when George was going to prison asked if George would facilitate a relationship between his son Andrew and this individual Bert Guido. And George did that. Bert at the time owed him about 68 grand. But Bert became a multi-multi-millionaire. And instead of when George came out giving him the money that was owed, Chin was now the boss. [8:28] Andrew wasn't even made,

Red Hook: Brooklyn Mafia Dec 09, 2024

In this episode of Gangland Wire, Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City police Intelligence Detective, is joined by Frank DiMatteo, a man deeply rooted in the Brooklyn mob scene, and his co-author, Michael Benson, a seasoned true crime writer. Frank brings a unique perspective, shaped by his years growing up under the mentorship of mob legends like the Gallo brothers. Together, we dive into the evolution of organized crime in New York, focusing on the rivalry between the Irish and Italian communities as they vied for control of Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood. Frank recounts his early days in the mob, from running simple errands to taking on more significant operational roles. We discuss their latest book, Red Hook: Brooklyn Mafia Ground Zero. This is a look at the iconic neighborhood, treating Red Hook as a character in the story. The book highlights longstanding rivalries, including how the Irish initially ruled the docks until Italian immigrants arrived and tipped the scales—ultimately leading Frank to conclude that the Irish “lost because they drank too much.” As we unpack Red Hook’s rich criminal history, Frank and Michael reveal how this area became a breeding ground for notorious figures like Al Capone and Machine Gun Jack McGurn. Through personal anecdotes and broader historical insights, they paint a vivid picture of life in a community that served as both a battleground and home for the mob. Join us as we explore Frank and Michael’s fascinating work, shedding light on the intricate layers of mob life and the neighborhoods that shaped these stories. This episode offers an unfiltered look at the history of organized crime in Brooklyn, revealing the tension between power, loyalty, and survival in a world in the shadows. To get this book, click here for Red Hook: Brooklyn Mafia Ground Zero. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Welcome, wiretappers out there. I'm glad to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is a retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective, Gary Jenkins. Gangland Wire is the show, and I know a lot of you guys already knew who I am, but I get some new people every once in a while, so I have a great show for you today. One of these guys, Frank DiMatteo, grew up in the New York families in Brooklyn and around the Joey Gallo gang. He's got several books out, and Michael Benson is his co-author on this, and Michael Benson, prolific author. And between them, they've got books about the mob. I've got most of them already. I've got The Cigar. We've got The Buffy Hitman about Carmine DeBasse. He's one of the killers of Joy Gallo. A more recent one by Michael Benson and somebody else about moguls in Hollywood. And there'll be some mob connections. Oops, didn't have the mob connections to Hollywood. So I want to get Michael on to sometime in the future to talk about that book and Hollywood and the mob, which we know a lot about in Kansas City because we're so close to Chicago and Chicago are the guys out there in Hollywood and extorted the shit out of them. Anyhow, so welcome guys. Tell us a little bit. Maybe we start with Frank. Frank has this kind of colorful [1:16] mob history and the way he was raised. Frank, tell the guys a little bit about yourself. [1:22] Well i was born in my father you know got involved in this life about 1960 i grew up under the under the watch eye of larry gallo joey gallo and alba gallo my godfather is bobby bon Giovanni which is bobby darrow hit guy for the gallo family and my uncle's joe chapani which was originally with Luciano and Costello and Adonis. These are the mentors and these are the guys that I knew and followed and listened to and picked up everything I had to pick up until I was old enough to move around with them. And when I was old enough to move around with them, I became the driver. I just grew from being a driver for my father and these guys to be more active in the life. Yeah. And I stood there with my life until about 20 years ago. We walked away after it was a big pinch with the last crew we were with. Everybody got arrested. We got some subpoenas. We wound up walking away. And I wound up making a magazine and then now writing with Michael. [2:33] The magazine is called Mob Can't Depot. Well, I am a freelance writer. I went to college to learn to be a writer. I was also born in 1956, probably one of the reasons Frank and I get along so well. I started out as a sports writer, wasn't terribly good at it. I was a pretty good boxing writer. Turns out I was a much better fan than I was a writer when it came to sports. I switched to true crime. I wrote a bunch of books about psycho killers and innocent victims and became a little bit of a TV star doing evil twins and evil kin on the ID network. The market for true crime books softened largely because there were a lot of TV shows, whole networks dedicated to the subject. Books didn't sell as well. Our editor, Gary Goldstein, found a book that Frank had written called Lion in the Basement. Frank wrote it all by his lonesome. It's a little bit like a clockwork orange. It's not quite written in English. It's written in Frank. [3:31] So Gary's idea was to have me take a whack at it and add some new material. I talked to his mom and other people. We put some new things in there and fixed up the English, made the spelling uniform. The result was President Street Boys. And that started a whole thing. We did a bunch of mob bosses. We did a hitman. And then Frank had the idea of, hey, let's do a book where the hero is the neighborhood instead of one particular mobster. [3:59] So we start this book, Red Hook, back when the Europeans first arrived. It starts with the slaughter of the Lenape Indians by the Dutch. So, I mean, from the very beginning, the red in Red Hook is for blood. [4:12] So that's how Red Hook got its name. I think it has to do with the color of the soil, but it could have been named after the blood that was spilled there. Yeah. I just interviewed an Atlanta-based FBI agent about a case that he did on the Gambino Connected Club called the Gold Club in Atlanta. Michael DiLeonardo took a case, and the owner, Steve Kaplan, had a warehouse in Red Hook. He said, they told me it was in Red Hook. I said, where is Red Hook? I've never heard of Red Hook. It couldn't be more out of the way. [4:46] It's one of the reasons it is the way it is because that's where the docks are. So it's always been mobbed up, but it's also geographically isolated more now than ever with the Gowanus Canal, the Atlantic Ocean, the now the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. It's a hard place to get in and out of. Interesting. And that's what I noticed in the book, that Red Hook is the protagonist of this story. It is a character in this story. And you take the readers on a really colorful tour of Red Hook and white hand and black hand gangs, as you said, from the Indians and the white hand, black hand gangs. And those wars between the Irish and the Italians clear up the gas pipe, Casso and got his pal Shorty Masioco, Masioco. I can never get that name pronounced right. But anyhow, you bring them in. You know what? It evokes in me, one of the first mob movies I ever saw when I didn't realize it was a mob movie was on the waterfront. I think that's probably where that was set. I would imagine. And that was, that's what it evokes in me. So yeah. [5:52] Let's, maybe we start talking about a little bit about this battle between the Irish and white hand gangs and the black hand gangs and Al Capone is what I've always say. I say a lot when I, especially when I give talks, I'll give talks here in Kansas City about the mafia, this phenomenal. I'll explain to people, the Irish and the Germans got here first, but then the Italians came along later. The Irish already have the good jobs. They've got the police jobs and the government jobs. The Italians come in and the already established Irish are going to keep them forced out. The Italians have to fight for everything they can get as an immigrant group. It just so happens that they brought this tradition of the mafia from Sicily with them. And that was a way to organize and help their own people get a foothold in this new country. You have to start businesses. You can't get a job. You can't get a farmer's job because the Irish got that sewed up. They're not going to let you in. You can't get a cop's job. You can't get those kinds of jobs. Let's start talking about that history in Red Hook. It really played out in that area. [6:54] The Irish, like you said, were here first. They had older jobs. Red Hook was a ghetto. It wasn't a good neighborhood. It was always a rough neighborhood. [7:04] They ran everything, the docs, the stores, the cops, the lawyers, judges. They ran the whole thing. We never complained, but it was bad times. And we had to organize. And some guys that came over from Sicily knew what to do, started putting everybody together. They had to go against the Irish to eat. And they got stronger and stronger in the neighborhood because the blood of Red Hook is the docks. That's it. That's the docks. And then stores and restaurants and food markets to feed everybody. But the money was the docks. [7:39] And we just got stronger and stronger. I mean, I always say the Irish lost because they drank too much.

FBI Gangster Hunters Dec 02, 2024

In this episode, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Detective Gary jenkins welcomes John Oller, a former lawyer turned nonfiction author focusing on American history, biography, and true crime. John has authored a compelling true-crime book titled Gangster Hunters, shedding light on the often-overlooked FBI agents who pursued infamous criminals such as John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Bonnie and Clyde. While these gangsters are well-known in pop culture, the agents who risked their lives to bring them down—aside from figures like J. Edgar Hoover and Melvin Purvis—remain largely unsung. John takes us through his meticulous research process, which involved interviewing descendants of these agents and combing through FBI files. He paints a vivid picture of the early days of the FBI, where many agents, expecting desk jobs, found themselves facing off against heavily armed gangsters. We explore pivotal historical events, including the capture of Alvin Karpis, Hoover’s drive to portray himself as a hands-on lawman, and notorious shootouts involving Babyface Nelson and Ma Barker. The conversation also delves into the reality of the gangster era, revealing how criminals often had superior firepower compared to law enforcement and how the FBI eventually adapted by recruiting sharpshooters, including ex-Texas Rangers, to handle these dangerous adversaries. Please tune in for a deep dive into the world of early FBI agents and the harrowing challenges they faced in the fight against America's most dangerous criminals. Click here to get this remarkable book, Gangster Hunters. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00]Well, Hey, welcome all you wiretappers out there back here in the studio of gangland wire. This is retired Kansas city police intelligence unit, Sergeant Gary Jenkins with another show. We're going back into the thirties today. You know, you leave deal with these seventies gangsters a lot and, and, uh, sixties gangsters, uh, mafia, but this is going to go back to the thirties and the days of the bank robbers, the Midwest bank robbers. I mean, they, they caught out at got a wide swath across this country and we have a book by john aller gangster hunters and here it is and you'll you'll find links in the show notes to where you can find that book he does a great job of telling many of the unknown stories and the known stories in great detail of the famous bank robbers dillinger and uh pretty boy floyd and and uh the ma barker gang and and machine gun Kelly and all those great nicknames. So welcome, John. I really appreciate you coming on the show. Thanks for having me. [1:02]John, how did you get into this? Tell us a little bit about your history. I was a lawyer for many years, and then I retired from active practice to pursue a writing career or writing avocation, I would call it. And I've concentrated on nonfiction, American history, biography and true crime I've done, this is my third true crime book which I find a genre that interests me what I found out is that while all the bank robbers Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd and Babyface Nelson, etc Bonnie and Clyde in particular have been written about many times over and movies made of them and everybody's heard of them very few people have heard know anything about the um kind of anonymous fbi agents who chased and captured and in some cases killed them of course everybody knows j edgar hoover yeah um but hoover by design kept his agents anonymous because he wanted all the glory of the fbi to flow Well, to him, love. I have read about that. I understand that Melvin Purvis actually was almost forced out of the service because J. Edgar Hoover was so jealous that he was getting all those headlines up in Chicago. [2:31]Yeah, Melvin Purvis is probably the only FBI agent, field agent from that era who people might recognize the name. Of course, he's been played in a number of movies, most recently in the Johnny Depp movie, Public Enemies. Johnny Depp played Dillinger and Christian Bale played Melvin Purvis, although it wasn't a very historically accurate portrayal. Well, I mean, Christian Bale is this kind of handsome, big guy. And Melvin Purvis was this little, thin, wispy guy, 5'7", 130 pounds. [3:11]So other than Purvis, probably most of the guys, FBI guys in my book, other than Purvis and Hoover, the general public has never heard of. And so that attracted me to telling their story. And what I did is I tracked down a bunch of living relatives of these FBI agents, children, grandchildren, nephews, grandnephews, et cetera. And surprisingly, a surprising number were still living. So I would interview them and, you know, they had family stories and in some cases, photos of guys that had never been published before. And there's a number of those in the book. And then I used a lot of raw FBI files to do the research because there are voluminous FBI files on all these cases. [4:08]And it takes a long time to sift through them. They're very lengthy reports, single-spaced, 20 pages or more. So I had to read all those. But that's how I went about it. Yeah, I see. Here's one. Johnny Madala, what do you call a briefcase agent? A briefcase agent, that's like an agent that just has a briefcase, not a gun particularly. I know those early guys, they didn't carry guns. [4:38]That's kind of a theme of the book is a lot of these early FBI agents entered the bureau, you know, thinking that they were going to have desk jobs. It was kind of a white collar job. You know, they would maybe investigate antitrust violations and bank fraud and that kind of thing. Perceived to be sort of a cushy job which paid relatively well during the depression and a lot of these guys were lawyers and they couldn't really get jobs as lawyers so they went into government service and and then all of a sudden this war on crime broke out in 1933 these guys were pressed into service and you know they instead of a briefcase now they had a tommy gun in their hands, which they had never shot. A lot of these guys had never fired a weapon in their life and never been fired at by anyone. Now, some were, particularly the guys from the South, were a little more gun sappy than the Southwest. But the younger guys, they did not sign up for For this tour of duty. But yet they got thrown into it. And they were fairly inexperienced. In the beginning. And they didn't have a lot of technological. [5:59]Wherewithal. They didn't have two-way radios. They didn't have cell phones. Obviously. They didn't have night vision goggles. It was just their own wits. And bravado. That they had to develop. To take on these gangsters. Who were much more heavily armed, had faster cars. [6:22]Elaborately planned getaways, which were much better planned than the FBI raids. So all of the deck was stacked in favor of the gangsters in the beginning. Yeah, really. Tell me something. Did you stumble across this story? I seem to remember this, that at least one of these guys, I think it was... [6:44]Who was arrested down in New Orleans? Was that- Alvin Karpis. Alvin Karpis. Did J. Edgar Hoover tell them to wait until he got there so he could be part of the arrest team or something? There's some story I remember about that. Yes, yes. He had been embarrassed in Congress because he testified at a hearing. He was seeking more money for the FBI. And one of the senators who didn't like the FBI, there were a lot of people who were who thought that the FBI was kind of this national police force and they didn't like that. And so anyway, so this Senator was grilling Hoover and he asked him, you know, have you ever personally made an arrest? And Hoover had to admit, he had to admit, no, I mean, Hoover was a desk man, his entire life. He spent his 24 seven at his desk in Washington. [7:38]And he was embarrassed by that. And so he came out of the meeting and he told his people, because he knew they were closing in on alvin karpis yeah um and i think he knew at some point that that karpis was going to be arrested in new orleans and he said i want to be there for that, so he flew to new orleans and um he was in on the arrest he didn't personally make the arrest although he kind of um allowed the press to portray him as the guy who arrested um so it was it was sort of at by that time alan karpus was public enemy number one that was a term they used back then for the the most wanted and all the other public enemies number one had been killed or i guess killed uh before that karpus was the last one standing and so hoover was, christened Public Hero No. 1. So Public Hero No. 1 arrested Public Enemy No. 1. That was kind of the legend. [8:43]They did not expect to take Karpis alive because every other... Public enemy number one, Dillinger, baby face Nelson, pretty boy Floyd had, you know, died in a shootout. They figured Karpis would be the same. So when they arrested him almost by accident, they didn't. He came out of his hotel or his rooming house. Nobody had any handcuffs. They hadn't brought any handcuffs along because they didn't expect to take him alive. And so one of the agents, a guy named Buck Buchanan, took off his necktie and handed it to one of the other agents. And they used the necktie to tie Karpis' hands. And Hoover actually asked the agent to send him that necktie for his exhibit room in Washington,

T. J. English and the Last Kilo Nov 25, 2024

In this episode of Gangland Wire, host Gary Jenkins sits down with renowned true crime author T. J. English for an insightful conversation on organized crime, focusing on English’s latest book, The Last Kilo. English, well-known for his work on the Irish mob and the Cuban drug trade, dives into the complex world of cocaine trafficking in the 1980s, examining the rise of Cuban and Mexican cartels and the historical forces that shaped the cocaine industry. T. J. English begins by sharing his journey into crime journalism, explaining his unique perspective on crime writing as a means to explore broader social themes, from the pursuit of the American Dream to the stories of marginalized communities in America. He explains how organized crime can act as a lens for understanding cultural assimilation and survival strategies across generations, pointing out that many immigrant communities, such as the Irish and Italians, were historically pushed toward illegal activities as a means of survival. The discussion then turns to the Cuban drug trade in America, especially during the cocaine boom of the 1980s. English highlights key players like Willie Falcon and Sal Magluta, who used political connections and resources to pioneer cocaine distribution networks. The conversation explores how Los Muchachos, a Cuban drug trafficking group, established a stronghold in the U.S. by strategically lowering prices and expanding cocaine’s reach, setting the stage for explosive demand. Throughout the episode, English contrasts Los Muchachos' tactics with those of other criminal organizations, particularly noting their reliance on loyalty and community ties over violence. This approach, forged through the shared experiences of exile, helped them maintain unity and discipline in their operations. Jenkins and English also discuss the evolution of the cocaine market, from its glamorous early days to the more violent era marked by the rise of crack cocaine in the late 1980s, which reshaped public perceptions and spurred aggressive law enforcement responses. T. J. English explains how these shifts pressured Los Muchachos to adapt, prompting alliances with Mexican cartels to continue thriving in an ever-changing landscape. Tune in to this episode for an in-depth look at the history, culture, and operations behind the Cuban drug trade, and how organized crime continues to reflect the broader social dynamics at play in America. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, welcome all you wiretappers out there. It's good to be back here [0:02] in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, a retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Detective, a later sergeant. Now, I've got this podcast going, Gangland Wire, and we have another guy that I was just talking to TJ a little bit. I picked up a book called The West years ago before I even thought about doing a podcast or any of this entertainment business, and I was entranced by that book, The Westies. It's about the Irish mob in Manhattan in New York City. Now they ended up working with the Gambinos and that's a page turner. He's got a new one out here that I've been going through it. I just got it the other day and it is a page turner too. So it's TJ English. Welcome, TJ. My pleasure. Great to be here. All right. So you are the man when it comes to reporting on the mob. There's a few of you guys. You know, Nicholas Pelleggi has got Las Vegas sewed up and Anthony DiStefano, he's got New York sewed up. But I tell you what, when it comes to Cuba, especially with your trilogy, your Cuban trilogy, you've got that sewed up. You are the man in that. And you're the man as far as the Irish mob is concerned to me. So I really am excited about doing this interview with you and meeting you. You want, you know, TJ, you won more book awards and been on the New York Times bestseller list. that I can't even count them all. I don't know how many there are. [1:29] You know, let's talk just a little bit about, I guess, where you came from, how you got into this. How did you get into this true crime writing and what is it that attracts you? [1:40] Well, you know, I started as a journalist, and for me as a journalist, crime was kind of the ultimate calling. It was what requires the greatest skills from a journalist. It's a subject that nobody wants you to write about, especially the people who are engaged in criminal activity in particular. [2:03] And it would seem to be a subject that's impossible to get at. And that, of course, was the challenge, is the challenge that most any journalist should find alluring on one level or another. I always did. And it requires entering into worlds that I don't know personally. I'm not a criminal. I've never lived a criminal life. I've never made what I would call a poor life choice to choose crime as a way of life. I've never done that. But I'm fascinated by it, and I'm fascinated to hear from people in that world about why they made those choices. So I started to follow that path early in my journalism career. I guess what led me to the writing of the books, and if I do have a distinctive quality as a crime writer, it's my desire to take criminal stories and place them in a historical and cultural context that actually elevates the stories, makes them about something more than just the nuts and bolts of that particular story. And this is why I've chosen ethnic stories of the Irish and Cubans. I wrote a book about a Vietnamese gang. I've written about. [3:23] Organized crime in America from many different ethnic points of view. And to me, it's so fascinating because ultimately all of these stories are about one thing, the pursuit of the American dream, the pursuit of the American dream by individual people or by groups of people, the belief that you can carve out a path for yourself in the United States. If you have to do that on the so-called wrong side of the law, then so be it. It's an avenue of success. And so I find it to be an inexhaustible topic. Once I learned that I could write contemporary versions of this, modern stories, but I could also go back in history and write historical, books, like a book I wrote called Havana Nocturne, which was about the era of the mob in Cuba in the 1950s. I wrote a book called Paddywhack, which was a big sweeping history of the Irish-American underworld in America. Once I learned that you could do contemporary and historical versions of this subject matter, I realized that there was really no end to the possibilities of examining this subject from all these different perspectives. [4:42] Yeah interesting i'm glad the way you your view of this genre if you will because i like i always if i do a talk and it talks are in kansas city about the mafia in kansas city and of course it's all italian last names and i always remind people that you know when italians first got here like any immigrant when they first get to this country they're squeezed out they are not welcomed into to the economy and the jobs, you know, but when the Irish got here, the English didn't really want them here, you know, Irish, no Irish need apply and that kind of thing. When the Italians got here, you know, they were darker, they spoke another language and the Irish had all the good jobs sewed up, you know, all the government, the police and the fireman's jobs and the decent businesses. And so they kept the Italians forced, really squeezed out. And, you know, when they, when people come up from south of the border today, people complain about that, but you You've got these bright young guys that are looking to live the American dream. And they're, you know, because of language barriers, many times they not, they're not accepted in and it's hard for them to get a foothold. So you're a bright guy. [5:52] You're bold and you can't get a foothold anywhere else, you can get a foothold in crime. So I really like hearing that somebody's taking that into consideration. It's much more than that. Oh, no, listen, it's part of the American process. It's part of the American process of assimilation. And it is as American as apple pie. [6:13] Virtually every ethnic group in the United States has gone through some version of this. We think of traditional organized crime as Italian and Irish and Jewish, perhaps, simply because those were the ethnic groups that controlled the criminal underworld at the time of prohibition in the 1920s, the legal boost, which was the biggest criminal racket to ever take place in the United States, in America, up to narcotics. And so now Now it's Cubans and Colombians and Mexicans involved in that criminal business. But it's the same process. It's eerie in its similarities. It's led me to the conclusion that there's something very American about it, that it is part of the American process. And so people oftentimes will ask me, don't you get tired of writing about organized crime? And that's an easy answer. No, because organized crime to me is an inexhaustible topic. It can be, it's like a prism you hold up to the light and you can look at it from many different angles. There's so many different angles. I feel that I'm just writing about American culture and American society from a particular point of view, from the point of view of the gutter, perhaps. [7:32] But to me,

Frank Gangi and Tommy “Karate” Pitera Nov 18, 2024

In this episode, we dive deep into a gripping story from the dark world of organized crime, centering on the infamous Bonanno crime family. Our narrative follows Larry Santoro, an unsuspecting cabinet maker who, finds himself entangled Frank Gangi and Billy bright, members of Tommy "Karate" Pitera’s brutal drug gang. Known for his ruthless enforcement and violent reputation, Pitera represents the deadly allure and hazards of the criminal underworld that ordinary people can stumble into, facing devastating consequences. The plot thickens as Santoro is drawn into a botched robbery scheme alongside Pitera asociates Frank Gangi and Billy Bright. Their inexperience with residential break-ins quickly turns their plans for fast cash into a chaotic encounter. Breaking into a Russian jeweler's home, they find themselves face-to-face with an elderly woman, struggling to keep control. The tension is palpable, showing how the criminal life can spiral out of control, especially for those unprepared for its high stakes and brutal outcomes. As we unfold the story, we reveal connections between the Bonanno and Genovese crime families, as Frank Gangi attempts to profit from the heist by selling the stolen jewelry to mob contacts, including a Genovese captain. A pivotal moment arises when the stolen jewelry catches the attention of Joe Butch Corrao, a Gambino family capo who’s determined to reclaim a pair of prized diamond earrings. This leads to a tense sit-down meeting where we witness the mob's complex hierarchy and decision-making dynamics. As different factions vie for control and respect, this meeting underscores the razor-thin balance required to survive in this world, where even the smallest oversight can unravel alliances. The episode culminates with a series of betrayals and tragic outcomes, as Frank Gangi ultimately turns against Tommy Karate, seeking refuge in witness protection while others face severe repercussions. Join us as we explore the themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the steep price of a life in crime, through the brutal world of Tommy Karate Pitera and his deadly network of associates. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Hey guys, welcome all you wiretappers out there. I'm back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. As you can see, this is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit officer, now turned podcaster and author, actually. So don't forget, I have this new book about the Chicago outfit, Windy City Mafia, the Chicago outfit. Help me beat the algorithms of Amazon. Go out there and buy that book. Give me reviews on it. That way for $1.99, even if you don't have a Kindle for $1.99. [0:31] I get part of that. I get a little piece of that, but also it gets Amazon to put it out to more people. And so the more people that buy it, the more money I make, the more money I [0:42] make, the better I like it. So anyhow, help me out if you can, guys. I have a New York story today. I go all over the United States from Kansas City and worked a mob here for many years. This is a New York story I happened to run into I thought was really interesting and really kind of telling for about how some of these guys work and they do different crimes and and kind of the I love the intricacies of of how guys work not just that they went out and killed 20 people or they dealt drugs and you go on or they did some kind of a score how do they do that so back in the 80s i believe that larry santoro was a cabinet maker and larry Santoro knew some guys in Tommy karate patera's drug gang Tommy karate was a feared murder uh he was an enforcer he was he killed people out the ass he cut up their bodies he was a banana guy so he could deal drugs He had a huge drug gang. I did a whole show on, uh, Tommy karate. So go back and look at my, uh, old shows and find that Tommy karate show kind of overview of him. [1:55] Anyhow, he, he knew guys in that crew. One of them was Frank Ganji. He was probably closest to Tommy karate. Frank Ganji had, uh, he had problems in the end. Uh, Billy Bright, uh, who will get killed in the penitentiary in the end. And a guy named Manny Maya or Maya, I don't know much more about him other than he was a defendant in the drug conspiracy trial. The one time of karate went down, DEA worked a big case on him. I mean, karate, he will go on to commit many, many murders. And he brought this Frank Ganji in with him and to help do some of these murders. And Ganji, uh, was, is not the kind of guy you want to do murders with. They're not the kind of guy you want to know your business. Karate, Tommy Karate, he really jacked up by taking this guy into his confidence. He should have known. He should have known after doing a few things with him that this guy is weak in the end. Tommy Karate was in the Bonanno family. He's a made guy. He was in a faction of the Bonanno family. And there was a big split in the Bonanno family. And the three capos. [2:59] Sonny Red and Delicato, Dominic Trinchera, and Philip Jack Leone, all ended up being murdered in that infamous basement tribal murder planned out by Joe Messino, which I talked about in the Joe Messino story. And Dominic, Sonny Black, Napolitano also was part of the planning of that and the implementation of it. They were trying to just protect themselves as well as their, uh, the boss of the Bonanno family, Rusty Ristelli, who was in, uh, prison at the time. And, and Joe Massino had gone to the commission and, and told them that he was getting information that these three capos were trying to, uh, we're going to make a move on them and take over the family and boot Rusty Ristelli out. And Castellano supposedly reportedly told Joe Massino that, you know, you do what you got to do to defend yourself. And this is what Joe Massino did. And Joe Massino, of course, went on to be the boss and went on to then be the first mob boss in New York to ever turn. [4:00] So go back in that Joe Massino story I did. It's a great story. A lot of people really liked it because it had a lot of different experts and some former made guys as well as FBI agents that were Joey Massino. You know, Tommy Karate is working on Anthony Spiro, who put him under Frank Leno, who was a survivor of the three Capo murders, who ran out before they could take him down. And then he came back and all was forgiven. One of Tommy Karate's most famous murders probably was the most famous was Willie Boy Johnson, which was kind of shows this inner family. [4:34] And this story is about kind of inner family relationships and inner family cooperation. One of his more famous murderers was Wilford Willie boy. Johnson shot him down as he walked to his car. Johnson had been a really, he wasn't a made guy. I think it was Indian. He's been a real close associate of John Gotti. John Gotti liked this guy. He really liked this guy and been a Gambino associate and, They'd been, they'd done stuff together since they were kids. [5:01] Willie boy had also been a top echelon and former the FBI for a long time. You don't slide them little tidbits, not really anything that you'll, you're going to make a case on directly where he'd have to testify. And he'd been doing it for several years. I don't know why, you know, whatever, what people do things for different motives. You know, I, you never know what a guy's motive is, but it done that. But they're, they're the first trial of, of Gotti, which you got to not guilty you on there's a prosecutor a lady named diane jackaloni and she wanted willy boy to testify and she had you know his control agent went to him they did not want to have him testify because that was going to out him that would take out their future source of information inside right next to gotti they didn't think they really needed him to get the conviction uh jackaloni thought they did. [5:52] And she ended up exposing him, fronting him out during the trial. [5:56] And so that's why Tommy Crotty ended up killing him at the request of the Gambinos and John Gotti. Now, these four guys I mentioned before, Larry Santoro, who was a cabinetmaker who set it up, and Manny Maya, who then connected Billy Bright and Frank Ganji to this little scheme, they robbed a Russian jeweler who mainly worked out of his house santoro again i think i said he was a cabinet maker and he was involved in a home remodel in the russian jeweler's house this was in the canarsie section of brooklyn kind of a solidly upper middle class section uh in brooklyn and and their name was blumenkrant it's more of a german name but uh russian germans i don't know blumenkrant and they not only sold a lot of legitimate really high-end pieces but they also dealt with stolen jewelry which you know when you're when you're a fence yourself a lot of fences get robbed by their customers when they know they've got something big because you know the fence is meant less likely to cooperate with the police if you do get caught if you get caught you may have to give this stuff back depending on. [7:04] Who's connected to the fence but they didn't really know this guy uh they probably knew he maybe dealt with some hot stuff but a lot of people knew that they didn't know he was a connected guy They should have done their homework a little better. But these guys,

Owney Madden: From Harlem to Hot Springs Nov 11, 2024

In this episode, Gary Jenkins interviews Kansas City-based screenwriter and author John Sanders, who brings compelling insights into the life of Owney Madden—a notorious figure in organized crime. As a former Kansas City police detective, I’ve always been fascinated by mob history, and John’s unique perspective, intertwined with personal family stories, provides a captivating look into Madden's life. We trace Madden’s journey from his early days with the Gophers gang in New York City to his days as a respected citizen in Hot Springs, Arkansas. John shares gripping tales of Madden’s resilience, including surviving multiple gunshots, which underscore the brutal realities of the gangster lifestyle. Madden’s transformation from street thug to savvy businessman during Prohibition paints a picture of a man whose rise to power was fueled by sharp business instincts and connections with major players like Frank Costello. Our conversation explores Madden’s partnerships with colorful characters, including Big Frenchy DeMange, Lucky Luciano, and Meyer Lansky, as he navigated the cutthroat world of organized crime. From his ownership of the famed Cotton Club to his brewery, Madden's ventures reveal the strategic moves that solidified his influence in 1920s New York. We also discuss Madden’s eventual downfall and the power struggles that led to dramatic events, such as Mad Dog Coll's kidnapping of Big Frenchy. This episode ultimately sealed Coll’s fate. These stories shed light on the treacherous nature of mob alliances, where loyalty is fleeting and betrayals are often fatal. Finally, John delves into Madden’s later years in Hot Springs, where he became a respected figure in the community. His transition from notorious gangster to local businessman highlights redemption themes and human behavior's complexities. Alongside John’s family anecdotes, we discuss Hot Springs as a place of historical intrigue—a resort town with a darker past as a haven for mobsters. Tune in to this fascinating conversation on Owney Madden's life and legacy as we unravel the cultural and historical threads that make his story unforgettable. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, welcome all you wiretappers out there. It's good to be back here [0:03] in the studio of Gangland Wire. You know, this is Gary Jenkins, your host and producer of Gangland Wire podcast. I am a former retired, not former, retired Kansas City police detective and sergeant. I was in the intelligence unit for 13 years, 14 maybe altogether. [0:21] And, you know, after I left, I got into making documentary films and i made three documentary films you can find on amazon just search for my name and mafia you'll find all kinds of stuff about me and what i've done so we won't belabor that but i let's get on to the show i have a man that i recently met a kansas city man is john sanders he's a kansas city based screenwriter and author welcome john thanks carrie i appreciate it all right well john got hold of me and he just wanted to meet and talk about the mob because he had this big interest in it so we met the coffee shop here close to me and had a had a nice long conversation and and he was telling me in particular he's been working on something about only madden and i hadn't done anything on only madden or if i did it was a long time ago and the early beginnings of the irish mob in new york and i thought what an idea for a show so john graciously agreed [1:16] to come on the show and and share his uh knowledge uh the story of Oni Madden. So, uh, John, uh, tell us a little bit about yourself before we get started talking about Oni. [1:27] Okay. Well, I was, uh, the son of a guy who was born and raised in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and anybody who knows anything about Oni Madden knows that he became the main man in Hot Springs, Arkansas. And I would, was grown up with stories about how he would, uh, see Oni sitting in the front of the Southern Club where he would dispense wisdom and give out cash and help and take care of people. He was a very generous guy all throughout and through most of his life. [1:59] I recently started working on a screenplay about Oni's life, thinking about my dad's stories. And I found him to be just a fascinating, fascinating character and one that I could really get connected to because you could see through the course of his life how he started out as a thug and a killer and learned and became much more sophisticated than what he did, highly respected in the mob world. And I just, I enjoyed that aspect of his growth where a lot of gangsters don't get that opportunity to do anything. [2:43] Oney was an English-born gangster, came to the United States with his mother after being born in Leeds. His parents were Irish, so that got him some cred in Hell's Kitchen when they landed in Hell's Kitchen. And by the age of 14, he was running with the Gophers, which is one of the main gangs in New York. [3:08] They called themselves the Goofers for some reason, but we'll call them the Gophers for now. They, of course, had their share of opponents in the streets, and one of those was the Hudson Dusters. They were their main opponent. They would have run-ins with them and battles. And at one point, Oney, who by this time had been running the Gophers, had followed his estranged wife to a Hudson Duster dance hall. He just wanted to keep an eye on her. So he's sitting up in the balcony watching, and he turns around, and all of a sudden there's 11 Hudson dusters standing behind him, and they all pull out guns, and they all shoot him. He ended up with 11 bullets in him. They thought, you know, everyone thought he was dead, but he wasn't. He was, they asked who did it, and he said, I did it to myself. You know, we'll take care of it. [4:00] Amazingly, they got him to the hospital. They were going to stop at the morgue, but he pulled through, who pulled, I believe it was, six bullets out of him, and they had to leave five behind, and those things would bug him the rest of his life. He had all sorts of problems with that. But he survived, and in a matter of a couple of weeks, six of the dusters who had shot him were dead. He was back running the streets. But while he was down, one of his guys, a guy named Patsy Doyle, who was kind of a psychopathic guy who was in the Gophers, wanted to take over. He was telling everybody that Oney was done for. He wanted to take us to the spot. [4:39] Well, Oney wasn't much for that kind of disloyalty, so Fatsy was found beat up pretty good with a pipe, a lead pipe that was wrapped in newspaper, and that was Oney's tool of choice when it comes to beating people up. He survived, but he started doing stupid things like snitching on Oney and telling the cops what he was up to, and so that he had to be taken out. And unfortunately, people that lured Patsy to his demise in a cafe pinned it on Oni. They apparently were coerced by the prosecutors. The guys that actually did the shooting went to prison for he was convicted on manslaughter and sent up the Sing Sing for 10 to 20 years. I remember on that setup at that cafe, did a woman, somebody that Oni knew a woman, then lure him to that cafe? Interestingly enough, all of Oney's trouble seemed to hang around the women. I mean, the guys that he shot were hitting on his girlfriends. [5:47] And Freda Hopper, who was on again, off again, one of Oney's girlfriends, Nancy Boyle was absolutely infatuated. And that was the only reason he came, because he wanted to see Freda. And unfortunately, Freda got forced into saying that he was involved and he ended up in prison. It was in prison where he really, he really blossomed, I guess you could say. [6:17] He decided that, you know, even though he claimed that he had nothing to do with that Patsy Doyle murder, he decided, well, you know, I've done enough things. So this is probably justice, even though I didn't do this one. And so he decided to be the best he could be in prison. He became friends with Warden Laws, who would, I mean, he was a celebrity in prison. He was able to calm down gangs that were having problems in prison. He was very much appreciated by Warden Laws. And when new inmates would come in, he'd call Oli over to see the guys getting off the bus. He said, what do you think? What do you think about that guy? And Arnie would give him the straight scoop. He's a smart guy, but, you know, he's this mess and that. He spent seven and a half years in prison. And during that time, he was having a lot of problems with his stomach. For some reason, just glommed on to the prison surgeon, a guy named Dr. Steele, to the point where after he got out of prison, whenever he had any problems with his stomach, he wouldn't trust regular doctors. He'd go up to Sing Sing and have that doctor work on him. And he was just held in high regard and got out after seven and a half years or so. So he comes out. [7:36] Was that a reduction? Seemed like he would have got more than seven years for murder. Well, he was on parole. And it was supposed to be a 10 to 20, but he got out seven and a half years on the behavior. Because the lawyer, the warden really appreciated him. Yeah. Okay. All right. I was curious. [7:54] So, yeah, he should have gotten out. He should have had at least 10 years.

The Atlanta Gold Club Investigation Nov 04, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode of Gangland Wire Crime Stories, retired police detective Gary Jenkins speaks with former FBI agent Mark Sewell, who delves into his investigation of the notorious Gold Club in Atlanta and its ties to organized crime. Mark shares his journey from the Marine Corps to the FBI, detailing how his training prepared him to tackle organized crime. The discussion highlights the world of strip clubs as a major revenue source for criminals, drawing parallels to his early police work in Kansas City. At the heart of the conversation is the Gold Club, owned by Steve Kaplan, who turned it into a hotspot during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, attracting celebrities and high-profile figures. Mark describes the criminal activities that took place, from credit card fraud to connections with the Gambino crime family. Mark reveals the challenges of infiltrating the club and gathering evidence, including working with strippers as informants and tracking financial transactions. He also discusses key figures in the Gambino family, such as Mikey Scars DiLeonardo and Steve Kaplan's partnerships with corrupt police officers and mob players. Click here to buy Mark's book Investigating America's Most Notorious Strip Club: The FBI, the Gold Club, and the Mafia Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript 0:00] Well, hey, welcome all you wiretappers. Good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit Detective and later Sergeant. I've got this podcast, Gangland Wire, and we look into the mob. Today, I have a great story, a real mafia story. You know, and we saw this in Kansas City. These guys love these strip clubs because there's a lot of money to be made out of strip clubs. And maybe some of you have heard of the gold club down in Atlanta. When I first got Mark's book, our guest, you know, I thought I remembered that there was all these Patrick Ewing and all these big-time basketball players going there. And it was a hell of a scandal, but I didn't remember much about it, but Mark Sewell. Welcome Mark. I really appreciate you coming on the show. [0:46] Well, Gary, you're, you're very welcome. I've been a fan of your podcast and your media work for a while too so i'm glad to do this thanks for having me well good and i told you before like you know we had the same thing in kansas city and these bobsters they love strip clubs there's a lot to to make out of a strip club besides the money besides a skim besides blackmail on people possibly and and all kinds of things can be made for the mob out of a strip club and and you dive right into the middle of it. Now, Mark, your first office was down in Atlanta, but before that, tell us a little bit about your history and what led you to join the FBI. Sure. Shortly after high school, Gary, I joined the Marine Corps out of the Houston, Texas area, 1987. And I stayed in the Marine Corps until 1997. During that time, I was able to earn a commission. [1:45] So when I left the Marine Corps, I was a young captain in the Marine Corps. And I was stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, or Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. But I recruited into the FBI out of the Honolulu office there. And that recruiter, FBI recruiter, came over to the Marine Corps base and took seven officers out of my battalion in about a one-year period. Period because we all had security clearances because we were intelligence battalion. Yeah. And so we, she knew we could pass the FBI's background investigation because we already had these top secret clearances and so forth. So I joined the Marine Corps out of Hawaii in 1997. [2:27] Excuse me. I joined the FBI. I was in the Marine Corps. So I joined the FBI in 1997. I go to the Academy in Quantico, which I'm already familiar with Quantico because as you know, the Marine Corps has, that's their place actually. The FBI is a tenant on the Marine Corps base. So I was very familiar with the Quantico landscape and I get there in 1997. I complete new agent training and I get assigned to Atlanta, Georgia as my first office. I have to assume that the basic training of an FBI agent was a little bit different than the basic training of a Marine Corps. [3:04] Yeah, you know, you make a good point because as a Marine, you go there wondering, is this going to be anything like what I've experienced in the past, right? Because when I went to OCS, Officer Candidate School, that's kind of like a boot camp for officers. And you know that's that's a that's a screaming event and a stress event and that kind of thing but i tell everybody that the fbi academy is what i call a gentleman's course compared to the marine corps so i was uh pleasantly surprised and relieved yeah i bet you get a little bit older you can't you you ain't playing that homie don't play that anymore having people screaming yell at you trying to make you look like an idiot and demeaning you and breaking you down all the way so they can build you back up. You know, I know that drill. Anyhow, so, you know, you get out of the Quantico Academy and your first office is Atlanta, Georgia. I assume you didn't get to go back to Hawaii or you hired in at Atlanta. [4:02] I didn't want to go back to Hawaii, to be honest, because it's just so doggone expensive out there. And, you know, there's a chance when you go out there as an FBI agent that you could be there a long time. The Marine Corps is going to move you every three years, But you could go out there potentially in today's FBI and you could spend your whole career out there. So the idea of spending a decade in Hawaii with that cost of living, we loved it, but we were ready to move on. So Atlanta, cost of living in Atlanta was a lot better. Yeah, I can only imagine. Atlanta is probably going to be more like Kansas City, although it's probably more expensive than Kansas City. But it's going to be more like the Midwest than Hawaii for sure. And then, of course, you know, FBI agents, guys, you may or may not know this. Agents that get assigned to san francisco and new york and i'm not sure if there's another one or not but they have to get a little extra stipend because it's the cost of living is so expensive and it's true so it's you know it's a problem living in those huge big cities like that besides all the traffic and stuff of course that's where the action is i assume washington dc gets an extra stipend too i would think and that and that is the the payoff you you mentioned it yeah working in New York, living in New York can really be a hassle, but if you're looking for quality FBI type of work. [5:20] Then there's no place better than New York, right? So it's a give and take sometimes. The great thing about Atlanta was there was great work because Atlanta is the ninth largest city in America. That's home to a number of Fortune 500 companies, but yet the cost of living is a lot less. Yeah, you don't have the old school Italian mafias, you know, ensconced in Atlanta, but there's plenty of organized crime in Atlanta to work on in there. That's right. And, you know, and I was surprised when I learned that I was going [5:51] to be assigned to the Organized Crime Squad. I just knew a little bit about organized crime having grown up in Texas. [5:59] And really all I knew was what I read in the newspapers or saw on television. And then I find out I'm going to be assigned to an Organized Crime Squad. And then specifically, I'm going to be assigned to the LCN part of the Organized Crime Squad. And I always made the joke. I had to go out and research what is the LCN because I really didn't know a lot about it. I knew one name, John Gotti. That's all I knew. That's because he was in the headlines during that era. [6:27] That's all I knew. I was drinking from the proverbial fire hose. I had a lot to learn. Yeah, you did. You found out that their tentacles reach out to Atlanta and a whole lot of other places in the United States, any place there's a large city and there's opportunities for advice and ways to make money. These guys, they've got their, they got their fingers in it somewhere. And especially a place like Atlanta, because there's a lot of money to be made in Atlanta. But one of your early case, you were, I guess, let's go back your first off office. And then your first, your break-in officer, he was assigned to be your mentor, was a man named Simmons, John Simmons. Tell us about working with John Simmons. I had read in your book that that was a real positive, great experience for you. [7:16] It was. John is what we call a Hoover agent, as you well know. Yes, I know what. John came in the FBI when J. Edgar Hoover was still the director. And when I joined in 97, there were still a handful of Hoover agents left in the Bureau, but not many. And they just did things different. They operated different. They talked different. They had a different attitude. It just was a whole different way of life. I went through in my career, I went through FBI directors, but you have to remember, J. Edgar Hoover was a director for 49 years in the FBI. So he was the FBI.

John “Curley” Montana and the Cleveland Mob Oct 28, 2024

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit Detective Gary Jenkins engages former FBI agent Fred Graessle, who shares insights from his thirty-year career with the Bureau. They discuss Graessle's early experiences in Cleveland during a tumultuous period of organized crime, focusing on significant cases such as the violent conflicts involving Italian and Irish mobs. Fred tells the famous story about the stolen informant list how it contained the name of John Curley Montana, and how this information forced Jimmy the Weasel Fratianno in as a cooperating witness. Fred recounts the chilling details of John Curly Montana's involvement with the kidnapping and murder of businessman Henry Podborny, illustrating the complexities of criminal conspiracies and the challenges of law enforcement. The episode also highlights the importance of informants, the rigorous investigative work required, and the collaboration among law enforcement in tackling organized crime, offering listeners a fascinating glimpse into federal investigations. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Welcome to Gangland Wire [0:03]Gangland Wire. I am retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit, Detective Gary Jenkins. I even got promoted to sergeant before I left and went back to the intelligence unit for a period of time. Now I've turned podcasters, y'all know. And I have one of my many great expert former FBI agents. You know, we've had a lot of them on here today. It's Fred Grassley. Fred, welcome. Thank you very much, Gary. Now, Fred, did I get your last name pronounced right? It's Graessle. But anything close to that will work. Call me anything but late for dinner, right? I'm notorious for butchered names, as these guys know. Anyhow, Fred, Fred and I had a meeting not too long ago for lunch, and he had gotten hold of me. He's retired out of the Cleveland office or Northwest Indiana office. I can't remember which office you retired out of. Northwest Indiana. Northwest Indiana. And he moved to Kansas City, retired to Kansas City as a company. So I'm going to let Fred tell you a little bit about his background and his career in the FBI and a little bit of post-FBI, because I think that's got to be interesting. So, Fred, tell us about yourself. [1:21]Sure. I went to Indiana University and got a degree in accounting specifically to qualify myself to be an FBI agent. That was something I wanted to do ever since I was a small child. I graduated in 1973, went into public accounting for a couple of years, passed the CPA exam, and applied with the Bureau and got in pretty quickly in August of 1975 and was a special agent. For 30 years during that point in time. I spent my first 10 years. [1:56]For you guys that don't know, that was the route, one of the three routes into the FBI back in those days. Back at that time. They've added language skills since then, I think. But to be a lawyer or an accountant or a former law enforcement with two or three, four years of experience was the route to go in the FBI. So that's correct. [2:18]Anyhow, go ahead, Fred. I'm sorry to interrupt you. I spent my first 10 years in Cleveland, and that's where this story is going to take place. But I spent the last 20 years in Northwest Indiana, first in Gary, Indiana, and then we moved out of Gary into Merrillville, Indiana. Northwest Indiana being one of the most violent and corrupt areas in the country. I got there in 1985. In the 1990s, Gary was the murder capital of the United States for four of the 10 years of the 90s. They were always in the top five. It's just a very, very violent location. Perfect place for an FBI agent to work. Lots of great, great work in that area. And then I retired in 2005. I started my own forensic CPA firm as soon as I retired. And I started the firm initially in Indiana. I joined one of my clients for about a six-year stint. I was the vice president of franchise relations of a company by the name of Direct Buy. It was a consumer buying club throughout North America. And I also acquired the Kansas City territory for direct buy, which is what brought me out to direct buy or brought me out to Kansas City in the first place. And so my family and I moved out here. I kept flying back and forth to Northwest Indiana for the corporate headquarters, but we operated the club here for about [3:41] Fred Graessle's FBI Journey [3:38]six years and then ended up selling the club. I reopened my forensic CPA firm and I've been representing clients ever since. [3:47]Most of my clients, in fact, all of my clients end up are victims of crimes in one form or another. [3:55]All right. So any of you guys that have a company and you think you might be a victim of a financial cryboy, here's a contact for you. Just get hold of me. If you can't figure out him, I'll have his contact information. So anyhow, Fred, you got hold of me and you told me this great, great story. And it starts with, really, it starts back in Buffalo, New York with the early guys or mafia members that came over from Sicily with John Curley, Montana. [4:24]Who was a made member of the Buffalo family. So let's, we're going to get into that, uh, and then into his son who was in, in Cleveland and connected to the Cleveland outfit of the Cleveland family, and then into a big time crime where they kidnapped and murdered a businessman trying to get, I don't know, as much as a $500,000 maybe from him, if I remember right. So John Curley, Montana comes to Buffalo from Sicily. And what do you remember about that's the father that's the father the man we're going to be talking about tell us about him well he was born in sicily and came to the united states ultimately rose to the underboss of the buffalo crime family his son john became john curly montana moved to the cleveland area and became a made member of the of the cleveland la cosa nostra family. He was headed up by John Licavoli and actually had been reputed, alleged to have been a contract killer also with the Los Angeles mob. [5:35]The informants had indicated that he had been out there as many as six times to commit hits on behalf of the Los Angeles mob. Fred, do you think that was because of, was that been because of his connection with Jimmy Fratianno, who was connected to both families, or did you know anything about that, how he, I think there was a, as I understood it, there was a pretty strong connection between the Los Angeles family and the Cleveland family. And that was linked strongly because of James Fratianno, Jimmy Fratianno, who had family in Cleveland. And he would repeat it. He would travel back and forth to visit family. And many times when he was there, he would visit with Licavoli, with the Cleveland crime family, and they'd talk things over. And so there, I think there was a connection there definitely with. Yeah. It's always interesting how these guys are connected from city to city. And I know people here in Kansas city and they talk to me about their connection in another city, or they know somebody who has a connection in another city. Lots of times those relationships are created in penitentiaries. You're in a cell with somebody or in a wing with somebody for a period of time from another family, a geographic area. And then you get out and you, you trust each other and you know each other. So it's always fascinating to me how these guys know each other throughout the whole United States. So, you know, one last thing about Curly, Montana, your guys... [7:03]Dad is is he was like in buffalo he he was like mr politician he was above the board businessman i think he had a lock on the taxi business in in buffalo until appalachian came out and and he got caught at the meeting and and he died out after that everybody knew he was exposed and before that they thought he was just you know mr businessman mr you know good john joe q john John Q. Citizen. So interesting thing about the Montana family. I'm sure he passed some of that along to his son as best he could. Anyhow, so let's go back to Cleveland and his son, John Montana, and this case. [7:46] The Mafia's Connection to Cleveland [7:46]So let's start. How'd you get into this, I guess? Go ahead. [7:52]Leading up to this, you know, I'm a brand new agent. I get into Cleveland. I just happened to be there right at the start of some gang wars that of a gang war that was taking place between the Italian mob and the Irish mob at that point. And in 1970, I got there in December of 75. In early 1977, John Nardi, who was a defector from the Licavoli family, was blown up with a car bomb planted next to his car, 16 sticks of dynamite. And allegedly, Curley, Montana, put that bomb together. And that was used for that killing. About five months later, in October of 1977, Danny Green was similarly blown up. A Chevy Nova was pulled in next to his car when he was at a dental office or a dental appointment. And when he gets back out to his car, the bomb in that Chevy Nova was detonated. And allegedly, that bomb was put together by Curley. I don't believe... The indications are that Curley actually detonated the bomb. The source information that came in was that he was an individual that had something to do with putting it together. [9:10]After the Danny Green bombing,

Who Managed the Ravenite? Oct 14, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, I investigate the life of Norman DuPont, the notorious manager of the Ravenite Social Club, a key mob hangout. From my background as a former Kansas City Police detective, I share insights gained from footage of the club’s patrons and recount a violent confrontation at the Feast of San Gennaro with New York City cops, an incident that marked Norman DuPont’s descent into organized crime. Exploring the club’s evolution under figures like Carlo Gambino and John Gotti, I detail the FBI’s struggles to infiltrate this secretive world. Club manager Norman DuPont’s life ended in a chilling act of murder, showcasing the brutal code of the mob. I draw parallels to similar social clubs in Kansas City, reflecting on the culture of loyalty and secrecy that endures. #johngotti #gambinocrimefamily #normandupont #garyjenkins #ganglandwire #ravenitesocialclub Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00]Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, back here in the studio of Gangland Wire, Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police intelligence unit detective, and now podcaster and former filmmaker and author. I mean, I’ve just done it all here in my retirement. I’m just kidding. You know, I don’t take myself that seriously. I want to tell you a kind of a short story today about the manager of the Ravenite Social Club, Norman DuPont. I recently was looking at some video and i snagged some video to put up youtube shorts of people going in and out of the ravenite and so i i didn’t hear this one guy was so i threw it out you know to the fans on youtube and they said oh that’s norman dupont and and what you could tell he was like the guy running errands he was running in and out opening the door going next door and getting supplies and bringing them back to a little corner store there and bringing them back to the club. So Norman DuPont. And I thought, well, who is this guy? I started researching him. You can’t find out a whole lot about him. It’s kind of an interesting story later in his life. One of the first things I found out about him was he was kind of crazy. [1:12]In 1990, it’s not too long before he committed a crime that sent him away for a long time. he was working at the Feast of San Gennaro down in Little Italy at Mulberry and Spring Street. And there was a child of an off-duty New York City police officer named Anthony Pinzone, and she complained that a concession game was not working properly. And a couple of off-duty cops went over to the booth and started making a complaint. And the booth attendant called out. All of a sudden, some other guys showed up and some other off-duty cops were in the area, showed up, and they have a. [1:54]Have a big brawl and and the cops ended up getting the worst end of it these guys beat him with like sticks and iron bars or something and they all get they got went to the hospital retreated and released one of them was uh kept for a while he had a fractured skull so one of the persons arrested was the ravenite manager norman dupont they charged him a second degree of salt all uh it’s just like crazy crazy crazy now this uh he was manager at the ravenite and ravenite was an italian american heritage club which is we all know was the headquarters of goddy late you know it’s like after he ascended to the the throne if you will it’s a 247 mulberry street used as a mob mob hangout and became a storefront later on became a shoe store and a men’s clothing most recently but what’s the history of it this thing goes clear back to 1926 it was the alto knights social club which was an old street gang during prohibition used it and that’s what they call themselves the alto knights it was a hangout for lucky luciano and and others of that prohibition area mafia uh this name was taken from the order of saint james of alto passio uh 1957 carlo gambino. [3:17]Gambino took over the family and became named the Gambino family, as we know now. [3:26]He renamed the club the Ravenite in honor of his favorite poem. Now, who would have thought that Carlo Gambino would have a favorite poem? [3:34]Go figure that one. He liked Edgar Allan Poe, and of course, the Raven was his favorite poem. And so we call it the Ravenite. Now, he hung out there, and he was the boss there, and people would come and see him there. But eventually, you know, Carlo Gambino was a guy. He was careful. He was always careful. And he quit going down there when he discovered the cops had a big interest in surveillance of that club and the FBI. You know, by this time, you know, if you’ve listened to my podcast with Gary Clemente telling about his father, Peter Clemente, Peter Clemente was in the first one of the first guys in a top hoodlum squad. One of the first italian guys in the top hoodlum squad and gambino was his his guy so he was probably down there watching gambino himself so gambino he he leaves that he understands now he didn’t pass that god he didn’t learn that lesson from him as we know the management of club then and the the head duck of the club then goes to anello della croce of course he’s the underboss for Gambino and he uses it until he dies. Gotti will come in and take it over as his club, leave the Bergen Fish and Hunt Club after he does away with Paul Castellano. [4:53] The Ravenite’s Surveillance Struggles [4:53]The uh the club is is a there’s a it’s a constant battle between the fbi and the mafia to get bugs and wiretaps in places now you can always tap a phone out on the pole but you can you need to get a bug inside because people are really careful and then eventually they’ll become even more careful about talking inside anywhere and they do the walking talks but the fbi if you watch this most Most recent, Get Gotti on Netflix. I think it’s in the second episode, they tell about all the ways they tried to get bugs into the Rabonite. It was hard. They got a key bait, so they could go in and out at will, and it seemed like nobody was paying any attention to it. They were going in and out, and they kept putting in bugs, and nothing was working, nothing was working. And even when they did kind of work, they weren’t getting anything because as they find out, eventually, eventually they find out that Gotti was going out the back door of the club up some inside stairs into another apartment building. Some elderly Italian lady giving her a little bit of money and she’d leave and he’d have his meetings up there. They got the bug up there and the rest is history. Really, it really brought them down that that wiretapper, that bug up there really brought them down, you know, surveillance of it. [6:13]Kind of helped the FBI when Gotti made everybody come in on Wednesdays, I believe. He also, another thing that’s not known is labor union guys who were connected to the Gambinos or wanted something from Gotti, was doing business with Gotti, was doing business with the mob. They would show up a lot and do those walking talks out front. So it helped the FBI determine who the labor union people that were corrupt. [6:36]Melvin DuPont, he wanted to be a gangster so bad, I guess, because he eventually will make his bones. Now he’s, you know, he’s involved with this fight, but that ain’t a deal. There was a guy named Joy Fabozzi who had a car service company there in Manhattan and he owed money to Melvin DuPont or Melvin DuPont had, had, had verified him and vouched for him or something. The guy wasn’t paying DuPont. I believe he got drunk. He goes to the car service, and there’s a dispatcher there named Harmon Fuchs, and DuPont shoots and kills him just as a message to his boss. There’s a couple of low-rent scumbags, Tony Nose Perscietti and Guy Zappula, who are either with him or know about this, and they end up testifying against him, and he gets like 25 to life or something. Now, while he’s in prison, he has a teenage son who is drowned in an upstate boating accident there in New York. And the prison people will not, the management will not let him go out and go to the funeral. But he does get an agreement with his family that they’ll bury the kid. They bring the kid down into West Virginia so at least he’ll be buried close to his father’s in Glenville, West Virginia, the Gilmer Federal Prison. [7:59] Tragic Fate of Melvin DuPont [7:59]And that’s kind of an interesting story. [8:05]Another thing about these social clubs, I know, you know, they had several managers. And we look at our social club here in Kansas City, they’re always a target of the FBI and the intelligence people. [8:20]And they’re really careful in and around them. But here we had one called The Trap. Everybody just called it The Trap. It really was a Northview social club. They even used to have a sign out front. When I was young, they had a sign out front.

Tony Spilotro Had a Bad Day Oct 07, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, I describe details about the horrific demise of mobsters Tony and Michael Spilotro, as told in open court by the recently deceased Chicago Outfit member Nick Calabrese. Michael Spilotro thought he was gping to a meeting of the Chicago Outfit bosses so they could “make” him a member or get “whistled in.” Michael Spilotro was wrong; I think he and his brother, Tony, knew that. Nick Calabrese was the Chicago Outfit killer who told the story of who and how the Spilotro brothers were murdered. Click the title to buy the book I also introduce my latest book (click the title to buy), “Windy City Mafia: The Chicago Outfit,” which features gripping tales from my podcast about the rise of organized crime in Chicago. Overall, the episode offers a chilling glimpse into the realities of mob life while encouraging listeners to engage further with organized crime narratives through my book. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00]Well, hey, all you wiretappers, Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City police intelligence sergeant, detective sergeant later on back here in the studio of gangland wire with this episode. I’m you got to bear with me, guys. I’m going to do a little selling at the very start. I usually sell anything I got to sell at the end or asking for promote or for support or whatever. [0:22]But at the start, we’re going to do a little promotion. I have a book that I just did and I’m going to give you, I’m going to reward you. I’m going to give you a story, an interesting story, but to start, I have a book here that I’ve done. Windy City Mafia, the Chicago outfit. You can see it back over my shoulder there. Like any good day ever seen any author being interviewed on a podcast on a, on YouTube, you’ll see they had the book propped up over their shoulder. So anyhow, I’ve done this book and what I did. So, stories from Gangland Wire. So I took a bunch of my different Chicago stories and I just take my show notes and the transcript and then distill that down into a short story. So it’s a variety of different chapters. Each one is different. Let’s see, I did an overview, The Rise of the Chicago Outfit, kind of an overview of that. Then I’ve got seven chapters, which I’ve got Scarface on the golf course, which I thought was a really funny story and a good one. The Trial of Al Capone, that’s a first-person account that I found, and I put some other things together and did a show on that. The rise of Tony Accardo, Joe Batters, the murder of Estelle Carey, which was a particularly horrific murder. [1:40]I found a story about the Chicago Police Intelligence Unit serving a search warrant on an outfit gambling house, and they found a bunch of bookmaking records. Kind of near and dear to my own heart, I was part of the intelligence unit. We never served any search warrants. We set up some other people for vice to go serve the search warrants. Had an interview with Frank Calabrese Jr. And so I went back through that and pulled out a lot of the salient details about the Calabrese family. And finally, I did the executioner, Fear in the Chicago Outfit. What a catchy title for that chapter. And that’s really the story of Harry Aleman, which is, I mean, that guy was, he was a piece of work, wasn’t he? [2:24]Anyhow, but the story I’m going to tell you today, oh, and that book will be on Amazon, both the Kindle and the hardcover version. And if you guys will go out right away and, you know, for, I think, $1.99, you can get that Kindle version. Even if you don’t have Kindle, hit that $1.99. If I can get a whole bunch of people to buy this thing the first 10 days or two weeks or so, Amazon will see that and they’ll say, oh, man. And so they’ll push it up in their algorithms and it’ll show it to a lot of other people who have bought books, true crime books about the outfit or any mob books. Because there’s a huge fan base out there that buy all kinds of mob books. And a lot of you guys are a lot of you guys that listen are those guys that buy those mob books. And I bought many, many myself. Now I get a lot of them sent to me, which is kind of nice. And I interview these authors while they send me their books. So I get all the latest books and I pass them along to one of my big supporters, Eric, Eric Tyler. I really appreciate what you’ve done for me in the past. I help him make my movie and and other things that you’ve done financially and emotionally and physically support the podcast and my work. Well, I get him those books. [3:48] Eyewitness Account of a Mob Murder [3:43]And so, you know, that’s what it is. That’s my and and help me out if you can. I would really appreciate it. So today I’m going to tell you the story out of the words of an eyewitness of the murder of the two Spilotro brothers, Anthony or Tony Spilotro and his brother, Michael. You know, they were big out in Las Vegas and they got in trouble out there. And, you know, it’s really I think it’s interesting. It’s an insider’s account of a mob murder. You know they had had brought a lot of attention especially tony had brought a lot of attention onto the outfit out in las vegas and during the same time you know we’d started this here in kansas city uh listening to this guy named joe agosto talk about Spilotro talk about frank rosenthal talk about the skim coming back to kansas city from the stardust or from the Tropicana, and also talking about the Stardust and the fact Skim was coming out of that and going to Chicago. [4:48]And so first two full days on a witness stand, there’s a guy named Nick Calabrese. Nick Calabrese’s brother was Frank Calabrese Sr. And he ran the 26th Street crew, which was a crew of killers. And of course, I interviewed Frank Calabrese Jr. About that life with his uncle Nick nick and his dad frank sometimes it’s like i talk to these guys like frank jr and he talks about his that was just his uncle nick when he was a little kid his dad was just you know dad. [5:21]Uh, like some of these, uh, kids here in Kansas city, I talked to them once in a while and, you know, their grandpa or their great uncle was just Cork Civella. I mean, it was just grandpa, you know, to us, it was Cork Civella, a real killer to them. It was just grandpa. So I always find that really kind of fascinating. You know, Nick Calabrese kind of starts out right on the, off the bat. He said, uh, prosecutor asked him about what happened. And he said, well, he said, I tackled Spilotro’s brother, Michael, around the legs. And I heard Tony in the back ask if he could say a prayer. [5:58]What happened next? The prosecutor said, you know, he said, I couldn’t, I didn’t hear anything anymore. You know, I, you know, you go into the action, everything else closes down. I’ve been there on that. You go into some kind of action, your hearing closes down. You don’t need your hearing more than likely. And you start taking the action. You’re looking for any kind of a danger to you. The article I read said that he just spoke in a monotone, calmly, and just like, matter of fact, well, you know, we did this and we did that. Nick Calabrese had been a longtime hitman along with his brother Frank and his 26th Street crew. In the months before the Spilotros were killed, he had been part of a team of mob killers, some of these other guys who we’ll name later on, that went out to Las Vegas trying to catch and kill Tony and Mike Spilotro out there. They were going to use explosives, and they even had a silencer-equipped Uzi, they said, followed him around, followed him to Goodman’s office and downtown, and back there where his home is, it’s on a cul-de-sac. I tell you what, I’ve been there, it’s in my, uh, Las Vegas mob tour on YouTube. [7:08]It would be a hard one. It would be impossible to sit on. You can follow him in, but you couldn’t stay down in there. There’d be no way. Somebody would be calling the police on you. I mean, there’s just nobody moving in and out of that neighborhood. And everybody parks their cars in the garage. Nobody parks on the street. So it’s impossible to sit on that house. So the outfit acting on Joey Iupa’s orders said, let’s get them to come back to Chicago. So they came up with a ruse and said, Michael is going to be promoted. He’s going to be whistled in. He’s going to be a made guy and they’re going to promote Tony to be a capo. Now, Calabrese testified that one of his fellow hitman, John Farracotta, said that Tony Spilotro supposedly was targeted because he had an affair with the wife of what they called a Chicago bookmaker, which has to be Frank Rosenthal. Which is kind of a no-no, but I don’t buy that you would do all this because he had an affair with Jerry. Supposedly, they put out the story that he was moving drugs with a motorcycle gang out there. You know, big no-no, don’t move drugs. I don’t really believe that. [8:21]I’m not sure why. If we want to speculate, I would say that Tony Spilotro had just gotten too big for his britches out there and brought a lot of heat. I mean, a lot of heat, and it really wasn’t particularly him, although part of it was because of him, but that heat all started in Kansas City, and it started on FBI wiretaps,

Stories From the NYPD Sep 30, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary interviews former NYPD officer Marique Bartoldus, who shares her 20-year journey in law enforcement. Marique’s book is Twenty and Out: A Compilation of Chaos experienced while serving 20 years in the New York City Police Department. Marique shares exciting life stories on the gritty streets with the NYPD in this well-written book. We discuss her experiences across various divisions, including patrol and SNU or Street Narcotics Unit, and the crazy work of an anit-crime cop in New York City. She explains and highlights the unpredictable realities of street police work. Marique shares gripping stories of high-stress encounters, the importance of quick thinking, and the camaraderie among officers. We also explore the impact of evolving crime trends, including fentanyl, and the personal toll of a career dedicated to community safety. Click here to get a copy of the book. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00]Well, hey, welcome all you wiretappers out there. Good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. I have a show today with a officer from the New York Police Department. We’re going to tell some New York Police Department stories. You guys know that I spent 25 years on the Kansas City Police Department. Well, Marique Bartolda spent 20 years on the New York City Police Department. She’s got some great stories. So welcome, Marique. Hey, how’s it going? Thanks so much for having me. Great. I’m really glad to have you on. I think I’m looking forward to our mutual friend, Vic Ferrari says that you have some good stories. And so we’re going to hear some good stories today. I’m sure of that. Now the book guys, the book guys is 20 and out. It’s a compilation of chaos experience while serving 20 years in New York city police department. Here’s a review. I must say that the author was descriptive enough to set the scene of each story. I love that she She explained everything, which made you feel like you were right there with her. I couldn’t put it down and love that each chapter was a job she went to or encountered. Great job, Marique. So that’s, you know, a great review. And you got like all five star reviews, I believe. And so, guys, you can get that on Amazon. I’ll have a link to it in my show notes. So, Marique, tell us a little bit about yourself, you know, your education. And where did you work with the PD before we get into some stories? [1:22]So I grew up on Long Island in Malvern, which is right on the border of Queens and Nassau County. I went to New Paltz College. And while I was up there, I realized that I wanted to be a cop in New York City. So I left New Paltz, which is in upstate New York. I came back home and I went to school at John Jay College in Manhattan for criminal justice. I took a lot of law classes and I started going on the law track. I was really thinking maybe I wanted to be a lawyer. And I had taken the test for the New York City Police Department and they called me and I said, you know what? I don’t know about case law. [1:58]Reading it is fun to, you know, get an A in class or, you know, whatever. But to do this like as a chore for the next 30 years might get a little boring. So I said, you know what? I’m kind of an adrenaline junkie and And I might as well just go work in the police department where I can be outside and not stuck in a room with four walls for the rest of my life. So I went into the academy July 1st of 2002. I graduated, I think, January 1st of 2003 or 2nd, somewhere around there. And then when I graduated the academy, I went into transit in the subways in District 20, which is like Queens North and somewhat into Queens South, a little bit of Brooklyn. Uh, and it wasn’t, it wasn’t my cup of tea. I had a lot of fun down there. A lot of good guys, um, was in the blackout of, uh, I think it was 2003 blackout where like the whole Northeast lost power and we had to go into the subways and rescue people off of the trains and stuff. [2:55]There were some fun times down there, but it wasn’t the type of police work that I was really interested in. I was watching the RMPs, the police cars going flying by with lights and sirens and stuff, and I’m just sitting there watching turnstiles, and I’m like, that’s the kind of stuff I want to be involved in. So I put in transfer requests and ended up going to the 105th precinct, which is in Queens, right on the border of Queens and Nassau. Really big precinct, runs from like the Grand Central Parkway down to JFK Airport. [3:27]And I went there, I went on patrol, which, you know, is the lowest part of the bar. I did 4 to 12, which was 3 in the afternoon to 1130 at night, which was my favorite tour to work. Work uh so work with a lot of fun guys on that tour you know busted chops got my chops busted uh and then i went to um i did a response order for a little while we basically only responded to in-progress jobs that kind of cover the gap in between tour changes uh then i went into a conditions unit which addresses quality of life issues like you know the guys who pee and the guys who drink with an open container because that was illegal at the time uh and then from From there, I went to SNHU, which is street narcotics enforcement, which is like dealing with low level street level drug rings. Then I went into anti-crime and then I did field intelligence at the precinct level for a few years. And then the NYPD started a new unit for animal cruelty to investigate animal cruelty. So I went there, which was a brand new unit, got that started, you know, did the training for it for, you know, the cops in the police department. Department, did a couple investigations. And then I realized that wasn’t for me. [4:36]So I requested to go back. So I went back to the 105th precinct and I ended up going right back into the FIO spot, which was great because it was like my favorite spot. And the girl that had replaced me was getting promoted. So it worked out. And I stayed there for the rest of my career. And all in all, it was a blast. It was a blast. Had a really good time. So you’re using some, uh, some terminology. Some of these guys might not know RMP is radio motor patrol. That’s a police car with a radio in it, right? That’s a March police car. Yeah. Sorry. Sorry. Yeah. Talking to a fellow cop. I forget. Yeah. Sorry. Right. Yeah. And the next one was, you just said it, it was, uh, RIO or something. IO. What was that? Oh, FIO field. FIO is field intelligence officer. Oh, okay. Field intelligence officer. So, you know, I looked at some of your stories and, you know, I tell you what, especially dealing with emotionally disturbed people is one of the more difficult things that any cops has to do. I’ve got my own stories. I mean, there’s nothing like having to wrestle a naked man in the middle of the night in the middle of an intersection and it’s hotter than hell. You know, there’s nothing like that. They’re super slippery. [5:55]They’re slippery as hell. Yeah. I know you got some stories and especially many times they’ll have a knife. I remember looking at a window and there’s this crazed woman with a big butcher knife just raised up looking out at me. It’s like, oh man. And, you know, we just walked away because we didn’t have really, she wouldn’t answer the door and we just had a call that, you know, there was some problem inside, you know, we just walked away from that one. So I know you got some stories about that. Yeah. You know, the knives are always a lot of fun. They make this situation very interesting when you get involved with somebody who’s emotionally disturbed. We had a lot of that. It’s actually, I think, a bigger problem than most people realize. I think the interesting part of the of the EDP or emotionally disturbed person is that you never really know when the switch is going to happen and they’re going to go from being completely compliant to like completely nuts and violent. So what you refer to with the knife, one of the stories that’s in my book. [6:55]When I was on patrol, we had a call for a neighbor had called about her neighbor who was an EDP and had pulled a knife on her. So, you know, my partner and I get there and whenever you’re dealing with an emotionally disturbed person, you always have backup coming. There’s always another car coming. And in the NYPD, we never worked alone. We always had a partner with us in the car. So I knew there were at least two other cops coming. So we get there and the woman’s like, you know, this guy pulled a knife on me. He’s a little crazy. He went running back inside the house. He’s in there somewhere with a knife. So, okay. You know, all right, whatever. So I’m walking up the driveway and I’m looking into the windows to see if I can see him as I’m walking up, and to glued or taped to every single window pane were cloves of garlic. [7:41]So I’m like, okay, so either, you know, this guy is a legit Italian and he just likes hanging garlic from all of his windows or, you know, he’s got some kind of Dracula complex and, you know, he’s got to protect himself from the outside world. So I said, okay, here we go. So the back door was open where he had run into. So, you know,

Cork Civella: Bonus Stories Sep 26, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary remembered a few more Cork stories so watch this to hear about Cork’s sex life and his gun buying gone wrong. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00]Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City police detective in the intelligence unit. You know, we just did Cork Civella, Carl Civella, and I left a couple of stories out that were I thought were pretty good. And plus, I was involved in one and some members of the unit were involved in the other. So anyhow, let me tell you those stories is a little bonus for episode. And, you know, I could have gone back and tried to insert these in, but that’s kind of a pain. So I just did another little short podcast here. You know, back in 1981, we had a couple of guys, Harold Nichols and Randy Collins were out driving around, you know, doing their thing, you know, looking for mob guys, going to the city market, going to the trap, the social club and some of the other usual haunts. Maybe if they had a business that, you know, they hung out at and then maybe you’d pick up on them and you’d follow them to see where they went. You know, if you find them going to a spot that you never heard of before, you know, that’s how we caught, got those phones on a Tuffy DeLuna calling Las Vegas is following Tuffyand finally get him going in this hotel. [1:05]Then you catch him going there again and somebody runs inside and you see him on the phone. Like, bam, you got it. That’s how it works guys. And so these guys were out cruising around, not thinking about anything, not doing anything. They were downtown. I remember they were downtown Kansas city, a lot of traffic back then. And 1981 or 80, I believe, yes, 1980, it was in the spring. And so they saw Quark Civella with a woman by the name of Rita Armillio. And they were, I don’t know, looking for a parking spot. And they thought, well, you know, let’s just pull over and, you know, see where they go. And they finally settled in a parking spot. and they both went into a store that sold guns and and so they documented that and and at the time cork and another guy named paul barcelona they kind of about the same age they were contemporaries they were friends and they both had a big head of white hair although barcelona’s i think was real and corks was a wig he had this huge big head of white hair gray gray white hair but it was a wig and he was a dapper. Have you ever seen that picture of him in that checkered sport coat and that white wig? He’s a very, very dapper dude. [2:24]So he and Rita go in there and they run up and kind of peek in the window and they’re looking at handguns and so they don’t want to burn the deal. They just back off and then they follow them and they follow them over to Rita’s apartment and they both go inside. [2:40]So, you know, you write that up, send it over to the Bureau. Bureau goes to the U.S. Attorney, and the U.S. Attorney said, okay, we’ll put them in front of a grand jury. So they get Ms. Armillio. Of course, they know Cork’s not going to say anything. They get Ms. Armillio to come, and she testifies that she wasn’t there that day. Says, no, he wasn’t with me. me i he he there was another guy named Paul Varselona that was with me you know i did go into that store you know we did look at guns i did buy one because they you know found the records by then that she bought a 38 caliber handgun but she said i did not ask mr Civella to get go with me to get that weapon i know that he’s not supposed to be anywhere near guns or around guns and i i know he’s got better sense he would not have gone if i’d asked him to and you know i just wanted that gun then they call Civella and he says no they call Varcelona and he says no cork says i wasn’t there cork actually wouldn’t refuse to testify and in in the end then they charged her with perjury for saying that Paul Varselona was there because they got the policemen nichols and collins to testify without a doubt without a doubt in their their mind that was Cork Civella and not Paul Varselona. [4:06]Bam, perjury. So they charged her with perjury and they ended up giving her like, I don’t know, like six months and two year probation, some kind of a fine for impeding and hampering a grand jury investigation of whether Cork Civella unlawfully possessed a firearm. [4:24] Cork’s Encounter with the Law [4:24]So that’s one little story about Cork. And here’s another one that would involve me, actually. Again, I was out like those guys, only it was nighttime. I was out cruising. I was out cruising around by myself, and I happened to see Cork. And he had this, at the time, it was a Salmon Lincoln Continental, a Mark. You know, he loved those Marks. He had ones with like the, looked like a spare tire in the trunk. And he got a he had a salmon one colored one then and he got a lime green one after that i think i mentioned that last week or in the other podcast the other show and yeah i see cork and he’s over in the north what we call the north side uh just outside of the north end or little Italy and he’s headed east on independence avenue so i just follow him behind him there’s no other cars on the street but you know i haven’t been following him for a long time and so i just drift along behind Behind him, I can see him a couple of blocks up in front, and he pulls into this joint called the Country and Western Playhouse. It’s owned by a mob guy named Sal Manzo, and it’s a real well-known mafia hangout. But it was a big club, Country and Western Playhouse. They had country and western music. They had a band, and they always, when they had a band, they had dancing, and they, you know, it was hopping. It was rocking and rolling. And so I let him go on in and, you know, I kind of sit outside a little bit, check the parking lot, see who all’s inside, if I recognize any cars. [5:52]And finally I park and I go in, sit down at the bar and order a drink and kind of let, you know, you turn around and look around and people up on the dance floor. And I see a large party over in the corner. [6:06]Kind of a special little secluded corner. And there’s Cork sitting in the middle of really a bunch of young people. I didn’t know any of them. There’s one young gal that was sitting next to him and he was like chatting up pretty good. And then she was actually, she was probably, he was probably 60, 65 at the time. And, uh, uh, you know, much younger than I am now, but he seemed like an old man to me because I was probably in my thirties, early thirties. And, and this girl was probably probably in her middle twenties. She was attractive and they were chatting up and then pretty soon they get up on the dance floor and they dance. This old guy kind of shuffles around a little bit. It was kind of humorous to watch. And then there’s a guy sitting next to me and I feel his eyes. He’s just staring at me. Finally, I turn, how you doing, dude? You know, what’s going on? What’s up? You know, what’s going on? You know, some pleasantry. And he’s a boy. He said, I’m glad you started talking. I said, what do you mean? I thought you’re a guy that cut me. So I’m like trying to watch court and make sure he He doesn’t head out. And if anybody else comes over and meet with him and talk to this guy and calm him down. And he said, I said, no, man, I don’t have a knife. I don’t carry a knife. It wasn’t me. Yeah, I know. After I heard you talking. So we start chatting and this is some grizzled old dude that I said, what do you do for a living? I said, I hunt night crawlers or like big ass worms that people use as fish bait. [7:27]And he looked like he hunted night crawlers for a living. and thank God that he realized that I wasn’t the guy that cut him because that sucker might have cut me. And, you know, during those days, you know, like a deal like that, he usually would not take a gun everywhere I went, going to a bar like that. You know, don’t take a gun. There’s no use in it. I’m not going to do anything. Nobody’s going to, you know, either just a normal bar room brawl or something, you know, they might do something there, but you don’t need a gun for that, especially back then. I guess today you would. But I keep watching Cork and chatting this guy up and pretty soon he and this girl is, it’s getting kind of closer around one o’clock and closing time was one 30 and they get up to leave. And, and so I make my amends with this guy. So I do, I got to go. It’s been nice talking to you. [8:15]He was like my best friend by the end of that night, follow Cork out, follow the girl leaves, Cork leaves. He follows her and she pulls up in the apartment just a few blocks away, way really they both go inside and you know i can see a light come on and so i can go find out who you know what apartment number it is and later on and then find a and and get to tag off her car so i can figure out who this is and i don’t even remember who she was now but it’s just you know another little night in the life of cork Civella and there’s actually there’s one more we were watching i’ve told this story i told it in my movie brothers against brothers and i’ve told it But before, I won’t belabor you with too much,

Cork Civella: KC Street Boss Sep 23, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary recounts the criminal life of Carl “Cork Civella,” a key player in Kansas City’s mob scene. From humble immigrant beginnings with his brother Nick to street boss of the KC Family, he is subservient only to his brother Nick. Gary highlights Cork’s unpredictable nature, significant street presence, loyalty to Nick as an enforcer, and reckless behavior that led to notorious incidents. This narrative provides insight into Kansas City’s unique mafia culture and sets the stage for future discussions on Kansas City’s influential organized crime figures. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00]Hey, all you wiretappers out there. I’m back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective, sergeant at the end. I want to tell you about Carl Cork Civella. I get a lot of guys commenting, hey, they want to know more about Kansas City. And I’ve done a little bit, and I’ve got some old stuff on Nick Civella, but it’s like several years old, and it’s not even on YouTube, I don’t think. And I don’t even know if you can find it on the audio app. I need to go get that out and re-edit it and put it up. But I’ve never really [0:37] The Civella Brothers’ Origins [0:35]done Cork. And Cork is an interesting guy. Carl Cork Civella, born in 1910. [0:41]Their father, he and Nick Civella, who is older brother, will become the mob bosses of Kansas City. And Nick will be more the major domo, if you will, the main mob boss. But Cork was right in there with him, as you’re going to find out. Now it’s Cork as i was told not corking he he’s named cork because he pops off i’ll give you a pretty good example of that he sometimes acts without thinking they were the sons of a Sicilian immigrant in Kansas City as you might well imagine they grew up in what we call the north end or Little Italy now this area is anchored by the holy rosary catholic church at 9 11 Missouri street uh it’s like these big church and the holy rosary church has always brought immigrants in and helped them learn English and get jobs they still do that to this day uh the don bosco center uh when the Vietnamese first started coming over after the war uh they came to the holy rosary church and the Don Bosco center where they learned English and they started moving in to little Italy i mean I mean, they were Catholic for the most part, and they took over a lot of Little Italy as this area changed. And, you know, the area looks like kind of like New York to me. It doesn’t look like anything else in Kansas City. It has this real big city look to it. [2:06]These boys, Nick and Carl Civella, and they took the same path as a lot of immigrant children and a lot of the mob bosses and mob people I’ve talked about in every city in the United States. Their father actually was a pushcart peddler, I believe, and small businesses. Because mainly newly arrived immigrants that didn’t speak English couldn’t really get jobs in the United States. So they had to figure out, you know, start a restaurant or a push card, sell fruit on the street, whatever they could do, had to start their own business for the most part. And so their father had a small business and the boys took the same path as a lot of immigrant children. And like I said, all these mob guys I’ve talked about before, they left school early and they formed a small gang. Bang uh one of the things they got into was narcotics it got into narcotics too but first they got into tire theft that was a big thing they were tire thieves and and there was a several mob guys that had outlets out there so they could steal the tires go out into the suburbs if you will over into downtown uh and steal tires and bring them back and sell them through these uh black hand at the time associated outlets their father supposedly was victimized by the black hand which will maybe explain why this little gang led by Nick and Cork got into robbing some mafia-protected gangs. [3:35]Cork did take a bust. He took a pinch and an arrest, and I don’t think he got a conviction for possession of heroin in the 1930s. You know, the mob was, was getting heroin out of, uh, Cuba to, uh, Tampa up to Kansas city. And we had a regular trade going. [3:58] From Tire Theft to Armed Robbery [3:54]They kind of got out of it later on in life, but, but he did take a pinch for that. Now the Sabella gang will graduate from tire theft to armed robbery. And that’s when they started getting in trouble, you know, a lucrative place to rob that isn’t going to complain much. You don’t have to worry about the cops or gambling games. There’s gambling games all around. Now, some of them protected, some of them aren’t. And that’s where they first got in trouble was robbing some protected gambling games because Nick was always his own guy. He was never going to buckle down, buckle under to the old Mustache Pete’s. [4:30]They tried to actually recruit his gang to do stuff for them. But again, he was his own guy. He always was. He was smarter than the average bear in this world. and he always remained smarter than the average bear in this world. Finally, in 1940, somebody gunned down a Civella gang member named Jake Maroon. [4:52]Now, years later, his son or grandson, Bobby Maroon, will become the caretaker of the trap or the social club. But gunned down, Jake Maroon in an alley right behind the Northview Social Club or the trap at Fifth and Troops, which is in Little Italy. Nick will flee to Chicago at the time. Corky will just lay low. Corky, I shouldn’t call him Corky. You might get mad at me. Cork will just lay low. Somehow, a peace deal got brokered. Nick was able to come back, and they were able to come back to Little Italy, but everybody didn’t really agree to this peace deal. I think there was a guy named Big Jim Ballesteri who didn’t agree to it. I believe he was the one. We go through the war. As most mob histories are really incomplete during the war because a lot of guys took off and went to war, were drafted, and everything was really in disarray during the war. After the war, January 1946, a guy who was a long-time member of the Civella gang named Joe Buggy Ange was gunned down down in Little Italy at, I believe, 8th and Lydia, just east of Little Italy a little bit. A few days later, just a few days later, eight days later, I believe, Nick Civella and a Jackson County deputy sheriff named Cuccia. [6:12]We’re sitting in Nick Zabella’s car in the parking lot of a liquor store just a few blocks south of Little Italy at 15th Street. Little Italy really stops about 7th Street. And two gunmen pull up in a car. They jump out. One’s got a shotgun. One’s got an actual machine gun. And they start filling that car full of lead. Well, Nick is sitting in the passenger seat, and the deputy sheriff has got in the driver’s seat for whatever reason. They kill the deputy. Nick rolls out and takes off running, and he goes back to Chicago. You know, during these times, he really established good connections in Chicago. They seem to like him up there. They say Cherry Nose Joey was kind of his mentor. Others will say when he comes back from Chicago this next time and Chicago actually brokers the deal. The story goes that Tony Accardo talked to the new boss in Kansas City in the late 40s, Tony Gizzo, and paved the way for Nick to come back. We know he came back in 1948 because he was arrested for gambling. Pretty soon, it’s noticed that Nick is now Tony Gizzo’s driver. [7:22] Nick’s Rise in the Mob [7:18]So whatever, you know, however this worked out, nobody knows for sure. He comes back a reasonably important guy because he’s now the driver for the boss. [7:29]And it’s really Tony Gizzo will die in 1953. They’ll have the murder of the two Charlies. Charlie Bonagio was kind of the boss. He was a politician slash boss. Gizzo was more of a gambler and a boss. He dies in 1953. Banaggio’s gone, and it’s believed that probably that’s when Nick Civella, a pretty young guy, started moving on in. By 1957, Nick Civella, and there’s an old Prohibition era Sicilian mobster named Joe Filardo. [8:02]Who never really wanted to be the boss, but had been kind of on the ruling council, if you will, of Tano Lococo and Joe Filardo and a couple others who lived on into older age. Anyhow, Joe Filardo and Nick Civella are on a train on their way to the the Appalachian convention in upstate New York at Barbara’s place and the police catch them and supposedly nick’s belly said what are you doing he said well we’re looking for girls some people think that Florida was taking nick to the Appalachian meeting to introduce him as a new boss of kansas city i know there’s another guy he’s kind of an expert on this Bill Owsley is a retired FBI agent who was boss of the one squad for a long time and was the main agent that worked on the mob in Kansas City for his whole career, basically. He has a story that maybe Sam Giancana knew Nick Civella from his days in Chicago. [9:00]Giancana wanted some more influence for Out West, and he was going to propose that Nick Civella get a seat on the commission along with Chicago. Now, I don’t know. A lot of people would argue with that.

Wayne Newton and the Mob Sep 17, 2024

In this episode, we explore the intriguing life of Wayne Newton, “Mr. Las Vegas,” and his unexpected ties to organized crime. I share discoveries into a strange relationship between a Gambino family associate and this Las Vegas entertainer. I reveal Newton’s connections with mobster Guido Penosi amid his performances at the Copacabana Club. The narrative delves into how Newton’s rise to fame attracted the attention of the Gambino family, leading to offers of “protection” and entangling him in a web of crime, investigations, and betrayal. As the story unfolds, I reflect on the complexity of Wayne Newton’s legacy, inviting listeners to engage with our community as we continue to explore the captivating intersections of celebrity and organized crime. Wayne Newton was a dynamic showman in Las Vegas for many years, and his innocence led him to get into a business relationship with a mobster. He even allowed his mob connections to become involved with another Las Vegas entertainer, singer Lola Falana. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00]Well, hey, all you wiretappers, good to be back here in the studio. This is like a little extra, as you’ll notice, you got this soon. We’re experimenting with trying to get my new logo, this part of this logo here on the top of the email that comes out if you’re a subscriber to Gangland Wire website, which if you’re not, you need to be a subscriber. [0:19]Although I say you get a free book or a link to get a free book that I knocked out here a few years ago, and I need to change that book up a little bit. It a lot of people have gotten it be that as it may i’ve got to put out the keep experimenting putting out blog shots or blog pieces or a podcast and and i think we’ve got it fixed now so when this comes out if you go to the if you’re subscriber and you go to the email you’ll see a different picture you’ll see my new logo always had that old logo that i had for several years that had the wave sign and the green wave sign and the red gangland wire and i paid a guy to come up with this new logo. And, and, you know, and then I never could figure out how to get it up. Finally, my wife finally sat down. I convinced her to go into the back end and figure it out. And it took her about three hours to figure it out. You’d think it’d be easier than that, but it wasn’t. So I thought I’d do a little separate podcast here for you, just for fun. A story that I had always wondered about when I was younger was Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton. I I don’t know if you know who Wayne Newton is. Most of you probably do. I saw his show once. I was out in Las Vegas and saw his show. He was getting older then. He’s probably, shoot, he’s older than me. [1:33]But he’s had a lot of work done, and he obviously was wearing a girdle or something. He looked pretty slim and trim for his age and what I know about him. But he put on a hell of a show in Vegas. I mean, he is the consummate showman. I always had heard that Wayne Newton somehow was hooked up to the mob, but yet not really, or the mob, you know, being a Las Vegas entertainer like that, you got to have, you got to somehow get along with the mob back in the 70s and 80s. Now, since then, you don’t have to. I started researching, and I found that he once got himself hooked up with a New York mobster, not a Chicago guy. You would have thought it would have been Tony Splatro. This is a New York mobster named Guido Penosi. There’s not a lot known about Guido’s earlier years, other than he was convicted of murder as a juvenile. [2:25]1971, Guido Penosi was convicted of tax evasion for not paying income taxes for several years during the 60s. But and he was a cousin to a capo in the Gambino family family named Frank Piccolo. I don’t know who Frank Piccolo was, and he didn’t really come into modern times. He was a cousin to this Capo in the Gambino family. During the 1960s, Guido Panossi had met Wayne Newton when Newton was performing at the Copacabana Club in New York City, which was well-known to be mob-connected. I think it was originally owned by Frank Costello. I think that was a club that they used in Goodfellas where they came back, you know, they let them in in front of everybody and gave them a special table up front. Kind of his, you know, this is living the high life of a mobster in New York City. You know, they were friends. They were really good friends. They say that, well, this was from court records, actually, when I researched it. Wayne Newton’s office calendar had Guido Penosi’s birthday marked on it. You know, I mean, I don’t keep anybody’s birthday marked on my calendar. And one time, Newton spent almost a whole month with Penosi down in Florida. [3:32]Penosi intended the wedding of Newton’s brother. He’s got a brother named Jerry Newton, which I’d never heard of. One time, Wayne Newton flew to Los Angeles in 1976. He flew to Los Angeles with a whole band and performed for Penosi’s son free of charge. So let’s just say they were close friends. Wayne Newton always claimed he didn’t know anything about Penosi’s mafia connections. Infections a newsman once asked Wayne Newton about his friend he said the only thing i can tell you i met him at the Copacabana several years ago i thought he was just a fan he stayed in how we’ve stayed in contact i liked the guy guido penosi’s cousin is a guy named frank lewis piccolo or piccolo i’m not sure how you pronounce that uh we’ll say piccolo he was a he was a capo in the Gambino crime family but up in the Bridgeport Connecticut faction piccolo was a big guy stood stood six foot tall, weighed 200 pounds, had black curly hair, like, you know, always wanted to be six foot two and weighed 250 pounds, had a full head of black curly hair. [4:32]As most of us do, his whole family lived up in Bridgeport. He was connected to the Gambinos in, faxing up in Bridgeport. In 1980, this Frank Piccolo tried to blackmail money from Wayne Newton. Newton had been trying to disengage himself from a financial investment in a Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada tabloid newspaper, and that had some partners in it. And the partners were threatening Las Vegas police. He went to the cops out there and then they couldn’t stop these threats, whatever they were. I couldn’t really find out much more about it. It’s not that important. Anyhow, I just was being threatened. [5:06]And he turned to Guido Penosi his old buddy, who then Penosi, you know, how these mob guys do. Well, here’s a guy that can help you. So Penosi referred Wayne Newton to Gambino guy from Bridgeport, Connecticut, named Piccolo. And he then came out to Las Vegas and used his influence and stopped these threats right in their tracks. [5:27]Well, as usual with any mob guy, if you’re going to take something like that from a mob guy, you know, as a godfather said, you know, maybe someday you can do me a service. So, you know, of course, someday, you know, Wayne Newton can do Mr. Piccolo a service. And eventually he came back around to a business advisor, Wayne Newton, and he wanted him to purchase life insurance for a singer named Lola Falana from a particular insurance agent, which meant that Piccolo was getting a little piece of this action, whatever it was. Because Piccolo also told some associates in New York he was going to become a silent partner with Wayne Newton and they were going to purchase the Aladdin Hotel and Casino which became the Planet Hollywood Hotel and casino FBI got in on this and they ended up bugging Wayne newton and they got him on some conversations with these guys and and on june the 12th 1981 piccolo and Penosi were were indicted in Connecticut on conspiring to extort money and other valuable rights from Wayne Newton and this Lola Falana. Lola Falana was a famous singer back in the day, kind of Wayne Newton’s ilk. Now, Frank Piccolo will die before he actually goes to trial. And that September 19th, 1981, somebody shot and killed Frank Piccolo in a telephone booth in Bridgeport, Connecticut, right down the street. [6:55]Now, later on, it will come out that Gambino boss, Paul Castellano, had him killed. He had been trying to encroach on the Genovese’s crime families, control of rackets in Connecticut. [7:09]And Genovese and the Gambino family already had some really lucrative contracts. And if you know these construction rackets in New York City, they were together like the Windows case and some different cases like that and the Concrete Club and all that. And so when Piccolo was trying to horn in on some Genovese family business in Connecticut, Paul Castellano just gave him up and ordered his murder. So that’s a little story about Wayne Newton, famous singer in Las Vegas, a consummate showman. Never forget when he came out, it was like Elvis Presley’s show. And I never actually saw it in person, but I’ve seen clips of it. But has this special, you know, uh, dramatic music. And then he kind of appears to coming down some like escalator, like came down the gold escalator, if you will. But he came down the, uh, the escalator, uh, was transported down. It was like bigger than life. And, and he did put on a show. [8:10] Wayne Newton and the Mob [8:07]He really put on a heck of a show. He worked his butt off. So that’s the story of Wayne Newton, Las Vegas, and his connections to the mob. And,

Wiretapping Carlo Gambino Sep 16, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, we dive into the captivating tales of Gary Clemente’s father, Peter C. Clemente, who was a significant figure in the FBI’s Top Hoodlum Squad. Peter’s career spanned from 1950 to 1976, and he played a vital role in various high-profile cases within the Mafia. One notable event was the Appalachian Mob Conclave, where top mob leaders were detained, leading to the inception of the Top Hoodlum Program initiated by J. Edgar Hoover. Peter Clemente’s proactive approach led him to have a face-to-face encounter with Carlo Gambino, a powerful Mafia boss. Gambino was surprised by Peter’s bold move and their interaction provided valuable insights into Gambino’s demeanor and voice, essential for future investigations. Another riveting story recounts Agent Clemente’s extensive wiretapping operation on Carlo Gambino while he stayed at a motel in Miami Beach. The meticulous operation involved eavesdropping on Gambino’s conversations with his associates, shedding light on the inner workings of the Mafia. Furthermore, the episode touches on Peter’s involvement in debriefing Joe Valachi, a crucial informant who revealed significant information about the Mafia’s structure. Despite initial reluctance due to mistrust, Valachi eventually cooperated with an Irish-speaking agent, facilitating the gathering of invaluable intelligence. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Introduction [0:00]Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there and back here in the studio of Gangland Wire, as you can see, this is retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit Sergeant and Detective Gary Jenkins. We have a great story today. The son of an FBI agent who was one of the early first agents that was assigned to the FBI’s top hoodlum squad and worked on Carlo Gambino and talked to Joe Vellacci and some really great stories. He’s going to have a book coming out called Untold Tales from the FBI Top Hoodlum Squad. Welcome, Gary Clemente. Good to see you, Gary. Another Gary. Yeah, really. You know, there was a lot of us named Gary in the early 1950s. Did you notice that? I think so. I think we were all named after Gary Cooper. That was why. I asked my mother once. She said, I don’t know. We just couldn’t think of anything else. But I think that’s what it was because nobody names their kid Gary now. There you go. There you go. I’m Italian myself, and Gary’s not a common Italian name. I know. I know. I was surprised when I saw your first name. [1:09]Anyhow, Gary, it’s a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to this interview. I read a little bit about you. I don’t remember how I found out about you on Facebook or I don’t know. I’ve got so many feelers out there for people that have books or have knowledge about the mob that I forget where it came from. But anyhow, I got a hold of you and you graciously agreed to come on the podcast in order to tell the guys about your book and about your father’s experiences. And I looked them up and and he was an early guy in the top hoodlum squad, wasn’t he? He sure was, Gary. He started off in the Bureau in 1950, and his career spanned from 1950 to 19. Just an interesting side note, at that time, there was a little bit of discrimination in the world at that time with Italians. And he was told after he became an attorney, my father was, that by a cousin of his, my father had expressed to him that, hey, you know, I’ve always been interested in being a part of the FBI. His cousin said to him, forget it, Pete. They don’t take Italians. [2:17]Well, my father did not like that at all. So he marched out of the FBI office. Before you knew it, He was sitting across the desk from another agent being interviewed for a position, and he noticed that the agent’s name was John Garibaldi or whatever Italian name it was at that time. Well, that answered the question about whether they were going to take Italians or not. [2:41]So from 1950 to 1976, that was the span of my father’s career. The early part of his career was based in Quincy, Illinois. Then he went to Cleveland. [2:56] Early Career Discrimination [2:52]Then he was transferred to New York. And he was born and raised in Brooklyn. So his parents, his Sicilian-born parents, were very appreciative of that. My dad’s early career, very interestingly, was involved with doing security background checks for people applying for sensitive government positions. And the federal government at that time was really interested whether you were a member of the Communist Party USA or the Socialist Workers Party, believe it or not, which they don’t do that now. Now, and I asked my dad, fast forward, very short, later on when he was in his late 80s, I said, hey, Pop, those people that you used to investigate and arrest that were part of the Communist Party or, say, the Socialist Workers Party, that were trying to worm their way into the government, those people are now in the deepest reaches of our bureaucracies or Congress or Supreme Court and the White House. He said, absolutely. [4:01]So that’s how much things have changed over the years, Gary. [4:09] The Appalachian Mob Conclave [4:05]So the early part of his career was involved with security background checks. Then a seminal event happened. [4:14]It was the Appalachian Mob Conclave, where all of the top mob leaders were having a meeting in Appalachian, New York, a small town in upstate New York. I’m sure that you’ve talked about this already a little bit, and it’s a famous story. But after the mob conclave happened, my father heard about it, and the FBI was talking about this disastrous meeting. Meeting among all these mobsters these men were running across the field because there was a road block set up on the edge of the edge of the property of joe barbara and they got panicked these were the top mob bosses that were running across the field stepping in cow pies throwing their wallets out left and right trying to evade the police and much of their identification was rounded up. People like Carlo Gambino were there. Mario Lansky was there as well, too. Mario Lansky was not a made mob guy with the Italian mob, but he worked with them. He was there, too. [5:22]And what happened was they should not have arrested or incarcerated any of these people, which they haven’t. They actually detained them. But word got back to the Bureau. All of this This information got back to the Bureau. My father heard about it. The Bureau was starting to implement something called the Top Hoodlum Program that Hoover was beginning to formulate. [5:48]My father wanted to be a part of this. He put in for a transfer out of the security detail into the Top Hoodlum squad that was being developed in New York. And that’s how he became a part of all of that. Interesting. Now, you know, we have never said your father’s full name. It’s Peter C. Clemente, correct? Peter Charles Clemente. That’s correct. Correct. And so he was a member of the Top Hoodlum Squad, which was, I remember in Kansas City, I have a friend who was an agent that came to Kansas City. He’s Italian from New York City, and he speaks Sicilian. He grew up with Sicilian grandparents, and he was a member of the Top Hoodlum Squad in Kansas City immediately, and because they knew they needed these guys who were Sicilian speakers. [6:37]Exactly, exactly. The fact that my father could speak and understand Sicilian, like your friend, was very, very important at that time because many of these individuals were either from Sicily or mainland Italy. Many of these guys were from the Naples area. They had connections with a group called Camorra. The Camorra and the Sicilians really did like each other. They were pretty much rivals. They would have heated problems with one another. But they worked together nonetheless when it came down to this. Money, yeah. Came down to the money, the moolah, yes. That’s right. All those old regional differences just fall away. Al Capone was a Neapolitan, but he had plenty of Sicilians working with him. Exactly. He needed those people working with him to get on their good side. [7:29] Working with the Mafia [7:30]Interesting. So now your father, he starts working the mob, the mafia. There’s one really great story that’s going to be in your book. It’s mainly what your book is going to be about. It’s the first of a series, guys. So start watching for this series. But there’s a story about your father and Carlo Gambino early on in both their careers, really. Can you tell us that story? [7:55]Well, after my father became a part of the Top Hoodlum Squad in New York, He was the first one ever that the FBI asked him to do summary reports about an individual named Carlo Gambino, as well as Meyer Lansky. So he was the first one ever to put on paper into the government circles about who Carlo Gambino was, his life, his history, where he was born, all of this, to put this on record. So he was the first one to do that. As part of the top hoodlum squad, he had the idea while doing the summary report about Carlo Gambino. He said, you know what, I would like to pay this individual a visit. I would like to meet him face to face. That was his idea. It wasn’t brought down from the supervisors. So one day, Gary,

Michael Vecchione on Gaspipe Casso Sep 09, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode of the Gangland Wire podcast, Michael Vecchione, a former Brooklyn prosecutor and author, discusses his novels inspired by real-life experiences in the criminal underworld. Gary Jenkins and Michael Vecchione focus on Lucchese mobster Anthony Gaspipe Casso. These two veterans of the fight against the Mafia delve into themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the gritty realities of organized crime in New York City. Former porsecutor Michael Vecchione interviews Gaspipe Casso about his involvement in criminal activities, intricate alliances, and obstacles law enforcement faces in solving cases, which are highlighted, offering a glimpse into the dark world of organized crime. The discussion underscores the challenges of investigating organized crime and emphasizes the importance of ongoing efforts to combat the La Cosa Nostra. Click here to find all of Michael Vecchione’s books on Amazon. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Introduction to Gangland Wire [0:00]Hey, welcome all you wiretappers out there. It’s good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins. You know, I’m a retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective turned podcaster. And this has been fun, guys. This is so much fun. And I’ve gotten to know some great people doing this over the last several years. And one of them is Michael Vecchione. Welcome, Michael. [0:22]Thank you very much, Gary. I appreciate you having me back on. I love talking to you and talking to your audience. You know, it’s interesting, like Michael and I kind of speak the same language in many ways, because he was a prosecutor in the Brooklyn. He was a, you were the chief of the Brooklyn Rackets division, correct? That’s, that’s correct. Yeah. I had before that I was chief of the Homicide Bureau as well. And so I kind of had my hand in, in almost everything that went on in the DA’s office when I was, when I was there. So it was a very interesting experience. I got to tell I can imagine, you know, Michael knows where all the bodies are buried in Brooklyn, political and really, you know, it’s interesting you say that because the guy we’re going to talk about the gas pipe castle, when I spoke to him, gave me some locations for bodies. And, but we’ll get into that when we, when I tell you the story. Really? Let’s talk just a little bit about Michael and his books. First of all, guys, we’ve got a self-talk Mary, you know, and, and you’ll be interested in these books. He was on here before with Luigi the Zip, Homicide is My Business, and that was a big seller, at least for me, and I think it was for Michael, too. And he interviewed this guy who was a Sicilian who did a bunch of hits here who just liked Michael, if I remember right. That was a great show, Michael. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, it was. Luigi was a character that I will never forget, I have to tell you. [1:49]Uh, I’ll have links to all these and to Amazon and the show notes guys at, we had crooked Brooklyn. We talked, I think we talked about that one and we had, uh, did we do murder on the bridge? I can’t remember what was, we did the one about, uh, people were getting killed in a hospital. [2:07]Oh, that was Behind the Murder Curtain. Oh, okay. Behind the Murder Curtain. Behind the Murder Curtain. Yeah. And Murder on the Bridge, it was a case that I did. And it’s actually part of the novel series that I’m now working on. I made it into a, I fictionalized it. But it started out as, it was a young woman who was walking the Williamsburg Bridge between Manhattan and Brooklyn for exercise. And she was set upon one Sunday morning by a junkie who wound up killing her after she She didn’t have any money that he wanted money and she didn’t have any. He killed her and made it seem as if it was a sex crime and then went back later that night and burnt her body to beyond recognition. [2:47]So it was a very, very important case to the district attorney when I got it because it involved a community that had a lot of votes in it. You know, the Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn is huge. Huge and this young lady was the victim of this guy that that i called and if you don’t mind i could just tell you a little a little bit when i tried the case and i summed up the case was so horrific and what he did to this young woman that all was left on the on the bridge where she was found was a shoe and her bra clasp and and the only way that we identified her was through dental records. It was just horrific. [3:28]And when I summed up, I essentially told the jury that it was as if the devil [3:36] Fallen Angel Novel Series [3:33]had come to Brooklyn and committed this crime. And that gave me an idea, but later on in my life, and I’m in the midst of it now, of a crime novel series, which I call Fallen Angel. And the premise is that the devil does come to Brooklyn and he is behind and instigating horrific crimes that need to be taken to, the perpetrators need to be brought to justice. And the government forms this committee, this group, to concentrate on bringing the devil and his minions to justice. And they hire a prosecutor. And the prosecutor happens to be the retired district attorney, the head of the rackets division in the DA’s office. So the books of Fallen Angel, book one and two are now on Amazon. [4:25]And I’ve just turned in book three. It’ll be out in the fall. So I think that your listeners and your viewers will really like it, will really enjoy it. Because all of the cases, all of the crimes in the book that is part of a novel, but all of them actually happened. And I handled every single one of them when I was in a DA’s office. So that’s the spin. And it’s been very, very well received. I sold book one to Hollywood. And I’m hanging on now waiting to hear. year. We have a pilot written. And so anyway, that’s a little bit about what I’m doing at the moment and now talking to you. All right. And what we’re going to talk about is your other book that you did with a retired New York City detective, Tommy Dades, called Friends of the Family. Right, right. We’re going to not so much talk about the two, what we call mafia cops, I believe, Coppa and what was the other guy’s name? Eppolito. Eppolito, yeah. He was the one that was in and Goodfellas, I believe. Those were a couple of characters to us for sure. But we’re going to talk about Gaspipe Casso, who was their kind of control, would you say? [5:31]Well, yeah, he controlled them. He actually called them his crystal ball because when he needed information about informants or needed something taken care of by them going into the police computer and getting information, he had an intermediary who he would go to and that intermediary would go to the mafia cops and they would provide the information they’d give them the information about who was who the rats were who the informants were and and then on at least one occasion they actually did a murder on his behalf so so those two guys were were quite a quite a pair i mean it was and they’re both by by the way, now deceased. So we can talk about them. [6:15]Well, they were both in jail when they did get deceased, weren’t they? Yep. Yep. They did life. They got life in prison. They both died in jail. And it was, as my boss, the district attorney called it when we had our press conference, it was the most horrific case of corruption in the history of the New York City Police Department. And it was, it was. I would say in the history of the United States, it was It was the most horrific case of corruption by law enforcement, for sure. I don’t know any worse. Gas pipe was right in the center. But, you know, Gary, I got to tell you, before they went to work for gas pipe, they were working for someone in the Gambino family. Oh, really? And there was a falling out. The Gambinos did something to, I think it was the cousin of Eppolito. And when that happened, he said that he’s not going to do anything for them anymore. And gas pipe was looking for someone like them, somebody he could turn, someone he could lean on. And the intermediary that he went to was a guy named Bert Kaplan, who had been the intermediary between the mafia cops and the Gambinos. [7:21]And, and, and he talked gas pipe into getting these guys on board. And, and it was a marriage made in hell, not in heaven, in hell. So really, yeah. And, and which brings us to Anthony gas pipe, Casso, a, a bad, bad dude. It started out in the Lucchese family, spent his entire career in the Lucchese family. I can’t remember. I was, he, how high did he get? Of course he had his own. He was the under boss. Okay. He was a concierge. He was all the under boss. And, and at the time that he and his, and the boss guy by the name of Al D’Arco went out on the land because they got word through the mafia cops and through their network that, that gas pipe was, and, and D’Arco were on a list to be arrested. They took off. So, yeah, he was an underboss, but he was a vicious, vicious guy, so bad that the federal prosecutors, when they arrested him and turned him and he became a witness, they called him Lucifer. That’s how bad a guy he was. That was their nickname for him. Really? Yeah. The feds, of course,

The Gentleman was a Thief Sep 02, 2024

Dean Jobb, author of “A Gentleman and a Thief,” discusses his passion for writing about true crime stories and bringing history to life creatively. He focuses on the Jazz Age thief, Arthur Barry, known for daring jewel heists and his gentlemanly demeanor during crimes. Jobb delves into Barry’s heists, interactions with high society, and relationship with his wife, Anna Blake. The lack of sophisticated investigative techniques in that era allowed Barry to outsmart law enforcement, adding a thrilling element to the narrative. The cat-and-mouse game between Barry and Chief Detective Harold King highlights Barry’s antihero persona, making him a character that readers might root for despite his criminal activities. click here to buy Dean Jobb’s book A Gentleman and a Thief: The Daring Heists of a Jass-Age Thief. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! [0:00]Guys, this is Gary Jenkins. As you all know, you regulars know, I’m a retired intelligence unit detective of the Kansas City Police Department and now a podcaster. And I have a couple of documentary films that deal with the Kansas City Mafia. But today we’re not talking about me. Today we’re talking to Dean Jobe. He wrote a heck of a book. The publicist for the book producer sent me a copy of the book. I don’t read all these guys, as you know, but I do start reading them and I make notes from them. But this one, I started reading it and I loved it. I was hooked. I read the whole thing all the way through. It’s called A Gentleman and a Thief, The Daring Jewel Heist of a Jazz Age Rogue, Arthur Barry. Now, Arthur Barry was a jazz age rogue, if there ever was one. So let me, I’m gonna read you a review before we start talking. A top shelf work of true crime, Job tells Barry’s tale with both rigor and pathos. Painting a tender portrait of a crook who was never fearsome. [1:02]This is liable to steal the reader’s hearts. That’s from Publishers Weekly, and it is a great book. There’s no doubt about it. So, Dean Jobes, welcome, and start off talking a little bit about your own writing history and how you got onto this story and some background on you, and then we’ll talk about the book. Well, I’m a former journalist, and over the years I’d written books. My beat as a reporter was covering the courts, covering criminal trials and anything going on in the courthouse. And my background was in history, and the two kind of collided in a nice way that I started writing features about old cases in Nova Scotia, Canada, where I live, and just got hooked with the storytelling, the way that true crime can give you a window on the past and dramatic events, interesting storylines. But you can also learn a lot about history. So about 10 years ago, Algonquin Books, my publisher, published Empire of Deception, and it was about a Chicago con man in the 20s, the jazz age. I love the era. Connection to me was when his Ponzi scheme collapsed, he hid out here in Nova Scotia. So I had some local ties to that story. [2:12]My last book was called The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream about a Victorian era doctor who murdered as many as 10 people, most of them women, in three countries over a 15-year span. And it’s subtitled The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer because that was my focus. I wanted to know how he got away with it, which led me to understand a lot about the horrible plight of women in the Victorian era, the privilege that a doctor could use to avoid suspicion. [2:44]And a lot about the era and the primitive early detection methods and forensics. So I teach part-time in a master’s program in creative nonfiction, and that’s what I bring to my books. The creative part not being… [3:01]Making anything up, but the storytelling, creatively recreating scenes, recreating people and places, always faithful to, always well-researched and grounded in research, but really trying to bring history to life. And because of my background in legal coverage, I just gravitate to true crime stories. You sure did bring to life Arthur Berry, There’s no doubt about it. And the Jazz Age and the subculture that he operated in, both the criminal subculture and the subculture of the F. Scott Fitzgeralds of the world, of the very wealthy during this time. And so it just came alive to me. It was like reading a crime novel in a way. It was really, really well written. Well, I’ve described it as Catch Me If You Can meets The Great Gatsby, and that’s not really a stretch. Every good croak needs police on his tail, and there’s plenty in this story. But as well, The Great Gatsby was written during Barry’s heyday in the early 20s, and it described mansions and areas and the whole culture of New York’s upper crust on Long Island. In the exact places where Barry was casing mansions, crashing parties to find out where the jewels might be, and then breaking in later to steal what today would be millions and millions of dollars in jewelry. [4:29]Yeah, it was amazing the amount of jewels that he stole and what it would have been worth. Of course, he got basically maybe 20% of what it was actually worth, which that’s the way a thief is. I mean, then they just go back and steal more. It’s not like they had to invest money into it. So he was truly a second story, man, too, is another thing I noticed about that. We talk about second story, man, this guy, Arthur Barry was a second story, but there’s no doubt about it. Yeah, the term may not be as well known today, but it really, it fit a fellow, Barry Zamo was this. He started out, he’d case a mansion and somebody he figured would have valuables, jewels up in their possession. [5:11]And while the family was at dinner, he would find a ladder on the estate or nearby and put it up against the window, sneak in, sneak out, and of the second story. So he became very adept at that. And as time went on, he had to get a little more brazen because sometimes when people were home or weren’t home, they had their jewels on them. So he had to pick his time. And he discovered when people were home safely in bed was the time you could count on the jewels being there. So he would try to sneak into bedrooms and if he if he did confront somebody he was always gentle i mean the newspapers were calling him the gentleman bandit they didn’t know who it was but the this this kindly bandit who would assure people no you know don’t worry i’m only here for the jewels i won’t hurt you and sometimes even ask them how their night out was so he would try to put them at ease so he could go about his real job of finding and taking all the jewels. [6:10]Really? And that Livermore heist was probably one of the best examples of that. So tell us about the Livermore heist. [6:17]Well, this is one of his later ones, but it’s in the period. He’s for years looted mansions in Westchester County, north of Manhattan, and then in the Nassau County area of Long Island. And often those houses were empty or people were downstairs. But by 1920, his MO is, he has an accomplice to help him because it’s riskier confronting people in their homes. He’s been shot at. He knows the next time he breaks in, someone could have the drop on him and he could be looking down the barrel of a gun. So he gets a little muscle to help him, but he still has this put people at ease. And in the Livermore case, it started to become the heist from hell because they they figured the jewels were in a safe and livermore who was a wall street a gambler of the highest order and probably thought he could think these two hoods kept saying he couldn’t open the safe and one of the guys goes down the ladder again to get a chisel and a hammer to break the safe open so it means barry’s in the room a long time and he’s putting the the people people at ease. But Dorothea Livermore, the wife, starts thinking, you know, maybe I can play on this guy’s natural goodness. And he’s already taken some jewels, and she actually talks him into giving back a few rings for her and her husband that they said were like these pinky rings were so sentimental value. [7:45]So he gallantly gave jewels back, which prompted his. [7:51]His accomplice to say, let’s get out of here while we still got something. [7:54]And they still did get lots of loot. But it was just this very rightly later claim that any other burglar is going to think this is nuts. But yeah, I did it. It seemed like the right thing to do. I gave back the loot as I was in mid-robber. Really. And another story I found interesting was maybe a little bit earlier in his career when he went out and partied with the Duke of Wales, who was the next king of England. And it was partying in one of these Long Island mansions. And, you know, if you’ve ever driven out in Long Island, I would have gotten New York listeners who probably had driven out. I was there once these huge mansions that sit back away from the road and, you know, with large grounds around them and, you know, right on the ocean and, and it would be easy to sneak up to them and then crawl up the side. Your worry would be if one of the staff happened to walk out or something. So, but, but he, they were having parties and he would infiltrate these parties. So tell us about that, his infiltration of parties. He had many methods. He would read the social pages and get a sense of who was around, who was in Palm Beach.

Sal Locascio: Master Of Making Money! Aug 29, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary shares a captivating story about the Gambino family’s best earner, Sal LoCascio. He highlights the family’s significance as big moneymakers, like Family boss Paul Castellano, a major earner. Jenkins shares intriguing details about a surveillance video he came across showing mob members at the Ravenite, sparking his interest in a moneymaker named Salvatore “Sal” LoCascio. Locasio’s frequent visits to the Ravenite drew attention to the Gambino family’s activities, leading to an investigation that uncovered a high-tech scheme in the late 90s involving internet and telephone services. Jenkins tells how LoCascio and Richie Martino orchestrated elaborate scams, including creating deceptive porn websites that charged visitors through hidden fees. The interview explores the intricate web of fraud, spanning from porn sites to phone cramming operations, all orchestrated by members of the Gambino family. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Introduction to Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police detective [0:00]Hey, all you wiretappers out there, Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective and sergeant by the time I got done, by the time I retired. Anyhow, I’m back here in the studio with another story about the Gambino family. You know, Gambino families were really a hell of a family. They were big moneymakers, you know, and Castellano was one of the bigger moneymakers. I don’t know what God he was thinking of. He wanted the power, but Castellano, under him, they really made the money. I’m going to tell you about one of the bigger moneymakers that I just stumbled across. [0:39]A lot of you guys may already know about it, but I was watching some video on YouTube, and I saw this surveillance video. It was really good. It was like they were right there on the street of some cars and people coming [0:53] Introduction to Sal “Tor” Locasio at the Ravenite [0:52]and going from the Ravenite. And this was after a guy he had taken over as you know if he’s going in and out of the ravenite and it showed a guy pulling up in a big black lincoln and looked like a mafia staff car and going in so i made a little short on it and i threw it out on my youtube channel and i said who are these guys and so they named this was sal salvator or tor locasio was going into the ravenite and actually that’s what brought all the gambino family into this conspiracy because he was in and out of the ravenite so much he had dumb ass john god he made everybody come in there all the time and you know say hey there’s a mob guy now let’s go see what he’s doing i’ve done that you see a guy coming and going and he’s talking with with you know real deal mafia members and he may or he may be a relative and then in this case his dad was frank locascio who was uh. [1:51]Longtime Capo and longtime Gambino family member and became Gotti’s consigliere. Locasio kind of, you know, he hadn’t really been that high profile during his time. Sal, or Tor, as they called him, Tor Locasio, had not been that high profile. [2:07]That was one of the reasons that the Gambino family ended up going down. Because, you know, what you do is you see that guy and then let’s go take a look at him. Let’s go get his trash. Let’s go follow him around a little bit. but let’s go see where he’s going when he’s not here. And then you see him at, you know, certain business, and you start looking at that business, and it just keeps, you know, the blocks just keep building and building and building. And, you know, in the end, many of these Gambino guys, and especially in Bonanno guys, even more broke ranks and became government witnesses. And Gambino, most importantly, it was, you know, the guy with the podcast out there, he who shall not be named, you know, Sammy the Bull, I don’t mind naming him, and the government went after him on some of these more complicated, sophisticated things, not just the gambling, which is easy. Throw some wires out there and you know some bookies and you kind of run the string out and take off some gamblers. And then all of a sudden that’s done when they go in and come back out in a few years. Just this ongoing battle, kind of a cat and mouse game, which I used to love. To me, it was just a game. But it has been extremely profitable for a lot of [3:24] High-tech scams involving internet and telephone services [3:17]these guys. And here’s a high-tech scheme that came out in the late 90s on into the early 2000s. Salvatore “Tore” Locascio and a guy named Richie or Richard Martino, he used to call him Richie from the Bronx, orchestrated some elaborate scams involving the internet and telephone services. [3:37]And these guys, they exploited unsuspecting telephone users, cell phone users, and web surfers out there. There are people who like porn sites in particular, and they took in over $400 million over about five years’ time. Now, what they did is they created several porn websites. [4:01]Now, these sites lured visitors with the promise of free tours around the porn site to see if you wanted to sign up, but you had to give your credit card information. How many times have you like gotten a free thing, you know, a trial version of something, but you had to put in your credit card information. You’ll think, well, I’ll go, you know, I’ll go watch the movie for free and with my trial version, but then you leave your credit, you’re now you’re signed up. So they get the credit card information and what the, the sites did, they disabled their browsers back button and trapped them on the website as they’re running out of charges. as they navigated through the different content. They think they’re just on this free viewing platform, tour of a porn site and they’re not, they’re getting charged like crazy. [4:51]This has been other websites have done this where they make it really difficult to exit the website and they want to keep that credit card in there. You know, what’s funny is Locasio was under house arrest from another case, an old case, when they started working on this, him and this Richard Martino or Richie from the Bronx, became the largest consumer fraud at the time in American history. They found a guy named Norman Chains who was a direct marketer and they developed this network of porn sites and they had to get an age verification check so you could get a free preview of the sexual content. Now, that’s like they spread out this banquet and you have to jump through a suit. Okay, I’m of age. I can get this free preview. you. I mean, it’s, it’s scamming at its best, put your credit card in there. And then they hit each one of these people from anywhere from 25 to $75, you know, later on, they get this charge a month or two months later. And, and, you know, that’s, you know, that’s it. So they also started a phone scam thing as known as cramming. I don’t know if you remember cramming and this actually ended up in Overland Park, Kansas, right here in Kansas City. I remember getting some leads for us to go out and look at some buildings and write down some license numbers in connection with this back then. [6:17]What they did is they had 800 numbers. Now, you remember the 800 numbers, and they would charge you a lot of money, but they’d make it look like it was free. [6:30] Deceptive 800 numbers and phone cramming scheme [6:27]It was like for sex talk, sex lines. Uh, I know somebody that got their parents got a huge charge for a sex line thing, psychics, horoscopes from these 800 numbers instead of free services, which are promised, uh, whoever the, uh, has the phone gets this huge bill and it’s a recurring bill. Many times they’ll put it on there. And then if I have a hard time getting it all, and then they’d have shell companies out there and those profits would be go through the shell companies and then come back into the mob. Of course, um. [7:01]They did this all over the Midwest primarily and charged people for services that they didn’t request, didn’t want. And like I said, the billing came back through something called USPNC in Overland Park, Kansas. I thought Michael Franchise, or not actually, the father had some piece of this action. It probably was maybe more than the Gambino family. These guys, they worked with advertising people and sophisticated publishing executives to execute their plan. They had all these peckerwoods, these scorejohn-looking people on the surface, and everybody was making a lot of money. [7:39]And, you know, they, this Locasio, he really had, you know, he’d been a gambler before, but he grossed millions and millions of dollars on this. The company, his telecommunications companies that created several companies, were in a converted carriage house in Manhattan in the Murray Hill area on East 39th Street. They had a two-car garage, and they converted that into offices. And they say this Richie from the Bronx would drive around in a white Rolls Royce or had a black Mercedes. And we know we saw, and you see, if you’re on YouTube, I’m playing some of this video of him and his, uh, of, uh, tour Locasio and his black Lincoln coming in. It looks like I called a mafia staff car. And I tell you what,

Mrs. Mandelbaum and New York Organized Crime Aug 26, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Margalit Fox joins the Gangland Wire podcast to discuss her book, “The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized Crime Boss” which delves into the story of the early fence Mrs. Mandelbaum. Mrs. Mandelbaum operated a successful New York City criminal empire focusing on stolen luxury goods and bank robbery for 25 years, evading jail time. Margalit explores how Mrs. Mandelbaum treated property crime as a business, offering discounts on luxury goods to cater to the middle class. The interview highlights Mrs. Mandelbaum’s organizational skills, elaborate front shop for her operations and involvement in major bank robberies. The discussion showcases Mrs. Mandelbaum’s strategic planning, financial investments, and the blurred lines between legitimate business and criminal enterprises at her dinner parties. The interview provides fascinating insights into Mrs. Mandelbaum’s pioneering role in early organized crime, shedding light on forgotten aspects of women’s history and criminal entrepreneurship in the 19th century. #newyorkcity #organizedcrimegroups #organzedcrime Click here To Buy The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized Crime Boss. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! [0:00]Well, hey, welcome all you wiretappers out there. It’s good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Sergeant. And I have a another story for you today from the author of The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum. Now, you guys know what fencing is. If you don’t, a fence is a person that buys stolen goods from a criminal. And it’s extremely lucrative. I mean, it’s really, really lucrative and it’s hard to investigate, hard to really make a case on anybody. And my guest today, Margalit Fox, has written a book about one of the earliest fences in the United States who was, again, immensely successful. So Margalit, welcome. I really appreciate you coming on the show and telling the guys about The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum. Thank you so much, Gary. It’s my pleasure. So The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum, which was just published by Random House last week, tells the true story of the first major organized crime boss in America. Now, all of us, when we think of a crime boss, we either think of Tony Soprano, or if we’re a certain age, we think of something from The Untouchables, a big, strapping, tough guy with spats and a Tommy gun during prohibition and emphasis on the word guy. However, the first. [1:28]Big deal. Crime boss in America was none of those things. It was a nice, zoftig Jewish mother of four named Mrs. Mandelbaum, who came here in steerage in 1850 with nothing more than the clothes on her back, and two decades later was running the most successful, most lucrative, one of the most extensive crime networks in America. She operated with complete impunity for 25 years, not spending a day in jail. Her modest haberdashery shop on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, disguised a criminal empire that centered on stolen luxury goods like silk and silver and diamonds, and eventually diversified into bank robbery. She had working for her an army of the country’s foremost shoplifters, housebreakers, and bank burglars whom she had personally recruited. [2:46]She was so motherly with respect to her cohort, bailing them out if they were arrested, providing getaway horses and carriages when they needed to flee a robbery they committed on her behalf. [3:01]Whining and dining them at her groaning table. [3:13] Beginning of Mrs. Mandelbaum’s downfall [3:05]So motherly was she that the press and criminals alike called her Mother Mandelbaum or Marm Mandelbaum. And she operated this way until 1884, when the tide turned in New York, reformers came in, and she was finally arrested. But there’s more to the story even than that. [3:28]Really, she was quite a character. I love this description, the product of a congenial liaison between a dumpling and a mountain. Frederica Mandelbaum was a big woman. Even now, she would be considered big. And back then, when people were generally smaller, she must have towered over New York. She was described in contemporary accounts as being almost six feet tall and weighing between 250 and 300 pounds. She dressed impeccably and elegantly because she could afford it. In sweeping floor-length gowns of the finest silk, ostrich feather-topped hats, sealskin capes. And just to give you an idea of how lucrative fencing was, as Gary pointed out, her. [4:24]Storefront haberdashery shop, which was the front for her clandestine business, in the 25 years she operated, was said to have handled $10 million worth of stolen merchandise. Now, that’s $10 million 19th century dollars. It’s equivalent to about $300 million today. day. When Frederica Mandelbaum died in 1894, she had a personal fortune of up to $1 million. And again, that’s $1 million 19th century dollars. So she did very well. I know y’all know everybody likes something that fell off a truck that you can buy for about half price. And she took advantage of that. We like those, especially those luxury goods, those things that make us appear that we are more wealthy than what we really are, a fur, some kind of diamond jewelry or silver or gold jewelry. And you could buy those really cheap from somebody, a fence. And that’s what she took advantage of. She saw the market and tapped into that market, wouldn’t you say, Margalit? [5:34]Absolutely. When I first came to this story as a journalist a couple of years ago, I knew, Obviously, it was a historical true crime story. I knew it was a story about old New York, and I knew it was a story about this forgotten piece of women’s history, because few people know Mrs. Mandelbaum’s name today. day. What I hadn’t realized, and the epiphany I had when I got into researching the story, was this is a business story, almost more powerfully than anything else. Friederike Mandelbaum, who would have been educated… [6:15]At home probably in the old country in what is now Germany. Her family were poor Jewish traders and peddlers. They had nothing. So she certainly didn’t have a college education. She certainly didn’t have a business school education, but she was clearly incredibly smart and incredibly savvy once she got to America about putting her finger to the wind and seeing what the social climate of the times was encouraging people to want to buy. And for instance, she got into silk right away. At the time, there was no ready-to-wear clothing for women. I learned to my amazement that a woman could not go into a shop and buy a skirt or shirtwaist off the rack until the 1890s, And she couldn’t buy a dress off the rack until after World War I. [7:14]So every woman in America, rich or poor, either sewed her own clothes at home or had them made by a dressmaker. That meant that fine fabrics at discount prices were in great demand. The economics of a transaction, which again, Frederica Mandelbaum put in place in her business operation very early, worked this way. A thief would steal a load of fine silk from a New York waterfront dock or a textile emporium at night. [7:51]The swag would be brought covertly to Mrs. Mandelbaum. She knew the wholesale price of every one of the luxury goods that passed through her hands. Silk, diamonds, silver, sealskin, cashmere, all of the stuff that the emerging middle class in the second half of the 19th century was being taught to crave, but didn’t want to pay full price for. A thief brings her bolts of silk, she pays the thief 25% or even less of its wholesale price, say 10% to 25%. The thief can now exit the equation in relative safety. She’s the buffer between him and the cops. She then covertly, through her agents, sells to one of her extensive list of waiting customers that same silk at half cost. [8:47]To two-thirds of wholesale. So the client is thrilled. He’s getting an enormous discount, and Mrs. Bandelbaum is still making a huge profit. And it became very clear to me that there had always been property crime, but she was one of the first, and the only one I know of to do it in such a complete and sustained way in that period, she was one of the first to treat property crime as a thriving capitalist concern and as a scalable business. [9:22] Mrs. Mandelbaum’s organizational skills [9:23]Interesting. Yeah, she did. And she organized. Another thing I found interesting as I went through your book is how she organized people and looked out for them. It’s like this is before the mafia, guys. As you know, the Italians don’t arrive on the scene until late 1900s and turn of the century and you know they’re gonna move in on these kinds of of uh rackets if you will but this is before them and and so as it’s the immigrant way you’re kept out of the normal kind of businesses but crime is always there and you can always make money and and that’s she figured that out because she was you know she couldn’t have gone and got a job she couldn’t opened a store, uh, couldn’t have done anything, but this was open to her. And then she starts organizing all these guys. She, she saw beyond just a slam bang crime.

10 Legendary Black Gangsters Aug 22, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, I explore the history of 10 Legendary Black Gangsters, highlighting key figures and organizations from the 1920s to the present day. We discuss the evolution of black organized crime in cities like New York, Detroit, Chicago, and Philadelphia, focusing on prominent individuals such as Nicky Barnes, Samuel Christian, Frank Matthews, and Larry Hoover. The narrative also investigates the international connections of figures like Jeff Fort, founder of Chicago’s El Rukan, and Demetrius Flanory of the Black Mafia Family (BMF). Finally, I look at the emergence of street gangs like the Crips and Bloods in South Central LA. Additionally, we touch on iconic figures like Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson and cinematic portrayals of gangster life in popular media. #blackgangster #gangster #bloods #crips #mafia #organizedcrimegroups #elrukanSupport the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Introduction to Black Gangsters [0:00]Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. As most of you know, this is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective. And I have a story today. [0:15]Correction on that. I have a show today that’s going to… Correction on that. I’m going to talk… Correction on that. Today, I’m going to talk about the top 10 black gangsters in all of kind of recorded history, if you will. Now, going back before the war, back in the 30s and 20s, there were black gangsters, but nobody really talked much about them. Going on up into the 40s and 50s, especially the 50s, newspapers started covering that kind of thing. And so there was quite a few pretty well-known guys that were part of their community. And they were, you know, professional criminals. They had an organization. They weren’t exactly the mafia, but they had something going on. It was all built around drugs, I believe, because that was the crime that you can make some real money at. So a big rise of this in the 60s and 70s as civil rights came in and, you know, like after the riots of 1968, There’s a huge shift in really in the black communities and in covering by the newspapers and covering black crime and by the police and their response to black crime. So let’s talk about those days, you know, New York, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia are kind of the most well-known cities when it comes to the history of black organized crime. [1:42]There were syndicates like the council headed by Nicky Barnes in New York and Philadelphia’s Black Mafia. You may have heard of that. I think I did a show of us around the more later Black Mafia with Sean Patrick Griffin. A man named Samuel Christian led that one in Philadelphia and, you know, illegal gambling and drug drug trafficking. But they also got into fencing, you know, and in Kansas City, we had a Black Mafia or at least what we did. The newspaper’s called the Black Mafia, led by a guy named Doc Dearborn and his partner, Eugene Richardson. And then the Kelton brothers had an organization. And I remember we even stopped a kid named James Calvin Bradley who just got out of the penitentiary. He was an armed robber. And the Kelton brothers had not only a heroin organization going, they had crews of young kids that were going out robbing banks. [2:40] Rise of Violent Lifestyle [2:36]And they were supporting them with cars and guns and laundering the money for them. And James Calvin Bradley, when he was arrested, he had a piece of paper in his car that had all these different rules for an organization laid out, much like the mob. And they were broken down into a couple of crews and they had leaders of those crews and they had rules about, you know, don’t snitching, don’t snitching, don’t talk to the police. [3:05]You know keep a low profile you know drive a uh cool car uh you know dress in you know normal manner don’t don’t get too loud and too you know now it’s pan sagging back then it was uh really big bell bottoms and some things like that and so you know don’t go out too big of a fro the different rules like that in order to keep the police from paying any attention to them at all now. [3:34]They were extremely violent because this is a violent lifestyle out here in the drug world, particularly the armed robbery world. Uh, it was really a violent lifestyle and, and some of the leaders became, you know, they kind of did away with some of their own stay under the radar rules and became flashy, especially these big guys in, in New York, like, uh, uh, Nicky Barnes, who was so well-known, and Frank Matthews. They were just so well-known. Now, Frank Matthews, let’s talk about him first. He was referred to as the Black Caesar. He also had another nickname called Pee-wee. He was probably one of the most famous black gangsters in America, mainly because the press covered him. He had a large scale of heroin and cocaine drug operations. He started in the middle 60s, 1965, and he disappeared in 1973. [4:28]And they say, and he did have an extravagant lifestyle in his prime, you know, leather fur coats and jewelry and showing up at the big prize fighting matches. They like to show up with an entourage at a prize fighting match. And he had $20 million in savings, supposedly. You know, he was born a poor country boy, as they say, down in Durham, North Carolina, just like any other mobster you ever heard of. Left school when he was like 14 or 15 years old. Started in with a little teenage gang. He was stealing chickens down there in the country. Moved north to Philadelphia, which there was a huge move north back in the 50s and 60s by black folks. And got into the numbers because the numbers in poor neighborhoods, the numbers is a big moneymaker and the number one crime that’s going on. It’s only a crime because the government made it a crime because, you know, we have the lottery now. He then fell in with something that was already there, a guy called Major Coxon, who I don’t really know anything about. And he had this drug operation going. It was calling itself the Black Mafia by then. [5:46]He started dealing heroin in 1965. At that time, in 1965, the American mafia, the Italian mafia, controlled the main heroin supply, like, you know, out of Turkey, out of through Montreal, maybe through Cuba at one time. Well, he got a relationship with a Cuban mafia boss, Orlando Gonzalez, gonzalez and uh he got it direct from south america through miami and then he was able to bring it up and and had his own network he had a much better you know connect the connect is the thing if you’re gonna run a cocaine and heroin business you gotta have the good connect uh gonzalez will die and and frank really like took it all over himself and and just just kept going and going and going he had two vast huge drug operations in brooklyn one was called the ponderosa the other was the okay corral corral that if you think about it the ponderosa was a rancid and um oh i can’t even think of the name of it now with hoss and little joe and paul and all them uh and uh you know gunfight at the okay corral so you know they kind of like based on those movies which were extremely popular they had a lot of westerns when i was a kid it was It was all Westerns on TV, and Western movies were really popular. [7:11]The DEA will say that he handled… [7:17]All the heroin in all the major cities on the East Coast. [7:20]Got indicted in 72, charged with tax evasion and distribution of heroin. He didn’t show up in court, and nobody’s ever seen him since. [7:31] Frank Lucas: Harlem Crime Boss [7:29]He’s probably dead by now. So number two, Frank Lucas. Frank Lucas became the main crime boss in Harlem, New York, in the late 60s. And he got into the heroin trafficking business at an early age. He had to deal with the Italian mafia. mafia uh he also came up from north carolina uh mainly because he was running for the law or maybe a lynching down there he didn’t know but he had to had to leave that country area and came up into the city and saw this this huge heroin business and and he actually he realized he had to break the italian mafia’s monopoly on the heroin trade in order to really make any money Otherwise, he was always going to be subservient to these mafia guys, which, you know, had this long established organization. But the Italian mafia can only establish so much in the black community because black community is, you know, pretty insular and have their own rules. And the white guys are on the outside looking in. They have to depend on the cooperation of black guys to move into that community. Now, he makes a connection with a U.S. Army sergeant named Leslie Ike Atkinson. [8:47]Went to Bangkok and seen, you know, we had all this, all these planes going back and forth between Southeast Asia and particularly Vietnam during the time. We’re right in the middle of the Vietnam War. They figured out a way to put drugs in furniture and bring it back. [9:06]Just crazy. You know, they made about, I don’t know, 50, $60 million. He bought property, had expensive cars and clothes and several homes. He gets indicted in 1976. [9:19]He gets 70 years. He eventually goes in witness protection, testifies against some mob guys. And, you know, if you think about it, if you realize this,

Joe Massino – Died in Witness Protection Aug 19, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, I start with FBI agent Doug Fencl telling the story of revealing Joe Pistone’s true identity as an undercover agent to Bonanno-Capo Sonny Black. This revelation set off a chain of events leading to the downfall of high-ranking members of the Bonanno crime family, including boss Joe Massino. Delving into Joe Messino’s background, we explore his ruthless rise within the mob and the cunning maneuvers he orchestrated to maintain his criminal empire. Despite his affable facade, Joe Massino proved to be the most dangerous among his peers, orchestrating numerous murders and hits. As we encounter the seemingly unassuming Joey Massino, we witness his surprising criminal activities and his eventual rise in the mob scene, earning him the moniker Big Joey for his illicit ventures. Bonanno boss Rusty Rastelli mentored Big Joey as he went into various criminal enterprises, showcasing his intelligence, adaptability, and willingness to resort to violence. Through interviews and investigations, we uncover the intricate workings behind Joey’s criminal operations and his ascent within the mob ecosystem, from truck hijackings to becoming a trusted fence for stolen goods. The narrative delves into the power struggles and violent actions within the Mafia, precisely honing in on Joe Messino’s team and their meticulously planned murders, including the hit on three capos and the involvement of Donnie Brasco. Joe Messino’s adept money laundering tactics and his unwavering loyalty to Rusty Rastelli come to the forefront as we witness the intricate web of crime and consequences within the Mafia unfold. Ultimately, financial investigations and FBI infiltration led to the demise of Messino and his cohorts like brother-in-law Sal Vitale, underscoring the treacherous landscape of organized crime. Our exploration extends to Barry Weinberg, who evaded millions in taxes through illicit means before law enforcement capitalized on his vulnerabilities to transform him into an informant. This catalyzed a series of revelations about mob activities within the Bonanno family, culminating in the shocking turn of events where Joe Massino, the powerful boss, transitions into a government informant. Through strategic legal maneuvers and riveting courtroom drama, the formidable mob empire crumbles, bringing Massino’s reign of terror to a dramatic end. Join us as we unravel the chilling narrative of betrayal, survival, and the downfall of crime lords, shedding light on the dark underbelly of organized crime. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

Peter Savino Takes Down the Chin Aug 12, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Larry McShane joins the podcast to discuss Vincent “The Chin” Gigante, focusing on Peter Savino, a key player in convicting Gigante. Larry wrote a book, “Chin: The Life and Times of Vincent Gigante,” detailing Gigante’s rise to power in the Genovese crime family. Gary learned that Savino went into Witness Protection and lived out his life in Kansas City. Savino’s role in the Windows case, where mob-operated companies rigged bids for window contracts in NYC, is discussed. Despite health issues, Savino’s testimony against Gigante proved crucial in court. The dynamic between Gigante and Savino, including their business dealings and personal connection, is explored. The podcast delves into the intricacies of organized crime, witness protection, and the downfall of Gigante, showcasing Larry’s expertise in mob history. Larry’s other book on Philadelphia mob boss Ralph Natale piques interest for future discussions. Click here to get Larry McShane’s Mob books. The Chin! Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Introduction [0:00]Well, Hey guys, welcome back to the studio gangland wire. I’m on the zoom call here with Larry McShane. We were going to talk about the chin, but we’re going to talk more about one of the guys that, that really locked in the conviction on Vincent, the chin gigante back in the day and, and forced him to actually admit that it was all an act. This crazy bit was all an act. Larry, I really appreciate you coming on the show and you kind of are the, one of the experts on Vincent the Chin Gigante, you wrote the book. So first of all, tell us a little bit about the book. And I’ll put pictures of it on the YouTube and I’ll have links to Larry’s book and the show notes, guys. Yeah. The name of the book is Chin, the Life and Times of Vincent Gigante. [0:49]And it sort of traces his ascension from, you know, the son of Italian immigrants who settled in Greenwich Village, to his rise to the top of the Genovese crime family in the early 80s. I think the Genovese were kind of regarded as, I think the term they used to use was like the Ivy League of the New York mob. He ran it for a good long time until they finally convicted him in 1997, I believe. And one of the reasons, the biggest reason his reign was so long is because he managed to perplex prosecutors by pretending that he had a mental illness. [1:39]And his lawyers would argue in court that he was not mentally fit to stand trial. And this dragged on for a long time. I mean, there’s famous stories. The cops came to arrest him one time, and he was standing naked in the shower holding an umbrella over his head. And he would wander. He lived on Sullivan Street in Greenwich Village. And for years, he never left there. You know, and you could see him. He had a social club right across the street from the apartment that he shared with his mom. And that’s where he did his business. Conversations about business were not done inside the club. You know, they were very worried about bugs or surveillance. And he and whoever he wanted to speak to would wander up and down Sullivan Street, you know, gigante in his ratty looking bathrobe and slippers. And again, this he took over in 1981 and it took 16 years before they could finally prosecute him. [2:48]You know, and this is at a time where Rudy Giuliani was really full board taking on the five families in New York. Yeah, Rudy, you know, he started off with the he really built on the windows case. We’re going to get into that guy’s famous windows case to get to the commission case. But, you know, what what got me interested in this, you guys out there, is I found out that one of the main witnesses against him, Peter Savino, did his time and witness protection here in Kansas City. Like, go figure. I got an email from a retired judge friend of mine that said that a gal he went to college with was talking to one of Savino’s daughters about writing a book. And so I started looking into it and I talked to that lady and and she didn’t know much more. She was trying to find the FBI agent who was the control for Peter Savino, [3:46] Unveiling Peter Savino [3:43]Dick Rudolph. And Dick Rudolph, if you’re listening to this, we can’t find you. And that daughter would really like to talk to you and just have a conversation. She has a lot of, like many mobsters, kids have a lot of questions about their dad and how a lot of this happened because it was all a big secret. [4:01]And then I found another guy that did some business with Peter Savino in witness protection here in Kansas City, and it did not end up good. And the guy is still kind of scared about his mafia connections. And so he was he must have been kind of a bad dude or at least could come on as as a dangerous dude. And that guy won’t talk to me either. That’s how powerful this mystique of the Genovese and Chinchilla Gigante family is. I mean, it’s just it’s a really powerful deal. So, Larry, I’d ask Larry to come on here and let’s talk about this. Peter Savino and where he came from and, and, and how he came up to be that close to the chin to get him put away. So, you know, Larry. [4:48]I looked him up a little bit and he kind of starts out as a look like a drug smuggler and cigarette smuggler and some things. So on lower level crimes as usual. So tell us a little bit about the early beginnings of Peter Savino. Yeah, he was a guy, as I think you mentioned, that. You know, it was kind of off the radar of both law enforcement and I think like. You know the hierarchy of the genevese family where he eventually found a home you know what i mean and uh you know he uh i mean he’s a guy that wore a wire once the feds brought him in to to get evidence and uh you know gigante had dodged prosecution and conviction for years and uh uh, Savino wore a wire and collected conversations and he was really, you know, at the, at the Ducati trial, they brought in, uh, Sammy the bull, um, and they brought in little Al Diarco, you know, mob bosses to testify against him. But it was really this capo that nobody knew about who delivered a lot of the most damning evidence, uh, against the Chin at trial. [6:09]How did he get into this Windows case? He developed a company called Arista Windows, I believe. He’s more of a white-collar criminal, if you will. I mean, he certainly would kill somebody if he needed to, but he was more of a white-collar criminal, which the guy here in Kansas City learned. He developed a company, started a company called Arista Windows, I believe was the name of it. Started selling windows to the housing development or the housing, public housing in New York City. Can you remember what about how he got into the windows case? Yeah, he was kind of the architect of the whole scam. This was they set up a bid rigging operation and there were 13, I believe, mob operated companies who were involved in this conspiracy. What they would do is they would get contracts to install windows in city housing all over the city. If you were not involved in the mob cartel, there’s a tax imposed on you of $2 per window. [7:16]We’re talking about Manhattan, Queens housing, like big developments. You know what I mean? So there’s a lot of money involved here. According to reports at the time, anyone who blanched at this would have their window shattered by the organized crime guys. You know what I mean? And I went back and did a little looking, and it was an enormously lucrative operation. The mob got $151 million in Windows contracts between 1978 and 1989. And Savino was kind of the guy who was running this whole thing. Wow. And for some reason, uh, He’s not a guy that I think people knew until probably the window post case. Gigante just took a shine to him for whatever reason. I’m sure the fact that he was a big earner had, had a lot to do with it. [8:14]And, you know, chin was a notoriously secretive guy. And, uh, eventually when he went on trial, you know, Savino was one of the big witnesses against him at this point. Uh, Savino was sick and, and close to death. And, uh, so that was kind of his last, Last big shot in the whole war against Chin when he came in and testified, despite his failing health, you know? [8:39]Interesting. I noticed, and going back over research in this case, the early investors in this Windows case, because all the families or most of them got involved in some manner. So it’s like the Concrete Club, like they were all in the Windows business too. And Vic Amuso and Gaspipe Castle from the Casey family were some early investors [9:01] The Rise of Arista Windows [8:58]in this. they saw the opportunities in Savino. Yeah. Savino was a sharp guy. You know what I mean? You think of the mob and all the things they’re involved in and the idea that there was $151 million waiting for them to scoop up from installing windows in buildings around New York is kind of insane. It’s definitely one of the great mob tales that they got in there and I mean, there’s two things. One, they’re able to gain access. And then two, through threats and violence, they’re able to make the legitimate places sign up for their program. You know, and speaking of violence and that kind of thing,

Mafia Shootout in Kansas City Aug 05, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. The Kansas City Mafia enforces their rules on bar owners like Ferris Anthon even when they have to resort to deadly and drastic measures. In this episode, we recount the harrowing experience of Sheriff Tom Bash, a fearless lawman in Jackson County, Missouri, during the 1930s. Witness the gripping account of Sheriff Tom Bash’s confrontation with the Kansas City Mafia in a deadly ambush, showcasing his valor and dedication to upholding justice. Through a riveting shootout, Sheriff Bash emerges as a local hero, shining a light on the pervasive mob activities and corruption of the era. Despite facing legal challenges and political interference, Sheriff Tom Bash’s legacy of courage and integrity perseveres, symbolizing the unwavering fight against criminal influence and the steadfast commitment to the rule of law. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Introduction to Kansas City Mob Incident [0:00]Hey, all you wiretappers out there, and this is going to be a special bonus episode about a Kansas City mob incident that had never happened before, and it’s never happened since. Here’s the situation. An armed police officer is taking his family home after an evening out, and he drives right in the middle of a mob hit. Now, what are you going to do? Oh, my God, I got my family here. This guy he was a sheriff and and i’ll i’ll go back over a lot of this because i did this before i did this story before but i need to do a little opening a new opening because something else would happen anyhow what i want to do is give a shout out to a couple of gangland wire fans i met the other night now steve saint john my friend steve saint john’s been on the show several times you know he’s the guy that that actually my squad worked on him helped put him in the prison forgot God, he was there about 10 years and came back out. He’s gone straight, done pretty well. We’ve become friends. So he asked me to go to the Kansas City Goats game, which is our arena football team. His son, Stephen St. John, is like the top sports radio broadcaster. He has a show, Stephen St. John Show, here in Kansas City. [1:15]And so we’re watching the game. It’s a lot of fun. And all of a sudden I look over and I see to my right, there’s this beautiful girl or woman coming up. She’s got blonde hair and she gets closer. She’s got these beautiful green eyes and she’s smiling and looking at me and nodding like she knows me. And I’m thinking, I don’t know this. Who is this? And so she gets right to me. She stops and sticks out her hands and introduced herself as Connie said. She was a longtime podcast listener. She grew up in Kansas City. She grew up over what we call the Northeast. Her family knew some of these different mob associated people. And so I’m trying to keep my composure. And man, beautiful girl. She thinks I’m cool because I have this podcast. But it’d be that I’m not. I’m not. Steve’s sitting over here. He’s cracking up because he knew this was coming. He had run into her. He knew her from somewhere else. And he ran into her at the concession stand. She’s working at the concession stand as a fundraiser for St. Pius, which is the big premier Catholic high school. And so lots of times they’ll take over a concession stand and run that stand and they get to keep all the profit out of it. [2:27]So we talked quite a while she tells me a couple stories about you know growing up over in northeast and then she has to get back up the concession stand and i had to go up i went up the concession stand later on and she’s oh come here you know you can’t buy anything i said well you know i don’t mind no no come here i said what do you want so she gave she gave me a big one those great big salty pretzels which is what i want and a coke and she kissed me on the cheek too then later on i’m I’m sitting, I’m going back, I’m going back down to my seat. And a guy appears, his name’s Luke, and he was talking with her. And he said, oh yeah, he said, I listened to that podcast too. So he came down and we chatted for a while. So big shout out to Connie and Luke, a couple of Kansas City podcast fans and St. Pius Catholic High School supporters. And thanks to Steve St. John and his dad, Stephen St. John, for the tickets. And I had a great time, brought my old partner, Bobby Arnold, me and Steve St. John and my old partner from Intelligence Unit, Bobby Arnold, another retired copper, Frank Armillio, whose son is actually the works at St. Pius and play golf with him all the time. So we all went to the arena sports football game, the Goats. And don’t forget to check out Stephen St. John’s radio sports talk show in Kansas City. [3:53] Story of Sheriff Tom Bash Begins [3:53]That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it, guys. This is going to be a story about Sheriff Tom Bash. He was the sheriff of Jackson County, Missouri, in 1933, during the Depression, right after the Prohibition, when the Tom Pendergast political organization and the Kansas City Mafia joined together and basically ran the whole city and the whole county. Now, Bash, it was not totally sold out, as you’ll see from this story. It was a different time, folks. It was a totally different time. Just because you were connected to the political organization did not mean that you were totally owned by the mafia in Kansas City. But yet, you might do some things for the mafia in Kansas City. [4:36]It’s never as black and white as what many times the popular media may depict in real life, these connections. I was recently asked some questions about the Kansas City police in the 50s and 60s. And I knew some of these guys they were talking about and some of the reports about them. And, you know, as I explained to this guy that’s writing a book about the, he’s calling it the, I think the mob and the Kansas City police or something like that. I said, you know, it’s not exactly black and white like we like to think. It’s a lot of gray areas in there. A lot of people may do some things, but wouldn’t go. But so far doing other things, I would never cover up a murder, for example, but they certainly may turn turned a blind eye to an ongoing regular gambling game because, you know, they may have relatives that like to go to that gambling game. So anyhow, this is going to be the story of Sheriff Tom Bashand a particular incident in his life that shows you that he personally did not walk away from everything that was mob connected. He was from a farm town just outside of Kansas City, kind of a well-to-do farm family. He was a good shot. He’d been a hunter all of his life. He was of course approved by the Tom Pendergast Organization. [5:51]He was kind of a man about town, shall we say. He could hang with the swells, as they used to say back in those days. August 11, 1933, he and his wife, Jenny, had gone to an ice cream social, a lawn party and an ice cream social at a kind of higher-end residence in Kansas City. It was a fundraiser for the ladies’ auxiliary of what was known as the Cooperative Club. I don’t know what that was. that didn’t last in the present time. But it was a fundraiser for residents of the girls’ home in Jackson County for wayward girls and girls that had been abandoned. And they had a guest, a teenage girl named Melva Taylor, who was going to go home with them and stay overnight at their house. I’m not sure what their connection was. I think she was a daughter of a friend or something. And I think maybe they didn’t have any children, he and his wife. So about midnight, after attending this ice cream social and lawn party. [6:52]Tom Bash agreed that they would escort the money to some safe place. They’d been raising money all night, probably like a golf tournament. A lot of you guys have probably played in golf tournaments where there’s constant selling of this and selling of that. And it’s always cash, so I’m sure that’s what was going on back then. They didn’t even take credit cards, of course, back then. So they would have raised a lot of cash. And Tom Bass said, I’ll escort the money and whoever had the money to wherever they were going to get it safe. And then he turned and headed south toward his house from where they were. He lived in what was known as the Troost Avenue, which was kind of a big time street back then. Now, it eventually became the dividing line between black neighborhoods and white neighborhoods for a long time. Now those lines are starting to blur again. in. But 3400 Block of Troost is about where he was, Armor and Troost, which is the same as 35th Street. And following him, he had an old Dodge. And following him were a deputy, Lawrence Hodges. [7:56]And then they had Jenny Bash and Melva Taylor in the car. And he had guns aboard the car. I think he was a typical lawman of any time. Well, most of the time I was on the police department. If I I was out moving around the city. I had some kind of a gun around me. They happened to see a car. They first drove around the block looking for any kind of surveillance or anything, which is kind of interesting that there’s no explanation in the accounts of that, why they were so safety, security conscious that they would maybe look for a tail and see if anybody was sitting out front of the sheriff’s house.

**Nick Annunziata – The Man Who Played Johnny Roselli** Jul 31, 2024
Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode of Gangland Wire, I speak with Nick Annunziata, known for his role as Chicago Outfit member Johnny Roselli in Mafia Spies. We discussed his experience portraying Roselli. Nick relates that part of his preparation was to contact Albert Anastasia’s son, who knew Johnny Roselli. We discuss some JFK assassination theories involving Roselli. Nick shares insights on working on several Sopranos Episodes. He played Eddie Pietro, underboss for Rusty Millio, played by the well-known singer Frankie Valli. In season six, titled Luxury Longue, Nick describes the scene in which Sicilian gunmen murder Rusty Millio and Eddie Pietro, as well as other memorable Soprano events. Nick emphasizes the value of authenticity, camaraderie among cast members, and staying true to his principles in the entertainment industry. Among other things, Nick Annunziata is a world-class poker player, a certified weapons instructor, a musician, and a screenwriter. Check out Nick’s music – AnnunziatA- “Los Angeles” on ITunes, Spotify or Amazon #mafiaspies #mafiahistory #organizedcrime #chicagooutfit #johnnyroselli **Support the Podcast** Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee”
To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00]Hey, welcome all you wiretappers out there back here in the studio of Gangland Wire and I have a really unusual different show for you and I know you’re going to like it. If you watch Mafia Spies that Thomas Meyer I interviewed a couple of weeks ago wrote that book and they created this docuseries about Johnny Roselli being involved with the CIA and trying to kill Castro and it’s a great docu-series. I just finished it myself, I think, this last weekend. Well, you got to watch it. Now, I have the actor, Nick Annuzziata, who played Johnny Roselli. Welcome, Nick. Nice to be here, Gary. Thanks for having me. So, Nick, you know, let’s talk about you playing Johnny Roselli. I just want to compliment you, first of all, and I don’t usually do this, as these guys know. [0:51]Thank you. I’m like Italian parents, you know, you got to do a lot to impress me. I mean, that’s the truth. You really captured without having, you had no lines and you have really captured the, dangerousness and the coolness and the kind of, you know, suave and deboner, as we say out in the country of Johnny Roselli. You really captured that and got it across the audiences. There’s no doubt about it. So tell us about playing Johnny Roselli. Oh, Johnny Roselli. I’ve heard his name throughout my life in stories. His affiliation as far as the JFK assassination, you hear these things. [1:37]Albert Anastasia. Everybody has heard of him, obviously, the Listen to You show. Okay. A friend of mine is friends with his son, and he’s still alive. He’s in his 80s. I’m not going to mention names. But I told him I was playing Johnny Roselli in the Mafia Spice series. So he connected me with this individual. So I get on the phone. He goes, hey, I hear you’re playing Johnny Roselli in the show. I said, yeah, it’s wonderful. Tomorrow I’m actually doing the scene where I get the call that JFK was assassinated. He laughed. I go, what’s so funny? He goes, what do you mean get the call? You’re the guy who shot him. I go, what do you mean I shot him? He goes, I was there. He ran right past me. I’m telling you. Johnny Roselli put a bullet in JFK’s head. I was like, oh, my God. I’m hearing it from a guy who said he was actually there. What does he have to gain by lying to me? I’m watching another podcast this week. I run across this guy. Now, this guy has been all throughout the mob folklore, if you will, and conversations because he was part of the Godfather. Gianni Russo. He just did a podcast. I just came across it last week. And he’s saying, JFK, let me tell you right now, it was Johnny Roselli. Johnny Roselli’s the one who put the bullet in JFK’s head. And I’m going, wow, a year apart, these two guys, I don’t know if they even know one another. Do we even know who really did it? There’s, you know, theory. [2:59]You have all these quote unquote experts. Can we really trust these experts anymore? I mean, look at the climate of the world right now. Everybody’s full of shit. it yeah you know you just basically had to say all right well i personally see two trees there you’re telling me there’s five who do i believe really right so you got to come up with your own assumption i think there is some truth to that my personal opinion only because of someone telling me this that had nothing to gain from it and the same age the age not the same age but the age makes sense yeah um. [3:39]And it was a little more detail he got into with me. And I was like, wow. So the next day I go on set and I go to the director and tell him, I said, you’re never going to believe who I was talking to yesterday. And they told me Johnny Roselli killed JFK. He was one of the shooters. There was like 13 shooters or something. It was not just one guy. And I’m like, whoa. He’s like, yeah, we found him. I think you said he was about 80 years old. So he would have been about 25 to 30 at the time. So he would have been. And he was there. Yeah. I said this to Tom and Tom’s like, yeah, we kind of heard things like that, too. But we don’t want to get too into the conspiracy aspect of it. I said, well, there’s no actual hard proof who did who did it still. I don’t believe. Right. Yeah. I mean, not there is it. So it’s basically I guess if you get enough people telling the same story, then that becomes the truth. Right. [4:37] Portraying Complex Characters [4:33]Agreed upon set of facts. They could be a lie. But if we all agree on it, that’s history. Right to play this guy who happens to be doing nefarious things to make a living and also be charming at the same time was uh interesting it’s my wife who doesn’t give out compliments we finished watching the show this week and she said to me after the last episode she said you know something you were really likable your character in spite of what he does he’s likable almost it’s the same thing like james gandolfini as tony sopretto in spite of his menacing and violent ways to make a living you like the guy you’re cheering him on because you find that he has a there’s almost like a just quality like he’s doing it for the better good even though he’s a bad guy david chase always reminded people you know with the violence these are not good people. [5:27]But they’re still likable i mean there’s a lot of actors unfortunately who don’t play these characters well and they play them very two-dimensional and they play like and i think i was lucky because of just who i am gen you know my general makeup i don’t have to play certain elements of myself the physicality takes care of it and there are a lot of people who play into to that a little too much and it looks a little farcical i to me i i think when you’re playing a non-fictional character and you’re playing with that world you it’s it’s not over the top unless it’s supposed to be a comedy or a satire kind of thing i these guys are very subtle they’re family people first and foremost there’s always a motive why they do things it’s not like they’re all. [6:16]Sociopaths i mean there’s definitely a tinge of that and blended with narcissism of course But… They’re doing it to provide for the family. That’s the old way, right? They would immigrate here. They do what they had to do so they can give their children a better life. And I think those lines at times get a little crossed and people forget that. [6:39]And I remember being on The Sopranos. People would say, oh, that episode was kind of boring. Why? [6:45]Well, no one got killed. I’m like, that’s not what these guys do all day long. They don’t just wake up and go, hey, who’s on the hit list today?

Mafia Spies: New Paramount Plus Docuseries Jul 22, 2024

Immerse yourself in the captivating world of Mafia Spies with Gary Jenkins, a retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective turned podcaster, as he welcomes special guest Thomas Maier, author of “Mafia Spies.” Thomas Maier provides unique insights into the JFK Assassination document release, offering a glimpse into the laborious process of sifting through countless pages with extensive redaction. Explore the intricate web of connections linking the JFK assassination, the Castro-CIA plot, and the involvement of notorious mobsters like Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana. Journey into the covert operations conducted in Florida, where figures such as Santo Trafficante, head of the Miami mob, played a pivotal role. Gain a deeper understanding of the motivations driving Castro’s rise to power, the mob’s lucrative interests in Cuba’s thriving casinos, and the subsequent tensions with the U.S. government. Get an exclusive preview of the upcoming Paramount Plus docu-series, featuring expert commentary, gripping historical recreations, and colorful characters like Antoinette Giancana, offering a multifaceted perspective on this enthralling chapter of American history. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript 0:00]Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, glad to have you back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, a retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective turned podcaster, and I have a guest today and a show that I know all you guys in Chicago are going to be eating up and sharing with all your friends and telling people about because, as we know, there’s this It’s much discussed and many different theories about the murder of JFK and the mob involved and and the plot with Castro and Giancana and Johnny Roselli and and all these things. And I have a man, Thomas Mayer, who got all those JFK, that whole document dump that was released in the last few years and went through all that. And he created a book, Mafia Spies, which is also going to be a Paramount Plus docu-series. So you got to get Paramount Plus app to see that docu-series, I believe. But welcome, Thomas. Thank you, Gary. Thank you for having me. In fact, it comes out July 16th on Paramount Plus. So look forward to it. I mentioned the JFK document dump. [1:11]Tell us a little bit about what was that like? Like it was how many pages was that? It was just tons and tons of documents, much of which was had a lot of redaction. So that had to be really laborious to go through that. Right. Well, you know, it’s kind of like the little kid that has a pile of horse dung in there and said, you know, there must be a pony in there somewhere. [1:37]And, you know, there was no smoking gun, if you will, about JFK’s assassination directly. There was no surprises as to who may have done it besides Lee Harvey Oswald, who clearly was the assassin of JFK. But what it did provide was something that was really the missing link in the Warren Commission report, which was the fact that when the Warren Commission looked at, was charged with investigating JFK’s murder, Alan Dulles was put on the commission. He was the former head of the CIA who had been fired by JFK. And ironically, it was Bobby Kennedy who suggested Dulles go on that commission. But Dulles never disclosed to the other commission members that the CIA had the secret, top secret plan to assassinate Fidel Castro. And even though Castro, shortly before JFK’s assassination, had actually said to journalists that, I know that they’re trying to kill me, I know that the CIA, I know that the American government is trying to kill me, and two can play that game. So you better cut it out, essentially. Otherwise, you may pay the consequences. [3:00]And yet the Warren Commission never looked at really the whole Castro-CIA plot in their deliberations. And so these papers that were released 2017, 2018, they really provided for me a lot of detail about what the CIA was doing in that regards to kill Castro. One of the biggest surprises to me is essentially that we were running a war in Florida, even after the Bay of Pigs, even after the Cuban Missile Crisis. This was in 61 and 62, respectively. But the CIA conducted a big operation in Florida, right by the Miami Zoo. And that’s where they were training Cuban exiles and our two characters in Mafia Spies, Johnny Roselli and the Chicago crime boss. [4:02]Sam Giancana, who were directly involved in the plot to kill Castro. They were involved with the training down in Florida, particularly Johnny Roselli. And so those documents provided a lot of granular detail about what was going on. The other thing that it provided to me were some of the internal memos of the CIA and the FBI and other investigators involved in this, narcotic squads and such, that said that –. [4:36]It looked as though there were a number of informants in the Florida area who were sympathetic to Castro. And one of those people may indeed have been one of the people directly involved in the plot to kill Castro. His name was Santo Traficante, and he was the head of the mob in Miami. He was connected with Meyer Lansky. And our two gangsters, Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana, considered him to be friendly. In fact, they brought him into the plot to kill Castro. But whether or not Santo Traficante was a double agent is something that when you look at these documents, it raises the question that he was double dealing, if you will, in this whole story. That didn’t surprise me. You know, he stayed down in Cuba and they put him in jail for several weeks, I believe, right after Castro took over. And then all of a sudden he mysteriously ends up back in Florida. So that’s always like, oh, how do you get out? [5:39]And, you know, in Mafia Spies, there’s three clips from The Godfather and they talk about drug trafficking in The Godfather famously. Well, I think that was a big motivation with Santo Traficante. There was a lot of money to be made on the trafficking, and he needed the cooperation of Castro and that government because a lot of drugs went through the Caribbean there. And so I think that was a big factor. So in the Paramount Plus docuseries, then, like, for example, where will it start? Well, let’s start with Castro and JFK and their kind of battle of wills around the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban thing. [6:24]Well, I think particularly because we’re aware that most people, a large part of the audience, wasn’t even alive when this happened. So it begins with understanding just what a shock it was to have Castro take over Cuba, 90 miles from Florida, and how much of a threat that posed in the minds of President Eisenhower and then President Kennedy. The ailing premier of Cuba, Fidel Castro, emerges from his convalescence to address a youth congress and to announce that Cuba is expropriating United States-owned property in that country. Bear in mind, in the late 50s, we had won World War II. We were dominant. For a while, we were the only ones with the atomic bomb. But the Soviets, who were once our ally in World War II, very soon became our rivals. and there was the Cold War that went on for 25, 30 years. And we almost had a nuclear war with Russia. [7:35]Over the attempts to put nuclear missiles in Cuba. This all took place during the early part of the Kennedy administration. And so we try to explain, at first set it up, and then the reason why the United States wanted to get rid of Castro, and also we explain why the mob wanted to get rid of Castro. You know, the mob ran this very lucrative casinos down in Havana. In fact, Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana ran a casino called the San Sushi on the outskirts of Havana. And a lot of entertainers would come down there. You know, bear in mind, before Las Vegas, Havana was the place that during the wintertime in particular, people from the east, places like Kansas City, Chicago, but all in up and down the eastern seaboard. They would go down to cuba las vegas really had not developed quite yet the way we know las vegas these days and so there was a lot of money to be made by the mob in cuba and when they were thrown out by castro they were furious they wanted them dead and then when castro embraces the russians. [8:53]The U.S. Government wanted Castro dead. Yeah, really. You know, I was reading your book when they first were approaching, is it Bob Mayhew, Howard Hughes’ chief of security? Right. And he said, I don’t want to get involved with these guys. But in the end, he did. So tell us a little story from your book and then from the Paramount Plus. How did they depict Robert Mayhew? Yeah, oh, he’s in there. You know, Paramount paid some extra money so that we could have recreations in docu-series. So there’s a number of journalists and historians. I’m in it pretty prominently as the author of the book. But there’s journalists like Chris Matthews, Tim Weiner. There’s a number of other historians, experts about this time period. We even have, by the way, Sam Jean Connery’s oldest daughter, Antoinette Jean Connery, who arguably is really funny in the show. She is a colorful character. We all know her. In the mob fan world, we know Antoinette. So that’ll be great. Well, you know, let me just tell you real quickly a story about her. When I first interviewed her, I said, Antoinette, I…

A Smuggler’s Blues: Adventures in Pot Smuggling Jul 15, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary talks with Tom Jenkins, the author of “The Next Run”. Tom recounts his experiences as a significant pot smuggler in the 60s. He shares fun stories of his adventures in Mexico and beyond. He details how he got started in smuggling, the evolution of the drug trade, and his close relationships with his Mexican contacts, particularly Abelardo. Tom also discusses the challenges and risks involved in smuggling, including the use of unconventional methods like hidden compartments in cars, plane landings in the desert, and dealing with flimsy suitcases for transporting drugs. Tom reflects on the changing attitudes towards narcotics over the years, mentioning the surge in marijuana dispensaries and the shift in perception from a mysterious substance to a recreational drug. He critiques the impact of narcotics on society, pointing out the devastating consequences of addiction and the flawed approach to drug enforcement. Tom also highlights his views on rehabilitation effectiveness for addicts and his observations as a physician regarding drug use. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Introduction [0:00]Well, Hey, welcome all you guys out there. Glad to be back here in the studio of gang land wire. And I have a particularly interesting story. I, you know, I guys, you may, or you may not know what I get contacted by, uh, publicity companies and book companies all the time when they have a book that they think might be appropriate for the podcast. And so I got this and I always get the book and sometimes I read it. Sometimes I kind of glaze over and I’ll make notes out of it. Well, I got one. not too long ago called The Next Run. And those of you on YouTube, there it is. And I started reading it. And next thing I know, I’m like halfway through it and I haven’t put it down yet. It is a page turner. And we are lucky enough to have the author here and the man that lived this crazy, crazy life, Tom Jenkins. Welcome, Tom. [0:51]Thank you so much. Happy to be here. Well, it’s an honor to beat you, even though you were on the one side of the law and I was on the other all those years. But it’s really cool to beat you. And, you know, this whole marijuana thing, it’s it’s just gone crazy in the last few years. As you’ve noticed, anybody that’s of any age or pays attention to anything in the United States, there’s just there’s a daggone dispensary on every corner. Practically of every place I’ve been in the United States. Maybe there’s some states that don’t have it. And so I don’t know. There’s probably no more guys like you. There’s no more smugglers like you, are there, Tom? [1:35]I doubt it. Well, unless you look to the cartels, I think anyone would be absolutely crazy to try to get into this solo at this point. It’s all the cartels. Yeah, really. So what’s interesting, I think, is when you started, it was back in the 60s, and those of us that are a certain age, you know, we were in high school or just out of high school, maybe post-war baby boomers is what we are. Now we’re getting old, and pretty soon we’re going to finally die off and let the younger people run everything, which will probably be good. But, you know, there’s a lot of marijuana smoking, but there’s a lot of ditch weed. Where I lived up here in northwest Missouri, there was nothing but ditch weed. I tried it once when I was young and it’s like, you know, I’d rather drink beer, man. I want to hit, I want something to happen to my head. Nothing happened, but there was out in California and along the border in Southern United States, they were getting this weed from Mexico, which would give you some kind of a high would really work. So Tom, tell us about how you got started in that. [2:47]Well, I got started just on a lark. Three of us were trying to decide what to do over the Christmas break. We were all going, we were freshmen in college and we decided to go to Mexico. None of us had been to Mexico before. So we decided to go to Mazatlan. And then one of us, just as an afterthought said, hey, we ought to bring back some pot to defray our trip expenses. And we sort of thought, okay, we’ll think about that. And then one thing led to another, and we were actually able to score on the beach in Mazatlan. And we got that pot back to the States. And we went back to school. And I thought that was the end of it. But then a really bizarre coincidence occurred where two friends of mine had bought a very straight-looking car for the purpose of running the border. And they had not told a soul. [3:41]And they even kept the car in a city not where we lived, but it was maybe five miles away. way. And by sheer chance, I happened to be driving down this street in that city during a very rare period of time where they took the car out of a garage to see how it was running. And I ran into them. I said, well, what’s this about? What are you guys up to with this very straight looking car? Because they were used to driving hot rods and whatnot. So I finally got them to tell me their secret. And they said, well, the only thing we need now is a contact. And I said, well, I’ve got that. [4:21]So I became a partner and we had so much fun pulling that off that it seemed like a fun thing to get into. And as you pointed out before we went live here, things were very different in those days. One thing is that marijuana, as we called it, we never used the term cannabis as is used nowadays. [4:45]But marijuana had a tremendous amount of mystique, particularly in white middle-class circles. No one knew anything about it. So it was like a strange, evil thing. So that was kind of exciting for us. There were many differences. We treated it something like a sacrament, and we would get a hold of a lid, [5:11] Early Smuggling Adventures [5:09]and we would clean the seeds out of it and smoke it. And then we would read straight from Freud, as I mentioned in my book, and we would try to psychoanalyze each other. So we used it in kind of a therapeutic way, in addition to just plain getting high. That’s another thing, too, talking about seeds. When I got into it on a bigger level, I would go down and examine big lots of the stuff to see which lot I wanted to buy. And if it didn’t have seeds in it, I would reject it because in those days that meant it was immature and had been cut down before the plants had a chance to develop seeds. And of course, now, if pot has seeds in it, it’s a sign of very poor quality. So a whole lot has changed Tom, you were going to the University of California at Berkeley at this point in time? [6:04]Yes. In the math department. It seemed like just to kind of show what kind of guy we’re talking here, you guys. Tom, didn’t you were eventually you were offered to go into PhD for math program. And was it MIT or Yale or some Ivy league? It was Berkeley. Berkeley. Oh, it was Berkeley. Okay. But you’re a pretty bright guy. You’re not the usual kind of rum-dum pot smuggler that I used to bust up here once in a while selling pot. I was born with a lot of advantages. That’s a point that I hope I’ve made clear in my book. Anyone with the advantages that I was born with would be crazy to get into smuggling. And I was crazy. I was a troubled youth. there’s no question about it. And the funny thing is that I got a fair way past my problems through the vehicle of smuggling. I met a lot of people that made good. [7:11]Role models for me with something I didn’t really have. And that helped me. And actually, smoking pot helped me. It enlightened me, turned me on to a lot of things I didn’t know about myself uh i almost never smoke it now uh once that was five years or something and but uh it it did me a lot of good at the time so that smuggling world at that time it’s not like it is now as we were talking before we turned on the recorder it’s a whole different world and you really made a lot of decent friends and and good contacts and and and learned a lot about yourself self as you were doing these things, it appears to be like it was almost it was kind of honorable among other smugglers. Can you tell us a little bit about that? You could trust each other at the start. [8:01]There was a tremendous amount of honor. There was a point at which my Mexican contacts were sending me six tons at a time and they would deposit it in a storage space and let me know what it was there. They would do this without asking for money up front. In one case, they did it without, well, a couple of cases, they did it without even telling me in advance. They just phoned up and say, hey, there’s all these tons of grass. So they were very trusting of me and I never disappointed them. And then I, in turn, I never went to these storage spaces ever. [8:40]I didn’t want to have anything to do with that stuff in terms of being physically near it. So I had three friends that I trusted, and I would send them in to get allotments. And those three friends never cheated me. It was all very, very honorable. It’s kind of a funny story, too, because in a way, all this pot and the money had a surreal quality to it.

Chicago’s Icepick: Pay or Die Jul 11, 2024

In this episode, Gary Jenkins, a retired Kansas City police detective, discusses the life of Jimmy “Ice Pick” Inendino, a prominent figure in the Chicago Outfit. Despite never holding a top leadership position, Inendino was a respected member known for his involvement in the criminal underworld. Jenkins delves into Inendino’s potential role as an informant, citing FBI documents that suggest he provided information on truck hijackings and other criminal activities. Jenkins explores Inendino’s connections to organized crime, detailing his association with the notorious Taylor Street Crew’s Wild Bunch and his role in enforcing the Outfit’s operations. He recounts an incident where Inendino and his associate, Harry Aleman, intimidated a bookmaker into paying tribute to the Outfit, showcasing their ruthless tactics in the criminal underworld. The podcast examines a specific event where Inendino and Aleman orchestrated the murder of a non-compliant bookmaker named Reitlinger, highlighting the brutality and coercion employed by the Outfit to maintain control over illegal operations. Jenkins narrates the chilling account of the hit, emphasizing the calculated and methodical approach taken by the perpetrators. Additionally, Jenkins sheds light on Inendino’s involvement in truck hijackings and the Chop Shop Wars, showcasing the violent and competitive nature of organized crime during that era. He speculates on Inendino’s dual role as both a criminal enforcer and a potential informant, offering insights into the complexities of navigating the underworld while potentially cooperating with law enforcement. The episode concludes with Jenkins reflecting on Inendino’s legacy and the intricacies of mob life in Chicago. Overall, the podcast paints a vivid picture of Jimmy Inendino’s criminal activities, his connections to the Chicago Outfit, and the ruthless tactics employed to maintain power and control in the underworld. Jenkins’ storytelling captures the intrigue and danger of organized crime, showcasing the complex interplay between loyalty, betrayal, and survival in a world where trust is a rare commodity. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Introduction [0:00]Well, hey guys, welcome back to the studio. Gangland Wire, Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City police intelligence detective here. If you didn’t know, if you’re new to the show, anyhow, we got another show for you. I do. Me, me alone. No experts out there. Just me. I’m the expert on this one. James Jimmy I, or Jimmy I for ice pick, in Dandino. That’s a hard one to say, in Dandino. [0:25]He’s been long regarded. He was a loyal member of the Chicago Outfit, and he really, in the outfit, in the end, he was one of their top figures. He was never a big-time boss. I think he was the capo down in Cicero, which is, you know, where it all started in Chicago. He died of natural causes last year in 2023. So I was noodling around. I noticed some people did some stuff on him. [0:53] Jimmy I: The Informant Revelation [0:50]I was looking for some of these Chicago guys like that, which I think are really interesting. Interesting I did one on Chucky Nicoletti recently when I was noodling around I found out that it looked like Harry Aleman’s the one that killed Chucky typewriter Nicoletti and you know as far as his nickname Nicoletti I had a guy say that he had some letters tattooed on him that looked like a typewriter is why they called him the typewriter I don’t know anyhow Jimmy I Icepig Jimmy Icepig When he died, a local TV station up there in Chicago released a bulletin that had some FBI files that showed that indicated he had been an informant. They even had an informant number, number 6931C. [1:35]They had some of those documents I found where that I-team had released it. It’s on YouTube if you want to try to find it, where they had copies of documents where he told them some things, mainly about truck hijacking. And this was back in the late 1960s and you know he started out as a Cicero guy early on in his very earliest years he died at age 80 so he he’s seen the entire span practically practically from Capone or Nitti all the way up to whoever’s you know Jimmy Marcello or whoever John No-Knows DiFranco and and Solly DeLorenis and people like that but he also they said that he had worked in between March and May 65 to 69. And then again, there’s some reports that indicated he had done some informant between 1974 and 1975, May and March of 74 to 75. And there they gave another number of, Since it indicates he started in the 60s, he probably wasn’t whistled in, as Frank Gulotta called it. He was probably what you would call an associate and not a blood oath member. At some point in time, I think when IUPO took over, they started really doing the oath. But they had, you like knew, as Gulotta said, you knew if somebody was what you would call a member, they were whistled in just by their reputation and how they carried themselves and what other people said about them. [3:02]Now, supposedly he, again, he gave them information about commercial trucking thefts. I got a feeling there’s more to this story. [3:13] John Binder’s Insight [3:10]If he really gave them any decent information or not. John Binder, who’s a real knowledgeable expert and source, I think he’s got a pretty well-known book called the Capone Beer Wars. They interviewed him, the TV people interviewed him, and he said, I doubt that the outfit knew that he was informant. You know, there is proof, he says. Claims, you know, because there are these FBI documents, but, you know, I’m not sure. They did assign him a number. I don’t know. You know, here, here’s what, here would be what I might say. He, he, one of several things, one, he, he probably did talk to an FBI agent who then went back and said, Hey, I turned Jimmy I and they gave him a number. He might’ve been given up some information on some rivals. He might have been giving up some drug information, something that wasn’t going to hurt anybody, that meant anything to anybody, because these guys do that kind of stuff. Hell, those drug people do that all the time to take out the competition, so he might have been taking out some competition. [4:16]Sometimes I’ve heard of these guys, I think, I’ll go back to Luciano, I know when he set up Vito Genovese on a narcotics charge, supposedly, [4:28] Speculations on Informant Activities [4:26]to get him out of the way for a while. So, you know, they’re not above that. It beats killing them and just get somebody to lie on them and get them set up. So, you know, it might have been something like that. You know, an FBI agent might fudge a little bit wanting to be a big man and have, you know, an informant, you know, deep throat informant in the outfit. It might fudge this a little bit. You know, you never know. No, it’s not a straight-out, long-term snitching operation, I’m sure. So let’s go back and take a look at Jimmy I or Jimmy Indondino. You know, he will become a blood oath member of the family, according to John Binder. And I know he did, you know, just the fact that he’ll end up being the capo of Cicero area himself. And he reported to Solly D. at De Laurentiis, who is, you know, when he died, was the current boss of the outfit. [5:20]You know, here’s an interesting thing is Solly D. left a comment on his memorial book. At least it looks like it was him that says, thank you so much for what you did for the boys. I’m having three trees planted in memory of you. So I don’t know, man. He made his name. Let’s go back. How did he make his name? He made his name in the 70s, particularly. He was a founding member or one of the early guys in the Taylor Street Crew’s Wild Bunch, which got me pretty famous. Very notorious enforcement team for the outfit and home invasion squads, a home invasion team and hit squad. This was under Joe Ferriola, who was a Cicero guy and was a capo of Cicero at the time. And these guys hung around the Survivors Social Club on Taylor Street. They kind of call them the Taylor Street Crew also. They had Jimmy Indendino, Harry the Hook Aleman, notorious, notorious hit man. [6:21]Butch Petrocelli, Jerry the Hand Scalise. They call him the Hand, I guess, because one hand was gone. He’s the guy that with his rap partner, his fall partner, Art Rachel, who’s also called The Brain, robbed the jewelry store and got the real famous, the Marlboro Diamond and hit it. And they even got arrested when they first got back to the United States, but they had already mailed that diamond off somewhere else and nobody ever found it. And Jerry Scarpelli, Jerry Scarpelli will actually start to inform and then they’ll find him hung in the Cook County Jail. And I suppose that I think it was ruled a suicide, but they say Frank, the German, Frank, the German Schwihs was was in the jail at that same time. So I don’t know. Joe Ferriola was a bad, bad man. A long time. He would go clear back under Capone and Ricardo and those people. [7:19] Rise to Power: Capo of Cicero [7:19]Jimmy Inendino will follow him. I think I said this before that he will eventually take over the rackets and Cicero himself. [7:27]Now, Joe Ferriola used the, the wild bunch to, take out competition to extort money from people and to do murders.

Frank Morelli’s Journey: From Prison to Pasta Jul 08, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, we learn about Frank Morelli’s remarkable journey, from owning a successful restaurant to starting a pasta company that went public. Frank was imprisoned for 38 months due to his involvement in reverse mergers and taking companies public. From Success to Struggle: Frank shares his story of success in the food industry, which took a tumultuous turn when his ventures into reverse mergers and taking companies public landed him in a federal detention facility for over three years. Prison Life and Unexpected Friendships: Despite the challenges of incarceration, Frank’s resilience shines through as he shares his experiences of regular workouts, extensive writing, and even becoming a suicide companion in the psychiatric ward. His unlikely friendship with Nikki Scarfo Jr., son of a notorious Mafia figure, adds a fascinating layer to his narrative. Diverse Connections: Frank’s circle of friends spans a diverse spectrum, from former Mafia members to individuals involved in criminal activities like the Pagan Motorcycle Gang and the Crips. Despite their backgrounds, Frank emphasizes the genuine friendships formed through his efforts to help them. Life After Prison: Upon release, Frank faced the daunting task of rebuilding his life. He discusses his experiences working various jobs and starting the MOBB brand, which is dedicated to promoting second chances. Reflections on Rehabilitation: Frank illuminates the stark differences in incarceration rates between the US and countries like Japan, advocating for a more rehabilitative approach to justice. His journey is a testament to the power of redemption and second chances. Cooking, Connections, and Healthy Living: Frank’s unique cookbook, intertwined with anecdotes from his Mafia-connected background, receives acclaim for its entertainment value and easy-to-follow recipes. With a focus on healthy living, Frank and host Gary highlight the importance of embracing second chances and making positive lifestyle choices. Conclusion: Frank’s journey from prison to pasta is an inspiring testament to resilience, redemption, and the transformative power of second chances. His story reminds us of the value of empathy, rehabilitation, and the pursuit of a healthier, brighter future. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Frank Morelli Speaker: [00:00:00] Well, hey, welcome all you wiretappers out there back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. I have a guest today Frank Morelli. Now Frankie or Frank Morelli is a cook and, and, and a healthy lifestyle guy, but he also served a certain amount of time in a federal. Institution with some guys like Nicky Scarfo Jr. And Frankie, the ice pick Narducci and guys like this now Mr. Morelli here Frank Morelli was not really a dyed in the wool criminal when he went in. We’re going to learn how he went in and learn about his cooking and his cookbook that has a lot of great Italian dishes. And, and I know we have lots of. Lots of fans, lots of Italian guys on here, but we have lots of fans of Italian cooking and anything Italian. So there’s, there’s a huge bunch of you guys I know will be interested in this cookbook and I’ve seen excerpts from it. He’s going to get me some there and I’ll do some giveaways, but it’s got some great recipes [00:01:00] in it. So welcome. Welcome. Welcome. Frank Morelli. How you doing today? I’m doing good. How you doing? I like that. How you doing? I’m doing great. Thank you. Really? So you know, your publicist with your publishing company got hold of me and, you know, I looked at your stuff and, and you have some, some Prison stories. And my guys like prison stories. I know that. And they liked the mafia and you were in there with some mob guys in Philadelphia. But first I want to go back and get a little bit of your backstory. I think now you, where did you grow up? Speaker 2: I grew up in Florence, Colorado. My mother was a librarian. My dad was a guidance counselor and coach, and I had a pretty normal upbringing. I learned to cook at four years old from my grandmother and my mother who were outstanding cooks. And then, you know, I went to college. I worked my way through college. Then I started a restaurant called [00:02:00] Morelli’s Ristorante Italiano. We’d never been in any business before. But our restaurant got rave reviews from all over, even people from other states would drive to eat at our restaurant. We won the Governor’s Award and we beat out several restaurants from Aspenville, Beaver Creek, and everywhere else, which was amazing because Florence, Colorado is a blue collar town. And then, I opened up a pasta company in Pueblo West, Colorado. And then we expanded to a bigger facility in Pueblo, Colorado, which was 26, 000 square feet. We went from zero employees to 250 employees. We sold pasta in the United States and Canada. We were in everywhere from Sam’s Clubs to Kroger’s to Safeway’s. And we private labeled for two divisions of craft foods, budget gourmet and birdseye and it did quite well and we went public and we traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the symbol [00:03:00] Nona, N O N A and we traded sometimes as the number one stock on the stock exchange. And I’d never been in the stock business, not a broker or nothing. But unfortunately, I took that to like a duck to water. So when I sold out my company, I got involved in reverse mergers and taking companies public, and I was pretty good at it. And I got into one situation that four lawyers had signed off and said everything was kosher. Well, it wasn’t, and they didn’t go to prison, but I did. So I ended up in a maximum security facility, federal detention, Philadelphia for 38 months. And it was really, really rough. I’d never been in trouble a day in my life. And there was everybody from mass murderers to rapists to child molesters, and I became quite depressed. So I had to see the prison [00:04:00] psychiatrist, Dr. Odomite, and the prison psychologist, Dr. Daniels. And they put me on Ramon for depression and, and it was really, really rough. But anyway, when I first got there, it was unbelievable. It was surreal. But anyway, I started working out and, and, and, and a gentleman came up to me. Named Nicky Scarfo jr. If you Google him, he took eight bullets to the chest on Halloween night, 1989, eating at an Italian restaurant. And he left. Well, anyway. His father, Little Nicky Scarfault, was the head of the Mafia in Atlantic City in Philadelphia. But Nicky checked me out with some guys in Colorado, I won’t say who, and I checked out good. So once I checked out good, He told the gangs and everybody to stay away from me, and I was kind [00:05:00] of under his protection, so to speak. And I started working out. I lost over 100 pounds, and I started writing. And because I was good with other people, they promoted me to the psych ward as a suicide companion. And I started working out on the elliptical for over two hours a day. Every Sunday. up to seven hours and I lost over 100 pounds and I became a really good suicide companion. So I met other people such as Frankie the ice pick, Narducci, who they say whacked 28 guys, but maybe it was the real number was over 100. When they brought him in, he had alcohol poisoning so bad that that they brought him in a wheelchair and it took us about 10 days to dry him out and I became friends with him. I also became friends with another gentleman who changed his name [00:06:00] named Tommy Guns in my book. These people let me put him in my book because they love me. I helped them and Tommy’s family was really big in the mafia in Philadelphia. His brother was assassinated in a gang war. His dad was in federal prison. For 15 years, he decided to leave the mafia and change his name. Once his brother was assassinated, but roots don’t fall too far from the tree. So he got involved selling marijuana in Philadelphia, and he was the number one marijuana dealer in the Philadelphia area. And he had all the cops on the take, so he never got into trouble. And although he never had a high school education, he was very street smart and laundered a lot of money, let’s just say. And how he got into prison was he got involved in a, a scam with some [00:07:00] doctors and the pagan motorcycle gang. Well, one of the doctors got greedy, you know, writing these scripts. And he had his wife whacked, and then he had my friend’s friend whacked, and tried to, you know, take over all of his territory. Well, my friend, who was not a rat you know, kept dealing with them, and they even sent an enforcer called the Grim Reaper from the pagans to take him out. And my friend wasn’t very big, but he was quite an athlete. He was like 40 something, and always an amateur boxer. So he knocked that monster out. And then they put a 100, 000 contract on him and they went after his family. Once they went after his family and you know, the police couldn’t protect him anymore. It became a federal situation. Yeah. And he didn’t have any juice with the feds, so he turned state’s evidence. So he ended up in the psych ward more for protection because there was a contract out of him. Wow. And [00:08:00] that’s how we became friends.

F.B.I. Agent Killed! Jul 01, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, I recount the thrilling tale of the Battle of Little Bohemia, a showdown involving infamous gangsters like John Dillinger and Babyface Nelson in the 1930s. The narrative vividly describes the chaotic raid on the Little Bohemia lodge by law enforcement under Melvin Purvis, showcasing a tense and dangerous confrontation filled with gunfights and dramatic escapes. The story delves into the planning challenges, unexpected twists, and tragic consequences, including casualties like Special Agent Carter Baum. The aftermath explores the criticism and emotional impact of the failed raid, offering a compelling insight into the relentless pursuit of justice and sacrifices made by law enforcement agents during that turbulent period. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Transcript [0:00] Introduction [0:00]Well, hey, all you wiretappers. Glad to be back here in studio Gangland Wire. I’m glad to have you here with me. You know, this is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective, now turned podcaster. [0:15] Inquiry from Greg Scavuzzo [0:11]And I have a show for you today that I’m kind of excited about. I did this a long time ago. I had a inquiry from Greg Scavuzzo on my YouTube channel. And Greg’s longtime listener, Kansas City guy, he said, hey, why don’t you ever do anything about those 30s bank robbers? We had a lot of those here around Kansas City. [0:39] Kansas City Massacre at Union Station [0:33]We had the, as you know now, by now, we have the Kansas City massacre down at the Union Station. So this month, I’m doing nothing but those 30s gangsters. And so I’ve got the Kansas City massacre at Union Station with Terrence O’Malley, [0:49] John Dillinger’s Escape from Little Bohemia [0:48]who’s a real expert on that. And I am doing the John Dillinger story, but not the John Dillinger escape from jail story. I am doing the John Dillinger escape from the Battle of Little Bohemia story, which is maybe not as well known. John Dillinger and his crew, after he escaped from jail at Crown Point, Indiana, he was on the lam. He got back in with some of his old buddies, Babyface Nelson and Homer Van Meter and two or three others. [1:17]And they were going around robbing banks and doing things and they needed to lay low. And the police, after that Crown Point jail thing, and they took that lady sheriff’s car and it was it was it hit the headlines. It was so flew in the face of law enforcement that people were starting to like back off from this. Hey, John Dillinger’s like Robin Hood thing. And law enforcement was after him. They were raiding pads in Chicago. They were raiding apartments. They were raiding places all over the Midwest. There were reports coming in from all kinds of, you know, he wouldn’t, if John Dillinger was in Northern Minnesota and a bank was robbed in Southern Missouri, John Dillinger got the credit and Clyde Barrow, Bonnie and Clyde, they got some of the same kind of a thing. People are always, you know, trying to say that was Bonnie and Clyde or that was John John Dillinger, because they were so well-known. Well, John Dillinger really was up in northern Wisconsin. [2:12]He and these gang members, Babyface Nelson in particular, and Homer Van Meter, and they picked up some gals, and they went up to a lodge, a hunting lodge, fishing lodge in northern Wisconsin called Little Bohemia. And the people that were there figured out who they were, and they sent a message back out. And Melvin Purvis was the agent in charge in Chicago. You know, Melvin Purvis will eventually shoot and kill John Dillinger next to the Biograph Theater when they set him up in an ambush. But this is before that happened. So Melvin Purvis gets the word, and he’s going to get a crew together and go up and capture Dillinger and the rest of this gang at this little Bohemia lodge. And it’s quite a story. Now, I found what I thought was really interesting. That’s why I’m kind of excited about doing this. I found a first-person account that Melvin Purvis wrote. Somebody paid him to write this account and put it in newspapers back in the time. [3:09]And I found a actor, a part-time actor, a guy named Paul Kim, who I remember he was a young policeman when I was a desk sergeant out at Metro, dog watching. He’s a really nice kid, and he ended up quitting the police department and went into acting. He’s been in a lot of commercials here in Kansas City and around in the Midwest. [3:27]And so he’s got a pretty good speaking voice and can do a kind of a dramatic read. So I got Paul to read this article word for word. And so you are going to get the story of the Battle of Little Bohemia right from the mouth of the man who did it. The man who wrote did it and then wrote about it, Melvin Purvis. So settle back and listen to this. I think it’s I think it’s a really fun story. And I like the kind of descriptive language he uses. And this is one of those stories that whatever can go wrong will go wrong. And if you don’t have a plan together, you know, you better stop back. [4:02]Drop back and punt and get a plan together when you go after guys like this. Because back in those days, you know, everybody was armed with machine guns. Those 45 caliber Thompsons or a BAR, they all had bulletproof vests. They it was just they were pretty organized these traveling bank robber gangs that were successful and got to be well known were really pretty well organized and really armed well and and listen to paul kim tell the story of the battle of little bohemia right out of the mouth of one of the men who was there and who was actually in charge of it you probably remember the fbi agent named melvin purpose he ended up shooting and killing john dillinger in the alley outside the biograph theater He was a go-getter, ball-busting FBI agent in Chicago that dealt the mob a fit back in the 30s. And I say the mob, the FBI didn’t really recognize the mob as the mob, but he dealt the professional criminals, especially the traveling bank robbers throughout the Midwest, but professional criminals in Chicago dealt him a fit. [5:07]He was a ballsy guy. Now, after he left, it seemed like he didn’t have such a great career after he left the FBI. And they said that he ended up kind of being forced out of the FBI because he was getting so much good press that J. Edgar Hoover was jealous of him and ended up transferring him into a place where he couldn’t do anything. And he ended up leaving the FBI and doing some other law enforcement things before he died, kind of an early death. He may have even committed suicide. I can’t remember offhand now. It’s not really important. I know he died an early death. He led the raid on Little Bohemia and John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd and the rest of their traveling bank robber gang who were hiding out up there. This was in April of 1934. Now, in March of 1934, John Dillinger, he escaped the Crown Point Jail. And he went on kind of a crime spree. And they were robbing banks. And he got back together with these old bank robbing crew. and they were robbing banks, and they ended up in April of 34. [6:09]Just a month later, trying to dodge all the law enforcement that were after them going to this hunting and fishing vacation lodge up in Upper Wisconsin, up in the woods, called Little Bohemia, and the word got out. We’ve got more evidence to work on than ever before in hunting Dillinger, said Melvin H. Purvis, chief of the U.S. Division of Investigation here, and we’ll have him before long. His trail is getting broader every minute. So that was a headline, but this article, actually, what you’re going to hear Paul read, was actually written by Melvin Purvis, part of his post-FBI career, I guess. I don’t think J. Edgar Hoover would have allowed him to do a writing for a newspaper while he was still in the FBI, so it’s a first-hand account of that. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Saturday, October 17, 1936. [7:01]FBI author gives first-hand information about G-Man, Dillinger’s dramatic escape when he shot his way out from Little Bohemia Lodge. Former G-Man starts series with a thrilling story about a battle at Roadhouse in which desperate gunmen escape the clutches of the law. By former special agent Melvin Purvis. That Sunday, April 22, 1934, about 1 o’clock in the afternoon, a telephone rang in my apartment in Chicago. The United States Marshal in Chicago was calling. He said that a man named Voss at Rhinelander, Wisconsin, desired to furnish the information as to the location of John Dillinger. Immediately, a call was placed to Mr. Voss. He said. [7:45]At first, he did not want to mention the name over the telephone. He was urged, You mean Dillinger? I asked, and he replied, Yes. Six members of the Dillinger gang are at a resort called Little Bohemia, and John Dillinger is among them. Upon inquiry, he added that he had not informed anyone else of this matter, and anyone else could see that there was no time to be lost. [8:07]The United States Marshal had previously told me at the time of his telephone call that he knew Mr.

Union Station Massacre Part 3 Jun 24, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia as he interviews Kansas City Massacre expert Terence O’Malley. Today is June 18, 93 years after this event. This episode delves deep into the manhunt for the suspects, Pretty Boy Floyd, Verne Miller, and Adam Richetti. The Union Station Massacre was a significant event that shook the law enforcement community. We learn about the aftermath of the massacre, including the actions of infamous criminals like Pretty Boy Floyd, Adam Ricchetti, and Vern Miller. The narrative takes us through the events following the shootout at Union Station, including the individuals’ escape, pursuits, and ultimate fates. The intricate connections between different gangs, mobsters, and law enforcement agencies become apparent as we uncover how the Lazia gang aided Pretty Boy Floyd and Adam Ricchetti and later met tragic ends. Jimmy Needles LaCapra’s testimony sheds light on the inner workings of the criminal underworld and its interactions with law enforcement during that turbulent period. The relentless pursuit of justice and the repercussions of the massacre are explored, highlighting the intense crackdown on notorious criminals of the time. The episode also touches on how the Union Station Massacre differed from other criminal events due to the involvement of law enforcement officers, leading to heightened scrutiny and backlash against organized crime. Through historical accounts, personal anecdotes, and detailed investigations, we unravel the complexities surrounding the Union Station Massacre and its impact on the criminal landscape of that era. The final episode concludes with reflections on the significance of these events and the lasting repercussions felt by those involved. This comprehensive exploration offers a fascinating insight into a critical moment in criminal history and the relentless pursuit of justice that followed in its wake. Find Terence O’Malley’s documentaries at Black Hand Strawman. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] So welcome back, wiretappers, to the third in this series on the Union Station Massacre. You know, we’ve been through the day before and all the stuff that happened the day before, how they almost got caught in some little town down in South Missouri as pretty boy Floyd and Adam Reschetti are coming north. We learned what a drunk Adam Reschetti was and what happened when they got here in Kansas City, their hideout that’s still here in Kansas City. There’s a really nice house over there in what we call the Brookside neighborhood. And we learned all the shooting that day and how the guy they tried to break out of custody got killed himself. There was a mix up with guns that day and four officers got killed. It was just it was crazy that day. I really appreciate y’all tuning in. I hope you enjoyed this. As I said, Terrence O’Malley is a great storyteller. [0:53] Terrence O’Malley has the quintessential documentary that he made years ago about the Kansas City mob from Black Hand Days to Straw Man, which is the title of it, Black Hand Straw Man. Straw Man is the skimming from Las Vegas capers. And if you want a copy of that DVD, it’s not streaming anywhere. Get a hold of me, and I’ll get with Terrence, and we’ll make sure you get a copy. Don’t forget to like and subscribe, and on with the third and final installment. The Big Shootout at Union Station [1:21] So we have this big shootout at Union Station. So what’s going on afterward, right? Well, fascinating. It’s really interesting. They go back to the house at 6612 Edgevale Road. And of course, the law enforcement authorities have no idea who did this. They don’t have the first clue who did this. So they start conjecturing, you know, it wasn’t Harvey Bailey, was it, you know, the Maubarker gang, you know, was it Alvin Creepy Karpis, was it my guy, you know, Wilbur, the tri-state terror under Hill. Anyway, what happens is this is really amazing. So later on that evening, Johnny Lazia, he’s back at the Harvey restaurant, Union Station. [2:08] He’s holding court. as if nothing happened. And of course, he may have been doing this to make it look like a deal. I didn’t have anything to do with it. When Vern Miller goes and sees him again, and he’s terribly upset. And he said, they started shooting. We didn’t start shooting. But once they started shooting, we had to start shooting. And God, we didn’t mean for this to happen. I’m sorry about that. And Vern Miller or Johnny Lassie is like, okay, well, you need to get out of here. You need need to leave. And they said, we’ll take care of pretty boy Floyd. OK, but you need to get out of town. [2:43] And so sure enough, that’s what Vern Miller did. Now, exactly what routes he took and what car he drove and all that stuff, we don’t know. But what we do know is that the Lazia gang had been keeping a beautiful Buick automobile under wraps that they had stolen or somebody had stolen in St. Louis and brought to Kansas City. And they were just keeping it for a special purpose, whatever the need might be, that they would need a stolen automobile. So they gave that car to Pretty Boy Floyd and Adam Ricchetti, and they also gave them a number of weapons and said, get out of town. And that car was later found in Ohio, burned with at least one, but I think two bodies in that automobile. It wasn’t Rich Eddie or Pretty Boy Floyd, but it also shows that they did something to somebody. [3:35] Pretty Boy Floyd and Adam Ricchetti make their way up to Buffalo, New York, and they have with them, accompanying them, a couple of ladies from Kansas City. The Baird sisters, I believe, Rose and Bula Baird were their names, and they were sisters. And again, Pretty Boy Floyd and another cohort had killed their husbands some while back in Kansas City to get rid of them, get them out of the picture. And so now you got Adam Ricchetti and Pretty Boy Floyd with these two ladies, and they go. And under aliases, they rent an apartment in Buffalo, New York, and they just hang out there. [4:18] And they just lay low. And so that is, you know, sometime from June, June, July, you know, however long it took them to get up there and situate themselves. They remained there all the way until October of 1934. So they remained there for approximately, what would that be, 16 months. He was the problem. Adam Ricchetti, nobody knew who he was, but everybody knew who, They had heard of Pretty Boy Floyd. But meanwhile, Vern Miller makes his way back to the East Coast where he hooks up with some of the characters for whom he had done some dirty work in the past and tries to get them to help him. And I believe that the fellow that he hooked up with is a guy named Abe Zwilman, Abraham Zwilman. And he was connected with Lepke Buckhalter, if you know these names. Lepke Buckhalter was supposedly the chairman of Murder Incorporated. He ended up being put to death in an electric chair. He was a very bad person. But anyway, I think his name is Zwilman, Abe Zwilman. He provided safe harbor to Vern Miller and fixed him up with a false identification as a optical salesman, a glass salesman, you know, for glasses, reading glasses and vision glasses. [5:46] And so – and then sent him out on the road, you know, as a traveling salesperson. So if he got stopped, he’d be able to show police, well, this is what I do. I’m selling glasses. Well, meanwhile, Vern Miller’s wife, and I’ll say putative wife with her, too, because who knows what their legal relationship was, but she makes her way to Chicago. [6:11] And she was actually a fascinating lady. Her name was Vivian Vi Mathias. She was the girlfriend of Vern Miller, and she started off her life as a farm girl in Brainerd, Minnesota. And she met Miller at age 19 and stayed with him for seven years as they moved from place to place as Miller plied his criminal ways. And she had a daughter named Betty that lived with Vern Miller at the Brookside Bungalow home at 6612 Edgevale Road. And so Vi Mathias has returned to Chicago. And so the FBI is staking out her apartment because they know Vern’s going to get a hold of her. They just know it. So they’re just biding their time. And so this is Halloween 1933, and the FBI is all positioned outside of Vi Mathias’ apartment. Apartment, and sure enough, Vern Miller shows up in his new disguise as a traveling salesman, and they report the FBI’s watching this, and they see him go up into the apartment, and they report back to Washington, D.C., and they said, we got him. And D.C. says, are you sure it’s him? [7:23] And the field guys go, well, we’re mostly sure, yeah, we think it’s him. And they said, well, no, you can’t do it until you’re totally sure. And they said, well, we really think it’s him. Well, not until you know it’s him. Well, that bit of indecision was just enough so that Vern Miller was starting to leave the apartment when all of a sudden he sees two men down the hallway starting to walk toward him and he gets spooked and he starts running down the middle stairs of the apartment building. And meanwhile, there’s other agents that are coming up on the elevators. And so this big, nobody covered the stairs,

Did Nicoletti Assassinate JFK? Jun 20, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, we delve into the intriguing life of Charles “Chucky” Nicoletti, a notorious Chicago Outfit hitman known for his involvement in numerous mob hits and his alleged ties to significant events like the JFK assassination. Nicoletti’s background is painted with a turbulent upbringing, including shooting his father in self-defense, leading him to join the infamous 42 Gang alongside other notorious mob figures. His partnership with Milwaukee Phil Alderisio solidified his reputation as a feared hitter in Chicago. The episode explores Nicoletti’s involvement in high-profile hits, such as targeting the M&M brothers, which involved brutal torture methods made infamous in the movie “Casino.” His cold-hearted demeanor earned him the nickname “Typewriter,” though the moniker’s origin remains a mystery. Nicoletti’s demise came in 1977 when he was ruthlessly gunned down in his Oldsmobile in a suburban parking lot, suspected of being a part of internal mob conflicts as critical figures like Giancana, Richard Cain, and Mad Sam DeStefano faced similar fates. The narrative weaves through the intricate web of Chicago mob connections, hinting at ties to CIA operations, the JFK assassination, and the plot to kill Castro. The episode speculates on the possible motives behind Nicoletti’s assassination, pointing to shifting allegiances within the Outfit after the deaths of influential figures like Giancana and Ricca. The mysterious circumstances surrounding Nicoletti’s death, coupled with the demise of critical associates, emphasize the dangerous and volatile world of organized crime in Chicago during that era. Throughout the episode, the host reflects on the broader implications of Nicoletti’s story, urging caution on the roads and highlighting resources for PTSD, addiction, and seeking help. As the podcast delves deep into the underworld of Chicago mob history, the legacy of figures like Chucky Nicoletti serves as a chilling reminder of the ruthless nature of organized crime and its far-reaching consequences. #chicagooutfit #tonyaccardo #samgiancana #mafia #underboss #organizedcrimegroups Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Introduction [0:00]Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kent City Police intelligence detective, here to bring you another mafia biography. You know, I’ve been doing these short bios to make sure everybody, when we talk about, we mention a name, you know, you have some place to go to say, hey, let’s look back on the website or because there’ll be like the whole transcript will be on the website and the synopsis of what I’m about to say about whatever mobster it is that I’m discussing. So we’re going to go to Chicago Outfit. In the 1960s, there was a man by the name of Charles Chucky Nicoletti, who was questioned by some FBI agents, one of whom was Bill Romer, Bill Romer Jr., who you all know, or a lot of you outfit guys will have heard of Bill Bill Romer, the FBI agent, he wrote several books, and he’s often cussed and discussed about how truthful he is in his books. He probably does use a little literary devices, a little literary license, as we say, to make a story come together and make it a little bit better, but tried to turn him as an informant. [1:14]And according to Romer, Chucky, the typewriter Senator Nicoletti gave him the names of several car dealerships that he worked at. He was very cordial and went back out. They checked all the employment leads and there was always somebody there to say, oh, yeah, he worked there. And he never flipped on anybody and never talked to the FBI after that. Other than, I suppose, you know, maybe say, hi, these guys will always drop by somebody’s house or their place of employment or their business or see them on the street and just start trying to talk to them. [1:47]Eventually, there was some information in Chicago that he flipped. I just don’t know. And, you know, during the 1960s, Chicago Tribune did report on Nick Letty meeting on a regular basis with the chief of police of the Chicago suburb of Melrose Park, where I believe he lived. The chief, Dominic Simono, had been born and raised in Melrose Park, so they probably knew each other. And he came up through the ranks of that department, been a sergeant, and eventually became the chief when the old longtime chief had resigned or retired, rather. Chicago Tribune reporters at the time, the Tribune was, they were like all over the place on these mob guys up in Chicago. They found that he was meeting him on a real regular basis at the same place as actually it was a weekly Slicker Sam’s Bar in Melrose Park. Now, Slicker Sam’s was a mob-associated owned bar. a guy named Sam Slick. Rosa owned this barn and nothing really seemed to come out of this discovery. They never brought up, got anything on this chief of police, Sinemono. They did find he once appeared in a traffic court and put a good word in for another low level outfit guy who was there on a speeding ticket, you know, like big time corruption there. This is just one of the many, many instances where the Chicago outfit and some police, law enforcement, you know, prosecutor, judge. [3:07]Lawyers, you know, had some professional or not professional, friendly sort of relationship, and they knew each other. You know, a lot of it is a lot of people like to gamble. And Chicago Outfit were the, you know, they ran all the gambling. It was pretty open in many ways. In Chicago, especially like the horse races, and they had off-track betting. If you wanted to go throw money down on the horse race up at Arlington, You had a mob guy or sports betting, of course. So that’s a lot of where meet them in bars. That’s a lot of where that interaction in mid-level, lower-level criminal justice system, people and governmental officials might hook up with mob guys. It was more of a friendly kind of a thing. Now, Nick Letty, it’s been alleged over his lifetime he was involved in as many as 20 mob hits. In 2010, Playboy magazine published an article by a guy named Hillel Levin, and he implicated Chuckie Nicoletti in the assassination of President Kennedy, JFK’s assassination. And there was a guy who was an inmate in the Illinois Department of Corrections named James Files at the time, had gotten somebody’s attention and was making these allegations. Now to go back a little bit. [4:22]Nicoletti was born like 19, 1916, I believe, in Chicago. He was, grew up, his parents were Italian immigrants from Sicily. They lived on the, what we call the near west side, you know, close to downtown. That’s kind of where I think the patch is over there on the west side and close to downtown. And an interesting sidelight, Chucky Nicoletti shot his father four times in self-defense. His father was a drunkard and had attacked Chucky many times during his young life. And he was pursuing him with a knife. And he got to the gun that they had stashed in a desk drawer, a bedroom, you know, a sock drawer or something, and turned around and shot his father four times and killed him. And he was exonerated by the coroner’s office. They just had a coroner’s inquest and said, you know, self-defense. [5:11] The 42 Gang [5:11]He dropped out of school and he joined the 42 gang. Now, the 42 gang, I’ve said this many times. I always like to remind you guys that it’s not because there’s 42 members. It was because they said that Alibaba and the 40 Thieves was 41 and they wanted to have one more than Alibaba’s gang. So they were the 42 gang. Everybody came up through that. [5:32]Teach Battaglia, Lou Farrell, actually Louis Fratto, Matt Sam Distefano, Willie Potatoes Dadano, Sam Giancana. I mean, all these guys came up through that 42 gang, it seemed like. He hooked up with Felix Alderacio, Milwaukee Phil. And this pair was like the most feared pair of hitters in Chicago. [5:57]They were the guys that the Chicago police caught sitting in a hit car and had. There was pictures of the paper and the paper of it. They had these hidden compartments for guns. It was like a 62 Ford, I believe. And they’re running surveillance on somebody. And it was about the time they were. Getting ready to take out the M&M brothers or the M&M friends, Jimmy Moraglia and Billy McCarthy. They had killed a couple of outfit associate guys for actually no reason. Somehow, for some reason, I don’t remember the exact reason, Ocardo said they got to go. Milwaukee Phil Aldericio and Chucky Nicoletti, and they recruited Tony Spilotro. The Ant Spilotro kidnapped these two guys. You know, there’s a famous story where Frank Culotta said that he helped set up a rally, I believe, for Spolatro. He said, I didn’t know what they were going to do with these guys. He said, I thought they just wanted to talk to them. But he said they got set up and that’s where they got McCarthy first. The famous scene out of Casino where Tony Spolatro has a man’s head in a vice and he’s squeezing it. Well, that really happened here. Here, Tony Spilotro put Billy McCarthy’s head in a vice and squeezed it and squeezed it, and one eye popped out of his socket. [7:16]They say just as he gave up the name,

Union Station Massacre Part 2 Jun 17, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Today is June 17th, and exactly 93 years ago on this date, three desperados named Pretty Boy Floyd, Adam Richetti, and Verne Miller murdered four lawmen as they tried to break Frank Jelly Nash out of custody. In this episode, we delve into the detailed account of the Union Station Massacre with Terrence O’Malley, a renowned expert on organized crime in Kansas City. The incident involved a group plotting to liberate Frank Jelly Nash, a notorious bank robber, leading to a fatal confrontation at Union Station. As Terrence describes the events leading up to the massacre, a vivid picture emerges of law enforcement’s ill-fated attempt to transport Nash from Fort Smith to Leavenworth. The narrative unfolds with the assembling of lawmen at Union Station, including FBI agents and local police officers, to escort Nash. However, a mix-up with firearms escalates tensions, culminating in a deadly shootout as they prepare to depart in a car. Shots fired from inside the vehicle kill Frank Nash and Ray Caffrey, initiating a chaotic exchange of gunfire resulting in the deaths of several law enforcement officers. The aftermath of the massacre sees onlookers swarming the crime scene, hindering investigations. The city of Kansas City, already notorious for criminal activities, further solidifies its lawless reputation with this tragic event. As the podcast delves into the complexities of the Union Station massacre, intricate details emerge, including speculations on missing weaponry, law enforcement blunders, and the subsequent impact on the city’s history. The episode provides insights into the high-stakes nature of law enforcement operations during that era, highlighting the unpredictability of gun battles and the challenges faced by officers in such intense situations. Terrence’s storytelling expertise brings to life the cascading events that unfolded on that fateful day, shedding light on the complexities and repercussions of the Union Station Massacre. As the episode concludes, the host emphasizes the importance of awareness regarding PTSD and substance abuse, offering resources for those in need. Encouraging audience engagement through likes, shares, and subscriptions, the podcast aims to reach a broader audience while delving into intriguing historical accounts. The narrative, woven with personal anecdotes and historical insights, captivates listeners, offering a deeper understanding of the Union Station Massacre and its lasting impact on Kansas City’s history. Find Terence O’Malley’s work at Black Hand Strawman. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Introduction to Union Station Massacre Series [0:00] So hey guys, hey all you wiretappers out there, welcome back to the second in the three-part series on the Union Station Massacre. You know, I told you before, this is my friend Terrence O’Malley who did the quintessential documentary on the organized crime in Kansas City from the Black Hand days to the Straw Man days when they took off the Kansas City mob for skimming from Las Vegas casinos. Terrence O’Malley in Black Hand Straw Man covers the board. Unfortunately, you’re probably Probably not going to find it online, and I know it’s not on Amazon streaming. He has copies of it. Get a hold of me if you really want a copy of it. It’s a great movie. It’s a long one. It’s about almost three hours long to cover this entire breadth of Kansas City mob history. [0:47] Terrence O’Malley is a real expert. He’s done a lot of other things since. You know, I’m doing this because our friend Greg Scavuzzo, who actually had an ancestor who was involved in the aftermath of the Union Station massacre, Jimmy Needles LaCapra, who got all caught up in the cover-up of it, if you will, because the mob really, on the periphery, they had something to do with it. And the mob in Kansas City had to approve of these traveling bank robbers coming in, trying to break another traveling bank robber out of custody in the middle of Kansas City. And in the midst of this, four lawmen got killed, and it was a huge manhunt on afterwards. So today, Terrence is going to give us a step-by-step, blow-by-blow description of that day that the actual massacre happened. So listen and enjoy, guys. Participants Gather in Kansas City [1:38] We got the participants together and in Kansas City on the evening of June the 16th, 1933. [1:46] They were put together by probably by organized crime members in Kansas City. Now, the organized crime in Kansas City didn’t really have any… Horsing that race, shall we say. They didn’t really care about whether Frank Jelly Nash was broken out of jail or not, but they did want to help out, just facilitate things, because these guys are the kind of guys that could do things for you. They, without, don’t worry about whether it’s right or wrong, they can do things for you, and they can make money for these mob guys if they wanted to. Discussion about Vern Miller and Frank Jelly Nash [2:15] So we’re in Kansas City on June the 16th and the 17th of 1933, and I would imagine that night before they might have gone to that house at Vern Miller had out on Edgevale Road because if I remember right there was some evidence of who was there and and Vern Miller was a traveling bank robber would that would that be a good description of him Terrance that absolutely would and a hitman for hire so the hitman for hire and he was out of the northern part of the United States South Dakota I believe yes and here if at one time and and and taken a conviction for embezzlement. So that kind of ended his law enforcement career. Yes. As I always say, there’s a fine line between the cops and the robbers sometimes. [2:57] And so he ends up being the robber, and he’s connected up with Chicago mobsters, I believe. Yes, absolutely. And Detroit, the Purple Gang in Detroit. Traveling Midwest Bank Robbers [3:06] Yes. And so he’s in Kansas City to help get Frank Jelly Nash, who is a fellow bank robber, and some of these traveling Midwest bank robbers of the Prohibition era, like the Barrow Gang, Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. And who else did we have back then? Alvin Creepy Karpus and the Ma Barker Gang. And there was a bunch of these gangs traveling around the Midwest. Harvey Bailey. He’s one of my favorites. George Machine Gun Kelly. Correct. Of course, he had Babyface Nelson. [3:37] One of the more obscure ones, but interesting nonetheless, is Wilbur the Tri-State Terror Underhill. That’s a great name. That’s a great moniker. That’s what I’m saying, man. You’ve got to have a good name if you want to make it in the annals of history. Of organized crime. Right. They are independent actors. Guys like Dillinger, for instance, or Homer Van Meter, or, you know, they would run together, but they didn’t run, you know, criminal enterprises, you know, criminal families. But they were connected. [4:06] Well, they wouldn’t. In some manner, obviously, because and you had these safe, these sanctuary places like Hot Springs, Arkansas, Kansas City, Joplin, even had a safe house in Joplin. Yeah. And of course, Chicago, anybody can hide in a big city like Pittsburgh, Kansas. Kansas has actually had quite a bit of bootlegging activity going on down there. Events Leading to June 17th, 1933 [4:26] And what we’re talking about here today is what went down on June 17th, 1933 at Union Station in Kansas City. Terrence, why don’t you get us started here on, I guess we should start the morning, early morning of June 17th? Yes. Yes. And so what happens is that the Missouri Pacific train traveling from Fort Smith, Arkansas, carrying Frank Jelly Nash, accompanied by lawmen Joe Lackey, Frank Smith, and Otto Reed, who was the sheriff of McAllister County, Oklahoma. Correct. The other two men were FBI agents, correct? Yes, they were. Were they armed? Were FBI agents carrying guns? They were at that – well, at that – generally speaking, the FBI agents did not carry guns. There wasn’t really a prohibition against it. It just wasn’t what they did. Their jurisdiction was relatively limited to doing things like recapturing escaped federal prisoners. [5:22] Enforcing the laws on Indian reservations, enforcing interstate bootlegging, that sort of thing. But mostly white-collar, mostly investigatory activities where they would usually enlist the assistance of the local police when they needed kind of heavy artillery. The FBI was not what we know or think about it today. Impact of Union Station Massacre on FBI [5:47] As a matter of fact, it is this event that is generally credited with giving birth to the modern FBI because within a year’s time, I believe there were something like a dozen congressional acts passed and signed by Roosevelt that essentially gave Hoover the power and authority that he felt like he needed to create a national police force. Interesting. So the Union Station Massacre really is responsible for the rise of J. Edgar Hoover and the power of which he attained over the years. Yes. Until he was almost… [6:23] The president couldn’t even get rid of J. Edgar Hoover by the end. Well, you know, he, of course,

Union Station Massacre Part 1 Jun 10, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary thanks long-time subscriber Greg Scavuzzo for his continuing support and input. This and the next two episodes about the Union Station Massacre were In a recent enthralling episode of Gangland Wire, Gary hosts KC Mafia expert Terence O’Malley, and they examine the Union Station Massacre, a pivotal event in the history of Kansas City’s underworld. today is June 16th, the day before the actual Kansas City Massacre. The tale unfolds around Frank Nash, a notorious criminal figure involved in train robberies, whose career spanned from horseback holdups to bank heists using fast automobiles and Thompson machine guns. Nash was a character of intrigue, skilled in handling nitroglycerin and elusive to photographs, making him a charming yet dangerous criminal. The narrative weaves through Nash’s apprehension in Hot Springs, Arkansas, by FBI agents Joe Lackey and Frank Smith, setting off a chain of events that would culminate in the Union Station Massacre. As Nash is transported to Kansas City, other criminals like Pretty Boy Floyd and his sidekick Adam Ricchetti traverse towards the same destination. Floyd, a charismatic yet lethal figure, gravitated towards Kansas City due to existing connections and a history of evading capture. The episode unearths the convergence of different criminal elements in Kansas City, with Nash’s associate Vern Miller seeking assistance from Johnny Lazia’s gang to liberate Nash from custody. Through discussions between Lazia and Miller, Pretty Boy Floyd’s involvement in the plan emerges. We learn that KC mafia boss Johnny Lazia directs an underling named Sam Scola and Jimmy “Needles” LaCapra to help equip and connect Vern Miller with a traveling bank robber named Pretty Boy Floyd. The stage is set at Union Station, tensions rise, and a web of criminal affiliations and motives interplay in the lead-up to the tragic event. The host elucidates the intricacies of each character’s background, painting a vivid picture of Kansas City’s criminal underworld during the 1930s. From Nash’s multifaceted criminal career to Pretty Boy Floyd’s enigmatic personality and connections, the episode expertly navigates the complexities and alliances culminating in the fateful Union Station Massacre. As the narrative unfolds, listeners are immersed in a world where crime, power, and deceit intertwine, leading to a dramatic and tragic climax at Union Station. Please click here to see Terence O”Malley’s mafia work, Black Hand Strawman Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! [0:00] Hey, all you wiretappers out there, back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is the first of three special encore performances of my friend Terrence O’Malley, who did a documentary about the entire span of the mafia in Kansas City called Black Hand Straw Man. Now, unfortunately, you’re not going to be able to find that online, I don’t think. I know it’s not on Amazon. If you’re really interested in that, get a hold of me, and I’ll get a copy from him. I’ll tell you how much it is, and we’ll send it to you. The Union Station Massacre [0:33] But today, we’re going to talk about the Union Station Massacre. A friend of ours, big Kansas City fan, also a guy that I know a little bit about his family, Greg Scavuzzo, famous grocers in Kansas City. Greg, you asked why couldn’t we show a little bit of the Life of 30 stuff, and so I thought, well, I’ve already done that, but I know it’s not on YouTube. And the people who are on the audio app now maybe have not heard it because it was so long ago. I’m talking about maybe six years ago that I did this. It’s a three part story about the union station massacre. And it talks about all the Kansas city guys and, you know, John Lazzia, the, the mob guys in Kansas city, one of the Scolas, these names, a Scola has passed on to the day. Actually. [1:26] Greg Scavuzzo’s got an ancestor in there. Jimmy Needles LaCapra was involved with this and the the aftermath of the Union Station massacre and the attempt to solve it. Lead-up to the Massacre [1:37] So in the very first episode, we’re going to talk about the lead up to this. You know, how did this even come about? What were the what was the chain of events that led up to this? Now, 1934 is when it happened. Impact of the Massacre [1:49] You got to understand this. This crime, four law enforcement officers were killed in Kansas City, and it just reverberated throughout the whole United States. And believe me, in the Midwest especially, and especially in Missouri, the state patrol and all the county sheriffs and everybody were on the alert for the people who did this massacre. And it caused Bonnie and Clyde, I know, to take some diversionary tactics away from Kansas City. And one of them went on up to Iowa, and then they got in a shootout in Iowa because everybody was looking for these traveling bank robbers and these traveling criminals, which that’s what Union Station Massacre was all about, trying to break out one of the 30s Depression-era traveling bank robbers, a guy named Frank Jelly Nash. [2:36] So without any further ado, let’s get on with episode number one. It’s an encore episode. If you’re a longtime listener on the audio apps or you’ve gone back and listened to all of them, you know, you’ve heard this before, but it’s good. And Terrence is really a good storyteller and a real expert on the Union Station Massacre and that era of criminal activity in the Midwest, the traveling bank robbers, you tell. Thanks a lot, guys. That I didn’t really even know when I started to research the Union Station Massacre, whether I would even include it in my story of organized crime in Kansas City, because they didn’t really have a very good appreciation for what the nexus and connection of the event was to organized crime. The Yeggs of the Day [3:21] Because objectively, if you look at the event, it really appears as if it was perpetrated by. [3:28] Independent or rogue gangsters, as you might call them. Sure, correct. The Yeggs of the day was a term that they- Oh, was that the term of the day? Yeah, Y-E-G-G-S. Interesting. Yeah, I’m not sure of the etymology of that. Well, one of the reasons why, there’s a lot of reasons why the Midwest was very popular for bank robberies. And if you think about this, say that you perpetrated a bank robbery in Phoenix, Arizona in 1933. Say, well, Well, what were there, six roads out of town and they all went into the desert? Whereas in the Midwest through the corridor of crime is what they called it from basically Texas up through Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and then up into Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Corridor of Crime [4:14] That’s kind of the corridor of crime. That’s where a lot of rogue gangsters – the reason why the whole Bonnie and Clyde and Dillinger and, of course, Pretty Boy Floyd and Harvey Bailey and the Barker gang and it goes on and on and on. The reason why they stayed in the Midwest was because –. [4:34] What they would do is they would create a get, and that was a little getaway map. And they would scope out a bank or whatever the target institution was, and then they would devise this getaway. And they would avail themselves of what were called the cat roads. And the cat roads were roads that only a cat could see at night. And these were basically farm roads that farmers would use for their tractors, but they would create these, you know, intricate getaway. So, like, they may say go 325 yards north, then sharp left, 212 yards, then south. And they would, you know, have all of these road, and they could get away real quickly. [5:19] And so it just worked for them. Sure. And back then they didn’t have radios. The Midwest Criminal Network [5:23] The police didn’t have radios. and you got across the state line. I remember in that Bonnie and Clyde movie, the police were chasing them and they said, oh, we don’t want to mess with them. They’re in Oklahoma now. Well, and that was another thing. There were jurisdictional limitations during the day. And frankly, if you were a local law enforcement officer, why would you want to go chasing, you know, baby face Nelson across state lines, you know, maniac. And so, you know, I think a lot of them were happy to say, you know, good riddance, you know, glad that, you know, they’re no longer here. So that is one of the reasons why we had so many bank robberies and we had so many gangsters of the era in and around the Kansas City area. Mafia in 1930s Kansas City [6:02] And back to the mafia in the 30s Kansas City. And so John Lazy, I believe, was kind of the mob boss at that point in time. He was the front man. He was the front man. He got killed about a year later. But he pretty well had his finger on all all the action. And with these guys, like pretty boy Floyd, who was hiding out in town, or Vern Miller, Vern Miller was hiding out in town at the time. Would the local mafia know about him as a traveling criminal? [6:32] Would he have to do what they said and lay low, or if he got in any trouble, would they help him out, or would they use him to do things and take a piece of the action?

Did Capone Murder the Leader of the White Hand Gang? Jun 05, 2024

Join us for this captivating bonus episode where we delve into a lesser-known tale surrounding the infamous Al Capone, brought to us by Paul Moses. In 1925, Capone found himself back in Brooklyn seeking medical attention for his son’s hearing issues amidst a backdrop of gang rivalry and violence. At this time, the Brooklyn waterfront was a hotbed of conflict between Irish and Italian gangs, with Anna Lonergan, a key figure adept at navigating the underworld’s secrets. The narrative unfolds with the tragic demise of Lonergan’s brother, Ritchie, triggering a chain of events leading to a fateful night at the Adonis Social Club. It was there that a confrontation erupted, culminating in a deadly shootout involving Capone, Frankie Yale, and other gunmen, leaving a scene of chaos and carnage. As details of the incident surfaced, Capone’s involvement drew police attention, yet he managed to evade severe repercussions due to lack of evidence. Through Paul Moses’ vivid storytelling, we are transported back to a volatile era where alliances shifted and power struggles played out on the gritty streets of Brooklyn. The interactions between notable gangsters like Capone, Johnnie Torrio, Frankie Yale, and Ritchie Lonergan paint a picture of a ruthless yet intriguing underworld landscape. The account of how the Brooklyn waterfront eventually transitioned from Irish to Italian dominance adds another layer of complexity to this enthralling narrative. As the episode concludes, we reflect on the legacy of figures like Paul Kelly, who straddled the line between criminality and legitimacy, leaving behind a complex and multifaceted legacy. Paul Moses’ expertise in unraveling these historical threads offers a glimpse into a bygone era of crime, passion, and intrigue, shedding light on the intricate dynamics that shaped the underworld of early 20th-century New York. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Bonus Episode Introduction [0:00]Hey, guys, a little bonus episode here. Paul Moses is back with us, and he’s going to tell us a really interesting, hitherto unknown story about Al Capone. At least I didn’t know it, and I bet a lot of you guys in Chicago didn’t know it. So, Paul, start out telling us, read something out of your book and lead us into that story and then expand on it a little bit, if you will. Well, first of all, people in Chicago surely know that Al Capone came from Brooklyn. On this particular case in 1925, he went back to Brooklyn. It was at a point in his life where his son was dealing with hearing problems, and it was a doctor in New York who Capone felt could take care of it. He was not well-known in New York at all. The newspapers didn’t really catch on to who he was. [0:45]So we begin with a woman named Anna Lonergan. Her brother is head of a gang called the White Hand, which terrorizes the Brooklyn waterfront. At that point, the Irish gangs had that control and the Italian gangs were moving in. Anna Lonergan knew plenty well what she was supposed to say to reporters or cops, and more importantly, what not to say. She was the newspaper’s queen of the mob, after all, having briefly been married to the leader of Brooklyn’s Irish white-hand gang before his untimely death. She was also sister of his successor, whose own premature death had drawn her and a newspaper reporter to the family’s apartment in a brick walk-up at 738 Myrtle Avenue in Brooklyn on the night of December 26, 1925. It was bitterly cold when Ritchie Lonergan’s corpse was brought home from the city morgue at about 6 p.m., a bullet wound over one eye. Wind howled at up to 40 miles an hour, and the temperature was plunging toward 11 degrees after a relatively warm Christmas day. [2:00]Anna, a 29-year-old former Broadway showgirl with blonde hair and big blue eyes, had wept earlier that day when she and her sister Mary identified Ritchie’s corpse at the Kings County morgue. Like Anna, Mary Lonergan was not unfamiliar with the sight of blood she had fatally shot her 6-foot-2-inch red-haired Irish immigrant husband John, a one-time bare-knuckle boxer who had sparred with John L. Sullivan, in what a jury accepted to be an act of self-defense. For Anna, this blustery day after Christmas marked the third time she had identified a shooting victim in the morgue. Her father and first husband had preceded her brother. [2:38] Anna Lonergan’s Anger [2:38]Now, Anna was just angry, burling mad, as she would have put it, so much so that she came to the dangerous brink of violating the underworld code she knew so well by nearly identifying the culprits who had killed her brother. They were foreign gangsters, she declared, boldly vowing to use the ample proceeds from Richard Lonergan’s life insurance to trace and identify them. I think they were foreigners, she told a Brooklyn Eagle reporter. No, I don’t know who, but you can bet it was no Irish-American like ourselves that would steal a mean murder like this on Christmas Day. What happened was that the Italian gangsters had been tracking these Irish gangsters. And they did drink a lot. And they found out that Denny Meehan was – I mean, Richard Wannigan, rather, was hanging out in this bar down the waterfront area. [3:35] Capone’s Concern for His Son [3:36]They went and they went in there and shot him, killed him. But as I said, Capone was in Brooklyn for this. He and his wife were worried about their son, their only child. He needed surgery to drain an infection from his inner ear. I guess, as they would know in Chicago, Capone’s son was kind of bullied in school. Capone had grown up first in a neighborhood right on the Brooklyn waterfront. And later along, I don’t know if this means anything, 4th Avenue, Garfield Place. The house is still there. He worked for Johnny Torrio as an up-and-coming young gangster. He married May Coughlin, who was Irish origins. So May stayed home that night when Al went out to a place called the Adonis Social Club. When Capone arrived at the Adonis around 2 a.m., the festivities were in full swing. Larnagin, that’s their target, had ordered up a weepy, sentimental song, even though Jack Stabile, he was the owner, had said he wanted to ditch the teary stuff. Then the piano player pulled out the music for one of the memorable hits of 1925, Yes, Sir, That’s My Baby. It counts very what happened next. According to Rose Adelius, she was one of the women in there, a guy named Needles Ferry said. [5:00] The Adonis Club Incident [5:01]Uh who was one of the irish gangsters was the first to recognize capone and a trio of gunmen with frankie yale that was the name i forgot to say frankie yale was a big italian he walked in with a trio of gunmen including capone a stunning fusillade filled the room women screamed and dove to the floors chairs were hurled and broken in the mayhem that followed witnesses claimed that the lights were shut off but police wouldn’t believe that uh in other words they said they They didn’t see anything. I suppose Adelaus ran out. She was the coat check, leaving a gold cigarette case engraved with her name. Oh, here. Now, Alva Callahan, the coat checker, left her own coat behind in her rush to get to the door. May Wilson, that’s another woman in there, seated at a table on the edge of the room. We tell police she turned her face to the wall, covered her ears with her hands and screamed. And Alphonse Morelli, his wife and two children who live in the upstairs apartment, said they slept through it all. At least that’s what they told detectives. For police, it was always this way in gangland hits. No one saw or heard anything. When it was over, Lonergan and his buddy, Aaron Harms, lay dead on the dance floor. Needles Ferry lay out, ended up outside in the gutter. James Hart, a 24-year-old white hander, was shot in the right side and found crawling on a street at Flushing and Throop Avenues, about five miles away. [6:24]And two others from Lonergan’s gang escaped unharmed. And afterward, Al Capone and Stabile were among nine people arrested and held in jail. [6:38]Capone’s friends showed up loaded with cash to pay a high bail, but the magistrate refused to release him. Capone was still little known enough for some news accounts to describe him as a bouncer or a doorman at the Adonis Club. But the Brooklyn Standard Union reported that police said he had made a large fortune in bootlegging in Chicago. The charges were dismissed for lack of evidence. Capone was released on New Year’s Day and celebrated the holiday at a party on 4th Avenue, at which he, Torrio, and Frankie Yale all gave speeches. So he was free to continue his wars in Chicago. [7:17] Appreciation for the Story [7:18]Very interesting, Paul. Paul, I really appreciate you telling us that story. That’s a great story. The night that Frankie Yale and Johnny Torrio and Al Capone, Famous Chicago mobsters by the end take out the leader of the White Hand Gang or the leader of one of the Irish gangs. So that’s a heck of a story. And eventually the Brooklyn waterfront does become Italian dominated, [7:50] Changing Tides on Brooklyn Waterfront [7:44]both in terms of the union and I think also in terms of the racketeering that went on. The Manhattan waterfront stayed Irish. Oh, really? That was kind of the resolution. Resolution, yeah. Fair resolution.

Stories From the Italian Squad Jun 03, 2024

Gary Jenkins, a retired intelligence unit detective, brings you his unique perspective on organized crime. In this in-depth interview on Gangland Wire, the host welcomes Paul Moses, author of “The Italian Squad,” discussing the true story of immigrant cops fighting the Italian mafia in New York City in the early 1900s. Moses, a retired newspaper reporter and professor, sheds light on the immigrant experience, crime, and policing of the era. They explore the dangerous legacy of Joe Petrosino, assassinated in Sicily in 1909, and the immigrant detectives who followed in his footsteps. The conversation delves into the challenges faced by Italian officers dealing with newly arrived immigrants, language barriers, and community distrust towards law enforcement. Moses recounts gripping cases of the Italian squad, including kidnappings, extortion, and the complexities of navigating the emerging organized crime landscape. The interview highlights the political tensions within the police force, with Italian officers like Fiaschetti facing pushback and reassignments. As the mafia gains ground in New York, the significance of the Italian squad’s efforts in combating early criminal networks is underscored. The conversation also touches on the evolving cultural dynamics between Irish and Italian communities and the role of churches in fostering unity. Moses and the host emphasize the pre-prohibition origins of organized crime in America, setting the stage for the later prominence of figures like Lucky Luciano. The discussion concludes with insights into the historical context shaping the rise of the mafia and the ongoing relevance of immigrant experiences and crime dynamics in modern society. Overall, the interview thoroughly explores early law enforcement struggles, immigrant integration, and the complex interplay of cultural heritage and criminal activity in shaping New York City’s history. The engaging conversation offers a unique perspective on a lesser-known chapter in the American crime and ethnicity narrative. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Introduction and Background [0:00]Okay. Well, welcome all you wiretappers out there back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. I have a man that I just met named Paul Moses. Welcome, Paul. Good to be with you. Now, guys, Paul Moses wrote a book called The Italian Squad. There it is if you’re on YouTube, and there’ll be links in the show notes down below. The true story of the immigrant cops who fought the rise of the Italian mafia in New York City. And I know you may have known if you’ve been been following me for a long time that I’ve done the show about Joe Petrosino, who was the quintessential, the mob buster that all of us know out in New York City. You know, we had a guy like Joe in Kansas City who got killed. They signboarded him, Paul. They signboard somebody means that you wait behind a signboard that was along a sidewalk with a shotgun. And when you walk by, they step out from that signboard and take you out. And they signboarded our guy here in Kansas City, who was kind of our Joe Petrosino. So it was a dangerous time for Italian policemen back then, wasn’t it? To be the next Joseph Petrosino was a dangerous job. Yes, it was. And Paul, tell us a little bit about yourself. How’d you get into this and a little bit about your background? Well, I was a newspaper reporter in New York City. [1:21]I worked for New York Newsday. I covered You know, federal court beat. I was a reporter in New Jersey, covered organized crime, connected things there, more close than in New York. And I then became professor of journalism at Brooklyn College. I’m retired from that now. I did this previous book that was about the story of the Irish and Italians in New York. I got it here. The unlikely union guys. It’s the story of the Irish and Italians. And so that describes what was basically a love-hate relationship, hate in the beginning and love and intermarriage later on. There was a chapter early on about Joseph Petrosino and others who were Italian [2:11] The Aftermath of Joseph Petrosino’s Assassination [2:06]advancing into the NYPD and what that was like for them, which was dominated by the Irish. So I just found the story very compelling. And I saw that not much had been written about what happened after Joseph Petrosino was assassinated in Sicily in 1909. And there were other commanding officers of the squad who took over that very dangerous assignment. [2:30]And their stories were also equally interesting. They were also in their time, like Petrosino, kind of nationally known detectives. So, you know, I like to tell a good story. And I thought that there was one there. And I think it also tells us a lot about immigration and immigrants and crime and lots of policing that people are still talking about. Yeah, it’s still topical today, as we can see. Just watch the headlines about immigrants and crime and how much crime do they bring and all that. So it’s and this story here is, you know, the story of the newly arrived immigrants. And when you, you know, we’d had nothing but Irish for a long time. Irish shared a common language with the English who were already over here. They’re both basically the same complexion. Complexion’s important. People don’t like to talk about that, but complexion’s pretty important. And then these Italians come over. They’re darker. They speak a whole different language, and so it’s harder to fit in. And, of course, the Irish have already got the jobs, the good jobs, the city jobs, and that’s kind of the immigrant way. And so Italians are shopkeepers, right? They have little push carts and have to go into business for themselves, restaurants, and they start moving into the city jobs, which are kind of the way out in a way, wouldn’t you agree? And so these were the early guys that went in to that next step. [3:57]Right. And they badly needed Italian police officers because they spoke the language and the community. There was some chance the community would would cooperate with them also. So Petrosino was one of the earlier ones, not the earliest, but one of the earlier ones. Right. And that language thing and policing a newly arrived immigrant population, they have a different language. That’s huge. I know when I was still a policeman, that was quite a while ago. And we’re starting to get more and more Spanish-speaking people in the drug business. And they started sending guys down to Mexico for like a two-week full immersion because we didn’t have enough native speakers. Now, during that time, we started getting more and more. And so that was hugely important in order to be able to communicate. That was just something you don’t think about in policing. Right. It was really needed because the population of Italians was growing into the hundreds of thousands and growing very fast. And, you know, by and large, everybody came because they just wanted to work and they did help build the city. But there were some people who came over with criminal records. [5:08]And those are the people who Joseph Petrosino and those who followed him were concerned about. Yeah. And so it seems like newly arrived immigrant population, they start out preying on themselves, on their fellow immigrants. What is up with that? That seems to be a general rule, isn’t it? Would you say in different ethnic groups that they start out shaking down their own people who are even a little bit successful? I think that has continued on, but that’s definitely what was going on in the Italian neighborhoods. neighborhoods and was not being well policed at the time. The merchants were calling for better policing. And finally, the answer to that, along with some newspaper pressure, was to set up the Italian squad in 1904. [5:57]Interesting. So how did they recruit these guys? Where did they come from? Were they newly arrived immigrants or were they maybe second generation already? Yeah. No, the ones I wrote about were all foreign-born. There were others who were coming in a little bit later who were American-born. Now, Petrosino was actually recruited by a very famous police inspector named Alexander Williams, nicknamed Clubber, which indicates he was a very rough cop. If you’ve seen the gangs of New York, that scene where the cop hangs his watch on the lamppost and is able to walk around the block and come back without anybody stealing it, That’s actually something that Williams did. Oh, really? Yeah. I don’t know if it’s in the right time sequence in the movie, but that’s something that is true. And so he was a tough cop. He recognized some ability in Petrosino. At that time, the street cleaning department was a division of the police department. [7:01]And Petrosino had worked his way up to be a foreman in an operation that put the garbage on scouts and sent it out to sea. And somehow he caught Williams’ eye and Williams got him into the police department. Petrosina was too short, but he managed to get that waived. And Petrosina was a regular patrol officer for quite a while, 1883, I think, to 1895, when he caught Teddy Roosevelt’s eye. Roosevelt was the police commissioner or head of the board of police commissioners at that time. And he promoted Petrosino to detective. And that’s when they realized, you know, what a star detective he was.

The Incorruptibles and the Jewish Mob May 27, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, we talk Arnold Rothstein, Meyer Lansky and the early Jewish mob. Gary interviews Dan about his book “The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld. ” Click here to get the book. The conversation touches on violent incidents within the Jewish community, leading to a discussion on the organization and association of various underworld groups such as pimps and casino owners. The influence of Tammany Hall in the political landscape, the power of newspapers in shaping public opinion, and the role of figures like Arnold Rothstein are explored as related to organized crime. Dan shares insights into the intricacies of the Jewish underworld’s organization, showcasing how the reform movements and vice laws of the time shaped criminal activities. The formation of the “Incorruptibles,” a team tasked with dismantling the Jewish underworld, becomes a focal point of the conversation as the book delves into the intricacies of their operations. The interview emphasizes the historical significance of early Jewish gangsters in paving the way for renowned figures like Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Introduction to the Roots of Organized Crime [0:00]Well, hey, welcome, guys. Welcome, all you wiretappers out there back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. I got another episode here that I think you’ll find really entertaining and kind of go back to the roots of organized crime before there was a commission, almost when the mustache piece were just kind of a bunch of guys running around robbing all their neighbors and things like that and the immigrant experience, because at the same time, you had this large influx of Jewish people from Eastern Europe primarily coming in the United States and all settling in basically the same neighborhoods as the Italian immigrants. And Irish were already been there for a while. They play in this too. Because you guys all know, I’ve said this before, by the time the Italians and the Jewish people got here, the Irish already had all the government jobs sewed up. [0:52]They had the police jobs and they had the fire department jobs. And that was their way, the immigrant path. And so the Italians and the Jewish people, they have to start stores and restaurants because they’re not going to allow them in to these existing jobs or into the trades. And so they have to scuffle for whatever they can get. So we’re going to talk to a man today, Dan Slater, who has written a book about this time in New York City. It’s called The Incorruptibles, The True Story of Kingpin’s Crime Busters and the Birth of the American Underworld. Welcome, Dan. I’m really happy to have you here. here. Hello, sir. Thank you for having me. All right. So, Dan, tell us a little bit about yourself. You’ve been a reporter. You’ve written other books, I think, but I know you’ve been a reporter. Tell the guys a little bit about yourself. [1:37]Yeah. So I actually went to law school way back when, and I got out of law school. I think I lasted for a little, I think I, I think it was less than a year. I think that I was sworn into the New York bar and I left the profession three weeks later and went into journalism. I survived there for a little while, worked at a, worked at a few different magazines and newspapers. And then I published my first book in 2013. [2:05]And that was a very different book than both this book and the book that came before it. That was a book about the online dating industry. I wanted to move on. And my second book is called Wolf Boys. Wolf Boys is about young men who live in South Texas and become like assassins for a big Mexican drug cartel. And then there’s this book, which is my first project that is set exclusively in the past and the deep past more than a century ago. This is a story about the ancestors that we didn’t know, the people who came kind of just before us. They were the grandparents’ parents and such. And I think that’s what you were getting at. You know, this is before the time when organized crime was a thing, but yet this is where it was sort of founded and established. And that’s part of what got me into this book. And there are lots of reasons that I came to this subject. But what got me to the story, it was the research that I was doing on a magazine story I was working on about a gang of violent rabbis. And this was a contemporary story. It was a piece I reported over the course of a couple years. [3:19]And that was a story about these rabbis who went around beating up men who had refused to give their wives a divorce. Course, in the Orthodox religion, there’s a thing called a get, and the man has to sign it to release the woman from the bonds of matrimony. And so sometimes you get men who, for whatever reason, say, I’m not going to sign the get. Maybe they want money from the wife’s family. [3:48]Maybe they’re just angry or whatever. There was this little circle of rabbis that had sort of have anointed themselves the judges of the community. And when they had decided that one of these young husbands was refusing to get for no good reason, they would pull him into the back of a van and put a cattle taser on his testicles. And anyway, there’s more to that story, but that was the story that I was working on reporting. And in the course of researching that story, I thought, huh, violence within the Jewish community. Now, as a Jewish guy who grew up in Minnesota and has now lived in the Northeast, you know, born in 1977. [4:33]These kinds of stories, these Jewish gangster types of stories, were not stories we were told in Sunday school. I didn’t know that existed. So that’s the reason I got into that. I was looking into Jewish violence, reading about it in the past. And in my reading, I kept coming back to New York in the early 1900s prior to World War I. And there was a Jewish underworld there that existed on the Lower East Side. And it was a significant underworld. There were lots of parts of it. It wasn’t just pimps, prostitutes, the gamblers, but it was also people who poisoned horses and stuff like that. And so I was reading about that and then I stumbled on sort of a footnote about how the uptowners, the Jews uptown, who were the wealthy Jews from the western side of Europe, they said, this is really embarrassing that our co-religionists getting this sort of attention. attention. [5:35]And it wasn’t just the embarrassment, it was that at the time, there was this sort of nativist movement to shut down the borders. And so the German Jewish uptowners thought, man, for the people who want to shut down the borders, the Jewish underworld is a great reason. It’s a sort of validation for, you know, the argument. So they wanted to wipe it out. So their attempt to sort of do that, to clean the Lower East Side, is the story that I tell in the book. [6:06]Interesting. You know, and there’s like a total parallel to today is Hispanic immigrants coming in and committing some kind of crime. And those are great reasons for isolationists and people that don’t want anybody else in the country to use. And they’re using it all the time. And so everything old is new again, because this has been around since then. I’ll be darned, I never really, I didn’t really realize that. And the interesting thing I discovered, one of the interesting things I came across was that, and again, something I did not know, that if you would have said the word ghetto prior to 1945, the word would only have a Jewish connotation. People would not associate the word ghetto with any other ethnicity or race. So that’s totally different, right? I mean, and this is a word that actually goes back to the 1500s in Venice, and that’s where the word emerges, and it emerges there in relation to the Jewish ghetto. So this was a word that these people actually sort of invented, and it was a concept that they invented as a result of their marginalization. [7:16]Right. And so where they would live there on the lower east side, everybody would refer to that as the ghetto at the time. Absolutely. And at the time it was that was the right thing to call it, because at the time it was the most densely packed urban area in the world there. Like the crowding was was unimaginable by 1909, 1911 was when that kind of peaked. And so with that comes an underworld. And that’s again, that’s what that’s the story I tell in the book. Really? And so your book kind of starts off, you know, a good TV mystery or TV show, cop show will always start off with a murder. And yours kind of starts off with a murder. You’ve just kind of touched on the underpinnings, the basis for where we got to this murder. And I believe 1912 of Herman Rosenthal, I believe was a gamer’s name. So tell us about Herman, Herman Rosenthal a little bit. Yeah. So he was an interesting guy. He was was himself an immigrant. He was a Russian Jewish immigrant who came with his family or with part of his family to the Lower East Side when he was about five years old.

Who was the Real Boss: Nitti or Ricca? May 20, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this conversation between Gary and Camillus Robinson, aka “Cam,” they delve into the intriguing histories of Frank Nitti and Paul Ricca, pivotal figures in the Chicago outfit from the Capone era to modern times. Cam discusses his book “Chicago Swan Song: A Mob Wife Story,” detailing Lisa Swan’s experiences living in the shadow of the Calabrese mob family during the Family Secrets trial. They explore the power dynamics between Nitti and Ricca, highlighting Nitti’s enforcement role and Ricca’s political savvy and connections with mob bosses nationwide. The conversation transitions to discussions around Capone’s influence, with differing perspectives on Nitti’s power after Capone’s downfall and Ricca’s rise to prominence. They delve into the organizational structure of the Chicago outfit, noting the mentorship roles that Nitti and Ricca played in grooming future mob leaders like Tony Accardo and Giancana. The conversation also touches on the Kansas City-Chicago mob connections and their intertwined history. Gary and Cam reflect on the transition from the prohibition era to modern times, emphasizing Nitti and Ricca’s legacy and impact in shaping the Chicago Outfit. They shed light on the mob’s complex relationships and power dynamics, pointing out how the Chicago Outfit Bosses changed while the organizational structure persisted. Gary and Cam keep the audience engaged throughout their banter with their deep knowledge and entertaining exchanges. Chapters 0:00 Welcome to Gangland Wire 0:24 The Swan Song of Chicago Mob 3:49 Capone’s Shadow and Chicago’s Shift 11:22 Ricca’s Rise and National Connections 12:50 The Hollywood Scam and Its Players 14:52 Ricca’s Ascendancy and Tragic End 21:01 Chicago’s Organizational Structure 24:27 Chicago vs. New York Power Dynamics 25:08 Nitty and Ricca: Pivotal Figures 28:24 Mob Summit in Las Vegas Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Welcome to Gangland Wire [0:00]Welcome, all you guys. Well, welcome, all you guys. I’m back here in studio Gangland Wire with my good friend, Camulus Robinson. I tell you what, Camulus, I don’t know. I never have said your name right. I get in trouble all the time for saying names. I like to call him Cam. So, Cam Robinson. Welcome, Cam. [0:24] The Swan Song of Chicago Mob [0:21]Cam it is, Gary. It’s good enough for me. It’s good to see you, man. Good to be back here. here if chandler’s is the worst i get that’s i don’t believe what i’ve got through my life it’s all right brother it’s all right you know you call me anything just don’t call me late for dinner as the man once said so anyhow uh cam had this idea and i thought it was a great idea to talk about frank nitty and paul Ricca but first cam as i said talk a little bit about your book uh the swan song chicago mob uh guy’s wife i don’t remind me the exact title and and i’ll have a link in the show notes down below guy really interesting book yeah thanks a lot chicago swan song a mob wife story it’s uh i worked with the massive um uh family secrets trial in chicago where they they took down 18 guys they solved 18 murders and brought down a bunch of mob figures and major hit men in the calabrese family specifically uh frank calabrese was a big hit manual he had a son frank calvary’s jr who worked in his loan sharking crew. [1:27]Frank calvary’s junior married with him lisa swan and lisa and i worked together on a book what was it like to to live in the shadow of one of these major mob families in in chicago now she didn’t know exactly what was going on she didn’t know behind the scenes but as the book progresses and as as lisa’s understanding about things attention really ratchets up and you know up to the moment where she learns who exactly her father-in-law, Frank Calabrese, was one of the most notorious murders in the Chicago outfit. And it’s her struggle to protect herself, protect her children, sort of keep things as normal as possible while everything’s falling down around her. Her son’s cocaine addiction and his non-stop work with his father and all the aspects of things being gone and not being there for her and the fear that she felt from her father-in-law Frank Calabrese, a really scary guy. A lot of people want to know about the Calabrese necktie, just choking people out and splitting their throats. It really was a dark time, but Lisa really came through it. To hear her tell that story with the humor and the real compassion she has for people while still just… She’s funny as hell. We’ve done some interviews or I’m going to bury it. So I appreciate the opportunity. Let me let me come on and speak that it’s available on Amazon. [2:52]And it’s a really, really big time. All right. Great, Cam. You know, just a little side note here. I was just contacted by a lady who is working with the daughter of a relocated gangster from New York who actually testified against the Chin, Gigante. And he ended up in Kansas City. And so they’re trying to find an FBI agent. I’m trying to help them to find the FBI agent who was this guy’s handler. I won’t say who this guy’s name is right now. I think he’s dead, but I guess that’s probably why the daughter’s wanting to write the book. But these family members writing books, because that’s, you know, as you learn from Lisa, that being a family member of a mobster, you’re part of it. You may not want to be and you think you’re not part of it in a way, but you’re part of it. No matter because you’re carrying secrets all the time and growing up and living that life. You know, we just don’t understand what that would be like in the straight world. [3:49] Capone’s Shadow and Chicago’s Shift [3:49]That’s exactly right. pressure that they feel even if they don’t know what’s going on they know that there’s something they have to keep quiet over and that the kind of the kind of pressure cooker situation that built is really it creates a lot of tension situation really interesting let’s talk about frank nitty and paul the waiter Ricca a great idea let’s uh start out tell us you know a little bit about why you think this is interesting i guess cam it’s kind of your idea why do you think this is interesting i know why i think it is why do you think it is you know here’s where i’m going to lose a lot of people’s uh uh faith in me any in the two or three people still have any sort of credit that i have any sort of credibility with anymore but uh i think to my mind when capone went away in 31 a lot of people say that that uh frank uh meeting was was really just a front boss and everything was interrupted from the beginning i don’t know that i still buy that for for a couple of reasons that we can discuss. You know, that’s what we’re here for. But I think that he had a lot more power early on and up until a certain point in the mid-30s than people give him credit for. I’m not saying that Rico wasn’t the power behind the throne or that he had sort of staged a coup by 43 when he shot himself when he shot himself ahead of the Hollywood trials. [5:17]But I do think for several years there when we see a lot of the change in the outfit that took place after the poem a lot of that came about in the form of a shift in the the type of people it became more italian organization i mean 40 percent italian relation to uh to a 70 italian organization, i think that during that shift and what i’ve been told by the people were murdered uh is when we see. [5:43]Maybe lose power and regain that i don’t think it’s across the board he’s black or white as people think yeah and you know frank nitty he he definitely came out of the capone era he was capone’s enforcer there’s no doubt about it he he was he was a bad guy and you know frank nitty. [6:01]Those of us who are of a certain age remember the untouchables robert stack tv show that was It was immensely popular back in the 60s. [6:10]It was all Frank Nitti, all Frank Nitti, Frank Nitti. I mean, to me, Frank Nitti back then, Frank Nitti was more important than Al Capone in many ways because that’s all they ever talked about in the popular media at the time. So he really got a big name, shall we say, among the entire United States as this incredibly vicious, tough, unrelenting boss of Chicago Bob. And all knowing, all seeing, he was bigger than Capone in a way during those years. Now, you know, as history has brought out a lot more information about that whole setup and us mob fans have gotten more sophisticated and mob scholars have gotten a lot more sophisticated. We now realize Al Capone was the man. I mean, he was the man. And Frank Nitti did help him out and he was his enforcer. But there were other people. It was such a big organization, wasn’t it? You had Tony Accardo was in there. He was helping. He had to be under Frank Nitti at some point in time because he was a big enforcer early on in his career. He was the guy that got Joe Batters, you know. So kind of what do you remember about how that all, you know, that early days when Nitti was up and coming and Ricca was there and Accardo was there. They were like contemporaries at one time.

Audie Murphy and the Mob May 15, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary found a little-known story about a famous WW2 war hero/movie star who took on Fifi Bucceri of the Chicago Outfit. Audie Murphy was the most decorated soldier in World War II. He also suffered from a gambling addiction after the war. In this fantastic story, we learn how he killed 50 Germans single-handedly to win the Congressional Medal of Honor and came home to a grateful public. Jimmy Cagney sponsored him in the Hollywood movie industry, where he became a film star in many action movies. The most famous was To Hell and Back. Murphy’s gambling addiction led him into the hands of two scam artists from Chicago. The rest is right out of an Audie Murphy movie. Let us just say that he was not afraid of the Mob. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Transcript [0:00]Well, hey guys, welcome back into the studio of Gangland Wire. Gary Jenkins here, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective. I’ll tell you a story. I found this story in a book titled Pay, Quit, or Die. It was written by a former Chicago police detective named Don Heroin. And it’s a story that I never heard. I couldn’t find online. It was about a war hero that I I remember as a child, his name was Audie Murphy. [0:32]And the title of the chapter was from War Hero to Hollywood Star to Mob Buster, in a way. Anyhow, Audie Murphy. Let me tell you a little bit about Audie Murphy. [0:46]Every kid, everybody my age, post-war baby boomer that knew about World War II, Every boy probably has heard of Audie Murphy. It was a remarkable journey. He was born in 1925 down in Texas, made him just right to be a young man. 1941, whenever the war was really rocking and rolling, he fought in Europe. His early years were he grew up poor and in hardship on the farm now you know he may be poor to have have hard conditions but you know usually had enough to eat uh just that farm life is it’ll make you tough i’ll tell you i was raised on a farm man a little tough of your butt up went in the army in world war ii like everybody else even a lot of the mob guys went in And Johnny Roselli, I just read an article about him, and he went in, and by the end of the war, he ended up getting convicted in a Hollywood scam. But anyhow, he was probably just trying to hide when he went in the Army, trying to beat the case. Audie Murphy, he earned a staggering amount of awards and decorations, 33 of them all together, including the Medal of Honor. He was the most decorated soldier of World War II. [2:05]And when he came home, Life Magazine featured him. That was the magazine of the day. And Jimmy Cagney, James Cagney, was a real famous actor and producer, you know, both before the war, during the war, and after the war. And he brought him out to Hollywood and signed him to a contract, set him on the road to be a movie star. Now, he, Audie Murphy, was not a natural-born movie star. He was a little guy. He’s about 5’5″, 120 pounds, a real unassuming war hero, if you will. They gave him acting lessons. They gave him voice lessons. They gave him dance training. Cagney never really got him in a movie. He had to do some more stuff to get in the movie. They ended their association. This is after the war in 1947. [2:53]He sides on with an acting coach and continues his acting lessons. Finally, he gets a cast in a film called Bad Boy, and the backers really wanted Audie Murphy to be in it. They thought that would be a big plus, and then it did. It worked out for him. It got a lot of good reviews and got some play, if you will. Then he got a seven-year contract with Universal Studios, and he was starred in The Red Badge of Courage. For one example, that’s a war movie. He got some critical acclaim at that point in time and became kind of a leading man in Hollywood for a short period of time. He was on something called some West, several Westerns, if I remember right, and ride a crooked trail, walk the proud land. But the one I remember, the one every boy of my age remembers is to hell and back. And that’s really the story of of his World War Two experiences. And I’ll never forget in this one battle. And this is one where he got the Medal of Honor. And the Germans were kicking their butt. And he ends up, he’s walking alongside a tank, and they tell, they get the order to fall back. [4:02]The tank gets knocked out, and he’s got, I think he had a BAR or maybe a Thompson, and these German soldiers are advancing toward him. There’s like, you know, hundreds of them, and he just starts mowing them down, and for some reason, you know, some miraculous reason, he was never hit, and he just kept shooting them. And then he jumped on this tank, a disabled tank, and started working that machine gun and mowed down even more Germans. They credit him with killing over 50 Germans that day. Uh germans fell back of course and the americans who had retreated according to orders came back from out of their cover and then charged the german line so uh i mean he was he was a bold boldu in many ways and you’re gonna find out about how bold he was when it came to dealing with the chicago outfit poor audie murphy had demons you know and i don’t know if this all came after the The war, after all his PTSD. [4:58]We talk about PTSD from combat experiences, because after the war, he had a lot of money. He kept getting, he got married a couple, three times. He had some kids, but he didn’t pay much attention to them. A lot of financial difficulties. And he started gambling. Now, he is funny. He wouldn’t endorse alcohol or cigarettes in commercials, but he was a degenerate gambler. He was a gambling addict. It practically did him in. He’s a little bitty guy, like I said, but he was fearless. So he’s out there in Los Angeles and whoever it was, he was laying bets with. And back then, a lot of it was on horse races where she had Santa Anita and several tracks in California, but you had tracks all around the country. [5:40]And early 50s, they were connected by wire service to the major cities. And so you could make bets at different betting artlers or with mobsters or with bookies, and they would be able to get the results. And you could go to a place where you could get the results right away. You know, we’re so we’re so used to instant communication now. But but they they they had the wire service. So you get the results. And he started laying bets and there was a couple of Chicago outfit mobsters he met in Hollywood and he was having trouble finding his bookie or something one day. He’d been introduced to these guys and they claimed they were affiliated with the Busseri bookmaking group in Chicago and they had called themselves Frank and Rocky from Chicago. Chicago and Frank was Frank Bussieri, Fifi Bussieri’s brother, who was a real deal Chicago mob guy. And later they’ll find out that this guy was passing himself off as Rocky and Felice. They always took his bets. [6:44]They said, we’ll always take your bets. And here’s some phone numbers. If there’s any problem, give us a call. So, and he could make his bets with no money up They started wagering on horse races nationwide and he quickly lost money, big money up in the five and six figures. But he always paid those losses because he had that Hollywood money coming in. He went. But then he went on a winning streak. Had he he was up one hundred and twelve thousand dollars up one hundred twelve thousand dollars. [7:14]And he wanted to collect. And they gave him the runaround because they didn’t have the money. And then they’re laying low. So he hired a Los Angeles private eye who found out for sure that there was two Chicago brothers named Frank and Fifi Bussieri, who did have a bookmaking operation in Chicago. See, Audie did not do any homework. And he didn’t know who these guys were. He knew Frank and Rocky from Chicago. [7:38]Fifi Bussieri was a well-known Chicago Outfit member and bookmaker. You know i’m just all gangster around town uh his brother frank busieri worked for him as a collector for juice loans he’s a loan shark and he also frank busieri also helped runner run singer vic damone’s pizza company vic damone had a pizza company and he was it was mobbed up he was a famous singer at the time never could quite get to the frank sinatra status but uh Frank Sinatra status, but he was a really well-known Italian singer at the time. So this private dick, he finally is able to get in contact with these guys that Audie’s been betting with. And they claim, well, those bets were never made. He got them down too late. So they’re like still weaseling out on the deal. And the private detective will learn that more than likely he was already had been dealing with this frank busieri and and maybe rocky and felice but you know they still weren’t sure of course audie murphy’s not afraid of conflict he ain’t afraid of killing he ain’t afraid of dying himself uh so he got a phone number for this fifi busieri the private eyes that you know there’s the guy here’s the guy who’s who’s in charge and he calls Calls him up and said, listen, you son of a bitch,

Louis Milito: Another Gravano Victim? May 13, 2024

The interview delves into the life and criminal activities of Louis Milito, a mobster born in Brooklyn in 1942. The host, Gary Jenkins a retired Kansas City Police detective, discusses Molito’s upbringing in a neighborhood teeming with Sicilian immigrants and his involvement with the Rampers street gang alongside Sammy the Bull Gravano. Despite his criminal endeavors, Milito also pursued a career as a hairdresser, showcasing a surprising dichotomy in his persona. Milito’s criminal journey includes car theft, jewelry heists, and involvement in high-profile murders like that of “Johnny Keys” Simone, a Philadelphia mobster. Milito’s loyalty to Gravano and the Gambino crime family is highlighted through his involvement in various criminal activities under their command. However, a grave mistake occurs when Milito and Gravano mistakenly murder a 16-year-old instead of the intended target, leading to unforeseen consequences. The episode explores Milito’s continued involvement in criminal activities, including a murder ordered by the Gambino underboss, Frank DiCicco. Amidst power struggles and changes within the Gambino family, Milito’s dissent towards Gravano’s rise in the hierarchy sets the stage for his eventual downfall. As Gravano ascends through the ranks, tensions rise within the family, leading to Milito’s imprisonment for tax evasion in 1984. The narrative culminates in Milito’s final days filled with regret and poignant discussions with his wife, Lynda. The complex dynamics of loyalty and betrayal in the organized crime world are highlighted, showcasing the precarious existence mobsters like Milito navigated. Milito’s mysterious disappearance after a meeting with Gravano hints at a tragic end to his tumultuous life. The interview provides captivating insight into the intricate web of relationships, crimes, and internal conflicts that characterized Milito’s life as a mobster. Check out Lynda Milito’s book – Mafia Wife: A Story of Love, Muder, and Madness. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! [0:00]Well, hey guys, welcome to the studio of Gangland Wire. Glad to be back in here. I am a retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective. Worked a mob for about 15 years in Kansas City. Well, guys, I’ve been talking about a lot of different mobs and a lot of different guys in the mob over the years. And here’s a new one that I had not heard of before. It was kind of important in his own way. The guy, his real name is Librio Milito. I think it’s Milito. [0:30]Anyhow, he was affectionately known as Louis Milito, and he made his entrance into the world on April 26, 1942. He was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Big Sicilian population there, a real vibrant neighborhood, a lot of corner stores and social clubs. You know, that’s where Gotti and a lot of these other guys were growing up and hanging out around there. And he was born to Sicilian immigrants, and his upbringing was shaped by that rich cultural tapestry of this neighborhood. Luis Milito was a spirited youth, as they say. He found himself drawn in the world of petty crimes, as most of these guys were. Were, and he eventually became a member of the Rampers. Now, the Rampers was a local street gang known for its exploits throughout Brooklyn. And guess who else was a significant member of the Rampers? Our good friend, Sammy the Bull Gravano. Now, despite his diminutive stature, he was kind of a small guy. He’s five foot seven. He was strong. He was stronger than hell. Louie Milito, You know, his physical proudness was exceptional. [1:46]Exceptional, they said. In his 20s, he pursued a career that you wouldn’t think a guy like this would pursue. He became a hairdresser. He was a hairdresser and he got interested in this art and he really liked it. And his wife, Linda, later on will write a book. [2:04]And she attests to his exceptional skill as a hairdresser. Now, go figure that one. Here’s going to be, I’m going to tell you about him. He’s a stone killer with Sammy the Bull Gravano, but he also was a hairdresser. [2:17]Now, some of his early criminal exploits were kind of the same as a lot of these guys. We had a crew in Kansas City that came up like this. And what they called it was trunking. They were breaking into car trunks and stealing stuff. of. And lots of times these guys also, they graduate into breaking into the car trunks of jewelry salesmen and other kinds of salesmen that have some expensive watches and things like that in their trunk. And I know one guy used to hit golf courses. Guys would go to the golf course. They’d stay after and play cards, lock their clubs up in their trunk. And this guy would go hit all the cars looking for expensive golf clubs. He also ran a pretty lucrative stolen car ring. and and he had an uncanny talent for lock picking on everybody can’t pick a lock have you ever tried to pick a lock it’s hard it’s damn hard i tell you what i was at a demonstration of that and then some real simple locks that i could pick but boy when they got even a little bit more complicated, just like your normal lock deadbolt lock in your house i couldn’t do it it takes a certain touch everybody can’t do it. Now, since he came from the Rampers, he’s got all required street cred to join Sammy the Bull Gravano and get into the Gambino family because that’s where Gravano went. [3:41]In the mid-60s, there’s a significant turn in Louie Milito’s life. When he began working for the Gambino crime family, they both came up like Sammy the Bull and Louie Milito came up up under Gambino Capo, Toto Arello. Now, I’m not sure about the pronunciation of that, pronunciation of that, but Toto Arello. Like Sammy the Bull, Louie Mulatto came up under a Capo, a Gambino Capo named Toto Arello. And so they both kind of had the first mentor. This will tie these two guys together for really the rest of their lives. It was kind of a complex life, a dance, if you will, that Louis had between his personal life and his criminal life. [4:29]Because most of these guys are like that. They like their family and they do things with their family. So despite his criminal life, he displayed a lot of affection and humor towards his family. And his wife, again, wrote a book. Linda was her name. You might look that up, Linda Mulatto. And it really showed it. I think the lawyer word, the $25 lawyer word is dichotomy, which means he’s like kind of two different people here. He was still, you know, he was still anything. He stole change from phone booths. He would be part of high-end burglaries and different kinds of jewelry thefts. And he ends up becoming involved in high-profile murders also. I mean, this guy was multifaceted, wouldn’t you say? This guy was, he was a piece of work. You know, he got inducted into the Gambino family under his capo, Toto Arello. Samuel Gravano had already become a made man. And then, so, in that crew, in that Arello crew. crew. And so, you know, they like, you know, Sammy the Bull is kind of his mentor and will bring him along. [5:35]For some reason, during the 60s, Arello resigned as capo. And I’m not, I couldn’t get the full story on that. And Paul Castellano promotes Sammy the Bull Gravano to be Mulatto’s new boss, that Arello crew boss. You know, they say that his loyalty, Louie’s loyalty was a a cornerstone of his character. He was fiercely devoted to Sammy the Bull. I mean, fiercely devoted to him. He had to have been to do some of the things he did with him. Like he took part in the murder of the Philadelphia mobster, Johnny Key Simone. [6:06]This Johnny Key Simone, he was from Philly, but this was done on the order of Paul Castellano, but it was also approved by the commission. They approved it by the commission approved this because they’d also approved the new Philly capo, Nicky Scarfo, to take over as boss of the Philly family after the murder of the General Don Angelo Bruno. Nicky Scarfo asked the commission to eliminate a potential threat from Simone. He felt that Simone would be more loyal to Bruno and less loyal to him and maybe even feel like he had been pushed aside. side. So Sammy the Bull and our friend Louie the hairdresser, they kidnap, Simone, Johnny Keyes, from a New Jersey country club called the Skyview Country Club. They threw him bound and gagged in the back of a van, and they took a trip out to Staten Island to a kind of out-of-the-way place where they could bury him right away. Probably already had the whole dug, don’t you imagine? [7:11]Samuel Gravano had planned this murder out before and then brought Louie along. long. During this trip, Johnny Keyes, Simone, asked Gravano and Mulatto to let him die like a man. And here’s an interesting thing. And we know this because Gravano had to admit this was one of the murders he had to admit to. During this trip, it was about 75 miles, Johnny Keyes had a heart attack. Go figure, he had a heart attack. [7:39] Fatal Mistake on King’s Highway [7:39]He asked if he could take a nitro tablet so he’d stay alive long enough to be shot and he said i want to die like a man so that’s another thing johnny johnny that’s another thing that sammy the bull will say that he probably respected johnny keith simone because he died like cosinostra

Johnny Roselli: Hollywood Gangster May 08, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode of Mafia Biographies, delve into the captivating life of John “Handsome Johnny” Roselli. Born Filippo Sacco in 1905, Roselli’s journey traversed organized crime during Prohibition, connections with mob figures like Al Capone, and ventures into liquor imports and labor racketeering. Transitioning to Las Vegas, Roselli emerged as a key player in the casino scene and infiltrated Hollywood craft unions and production companies, showcasing his versatility. The narrative takes a surprising turn in the 1960s with involvement in a CIA plot to assassinate Fidel Castro, entwining mobsters and political intrigue. Roselli’s appearance before a Senate committee in the 1970s shed light on his connections to espionage and criminal activities. His mysterious demise in 1976 near Miami further added layers of speculation to his intricate life, leaving a legacy that echoes the complexities of crime, business, and political power in American history. Join us for more underworld biographies as we unravel captivating stories of mobsters. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Welcome to Gangland Wire [0:00]Well, hey, welcome all you wiretappers back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. We’ve got another riveting episode of Mafia Biographies. You know, I’m bringing you these little short Mafia biographies. It’s your host, former intelligence unit detective, Kansas City Police Department, Gary Jenkins. And today we’re going to delve into the intricate life of John Handsome Johnny Roselli. He was a mobster who his life story weaves through the gritty streets of Chicago, started in New York, of course, goes out to L.A., Las Vegas. This is the gripping story of a man who was able to navigate both the criminal underworld and the covert world of espionage. But he also was able to navigate through the boardrooms and the film studios of the Hollywood major motion picture producers. It’s crazy. And we’re going to uncover the different layers of handsome Johnny Roselli. He was born Filippo Sacco, July 4th, 4th of July, 1905. I didn’t know he was that old. He’s born in Esperia, Italy. [1:04]Roselli’s early life was marked by an immigration to Boston at the age of six. He was raised in a world that was shaped by criminal undertones of the Prohibition era of America. Roselli’s destiny seemed sealed. His father, Vincenzo Sacco, had paved his way into the underworld before him. 1922, at the age of 17, Johnny Roselli faced a narcotics charge in Massachusetts. This caused him to move to New York. Then he moved to Chicago for a while. [1:38]And it was during this time that young Filippo Sacco metamorphosed into Johnny Roselli. That was a name that’s going to resonate through the echelons of organized crime throughout the rest of the 20th century. Johnny Roselli got to Los Angeles in 1924. His story takes an unexpected turn. He gets arrested and he pleads guilty to bootlegging. He’d become entangled with the notorious Cornero brothers out in L.A. And he really had ascended to a prominent role in getting liquor imports from outside the country into Southern California. Now, while he’s out there in LA, he forges a close relationship with the underboss, later become the boss, Jack Dragna. This will prove really instrumental to a lot of his career. Johnny Roselli had a connection to Al Capone going back to Chicago. In 1928, Capone invited Roselli back to Chicago and wanted to bring him into the organization. [2:36]This was kind of a strategic move by Capone because he wanted to strengthen his ties between himself and the Los Angeles mobs. And Roselli would be the liaison with Jack Dragna. They’re his friend. The Los Angeles assignment, of course, paves the way for the Chicago outfit to eventually infiltrate major motion picture studios unions. In 1942, Roselli will be indicted on a federal labor racketeering charge, along with George Brown, former president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Union, and Willie Bioff, a Chicago racketeer, labor racketeer, and former pimp. Bioff will eventually resign. [3:17]Turn witness and testify against these guys and be killed for his trouble later on in a phoenix and a car bomb 1942 with these charges pending johnny roselli enlist in the united states army in a world war ii is going on and he was actually able to serve three years then they give him an undesirable discharge because he’s got this case pending he’s getting ready to go to the penitentiary because while in the service roselli and several other chicago outfit members like like Frank Nitti and Paul Rica, were convicted of the extortion scheme where they extracted money from various Hollywood studios. In 1943, he began a 10-year prison sentence, but through some manipulations by the outfit, all these guys that were involved with this Hollywood extortion get out in 1947. [4:06]By the mid-1950s, he’s shifted his focus away from Hollywood. This is a member of Mayor Lansky’s notice about Las Vegas and Las Vegas is starting to grow in the post-war era. That’s when Las Vegas just takes off and grows like crazy because they have the gambling. It’s a gambling, becoming a gambling mecca. 1956, he has become the Chicago outfit and the Los Angeles mob’s chief representative in Las Vegas. And his job was mainly to ensure that the Chicago mob Lobb bosses got their share of the casino revenues through the skimming. However, the Los Angeles offices, the FBI noted that he was also employed as a movie producer at Monogram Studios, and he actually did produce some movies. In an unexpected twist, Roselli found himself totally immersed in the Hollywood movie business. Close friendships with film producer Brian Foy and Columbia Pictures co-founder Harry Harry Cohen opened up doors for Roselli. He got credits as a producer in early gangster movies. He maneuvered effortlessly between the glitzy studios and the shadowy realms of organized crime and the outfit. And he was invaluable to the outfit. Having that kind of a guy in those positions in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, he was dating stars. [5:30] Hollywood Connections [5:27]I think he married a movie star, a minor movie star. But on the surface, he looked clean as a houndstooth. dude, 1960s, a new chapter unfolded for our friend, Johnny Roselli. This guy, I mean, he. [5:40]He is a piece of work. He gets involved with the CIA. The CIA had recruited a man named Robert Mayhew, who is a former FBI agent and the kind of the fixer and main bodyguard for Howard Hughes. And he’s moved into Las Vegas by this time. So they go to Mayhew and say, you know, we want some mobsters. We want to kill Fidel Castro. Well, you know, Mayhew knows Johnny Roselli because he’s this, you know, figure in Los Angeles. and in Las Vegas. Robert Mayhew brings Roselli in, gets him in to do some CIA agents. And then Roselli brings in Sam Giancana and Santoro Traficante Jr. And they supposedly took money from the CIA and supposedly had some failed attempts to poison Castro, which eventually they just move on. Now, some people say, typical mob deal, take the money and then say, yeah, we’re going to try and not do anything. [6:42] Involvement with CIA [6:37]The Bay of Pigs comes along and the CIA just, they like wash their hands of this whole deal. This won’t come back to haunt them for a while, but eventually I think it was the church committee brings all this back in, which, you know, that’s going to, that’s going to be bad on Johnny Roselli. [6:53]1970s, it’s a darker narrative for our friend, handsome Johnny Roselli. He ends up testifying for this U.S. Senate select committee on intelligence about this CIA plan to kill Castro. I don’t know if if you remember, but this was a big deal back in the 70s and looking at all the CIA abuses over the years and things that they’d done that were way outside their mandate in many ways. The shadows deepened when his connections to another notorious event emerged, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. There was lots of conspiracy theories about that, that hint at Johnny Roselli and the Chicago outfit’s involvement, particularly when Jack Ruby, a former Chicago outfit associate who has ended up in Dallas, kills the man who killed Kennedy. Or maybe they recruited some people to go help kill Kennedy. Maybe Richard Cain really did do it. I don’t know. Just added a layer of complexity to this already intricate tale of handsome Johnny Roselli. Well, he won’t make it out of the 70s. His life took a tragic turn. On August the 7th, 1976, his decomposing body was discovered in a 55-gallon drum out in the bay by Miami, Florida, close to Miami, Florida. There’s been a lot of theories surrounding his death, internal mob dispute. [8:09]They didn’t like that he was involved with the CIA thing, that he did testify in front of this committee, didn’t trust him anymore. Did the CIA killed him because he knew too much? They know too much about the Kennedy assassination. You know, we’ll never know. There’ll always be a lot of conspiracy theories [8:29] Legacy and Conspiracy Theories

The Bonanno Family: Betrayal and Ambition May 06, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this podcast episode, we delve into the intriguing life story of Joe Bonanno, a prominent figure in organized crime. Joe Bonanno’s life was intertwined with the Mafia’s tumultuous history from his early days migrating to the United States from Sicily. We witness his rise through the ranks of the New York City Mafia families, navigating through turbulent times marked by power struggles and alliances. Bonanno’s escapades take us through significant events such as the Castellammarese War and the infamous Appalachian Conference. His ambitious nature leads him to orchestrate intricate plots, including a scheme to eliminate rival mob bosses, ultimately resulting in a betrayal that shatters loyalties within the Mafia commission. As the podcast delves deeper, we witness Joe Bonanno’s retreat to Arizona, where retirement beckons after a series of family wars and power struggles. His legacy, marked by contradictions of honor and treachery, is explored in detail, shedding light on his involvement in the heroin trade and his untimely demise in 2002. Throughout the narrative, the complexities of Bonanno’s character and his role in shaping the New York City Mafia landscape are articulated with admiration and criticism. The episode concludes with reflections on the lasting impact of Joe Bopnanno’s actions, painting a picture of a man whose life danced on the edge between honor and treachery, leaving behind a legacy etched in the annals of crime history. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Introduction to Mob Figure Biographies [0:00]Well, hey, guys, back here in the studio, Gangland Wire. This is retired intelligence detective Gary Jenkins. I got another one of my short bios or biographies of famous mob people. I think I mentioned this before I’ve been doing these because, you know, we mention these names all the time, but everybody doesn’t know everything. [0:20]And so I’ll get these out. I’ve been putting them out on my Facebook or my podcast Facebook page, just a short short bio of these really famous mob guys. And so this is another one of them. This is Joseph Charles Bonanno. Joe Bonanno is a really interesting guy. And matter of fact, his family, the Bonanno family, Bonanno family, I think it’s Bonanno. Bonanno family is still known as the Bonanno family today. Nobody’s ever taken it over. Rusty Restelli had it for a while. He died and And Joe Messino had it, and he went into witness protection and justified against everybody as the boss of the Bonanno family. So go figure. Now, so in the vast realm of organized crime, which especially in New York, it is vast because it extends all up to New York. I mean, Buffalo and into Montreal and way outside of New York City down into New Jersey is huge. And these guys all connected to each other and did a lot of business with each other. And Joe Bonanno was right in the middle of all that. There’s a man whose life was forged in that fiery crucible we know as Sicily, where a lot of these guys came from. [1:34]And he was born Giuseppe Carlo Bonanno on a cold winter’s day, January 18th, 1905. And he was in the village of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, which that’s, I don’t know how many mob guys came from Castellammare del Golfo. And it’s like, it’s right on the ocean. I had to put a picture of it up once. It’s like a big bay. And then there was a little whitewashed with red tile roof apartments or homes go up the hillside. And it’s a fishing village, kind of like our friend Giuseppe Amato came from. He came from Serrini. A lot of Mafia history from Castellammare del Golfo. His destiny will be intertwined with his treacherous path through the ranks of the New York City Mafia families. At an early age, there were whispers about his future known to a lot of different people. And they knew him as Joe Bananas. And he’ll go on to become a symbol of authority and ruthlessness. At the tender age of three, fate guided him to the shores of the New World. So he and his family came across the ocean, sought refuge in the Lower East Side, the bustling streets of New York City, the Little Italy area. 20 years later, so 10 or 15, 20 years later, he will go back to Italy, to Sicily for a while, but he doesn’t stay long and destiny had other plans. [2:59]In 1920, there was a fateful decision that altered the course of his life. He comes back to the United States, clandestine slips back in. You know, a lot of these guys back in those days, there wasn’t all kinds of hoops to jump through. He just came here and started working. And he did come through Cuba, which a lot of guys did. A lot of them went from Sicily to Cuba. And then there was a lot of illegal traffic going between the island of Cuba and the United United States and will be for a long time after that. He’s in the belly of a Cuban fishing boat. He arrives in Tampa, Florida. It’s a land of opportunity, but it’s also the land of danger. During this time, 1924, the winds of change are shifting in New York City. He comes back to New York. The Castellan-Mrize War is raging, raging. I mean, people are getting killed all over the place. The old mustache Pete’s are getting knocked off. And first they fight between themselves. Joe Morello and Salvatore Maranzano are fighting between themselves. [4:02]Alliances are shifting all the time. Depends on who’s in power, who goes down. Maranzano falls victim to his own insatiable hunger for power. He wants to be the Capo di Tutti di Cappi and the boss of all bosses. And it’s during this time that Joe Bonanno sees the moment and he He started making his moves. He aligned himself with Salvatore Maranzano against this rival group, Joe Masseria and Giuseppe Morello. I mentioned Morello before, but Masseria was maybe, he was a little more important in this war. He’s part of a secret group of young mafioso from both sides known as the Young Turks, which Lucky Luciano and Vito Genovese and Tommy Lucchese and all these more modern guys, you know about in more modern times and Joe Bonanno were part of these young Turks. They were dissatisfied with the old world mentality of just going around and doing black hand letters on other Italian immigrants and that kind of thing. The prohibition has shown them that you need to organize, you need to modernize, you need to make a lot of money, and there’s a lot of money to be made. Secret Agreement with Maranzano, Luciano orchestrates the assassination of Joe the Boss Masaria in 1931. [5:20]Lucky Luciano becomes Maranzano’s second-in-command off Tolstoy. He becomes disillusioned with Maranzano’s greed and his rigid kind of leadership. And Luciano will arrange for the murder of Maranzano in September 1931. And Luciano then is the boss of bosses in a way, but he knows better than to just say, hey, you know, I’m the boss of bosses. That’s when he starts organizing. As a fallout for Maranzano’s death, he becomes the boss of the old Maranzano family. [5:50]At the age of 26, he becomes the youngest ever boss of a crime family. He must have really had it business-wise and organizational-wise, and he must have been a natural leader among men. I don’t really know if he had much to do with Maranzano’s death. Giovinano will claim that he was unaware of Luciano’s plans to kill Maranzano, [6:15] Family Life and Leadership Transition [6:12]but it doesn’t really matter what it was. Two months after Maranzano’s assassination, Joe Bonanno marries Faye Labruzzo, had three kids together over the next 20 years or so, Salvatore Bill Bonanno, who will become the consigliere of the Bonanno family, brings his son in. There’s Catherine and Joseph Charles Jr. In the shadows of the mafia’s power, the penumbra, as we say, the shadow of that. [6:39]His name echoes with whispers of intrigue and treachery. He was a treacherous dude. [6:48] Secret Meeting in Palermo [6:44]Wait till I tell you about some of these next stories coming up. The year was 1957, and rumors are spreading like wildfire about a clandestine gathering at the opulent Grand Hotel in De Palma, Palermo. It was said that Joe Bonanno, who’s a key player in the New York City mob world, was among those who attended and he helped secretly shape the destiny of the Cosa Nostra over the next 20, 30 years. Among other actions, these mafia bosses combined with Sicilian bosses established a regular heroin trade route from Turkey to Sicily and to Cuba and from Cuba up through the United States. Carmine Galante, I believe, was there. And he’ll go on and remain a member of the Bonanno family and even try to take it over for a short period of time. That’s a whole other story. I need to do a whole story on Carmine Galante. He is a story in himself. Just a month later, after this meeting… [7:43] Appalachian Conference Chaos [7:44]November, that was, it must’ve been in September, October, November of 1957, the most famous meeting of all at the Appalachian conference, this New York state trooper named Edgar Creswell noticed all these black limos parking at this estate out in the country in the Appalachian area is really, you know, almost a Canada. And he got some other troopers and they started trying to find out who was there.

Underboss: The Untold Story of Carl DeLuna in the Mob Apr 29, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Today, we delve into the intriguing saga of Carl “Tuffy” DeLuna, a notable figure in the Kansas City organized crime milieu. Known as a formidable Underboss with ties to the Civella family, Carl DeLuna commanded respect and fear for his powerful and ruthless demeanor. Though born in Brooklyn, he made his mark in Kansas City, engaging in various criminal activities ranging from armed robberies to overseeing a highly profitable skim operation that yielded substantial profits for the mob. DeLuna’s ascent to prominence involved close ties to influential mobsters such as Nick Civella, and he played a key role in crucial decisions affecting the mob’s operations. Tuffy’s presence was integral to the mob’s functioning, from enforcing discipline to managing sportsbook operations and ensuring the smooth running of illegal enterprises. His counsel was sought in pivotal discussions and actions, underscoring his role as a trusted advisor and enforcer. The dynamic between Tuffy DeLuna and Nick Civella sheds light on their relationship and how Tuffy’s advice influenced critical decisions. His involvement in maintaining discipline and resolving internal conflicts within the mob highlighted his importance as Nick Civella’s right-hand man. Tuffy’s ability to manage various aspects of organized crime made him a valuable asset to the underworld. Tuffy’s narrative also explores his clash with the Spero brothers and the ensuing violent confrontations that shook the Kansas City mob scene. The complex web of alliances, betrayals, and power struggles exemplified the volatile nature of organized crime and the deadly consequences those involved face. Tuffy’s role in orchestrating and executing violent acts to retain control over the criminal empire showcased his unwavering commitment to the Civella Family’s interests. When the Government finally arrested and convicted DeLuna, it marked the end of an era for the Kansas City mob. His enduring legacy as a powerful and influential figure in organized crime speaks to the intricate world of mob operations and the individuals who navigated its perilous waters. The compelling narrative of Carl “Tuffy” DeLuna’s life provides insight into the complex workings of organized crime, highlighting the power struggles, alliances, and betrayals that shaped the criminal underworld in Kansas City. Tuffy’s legacy as a formidable figure in the mob world and his lasting impact on the Kansas City crime scene solidify his place in the annals of organized crime history. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Introduction [0:00]Hey guys, welcome to the studio of Gangland Wire back here in cold old Kansas City. But I’ve got a story for you today. I’ve been kind of remiss in a way, not really paying that much attention to Kansas City. I need to start doing these. I had somebody on YouTube, I think, he said, why don’t you do some short bios of all your Kansas City, your main guys. [0:22]And so I’m starting to do that. This is going to be the first one, I don’t know if it’ll be the first one up. But anyhow carl angelo tuffy de luna he was such an interesting guy and he figured so big he was the arty pescano character in the movie and scorsese movie casino he was famous for keeping the notes and the whole nine yards so and he has a great name tuffy he’s born in 1927 give you an a idea of how old he was and he was an organized crime figure who was really once a really really powerful underboss here in Kansas City and recognized really nationwide because of his connection to Nick Civella. And he was also the brother-in-law to Kansas City crime boss Anthony Tony Ripe Civella. His sister Molly had married Tony Ripe. And Tony Ripe Civella was the nephew, Nick Civella, and the son of Carl Cork Civella. So he had those blood ties, you know, Nick Civella and the Civellas, they kept things close. If you weren’t in this inner group that they took in and knew a lot about you were you know you were not going to get anything going with them and and so time tuffy he had a native intelligence he was a bright guy he could he could be personable he had a you know could do things with a velvet glove but he had a mailed or an iron fist on the inside of that velvet glove the only thing was amount to this wild ground breaks down on Lefty. [1:51]Lesley and Bob Brown both got a criminal suit for rap. If Bob Brown got any time to lay with the commission and all the authorities, [2:03] Super Bowl Bets [1:59]they’re taking the attitude who we didn’t pull no fucking roll for our eyes. Bob Brown was Lefty’s industry. We can’t prove it, but he was. [2:10]Tuffy was born in Brooklyn. He wasn’t born in Kansas City. Most of these Civellas, except for Nick, I think, might have been born in Chicago. They were born in Kansas City. But Tuffy was born in Brooklyn and moved to Kansas City as a young man. I don’t know much about his life before that. But his parents must have brought him here because he had extended family. He had a brother, Frank Deluna, who was a Kansas City guy, moved to New Orleans or moved to Shreveport, actually, and spent a lot of his adult life there. I never knew much about him. He’s moved back and he’s here in Kansas City now. But Tuffy’s who we’re talking about. And as he came up, he was an armed robber. He was a traveling armed robber. It was back in the 50s, 60s when he was a young man come of age and needed to make money. [2:55]A lot of these guys had robbery crews and they were traveling around the country robbing grocery stores. One time the FBI in the early 60s followed him and were on him and they started going west and he went to Denver. And he met with a guy who was connected to the Small Dome family, who was one of those kind of armed robbers. And then they followed them up to Seattle and they lost them up there, I believe, but they didn’t go any further than that, but that’s what they were doing. They’re traveling around to different grocery stores. I know for a fact, because I know this from a guy, the word was, you don’t eat where you should. You do not do these robberies in Kansas City. And so they were going to other parts of the country. [3:42]And if you think about it, those robberies of supermarkets, if you’re of a certain age, at my age, they were your ATM. They had the cash money. When you got paid on Friday or Saturday, many times you would just take your paycheck to the supermarket and cash it. Or if you put it in the bank, then you would write a check for groceries and then you’d get $20, $30 cash back. Or you just go in and write a check for cash. That was the ATM of those times. He was just, you know, a guy that was thoughtful and was part of one of these crews. And we know a little about one of these crews because his buddy, his cousin, Sam Palma, got caught. And he was a contemporary. He just toughy, may have gone along in this and just didn’t get caught. I don’t know for sure, but I got a feeling he was just in the background on this one. But what happened, they went to Houston. Houston, and another guy named Beans Inzarella. We know for sure a fact he did because he caught a case out of it. And Sam Palma, Tuffy’s cousin, he’ll catch a case out of it. They go to Houston, they rob a supermarket down there, and they’ve got guns, and somebody’s gun goes off and shoots one of the employees in the foot. I couldn’t tell whether it was because they weren’t doing what they wanted to do. I think it was an accidental discharge. There’s a gang that couldn’t shoot shoot straight here. Anyhow, they shoot somebody in the foot and they, you know, the deal is don’t shoot anybody. You know, that’s bad. [5:11]You know, it just brings down heat, but they did. And so part of their scheme was they would mail the guns and the money back to Kansas City. They didn’t carry it back and then they would fly back or rent a car and drive back or get somebody to come and get them, whatever. They would get back different ways. They wanted to be really secretive on how they got in and out of these cities and they didn’t want to be traced back to Kansas City. Thank you. Then you could maybe figure out kind of who they might be and get pictures or, you know, maybe fingerprints. [5:40]And so they were doing this for quite a while. Several guys in Kansas City were doing this. I knew one. It ended up being a heroin act when in recovery. And he told me about doing this. And he was kind of loosely connected to the mafia. He was too much of a wild card. They couldn’t really do business with Bill. But anyhow, that is in May. When they packaged it up, they sent it back to the name of a guy they knew who was a taxi driver in Kansas City. And on the path back, the package broke open. The defense was that the cops found out about it and tore it open. I talked to one of them, an FBI agent who was around during this time. He was a real young agent. And he said, to the best of his knowledge, nobody tore that open. It truly did break open. Broke open. But when they got to Kansas City, they, you know, they had the address and the name and who it was supposed to go to. [6:38]

Chicago Cigarette Theft Foiled Apr 18, 2024

In this episode, we delve into a fascinating tale from the 1950s in Blue Island, Chicago, where Alfred Konecki, the president of F.W. Konecki & Sons Company, a tobacco distribution business, encountered suspicious activity involving a truck from Unity Refrigeration following their delivery vehicles. Two detectives, Bernard Kennedy and George Hanecki, were assigned to investigate the situation, setting up surveillance and observing a complex series of vehicles tailing each other. The detectives uncovered that the Unity Refrigeration Truck was being followed by a car driven by Robert Bradshaw, a salesman for the Kodaki Company, who claimed he was trailing the Unity truck due to suspicions about its activities. Upon halting the vehicles, the officers discovered familiar faces inside the Unity truck – Chicago Outfit Associate Frank Schweihs, Stanley Bajic and Sam Ciancio, armed with .38 caliber revolvers and a police scanner tuned to Chicago PD frequencies. Despite the lack of a solid case against them, the officers interrogated the trio, sending a clear message regarding their monitoring of criminal activities. This incident highlights the organized crime presence in Chicago during that era and the tactics employed to protect businesses from theft and extortion. The narrative offers a glimpse into the early days of Frank Schweihs, who would later play a significant role in criminal activities, including extorting money from establishments. The story underscores the challenges businesses face dealing with criminal interference and the intricate dynamics of law enforcement and organized crime in Chicago in the 1950s. It provides a window into a bygone era where local authorities often struggled to combat such activities, leaving individuals to navigate complex relationships with criminal elements. The intricacies of mob involvement in businesses and the strategies employed to mitigate threats offer a compelling perspective on the historical landscape of organized crime in major cities like Chicago. Transcript Introduction [0:00]So, wiretappers, we’re going to go to the little town, our little community of Blue Island in southwest Chicago. It’s down by, it’s north of Chicago Heights, a little bit west and north of Calumet City, south and west of downtown, like I said, right off of, looks like I-57. We’re going to look in at 131-36 Southwestern Avenue in Blue Island. Will find Alfred Konecki. He was the president of F.W. Konecki & Sons Company, which was a tobacco distribution company. They would take packages, you know, cartons and cases of cigarettes around for distribution to different places. A couple of his drivers reported that they had noticed a truck. [0:46]Kind of a van kind of a truck, marked Unity Refrigeration had been following their delivery vehicles around. [0:52]And they’d looked out, and that truck was parked near the Konecki garage at that time. So Mr. Konecki calls Chicago PD, and they assign a couple of detectives to come out and investigate. Detective Bernard Kennedy and George Hanecki, kind of a close name to Konecki, [1:12] Surveillance Operation [1:09]but I guess another one of those big, long German names. After the detectives respond, they set up a surveillance down the street, and they must have called Mr. Konecki by phone and let him know that they were set, because he then dispatched one of the trucks. One of his employees, an Elmer Jepson, left. As soon as Mr. Jepson left in the delivery truck, the Unity Refrigeration Truck pulled out and started following it north and kept following it north and north and went up to 87th Street. And about that time, the detectives noticed that a passenger car was also following the Unity Refrigeration Truck. So there was a triple surveillance going on here, double surveillance. They didn’t know what it is. So the first thing they did was stop the car that was following the Unity refrigeration truck. They found it was driven by Robert Bradshaw, a salesman for the Kodaki Company, and he had already stopped. He had picked up a traffic patrolman somewhere along the way. He claimed he was following the delivery truck and behind the Unity refrigeration truck because he had learned of this suspicious truck following their truck. It gets kind of confusing, doesn’t it? [2:16] Triple Surveillance [2:17]The detectives eventually let them go right away, and once they got them identified, when they caught up with the Unity refrigeration truck, which was still following the Konecki delivery truck, they were at 79th Street and Washtenaw Avenue. When they pulled over the Unity refrigeration truck, they approached it in the usual way, guns drawn, one officer on the passenger side and one officer on the driver’s side, and ordered the three occupants out. And guess who they found inside that truck? But our old friend, Chicago Outfit Associate, this is early in his career, Frank Schweihs. He was 22 years old at the time. Newspaper reported he was living at 522 West 29th Street. I’m not sure where that is. You Chicago guys might even live in that neighborhood and want to drive by and see if it’s still there. Early address on Frank Schweihs. Stanley Bajic, who was 30 years old, lived at 3755 Admiral Avenue. He was an ex-con also. and a SAM-CNCO, 26 years old, of 6843 South Wood Street. They had absolutely no explanation for what they were doing. The officers checked the inside of the truck. They found two .38 caliber revolvers, and they found a police scanner that was tuned to Chicago PD. [3:39] Interrogation of Suspects [3:33]Frequencies so they could monitor the police frequencies. Took them in and interrogated them. If you want to check Mike Byrne’s Facebook page, The Chicago Outfit, old and current news articles, you’ll find the original article in here. There’s a pretty good picture of Stanley Bojic, Sam CSEO, and Frank Schweihs being questioned by a Lieutenant, Lieutenant Frank O’Sullivan of the Detective Bureau. Of course, they really didn’t have a case on them, but they did send a message that, Yeah, we know who you are, and you probably better leave Alfred Koenigke’s tobacco distribution alone. This is Chicago. More than likely, somebody then came back around to Mr. Koenigke and said, Hey, I understand you’re having problems with people stealing from your trucks. Well, yeah, so what? Well, you know, we can handle that. You know, these are just young guys. We can take care of these guys. You know, just a couple of C-notes a week, and hey, we can handle these guys. You won’t have any more trouble. That’s how they do business in Chicago many times, and that was back in 1954. And everybody in every major city in the United States, if they somehow rubbed up against the mob, that’s how they had to do business. You could not depend on local police. The FBI was not interested. This actually happened in 1954, March the 24th. [4:58] Conclusion and Reflections [4:58]Bar Tappers, I hope you enjoyed that little story. It’s a little story about hijacking cigarette trucks in the 50s by the Chicago Outfit and the very early career of Frank Schweihs, who would go on to become a feared killer and a very important guy. He’s the guy that extorted money from the porn shops that Red Womet talks about in his book. So I suggest that you Google Red Womet, W-E-M-E-T-T-E. You can find out firsthand knowledge about Frank Schweihs. So if you have a loved one or a family member or friend that has a problem with drugs or alcohol, make your first call a first call. Call 816-361-5900 or go to their website, www.firstcallkc.org. And if you want to support this podcast, please, please use your Venmo app. Buy me a cup of Starbucks every once in a while or go to my website, www.ganglandwire.com. Go to the shop page, make a donation through PayPal or with your credit card. You can become a regular subscriber to it or you can buy my book or you can buy my movie good night folks.

The Brilab Affair: Marcello’s Web of Corruption Apr 15, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary tells the story of Brilab (Bribery Labor), which initially aimed to uncover corruption in Louisiana and Texas and led to the indictment of New Orleans Mafia boss Carlos Marcello. Marcello, the kingpin of organized crime in the South, controlled operations across Louisiana, Texas, and Tampa, with significant influence over local officials. Joseph Hauser, an insurance salesman turned FBI informant, arranged a meeting between Marcello and undercover agents and proposed kickbacks for insurance contracts. Marcello agreed to use his influence to secure insurance contracts for the agents but demanded kickbacks in return. Louisiana State Commissioner Charles Romer accepted bribes to facilitate state insurance contracts but claimed the money was a campaign contribution, resulting in minimal charges. Marcello also expressed interest in gaining control over the Teamsters’ health and welfare insurance funds, citing the illness of Teamsters’ leader Frank Fitzsimmons as an opportunity to make this move. Marcello offered to secure Teamsters insurance contracts in exchange for a $2 million cash deposit in a safety deposit box under a fictitious name. Marcello’s involvement in Brilab highlighted his influence over officials and his ambitions to expand his criminal enterprises. The case revealed the extent of government corruption and the reach of organized crime in the United States during the late 1970s. Despite Marcello’s efforts, his plans to control the Teamsters’ insurance business were thwarted by law enforcement actions and the eventual downfall of critical players like Alan Dorfman. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [00:00:00] Well, hey guys, welcome all you wiretappers back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired KCPD intelligence detective, now turned podcaster and documentary filmmaker and author of books—or of one book, anyway—about the Las Vegas skim. But enough of that. I stumbled into a story. A friend of mine sent some old FBI files. That had to do with Abscam that he found doing some research he was doing. And it had an interesting story in it. Then there was a, I think it was a life magazine article that interpreted some of these files and, and it made it a little easier to research the story and write some script that I could explain it to you. Cause it’s about Abscam, and it’s about Brilab, and it’s about. My porn. Now, those were three really famous stings that the FBI did back in the 1970s and [00:01:00] 80s, and there’s a lot of controversy about them. A lot of, , there’s even some congressional hearings about the FBI and doing these reverse or these stings and Anyhow, but the title of my story today is how a leak prevented the FBI from recording a meeting of the Mafia Commission down in New Orleans during Mardi Gras times. Now speaking of missed opportunities during the casino skimming investigations, here in Kansas City we had a wire up. It was on a lawyer’s office and they picked up Nick Civella talking to his, brother or his nephew. George Chiavola, who was a Chicago police officer who had been carrying some of the skim money back and forth between Kansas city and Chicago. And, and he had Mr. Chiavola set up a meeting between himself, Nick Savala, our boss and his brother Cork to meet with Joey Aiuppa and Joey Aiuppa brought Jackie Cerone to this meeting. [00:02:00] The meeting did come off and we listened to him or the FBI listened to him at the time, planned it, figured out where it was going to be, probably what room it was going to be in, and why it was in that room. He told his nephew to get some Lambrusco wine and some antipasto and set up a nice table for IUPA. And it was really an interesting lesson to him, plan this meeting, that that was all in Sicilian. So we listened to it in Sicilian. I’ve listened to it in Sicilian, but then I’ve got a transcript that explains, you know, what was with the interpretation of it, translation of it. So the FBI finds out about this meeting and they, the address of Shia Bola’s relatives, it was a three-story brownstone up there, kind of by Wrigley Field, I believe. And they put some microphones in a second-floor den that probably that’s where Nick was telling him to set up this meeting when Iupa arrives, which he does arrive. Shiavola sends his son out, [00:03:00] who’s also a Chicago policeman, and tells him to sweep the streets, and they call back and forth. Streets been swept? Anything, problem out there? Didn’t see any problem. He said, okay, call them up wherever they are. They’re hiding somewhere up the block, or a couple, three blocks away. Send them on down. So they go on down, and,, so there were no pictures of this because you couldn’t get in close, but they were listening to it on the phone. They had this bug in there, and there’s a chance to listen to the head of the Kansas City mafia and the head of the Chicago outfit discuss business. And, Nick was going to discuss Kansas City, putting together a package of straw men, if you will, to buy out Alan Glick out of the stardust. It turns out that they didn’t get it done, but when Aiuppa arrived, he refused to walk up the stairs to the second floor because he had a bad heart. So they sit down the first floor and the FBI missed a chance to record this meeting between these two bosses. It would have been historic because they probably got into [00:04:00] other things. So, you know, say lovey. But this story here, the missed opportunity to record a meeting of the Mafia Commission down in New Orleans, is an exciting, little-known story. It starts off with a long-time Washington lobbyist named Isaac Irving Davidson. He’s been around forever, and that’s all he’s ever done. He knows everybody, every mover and shaker. He’s from up in the Northeast. But interestingly, he was a close friend of the New Orleans mob boss, Carlos Marcello. Marcello even used to call him. They picked this up on some kind of a wire, Uncle Snookum’s. And through his many business deals, Davidson had had some dealings with a Los Angeles based insurance operator and convicted swindler named Joseph Hauser. Mr. Hauser went to Davidson and got an introduction to Carlos Marcello. He wanted to do some business down in New Orleans. He’d been out in Los Angeles, wants to do business in New Orleans, and he gets [00:05:00] his connect with Carlos Marcello and, and which ends up in Hauser getting access to all kinds of insurance business from the building trade union off the bat, some lucrative contracts with the local teamster’s unions and longshoremen unions down in New Orleans. He leveraged this business through his insurance company that he purchased in New Orleans and Carlos Marcello setting this insurance company up, getting all these nice contracts. By the end of 1978, actually, this was 76. By the end of 78, he had been going for a couple of years, but Houser was in trouble again. I said, he’s a swindler. These guys, even though they could do business right and make money, they don’t. The SEC got onto him because of some shenanigans he was doing. He placed his company under receivership because they had discovered some irregularities. I don’t know exactly what they were. It’s probably not really important, but what is important that. He and this Mr. Davidson were indicted for federal racketeering [00:06:00] charges in February 1979. Hauser went ahead and pled guilty, and he had to pay off a hefty fine and he was going to have to do some prison time. That’s when the FBI—you know, they were probably watching all this—pounced and turned him into a cooperating witness. And they wanted to start this ambitious sting operation because they had these other two stings going on at the time. This was a thing for the FBI. They called it Brilab. B R I L A B. You may have heard of BriLab. And this, these other stings going on were Abscam and MyPorn were the two big ones that made some headlines. Now, Abscam, if you remember, that was one where the agents were opposing as an Arab sheik, willing to bribe New Jersey politicians. They wanted to open up some casinos in New Jersey, and that’s where the famous saying that was, was on the, there’s a lot of videos out there of, at the time that got leaked of New Jersey politicians taking money directly from this Arab in full headdress. And the saying was Bush money [00:07:00] walks. The saying was money talks and bullshit walks. So that probably reminds you about abscan. They did a movie about this too. My porn, Miami porn pornography. That was a sting where some agents set up a pornography distribution company in Miami and started buying porn from mob connection, connected distributors all over the country. This was one interesting thing about this was one of the agents that got involved with this. Got caught shoplifting like a couple of years later and kind of, it really damaged any testimony that he was able to give, you know, the claim was that he got so into this criminal lifestyle working, you know, deep cover, undercover 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But he didn’t know right from wrong anymore.

Jimmy “The Bomber” Cataura Apr 08, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary and his guest, Camillus “Cam” Robinson, talk about the turbulent life of Jimmy the Bomber Cataura, a figure whose name became synonymous with Chicago’s underworld. Known as Jimmy the Bomber,” Jimmy Cataura’s story is a complex web of crime, suspicion, and intrigue. In 1952, Jimmy the Bomber surfaced in the newspapers concerning bombings in the Chicago area. Two Teamsters Union officials’ homes and a gasoline station where employees had refused to join the union were targeted. Despite being questioned, Jimmy couldn’t be linked to the bombings and was instead charged with disorderly conduct. Over the years, Jimmy’s alleged involvement in criminal activities continued to escalate. In 1967, he was linked to a murder investigation, but no charges were filed. 1972, Jimmy was among the men arrested on fraud and loan shark charges. The men had set up a fraudulent corporation that charged fees for financing loans totaling over one million dollars. Despite these brushes with the law, Jimmy the Bomber evaded conviction. A federal grand jury next indicted him for transporting a stolen vehicle across state lines, but the outcome of this case remains unknown. Jimmy’s reputation within the criminal underworld grew as the years went by. Jimmy the Bomber was rumored to be involved in various criminal activities, including stealing and selling stolen auto parts. However, his criminal empire began to crumble in the late 1970s as rival factions within the Chicago Outfit vied to control his chop shop rackets. South Side Boss Frank LaPorte died, and Al Pilotto took over. The new power wanted a piece of this chop shop racket. In 1978, Jimmy’s life came to a violent end when he was gunned down while sitting in his car. His death marked the end of an era, leaving behind a legacy of crime and intrigue that fascinates today. Join us as we unravel the life of Jimmy the Bomber Cataara, a man whose name became synonymous with Chicago’s criminal underworld. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [00:00:00] Hey, welcome all you wiretappers. Good to be back here in the studio of gangland wire. I’ve got my good friend, Camillus Robinson, cam Robinson. Welcome cam. Good to see you. I haven’t talked to you for a while. Hey Gary. I can’t tell you how much it it means to me to be back and be back in the the studio with you. It’s such a, such a great time. And I’m glad to be here and I’m really excited about today’s show. Really good. Yeah, we’re going to do Jimmy the Bomb Jimmy “The Bomber” Catuara. Is that how you pronounce that, Cam? ? Catuara, yeah. Catuara? Okay. That’s how I would say, yes. You know, you know how everybody laughs about how I drag out my bowels up here. Not as bad, much as they laugh about me. Right. One guy said, well, that hillbilly Tw that guy’s, God, he said, man, he, he can’t be telling me about the mafia. . I had to get everybody to to help me out with Joey. I Joey Aiuppa Yeah, you can’t do that. And I, and I do. I’ve got no, I am Italian. I’ve got no excuse. Yeah. See, I’m full excuse anyhow, we’re going to talk about Jimmy the Bomber Couture, you know, and, and Cam, [00:01:00] he came over as a child, I believe from Sicily. Now, if I’m wrong on that, let me know guys, but it, it looks like he was naturalized after he got here, but probably as a young man or a child you know, he, he got married, had a couple of kids and, and, and we’re talking about the, the twenties. By 1929, he’s, he is in his early 20s, I believe, and, you know, the stock market crashes and, and he’s a young guy, got a couple of kids trying to scuffle out a living and kind of interesting note I found on that when the stock market crashed, banks weren’t lending out money. And you know what happened when the banks quit lending out money? That’s when the loan shark business started. I never put that together before. Did you, Cam? Do you ever think about that? You know, I didn’t in that, in that capacity, it’s, it’s interesting how there was such a conglomeration of so many different things that went into in that time period, like you said, the banks collapsed, the alcohol became illegal, all the immigrants started [00:02:00] pouring into the country. And that, that confluence of different things really is, is what, what blew up, what we came to. That was, is the mafia, you know, it was all, it was just the perfect storm that led to all these rackets that blew up. I mean, it really was the time and the place to start an organized crime empire. Really? And, and, you know, loan sharking, if you think about it, it had all those Sicilian immigrants and, and the banks were all ran by the English and the Germans, and they’re not going to loan anything to new newly arrived immigrant. Plus the immigrant can’t read the paperwork and probably can’t speak the language. So, you know, the loan sharking business, you know, was going to come up. It was really interesting. And with, with bootlegging and a variety of other things, of course, there were some narcotics business going on at the time coming out of. Cuba going up through the Midwest and, and, and in New York, and that was all by the mafia. So, you know, it was, it was a perfect storm for that. You know, he ends up being, you know, they list him in the sentence census [00:03:00] in the 1930 census as a presser and a trailer shop, tailor shop. But pretty few years later, he’s a retail meat market. then he’s an inmate in the Illinois State Penitentiary during this time. So he’s a real renaissance man, is a renaissance man, the man for all seasons. The census did indicate he had completed the fourth grade. So he wasn’t like most of these guys, you know, they didn’t go, if they went to high school, that was back then, especially hardly anybody went to high school, unless you were of a certain class, all the working class kids, you went to eighth grade, ninth grade, and then you were on, you were working. So that’s what he did, but he was maybe not a you know, a genius scholar, a Rhodes scholar or anything like that, but he learned the streets and he learned it from a guy, which is interesting, a guy named James Bellacastro, who was known as the king of bombers. So he learned from the king of [00:04:00] bombers and he will eventually become known as the. Jimmy the Bomber Catuara. So go figure that man. That’s right. And Belcastro was a big deal. There were a couple of guys who, who came after Belcastro who, who took that name, the bomber, but you know, they, he had a whole string of bombers that came after Belcastro. Matter of fact, one of his early arrests was he and a guy named William Palermo were apprehended with a bomb and that was in 1933. He even got a little description of it. He had seven sticks of dynamite and they were getting ready to go to trial and the defense would contend that the bomb was planted on them by the cops, which is, you know, I’m not sure how that works, but I guess, you know, I guess they were you know, it’d be possible they’d try to shake them down or something. Those same cops would testify that he had offered him a thousand dollar bribe while he was at the police station. So he was doing pretty good early on. Thousand dollars. Yeah, that’s a lot of damn money in [00:05:00] 1933. Jesus, I don’t know how, I don’t know how you could resist that in 1933. I couldn’t, I couldn’t bribe a cop for 1, 000 tomorrow. They charge you with attempted bribery and he ended up getting five to 25 years. I never understood those indeterminate sentences, but I think it’s, I think it is to, to keep. people, keep them better prisoners because they’ve got a chance of maybe getting out because you have this indeterminate sentence. So, you know, you could be a good prisoner and then have a chance at getting out early because, you know, there’s not a locked in time that you have to stay there, wouldn’t you say? Would you hazard a guess on that? That makes really good sense that I hadn’t thought about it. I’ve seen those sentences before, you know, in the reading that you and I do a lot and I never really got it. I thought, you know, that was sort of a broad outlining, but it really does make sense. And it is sort of a, you know, a reason that they should an incentive for, for, for good behavior. You know, and [00:06:00] he was in Chicago and it seemed like this is the thirties. But Capone had something to do with the dairy business at one time. And this was, this mom was. Arrest was something to do with a string of bombings in the dairy business. So somebody was trying to line up the dairy business back during the 30s, I would say. That was Curly Curly Humphreys had a lot to do with that. They figured if you could, if you could line up the milk and, you know, milk was everywhere. You had the, just like with everything, you had the, the milk unions and they delivered the milk around just like, you know, years later in, in Jersey, like you should have the garbage, but if you could line up the. The milk lobbies, that was one of the first unions that they were known for, for getting lined up was, was, was the the milk haulers.

What Happened to the French Connection Dope? Apr 03, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, I delve into a fascinating tale involving corrupt individuals like Gaspipe Casso, a New York police cop named Vinny Albano, and a drug dealer named Herbie Pate. Albano, engaged in taking down the French Connection, conspires with Pate to steal French Connection heroin from the police property room. The duo starts selling the stolen heroin on the streets, making millions of dollars, with Gaspipe Casso taking a cut. However, tensions rise between Albano and Pate over money, leading to a lethal confrontation where Pate shoots and kills Albano in self-defense. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Hey, all you wiretappers out there, I got a fun little story here about Gas Pipe Casso, a corrupt New York police cop named Vinny Albano, not one of the two mafia cops, Caracapa and Esposito, and another Lucchese associate drug dealer named Herbie Potte. That’s P-A-T-E, I believe. Yeah, P-A-T-E, Herbie Potte or Potte. [0:29] Albano was part of the crew he worked narcotics and was part of the crew that helped take down the French connection so he knew about the dope and they knew about it being in the property room there was like what uh 70 some kilos in the property room at one time and so he got this Herbie Pott they both had been involved in a lot of crooked stuff and and with Gas Pipe Castle So he instructed Herbie Pate just how to to put on a police uniform and got some forged papers and access the property room. Well, well, this Herbie Pate goes in, he’s cracking jokes and he’s making the property room clerk laugh and that kind of thing. And he goes in and he walks out with all this French Connection heroin. Well, he and Vinnie, Vinnie Albano, they start selling it on the streets over the next. [1:17] Few weeks and months, and they’re making a lot of money. I mean, this was millions of dollars worth of heroin. Millions in Heroin and Betrayal [1:23] I mean, millions of dollars worth. And Gaspipe Castle was getting a piece of that action all along because they were associates in the Lucchese family, and he helped facilitate all this. So he always gets the action. Well, Albano was kind of a, he had a bad temper, shall we say, and he was suspicious. And Pate, he was like, you know, know he was a crook he no there’s no honor among thieves in this world and so they get arguing about money and albano is accusing pate of stealing from him albano drives to pate’s work and tries to run him down the car one evening and i don’t know what the work was but there must not have been anybody around he avoids him they albano gets out and he’s a tough guy but so So says Pate. Pate had gone to gas pipe and said, you know, I’ve got this problem with this crazy ass cop. [2:16] I need a gun. So gas pipe had given him a little 38, a little, I think it was a little chief air weight, I believe. And they’d given him a gun. So he’s got a gun stuck down his back pocket while they’re wrestling around. Pate was able to reach around and get that gun out and start shooting. Deadly Confrontation on the Street [2:32] And he shoots and he kills Albano right there on the street. Well, he’s not really that guy particularly. you know he’s a heroin dealer and a drug dealer and an associate but he’s not really that guy and and so he calls gas pipe casso who is that guy and casso said okay just wait right there i’ll be there casso runs over to where they are together they take albano’s car and they put his body in it and one of them drives it down to by the ronzos underneath the veronzo bridge and leaves it down there with his body in the car knowing it’ll be found probably later that night or the next day and takes him back home and and they say caspo we know a lot of this because casso if you remember, He came in for a period of time, then he went back out. I’d have to do a whole story on that whole ending of Gas Pipe Castle career. But he did talk about this to the law enforcement and explained this story out. And so he said when he got back home, he said he felt really bad because Albano had really been a big help to him. [3:38] Albano, this former, I think he’s a lieutenant or something, he had even taken a big magnet into the courtroom. A courthouse where they had some tapes stored that were going to be incriminating for Casso and ran this magnet over these stored tapes and you know that straightens out all the little little electrons in a digital tape or whatever kind of analog tape either one I think a big heavy magnet will ruin those tapes and he’d done that for him but you know he I mean, Casso was like he kind of could disassociate himself from any real personal feelings about this. He felt like he was kind of a CEO or a boss of a big organization. And whatever they did and whatever they needed to do to survive and to make money and to prosper was okay. Not unlike a lot of big corporations today. The tobacco corporations, think about that. They stand up there live like hell in front of the national media, in front of some Senate investigating committee. So, you know, not much difference, you know, two sides of the same coin there, I would say. So thanks a lot. Just a little story I happened to run across and I thought you guys would be interested in.

Beneath the Bathrobe: The Dark World of Vincent Gigante Apr 01, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins takes you on a riveting journey through the dark corridors of mob history. Step into the shadows with Gary as he sits down with an esteemed reporter and author, Larry McShane, to unravel the enigma that was Vincent “The Chin” Gigante, a man whose life reads like a gripping crime novel. Larry McShane, a seasoned veteran of the city beat, delves deep into his book “Chin: The Life and Crimes of Mafia Boss Vincent Gigante,” shedding light on the man behind the myth. Vincent Gigante’s story is one of intrigue and terror, a tale of a professional boxer turned merciless assassin whose very name struck fear into the hearts of his enemies. Handpicked by the notorious Vito Genovese to lead the Genovese Family, The Chin amassed a fortune of over $100 million, all while evading the relentless pursuit of federal investigators. But beneath the facade of power and wealth lurked a mind shrouded in darkness. Gigante appeared as a madman to the outside world, roaming the streets in a tattered bathrobe, playing games in storefronts, and hiding a second family from his wife. Despite his bizarre antics, Gigante’s cunning and ruthlessness knew no bounds, as he controlled an underworld empire of nearly three hundred made men. It took decades of intense FBI investigation by federal authorities to bring down the man who seemed untouchable finally. We learn they not only sent The Chin to prison but also forced him to admit he had been acting like he was crazy to avoid prosecution for many years. Join Gary Jenkins and Larry McShane as they peel back the layers of myth and legend to reveal the chilling truth behind one of the most notorious figures in mob history. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Welcome all you wiretappers. Good to be back here in studio gangland wire. I have a really interesting guy today. You may have all heard of him. He wrote the book on the chin Gigante. I have Larry McShane. Welcome Larry. Hey, good morning. Thanks for having me. Well, Larry, start out talking a little bit about your book, you know, how you got into it and, and, you know, because we can always get it on Amazon. I’ll have guys, I’ll have links to the book in the show notes. So tell us about getting into your book. Yeah, I’d covered a lot of organized crime stuff in New York. I worked for Associated Press for a long time. And You know, I guess it’s, it’s the kind of thing where I looked around at some point and, you know, there had been guys were writing their own books, right? Sammy the bull, for example, there was a whole book about little Al DiArco and yet nobody had really done any kind of a project involving a Gigante [00:01:00] who I found as kind of the most compelling mob figure. Out of that generation and that time when the mob was finally kind of brought down by the FBI. He was interesting. And guys, the name of the book is The Chin. Let me give you the tagline on it. It is The Life and Crimes of Mafia Boss, Vincent Gigante. So by Larry McShane, like I said, I’ll have the the title, I mean, the link to the Amazon and the show notes. So how did you start out? Writing this book, did you like go to the FBI to do FOIA? Did you get, did you have some mob sources or just agent sources? Tell a little bit about the process of doing a, on a guy that’s so secretive that he put on this act, this crazy act all those years and so secretive that we’ll get into later. He stayed in the background and pretended like fat Tony Salerno was the boss when he really was. I mean, this guy was an enigma. Yeah, there was I mean, by the time I started doing the book, [00:02:00] Giganti had been in jail for some time at that point. And, and so there was some, some lapse of time between the whole story and, and and my decision to try and find somebody to, to buy this book, which they did. And the timing was such that there were a lot of people still around who were involved in the whole prosecution. Lawyers. And I, I would say almost everyone I reached out to was, was eager to cooperate and gave me tons of stuff, you know because even though Giganti had been such a high profile boss, you know, his whole dodge of feigning mental illness for three decades and also made him a guy. Who was very mysterious, although the most powerful mafia boss in New York, he was, he was something else. So you know, let’s talk a little bit about this this [00:03:00] enigma of, of him and the Genovese family would go all the way back. I was doing a little research on him about how they had this. This habit of having a real boss and then a guy that’s out on the street that everybody seems to know is a boss and, and plus they had all the, like, just the fact that he pointed the chin, you know, you didn’t say his name, you pointed at your chin and, and some of the other guys had those same kind of codes to avoid their names being heard on a wire tap or anything. So talk a little bit about that out front boss and then the real boss back behind in the Genovese family. Yeah. When, when the chin took over I believe Tony Salerno was the boss at that time, fat Tony. And it was just agreed that he would be the face of the, of the family for lack of a better term. And Gigante would actually be running the family. You know, and it worked so well that Tony got indicted in the commission trial and convicted on that while, [00:04:00] you know, the chin avoided. Prosecution until 1997, you know, almost two decades later. That was that, that was pretty slick. And like I said, they pointed to the chin I believe quiet Dom Shrello, they pointed at the lips. There’s another guy that made the sign of like bull horns. And the pointing at the chin was always the big one. Don’t speak. Just, just point to your chin. I even, I even met kind of Periphery mob guy who connected back to New York. And I mentioned, I just kind of was trying to engage him. He was, we would, what you’d call associate and he was living in another city, but he connected back to New York. And I mentioned you to Gante and he just started pointing at his chin. So yeah, pretty well known. And apparently people were still obeying that order, huh? This guy did. [00:05:00] Yeah, right. That was just like two years ago. So interesting. That’s funny. You know, when, when he. As he came up, you know, we start off with the famous Frank Costello screwed up hit and he, I believe he was Vito Genovese driver at the time and, and, and, cause he could talk a little bit about, did you go back that far about that, those first years as, as he came on up the, the chain of command, shall we say? Yeah, well, he had been, he had been working as a, not working. He was fighting as a, as a professional boxer for a little while. And you know, he grew up in Greenwich village, which was you know, a place where there were a lot of guys who were in the life living around. And you know, he came into the family and then really, as, as you just referenced his, his big break, if you want to describe it, that was that he is he has given the Costello [00:06:00] shooting which was in May, 1957. Fido Genovese is looking to take over the family. And and so Chin gets the job and it’s in May of 1957, I believe. Costello has just come home to his apartment on the Upper West Side, he’s in the lobby after a night on the town, and Giganti shows up, pulls a gun, and he delivers his famous line, this one’s for you, Frank, and then misses. He just grazes, he just grazes Costello’s head, and Costello survives, and Chin goes. So, you know, I think that’s what’s interesting. Another interesting thing about the Chin Gigante is he bridges the mob from the Prohibition era, really, which Costello, Lansky, and everybody came out of the Prohibition era and the first organization. [00:07:00] He bridges that. Divide between there and he’s an important mafia figure all the way up to the commission. And after, you know, like you see 10 years after the commission case before he finally goes down. So he just, he is the mob in New York city, but he’s one of the lesser known guys. Everybody knows Gotti and Sammy the bull and all that, but they don’t know Gigante hadn’t really been that much written about him either. Yeah. I mean, Gigante. You know, it was not a guy who was a fan of, of bosses like John Gotti. You know, he was, he was not on board with the killing of Paul Castellano in 1985 you know, outside Sparks Steakhouse. That’s an unsanctioned hit of a mob boss, which, you know, the other mob bosses don’t want to see that become a trend, right? No. Yeah. And I mean, it’s funny that this just came up. I, that the first big mob story I covered was that murder, which was in December of 1985. It was [00:08:00] Christmastime and Castellano got killed by the Gotti hit squad outside Spark Steakhouse on 46th Street. And I got sent over from I worked at Associated Press at the time. I got sent over from our office to the steakhouse and you know, I’ve never seen anything like it before. Since the, the two bodies are laid out in the street, the doors of their, of their town car are wide open. The FBI has Klieg lights set up all over the place. I mean, I, I didn’t plan for this coming up,

Underworld Enigima: Sam Giancana Mar 27, 2024

Gangland Wire host, retired Detective Gary Jenkins, reports on the life and legacy of Sam Mooney Giancana, a prominent figure in the Chicago outfit and the mafia world. Giancana’s enigmatic nature and shadowy dealings are explored, tracing his journey from a member of the 42 gang to the pinnacle of the Chicago outfit. Known for his ruthlessness and criminal prowess, Giancana’s rise in the criminal underworld during the Prohibition era is detailed, showcasing his involvement in illegal activities like gambling, liquor distribution, and political rackets. The host sheds light on Giancana’s connections with influential figures like Al Capone, his alleged role in John F. Kennedy’s presidential victory, and his entanglement with the CIA in plots to assassinate Fidel Castro. The interview further brings to light Giancana’s partnership with Richard Cain, a corrupt law enforcement officer turned mob associate, expanding their operations to include gun smuggling, espionage, and international intrigues. The narrative takes a dark turn as Giancana’s mysterious death in 1975 is analyzed, with several theories suggesting mob involvement, internal power struggles, and CIA conspiracies behind his assassination. The interview speculates on potential conspirators, including Tony Accardo, Santo Trafficante Jr., and even the CIA, reflecting the convoluted web of betrayal, power dynamics, and covert operations that characterized Giancana’s tumultuous life. Ultimately, Sam Giancana’s legacy endures as a symbol of the murky intersections between crime and espionage, leaving behind a trail of unsolved mysteries, political entanglements, and violent retribution. The host encourages engagement from listeners, offering insights into mob history, sharing anecdotes, and inviting discussion on the complex and intriguing world of organized crime. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Hey, all you wiretappers out there, back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. You know, I’m doing these little kind of short, down-and-dirty bios of major mob guys, because I got to realizing that everybody doesn’t know all the details that maybe I know or that I’ve read about. I know a lot of you guys know a lot of stuff. A lot of you know a lot more than I know. But everybody doesn’t know everything about all these different guys. And I may mention the name, you know, Tommy Lucchese, Three Finger Lucchese. You might mention Vito Genovese or just, you know, Genovese, the Genovese family. So putting out these shorties to say this is who these guys are is bonus episode. So today I’m going to deal with the life and legacy of Sam Mooney Giancana, unveiling the enigma. And he was an enigmatic figure, which I think means I’m using that $25 word there, aren’t I? Which I think means he was kind of a shadowy character, kind of hard to understand, had a lot of secrets. And he did. You know, he like went to Mexico for quite a while. He had business interest all around the world and gaming in casinos and gambling. And he wouldn’t share some of that, which some of that came back to bite him, I think, in the end. [1:14] But he was born in 1908, May 24th in Chicago. He was he was a Chicago outfit guy. And he starts out. his journey into the crime world as a teenager in the 42 gang. Now, they say it wasn’t because they lived on 42nd Street. It was because it was Alibaba and the 40 Thieves. And with Alibaba, that made 41. And then so they wanted to say they had 42 members in their gang. So they called themselves the 42 gang. That’s a good story, isn’t it? Giancana’s Rise in Chicago Outfit [1:45] But he’s going to go to the pinnacle of the Chicago outfit, but it’s a long tail woven throughout with intrigue, power, and a lot of clandestine activities, including stuff with the CIA. So as a young man, Giancana’s proudness as a getaway driver and a lethal force, I mean, he was a guy that would kill without hesitation. [2:09] Earned him a reputation in a 42 gang that caught the attention of the Capone group, of course. And Capone was the man during that time. These were the young Turks and Capone was a guy running everything in Chicago. So they started taking a Cardo. He came out of the circus gang, Giancana and a couple others. I can’t remember their names came out of the 42 gang. [2:31] But by the end of Prohibition in the 1930s, he was seamlessly integrated into the criminal web of the Chicago outfit. And they controlled all the illegal gambling and liquor distribution during Prohibition. They had gotten their clutches into any liquor distribution. Prohibition’s over. They’re not going to let that go. And political rackets. And they also had stuff going down all the way down the Midwest, Kansas City, and then down into Louisiana. Indiana. Giancana, he had a knack for finding profit centers for the outfit. He knew he could smell money. So during the 50s, they didn’t pay much attention to the South Side, to the Black community. There were Black gangsters earning huge sums from the lottery. [3:17] Gen Cana befriended one of these guys and learned the business and then pretty soon forced him to retire. And then this This guy just said, OK, and he left the city. Well, there was another black policy baron named Theodore Rowe who then moved in on this black group that Jen Cannon was trying to take over. And they started a war. And Teddy Rowe would not back down. He would not back down. They had a shootout. I believe he shot and killed Johnny Roselli’s brother or another guy. Anyhow, he shot and killed one of the major mob guys brothers in a shootout. And but by the end, policy baron Theodore Rowe, Teddy Rowe, is killed. [4:01] Sam Giancana will rise to the top of the outfit. And in 1957, he becomes the out front boss as Accardo, who has really been the boss since after the war. He and Paul The/Waiter Ricca had been the boss and Accardo had been kind of out front. Like now Sam Giancana is going to be out front. Cardo is going to take a step back. He still maintained a lot of power and a lot of say-so. Intrigue and Plots Unravel [4:29] Now we’ll get up into the 60s. Here’s where we get into this intrigue and these different plots that are going on. There are whispers that Giancana had something to do with John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential victory and by getting out the vote for him in Chicago. Well, I never did buy that story particularly particularly because they could get out the Democrats were going to win in Chicago anyhow. So I don’t really understand that, but a lot of people say that Giancana believes that his influence put Kennedy over the top and handed him the presidential victory. There might be more to that story. Many claim that the mafia then would guide the political fate of any major candidate during those years. [5:16] And also during the 1960s, Giancana became entangled with the CIA or the Central Intelligence Agency because they were frantically trying to kill Fidel Castro and their own little plots and plans with their own people was not coming to fruition, was not working. You know, they got hold of Santo Trafficante Jr., who was the mob boss down in Tampa, and Carlos Marcelo, who was down in New Orleans because they had a lot of connections to Cuba. And then JFK gets assassinated about this time. And as we all know, there’s tons of information out there that link Traficante and Carlos Marcelo to the murder of JFK. And this is all back to Cuba, the failed Bay of Pigs operation that Kennedy, like Kennedy, let him down. You know, it really is complicated. Well, also during this time, to keep it going. [6:11] Giancana takes in a guy named Richard Cain, who is a Chicago, actually a Cook County deputy sheriff, had been a Chicago policeman. He was just corrupt as heck. And he was really the bag man for the outfit at one time to carry bribes back to sheriff’s detectives, to the sheriff’s office, was vice squad and different people on the Chicago Police Department. He also had a connection to the CIA. This is already, you know, web of different connections. And here we’ve got Richard Cain moving in. He’s side by side with Sam Giancana. His connections expanded way beyond the outfit and the outfits, gambling and smuggling operations. He really expanded out. He was involved with some the training of the Cuban people for the Bay of Pigs. He was involved in smuggling operations down through Central America, down to Panama, gambling in Iran, gambling casinos. He was Giancana’s man on a lot of that. Giancana got action out of this. When they engaged in activities that transcended conventional organized crime, Sam Giancana and Richard Cain, they got approached to do different things and probably had something to do with some of this. Some of it’s rumor, there was armed smuggling to the Middle East for the Israeli Mossad. And that went through Ponant Panama. That was their connections down to Panama. Intersection of Mafia and CIA [7:36] The mafia and intelligence community really intersected when this plot came out to kill Castro. Richard Cain was all entangled in the middle of that. And Giancana supposedly made a claim that, yeah, he could get that done. [7:52] Never did seem to get it done,

Philadelphia Mob Lawyer: Robert Simone Mar 25, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary and his regular contributor, Australian lawyer and mafia researcher Tony Taourk look into the intriguing story of Robert Simone, a Philadelphia lawyer with deep ties to the mob. We learn that he was born in South Philadelphia in 1933, and Simone’s career took a dramatic turn when he defended showgirl Lillian Rees in 1961. Rees was charged in connection with the theft of half a million dollars from a wealthy Pennsylvania millionaire. Despite his limited experience in criminal law at the time, Robert Simone overturned Rees’ conviction on appeal, gaining attention in the media and among criminals alike. Simone’s involvement with Rees also led him to cross paths with mobsters, as Rees’ boyfriend and co-defendant was a mobster himself. Simone’s heavy gambling and drinking habits further connected him to the mob, as he often frequented bars where he encountered mobsters and borrowed money from mob loan sharks. One such loan shark, Frank Sindone, recommended Simone to other mobsters and eventually became Simone’s client in a successful acquittal for loan sharking charges. Simone’s reputation grew within the criminal underworld, and he attracted the attention of Roofer’s Local 30, a corrupt union that provided him with a steady stream of criminal cases. He also represented John McCullough, the head of the union, who was later murdered on the orders of the Philadelphia mob. Simone’s big break came when he represented mob boss Nicky Scarfo in a murder trial. The government charged Scarfo, along with his nephew, Phil Leonetti, and another mobster with the murder of a cement contractor. Despite the testimony of an eyewitness, Simone’s skills as a lawyer shone during this trial, showcasing his ability to sway jurors and play mind games in the courtroom to achieve a not-guilty verdict. Despite his success in defending Scarfo, Simone’s ties to the mob ultimately led to his downfall. He was disbarred 1989 for his involvement in a money-laundering scheme with Scarfo and other mobsters. Simone’s story is a cautionary tale of the dangers of getting too close to the criminal underworld. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [00:00:00] Welcome back in the studio of Gangland Wire. Good to be back here with you guys. I have our good friend from down under, Tony Taouk. Welcome, Tony. Thank you for having me, Gary. Oh, as you guys know, Tony is our expert on mob lawyers. We have done God. How many have we done now, Tony? We’ve done Goodman and who else have we done? Roy Cohen, Well, it’s coming out. It’s coming out. We’re recording this guys today, January the what? The third or the fourth and Corsak is coming out in two weeks. It’ll be out. I think a week from this Monday, I believe I’d have to look. I know. I just put it in to released so I can stay about two or three weeks ahead. Anyhow, Corsak, Sydney Corsak. Frank Regano. Oh, Regano. Yeah. From Traficante down in down in Florida. So good. Yeah. Well, we’re moving right on through them, Tony. We’re going to be through them all one of these days. Oh, Cutler. We did Bruce [00:01:00] Cutler. And see. I don’t know what we’ve got left after this. There’s some more guys out there. There’s kind of boring guys out there. They’re back in New York, I know. There’s a lot, but they’re not, nobody is as colorful as these guys. These are the colorful ones, which is, that’s what we like is a colorful ones, right? They’re dying. Great. Yeah. Colorful people are a dying breed. It seems to me like any more like your sports figures buried cell once in a while, somebody I get in trouble, but not like they used to. And you know other personalities, they used to get in a lot more trouble than they do now. Everybody’s a lot more cautious now. Now they want us to have to make something up to make it look like somebody did something wrong or got them in trouble. Anyhow, today we’re going to talk about Robert Simone. He was a Philadelphia guy, Philadelphia lawyer, and I had kind of a little personal connection myself to one of those cases, which we’ll talk about later. But Robert [00:02:00] Simone, Tony, how did he get started in this mob lawyer business? Well, he was born in, excuse me, he was born in, Simone was born in South Philadelphia in 1933. He got his law degree from Temple University Law School and he became a lawyer in 1958. His big break as a lawyer came in 1961 when he defended a colourful showgirl called Lillian Rees. When she was charged in connection with a theft of around half a million dollars from the home of a wealthy Pennsylvania Colmogile. Funnily enough, Risa only retained Simone because she could no longer afford her original lawyer for her second trial because her first trial ended with a hung jury. Now at this point in his career, Simone was only about 28 years old and he was mainly doing civil cases. And he had hardly any experience in criminal law, so I don’t know why she would take that risk, but she did. He represented her in [00:03:00] her second trial, which ended with a conviction. However, he managed to overturn the conviction on appeal. She probably hired him because he was cheaper than anybody else. That would be my bet on that. He’d been a civil lawyer. They wanted to get in criminal law. Probably saw this as maybe something he could Parlay into something because it’d get headlines and get publicity out of it. I had a friend that did a murder case here in Kansas city when he was a young lawyer and he got a not guilty on the murder case. And they, cases started flooding into his office after that. So that is not lost on people out there. And you get some headlines and you get, especially if you get a win, but any kind of headlines interesting. So how did he get involved with the mob? That’s a long ways from this woman. Yes. Can you just repeat that? I want to go get some water. I’ll be back. Okay. Okay. Repeat that question. Okay. I will when you get [00:04:00] back. Sorry about that. I just keep coughing. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Yeah. Yep. So just ask me again. How did you get involved? Yes. So Tony, how did he get involved with the mob? It’s kind of a far step from this gal here and getting involved with the mob in Philadelphia. Well, the Lillian Rees case generated a lot of media coverage because she was so colourful. So, Simone, as you said before, became a familiar figure in local papers. Criminals tend to flock to lawyers who appear in the newspapers thinking they’re better than other lawyers. I don’t know if that’s always the case. But anyway, another reason was Reece’s boyfriend and co defendant in the case was a mobster. So he obviously witnessed first hand Simone’s legal maneuvers and probably recommended him to other mobsters. But there’s also another reason, Simone was a heavy gambler, a heavy drinker and a compulsive gambler. [00:05:00] So he inevitably stumbled across mobsters at bars and he borrowed money from mob loan sharks when he ran out of money. As compulsive gamblers do. One of the loan sharks that Simone borrowed money from was a guy called Frank Sindone, a senior figure in the Philadelphia mob. When Sindone was charged with loan sharking, Simone represented him and managed to get him acquitted by discrediting the FBI agents responsible for the investigation. Soon thereafter, he attracted the attention of a powerful and corrupt union called Rufus Local 30s. Now that union, its rank included a lot of tough men who always get into trouble with the law, and that gave him a stre steady stream of criminal cases. Now, the head of that union, John McCullough, who Simone also represented at one stage, he would later be murdered on the orders of the Philadelphia mob. What was the name of that union again? Ruffer’s Local [00:06:00] 30. Oh, Ruffer’s Local. Okay, I couldn’t understand that first word. Alright interesting. The Ruffer’s Union. Well, those mobsters, they’re not, they don’t care what union it is, if they can get involved in it. It’s the Labor’s Union in St. Louis, the Teamsters Union in Chicago and Detroit, and so they’re not really Picky as long as they get involved with with a union. So that would have set him on the on the path. I see right now how he got into an interesting, you know, kind of a parallel is a guy named Bob Cooley. He went in witness protection eventually and testified a lot against a lot of guys in Chicago. That was his deal. He was a heavy drinker and a gambler and a partier, and, and pretty soon he’s on the hook for money and, and pretty soon they’re using him for whatever they can use him for. So it, it sounds, I bet he carried a lot of money to judges and, and help bribe jurors and stuff too. So, Nicky Scarfo is going to come along. And now, did he do any work for the General Don, for Angelo Bruno? Personally, do you [00:07:00] remember? Not that I’m aware of. Okay. But he became acquainted with him at the acquittal. I believe he received a call from him. And he, he, he met him around that time. Now the Sedona Quiddle really boosted his stature in the Philadelphia underworld, as you’d expect. And eventually he caught the attention of Nicky Scarford, the man destined to become the head of the Philadelphia Mob,

Unmasking the Real Spider in Goodfellas! Mar 20, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary looks into the intriguing life of Michael “Spider” Gianco, a real-life figure known from the movie “Goodfellas.” Born in 1954 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, Gianco was associated with the Bonanno and Lucchese families and was a Jimmy the Gent Burke protege. Referred to as Spider due to his long limbs and excellent burglary skills, Gianco was a trusted member who could climb into hard-to-reach places. He was involved in organized crime from a young age, engaging in car theft and other illicit activities. Gianco was a crucial player in a car theft and smuggling ring, specializing in stealing cars from locations like JFK long-term parking. He would deliver these cars to a junkyard in Brooklyn, where they would be sold or shipped to Haiti. Gianco made money for every vehicle he stole and was involved in various criminal activities orchestrated by Jimmy the Gent and Paul Vario. However, his relationship with fellow mobster Tommy DeSimone was strained, leading to a fatal confrontation in July 1970. During a poker game at Robert’s Lounge, DeSimone fatally shot Gianco after an argument, with Jimmy the Gent instructing DeSimone to bury the body. The murder, reminiscent of a scene from “Goodfellas,” shocked those present, and despite the body never being found, Gianco’s fate was sealed. The aftermath of Gianco’s death further illuminated the ruthless nature of organized crime, showcasing the dangers and consequences of underworld disputes. The intricacies of mob life, rule-breaking, and allegiances are dissected, leaving listeners pondering the complexities of this dark underbelly of society.Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Wiretappers out there back here in the studio of gangland wire i want to take a look at kind of a short one again here about michael spider gianco michael spider gianco his he was spider in the movie goodfellas he’s the one that joe petty character shot in the foot and then later killed when when he bucked it back up to him let’s tell you a little bit as a real guy this really happened as you know you know everything really happened in goodfellas for the most part he was you have of a young guy back then, I guess. He was born in 1954. He was killed in 1970. That tells you anything. He was from Brownsville, Brooklyn, and grew up in the neighborhood, South Ozone Park, Queens area. He was a, you know, an associate of the Bonanno family and the Lucchese family, as all those guys around in that Roberts Lounge were, and there really was a Roberts Lounge, he was a protege of Jimmy the Gent Burke, he was a guy. [0:59] Who would go out and do stuff. He was, and what’s interesting about him, he could be trusted. He was from Italy, but he was from Sardinia, which is another island like Sicily off the coast of Italy. He was born Michael Gianfranco. He shortened it to Gianco when he got over here. And then of course, everybody became, started calling me Spider. Now, the reason they called him Spider is because he had really long arms and long limbs and he was a great burglar. where he could climb up and get into places and things like that. His family brought him over here when he was a kid. They settled in Queens. He was a runaway. He was just a bad kid growing up, as most of these guys are that end up in that life. He had some cousins from his father’s side that had gotten involved with organized crime, as a lot of young guys do in Brooklyn like that. He was a low-level associate. [1:53] He was a good car thief also. also. He was one of these guys that knew how to steal cars. He got to know Jimmy the Gent Burke, and he got to know Jimmy the Gent Burke. Jimmy the Gent put him into the Barrio family and made him an associate because, again, he was an earner. And Paul Barrio was a member of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, and he was hired by a bartender as a member of that union at Robert’s Lounge. A guy named, you never knew who owned that lounge was a guy named Casey Rosado. They had a restaurant named Bruno’s right there. And because of his mob connections, he didn’t have to pay his union dues. He probably wasn’t even old enough to drink when he first got that job there. By the time Spider was 16, he was probably an alcoholic, heavy, heavy drinker, just like Henry Hill and a lot of those guys are. He would become a made member because he was full-blooded Italian. And he became a made member of the Lucchese family. The Rise of Spider [2:58] Jimmy the Gent nicknamed him Spider. He’s the one that gave him the nickname. [3:02] Dropped out of school, of course. He spent all day at Robert’s Lounge, bartended. He collected numbers. He sold, you know, fireworks. He’s mob guys. I tell you, mob guys, if you’re listening out there, you love your fireworks. You love dealing fireworks. You love, like God, he had the free fireworks show every year. I know in Kansas City, some of the people who are involved in and around the mob have a fireworks stand. There’s a lot of money that could be made in a a firework stand in a short period of time. There must be some other scams in around it. I don’t know exactly what they were. They are. I’ve never known. He made coffee. They had a card game going in the basement, which is where he got killed. He would go down there and serve coffee and drinks to the guys down in the basement. [3:48] When he got to be older and he could drive, he’s like a kid when he first gets started there in the Robert’s Lounge and with just like Henry Hill, really, they bring bring in these kids and groom them, bring them in, get them to do things for them. And when they got him to do the auto theft, this was during the late 60s and early 70s. They started getting these smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. And he specialized in going out to the long-term parking at JFK. [4:16] Where they did the Lufthansa heist. It seemed to be their territory. Went out and stole cars from the long-term parking at JFK, plus the neighborhoods of Howard Beach and all around it in that area. at Ozone Park area. He would deliver these cars to the Bargain Auto Junkyard in Starrett City. Spider’s Criminal Activities [4:35] Brooklyn on Flatlands Avenue. Any of you guys that live there in New York, after he would leave the car, they would take off the license plate, switch out the BIN number for one that would have been junked out, and now you got a new car. Either that or they would sell it for parts, depending on what they had many times his cars were stolen or were many times his cars were shipped out of new york and down to port-au-prince haiti and sold his new cars down there they had a eduardo’s sea and land services incorporated which is located in south ozone park and he’s the one that would handle that part of the auto the auto theft ring gen kanko gen gianco gianco spider gianco made a hundred bucks for every car he stole now this was actually henry hill’s chop shop and smuggling ring operation but you know jimmy the gent and paul vario got a big piece of this action all along he had kind of a hostile relationship with this tommy de simone all along it wasn’t just that one incident that popped this off he had a long-term hostile relationship like you will somebody at work you’ll have somebody that just rubs you the wrong way or you rub them the wrong way you both rub each other the wrong way we’ve all all been there he had to you know paul barrio and jimmy burke were like kind of the. Tommy DeSimone’s Influence [6:00] The bosses and and they had to keep it under control when they were around but tommy d simone was he was he he wasn’t he he was more in and he because he had participated in other mob sanctioned murders for paul barrio and pulled off more successful crimes than gianco so he kind of in the pecking order he was on up in the thing and he was involved in the air france robbery the Lufthansa robbery, and he had a lot of praise, was really well-respected in the Lucchese family. [6:33] Now, of course, what happened is basically what happened is what you saw in the movie. Tommy DeSimone likes to pull his gun and wave it around. He even had kind of a target practice down in the range. He had a new Colt .45 revolver, which is unusual. Those are great big guns and revolver, too. The Shooting Incident [6:53] But and so he was jacking around and he did that he shot him in the foot and they took spider out and he saw a doctor the whole nine yards and came back with his foot all bandaged up back to work and he’s you know hustling coffees and doing things for people there the same as you know they was his name was his name michael impero impero they played the part and they did a good job i I understand. Sometime shortly after that, it’s July of 1970. We know that for sure. DeSimone, Tommy DeSimone is playing poker in the basement of Robert’s Lounge. Playing with Jimmy the Gent, Burke, and Angelo Sepp. Gianco served their players drinks, but he forgot DeSimone’s Crown Royal. [7:39] Well, DeSimone, Tommy DeSimone was already drunk and he started berating him for it and berating him for it. And Gianco, Gianco then just turned around and said, you know, why don’t you go fuck yourself? Tommy DeSimone pulled out his Colt .45 and shot him three times in the chest. Right. You know,

Mafia Confessions with Nick Parisi Mar 18, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Dive into the world of Joseph Parisi, the man who murdered Carlo Siniscalchi. Gary interviews author Nick Parisi about his book Mafia Confessions, “King of Bootlegers” Murder. This book sheds light on organized crime during the Prohibition era in the Springfield, Massachusetts, area. Nick offers a glimpse into this city’s early Italian-American criminal groups and the surrounding area and how his ancestor killed Carlo Siniscalchi, the King of the Bootleggers.” Mafia Confessions relies heavily on the diary of the author’s ancestor, Giuseppe “Joseph” Parisi, trial transcripts, and newspaper accounts. Nick Parisi provides a rare and intimate look into the thoughts, emotions, and connections of the man who murdered Carlo Siniscalchi, who was known as the “King of the Bootleggers.” We discuss the ensuing gang war and the trial, revealing the emotional turmoil of a high-level Italian criminal. While not a traditional biography, the book focuses on Parisi’s murder trial rather than his entire life story. The author highlights the challenges of balancing Parisi’s criminal past with the audience’s empathy, akin to rooting for a criminal in “The Shawshank Redemption.” Mafia Confessions fills a void in organized crime literature, particularly Springfield’s criminal history. The author emphasizes the importance of familial connections and heritage in understanding the rival factions and the impact of murders and revenge. Mafia Confessions’ authenticity and narrative captivate, making it a compelling read for anyone interested in Prohibition-era crime or Italian-American organized crime history. Click here to get a copy of Mafia Confessions from Amazon. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Hey, welcome all you wiretappers out there. Good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. We have a show about the Springfield, Massachusetts mob and the foundings of it from a relative who has written a really interesting book. I have Nick Parisi here with me. Welcome, Nick. Thanks, Gary. Great to meet you. Nick, it’s Mafia Confession, King of the Bootleggers. Let me read you guys a couple of the reviews. Very well written by author Nick Parisi, he takes readers back to the days of Prohibition seen through the eyes of a family member who was there. [0:38] Here’s another one, one of the most gripping true crime stories I have ever read. Be warned, it is not for the fainthearted. This book will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. I highly recommend it for true crime aficionados and fans of mob thrillers. From Reader’s Favorite Awards. Praise for “Mafia Confession, King of the Bootleggers” [0:54] So you’ve got some pretty good praise there, Nick. Oh, yeah. I’m getting some good reviews. And even from some of the grandkids of the people that are in the book that are actually in the current mafia today in Springfield, they’re taking pictures with the book and telling me it’s so well done and they love it. Cool. I was actually expecting the opposite, to get some backlash from the other family, but they love it. They love it. They said I did it properly. I got the story right and they appreciate it. Cool. That says a lot in itself. I know these. It’s interesting. A lot of mobsters today, especially our legacy mob guys, follow these different mob channels and they pay attention to them. And if you get something wrong, you’ll get some kind of a comment or somehow you’ll learn it. Or I’ll see comments on other people’s channels that somebody gets something wrong. So it’s interesting how many of these guys are following the mob channels. Legacy of Mario Fiori [1:54] You know, I had Mario Fiori. He was the oldest living member of the mafia. [2:02] And it was his father and his uncle that got killed in my book and his aunt. And he read the book. And his son called me on New Year’s Eve saying, Dad loved the book. He was 10 years old when all these hits happened. And, you know, he’s a made member of the Genovese crime family. And he read the book and he says, you know, he loved it. You know, he, you got the story, right. You know, so that, that was the biggest compliment. Yeah. It was coming from him. It’s gotta be really satisfying for you and all your efforts that you put into it, because I know writing a book is hard. Good writing is hard. It’s really hard. Yeah. [2:44] So absolutely. How did you get into this? Nick Parisi’s Background and Inspiration [2:48] Did you, you know, just want to look at your family history and a little bit about your background, maybe a backup a little bit, tell the guys a little bit of your, about your background. Cause you’re not a career author. You didn’t spend your, your whole life writing articles and for the New Yorker and books and that. So tell us a little bit about your background. Yeah, far from it. You know, I’m a, I’m a, you know, straight D student student in school. And, you know, that was secondary. And, you know, you watch the beginning of Goodfellas, you know, I always knew I wanted to, you know, grow up and be a mobster. You know, that was me and that was all my friends. And, you know, because our fathers and our uncles and grandfathers, they were all in the current mafia at the time. So, you know, I grew up in a mob family, like, you know, most people, you know, with my background did. And, you know, I grew up in the same house that, you know, the story takes place, you know, back in the prohibition, still own that house and i grew up in that house and that neighborhood it’s a all italian neighborhood and you know i saw a lot of things and you know i was i was schooled by my uncles about the you know the inner workings of things in the mob and grew up with everybody that’s in the current mob today i grew up with all them as kids and you know all through life and yeah yeah i would just go on and on about you know how my childhood was but crazy things happened you know mob related when i was growing up so that was in springfield massachusetts. Origins of the Springfield Mafia [4:10] Yes, it was. Which is that family is connected to the Genovese family, which goes way back. And you’re going to explain some of that, I believe, as we get into this, correct? Yeah, sure will. Which I find interesting that the Genovese family reached out that far. And I’m sure there is a link. I’ve read about it. I can’t remember exactly what it is, but you’re going to tell us about that. Yeah, I’ll explain it to you how it happened. But yeah, Vito Genovese, the guy who started the Genovese family, he got involved and sent sent his guys to Springfield and they are still running, you know, the family to Genovese family, is still the controlling family in Springfield, Mass. Genovese Family’s Influence in Springfield [4:49] Interesting. So now how did you get into this? Was there some pivotal event or did you just kind of get interested as you got older and you got more disposable time with your life? Did you find some old manuscripts or newspaper articles? How’d you get into this? [5:07] Yeah. Well, like I told you before, I retired early by the government. I was involved in the cannabis industry and they decided it was time for me to retire. So that happened. I had some of time on my hands between golf and playing poker. So I started getting into my genealogy and, you know, went all the way back to the 17, 1800s on my, on my family. But my one uncle, my, my grandmother’s brother, there was so many newspaper articles that were, you know, about him during the prohibition days. I, and I knew, you know, from talking to my family that, you know, some, you know, some people get older, you know, they’re retaliated in the machine gun, my my grandmother and my uncle. But I knew that story, but I never knew the exact details. The Influence of Mob Genealogy [5:53] So when I’m doing the research on the genealogy, all these newspaper articles start popping up, and I go, there’s good stuff here. And while I’m doing this, I come across a guy, he’s got a website called the Mob Genealogy. Nice guy, Justin Cascio, does a really great, great researcher for for Mafia Genealogy. And I started reading some of his stuff and he was talking about my family. And he was doing a story on the other family that was part of the assassination. [6:25] And he was really biased to the other family. You know, he was more telling their side of the story and making my family look really bad. And I took offense to it. You know, I’m an Italian with a lot of pride and I called him up. [6:40] And I was like, what the hell you think you’re doing? And I’ve been on his show and I told him, I thanked him. I go, you were my inspiration. He goes, what do you mean? I go, well, you pissed me off. You really pissed me off with that story you wrote about my family. And we started talking and I just say, you know what? I can get mad or I can just write the real story. story. Impact of Prohibition on Organized Crime [7:05] So I started to do a little project. It was just going to be a history, historical type story I was going to do.

Danny Greene: Celtic Warrior Mar 13, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Learn about the shadowy world of crime from the life of Danny Greene, also known as the Celtic warrior. If you haven’t seen it, watch “To Kill the Irishman,” a film featuring Christopher Walken and Paul Sorvino. Danny Greene was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1933, orphaned three days after birth, and raised by paternal grandfather and aunt in Collinwood. Danny’s rebellious spirit and tumultuous relationship with his father and stepmother led to a challenging adolescence. Military Service and Union Involvement: After being expelled from high school, Danny Greene enlisted in the Marine Corps, where he excelled as a boxer and earned the rank of corporal. After military service, he became a longshoreman and quickly rose to become the president of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA). Double Life as an Informant: Danny Green became a top informant for the FBI, navigating the worlds of labor racketeering and organized crime. Criminal Activity and Conflicts: Formed the Celtic Club and allied with figures like John Nardi and Alexander Burns, leading to conflicts with the Cleveland Mafia. He was involved in bombings, violent clashes, and assassination attempts, solidifying his reputation as a formidable force. Downfall and Legacy: Despite his cunning intellect and adaptability, Danny Green’s luck ran out when he was killed by a car bomb in 1977. His death exposed a criminal conspiracy involving mafia families from Cleveland, New York City, and Southern California. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [00:00:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there. Welcome to gangland wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired intelligence detective, and this is your portal into the shadowy world of crime. Today we’re going to take a deep dive into the tumultuous life of Daniel John Patrick Green, a. k. a. Danny Green, the Celtic warrior. You may know him from To Kill the Irishman. Well, no movie, Christopher Walken was in it. I think, , Paul Cervino maybe was in it. My friend, Rick Perrello from Cleveland wrote the book and did a documentary and was involved in making the movie. Anyhow, Danny Green, he was a figure whose legacy is etched into the annals of organized crime, especially in Cleveland and the Midwest. Really? Now, so join me and we’re going to unravel the intricate details of Danny Green’s journey through power, betrayal, and the criminal underworld of Cleveland, Ohio. Danny Green was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1933. His early life was a saga of [00:01:00] hardship, aren’t they all? Don’t they all these organized crime guys grew up in some kind of hardship? He was orphaned three days after he was born, and he got the nickname Baby Green until his mother’s burial and his paternal grandfather and aunt took him in and raised him and named him His gave him his name and they were in the blue collar neighborhood of Collinwood in Cleveland. Danny’s tumultuous relationship with his father and stepmother later on in life set the stage for a really challenging adolescence if you can imagine that. Growing up in Collinwood, Danny developed a rebellious spirit and was always running away from home and you know he hit the streets and you know what happens when these young guys hit the streets. What is there out there? There’s crime and there’s stuff, bad stuff to get into. His grandfather, who was living with for a part of this time, had a evening work schedule. And of course, this gave Danny free reign to go out and explore the streets at night. Did any of [00:02:00] your parents work at night? And when you were a teenager, you know, you’re out at night all the time. Got expelled from St. Ignatius High School, and then he went to public school, Collingwood High School. Danny was a really good athlete and liked sports, and even especially basketball. He was a good basketball player, and that gave him a place on the team, but you know, he couldn’t stay in school. Got expelled from high school in 1951. Danny then what a young man do back in those days, especially he enlisted in the Marine Corps. Marine Corps is the toughest section of the service. And that’s where Danny Green’s going to go. During his time in the Marine Corps, he was a boxer and he obtained a sharpshooter’s badge and even obtained the rank of corporal, which is not always easy to do. And the Marines got an honorable discharge in 1953 and went back to, he went back to civilian life. But He had this rebellious streak. He did not like to give in to any kind of authority over it. Got in the union. He’s longshoreman. And, by the 1960s, Danny found [00:03:00] employment as a longshoreman at the Cleveland docks, his rise to the international longshoreman’s association, or the ILA was swift. And he ends up being as a young guy. Elected president, you know, he must’ve really been charismatic. You know, those young guys, I worked with them and they went right on up. Now, Danny’s life will take a turn during this time. He’s trying to play both ends against the middle, which many people do. You know, the smart ones will play both ends against the middle. He became a top echelon informant for the FBI. They even had a code name, Mr. Patrick. This double life will allow him to navigate these treacherous waters of the union and. illegal activities and organized crime because organized crime is all involved in labor racketeering as you might well imagine. his ability to straddle both these worlds or all these worlds, three worlds really, showed that he had a really cunning intellect and he was adaptable. He could adapt to anything. Now his entry into the criminal underworld intensified, [00:04:00] and he formed a crew, and they had a club, they called it the Celtic Club, and this was like his crew. And he had allies like Cleveland Mafia member John Nardi, and then there was a Jewish guy who was a really high level of Cleveland. Associate that made a lot of money for the mob named Alexander Burns. This will propel him into some conflicts with the Cleveland Mafia family. There’s going to be a series of bombings and violent clashes during this time. This is the 1970s. And Danny Green’s reputation as a formidable force is going to be solidified. This guy was one tough dude. If you saw the movie, Kill the Irishman. Now Danny Green saw the film on the waterfront. You know, I once knew a guy, he was a policeman, and he saw Superfly, and after that he wanted to become a pimp, and he did. He ended up quitting. He became a pimp, , after he saw on the waterfront, he saw himself as this tough doc boss. I think it was, George C. Scott maybe was in the [00:05:00] movie and, , who was the one that Marlon Brando was the boxer, who was the guy that played the Charlie. I could have been somebody. I can’t think of his name now. Anyhow, go and see on the waterfront. There’s a pretty good mafia movie. It’s not really. Bill does a mafia movie. He’d use his workers that are his and his Celtic club to beat up under union, other union members who didn’t come in line with what he wanted, but he had a gift of gab or the Blarney, as they say, and his members idolized him. This guy was, he was one of these, union bosses, reps that would. Just to show the company and the men like this, as long as they didn’t lose too much work, he would declare work stoppages. Just, you know, he declared as many as 25 in a day, just to show the company owners that he had the, he was the authority on the docks. He knew how to play a hard ball. Like on one occasion, even threatened to murder the children of one owner, to the FBI and he put them. Officers on the man’s house and put the family under protection. [00:06:00] There’s a Cleveland investigative reporter during this time. He’s creating a lot of stir. So people know there’s something going on. And he collected a bunch of affidavits, which supported charges of extortion. And, , you know, the national, like they were after him at that time. And the government goes after him and he’s convicted of embezzlement from the union. This conviction is later overturned on appeal and rather than have a second trial, Danny Green pleads guilty to a lesser charge and gets fined 10, 000 and got a suspended sentence. So he went right back into the union and he never did pay the fine and he didn’t do any time. Once he returned to the rackets, a met and befriended teamsters boss, Cleveland teamsters, boss, Louie Trescaro, who introduced green to Jimmy Hoffa at one time when it kind of, Hoffa, he had this sixth sense, I guess, cause he, it was a friendly meeting, but Hoffa later on reportedly told Trescaro, stay away from this guy. There’s, there’s something wrong. There’s something wrong with this guy. Stay away from him. Well, in the 70s, again, Cleveland’s [00:07:00] mafia boss dies and a war breaks out between the successor, John Scalise appointed James Licavoli as his successor, and John Nardi, who was Danny Green’s associate, wanted that job, felt like he should have the job, and now we’ve got a war breaking out. And Danny Green’s Celtic club, his crew is, are right deep in the middle of this and with the Lickavole faction and their bombings assassinations, there was like six, I think there’s five or six,

Pasqualina Albano Mar 11, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode of Gangland Wire, we talk with the niece of the Bootleg Queen of Springfield, MA, Gina Cunningham, and Justin Cascio of Mafia Geneology about the mafia in Springfield, Massachusetts. We explore bootlegging during Prohibition, Pasqualina Albano’s rise to power, rivalries with other mafia groups, and the unique presence of women in the male-dominated subculture. We learn how she married a man from the NYC Genovese family and how this led to the Genovese Family’s continuing presence and influence in Springfield. We discuss Pasqualina’s assassination, the impact of the documentary about her, and the importance of open conversations about family history.Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Welcome all you wiretappers out there back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. I really appreciate y’all tuning in every week or maybe twice a week sometimes. You know, I’ve got a show today about Springfield, Massachusetts. Now, I’ve gotten several inquiries. I think it was on my YouTube question and then on the Gangland Wire podcast Facebook page, which you guys ought to get on because we’ve got a huge, we’ve got 50,000 people on that thing with all Sharon Motley information. But about Springfield and I didn’t know a lot about it and and then I happened to see I think maybe on Justin’s Justin Cascio’s website or he made it into a post or somehow I saw about this new documentary that our other guy other guest had Gina Cunningham who is a great niece of an early. [0:48] Mob couple if you will a mob power couple in Springfield and so I thought you know let’s go go into this. She has a documentary. Gina is a great niece of Albano, who was the bootleg queen of Springfield during Prohibition. And Justin, of course, you guys know, runs the Mafia Genealogy Facebook page and website. And he has a ton of great Mafia family connections stretching back to Sicily on his website. And he’s a real expert in that. He has this great, I have to apologize to you on air here, Justin, that guy that stole your picture and wiped out your attribution to it and put it on my Facebook page or group. So, you know, we took it off and then I posted a link to it and I noticed you’ve updated it. I think we’re all square on that, but he has a lot of great information. And there’s this one photo he’s got that he made showing the five families in Manhattan and greater New York area and what their geographic outlines of the other domain would, as it were, would be. So welcome, guys. I really appreciate y’all coming on the show. Thank you, Jerry. So Gina, tell us a little bit about yourself personally and how you made this happen to make this documentary. Gina Cunningham’s Personal Journey and Documentary Creation [1:59] Okay, so my name’s Gina Cunningham. And obviously, when you hear Cunningham, you don’t think of an Italian American, but I’m half Italian American. But I grew up in a totally 100% Italian American family. And everything in my family was always a mystery, especially the the story of Pasqualina. We knew that we had a great aunt Pasqualina, but we didn’t know anything about her. My mother would take me to her grave where she would ask me to pray for Pasqualina. But when I asked why I was praying for Pasqualina, I never got an answer. [2:34] And as I went on in life and, you know, I kind of ran away from this life as soon as I could. I went to New York City and kind of never came back. And I’ve lived between New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, all of my adult life. And I really never came back to Springfield because the life was a little confusing to me. And it wasn’t the most creative feminist environment that I could be in. But the story of pascalina was always something that i was thinking about and as i was growing up a lot of my relatives knew her now the only relative alive who knew pascalina was my uncle mario fiori who will turn 100 in june but i was able to get stories about pascalina from Mario, Uncle Mo, I call him. And about 15 years ago, I started doing research in the Springfield Library, microfiche, microfilm. I soon transferred my research to the internet and interviewing more distant relatives. [3:45] And I realized there was a story and as Justin would put it, a cautionary tale here. Yeah, it is. Anytime one of your relatives kind of strays over, you got the inside scoop on, strays over onto the dark side. It’s a cautionary tale for the younger relatives. Like, you know, you may not want to repeat some of this behavior, but anyhow. But now it’s kind of romantic, that whole prohibition and gangsters and, you know, Al Capone and Lucky Luciano and all that is pretty romantic right now. It’s just kind of some interesting turn of events. [4:21] You know, Springfield, Massachusetts. So that’s not a place where we think of the mafia. We think of the outfit in Chicago. I even think of over in Little Italy, Columbus Park area here in Kansas City, you know, Boston, Providence, Rhode Island, New York City, New Orleans. The Mafia’s Presence in Springfield and Overview of Prohibition [4:37] But don’t think about Springfield, Massachusetts. So Justin, tell us a little bit about an overview of the mob in Springfield, you know, up to getting into prohibition. Okay, sure. There was a mafia presence, or at least a proto-mafia presence everywhere in the United States that Italians went. And of course, we didn’t just go to the big cities. We went to little coal mining towns. We were in farming. And Springfield was a part of the steel belt. It was a part of the chain of northern factory towns. And so they were making paper and they were making guns and other things here in Springfield, dictionaries. And so they needed a lot of labor. and Italians came here to find those jobs. And a lot of people came to Springfield from the country outside of the city of Naples. And so Gina and her family and a lot of the people that I study in the Springfield Mafia trace their roots back to these few little towns outside of Naples, Kingici and San Giuseppe Vesuviano and a few other little towns that are all kind of clustered together. gather. [5:44] And one of the people who I think was responsible for that was the uncle of Pasqualina Albano. He was one of the earliest settlers in this area, and he became very successful. [5:56] The family, as I said, became very successful. And the story then kind of segues into that of Pasqualina’s story during Prohibition. And that story culminates in a connection to the Genovese family in New York City, which still is part of the mafia today. The mafia in Springfield is still a thing, and it’s still controlled by the Genovese family. Interesting. Yeah, the quintessential story, the story for every major city where there was a large influx of Italians from southern Italy and Sicily was that the black handers got here first, and I assumed they had black hand type type guys in Springfield before they got organized during Prohibition, is that it would have the same history? I would talk about the early history in terms of Padroni, people like John Albano, Pasquina’s uncle. He wasn’t a black hand. He wasn’t extorting people. He was helping them, you might say. And he took a, as the papers put it, a strong interest in all of the Italians in the community. He got to know everybody and he had such a powerful network that he could make himself useful to everyone and that was how he enriched himself and became powerful is because he had helped everybody find jobs find housing etc. [7:14] Gina, what did you learn about this Padrone kind of society, if you will? And I know that goes back to the old country. And I talked to a guy from Ireland that’s buying a house in rural Sicily right now. And he had to go to the local guy who was kind of the fixture and knew everybody and would, you know, line him up with craftsmen and all that even today. So what did you dig up about that? Yeah, I think it exists in Springfield to this day. And most of my family lives in Springfield, and I still think that they know people that they can go to that will help ease their lives quite a bit. And I think it’s another reason why a lot of people never left. [7:58] It was something that did not attract me in the 1970s when I left Springfield, but I do think it exists today. And I know that the early people that Pasqualina’s family, her first husband, who was assassinated, were dealing with what they call black handers. And they because they were black handers, there were no rules and regulations. They were not they didn’t have a hierarchy. They were just they were wild people. And, you know, that exists still today. You know, there’s people that are gangland associates, which you gentlemen probably know more about that than I do. So Pasqualina Albano, you said her husband was killed. Her first husband was murdered. [8:47] Yes, she lost two husbands at before the age of 41 years old. So what time frame is this? Is this just prior to Prohibition or were one of the husbands starting to get involved in bootlegging? Because that was for an immigrant community, that bootlegging thing was a godsend. I mean, it was like it was a godsend because it was kind of illegal. It’s illegal enough to make that extra profit,

Joseph “The Animal” Barboza Mar 06, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Joseph Barboza, aka the Animal, was born September 20, 1932. His criminal career went on from being a young thug and boxer to becoming a notorious mob hitman for the Patriarca crime family of New England during the 1960s. Starting his criminal life as a Mafia enforcer in Boston’s underworld, Barboza ended his criminal career as an FBI informant in 1967 and entered the Witness Protection Program. He was a star witness in the trial of six men convicted in the 1965 murder of Edward Deegan; a court sentenced four of the accused to death, and another two were sentenced to life imprisonment. Eventually, facts surface that Boston FBI agents helped set up these innocent men and used Barboza to frame the six defendants in a case of wrongful conviction for the Deegan killing. Barboza, himself, and Boston Mafia hitman Vincent Flemmi did this murder. Listen to learn about this case of corrupt FBI agents and more.Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! transcript Buckle up as we navigate the shadows of organized crime and betrayal in this in-depth exploration of Joseph the Animal Barbossa’s life. , [00:00:00] well hey all you wiretappers out there. Guys, I’m back here in the studio, retired intelligence detective Gary Jenkins. Join me as we navigate the twists and turns of Boston mobster Joseph the Animal Barbossa. His life, well, goes from the boxing ring to the criminal underworld and an unexpected role as a key witness in a gangland murder. Gangland Wire is the podcast that brings you an in depth exploration of these hidden stories that helped shape the American Mafia. Now buckle up, buckle up, I say, as we delve into the shadows of organized crime and betrayal. And I’m going to tell you the story of Joseph the Animal Barbossa. Joseph Barboza was born September 20th, 1932. His criminal career will go from a young thug and boxer to become one of the most notorious mob hitmen for the Patriarca crime family in New England. Starting as a mafia enforcer in the Boston’s underworld, he will end [00:01:00] his criminal career as an FBI informant in 1967 and enter the witness protection program. He was a star witness at the trial of six men convicted of a 1965 murder of a burglar named Edward Deegan. Four of these accused men were sentenced to death and two others were given life in prison. Eventually facts will surface that the Boston FBI helped set up these innocent men and used Barboza to help frame these defendants and they’ll become a case of wrongful conviction later on. But not after these guys spend most of their life in the penitentiary. Barbosa himself and Bo Boston Mafiaa hit man. Vincent Fleming actually did this murder.. Now Joseph Barbosa Jr’s early life, seemed destined for a different path. He was raised by Portuguese immigrants. His father, Joseph Barbosa Sr., was a middleweight boxer. His mother, Pamelda Camil, was a seamstress. He was fluent in Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish.[00:02:00] Young Barbosa, the animal, hadn’t got his nickname yet, but he follows in his father’s footsteps, and he trained as a boxer. He was ranked as a professional light heavyweight boxer and a member of the United States Boxing Association. He fought under the moniker of the Baron. Barbosa’s first boxing match was in April of 1949 against a guy named Rocky Lucero down in El Paso, Texas. His last fight was up in Boston, September of 1961. He fought against a man named Don Bale. They say he fought an unorthodox stance and was known for his powerful punches. Barbosa’s boxing records show that he won 8 out of 11 matches and he had 5 knockouts. During one of his early brushes with the mob, he sparred with Patriarch, a crime family associate, Americo Sacramone. I don’t know if I’ve got that right or not, but Sacramone. Unable to make a living as a boxer, he will start working as a longshoreman, and a general [00:03:00] laborer, as a clerk in a fruit store, and he was a small time criminal, of course. Aren’t these guys all that at one time? Now, Barbosa’s journey into the criminal underworld begins to unfold. During the 1960s, he will become a prominent enforcer and contract contract killer for the patriarchal crime family, but his story goes beyond the dark alleys and criminal enterprises in the back streets of New England beyond the ring. Barbosa’s criminal career saw this early thing, 1953, he was in the penitentiary, I’m not even sure what for, but he led the largest prison break in Massachusetts Correctional Institute Concord history. They had a 75 year perfect history of no escapes at this Concord Correctional Institution. A wild escapade involved contraband whiskey, amphetamine tablets, and adhering dice to the streets of Boston. Joseph Barboza, and six other fellow [00:04:00] inmates guzzled contraband whiskey, took amphetamine pills, overpowered four prison guards, and raced away in two separate cars, they commandeered. During this short stretch of freedom, They beat random people on the street, cruised the bars in Boston’s downtown red light district, and they were finally apprehended by cops at the subway station in East Boston. This little skate party barely lasted 24 hours, but it created a wide swath and some headlines. You know, and, and three months later, he’s waiting trial at a, at a jail for this prison break, he slugs a guard in the cafeteria. A few months after that, he tossed a table at a guard’s chest when he entered his cell. I mean, this guy, he earned his name, the animal. Now, his entry into the actual organized crime circles and his association with the patriarchy crime family is a tale of dark alliances and blood ties. Despite never being officially inducted [00:05:00] because of his non Italian ancestry, Joseph the Animal Barbossa earned a reputation of one of Boston’s most prolific contract killers and sidewalk soldiers. He was a street warrior, man. He was like Danny Green down in Cleveland. He was a street warrior. He first became trusted by Boston organized crime members during his time in Walpole prison. You know, many of these guys, they like, you know, you make your bones in a way, not by killing somebody, but by going to prison and not, you know, talking about anybody and then how you conduct yourself in prison. A prison is, is like a training ground for a lot of guys and mob will swatch these guys and see how they conduct themselves in prison. And then, you know, then when you get out. You know, they see that you can, you can be of use. He had to, Joseph Barboza had such a strong personality that a bar he frequented when he was out was called Barboza’s Corner. He was part of a crew supervised by Stephen the [00:06:00] Rifleman Flemmy for the Winter Hill Gang, and, and if you remember, Stephen the Rifleman Flemmy was, was Whitey Bulger’s buddy. As a Winter Hill gang member and a patriarchy crime family associate, he became one of Boston’s most infamous contract killers within the next eight years. They’re pretty sure, law enforcement authorities are pretty sure several of his contract murders were for Raymond L. S. Patriarca himself. One time he was faced with legal troubles. He got a six month sentence for assaulting a police officer. He pretty much stayed out, you know, the mob kept him out of these smaller scrapes. So you know, this Winter Hill gang is involved with Bulger and Vincent Flemming and his brother Stephen Flemming. And these were, these Flemming brothers, really his big allies. An unusual side story, Barbosa drove a 1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass, which law enforcement called the James Bond car. Because it had a real sophisticated alarm system for the times, and also had some kind [00:07:00] of a device that he could kick out thick black smoke out of the tailpipe if somebody was after him. I don’t know. First I’ve ever heard of that outside of James Bond. But this is the early 60s, by 1966. Barbosa’s turbulent position in the Boston underworld included surviving some assassination attempts, and he challenged traditional La Cosa Nostra roles, and he was Portuguese after all, but he was in, in confrontations with authorities, but he also was demanding Protection claimants from a lot of people and that’s strained some of his relationships within organized crime. For example, one time he tried to extort some protection money from a bar owner who was already paying protection, protection to Gennaro Angelo and he was like the underboss of the Boston part of the New England crime family. In October 1966, there was a falling out between different guys and the Boston mob was kind of like, this [00:08:00] guy was such a loose cannon, they weren’t really Too big on him right now. He had a weapons charge of some kind, and he claimed later that he learned the Patriarca guys tipped off the police that led to his arrest. He had some accomplices with him. They got out on bail. He had his bail set at 100, 000, which of course he couldn’t afford. And nobody from the Patriarca crime family came down to help him post his bond or get your friendly bondsman to go ahead and Put down the bond for you. So he, he is not happy with the patriarchy crime family. Stays in jail. He’s isolated from his association for any of these guys. He’s heard that they’ve set him up and, and this,

Bloodlines and Betrayal: Civella vs. Spero Mar 04, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode of the Gangland Wire Podcast, Gary Jenkins explores the intense gang war between the Civella and Spero families. Gary explains the key figures, Nick Civella and his brother Cork Civella, and outlines their roles within the mob. Jenkins also highlights Nick Spero, a flamboyant character with connections to the mob. He explains Nick Civella’s strict dress code, including rules against facial hair and the requirement for specific haircuts. He shares stories of Civella’s involvement in sports gambling charges and the first FBI wiretap that led to his indictment. The murder of Saul Landie and the attempted murder of Lester Moore further escalated tensions within the organized crime network. Moving on, Jenkins focuses on Carl Spero and his criminal activities. A professional criminal, Carl aligns himself with other professional criminals to create his own organization. The speaker emphasizes Carl Spero’s cautious nature and his crew’s efforts to avoid surveillance. He describes the stalking of the Spero faction by the Civella Faction. Tensions rise as both families continue surveillance efforts, culminating in a shooting incident at the Virginia Tavern that leaves Carl Spero paralyzed. In the latter part of the podcast, He provides updates on Joe Spero’s involvement in a bombing attempt and eventual capture. After Joe Spero is killed, Carl remains a target, facing multiple assassination attempts, including a dynamite bombing of his car. Jenkins highlights the collaboration between an undercover state trooper and a professional thief and as thet build a case against Spero. Ths stoy culminated in a bomb planted under Carl Spero’s office, signaling the end of the Spero-Civella War.Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired KCPD intelligence detective. I’m going to tell you another story about my career and things that I lived through here in Kansas City, the 1970s mob wars. I told you about the war in the River Key, the war between the Commissaros and Bonadonna and the fallout from all that. Well, now I’m going to tell you about the Civella-Spero war. I did a movie on this. The Civella-Spero Mob War, I think was the name of it. I don’t know, but if you want to find it, you’ll find it. First thing I want to talk about is the Civella family. Nick Civella, he was a famous boss that came out of Appalachian. He was caught back there with Joe Filardo, who was an old gangster from the 30s and 20s. He was being introduced as a new boss in 1957. [0:51] Growing up in the mob, really, during those years, He had been the boss until he died. He had a brother, Cork Civella, who was a real firebrand. The guy really never had a little crew that worked for him. He seemed to be kind of an independent operator, although he always bent to the will of his older brother, Nick Civella. They called him Cork because he’d pop off. He was the kind of guy that he got mad at some newsmen one time during a grand jury hearing. They were all sitting around in the hallway outside the grand jury room. Cork was waiting to go in and he started getting mad at him for some reason. We don’t really know why. And he hollered at him, he got their attention, and he pulled his dick out and shook it at him. So it was a famous incident. And that tells you a little bit about Cork. Nick is the kind of guy that read books. Now, during this time, Nick Civella had a headquarters. It was called The Trap, the North End Social Club or the Northview Social Club or the Northview. But we all refer to it as The Trap. So when I talk about the trap, that means the social club that we had here in Kansas City. Introduction to the Spero family and Nick Spero’s character [1:57] Now there was this other family, brothers, Nick Spero was the oldest brother, Mike, Joe, and Carl Spero, and they all grew up in the North End with their cousins whose name were Couzze. And they will all kind of come back into play in this mob or at least one of the Couzzes will. [2:14] And Nick Spero, he was a real flamboyant, dynamic character that everybody liked. His brothers and the koozies down in North End, when they were kids, they were kind of like the Bowery Boys down there running all around the streets. And the Speros, they were good criminals, but they were hard workers and they were more your blue collar crime, more blue collar guys, whereas the Civellas were the white collar guys is the best way I can describe that. Nick Spero was a hard worker, grew up around the freight docks and he started getting jobs with the Teamsters and he got a job with Yellow Freight, which is a great big trucking company at the time. Yellow Freight had a lot of mob guys working there because the mob had the Teamsters and Teamsters put guys to work on the Yellow Freight lines and the other truck docks down there. Yellow Freight was just a big duck down there. Nick Spero gets a job down there. He’s an associate this time. He’s kind of in with the mob and working around them and works with them. And when you steal something, if it’s decent, then you need to fence it through the mob or a mob-connected guy. [3:24] He went to the trap a lot back when he was a young man. I think he wanted to be part of it when he was a young man. He realized pretty soon that he wasn’t going to fit in. Nick Spero’s conflicting lifestyle and Nick Civella’s disapproval [3:33] This is what kind of guy that Nick Spero was. He got a job at Yellow Freight, like I said. He set up a load of liquor to be stolen. Then he went to his bosses and he said, ”Hey,” he said, ”I can get that back for you.” He was able to get it back and they were so grateful that they then promoted him into a little higher position. He was some kind of a scheduler or dispatcher or something, and it really put him in a position where he knew who the truck drivers were, he knew them all by then, he knew where the loads were going, and who was weak and who was strong, and he could set up loads. He knew he could assign a guy to a load of, say, calculators. Calculators was a big deal of steel when they first came out. They’re real expensive. You get a truckload of calculators, and you can get like 75 bucks a piece off of them because they were selling for $100 to $150 in the stores. So he could set up those loads, and pretty soon they started realizing that. They got rid of him as soon as they could. it was hard for him to do because he was in with the union and he was making money for the mob because he was fencing through these mob-connected fencing people. This is the 60s. [4:42] The 60s, Nick Spero is of the age, you know. He’s a little bit older than me. He was probably around upper 20s in the late 60s, middle 60s. I was probably, what, 16, 17 years old. He was up in his 20s, early 20s. But he likes the lifestyle. He likes the chicks. He turns hippie. He lets his hair grow out a little bit. He has a Fu Manchu mustache. He’s wearing kind of a bell-bottom, he had a pair of flowery bell-bottom overalls, he would wear with engineer boots. But everybody on the street still liked him. But Nick Civella does not like this now. This may seem unbelievable, but I bet you’ll find this replicated in every other city in the United States if you really burrowed in. [5:27] Nick Civella did not allow anybody that was one of his guys to have facial hair. Everybody had to have high and tight haircuts, facial hair. They all wore basically the same clothes, no kind of hippie thing, no bell bottoms or anything like that. They all had sansa belt slacks, no jeans, sansa belt slacks and polo shirts, leather coats in the winter and windbreakers in the summer and flat top caps like this. That’s why I started wearing this back in the day because all those guys were wearing them as I was driving around and I fit in with the neighborhood at least a little bit. Nick Civella’s indictment and the Peckerwood gamblers [6:02] Now Nick Civella is under indictment here in the late 60s for a sports gambling charge. It was the first wiretap that the FBI had done, and they caught him on the wire down to the trap with his main guy that ran his sportsbook network, a guy named Frankie Tusa. Caught him on the wire, worrying about the layoff and the gambling. It was out of balance. The books weren’t in balance. They liked to have an equal amount of bets for one team and bets against this team. And the Chiefs were playing the Minnesota Vikings in the Super Bowl, and it was way out of balance in Kansas Everybody was betting on the Chiefs in Kansas City, so they needed to lay off somewhere. They worried about that, and that’s really what brought him into the gambling network and caught him a case, caught him a charge. [6:47] Now, there’s two Peckerwood gamblers. Peckerwoods are non-Italians. Two Peckerwood gamblers was subpoenaed to the grand jury. One was a jewelry store owner named Sol Landi and a Chevrolet dealer named Lester Moore. These guys are big bettors, and they could tie big-time sports gambling directly, to Frank Tousa, who then was tied directly to Nick Civella. Nick needed to have something done with these guys.

Chicago Police Gambling Raid Mar 01, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, I share a riveting story of a raid conducted by the Chicago Police Department’s Intelligence Unit on a high-stakes gambling operation. The operation, ordered by Captain Duffy, involved meticulous surveillance of key figures of the Outfit’s Westside crew, leading to the apprehension of nine individuals and the seizure of significant cash and incriminating records. Reflecting on the event, I highlight the strategic approach taken during the raid and the cooperation received from some of the individuals involved. This narrative provides a glimpse into the intense undercover operations and confrontations with organized crime that defined law enforcement efforts in 1960s Chicago.Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

Det. William Flynn and the New York Mafia Feb 26, 2024

Retired Intelligence Unit Detective Gary Jenkins brings you his unique perspective on organized crime. The Bulldog Detective: William J. Flynn’s Battle Against the New York Mafia and More Introduction: In the tumultuous landscape of early twentieth-century America, where threats from organized crime, espionage, and terrorism loomed large, one man stood as a bulwark against the rising tide of criminality. Meet William Flynn, the Bulldog Detective, who played a pivotal role in shaping the course of American law enforcement. gary and author Jeffrey Simon look into the remarkable career of William Flynn, focusing on his crusade against the New York Mafia and his enduring legacy in the fight for justice. Early Life and Education: Born on November 18, 1867, in the heart of New York City, Flynn’s journey into public service began in 1897 after a standard public school education. Little did the nation know that this unassuming figure would become a central force in combating some of American history’s most notorious criminal organizations. Early Career: Starting as a Manhattan plumber, Flynn’s trajectory shifted dramatically when he joined the United States Secret Service. His early focus on counterfeiting soon led him to confront the Black Hand extortionists and the infamous Morello crime family members. Flynn’s tenacity and strategic acumen set the stage for his future battles against organized crime. Collaboration with Detective Giuseppe “Joe” Petrosino: Flynn’s path intertwined with that of Detective Giuseppe “Joe” Petrosino, who met an untimely end in 1909 while investigating gangsters in Sicily. Undeterred by Petrosino’s tragic fate, William Flynn continued the pursuit, successfully building a case that resulted in the imprisonment of Giuseppe Morello and his associates in 1910. Reorganization of the New York City Detective Force: In 1911, Flynn showcased his leadership skills by successfully reorganizing the New York City Detective Force. This began his rise in law enforcement, earning him recognition for his influential and innovative approach. World War I and Espionage Investigations: As the shadows of World War I loomed over America, Flynn’s role expanded to include investigating threats of sabotage. His dedication to national security became evident when he exposed a German-owned wireless station on Long Island, leading to the seizure of critical documents. Director of the Bureau of Investigation: Flynn’s crowning achievement came in 1919 when he was appointed Director of the Bureau of Investigation. Praised by Attorney General Palmer as “the leading, organizing detective of America,” William Flynn uncovered a German spy network operating on U.S. soil. His relentless pursuit of justice and national security earned him the nickname “the Bulldog.” Challenges, Resignation, and Reinstatement: Flynn’s hardline approach and public statements on German espionage strained relations within the German-American community, resulting in his resignation. However, in the face of escalating terrorist actions, Flynn was reinstated to lead the charge against the perpetrators, assigning a young J. Edgar Hoover to monitor suspected radicals. Semi-Retirement and Legacy: William Flynn ventured into business, founding a detective agency with his children after his tenure in the Bureau of Investigation. Despite challenges, he contributed to the field through writing and scenario development for the motion picture industry. Flynn’s Weekly Detective Fiction, the magazine he edited, became a lasting testament to his influence in crime fiction. Conclusion: William J. Flynn’s legacy is one of resilience, dedication, and an unyielding commitment to justice. His battles against the New York Mafia, German spies, and terrorists shaped the trajectory of American law enforcement. The Bulldog Detective’s story serves as a beacon, reminding us of the indomitable spirit required to confront and overcome the challenges of our times. William J. Flynn, America’s first line of defense against the underworld, may have been forgotten by history, but his legacy lives on in the annals of crime-fighting heroism.Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript William Flynn Det. Gary: [00:00:00] Welcome all you wiretappers out there back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. I have an interview today with Jeffrey Simon. Jeffrey Simon is an author, a researcher, a policy analyst, and an expert on terrorism and on a certain area of organized crime. Now, I saw somewhere, I think maybe on LinkedIn or something, I saw this book, and I hadn’t heard of this guy, an early mafia detective in New York City named William J. Flynn, and Jeffrey had done a book on him, and like, our Kansas City mob, he wasn’t a detective, he was, but he was a mob investigating patrolman, and then Joe Remo, and I, Joe Remo, and then Joe Petrosoni, I had done shows on them, but I had not heard of William J. Flynn, so I wanted to get him on and learn about Mr. Flynn, an early Mafia detective, because, you know, I’m a later day Mafia detective, and [00:01:00] now I want to find out about the roots of my chosen profession over the years, so Jeffrey, I really appreciate you coming on the show. Welcome. Jeffry: Thank you for having me. Gary: It’s a pleasure. All right. So, so Jeffrey tell us a little more about yourself. I was looking, you got a ton of books in there, several more about terrorism and then this book and, and you’ve been a researcher and an analyst for the Rand Corporation on Terrorism. And, and I think that’s interesting as heck. So tell us a little more about yourself and guys, by the way, I’ll have a link to to Jeffrey’s Amazon site to see all of these books in the show notes. So go ahead, Jeffrey. Jeffry: Oh, sure. I had actually gone to undergraduate school at UC Berkeley in the late 1960s and I majored in history there. And then I went for graduate school in political science. So my career kind of started looking at international conflict political violence. And then I had worked at the Rand Corporation for a number of years where the main specialty was on [00:02:00] terrorism. But as I continued to write about terrorism, I also kind of ventured into interesting biographies of people that might be involved in either having been terrorists or in combating terrorists. So one book I wrote was about a terrorist group. And this book, when you write a book, you try to figure out a couple of things. One, has it been done before? Because if it’s done before, what are you going to really? Say or are you going to say it differently? And so it spends a lot of I spend a lot of time searching for a good topic That’d be an interesting topic and from one of my books. I had a little section Excuse me on william. J. Flynn But I didn’t really know about his life. And then I was shocked to learn, one, nobody’s written a biography about him, and then he had such a fascinating career beyond what I had known in terms of some of the combating of a terrorist group. So then the next problem is, are you going to have enough information? To write a full book [00:03:00] 80 to 100, 000 words, you know, if you can say everything in one page, you don’t have a book. So I just started doing the research. And then I looked out because William J. Flynn turned out to be a prolific writer. So he wrote a lot. He wrote essays. He was always in the news. And that’s where I was shocked because he was like a rock star, a law enforcement rock star during the early 1900s. And yet he’s basically forgotten today. So that’s sort of how I got into, you know, his story. And because he was head, most of his career was with the secret service. I got great information from the archives and the secret service. And just, you know, you get a lot of help as you’re doing a book, you know, interviews or people tell you about this other person. So basically that’s how I got into the story of William J. Flynn. Gary: So he has the nickname of Bulldog. How’d he get that nickname? Jeffry: It’s from Tenacity. And I want to read a little quote here. He [00:04:00] called it steady hammering. So he said, steady hammering, that’s my doctrine and advice. It doesn’t do to drop a case under pressure of a new matter. Reserve a place for it in the back of the head. Think of it, hammer away at it, hear a little, there a little, until the men you are after are either apprehended or dead. So, he had this tenacity, so he got the nickname Bulldog, and he was a big man on the cover of the book, You could see his walking. He’s like 300 pounds. I mean if you’re older younger viewers may not remember what Orson Welles looked like. Orson Welles is a famous movie director, but big big man and he had a big family. So Flynn had that nickname Bulldog and He lived up to it. Gary: Interesting. Now you mentioned that, that he he, he knew Joe Petrosino, who was the famous New York City mob detective. And, and, and [00:05:00] William J. Flynn, he didn’t really start out with the NYPD. I don’t believe he, he came to it later on. He started out with the Secret Service. So maybe you should start back to about his career in the Secret Service and counterfeiting because counterfeiting. And the mafia back in these days, that was, that was a big money maker for him before really got into gambling and that other stuff. Jeffry: Yeah. Yeah. His NYPD,

The Many Murders of Marshall Caifano Feb 21, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Marshall Caifano was a dangerous yet unassuming figure from Chicago’s mob scene.Background of Marshall Caifano: Caifano, a physically small but influential figure in the Chicago outfit, was brought up by Paul Ricca, a key behind-the-scenes figure in the outfit. Unlike the loud and flashy mobsters, Caifano operated quietly, focusing on strategic connections and criminal activities.Caifano’s Activities: Caifano was known for his involvement in various criminal activities, including the murder of mobster Bugsy Siegel in Los Angeles, which paved the way for the Chicago outfit to take over Las Vegas. He was also implicated in several other murders and extortion attempts.Caifano’s Style: Despite his criminal activities, Caifano maintained a low profile, appearing well-dressed and unassuming. He was known for his intelligence and ability to stay out of the spotlight, unlike other more flamboyant mobsters. Conclusion: Caifano’s story illustrates the complex and dangerous world of organized crime, where individuals like him operated in the shadows, wielding significant influence. His life and activities shed light on the inner workings of the Chicago outfit and its impact on various criminal enterprises. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript: Marshall Caifano [00:00:00] Gary Jenkins: well, hey, all you wiretappers out there back here in studio gangland wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City police intelligence detective. I worked a mob for 14 years altogether here in Kansas City from here to really to Las Vegas. We helped uncover the scheme and, you know, reached out to Chicago and Milwaukee and Cleveland. Anyhow. I’ve been telling these mob stories for a few years now in the podcast. Here’s another one. Kind of a short little story about a very unassuming but very dangerous little guy named Marshalll Caifano. from Chicago. Now, Marshall Caifano, I know that Red knew him and knows a lot about him. So you might want to check out Red Wemette channel or the Las Vegas blog, my blog with Adam Flowers. They may have a whole story on Marshall Caifano. This is kind of a short little story about him. He was a little guy.[00:01:00] And when he got old, I remember I ran into a couple of these mob guys, really old guys, guys out of the 30s that were still alive in the 70s. I got on the elevator with two of them once. Turned out they were going to their lawyer’s office. It was Joe Filardo and Tano Lococo. These were dangerous, dangerous men in the 30s. They were like these tiny little shriveled up. thin silver haired kind of, you know, like five foot tall, 105 pound, 110 pound guys. That’s the way Marshalll Caifano ended up and he was always was, they always were little guys, but He was a little guy physically, but he was a huge guy in the outfit and and he was a quiet guy, you know Paul Rico kind of brought him up. Paul was came out of the thirties is you know, kind of the behind the scenes boss when Accardo was more out front. Ricca was in penitentiary [00:02:00] down here at Leavenworth for a while and Cardo was really running things. He was going back Ricca forth and getting instructions. And when Ricca came back, he never really assumed like any kind of out front. Kind of a role while Accardo was more out front Ricca was a really bright guy and, and he knew that he needed to stay in the background and, and pull the strings. He learned that from Al Capone, you know, Al Capone, he was all out there and everything, and the government went after him big time. They, the Chicago outfit guys had figured out, you know, stay in the background if you can. Now he led the other as a, this one newspaper reporter. Called them loudmouth buffoons, and they get snazzy nicknames, you know, Joey the Clown, and Joey Doves Aiuppa, and of course these weren’t loudmouth buffoons, well, Joey Lombardo was, Aiuppa wasn’t, but, but there was plenty of them out there, and they got publicity, so they got the heat. Rico ca is really [00:03:00] supremely intelligent, they say, he knew what he needed to make this thing work besides, you know, guys that were willing to steal and do the gambling and, and take over the numbers rackets and, and, you know, infiltrate the teamsters. He needed top law enforcement people, politicians and judges. to be on the take and get them under control. And, and these like swaggering apes playing the tough guy up there on Rush Street on Friday nights, you know, they’re not, you know, they’re not going to do it. He needs the little, what he called the little guys and to do the heavy work and to make the connections and quiet little guys that were more, a little more sophisticated. Now, Caifano, you know, he, he proved him. earned his bones as a kid as you have to do as a man. He was a boxer when he was a kid. He had a cauliflower ear even, and, but it wasn’t really his boxing skills. You know, Joey Doves Aiuppa was [00:04:00] bought under Joey O’Brien. A lot of these guys did. But it wasn’t his boxing skills that really frightened people. A lot of people were frightened of Marshall Caifano. He threw in his fall buddy, his fall partner, was Vincent the Saint Inseraro, who was a little guy too. But boy, they, somebody said, you know, if they stood on top of each other’s shoulders, they couldn’t change the light bulb, couldn’t get up to the light bulb, but these guys were feared killers. They were close to Anthony Accardo, of course, they came up under Paul Ricca, and these are the guys that did the heavy work, more than any of the other guys did personally. For example, in the 40s, Caifano was sent out to Los Angeles, about the time Bugsy Siegel was building Las Vegas into a gambling empire, a mecca, and he didn’t quite survive to get to that. According to Gus Russo’s book, The Outfit, Bugsy Siegel was sitting in his Beverly [00:05:00] Hills home with a Caifano associate. named Alan Smiley when somebody else arrived and that’s the end of Bugsy Siegel. Now see, there’s Caifano right in and around the murder of Bugsy Siegel. 20 minutes, 30 minutes later, Chicago outfit. Well, really, they’re one of their chief bookies and their main guy in Las Vegas at the time, Gus Greenbaum, appears at the Flamingo Hotel, which Bugsy had been building, said, you know, he just tells them, we’re taking over, you know, that was, that was it. And, and from then on, and the outfit really ran that. I mean, they had to kick back and Mayor Lansky and, and Luciano and the, the Eastern mobs had money in it, but they all. Ran it together. It’ll eventually, you know, Chicago will make a deal with them where they’re solely in Las Vegas and the Eastern mobs have Atlantic city. But early on, they all had to join in and keep the peace out there. You know, in an [00:06:00] interesting kind of on the Hollywood era, which, you know, Paul Ricca went to jail for a long time for extorting money from Hollywood theaters or Hollywood movie. Companies and infiltrated the unions out there. They according to the godfather of the New York family, Corleone’s killed Bugsy Siegel or a Bugsy Siegel character. But they never made a movie about Paul Rica. There’s never been a movie made about Paul Rica or Anthony Accardo or any of these big time Chicago guys. I don’t understand that. Maybe somebody out there, out there can tell me. Another thing, Marshalll Caifano, and I did a whole story just on this particularly, about a woman, there’s a guy named Nick Circella, who was a good friend of Caifano’s, and he had an extortion trial going on, and his lover, a woman named Estelle Carey, and a former Dice girl, at his joint, was going to cooperate for the federal prosecutors, and all of a sudden this guy’s in jail, I believe [00:07:00] at the time, and, and her body is found ice picked to death and burnt at her, her apartment, and Caifano was the prime suspect. Of course, that case was never solved because it was Chicago. There’s another unsolved murder. In 1950, a Chicago police lieutenant named William Drury, Was killed the there was a strangulation of a mobster in Chicago named Russian Willie Strauss, and there was a 73 shotgun killing of Richard Cain in Rose’s Sandwich Shop. Caifano was suspected of being part of that. In 1950s, the outfit moved in on the black policy rackets, and that was Sam Giancana that kind of got that going, and really that was how he, you know, really became important with the outfit, because he was a guy that Moved in on this black policy, and there was a lot of money in it, and there were some people [00:08:00] that tried to kidnap policy king, black dude named Theodore, Theodore Rose over again, and in the 1950s, the outfit moved in on the black policy rackets. This was Sam Giancana primarily instigating this, and really when he took those over, that was a big, a large amount of money that the outfit got to start, you know, sharing in. There was a policy king, a black guy named Teddy Rowe, or Theodore Rowe, and he refused to, to give in to the outfit, refused to give in to Giancana, and, and somebody sent some people to kill Teddy Rowe, and in that shootout, Teddy Rowe was armed, he killed Caifano’s brother, and stopped this kidnapping attempt.

Gus Russo on Murray “The Camel” Humphreys Feb 19, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you a unique insight into the Mafia. Today, Gary interviews the noted Chicago outfit expert, Gus Russo, known for his books such as “Supermob,” “The Outfit,” and “Best of Enemies.” Gus Russo tells how Murray “The Camel” Humphreys is an intriguing figure in the Chicago Outfit. He provides insights into Humphreys’ early life, born with the Welsh name of Llewellyn in Illinois, growing up in poverty, and getting involved in petty crime. Gus continues by telling how Humphreys was able to climb the ranks of an organized crime family and become a valued and trusted advisor, political fixer, and business operative in the Chicago mafia known as “The Outfit.” Murray Humphreys was so well connected that when his daughter needed a prom date, he was able to induce Frank Sinatra to fill that role. Click here on Gus Russo to buy his books Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Gary: [00:00:00] Welcome all you wiretappers. Good to be back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. I have a man who is probably one of the most respected mafia historians in the United States, Gus Russo Russo. You probably have heard of his books Supermob welcome, Gus Russo. I’m really glad you’re here. Hey, Gary. Thanks for having me. Supermob and all of a sudden, let’s see, and The Outfit. And do you have other Gus Russo: books, Gus Russo? Oh my goodness. Yeah, I’ve got about nine now. I think I’ve done a couple. I’ve done a couple of the Kennedys and I’ve got a really one that’s been really successful called Best of Enemies, an espionage book that’s being made into a feature. Your film so very excited Gary: about that. I read something about that. I’d forgotten about that interesting Well, what I’ll do guys is is I’ll have a link to his author’s page on Amazon So you can search among his books and and he is probably Like I said one of the most respected mob historians in the United States today. Oh along with, , Selwyn Rabb, probably. He ranks right up there with Selwyn Rabb, and, as [00:01:00] far as Chicago’s concerned, to me, he is the man for Chicago, and we all love Chicago up there, and I have to thank, speaking of Chicago, I have to thank my friend, Chicago native Ben Ellickson for sending me this book, The Outfit. He’s been after me to do this for a while and I don’t know, some of you get distracted by, you know, the glitz and the glamour of New York sometimes. I forget about my Chicago guys, I get back to them periodically. So he’s been, thank you very much for sending me this book because I did some shorts out of the book, a little one minute things for YouTube, just a little quick little stories out of the book. And now we’re going to do a full interview with Gus Russo Russo. And Gus Russo, I’ll tell you what, the Chicago guys, I’ll get, I’ll get an extra bump up in Chicago when that starts. I promise you that they love you in Chicago. But we’re going to talk about Murray Humphreys, Murray the Camel Humphreys, and I’ve wanted to do this guy for a long time. He’s an interesting guy, and one reason I feel a connection to him because my family came over [00:02:00] from Wales a lot longer before his family did. His mother and father came from Wales. Now here’s a Welshman who becomes a trusted, highly valued, Maybe upper echelon, if you will, member of the Chicago outfit. And Gus Russo just said, you know, he said, used to say, well, is this just organized crime or is this the mafia? You know, so they got, they got Jewish guys, they got the Welshman in there. And, so it’s, it’s interesting. So Gus Russo, let’s start talking about Murray, the Camel” Humphreys, I guess. Tell us a little bit about his early growing up years. I know, you know, something about that, not a lot, but a little bit about him growing up. Gus Russo: Yeah, well, he was, born in, Illinois and, his parents were, were, lower rent today that they were, you know, in poverty. And, you know, I think, well, his name was, they called him Lou. You know, his name wasn’t Murray. It was Lou, Llewellyn. He took to the streets at a very young age, doing just petty stuff, you [00:03:00] know, whatever he could do to survive, and got into a lot of trouble that way. I don’t remember all the details at this point, but , he was a hooligan, to a degree, and he pretty much had to be, he was so poor, And he had got into trouble with truancy and, and juvenile crime and, went before judges. In fact, one judge, , took to him so well, and it was mutual that , Lou took his name from that Judge Murray, judge Murray, whatever his name, whole name was. And so he became Murray Humphreys at that point. And just kept moving up the ladder into, bootlegging or whatever was going on at the time. And, but yeah, from a young guy, he was on the streets, Gary: surviving. Everybody, everybody was, was poor and a street criminal during those years. Then prohibition came along. Now you mentioned that judge Murray, didn’t he, like try to get him to go into the law? Actually. Did I read that? Gus Russo: Yeah. Well, yeah, as I, as I recall, I think, forgive me, it’s been, , you know, 25, 30 years since I delved deep into it, but yeah, he, he [00:04:00] certainly. Got Murray interested in law and he tried to get him to, think about becoming a lawyer because he, Murray was a brilliant kid, right? Everybody who met him knew it in a minute. This guy’s got a high IQ but he did in your and him a lifelong love of, of reading law books. That, and, interviewing his family and his ex-wife, wife, and everything. They said he read voraciously, but it was always like Martindale Hubble. That’s all he read. He had stacks of legal books behind him, and he devoured these things. Why he became so obsessed with the law is beyond me, but, , that was his thing. And, but it, it held him in good stead when he Needed to know how to work, you know, to advise the gangsters on getting out of trouble and he, he had so many great legal, contraptions that he worked out for the mob that, , he was called the Einstein, you know, of the mob, but he, yeah, he just loved law books and thanks to Gary: Judge Murray. I read something about how he kind of noticed that double [00:05:00] jeopardy thing early on, and they didn’t really think about that back then, back in those old days of double jeopardy and, and how he moved Jake Guzik’s body, front, because he knows that it’s going to expose people who, hung out or went to this restaurant and he moved his body. So this guy was always thinking when he was, well, yeah, Gus Russo: he was. He was the one who came up with using the 5th Amendment before Congress, you know, up until that point, you could use the 5th in a courtroom, but, , his research, when they got called before, I guess, it was either Kefauver or one of the investigations before that, and he told these guys, just read these little cue cards I’m going to give you, these little index cards, and take the 5th Amendment, and the people, the congressmen on the dais, they said, you can’t do that. And the, and Crowley said, I think we can, you’re going to find out we can. They did their research. They found out Crowley was right, but they were so stymied. They had, they never expected a criminal to plead the fifth in Congress. And his court just went up a [00:06:00] notch with the mobbing after Gary: that. Really? Oh man, I bet. You know, you mentioned prohibition, of course, as I started to say, All these guys, once prohibition hit, then that’s, you know, that became full employment for young gangsters. And that’s what they said. So did I suppose is that when he first met got in with Capone and and the outfit. Yeah, Gus Russo: you know, keep them. I’ll get to that didn’t you keep in mind prohibition was one of the great ironies of all time because, you know, when the temperance societies started to push for prohibition, they’re thinking was it would clean up. Crime and it had just the complete opposite effect. It made all the street hooligans millionaires Gary: and organized. Gus Russo: Yeah. So, you know, after a prohibition came in, these guys were. They had these great networks of contacts and, for distribution and everything. And they said, what do we do with this world that we’ve developed here? We can’t do [00:07:00] booze anymore, but we have all this great interstate network of distribution. And that’s when people like Humphreys came up with a lot of ideas for how to, you know, keep moving with organized Gary: crime. Yeah, I was reading how he got into labor racketeering pretty early too. Gus Russo: Yeah, yeah, he realized, yeah, that, I don’t, yeah, I doubt he invented it, but he certainly perfected it, the idea of the sweetheart deals, where he would go to the corporate heads and say, I will keep the unions in, in check for you, so they won’t strike or ask for, rate increase, wage increases, and then he went to the unions and, and said, Okay. If you let us take care of you, you know, we’ll represent you and get you wage increases. So he was lying to every, he was lying to them, to the mm-Hmm. workers and, , he was paid by the owners and of the companies, or the mob was, but that was his strategy to play them up against each other. And and it worked for a long time. Gary: You know. You know,

Anatomy of a Golf Course Muder Part 2 Feb 12, 2024

Gary tells another account of the intriguing and often murky world of crime. In today’s episode, we unfold the gripping tale of how a hapless hitman, Daniel Bounds, was entangled in a web of deceit and betrayal that ultimately led to his demise. An Outfit member named Sam Guzzino orchestrated the entire murder attempt of Al Pilotto. He played a pivotal role in recruiting Bounds. Guzzino provided him with a weapon, trained him, and even supervised the rehearsals leading up to the crime. The chilling revelation unfolds as Guzzino stands by, watching as Daniel Bounds carries out the hit, only to vanish into the night. The Chicago Outfit has its own rules, and hitting a target involves high stakes. We explore the harsh reality that the target might survive if a hit goes wrong – if the bullets or the gun are faulty. Survivors often become dangerous witnesses, turning the tables against their assailants. In the case of Sam Guzzino and Daniel Bounds, this dilemma becomes a crucial aspect of their criminal enterprise. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Hey guys, hey all you wiretappers out there back here in the studio, Gangland Wire, retired intelligence sergeant Gary Jenkins. I need to do a follow-up on a short one I did about Al Pilotto the other day. I was on Facebook and a gal, Jimmy Free, and thanks for, at Ben Alex, and thanks for reminding me about this. There’s a whole other story about the The murder plot on Al Palato, the Chicago outfit, Southside crew chief leader, labor racketeering guy. He had a case pending at that point in time when this happened. And the outfit decided he needed to go. I mean, Al needs to go. Now, when they say you need to go, you probably need to go. Sam Guzzino and the Inept Hitman [0:47] Now, let me tell you about exactly how this whole thing went down. Now, I just brushed across the top of it, kind of a fun little story. Sam Guzzino, whose brother Richard Guzzino was in the foursome with Al Pallado. Go back and take a look at that if you haven’t seen it. [1:05] Sam Guzzino was an outfit member, and he was also the former father-in-law of the hit man on this deal, a guy named Daniel Bounds, who was a cab driver. He had been married to Guzzino’s daughter and fathered a child with her. They’d gotten a divorce, but he needed money, I suspect, and Sam Guzzino knew it. But now, Sam Guzzino is probably not the sharpest tool in the toolbox, wouldn’t you say? Hires this Peckerwood cab driver to do this important hit. This is a pretty important hit, and you don’t want this to go wrong, right? You don’t want this to go wrong. But he tells him, hey, I got a job for you. And Bounds reluctantly, according to the court transcript, accepted this assignment. The Deal and Promises Made [1:51] Sam, one thing he did, he said, I’ll make sure that you get a lot more access to your daughter. His granddaughter, and so that, and I’ll pay you some money, and he promised him a down payment of $2,000 plus a weekly amount, which was not said exactly what it was, plus another job, but a business that Sam owned, you know, Nate, and that’d be a cab driver in the morning, see his kid a little more often, have $2,000 in cash, not very much money for a murder, if you ask me, me but you know that’s that was the deal he also said after he got into this he said now you understand now you know a hit’s going down get this the other you know the hammer the the carrot and the stick well here comes a stick you know it gets coming down and and you’re not going to be part of it you’re a risk to us and you know i can’t guarantee that how long you’re going to live knowing this information once we go ahead and carry this out and sam told him he said i’m going to make millions from it and we’re going to pass this along to you and we got to do it quick, and first to ask him about was asking well who’s it going to be and and gazino said no he said i’m not telling you just yet. Practice Shooting and Choosing a Location [3:05] Next day, after Bounds reluctantly agrees, Sam Guzzino and his brother Richard meet at Sam Hanna Cab Company, and that’s where Bounds had been working. [3:15] He said he expressed confidence in him according to the court transcript. He said, me, I’m too fat to handle this. I’d love to do it. I’d love to hit that guy, but I’m too fat to handle it. And again, he reassured him of all the benefits he was going to get. It still kept him in the dark about who the target was or where it would take place. Then later on, they were joined by another defendant, a guy named Robert Ciarocchi, and he was going to be the weapons man. So they all got in Sam’s car. They went out to a rural area in Will County, which is adjacent to Cook County on the south side, and then a determinative balance could shoot. There’s some basic qualifications of the job, right? You can shoot. They get a rifle out, and there’s a telescope on it, and a silencer at the end. I mean, these guys are very quick. quip this is like james bond stuff here so crotchety took the gun he fired at his sign he hit it sam said you know that’s a little bit loud sirachi said yeah i’ll do some more work on it and balance fired at the sign he missed and actually it said when they wouldn’t look at the sign close the first guy sirachi signed he said it might be siroki he was right on it he merely dented it he He did not even penetrate the sign. So they said they need another gun. They need a better gun. [4:38] After that target practice that day, they drove over by the Lickenshire Country Club, look it over, and not to play golf. And they went out to the AT. Sam, the AT was close to the road there. And he pointed to the AT and he said, this would be the perfect location. He said, and you could use a handgun. You could use a pistol here. [4:59] They looked at another tee box and he said, you know, that you could use a rifle there, but, and from a concealed area, but they didn’t really like that. It’s a dumping ground for mob. This Will County is a dumping ground for the mob and the county has no money to really to investigate mob assassinations or any mob stuff. So that’s one reason they chose this country club because it was over in this Will County. It’s kind of interesting. all the thought processes that go into these murders you don’t think about all that there’s this court transcript i found is really detailed so they i drop off see rocky he’s gonna go tail mess with the rifle balance and the two casino brothers walk back to their go drive back to the country club and casino says i’m going out to las vegas for a few days and you guys keep working on on this, work out the details. Buying a Bicycle and Practicing Escaping [5:54] And one suggestion that Sam had was that our friend Daniel Bounds could use a bicycle to escape after the shooting. He wasn’t really enthusiastic about that idea. I don’t know. This is kind of like, you know, you can take a bicycle to hit, you know, that’s not the way the big boys do it, is it? I don’t think so. Richard Guzzino, the next day, driving his this blue Eldorado Cadillac. I mean, every bump guy’s got to have an Eldorado ride back in these days, the 80s. Picks up Daniel Ballance, and he said, we’re going to go buy a bicycle. [6:27] They went to a residence. They’re driving in the streets, in the neighborhoods. They find a sign nailed to a tree that says bikes for sale. I’ve seen that. Guy will, well, like I used to have a neighbor like that. He’ll buy old bicycles and fix them up. Put a painted sign out front. He’s always got a bicycle for sale for pretty cheap. They go in, they find an old repainted 10-speed bicycle for 20 bucks. [6:50] Buy the bicycle for 20 bucks, put it in the trunk, go back, pick up San Guzzino, drive out to the HT for a practice bicycle ride to some other rendezvous point. Bounds tried to ride as fast as he can, but the gears and the chain kept slipping and he wasn’t good on the bicycle. So Bounds retired the bicycle to his basement to his great relief, I think. He didn’t like that bicycle idea. idea his marketmanship left a lot to be desired so they drove back out in the country to a dump area in the will county suburban or rural area of will will county siraki pulled out a 45 caliber pistol and 357 magnum revolver and says hey try this so they got a sign out there there was a keep out sign and and daniel bell bounds emptied both guns into the sign and from about 15 feet and they praised him up said oh great man you’re a great shot with a pistol next day they go back off to the golf course for a make a definite decision on the location for the shooting walk around the at area get back in the car they drive away to see you know what kind of traffic’s around and and where you would go from there they decide that they’ll let him off he He could hide in the trees at a good rendezvous point. We’ll be at a particular place a few blocks away. [8:17] Now they drive back to the AT and Bounds gets practiced by running. There’s a bridge close by. He gets takes practice by running back to this bridge where they’re going to rendezvous. [8:32] You can’t make this stuff up, man. Next thing they do is they properly outfit him. And they buy him from a Kmart some dark green coveralls and a baseball cap and a knapsack.

Murder on the Golf Course Part 1 Feb 12, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In 1981, Southside Outfit crew chief Al Pilotto was still watching his tee shot in the air on the 8th hole at Lincolnshire Country Club when a gunman stepped out from behind the bushes and started shooting. Al survived and will die a natural death. The hitman was an amateur hired by one of the golfers, Sam Guzzino. In the end, Guzzino’s brother, Richard Guzzino, and Robert Ciarrocchi were convicted of training and arming Daniel Bounds to murder Pilotto. The Outfit took care of Sam Guzzino in the usual manner. Daniel Bounds testified and left town. Check out Part 2 for an anatomy of how this murder was carefully planned by the Marx Brothers and carrried out by the keystone cops. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! [0:00] Hey guys, welcome all you wiretappers. Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Intelligence Unit detective here, back in the house again. Hey, I got a short story here for you again. Al Pilotto, he was a Chicago outfit crew leader, if you will, crew chief of the Southside crew. He was also big in the labor union racketeering. He was the head of Local 5 in the Laborers International Union. Union. They liked to play golf. Al Pilotto’s Assassination Attempt on the Golf Course [0:31] Now, he was out playing golf on a nice warm July day back in, oh, when was that? Back in 1980-something, 30 years ago or so. Anyhow, Tony Splattro was out in Las Vegas. Tony Accardo was running the outfit at the time because they both were co-defendants on a labor racketry charge. And like I said, he was out playing golf. He was He was playing with one particular guy was Sam Guzzino. And there was Rudy Bamonte and Nick Fusci. Early in the morning, 8 o’clock in the morning, they were just on the AT at the Lincoln Shire. It was 1981 is what it was. I just glanced up to see what it was. [1:17] Anyhow, he had a great tee shot off that AT, they say. And somebody jumped out behind the bush that was there and started shooting at him. and shot him four or five times with a handgun and ran off. Well, he goes down with his golf partners and supposes shot golf partners. These guys, I don’t know if they teed up and played on through and left him back there, or they just ran off. They didn’t call the police is the main point I’m trying to make here. Lack of Police Involvement and Speculation on Motives [1:45] They did not call the cops. Some neighbor lady heard the shots and called the police, and they came driving up looking to see what was going on there. There’s our friend Al Pilotto, bleeding like a stung hog, probably. So they take him to the hospital. He survives this assassination attempt, which there’s no other way to put it. It was an assassination attempt. And Al Pilotto, if you think about it, his chief enforcer was Billy Dauber, who was killed by some of the guys that worked under Joey Lombardo, through the wild bunch in angelo la pietra so you know his chief enforcer had been killed they had these they had a kind of a war in that south side what they called the chop shop war there’s a bunch of people been killed in that war so you know with these mob heads you have to really look around for the motives and see who benefits but again like i said he had a. Al Pilotto’s Indictment and Potential Motives for the Hit [2:46] Indictment coming going down with tony accardo and you know maybe they were worried that he might talk although you know if you think about it in the outfit nobody’s ever talked especially somebody’s 70 years old spent his whole life in the outfit and and this is a racketeering thing i don’t think it wasn’t like a murder case where it was faced with death or something like that or probably not even life in prison although 70 years old you know a stiff sentence can be life basically but somebody wanted him out of the way there’s no doubt about it some some speculation that joy the crown lombardo i mentioned before wanted to take over his crew was a pretty ambitious guy he had his state taylor not taylor street crew the grand avenue so they kept him in the hospital the saint james hospital chicago heights this is like chicago heights is on the south side this is kind of like the boys from chicago heights the modern iteration of that crew who kept him under guard for 24 hours a day for several days while he healed up the local chief of police, Michael Siebert. Al Pilotto’s Hospitalization and Speculation by Chief of Police [3:49] I don’t know, and he was probably a little bit shaky himself. He said it was probably a mob hit, and it was just lucky he didn’t get killed. [3:57] Pilotto, of course, said, I don’t know who did it, and he nearly did, and I don’t think he did at all. It’s some unknown guy. It wasn’t somebody he knew, but his golf partners knew. They knew a lot about it. And there was a lot of rumor and speculation as i said the the fbi here’s a classic statement by them let me see what this says we don’t know the contract yet anytime you have something like that somebody waiting for somebody on the golf course it appears it could have been well yeah you had to know that he was on the golf course that morning and you had to know about what time he got to the eighth oh you know you could figure that out if you knew the teacher but yeah and And especially if you’re playing, one of your partners is setting this deal up. FBI’s Statement and Possible Motives for the Hit [4:40] The FBI said, you know, who knows? He’s 70 years old. He might not want to take in a long prison term. Somebody might have worried about him caving in. As I said before, there’s no way that he would have been a Turk. So not at that point in his life. [4:56] Eventually, two former Chicago Heights men will be convicted of orchestrating this bungled assassination. fascination. And this golf course is in Crete, Illinois, which is a suburb out there. I’m not sure where that is, but Richard Guzzino, remember that name Guzzino? He was playing with a guy named Guzzino, wasn’t he? And another named Robert Ciarochi were found guilty by a federal court of conspiracy, obstruction, injustice, and unlawful use of a weapon because they didn’t kill him. [5:28] At a three-week trial, they were looking at 20 years in prison. Well, how they got him, they hired a taxi driver named Bounds, B-O-U-N-D-S, who, when they got him, brought him in, he said, you know, I ain’t going down for this. [5:46] And so he rats them out. He also tells about how Sam Guzzino set him up, got him a gun trained him and and you know helped him practice set the whole deal up and was standing there while mr bounds david bounds daniel bounds while he popped out and shot him and ran off Sam Guzzino you know the you know the sentence you know you know the deal in Chicago if you try to to hit somebody like the two guys that hit tokyo joe or the Japanese guy joe suddenly i forgot his last name Tokyo joe he was a couple i didn’t get too so and i can’t remember the other guy’s name tried to hit him they they used bad gun or bad bullets and hit him in the head but he didn’t die and then he testified against a lot of people which is the problem if you don’t try to hit somebody they don’t die they’re going to testify against you aren’t they well Sam Guzzino recruited Daniel Bounds and, you know, the older brother of one of the actual hitmen that took a conviction on it. Recruitment of Hitman and Subsequent Death of Recruit [6:52] And two months after this attempt, he was found dead with his throat cut in a ditch in the south southern suburbs. So that sounds like the Calabrese necktie, doesn’t it? Your throat cut. [7:03] So that’s another little Chicago story of a bungled head up there. But nobody was talking, really. I mean, just the hitman who, you know, how do you do that? that you give it to Guzzino, who then gives it to his brother, who then gives it to some taxi driver. [7:24] This is just, that’s like disaster. Had disaster written all over. Anyhow, another short story out of the Chicago outfit. It’s always an interesting place up there. I got to get back up there and do another tour. Conclusion and Shoutouts to Chicago Contacts [7:37] Gus Alex up there and Ben Alexson, and he both promised to take me out for lunch or dinner or something. And so, and I did that with, with Ben before and Gus Alex and sent me a lot of information about Chicago. So this goes out to you guys. I know you like me doing these Chicago outfit stories. Appreciate it. Don’t forget if you have a problem with PTSD and you’ve been in the service.

Life in the Bonanno Family Feb 06, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, we have a special guest, Jack Amato, who shares his experiences growing up in Sicily and the United States. He talks about his father’s encounters with the mafia and their journey from owning a restaurant in Brooklyn to buying a luncheonette in Glendale. Jack discusses how his father dealt with tough guys and troublemakers in the neighborhood, sometimes reaching out to wise guys for assistance. He also shares his experiences in the lunch wagon business and his involvement with figures like Joe Massino and Rusty Rastelli. The conversation then delves into the early days of running lunch wagons and catering businesses. Jack Amato discusses the relationships formed with prominent figures in the industry, such as mafia members like Joe Massino and Rusty Rastelli. They talk about the buying and selling of products, including cigarettes without a stamp, and the arrangement in which a percentage of sales would be paid to Joe Massino for the items provided. Jack Amato describes his personal experiences and interactions with various mobsters. He shares stories of confrontations, alliances, and even getting shot in the stomach during a robbery attempt. He discusses his decision to focus on the pizzeria business and interact with figures like Pizza Connection conspirators like Baldo Amaro and Cesar Bonaventura. Jack also relates his involvement in bookmaking and other ventures, including opening a maintenance and cleaning business. The conversation then turns as Jack Amato discusses legal troubles, accusations, and encounters with law enforcement. They talk about Jack being arrested and facing serious charges, including attempted murder and conspiracy. Jack Amato maintains his innocence and describes the pressure to cooperate with authorities. They also discuss the changing dynamics within the mob and the different power figures that emerged. Support the podcast. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Welcome, all you wiretappers out there. Good to be back here in the studio. Gangland Wire, you know, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins here. And I have a really interesting, different sort of an interview. We’ve got a man from Sicily. I started noticing this man on our podcast page. Gangland Wire podcast was posting and he has a book that he’s written and it tells about his life, you know, both in Sicily and when he came over. And when he came over, his family ended up, you know, getting jobs and being around some of the Bonanno families. So he has a lot of experiences with this from, shall we say, from the, not really from the associate side, not even associate, more like from just somebody that lived in the neighborhood and people that had to do business with mob guys and with his roots in Sicily. So his name is Jack Amato. So welcome, Jack. [0:57] Thank you for getting me to your show. You invited me to your show. Well, I’m really anxious to have you now. A Father’s Belief, part one. That’s the name of your book, correct? Yes, yes. All right, and you can get that on Amazon, I believe, can’t you? Yeah. Let’s move along. In this next segment, let’s move along to your life in the United States. And as your father, you know, he had a restaurant and there were mafia around and they had the lunch wagon business. And so as you grew up and grew into that and those people were in your life, let’s talk about that. Okay. All right, so. So like I said, we were in Brooklyn working along for showman, you know, my father was working there and my schooling, I didn’t make it to junior high school. And so my father wanted to get us out of there, but he wanted us to go in the pizza business. That was a thing for immigrants to go in to make pizza. That was a big deal. So we learned to make the pizza, me and my brothers. [2:08] And my father, with the help of my older brother, because he already was in America, he knew his way around, We found this place that it was a luncheonette in Glendale with a house for us to live in, you know, and we bought that house and we took over the luncheonette. There’s a story in my book about the transaction. And like I said, there was a pizzeria two blocks away, not even, a block and a half. They were doing good. They were the only ones there. There was Sicilian too and they were related to the Gambino. Okay. Okay. And. But we bought a luncheonette, we’re going to convert it into a pizza place, you know, and keep the counter with the ice cream and the milkshake, you know, but have a pizzeria luncheonette. So when we start doing work to rebuild out, we got a visit from two guys. And actually, I ended up talking to them. I broke the language. My father didn’t even speak English. My older brother, too, and they want to say, who’s the owner here, right? [3:24] So I said, it’s my father, it’s family-owned, why? You know, why? I was already a tough guy. I was 15 now. [3:35] I’ve been seeing it all, and I heard about, you know, being getting shagged down, that you got to pay protection money, you know, which I already learned that from being in Brooklyn, with the Gallo brothers, you know? I mean, I don’t think they did that. I don’t think they, I think they just did their own business, bookmaking, Sherlock, you know, any stolen goods from the ship, you know, the longshoreman, you know, stolen goods. There was no drugs, really that I have to say heroin? No, it was a big thing was the numbers shy and selling stolen good, you know, and that was it, you know. And if somebody else wanted a favor or something, they paid for the favor. That’s how they made money, you know. So I was familiar with that. But anyway, so I said, my father does not speak English, so what’s the problem? So he says, well, you know, you got to bring your father here, you know, before they talk to me. He says you could translate. So I called my father and told him, and said, you guys want to talk? And he said, you know, you can open up a pizzeria here because there’s a pizzeria here. [4:57] So, instead of a little conversion, my father took the guy and threw him out, grabbed him by the arm. You know, he was a fisherman, pulled the boat, you know, I mean, he was strong, he was not, you know, he could hurt you by just squeezing his hand. So he says, you know, go take a walk, you know, and throw him out. The guys are like, you know, they didn’t do that. They left. So my father reached out and he went to the other pizzeria. Went to the guy’s place. You know, on a Friday night when they’re busy. Got to learn. And he told the guy, you know, he says, listen, people came to my place. They mentioned your name. We should not open a pizzeria. And the guy goes, I don’t know nothing about it. I don’t know nothing about it. So my father told him, OK, I’ll tell you something about it. Anything happens to my place. I’m going to come here and put you in the oven. [6:03] Oh, in the oven. Right in the oven. So my father didn’t go alone. He took a couple of guys with him, you know, longshoremen. showman. Right away, my father didn’t wait for anything to happen. He reached out for the wise guys, which in the area, 18th Avenue, Williamsburg. You know, there’s a lot of paisans over there. I want to know if anybody know this pizzeria. So sure enough, you know, they find out what you would belong to. They came in and that. The people that were involved with the guy, you know, came to apologize. You know, it was a misunderstanding, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And that was it. And that was the first experience I got seeing my father in action. The second action I seen him, there was the group of bad boys, I guess, in the neighborhood. They go drinking, to bars, then come in on weekends. You know, we had a jukebox. And you split the money with the guy who gives you the jukebox. They would come in and play jukebox, start dancing in the place, and they used to get out of there. So one night, my father had a, he told me, who’s the tough guy here? You know, who’s the leader? [7:31] So there was the other kids working, he says, he’s the leader, you know, the pinpointer. So my father one day was in the kitchen, you know, like I said, he had his friends too, you know, from the other side, from Italy. So, and he wanted to teach this kid, you know, a lesson. So they were making mess out of the pizzeria, you know, my father came out and said, pick it up, you know, he was throwing napkins and dishes. And the guy started making his hands like, you know, rough and cool, you know, but that my father went crazy, you know, grabbed him by the throat, you know, and pulled out a knife, put it in his neck. [8:18] Like, you know, like, and the other guys, and he’s a Sicilian. I kill you, you know, I kill you. You don’t do this here, this is my house, you know. Anyway, they became good friends after that. There was no more trouble. Your father had reached out to somebody when he first got this threat from the other pizza place. And so he reached out to somebody to start asking about who were they, were they connected? Now, who did he reach out to? Do you remember who that was? Well, there was coffee shop. You know, people from the town, Carini, there was, what do you call it, a residence there, you know, and they knew, how do you say,

On Our Watch Feb 05, 2024

Retired intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you a new podcast that he is excited about. On Our Watch: New Folsom is a gripping investigative podcast series brought to you by KQED. This show delves into the stories of two courageous correctional officers. These officers face severe consequences after exposing corruption and abuse within their ranks. Through powerful elements like interrogation tapes, 911 audio, prison phone calls, personal recordings, and emotional interviews, the show masterfully unravels the flaws in the accountability system. It’s a heart-pounding and explosive narrative that you don’t want to miss. But wait, there’s more! Stay tuned for an upcoming trailer that will give you a taste of the intensity and intrigue that awaits you. And once you’ve listened, find and follow On Our Watch wherever you get your podcasts. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on the whole story. The journey begins with a man who dreams of becoming an investigator in Folsom, California’s most dangerous prison. He knows correctional officers promise to protect the innocent and hold each other accountable. However, inside the prison walls, promises are broken, fear, intimidation, and violence take control, and lives hang in the balance. It’s a stunning tale of two individuals who dare to challenge the unwritten brotherhood code and pay a heavy price. As this captivating case unfolds, it raises numerous crucial questions, and the pursuit of truth comes at an unimaginable cost. Get ready for On Our Watch, Season 2, a production from KQED. Starting on February 6th, you can expect weekly episodes to keep you on the edge of your seat. If you want to learn more, go into the app you are on now and find On Our Watch. Or click this link, On Our Watch. Trust me, this is one podcast series you won’t want to miss. Support the podcast. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Hey guys, Gary Jenkins, retired intelligence unit detective here. We’re going to do something a little different today. I wanted to introduce you to a new show that I know you’re really going to want to listen to, On Our Watch. On Our Watch is an investigative podcast series from KQED. This season, it follows the stories of two correctional officers who pay a high price for exposing corruption and abuse by their fellow officers. The show shines a light on a broken accountability system through interrogation tapes, 911 audio, prison phone calls, personal audio recordings, and hours of emotional interviews. It’s an explosive, gripping narrative you need to hear. Next up, we have a trailer just for you. Take a listen, take it in, and then find and follow On Our Watch wherever you’re listening to this right now. The Dangerous Prison Job: A Promise and a New Family [0:43] You’re going to want to hear the whole story. He wanted to be an investigator. He said it was the most dangerous prison in California. Each day, people step inside prison walls, not to serve a sentence, but to do a job. I, state your name, recognize the badge of my office. Correctional officers promise to protect the innocent and hold each other accountable. And I accept it as a public trust. And in turn, Thayer promised a new family. Congratulations. Welcome to the family. Broken Promises and the Dark Reality Behind the Walls [1:27] But once behind the walls, those promises are hard to keep. He texted, I sold my pride for the job, and it wasn’t worth it. This one sergeant, he put his hands around his neck, and he said, I can make it look like an accident. In a place where secrecy is enforced through intimidation and threat of violence. To live under that kind of fear, I can’t explain to you. Lives hang in the balance. They just really don’t give a fuck. They don’t care about my life. They don’t care about helping me. Did you hear that he had died? No. Yeah, I’m really sorry to be telling you that. That’s foul play. Foul play, honestly. Two Men Who Defied the Brotherhood’s Unwritten Code [2:12] This is a story about two men who defied the unwritten code that binds that brotherhood together. Everything about this case just raises questions. Why was he banned from this institution? And the cost they paid for telling the truth inside a system bent on protecting itself. There’s no denying that they’re fucking responsible for what happened. A Grieving Father’s Quest for Answers [2:36] Losing my son has been something else. Maybe one day I’ll find out the answers. Introducing “On Our Watch, Season 2, New Folsom” [2:45] From KQED, I’m Suki Lewis, and this is On Our Watch, Season 2, New Folsom. Episodes drop weekly beginning February 6th. For more information, go to kqed.org slash onourwatch.

Growing up in Sicily Feb 04, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, we have a captivating interview with Jack Amato, the author of “A Father’s Belief,” a book about his life in Sicily and his journey to the United States. Jack shares his experiences growing up in the fishing town of Carini and the matchmaking that led his family to immigrate to the US. He discusses his father’s work as a fisherman and the challenges they faced in their hometown. Moving on to his life in the United States, Jack talks about his early years in school and the language barriers he had to overcome as an immigrant. He also touches upon the presence of the Mafia in Sicily and the admiration for the Mafia folk hero Salvatore Giuliano. The episode concludes with a preview of the upcoming second part of the interview, where Jack will delve deeper into his experiences in the US, including his interactions with influential figures from the Bonanno family. Listeners are reminded to pay attention to motorcycles on the streets and provided with resources for PTSD and addiction support. Support the podcast. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Welcome, all you wiretappers out there. Good to be back here in the studio. Gangland Wire, you know, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins here. And I have a really interesting, different sort of an interview. We’ve got a man from Sicily. I started noticing this man on our podcast page. Gangland Wire podcast was posting and he has a book that he’s written and it tells about his life, you know, both in Sicily and when he came over And when he came over, his family ended up, you know, getting jobs and being around some of the Bonanno families. So he has a lot of experiences with this from, shall we say, from the, not really from the associate side, not even associate, more like from just somebody that lived in the neighborhood and people that had to do business with mob guys and with his roots in Sicily. So his name is Jack Amato. So welcome, Jack. [0:57] Thank you for getting me to your show. All right. You invited me to your show. Well, I’m really anxious to have you. Now, A Father’s Belief, part one, that’s the name of your book, correct? Yes, yes. All right, and you can get that on Amazon, I believe, can’t you? Yes. All right, good. We’ll have links to how you click on to get that book, and in the YouTube version, I’ll have a picture of it whenever we talk about it. Every once in a while, we’ll have a picture of it So people will know what it looks like. And then going to gangland, why our Facebook group and Jack post quite a little bit. And he’ll post a little bit about his book every once in a while and have a link to it and tell some stories from from his childhood and growing up in New York City. [1:41] But first of all, Jack, we just talked a little bit. And you have a really fascinating back story in Sicily before you got to the United States. So tell me a little bit about it. Tell the guys here a little bit about, you know, where you came from, What area was that in Sicily and what was life like over there? I was born in Carini, Sicily, province of Palermo. Life in Carini, Sicily and the Fishing Trade [2:03] The location of the town, it was on the hill. And then there was the mountains surrounded and the sea. My family were fishers by trade. It was a town with aquaculture, meaning, you know, fruits, vegetables, everything. Cows, sheeps. So there was a different type of people there, different group. We called them, if you were connected, we called them mafios. [2:33] Okay, that’s like a May guy, who translated in English, you know, over here. So things were not good. I come from a big family, 10 kids. I was the ninth. So we had to bring the family over to USA, America. [2:54] So there was a matchmaking with my older brother with another Italian girl, Sicilian, and he was the first one to come to America. He went to work for a local showman and Brooklyn Red Hook, section of Brooklyn. And then my father came along, came by himself. He was 54 years old when he came. So now, let me ask a question here. Your brother came first because of a matchmaking, somebody’s couple of families got together and who were already, somebody was already over here? Is that how that worked? Yes, yes, yes, yes. Matchmaking and Coming to America [3:32] How did that work then? I mean, just… Okay, there was somebody from Carini. There was a cousin of my mother, cousin, first cousin, that was coming to America. So my mother said to him, I wish I could put one of my boys in your suitcase to take him to America, you know? So with that, he never, you know, he never forgot that. But when he came and lived in Brooklyn, there was this Italian family that they wanted to marry somebody from Sicily. [4:11] So they knew each other because he worked in the longshoremen too, the husband did. So that’s how the matchmaking came about, you know. So they show pictures of each other, you know, that’s what I mean matchmaking. They send a picture, they liked each other and, you know, My brother would just finish the Navy. He was like 22 years old, you know, when he got out and started going fishing again. But things weren’t working out for the future. So really, that was the idea. They were going to come to America. So I’m very impressed by my father that he did that at 54 years old. Really? But for me, he was like a man’s man. You know, he was he was a tough man to come. Fifty four years old. Most people at 54, they want to retire. You know what I’m saying? So now your father, he was a fisherman in your village? Daily Life as a Fisherman in Sicily [5:10] For a roof from the beginning. How did he, I mean, did he have his own boat, went out and caught fish and then brought them in and sold them, gutted them and cleaned them and then sold them at a market that anybody could come by or did he sell them to a company that processed them out? What was his day-to-day life like? Well, people will come by the boat to buy the fish, either for restaurants, regular people, want to fish fish. And then whatever’s left, we will sell it to the public. They will go out, pulling out, you know, what they have, what kind of fish, octopus was very popular, and all different fish. So you go block by block and sell it in the street. whatever was left over, then you would sell it to the fishmonger for whatever reasonable price. But first, they would sell it to the people, the public. Yeah. So that’s what they did. So then whatever’s left over after all that, that you guys ate, I assume. Oh, yeah. We ate a lot of fish. [6:19] And what we used to do to have we used to sometimes give it to the butcher, the fish, and we would get the meat. You know, like instead of money, they would change it between meat, whatever, vegetable, and we’d get fish because there was not too much money. Yeah, I see. So you were 10 of you guys, 10 kids, 10. So I guess all the boys worked on the fishing boat at one time or another. Jack’s Childhood and Family Involvement in Fishing [6:48] The older brother. But I used to go to be, how do you say? [6:53] A young boy, you don’t want to go fishing with the brothers and more I used to be in their way than actually fish. I never fish, I go swimming, you know, that was the thing, you know, watching my brother fish. Yes, we have more than one boat, you know, we have more than one boat. There was a bigger boat with all the fishermen, like I said, it’s a group, there was association that they would go fishing for tuna, big fishes, you know? And what do you call it? The town hall, they would get some kind of benefits, because they would help feed the people. So they would get some kind of money given to make sure the operator good, I mean, have enough sources to go out fishing. You know, the gasoline, everything, all the tools, than that. So, you know, the government, I mean, the politicians were involved there. Interesting. [7:58] Not unlike in the United States. You probably don’t want to much about this. I grew up on a farm and. OK. And in the United States, the government, we have the USDA, United States Department of Agriculture, and farmers can then apply for low cost loans. They can get different things through the government to make sure because the government wants to make sure there’s enough food that’s always provided. It’s the same thing. Interesting. Same thing. Yes. Financial Struggles and the Decision to Move to the USA [8:26] Yes. Same thing. Yes. So there were that but there was no money, you know, I mean, people had no money. They were strapped for money. So there was not too much money going around. And he just decided my mother, my father decide that we’ve got to make a move. We can’t stay here. These kids are going to go nowhere, you know? And like I said, I was four when I got there. How many were left at home when you they made the move to the United States? Well, we were actually eight, eight. My older sister was married and the brother got married and then the other one got married. So we were seven months in there. Yeah. All right. So this little village that you lived in, how big was it? Oh, 25 to 30,000 people. Oh, I say little village a little bit. Yeah, a little. [9:21] No, no, that’s what I said.

Battle for the River Quay Jan 29, 2024

In this episode, we explored the fascinating history of the River Quay area in Kansas City and its unfortunate downfall at the hands of organized crime. The conversation began by highlighting the initial grassroots development led by artists like Lou Marik and Philomene Bennett, who opened studios and attracted other entrepreneurs to the area. Marion Trozzolo renovated and leased old buildings to artists, boutique owners, and young restaurant owners. The area quickly became a hotspot for young people, singles, and live music lovers. The rise of the River Quay district also caught the attention of the mob, who wanted a share of its success. Members of the Civella family felt they owned this area next to the City Market. Nick Civella, the boss, operated through his brother Corky and underboss Tuffy DeLuna. Willie Cammisano, a capo for the mob, had a crew responsible for street rackets and enforcement activities. Despite the presence of the mob, many clubs and businesses thrived in the area. A large urban renewal project forced out 12th Street strip clubs owned by mobsters. Gary remembers working in the area and being offered drinks by generous bar owners. These events turned darker as tensions between a River Quay bar owner named Freddy Bonadonna, who owned a joint in the River Quay area, and the mob. The mob demanded a cut of his parking lot profits and assistance obtaining liquor licenses, but Freddy resisted their control. This resistance placed him at odds with the organized crime family and eventually led to dangerous confrontations. Freddy’s father, David Bonadonna, was found murdered in the trunk of a green Mustang, marking a tragic turn of events. Gary recounts this mob murder that was never solved and offers insight into the tight-lipped nature of the Kansas City mob when it came to disclosing information about murders. He shared stories about other mob members who were uncooperative with the FBI’s efforts to gather evidence. The conversation also mentioned a large brick building owned by Freddy and his brother, which was mysteriously blown up, leading investigators to suspect an insurance scheme rather than a mob war. The episode concluded by discussing the revitalization of the city market and downtown Kansas City, with new developments, lofts, clubs, and the construction of the T-Mobile Center. The River Quay area eventually recovered and became thriving once again, showcasing the city’s resilience. Support the podcast. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, Gary Jenkins here, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Detective back here in the studio. I want to tell you a Kansas City story. I don’t often do Kansas City stories, but I like to do one every once in a while. And this is a story of give you a broad overview. [0:17] This is a story of a grassroots entertainment district development that was really ruined by the mob. Urban renewal, mob bombs, a lot of stuff going on in this. Murders, there was an area close to the city market. It was along one street called Delaware, which was on one side of the city market was Little Italy, where all the mob guys, their families first moved to, where they first got their first jobs is at the city market. On the other side, there’s this street that had actually been the original downtown of Kansas City. The old city hall was on this street. a lot of big old brick buildings around here. But by 1971, 70, it was really run down and there was not much going on. Italian people had kind of, there’d been a highway that had cut down and taken out a lot of their houses and divided the city market from the rest of Little Italy. There wasn’t easily a way to drive through a couple of streets to get to the city market. The mob had always hung out at the city market. They had a proprietary interest in the city market. Here’s a former employee from down in this area named Chuck Haddox that will talk about this. The city market was adjacent to the River Quay, and the city market traditionally had been run by the mob. And so the mob really wanted to get in on the action. [1:42] At the River Quay. You know, artists always lead the way to these kinds of grassroots development. Lou Merrick and Philomene Bennett opened their studio and other artists, that attracted other artists, and then these entrepreneurs followed, these opening businesses in the area. And it really was a grassroots scene led by the artists. It’s just kind of interesting. Ironically. Marion Trezolo’s revitalization efforts in the area [2:06] Once the area becomes successful, the artists have to go find another area. [2:10] Now during this time, 1971, a man named Marion Trezolo had a business down there. He was putting Teflon on pans, one of the early people to do this, and he was making a lot of money. And he loved all these old buildings. They all had these great cornices and doorways, and he loved that old architecture and loved these old buildings. And you could rent one, or you could buy one, or get a long-term lease on one for practically nothing, because everybody was moving out. Like I said, the early 70s, white flight was in full bloom. After the riots of 68, people were leaving downtown. They were moving out. The businesses were moving out of downtown. It was really, there wasn’t much left. We had one department store by then, a Jones store, I think. Maybe there might’ve been a Macy’s, but then they did hardly any business. And the government buildings, of course, they were the big employees downtown, but a lot of of apartment complexes and office buildings were being built down in the far suburbs and businesses were moving out there. Downtown was really was dying in 1971, 72. Well, Mr. Terzolo wanted to fix up an area down here by the city market, it was adjacent to downtown when the walking distance of downtown, the city center, the 12th and Oak and Main and the police department and the Jackson County Courthouse and the big federal building and a bunch of high-rise office buildings that at one time had been filled with lawyers’ offices and. [3:38] Other businesses down there in downtown. [3:41] He started buying these buildings or getting long-term leases on them and hiring young guys to go in there and just gut them out and use the exposed brick and the old wood floors, the old wood ceilings, beams in the ceiling. And they were cool. We’d never seen anything like that. And then he started leasing them out to restaurants, young people that wanted to start a restaurant. He had really inexpensive rates because he had very little invested in these buildings, art studios, art galleries, a little boutiques, other restaurants. A really cool restaurant started popping in because people, you know, they could take a risk. Now, I remember this one guy, Ellie Cohen, I think this dude’s name, I got to know him. See, I had a district car around there. And so I’d stop in and talk to these different people as they were putting these businesses up, just, you know, they were fun. They were fun, young people, and they had a lot of enthusiasm. So, L.A. Cohen, he started a restaurant called Cindy’s Bedspread. He had about 20 different hamburgers with 20 different toppings to put on them. We never heard anything like this in Kansas City. You know, at this point in time, you know, throughout the 50s and 60s, we had steakhouses, of course, because we’re steak capital of the United States at the time. Changing restaurant scene in Kansas City [4:54] We had cafeterias, we had diners, we had little greasy spoons, and we had some bars and a couple of kind of nightclubs that had nice restaurants and a nice club that people went to. So, it was And those were all closing up in the center city. [5:09] Particularly, except for the chili parlors too. We had two or three chili parlors. That was a big deal. Barbecue wasn’t even a big deal then. There was a barbecue, but it was over on the east side. Hardly anybody went there unless you were really, you know, you worked over in Midtown. You were a working guy over in Midtown. You wanted this huge, big lunch or dinner of barbecued ribs or something. [5:31] The mob is watching all this as this guy is building up this area and it becomes a mentally popular i can’t explain it but it was like i had several clubs and had bands and young people start going my age i was twenty six twenty seven years old and all those baby boomers start going down there and party and then they were the kind of the first singles joints if you will before disco’s after kind of the old nightclub with jazz and that kind of a thing. Like this was, you know, had modern bands. I remember this one place, Ebenezer’s a guy named Irish guy named Mike Ryan had it. He had a, and he got it out the inside of this big building. And on in the center, there was an old offices, just a freestanding building. And he put the band on top of it. And then all around it, there was a bar. And then all the rest of it was all seating areas, really cool place. And so it was it was starting to pop and during this time as a guy named Freddy Bonadonna saw early on this was going to be a going Jesse. He was one of the first restaurant bars down there at Italian restaurant, of course, and he had had a Italian restaurant. [6:40] A few blocks away south of downtown.

Capone Shot Himself? Jan 24, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary shares an exciting story about Al Capone, the famous gang leader. It turns out that in the 1920s, Capone accidentally shot himself with his pistol. He ended up in the hospital with bullet wounds in his legs and groin. It reminded me of a similar mishap involving a policeman and his gun. Capone was playing golf with a guy named Johnny Patton, known as Burnham’s boy mayor. They were at a golf course called the Burnham Golf Lanes, where Capone had a .45 caliber pistol in his pocket. The gun discharged and injured him. Patton took him to the hospital in Hammond, where Capone was given a suite under the name Gary. He stayed with his guards until he recovered, and visitors were turned away to maintain his secrecy. The article mentioned some of his guards, including Louie “Little New York” Campagna and the Gennaro brothers. Capone seemed to be surrounded by tight security during his time at the hospital. Interestingly, the article also revealed that the golf course where the accident occurred was associated with the mayor of Burnham, who used the clubhouse for gambling and speakeasy activities. Overall, it’s an intriguing piece of Capone’s history, and if anyone knows more stories about him playing golf, feel free to share in the comments. Gary encourages listeners to check out the Gangland Wire Facebook Group, which boasts over 50,000 members. While occasional arguments arise, we strictly avoid engaging in politics or bullying. If anyone harasses or bullies others, we promptly block them. As the group administrator, I dedicate a significant amount of time to handle any problems that may arise. Additionally, I have two co-administrators who assist me with managing the group. If you’re interested in delving further into the Kansas City Mob, you can find my movies on Amazon. “Gangland Wire” explores the skim investigation from the Kansas City perspective, offering unique insights not covered in the film “Casino.” A hidden microphone placed in Ross Strada’s tavern known as the Villa Capri first revealed the Las Vegas connection. I also have another movie available for rent that focuses on the mob war in Kansas City called Brothers Against Brothers: The Civella Spero. If you prefer reading, check out my book Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. It is available on Kindle for $4.99. You’ll find links within the book to listen to the actual wiretaps and conversations. For those interested, I also have physical copies of the book. At the moment, I can’t think of anything else to promote, but I want to express my gratitude to all of you for tuning in. If you or someone you know is struggling with drugs or alcohol, I recommend visiting Anthony Ruggiano in Florida. He’s a former Gambino soldier who is now a drug and alcohol counselor, and he has a YouTube page where he shares valuable information. So, please remember to come back and listen to me every week. Support the Podcast Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:01] Hey, welcome all you wiretappers out there, back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. I found an old article I think is really interesting. In the Chicago Tribune in 1920-something, I don’t remember the exact date, Al Capone, the headline was, Al Capone shot himself with his own pistol. It’s an accident. I never heard that story before of you, but it was right there in the newspaper. And it’s, I mean, I believe it. It starts off with Alphonse Capone, Chicago’s most spectacular gang chieftain, was in St. Margaret’s Hospital in Hammond. So this must be down by Hammond, Indiana. He had bullet holes in his right and left leg and in his groin. Oh, my God. I tell you what, we had a policeman one time that had an automatic pistol before you’re supposed to even, you’re only supposed to have the revolvers. But he bought off duty gun that was a semi-automatic. Mac, he jammed it down in his belt and he shot himself right down next to his nuts. I mean, and it went down through his side. I said that his dick hid for a week after that. Anyhow, I digress. [1:08] He was out golfing with a guy named Johnny Patton, who was known as the boy mayor of Burnham. If anybody can tell me about Burnham, again, this must be down in Indiana. I got a feeling they’re in South Chicago. and they were on the Burnham Golf Lanes, which must have been kind of a short golf course. I think it was a nine-hole old-school golf course, carrying a gun in his pocket for some reason, which I can imagine Al Capone needed to have a gun in his pocket. It was a .45 caliber pistol. [1:41] This was not a little .32 or a .22. And it discharged. It was in his right hip pocket. pocket it was it went down through the fleshy part of his right leg it the article said said it narrowly missed his abdomen it must have been an upper pocket i mean when they said pocket it must have been up here so i’d narrowly miss his abdomen and then embedded itself in his left leg, the boy mayor of murnham took his buddy al capone to the hospital to the hammond hospital hospital and he was given an extensive suite i tell you what you can’t make this shit up and under the name of gary g-a-r-y i called a doctor and of course they started doing the uh. [2:31] What you call it they started you know doing whatever you had to do to make al feel a little better uh in the end he stayed there for a while until he had a complete recovery he had five rooms all together that were in his suite in the newspaper article they said the big fellas he’s known in gang circles the other four rooms out of these five rooms the other four were used by his, grim men as they called them slipping in and out and making sure that nobody got close to the boss to the big man to the big guy pistols were not flashed around but it seemed like there were sentinels around the hospital and outside remember the scene in the godfather where they’re supposed to be guards around the godfather all of a sudden they disappeared well these guards did not disappear and and they were looked like the reporter said they looked like they were ready for anything. Visitors and Guards at Capone’s Hospital Suite [3:29] Now, the secret of his identity was kept pretty good until it leaked out, and then visitors started flogging into the hospital, and they were told, well, Mr. Gary, we don’t have a Mr. Capone, Mr. Gary, and he does not want to be disturbed. The cops never knew what it was, and nobody ever knew the name of his physician other than he was a local Hammond practitioner. One of his guards, according to the newspaper article, was Tony Little New York Campagna, and one of the Gennaro brothers and four others said they were known in the cryptic language of their own circle as La Cava, Felco, Perry, and Marcus. [4:12] The scene of the accidental shooting is a golf course it was a track it was a force preserve leased out not long ago at this point in time to the park board of burnham and burnham is a small village and which is controlled by this guy that’s a mayor and a strong man named that was, playing golf with the big boy you know i heard another story and i think i may have even. [4:36] Reported on this one time where Al Capone and Greasy Thumb, Jake Guzik, and Machine Gun, Jack McGurn, and Killer Fred Burke, or Fred Killer Burke were playing a game of golf, and they were playing it for $500, and Capone and Guzik won. They were shooting like in the 60s for a nine-round, nine-hole round. I mean, Jesus, I can play better than that. But anyhow, Capone was a pretty inveterate golfer, it sounds to me like. I don’t know many other stories. Any of you guys out there know any other stories about Al Capone playing golf? Put it in the comments. I think it’s really interesting. Now, this clubhouse and this golf course was controlled by the mayor, as I said. A guy named, what was that guy’s name? It was Bill, I think. [5:32] I think Johnny Patton, the boy mayor of Burnham, he used that clubhouse as a gambling parlor and a speakeasy and a roadhouse, as they called them. I can’t remember what he used to call them. Anything out in the county was a roadhouse. We called them buckets of blood. So this is just another little thing out of the story of Alphonse the Big Guy Capone and playing golf with the boy mayor of Burnham. Very interesting I tell you what this Al Capone was, he is one of the most popular next to Gotti he is the next most popular person on Facebook if you can go by clicks it’s just crazy and there’s been so many books written by him that have really gone into his life with a fine tooth comb and there’s a new one real academic really thick book released just about the time I started this podcast that’s when I created my Kansas City Mom Tour app, I noticed that there was a Chicago app for a tour, and it was only in Capone sites. And so I got hold of that author, Jonathan Ige was his name, and he said he didn’t know, he didn’t do it. So I figured it out on my own. [6:45] But, you know, just one more of the many little gang stories that we’d like to put up here on Gangland Wire. So be sure and check out the Facebook group. There’s 50, over 50,000 people in it. We get a few arguments once in a while. We get no politics and nothing like that.

Kansas City $2.5 Million Jewelry Robbery Jan 22, 2024

In this episode of Gangland Wire, we are joined by former KCPD detectives Jim Harrington and Rick Smith to discuss a famous case involving mobster Angelo Porrello. The case revolves around stealing millions of dollars in diamonds and jewelry from a high-end jewelry store in Kansas City. The detectives initially suspected that a car chase involving out-of-town robbers from Los Angeles might be connected to the theft. However, further investigation revealed that the robbers were involved in credit card fraud, making it unlikely that they were responsible. Undeterred by the lack of leads, Harrington and Smith took on the case and gathered information through tips and informants. They discovered a possible connection to a man named Clarence Burnett, who may have been involved in the robbery. The detectives observed that the theft involved suspects arriving in a Jeep Cherokee and splitting up to break into the safe and display cases. They also noted that the suspects had previously committed other robberies, indicating a progression in their skills and targets. During their investigation, the detectives found links to a bondsman in Kansas City who bought stolen jewelry from the targeted store. Through surveillance, they identified Burnett leaving the bondsman’s location, leading to a breakthrough in the case. This information was shared with the FBI, who conducted a sting operation and purchased stolen diamonds, one of which was identified as stolen from the jewelry store. As the investigation progressed, Burnett was arrested for cocaine possession and persuaded to cooperate with the FBI. His cooperation helped identify the rest of the crew involved in the robbery. Additionally, connections were made to the Porrello crime family, specifically Angelo Porrello and their pawn shop. The stolen merchandise was believed to have been unloaded at the pawn shop and sold through Joe Porrello’s legitimate jewelry store. The FBI played a crucial role in uncovering these connections. The case led to numerous sting operations and ultimately resulted in the arrests and prosecution of those involved. The detectives reflect on Clarence Burnett’s criminal associates and his progression from stealing cars as a young kid to his involvement with the mob. They discuss the possibility of inviting Burnett onto the show to share his story and explore the evolution of criminal activity. Throughout the episode, the detectives also discuss their experiences with surveillance, collaboration with the FBI, and some personal anecdotes from their time working on the case. They highlight the importance of teamwork and cooperation in solving complex cases. The episode ends with reminders to support the podcast and messages related to mental health and addiction issues. Support the podcast. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, welcome all you wiretappers out there and back here in the studio, Gangland Wire. I have a really cool show for you, I think a couple of friends of mine, a couple of former KCPD guys, Jim Harrington and Rick Smith. Jim Harrington was a robbery detective and Rick Smith was a robbery detective at one time. Now they went on to have other things. Rick went on to be the chief of police and and Rick, you went. Were you a detective the whole time? In robbery, just in robbery. OK. Okay. So I remained in fact, in my whole career. Ambitious detectives discuss the challenges of higher ranks [0:34] So one of you guys is ambitious and what I made so ambitious when it comes to management level stuff, although I understand Jim, you know, Sergeant was a high rank I ever wanted to be and I never wanted to go any higher. There’s too much responsibility. Everybody’s shooting for you all the time. It was bad enough being a Sergeant. Sometimes if you had the right job, as I found out to my sure again, there at the end, I He ended up back on dog watch at Metro when I had about 23 years on. But anyhow, I’m not bitter. [1:03] But these guys worked a really, really cool, famous case. And it was on a mob guy named Angelo Porrello who was pretty close to Nick Savella at one time. I don’t know if he was a made guy or not. He’s never really showed up on the made guy list from the old days, but he was a real active member of the Civella crime family, and he had a pawn shop out here, and he was taking what we call swag. He was taking things that fell off a truck. But in this case that these guys work, he was taking $2 million or $2.5 million in diamonds and other jewelry from one of the highest end jewelry stores we have in Kansas City. So Jim or Rick, you know, whoever wants to start, tell us how you got into this case. All right, so robbery work to shift, a day shift and an evening shift. This happened at 10 o’clock in the morning and we weren’t working. It was the other, the B team was at work. So they responded to the scene, but it was a big enough case that it started to overlap the shift. And I think our involvement happened when. [2:10] A Metro dog watch officer pulled over a car, and I think there might’ve been a short car chase. They stopped the car at 63rd Ward Parkway, and they had guns in the car. These guys were all from out of town. As it turns out, they were robbers from Los Angeles. And that case was big enough, the Tivol case was big enough that there was some thought that these could’ve been an out of town crew that had come in. Rick was convinced of it, and it made a lot of sense based upon the guy’s records involved. So we had them in, we served a couple of search warrants at some hotels on the Plaza, which made it even more suspicious they were closer to Tivol, but it turns out that the head guy or the, I don’t remember what the ringleader’s name of that group was, but he’s like, I’m not going to deny that I haven’t done crime, but I didn’t do that one. So you told him it was about a robbery of a jewelry store on the Plaza and it was almost like, oh, well, I don’t know what all I’ve done because I’m not from this city, but I I didn’t rob a high-end jewelry store. And we ended up working a couple days trying to establish whether it was them or not. And as it turns out, they were committing a credit card fraud at the time within 45 minutes of the robbery. And it didn’t seem likely that they’d just done a $2.5 million jewelry store robbery and they were trying to score a $2,500 laptop computer 45 minutes later up the street. [3:34] So ultimately, that initial part didn’t lead anywhere. But Rick was adamant that this is a one-time in a career case and we should try to work it. So we ended up working it and working it and working it. And eventually, it got assigned to us. The original detective didn’t continue working it. We were lucky enough to be making connections with people outside that it made it easier just to assign it to us. Detectives take initiative to claim the case as their own [4:00] Can I add to that, Jim? As long as you’re not going to talk bad about it, Yvonne. [4:04] I’m not going to talk bad, but I am going to say that Jim and I were sitting in the squad room and we were talking and I said, we should work this case. Jim and I were having the discussion, we’re like, we should work this case. And Jim goes, it’s not our case. And I go, it should be our case because we’re the only ones putting any effort into it. I think one of the main things that came from the other detectives working the case is they set up off-duty at the Tibbles which needed to be done, but to Jim and I was not much investigative work. It was a necessary tangent of this case and off-duty, I think it’s still at Tibbles today, but. [4:47] We wanted to do the investigative part and Jim and I decided at that time that we would Instead of just go behind the scenes, we go straight to that sergeant and say we wanna take this case, and that’s what we did. it. Do you remember that, Jim? No, I don’t remember saying that to that sergeant, but we had a really good supervisor. We did. We had a really good sergeant, but I remember walking into his office at the time and saying to him, sergeant, we would like to have this case and here’s the reasons why. And he was not too happy about the whole conversation, but in the end said, all right, I see you guys have a point. and he said, let’s see what you could do. And we were allowed to then go out and start working the case, not behind everyone’s back, but out in front. And that’s how it got started. And our sergeant supported us 100%. And the solvability of that case was pretty low. [5:48] There weren’t a lot of leads, so there wasn’t going to be any forensic evidence to tie him to it at the scene because the way they were dressed and the forensics weren’t quite what they are today. Um, so we started, I had somebody that was telling me, I wouldn’t call him informant because he wasn’t, he wasn’t paid by, I had somebody that I had arrested before that was telling me. And Rick had somebody, I don’t remember the one guy who faded, but we had a couple different people saying that Clarence Burnett was behind it. [6:22] So before we, before we go any farther, set the scene, how did this robbery go down? So they arrived in a, I want to say it was a Jeep Cherokee. They pulled up in front, just stopped blocking the first lane of traffic and they went in the store. They split up so somebody went to the safe. So they,

The Broadway Butterfly Must Die Jan 17, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, author Michael Wolraich and Gary discuss his book, The Bishop and the Buterfly. This is about the murder of Vivian Gordon, a prostitute connected to wealthy men, and Prohibition-era organized crime figures like Arnold Rothstein, Legs Diamond, Dutch Schultz, and others. The author explains the corruption within the government and political system, highlighting the investigation’s challenges and media coverage. We learned the investigators uncovered a collection of diaries with incriminating information about gangsters, leading to demands for an anti-corruption investigation. The climax occurs during a meeting between Mayor Jimmy Walker, investigator Samuel Seabury, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. We also touch on the history of New York City and Mayor LaGuardia’s efforts to clean up the city. Click here to find Michael Wolraich’s author page. Support the podcast. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Welcome all you wiretappers out there back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. Retired intelligence unit detective Gary Jenkins coming from Kansas City. And guys, I have Michael Wolraich here with us in the studio or on the Zoom. And he has a book called The Bishop and the Butterfly. I’ll have links to how you buy that book in the show notes. Here’s a picture of the cover. If you’re on YouTube, you’ll see that. It’s a really interesting look at New York City. The son of the seamy underbelly and the corruption of New York City during the 1930s just come out of prohibition, really, and going into the Depression era during this time. And there’s a prostitute named Vivian Gordon that has been murdered. A good murder mystery always starts out with a body. And so we start out with a body. Right, Michael? Exactly. Yeah. I mean, she was, you know, they discovered her and they didn’t know who she was at first. Her body was found in a gully in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, which is a number. It was a popular dumping ground for bodies in the 1930s, maybe still is. Kind of describe, where did she fit in society? She was a prostitute and she was connected to the famous Polly Adler in some manner. And that Manhattan at the time, especially in New York City, was a smaller town. People knew each other. So how was she connected into that Simi underbelly, the mob and the rest of the people that were doing crimes? [1:25] Well, she was much more than a prostitute. That’s what she was originally convicted for in 1923, although that conviction is a little dubious. She claimed she was framed by her ex-husband who was seeking custody of her child, her eight-year-old child. And she was arrested and sent to the Bedford Reformatory upstate. And after that experience, she’s bitter, bitter. She’s lost her daughter. She’s branded as a prostitute. Then she turned to a life of crime. And she did some prostitution, but she was much more than that. She was best known for seducing wealthy men, wealthy New Yorkers, prominent businessmen, some politicians, and often blackmailing them as well, or blackmailing them after the affair was over. She ran stock frauds. she ran a call girl service. She did work for Polly Adler as a high-end prostitute sometimes, but they had a falling out in the late 1920s that the journalist reported that there was a hair-pulling battle between them. And Polly told Vivian to get out and never come back. [2:36] Interesting. So like the famous story, Lucky Luciano was convicted of receiving money from a prostitution ring. And so how did she maneuver among these organized crime people who are always looking to suck money off of anybody that’s making money out of crime? They want a piece of that action. And she was in that milieu, if you will. Vivian’s connections to organized crime and her alliances [2:58] And so how did she navigate that? [3:01] Yeah. So she knew some of those guys. She was living in the Park Central Hotel on 7th Avenue, when you just south of the park there near where what’s now billionaires row but it was famous for gangsters in the time that’s where Arnold Rothstein was shot and killed and she was living there i don’t know she was living there at the time he was murdered but she knew him through there and also allegedly knew and hung out with legs diamond but she was closer with another gangster an irish mobster named vanny higgins who was running bootlegging out of Brooklyn. He had a fleet of airplanes. He had his torpedo boat. He would get. [3:42] Liquor from Canada and smuggled in. And Vivian Gordon was good friends with his girlfriend, Canadian, a young woman named Jean Stoneham. They were roommates for a time. And so she was pretty well connected to Vanny Higgins. Higgins is not as well known as some of the other folks, but he was actually sometimes ally and later enemy of Legs Diamond. And some people think He was one of the guys who attempted to shoot Lake Diamond. Lake Diamond, of course, survived multiple shootings. Yeah, they couldn’t kill. It couldn’t kill him. The journalist called him like the human skeet. Yeah, the human clay pigeon. That’s what it was. Clay pigeon, yeah. Thank you. Thank you. [4:25] Oh, yeah. So Vanny Higgins was sought by the police after one of the shootings at a hotel in off Central Park in the Upper West Side. And his girlfriend, he got a place for her there, got a room for her there. And Legs Diamond also had a mistress who had a place at this hotel. And that hotel was where Legs was shot at that time. One of the worst shootings before he was actually killed. And police suspected Vanny Higgins hiring the hitman to pull that off. Yeah. He would have known what was going on at that location because he had a woman there. So interesting. And she had these guys gather their intelligence, if you will, in order to set somebody up to kill them. That’s really interesting. So she’s connected and we’re coming out of prohibition. And because of prohibition, the government from one end to the other was pretty corrupt. It seems to me like in all these major cities, because all that money was flowing in from booze and it was an unpopular law anyhow. So they didn’t mind taking, it was like clean money, wasn’t like narcotics money. It was clean money. Everybody was taking money. And when they found her apartment, after they found her body and they searched her apartment, they found a book in there. Tell us about that book that they found. It launched a whole big investigation. [5:45] Yeah, exactly. So, I mean, just adding to that context of the time, I mean, the city was run by the political machine, Tammany Hall, which is famous in New York history and gangs in New York talk a lot about Tammany Hall. Really ruled the city from the early 1800s until this period until the early 1900s until the 1930s and this murder was actually tied up in the collapse of Tammany Hall this machine, where they basically chose who would be nominated by the democratic party for, both for mayor and for almost every other position in the city and the city was so heavily democratic that that meant Tammany Hall could basically choose whoever they wanted in positions of power. And those people, once they achieved those positions of power, used their power to enrich themselves very often. There were lots of deals. They would take kickbacks for contracts. They would take bribes to hire people or building inspectors. There were cops shaking down gambling dens. It was a really corrupt city back then. And it only became more corrupt in the 1920s with Prohibition, because basically a lot of these gangsters had connections at Tammany Hall. [7:03] So Arnold Rothstein was particularly well known for being connected with these politicians, and he would use those connections to help protect the rum runners and the gangsters who were were running these operations and they would basically pay Rothstein for protection, not, necessarily muscle, but his connections with the police and politicians. And so when Rothstein was shot at the Park Central Hotel, Tammany started freaking out a lot of the big officials because Rothstein knew a lot of those folks. [7:39] A lot of people believe that they purposely did not try to find the killer because they were trying to bury that murder and bury any connection to Arnold Rothstein. So that was sort of what was going on in New York at that time when Vivian Gordon was murdered. And that those books that you’re talking about were diaries they found. So they found a list of names. They found black books with lists of her targets and some of the men that she’d blackmailed or were planning to blackmail. They found names of gangsters like Rothstein and Diamond and Vanny Higgins. And they found these diaries that described the three years of her life right before her murder. And they found a letter. And the letter was what really made this case, which was already a sensational case, just made it explosive. Just the whole city became obsessed with it. It was over the news, on news headlines for months. Not even in New York. I mean, I found references to the story as far away as Singapore and Sydney, Australia. [8:40] This was big news.

Sidney Korshak – Mob Lawyer Jan 15, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary and Mob lawyer expert Tony Taouk continue exploring the world of mob lawyers and focus on Sidney Korshak, a mob lawyer and fixer for the Chicago Outfit. Korshak’s success was built on his connections, using them to negotiate criminal charges and bribe officials. He extended his influence to labor unions, Hollywood, and Las Vegas. Despite investigations, he remained anonymous and evaded severe consequences. We also touch on the role of Jewish gangsters in Las Vegas development. Lastly, we provide resources for veterans with PTSD and individuals struggling with substance abuse. Support the Channel Support the podcast. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Traqnscript [0:00] Welcome, all you wiretappers out there back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. As you can see, if you’re on YouTube, it’s a nice cold day in Kansas City here, and we are going all the way back down to Sydney, Australia. You know our friend Tony Tok, who is, shall we say, a contributor and the mob lawyer aficionado and expert that we go to. We want to know about mob lawyers. I notice not many other people deal with mob lawyers out there, And we’ve dealt with, I don’t know, God, Bruce Cutler and Oscar Goodman and a bunch of them. So I know if you haven’t, if you’re interested in mob lawyers and you haven’t listened to those or watched them on YouTube, go back and find those that we have on mob lawyers because they’re a great show. Tony, welcome. Thank you for having me. It’s great to have you back. As we can tell by your accent, you’re down under and it’s winter here, but it’s getting summer down there. Is that correct? [0:55] That’s right. Right. It would be equivalent to, say, San Diego. Okay. Interesting. Well, it’s nice weather in San Diego. I know that. Year-round, it’s nice weather in San Diego. Sidney Korshak: A Shadow Among Shadows [1:07] So we’re going to talk about Sidney Korshak, and I’ve looked up stuff on him. I even had a book about him for a while. I borrowed from a friend of mine that was so dense, and I finally just gave it back to him. But I did a bunch of research for this show, and I know you’ve really done a lot of research, and I want to ask you some questions once you’ve learned about Sidney Korshak. Guys, he was a mob lawyer and fixer for the Chicago Outfit, started back in Capone days and came all the way up until whenever he died in the 80s, I think. And he was everywhere, but he was nowhere. Let me give you a quote I read about him was, in the land of dreams, Sidney Korshak was a shadow among shadows, just a wisp of air floating around the land of dreams or Hollywood. Nobody could ever quite get their hands on Sidney Korshak. So, Tony, tell us, how did he get started? I kind of gave it away. He started in Chicago under Capone, but tell us how he got started in his early days. [2:06] Well, he was born in Chicago in 1907, and he graduated from the University of Wisconsin, but he received his law degree from DePaul University in about 1930. Now, Gary, there are rumors that he was employed by Al Capone as a driver during his college years and that Capone even paid his college tuition. I personally don’t put much stock in that. Capone had all these hardened criminals at his disposal. I doubt he put his life in the hands of a young law student. Korshak’s early career defending Al Capone’s mob syndicate [2:42] No, I doubt it too. And there’s a lot of eyes on Capone. There would have been pictures of him probably if he was driving him around. That would have come out. So I agree with you on that story. That’s right. What we do know for a fact is shortly after his admission as a lawyer, he began defending people associated with Al Capone’s mob syndicate in Chicago. Now, at this stage in his career, unlike other lawyers that we’ve covered, he avoided trials. He didn’t like the courtroom theatrics and those ruling cross-examinations we’re used to, to keep his clients out of prison. What he did was, his modus operandi was to form relationships with key people in the state attorney’s office and negotiate criminal charges down to misdemeanors. Now, he’ll probably bribe judges and jurors along the way as well, That’s not uncommon in Chicago, as we’re well aware, at that particular time. Korshak’s connections and bribery in Chicago’s legal system [3:39] Now, realized early on, it wasn’t what you knew. It was who you knew. So that’s how we got started. Okay. So, Jan, and I’ll tell you what, guys, that is the way to do it. Get the lawyer who knows the prosecutors really well, who maybe knows the judges, who’s politically active, who has maybe given money to a lot of different campaigns in your county. Those are the guys. Don’t go to trial. trial. You’re an idiot if you go to trial. Figure out what’s going to happen before and get that guy that can make that deal. And it sounded like Sidney Korshak is the guy that could make that deal in Cook County back in the older days. Now, talking about being a fixture and a negotiator and that kind of thing, that’s what that is. And it’s a negotiation between the lawyer and the prosecutor. And maybe you promise them something on down the road. Everything has a price, as we all know. So he also got involved with labor unions and labor negotiating with Jimmy Hoffa. So how did he get in with the labor unions? Yes. Korshak’s involvement with labor unions and racketeering [4:36] Well, Gary, in the 1930s, he began associating with some outfit heavyweights like Gus Alex, Jake Uzzik, Murray Humphreys. As time went on, he clearly recognised that labour racketeering was the bread and butter of the outfit, and he began settling labour disputes on at the behest of the mob. Now, labour racketeering, as you’re well aware, Gary, it went something like this. The mob would infiltrate a union by installing its people in key positions within that union. Then they’d extort employers by threatening unlawful strikes, work stoppages, picketing, workplace sabotage sometimes, and the outfit would receive payoffs from employers in exchange for labour peace. The employer just wanted the union off their back so they could get back to business. A lot of the time, the outfit needed a trusted lawyer to act as kind of a go-between in this shady triangle involving unions, employers, and the mob. And this is where someone like Sidney Korshak comes in. Now, his name began to surface in 1943 when Willie Byoff, the corrupt leader of the Hollywood stagehands union, went on trial for extorting millions of dollars from Hollywood movie companies and he testified that he’d been introduced to Sidney Korshak by a high-ranking Capone associate in 1939. [6:04] Who told him, Sydney is our man. Sidney Korshak’s connection with Jimmy Hoffa and the Detroit mob [6:08] Then in 1946, a major department store chain was faced with demands for payoffs from all the unions. When they engaged Korshak as their lawyer, the problem magically disappeared. [6:21] This really boosted his stature in Chicago business circles and made him absolutely indispensable to his clients and friends, which were multiplying as his reputation grew. And this is when he started hosting late night parties attended by Chicago High Society. [6:39] And they were also attended by, the most dabbling showgirls in Chicago, probably to compromise his guests. [6:48] Interesting. Yeah. He knew the value of a compromising photo. That’s for sure. I was reading something about how he got connected up with Hoffa. And I found kind of a timeline, if you will, about Hoffa and how Moe Dalitz was a Cleveland gambler who ended up really helping start Las Vegas with a prime mover and shakers. Moe Dalitz got involved with Hoffa in in Detroit. He got introduced to him. Hoffa got introduced to Dalitz. We don’t know exactly how, but that was kind of the first contact. And then out of that, Dalitz supposedly introduced Hoffa to a guy named Red Dorfman, who was a longtime teacher in Chicago. And Dorfman then helped Hoffa. He brought him right into the Chicago outfit, and that kind of locked him in. The The outfit, really, and the Detroit mob, who Dalitz was connected to, were really the first sponsors of Jimmy Hoff and the first connections. And from there, Red Dorfman, his son, starts the insurance company and invests all the mob’s money in the pension plan. Well, guess who’s a big shareholder in Alan Dorfman’s insurance company? [7:56] Sidney Korshak. He’s right there. He’s right there in the middle of all this Korshak’s mysterious role and negotiations in various criminal cases [8:00] labor union stuff. And he did a lot more negotiating behind the scenes than he did out front. So that’s, he’s an interesting guy, boy. Always in there, but never really know exactly what he’s doing. So the Hollywood deal, what happened with Willie Bioff? Do you remember that? Did he go to trial? [8:20] Yes. And I think as a result of the trial and the subsequent events, Frank Needy committed suicide. He was forced to commit suicide. Right, right. Right. Korshak was all involved in that. One thing I read was that Korshak told Bioff, Willie Bioff, to just say, yeah, they gave me the money. It’s not extortion. They just gave me the money. That was his defense. And then his real defense was,

Dominic “Sonny Black” Napolitano Jan 08, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, we explore the captivating story of Dominic Napolitano aka “Sonny Black” and his crew, prominent members of the Bonanno crime family. We delve into Sonny Black’s rise through the mafia ranks, his close bond with Joe Massino, and their involvement in various criminal activities. The dynamics between Sonny Black and Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco, unfold in a tale of trust and betrayal. We uncover Sonny Black’s illegal activities and Joe Pistone’s undercover role, highlighting the dangers of organized crime. Lastly, we examine the aftermath and the impact on the Bonanno family. Plus, we hear retired FBI Agent Doug Fencl’s account of telling Sonny Black that the man he knows as Donnie Brasco is FBI agent Joe Pistone. Support the podcast. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript …outside till I could see nobody else was in there, and I went in, and I introduced myself to him, and he’d heard my name before, so he knew who I was, and he went ballistic, and I mean… [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there back here in studio of Gangland Wire, retired intelligence unit detective Gary Jenkins, I’ve got the story of Dominic Sonny Black Napoleon Tano. He is he will go down in history as the most stand up guy ever, I think, in the mob. You know, he and Joe Pistone, those are two names that are forever, I mean, forever intertwined in the history of organized crime in the United States. Their story is one of trust, betrayal, and the dangerous world of the Mafia, and believe me, we know it’s a dangerous spot out there. Sonny Black Napolitano was a really high -ranking member of the Bonanno family, and one of the five families that dominated organized crime in New York City during the mid -20th century. [0:44] He was known as a tough, savvy mobster, had risen through the ranks really by his personality, his strong personality, his leadership skills, and a sheer force of will. This guy, he was a man’s man. He was born in 1930, which doesn’t make him 93 today. That’s kind of hard to believe, isn’t it? A little history on him. His grandparents were immigrants from Naples now, so he’s Napolitano. He was not from Sicily. He was from Naples, so he is not born and bred mafia dude. Sonny Black was born with blonde hair, of all things, but by his 40s, it turned to kind of a gunmetal white silver color. And to hide that color, he dyed it black, which gave him the nickname Sonny Black. He was a really close friend to the future Bonanno crime family boss, Joe Massino, all through his mob career. [1:35] He lived in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. He was born there. He grew up there. He raised his children there. He died there. Sonny Black rose to prominence as a soldier when he was taken in the crew of a guy named Mike Sabella in the 1970s, the early 70s. Now, Mike Sabella was closely connected to Carmine the Cigar Galante and that faction, the Bonanno family. And he was demoted after the cigar was murdered. Now, the cigar, Carmine, just a little bit about him, you know, he was a really bad dude. He was one tough mafia gangster. If you’ve ever seen the picture of the guy laying dead with a cigar clamped between his lips, one of the most famous mob pictures, one of the most iconic mob murder scenes ever, that’s Carmine the Cigar Galante. [2:26] He got in what was really the original French connection, bringing the heroin over from Turkey to Sicily or France or Sardinia or somewhere over in around the Mediterranean and taking it up to Montreal and then bringing it back down into New York City. He was a much feared guy, he was the kind of guy that would, when he was in prison, he would just go up to the front of a long line of guys at the telephone and just push aside whoever was on the phone and he took the phone. He was just a little bitty guy too. If you look on my YouTube channel, I’ve got a picture of him. You can hear his voice in one of my shorts. He and his lawyer, Roy Cohen. Anyhow. [3:07] Mike sabella was connected to the galante and when he got out of the last time and everybody banana was gone and he just like said i’m taking over the commission didn’t really say he was taking over a guy named rusty was kinda in that position he was in the penitentiary at the time and he acted like he was taking over so So, some of the underlings, Joe Massino in particular, wanted to get that, did not want him to be the boss, they wanted Rusty Rustelli to be the boss. Eventually, Rusty Rustelli, who has noticed this Sonny Black and mentored him and brought him along, when Carmine Galante started to try to take over. [3:49] The Bonanno family was split into two factions. One was loyal to Rustelli, and the other one was loyal to Carmine Galante. Rusty Rustelli, through Joe Massino, took action. They set up the three capos that were really loyal to Galante, called them into a sit -down. It’s a real famous murder, the murder of the three capos, brought in people from Canada to be the hitmen, as well as a younger guy named Wack Wack and Delicato, who will come back into this story before it’s done. And these three capos were Alphonse Sonny Red in Delicato. These three capos were Alphonse in Delicato, who was Quack Quack’s father, Dominic Trinchera and Philip Giacconi. He set him up, called him into a sit -down. And so when you go into a sit -down, it’s a pretty famous story, but you may not have heard it. When you go into a sit -down, you don’t bring any weapons. You’re not, you think you’re gonna be some negotiating going along. And Joe Massino set this up and he had Vito Rizzuto and another guy from Canada. [4:52] So they killed the three capos. One guy got away was Frank Leno. He was supposed to go in, but he ran off. He will eventually turn and talk a lot about and tell a lot about this night when this happened. We need to get back to Sonny Black. Mike Sabella is demoted after the execution of the three capos and Carmine Galante, and Sonny Black takes over that crew, which becomes a really powerful crew. Sonny Black, he had the Italian -American Veterans of Foreign Wars Club at 415 Graham Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, again, Williamsburg. He had the Motion Lounge, and he lived up over the Motion Lounge at 420 Graham Avenue. He also had expanded out to Pasco County, Florida. He had an illegal casino down there. That was part of the whole Joe Pistone story. He had a tennis club, a nightclub called the Kings Court Bottle Club in Holiday, Florida. So, he was an up -and -comer. He could have been somebody. He could have been the boss. [5:53] Now, his headquarters, of course, as I said, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Motion Lounge were in the heart of Williamsburg, Italian neighborhood. His crew was involved in burglary, extortion, robbery, bank robbery, loan sharking, hijacking, bookmaking, casino operations, illegal casino operations. And drug trafficking of all the involved in everything and really one of the most successful crews in the Bonanno family at the time and had Benjamin Lefty Ruggerio and a couple others name names you may have heard Nicholas Santora, Lewis, Frank Lino about ten or fifteen others and as well as the old capo mike sabella he just took his demotion and stayed in the crew and it was just the crew that left you zero Brasco met Donnie Brasco and introduced him into and took him away from Tony Mirra. Really when they had that sit down, then somebody else came in and Sonny Black, in a way, won out. Lefty acts like he won out, but Sonny Black really is the one that won out and said, we’ve got Donnie Brasco, this jewel thief, this great jewel thief that came out of nowhere. He’s ours now. He was a pretty good size, real gregarious, handsome gangster. He was adored by women and looked up to by men. He had a lot of leadership, natural leadership abilities. He had kind of an easy manner. [7:13] All of his people around him were comfortable with him, but everybody also knew behind this genial demeanor, he had a spine of steel, and he put the mafia life above everything else. When he took that oath of omerta, when he took that oath, he lived by that oath his entire life, as we will see at the end. I kind of think it was this genial personality that allowed Joe Pistone, Donnie Brasco, to gain his confidence. I think Sonny Black really was like, he was kind of a good guy and he looked for good guys and Donnie Brasco or Joe Pistone took advantage of that and probably didn’t really pump him up, but he probably just had good, solid, regular conversations with him and, brought him in money, brought him in stuff that looked like it was swag and they could make some money on it. And he was a genial guy himself if he wanted to be, you know, Sonny Black really probably maybe saved Joe Pistone’s life when he was falsely accused of earning a whole bunch of money like $250 ,000. And holding back on that, and they had to sit down about that. He really thought so much of Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco, that he set him on a path to be made. That was a bad decision on Dominic, Sonny Black, Napolitano’s part. This path, of course, led through a murder. The Importance of Earning One’s Bones [8:32] You make your bones. It’s long known that you make your bones to earn your button, as they say,

St. Louis Mafia Part 3 Jan 01, 2024

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. This episode delves into the ongoing mob war in St. Louis, focusing on the power struggle between the Syrians and the Italians. Led by Paul Leisure, the Syrians aimed to gain control of the labor union racketeering and diminish the influence of the Italians, who were closely aligned with Jimmy Michaels. The murder of John Spica, appointed by Tony Giordano to push out the Syrians, still remains a mystery to law enforcement. On the other hand, the Italians are facing internal disarray with a weak leader, Mike Trupiano, who has lost respect within the organization. Both factions heavily rely on the construction industry unions, which provide opportunities for corruption and control over job placements. Pauly Leisure, a meticulous planner, had already devised a plan to kill John Spica. Now, he and his crew set their sights on Jimmy Michaels. Attempting to ambush Michaels at a diner and his home failed, leaving them frustrated. They eventually decided to use a bomb, meticulously practicing the installation process on a stolen car identical to Michaels’. They discovered that Michaels often attended a Wednesday luncheon at a church, where he mingled with politicians and business leaders. On the day of the hit, the team arrived at the church undercover in a van, with one member keeping a watchful eye in a nearby tow truck. David Leisure successfully planted the bomb under Michaels’ car while Anthony Leisure had the remote control device. However, the bomb failed to detonate when they activated the transmitter. On high alert, they caught up with Michaels on the road, hoping to get close enough for the remote control to work. To their surprise, the van bombed Michaels’ car, causing his death in a gruesome manner. The van managed to escape the scene and sought refuge in Illinois, utilizing connections within the criminal underworld to cover their tracks. Michaels’ death sent shockwaves through the St. Louis community, suspecting Pauly Leisure as the culprit. St. Louis mafia boss John Battaglia confronts Leisure, but Leisure refuses to acknowledge his involvement. Leisure’s actions inadvertently benefit the Italian mafia, as Michaels’ ownership in a Las Vegas casino will transfer to remaining investors upon his death. Leisure takes over Local 110 and eliminates Michaels’ relatives from the union, further consolidating his power. This death raises concerns among mob bosses across the country, tarnishing their reputations. The situation in St. Louis remains tense, with some believing the dispute has been resolved, while uncertainty lingers. Leisure gains more power through an alliance with Raymond Flynn in Laborers Union Local 42, promising extra money to his loyal soldiers. In response, the Michaels family seeks revenge and contributes to a war chest to eliminate those responsible for Michaels’ death, putting bounties on the heads of Polly and Anthony Leisure. The host then transitions to a different segment, discussing the various tactics employed by the Leisures and their associates in seeking retribution. They assemble a hit squad, renting an apartment for secret planning. They collaborate with the Chief of Police in St. George for untraceable surveillance vehicles. They construct a bomb, leaving behind incriminating evidence and fingerprints. The hit squad manages to ambush Leisure, detonating a remote-control bomb under his car, severely injuring him. However, Leisure remains determined to seek revenge. The feud escalates further, leading to kidnappings and torture, with brutal methods including red-hot pokers and a blowtorch being considered. The host informs listeners of the evolving story, detailing their attempted bombings and multiple clashes with associates and rivals. Ultimately, the FBI begins turning people, leading to convictions for all the Leisures, with Paul Leisure receiving a 55-year sentence. In a side story, the host shares their experience working with a group of Syrian men connected to the St. Louis mob, who come to Kansas City to buy gold, particularly class rings. The host facilitates their transactions and provides security, as these men occasionally buy stolen items without thorough checks, causing some friction with the police property unit. The episode concludes with a reminder to be cautious of motorcycles on the road and urging veterans with PTSD to seek help from the VA hotline. The host also recommends reaching out to Anthony Ruggiano, a former Gambino member turned counselor, for those struggling with drugs and alcohol. They encourage listeners to support the podcast by liking, subscribing, and sharing, emphasizing their dedication to delivering content based on listener demand. I used information from articles in Crime Magazine by Ronald J. Lawrence and The St. Louis Post Dispatch for this podcast. Support the podcast. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers back here in the studio of Gangland Wire, Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City police intelligence detective. I’m going to end up the third and final section of the St. Louis Mafia story. We go all the way from the Cuckoo Gang and Egan’s Rats and Prohibition all the way up through the 50s and 60s with Tony Giordano and into the Leisure Wars, which was the Syrian Bob had this close connection to the Italian Mafia, and they shared in the labor union activities and labor union racketeering opportunities, especially the laborers’ local. And there was a split in the Syrians between young upstart faction Paule Leisure and the old-time, old-school horseshoe Jimmy Michaels and the Michaels clan. The Michaels were very close of the Italians, and this really started when Tony Giordano inserted a guy named John Spica into one of the laborers’ unions, and the Italians looked like they were starting to move to take a little bit more of the action out of the labor unions and push these leisures out. He had an ambitious poly-leisure, and he had several cousins and brothers. [1:15] And they got together and decided to strike back. Now, they struck back by hitting Tony Giordano’s man, John Spica, who he had selected to move in and start pushing the Syrians out and take more action from the laborers local in St. Louis. Retaliation and Murder of John Spica [1:33] So we’re at that point in time where Poly Leisure has planted a bomb on John Spica and killed him. He then has to go after horseshoe Jimmy Michaels, who was a close confederate of Giordano. Giordano dies. [1:49] He has appointed a man named John Vitale, who’s a really old guy, who’s really just a placekeeper because he wants his nephew from Detroit, Mike Trupiano, to come in and be the new St. Louis boss. Trupiano will go to Chicago and get the nod from Joey Iuppa and be recognized as the boss. The murder of John Spica is still a mystery to law enforcement and most people in law enforcement thought the Civella organization was responsible. Mike Trupiano, to show you what kind of boss he’s going to be, he’s a weak guy. He just did not have it. He had lost money running a sports gambling operation and that all came out and people didn’t really respect him. He also lost respect of Joey Aiuppa even though he did give him the nod to be the new boss because it started coming out that Aiuppa had met with him and given him his stamp of approval, if you will, and Aiuppa heard about this and he accused Trupiano of releasing this to the news to make himself seem like he was bigger than what he was. So, you never know in these deals, but that’s the scene. We’ve started this mob war between the Syrians because they have killed John Spica and now they’re moving on Horseshoe Jimmy Michaels. [3:04] Italians can’t really strike back exactly because they’re in disarray themselves with a weak sister new leader and Tony G is gone. Now, the mafia, their principal power base, whether it be the Assyrian mob or the Italian mafia in St. Louis, was the construction industry unions. They gave them a facade of legitimacy. They gave them incomes with salaries that they could report. They had no-show jobs for people. There were a lot of opportunities for graft, as there always is. When you own a labor union, then you can shake down contractors for allowing them to use non-union workers, or you can shake down the union people. You can use the welfare funds, take money out of that, create phony insurance claims. They’re just all kickbacks on property purchased by the unions. You’ll get your union to buy all new office equipment at a really highly inflated price, and then somebody will kick that back to you. So there’s a lot of ways, there’s more ways you can shake a stick at to take money out of a labor union. Also, the jobs on the construction projects were leveraged, which they get people to get that job. They’re now indebted to the mob because the mob took care of getting it. I saw a lot of that in the teamsters here in Kansas City. The people. [4:19] Family members of the Spiro brothers, we had this war between the Spiros and the Civellas that was going on at the same time, and they were, they had influence in the team, sure as the Spiro brothers did,

Angelo “The Gentle Don” Bruno Dec 27, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this segment, we delve into the life and influence of Angelo Bruno, the Philadelphia boss of the Mafia. We aim to fill in knowledge gaps and increase our understanding of the Mafia in the United States. Angelo Bruno, also known as the Gentle Don, stood out from others in the mob due to his preference for peace over violence. He was born in Italy and migrated to the United States as a child. One of his significant associations was with Carlo Gambino, the boss of the New York Gambino crime family. Bruno’s cousin, John Simone, connected him to the mob. To establish himself in the Philadelphia Mafia, Bruno changed his name from Antoloro to Bruno and was sponsored by Michael Maggio. Bruno married in 1931 and had two children. He owned various businesses, including an extermination company in New Jersey and an aluminum products company in Florida. Additionally, he had a share in the Plaza Hotel in Havana, Cuba. Throughout his life, Bruno faced several arrests for offenses such as illegal alcohol sales and gambling. In 1959, there was a plot to assassinate him, but he emerged as the boss of the family after the conspiracy was revealed. Bruno successfully evaded media attention and lengthy prison sentences for the next two decades. He prohibited his family’s involvement in narcotics trafficking and focused on traditional Costa Nostra operations like bookmaking and loan sharking. Some family members were discontent with this decision and suspected Bruno of profiting from the narcotics business secretly. This will ultimately lead to his murder. Support the podcast and subscribe to get a new episode every week. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, guys, welcome back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. Gary Jenkins here, retired Kansas City Police intelligence detective with one more of my little short bios, not a real in-depth bio, but a bio of the Philadelphia boss, Angelo Bruno. You know, I’m doing these bios to kind of fill in any knowledge gaps because, you know, when you talk about to interview an author, for example, from a book and he’ll say something about, of course, Angelo Bruno was killed. Well, you know, sometimes we go, well, who is Angelo Bruno? Well, I know he’s from Philadelphia. Well, you know, what else about him? So I’m trying to help you all fill in your knowledge gaps and fill in my own too. Lots of times, you know, I can’t remember all this stuff, but if I do a story, I can remember quite a little bit of it. So I’m doing this story for me and for you and to increase my knowledge about the mafia in the United States. [0:48] He was from Sicily. He’s going to rule the Philadelphia crime family for two decades AIDS until his assassination. He was known as the Gentle Don. Now, we’ve all heard of the Gentle Don. Well, this is the Gentle Don, because he had a preference for conciliation over violence, which was in a stark contrast to what happened later on after he left. He was born in the Villababa province of Colton, Assetta, Italy. Bruno came to the United States as a child, settled in South Philly with his brother Vito. His father was a foundry worker. They opened a small grocery store at Fort North 6th Street in Philadelphia, in Feltonville, Philadelphia. So you guys in Philadelphia will probably know where that is. I’m not sure. He helped with his father in the store until when he’s only 12 years old. He goes into school, but he came out just a few years later. And as a young man, he opened a South Philadelphia grocery store himself at 8th and and Annan Street in Passy Yonge Square in Philadelphia. [1:54] Bruno was a close associate of, New York Gambino crime family boss, Carlo Gambino. Now, I’m not sure I can figure out how that came about, but he had some connection to Carlo Gambino from early on. Living with Bruno was a cousin, mobster John Simone, so that gave him an entree into the mob. He dropped the name of Antoloro at the time and replaced it with his paternal grandmother’s maiden name, Bruno. His sponsor into the Philadelphia mafia was a guy named Michael Maggio, who was a convicted murderer and had a national reputation in mob families. He was also the founder of M. Maggio Cheese Corporation, who has since been brought up by Crowley Foods. Angelo Bruno’s Rise in the Philadelphia Mafia [2:35] Angelo Bruno got married as a young man in 1931 to Asunta Sue Maranca. [2:42] This was his childhood sweetheart. He will be married to her until he’s dead and she’s dead. They had two children, Michael and Jean. Angelo Bruno will own an extermination company in Trenton, New Jersey. Now, you know, New Jersey and Philadelphia are pretty close to each other. I’m not sure exact geography there, but they’re awfully close. He’ll have an aluminum products company in Hialeah, Florida, and have a share in the Plaza Hotel in Havana, Cuba, like a lot of these other guys did in the 50s. After the war, they had a piece of the action down in Havana until Castro came along and kicked them all out. His very first arrest was for reckless driving. That was in 1928. I didn’t know they wrote tickets in 1928 for reckless driving. My first ticket, I think, was reckless driving, for sure. State trooper did that to me. He had subsequent arrests that, guess what, for? Operating an illegal alcohol steal during prohibition, illegal gambling, receiving stolen property, you know, dealing in swag. Had a firearm violation in there, too, as a young man. And he will start moving up in the Philadelphia family. In 1959, there was a period of friction between himself and an Antonio Mr. Miggs Polina, who was a family boss. And a plot to have Bruno murdered was uncovered, and Polina was disposed by the commission and allowed to live and operate. [4:06] But Angelo Bruno took over. And this is kind of his first indication that he was going to be a gentle Don. There was, you know, there’s no recriminations, no retribution. The guy was able to go on, even though the guy had plotted to have him murdered, got uncovered, and the commission promoted him. [4:25] Over the next 20 years, Angelo Bruno will successfully avoid any intense media. He is no John Gotti. Trust me on that. He was no John Gotti. And, you know, when you avoid that kind of scrutiny, you also many times avoid law enforcement scrutiny and the different outbursts of violence that will clog many of the other families over, especially during the 60s. He avoids any lengthy prison sentences, even though he was arrested several times. He had the longest term was for two years. And that two years was just for refusing to testify in front of a grand jury. Hell, they all go to prison for refusing to testify if they’re any kind of man at all. You know, Angelo Bruno, like a lot of the other mob bosses, you know, the whole deal about the Appalachian Convention in 1957 and the mob and going to deal in narcotics on one on the surface. But yet they are, you know, don’t ask, don’t tell was it was their policy on that narcotics deal because there’s too much money in it. Bruno will forbid any his Philadelphia family’s involvement in narcotics trafficking. Trafficking, and he preferred the traditional Costa Nostra operations, bookmaking, loan sharking. [5:37] Dealing in swag, just like he’d already been arrested for, a variety of other vice activities, I’m sure. Now, this arrangement kind of angered some of his family members because there was a lot of money in that drug deal, and they want a piece of that action. [5:50] Philadelphia mobsters know know that like Paul Castellano and many other mafia bosses who claimed to ban all drug sales, or they knew Angelo Bruno was getting some money from the narcotics business on the down low. [6:07] John Gotti, that was one reason Paul Castellano got killed. Castellano was getting a piece of the action as long as it never came out, but it was getting ready to come out underneath him, if you remember. And so Bruno preferred to operate through bribery and soft power, a little arm twisting here and there, rather than murder and loan shark kind of activity, you know, where you’re starting to break somebody’s leg and that kind of thing, or burn their business down and that kind of stuff. He was a velvet glove. He may have had a male fist, an iron fist, but he had a velvet glove when he dealt with people. And here’s a pretty good example. He had a kind of a fiery young guy who will go on to create quite a name for himself named Nicodemo Little Nicky Scarfo. He got in some argument with somebody and he killed him and he got charged with manslaughter. Well, it wasn’t really an approved action. And rather than, you know, take some more violent action against little Nicky. He just banished him over to Atlantic City, New Jersey. I mentioned the narcotics business that we involved in during these years. So that comes out of a guy named Raymond Long John Matarano. He has a brother named George Matarano that’s out here somewhere. And I actually had a conversation with, I was trying to get on the podcast and all of a sudden he started ghosting me. And you never, I don’t know whatever happened to him. I may make a run on him again one of these days. [7:31] Monterano had come over to Philadelphia from Sicily. And between 1950 and 1955,

St. Louis Mafia Part 2 Dec 25, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode of Gangland Wire, I discuss the unusual setup between the St. Louis Italian Mafia’s Tony Giordano and a Lebanese-Syrian mob family boss named James “Horseshoe Jimmy” Michaels, the former leader of the notorious Cuckoo Gang in St. Louis during Prohibition. Michaels had an agreement with the Italian Mafia, and they had a peaceful coexistence. However, after the death of St. Louis mafia Don Anthony “Tony G” Giordano, the Leisure family, half Syrian and half Lebanese, saw an opportunity to challenge Michaels and his organization. They blamed Michaels for not retaliating for the murder of one of their brothers years prior. The Leisures were involved in labor union racketeering, which was also a focus of Michaels’ organization. I explore the background of John Spica, an underling of Giordano with a criminal history, including murder. Giordano was grooming Spica for more significant things within the mafia. He was a rising star in the St. Louis mafia, and Giordano saw him as a surrogate son. Giordano’s trust in Spica was evident when he made him a part owner of a cigarette and amusement machine company. This episode sets the stage for the conflict between Horseshoe Jimmy Michaels and the Leisures and the internal power struggles within the St. Louis mafia. During his early days in prison, John Spica attempted to muscle in on the narcotics traffic, but other convicts quickly put him back in line. In 1979, he made a serious error in judgment by putting his loyalty to his prison buddy, Carl Spero, above his subservience to the Mafia. The Sparrow brothers were engaged in a deadly war with the Kansas City Mafia, and Spica’s actions were seen as a betrayal. Nick Civella, a member of the Mafia, demanded that Spica be murdered. However, Tony Giordano, a boss in the St. Louis family, believed Spica could still be valid and convinced Civella to spare his life. A sit-down was arranged between Spica and Civella to try and reconcile their differences, but the meeting did not go well, leading to tensions between St. Louis and Kansas City. A power struggle among the Syrians in the Laborers’ Union will cause problems. Giordano has appointed his nephew, Mike Trupiano, as president despite not having the interests of the working class at heart. Trupiano, known more for being a gambler, is seen as a bumbling mobster. A federal informant records Trupiano saying derogatory things about the rank and file, adding to his lack of respect. Tony G, suffering from cancer, is grooming Trupiano to take over as boss, but many doubt his ability to lead. To increase Italian influence and decrease Syrian influence in the union, a plan is launched to take money and power from Ray Flynn, a closer ally of the Syrians. Spica, already on edge from his troubles in Kansas City, openly discusses his plan to take out Flynn. Despite being assured of his safety by Giordano, Spica is killed in a car bombing. The murder sparks a war between the different crime families in St. Louis, particularly the Italian Mafia, the Syrian and Lebanese factions, and the Local ruled by Art Berne in Illinois. These families all have a stake in the lucrative construction contracts and control over influential labor unions. The power dynamics and conflicts within the St. Louis underworld will dominate headlines for years. In the final episode of our podcast, we delve into the cold case of the Spica bombing. This mafia murder has remained unsolved, with nobody coming forward to provide any leads. The hope is that someone involved in another case will confess to the murder, but that is unlikely. Over the years, it becomes apparent that Nick Civella is the prime suspect, and Paul Leisure is relying on this to avoid retaliation from the Italians. We also explore the story of Matthew Trupiano, a do-nothing boss, while the Syrian factions battle it out for control of the Laborers’ Union racketeering in St. Louis. The Italians slowly retreated from the conflict, leaving the Syrians to fight amongst themselves. As we conclude our St. Louis Mafia story, it becomes evident that the presence of a Syrian mafia is often overlooked. It is interesting to discover the connection between St. Louis and the Detroit family, as Tony Giordano had ties to Detroit, and his nephew, who is being groomed as the next mob boss, comes from there. Thank you for listening. Please like, subscribe, and leave a review for us. Please spread the word to your friends and help us gain more listeners. I used information from articles in Crime Magazine by Ronald J. Lawrence and The St. Louis Post Dispatch for this podcast. Support the podcast. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Hey guys, welcome back to Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kent City Police Intelligence Unit detective, bringing you another story about the St. Louis Mafia and the St. Louis family. Now, another chapter in that crime family is they had an unusual setup between the Italian Mafia and a Lebanese Syrian mob families. Now, like a lot of other immigrants from around the Mediterranean Sea, the Greeks, Israelis, Spanish, French, young men from Lebanon and Syria formed their own criminal gangs and kind of took on the motif or the structure of a mafia family. Now in St. Louis, during Prohibition, a Syrian immigrant named James Horseshoe Jimmy Michaels built a formidable reputation as a leader of the notorious Cuckoo Gang. You know, we talked about the cuckoo gang before. He will remain the Syrian godfather for more than 30 years. He reached an agreement with the city’s Italian mafia, and they never really had any problems as long as they got along and they didn’t seem to really have any problems at all. Conflict arises between Horseshoe Jimmy Michaels and the Leisures [1:09] The Syrian mafia knew their place, I would say. Now, when the St. Louis mafia Don Anthony Tony G Giordano died after a bout with cancer in the late summer of 1980. [1:22] Our friend horseshoe Jimmy’s Michael’s enemies, particularly the Leisure family, which were half Syrian, half Lebanese, I believe. And they had a boss who was who was gung-ho, he was ambitious. [1:36] Name was Paul, Pauly Leisure. He had brother Anthony and first cousin David, and they all got ambitious. They had other extended family members of this leisure family and they really blamed Horseshoe Jimmy Michaels for not retaliating for one of the murders of one of their brothers years earlier. It kind of sounds like the Spiro-Cevella operation here in Kansas City, that Cevella-Spiro war that we had. They used this old grievance as a green light for the leisures to challenge Horseshoe Jimmy Michaels and his organization was already focused on gambling and labor union racketeering and the leisures were all involved in the labor unions, specifically the laborers unit, L-I-U-N-A, I believe. So let’s go back and take a look just before Giordano died and kind of see how this started. Tony G Giordano grooms John Spica for bigger responsibilities [2:30] Tony G is grooming his nephew, if you remember Mike Truppiano, to eventually take over the family. And any inter-mob war like this has to deal with the Italian mafia. The Italian mafia, you know, they’re supposed to keep peace among the other criminals. Now, in this case, they had a hard time doing it, and Tony Giordano, really, he was in the closing years of a long tenure at the head of the mafia, and the next people to take over are not so good. So, the Leisures took advantage of that and another mob conflict across the state in Kansas City to really kick off their war against the Michaels and move against the Italians also. Tony Giordano had installed an underling named John Spica as a union officer in the laborers’ union Local 42, the LIUNA. Now the LIUNA has three locals in St. Louis and the Italians control one and the different factions of the Assyrians controlled the other two, but they all got along. John Spica was a long-time professional criminal and he was no stranger to murder. At age 25, he was charged back in 1962 for arranging the contract killing of a husband whose wife wanted him dead. [3:45] Now, this murder was pretty sensational in St. Louis mob history because the man’s wife was arrested. She implicated this young mob associate, John Spica, as the killer. She claimed she had tried unsuccessfully to cancel this contract, didn’t get it done, a jury would acquit her, but they convicted Spica for the murder of this woman’s husband and gave him life in prison. He did some time, this was Missouri back in the 60s, and he did some time and he got out. We had a lot of guys that got out pretty early through some political contacts we had at the state level back in those days. During his time in Missouri State Prison, he, of all things, befriended James Earl Ray, the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King. [4:30] Now, later on, during the big investigation that surrounded the aftermath of the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, the FBI developed some information that the contract to kill King was let out by John Speaker. He had something to do with it, but he denied any connection to this horrible event, and I think they really couldn’t prove it,

The Business of Al Capone Dec 20, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the book “The Outfit” by Gus Russo, which explores the life of Al Capone and sheds light on the hypocrisy of the American justice system and the robber barons of the era. Capone ran his bootleg empire like a corporation, complete with divisions, managers, and a division of labor. He even had a political lobbying arm and a succession plan in place. Frank Nitti, who came from the Brooklyn to Chicago gangster pipeline, played a significant role in Capone’s organization. Starting as a barber, Nitti eventually became a top-shelf whiskey smuggler and took over as boss when Capone went to prison. However, the pressure of being the boss took its toll on Nitti, and he tragically committed suicide after taking the fall for a Hollywood extortion scam. Capone often compared his organization to supposedly legitimate companies and robber barons of the time, highlighting their mistreatment of employees and battles against labor unions. It was an era with few federal regulations, allowing businesses to operate as they pleased. Capone even influenced dairy companies to put expiration dates on milk bottles after his niece fell ill from rancid milk. These parallels between so-called legitimate companies and mobsters are fascinating, as they both operated with little concern for the well-being of others. In another part of our conversation, we delve into corruption involving banks and robber barons. During the time of the failing banks, certain individuals encouraged people to put their money into another bank that would also fail, yet no legal consequences were faced. We also discuss Joseph P. Kennedy, who engaged in unethical practices to acquire a chain of film theaters and was involved in bootlegging. Although he was initially convicted on false charges, his conviction was later reversed. Regarding Joe Kennedy’s involvement in bootlegging, there is limited concrete evidence, but we do know that his father had a bar and a wholesale liquor business. Kennedy seized the opportunity to capitalize on liquor sales during Prohibition until it was lifted. He then made a significant profit through exclusive contracts with British distillers. In comparison, Al Capone had a different approach to illegal activities. We want to give special thanks to Ben Ellickson for providing us with valuable reading material on this subject. Ben has also proven a great friend through his thoughtful gift of a Prohibition-era glass whiskey bottle and his expertise in operating a backhoe. Support the podcast. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:01] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there back here in studio gangland wire, I got a little different studio look, a little different camera placement. Anyhow, I was messing around trying to clean some stuff up and put some books in the thing in the bookcase and throw some stuff away. So it’s still a mess in here, but it’s a little better of a mess. I want to talk a little more about that great book, The Outfit by Gus Russo. And thanks to Ben Ellickson for getting me that book. about Al Capone, and he talked about the hypocrisy of the American justice system and the robber barons at the time and kind of compared himself to some of them. Al Capone’s Organizational Structure and Divisions [0:38] Al Capone ran a bootleg empire like a corporation. He had divisions and he had managers, he had general managers, he had unit leaders, he had workers, he had a division of labor, you know, you might be a driver, you might work in the brewery, you might be responsible for sales to go out and make sure that all the speakeasies were using his booze. You had enforcement when somebody wasn’t paying their bills. You had to have protection, you had to have security because other bootleggers would maybe hijack one of your trucks. But you had to have all those different divisions, and then you had to have managers over them. And he also had a political arm, a political lobbying arm, ran by Curly Humphreys, a welshman. He had Jake Guzik, who handled a lot of the numbers in the business. [1:28] His enforcement arm was ran by Tony Accardo. Back in the day, Accardo, of course, starred out as his bodyguard and supposedly would sit out in front of the Lexington Hotel with a Chicago typewriter in his hand. I don’t know, that sounds a little too movie-style, movies to me. He also had a succession plan. He had Frank Nitti all ready to step up and go. Now, he wasn’t born and bred in the mafia. He was from Naples, but he used all that mafia kind of organization to make all this work. Nitti, he came out of the Brooklyn to Chicago gangster pipeline. Frank Nitti’s Role and Succession Plan [2:03] There’s really no evidence that he knew Capone when he was in Brooklyn, where he first landed when he was a young kid, and then came to Chicago. He trained as a barber. After he got to Chicago, he first became a fence. So that takes a lot of organization. You have to have outlets, you have to have contacts with businesses that will take your swag or storefronts or vendors, somebody to sell your swag that you get from professional criminals who steal it all the time. And you’ll have to have those guys all lined up too. So that takes a certain amount of organization. He moved into the Capone Torrio bootlegging organization pretty quick as a top-shelf Canadian whiskey smuggler. When Capone went away, Nitti was his right hand at the time, and he took over as boss. Pressure on Nitti and His Tragic End [2:52] The boss always bears the brunt of the press and law enforcement attention. [2:56] And he listened to Capone’s board of directors, and that was Paul LaWitterica and Anthony Accardo, Cherry Nose Gioi, and a few others. Matter of fact, in the end, Nitti, they told him that he had to take the load for this Hollywood scam, the extortion out in Hollywood, and they wanted him to go to prison behind it. And he went out and committed suicide the next day, and a whole bunch of the rest of those guys went. They were all going down anyhow. I don’t know what was in their minds. I think maybe they probably agreed that we’re all going down that day, and Nitti just, he couldn’t take it. Comparison of Capone’s Organization to Robber Barons [3:26] He couldn’t do another bit in penitentiary. Now, Capone liked to compare this organization that he’s built with these other people to supposedly legitimate companies and other robber barons like Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Railroad, John D. Rockefeller Oil. The robber baron, railroad man, Cornelius Vanderbilt once said, you don’t think I could run a railroad in accordance to the statutes, do you? This was a long time before the FDA, the FTC, the Fair Labor Standards Act. [3:55] There were no other federal regulatory agencies and no other really federal regulations. States might have a little bit, but these were all interstate companies, so it was tough. Exploitation of Workers and Anti-Union Tactics [4:05] It was also a time when people, you know, they were victimizing their employees as much as they could. And as men tried to form labor unions to establish themselves and make management listen to them and pay them a fair wage, not just robbing them of their labor and sticking it in their pocket. Guys like Henry Ford would hire Pinkerton thugs, and these other guys would do that too. [4:27] Would hire Pinkerton thugs to beat up strikers and to try to use friendly police to try to get information on labor union people, and they called them all communists and tried to hamper any union efforts by any means necessary. So they were just like mobsters. Many mislabeled and dangerous goods were put in the marketplace, And, you know, that’s one of the more famous stories about the goods in the marketplace. You know, the Deirdre Capone, Al Capone’s niece, claims that it was her uncle. Al Capone and her dad, Ralph Capone, that forced the milk people, the dairy people, to put an expiration date on each bottle of milk because one of their children got really sick from some rancid milk. So, you know, once again, that’s a pretty famous story that Al Capone forced the dairies to put an expiration date, you know, kind of the first FDA was Al Capone. You know, he once gave an interview to a magazine, a legitimate magazine called Liberty Magazine, and he was talking about when he was down in Florida. Capone’s Impact on Food Safety and Regulations [5:31] He said, down in Florida, when I lived there, there’s a shady newspaper publisher, and he had a friend that was running a bank, and the bank was about to fail. So this guy unloaded worthless securities onto unsuspecting people. [5:44] And as people were drawing their money out of that bank, these people that now had stock in that bank, it it was going down the tubes. People were drawing their money out of the bank at maybe 30 cents on the dollar. Well, another guy who was a friend of the banker and a friend of the newspaper man, and the newspaper man, they all encouraged all these people drawing money out of the bank to put it in this other bank, and that other bank would fail shortly after. So, and nobody went to jail. And he said, you know,

St. Louis Mafia Part 1 Dec 18, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. This is the first in my three-part series on the history of organized crime in St. Louis, MO. This episode delves into the fascinating world of St. Louis crime families. We are joined by author Daniel Waugh, who has written several books on the topic. Daniel introduces his books, including “Egan’s Rats,” “Gangs of St. Louis, Men of Respect,” “Off Color: Detroit’s Purple Gang,” “Vinnita: The Birth of the Detroit Mafia,” and “Beithioch: The Life and World of a Chicago Gangster.” We discuss the diverse mix of Syrians, Irish, and Italians in St. Louis, eventually forming the Italian and Syrian mafia. We learn about the connection between the Detroit and St. Louis mafia, as many families from both regions come from the same Sicilian towns. Click here to find all of Daniel’s books on Amazon. Daniel takes us back to the early days of gangs in St. Louis, specifically discussing Egan’s Rats. This gang started as a riverfront gang and later became a political terrorist, engaging in illegal voting and other forms of intimidation. We also learn about Thomas Kenny, one of the early gangsters, and the relationship between Fred Killer Burke and Al Capone. Fred Killer Burke, who started as a small-time criminal in Kansas, joined Egan’s Rats and later became involved in bootlegging and high-profile thefts. One notable crime committed by Egan’s Rats was the robbery of the United Railways Company office in St. Louis. They got away with $39,000 in cash but had to carjack another motorist when their getaway car had a tire issue. After Egan’s Rats went to prison, some members joined the Cuckoo Gang and later attached themselves to the Purple Gang. Fred Burke, in particular, became an expert with the Thompson machine gun and was eventually taken in by the Capone mob, carrying out high-risk assignments. He was connected to the murder of Frankie Yale and the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. We also explore the Pillow gang, originating from Sicilian Mafiosi, and their transition from homemade whiskey to illegal stills and beer production. A war broke out between the Sicilian gangs and the Cuckoo Gang in 1926, resulting in the Cuckoo Gang inflicting heavy casualties on the mafia and forcing other mob bosses to intervene. This war dealt a major blow to the St. Louis mob’s reputation. We then delve into the Russo brothers and the migration of their faction to Cleveland and Detroit after they were killed during Prohibition. Thomas Licavoli established a powerful crew in Toledo, and his cousin, Jack Licavoli, became the boss of the Cleveland family. Another Licavoli brother, Pete, remained in Detroit before eventually moving to Arizona. Tony Giordano emerges after Prohibition and becomes connected to a gangland homicide. We also discuss the Syrian families led by Jimmy Michaels, who grew up in Soulard and formed the Cuckoo Gang. They partnered with older crooks and eventually became leaders themselves through criminal actions. Jimmy Michaels, in particular, became a prime suspect in multiple gangland homicides by the age of 22. We learn about the autonomous relationship between Jimmy Michaels and the Sicilian mafia and the emergence of the Leisure family, which later clashed with Michaels, leading to a war in the early 1980s. The St. Louis mob, managed by Chicago, made significant profits from gambling, union racketeering, and handling stolen goods. The Chicago outfit had a strong influence over the St. Louis mob, including approving the appointment of a new boss. We also touch on the corrupt practices within the St. Louis Police Department during Prohibition, including their access to Thompson submachine guns before the gangsters did. The Greenlease kidnapping and its connection to Irish gangster Jack Griffin is discussed, as well as the involvement of lawyer Morris Schenker, Joey Lombardo, and local politics. Throughout the conversation, we highlight the diverse and well-preserved ethnic neighborhoods of St. Louis, such as Dogtown and the Hill, which are famous for their Italian cuisine. We also discuss the importance of understanding the development of the Midwest mafia and its connections to other major cities. The host, Gary, mentions his upcoming book on Egan’s Rats and emphasizes the value of solid mob history over sensationalism. We thank Daniel Waugh for sharing his knowledge, encouraging listeners to explore his books and author’s page on Amazon, and reminding everyone to be cautious on the road and seek help when needed. St. Louis has played a significant role in the history of organized crime, and by delving into its past, we gain a deeper understanding of this underground world. Support the podcast. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, welcome all you wiretappers back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. We’re going to go to St. Lewis this week. I have a three part, maybe four part. I don’t know. This is a pretty extensive crime families in St. Lewis with some real unusual twist with Syrians and Irishmen and Italians. And so it’s it’s it’s a real interesting combo mix, if you will, of gangs in St. Louis that morphed into the modern day Italian mafia and the Syrian mafia. I think we used to call it at one point in time. But I have Daniel Waugh here, who is an author from St. Louis, and he has written several books on it. Welcome, Daniel. I really appreciate you coming on the show. Happy to be here. So, Daniel, tell us about name off your books, guys, and I’ll have pictures. You’ll see pictures if you’re on YouTube and I’ll have links to Daniel’s YouTube page, but name off your books. My first book is Egan’s Rats, about the first and most famous of the old St. Louis gangs. My second book is called Gangs of St. Louis, Men of Respect, which covers not only Egan’s Rats, but the Hogan Gang, the Green Ones, the Pillow Gang, the Russo Gang, and of course, the Cuckoo Gang. I have a third book about the Detroit-based Purple Gang called Off Color. I have a fourth book called Vinnitta, which is about the early years of the Detroit Mafia. [1:24] And my most recent book, Beithioch, is a biography of Chicago gangster Frank McGurin, who is a cold-blooded psychopath who was known as the first gangster to use a Thompson submachine gun in Chicago. [1:37] That will take a whole episode itself. I may have to have you come back just to go down that path. That’s really interesting. I got a lot of Chicago fans too. You did some stuff with Detroit and with St. Louis. I know I’ve always get asked about, well, what’s the connection between the Detroit, I mean, the Kansas City Mafia and the St. Louis Mafia are so close. And I said, you know, I heard one of our guys married a girl who was of Syrian ancestry, but I don’t really know any connections. We never really got any much information. There’s a little bit. We had one little thing that’ll happen in the 70s where John Spica from St. Louis supposedly got some dynamite from one of our upstart young gangsters, Carl Spiro, and Nick Civella was mad at him and he called Tony G or Tony Giordano. But other than that, as far as business and all that, our guys are connected to Chicago. Your guys in Detroit were connected, I mean, in St. Louis were connected to Detroit. Now, tell us a little bit about the history of that. Why are they so close to Detroit? Fraternal Connection between Detroit and St. Louis Mafia [2:40] It is a fraternal connection between the gangsters, the mafiosos in Detroit and St. Louis. Many of their families come from the same Sicilian towns, specifically the towns of Terracini and Cinesi and Partenico. They’re small towns that are located west of Palermo. [2:58] A lot of times, families like the Bommaritos, Licavolis, Mascheris, they all came from the same Sicilian towns, and as a result, when their families immigrated to America, they tended to go where other people from the same village land, which were mostly in the cities of St. Louis and Detroit. And as a result, as they entered lives of crime, they had very strong connections between their Sicilian compares in their neighboring cities of whether it was St. Louis or Detroit. That like explains that for me. I really appreciate you explaining that for me. Let’s start off with some of these early gangs that of course, back in the olden days, everybody was brand new, brand new immigrants. The Irish had been here before the Italians more than likely. So they probably were maybe the first gangs when the Italians first got there in St. Louis. So it was those real early days. You know, they had the gangs of New York. They did a whole movie about it in five points area. How did this go down in St. Louis? The vast majority of early St. Louis gangs were political in nature. [4:02] Egan’s Rats, they initially got started as a riverfront gang that went through a couple of different phases, but they were originally known as the Ashley Street Gang. They lived in the eastern edge of St. Louis’ Irish district, which was known as the Cary Patch. They specifically lived in an area of the Cary Patch called Pigeon Hill, which bordered right on the Mississippi River. It was about where the Lumiere Casino is now. And they got their start picking pockets, robbing people,

Richie the Boot Boriardo Dec 13, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, we dive into the captivating life and legacy of Ruggerio “Ritchie the Boot” Boriardo, an infamous figure in organized crime. From his humble beginnings to his rise to power, we explore the triumphs and tragedies that defined his existence. Join us as we uncover the story of a man who became an emblem of a criminal empire. Support the podcast. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Hey, guys, here’s a little bonus episode for you. The untold saga of Ritchie the Boot Boriardo. In a dimly lit underworld of crime and betrayal, one name echoed through the decades like a haunting refrain. Ruggiero Boriardo, also known as Boot, Ritchie the Boot. Born on December the 8th, 1890 in Naples, Italy, Boriardo’s life unfolded like a gripping drama, leaving an indelible mark on the annals of organized crime. From the gritty streets of Newark, New Jersey to the sprawling territories of North Jersey, Richie the Boot emerged as a formidable force, a capo regime in the New Jersey faction of the infamous Genovese crime family. His ascent to power was marked by a web of intrigue and ruthlessness that captivated the criminal underworld for over three tumultuous decades. [0:48] Boyardo’s early years were shrouded in mystery. He painted a vivid picture of a man molded by adversity. Placed in an orphanage as a child, he spun tales of being the illegitimate son of an Italian nobleman claiming descent from Matteo Maria Boiardo. His ominous moniker, the Boot, hinted at a heavy-footed disposition that struck fear in the hearts of his gangland foes. Richie the Boot: A Rollercoaster of Violence and Vendettas [1:11] In other words, he kicked their butt every once in a while. [1:15] Richie the Boot had a career criminal that was a rollercoaster of violence and vendettas. In In the early 1930s, he survived a vicious ambush, leaving him with 12 buckshot pellet wounds in his chest. There was speculation surrounding this attack, and this speculation pointed fingers at rival gang leaders, including the notorious Abner Zwilman or the Mazzocchi brothers. The attempt on Boyardo’s life thrust him into an unusual position. He was a victim turned the accused, and if prosecutors sought answers to a crime, it would remain shrouded in mystery because he didn’t get to talk. As the 1930s unfolded, prohibitions over, gambling’s coming in, Biordaro or Richie the Boot will ascend the rank of made man in the Luciano crime family. By the 1950s, when Vito Genovese rises to the boss of the old Luciano family and makes it into the Genovese family, Richie the Boot will become a key player for this new Genovese family. Richie the Boot’s Criminal Reign and Downfall [2:12] With the death of Aids Wilman in 1959, Richie the Boot sees control of Newark and all the rackets therein. Richie the Boot will wield power over gambling activities all the way to Cuba and Florida. The pinnacle of Boyardo’s criminal reign came crashing down in April 1969 when he was convicted of a conspiracy to violate gambling laws. He was sentenced to state prison and fined $1,000. [2:36] The once mighty mob boss found himself behind bars for really the first time in his life. And this investigation showed an association with Newark’s mayor, Hugh Adesanio. [2:48] And this implicated him in racketeering charges which led to a cascade of legal consequences that shook the foundation of New Jersey politics. Richie the Boot Boyardo will die in 1984 and it’s marked the end of an era. The legacy of crime and corruption persisted after his death though. His son Anthony Tony Boyardo continued the family’s involvement in organized crimes and he faced legal battles of his own. The Boyardo saga, a gripping tale of power, betrayal and bloodshed left an indelible mark on the criminal underworld. In the realm of popular culture, the legacy of Ritchie the Boot lived on. The creator of The Sopranos, David Chase, drew inspiration from the Boriado crime family. He will immortalize their dark saga on the small screen. Richard Lennart’s biography, In the Godfather Garden, the long life and times of Ritchie the Boot Boriado delves into the enigmatic life of this notorious figure. Mr. Lennart weaves a narrative based on classified FBI files, interviews, and the haunting recollections of Boiardo’s own grandson, Roger Hanos. Richie the Boot may have departed this world, but his shadowy presence lingers, a reminder of a bygone era when crime ruled the streets, and one man with a heavy boot and an iron will carved his name into the annals of infamy of organized crime. Thanks, guys. Just a little fun, little extra bit about Richie the Boot. You don’t see much about him. [4:13] And don’t forget, if you got a problem with drugs or alcohol, go see Anthony Ruggiano down in Florida. [4:19] If you got a problem with PTSD and you’ve been in the service, go to the VA website. Don’t forget to look out for motorcycles when you’re out there. Share this, like and subscribe and all that kind of stuff. I really appreciate all you guys listening and all the comments you make on the Facebook group. We’ve got a huge Facebook group. Gangland Wire Podcast Facebook group is just huge. Check it out. Got a lot of good stuff on there. Got a lot of good comments. You’ll learn stuff there. A lot of mob movie stuff on there. So check it out. It’s after Thanksgiving. So that’d be Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thanks, guys.

The Bombing of Charlie Cavallaro Dec 11, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary discusses the Youngstown Mob. with special guests Johnny Chechitelli and James Jimmy Naples, who share their experiences and insights. The conversation is about a tragic bombing that took place in 1962, where Charlie Cavallaro Sr. and his two sons were targeted. This incident sparks our interest in further exploring the history of the Youngstown mob. Jim Naples started a Facebook group called Youngstown Mob, which gained an impressive membership of 31,000. This online community eventually led to the creation of the Youngstown Mob Talk podcast, and their live shows also gained significant attention. A particularly intriguing guest who joined their group was Charlie Cavallaro Jr., who survived the bombing despite severe injuries. Despite his involvement in the mob, Charlie had never spoken about his experience. However, he agreed to talk to the podcast hosts, forming a friendship with them through their online platform. The guests tell us about an event they organized that focused on the Cavallaro bombing. They brought in Cecil Moses, the last living FBI agent who worked on the case codenamed CAVBOMB. Throughout the discussion, we learn about the various mafia factions involved in the Youngstown mob, such as LaRocca in Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The Naples faction, with Sandy Naples as its leader, engaged in racketeering and gambling operations. The story follows a familiar pattern of mafia conflicts, with the established mafia seeking a cut of Sandy’s successful operations. The hosts share their experience organizing the CAVBOMB show, where they brought together the Naples and Cavallaro families for a memorable evening with dinner and live music. The event was filmed, and plans are underway to release it on pay-per-view for Christmas. The conversation also touches on the history of remote car starters, the creativity of mob bombings, and Charlie Cavallaro Sr.’s involvement in the mob. Charlie traveled and worked in various cities, including Rochester, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. Interestingly, despite facing numerous challenges and near-death experiences, Charlie survived and even became a family man. The hosts discuss the Youngstown mob’s involvement in gambling, including policy operations and the tradition of gambling in Youngstown dating back to the 1940s. They also explore the FBI’s investigations into the mob’s activities but acknowledge that their efforts were often ineffective in bringing down the mob due to their ability to care for themselves. To shed further light on the Youngstown mob, retired FBI agent Cecil Moses joins the conversation. He shares intriguing documents, including the story of an informant who was offered induction into the local mob and J. Edgar Hoover’s directive to persuade the informant to accept the offer. Moses also reveals that Youngstown was not under the rule of either Cleveland or Pittsburgh but operated separately by Italian factions. The conversation weaves in personal anecdotes, emphasizing the deep ties between Youngstown and the mob. The hosts discuss their interactions with judges and their grandfather’s behind-the-scenes influence on local politics. They also mention various live shows and events, including a master class with a prominent burglar and the role of Eddie Allen, the former chief of police who consulted on the Godfather film. Support the podcast. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, welcome all you wiretappers back here in studio gangland wire. Got two guests today. Got Johnny Chechitelli and James Jimmy Naples from Youngstown, Ohio. Welcome guys. Thanks for having us. Thanks Gary. Appreciate it. Now I talked to Johnny before about Youngstown and he’s did this limited series podcast. And today we’re going to talk a little more about another podcast that he’s working on and some live events he’s been doing in Youngstown. It’s kind of interesting. I’ve never done a live event. I did a mafia film festival with another guy. We had about three different mob films that we showed, documentaries. [0:40] And there’s a huge, huge, huge interest in those mob film festival or mob films. And you’re bringing the live people in to talk. So we’re going to learn a little more about that and then we’re gonna learn a little bit more about this horrible bombing that happened in 1962. They bombed this guy named Charlie Cavallaro Sr. And he had his two sons, what, 12 year old or 11 year old, Charlie Cavallaro Jr. And his brother who was about a year older and you’ve talked to him and one child was killed and Charlie was killed. Just, you know, we never had anything like that. I don’t know if I’ve heard anything like that in the other rest of the United States, have you? No, well, I did research on that very question and I couldn’t find anything. Closest thing you can come up with was, remember the Untouchables movie they did with Costner and Sean Connery, the opening scene is a child killed in a bombing. [1:36] And, you know, it’s, but I haven’t, I wasn’t able to find any recorded history of that happening. Yeah. Even any accidental, you know. You know, somebody’s shooting at somebody and missed them and hit their wife or their brother or their child or anything like that. Unusual Targeted Bombings in Youngstown [1:51] The mob is usually pretty well targeted, and that’s really unusual. That’s the thing about bombs is they like to set them off by remote control usually so they can see who’s around, and that way you won’t have any collateral damage. And are they really sure when the guy gets in the car and starts it, there’s nobody else in there? That’s Well, that’s not the definition of a Youngstown tune-up is the dynamite under your hood. [2:19] It’s under the seat, under the car itself. In this case, the Cavallaro bombing, how many sticks was it, Jim? I thought he said it was like 12 sticks. 10 to 12 sticks of dynamite. 12 sticks. It was crazy. It was- It was overkill. Yeah. Yeah, and it really was the end of a vendetta, a two year vendetta, it wasn’t even so much a turf war, a mafia turf war as you’d think, it was the end result of a vendetta and we went through a lot of the history the last time you interviewed me. When we talked about, I believe your episode was called Crooked City, the interviewer, Crooked City Youngstown, because we were talking about the podcast that I was a producer on, Crooked City, from Mark Smerling, very proud of that. You guys can check that out. That’s out there anywhere you download podcasts. [3:13] But you and I talked about the history of the 1960s last time and. You know that’s what more interest in me after that conversation and jim jim and i got to work and we said you know. What’s it what’s what’s doing up a tire episode retired thing on the cable no case for one of these one of these big cases so at the same time jim started up the facebook group. Youngstown mob tell about that. Yeah, so we started Youngstown mob a little over a year ago And it was kind of a kickoff to what Johnny had done for good city podcast And I said, you know, hey, we should capitalize on this We have a lot of people in town that are still interested in this, you know, why why aren’t we doing something about it? So I created the Youngstown mob group and Now we have 31,000 members It’s grown leaps and bounds, and that’s caused us to start our own podcast, Youngstown Mob Talk. Success of Live Shows and Growing Interest in Youngstown Mob [4:09] And it was great. People loved the episodes that we were putting out, people we were talking to, the things we were doing. [4:16] And so then Johnny and I said, well, let’s take this further, and we started doing live shows. Our first live show was last February at the Robbins Theater, and it was just a nice overview of Youngstown Mob. We talked to some, you know, some associates, things like that, and it, you know, it was a really great show. We sold that show out. 1,400 people showed up to that event, you know, just come see it. So then we, you know, put Youngstown Mob Talk on the marquee, and people really showed up. So we actually wanted to follow that up with another another big show and this past november about last month we did one at the stand auditorium which is a historic venue in youngstown and it’s on youngstown’s north side. Will that’s the same part of town where charlie capoleros just a few blocks away and. And through this Youngstown Mob group, things happened organically for us, Gary, where people joined that group. He mentioned 31,000 people in just over a year. Among them were an FBI agent who worked the Cavallaro Bombing case, the last living FBI agent we were able to find who worked that case. [5:30] And then we saw a name that we recognized right off the bat. We see all those names. Anytime, all 31,000 people that joined that group, we’ve seen the members and who they are. I might just say that. So Cavallaro, to see the name Charlie Cavallaro, at first I thought, well, is this really Charlie or is this somebody just creating one of these fake accounts? And no, it was actually the surviving son. As you mentioned, Cadillac Charlie Cavallaro, the gangster,

Thomas Lucchese Dec 06, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. The Lucchese family, sometimes referred to as the "Brogada," was involved in a wide array of criminal activities such as extortion, loan sharking, and gambling. As a cunning and violent leader, Lucchese aligned himself with Vito Genovese during Genovese's bid to become the boss of bosses. However, Lucchese later allied with Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello, Meyer Lansky, and Carlo Gambino. He played a pivotal role in orchestrating a narcotics conviction against Genovese, which ultimately led to Genovese's downfall and marked the beginning of the Mafia's decline. Interestingly, connections between families exist even within the criminal underworld. An example of this is seen in the feudal world where Thomas Gambino, Carlos Gambino's son, married Frances Lucchesi, the daughter of Three Fingers Brown. It is these intricate webs of relationships that add further complexity to the fabric of organized crime. Despite his involvement in nefarious activities, Lucchese garnered a level of respect within the community due to his charitable donations to local organizations. He passed away in New York City in 1969, leaving behind a notorious and influential legacy as one of the most dominant mobsters of the 20th century. While not as widely recognized as figures like Lucky Luciano or Frank Costello, Lucchese operated behind the scenes, exerting significant influence. Support the podcast. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, hey guys, Gary Jenkins here, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective. Back here with one of my little short bios. I, you know, I did Vito Genovese recently. This is gonna be about Thomas Lucchese, better known as Tommy Brown or Three Fingers Brown. He was a prominent American mobster and the founding member of the Lucchese crime family. He was born June 10th, 1889 in Palermo, Italy and immigrated to the United States with his family at a young age. So he's like a real Sicilian. [0:28] Tommy Brown or Tom Lucchese earned his nickname Three Fingers after losing parts of two fingers Rise in organized crime during prohibition [0:34] on his right hand in an industrial accident when he was working at a cement plant when he was a kid. That didn't hold him back. Little Tommy Lucchese became involved in organized crime at an early age, quickly rose through the ranks of the underworld because of prohibition primarily. You can see the photo up here of him holding up his right hand with only three fingers. In his early years, Tommy Lucchese was a close associate of the mobster Gaetano Reina, who was a real old school Sicilian mobster and an old Mustached Pete Blackhanders. He worked as a hitman and an enforcer for the Reina crime family, and he was known for his first endeavor. Lucchese's early criminal activities and rise in power [1:11] Tommy Lucchese hired guys to wash store windows in East Harlem and set up a little business when he was young. When a store owner refused to pay the Casey's guys to wash the windows, mysteriously, vandals broke out those same windows. And then, of course, they came back around and, you know, hey, we can probably stop those windows from being broken. You just got to hire us to wash them. Probably by the end, they didn't even wash them. [1:35] After Gaetano Reina was assassinated in nineteen thirty brown and a group of other in a loyalist form their own crime family which would become known as the crazy crime family now he came up with lucky luciano course and during the castle maria's a war he tipped off lucky luciano that salvatore marzano was plotting to kill Lucky Luciano then acted quickly and he sent some Jewish gangsters who were dressed up in suits and ties and had briefcases and they claimed to be IRS agents and they went into Maranzano's office and Maranzano just welcomed them in and they murdered him right there. And this act would really set up Luciano as the boss. Tommy Gagliano took over the Riena family and they would name Tommy Lucchese as underboss. Now during these years, Luciano formed the commission and he kept peace so everybody was was making money and Tommy Gagliano was a quiet boss and Bill Bonanno and Stefano Maggadino and Vino Genovese and Carlo Gambino kind of took the center stage. Lucchese becomes the boss of the Lucchese crime family [2:38] Gagliano preferred to have Tommy Lucchese carry it all the public actions for him during this time. So he kind of became known more as the boss and Gagliano was such a recluse. He even failed to attend Luciano's Havana conference and sent Lucchese in his place, pretty well cementing Lucchese as the heir apparent, shall we say, and Tommy Gagliano died in 1951, just a couple, three years after the Cuba meeting, Thomas Three-Fingered Lucchese, aka Three-Fingered Brown, became the boss. Now, something a little different about this family is many people referred to them as the Broga, or the Brogada, and people in the life might call them Lukes, for Lucchese's Luke's interest, and I never heard that before, I haven't found that online. So now as the boss of the renamed Lucchese family, he was involved of course in the normal wide range of criminal activity, extortion, loan sharking, gambling. Tommy Lucchese was well known for his guy he took a page out of Gagliano's book and he stayed back he wasn't you know a guy that was really out there like Vito Genovese you want to be the boss of bosses and all that kind of thing and he took on the name of Thomas Brown during these years enable them to really move about in regular business circles we had a guy in Kansas city who took on the name of Willie Cummings. Lucchese's alias and involvement in various criminal activities [3:58] Or William Cammisano, but he took on the name of William Cummings because he had businesses. He had like a meat business. He didn't want to be known as Cammisano because Cammisano was named by the 50s, especially after the war, where it really was linked with the mafia as much as Civella was in Kansas City. Tommy Lucchese was known for his intelligence, his cunning, but a willingness to use violence to get what he wanted. He sided with Vito Genovese during his attempt to take over as the boss of bosses, if you remember. But the Appalachian Convention happened, and they tried to kill Frank Costello. They used Vincente Chin Gigante to do that, and it didn't work so much. Well, pretty soon Genovese is out. It embarrassed him so much that Lucchese then formed an alliance with Luciano, who was in Sicily at the time, and Frank Costello and Mayer Lansky and Carlo Gambino. And he was actually really instrumental in setting up Genovese for a narcotics conviction, which he went to, you know, Atlanta down there. They paid some Puerto Rican guy to testify that Genovese had invested money into a big narcotics deal, and they had a case on this guy anyhow. And so, you know, the rest is history. And what's interesting about that is when Genovese goes to Atlanta, one of his really low-level guys, Joseph Valachi was down there and Valachi was paranoid and Genovese was not very friendly and. Lucchese's alliance and involvement in Genovese's downfall [5:27] In Valachi's mind, he interpreted Genovese's lack of recognition and friendliness to him as Genovese was going to have him killed. Now, that's how bad Genovese was. A guy came to Valachi one day who was close to Genovese, just walked up to him or was close to him in the yard or something. I don't know the exact details, but Valachi picked up a piece of pipe and killed the guy. Valachi now catches a murder case, and he's looking at maybe a death sentence. And of course, the rest is history. Joseph Valachi, they set up the Valachi suite in one of the penitentiaries, and he testifies, and he really changed the course of FBI investigation and local police department's investigation. He really brought it home that there was a real deal mafia. They were organized. This is how they were organized and exposed everything. So Genovese, out of all his shenanigans, was kind of the instrument that really started the downfall of the Mafia. Valachi's testimony and the downfall of the Mafia [6:30] Now, interesting things in this world, kind of like this feudal world, to cement relations with another family. Carlos Gambino's son, Thomas Gambino, married Frances Lucchesi, Three Fingers' daughter. He grows old and does his thing the rest of the years, but despite all his criminal activities, Lucchese Brown, Three-Fingered Brown, was a real respected figure in the community, in the regular community, because he was known for his charitable donations to local organizations in New York and in the area. He'll die of natural causes August 15, 1969, in New York City. But today, you know, he's really remembered as one of the most notorious and influential mobsters of the 20th century. You know, he didn't have the name recognition of Lucky Luciano or Frank Costello. He's more of a guy behind the scenes, but he was really influential. So thanks a lot, guys. Don't forget, I like to ride motorcycles, so watch out for motorcycles when you're out there.

Louis “Louis the Coin” Colavecchio Dec 04, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode of Gangland Wire, host Gary Jenkins dives into the thrilling story of Louie, “Louis the Coin” Colavecchio, a mob associate from Providence, Rhode Island, with guests Andy Thibault, the author of the book “You’d Think It Was More,” and retired Connecticut State Police officer Jerry Longo, who arrested Louie. The book delves into Louie’s life as a master thief and counterfeiter, providing intriguing stories about the Rhode Island mob. After reading a column that Andy and Jerry had published together, Louie approached Andy with his manuscript. With the help of their friend Franz Dusky and Jerry, they worked on the manuscript for several years and got it published. The book is set to be released next June. Jerry shares his experience as a Bureau of Criminal Investigations member and his involvement in catching the individual responsible for counterfeiting casino tokens. They collaborated with law enforcement in New Jersey and Connecticut, employing a unique approach to track the suspect’s presence in the casino using the inventory system. The suspect was eventually caught with evidence of counterfeiting tokens for various casinos. The conversation continues with discussions about Louie’s connections to the Providence mob and the involvement of the Patriarca crime family in his operations. The main speaker reflects on Louie’s charismatic personality and how he maintained a presence in the casinos despite being banned by many. Louie’s criminal activities ranged from insurance scams to counterfeiting money, and he had various professions, including being a metallurgist and reverse engineer. The conversation concludes with discussions on the gaming industry, Louie’s preferences for playing slot machines for perks, and his involvement in other illegal activities. Click here to get the book, https://louisthecoinbook.com/ Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Welcome all you guys back here to the studio Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City, Missouri, police intelligence detective turned radio show host, or in this case, podcast host. And I really appreciate y’all listening. And I have a pretty interesting story about the Providence, Rhode Island, Patriarcha a mob or a mob associate guy named Louie, the coin. Colavecchio. And he was right next to Patriarcha. I read this book called, you’d think it was more. And this guy was a master thief, a master criminal, and he could counterfeit anything. It’s just, it’s a crazy story, I think. And it’s really well written by our guest here, Andy Thibault. And we have Jerry Longo, retired from the Connecticut State Police, who actually arrested Louis the Coin at the end. So we’ll get to hear about that and the relationship he developed with this guy, because all these kinds of really good criminals, they always have really good personalities, I’ve noticed. Do you ever notice that, Jerry? [1:00] Huge personalities. I mean, they’re good. I tell you, this book, it sounds interesting. I haven’t really got a chance to read it all, but I read enough of it to make notes that it’s got some great stories in it about the Rhode Island mob. Here’s what an assistant U.S. attorney in New York said about it. The Rhode Island mob and the eponymous This Patriarcha family have had many chronicles, but none has captured it better than Andy Thiebaud in the Louis the Coin Memoir. Throw in a heavy mix of GoodFellas and you have a book that will take its rightful place in mob lore. So if you like books about mob lore and firsthand stories you need to get, you thought it was more, and I’ll have links in the show notes. Book recommendation: “You Thought It Was More” [1:45] So having said all that, let’s get started. Andy, you wanna get started with, how’d you get into this story? [1:52] Well, it’s kind of funny. Jerry and I have been colleagues and became friends over many years. We worked a lot of events together. I don’t even remember when it was, probably more than 20 years ago, I learned about Jerry’s work on this case. And he had heard about an overflow of slot machine tokens at casinos throughout the country actually, but Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods, Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and as Jerry would like to say, they’re not rabbits where the extra one’s coming from. [2:33] So, Jerry can tell you how they tested him with microscopes and I only learned about Louie after Jerry arrested him and with, I think Jerry doesn’t mind me saying this now, with his great help, we published a column in the Connecticut Law Tribune and sometime later I get a call from Louie because his wife had read about it online and he said had a manuscript. So he came to my house in Connecticut with his then-wife, and we talked and over a period of maybe eight or ten years, I worked on it with another friend of ours, Franz Dusky and Jerry, and we kind of got the manuscript together. We got it published and And a firm out of Las Vegas, Histria Books, H-I-S-T-R-I-A, bought, the, rights, and, they’re. Upcoming book on organized crime in Rhode Island [3:30] Publishing an updated version that includes a history of organized crime in Rhode Island by Joe Broadmeadow, retired of Providence, East Providence, P.D.. [3:42] Louis’ sentencing report, which documents and affirms everything we have in the book with footnotes. And the pre-order links are out now, but it won’t hit the street or Kindle till sometime next June, I believe. [3:59] Okay, great. I look forward to that, to seeing that whole book. And that Joe Broadmeadow, I interviewed him and he knows his stuff. And I read you included some of that in the materials you gave me. That’s a really good overview of the history of the patriarchy family and Providence, Rhode Island mob. That’s a heck of a mob. [4:18] So Jerry, when you first got onto this, were you working intelligence or what were you working with the state police or CINO enforcement? Well, I was in a Bureau of Criminal Investigations, BCI. As you know, most states are using the criminal investigative. There’s the Georgia Bureau of Investigative, GBI. Connecticut has their own, what we call the BCI. And when the casinos opened, we branched out and created a casino unit. And so I was in there and we didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. We went to Las Vegas and we went to Atlantic City to learn from the law enforcement guys there but how to beat casino cops. We were troopers. We were doing all kinds of crazy things. I was an accident reconstructionist. I did all kinds of nutty things in my career, as I’m sure you did. Catching a counterfeiter in the casino with fake tokens [5:03] And so I was trying to learn to find things. I went to UNLV to take courses on how to investigate company, all the background stuff, really getting into it. But I developed a great friendship with a guy named Jimmy Flommer in New Jersey. He was a trooper and a New Jersey detective. And Jimmy called me one day and said, I’m going to send you an envelope. I said, well, okay. I just hope it’s not drugs or a gun or something. And I get this envelope and two tokens fell out from Cedars. [5:32] And he says, which one’s fake? In a note. I says, I don’t know. I call him. He said, we’ll find out. So I took it to the slot techs at the casinos, and they weighed them and they measured them and they did all kinds of tests on them. And they tried running them through machines or whatever. And they came back and said, they’re identical. And I called Jimmy, I said, they’re identical. He said, no, they’re not. They’re one’s fake and one’s real. And if you look, I made a little ding mark on one that that’s the fake one. I went, it doesn’t make any sense. So we started developing methods between New Jersey and Connecticut on how to catch this guy who was bringing these fakes in. My approach to it was that there’s only so many hundred dollar slot tokens in a casino. [6:17] So we were able to manage an inventory system that would do it every day or every other day when we saw a spike in coins we knew he was there. Rather than reviewing twenty four hours a day for six weeks. Which is your number seven a building with a pair of binoculars for a week or a month or is it that’s crazy you go insane doing it so. [6:40] All the sudden we get a spike of a hundred tokens on a saturday. So, that meant they were in there on a Friday gaming day or whatever it was, and we reviewed the $100 machines. And we would see different people playing, but we always kind of saw the same woman. That was his girlfriend at that time. So she never changed. He wore disguises, he wore beards and wigs and all that stuff, but she never changed. So we started narrowing in on New Jersey and Connecticut collaborated, and then we started And working more heavily on catching him live, which they did in New Jersey, we didn’t get him live in Connecticut. Collaborating with New Jersey authorities to apprehend the suspect [7:16] I did it all through the warrant process. But I also involved the secret service because it was a counterfeiting, something worth something of value. Like the secret service does credit cards, they do money, they do, they also do things like that, coins or tokens.

Giacomo “Black Jack” Tocco Nov 30, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode of Gangland Wire, we delve into the fascinating story of Giacomo “Blackjack” Tocco, an influential figure in the Detroit Mafia. Tocco, who was born in 1927 and spent his entire life in Detroit, came from a Mafia lineage. His father, William “Black Bill” Tocco, was one of the founding members of the Detroit Mafia, known as the partnership. Tocco’s ascent within the ranks was facilitated by his familial connections, as well as his reputation for violence and intimidation. The partnership controlled various illicit activities, including gambling, loan sharking, and drug trafficking, but their most lucrative venture was their control over Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters Union. We catch a glimpse of Tocco’s appointment as boss through an FBI surveillance squad, who witnessed the event at a hunting farm in rural Michigan. Tocco’s intelligence, leadership abilities, and knack for consolidating power cemented his status as one of Detroit’s most formidable and feared bosses. Moving on, this part of the podcast focusses on a well-known photograph that has circulated on mob Facebook pages. When Joseph Zerrilli died in 1977, the most senior Mafia member, John Prizola, took the reins. Before Zerrilli died, he had given a blessing to his nephew, “Black Jack” Tocco to be considered as the future boss. When Prizola died two years after Zerrilli, Partnership members honored Zerrilli and named Giacomo “Black Jack” Toco boss. He became one of the most powerful bosses the city had ever seen because of his intelligence and leadership abilities. In 1979, Black Jack Tocco was appointed as the boss of the Detroit Mafia. In an interesting sidenote to Tocco’s appointment, FBI agent Greg Stejskal and his surveillance squad were watching a rural Michigan farm the day Black Jack Toco was anointed boss. They even trespassed into the back of this farm and grabbed a photo of Black Jack talking with Anthony Corrado and Vito Giacalone immediately after the ceremony. During his tenure as boss, Tocco oversaw the Partnership’s various illegal activities and was responsible for the organization’s continued success. It is later revealed that “Black Jack” Tocco orchestrated numerous illegal activities and expanded the Mafia’s influence, especially in Las Vegas. Despite his involvement in organized crime, Tocco was also respected within the Detroit Italian-American community for his philanthropic work and involvement in community events. Tocco’s reign came to an end in 2014, marking the end of an era for the Detroit Mafia. Despite losing their grasp on the Teamsters and facing intense scrutiny from the FBI, Tocco will forever be remembered as a dominating presence in the Detroit Mafia. Additionally, I take this opportunity to remind our listeners to exercise caution on the roads and seek assistance if they are grappling with PTSD or substance abuse. Our friend Anthony Ruggiano, a former member of the Gambino crime family, is now a drug and alcohol counselor in Florida. Make sure to visit his website for valuable resources and treatment options. Lastly, we would greatly appreciate it if you could like, subscribe, and leave a review on podcast platforms. Your support means a lot to us, and we eagerly await your intriguing mob stories in our Facebook group. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Hey, guys. Welcome back here to the studio of Gangland Wire. Gary Jenkins, retired intelligence unit detective here in Kansas City. I’m going to bring you a story today about Giacomo Blackjack Tocco. He was a prominent figure in the Detroit Mafia. He was well known for his ruthless tactics, but he had a lot of leadership skills. Born in 1927, in February of 1927 in the suburbs of Detroit. So he’s a lifelong Detroit resident. He was a Mafia legacy because his father, of William Black Bill Tocco was a founding member of the Detroit Mafia family, also known as the partnership. You know, they have never had the outfit in Chicago, then the partnership in Detroit. Now, Black Bill, the father rose to be boss with his brother in law, Joseph Zarelli. He was the underboss. Black Bill went to prison and Zarelli took over. Giacomo Black Jack Toko was rising through the ranks of the Mafia during this time, was a boost up because his dad and uncle were the founders of the mob in Detroit. He also had a cousin, Anthony Zarelli, that had moved on up in front of him, but he had to prove himself. He proved himself as a valuable member of the partnership because he would do what needed to be done and take care of business, whatever that was. Rise of Blackjack Tocco: From Capo to Most Feared Man [1:16] Soon became a capo or a top lieutenant. His reputation for violence and intimidation is what got him the nickname of Blackjack, And he became known as one of the most feared men in Detroit. The partnership was a criminal organization, aka the mafia, that controlled various illegal activities, the usual ones, gambling, loan sharking, drug trafficking, too. But most importantly, the biggest cash cow of them all was for the Detroit partnership was Jimmy Hoffa and the powerful Teamsters Union. Once they got in with Hoffa and once they had some control over Hoffa, then they had access to Teamsters all over the United States. He had access to trucks and docks where he could set up loads. He also had access to the Teamsters Pension Fund. [2:03] Jimmy Hoffa was a the guy. He was the guy early on. Later on, he became some other people when Hoffa went to the penitentiary. But Hoffa was the guy. If you needed a pension loan, then you went to Hoffa, and then Hoffa gave you the permission to get a loan from the pension fund, and then you kick back to Hoffa. It was a cash cow for everybody. While Zarelli was boss, Jimmy Hoffa went to prison, and Jimmy Hoffa’s successor was a man named Frank Fitzsimmons. What Frank Fitzsimmons liked to do, he was not a big worker. What Frank Fitzsimmons liked to do was play golf out at their nice resort and golf course out in Southern California. And he kept allowing more and more mob families access to the Teamsters pension fund. And he was just a guy in place for the mob by that time, and he was no Hoffa. See, Hoffa would have tightly controlled all that and made them pay and turn them down once in a while. Vince Simmons, I don’t think he ever turned them down about anything. Of course, Hoffa gets out of the penitentiary eventually, a kind of a famous deal where the Teamsters sent a million dollars in campaign funds to Richard Nixon, and all of a sudden, he’s got his sentence commuted. [3:13] But Nixon didn’t quite follow through with what Hoffa wanted, and Frank Fitzsimmons set this up. Fitzsimmons probably, he wanted to keep that cushy job, so he probably agreed or mentioned to Nixon’s people that, hey, make a condition of this that he can’t go back in and have any union activities. Hoffa did not like that, and as soon as he got out, he started making moves again, he’s going to get back in control. That was it to Hoffa. That was his union. That was his pension fund. He developed all that out of scratch, out of nothing. And he felt like he had ownership of the whole thing. Now, the Detroit Partnership would assign longtime members brothers Vito and Anthony Giacalone to negotiate with Hoffa. He had gotten in a conflict with the New Jersey Teamster boss, who was a mob guy, Anthony Provenzano. And they had a huge conflict. They even got in a physical fight, I think, at one time. 1975 in July, Jimmy Hoffa goes to meet with Anthony Giacalone and Tony Pro or Tony Provenzano at the now famous meeting at the restaurant. They’re outside of Detroit and he’s never seen again. The disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa and Tocco’s appointment as boss [4:20] The most discussed missing persons in the United States after Judge Crater, and most of you may not even be old enough to remember Judge Crater, but Jimmy Hoffa is the most famous missing person I would say ever in the United States. [4:34] So, when the boss, Joseph Zirilli, died in 1977, this is two years after Hoffa disappears, the most senior member of the Detroit partnership was a guy named John Prezola at the time. Now, he should have taken over, but Zirilli gave his blessing to his nephew, Black Jack Tocco, to be considered to be the future boss. Prezola will die in about two years after Zarelli died. Partnership members now honor Zarelli, Joseph Zarelli, and they named Giacomo Black Jack Tocco the boss. He really will consolidate everything and be known as one of the most powerful bosses the city has ever seen because of his intelligence. And he had a lot of leadership skills and abilities. And an interesting side note to Black Jack Tocco getting appointed to the mafia was in 1979, there was an FBI agent named Greg Steljas. I interviewed him, so you have to go back and try to find that, but he was part of the surveillance squad to the Detroit. [5:36] Organized crime squad. Every organized crime squad in every major city will have a surveillance squad available to them. They’ll use them for a lot of other things in the whole office, but the mob squad or the organized crime squad will mainly use the surveillance squad.

A Murder in Nassau County Nov 27, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins tells a captivating story of Tommy Karate Pitera and his associates. We start off with the tale of Billy Bright, a New York kid who teams up with Frank Gangi, a man with a mafia background. Together with Arthur Guvernaro, they embark on a large-scale marijuana operation. However, when Guvernaro becomes unreliable and starts stealing from the business, Billy and Frank decide to take action. They lure him to a stash house and attempt to shoot him, but Guvernaro manages to escape only to run into a police car, where he eventually dies, revealing the culprits in his dying declaration. After serving a prison sentence for weapon possession, Frank and Billy face threats of revenge from Guvernaro’s brother, Louis Bob. Seeking protection, they turn to Tommy Karate Pitera, a respected Bonanno soldier known for his karate skills and ability to earn money for the family. With the backing of Tommy and the powerful Bonanno and Genovese families, Frank and Billy feel secure. However, their troubles continue when Greg Reiter, an associate of John Gotti Jr., enters the picture. Reiter complains to Frank Michael Harrigan, claiming that Harrigan and Gotti Jr. are squeezing him out of a business venture. Unfortunately for Reiter, Harrigan is aligned with Tommy Pitera, making it difficult for him to go against Pitera’s interests. Harrigan decides to discuss the situation with Pitera and arranges a meeting with Reiter, unaware that they are being watched by DEA agents. Pitera suggests meeting in a Nassau County parking lot, with Billy Bright serving as backup. Pitera reaches out to Michael, another individual involved in their dealings, and calmly informs him that Greg Reiter needs to be dealt with immediately. Harrigan, initially hesitant, is swayed by the fear of losing money and potential involvement of dangerous individuals. When Reiter questions why this is happening, Pitera pulls out a shotgun and shoots him multiple times. Ken Harrigan points at Pitera in response to Reiter’s confusion. Reiter dies shortly after, and his body is placed in Harrigan’s car trunk. The three men then bury Reiter in a wildlife sanctuary in Nassau County. Despite witnessing such brutality, Harrigan continues doing business with Pitera until he eventually distances himself. Harrigan faces legal consequences and is implicated in Pitera’s trial. Gansey, who testified against Pitera and joined witness protection, initially intended to give an interview but later retracted and may have passed away. Pitera, meanwhile, currently serves a life sentence for his involvement in drug dealings and sells paintings. Rumors circulate that Bright was killed in prison by the A.B. gang, allegedly hired by Greg Reiter’s brother, Mark Reiter, seeking revenge. It is noteworthy that they couldn’t get the A.B. to kill Tommy Karate, suggesting that Tommy himself pulled the trigger in Reiter’s shooting. In further discussion, we explore Tommy Karate’s power and the mob’s influence within the federal prison system. While other groups hold some power, the ABs seem to have the most sway, not just in prisons but across the entire system. It’s yet another fascinating tale of murder and the mob in New York City. We appreciate your support and encourage you to like, review, and subscribe to our podcast. New episodes are released weekly, with occasional bonus episodes. If you ride motorcycles, stay alert on the streets, and if you’re dealing with PTSD, don’t hesitate to seek help from resources like the VA website and hotline. Anthony Ruggiano, a Gambino guy, is also available on his website, YouTube channel, and hotline to assist with drug and alcohol problems. Lastly, we welcome corrections if there are any inaccuracies in our presentation. Thank you once again for your support. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there. Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Detective. I’ve got a story about Tommy Karate, and I know a lot of people like Tommy Karate. I got some of this from that Philip Carlos book, and I know that a lot of people quibble about that. And I found some other in some other places, but I put together this story about one of the murders that he did. I tell you, that guy was a killer. He was a cold-blooded killer. There was once a New York kid named Billy Bright, and he had partnered up with a guy named Frank Gangi, who was a mafia legacy. Frank Gangi, his father, his uncles, his cousins, they were all members or associates of the Bonanno family. And his cousin, Ross Gangi was a capo in the Genovese family. Frank Gangi was a career mafia associate. [0:48] You know, it was kind of an interesting guy. He looked like a chain smoking, skinny recovering drug addict that worked as a short order cook. Real unassuming. He had a gift of gab though, and he was always ready to help and everybody liked him. And he had partnered with this Billy Bright who really knew, I don’t really know anything about him other than he fell with Tommy Karate in the end and did some time in the penitentiary out of Tommy Karate’s narcotics network. Murder and Betrayal: The Stash House Shooting [1:16] They, the three of them, Billy Bright, Frank Gangi, and a guy named Arthur Guvernaro. We’re selling hundreds of pounds of pot every week in new york gubernatorial had several brothers who are all in the life and in and around the life they were particularly. [1:34] Nobody was a member was a member of the family in new york ever freelancers and gubernatorial start freebase and cocaine and he was known to be a kind of a guy that was still from people and, And he became unreliable and he started stealing from the pot business and Billy Bright and Frank Gansey went to their stash house and lured him over there where there wasn’t anybody around and shot him. Well, these two guys, there are no Tommy Karate’s. They are non-aggressive killers because they started shooting at him and this guy took off running and got out and runs into a arms of a patrolling police car with a whole bunch of bullets in him and dies in their arms. And his dying declaration was, Frank Gonsi and Billy Bright did this. Well, you know, it wasn’t for bad luck. They wouldn’t have any luck at all. Tommy Karate’s Protection: A Deal with the Mafia [2:27] After a trial, the jury found them not guilty of the murder, but they found both of them guilty of possession of weapons. [2:34] They both did a year. Right after they released Gubernero’s brother, a guy named Louis Bob. I don’t know why I had a different last name, but it was his brother. He was starting announcing around the neighborhood. He had a contract for the death of these two guys who killed his brother. He would pay money to see them killed. And he probably tried to do it himself. Gonsi and Bright heard about this threat. Billy Bright had done business with Tommy Pitera. You know, he’s a longtime drug dealer, made a lot of money for the Bonanno family. They went to Tommy Karate Pitera for help. Well, at this time, Pitera was, it was a really, it’s 1986. Tommy Pitera, Tommy Karate, you heard me say Tommy Karate, he was a karate expert, if you don’t know. Most people know who he is. He was a real well-respected Bonanno soldier and a really good earner for the family and a good killer for the family. They even loaned him out to the Gambinos or to John Gotti to kill a Willie Boy Johnson, is my understanding. Frank Gangi will later help send Tommy Karate Pitera to prison and a bunch of these other guys for life, basically. But at this point in time, he’s pleading for Tommy Karate’s protection, and so is Billy Bright. [3:50] Pitera knew an opportunity when he saw it, and he wanted to take these guys in and make even more money with them, make them his guys. So he agreed he’d ask his capo, Anthony Sparrow, to mediate this dispute. And he recommended to Frank Gangi that he get his uncle, Russ Gangi, who was a Genovese captain to come and speak up for him. Supposedly, Tommy said, then you’ll have two families on your side. Now, this mediation of disputes between professional criminals is kind of what the mafia is all about. It started over in Sicily and it still goes today. And what I understand, the American mafia over the years in the 60s, 70s, and 80s has really perfected this, you know, accepted procedure. If you’re a high enough level in the gangster world, whether you’re a made guy or an associate or a freelancer, whatever, you’re in that world, then you will attend one of these sit-downs, because the mafia is the law for the people who don’t have the law. The dead guy here, Arthur Guvenanaro, his brother named Louis Bob, was there, and it was reported he was sitting there seething with visible anger. But Bright and Gangi were, by this point in time, Tommy’s brought him in and there were going to be good owners for him and the Bonanno family. Plus Gangi’s Genovese uncle was there on their sides. And needless to say, guess who wins? Tommy Karate wins. [5:14] Anthony Spiro ordered the Guvernaro family to not kill Gangi and Bright. His word was law. They did it. Somewhere around this time he’ll hook them up with an Israeli cocaine dealer and they really take off in both the marijuana and the cocaine business. Now Tommy Pitera’s man,

Rob Angelo “The Hook” LaPrietra? Nov 26, 2023

We have an incredible story to share in today’s episode. It revolves around three burglars, Jerry Scalise, Art Rachel, and Bobby Palia, who were connected to the Chicago outfit. These individuals were planning to break into the home of the deceased leader of the vicious Chinatown crew, Angelo “the Hook” La Pietra. However, this case is even more intriguing because La Pietra was already deceased, yet his widow was still residing there. At the same time, the FBI was conducting an investigation into these criminals. As a former cop, I can tell you that catching criminals in the act is an exhilarating experience. In 2010, the FBI had been closely monitoring Scalise, Rachel, and Palia, who were known to be highly skilled thieves. The FBI obtained audio intercepts of their conversations, which further piqued their interest. Interestingly, these intercepted conversations hinted at the possibility of solving the infamous Marlboro Diamond Theft that had taken place in 1980. Scalise and Rachel, the leaders of the group, were involved in this diamond theft in London, where the Marlboro Diamond, worth millions of dollars, was stolen and never recovered. The FBI also overheard the burglars discussing their plan to break into La Pietra’s house. They even mentioned using toothpaste to hide any holes they would drill. The FBI’s primary interest, however, was gathering information about the whereabouts of the stolen Marlboro Diamond. As it turns out, the decision to target La Pietra’s house was fueled by the discovery that a high-ranking mob member, Nick Calabrese, possessed a considerable amount of cash and diamonds. This inspired the thieves to target La Pietra’s widow, as they believed valuable items would be inside the house. This wasn’t just a typical burglary but a full-blown home invasion. The FBI had been diligently tailing these criminals and collecting evidence against them. Finally, in early April 2010, the FBI made their move and apprehended Scalise, Palia, and Rachel outside La Pietra’s home. The burglars were caught red-handed with various tools such as drills, blades, a ladder, tool bags, black tape, and flashlights. They seemed to have all the necessary items to carry out their intended robbery. The presence of glass cleaner could have been an attempt to remove fingerprints, while the black tape was likely intended to restrain both the widow and the housekeeper. Deciding when to intervene in a crime is always challenging for law enforcement. In this case, with evidence of the criminals’ plans and witnessing their movement towards the target location, the FBI decided it was time to take them into custody. Scalise, Palia, and Rachel were all charged with attempted burglary and a gun possession charge. They received equal sentences for their involvement in the crime. Catching criminals in the act is a thrilling experience for law enforcement, especially when it involves dismantling an entire crew. We appreciate your support and also like to remind you to be cautious of motorcycles on the road. If you or someone you know is dealing with PTSD, we recommend reaching out to the VA for assistance. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Chicago Outfit Burglary Gone Wrong [0:00] Well, hey, guys, welcome all you wiretappers back here in the studio. Gangland wire again. The story of the night or actually the whole plot or Jerry Scalise and a guy named Art Rachel and Bobby Palia, all three of whom were Chicago outfit burgers. [0:18] Broke into or were in the process of breaking into Angelo the Hook La Pietra’s home. Now, La Pietra was dead at the time, but his widow was inside. And I don’t know, these guys, I guess, will never know why they did it, why they felt the freedom to break into his home. I’ll explain why they wanted to and go on from there and about the FBI investigation that was following along at the same time. And I’m telling you, as a cop who has caught guys in the act, caught a crew in the act a couple of times of committing their crime, there is no greater thrill. There’s no bigger… Look at that. yeah, in catching somebody in the middle of doing their high. So listen up. I think this is a great story, folks. Unsolved Jewelry Theft and the Monk’s Criminal Past [1:05] In 2010, Chicago FBI agents were monitoring three professional thieves. The leader of the group was Joseph, and they called him the monk, Scalise, and Arthur the brain, Rachel, and Robert Puglia. And these audio intercepts became dynamite because they led the investigators to think they might solve the most famous unsolved jewelry theft ever. [1:30] That’s the Marlboro Diamond Theft. 1980, the monk, Jerry or Joseph Scalise, and the brain, Arthur Rachel, had been arrested in a large diamond theft in London, England. The Marlboro Diamond was taken and never recovered, and it’s never been recovered to this day. And neither were any of the other diamonds that were taken that day. That theft was, I think, between… Three and five million dollars. It was like something out of a movie. Now Scalise was a longtime Chicago outfit soldier who had specialized in auto theft rings and chop shops. He was also part of what at one time was a well-known Chicago outfit hit team. [2:06] Then their nickname was the Wild Bunch. Arthur Rachel, he was a mob associate from way back. Obviously the smart one from his moniker. The investigators were listening to these guys talk in 2010. They heard him talk about breaking into, of all people, a deceased boss of the Chicago outfit, Angelo LaPrieto. Plotting a Home Invasion: Targeting Angelo La Pietra [2:27] He was also called the Hook. And they were talking about breaking into his house and he was dead. But still, I’m not sure if this would have been kosher for them to break into a deceased mobster’s house. I think they thought they could get away with it. They caught him casing Angelo LaPrieto’s house also. [2:44] They really perked up when they heard him talking about what they’d learned from British thieves when they’re in the British prison for the Morro Borro diamond theft. They said they needed to hide some holes that they drilled in order to make it easy to get into the house when they went in. And British thieves had said they could use toothpaste really well to hide holes that had been drilled. But yeah, toothpaste would harden in the hole but would, you know, would chip right out real quick. And just… So, boy, when they heard that talk about their time in England, they were really listening up for the whereabouts of the Marlboro Diamond. They would be heroes if they could find that, but they never did hear him talk about it. Why were they going after Angelo LaPietra, the hook? I caught him talking about there was a Chicago outfit guy named Nick Calabrese. And Calabrese is, if you’re a mob aficionado out there and you have read the Family Secrets trial, you’ll know about Nick Calabrese. He was really a high up mob guy in Chicago outfit and a killer. Bureau, after they were starting to make a case on him, they served a search warrant on his house, and they found three quarters of a million dollars in cash and hundreds of thousands of dollars in diamonds inside a hidden safe. [3:54] This gave the monk and the genius the idea to rob the widow of the former outfit boss Angelo La Pietra, because it really wasn’t going to be a burglary. They intended, they thought at the La Pietra house, there would be a housekeeper inside and the widow. So, it was going to be not just a simple unoccupied residence burglary, but a home invasion, which they would have to keep them…hold them… Prisoner. And the 90-some-year-old aging, widow. Planning the Robbery and Gathering Information [4:24] Of a dead mobster and her housekeeper probably were not going to give them much trouble, but they were ready. They were following them. They knew they were getting ready to do it. They’d been following them for quite a while. They’d caught them following this. I think I said this before. They followed them following around an armored car that they’re planning on robbing and making stops and writing things down about the route of the armored car, caught him casing LaPietra’s suburban mansion. They listened as they discussed any potential problems they may encounter while they’re going into LaPietra’s mansion. They’re following him around, and they know they’re getting ready to do it. FBI Agents Arrest the Suspects at LaPietra’s Mansion [4:58] Early April in 2010, outside what’s described as a stately brick family home of Angelo LaPietra, FBI agents arrest the 74-year-old monk, Jerry Scalise, and he’s wearing all black as he’s approaching the house, got a black baseball cap, a black windbreaker, a fishing vest with flashlights and gloves stuck in the pockets. He had a bandana around his neck. There’s another participant, this guy named Bobby Pilea, who’s 70 years old. He wore black pants, black shirt, black knit hat and black gloves. And art genius Rachel was the wheel man. He was sitting inside the car that already stolen and was using to case the house. And he was wearing black gloves and a black knit hat. I mean this stuff is right out of a movie. Start searching the car. They pull the genius out. They’ve caught P’Leah and Gleesay as they’ve approached the house.

Chicago Outfit Goes to London Nov 24, 2023

In this episode, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins dives into the thrilling story of two master thieves from Chicago, Jerry the Monk Scalise and Art the Brain Rachel. These notorious criminals were part of the infamous Wild Bunch and were involved in various criminal activities in Chicago. However, their story takes an interesting turn when they fly to London in 1980 to steal the famous Marlboro Diamond, a massive 45-carat diamond. Lawrence Graff, the owner of Graff’s Jewelry Store in Knightsbridge, London, had acquired a reputation for luxury jewelry and had famous diamonds like the Emperor Maximilian and Idol Eye in his collection. In 1980, he purchased the Marlboro Diamond, which had an intriguing history as it originally belonged to Gladys Marie Spencer Churchill, the wife of the 9th Duke of Marlboro. On September 11th, 1980, two men, eventually revealed as Jerry “the Monk” Scalise and Art “the Brain” Rachel, entered Graff’s store to assess its security measures. Two days later, they returned dressed in suits that allowed them easy access. Armed with a gun and what appeared to be a hand grenade, they threatened the security guard and swiftly grabbed the Marlboro Diamond along with other valuable pieces from the display. Unbeknownst to the thieves, Colin Prothero, an alert accountant on his lunch break, and his girlfriend witnessed their suspicious behavior and promptly informed the authorities about the incident. Prothero even managed to jot down the license plate of their getaway car, which turned out to be a rental from Hertz at Heathrow Airport. While the thieves made a hasty escape, the alert account followed them on foot through the bustling streets of London without being noticed. He observed their every move and noted important details that aided the investigation. Meanwhile, the owner of Graff’s store had already called the police, and London detectives were on their way. The car was rented in the names of Joseph Scalise and Art Rachel, who had checked into the Mount Royal Hotel. The hotel staff confirmed their presence on September 4th, indicating that the thieves had meticulously planned their crime. The detectives began checking flight manifests at the airport and discovered that Scalise and Rachel were on a British Airways flight bound for Chicago. The cunning thieves had already taken a cab to the airport and even sent a package along the way, leaving witnesses who remembered their actions. Scotland Yard swiftly contacted the Chicago police, who intercepted and arrested the thieves upon their arrival. Jerry “the Monk” Scalise and Art “the Brain” Rachel They were extradited to London, where the court convicted them based on eyewitness testimonies and additional evidence. Both Scalise and Rachel received 15-year sentences in a British prison. To this day, neither of the thieves has admitted their involvement in the robbery, maintaining their innocence. Despite their advanced age, Jerry the Monk Scalise and Art the Brain Rachel are still recognized as skilled criminals. However, their return to Chicago proved to be their downfall as they were met by Scotland Yard and the FBI upon arrival. The authorities detained them, much to their confusion, as they claimed they had merely gone on a trip to London. It is speculated that their familiarity with the leniency surrounding criminal activities in Chicago led to their carelessness in London. They likely underestimated the increased surveillance and scrutiny in a big city like London, ultimately leading to their capture. In addition to this thrilling tale, Gary Jenkins takes a moment to remind listeners to be mindful of motorcycles on the road. Furthermore, he encourages those who have served in the military and are struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to visit the VA website for assistance and access to the hotline. He thanks you for tuning in and joining us on this captivating journey. And remember, the search for the stolen Marlboro Diamond continues, with the English Insurance Company offering a $100,000 reward for its recovery. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Introduction: The Master Thieves from Chicago [0:00] Well, hey, guys, welcome back into the studio here. I really appreciate you all tuning in. And I want to tell you a story today about a couple of master thieves from Chicago, Jerry the Monk Scalise and Art the Brain Rachel. These guys were hooked into the outfit. Really good, especially Scalise. He was part of the Wild Bunch and was involved in some murders and a lot of really big time scores in Chicago. And and for some reason, these guys, they got the idea. And I don’t know if we’ll ever know how they got the idea, but they got the idea to fly to London and steal a huge, big, 45-carat famous diamond called the Marlboro Diamond. This was back in 1980. This is a heck of a story, and it’s kind of a story of sloppiness on their part, but it’s a heck of a story nonetheless. Now, these guys, the Brain and the Monk, are probably the two thieves that Michael Mann based the characters that James Caan and Jim Bellucci played in his movie The Thief. So, you know, settle back, listen in. I think it’s a fun story. Lawrence Graff and the 1960s [1:08] Back in the 1960s, a man named Lawrence Graff, G-R-A-F-F, Lawrence Graff started. Graff’s Jewelry Store: A Luxury Haven in London [1:14] Graff’s Jewelry Store, and it soon became a really high-end luxury jewelry store in London, England. It was located in Knightsbridge section of London. They had some other stores, but their flagship store was in Knightsbridge which is a very nice section kind of close to the mid part of London England. Mr. Graff and Annie’s store were world famous and they sold jewelry to the most wealthy and sophisticated people in the world. They had purchased famous diamonds like the 41 carat Emperor Maximilian, the 70 carat Idyll-I. The largest blue diamond in existence. There’s a 137 carat paragon diamond. 137 carat diamond was the largest flawless diamond in existence at the time and probably still is. The Paragon Diamond: A Flawless Marvel [1:59] Many times these big jewelry stores will buy these kinds of real famous. 1980 Lawrence Graff, the owner of Graff’s, had purchased a really well-known diamond with a history. It was a 45 carat Marlboro diamond. He purchased, it was a cushion-shaped diamond, which that may not mean anything to you and doesn’t particularly mean anything to me, other than it was kind of shaped like a cushion. And he purchased it from Gladys Marie Spencer Churchill. Now if you think about it, two of those names are pretty famous. Diana Spencer, the late Princess Di, of course Churchill is, we don’t even need to explain that name. She was the wife of the 9th Duke of Marlboro. Marlboro Diamond was actually 46.01. The Robbery at Graff’s Jewelry Store [2:42] Carats when he bought it and Mr. Graff recut it to 45 carats and made it into a starburst design and had it displayed for sale. On September 11th, 1980, this was a different September 11th than what we think about today, 9-11-80, two people enter Graff’s store in Knightsbridge. After a quick look around, they check all the security measures, they left. Two days later, the same two well-dressed men in their drafts. They were dressed in suits that would… [3:12] Allow them entry into that store because the store was normally locked until The Robbers’ Entrance and Threats [3:17] they give you a look and and they had a security guard Standing there, but they looked like you know They were they could maybe buy a jewelry in that store security guard unlocks the door and one of the men immediately produces a gun Security guard report he states. This is a robbery and quit looking at me or I’ll shoot you The other man produces an object that appears to be a hand grenade and he holds it and acts like it’s a hand grenade They don’t talk a lot during this robbery You know, the good professional thieves will act fast and keep their mouth shut and only say what’s necessary. They know the more they talk, the more chances are that somebody might recognize their voice or somebody might…they might have to do a voice lineup, so they might get overheard on a wire and then they play that for somebody who’s a victim of a crime. And you’re not gonna get convicted off of that voice lineup, but it certainly can focus somebody in on you. Five store employees and two customers hit the deck. The Marlboro Diamond and Other Stolen Pieces [4:11] Two men proceeded directly to the Marlboro Diamond and scooped it. They also scooped up several other really nice pieces in the display. You can imagine what kind of pieces they would have laying on on display around the Marlboro Diamond. They would have to be nice. The total haul was, at that point in time, or in 1980 dollars, was three million dollars retail. [4:31] Now the one thing these guys did not account for. They bargained for about everything else, I think, but there was an alert accountant on his lunch hour with his girlfriend, Mr. Colin Prothero. I’m not sure how you pronounce that, so we’ll just call him Colin. Colin and his girlfriend were walking past, and they noticed a couple of guys… Out in front, just got out of a car, I think it was a little Fiat.

Corleone Sicily with Justin Cascio Nov 20, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary discusses with Justin Cascio, a mafia genealogist, his book In Our Blood: The Mafia in Corleone, Italy, In Our Blood: The Mafia Families of Corleone. We explore the roots and activities of the Mafia in Western Sicily, debunking many romanticized notions. We also discuss the migration of mafia families to the United States and their influence in various cities. The conversation concludes with insights into the rise of the Mafia as a political force. Listen n to learn more about the history and impact of the Mafia. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when you check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Transcript Introduction to Mafia genealogist Justin Cascio [0:00] Well, welcome all you wiretappers back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. You know, I have a guest that we had him before, Justin Cascio. And if you follow my Facebook group, you’ll see him post a little bit. And he is a mafia genealogist. Justin, welcome. I really appreciate you coming back on the show. [0:19] Thanks for having me on, Gary. Justin, I remember us talking before. Now, you’ve written a book about your search for the roots the Mafia in Corleone, Italy, or Sicily. Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into this work. Mafia genealogy is kind of interesting. I think you have a personal connection, don’t you? [0:39] I do. I first heard the name Corleone from my grandmother when I was a little kid. So way too young to have watched The Godfather. It took me years before I made that connection between the mythical, fictional Don Corleone and the place where my grandfather was from. Both of his parents were born in Corleone, which is a little mountain town about an hour away from Palermo. If you drive it today, I think it’s about an hour. Country town, but it’s also a transportation hub, and it was also a center of culture in the mostly rural place that didn’t have a lot of institutions of higher learning, for instance. It attracted skilled artisans, so it had some wealth. It was a little more of a destination than any of the other villages that surround it. So Corleone was just a little bit special in Sicily’s history. Discussion on the roots of the Mafia in Corleone [1:30] William Sturkey You know, I noticed as I was doing a little research before you came on the show here that, for example, Ciro, the artichoke king Terranova, and Tommy Gagliano, and the Dragna family are all from the little town of Corleone, and I’m sure there’s others from that province right around there between there and Palermo. That was a hotbed of mafia activity to the roots of the mafia in the United States, correct? Absolutely. The Mafia started in Western Sicily, just that one little tip of the island. [1:58] Interesting. Does that go all the way back to when the French soldier supposedly, raped or came on to a Sicilian woman and they had the real night of the Sicilian Vespers, or is that after that, in that area? The Sicilian Vespers happened in Palermo. The Mafia started a little later, maybe in the 1800s, maybe as early as the late 1700s. And most people would say that it started in Western Sicily and probably in the countryside, although some theorists say that they think it started in the city. So there’s a little dispute about exactly where and when it started, but generally speaking, Western Sicily around the 1800s. And Corleone was a really important part of that history. Most of the history books that you’ll read about the Mafia today will tell you that the first documented mafia ring was led by a man named Luca Patti di Giuseppe, and he was from Corleone, and he was part of a cattle rustling operation that involved a number of different cities in the Palermo countryside, one of them being Corleone. Luca Patti wasn’t just an outlier, he was part of a family that is still involved in the mafia today. Cattle rustling as a classic mafia crime in Sicily [3:12] CB. That’s amazing. I’ve also found evidence that I write about in my book for a much earlier cattle wrestling gang, about 50 years before Luca Patti. And the same thing is true for them. [3:24] What was it? Broke up into large patrons, large owners of land and cows, and then the poor people would then band together and steal these cows from the el patron, the rich man of the area. Is that how that worked, kind of like in the old West? I think that cattle rusting required more than just poverty and desperation to pull off well. It was really a professional sort of an operation. If you think about it, it’s probably a lot like auto theft today. It’s a profession. It’s not just a one -and -done that you do because you don’t have any money. It’s something that you know how to do. It takes some skill. And then once you’ve stolen a car, what are you going to do with it? You have same problem with cattle. Cattle theft has been a classic mafia crime in Sicily going all of the way back, and it continued very far into the present. The most recent that I remember reading about was after World War II, Dr. Michel Navarro was the boss in Corleone, and he got on track to get some military trucks, vehicles, and he used them to steal cattle. So he was doing the exact same crime that his forefathers had been doing there for generations. [4:36] And what people used to do back in the day was they would steal the cattle and then they would hide them in the woods somewhere. So that you couldn’t find them. It was a ransom situation. You would have to buy your cattle back from them. BF. Interesting, because I’m thinking Sicily is such a small place that where would you sell them that it wouldn’t be really noticeable. You couldn’t take them to the market in the next town over, but everybody in that market knows everybody. They know you or they know where these cows come from. I can see the ransom deal. It would be much smarter than just trying to sell Yes, although I suppose you could possibly get away with selling them because you had two things working in your favor. It was very decentralized. Decentralization and isolation in Sicilian villages [5:18] City towns and villages didn’t have a lot to do with one another. When you look at the way the roads were all laid out forever and ever in Sicily, they all lead to the port towns, but they don’t really connect one another. So people really lived isolated from one another in villages. They didn’t have a lot of contact with their neighbors. They would go to a market in their own town. They would not necessarily go to one in a neighboring town. And the way that people lived in these villages, they would create a little dense urban center where they would all live, because it was safer that way, versus living all spread out in the countryside because of how many thieves and how much violence was going on out there because there wasn’t any police. [6:01] So maybe some of the mafia, I mean, kind of historically, romantically, we will say that the mafia formed in these little towns, a mafia organization or an organization, was more like a vigilante organization that protected their own from outsiders. Is that anywhere near the origins of that? No, I wouldn’t say so. They were more descended from thieves, not vigilantes. They were trying to make money, not protect their neighbors. If they were trying to protect somebody, it was themselves, their family, their own interests. So they would steal from their neighbors. Well, yeah, they sure did. I mean, that’s definitely who they stole from. Yeah, and I think that that’s probably a trait that you continue to see with the mafia. They would rely upon a little Italian enclave, whether it was their village in Sicily or a neighborhood in New York City or Chicago or Los Angeles. But then their principal pool of victims was their own people, other Italians. The black hand. In the Black Hand letters, I’ve read about here in Kansas City, they would extort a successful grocery store owner who was one of their own. [7:08] I’ve heard of a couple of different rings of Black Hand operators where in order to become a part of the ring, you had to submit some of your neighbors that would make good targets for extortion. Interesting. Well, that’s so much for the romance of the mafia being the protector of their friends and neighbors. The importance of blood relations in the Mafia [7:28] Now, you mentioned, I noticed in your little bit about your book that you talked about the. [7:34] You know, we think the mafia as, you know, the boss, underboss, captain or a capo, a consigliere, soldiers, all dependent on each other. But really, the roots of this are more blood family oriented. Is that what you were learning in what your research developed in this, the blood relations and how you could connect that to the families. Yes, it’s my belief that the Mafia is more based on the extended family than it is on a business or a military structure. The original Mafia were extended families that didn’t have anybody else to rely on that they could trust more than themselves, and so they were banding together to protect their own family interests. An extended Italian family was more communal in that they shared what they had amongst their members. It wasn’t divided up into little nuclear families.

Giacamo Tocco – Detroit Partnership Nov 15, 2023

In this episode of Gangland Wire, a Retired KCPD Intelligence Detective looks into the fascinating story of Giacomo “Blackjack” Tocco, an influential figure in the Detroit Mafia. Tocco, born in 1927 and spent his entire life in Detroit, came from a Mafia lineage. His father, William “Black Bill” Tocco, was one of the founding members of the Detroit Mafia, known as the Partnership. Tocco’s ascent within the ranks was facilitated by his familial connections, as well as his reputation for violence and intimidation. The partnership controlled various illicit activities, including gambling, loan sharking, and drug trafficking, but their most lucrative venture was their control over Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters Union. We glimpse Tocco’s appointment as boss through an FBI surveillance squad, who witnessed the event at a hunting farm in rural Michigan. Tocco’s intelligence, leadership abilities, and knack for consolidating power cemented his status as one of Detroit’s most formidable and feared bosses. Moving on, this part of the podcast focuses on a well-known photograph circulated on mob Facebook pages. The picture captures a conversation between Greg Stejskal, his accomplice Anthony Corrado, and Vito Giacalone, which took place after a ceremony. Stejskal and his partner trespassed onto someone else’s property to get close enough to the house for the photo. It is later revealed that Thomas “Black Jack” Tocco, who was the boss during that time, orchestrated numerous illegal activities and expanded the Mafia’s influence, especially in Las Vegas. Despite his involvement in organized crime, Tocco was also respected within the Detroit Italian-American community for his philanthropic work and involvement in community events. Sadly, Tocco’s reign ended in 2014, marking the end of an era for the Detroit Mafia. Despite losing their grasp on the Teamsters and facing intense scrutiny from the FBI, Tocco will forever be remembered as a dominating presence in the Detroit Mafia. Additionally, I take this opportunity to remind our listeners to exercise caution on the roads and seek assistance if they are grappling with PTSD or substance abuse. Our friend Anthony Ruggiano, a former member of the Gambino crime family, is now a drug and alcohol counselor in Florida. Make sure to visit his website for valuable resources and treatment options. Lastly, we would greatly appreciate it if you could like, subscribe, and leave a review on podcast platforms. Your support means a lot to us, and we eagerly await your intriguing mob stories in our Facebook group. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:00] Hey, guys. Welcome back here to the studio of Gangland Wire. Gary Jenkins, retired intelligence unit detective here in Kansas City. I’m going to bring you a story today about Giacomo Blackjack Tocco. He was a prominent figure in the Detroit Mafia. He was well known for his ruthless tactics, but he had a lot of leadership skills. Born in 1927, in February of 1927 in the suburbs of Detroit. So he’s a lifelong Detroit resident. He was a Mafia legacy because his father, of William Black Bill Tocco was a founding member of the Detroit Mafia family, also known as the partnership. You know, they have never had the outfit in Chicago, then the partnership in Detroit. Now, Black Bill, the father rose to be boss with his brother in law, Joseph Zarelli. He was the underboss. Black Bill went to prison and Zarelli took over. Giacomo Black Jack Toko was rising through the ranks of the Mafia during this time, was a boost up because his dad and uncle were the founders of the mob in Detroit. He also had a cousin, Anthony Zarelli, that had moved on up in front of him, but he had to prove himself. He proved himself as a valuable member of the partnership because he would do what needed to be done and take care of business, whatever that was. Rise of Blackjack Tocco: From Capo to Most Feared Man [1:16] Soon became a capo or a top lieutenant. His reputation for violence and intimidation is what got him the nickname of Blackjack, And he became known as one of the most feared men in Detroit. The partnership was a criminal organization, aka the mafia, that controlled various illegal activities, the usual ones, gambling, loan sharking, drug trafficking, too. But most importantly, the biggest cash cow of them all was for the Detroit partnership was Jimmy Hoffa and the powerful Teamsters Union. Once they got in with Hoffa and once they had some control over Hoffa, then they had access to Teamsters all over the United States. He had access to trucks and docks where he could set up loads. He also had access to the Teamsters Pension Fund. [2:03] Jimmy Hoffa was a the guy. He was the guy early on. Later on, he became some other people when Hoffa went to the penitentiary. But Hoffa was the guy. If you needed a pension loan, then you went to Hoffa, and then Hoffa gave you the permission to get a loan from the pension fund, and then you kick back to Hoffa. It was a cash cow for everybody. While Zarelli was boss, Jimmy Hoffa went to prison, and Jimmy Hoffa’s successor was a man named Frank Fitzsimmons. What Frank Fitzsimmons liked to do, he was not a big worker. What Frank Fitzsimmons liked to do was play golf out at their nice resort and golf course out in Southern California. And he kept allowing more and more mob families access to the Teamsters pension fund. And he was just a guy in place for the mob by that time, and he was no Hoffa. See, Hoffa would have tightly controlled all that and made them pay and turn them down once in a while. Vince Simmons, I don’t think he ever turned them down about anything. Of course, Hoffa gets out of the penitentiary eventually, a kind of a famous deal where the Teamsters sent a million dollars in campaign funds to Richard Nixon, and all of a sudden, he’s got his sentence commuted. [3:13] But Nixon didn’t quite follow through with what Hoffa wanted, and Frank Fitzsimmons set this up. Fitzsimmons probably, he wanted to keep that cushy job, so he probably agreed or mentioned to Nixon’s people that, hey, make a condition of this that he can’t go back in and have any union activities. Hoffa did not like that, and as soon as he got out, he started making moves again, he’s going to get back in control. That was it to Hoffa. That was his union. That was his pension fund. He developed all that out of scratch, out of nothing. And he felt like he had ownership of the whole thing. Now, the Detroit Partnership would assign longtime members brothers Vito and Anthony Giacalone to negotiate with Hoffa. He had gotten in a conflict with the New Jersey Teamster boss, who was a mob guy, Anthony Provenzano. And they had a huge conflict. They even got in a physical fight, I think, at one time. 1975 in July, Jimmy Hoffa goes to meet with Anthony Giacalone and Tony Pro or Tony Provenzano at the now famous meeting at the restaurant. They’re outside of Detroit and he’s never seen again. The disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa and Tocco’s appointment as boss [4:20] The most discussed missing persons in the United States after Judge Crater, and most of you may not even be old enough to remember Judge Crater, but Jimmy Hoffa is the most famous missing person I would say ever in the United States. [4:34] So, when the boss, Joseph Zirilli, died in 1977, this is two years after Hoffa disappears, the most senior member of the Detroit partnership was a guy named John Prezola at the time. Now, he should have taken over, but Zirilli gave his blessing to his nephew, Black Jack Tocco, to be considered to be the future boss. Prezola will die in about two years after Zarelli died. Partnership members now honor Zarelli, Joseph Zarelli, and they named Giacomo Black Jack Tocco the boss. He really will consolidate everything and be known as one of the most powerful bosses the city has ever seen because of his intelligence. And he had a lot of leadership skills and abilities. And an interesting side note to Black Jack Tocco getting appointed to the mafia was in 1979, there was an FBI agent named Greg Steljas. I interviewed him, so you have to go back and try to find that, but he was part of the surveillance squad to the Detroit. [5:36] Organized crime squad. Every organized crime squad in every major city will have a surveillance squad available to them. They’ll use them for a lot of other things in the whole office, but the mob squad or the organized crime squad will mainly use the surveillance squad. So they saw some funny activities at one of the meeting points of the Detroit guys, and so they started following Blackjack that day. They followed him out to a rural Michigan farm, like a hunting farm where he’d go out and I think lease land, land leased, and would take people on hunting. There’s a hunting camp out there. And they found out later that Blackjack Toco was appointed boss that day. It’s kind of an interesting story. [6:18] You know, these guys saying they got a famous picture. Have you ever seen the picture? If you’re on any of the mob Facebook pages, you’ll probably have seen this famous picture. You can barely see them, but there’s a couple a guy standing out talking. And that was a Greg Steljas and his partner snuck back in on the back of the farm,

Canadian Mafia Nov 13, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, he interviews Peter Edwards, a reporter from the Toronto Star who specializes in covering organized crime. Peter’s Background: Peter Edwards explains his extensive experience as a journalist at the Toronto Star, specializing in organized crime. He mentions his numerous books on the topic, including an encyclopedia on organized crime. He also notes that he collaborates with reporters from other cities due to the mobility of organized crime figures. Sicilian Mafia in Canada: The discussion delves into the history of the Sicilian Mafia’s presence in Canada, focusing on the 1950s and the influence of individuals like Carmen Galante. The conversation also highlights the role of Frank Catroni, Vic Catroni, Nicoli Rizzuto, and Vito Rizzuto of the Montreal Mafia. Power Struggles: The conversation covers the power struggles within the Montreal Mafia, including Vito Rizzuto’s leadership and subsequent imprisonment in the United States. The murder of three Capos in New York is mentioned, and the intriguing involvement of a mob figure from Montreal in that event is discussed. Changing Alliances: Peter Edwards discusses how organized crime in Canada is evolving, with a shift away from strict family lines. He emphasizes the importance of alliances and connections between different criminal groups, which have become more prevalent with the advent of the Internet. Hells Angels: The conversation turns to the Hells Angels, exploring their rise in Canada. They discuss the structured nature of the Hells Angels and their complex, sometimes unscrupulous, alliances. The shift from being “thugs” to a formidable organization is highlighted. Modern Activities: The discussion touches on the diversified activities of organized crime, including involvement in strip clubs, girls, and white-collar crimes. The role of gambling in power struggles between different crime groups is also mentioned. Organization and Alliances: The conversation elaborates on the structure and alliances of the Hells Angels. It is noted that the Hells Angels prefer to be seen as equals rather than a pyramid structure, which is common in the traditional mafia. Biker Clubs and Mob Associations: The conversation delves into the concept of biker clubs, their affiliations, and how they can be incorporated into the larger Hells Angels network. Peter explains how different provinces in Canada have different criminal organizations, with the Drangheta being more prominent in Toronto. Drug Trafficking: The conversation briefly touches on the historical “French connection” for smuggling heroin into Montreal and then into New York City. The ease of drug trafficking across the Canada-U.S. border and strategies for evading law enforcement are discussed. Changing Tactics: The conversation mentions how criminals adapt to law enforcement efforts. Criminals are now forming alliances, sharing loads, and utilizing encrypted messaging, making it difficult for authorities to track their activities. The use of GPS technology to target victims is also highlighted. Covert Assassinations: The conversation discusses the changing tactics in assassinations, with drive-by shootings becoming more common, increasing the risk to bystanders. Starbucks and High-End Operations: Criminals are increasingly seen at high-end locations like Starbucks. They spend on expensive coffee, reflecting their evolving operations and changing preferences. Overall, the conversation provides insights into the shifting dynamics of organized crime in Canada, the roles of different criminal organizations, and their adaptation to modern challenges, including the use of technology and changing criminal tactics. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript [0:08] I have here Peter Edwards with the Toronto Star. He covers the mafia. We don’t have that anymore down in the United States. We don’t have reporters seem like just focused on the mob anymore, but they’ve still got a pretty active family up there. So, Peter, Rob, really welcome. I really appreciate you coming on the show. And I’m going to come up and visit Canada here in about a month from the time I record this. So I wanted to have this ready to go whenever I go up and come back to Canada. So welcome Peter. Oh, thanks for having me. So Peter, tell us a little bit about yourself, about your books and your job covering the mob. What’s that like? So I’ve been at the Toronto Star for a long, long time, and I’ve specialized in organized crime. I’ve done, I think a dozen books on organized crime, including an encyclopedia with another reporter, Michelle OJ, who actually was shot by the Hells Angels, very brave guy from Montreal, and then I’ve done six other books on other topics. We see a lot of connections, like I’m constantly talking to people in Vancouver or Montreal, even though I’m in Toronto, because a lot of our organized crime people bounce around between the cities or they subcontract someone from another city so that it’s harder to trace them down. And so with the internet, what we’re finding is that the old mob families. The Montreal was like a banana city. The old mob families. If they want to do well, they’ve got to work with these newcomers, and there’s a lot of newcomers. So we’re getting all these alliances now. It’s not as strict family lines as it used to be. [1:37] Paul Interesting, yeah. If I remember, it was the Catronis, and like a Sicilian family, and then the Rizzuto, Vito Rizzuto, and his crew took over. Can you bring us up to date, kind of a little bit of the history of the Sicilian mafia in Canada? David So in the 1950s, a guy, Carmen Galenti came up from New York. He’s a really tough guy with a pretty serious ambitions. He organized the Montreal mob a fair bit. There was one guy, Vic Catroni. He was the eldest of a group of brothers. He took Vic under his wing. Vic was Calabrian, but he got along with Sicilians and New York City is more Sicilian. A lot of Canada is more Calabrian, especially around Toronto. [2:19] Vic Catroni was smart enough to adapt to get along with Galenti, which meant getting along with the Bananos. When Vic eventually passed on, the Rizzutos took over and the Rizzutos are Sicilian a lot more. Things got pretty nasty at that point. There was quite a bit of killing. Vito Rizzuto, who was the big mob guy up here for a long, long time, very good at corruption, very good at infiltrating the system. He ended up going to prison in the States for his role in three murders in New York. And when he got out, there was a big fight for control with the Montreal mob again. Yeah, that was so interesting. When I first learned that, that they bring this mob guy down from Canada, from Montreal to participate in arguably one of the, at the time, one of the most dramatic and biggest murders in mob history in New York City. I mean, before Paul Castellano, the murder of the three Capos, that was huge. That was like, Unbelievably huge to do that. They’d never done anything like that before. Bring this guy, I guess maybe they brought him down. [3:26] To help kind of like keep things confused. The mob always likes to keep things confusing for law enforcement. I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed that, but they like to throw a lot of stuff out in the game and keeps everybody off balance a little bit and confusing. I just was amazed that they brought a guy down from Montreal to do that. Yeah, we’re finding that now too. I mean, that’s what I’ll be working on this week and the next week, because there’s a lot of subcontracting. So the mob will want someone bumped off, but they’ll contract a street gang guy to do it. And the street gang guy might not even know the full scope of what he’s doing. He’s just killing someone for a generally not as much money as the other ones would charge. And we’re getting Montreal mob guys hiring street gang guys in Toronto to do things for them, a lot more crossover. over. Meanwhile, the Hells Angels have risen up. At the start, they were like the guys who did the heavy lifting for the mob. Now, they’d be equal. Like now, the Hells Angels are just as big of a deal as the mob, in my opinion. Oh, really? Wow, that’s amazing. How does that work between the two? The Hells Angels historically were a bunch of thugs, wore crappy clothes. I mean, that was part of their thing was to have the dirtiest clothes of anybody and look the scruffiest. Where on the other On the other hand, the mafia guys, they’re always like, look, clean and squared away. Back in the day, they’d wear suits and gold jewelry and everything. How did they ever get together like that? And the Hells Angels seem so uncontrolled where the mob is so controlled. [4:56] It’s funny because the Hells Angels like that scruffy image, but they’re a lot more structured than you’d think. Their image is actually copyrighted. If you publish their winged death head without their permission, you’d be sued for a copyright infringement. They, their name, you couldn’t have Hell’s Angels ice cream without being sued. They’re actually pretty litigious. They like the tough image because it gets some people to underestimate them and some people scares them.

Anthony Accardo Impersonates a Lawyer Nov 01, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this bonus episode, we explore the fascinating relationship between Tony Accardo and Paul Ricca, two influential figures in Chicago’s organized crime scene. Ricca held Accardo in high esteem, appointing him as his second in command and entrusting him with the outfit’s leadership during Ricca’s incarceration. Together, they orchestrated a strategy to infiltrate labor unions and extort funds from Hollywood studios during the 1940s. Accardo’s skills proved invaluable as he managed to secure Ricca’s early release and that of their associates, serving only three years of a ten-year prison sentence. While Ricca and Accardo were behind bars, they devised a cunning scheme to maintain communication through a lawyer named Elmer Bernstein and his associate Joseph Bulger, who was, in fact, Accardo in disguise. Unfortunately, this scheme was eventually uncovered, leading to a federal trial where Accardo and Bernstein faced conspiracy charges to defraud the government. Remarkably, despite overwhelming evidence against them, they were acquitted, showcasing the immense power and influence of the outfit. With Ricca stepping back, Sam Giancana emerged as the new face of the Outfit. However, Giancana’s downfall eventually paved the way for Joseph Aiuppa to become the new boss. This episode sheds light on the pivotal role played by Accardo as Ricca’s chosen successor. As we conclude, I’d like to remind you to support veterans dealing with PTSD and to remain vigilant and mindful of motorcyclists on the road. If you or someone you know struggles with substance abuse, I encourage you to contact Anthony Ruggiano’s treatment center in Florida. To learn more about Anthony Ruggiano and access additional resources, you can easily find his website by searching for him on Google or YouTube. Thank you all for your continued support of the show. Your presence and engagement mean so much to me. As always, please show your support by liking, subscribing, and leaving reviews for the podcast. I apologize for neglecting to mention these in recent episodes. I truly value your connection and enjoyment of the content. Thank you wholeheartedly for being a part of this journey with me. Subscribe to get new gangster stories every week. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Tony Accardo: The Genuine Godfather [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, back here in the studio of Gangland Wire, another little shorty, another bonus episode. This is going to be about Tony Accardo, your favorite from Chicago, the genuine godfather, as Bill Romer once called him, the big tuna, a real Joe Batters, as Al Capone called him. So speaking of Al Capone, according to legend, and I’m going to have to look at my cheat seat. Paul Ricca once said of Ocardo, this guy has more brains at breakfast than Al Capone had all day long. So Paul Ricca had high expectations and a high regard for Tony Ocardo, who would be his second in command, basically, and would step in for him when Ricca went to the prison in 1943, I believe it was. In the 40s, the outfit sent some guys out to Hollywood, California, and infiltrated the, I believe, the Stagehands Union, and they’d already infiltrated the Projectors Union in Chicago, in the movie theaters. So they got out to California, and then they started extorting money out of the labor unions. And then from there, with the labor unions under their control, they were extorting money from the. [1:23] Studios. It was like a golden goose laying a golden egg for them. And I understand that the actor Robert Montgomery finally spoke up and gave the heads of the studios the courage to to go to the government and to fight back against this extortion. [1:41] They had a guy named Willie Bioff they’d sent out who was kind of the main Chicago guy out there. They’ll eventually kill him years later. You know, he’s kind of the origin of one of the stories how the mob will get you no matter how far you run and how well you hide. They blew him and his wife up down in Phoenix, Arizona years later after he had turned and testified against them. Accardo’s Parole and Return to Chicago [2:04] So in 1943, the government will convict Paul Ricca, Charlie Cherry Nose Gioe, Louis Little New York Campanga, Johnny Roselli, and a couple of others who weren’t from Chicago, I don’t believe, in this extortion. They all got 10 years in the penitentiary. Well, Ricca immediately sent word to Accardo, that, hey, I’m going to the penitentiary, you gotta step in for me, and told Accardo, first thing you got to do is get us out. [2:35] At our very first parole opportunity, which was in three years. Now, everybody said that would be unheard of. That would never happen. They would never consider these organized crime guys for a parole after three years of a 10-year bit. Well, Accardo got it done. And in their first parole opportunity at the end of three years, they all walked out of the penitentiary and came back right back to Chicago. They weren’t supposed to, but they came right back to Chicago. The Prison Scheme: Accardo as Joseph Bulger [3:02] But during their time in the penitentiary down at Leavenworth, Ricca continued to run things and he wanted to continue to have direct face-to-face. [3:12] Conversations with Anthony Accardo, kind of like John Gotti and John Gotti Jr. did when he first went in the penitentiary. So they came up with a scheme because Accardo, the prisons at that time were, they were locked down a lot more and had a lot more restrictions and would enforce those restrictions, they came up with a plan. There was a tax lawyer for Ricca and Campanga named Bernstein, Elmer Bernstein, I think was his name. And he had a associate in his office named Joseph Bulger. So when Bernstein came to visit Ricca and Campanga as their lawyer, their tax lawyer, because they had tax problems. He brought along his associate, Joseph Bulger, only it wasn’t really Joseph Bulger, it was Anthony Accardo who signed in as Joseph Bulger. And they did that during the whole time that they were in the penitentiary. Right after they got out, the scheme came to light through I don’t know exactly what means. So the government charges them, Bernstein and Accardo, they charge them with conspiracy to defraud the federal government by, Subverting the rules, federal prison system allows. [4:27] As visitors and who they don’t allow as visitors. Had a whole jury trial and it was a federal trial too. It wasn’t like a local, you know, Cook County jury. I don’t know where they drew the jury pool from, but the supposition is they got to the jury because they got a not guilty of that jury. And it was a slam dunk case. Everybody knew it. They had witnesses, the guards could testify, yeah, that was Tony Ocardo, that wasn’t Bolger, they could look at signatures. And there was just a lot of, you know, had a lot of evidence, but they got him not guilty. That’s the power of the Chicago outfit in the late 40s and early 50s all the way up to the 70s, they were powerful. So that’s just a little insight into the relationship between Rica and Ocardo. And of course, as we know, Rica comes back out. He stays back in the background he does not want to go back to the penitentiary again. He eventually will have Accardo step into the background and they appoint Sam Giancana as kind of the out front boss. But Ricca and Accardo will go up to Meo’s Northwood restaurant almost every day and meet with people and basically they approved anything that was major, any big deals had to be ran by those two guys and they had to to give the nod to it or not. And of course, then Aiuppa comes along after. [5:53] Giancana becomes persona non grata and goes to Mexico and then when he comes back and he tries to reassert himself to kill him. And Aiuppa becomes the boss all the way up to the end of the scheme and in the late 70s early 80s and he goes away and and you know we’ll leave the rest of the progression of the mob bosses but I thought that was just an interesting little story about the relationship between Paul Rica and Anthony Accardo and how important Accardo was and what Ricca thought about Accardo. He wanted to pass along the reins of the powerful, really national, international crime syndicate known as the Outfit, Accardo was his man. Thanks a lot guys and I appreciate y’all listening. Don’t forget if you have a problem with PTSD and you’ve been in the service, go to their website and get that hotline number. I like to ride motorcycles. Look out for motorcycles when you’re out there. I mixed that one up on you, didn’t I? And if you have a problem with drugs or alcohol, our friend Anthony Ruggiano works in a treatment center down in Florida. Get a hold of him through his website. There’s a hotline number. You’ll see it if you’re on YouTube. [7:04] And so just go to his website, Google Anthony Ruggiano or go to YouTube. You’ll find him. You’ll find that hotline number. Thanks a lot, guys. And I appreciate y’all coming back and listening to me or watching me and listening and be sure and like and subscribe or give me some reviews on on the podcast. I never forget to ask for that. I used to do that all the time. I forget as I’ve been along. I don’t know. I just I do this for fun mainly anyhow. Thanks a lot guys.

Andrea Giovino – Get Gotti Nov 01, 2023

In this episode of Gangland Wire, Gary looks into the life of Andrea Giovino and her long-standing involvement with the mafia. Growing up in Brooklyn, Andrea’s family was deeply intertwined with organized crime, with her mother running illegal gambling games and her brothers becoming contract killers for various crime families. During our interview, Andrea shares intimate details of her time in the drug trade and her relationships with prominent mob figures. She is in the recently released Netflix documentary, “Get Gotti,” which sheds light on the infamous mobster John Gotti. Andrea reveals that she had a personal connection to Gotti’s inner circle, as she was once the live-in girlfriend of Bonanno capo Frank Lino, who later became a government witness against his own son. With her firsthand experiences, Andrea provides an intriguing perspective on the documentary and its portrayal of the mob’s inner workings. Furthermore, Andrea opens up about her past relationships with drug dealers, including her involvement with a Gotti-connected heroin dealer named Mark Reiter. She later married another drug dealer named John Fogarty, who had strong ties to the Gotti family and a reputation for being tough. Andrea shares the challenging dynamics of her relationship with Fogarty, suspecting him of committing a murder and eventually praying for his arrest as a means to escape the chaos. Andrea’s life takes a sharp turn when Fogarty is caught in a drug deal and subsequently arrested. At this time, her phone is tapped, uncovering conversations about violent threats and debt collection. Both Andrea and her brother are also arrested and charged. However, Fogarty eventually confesses to several murders, spending six years in prison before entering witness protection. During this tumultuous period, Andrea herself provides valuable information to the authorities and is rewarded with a settlement, which enables her to relocate to a small town in Pennsylvania under the protection of DEA agents. Reflecting on her past, Andrea reveals how her upbringing in a neighborhood plagued by poverty and influenced by street guys led her into the mafia lifestyle. Initially attracted to their way of life, she found herself dating and associating with high-profile organized crime figures like John Gotti. Andrea recounts a story where she sought the assistance of respected figure Danny Marino to recover funds that she had put down on a house. This anecdote highlights the deep sense of loyalty and protection within organized crime. However, as Andrea’s life unravels, she becomes increasingly disillusioned with the criminal lifestyle. She loses custody of one of her children and faces threats on her life. Today, she is unafraid to speak out against criminal activities and is determined to turn her life around. Andrea displays a newfound appreciation for integrity, honesty, and a humble life. She encourages others, especially women, to avoid being enticed by bad characters or the allure of quick money, emphasizing the importance of education and making better choices. As the conversation draws to a close, they discuss the consequences faced by those involved in criminal activities, dispelling the misconception that they can avoid prison time. Despite her own struggles and regrets, Andrea is grateful for her past experiences, as they have allowed her to grow and develop a deep understanding of the wrongs inherent in that lifestyle. She expresses appreciation for the support of her listeners and encourages them to engage with her content, as well as explore Andrea’s book, “Divorced from the Mob,” and the Netflix series, “Get Gotti.” Additionally, she highlights resources for individuals dealing with PTSD, substance abuse, and encourages feedback and discussion. Get 50% off order from Factor Foods by using the code gangland50 Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Introduction to the Gangland Wire studio and documentary review [0:00] All you wiretappers out there, I’m back here in the studio of Gangland Wire, as you can tell. Recently, Netflix released a very high-end, high-production values documentary called Get Gotti. I’ve watched the first one, it’s pretty darn good actually. They really, they did a good job, just like they did on Fear City. Now, I interviewed one of the participants in this documentary about five years ago, so I went back and looked that interview up. It was a woman who was involved in and around Gotti’s personal party life. Her name is Andrea Giovino, and she has written a tell-all book called Divorce from the Mob. Now I need to tell you a little bit about her before I play these clips from her interview. She grew up in a mob family in Brooklyn. Her mother ran an illegal gambling game and crap game for Joey Gallo, Crazy Joey Gallo, in the basement of their house. Two of her brothers will grow up and end up in the mob and be contract killers for different crime families. One, Frankie Silvestri, was a member of the Colombo family, And the other brother, Johnny Silvestri, or Bubblegum, they called him, was a freelancing button man for the Luccheses and other groups. And he’s presently incarcerated in a federal prison on a murder rap. Silvestri, Frankie Silvestri, he got involved in some of the drug things that she and her last husband, or next to the last husband, maybe if she got married again, got involved in. And he did some time. [1:22] He actually talked a little bit to help her get out of it. She’ll tell you a little more about that. She’s really hesitant to talk at that time. She’s, now that she’s been in this documentary, she was probably a little more free and easy talking. And it’s been a few years since then. But at the end of her interview, she tells a little bit about making a documentary and who’s in it. Discussion on the making of the documentary and its network change [1:42] And just think about it, this is five years ago. That’s how long a major network spent on this documentary. So it’s crazy. And originally it was gonna be on A&E, she said. But I think that Netflix somehow bought out a lot of the footage and the project took it over because it’s exactly as she describes. I need to give you a little needed background before we actually hear from Mrs. Giovino. That’s G-I-O-V-I-N-O, Andrea Giovino. By the time she was 21, she was the live-in girlfriend of a Bonanno capo named Frank Lino. Now, you may have heard of Frank Lino. He’s a pretty well-connected guy in the Bonanno family. He was really involved close to Joy Messina and other capos in the family. He was wealthy enough, He bought her a 1978 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL convertible as a Valentine’s Day gift one time. He would instruct her in the art, shall we call it, the art of buying the best brands in clothing and jewelry. He would send her out shopping in a chauffeured limo. Needless to say, she was very, very attractive. [2:51] She’s still attractive, but you see her in that documentary. You can imagine what she must’ve looked like when she was in her early 20s. [2:58] He bought them matching platinum presidential Rolex watches. And I’ll get that a little history on Frank Leno, a little history on Frank Leno, which I found him an interesting guy. Frank Leno’s involvement in criminal activities and arrest [3:09] He was once arrested for the shootings of two Brooklyn police detectives, a Luke Fallon and a John Finnegan out of the 70th detective squad. They were age 28 and 56, and they were found shot dead after a holdup of a tobacco store. And Leno was part of that robbery and they got $5,000. Now that must’ve been a tobacco store that had a bunch of cash in it for some whatever reason. He was charged with the murders because he supplied the getaway vehicle. So one of the stick-up men could run away to Chicago. Somebody must have really started talking and the chips started falling, the dominoes started falling in this deal. And they got to him who really only supplied a car after the fact. They took him into the 66th Precinct. [3:53] For interrogation. This was not a fun interrogation. Now, he claimed later that the cops drove staples into his hands and a broomstick up his butt, kind of like the, uh, Amidalo guy or whatever his name was that, uh, that I think when somebody really did do that with him. Anyhow, he did have a broken arm and a broken leg after he got out of the police station that day. He was led off with 3E cop to three years probation after he was threatened to sue the city for police brutality. Allegations of police brutality and Frank Leno’s family issues [4:20] They say that one of his eyes blinked uncontrollably from then on, which he claimed were injuries he received from that 1962 police beating in the 66th precinct. He confided to his mistress, Andrea Giovino, that he was unlucky because his son, Michael, is a huge gambler and has lost a lot of money. So these mob guys often have family problems like that. [4:42] And she’s going to talk a lot about that life. She also reported that he got really pissed off when a Bonanno member named Ronald Filicomo had his son Joseph Leno help dispose of Sonny Black or Dominic Napoleon’s corpse in 1981. Frank Leno himself will eventually become a government witness like all the rest of those New York mobsters. He testifies against his own son Joseph and was in on charges of extortion and racketeering.

Frank Ragano and Santo Trafficante Jr. Oct 30, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary and Australian contributor Tony Taouk examine the life and career of mob lawyer Frank Ragano. He started defending mafia boss Santo Trafficante Jr.’s Bolita bankers and runners, defended James Hoffa, and advised Carlos Marcello on some matters. One of the most exciting things Frank Ragano claims was that Santo Trafficante Jr. and New Orleans mob chieftain Carlos Marcello ordered the assassination of JFK. He claimed that Santo Trafficante Jr. confessed this to him shortly before his death. More specifically, Trafficante supposedly said he regretted killing John Kennedy and that he should have killed his brother, Robert Kennedy. Tony Taouk is an Australian lawyer and a Mafia researcher who specializes in the subject of mob trials and mob lawyers. He has also traveled to the United States and visited mob-related sites in New York, Chicago, and Las Vegas. Get 50% off order from Factor Foods by using the code gangland50 Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! GARY JENKINS 00:00 Well hey guys back here in the studio gangland wire. This is your intelligence unit detective Gary Jenkins retired former guys. We’re here with Tony toke from Down Under. He is our expert on mob lawyers. We’ve done several in the past. Tony, we did Oscar Goodman last. And what did we do before that? Oh, we did Roy Cohn and today we’re going to do Frank Ragano. And guys, there’s a heck of a book out there Mob Lawyer if you want to know a lot more about them. What we’re going to say about Frank Ragano get this book that he co wrote with a really highly respected well known mob historian Selwyn Rob wrote the Five Families I believe was his quiz, his premier work. And so it’s called Mob Lawyer. So Tony, let’s talk a little bit about how he got started. I was reading the book and it looks like as a young lawyer down in Tampa Ybor City, there’s a lot of numbers racket or boleto going on. And as any young lawyer, he starts taking some of these low level cases, probably in city court, more than likely that’s what it would be here in Kansas City or maybe the lower level the associate Circuit Court taken on some of those and I believe, Santos Trafficante took notice that a man what do you remember about how I got into this business of being a mob lawyer? Tony Taourk 01:26 Well, frankly, Ragano was born in 1923. He grew up poor in Tampa, Florida. His parents were working class Sicilian immigrants. He actually fought in the Second World War and he received a Bronze Star for bravery. After the war, he went to the University of Tampa and Stetson Law School on the GI Bill of Rights. He clerked for the Florida Supreme Court, and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1952. Now, during his stint with the Florida Supreme Court, he attracted the attention of a Pat Whittaker. He was a maverick criminal defense attorney in the Tampa area, who was the go to lawyer for local mobsters. Now, Whitaker took Ragano under his wing and encouraged him to start his own practice and promised to refer him work. He’s big break came in 1954 when Florida mob boss Santo Trafficante and 34 men were arrested on gambling and bribery charges. This was in connection with the whole Bolita operation that you just referred to, I think we didn’t get represented Trafficante, who was quite because Ragano was quite young at this point. And most likely because Trafficante was his most important client, you wouldn’t want to give him up. But he referred 28 Black men who were runners for the traffic county gambling network to Ragano for legal representation. Now the defendants were acquitted, or their convictions were overturned on appeal to the Florida State Supreme Court. Now, because of this, regardless, names started to appear regularly in local newspapers, and he started to get a steady stream of clients connected to organized crime there. So that’s how he got his start. But more importantly, he gained the confidence of traffic contae And he also have the added advantage of being off Sicilian heritage, which meant that he knew the rules. In other words, keep your mouth shut, and don’t ask too many questions. Now Ragano kept Trafficante out of jail and serve this is legal advisor. As you no doubt aware Trafficante had significant gambling interests in pre Castro Cuba. Like many other mobsters of that era, in the wake of the Cuban revolution in 1959, and traffic counter was arrested by Castro’s men in Havana and was scheduled to face the firing squad. As soon as you heard about it, regarding to flew down to Havana and arranged for him to be released from custody. trafficante then recommended him to other significant mob bosses or mob connected bosses, such as New Orleans mob chief Carlos Marcello and the teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa, Ragano was hired by Jimmy Hoffa when he was in court on Union corruption charges in the early 1960s. In fact, Ragano was at Hoffa’s side in Nashville when a man burst in started shooting Hoffa before Hoffa managed to punch the man across the courtroom. Now that scene was portrayed in a recent movie The Irishman around this time Ragano started to broker loans from the Teamsters Pension Fund, in return for a finder’s fee that went something like this. If a mobster in say Florida or Louisiana wanted to legally invest in something like a hotel or restaurant or trucking company or some other business, the banks more often than not, would reject him on account of his unsavory background or convictions or associations. This is when riguardo would intercede for the mobster in the teamsters would loan the money from their pension fund to this mobster or mob associate for which regarder would get a tidy kickback. Now, this is when the lines start to blur. He goes from lawyer to fixer, and it becomes like a go between for this triangle of traffic can take Hoffa and Marcelo, and this is when Robert Kennedy was attorney general and he was out to get these three. He was their sworn enemy and made Ragano a very busy man at the time Ragano was blinded to everything by the fact that he was making a truckload of money and living the highlife. He dressed very well, he Hobnob good celebrities. He was on top of the world as far as he was concerned. Now, notwithstanding the fact that he was considered by the authorities to be House Counsel for the mob. He was actually a brilliant lawyer in the courtroom regarded was brilliant at reaching jurors and planting reasonable doubt in their minds. For example, in 1972, he was representing Henry Hill and Jimmy Burke. Down in Tampa, the men were portrayed in the movie, Goodfellas. And actually, this was also betrayed in Goodfellas. They were charged with extortion, kidnapping and attempted murder. This is when they supposedly took a guy to the zoo and threatened to throw him into the lion cage. Yeah, I don’t think that happened. I think that was embellished to the movie. Pay important visual effects, which involve picking up a pencil and moving it slowly from side to side, like a pendulum in front of the jury. And he said something to the effect of if you find that the evidence causes your mind to waver vacillate between guilt and innocence, guilt and innocence, guilt and innocence, then you haven’t been convinced beyond the reasonable doubt. And it’s your sworn duty to find the defendants not guilty. Now, that just sums up the concept of reasonable doubt so well. GARY JENKINS 07:42 Oh, bye. That was brilliant. Brilliant. Tony Taourk 07:45 Yes. He was also quite charismatic and crafty in the courtroom. For instance, in one case, he took advantage of the fact that three of the jurors were chicken farmers, by saying that the state’s case was as weak as chicken soup made from the shadow of a starving chicken. Now the jurors burst out laughing and acquitted his client. But eventually, his tenacious representation of the mob bosses started to causing serious problems. In 1971, he sued Time magazine after it published a photograph of mock figures in New York that included regard and they mistakenly identified him as a mobster. He was quite offended by that. The federal government saw him as nothing more than a fixer for the mob, and started to thoroughly investigate his tax affairs, as they tend to do when all else fails in the early 1970s. He was prosecuted for, among other things, failing to declare a capital gain that arose from a business transaction you did with a traffic campaign associate. He was convicted of five counts of fraud, conspiracy, and tax evasion, and he lost his license to practice law. During his legal woes, he was completely abandoned by Trafficante. And he talks a lot about this in his book, he feels very betrayed Trafficante, I just expected him to fall on the sword and refuse to help him. riguardo was very disappointed and spent several years in destitution. And he was working as a paralegal during that time, until he managed to get reinstated to the bar in 1981. Now, when he went back to the bar, he kept his distance from organized crime figures, especially trafficante because he obviously felt betrayed by him and others. And he managed to build a successful practice for a while he took on various high profile murder trials and other criminal trials. But he just couldn’t escape his past. Just what he thought he was, just pulled him back. GARY JENKINS 09:44

NYPD and Corruption Oct 26, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary talks with retired NYPD cop turned-author Vic Ferrari. Vic has written several books depicting his experiences as an NYPD officer and detective. They discuss a recent documentary, Blue Code of Silence, and a narrative movie about the same subject, Prince of the City. Vic and Gary discuss the problems of working with Federal law enforcement when uncovering corruption within a police department. Click here to find Vic Ferrari’s books on Amazon Get 50% off order from Factor Foods by using the code gangland50 Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Gary Jenkins: [00:41:00] Well, hey guys, Gary Jenkins here, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective. I’m here with my good friend Vic Ferrari, another retired copper out of New York City. Welcome, Viv Ferrari: Vic. Hey, Gary, how you doing today? Thank you for having Gary Jenkins: me on your show. Well, it’s really great to have you back. I love talking to you. Gary Jenkins: You know, it’s kind of like, you know, I sit down with my buddies once a while, about I don’t know, once a week, he’s easily for coffee or we go play golf and we, you know, we ended up telling old war stories. Of course it is. There’s such an ease between coppers and their life, right? Viv Ferrari: We speak the same language. Gary Jenkins: It’s funny. It’s, it’s, it’s a club, I guess. We have our own little club. It’s like the Palma Boys social club that Tony Fat Tony Salerno had, or the Bergen Hunt and Fish Club Ravenite that Gotti Viv Ferrari: had. Yeah. I never saw the rate. Well, I did see the Ravenight years later, the Bergen Hunt and Fish club. I never saw, but the Palmer boys. Viv Ferrari: Yeah. Remember Gary Jenkins: that one, that one. [00:42:00] So anyhow, of course, this, this podcast is mainly about organized crime, but we like to spin off into other things. I’ve got a ton. I’ve got 400 and some organized crime stories out there, probably 375, but I like to spin off and other things. I’d like to give you guys. Kind of a little inside look at police department and police officers, detectives, and how we work with other agencies, particularly the FBI, the U S attorney’s office. Gary Jenkins: Now happened to be watch actually Ken Couture, one of my Facebook guys that helps me administer my administrate my podcast group on Facebook posted a link or a post about a documentary called the Code Blue of silence. It was a, if you remember seeing the movie about the Prince of the city and this NYPD detective, Bob Lucy, who ended up working with us attorney’s office and the FBI and, and exposed a lot of corruption and both [00:43:00] in, in lawyers and bail bondsmen and, and other cops and in the court system in New York city. Gary Jenkins: And I remember watching that movie Prince of the city. Back in the early seventies and it, like it brought it home, you know, working with the U S attorney’s office and Vic and I were talking just before we turned on the recorder here is like, it’s like dealing with a steamroller. If you get in their way, they’re just going to power over you. Gary Jenkins: You got to do exactly what they want. And Bob Leuci found that out. And so I watched this Code Blue of Silence, which by the way, guys, I’d recommend is a really good documentary. I found it on Plax, PLAX. So I got ahold of Vic and I said, you know, let’s talk about this kind of thing, working with these guys and, and a little bit about the corruption that, that we’ve seen and, and not been a part of, but, but it’s always around anytime you got a big corporation even, or a big police department or a big operation of any kind, you’re going to have some bad apples in there. Gary Jenkins: [00:44:00] There’s just no way about it, whatever you do for a living. So Vic said, yeah, that would be a good idea. He remembers a lot of that. He remembers the Knapp commission and Serpico, which was the other famous movie about that. So Vic agreed to come on now, Vic tell the guys a little bit more about yourself. Gary Jenkins: You know, I know you were NYPD primarily in auto theft, organized crime, auto theft, and you’ve since written a lot of books. So tell the guys a little bit about yourself and your Viv Ferrari: books. Hi, my name is Vic Ferrari. I’m a retired 20 year member of the New York City Police Department, but I retired detective. Viv Ferrari: I worked in a lot of units, but including the Manhattan North narcotics division, doing a lot of buy and bust and search warrants targeting narcotics traffickers. And then later on my last 10 years, I was a detective in the NYPD’s auto crime division. So anything with chop shops, exporting stolen vehicles out of the country, changing vehicle identification numbers on stolen vehicles for resale. Viv Ferrari: I got, I retired from the NYPD and I’ve written a series of behind the scenes NYPD books. I’ve [00:45:00] also created an NYPD through the Looking Glass podcast, where I bring on retired NYPD members and they share their stories. My books are behind the scenes look into the NYPD filled with funny stories, creative criminals, colorful characters I worked with. Viv Ferrari: I point out the absurdity and the hypocrisy sometimes in the department. My books are just a series of short stories of what went on during my time period from 1987 to 2007. Gary Jenkins: Well, interesting. And you’re one of those colorful characters yourself. I think, Gary Jenkins: you can tell a story. I’ll never forget that story. You told about getting in that time to get that stolen card, make sure they didn’t get away with it or whatever. And it was all sprayed down with WD. Four on the inside, you’re like sliding around, you’re locked in it or something. And I was Viv Ferrari: getting chased by an NYPD van. Viv Ferrari: Yeah. Oh yeah. Gary Jenkins: So anyhow, let’s talk about this a little bit. Now Bob Leuci was in the special investigations unit. They called it and that’s why they called him Prince. The book, the movie Prince of the city in the book by a guy named [00:46:00] Bob Daley. Robert Daley. And, you know, it was like, I remember that feeling. I was in one of these small units. Gary Jenkins: There was only 12 of us and we had free roam of the entire, you know, Tri County, however far we needed to drive or whatever we needed to do. We had complete freedom. We, unless we were assigned to some particular surveillance or some particular day, daily assignment, which there weren’t a lot of those, we just had free reign to go out and try to develop informants. Gary Jenkins: And. Follow mob guys around and see where they were hanging out, who they were meeting up with and what they were doing. You know, some guys abused that privilege and did a lot of shopping and some of us didn’t. And it’s just, that’s just the way it is. So, but I understand that feeling of, you know, if there was a working nights and there was a concert going on down at the auditorium, I just go down and badge my way in, watch, you know, 30, 40 minutes of the concert or a truck pull or, or whatever was going on, you know, we just go do it. Gary Jenkins: Cause [00:47:00] we wore. T shirts and blue jeans primarily back then had slick cars, what we call slick cars. And so I understand that feeling of you’re invincible and you can do anything you want. And it’s a kind of has a little bit of a corrupting effect in a way, especially when you started partying at night and started drinking, but I understand that feeling. Viv Ferrari: Well, the NYPD, so I was hired again in 1987. So a lot of these things with Serpico and Bob Lucy and David Dirk, this all happened 15, 20 years before I was hired, but it left a lasting effect on the department. But let’s go back to that time period in the early 70s. The New York City Police Department back then in the 60s From what I’ve seen, and what I’ve been told by the old timers, wasn’t that creative. Viv Ferrari: And you know this when you become a rookie cop. When you’re in a precinct, there’s a lot of supervision. You’re not allowed to leave the precinct. You’re not allowed to go to the next precinct over to get something to eat. [00:48:00] You’re trapped. You’re assigned to a precinct. You don’t move out of that precinct. Viv Ferrari: And it’s very difficult to transfer out of a precinct because the precinct commanders want a body for a body, which made that special investigations unit unique at that time period was a they’re putting cops in plainclothes, which the NYPD really didn’t like doing back then they did it, but it was very narrow on who they would put in there. Viv Ferrari: And then like. You know, the movies called Prince of the City, these guys could go anywhere. Nobody really knew what they were doing. They were going to different boroughs, doing different things. They were coming up with a lot of things, but then you come to find out through Lucy that these guys were ripping off drug dealers, working with drug dealers, taking bribes, in some cases actually selling narcotics themselves. Viv Ferrari: And then it comes down to, and I did watch the documentary, but I read up a lot about Lucy. You know, at first it looked as if he You know, had enough. He had seen so much and he’s like, you know what, [00:49:00] this has to stop.

Sam Manninaro’s Big Score Oct 23, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary interviews David Rabinovitch, an EMMY-winning investigative journalist and filmmaker, about his uncle Wolf Rabin and his association with Pittsburgh mafia member Sam Mannarino. David wrote a book titled Jukebox Empire: The Mob and the Darkside of the American Dream and told several stories from his book. Sam Mannarino was a prominent La Cosa Nostra figure in Western Pennsylvania when he went into business with Wolf Rabin. Mannarino and his brother, Gabriel “Kelly” Mannarino, controlled gambling and related activities in New Kensington for the Pittsburgh Crime Family. Of interest is that Sam Mannarino also had an interest in the Sans Souci casino in Cuba in the 1950s. This Cuban connection will be instrumental in the laundering of stolen bonds. David tells a story of international crime that stretches from the US to Canada to Cuba and Switzerland. David’s uncle, Wolf Rabin, got into the Jukebox business in the 1930s and developed many organized crime connections. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Get 50% off on your Factor Food order use code gangland50 at checkout Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, David Rabinovitch GARY JENKINS 00:00 Well welcome all you Wiretappers out there. It’s good to be back here in studio gangland wire. I have a really interesting story. I didn’t remember how I got onto this somewhere on the internet of course. And it was about a man named Wolf Rabin now what a cool name Wolf Rabin. And he got involved with Sam Mannarino, who was a many of you all know is a big time Pittsburgh mafia member and they did a international kind of a crime and then I found there’s a book on it, you know, and then it’s by I believe a relative of south of not Sam Manariono but of Wolf Rabin, and so I have that man here, David Rabinovitch. Thanks a lot for coming on, David. David Rabinovitch 00:41 Nice. Thank you for inviting me Gary was one thing in my family we pronounce to Rabin. GARY JENKINS 00:48 Rabbit work. Okay. All right, a little more Russian, Russian. My grandpa used to say those Russians, David Rabinovitch 00:57 My grandfather left Ukraine GARY JENKINS 01:04 in hell really interesting. David is an Emmy winning documentary filmmaker and has a bunch of stuff out there. So David wants you tell the guys a little bit about your history your boat a few days, if you will. David Rabinovitch 01:19 Know, this is pretty much all I’ve ever done. Since I was a teenager, I had the good fortune to have some wonderful mentors who a bureau chief from Time magazine, who might wind up breaking the ever start. I’m 19 years old. I grew up in Canada. So I worked a lot for media and Broadcasting Corporation, pretty young agent, we the longest producer, on staff and at 21 or 22. So we documentaries, really all over the world. I moved to the the United States 45 years ago and continue doing well. I think one of the most significant films made during my career was a film called Politics of Poison, which was an investigation of the use of chemicals known as Agent Orange. The other kind of major production that I’ll mention is still I’m this is a mini series called Secret Files of the Inquisition. And this is a four part Docudrama, based on files from the Vatican archive other archives in Europe that reveal just terrible things that we’ve held to people in the Noma passage church. Moving to Jukebox Empire, the Mob and the Dark Side of the American Dream, I found some of the work rather similar, because five years ago, the last 18,000 files that had been kept classified relating to the assassination of Kennedy, were declassified by the FBI and CIA agencies. And so piling through a case read 18,000 files, several 100 of them over 100 files contain references to my uncle, and the activities that he was involved with, in particular in what the Department of Justice referred to as the largest money laundering scheme in history. So I’ll pause there for you start wherever you’re like dirt. GARY JENKINS 03:39 David, you know that jukebox industry started with a guy named David Rockola in Chicago and the mob saw that vending machine opportunity just like slot machines, it was, you know, vending machines, cigarette machines, they’ve always been involved in those kinds of machines because there’s a lot of cash money that goes through that. Plus they use them in bars, and they always have all this interest in bars. And so it just like a natural for the mob be involved in the vending machine business. In this case. It’s a jukebox, vending machine business and the launder other cash money through that. And so historically, that’s been part of their business. And moving on that to your story. You go across national international boundaries, you go up into Canada, you’ve got connections in Canada, yourself, your family does I think your relative Wolf Raben, tell us a little bit about him. And how did he get connected with this mob boss named Sam Mannarino? David Rabinovitch 04:39 Gary, you’re raising number of points. I’ll go back to the first thing you said and start with that connection. David Rock ola. Jukebox pioneer came from a little town in the province of Manitoba. Very good man. I grew up in the same town of my local hero. You called Morgan ManitobaWord with. Three towns are about 100 miles apart. And the late 1920s My uncle, it was aiming for the big time. We had big vision marks for big and he got on the train and took off. Where they left my grandmother given McCarty with my dad, my grandmother gave him $1. So he would never go grow. When he was dying. He gave it to his brother, who’s also in the book. My uncle Leon, who’s had a professional name of Lee Cagney. Everybody thought he looked like me tag me. When he was dying. He gave it to my dad, my dad gave it to me. So I have the dollar. Buddy left and you know, it’s through artifacts like this that we connect directly to people and the stories rampant with the Chicago who’s a young man and he was very adept at electronics than he started out working in the early 1930s On the first car radios and power radio so it’s it was phenomenal and even in the middle of the depression you could get afford to buy a car paid extra for the radio it’s just an amazing thing so he made a lot of money with that worked him on activity to make radios in this case contracts with the US Army and the Navy that has to go are only tracks ended and its factories quiet and that’s when many mentioned San Marino Amon sound calls up my uncle lets me know says oh, why when we want to talk to you. We’re good with electronics and then we can get the rights to a new jukebox that plays for me records. Well, the host anything can play at the time with him. So we spend our revolutionize the industry. We’re not the picture. This is 1945 every jukebox in the United States, all five or 600,000 of them needs to be replaced because the jukebox production had all stopped during the war. The factories were repurposed. So my uncle asked me to redouble unreadable. Why are you calling me so well, you know, electronics. And here’s the plan stick but look out. So that engaged him I think that his electronics mind. But we’re also engaged in was it was a real shot get rich beyond rich/ So we went into business together. According to the documents. The deal was bill would make the jukeboxes rather arena would handle six. And that gets the which you were alluding to sales meant not just selling machines, it meant collecting all those coins, as credit through the machines and of course, aren’t reported to the IRS on just if you go around saying a dozen years later, waking 5758 The committee in Congress and they document every document they suggest that at that time, approximately two and a half billion dollars a year was being collected from coin machines in the States. No courts not report. Well, two and a half billion dollars waiting to see you calculate that into today’s money. GARY JENKINS 08:45 That’s a lot of money. David Rabinovitch 08:47 David Rockola. And Rockola is the last jukebox company left in the United States not not only by the by Rockola and my uncle were really, really bitter rivals in the industry. GARY JENKINS 09:01 David Rockola. I mean, he goes on out of it. Your uncle’s getting into it. It was his first name actually Wolf? David Rabinovitch 09:08 My grandmother gave all her children Yiddish names. So give us a Wolf or elbow. We changed it right away, of course growing up small out of the 1910s. Hence, they became he was William or William. We have this school textbooks from 1915. And with his signature really rabid while later when he was in Chicago, you start building all of this pretty common among the people that name that sounded European, but he just took the first five letters and rate at that point really only only the family would call a Wolf GARY JENKINS 09:50 as he got in with San Mannarino and as they started doing business together you know the mob that has these international connections especially in the 50s down in Cuba. But there was a lot of money going down into Cuba and they had a lot of business interests down there. And they were connected to New York crime families, you know, Meyer Lansky and and all those and,

Vito Genovese was not a nice man Oct 18, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this short episode, Gary tells a short overview of the feared Mafia boss Vito Genovese. Get 50% off use the code gangland50 when check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

Billy D’Elia and Russell Bufalino Oct 16, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, I speak with author Matt Birkbeck about the life of William “Big Billy” D’Elia, a prominent figure in the mafia. We discuss D’Elia’s role as a negotiator for the mob and his close relationship with Russell Bufalino. The conversation delves into behind-the-scenes dealings, connections to influential individuals, and the complexities of the criminal world. We highlight the scarcity of information about the Russell Bufalino family and the power they held. One fascinating aspect that emerges is Billy’s role as a negotiator for the mob across different industries, including films, music, and politics. We discuss his connections with influential individuals like Nick Civella and Tony Ripe Civella, the nephew who took over the family business. A notable episode involves Billy intervening when Donald Trump wanted Michael Jackson to perform at his casino, ultimately becoming Jackson’s co-manager. The book offers unparalleled insights into the inner workings of organized crime, including behind-the-scenes dealings and Billy’s rise to power within the mob. We uncover Muhammad Ali’s visit to Ted Kennedy on Russell Bufalino’s behalf, showcasing these hidden alliances’ unpredictable nature. The power and respect commanded by Bufalino become evident as we explore anecdotes of his interactions with figures like Frank Sinatra. We also touch on Bufalino’s influence through his connection to the Teamsters Union. We recommend Matt Birkbeck’s book for true crime enthusiasts and provide valuable resources for listeners dealing with PTSD and substance abuse. Get the Book The Life We Chose by Matt Birkbeck. Get 50% off your Factor Foods order – use the code gangland50 when you check out at Factor Foods Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Introduction of special guest Matt Birkbeck [0:00] Welcome, all you guys back here in the studio Ganglans Wire where I have a special guest today, Matt Birkbeck. He wrote The Life We Chose, and he examines the life of William Big Billy D’Elia. Did I get that right, Matt D’Elia? You got that right. Well, Matt, welcome. I’m really happy to have you on the show. Thanks for having me. And you write a lot about Russell Bufalino and who Big Billy D’Elia came up under. So that’s something that my guys out here really want to know about, because he was such an important mafia member nationally. Bufalino was, and D’Elia, Big Billy, he came up under him. He kind of took over his kind of mantle, it looks to me like, from reading your book. Guys, let me tell you a couple of quotes. You may all know mafia reporter, my favorite mafia reporter and expert, George Anastasia. And he said about The Life We Choose, he said it’s a riveting, extraordinary account of one of the last 20th century goodfellas. And Nicholas Pelleggi, who is the, of course, Las Vegas expert, called it a good read and an unforgettable story. So there’s pretty high praise, Matt, from guys like that. Matt Birkbeck’s other true crime books [1:14] What other true crime books do you have? So this was my, I believe it was my seventh book. So I’ve written about Robert Durst in my first book, A Deadly Secret. [1:25] I wrote two books on a really interesting case involving a girl who was kidnapped as a toddler, called Books for a Beautiful Child and Finding Sharon, which became a Netflix film last year. It was released last summer. I’ve written about Sammy Davis Jr., Deconstructing Sammy, which also included The Mob, believe it or not. And then now I did The Life We Chose, which came out last month. [1:49] Interesting. Just a little aside, Matt, there’s a true crime author, And I think he produced the movie about Danny Green and the Cleveland mob, a guy named Rick Varello. And Rick Varello played in a backup band as a drummer years ago for Sammy Davis Jr. So he’s got a lot of Sammy Davis Jr. stories. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Ricky. I think, believe it or not, Sammy had a lot of Cleveland connections, which was really interesting. So your listeners or viewers or whatever may be interested in reading about Sammy and deconstructing Sammy too. Yeah, really. Sammy’s an interesting guy. He brushed up against the mafia off and on all his career, but all those guys did. You had to in the fifties, especially reading this book, you’ll find out how much music and Hollywood film industry rubbed up against the mafia. Tell us a little bit about Big Billy D’Elia. Billy D’Elia’s rise in the Bufalino family [2:43] Billy was the head of the Bufalino family beginning in 1994, following the death of Russell Bufalino. He was arrested in 2006. When he was arrested, he got arrested on a money laundering charge, and they later added attempting to kill a witness, which was later dropped. But when he was arrested, law enforcement across the country had wanted to talk to him. Everyone from the FBI, US Secret Service, Homeland Security, IRS, New York City Terrorism Task Force, and that was because of who Billy was. He became this very powerful individual, and it was a result of his almost 30 years with Russell Buffalino. Prior to Russell’s death in 1994, Billy had been with him since 1966, and the two men were very, very close, and Russell considered him his son. [3:39] Russell, for those, even for your listeners who think they may know who Russell Buffalino was, they don’t know. Very few people know this, but he was arguably one of the most powerful and influential organized crime figures of the 20th century. He was that big. He was involved in so many different things, from Cuba, to the Appalachian Conference, to testifying before Bobby Kennedy, to the Teamsters, where he was just incredibly influential. Russell Bufalino’s immense power and influence [4:09] He knew and loved Jimmy Hoffa. His nephew, who he had placed with the Teamsters, was their general counsel. Russell had huge influence over their Central States Teamsters Fund. Of course, he was involved. He was one of the key suspects in the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa in the mid-1970s, in 1975. I asked Billy, when I started interviewing Billy in 2020, I said, was Russell Buffalino ever a member of the commission? And Billy said to me, no. He said Russell was above the commission. [4:39] And that just spoke volumes to me. So that’s who Billy DeLeo was. Billy had the benefit of being tutored, being protege of Russell Buffalino. And he subsequently took on Russell’s role as the mob’s negotiator when Russell went to prison in the mid-1980s. Yeah, I had read that about Russell, that he was the negotiator, go all over the United States and settle things that the commission, you don’t want to bring everything to the commission, but he would go out there and get people together, which is pretty interesting. You’ve got some stories, really great stories that Billy told you. [5:14] And how did you happen to get in connecting with him? Billy actually connected with me. It was August of 2020. And I got an email, and it said, Would I be interested in speaking with Billy? I knew who Billy was, because I had covered him when I was a newspaper reporter. In the early 2000s, Billy was involved in it says I write in the book. Billy was involved in a situation involving casino gambling in Pennsylvania when Governor Ed Rendell bought casinos here. And Billy was involved with one of the applicants who was a good friend of his. And that good friend turned his back on Billy and basically offered him up. As I write in the book to the government, as I said, Billy never spoke to law enforcement. They all wanted to talk to him. FBI wanted to talk to him about Jimmy Hoffa because they figured They figured that he knew Russell, he was that close to Russell. He was also very close to Frank Sheeran. And the government figured that he had to know something. And he did, but he didn’t talk to. [6:13] Anyone. But a couple of things occurred. One, he saw The Irishman, the film, in 2019, and he was outraged by it over a couple of things. One, the portrayal of Bufalino, not the acting of Joe Pesci, who was marvelous, but the portrayal of Bufalino as being and somewhat subservient to some other mob leaders, which wasn’t the case in Billy’s eye. And also, Frank Sheeran’s story about killing Jimmy Hoffa, Billy knew that wasn’t fiction. And so he wanted to set the record straight on that. And he also wanted to set the record straight on a couple of other things involving the local connection with casinos and. [6:53] This situation involving him and his former friend of his, this billionaire. Big Billy’s involvement in New York City with Bufalino [6:57] So they reached out to me, I jumped at the chance, it took a number of months to get Billy comfortable with the idea of talking to a reporter or a writer, an author. But once Billy got comfortable and began to trust me and we got going, we spoke for roughly another year and a half. And the result’s the book. Interesting. Now, in your book, you talk a lot about Bufalino bringing Big Billy on trips to New York City and going to the jewelry district, because he had some action down there getting stolen jewelry, I think, from people and other business that he had. And going to Copacabana, which is kind of part of the Irishman story, and the movie, they had this. And there’s another guy named Pete the Greek, Dacopolis,

Jilly Greca – The Man Who Cleared the Way for Donnie Brasco Oct 11, 2023

In this episode of Gangland Wire, Gary Jenkins delves into the story of Donnie Brasco, aka Joe Pistone, and his introduction to the mob through a minor criminal named Jilly Greca. Jilly, whose real name was Angelo J. Greca, was a member of the Colombo family and owned a store in Brooklyn called Acerg that was a front for stolen goods. Jilly and his crew would meet at the store to plan heists and socialize. Donnie Brasco became close with Jilly and started hanging out at the store, discussing scores and sharing stories. Jilly’s crew was involved in stealing from docks, warehouses, and truck lines, with inside connections to dock workers and truck drivers. Donnie, an undercover FBI agent, gained acceptance among the crew and played a role in getting Jilly indicted. Donnie engaged in illegal activities throughout his undercover work but constantly fed information to the FBI. Jilly was later killed, possibly due to the information provided by Donnie. Jilly’s capo, Charlie “Moose” Panarella, was a renowned and feared mafia figure known for torturing and killing a powerful capo named Dominic Mimi Schiallo. Despite Jilly’s lack of earning power, his murder became necessary due to his potential murder charge and the risk he posed to the crew. Moose Panarella was eventually exiled to Las Vegas but was called back periodically by Carmine Persico to carry out murders. The episode concludes with reminders to seek help for PTSD or substance abuse, and recommendations for resources, like Joe Pistone’s book, “Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia.” Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript The Mysterious Jilly Greca – Donnie Brasco’s First Target [0:00] Well, hey guys, Gary Jenkins here, back here in the studio of Gangland Wire, bringing you a story. I’ve been asked several times about Donnie Brasco or Joe Pistone, and how did he really get started? And one guy mentioned that the very first guy was Jilly Greca. As a matter of fact, I think it was a comment on YouTube or email or Facebook. I don’t remember, but he asked about Jilly Greca and a little bit about him and he said this was the very first guy that got Joe Pistone going into the Bonanno family and actually the Colombo family and then the Bonanno family. And, you know, I looked it up. I did all the research I could. There isn’t a lot about this guy. He’s kind of a minor guy who was just your career criminal in New York City back in the 50s and 60s and 70s. Joe Pistone talked about him a little bit, not a lot. I think it was kind of, it was just one more stepping stone on Joe Pistone’s career to fame, which he has done that. Let me tell you what I could find out about him. You know, his real name was Angelo J. Greca. [1:13] And he was born in 1927, which made him, you know, in his 50s and 60s back in those days. He did a stint behind bars in the early 70s. He got arrested in Switzerland on the charges of conspiracy to transport and sell a $100,000 U.S. Treasury note that had been stolen from a New York brokerage firm. Now, the mob used to do that. They’d steal these Treasury notes or these bonds that could be cashed, and they’d take them to Switzerland, and take them to a bank and get loans against them, because then they’d just hold on to it until the loan was finally called years later, because they weren’t making the payments, and then they’d have this stolen bond. And also you could, back then you could trade them off in Switzerland and there wasn’t, you didn’t have the computer connections and all that back in those days. He lived in Brooklyn, grew up in Brooklyn. He was made in 1977 a member of the Colombo family. He’ll be killed in 1980, in April of 1980. So he didn’t have a very long career. Jilly Greca’s Criminal Activities and Tragic End [2:14] He had three years as a made guy. His father’s name was Joseph, who was an early days Colombo member. Now, Jelly Greca owned a small store called Acerg, A-C-E-R-G, which is Greca spelled backwards. How convenient, how original. The storefront was in Brooklyn at 7612 15th Avenue for you listeners that live in New York City. I’d drive by that and see if there’s anything still there Let me know. [2:40] It was a storefront, the front room was filled with racks of expensive name brand clothes like Gucci, YSL, Donna Karan and all the big name brands. And of course it was all swag, it was all stolen. And the back part of it was just stacked, piled high with more swag, stolen goods of all kinds. He had a little office back there. That’s where all of his, he had a crew. He was kind of like the central figure and a little crew of mob associates. And he was an associate at Palumbo’s. And this front was right next to the Park Ridge Pharmacy and there was a grocery store along there too. He had guys that named like Guido and Tommy the Chief and Vinnie and kind of your usual names of mom associates. And they’d all meet at the store every day to plan scores and socialize, it was kind of like their social club. And one of them, if somebody came in to buy something, you know, one of them would go out front and act like the clerk and wait on customers. All the goods were priced at least, you know, half, maybe three quarters of the normal price than what you’d have to pay in a regular store because everything was swag. Everything was stolen goods. We had the same thing in Kansas City. Had a couple of storefronts like this. One of them sold nothing but records, record albums called Tigers, and the other one was Junior Bradley’s. He didn’t really have a name of the store, I don’t think, that I ever knew. But it was filled with stolen goods and everything was half price what you would have paid for it in a store. [4:05] Stone started frequenting a restaurant called Carmello’s. Another agent was working undercover at the time, introduced him to a kind of a half-wise guy named Albert and they kind of clicked and he started building his reputation as a jewelry expert. He’d gone to some kind of a jewelry store and jewelry is an easy thing to go buy and then sell out as swag and act like it’s stolen. There’s no way to really check on it and it’s kind of highly desired among other lobsters and they They could buy a diamond ring cheap or a gold bracelet or something like that real cheap. You know, hey, who’s not going to do it? He claimed he was originally from California. He’d been in Florida most recently, and they had a backup down in Florida that they ended up, when he got close to Lepi Rosario, they called on this backup dude down in Florida, and he vouched for Pistone. Albert then introduced him to Jilly Greca, because Jilly Greca was, you know, He was always looking for swag and Jelly kind of took a liking to this new character, Donnie Brasco. And pretty soon he was hanging out at Jelly’s storefront and talking about scores, supposedly some of the scores he’d done. And Joe Pistone later will describe these days as just sitting around, smoking, playing gin, talking about past scores, future scores, funny scores, big scores, the biggest score ever, the worst score ever, the most. [5:22] Closest time they ever got caught score just like a bunch of cops sitting around telling all their war stories or wherever you work If you got war stories with your work same kind of a deal pretty soon Jilly, or maybe one of the guys he befriended would go out and drink with someplace else and. [5:38] They would introduce him as a new guy to Jilly’s crew at other Colombo Social clubs and bars, which is pretty good for Joe Pistone Jilly’s crews were stealing from docks and warehouses and truck lines. They usually had an inside connection with either a dock worker or a truck driver who would tip them off and look the other way, you know, set some, several cases of Polaroid film out on the dock and you just swing by and pick it up like this was normal business and keep on going. Meet you down at a railroad car or a Lomas siding that had a bunch of stuff in it, you know, some microwave ovens or something like that. Just pull up by there, throw them in your car and keep on going. They kept jelly store filled with brand name stuff, clothes of course, and razor blades and film, leather gloves, some sort of thing. They seem to have a lot of aesthetic connection. Booze of course is always highly desirable because it’s small and it’s high dollar. Perfume, small and high dollar. Any small high dollar items are highly desirable The boosters get them, or you can get a whole lot of stuff, high value stuff in a small, much smaller container. You don’t have to have old truckload like with men’s suits or something. You have to have sizes and you, you know, they take up a lot of space and all that. Frozen steaks and seafood, frozen food, is a pretty good one too. I ran across a guy here in Kansas City that was doing that. [7:03] Saw him going to the pickup, driving to the pickup, and he had the pickup bed was full of short ribs and they were supposed to be frozen. I followed him around and decided to go to several different little stores like restaurants, independently owned restaurants or grocery stores, and he’d sell them a case or two of these ribs. So then I just kept looking into him, looking into him, finally figured out he had a connection with a guy that had a freezer business that transported meat meat in interstate commerce,

Rochester Mob War Oct 09, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. He welcomes Mafia author Blair Kenny, who lived through the Rochester Mob wars and has written on the battle between the A-Team, the B-Team, and later the C-Team. We explore the rise and fall of Frank Valenti, the boss of the Rochester crime family in the 1960s and 1970s. Valenti ran a tight ship, appointing Samuel Russotti as his second-in-command, Rene Picarreto as his advisor, and five other men as his captains. He assigned them different rackets, such as gambling, extortion, loan sharking, insurance fraud, arson, narcotics, and weapon trafficking. He also orchestrated a series of bombings in 1970 to divert the attention of the authorities from his operations. However, Valenti’s reign was challenged by Russotti, Picarreto, and one of his captains, Salvatore Gingello, who accused him of pocketing money from the family. They also had the support of the Bonanno crime family from New York. Valenti refused to step down, but he lost his most trusted ally and bodyguard, Domenic Chirico, who was shot and killed. Valenti decided to leave Rochester and retire in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was later arrested and convicted of extortion. He died in 2008. After Valenti’s departure, Russotti took over as the boss, with Picarreto and Gingello as his right-hand men. The family seemed stable until January 1977, when they were all arrested and convicted of murdering Vincent Massaro based on fabricated evidence. They received 25 years to life sentences. Thomas Didio became the acting boss but soon faced problems from within and outside the family. So tune in and learn more. To find Blair Kenny’s book, click on The Rochester Mob Wars. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

John Gotti and Bruce Cutler Oct 02, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary and Tony Taouk discuss the famous mafia attorney Bruce Cutler and his representations of John Gotti. We learn why a judge denied Bruce Cutler the ability to represent Gotti at his last trial. We also learn how Bruce Cutler represented a Chicago Outfit boss after Chicago got permission to hire him from Gotti. Tony Taouk is an Australian lawyer and a Mafia researcher who specializes in the subject of mob trials and mob lawyers. He has also traveled to the United States and visited mob-related sites in New York, Chicago, and Las Vegas. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SPEAKERS Tony Taourk, GARY JENKINS GARY JENKINS 00:00 Well welcome all you Wiretappers. I’m back here in studio Gangland Wire with our good friend from Down Under Tony Taourk. Tony. Welcome. Tony Taourk 00:09 Glad to be here. GARY JENKINS 00:11 All right, Tony. It’s good to have you and I understand that it’s winter down there while it’s summer here. Always seems kinda weird. I’m talking to a dude in Australia sit there in Kansas City. Tony Taourk 00:23 Live Yes. Match up courtesy, GARY JENKINS 00:27 magic of the inner that this morning down there just before you go to work in your office. And it’s evening here just as I’m getting ready to get off. Yeah. Anyhow, so we’re gonna talk about Bruce Cutler, guys. You know, Tony is our expert on mob lawyers. And we’ve done Frank Ragano and Roy Cohn. And we do another one or just those two. Oscar Goodman, Oscar, Oscar Goodman. How could I forget Oscar Goodman, the guy that cross examined me and Oscar Goodman. So we’ve been fun shows are fun stories. And nobody really talks about in these other podcasts out here. I don’t see him talking about the mob lawyers. And they play an important part in Bob history, a huge part in mob history. And somebody policemen always think that they’re part of the mob now Bruce Cutler, he, he may have been he actually was kicked off a case because and I’ll let Tony go into that he knows more about that than I do. But Bruce Cutler it was famous because of John Gotti. And he was and he played the cameras too. And he played doing like an audience in the theater all the time, too. So Tony, tell us a little bit about how Bruce Cutler got his start. Tony Taourk 01:42 Well, Bruce was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1948. So his father was a Police Officer turned lawyer. That sounds familiar. GARY JENKINS 01:50 That’s me. Tony Taourk 01:54 He went to Hamilton College in Brooklyn, poly prep, where he had been an aggressive linesman on the football team and a champion wrestler which kind of explains his pagination civic courtroom style, which I’m gonna go into later. He graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 1974. He worked as a trial attorney with the Brooklyn da from 1974 to 1981. And then he joined private practice with Barry Slotnick. He went towards Barry Slotnick. Now bearish last week’s bearish topics famous small representative representing Bernie gets the vigilante subway shooter in the 1980s is one of the premier criminal defense lawyers in New York. And now, Heartland met John Gotti early 1985 while he was working for Slotnick, and in April 1986, Gotti went on trial for in Brooklyn, on racketeering charges bought by a zealous prosecutor. Now between the time that Cutler met Gotti and the currency of the trial in early 1986, Gotti had ascended to become the head of the Gambino crime family after the basic murder of Paul Castellano in front of Spark’s Steakhouse in late 1985. We all know about that. So Cutler was now representing possibly the most powerful, gangster in the United States. Well, he was definitely the most powerful New York, possibly the US. The racketeering trial and Brooklyn was very highly publicized not only because of God, His high profile, but also because of a blessed tenacious and controversial defense that turned the trial into an absolute circus. And this bait made Bruce Caitlyn almost as famous as his client during the trial. Now, Cutler had a powerful courtroom presence, because he had this bulky physique and he wore expensive double breasted suits, similar to those worn by his client. But what made him stand out the most was his theatrical, loud and unconventional behavior in the courtroom that you were talking about before. Now, in his opening statement, in this particular trial, Cutler viciously attacked the government, and then he picked up a copy of the indictment. He held it up high and then he compared it to a stew made from bad meat and vegetables, and it hosted into the trash basket in full view of the jury. Their eyeballs nearly popped out. It was like purely theatrical, and let everyone stand in the courtroom. No one’s seen that before. Now the government called 78 witnesses, most of them had unsavory pasts, as you’d expect in a mock trial. And he was especially brutal in his cross examination of these witnesses to the point where tabloids in New York called the Bruceafixtions, Cutler was like a cat playing with a mouse bullied, assaulted, recruit the witnesses one by one. For example, He had one witness admit to pistol whipping a priest in killing three drug dealers after making the deal with the government to testify against Gotti you can imagine how that went down with the jury. Oh, yeah, Cutler will also influence the jury with all these awkward questions. For instance, he accused one witness of photographing other men committing forcible sex acts on his wife. Now the witness denied it. But the damage was done because the jury just can’t unhear something that would happen again and again and again. During the trial, the prosecution would strenuously object questions and asked them to be stricken from the record, but they can’t be as easily stricken from the jurors minds. This brash, unconventional style of defense really did into Gotti and the other mobsters because it mirrored the tough guy image but it really angered the judge and the prosecutor. Things are out of control in that courtroom. Now, Cutler wasn’t content. To just go off to the witnesses, he went off to the prosecutor as well. He insinuated that the prosecutor had been arranging for witness to obtain drugs and prescriptions for codeine, Valium, and she offered her underwear to witness as a reward for his testimony. Now, even though that probably wasn’t true, it really rattled this prosecutor and really threw her off balance. Ultimately, the jury pleaded guilty in this particular trial. It later emerged that one of the jurors had been bribed, but it doesn’t appear that Cutler had anything to do with that. Cutler emerged as somewhat of a celebrity after the enormous publicity generated by this trial, but he was only getting started. There was a lot more to come. In 1990, John Gotti was able to answer assault and conspiracy charges. prosecutors contended the Gotti commissioned the Westies again from health care that are scanned from Hell’s Kitchen to shoot a union official called John O’Connor. After reordered the trashing of a Gambino affiliated restaurant in downtown Manhattan, in some kind of a union dispute using non union labor or something to that upset. Now the prosecution played tapes to the jury in which Gotti and his co conspirators could be he could be heard, barring the assault on a corner, you could hear something to the effect of Gotti saying bust him up and giving them a given an address. Now Cutler called the case of modern day vendetta or persecution or witch hunt, and he challenged the validity of the tapes. Now, he had the principal investigator admit under cross examination, that the tapes was so garbled that he had to listen to them up to 30 times before managing to create a transcript for the court. He succeeded in shaking confidence in the tapes that were obviously of poor quality as most bugs are. And he argued the prosecution had rewritten the transcripts to fill the government’s theory of the case. Color the most of the credibility of the prosecution witnesses who consisted of ex mobsters would make who’d made sweetheart deals with the government in return for their testimony. As usual, we’ve had them read right there fast criminal credentials in front of the jury and made them look like the absolute scum of the earth. He had one witness admit under cross examination, that he signed the deal with the government to testify against Gotti after suffering the misery of 17 months in solitary confinement. In other words, the government coerced him into testifying now. Gotti was acquitted, was a stunning victory. That’s when he started to the de mer Teflon gone. But the government was a bit wasn’t about to give up in late 1990, got him to get indicted for racketeering and a whole slew of other crimes. However, to everyone’s surprise, the presiding judge took the unusual step of removing Cutler as Gotti’s defense counsel. After the prosecutors labeled Cutler and a few other lawyers on the case, House Counsel to the Gambino crime family. Now the rationale was that Cutler could be called as a witness so he could probably represent his quiet it’s worth noting that in the end, Cutler wasn’t called to testify in the trial. It’s likely that the prosecutors the obviously despised him.

Scarface Capone v. Dapper Don John Gotti Sep 25, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary and Camillus “Cam” Robinson compare and contrast the lifestyles, management styles, and organizational abilities of Scarface Al Capone and The Dapper Don, John Gotti.Overview Al Capone and John Gotti are two of the most infamous figures in the history of the American Mafia. They both rose to power through their involvement in dealing in contraband, racketeering, murder, gambling, and other crimes. However, they also had notable differences in their personalities, styles, and fates. Here are some points of comparison and contrast between them: Early Years Al Capone was born in Brooklyn, New York 1899, to Italian immigrants from Naples. He dropped out of school at 14 and joined a street gang led by Johnny Torrio, a mentor who later brought him to Chicago. John Gotti was also born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1940 to Italian-American parents with roots in Naples. He also dropped out of school at 16 and became involved in various gangs and criminal activities. Rise to Power Al Capone became the boss of the Chicago Outfit, one of America’s most powerful crime syndicates, after he orchestrated the murder of his rival, Big Jim Colosimo, in 1920. He expanded his empire by eliminating or allying with other gangs, bribing public officials, and controlling all bootlegging activity and other Chicago illicit businesses. John Gotti became the boss of the Gambino crime family, the largest and most influential Mafia group in New York, after he ordered the assassination of his predecessor, Paul Castellano, in 1985. He consolidated his power by promoting loyal associates, intimidating rivals, and cultivating a public image as a charismatic and generous leader. Publicity: Al Capone was known for his flamboyant lifestyle and lavish spending. He wore expensive suits, drove luxury cars, and frequented nightclubs and restaurants. He also donated money to charities and soup kitchens, earning him some popularity among the poor. He was often featured in newspapers and magazines as a celebrity gangster. John Gotti was also fond of dressing well and living large. He frequented social clubs, bars, and casinos, where he mingled with celebrities and politicians. He also enjoyed media attention and often gave interviews or made statements to reporters. He was nicknamed “The Dapper Don” for his style and “The Teflon Don” for his ability to evade prosecution. Downfall Al Capone’s downfall came because of his tax evasion. Despite being suspected of numerous crimes, he was never convicted of anything more severe than contempt of court until 1931, when he was found guilty of failing to pay taxes on his illegal income. He was sentenced to 11 years, where he contracted syphilis and suffered mental deterioration. He was released in 1939 and died in 19471. John Gotti’s downfall came because his underboss, Sammy Gravano, turned government informant and testified against him. After being acquitted in three previous trials, he was convicted of murder and racketeering in 1992. A Court sentenced Gotti to life without parole, where he died of cancer in 2022. It should be noted that no Outfit members testified against Capone, while several Mafia members testified against Gotti. Don’t forget to look at Chicago Swan Song: A Mob Wife’s Story, co-written by Camillus with Lisa Swan, the wife of Frank Calabrese Jr., about her life in the Calabrese Crew. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript GARY JENKINS 00:00 Welcome all you Wiretappers, good to be back here in studio Gangland Wire, I’ve got my good friend. Camullius “Cam” Robinson. Welcome Cam. Hey Gary doing. It’s been a while since you’ve been on you’ve, you’ve moved, had some changes in your life. But we’re really glad to have you back and get you back in the mix here. Do some more Chicago stories with you because you’re my man in Chicago, you know that? I am. Camillus Robinson 00:25 I appreciate it. Gary, you are my rabbi and I am always here. I’m always here. If I can be of assistance. GARY JENKINS 00:32 Good. You know, today, guys, we came up with this idea. And I thought it was kind of a fun idea. For a show. Let’s compare and contrast. John Gotti and Al Capone, you know, the two, arguably the two most Wouldn’t you say? Can the two most well known mafia figures in the United States in all of history? I would say Camillus Robinson 00:56 Yeah. Yeah. For those of us in the you know, who really study something go after it. I mean, we sort of, kind of look askance at it, got it. But if you’re outside and you’re looking in if you’re just a casual model observer, then you know, Gotti and Al Capone. Those are the internet searches. I mean, if you’re not somebody who typically just looks at mafia Mobologists or whatever word you want to call it, then that’s right. That’s right. Definitely, definitely, Gary Capone and Gotti are the two that were most interested. I mean, they got those movies about them. GARY JENKINS 01:31 Yeah, interesting. Yeah. popular media has paid the most attention. You know, I was I’ve always been Lucky Luciano kind of ranks up there. And I think they’ve kind of got cool names. And they’re easy to say names. And they’re easy to remember, they just think, you know, kind of like Roy Rogers or Mickey Mantle, you know, it gets real easy to say names. It’s so people remember that. But they weren’t flamboyant. And they had easy to say names and memorable names. So they were I think the newspaper people probably pumped them up a little bit. Yeah. Yeah. In their day, they were the darlings of the press, which is why they are now so well known, you know, looping and following Capone and the newspaper follow Gotti just because they would allow themselves to be followed. And that’s the you go. So let’s talk about you know, little compare and contrast, like Al Capone, in my opinion was much more successful a business wise than John Gotti ever was because he believed single handedly the whole Chicago outfit, which was, you know, they had what, at one time five major Crews maybe not as big as a five families. But Gotti as just, you know, ended up being the head of one of five families but and so what do you think about the comparison contrast? But there Camillus Robinson 02:48 I think I think, you know, like, like we’ve talked about, I mean, Capone came along, when, when it was during a war time in Chicago, and really, it was his Iron Fist. And don’t get me wrong. There were a lot of brains behind the behind the brawn. He had real real power players working with him. But it was Capone, who Torrio chose and it was Capone who brought Chicago together and created that billion dollar industry of bootlegging in and spread into the unions and in basically controlling every aspect of Chicago, the city and then expanding West throughout the country. That was under Capone’s leadership and people want to want to denigrate them now or say, Well Capone this or more brains for breakfast, you know, whoever. There were some great leaders in the outfit. I’m not saying that. But Capone really led a hell of it out that is really much larger than anything God, he could have hoped for God he was handed basically the keys to the kingdom and he proceeded to tear it all down, built everything up. He did a component seemed like he knew the people to choose to run things while he sat on top. I don’t know whether it’s personal charisma. God, he had a lot of personal charisma. Capone must have had a lot of personal charisma to but he chose what was it was like, well, Tony Accardo to handle the walk and people around handle enforcement activities in our condo you know he goes on to be the boss and he picks the right people to move on up later on ball Rekha was kind of the interim boss really smart guy really quiet and and he had a lot of relationships with other people around the country and then he a got a breezy thumb Jake Guzik to handle a lot of that dealing with government agencies and he knew that you needed that guy to really, you know, deal with the governmental agencies and with the courts and get people in those positions. Got a you know, personally he never did anything like that. He, you know, he just basically, you know, depend on other people that have the contacts in the governmental, you know, the court systems and the police and all that. Yeah, yeah, the Gambino family definitely have the contacts under under under Gambino um and under under, under big bold, Ilana. But um, God he didn’t have that were with all he was more of a street guy and I think the bone wasn’t but Capone was smart enough to put the guys like Murray Humphries and Jake goes in. And Paul Ricca and frankly, the guys in position who knew how to get things done in that world, that was why the athlete was so successful politically, again, Vinos. Under under, Carlo, they really expanded had judges, they had politicians, they had all of that. God, he didn’t really see the value in that kind of thing as much. He just wanted people to kick up because he was gambling so much. He just wanted green money. And power to him was your ability to point and have somebody killed or to point have somebody hurt? And as Capone understood, there’s much more power than just the ability to take one guy out. Yeah. You know that.

The Life and Crimes of Jimmy Chagra – Part 6 Sep 18, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this sixth and final episode of the six-part series documenting the life and crimes of the marijuana smuggler kingpin Jimmy Chagra, Gary tells tells about the trial, imprisonment and death of Jimmy Chagra. Hey all you wiretappers welcome back to the end of Jimmy Chagra. A little recap, Jimmy Chagra was the son of Lebanese immigrants who settled in El Paso after the last Mexican Revolution. His brothers Lee and Joe both became successful Texas criminal attorneys specializing in defending smugglers. Jimmy Chagra makes connections with Colombian marijuana growers and starts exporting shiploads of high grade Colombian weed landing on the East coast. After losing a couple of shiploads, a couple of planes and a pilot, he throws in with another smuggler. This partnership goes south, and the new partner starts informing and setting up Jimmy Chagra. In November 1978 someone ambushes US Attorney James Kerr as he drives away from his El Paso home. Kerr has been on a crusade to put together a conspiracy charging Jimmy and his brother Lee Chagra under the narcotic kingpin laws. In November 1978, someone fires several rounds at James Kerr as he leaves his El Paso home. One month later, A couple of off-duty solders rob Lee Chagra at his law office and murder him. Jimmy Chagra is distraught after the murder of his brother and suspects the Feds may have orchestrated the murder of his brother. He makes some vague threats and names Judge John Wood as the possible man behind the murder of his brother. In March of 1979, 3 months after Lee Chagra’s murder, El Paso cops arrest the suspects. One confesses and shortly after everybody knows this was a run of the mill robbery planned by the uncle of his brother’s landlord who hired a couple of soldiers from nearby Ft. Bliss to do this robbery. No big dastardly federal plot here. But Jimmy has other worries. The Feds have indicted him and many others in his network and he is arrested about the same time. Of course, this case will be heard by Maximum John Wood and prosecuted by James Kerr. The government ensured that Judge Wood will preside over Jimmy’s trial because they indicted him in Midland Texas. Maximum John hears all the criminal cases in the Western District of Texas. Jimmy’s main relief from his grief is the action around the table in Las Vegas. He does not believe the men really confessed to robbing and murdering his brother Lee and suspects a government coverup. He is arraigned in Judge John Wood’s court. The US Attorney removes James Kerr from this prosecution. The new attorney reindicts Jimmy Chagra in El Paso and adds the continuing criminal enterprise and designates him the Kingpin. These charges can result in life in prison. He is out on bond when the Benny Binon hosts a month’s long poker game between Nick the Greek and Johnny Moss. This game will be the inspiration for the World Series of Poker. Las Vegas is hopping. Binon’s Horseshoe is the only casino left that will take Chagra’s crazy giant plays. He would arrive and place 100 K on a blackjack table and demand to risk it on one turn of the cards. Binon claimed later that between the time the court released Jimmy on bond and his trial, the Horseshoe lost 2 million dollars to Jimmy Chagra. Everybody noticed he played as if there were no tomorrow. Jimmy noticing the recent publicly generated for Oscar Goodman, he hired him for his El Paso case. Jimmy’s brother, Joe Chagra, joined Goodman on the defense team. I read that Jimmy really wanted his brother Lee and was distraught about his murder. Joe Chagra filed a motion for Judge Wood to recuse himself because of public remarks made by Wood. It seems he had called this case “The Colombia connection” case and was known to leak derogatory information to the media. A year before, Judge Wood had remarked to Lee Chagra in open court, “I imagine everybody in this area knows you are the subject of a grand jury investigation in Tennessee.” Very poor ethics to state this in open court. Oscar Goodman filed for a change of venue and other motions designed to get the case away from Maximum John. Gary Cartwright in his book Dirty Dealing writes, “Chagra meets a woman he knew as Jo Anne Star in the Horseshoe and she introduces him to a sandy haired man he does not know and stated this was her new husband, Charles Harrelson.” They talk about the murder of Lee Chagra for a few minutes and Harrelson ask Jimmy what he is going to do about it. Cartwright writes that Harrelson and his wife follow Jimmy to a craps table and a witness claimed he saw Jimmy give Harrelson his dice and asked him to throw them. He lost 50K on that roll but ended up winning 350K that day. The next day witnesses reported that Chagra and Harrelson are seen talking again. Jimmy supposedly asked him if he could have a television if he ends up at Leavenworth. Harrelson laughs and tells him no. Jimmy replies, “What if I buy everyone in the prison a TV?” Jimmy starts inquiring from his friends about Harrelson and what kind of man was he and of he was “OK?” I think we all know what that means. It will come out later that Harrelson, his new wife Jo Anne and another guy were plotting to get Jimmy in a card game with some rigged cards to cheat him. During this time, some other Vegas gamblers who were purported friends of Harrelson got Jimmy in a golf game where they cheated him with a guy hidden on the golf course around where blind shots landed and they moved the ball from the original lie. Reportedly, they took him for aver ½ million on this golf game. I think everybody knew he was going down and would not be around to retaliate so they plucked his feathers. Since the attempt to murder James Kerr, the US Attorneys and federal judges all had extra protection. Judge Wood allowed this for a while but soon dismissed his extra guards away from the courthouse. He would tell his clerk, “Well if they are going to kill you, they are going to kill you, so let’s get to work.” May 5, 1979, 3 months after Jimmy is charged in his court and a year after the attack on James Kerr and the murder of Jimmy Chagra’s brother, Judge john Wood walks out of his El Paso condo to find a flat tire on his wife’s station wagon. As he walks to his other car parked in front of his condo, a sniper draws his bead and shots Maximum John in the back, killing him instantly. Later, cops figured it was well planned because someone had flattened the station wagon’s tire and forced Judge Wood to take his sedan which was parked in an exposed spot. Directly across the driveway from Wood’s townhouse, the family of U.S. judge Adrian Spears, chief judge of the district and Wood’s close friend, watched from their breakfast room window as Wood walked briskly to the sedan parked in front of his townhouse. He frequently drove his station wagon, but this morning it had a flat tire. He slipped behind the wheel and tried to start the sedan. Nothing happened. The motor was dead. A neighbor watched Wood get out of the car and lean across the front seat to retrieve his briefcase. Then he heard a noise. “It sounded like a backfire,” he said. “A loud backfire.” Another witness remembered: “I saw Judge Wood step backward. I didn’t know he was shot. There was no blood or anything. Then he sort of twisted around and fell on his back.” The neighbor telephoned the police and ran downstairs and across the driveway to where Wood lay, next to the open door of the sedan. “There was no one in the area, no one at all,” he said. “No moving cars, no people, no more noise after the shot.” He later reported that Wood’s eyes were open, but he didn’t speak or move. He couldn’t see any blood, or any other injury to Judge Wood. John Wood was killed instantly by a high velocity large caliber bullet fried from a sniper rifle. The killer had disappeared into the heavy flow of morning traffic along Broadway. It had been a clean, perfect shot. He’d watched Wood quiver for a fraction of a second, then drop in his tracks. The case against Jimmy Chagra was grinding on with jury selection and preliminary motions while the FBI was conducting a massive investigation into the murder of Judge John Wood. The man who will later be appointed FBI Director, Judge William Sessions took over the Chagra drug case. He ordered that neither attorney make any reference to the Judge Wood murder. Even with that, the jury could not fail to see the press reports and the lawyers had to deal with it during jury selection. As a defense, Jimmy’s new lawyer, Oscar Goodman, painted Jimmy Chagra as a professional gambler who might have known or brushed up against the many characters testifying against him and painting him as a drug Marijuana smuggler and drug kingpin. He was out on a $400,000 bond posted by an El Paso bondsman who will later claim that Chagra gave him over a million in diamonds as collateral to post the bond. Jimmy tried to bribe one of the witnesses and failed. In the end, a jury found him guilty on all counts and he disappeared. The DEA found him quickly, and Judge Sessions gave him 30 years. The investigation of Judge Wood’s murder really takes off while Jimmy Chagra is inside the walls at Leavenworth. Charles Harrelson was telling people he shot Judge Wood. A mutual friend of Harrelson and Jimmys other lawyer brother Hoe Chagra set up a meeting between the tow of them and they started hanging out and snorting cocaine together. Joe confided that the feds were looking closely at his brother for Wood’s hit. Gary Cartwright in Dirty Dealing claimed that Harrelson told Joe he was a suspect himself and he needed “fade the heat.” Harrelson had several cocaine and weapons charges and he hired Joe Chagra. The main thing they did was snort cocaine together from Harrelson’s endless supply. He even offered to take Wood’s murder to save Jimmy.

Remo catches Frank Sinatra at Social Club Sep 13, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Remo Franceschini was a famous mafia-busting NYPD Intelligence officer. This is another story of his vaunted career. Gary tells about how Remo worked on a Lucchese Capo named Big Sam Cavalieri. He installed a hidden microphone inside his social club on Second Avenue between 111th and 112th. Among other tidbits of information, he heard the Lucchese acting boss, Carmine Tramunti, Mr. Grebs, call Jilly Rizzo and invite him to a feast at the social club. He asked Rizzo to bring some of the NY Yankees players who frequented Jilly’s, and Rizzo replied, “Sure, and Franks in town, so I will get him.” Everybody in that world knew he meant Frank Sinatra. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! GARY JENKINS 00:00 Well hey guys, I’m bringing you another story of the well known and hated and feared New York copper Lieutenant Remo Franceschini and nobody hated him more than John Gotti because Gotti knew that Remo focused a lot of manpower on Gotti and a lot of attention on Gotti especially once he ascended to become the boss of the Gambino family after they killed Paulie Castellano. The NYPD intelligence unit was not like the FBI. Now Remo Franceschini’s worked for the NYPD intelligence unit. And they investigated all five families that kind of depending on you know, where what looked fine, what looked interesting what looked possible, or if there was some crime had been committed that had a lot of heat on it. That was maybe a mob connected deal. Then they might focus on a particular guy or particular family, but they didn’t just focus on one family like the Bureau has, you know, the banana squad my friend Doug pencil worked on the banana squad, and they have a separate squad the Gambino squad is separate squad for everyone in the families at that time. Now looking back over remote career, I found a great story about him, exposing the fact that Frank Sinatra was meeting with wiseguys there in New York City. He had put a wire on a phone and installed a hidden mic inside an East Harlem Social Club operated by a Lucchese family Capo named Big Sam Cavalieri. This club was located for you New York listeners the club was located on Second Avenue between 11th and 12th street I don’t have any more info than that Remo put a listening post inside the basement of a low rent apartment a couple of blocks away now that’s why they would do it in New York tap in but find the the line for the phone and put the microphone inside someplace and then run it down and along with the phone lines and up outside up to a pole and then maybe down a pole and then drop it back down into a listening post and they just put one down in the basement of this apartment building and they just go sit in there on on there all by themselves sometimes they’re made they’d have to guys it’s kind of depends on who was available and they may be sitting in there and they may not Remo usually sat on this listening post by himself he’s probably one of those guys this is when he was still a detective he’s probably one of those guys that everybody else was wanting to go shopping or go dog off someplace he would go ahead and keep working. He was a master of dressing to fit in the neighborhood because he grew up in the neighborhood or a similar neighborhood during the summer and this was summertime so he wore a white beard and shorts and sneakers so you know just fit in he’d walk around he maybe wear a Yankees hat and keep his head down and not really look around and catch anybody’s I just like kind of glide on through like he had someplace to go one time he left the post of visit a nearby bodega and because you want to get some sodas It was hot down there big Sam happen to be on the street and it gave him a look as he walked by on Second Avenue when Remo got back to listening post he overheard Sam and another guy talking about him describing him and said you know who is that guy because he didn’t really fit in you know didn’t recognize him from the neighborhood is these neighborhoods around these social clubs if you know if you’re like over an age and a male during those times they’re gonna watch your and wonder who you are for your some kind of agent or a cop or whatever. And they decided between the two of them that a one that cop he wasn’t an agent he was just some guy wanting to get laid by the broads upstairs now Remo figured there must have been some prostitutes that that had an apartment that brought guys in once in a while upstairs somewhere in the block he never did really figure out who it was. You know it’s always nice to learn that mobsters you’re watching buys your cover disguises you’re just a guy in the neighborhood passing through you know I used to like to wear like service station work shirt with some kind of a name on it maybe maybe even some kind of another logo for a gas station and it kinda and then have a story ready about why you were where you were and where I work. And if somebody confronted you when you’re just in a neighborhood or hanging around close by someplace it’s always good you need some kind of a story some some kind of a peg that they can hang their hat on set and pigeonhole you as a particular whatever it is that you’re trying to come off as so it’s it’s kind of a cat and mouse game I was never really confronted directly on the street at a bar a couple of times I was and I just played it off one time I’d said I worked for the city as well or you work for the city and I said pollution control which is you know waste disposal the trash man and nobody messes with the trash man and I really look like a trash man but I was ready to say you know I was like a manager downtown that that helped get the trash trucks out and all that Sam capillary was a gang Moran ran a book and he was had risen to Cabo and Lucchese crime family. He started out as a soldier of course in East Harlem and he always operated out in East Harlem Remo knew that big Sam always operated his policy racket and his sports book out of this particular club. Now big Sam was a real working man’s mobster. He went like God he didn’t wear $1,000 silk suit. He didn’t eat and drink at the Uptown nightclubs like the CoCo cabana like his boss, temporary boss at time Lucchese boss was Carmine Tramunti, at the time, who loved the high lifestyle big Sam was content to stay in East Harlem live in Queens and eat in pizza joints and they do his business right there with people in the neighborhood. He rose up through the ranks to be capital, like I said, of this Harlem crew, and he had a pretty good sized group of wise guys in East Harlem and the Bronx that were loyal to him. They were totally loyal to him. His activities were kind of you know, we’re more than just gambling. He was a he was a pretty he was a good earner as they say. He corrupted local 29 the blasters miners and drill runners Union were squeezing money out of contractors whenever they needed union workers. In 1980. He and associate Thomas Mann Cousteau were the targets of a federal investigation into the racketeering. He also got involved in drug trafficking he was working with and around the French Connection, which Tremonti was involved in that that was a notorious network of heroin smugglers that went from the 1930s. really up to the 1970s. If you remember the movie, The French Connection, help a good movie, I was a book, The France connection, I mean, this, this was those books, that book and that movie, robbing more he interviewed a lot of those guys, and that’s the one or Gene Hackman played Popeye Doyle, who was really Eddie Egan, who was part of this intelligence unit. Remo would have worked with Eddie Egan Remo discovered that big Sam used an elaborate system to prevent law enforcement and get into his accounting books that he uses the gambling operation. He knew the county books were the thing that tally sheets and who the betters were and who’s winning and who’s losing and and each day they would, they would tally up, you know, who had placed what bad on what game and what the point spread was. And then at the end of the week on pay off day, and they would go over that and go out and collect or pay off. The other wire revealed that the bookies and the betters never call directly to the headquarters now that the headquarters for the actual gambling operation was not the social club that was someplace else and what they what Remo was trying to do, he wanted to find where this headquarters was, was located, and then serve a search warrant on it and get all those books. And that would really mess him up for a day or two and then make a few little gambling cases out of the deal. But what big Sam was doing, he hired housewives and retirees who could be trusted that would always use their home phones, as you know, several different answering services. So a bookie would call a particular phone operated by one of these housewives. And they’d use a code like red for Joe or red for Pete. Now red was a guy that worked at Bookie headquarters, and he would call these other phones periodically,

The Life and Crimes of Jimmy Chagra Part 5 Sep 11, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this fifth episode of the six-part series documenting the life and crimes of the marijuana smuggler kingpin Jimmy Chagra, Gary interviews Jason Cavanagh, an expert on Charles Harrelson, and they examine whether or not Jimmy Chagra paid Charles Harrelson to assassinate Federal Judge John H, Wood aka Maximum John. Cavanagh extensively researched Charles Harrelson’s life and relationship with his two sons. One of those sons is the famous actor Woody Harrelson. Jason produced and hosted a 10-episode podcast series titled Son of a Hitman. Transcript SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, Jason Cavanagh 00:00 Well hey guys, all you Wiretappers out there. Welcome back to the show. You know, I’m back here to studio gangland wire. But I’ve got a famous man here. A guy that that agreed to come on the podcast, Jason Kavanagh. You know, I got on to Jason. I was researching his stories, Jimmy Chagra story and I found this podcast called Son of a Hitman and I listened to it was about Charles Harrelson who was the man who was convicted of murdering Judge John Wood and Jimmy Chadwick was not convicted. He was arrested and accused of paying Charles Harrelson and Jason did a real in-depth. Deep Dive into the life of Charles Harrelson, the hitman who has a great podcast. It’s called Spn of a Hitman. And I highly encourage you to listen to that. Jason, welcome. I really appreciate you coming on the show. Thanks so much for having me. Now working guys find that Son of a Hitman is not on the Apple app. So you explain to him how to find that. 01:00 Sure. So it is you know, we originally produced it for Spotify with Spotify. So it is exclusive to Spotify at the moment. Although actually today, I just spoke to Spotify, we’re going to be getting a wide release where it’s going to be available on all platforms in the near future, probably in a couple of weeks. So at the moment, check it out on Spotify. But yeah, it will be it will be wide very soon. 01:23 Okay. And by the time this is released, guys, just look out look for set of the Hitman on whatever podcast app you’ve gotten, you’re gonna be able to find it. So I looked at this story. And it’s a story that just keeps on givin this Jimmy chakra and his whole marijuana smuggling operation as we’ve already had a couple of episodes, three episodes by now. And it’s just, it’s the most complex, interesting. And he is the most complex and interesting guy and story that I have done that I can find so much information about to it’s just, it’s amazing. And I want to go in on a deep dive on Charles Harrelson with Jason because he is the expert on Charles Harrelson. And as you all know, he is the father of Woody Harrelson, the actor. And as I understand and what he’s not really crazy about anybody doing that there’s no movies about this. I don’t know if you’ve noticed that guys, but there’s no movies about this. And I don’t know if there ever will be. Jason, you know, we talked a little bit before in Harrelson goes back into South Texas, Texas roots and he was a Texas criminal for sure. From day one. Tell us a little bit about that first murder. I think that that Berg murder, the first 02:39 murder that Charles Harrelson was charged with was Alan Berg. He was a carpet salesman in Houston, Texas. I was introduced to the story of Charles, you know, based on the rumors, you know, he claimed that he had been involved in the JFK assassination. So that was how I, like entered into the story in the first place began looking at it then of course, the judge would murder. The assassination of a federal judge in 79 is huge news. But then when you you know, you start doing research looking back further, right, he killed this carpet salesman, whether it’s the first murder he committed, I don’t know. It’s the first murder he was charged with. He was found not guilty for this murder. I don’t know whether it looks as if he did commit this murder and he was just he had a good lawyer and he was able to get off. But yeah, this was a carpet salesman in Houston, Texas. His brother, his younger brother, David Berg wrote a great book about about this called Ron brother Ron, I spoke to David, you know, went to Houston, met with him, spoke with him about it. Through his research. He determined that you know, and even at the time of his brother’s murder, he believed that this man who again, I’m going to say was found not guilty for hiring Charles Harrelson to kill this guy. But rival carpet salesman named Frank DeMaria is who was accused of having hired Charles Harrelson to assassinate or kill David Berg. You know, it was like a long standing beef that these guys had over people on each other money. In through my research. It looked as if Alan Berg the first victim, he had some big gambling debts to some not so desirable people. This guy, Ted Lewin, who was involved in organized crime, he was an associate of Meyer Lansky, Alan Berg owed him like $100,000 or something over a basketball, a basketball game. As the story goes, Charles Harrelson met this guy, Frank de Maria in a bar, Frank de Maria said, I’m having this problem with this guy, Charles Harrelson through his business card down on the table and said I could take care of that for you. And his business card is this insane, insane thing. I don’t have it in front of me, but it’s it’s this long list of things that he does, you know, including assassinations. You know, I also spoke to Charles Harrelson runs and again I wanna repeat Frank de Maria found not guilty he was not you know, he was not convicted of this. So in no way you know, am I saying he did this but you know this is Charles Harrelson, his girlfriend ex girlfriend from that time from 1968 was this woman Sandra Sue Attaway, I was able to speak to her she has since passed away. But I spoke to her on the podcast she described having accompany Charles Harrelson to go pick up this guy Alan Berg from a bar she had called Alan Berg prior to this said, Hey, I’ve seen you around meet me at this bar promised sexual favors Charles Harrelson showed up with her in the car, forced Alan Berg into the car at gunpoint, at gunpoint, drove him out to a swampy area and shot him. You know, Charles then was picked up a couple years later. So his brother Claude, was a police officer and was actually working as a private investigator at the time and the Berg family was trying to find out what happened to Alan, you know, he had just gone missing. They didn’t know where he was, you know, they were assuming the worst but you know, didn’t know what had happened. And hired like a slew of private investigators, one of which was Claude Harrelson, who happened to be Charles Harrelson, his brother. And so that was a strange thing. And he was trying to get money out of them. He was saying, Listen, I can get some more information, but I need you to give me more money. And so on first appearances, it looked like Claude was in on this thing that he was in on a scheme with Charles to try to extort money out of these people. But when I spoke to Sandra Sue, and looked back at the police interviews that she had done, it appeared that Claude was actually Charles and Claude did not get along. They were not friends, I think partially because Claude was law enforcement. And Charles was as far from that as you could get LOD, I believe, had a suspicion that his brother was involved in was trying to get information out of his brother or one of his associates, and was asking for more money, more money, more money to give to those people to get them to talk. So I don’t think he was actually in league with Charles at that point. I think he was actually, you know, working on his own, actually, you know, trying to tell the family what had happened to Sandra Sue described going him taking her out to dinner or lunch or something like that, and trying to get information out of her basically like milking her for information. Ultimately, it was a guy she ran off with, who ended up talking and telling the cops what she had told him happened. And then she was willing to cooperate with police for immunity. And she testified against Charles, but he was able to get a good alibi. He said he was doing a horse trade at the time that he was buying a horse for some with some brothers who were from the same town where he had grown up Lovelady, Texas are on town over and they gave him a good alibi. He was represented by Percy Foreman. And in that first murder trial, which was unusual in that Percy Foreman was an extremely famous defense attorney at the time. And Charles Harrelson, by all appearances was just, you know, this, this low level thug. So, you know, as we started looking at that we’re going how to, you know, how did he got put in touch with someone like Percy Foreman at this point in time, and, you know, we’re looking closer at that sort of organized crime angle, you know, we did find that he was working with some famous gamblers at the time doing collections and things like that Jack treetop Strauss, his name was thrown around as somebody who was doing collections for and then there was also Benny Binion was, you know, ran gambling operations around around that area of East Texas, and then eventually moved out to Vegas, which is where Charles Harrelson ended up you know, in the late 70s, when he did commit that murder of the judge. So 08:36 interesting, you know, that whole Las Vegas world is is central to this whole thing. By all it runs all the way through it and starting with Benny Binion down in Texas, but he moves to Vegas and, and the whole Vegas connection and the chakras and it just is throughout the whole thing. It’s kind of amazing. Jimmy Chagra hired private pilots to fly drugs who were he had met because the guys worked for their charter service out of Las Vegas. And it just,

Angelo LaPietra Extorts Two Million Dollars Sep 06, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary and James Cosenza from the Chicago Mob Trials YT channel discuss how Angelo LaPietra extorted two Million dollars from a prominent Chicago real estate businessman named Victor Cacciatore. In the famous Family Secrets trial, Cacciatore testified against the notorious Chicago organized crime syndicate known as The Outfit. He told about how the Chinatown Crew boss; Angelo LaPietra extorted two million dollars from him. Nick Calabrese also testified that he was the person who made the actual threats. Victor Cacciatore was a prominent Chicago businessman, lawyer, and banker who died in 2014. He was also a victim of extortion by the Chicago Outfit, a notorious organized crime syndicate that dominated the city for decades. He told how he kept getting threats from two men asking for money, and later, he found dead rats in his car and other similar threatening behavior. Cacciatore visited Angelo LaPietra, the boss of the Chinatown crew, and asked for help. He didn’t realize that this man, the feared Angelo LaPietra, was behind these threats. This Family Secrets trial was a landmark federal prosecution that exposed the inner workings and crimes of the Outfit. Victor Cacciatore was not a member of the Chicago mafia but rather a successful entrepreneur who faced threats and violence from them. He was also a philanthropist who supported various causes and institutions in the Italian. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript GARY JENKINS 00:00 Well welcome all you Wiretappers here in Kansas City and my studio Gangland Wire. It’s a very stormy day. We had a hell of a storm last night. I had to go out in the balcony and pick everything up this morning blew plants over. It was crazy last night here in the middle of a Midwestern summer. But speaking of the Midwest, I have as you can see, on your screen, I have James Cosenza of the Chicago mob trials YouTube page. So I’m saying that slow so you can write that down. James Cosenza COSENZA. And it’s the Chicago mob trials YouTube page. Welcome, Jim. I really am happy to have you back on here. Pleasure to be here. Gary. Good to see you. Tell the guys a little bit about your YouTube page. What they’re gonna see on it. Okay, my, James Cosenza 00:50 my YouTube channel is Chicago mob trials by JCosenza. And basically, it’s an insight, a perspective from a court buffs view. Back in the 90s to the early 2000s. I attended 25 plus major federal trials downtown Chicago. So my little YouTube stories are basically an insight from what it was like being an observer at some of these large trials. So basically, I’m just talking about all the major federal trials that I went to in one thing I wanted to point out is all these trials are open to the public. Any one of us can go at any time. And I highly recommend if there is a trial in your area in your city, by all means go check it out. It’s pretty interesting. GARY JENKINS 01:45 Yeah, I wish I had done a bunch of ours back in the day, but I don’t know I just, you know, you just forget about it. You don’t think about it, and all of a sudden it’s gone. It’s here and it’s gone. I could have attended all those Skim trials. That would have been cool, but oh god, yeah, hindsight is 2020 as they say. So James has been on here before and we’ve talked about the family secrets trial and some of the Good Ship Lollipop trial, they Bobby Salerno, and some other trials and he goes into even more detail on his YouTube channel. So check that out guys. And like and subscribe to his channel too. We you know, one boat, and rising tide needs to help the other boat rise at the same time. And so we all help each other in bringing this mob history to you guys. So we are and that’s one thing I like about James is just straight history. You know, there’s no spin on it. There’s no you know, blaming this guy or blaming that guy. There’s just as this is what happened at the trial, just like you had been at the trial. So we’re going to talk about a kind of a side story from the samlat family secrets trial, which was really almost ended the Chicago outfit, wouldn’t you agree? I agree. Yep. They took down the Chinatown crew. And this Frank Calabrese. They call it the family secrets trial, which I think you may be mentioned or pointed this out to me because their two main witnesses were Nick Calabrese, Frank Calabrese Jr. Against their brother and dad. Frank Calabrese senior so the Family Secrets came rolling out that they and now Frank Calabrese Jr’s wife, Lisa swan has a book out there too. I did an interview with her check that out you can get the book I think I called it Diary of a mob wife but it’s in there Lisa Swan Swa n so we’re gonna do James Cosenza 03:40 with that didn’t cam help her with that? Yeah, GARY JENKINS 03:42 Cam. My guy that’s done a bunch of shows with me, Camillius Robinson and then some a bunch of Chicago stuff. He co wrote that whether he’s the writer I mean, she she’s a good gal. And I remember interviewing her She’s really nice. But she’s not the writer but cam as a writer he can write so he’s, he wrote co wrote that weather. Look forward to that. So let’s talk about this side story to the family secrets trial, which was the extortion of a guy named Victor Cacchitore. Tell us how that went down. James Cosenza 04:14 Okay, well at the legendary Family secrets trial. There was close to 200 Witnesses in one witness that took the stand I’ll never forget. He was not only a witness, but he was also a victim of an extortion plot. This gentleman’s name was Victor catch a Tory. He’s probably in his late 70s, early 80s. He was very well dressed. An older gentleman. He had a nice tan. And you could just tell by his aura, he was a wealthy man, just by the way he carried himself. So Victor, Victor Cachitore got on the stand. And he basically told the story, how we use it, how he was part of an extortion Scam. By the Chinatown crew or the 26th Street crew, Victor Cacciatore he told the story how he came to this country. Like a lot of immigrants. He couldn’t even speak English yet maybe 50 cents to his name. But Victor Cacciatore, he went to school, he studied any work. He eventually bought his first building in Chicago. And then from there, became a very successful realtor in Chicago. If you’re on 290 expressway going into the Chicago Loop, right before you get to State Street, you’ll see his building at night it’s lit up in bright neon letters Cachitore Real Estate. Most people in Chicago we’ve heard of Victor Cacciatore, because we’ve seen his buildings and his his signs all over. So Victor Cacciatore, he eventually became very successful in the real estate business here in Chicago. And at the time he lived in Bridgeport. Bridgeport is an old Italian patch, very prominent neighborhood near White Sox Park, just south of downtown Chicago. A lot of the Chicago outfit guys grew up there. Also, Mayor Daley and his son are born and raised in Bridgeport, as well as many Chicago policemen, judges politician. So it’s a very popular, very powerful neighborhood. GARY JENKINS 06:31 I bet they didn’t have any problem get the snow removed in the wintertime but that neighborhood a James Cosenza 06:39 lot of perks enough favors living in that neighborhood. Now GARY JENKINS 06:42 luckily, James Cosenza 06:44 Victor Cacchitore was just one man that lived in the neighborhood. Also, the boss of the Chinatown crew or the 26th street crew. Angela LaPietra lived in they may lived in that neighborhood as well. Now, I’m going to talk about Victor Cacchitore’s testimony, as well as Nick Calabrese testimony. Nick Calabrese testify that Angelo LaPietra, his boss boss and a 26 tree crew. He hated he despised Victor Cacciatore when Mitch Mars asked Nick why he said he didn’t know he guessed that Angela LaPietra is probably jealous of Victor Cacciatore. Victor Cacciatore testifyed he was in his office working. Two men came to see him. They showed up unannounced. Victor Cacciatore testified that he thought there were salesmen. So he told the Secretary to send them away. She sent them away a couple of weeks later, the same two guys Nick Calabrese and his partner in crime Ronnie Jarrett, and associated with the 26 tree crew. They went back to Victor Cacciatore’s office this time they actually were able to sit down with them. And they basically sat him down in demanded a I don’t remember the dollar amount, but it was like two $300,000 they wanted a large amount of money from him. Or, to put it bluntly, he was going to have some problems. Now Victor Cacciatore was an honest businessman. He had nothing to do with the Chicago outfit. He made his fortune legally in real estate. So Victor Cacciatore , after these guys left, he testified he didn’t really do anything he he didn’t really know what to do. So fast forward a few weeks. Nick Calabrese, one of the main witnesses at the family secrets trial. He testified to participate in in 14 murders. He testified that one day he took some dead rats, some dead mice and made these little nooses and he tied tied the rope nooses around the dead rats and dead mice and hung them from Victor Cacciatore’s car antenna.

The Life and Crimes of Jimmy Chagra Part 4 Sep 04, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this second episode of the six-part series documenting the life and crimes of the marijuana smuggler kingpin Jimmy Chagra, Gary tells tells about the life and death of Lee Chagra, Jimmy Chagra’s brother and lawyer. But first we learn about the attempted murder of the Chagras’ nemesis, Assistant U.S. Attorney James Kerr and shortly after someone murders Lee Chagra. Hey Wiretappers, welcome to the ongoing series on the shenanigans of the El Paso drug smuggler Jimmy Chagra. By now as a little recap, Jimmy Chagra was born to Lebanese immigrants in El Paso Texas. He started his life working at his parent carpet store. Kind of a cliché, a Lebanese rug merchant. His two brothers, Lee and Joe Chagra become well respected and almost famous drug lawyers. As best as I can tell, neither of them became involved in the drug smuggling ventures of Jimmy. But Lee was a flamboyant degenerate gambler, and he ran though a lot of dirty money from other smugglers. Lee’s main nemesis was a Texas Assistant U.S. Attorney or AUSA named James Kerr. The Judge he practiced in front of was John “Maximum John” Wood. Jimmy has earned millions from his ventures smuggling high grade Colombian marijuana up the Atlantic Coast to New England where they off-loaded into a safe house and distributed it throughout the United States. He had a bad year in 1977 where he lost two airplanes and a lot of dope. He threw in with another smuggler and made an enemy. Fellow smuggler Henry Wallace ended that year working with the DEA to make a case on Jimmy Chagra. The Federal law enforcements in the southwest circling around the Chagra enterprise. James Kerr had been a young Department of Justice attorney how had written the continuing criminal enterprise section of the 1970 Drug Control Act. The Department of Justice moved him to El Paso to prosecute these drug conspiracies and he found a friend in Judge William Wood. Some lawyers would even later say they thought the two were too friendly and often saw them socializing together away from work. They both hated drug dealers and were on a warpath to rid the country of this scourge. James Kerr learned that Lee had been charged in Tennessee for a conspiracy to distribute marijuana after he had defended a local smuggler. The Tennessee court quickly dismissed this charge after Lee asked for the production of evidence and got a hearing. The only evidence of Lee Chagra’s involvement was the unsubstantiated word of one defendant about a meeting at Chagra’s law office. Kerr was looking at the entire Chagra family as part of a conspiracy, so he traveled back to Tennessee to review this case. He was convinced that Lee Chagra was the actual brains behind his brother, Jimmy, Jack Stricklin who was involved in the Ardmore bust, and others. He pulled a little-known section from the 1970 Drug Control act that gave a road map how to prosecute a drug organization as a Continuing Criminal Enterprise with a special sentence for the person deemed as the Kingpin. That is what they used on my friend Steven St. John to get him 12 years. He was offered many chances to talk, and he refused. The US Attorney called a special grand jury to investigate this conspiracy and the Chagra’s knew that the government was declaring war on them. James Kerr would not finish what he started. On November 21, 1978 AUSA James Kerr was driving his one luxury he permitted himself, a Lincoln Continental. A series of gunshots ran out from a van causing him to dive down onto the floorboard. When he peered out, he could see nobody. Responding El Paso cops find his car had been riddled with .30 cal. bullets and buckshot but none of them struck Kerr. A AUSA like Kerr could have many enemies and the FBI and local cops asked informants and did an area canvass and came up empty, except for a possible suspect van. On December 28, just 37 days later, Lee Chagra answers the buzzer and allowed a young Black man into his office. He thought he knew this man had been referred by somebody and wanted to talk about a will. Flashback to October 1978, the Feds had charged a Chagra family friend with smuggling and in a separate case, they charged a man married to his sister, Patsy Chagra. They pressured the family friend to testify about the Chagras but he refused and took a 30 year hit. Lee Chagra defended his sister’s husband and got all charges but one count dismissed. Lee Chagra was in ongoing vicious legal battles in Judge Wood’s courtroom. He was getting paranoid because he was getting reports the feds were focused on him and his brother. He was gambling frantically to achieve some relief from all this pressure, and he was losing much more than he could afford. The reality was, James Kerr was wrong, and Lee was merely a well-paid lawyer for dope smugglers. He complained that he was being followed. Several casinos stopped his line of credit. Lee reported to friends that he thought someone was following him. The morning of December 28, 1978, a man had called and gave the secretary the name of David Long. Lee talked to the man, and something was said about him coming to the office. On this day Lee’s wife was at a Sun Bowl party and he said he needed to remain at work but would be home later. That morning, Lee was in good mood. He called several people and guys started dropping by and Lee would give them cash. His secretary said he kept a sack with as much as 300 400 thousand just to pay off gambling debts as people came in to collect. One of his drug dealer clients was newly out of jail and he picked up a thousand dollars. By the afternoon, The Black Striker was alone in his office when someone buzzed for entry. He assumed it was this David Long with a will problem. He was watching this Sun Bowl game on television in an apartment he maintained above his office when he buzzed the man up the stairs. When Lee Chagra looked down, saw a young lean muscular black man coming up the stairs. When the man arrived, he pulled a gun. Since the police did not find any signs of a struggle, I believe he probably shot him right away. Most of the file and desk drawers were pulled open. The usual bag of cash was missing. Lee Chagra’s funeral was attended by people from the entire social strata of southwest Texas. The Most Reverend Sidney Metzger, bishop emeritus of El Paso, came out of retirement to say mass. Texas State senator Tati Santiesteban, led the procession of pallbearers. The local district attorney, several district judges, and a former mayor attended. On the other end, Vegas gambler like Sailor Roberts and gambler Amarillo Slim were there. Of course, 12-15 convicted dope dealers. Jimmy Chagra showed up dressed in a white suit, wearing black cowboy boots and a black cowboy hat with Lee Chagra and Freedom on the brim. I believe he carried the black cane with a gold handle. He was the Black Striker and sent a message how important his brother was to him. Months later authorities solved this murder. The man who owned this office building had a neer do well brother named Lou Esper. Like everyone else in and around Lee Chagra’s office it was easy to know that he kept a lot of cash at the office. After the suspects were arrested, It was learned they were two soldiers from nearby Ft. Bliss. They implicated Lou Esper as the man who had planned the heist and supplied the weapons. The triggerman David Leon Wallace signed a confession. He also affirmed Lee Chagra’s paranoid fears that someone had been following him because he and his partner, Don White had done just that. The court sentenced David Wallace to death. Wallace later got his sentence commuted to life. His partner, Don White, is still doing 60 years. Lou Esper got fifteen years. None of the missing money was ever found. So now, the DEA, Customs, IRS and Us Attorney are all lined up to take out the Chagras. The AUSA responsible James Kerr has been ambushed and was lucky to escape with his life. A month later someone murders Lee Chagra. Jimmy Chagra is distraught. He suspects everybody and nobody. He is crazed that the feds have done this as revenge for the attempted murder of James Kerr. He blames Judge Wood because he sees Wood as the Kingpin of the law enforcement effort to take him down. It will be during this time; he will make comments about how he would like to see Wood killed. Remember this because it is key to my theory that Chagra did not pay the actual murderer of Judge Wood. During 1978 the government and James Kerr will hear grand jury testimony about Jimmy Chagra and his drug smuggling ring. Jimmy continued smuggling and gambling in las Vegas. He was so flamboyant that he demanded to be housed in the Sinatra suite until his multi million dollar las Vegas house is finished. In February 1979, the Feds arrest Jimmy Chagra and his case will end up in the court of Maximum John Wood. Next week We will discuss the murder of John Wood, the evidence, the eye witness, and the various suspects the FBI documented in the most expensive investigation since the JFK assassination. The FBI conducted more than 30,000 interviews related to the case and in total collected more than 500,000 pieces of information. The investigation cost more than $11 million This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here.

Carlos Lehder Cartel Kingpin Aug 30, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary interviews true crime author Ron Chepesiuk about an upcoming series on VIX TV he helped write. Ron is a well-known and prolific author and expert on the South American cocaine cartels. In this episode, we discuss Carlos Lehder. We learn that Lehder began his criminal career stealing cars and making small sales of marijuana. He met the famous cocaine smuggler (see Blow with Johnny Depp) George Jung in prison. In the film Blow, Carlos connected Jung with Pablo Escobar, and together these two men brought thousands and thousands of cocaine kilos into the United States. They were the first to use airplanes that flew directly from the Colombian jungles to Norman Key in the Bahamas. These men sent planes or boats to Florida from their own private island. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

The Life and Crimes of Jimmy Chagra Part 3 Aug 28, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. We last heard the inside story of the enormous Folly Cove marijuana smuggling operation. Gary continues this six-part series in Part 3 where he tells several harrowing stories of Chagra’s bold marijuana smuggling capers. In the Fall of 1976, we can see the beginning of the end for Jimmy Chagra. At that time, Jimmy made friends with two Las Vegas-based private pilots that often flew him to Vegas on gambling junkets. He recruited Jerry Wilson and Dick Joyce pilots to help fly in loads. Wilson will go on to invent and become fabulously wealthy from inventing the Soloflex. Chagra recruited these two pilots to fly Colombian weed from the Cayman Islands. They were both private pilots in Las Vegas, and Jimmy had used their air service when he flew back and forth between El Paso and Las Vegas on gambling junkets. By 1976, Jerry Wilson was flying a DC-4 and Dick Joyce a Cessna 310. The DEA had put trackers on other planes used by these men, but not the new DC-4 and Cessna. In December 1976, DEA and Customs had information Chagra was expecting shipments from Colombia, and they were probably going to a rural area around Ardmore, Oklahoma. This is a middle size town about halfway between Ok City and Dallas Ft. Worth. On December 30, 1976, Dick Joyce landed his Cessna 310 in New Orleans, told Customs he was coming in from the Cayman Islands, and headed to Ok City. Agents found no drugs on this plane. They alerted DEA and an army of DEA and Customs agents, and the Air Controllers went on the alert as Joyce took off. They tracked him as he headed north through Texas. At about the same time, other air traffic controllers had a request from a DC-4 for a place in Texas to refuel. A DC 4 is a huge plane with 4 propeller-driven engines. The pilot claimed he was carrying Radioactive waste. Th DC-4 landed, refueled, and took off again before anyone could get there. Next, Ft. Worth air controllers saw blips for two planes traveling parallel heading north. One was a DC-4, and the other was Dick Joyce in his Cessna 310. Customs and the DEA were all over this. Joyce and Wilson were using a known scam called the piggyback formation. A plane with a known destination would fly close to the plane carrying the contraband to appear as one plane. When they reached the destination, the aircraft with the narcotics drops down quickly while the other empty plane continued the planned route. It was New Year’s Eve, but the DEA assembled a large ground crew who drove to Ardmore, OK, and alerted the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations. This combined force blasted in the early morning hours toward Ardmore. The DC-4 lost one engine, and for unknown reasons, both planes landed at a small airport just south of Ardmore. This gave the agents the exact location. When they arrived, the cops stopped 4 U-Haul trucks and drivers with the marijuana. They caught the pilots and two others driving away from the scene in rental cars. The authorities arrested ten men and recovered 17,000 lbs of pot in 276 burlap bags. The searches on the U-Haul trucks were shaky, and they would have difficulty linking the pilots with the planes. They missed Jimmy Chagra at the scene. Jimmy’s brother, Lee Chagra, will coordinate the legal defense. Before the El Paso 10 trial, as they became known, another unfortunate event occurred in Colombia. The Colombians fronted the load lost at Ardmore, and Jimmy had to make good. The Colombian supplier was Lionel Gomez, who operated out of Santa Marta, Colombia. This small city on the northeast coast is one of the points nearest to the Caymans and other Caribbean Islands. Chagra sent one of the Ardmore defendants, Jerry Wilson, and another pilot down to get another load. This plane was overloaded, and they crashed on takeoff. Wilson was injured but not badly, while the co-pilot burned over 70% of his body and was taken to a local clinic. The Colombian authorities arrived quickly, but the load disappeared. They took Wilson and his injured buddy into custody. Jimmy was in Atlanta waiting for this load. His Colombian contacts alerted him back in the States. Jimmy Chagra flew into action. He phoned a private airline service owner in Las Vegas and chartered a plane. He knew the owner would help after he gave him a cover story that a former employee of the owner named Jerry Wilson had been badly burned in a car wreck in Colombia. He asked the owner to send his pilot to El Paso, pick up Jimmy’s passport, and then pick him up in Atlanta. Once they picked up Jimmy, he instructed the pilot to take him to Miami, where they were to pick up two paramedics with medicine to treat burns. Just an aside, when Wilson claimed he was quitting this charter service, he said he was going into business with Lee Chagra to promote his invention, the exercise machine. As I said last week, Jerry Wilson will go on to success with the Soloflex. The story changed when Jimmy and the two paramedics arrived in Santa Marta. Jimmy left them at the airport, and an ambulance showed up. The paramedics found a burned man inside, and they treated him the best they could and learned this was not Jerry Wilson. The fact was that Jerry Wilson had jumped out, but the other pilot was burned horribly. Jerry Wilson was in jail, and Jimmy had gone to the prison to bribe him out. The ambulance returned to a hospital, and Jimmy bribed the police to get him some painkillers. The Colombian authorities arrested Jimmy, the charter pilot, and the two paramedics. The Colombians notified the DEA, and they investigated but could not locate the crashed DC-6 together. The injured pilot died. The Colombians took everybody to Bogota, where they were interrogated in separate cells for a couple of weeks. Eventually, Jimmy bribed the right people, and after he paid them $10,000, they returned all of them to Santa Marta and Lionel Gomez. Jimmy frantically made promises to make up all the Ardmore Oklahoma loss, and this loss was because once he took custody of the fronted dope, he became responsible. The owner of the air charter service paid a $150,000 bribe to get his pilot, and the two paramedics returned. The original plan was to disguise Jerry Wilson as the burned pilot and bring him back. Jimmy knew that the owner of this air charter service knew and liked Wilson, so he would be likely to help. Ultimately, Jimmy Chagra, Jerry Wilson, the two paramedics, and the charter pilot flew back commercially. The Colombian government kept the air service plane for two years. Jerry Wilson appreciated the fact that Jimmy flew into action and came to the rescue, even at his own peril. But he will later say after he left this life, “Jimmy always paid himself first.” Degenerate gamblers like the Chagra brothers require a steady supply of cash. Frank Sinatra once said about Las Vegas, “LAS VEGAS IS THE ONLY PLACE I KNOW WHERE MONEY REALLY TALKS, IT SAYS ‘GOODBYE.” Jerry Wilson returned just in time to show up for his trial in Ardmore Oklahoma. He tried to keep the Colombian story on the down-low, but Jimmy was crowing to everybody he knew about this adventure. The Black Striker as Lee Chagra was known came to the rescue of the El Paso 10 in Ardmore. He dazzled and danced around the local prosecutors easily because the evidence was slim. He blew into this small town wearing his Texas-sized cowboy hat with the words FREEDOM and LEE CHAGRA embossed in gold on the brim. He wore thousand-dollar boots, a white suit, and carried a gold cane. When one of the agents testified they found marijuana seeds and stems inside and under the airplane, he asked why this evidence had not been photographed, collected, tested, and placed into evidence. The agent could only shrug his shoulders because they had not found this evidence. The cops testified that before they arrived onto the airport property, they observed men off-loading something into the U-Haul trucks that they caught later in the vicinity filled with sacks of pot. Lee Chagra forced them to admit there was a hill on the approaching road that prevented anybody driving in to see the tarmac until they were very close. Each time Chagra discredited a government witness, he winked at the jury and they seemed to enjoy his show. By the time the jury retired, they were so conflicted that they argued for two days and reported back they were deadlocked. The judge declared a mistrial. Two months later the prosecution made many of the same mistakes and a few more. The next jury contained a hippy who smoked pot, a mother whose daughter had been prosecuted for possession of a small amount of pot, and a man with strong anti-government sentiments. This jury acquitted all defendants. Jimmy Chagra and his brother Lee were spending money like there was no tomorrow. For Jimmy, he was still smuggling big loads via freighter like the one in the Folly Cove Story. Lee was not doing as well because he was spending more than he could earn as a lawyer. The new prosecutor James Kerr was teaming up with the Hanging Judge John Wood to put pressure on the El Paso drug smugglers. The government started using the new Drug Kingpin laws to expose the defendants to long sentences like 25 years up to life. Judge John Wood was happy to give out those sentences after conviction. The DEA was squeezing folks with the threat of these sentences. They were turning to look at Jimmy Chagra and his brothers Lee and Joe (both drug lawyers). In the summer of 1977, Wallace, aka The Fat Man, and Jimmy do deals, and Jimmy gets over on him. Wallace brings down Jimmy. Jimmy Chagra was forced to become a glorified mule in a smuggling operation headed by Southwest dope czar Henry Wallace. He had scored big from the Folly Cove boatload of Colombian weed, but he proceeded to blow everything and then some in Las Vegas. He had lost the big shipment in Ardmore Ok and then lost the load in Santa Marta,

Working with DEA Agents Bonus epsiode Aug 22, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this short bonus episode, Gary tells about his experiences working with the agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Listen to the end and hear a short trailer from a new podcast series titled Betrayal on the Bayou. Gary encourages you to check this new series out and listen by clicking here in BETRAYAL ON THE BAYOU. Support the Podcast Venmo @ganglandwire Donate at Gangland Wire

The Life and Crimes of Jimmy Chagra Part 2 Aug 21, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this second episode of the six-part series documenting the life and crimes of the marijuana smuggler kingpin Jimmy Chagra, Gary interviews one of Chagra’s low-level smugglers. Kermit Schweidel tells about the famous Folly Cove operation. In this famous operation, Jimmy Chagra partners with two other El Paso smugglers, and they orchestrate an entire sea-gong freighter load of Colombian marijuana. After an adventurous trip up the Atlantic Coast, they arrive off the Massachuttas coast at Folly Cove. Here Kermit Schweidel and others off-load the post and distribute it to hiding spots throughout the United States. Click here to buy Folly Cove: A Smuggler’s True Tale of the Pot Rebellion written by my guest Kermit Schweidel. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, Kim Schwiedel Kim Schwiedel 00:00 Well, of course everybody started out using it, smoking it and liking it. The whole trick was, hey, I can I can buy half a pound or a pound or a kilo. I can break this down and sell it to my friends and then I can smoke for free. That’s probably how 90% of the people that were in it started. Just wanted some good good old free pot, our geographic location on the border being what it was. It was very tempting to take that pound and turn it into five pounds or 10 pounds and the border was wide open. GARY JENKINS 00:38 Welcome while you Wiretappers out there. Back here in the studio Gangland Wire. I have a most interesting show today. Kim Schweidel I pronounced that right Kim? Yes, sir. Well, thanks a lot Kim. You know, guys, I’ve started down a path. You know, I like to do stories and take deep dives on the things and into the eggs that I started looking at this whole you know, the killing of Judge woods and by Woody Harrelson, his dad, Charles Harrelson and the Jimmy Chagra thing. And so I started looking at this guy named Jimmy Chagra and he was as he was Lebanese heritage out of El Paso, and he was supposedly this huge drug smuggler, and then I find out he has this whole life up in Las Vegas. And he’s, he’s spending millions and millions of dollars gambling in Las Vegas, I thought this is a heck of a story. And I got into it. I was noodling around on the internet and, and he’s supposedly Jimmy and his brother Lee had something to do with it may we’ll find out today. They made some huge score, bringing really a high quality Colombian pot from Colombia and a freighter of some kind, semi big ship, one of the early examples of this kind of smuggling in the narcotics business, clear up to Boston. And then the mothership has the little baby ships that bring it on to the shore, and they hide it up in Boston and then go from there. That was it was a big deal. And I found Kim here who wrote a book on that was part of that. So Kim, welcome. I really appreciate you coming on the show. Well, thank Kim Schwiedel 02:19 you, Gary. It’s nice to be here. GARY JENKINS 02:21 So can you tell us the name of your book and show that show that to us? Kim Schwiedel 02:25 That’s the book Folly Cove A Smuggler’s Tale of the Pot Rebellion. And it really it really kind of takes place in the in the years from, from about 1970 to 1970s, early, early 70s, late 60s to about 1975, which was when the deal you’re talking about the Boston deal really happened. And the Chagras play a pretty important role in the book, I would say not as important a role as the DEA felt like they they play. Interestingly, when I made this point in the book when it comes to Lee, you know, Jack Strickland, Mike Halladay they were really the the kind of the ringleaders here and they got this whole thing going and Lee was their attorney, the DEA didn’t like Jack or Mike they just weren’t sexy enough for them to be considered. Kingpin. So the DEA set their sights on Lee as the kingpin as the as the guy that was really pulling all the strings of man behind the curtain. But Lee was an attorney. He was a drug lawyer. He was not. There was no reason he was making so much money as a drug lawyer. There was no reason for him to dirty his hands, you know, in the day to day nuts and bolts of the business and he was not he was not that guy. Although they spent years and years and millions of dollars trying to prove it. Yeah, they never did. They never could. And, and Lee, no doubt he crossed the line or two, but he was he was strictly a lawyer. GARY JENKINS 04:08 Interesting. Now. Let’s let’s start back. How did you get into this business? I’ve read some other accounts of people and it was like out of the the 60s as marijuana became more prevalent in the United States or became more demand for it. They started out with mainly Mexican marijuana because you know, what we had, at least in Missouri is what they call ditch weed. And it really didn’t have enough THC to get anybody high but you know, it’s people who spent time in Missouri State Penitentiary for that ditch weed and never had gotten really high other than the beer they were drinking or why they were drinking along with it. But but these guys down on the border they had these connections into get that really good Mexican pot at the start of this and as that started coming up north and they finally they brought seeds up to northern California they but But But initially the good part came from Mexico and, and so this is the early days when everybody was, you know, a hippie and having fun. It was peace, love the Summer of Love in San Francisco. So tell us a little bit about that time in your life and you must have been part of that the hippie generation that got into this. Kim Schwiedel 05:22 Well, of course, everybody started out using smoking it and liking it. And and the whole trick was, okay, I can I can buy half a pound or a pound or a kilo. I can break this down and sell it to my friends. And then I can and then I can smoke for free. Essentially, that’s probably how 90% of the people that were in it started. Just wanted some good good old free pot, our geographic location on the border of being what it was, it was it was, it was very tempting to you know, take that pound and turn it into five pounds or 10 pounds. And the border was wide open. You know, you could drive a truck across the border and for hundreds of miles, there’s places where you can drive a truck across the border. So that’s kind of how it started. The interesting thing Mike Halladay Mike and Jack are partners. And Mike Halladay is the guy that really kind of plumbed the border, because he he in with the grandson of La Nacha. La Nacha was a grandmother literally ran the entire northern Mexican drug trade. Yes, her stock and trade was opium heroin. She ran things. She lived in a forest she lived in the barrio in Juarez, while her grandson Hector became friends with Mike Hector controlled the growing fields in Sinaloa. Now law now says she didn’t really like the pot trade because big is bulky, it’s hard to deal with. She didn’t think there was that much in it, all of a sudden, she noticed her grandson was, you know, racking up millions of dollars. And so that so that changed things. But it was the it was the connection, Mike’s connection to Hector, that really, that really got things going turn turned it from buying a pound or two couple of 100 pounds and a truck coming across the border, then the DEA decided that that they would put checkpoints within 100 miles of every border. So once you got it across and you’re going to move it you had to move it through a DEA checkpoint, and that was no good. So then airplanes came in, and we started landing airplanes on highways in New Mexico outside the 100 mile limit. And, you know, you could get 12 1500 pounds on an aeroplane or mount probably more like eight or 900 pounds on an aeroplane. And that went on and was quite successful for a long time. And it wasn’t until the Mexican growers down there they would, they would yank it out of the ground and replant yank it out of the ground. They didn’t do anything to enrich their soil. They didn’t do anything to make the crops better. And pretty soon that feels just got played out. And that’s when we went to Colombia as people want to Colombia and after that, and so that’s when Jack really and Jimmy Chagra to an extent made that Colombian deal happen. GARY JENKINS 08:30 So what was your part in this game? How did you get how did you get into this? I mean, you just guy just doesn’t get out of high school and go take an undergrad course in pot smuggling that guy. Kim Schwiedel 08:43 Yeah, I grew up I grew up around I grew up friends with Jack I knew what Jack was doing. And I was working in was I was working. Yeah, I was working in advertising at the time. And my agency merged with another agency. And they had a copywriter and and so I was I was unfortunately let go. And you know, I didn’t I needed a job. Jack said to me, I got some big cooking. This was right before the Columbian deal. He said I got some big cooking Come on. Like I said, we were friends. I knew Mike very well. All the guys that were involved were friends. So I said okay, I got involved with Jack and did a couple of airplane deals.

The Dallas Mafia Family – Bonus Episode Aug 16, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary gives an overview of the La Cosa Nostra in Dallas, Texas. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript GARY JENKINS 00:00 Well welcome all you Wiretappers out there back here in studio Gangland Wire. As you can see, I don’t know why I say that each time. I’m going to look at the Dallas family now. Dallas. It was part of the Midwest families of those Dallas was they weren’t really connected to Kansas City or Chicago. They were more connected if anybody to Carlos Marcello down in New Orleans, you know southern people. There’s a little bit of action down in Houston and a regular family in Dallas, the first man who be like The Godfather, shall we say the first one from Sicily was a Carlo Paraino to Carlo Paranio came to the United States from Sicily in 1901, with his brother Joseph who will work with him and become his underboss. As he formed a family. They first settled in Shreveport, Louisiana, which is real close to Dallas. I don’t know if you know how close that is, but it’s real close. He began the Dallas faction in 1921, with Joseph as his underboss he will be described as mob historians look back as the original head of the mafia in Texas. Carlo Piraino was born in Corleone, Sicily in 1876. At the same hometown as one of the early New York bosses Giuseppe Morello. He married Carlo Pariano married an 18 year old Italian girl in 1903. They had a son, Angelo and 1904. By the time Carlo and his brother Joseph moved to Dallas. It was probably 1905 Six after Angela was born. The April 1910 census says that the family lived temporarily at 7744 Main Street in Dallas. That household had Carlo and Clemencia, which would be the young 18 year old girl from Sicily that he married his son Angelo, and his brother Joseph Piraino, when his bride Lina Carlo ran a real estate business out of his house and Joseph worked as a grocery salesman, supposedly, Joseph wouldn’t really settled in Texas, he moved back to Louisiana for a while. And then by 1914 or 15, he and his family came back to Dallas. Prohibition takes off and of course, they start getting into that and bootlegging and running speakeasies and, and organizing all that all the way up to the Midwest, everybody did throughout the whole United States. You know, that’s the mother’s milk for the mafia throughout the whole United States. So the National Crime Syndicate as we began to know what to buy the 80s and 90s was formed out of prohibition, Carlo dies of natural causes in 1930. And Joseph takes over the family and becomes a boss. He owned a lot of bars and gambling operations, of course, and some labor rackets in construction business and which has begun in Dallas over the years has underboss was Joseph Civello. Joseph Civello was born in 1902. And he was a native born he was born in West West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. And Baton Rouge is even closer to New Orleans and really almost part of New Orleans. So definitely connections back to the New Orleans family. His father was a farm laborer and came to the United States around 1900 and had a whole bunch of brothers and sisters and Joseph Civello. His father, turnips Abello, took the whole family from West Baton Rouge in 1923 to Dallas, Texas, and they opened a grocery store and Joseph Sebadoh Mary’s in 1929, he married a woman named Mary and moved into a relative’s house in Dallas at 90 No to Moser Avenue, not even Dallas people know where that is. Go by there and see what that that’s still there even. He worked in his father’s grocery store. Joseph Civello moved on up and he is really the the underboss by this point in time is convicted of probation violations in 1926. There’s a little time in jail, other liquor charges during Prohibition, as I said, the whole Dallas family. The Piraino family was involved with prohibition one time he was part of a series of raids that got 22 bootleggers around the city. Now see in the south and Dallas. They’re gonna be a little crackdown a little more on bootleggers and make a lot more rest than they would in Chicago or Kansas City’s further north yet. Joseph Civello was arrested one time with a man named Joe DeCarlo, who was really important bootlegger in Dallas area and he had been refusing to sin tribute payments to Carlo Piraino to the Piraino family. And Joseph Civello was the guy who was supposed to administer the mob the mafia discipline or he’s gonna go out and crack the whip and collect the money just a couple of days after Joseph Civello and Joe DeCarlo were arrested together. They were meeting inside a drugstore at the intersection of St. Paul and Bryan Street. It was called The St. Paul drugstore Civello just had to be carrying a loaded sawed off shotgun at the time and men were standing close to each other in the shotgun went off. I mean, it just happened to go off DeCarlo the man who was refusing to pay tribute was shot in the stomach. Sibella just stayed there to seen cops arrive and he says, Hey, he said I had this gun but it just went off by accident and DeCarlo in a dine statement confirms the story. Yeah, that shot gun went off by accident. He wasn’t trying to hurt me. So Bella was arrested and charged with murder. He went to trial actually went to a grand jury and gave his statement and they got the Carlos dyne statement and the Grand Jury released him and, and ended up not returning to true bill or indicting Joseph Civello Sibella will assume control after Toronto’s die off in 1956. Joseph Sibella to let you know that this was a real family and part of the National Crime Syndicate. He was at the Appalachian meeting in 1957. And that was the time when law enforcement people would say he controlled any narcotics activity, all gambling, any prostitution, and a lot of nightclubs and most of all of Texas. After the Appalachian meeting, the FBI started keeping a closer look at Sivan cervello 1960 Joseph Civello was indicted for conspiracy and perjury offenses. A was sentenced along with 19 other mob leaders that were at the Appalachian convention to five years in the penitentiary. US Court of Appeals as we all know now returned those convictions of the minute Apple ache and pain because they hadn’t really proven that there was a conspiracy that was designed to accomplish some unlawful act on this conspiracy. Just because they’re meeting together. You can’t have a storyteller say why they were meeting together and what this conspiracy was going to be and then an overt act to in furtherance of that conspiracy. You’re not gonna get a conviction. Joseph Civello dies in 1970. Again, he’s he’s like the recognize mafia boss of Texas. He was succeeded by probably a guy named Campisi. There was another guy, Joseph little Joey Unani, who was made was in the organization. Then there was Joseph Campisi. Unani was a naturalized immigrant from Calabria, Italy, and supposedly a relative a New York mobster named Rocco Pellegrino, if he was a boss, he wasn’t a boss very long because he died of heart attack three years after cervello did. Joseph Campese a was a successful businessman and a Dallas native Campisi it always denied he had any rule in organized crime completely a tangle of law enforcement over the years and the FBI good didn’t really find any really solid evidence and and actually what they’ll decide and officially published is that after Joseph Civello died, the Dallas family just died clear out Campisi I believe he had a restaurant all up into modern times and Italian restaurant was a successful restaurant tour. So that’s kind of quick down and dirty review of the Texas and Dallas crime families everybody would say over the years that they were really closely connected to Carlos Marcello was probably Billy they were but since the boss was at Apple Lakin is like next. Avella was at Apple Lake and Nick’s Abella from Kansas City leads me to believe in my opinion he was his own discrete family and there was a family that just died out after he died. Don’t forget I liked ride motorcycles and watch out for motorcycles are out there and your car if you have a problem with PTSD or you have a friend or relative does go to the VA website and get that hotline number and like and subscribe. Give me a review. I don’t like asking for that stuff. Anyhow, you know what I mean? Thanks a lot guys. I really appreciate all your guys support your comments on YouTube your your reviews, your buy me a cup of coffee, all that stuff. You know it all goes to make this thing go thanks a lot.

The Life and Crimes of Jimmy Chagra Part 1 Aug 14, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary Starts a six-part series documenting the life and crimes of the marijuana smuggler kingpin Jimmy Chagra. In this first episode, Gary starts a story that will eventually end with the 1979 murder of Texas Western District Court of Texas Judge John Wood, aka Maximum John. This investigation became the FBI’s most expensive operation since the JFK assassination. The Bureau collected 500,000 pieces of information, conducted 30,000 interviews, and had hundreds of hours of recorded conversations. In the end, the government convicted Woody Harrelson’s father, Charles Harrelson, of being the trigger puller, Harrelson’s wife for obtaining the murder weapon, a lawyer named Joe Chagra for conspiracy, and Elizabeth Chagra, the wife of marijuana smuggler Jimmy Chagra for delivering the payment to the wife of the hitman, Harrelson. The government charged the mastermind behind this plot, a marijuana smuggler named Jimmy Chagra. Jimmy Chagra hired famous Las Vegas mob lawyer Oscar Goodman, and in Goodman’s biggest win ever, the jury found him not guilty. Folks, get ready for a ride because I am taking you down many twists and turns through the seamy underbelly of the southwest Texas underworld. To give you an idea of where we are going, let’s start back to the 1960s. The 1960s counterculture demanded Marijuana, and the descendant of a Lebanese Immigrant started smuggling marijuana and made millions. His brothers, Joe and Lee Chagra went to law school and practiced criminal law in El Paso. Lee Chagra became the go-to lawyer for drug smugglers along the border. Richard Nixon started the war on drugs. An attorney named James Kerr went from private practice into the U.S. attorney’s office, and he is assigned to a court overseen by a hanging judge named John Wood, aka Maximum John, because of the draconian sentence he hands down. Jimmy Chagra is bubbling to the top of the DEA hit list because of his larger-than-life persona and gambling habits in Las Vegas. A tip to all you big-time criminals, keep a low profile. This story contains the attempted murder of AUSA James Kerr outside his home, the murder of Lee Chagra shortly after, the arrest of Jimmy Chagra, and the murder of Judge John Wood. The investigation of these events was the most extensive and expensive FBI investigation since the JFK case in 1963. They will conduct over 30,000 interviews, gather 5000,000 pieces of information, and record hundreds of hours on hidden microphones and wiretaps. I will start with El Paso because that city is just as much a character in this story as the individuals. El Paso has long had the reputation as a wild west kind of town. El Paso earned this reputation over its long checkered history. It is an old town, and the Spanish built a mission here in 1659. El Paso del Rio Grande del Norte, or the Pass of the Great River of the North, became an important trading center on the south bank and will be renamed Ciudad Juarez. After Sam Houston and other settlers fought off Mexican troops, they formed the nation of Texas. Missouri merchants split off from the Sana Fe trail to carry trade goods to Juarez and south to Chihuahua City. Smugglers, bounty hunters for Comanche and Apache scalps, gamblers, and adventurers found a home in El Paso. Of all the old west cities, only El Paso maintains the reputation of being a wild city in modern times. At one time, the Director of U.S. Customs said that if he stopped all smuggling through El Paso, the economy of both sides of the border would collapse. DEA made El Paso the center of all their nationwide intelligence gathering about the international narcotics smuggling trade. The 1970s Drug scene During the 1970s, under President Richard Nixon, the United States started the never-ending war on drugs and promoted draconian laws to deal with drug organizations called Kingpin laws. He created a new agency called Drug Abuse Law Enforcement or DALE. Later administrations renamed it the DEA. These were some of the first federal organizations to form task forces with local police. In the Kansas City Police Department, several undercover cops were assigned to DALE, and the stories that filtered back were crazy. These guys were getting into shootouts, fraternizing with informants, spending government money like there was no tomorrow, and operating with little adult supervision. But they were effective. I remember making a call at a well-known heroin dealer, user, booster, and professional criminal’s house. The dispatcher called and asked me to meet the DALE agents, and upon arrival, I saw a couple of guys in an early 70s Chevrolet Nova. They had the dealer, Frank Clayton, handcuffed in the back seat. One yelled out to watch the house because they would seize it as they drove off. I remember Frank Clayton had a petrified look on his face. They never came back, and after a while, I just left and went back to making calls. The last I remember, the Claytons still lived in that house. The man at the center of this story was Jimmy Chagra. Jamiel or Jimmy Chagra was born and raised in this wild west city of El Paso. His grandparents and many others from Lebanon and Syria immigrated to Mexico around 1900. Chagra’s grandfather, Joseph, joined Pancho Villa in the border area around Juarez and El Paso. Mexican Federales arrested him and his wife, Marian, bribed the prison guards, escaped, and fled north of the border. A little-known fact is the original name was “Busha’ada.” Jimmy’s grandfather worked odd jobs and was even a Sheriff’s deputy in El Paso. He started a successful produce stand across the street from the courthouse. December 7, 1944, Josephine and Abdou Chagra had three sons, and Lee Chagra was the eldest, then Jamil Jimmy Chagra, and finally, Joe Chagra was the little brother. Abdou Chagra was a Lebanese rug merchant family. Jimmy became a drug smuggler, and his brothers became attorneys for drug smugglers. As a young man Jimmy went into the family carpet business. Jimmy Chagra was not a nice guy, or no es muy simpatico, as we might say in Spanish. His parents invested a lot of money in a carpet store for him to run, and his inattention drove it into bankruptcy. The Chagra store’s motto was, “A floor without a rug is like a kiss without a hug.” He married then dumped his wife and kids without explanation. He was verbally abusive, a sick gambler, a complainer, and often pouted when he did not get his way in family situations. But he could be charming, and they always forgave him. Jimmy started running a floating blackjack game and was making trips to Vegas. The family began hearing rumors of drug smuggling, and Jimmy Chagra started spending enormous amounts of money on gold jewelry, Lincoln Continental cars, and private jet trips to Vegas. All without any actual job. These events put drug smuggler Jimmy Chagra and Federal Judge Maximum John Wood on a collision course. Let’s take a look at how Jimmy Chagra got started. In the 1960s, Jimmy got a phone call that would change everything. It was from his buddy Pete Krutschewski. Pete had served two tours in Vietnam and flown Cobra helicopters. These guys were the Maverick-type pilots of the Vietnam War. The army awarded Pete the most awards for the bravery of any Cobra pilot. He couldn’t find a job when he returned to an ungrateful nation. Pete Krutschewski recruited Jimmy to go into the marijuana smuggling business. He theorized they could do well with Jimmy’s border connections and Pete’s flying skills. The Chagra brothers were successful criminal defense lawyers so they could help with connections. In 1969 marijuana smuggling from south of the border is a new business filling the demand for good pot. The Haight-Ashbury and Woodstock Generation was taking drugs, and Marijuana was the most popular drug. Folks that wanted Marijuana, pot, doobie, weed, or whatever they called it, discovered the higher quality grown in Mexico. Most people had been smoking ditch weed, which had little THC content, so most of the early marijuana highs were from the alcohol they consumed along with the pot. People used to come to the Midwest and harvest ditch weed because we had a lot of it growing along railroad roadways, fencerows, and many other places. Hemp was a cash crop in the Midwest during the 19th century. Locally they sold it, and any high was false. Outsiders wanted it to dilute the more expensive Mexican or Jamaican weed. Jimmy and Pete made a Mexican connection and rented a plane. They flew down and bought 700 pounds of grade-A weed. They delivered it to a group of trust-fund hippies in Aspen. They cleared $85,000 on the transaction. Jimmy Chagra would never look back. Over the next ten years, Jimmy and Pete and a band of renegades became probably the largest marijuana smugglers in the world. Their empire grew to a fleet of six planes and four freighter ships. They had the prime minister of the Bahamas, Lynden Pindling, on the payroll to allow their ships safe passage through the Bahamas. They also paid DEA officials and border cops to look the other way. Jimmy even cut a deal with Mafia crime boss Raymond Patriarca to allow his ships to unload their cargo along the Massachusetts coastline. For those that remember, Mexican Weed was out in the late 1970s and early 1980s and became a new ditch weed because Colombian weed started coming in, which had a much higher THC content. Jimmy Chagra stayed on top of his market like any good businessman and watched for trends. As the demand moved to Colombian weed, he traveled to Colombia. Jimmy Chagra made a good connection. Colombian Cocaine was starting to filter into the US during this time. As the American demand grew, the smuggling business became quite lucrative. Jimmy Chagra had a huge appetite for action, and when he wasn’t dealing with Colombian traffickers, he loved Las Vegas. In his book Dirty Dealing,

Tony Accardo Impersonates a Lawyer Aug 09, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. During the 1940s, an Outfit turncoat named Willie Bioff implicated all the Outfit’s higher echelon in an extortion scheme. They had infiltrated labor unions connected to the film business and started extorting money from Major Motion Picture Studios. After they went to prison, Anthony Accardo was left. Paul Ricca had a plan to run the Outfit through Accardo. Listen to hear that plan. This episode was brought to you by BetterHelp Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

Diary of a Chicago Mob Wife Aug 07, 2023

Retired intelligence detective Gary Jenkins interviews former Mob Wife, Lisa Calabrese Swan, about her life with Frank Calabrese Jr. and the Calabrese family. Lisa takes the listener from her first days meeting a young, exciting, handsome man named Frankie Calabrese. She did not know or even understand what his family was all about. She describes the gradual realizations she experienced as she saw Frank Calabrese Jr. becoming more involved in the Outfit life as he descended into an addiction to cocaine. She stuck by him like any good Outfit wife until she could not handle the stress. Losa Swan found life as a Mob Wife to be anything but glamorous and exciting. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Get the book by Lisa Swan by clicking on the title, Chicago Swan Song. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, Lisa Swan 00:00 My husband was dealing cocaine and using cocaine and I would find bags of cocaine in his closet in his drawers, and I was totally against drugs. And I would just dump everything in the toilet 1000s of dollars of cocaine in the toilet. And it was something that didn’t belong to him or he was selling for somebody else. And any time I looked, I found it. And I made sure I got rid of it. Yeah, I think was he was gone for a weekend, or he didn’t come home one night. So I packed all this stuff and put it on the front steps. And when his friend went to drop him off, he goes, is that a suitcase and Frank is like, yeah, keep going. 00:40 Welcome all you wiretappers, good to have you back here in the studio. And as you can see, if you’re on YouTube, I have two special guests. Now one of them. You guys all know cam Camillus Robinson and the other you may not know, but you may know something about her ex husband, Frank Calabrese Jr. And her name is Lisa Swan. And Lisa and my friend cam have partnered up to write a book about her life with a mob I believe it’s called and married with a mob what’s the name of it? Chicago Swan Song: a mob Wife’s Story. Been through a couple iterations of the title but but that one really sort of summed up Lisa’s story. Chicago Swan Song: A Mob Wire’s Story. Okay, great. Well, welcome. They said they really had anxious to get your story. Thanks, Gary. How did you guys first get together? Me and Cam are me and Frank, where are you? and Cam first? How did you? 01:35 So um, my ex husband and I are very, very close. We’re best friends. And he suggested that I do a do a interview with the guys. And I had a lot of fun. It was very cathartic to talk about stuff and throw in a little humor. And then I talked to Ken because he wanted to do another spot. And I said, Hey, can we can we write a book? Can we do something with it? Listen, go bigger. And he’s like, I was gonna ask you the same question. Cool. So the rest was history. And I did a lot of zoom calls from where I worked, because I work a lot. And we we plugged through and got it done. Good. The second question would be you and Frank Calabrese Jr. How did you guys get together? Do you guys go to high school together your high school sweetheart? Or will your older? No, we lived in the neighborhoods next to each other. So I was in Galewood, where all the city workers lived. He was in Elmwood Park and we all used to go to a place in Elmwood Park called Eric and Me. That’s where everybody met before. We all went out to the bars and the nightclubs. And that’s where I had seen him and I’m like, Oh, my God, he’s so cute. And, you know, I remember one of my friends sitting next to me, she’s like, forget about it. She goes, You don’t know that family and his father. And I’m like, Well, how bad could it be, you know, Famous last words. And, and so then one of my friends introduced me to him. Things didn’t really click. And then one night I was down town. She called him and said, Hey, why don’t you come down and meet us? And I didn’t know she was doing that. And then he walks in, and I’m like, What the hell is happening? And she goes, Oh, I gotta go now. So Frank can drive you home. And then from there, the rest is history. It just took off. So I guess since this is kind of a story of your marriage, but the outfit, the Chicago outfit, and the Calabrese name are almost synonymous. And now did you have any idea what that meant? The Chicago outfit when you first met? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Cuz I was surrounded by all of that. And when somebody would, you know, get killed, or something, my grandfather would say, Hey, let’s go walk down there, because all the news vans would be there and everything. And so I knew what a bookie was. I knew what a loan shark was. I knew that that was normal. That was normal in my neighborhood. When it came to Frank Sr. I just thought he was another loan shark. You know, I didn’t know to what level he was involved. Often. I think that’s an important distinction is you know, when you’re when you’re in the neighborhood when you’re surrounded by Italians, and in that little enclave, it’s like, you know, you know, Gary, I mean, the bookies on every corner. So I mean, if you’re dating the son of the local bookie, I mean, he’s, you know, it’s not that big a deal. You know, in the neighborhood. It was very normalized. Yeah. If you don’t know the full story, that a good word, at least it was normalized in your life, whereas in somebody else’s life, it was not normalized. Yeah. Your relationship progressed. You know, you got married. Did you have a big traditional Italian wedding? Did they bring all kinds of envelopes to you? Was it like The Godfather, and there were a lot of em Hello. I think there was a lot of envelopes I didn’t even see. I wanted a wedding in Wheaton at Donita house. I wanted it to be outdoors I wanted I didn’t want to traditional Italian wedding. But all of that just got messed up and it was getting too crazy. And then I headed at Al’s in Cicero. So I did have the Italian wedding, we cut down the list to I want to say cut it down to 300. Mind you, my family was at one table. Because I come from a very small family. 05:36 You guys were overwhelmed. 05:39 Yeah, so it was mostly you know, Frank’s family. Frank’s dad’s friends. And yeah, yeah, it was. It was pretty intriguing to say the least. I can imagine. I can only imagine. Yeah. Who’s Who of the outfit? Were probably there were the cops out front, right down license plates, the FBI. I mean, that was the most secure parking lot, probably ever. That’s when I figured I don’t have to worry about the car getting stolen. Everything’s cool. 06:10 What was he doing for a living at the time, but he had like a square John job that he went into every day. He worked for the city. I use that loosely. 06:20 Kind of a no show job for the city. Yeah, I mean, I know at one point, Frankie was really he was into his job. He showed up for his job. He used to like to play hockey on Sunday nights. He was very active. But his father just took over her. And it’s like, well, you need to do this for me. And this and that. And, you know, Frankie pretty much gave up on everything, except for doing what his father wanted is that? Yeah, I mean, they’re just and you know, I know a lot of people will say, Oh, well, couldn’t you just say no, no, you couldn’t do? His father was just everyone was under his thumb. And just you know, you couldn’t say no. 07:03 Did you guys know separate from the family or same neighborhood seemed like he had a big house with like a brother lived upstairs or something? Did they? Well, in the compound, they called it. I think it was on 74th Avenue. In Grand. Yeah. So that’s where when I first met Frankie, that’s where they were all living, but not senior. He was an Oak Brook. What’s Diane know, we live separately from them. And, you know, I tried to get further. 07:33 But it just doesn’t always work. When I followed mob guys around, it seemed like a lot of them. They got up late. And they left for work, so to speak. And it’d be sometimes noon, sometimes two or three in the afternoon. And then they’d be out till midnight one two o’clock in the morning was that was Frank did he had like a normal daytime business hours? Or did he do that? A lot. As far as I know, he did. I always worked. And I worked out at the merch. So I was there early. So after I left the house, and you know, there was no cell phones back then. So I really don’t. You know, I have no idea. I do know that when we first started dating, I usually didn’t see Frankie till about 10 at night, and I’m like, what, what are you doing? And he’s like, nothing, don’t worry about it. And then one night, I remember I didn’t hear from him. And I’m like, Oh, my God. And this is, you know, we were hot and heavy dating. And I said, Well, I’m just worried about you goes, well, if I dropped the pencil on my foot wrong, that that’s what’s wrong. So which meant that he was counting stuff for his father. I see. Yeah. And I was like, okay, and I was the kind that didn’t badger I didn’t ask. I didn’t want I didn’t want to know anything. He provided a good living then. There was okay. And he didn’t bring any the violence. Yeah, no, I didn’t know. When we first got married. I didn’t know that he partied.

David Berman – From Capone to Bugsy Seigel Jul 31, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. David Berman was a Jewish-American organized crime figure active in Sioux City, Iowa, the Twin Cities, and the Las Vegas Strip. He was a casino gambling pioneer in Las Vegas, a partner with mobster Bugsy Siegel at the Flamingo Hotel. Berman died in 1957 during surgery. Berman began his criminal career at 13 by running a crew of teenage thugs committing petty extortions and eventually a string of illegal distilleries. He then went on to supplement his earnings by also running his own armed robbing crew. Later after a time in the Twin Cities and serving in WW II, Berman moved his crew to the Las Vegas strip and operated there in concert with Genovese Family associates Bugsy Siegel, Dutch Goldberg, and Moe Sedway. According to journalists Ed Reid and Ovid Demaris, Berman was involved in the mob’s investigation into Siegel and the missing profits of the Flamingo Hotel and Casino. Both journalists further allege that Berman “had talked to Benny many times about it, warning him that if the matter was not settled soon, he was going to find himself minus a head.” Twenty minutes after the 1947 assassination of Bugsy Siegel in Beverly Hills, California, Gus Greenbaum, Moe Sedway, and David Berman walked into the lobby of the Flamingo and announced that they were in charge. This episode was brought to you by BetterHelp Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

Bad Henry with Ron Chepesiuk – Bonus Episode Jul 26, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you a little different show today. He interviews well-known true-crime author Ron Chepesiuk about his latest book. In Bad Henry, Ron strays from his usual topic of organized crime, drug cartels, and cocaine smuggling to the work of serial killers. Click here to find a copy of Bad Henry. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

Frank Costello – The Underworld’s Prime Minister Jul 24, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary interviews author Ronald Fried about his book on Frank Costello. Mr. Fried researched Costello and crafted a novel using actual situations and Costello’s exact language taken from newspapers, court proceedings, and transcripts from the famous Kefauver hearings. He tells how Frank Costello helped the Mafia transition from bootlegging during Prohibition into the 1930s and showed them how to transfer the organization into interstate gambling. Some of the stories he learned were how Costello ensured his slot machines had a step stool for kids to reach the coin slot. We learn how Costello was such a serious gambler that he would drink water and challenge other men to see who could urinate for the longest time. He won every time. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes, click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript GARY JENKINS 00:00 But welcome all you Wiretappers out there back here in the studio of gangland wire in the studio with me and Ron Fried. Right. Okay, Fried has written a book about the Prime Minister of the underworld. And he was an immensely important man in that transition from the old mustache Pete days on into the modern crime syndicate. He was kind of the, I’d say the brains behind Lucky Luciano, in my opinion. But anyhow, rod has written a book about the Prime Minister of the underworld. So rod, welcome. Ronald Fried 00:33 Thanks a lot. Thanks for having me. GARY JENKINS 00:35 So tell me, I know this is a novel, it’s a novelized form, but it’s based on facts. Right? How did you go about, you know, how do you go about doing that? Transport, translating facts into the novelization form? Ronald Fried 00:51 Well, one of the things that I noticed I worked on a TV show about the history of organized crime, about founding of the New York Mafia, what I noticed is that a lot of the mistakes historical errors or rumors or myths, or plain old nonsense, from One Book To the next book to the next book get repeated, repeated, repeated. So I thought it was really hard to get at the truth, for a number of reasons. One is that it’s not as though like the History Department at Harvard University of study, this is exactly what happened. The other the other problem is that all the people who were there when these events unfolded, were actually criminals, right? And one thing we know about criminals is they lie a lot, right? They do not tell the truth. And they make up stories, and they’re very self aggrandizing. When you’re dealing with the history of organized crime, particularly those sort of mythical days of the 20s 30s 40s, and 50s, is there’s a lot of exaggeration, a lot of lies, there’s a lot of nonsense people want to believe things that simply aren’t true. So I thought that a novel would be would be one way to try to get at the truth. However, I wanted it to be historically accurate. So what I did was, I wrote a novel in which everything that Frank Costello said is, on the record, he actually said, so what he said in court, what he said in interviews, and what he said in the keep over hearings, televised congressional hearings about organized crime in America. That’s all those are actually his words. He gave interviews, he held a press conference. If the guy loves to testify, love to talk about himself. So there was a considerable record. And then the things that he says in private to Meyer Lansky, to Joe Adonis to his wife, that was all invented, or his inner thoughts. You know, what he thought about Frank Costello what he thought about Thomas Dewey, these people who are prosecuting him, when he started, the congressmen and senators were confronting him on television that I made up, but I think that having studied Frank Costello quite a bit, you know, I hope that it’s somewhat accurate to its plot at the plausible version of what the Bible what made him angry, but he resented and what he was proud of. Now, the idea of a novel is that Frank is older. You’re and he’s looking back, and he’s trying to tell the truth. And, you know, you could ask, what does Frank Costello capable of telling the truth? I don’t know. Because, you know, he did at one point agree to, to write a bit more with Peter moss right. And they met and this is before Costello died, and they were ready to get going. But what Peter Maas said afterwards, is that Costello just wanted to talk about how legitimate he was. That was one of the things that Frank Costello he had his foot in two worlds, right. So Frank Costello, was both after Lucky Luciano was first imprisoned and deported. Frank Costello was the acting head. That was one hat that he wore, they wear another hat, which is that he was very politically powerful. He was in a sense, the head of Tammany Hall to the Democratic Party, should New York City politics means a lot so that he could he could veto the nomination of a judge. He could make sure that someone that he approved up became the boss of Tammany Hall. And when Frank Costello held a fundraiser trying to prove the legitimacy for the Salvation Army congressmen, senators, judges, they all had to come because Frank invited them and but at that same party, Vito Genovese was there. So there is two worlds coming together. And what’s interesting about Costello is that he had he had that fundraiser. So why don’t you have that fundraiser? Because he wanted to think of himself as legitimate isn’t legitimate citizen, right. But what happened it backfired on him as many of those efforts to be illegitimate did because once word leaked out that Frank Costello had thrown this fundraiser at the Copacabana, which he secretly controlled. The newspapers loved the story. So it was all over the tabloids and he was embarrassed and ultimately, the Salvation Army had to sort of backpedal and distancing themselves from Frank Costello. And that, that’s what interested me about Costello was his desire to to seem like a legitimate person that struck me as interesting sort of poignant, really was I was interested in in how that backfired on him and led him to make decisions, which, you know, objectively, were not good decisions. If you if what you want to do is the head of Genovese crime family is keep your head down, not be written about be ignored. stay under the radar, don’t put your finger in the eye of prosecutors who really want to put you in jail? That’s a long answer to one question. Yeah. GARY JENKINS 05:55 Well, that’s a good one. No, I had slains a lot about Brian Costello, and his public persona. He obviously was really public at the time. And, and, and the politics, how powerful he was politically, and why was that? You know, we hosted fundraisers for the Salvation Army and things like that. So he was, he was also he knew the power of the dollar. I imagine he was given a lot of money to New York, indigenous, Ronald Fried 06:21 one of the things I mean, what happened is, as, as I’m sure you know, right, without prohibition, no huge amount of organized, no mafia. Money, prohibition was really the legislation in a number of ways. For one thing, it corrupted all the police officers in big cities, right, because they didn’t want enforce these rules, right? It corrupted citizens, right, because it turned a citizen who just wanted to beer into a law break. Right. So it’s spread corruption. And one thing that Frank Costello did, he he was a corrupt, but he continued that tradition, by corrupting politicians and judges, and how did he do it? He did it with all the money that the mob had from prohibition. So they use that money to wait for his political influence. It wasn’t like a fundraiser today, they had either they had the threat of violence behind everything that they that they said did. And that really, you know, there’s a line in the novel that money is power. Greed is a powerful thing, which was fear. So they had both things working for them. Because Frank still didn’t have to even make an explicit threat. It was understood he was a GARY JENKINS 07:33 corruptor. And how he crafted people after Prohibition was over was with slot machines. Because, yeah, people like to gamble as well as drink. So now gwright still illegal. And so he really got into the slot machines and thought Business Big Time, which continued policemen don’t really like to object to any laws, because they like to gamble. And politicians don’t like to enforce and pass gambling laws, particularly because they like to gamble. But there are always a group of citizens out there that think that gambling should be illegal and should not be available. You know, it’s all over the place. Now. We’ve got guys that spent a lot of time for sports gambling. Now, every state practically as sports gambling legalized, as well as the casinos. As the as he got into that, then the boy he must have lost some political power because LaGuardia cracked down on the slots and drove me around. It’s really out of New York. So how did you lose the Ronald Fried 08:30 New Orleans? Yeah, right. So he had no slot machines and candy stores all over, you know, small stores, mom and pop stores all over all over the city. And they’re called one armed bandits.

NYPD: Stories from Vic Ferrari Jul 17, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary interviewed author and retired NYPD Detective Vic Ferrari. Gary and Vic exchange several stories from the streets. Vic starts with a brush with an NYPD Internal Affairs investigation that connects directly to the new podcast, The Set: The Story of the Dirty 30. Vic describes how his father worked as a butcher in a Mob-owned meat locker. Vic tells about other confrontations with the New York Mafia before becoming a cop. Click here to find Vic’s books.Click here to find Vic’s new podcast. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

From Luciano to Scarpa Jul 10, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary interviews fellow podcaster Adrien Martinez from Invest in Yourself and A Lifetime of Mafia Stories. Go to @investinyourself6878 to see his show. We show and discuss clips from his new Mafia history documentary. You will learn about mob figures like Lucky Luciano, Joe Bonanno, Vic Amuso and Greg Scarpa. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

The Crack Cocaine Wars – Bonus Jul 05, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary tells a few stories from his days as a soldier in Ronnie Reagen’s War on Crack Cocaine. He also plays a trailer from a new podcast titled The Set. The parent company of this new podcast helped Gangland Wire out by broadcasting free promos. In exchange, Gangland Wire is doing free promos for this new exciting documentary-style podcast titled The Set. This is the story of the NYPD officers assigned to the 30th Precinct in Harlem. I hope you will give it a try. Click here to go directly to this new show, The Set. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

The Black Mafia Jul 03, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary tells stories about the Black Mafia in Kansas City, from their early days when they dominated the Heroin market to the murder of a prominent Black politician, Leon Jordon, to the epic war between Sam Haley and Aaron Gant. Finally, he ends with a disturbing story about a drug house robbery. The primary connection between the La Cosa Nostra Mafia and the Black Mafia appeared to be between a fence named Jimmy Ciarelli and a black liquor store owner called Baby Face Norris and one of the suspects in the Leon Jordan murder named Jimmy Willis. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript GARY JENKINS 00:00 Hey, all you Wiretappers out there. Good to be back here in the studio Gangland Wire. I’ve got a story of the Black Mafia in Kansas City. Now, I’ve often been asked what connections did the Italian Mafia have with professional black criminals or African American criminals. And there was some. And it all revolves around drugs and politics. So let’s go back to some of the early days in the late 60s and early 70s. What we had in Kansas City there, the heroin racket, back in the day, blacks had heroin, and the Italians got the heroin and sold it to the blacks go all the way back to the French Connection days and Carmine Galante in New York. Now, by the late 60s, early 70s. Our local African American guys got a connection in Los Angeles to get heroin now it was seemed like it was peckerwoods out there. It wasn’t Italians. Anyhow, they got that but they were kicking up a little bit to the Italians, and they needed to coexist with the Italians at the time. And so it’s kind of started this ongoing relationship that neither party really ever acknowledged to anybody. But it started coming out in little bits and pieces. Because I guess we really go back to the old 18th and Vine, the Kansas City song Wilbert Harrison, Kansas City song about being a 12th. And bind goes way back. But 18th and Vine, by the late 50s and 60s, was the place and it’s all black clubs and jazz clubs and everything were there and there was a corner liquor store owned by a guy named Joe Centimano, Cokie Joe or Crazy Joe, they called him 01:45 and he was a connection with the blacks because he was in the black community. Now he was connected primarily because of politics. It was late 60s, there formed a black political organization named freedom Incorporated. And there were other black, political, smaller black political organizations. And Joe was the mom’s contact with those people. There’s a guy down the street that had a liquor store called a blueprint liquor store, a guy named maybe face north and they called him babyface north and he continued to be that for years and years really until he died up until I don’t know the 80s there was a mob guy named Jimmy Cirelli that would show up talking to one of our Capos Willie the rat Cammisano. He was a professional thief and offense and he would be down at Baby Faces Blue Front liquors every day. Now, back in the day, when I first came on the police department, baby face was always good for couple of six packs. If you’re getting off of work and you want some beer of our if we had the central patrol picnic, because he was in Central Patrol, somebody would go buy Baby Faces and get two or three cases of beer for that. So it’s kind of all part of the day in the life on the streets of the city down there. But but there was this gang called the 31st street gang and there was a couple of guys that probably came out of that named Doc Dearborn and Eugene Richardson, and they got a connection and they created what really would become the first iteration or the main group that would become known as the Black Mafia in Kansas City. They had a white guy named Eddie Cox, who always was like the brain. He was the brain. He was a guy that helped him with the organization and connections because Eddie Cox had connections all over the United States. He was connected to the mob. He was connected through the penitentiary system to other criminal organizations throughout the entire United States because he was like a great prison lawyer. He is so good that he just got out on a compassionate release recently from a couple of life sentences that he had and he helped another guy named John Mandacina get out on a compassionate release, who was down for a contract murder and had a life sentence himself. So he’s still operating. He’s still out there. GARY JENKINS 04:07 He was a dangerous man, a dangerous dangerous man. So Eddie Cox and Eugene Richardson and Doc Dearbon formed the Black Mafia and it was a heroin drug operation. They were providing all the heroin in the old drug abuse law enforcement or DALE, just before the DEA, and the Kansas City Police narcotics formed a task force I can I want to say 70, early 70 started working on these guys and started making small heroin buys as you do and started working their way up the chain and doing surveillances and they eventually got to wiretap because Eddie Cox will file all kinds of motions once he gets convicted. He’ll find all kinds of file all kinds of motions about this wiretap and eventually gets part of the evidence thrown out now wasn’t good enough to keep him out. He eventually got out again, but he was a great prison lawyer. So these guys are their rules. In the streets, they own what we call the east side, which was African American community, east of Troost. South of Truman road and east of Troost out to about, I want to say at that time at about 75th Street, maybe 63rd. These guys, they had like out south. They had a couple of three guys, and I never was familiar with because during that time, I was a street policeman and I was working in and around the projects and the guys, for them that were kind of controlling the projects were the Denmon brothers, Mario, and then I remember the other Ken, I think, Denmon. And then a guy named Aaron Gant had an organization, he had two or three relatives, so they were like the crew under the Black Mafia. They also had the 31st street gang was still going a guy named Maynard Cooper ran it and they use them for enforcement activities. And these guys, they were murderers. They were vicious if somebody tried to cheat them on the heroin or on the money or they felt like somebody was getting in on their deal incursion into their territory. They did end up dead I mean, these guys are bad. So as a result of these wiretaps. They also had a little bank robbery crew working for him. A couple of brothers name Hill. And last name was Kelton had a couple of brothers, Jerry and Terry Kelton last one of them is still in the penitentiary for a series of bank robberies and the other one died. Terry died and I think Jerry still up here, Leavenworth I had a guy get ahold of me what No, he wanted to talk to Jerry and try to tell the Kelton story which they have a whole story in themselves. They got a pretty wide swath. There’s a couple of bank robbers in Kansas City. chased after them myself. I almost got Jerry one time and after bank robbery probably a good thing I didn’t he was a killer. He probably would have killed me. But we had little car chase and he got away. It was an interesting story about that. He ran into an apartment building. I don’t know what happened to him in there. He had some people in there that he knew. But we ended up searching their apartment and we couldn’t find him in there. He was gone. But he dropped a whole pile of money from the bank robbery out in front of the apartment building. And we found out later that the postman was walking along about the time he ran in and saw the money and took the money and kept it. some neighbor ratted him out by the dropped a dime on him, made a call. We go see the postman and he cops do it right away. So one of the stories on the streets, but the Black Mafia and going this is a later going back to the 70s I digressed. They run these wiretaps they get this bank robbery crew they get a bunch of search warrants and they pop everybody there was a shootout with Doug Dearborn. Al Lomax, who was a narcotics Kansas City police narcotics detective had a shootout with him got wounded in the leg. I don’t know they didn’t shoot Doc Dearbon. But he must have given up or something. I don’t know exactly what happened down there hours gone. So I don’t know exactly what happened to the details of that. But there was a shootout, put them all in jail all kinds of headlines about the Black Mafia and putting them in jail. But during this time, there was a politician of black politician named Leon Jordan. And here’s where the Black Mafia again intersects with the mob. And this Joe Centimano, hard name to pronounce. 08:31 Leon Jordan had been a Kansas City Missouri Police officer had been promoted to Lieutenant had got a leave of absence, went to Liberia and help organize a national police force over there, came back, worked on the PD for a little bit and realized that being a black man in the Kansas City Police Department in 1968 69,

The Bone Harvesting Conspiracy with Michael Vecchione – Bonus Jun 28, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. He interviews former Brooklyn prosecutor Michael Vecchione about the case of the disgraced dentist who started a bone harvesting business. If you ever got a dental implant, you know the dentist uses a bone graft to prepare for the implant. This fact creates a market in human bone. Michael Vecchione tells about a case he worked on where he investigated and prosecuted a dentist who was robbing human bodies to get bone for resale. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Support the Podcast. Click here if you want to listen to the new podcast called The Set. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

Dirty Money: The Prosecutor and the Mafia Cops Jun 26, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. He interviews former Brooklyn prosecutor Michael Vecchione, who helped uncover the Mafia Cops Louis Eppolito and Steve Caracappa. Michael Vecchione tells how he worked with NYPD Det. Tommy Dades to expose these traitors to law enforcement. They learned how Eppolito and Caracoppa worked under the direction of Lucchese’s Underboss, Anthony Gaspipe Casso. Michael Vecchione tells how a mother saw Eppolito on TV promoting his mafia book and remembered he was a cop looking for her son, Jimmy Hydell, just before someone murdered him. Starting with this clue Vecchione and Dades gathered all the information they could find on these two cops and exposed their life-long pattern of committing crimes for the Mafia. Eppolito’s Mob connections were deep. His father, Ralph “Fat the Gangster” Eppolito, acted as a Gambino soldier and enforcer. His uncle was James “Jimmy the Clam” Eppolito, a Gambino captain who led gambling and other rackets. “Jimmy,” who made his son, James Jr., a family member, had once worked for family boss Carlo Gambino and associated closely with racketeer Carmine Lambordozi. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Support the Podcast. If you want to listen to The Set podcast click here. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript GARY JENKINS 00:00 They had one called gangster capitalism and I asked them if they do a promo for me on their show if I do a promo for them on my show and they agreed they did. I recorded a little promo put it on gangster capitalism, and I gotta, I gotta get pretty good run up. Welcome all you guys back here in the studio of gangland wire, have a show today that we’re going to deal with official corruption a little bit. And the reason I’m doing this show is I want to give a little plug for some people another podcast company that our favor to that and so I am returning the favor. Now they have a new podcast just coming out called the set 00:37 suit up in my uniform. And you’re going out on patrol. What are we going to do tonight? What we’re going to rob some drug dealers and I know how to do it really well. 00:52 Listen to and follow the set an odyssey originals documentary podcast series available wherever you get your shows. I’m not a 01:00 bad guy man. But I love being that dirty mother. GARY JENKINS 01:06 That’s s e t and it’s about the what was became known at the time as the dirty 30 which is a precinct in Manhattan. And there was all this crap money flowing around during the 90s and and there’s people that took money so when became quite a investigation publicly and these guys are taking a dive deep dive into it. They’ve got some of the former cops and criminals that are have given them interviews. So that will be an interesting podcast and I’ll have a link to it in the show notes. So that’s my promo for the set at Miko. Vets. Yone is my guest here and he’s been on before, if you remember the Luigi, the zip, the Sicilian hitman. Well, this is Michael Vecchione. And the man that interviewed Luigi zip and came up with a lot of really interesting insights into the Sicilian Mafia and the city city and mafia in New York City, and kind of how that works. And I know a lot of you really liked that show. So welcome, Michael, Michael Vecchione 02:04 thank you very much for having me back. I appreciate the time. GARY JENKINS 02:07 So Michael, as you just heard me say and what I wanted, we’ve talked about a little bit about this before was about kind of this official corruption that goes on in big cities. And you wrote a couple of books about that one’s called friends of the family. It’s about the two mafia cops, Lewis Eppolito, and Steven Caracoppa, and you have another one called Cricut, Brooklyn. And, you know, my own experience is, especially during the crack wars, there was so much money out there, you know, I even had a drug dealer asked me said, Hey, Sarge, you ever seen a whole room full of money? And of course, the the under underlying that was I’ve got a room full of money. And do you want some of that room full of exactly. I just said, No, man, that’s okay. I’m cool. He just laughed and went on, you know, we ended up putting him in jail and put his brother in jail. So you know, but it was out there. And it’s always out there. And Michael’s been on the front lines of fighting that visual corruption, whether it be prosecuted, I mean, everybody prosecuted office, cops. Everybody, judges, judges is susceptor. Guess what? There’s that much money out there. So Michael, you , let’s start talking about that in New York. You’ve been on the front lines, Oh, your second book was Crooked Brooklyn, and which was strictly about that where you were a prosecutor in Brooklyn, correct? Right. So right, well are talking about Michael Vecchione 03:30 that. Okay, well, you know, if we start with the with the Mafia Cops case, the Mafia Cops case came to me about 10 years after they had both retired. But I have to say that during the time those in those 10 years, I had also been the head of the police. The the head of the prosecution arm of the police department for a couple of years, was called the department advocate and I was the chief prosecutor. And what we did was, we were the internal internal prosecutors for the police department and we prosecuted police officers for violations and not only police officers, people who work for the police department for violations of their you know, the rules and procedures of the police department. And sometimes you had to you came upon an investigation, which actually was a criminal investigation and it would be passed on to the district attorney’s. That’s where I first learned about Louis Eppolito I had heard about him when I was there and and it was a kind of in the vein of being frustrated the people who were looking to investigate him were frustrated they all felt at some point or another that he was not the cleanest cop in the world. And and and then after he wrote a book called mafia cop in which he talked about how his family were all mafia members and that he’s held themselves up to be the only you know the only clean cop or the only clean person in his family. It really got the ire of a lot of the the police department brass, but quite frankly, there wasn’t much of an investigation It wasn’t much going on until we got the case which was about 10 years later and when I say we are talking about my my good friend Tommy Dades who was a detective in the intelligence division in the police department came to me one day and he said walk just walked into my office and said, Hey, I got some new information you interested in looking at Caracappa and Eppolito? Now I also knew about Caracoppa from the same sources. And I said, Yeah, why What do you have? He says, I think I got something that’s going to crack this thing open. And he tells me about a woman whose whose son was actually killed by Gaspipe Casso who was the Lucchese under boss Consigilere, who had the mafia cops on the Lucchese payroll and it all began with Lucchese with Gaspipe an unsuccessful hit on gaspipe by the by John Gotti and the Gambino family and the reason for that was gaspipe was part and parcel of a an attempted assassination on Gotti earlier and he missed he missed but Gotti knew who was behind it and set out to get gaspipe and he hired four guys who followed gaspipe around got to a particular location in Brooklyn in a corner while they both stopped at a traffic light and they opened fire on gaspipe in the car next to them and missed again. He was injured but not killed. And he said out at that point we’ll find out who was in that car and who those four assassins or attempted assassins were and what did he have he had what he called his crystal ball and his crystal ball was Eppolito and Caracoppa and Kaplan. They were on his payroll, because they had been they had been recruited by an old Lucchese guy whose name was Kaplan and Kaplan had had known the had known Eppolito, had known Carracoppa when they were working and I say working for and working for the for the Gambino family but the Gambino family did something to a relative of Eppolito so he got pissed off, and they didn’t start working for them and it didn’t they stopped working for them and Kaplan heard about this and he was he knew that that somebody like gas pipe could use them and recruited them. And if he was the intermediary, they never met gaspipe. Gaspipe never met them. But gaspipe knew that if he paid Kaplan and Kaplan paid them they would do what he was looking to do. So what he wanted was to find out who was in that car so he could take care of them. He found out that one of them was it was a guy named Jimmy Rydell and Rydell was a local thug, you know, local hanger on half a wiseguy, as they say not a made guy who was one of the people in that car and the and the mafia cops found out that it that it was him and he was one of the people. And they told gaspipe and gaspipe said bring him to so they go to Staten Island where hi dad lives and they knock on his mother’s door. He lived with his mother. She doesn’t know who they are. She has no idea who they are and they’re looking for they’re looking for this his son and her son.

Remo Franceschini and the New York Mafia Jun 19, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary tells how NYPD Intelligence Unit Lt. Remo Franceschini led an investigation into Bonanno boss Phil “Rusty” Rastelli for extorting money from lunch wagon drivers in New York City. Next, he tells how Lt. Franceschini learned about a mob hit and missed putting detectives on the scene before the murder. We also learn about the Bonanno Family funeral fight. Remo Franceschini quickly became a hero cop when he saved his partner’s life in a violent gun battle with an armed robbery suspect. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript GARY JENKINS 00:00 Hey guys, it’s Gary Jenkins and welcome back in the studio Gangland Wire, which we’ll get to say my name I don’t know most people do say that but I think all you guys probably know who I am by now. I would hope anyhow. So I’m starting a series of shorts about the exploits of the colorful New York City Police mob Buster, Lieutenant Remo Franceschini, it’s hard name for me to say Franceschini. I got it there. Franceschini. Remo was known to every mob boss in New York City as a tough, incorruptible and determined, dude. And he worked his way up to the different branches of the NYPD intelligence. He started out as a street policeman, of course, got a shootout saved his partner got like the Medal of Honor whatever they got in New York City, and ended up in the intelligence unit kind of like me, No, I never gotten the shoot out and say my partner but I ended up in the intelligence unit, and started out in the early days working to street mob guys and narcotics dealers. And eventually, by the end, he’s taken on the boss’s head on and they all know who he is. Now, he did have a short stop along the way in his career working on Black Panthers and other groups advocating civil disorder, which I did some of that to the Black Panthers was gone. But there were some other groups and the Klu Klux Klan here in Missouri, worked on them for a while, not very much fun, not as much fun as a mob guys. One of the early cases he had was he went after a boss, who was actually the acting boss after Carmine Galante went to prison on a narcotics conviction. This guy’s name was Phil Rastelli. He was running the Bonanno family. The Bonanno family was extorting lunch truck operators. Now we’ve all gotten a sandwich from a lunch truck, right? They’ve got those quilted aluminum backs to them and they flop down the sides and they have coffee and they have cold drinks and on ice and they have sandwiches you know pre made sandwiches. Some of them are a little more fancy we always call them Tomaine wagons. I remember we had one guy. It was little more fancy downtown. He was an Italian guy and he specialized in really good cold cut sandwiches that had salami and prosciutto and bologna and Italian beef and the big ones we called them Hurt Your Mouth. They were so big, that huge big pieces of bread. They were great sandwiches. Oh, we also had meatball sandwiches, hot meatball sandwiches and Italian steak sandwiches and variety of other things. And anyhow, these lunch wagons are all over the place especially at one time I’m not in that world now. They’re still now their food dress. There’s food trucks at park downtown. These are lunch wagons. Back in the day, I still see one every Friday night I come from a place that I go every Friday night usually and come up in kind of an industrial area and cutting back through behind the on the side streets. And there’s a lunch wagon gold facing lunch wagon sitting there as always, sir, for people to pull up on their cars, I guess there’s must be some little factories around their businesses with a night shift. But in 1973, New York City had 1000s of these lunch wagons. And during the 1960s A guy named Gary Patrolle started the Workmen’s Mobile Lunch Association, they had 48 members to start off with and he only charged three bucks a week per truck. They’re supposed to help with disputes over territory and maybe pool of money together and get some kind of a group insurance or put together a group to get make large purchases from suppliers. And they can get them when they bought large purchases and split them up among the members of the organization. They get a better price most of that really never came about. But what did come about was the mob got involved here. They saw this as a way to get involved. Now some of these disputes really kind of set the scene for the mob to come in. Because some guy might have three or four wagons even so he’s a little bigger duck, he might stake out a really lucrative factory of business, then some individual entrepreneur up can see that they’ll come in and set up the same place. And now the lunch wagon operator that fights breaking out between each other they will start price wars. Now the organization was supposed to deal with that they didn’t deal with it very well. And within a couple of years, Mr. Patrolle was replaced by a guy named Louis Rastelli. Guess who was the nephew of Phil Rastelli, the Bonanno boss now he brought in a guy named Anthony de Stefano, who was elected Secretary- Treasurer the association. So this pretty much put the mob in complete domination of that lunch wagon operators organization. And first thing they started doing was extorting money from food suppliers to the lunch trucks. They demanded kickbacks it was kind of computed on a percentage of the number of purchases made by their organization’s members. And of course, then they started lining up other individual operators and you got to join our organization And or else well, the old school like extortion thing but aid same thing happened your truck and I’d see as flat tires that morning when it came out or I’d hate to see that might throw Molotov cocktail at your truck maybe some of these kids out here we can’t control these kids sometimes they may come along and rip me off and so pretty soon everybody’s belonging join in the alleged wagon operators Association course next thing is they start extorting money from the ones truck operators made, they would like sell them a good lucrative organization. Or maybe you have somebody that was connected to a mob guy, it was connected to rest LA and pretty soon, some thugs would show up and boom, what they call bumping a competing truck from a lucrative location I talked about so it was totally mob dominated and you had to be in with the mob, which meant you had to kick on some money in order to get their help and they run the thing. Well, this was a case when the New York City organized crime, StrikeForce took it on and Lieutenant Remo Princess, he was part of that. And with these types of investigations, you start off you just get word from informants. For example, if somebody and maybe you know somebody in that business is complaining about these mob guys, nobody will ever bring a regular complaint. Nobody will ever call the police for the most part, but just started hearing about it. So then you start an investigation. You don’t really have any evidence you don’t have any cooperating witnesses start off and you can’t really go anywhere. But they created what they called Operation hot dog great name for it. They started trying to find cooperating witnesses because they knew it was going on. Well, me go ask these guys and they say I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who me? I don’t know a mob guys. McBurney soon they get word from a New York City street cop who had a relative who had gotten a beating from some banana jobs, because he wouldn’t fall in line. So they approached him, and got his cooperation. got the New York City Police Copper’s relative to buck him up, because you got to buck these people up and you’re gonna ask them to stay involved and gather evidence for and eventually be a witness. That’s a dicey thing. And pretty soon he did do that he agreed and they started learning about other connected businesses, other lunch wagon operators and had a whole bunch of lunch wagons, who were the suppliers that we’re favored by the mob control organization, which meant the mob was influencing the suppliers to do certain things and getting kickbacks. So slowly but surely you gather all that evidence and the US Attorney starts putting these cooperators before a grand jury. Well, during that time, the FBI got kind of bored and sent most of their agents on to other matters, which was more exciting. And this was kind of a minor case, just a simple Mom and Pop, I would say operation of mom and pop extortion that goes all the way back to the corner candy store. gangs that would come by and say you don’t want a trouble here. We can handle this if you have any trouble, but you got to kick us every week. And so Remo and his intelligence guys take up the slack and they have to continue garden is nervous cooperators, they’ve got some cooperators, but they get nervous and sometimes even have to rent protection details on you got to give me your phone number they call you the middle of the night and ever jump on something they have to hear it outside their house or they think somebody’s following them. And that drives me crazy. So but you got to do that gotta keep them bucked-up.

Big Tuna Accardo and his Red Mercedes Jun 12, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary and Chicago Outfit expert and author Camillus Robinson discuss Mafia Boss Anthony “Big Tuna” Accardo and the most significant criminal charge he ever faced. The IRS charged Anthony Accardo with tax evasion, just like Al Capone. Accardo went to a jury trial where several people testified that he was a beer salesman and always drove his Red Mercedes Benz sports car when he called on customers. They had to do this because he had deducted his depreciation, mileage, and gasoline for his work use of this unlikely car. We learn that future Southside Chicago Height’s Capo Al Pilotto was instrumental in testifying for Accardo. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, Camillus Robinson GARY JENKINS 00:00 Well welcome all you Wiretapperss back here in studio Gangland Wire got my good friend Camilius “Cam” Robinson. Welcome cam. Camillus Robinson 00:06 How you doing? Very good to see you. GARY JENKINS 00:08 Well, it’s a cold up there in Chicago with cold and hell down there. Camillus Robinson 00:12 Yeah, it is it was in the it was in the teens earlier I might get up into the midterm needs to GARY JENKINS 00:16 do. Anyhow, we’re going to talk about the big Tuna or Joe Batters, Anthony Accardo today and him and I both stumble across this little story. And I mentioned to him and he’d already knew something about it. And it’s the little red sportscar story. This is really fascinating, I think, in the lender in the 50s. Tony Accardo had the perfect job. He was a beer salesman, I remember as a kid guys wanted to get a job with the pearl brewery or on the brewery truck, because you got all the free beer you wanted to drink. Accardo had it for other reasons. Of course, you know, he was an outfit guy. He was he was the boss at the time. And he had a lot of connections with Chicago bars and liquor distributors and places to buy beer when you say Camillus Robinson 01:09 Damn, that’s where you make the pickups. Three pickups, cash. That’s where GARY JENKINS 01:13 you pick up the case, man. sports gambling was going on out. That’s where the deals are made. And that’s where that’s where the gamblers were, that’s where the money was. And he made $65,000 a year as a beer salesman. For everyone round he got he also got I mean, look at my notes here. He got five cents a case on all Foxhead beer. he sold. He was working for this company. It wasn’t really a mob company particularly but he was he was the mob guy representing them. And it probably was more of a mob company. We realize he deducted his expenses and like car expenses. Other expenses depreciated. That is a concern. But what’s interesting is his car was a little red sports car, but it wasn’t just any little red sports car. Was it what was it? I know you’re this Camillus Robinson 02:06 guy as a car guy, you know, I know your motorcycle guy. But so for me the 300 SL, Mercedes Gullwing. We know what’s going on because Gary, I wondered for years, Gary found a great quote from the judge talking about the up and down doors. But 300 300 SL Goldwing was the first supercar I sat in one at an auction it’s got a steering wheel that tilts forward because it’s so hard to get into. So you can imagine these guys in their in their expensive suits stepping over this wide is wide beam to get into this car with the doors oh going up and it was a race car in in everything except name. They used him to race the handling was tremendous. This was the quintessential he was like driving around selling beer in the equivalent of a Lamborghini. GARY JENKINS 02:53 Richard Ogilvy who was the sheriff for one for a while in Cook County and he was an investigator and he did some investigation on this and he went to 3500 local tavern owners, and he never found anybody that ever talked to Tony Accardo. Camillus Robinson 03:12 Police work for the day! GARY JENKINS 03:13 Really! He deducted $3,994 in depreciation and oil and gas expenses for this Mercedes don’t pay for the car, you know and Accardo at his trial was it was really interesting. He he was he had you know succeeded Capone so he was the man and he had always he knew how they got Capone right? Income tax so he had always showed some income and depreciation and some deductions like normal people do he wanted to make it look as normal as possible. Of course he lived way beyond those means but but maybe not like Capone did Al Capone you know he had these silver diamond encrusted belt buckles that he gave out then hotel homes and I guess he had a big home down in Florida and he just did a lot of other real ostentatious things that Accardo didn’t particularly do. He did have a home in Palm Springs later on in life. But this this Mercedes was was pretty ostentatious at the time what would that car be worth today? Camillus Robinson 04:18 So now they go for about 1,000,002 million 1,000,002 just went on an auction. I GARY JENKINS 04:23 think if you could find the one that Tony Accardo actually owned. If you could trace that VI N Camillus Robinson 04:29 Jay Leno has got a red one taht looks something like it looks something like it but yeah, they are a tremendous car if you could trace Accardo’s that would just be an extra maybe an extra $100,000 in the bank GARY JENKINS 04:40 or more. They would I wonder how you do that you know how you trace those bi ends I know guys do that they go back and find their high school car that they had I’ve heard of that. Camillus Robinson 04:50 If you went down to either probably go downtown to the registration road vehicles and maybe track it down and I have a hard time believing that the car no I had too many good and records but because that car was in a court case, I’m sure it would be somewhere GARY JENKINS 05:06 you might be able to find the VIN in that old court case. And it uses real mob fans out there in Chicago and Cook County that like to research. It’s a go find those if you can find those court records. There’s not a lot of those cars out there and get that VIN and then start trying to trace it or send that VIN in to me, I’ll try to trace it. At least whatever I can get on the internet. I’m not going to travel around the country, but it would be worth it actually to travel around the country if you thought you could find it. But even if you found it, even if they didn’t know who it was, you know, it’d be hard to buy. Oh, they just don’t go up for sale. Those No, no, no Camillus Robinson 05:40 people get them and hold onto them. GARY JENKINS 05:42 Accardo is famous for never spending a night in jail. And that trial he they put up a pretty good defense. It was a typical Chicago defense. And he take a look at here. It’s a pretty good quotes. He got Al Pilotto in there, who at the time would have been what would he have been at the time in 1956. He was pretty Camillus Robinson 06:02 high ranking Lieutenant down in Chicago Heights. A lot of the Chicago Heights crew Frank Frank Laporte was running things in Chicago Heights and Al Piolotto. And a bunch of guys Joe Colombo, Joe and Joe Costello. These guys all were witnesses in this trial. So basically the whole Chicago Heights group because a lot of the bars that Accardo was supposedly selling to were down in between Kankakee and Calumet City, in the south of south of Chicago. GARY JENKINS 06:28 And that makes sense why Pilotto would would be the one that came down he at the time he had been the president of the local number five for the International Hod Carriers, Builders and Common Laborers union. Yeah. And he claimed that he worked with he was a leg man for Accardo, which is why you didn’t see Accardo when these joints he sent. Pilotto said I want us to go out and do things in these joints and take bar napkins and you know, little giveaway items and promotional things for him. He said and even remarked that he was in a particular liquor store the park in liquors in Calumet City, and he saw Accardo come in with Jackie Cerone you know, that’s how far back Jackie’s thrown goes. He had to be really young guy. He must have been like driving Accardo How would he have been? Camillus Robinson 07:18 Yeah, it was in. So he was in his early 50s. He was born in 1906. So in the late 50s, he was just turned 50 Driving this car and so yeah, he would have been in his 50s throne would have been he was born. So in his in his late 30s, early 40s. GARY JENKINS 07:35 Okay, yeah, he would have been a young guy so he was he’d been going round with Accardo. Yeah, really young man carried on all the way to the rest of his life as Accardo was alive. He was Jackie Cerone was the guy that was a longtime relationship. I never really thought about that. I know. Look at it later on in the 70s when he’s sitting up but nor the males restaurant, Meo’s Norwood restaurant, I think and he’d sit there. Meet with Paul Ricca before he died and meet with other people Jackie Cerone was was often noted as being the guy that took him there and maybe stayed Yeah, maybe came back and got him and so he was with him a long time. Camillus Robinson 08:14 Oh, yeah. He was his right hand, man. And I’m with Mark. GARY JENKINS 08:16 Yeah,

Oscar Goodman: Mafia, Law, and Justice Jun 05, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary and mob lawyer expert Tony Taouk examine the life and career of famous mafia lawyer Oscar Goodman. Based in Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman has been the Midwest and Western Mob’s go-to lawyer for his 40-year career. Oscar Goodman remained professional in all his encounters with Mob bosses like Tony Spilotro, Nick Civella, Lefty Rosenthal and many others. Mr. Goodman’s most dramatic courtroom victory had to be when he obtained a Not Guilty verdict for the El Paso drug kingpin, Jimmy Chagra. In this case, juries convicted Woody Harrelson’s father, Charles Harrelson, for the murder of Texas Federal Judge John “Maximum John” Wood in El Paso. The government claimed that Jimmy Chagra paid Harrelson to murder the judge. Harrelson’s wife, Chagra’s wife, and Chagra’s brother were all convicted in the same case. Tony Taouk is an Australian lawyer and a Mafia researcher who specializes in the subject of mob trials and mob lawyers. He has also traveled to the United States and visited mob-related sites in New York, Chicago, and Las Vegas. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SPEAKERS Lefty Rosenthal, Announcer, GARY JENKINS, Tony Taourk, Harry Reid, Oscar Goodman, Tuffy DeLuna, Nick Civella 00:00 Frank Rosenthal was obviously ruffling a few feathers because he’s high profile battle with the authorities in Las Vegas to obtain his gaming license was attracting too much attention which the mob, especially the Chicago outfit tended to shun. Apparently he made it even worse when he started his own talk show on television. 00:22 Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Why stop snowing. 00:30 And Frank Rosenthal was who was already a colorful gambling figure he had attracted the attention of the authorities because of his ties to the Chicago outfit. He was a bookmaker gambler, and he was also implicated in multiple sports bribery scandals over the years, so he was already attracting a lot of attention. They just wanted him to come down. 00:55 lack of better word. 01:00 I think that’s what it was referred to that why tap? Isn’t that right? 01:03 Yeah. Yeah, that’s it. Well, welcome. While you were to average out there, back here in studio of Gangland Wire, I’m on the Zoom call. If you’re on YouTube, with our friend, Tony Taourk from Sydney, Australia. Tony is a lawyer down there, and he has a huge interest in mob lawyers and being lawyer, you know, you got to have interest in other lawyers. And when you look into them, you want to see a lot more about how they work and what made them successful or not successful. I know I do the same thing when I read about Mob lawyers. And so Tony has done that. And you know, we’ve done one other show about Roy Cohen with him, which was really interesting. I didn’t know hardly anything about Roy Cohn at the time. Tonight, we’re gonna do Oscar Goodman. I know a lot about Oscar good. And then because I sat in the witness chair while he cross examined me one time scared the heck out of me. He wasn’t that big a deal, but I didn’t have that much to say. Anyhow. So welcome, Tony. It’s really good to have you back. 02:00 Thank you for having me, Gary. 02:02 So how’s the weather down? downers? It’s fall down there, isn’t it? 02:07 It’s at the moment. It’s, it’s actually it’s late summer, but it’s rainy and miserable today. 02:15 Oh, really? Yes. Your winters? You’re in Sydney, right? Yes. And your winters? Do they get very bad at all? Or is it still pretty moderate? Are you closer to the equator say than we are here in Missouri? 02:29 Nothing compared to the United States. Okay. Yeah. Very mild compared to the US. I’ve been to the US in winter and it’s very mild. 02:38 Okay. It’s hell in the winter here. So you’ve been in Las Vegas more than once. I believe. You’ve been to the mob Museum? Yes, I have. So I really liked it. Yeah, it’s a great place that you know, guys if you know it, or don’t if you don’t know it. Oscar Goodman was a big reason that they even got that mob Museum in Las Vegas. He was the mayor at the time he had all this experience with mobsters, of course, who were they go to to get his blessing to put that kind of money into a a building that was close to downtown. I needed the city of Las Vegas on board and Oscar Goodman was all over he a really up to him to have the final say so and he was all over these on the board. He’s still active in the running of it and sitting on the board and he has the restaurant there was at Oscars. Is that the name of it? Did you eat it? And I’ve been there once we just was bunch of people. We had drinks. So I 03:37 went there, but I never I couldn’t get a hold of him. I couldn’t meet him. I went there twice. And I wasn’t able to meet him. I think he was out of town at the time. 03:45 Yeah, he’s kind of available. He goes in and out of that restaurants. My understanding. 03:49 Yeah. Well, I went there twice. And I couldn’t find him. It’s in. It’s in old Vegas, next to the Golden Nugget and opinions and isn’t it? 03:57 Brian? Is what we would call Downtown. 04:00 Downtown. Downtown Las Vegas. 04:04 That Fremont strip Fremont experiences down there which is crazy. The craziest place that was ever had, I think. Yes. Anyhow, let’s talk about Oscar Goodman, his legal career. Now he came he did not grow up in Las Vegas. Where did you find he came from? 04:22 He’s originally from Philadelphia. He received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1964. After a short stint in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, Oscar moved to Las Vegas in 1965, where he set up a legal practice and he began accepting any work that came through the door especially court appointed criminal cases, he began to attract national attention in 1970. That year they successfully defended 12 suspected bookmakers who had been arrested in a nationwide nationwide raids are Based on wiretaps. Now in the course of defending the bookmakers, he learned that the then Attorney General John Mitchell had delegated authority for the wiretap for approving the wiretaps to his executive assistant. Rather than signing them personally, the law required that the Attorney General sign them personally. Goodman seized on this error to get the wiretap evidence excluded, not admissible, and the charges against all the defendants were dropped as a result of the nationwide publicity generated by this case, he began to attract other high profile clientele, including people connected to organized crime. Another big break was when he represented my olanski, who needs no introduction. He was accused of stealing millions of dollars from the flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas in the early 1970s. And he retained Oscar Goodman to defend him, Goodman managed to get the charges against Lansky dropped on the grounds that he was too ill to be tried in the early 1970s. Goodman was retained by a man who was destined to become his most notorious client, Tony Spilotro. He’s the reputed Chicago mobster who apparently was sent to Las Vegas by the outfit to oversee its interests there, namely the skin now the character Nikki Santoro in the movie casino, brilliantly portrayed by Joe Pesci is based on Tony Spilotro, Spilotro Spilotro as the suspect in more than two dozen killings and various other crimes, and he was never convicted thanks largely to the efforts of Oscar Goodman. I’m not going to go over all the cases where Goodman acted for Spilotro because I’m going to focus on the more notorious and notable ones given the limited time we have won examples when in 1983. Spilotro was indicted for the execution style slogans of two hoodlums in Chicago in 1962 20 years prior, these particular these killings were particularly gruesome because one of the men’s heads was placed in a vise and squeezed into his eyeball popped out, as portrayed in the movie Casino. The chief prosecution witness was Watrous former associate a burglar and career criminal who became an informant Frank colada. sure everyone’s heard of him. He died recently, I think from COVID. Goodman like most effective mob lawyers, he was very good at portraying the informants used by the prosecution as just as bad if not worse than his clients. And there was plenty of material to seize upon, given their vast criminal academic credentials spanning decades in some cases. In the course of his testimony, colada admitted involvement in a vast litany of crimes including perjury, and for murders and Spilotro was subsequently acquitted. Goodman kept defending Spilotro until he turned up dead in a Indiana cornfield in 1986. I believe he was under indictment at the time of his death. Oscar’s biggest victory came when he successfully defended Jimmy Chagra, a Texas gambler and drug trafficker charged with plotting the 1979 assassination of the US Federal Court Judge John H. Wood Jr. in San Antonio, Texas. Now, Judge Wood was due to preside over Chagra’s upcoming trial for drug trafficking, and he was renowned for handed down very harsh sentences for drug related offenses. To the point where he earned the nickname Maximum John. that nickname from what I’ve read about him. He wasn’t very fair in his verdicts, it is.

Mafia Dreams – The Young Italians May 29, 2023

Retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews non-fiction author Frank Hayde about his newest book, Mafia Dreams: A True Crime Saga of Young Men at the End of an Era in Kansas City. Frank tells how an FBI investigation into the insurance crimes of Travis Riley ended with his son, Joe Riley, being shot to death during a drug reverse-sting in an Airport hotel room. The FBI turned their sights on Riley’s son, Joe Riley, to put pressure on the Father and learn where he had hidden all his hidden assets. Joe Riley delivered himself up to the FBI because he was trying too hard to be a gangster. He was inexperienced and easily tricked. Before that investigation was done, an FBI agent shoots and kills Joe Riley. This story also tells about the demise of the KC Mafia and how the FBI used the grand jury immunity process to jail many young men whose only crime was to be seen talking to a made guy and then refuse to testify. Other books by Frank Haye are The Mafia and The Machine, The Italian Gardens: A History of Kansas City though its Most Favorite Restaurant. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, Frank Hayde 00:00 Welcome all you Wiretappers out there good to be back here in studio Gangland Wire. I have a Kansas City story but it kind of stretches out to Las Vegas you’re gonna hear a little tidbit little interesting teaser about Oscar Goodman, the famous mob lawyer which is you know, I’ve done a story about so Welcome Frank. Hey, I really appreciate you coming on the show Frank. 00:24 Thanks for having me back Gary 00:26 Now we did another show about the Mafia and the Machine is like the history of the mob and Kansas City so Frank is steeped in the mafia in Kansas City. And go back and check that show out I think I titled it the Mafia and the Machine and but whatever you can find it you know, Google Frank Hatde HAYDE on YouTube or you know, gangland wire and Frank Hayde Mafia and the Machine. You’ll you’ll find it I’ll have a link to it down below guys. We’re going to talk about his new book mafia dreams a true crime saga of young men at the end of an era in Kansas City. Frank, you told me this is about these young guys that came along after we did the straw man caper. And all the old guys Nick’s about died, Corky Civella, Tuffy DeLuna and Tony Ripe Civella and Charlie Mortena. All of them went to jail for long periods of time. And these are the next generation of Mob guys. So, Frank, start, tell me how did you get into this book? How did you get into this? It’s an interesting story with twin twist. 01:32 Right? Well, you know, after I wrote them off you in the machine, I worked with the DiCapofamily, and we wrote the history of Italian Gardens restaurant, this very iconic restaurant in Kansas City, it was downtown at 12 iand Baltimore for 75 years run by the same four families that were all in a related by blood and marriage. It was a real icon of the city, very much a landmark restaurant. And you can kind of experience the history of Kansas City through the history of Italian Gardens. So that was a really fun book fun project. And that’s how I got clued into this story, that the DiCapos and other people that were closely associated with Italian Guardian mention this story. And it is it was featured to a very small degree in the Italian Gardens. We just kind of scratched the surface with it in that. But I wanted to dive deeper into it because it was a fascinating story. And it centers around. These guys you might call the Young Italians. I know that you were still I think on the PD. At the time that the initial Young Italians investigation got started, 02:48 the FBI actually labeled it the Young Italians. Right, and looking into drug dealers and drug rip offs and, and all that and these young guys were wanting to score big and you know, probation is over. And gambling is kind of on its way down to the old guys got that so that but narcotics is the next moneymaker. So go ahead. 03:09 Right You know, it was a big drug case that involved elements of the KC mafia and a Colombian cocaine cartel. So young Italians, that name kind of grew out of one particular case that involved elements of the KC mob and a Colombian cocaine cartel. Pretty soon that the label kind of expanded and got applied to any young Italian, I was aspiring to be part of this next generation of Kansas City mobsters. Interestingly, for purposes of my book, The most prominent Italian in this story was a non Italian and Joe Riley. We’ll shift gears a little bit here to give you some background on who Joe Riley was, and why he is really the character. 04:07 Now that Joe Riley, Joe Riley, I remember him and he was one of those guys who used to call them a peckerwood that wanted to be an Italian. He was a white guy that wanted to be an Italian is to see that periodically. So go ahead. 04:22 So Joe Riley definitely wanted to be Italian. Everybody seems to agree on that. And he definitely had gangster ambitions. And it’s an interesting thing. He was the son of a man named Ferrell Travis Riley, when basically went that Travis Riley and Travis Riley was in a juggernaut of insurance in the 70s 80s and into the 90s. And he was known as the biggest con man in the insurance business on a national level. Basically, he he ran insurance scams in a dozen different states, when when regulators that’s up to him in one state, he wouldn’t move on to the next. And this is actually before there was any federal laws regulating insurance industry, it was all state right back then. And so Travis Riley figured out the vulnerabilities in the system. And he learned how to exploit these loopholes. And he, he made millions and millions of dollars, what 05:33 would be? What would be an example of of how that work one particularly? 05:38 Well, it gets, you know, I don’t want to get too far down in the weeds. And it’s, for course, it’s all, you know, explained in detail in the book. Yeah. But, you know, imagine he had, he had a dozen different ways to make money through scamming and insurance companies up he would scam other insurance companies. He would stiff policyholders. He would, you know, sell sell policies that he never intended to pay on, or only we would pay only 10 or 15%. of, you know, it gets really complicated. And pretty fascinating. This was big time white collar crime, it was actually International, in Travis Riley at shell corporations. In the Dominican Republic, he had shell corporations. Now, in other parts of the Caribbean, he had connections to Bolivia and to parts of Europe, he was working with international criminals from other countries. So this is the operation that the right that Travis Riley, and his own family, he had a fairly large family had five kids. And they were all involved. Most of them were involved in this prime enterprise, this insurance fraud enterprise and the Riley family was basically prime family unto themselves. And they landed in Kansas City in that day in 1991. After MIT meeting, insurance fraud, big time insurance fraud in a whole bunch of other states. At this point, they’re pretty notorious even on the national level, you had the FBI, investigating them, you’ve had rational committees, looking into Travis Riley and and using Travis Riley as an example of why the insurance industry needed to be federally regulated, etc, etc. This Riley family this time family onto themselves. They show up in Kansas City in 1991. And at this time, you know, as you know, Gary, this was after straw man. So the big guys had had gone to prison. And some of the others old guys had died off. And it was a pivotal time for the mob in Kansas City. Things were looking good. Things were on the wane. They were on the decline. But it was still happening. From an investigation was a crippling blow organized crime in Kansas City, but but it did not eliminate the mob in Kansas City. So things were still happening. There was still action on the streets. And this is the city that Joe Riley Young Joe Riley, the youngest member of the family stepped into. And you know, he had seen the Scorsese films that were popular at around this time. It seen oh and Goodfellas and that sort of thing. And he was really enamored with the mafia life. And so when he finally found himself in a mafia town, he started looking for ways to experience the act. And that’s when he started going down to Italian Gardens down 12 Baltimore, making friends down there. He really kind of made a splash down there, I guess you could say is very brash personality. You know, he really tried to play the part of a mobster. I mean, he was wearing hand you know, tailored suits and Churchill cigars and sunglasses and slicked back hair if kids only 19 years old, but this is how he dressed you know, first people just kind of laughed at him but and they figured out they kind of liked the guy and he was fun to have around and he was kind of the life of the party and he was also very generous with his money. He was always spread the money around because the in the Riley family was living in a big mansion, West a loose Park. They were hooked in a lot of parties, you know, they know is the kind of guy that always picked up the tap.

NYPD Secrets: Bugging the Ravenite – Bonus May 25, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this bonus episode, Gary tells five short stories about the New York City Police Intelligence Unit and their efforts to plant hidden microphones on John Gotti and Neil Dellacroce in and around the Ravenite Social Club. Gary found these first-person accounts in a book titled Cop Talk : True Detective Stories From the NYPD by E. W. Counts. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS 00:00 Hey all you Wiretappers out there back here in the studio of Gangland Wire, this is kind of a shorty want to take care of you guys in the especially the audio. I started working on a book written by some New York City policemen or they like collaborated with another author and they told a lot of stories about being in New York City policeman and in particular they got a bunch of guys from the Intelligence Unit to tell stories and so I was going through them and they were great stories about trying to bug the Ravenite Social Club which was Gotti’s social club and Dellacroce social club also, before then before that, you know, it’s this social club the Raven night on 477 I think Mulberry Street and he has in Mulberry Street down there little it lay in Manhattan. It goes all the way back to Albert Anastasia. And then Carlo Gambino took it over and then Carlo Gambino, you know if you know anything about him at all, he likes to keep a low profile. And by the time he took it over and been there for a while there was so much heat on it and so much police and agents, FBI agents attention that he left there, and he gave it to Neil Dellacroce. So he took it over and then God he will eventually take it over. So it’s got a long and storied history, it’s a shoe store. Now by the way, I’ll put some pictures up here on the YouTube channel. But the NYPD we’re working on it big time because like Gambino noted noted there’s a lot of attention paid to it and they got what what the FBI was called a plant or an observation point. And that would be a upper floor apartment with a window and where you could see the front of the social club but we did it down here in Kansas City boy and we were in what we call Little Italy or Columbus Park down here for our social club and it was really hard to get matter of fact we the FBI talked about buying a whole house but that house was not for sale and it was right across the street but there was nothing else really speak up we had a spot there was a buy at a community center there was almost a block away now with with binoculars you could pick out tags and then after a while you knew guys cars so didn’t have to actually see the tag and note that so it’s okay but you couldn’t really exactly see the front you could only see the cars as they pulled along Troost and then took a left and parked somewhere around the club or if they went east and west on Fifth Street and if they came from the east and parked on the east side you didn’t you couldn’t see him from that particular plant we had it was kind of a temporary deal anyhow I want spent Super Bowl Sunday up there watching to see who was coming and going and and if we’d see one of the name targets on the FBI wiretap affidavit column that the wire room and say so and so is there and then they could turn on the bug that was inside, they didn’t really pick up anything didn’t really work very well. And getting a bug in one of those places is you know, it’s just not as easy as it sounds. And you’re gonna you’re gonna hear a lot of stories here about guys trying to get something going in the rain tonight. In failing again. And again. I think it’s important that we talk a lot about how mob guys work. You know, I’m a copper, I like to talk about how the cops were to we throw just keep throwing shit up against the wall to see what sticks and, you know, sometimes it sticks sometimes it doesn’t, you know, I remember we went through a pin register on a drug dealer, a connected guy named Michael Caldarello. He had a biker bar and he was connected with some bikers when the biker gangs, the El foresteros, I believe. And we put a pin register on him and we got a lot of kind of calls to people who were supposedly drug dealers and then but it wasn’t really going anywhere. But we were you know, slowly but surely building the probable cause. And, and then he died, he died of an overdose one night and we quickly got a search warrant for his house because the girlfriend who was there when he died, said, you know he was shooting cocaine. And then he had some kind of a heart thing and he died and we found a kilo inside of his house and a lot of others things things we seized a bunch of stuff from him. But it’s just really hard to do this stuff. But you know, a lot of their stories are in the trial may not be successful, but the stories are in the trial. So I apologize up front that the audio is a little bit different I did a couple of them with my phone, but just for shorts on YouTube, and then I looked at these other stories and I thought well, I’m gonna continue doing shorts. I’ll just do them here on the computer with a better microphone. I’ll just cut them up. And then put them there. But I wanted to give you guys on the audio podcast because you’re my guys. Oops, my phone’s ringing over there. I gotta check that out. Anyhow guys enjoy. Hey guys, I found this book cop talk. It’s got some really interesting stories that are from NYPD and one of them was, they were honest surveillance at the Ravenite and they saw a wooden bench sitting down in front that delet coach would sit down and talk to people. So they stole it late one night and replaced one of the boards that had a bug inside of it. But a neighborhood lady saw them stealing it. So she told somebody in the Ravenite about it. And they returned started taking the boards apart. And they found this hollowed out board with a bug inside there was $1,000 Bug by the way. So they set it aside, just set it up against the wall and called Gottti because they didn’t know what to do with it. And Gotti finally time got there and Dellacroce got there. There had been some time elapsed and the cops saw this was going on. So they sent one of their guys walking down the street. And he just picked up the board and kept on going. Gotti gets there and he says, You stupid bastards, you had it and you let him steal it back from you. Another little story out of this Cop Talk book. It was great. They’re again, they’re trying to get a listening device in the Ravenite Social Club. They’re on Mulberry Street. So they try it one night and they spent the whole night trying to pick the lock they can’t get in. They try it again, they take a whole big crew, they have two guys in Con-Ed truck out in front. They have two detectives and radio car cruising around, they have a couple of more looked like bums walking around the neighborhood and a couple of guys acted like they’re drunk and they’re trying to pick the lock. Well, there’s a dog on the inside. So while they’re trying to pick the lock. Every time they get the pins on the tumblers up a little bit. The dog will jump up against the door to knock them back down. Finally, neighborhood lady, hears this racket calls the club manager who comes running out. And then he runs up the Con Ed truck and because he sees these guys out by the front door and he says hey officers, he said arrest those two men theey are burglars, and of course they run off then so it was a hard place. After a couple of tries of breaking into the Ravenite club or putting a microphone in the bench out front. The NYPD cops tried another outside bug. They had noticed that Gotti and Dellacroce would often walk outside past the Ross trucking company and into a chicken market. The NYPD electronic genius Phil Ross made six small sensitive microphones. Then they strung from the top of the Ross trucking company, they strung some wire and hung those microphones down over the path where God a and other people in Dellacroce in particular might walk. All they heard was the sounds of chickens and other ambient sound while they could sit up on that roof and actually hear they claimed they actually heard got a telling Dellacroce that I want to kill Paul Castellano so you know who knows, they finally abandon that effort. After the failure of breaking into the Ravenite and the microphone on the bench. And the mic suspended up in the air over a walk and talk place, the NYPD tried going into the basement under the Ravenite, they used what’s known as a spike mic. This is a microphone attached to a thin spike that they then drill up through the floorboards have been joined the joist in the basement. And so just the very little point of the microphone sticks out well that picks up vibrations and room and then there’s actual kind of a receiver on the end of that spike mic and then that’s hardwired and then it goes they hide the wire up along the floor joists and rafters in the basement ceiling until they can get it outside then they rent it to another buildings. So what they did they ran it to a firehouse nearby. Well there was a fireman in that firehouse that was a gambler you can’t trust those firemen and you know you can’t trust cops either.

Unveiling Harlem’s Infamous Purple Gang May 22, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary interviews well-known mob historian and author Scott Dietche about his most recent book, Hitmen: The Mafia, Drugs, and the East Harlem Purple Gang. Scott Dietche is a nationally recognized expert on organized crime in the United States. This Tampa-based author has written books like Garden State Gangland: The Rise of the Mob in New Jersey, The Silent Don: The Criminal Underworld of Santo Trafficante Jr., Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld, and The Everything Mafia Book. Click anywhere on the highlighted text to find these books. In Hitmen, Scott tells of this minor league New York City Mafia crew known as the Purple Gang. These gangsters aspired to make their Purple Gang into the 6th Family by selling narcotics, committing murder, and extortion. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SUMMARY KEYWORDS mafia, gang, east harlem, purple, connection, drug, genovese, family, murders, tied, heroin, mob, early 70s, guns, killings, la cosa nostra, florida, gangs, new york, drug dealers SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, Scott Dietche 00:00 The early years of the purple gangs appearance on the drug scene were a tumultuous era for many of the mob like drug syndicates operating in New York City, including the ones operating in East Harlem. But within the gangs own ranks internal strife and petty beefs led to several killings that law enforcement scrambled to solve more often than not, they were added to the list of unsolved gangland homicides. This early violence was one catalyst that led to the myth us of the Purple Gang as something akin to an elite hit squad for hire in the underworld. There were a lot of blood spatter drug related homicides, everybody suspected them the Purple Gang of doing a bunch of them, but we couldn’t prove it. The drug game was a violent one and the gang was certainly amenable to dispatching business rivals with little to no provocation. A 1976 DEA report stated much like the original Purple Gang that terrorize Detroit during the Prohibition era, the members of the current Purple Gang appear to have an enormous capacity for violence, involvement in numerous homicides and a lack of respect for other members of organized crime. Well, welcome 00:59 Welcome all you wiretappers out there, that little snippet you heard was a little bit from Scott oout his new book about the Purple Gang of East Harlem, New York. I’ll have links to get it but welcomes Scott, it’s really good to have you. 01:14 Yeah, great to be back. Good to see you again. 01:16 Alright, Scott’s been on here before he did a show and we did a show about the New Jersey mobs. And what was that gangland Garden State gangland Garden State gang land so I’ll have a link to find that down below guys. Really good books. And Scott does his research. I’ll tell you right now he does his research. Scott also does famous for the Ybor City or Tampa area mob tour, which I took and if you look on my YouTube channel, you can download a 10 minute segment of what you would see so if you’re, you’re down in Tampa in the winter, particularly I don’t think you do it in the summer days got 01:53 no we don’t walk around. It’s not conducive to walking outside during the day. 01:57 But it’s a it’s a fun tour when you go to Florida next winter. Or if you go Well, it’d be next winter. Now by the time this gets up, why go down there to Tampa and find the Ybor City mafia tour and talk to Scott a little bit Well, he’ll he’ll give you a really good tour. So the East Harlem Purple Gang. That’s the name for the original Purple Gang out of Detroit, which was famous for a lot of murders. And how did you get onto this stories guide? 02:28 So actually, when I was doing the research for Garden State gangland, I was looking at to some murders in New Jersey in the 1970s, particularly the murder of John ilardi air and in his nickname was Coca Cola last year. It was a Genovese gangs shooter and he was in prison in state prison. He had a furlough for the weekend. And he was killed outside of a motel. And the ballistics on the gun used in his murder tied into other murders of quasi Genovese associates and people that were scheduled to testify against Genovese members. And all these guns traced back to guns that were trafficked out of Florida by a group called the Purple Gang. And, you know, I heard the name, obviously, the Detroit Purple Gang, but I heard about the East Harlem Purple Gang a few times over the years, but never really dug much into him and kind of gotten a side tangent and started looking into and I’m like, Oh, this this might, this might be interesting, as a subject of a book is really a lot of mob stuff that was going on in the 70s in New York, and to current day to some extent tied into this group. So that kind of initiated the interest in the topic. 03:45 And you know, what I find interesting about it is it’s like this small group of some Italian American, some Irish to kind of a mishmash, if you will. There’s like organized almost like a mafia family that operates in New York City together in an organized fashion but outside the normal five families now they had to be people know what’s going on. They had to kick up who were their main connections back to the Genovese family. 04:14 Yeah, so like you said, it was kind of a mixed group that operated but they all grew up in East Harlem. They all kind of grew up in the same neighborhoods. They’re all kind of around the same age. And some of them had relatives whether there were fathers brothers uncles that were involved with the five families but you’re right the Genovese probably the biggest, the Banano family and the Lucchese family, those are the three that most of the guys in the Purple Gang, that that had connections tied to those three families. 04:45 Now as they start exerting a little influence and power and got a little older, a little more organized, I assume they’re like most gang, young man gangs, they start with smash and grabs and burglaries kind of higher end thefts. Oh, Home Invasion robberies maybe. But then they got into the heroin trade, which was huge in New York by the 70s is illustrated by the French connection that the tie ins were really into. They were the they really were the people who were bringing heroin in from overseas before some of these other black gangsters rose up. So how do they get into that they just fall into that are actors enforcers or collectors. So 05:27 in the early 70s, there was a series of cases in in and around this, this one stretch of road Pleasant Avenue in East Harlem, which was a huge epicenter for the traffic of heroin, especially in the Northeast. And there was a big bust in the early 70s That netted I think one netted over 70 guys involved in the heroin business. So a lot of the older cohort guys like Louie the whale or Carmine Tremonti, though it was the boss of the Lucchese family, they all got swept up in these raids, and it kind of leaves a power vacuum on the streets of East Harlem. So these young guys who are kind of like you said, the real kind of street level gang, they kind of step up into this power vacuum and take over the heroin trade in the early 70s. So by the mid 70s, they’ve really come to, to kind of dominate that portion of that. There was a little bit of cocaine, but like you said, it was predominantly heroin. That was that was their drug trade. 06:30 Now, were they able to take advantage of the really, maybe 100 year old trafficking routes from the Middle East to Sicily to France, like the French Connection first and went to Cuba to Trafficante, and then Kansas City in the in the Midwest and the Northeast, the later on to Montreal, the French Connection where they were able to tap into that supply clear back to Sicily, I assume. 06:59 Yeah. So that was part of it. And also, at this time, in the early 70s, do you see the emergence of the Southeast Asia route coming into the United States as well, so they had a couple of different ways they were getting drugs, also through Canada. So but yeah, some of those early routes that that kind of French Connection route started, started getting a little bit too much attention from law enforcement. So you know, as you would imagine, they look for other alternatives, but, but they were able to play again, already to the existing kind of customer base and distribution networks that the older syndicate guys had, before they were busted up. 07:35 There’s a lot of them were, you know, as far as working directly, were out of it during the 70s and 80s. They kind of backed off. So I guess these guys like you say, filled that vacume. And then as they had this working relationship with with the La Cosa Nostra, then did they start using them a little bit like, like, murder incorporated or something? They use them for different things. You got a bunch of deathly young guys like this that kind of want your attention, want your respect, then you can use them for things. It’s been my experience. 08:12 Yeah. And to some extent, they did that. I’ll give you an example. So just north of New York City is a county, Rockland County. There was a Genovese I can’t remember if it was a Capo. I think it was a Capo at that point.

KC Confidential: Inside the Kansas City Mafia May 15, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary interviews KC Mafia historian Frank Hayde, author of The Mafia and the Machine. They discuss the KC Mob from Prohibition to the Murder of the Two Charlies. Charlie Binnagio became a dual threat when he joined Tom Pendergast and became a political boss and the mob boss of Kansas City. His bodyguard, Charlie Gargotta, remained in the shadowy world of mafia hitmen and enforcers. Someone will murder both of the men dramatically. These dramatic murders expose the unholy partnership between the Mafia and the Machine. Get Frank Hayde’s book The Mafia and the Machine Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, Frank Hayde 00:00 Well, hey, all you Wiretappers out there. It’s good to be back here in studioof Gangland Wire. First of all, I want to introduce you to my friend and fellow mob historian Frank Hayde, as you can see right there. I know many of you and because I’ve seen you on Facebook talking about the Mafia and the Nachine. Well, this is the dude that wrote the mafia machine, the first the first definitive history of the mob in Kansas City. So and you know, my friend Bill Ouseley wrote another one called Open City, but this was the first one and, you know, Frank, I know he was working on at the time and all sudden, the both of them came out at about the same time, if I remember right, and, you know, Frank helped me out with an interview, if you guys have seen my Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup about the theft of the 1946 election, which a lot of you have, and if you want to see it, you got to go to my website, and I can, I can rent you a link for $1.99. But Frank helped me out with that. And, you know, he’s just he is an expert on the mob and Kansas City, there’s the whole over you, you know, me I, I mainly know about the skim days and the days when I was a copper, but I don’t know that old history, like, like Frank does. And today, we’re going to talk about the joining of the Irish political machine and the Italian Mafia, and a man named Charlie Binnagio. That came out of it. Frank, welcome. I really appreciate you being here. 01:28 Gary Thank you for having me. It’s great to be on your show. 01:31 So we’ve talked many times, and emailed and that kind of thing, different things. And first time, we’ve really had a show like this together. So this will be fun. Now, before we really get started, guys, Frank, tell them a little bit about the new book, which is really exciting, because this is something I live in and was around during the time when this this subject was was hot. So tell me a little bit about your new book, 01:53 I do have a new book coming out that is, in a way a sequel to the Mafia and the Machine, in the sense that it covers the case, the underworld in the 1990s. So you know all the other treatments of the KC mob, basically ending the 80s with the skin and the big takedown and straw man. So this story kind of pushes the timeline forward into the 1990s. The book is going to be called mafia dreams. The subtitle is, what is myself but the subtitle is a true a true crime saga of young men at the end of an era in Kansas City. So it’s about some young guys who were trying to break into the life in the 1990s, you could maybe say that they were the last generation these guys are my age now are in their early 50s. Now back then they’re in their mid 20s. And could prop probably the last generation of young man really trying to break into the modern life. And it’s a fascinating story that centers around one particular case involving an FBI involved shooting at a reverse drug sting, but it offers a window into the AC underworld of the 1990s. And Gary, I want to give credit where credit’s due, you will help me a lot with this book, he introduced me to a couple of very interesting people who I was able to interview for the book, who knew some of the major players have, you know, and knew some of the people and events that were going on, that I’m covering in this book. So thank you for your help. I think it’s gonna be really enjoyable and I hope that all you you fell a wire tappers out there, we’ll have a chance to read it and enjoy it. 03:39 Yeah, I want you to get it to guys we’ll talk more about what to do a whole show on whenever it comes out. But yeah, I’ll tell you a little bit I know about it that we had the whole big investigation over and around this incident that Frank’s talking about and we call it the young Italians they they had a group of young guys are most of whom were Italian. All most of whom a couple of them were like relatives of the old school mob guys. And of course, you know, back in the day the old school guys they got their bones I shall we say with prohibition, well, we’ve got a modern day prohibition. We’ve got drugs we’ve got okay. And that’s where the money is. And that’s where that show goes and or that story goes and I’m gonna do I’ve got US Attorney out here that that handled prosecution on one of those guys on on a separate drug case. I’m gonna get chuck on here to tell that story about the time we do. Frank’s story about the situation he’s talking about, which is, you know, it was it was really dramatic. I’m just gonna leave it at that guys. It was really a dramatic situation that played out on every TV screen in Kansas City before the first week or two. It was up after the FBI shooting. So it was quite a quite a scary, 05:03 very dramatic at the time made a big local splash and then was quickly forgotten about exactly hoping that this this is a very deep dive investigative story. And it goes, it takes us deep into the backstory, and I think a lot of Kansas City fans are gonna be shocked. is one of those eye popping books. 05:25 I got to fit into this. Anyhow, so today we’re going to talk about Charlie but Nijo which was a fascinating, fascinating, interesting guy. This was a mob guy, I found some old newspaper articles, Frank and I know you’ve probably seen them. Or he the newspaper The Kansan. He starts talking about Charlie. But now as you casually strolling, strolling in and out of the governor’s office, the governor who studied that’s how, how far the mob got in with state level politics at the time. So let’s talk let’s go back a little bit about where did Charlie Banaz yo come from? He came from the north, and I got to assume and came up through the normal way. What do you remember about his early days? 06:07 He was actually born in Texas. And he seems to have some connection to the Denver also because I know he spent some time when he was a young man in Denver. He grew up in the north end. And he I believe he was a godson to James Balistreri. Or maybe it was Joe D’Giovanni. I can’t remember but he was a godson to one of the big moustache, Pete Dons in KC. And you know after Lazia died well, when Lazia died, Charlie Binnagio was one of the pallbearers. 06:47 Now John, was he was really close to the Irish mob boss, mob boss, political boss named James Pendergast. Johnny Lazia was his his man in the north end, which is Little Italy. And Lazia actually had a office on the fifth floor, and maybe not the fifth the third floor police headquarters right down from the chief of police at one time. So Binnagio learned at the feet of the best who was a mob boss and a political boss at the same time. 07:17 And that’s, and that’s kind of the most important takeaway about Binnagio. Always is fact that he was a he was both and in that sense, he was unique. He truly was a mafia boss and a political boss at the same time. And yes, I’m glad you mentioned Johnny Lazia and Tom Pendergast, because that whole era, which is documented in my book, The Mafia the Machine, really set the stage for Binaggio. Oh, you know, together Lazia and Pendergast created this Machine and Mob alliance, which became so powerful and which basically sewed the city uptight, made it an Open City. Binnagio, in a way, inherited when he was a pallbearer at Johnny Lazia’s funeral. That’s sort of when people notice Hey, this guy’s an up and comer. This is someone you know to keep your eye on whether you were in the underworld or in law enforcement, either way, seeing him as a pallbearer, you know, the head up that this was a future player in the Kansas City family. 08:27 None he ever hold political office at all was, oh, he 08:31 He never did. Just like Tom Pendergast. He never held political office. But he, for a time the most influential, the most, the most powerful Democrat in Jackson County. And Binnagio was actually known publicly as a an influential Democrat if his name appeared in the paper, whether it was local paper or New York Times or some other publication from some other city, he was usually referred to as a Kansas City Democrat, or a powerful Democrat. You know, influential Democrat. That’s that was his public persona. Even though it was quite clear, especially at least in Kansas City, and in Missouri. He was more than just a Democrat. He was he walked. It’s fascinating. That’s one of the things that fascinates me so much about Charlie Banaji Oh, how he could do both at the same time. That was something that happened in Kansas City, you know, oh, I said, Kansas City family was typical in the sense that, you know,

John Drummond aka “Bulldog” Covers the Outfit May 08, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary interviews Bulldog John Drummond. The listener learns about filming the Chicago Outfit up close and personal. Bulldog Drummond tells about a situation where it got almost too personal for Bulldog and his camera crew. Bulldog and his film crew watched as Chicago outfit associate and enforcer William “Billy” Dauber and his wife Charlotte left the Will County courthouse after the judge continued his hearing for cocaine and weapons charges. Bulldog wanted to follow the couple to find their county home because he had heard it was like a fortress. Bulldog’d editor ordered them back to downtown Chicago because he wanted coverage of another incident at the Cook County courthouse. The crew did not know that an Outfit hit team was waiting to follow the Daubers with guns, not cameras. They narrowly missed becoming witnesses and possibly victims of an Outfit hit team in the act of killing the Daubers. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Well, hey guys, all you wiretappers out there, another show of Gangland Wire back here in the studio. You can see my little library over there. A couple of last legal manuals I’ve got over there, those black and gold things, I need to get rid of them too. So today I went back to an old interview where I did with John Bulldog Drummond. You guys in Chicago will remember John Bulldog Drummond he was a very famous, very well known dynamic TV reporter at the time over the 50s 60s and 70s is kind of cut his teeth on the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Actually, I interviewed him years ago and and we just went on, I just let him have his head and he just told about all his different Bob stories and his relation to him. And he’s got some good ones we start off with let’s see, I had to make some notes here. We started off with what he remembers about Jerry Scalise and Rachel coming back on the airplane from England after they stole the Marlboro diamond and then when they got caught trying to break into Angelo law presenters house, then we go to oh, he he does the whole thing on Tony Spilotro and Lefty Rosenthal. But I think I think the best story in here, and it’s worth going through the early stories, he talks pretty fast, but I know you guys in Chicago will enjoy listening to Bulldog grumman’s voice again. But he almost got caught up in a mob hit of Billy Dauber, who was in a mob enforcer got killed with his wife. So he’s got a really good story on that. He’s got several other stories. A man named John, DeJohn, that he developed as a source was also talking to the Feds that that app the guy got killed shortly after the last time he met with him and the guy was telling him all kinds of good info about the outfit at the time. And it was kind of a minor guy, but he knew some stuff. And the guy got hit about a week later and Bulldog was told by somebody else that this guy was hit because he was getting too close to Bulldog and he was afraid that that Bulldog would expose too many of their secrets on the television on their own his new show. So it’s it’s a fun, interesting, wild ride through 70s and 80s Chicago outfit from the viewpoint of one of your more famous newsman John Bulldog Drummond. 02:29 What happened that day I recall when it happened, it was in 1980. When these two men actually released by the way, he had a reputation as a as an enforcer hit and some reputation found in certain murders. The story broke, the two men had gone into this this jewelry store in London, called graphs, which is a very prominent store of Britain in the Mayfair section. I think it was in London. I’m not sure what it was. But it was a nice nice for what I think was BayFirst. Anyway, they went in there and up and started to rob the place and obtained what was called the Marvel a diamond which according at the time, suppose we had a retail value in 1980 of $980,000. Probably the most larger significant jewel heist we’ve ever had. But according to what witnesses said at the time, the two men go in there, renders these weapons, get the jewelry put them in a bag, including the Marlboro diamond, and one of them had a mask and the mask fell down. That seems like these guys were sophistic I can’t believe what happened. They went out. So they took a car as you would think they took a cab to go back to the airport to the airport and try to get back to Chicago, which they did. But the point was it was all amateurs in this point. They had registered the hotel they apparently they rented a car for initially under their own name, which was left on the scene and they took a cab on the way to the airport, they stopped at the at one of the post offices in downtown London and mail the package to New York or somewhere like that, and authorities did this day. And by the way, the mile border diamond has never been recovered. And the authorities believe what happened was that they mailed that diamond and others goodies to friends or cronies in the United States particularly thought it was in New York, and then they boarded a plane by that time, Scotland Yard had relaxed who these individuals were they had cable to head to the FBI in Chicago and they got off of a plane in Chicago came into O’hare and were arrested immediately and searched but there was no diamond and by the way, I remember the time that made the Walter Cronkite show we were we were aware of what was coming in that shot coming coming through the plane so we got that on the air. And it turned out to be quite a quite a story. They were tried in London and they came were extradited back to the Great Britain and did some time there but the mystery remains in fact Scalise himself it was later when he got out of prison diamond of course is still a big story and as you indicated before on the air that that’s a story in itself but to my knowledge that nothing has ever happened on it nothing at all. Apparently, he’s not a kid he would be a man now about 80 years old and and the other gentleman Arthur brain, Rachel, would it be a little couple years younger? Apparently they wanted to action these men at last report are still doing federal time what they did after they got out of the jail in London in the states in Chicago for a while. The next thing we know They’re indicted on two things. Number one, a bank robbery in one of our suburbs and number two a break in at the home of a feared mob unfortunate one time Angelo LaPietra who was deceased, but her his widow and daughter were living there. And they went and figured that he had money in the house. And anyway, they were arrested again and here were men in their late 70s being charged because I think they wanted the action. I think they wanted action and they went back to prison time even despite they were geriatric rappers. At that times in the last I heard, the two men are in jail, and the mystery of the Marlboro diamond has never never been been solved. And I always thought that the our friend Mr. Scalise, who I talked to I remember at the last trial he was at in connection that is the trial where he was involved in the bank robbery and the break in attempt to break into the house. So this month here former mob figure that he went number one write a book. I think he was figuring in a movie deal because if you might have seen a movie came out at night 2000 Oh eight about John Dillinger. He was used as a consultant at that time. I remember that much. That was before. Before he got involved in the most recent trouble. But my knowledge he hasn’t he had no he can tell what happened with our board diamond. We don’t know to this day was it broken up? I think most of you will. Experts told me they would have been too hard to sell a rock like that. And one piece they think it’s been broken up if that’s the case. At any rate, the mystery the Marlboro diamond is still with us. When the biggest jewel heist of all time. And so far, nobody’s talking. So there’s a mystery for you right there. The opposition was that they were going to the leadership and the author was going to get a cut on it. They didn’t operate independently. No way. There’s no way about that at all. I think that’s what anytime scores like that. Mr. Scalise has always been alleged to have been involved in several major im Ricard robberies in the area and one in Hammond Indiana. There was big loot on those. And of course, when that happened down the of the outfit elders get to course and certainly, that’s why he got the money on that. And that I’m sure it was the same case with that. And I’m sure it also even though times have changed, they will probably totally keep their mouth shut. But of course that’s because that’s 37 years ago, and people are in command and no longer around of course, but they still there’s nothing just happened. And disgraced by the way while he was in London. Here’s a sidebar story. He lived in a suburb of Southwest suburb. And the FBI got from an informant told me there’s somebody’s buried on his property there and lo and behold, they did find it. They opened up they started digging, and it was to at least two people that were gangland slayers veterans that were found when they bought that property. But of course Scalise never had to shed any light on that either.

Bobby Salerno – Outfit Killer May 01, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews Chicago Outfit Historian James Cosenza about the second trial of Outfit gambler, fixer, and killer Bobby Salerno. We learn Salerno worked with a Cicero shakedown and hit team that went too far when they murdered bookmaker Hal Smith. An Outfit associate named B. J. Jahoda turned witness after the Hal Smith murder because they used him to set up Smith without his cooperation and foreknowledge. Salerno was represented by his son, defense attorney Alex Salerno. James reports that during the trial, the prosecutor elicited from Jahoda that Salerno and others killed Smith because he refused to pay any extra tribute to the crew. He felt he had paid enough “street tax.” When a crew member named Solly DeLaurentis asked for more, Smith refused, and they got into a loud argument in a public place. James Cosenza did not perceive that B. J. Jahoda was a believable witness. He spoke with Bobby Salerno at the water fountain during a break. Salerno said he was so proud that his son, Alec Salerno, was one of his two lawyers at the Defense table. He said, “I told my son that if he lost, don’t feel too bad because I have been around, and I can take it.” In this trial, the government used William B.J. Jahoda, who had been Solly DeLaurentis’ driver, as their star witness. Jahoda owned the Long Grove, Illinois home where the crew murdered Hal Smith. Jahoda testified that he was ordered to bring Smith to his house for a “talk.” Instead, Bobby Salerno, Robert (Bobby the Gabeet) Bellavia, and Louis (Louie Tomatoes) Marino murdered Hal Smith. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SPEAKERS SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, James Cosenza 00:00 During B. J. Jahoda’s testimony now he was the star witness against Bobby Salerno. He was a kind of a tough witness to listen to. And they called the break outside in the hallway near the water cooler. For some reason, Gary, I was so aggravating, a little little disturbed by B. J. Jahoda’s testimony that I made a couple of comments out loud that I normally don’t do. And to my surprise, Bobby Salerno actually replied and spoke to me. And he told me I’ll never forget it. He said that you can see my son Alex, who’s representing me is a very fine attorney. And I told Alex, before this trial started, if we lose, I don’t want you to hang your head low. I want you to continue to be a top defensive lawyer. Don’t let this trial affect your career in any way. Don’t worry about me. I’m an old fighter. I’m a boxer. I can handle it. Then he went on to say And I’ll never forget this. He said, you can see I have my son. Alex is a very fine attorney. He was very proud of his son representing them. He’s like my second kid. She’s going to law school right now. And I’m listening. Then he put his head down. He’s like, my third kid, he dropped out of school in the ninth grade. And he kind of smiled. He’s like, Jimmy, two out of three ain’t bad. And that was that. That was my little conversation with Bobby that two of his kids are successful. And the third one dropped out of school. 01:29 Well, that’s interesting. We’ll welcome you guys back here in studio ganglion. We’re got James M. Black back on again. He’s my friend in Chicago, who has gone to a bunch of the Bob trials out there. We’ve already done a couple. We did family secrets trial. And we did the large guy, Mike Sarno’s trial. And they were great. And I know a lot of people like him, especially in Chicago. So here we go. Another one with the trial of Bobby Salerno that James went to. So James, welcome. I’m really happy to have you back on here. 02:01 Thanks for having me, Gary. It’s a pleasure. I want to take gratulations on your 10,000 subscribers. That’s 02:07 it. Thank you. Thank you. Just a little aside, that we will get right back to my Dave, there’s two different audiences out there. There’s the audio audience and there’s the video audience. And they don’t really overlap very much just like I was telling you about or no show I did. Then you said, Oh, you did? I didn’t know you did that? Well, it was only on the audio platform, I can tell you had really been on the audio platform. So I was first started big time into the video. I thought God, I’ll be losing people. But I think it really is added to the audio. People like to listen and not have to look because you’re doing something else or working or jogging or driving or something else. I can’t really look at the video. So anyhow, that’s enough about the podcast. Let’s talk about the Bobby Salerno trial that was held in the main courthouse down there in downtown Chicago and Cook 02:59 here. All the major federal trials are at the Dirksen Federal Building, which is right there in the Chicago Loop, which is kind of like the financial district. 03:08 Right. So tell us about when you went in there. What background did you have about this trial? What did you know about Bobby’s learned, oh, and this star witness BJ Jahoda and the defendant and the other people who are involved in it. 03:25 Okay, about a year and a half prior to Bobby Salerno second trial was a major racketeering Rico case at the Dirksen federal building. The government called it the Good Ship Lollipop trial. Now, unfortunately, I did not attend that trial. But I followed in the news in the papers every day. And that was a major racketeering case. loan sharking, gambling and one of the charges was a murder. This crew Rockies crew murdered Hal Smith, which was one of the largest bookies in the country. That was Rocky Infelice, right. Rockie Infelice at the first trial, the good ship lollipop trial. You had Rocky Infelice Louis tomatoes Marino, Solly D’Laurentis, Bobby Bellavia and Bobby Salerno. These are like the top guys in his crew. Every one of them is a made member of the Chicago outfit. And at the end of the good ship lollipop trial, all the defendants were found guilty, except Bobby Salerno, the jury hung on Bobby Salerno, and I remember on CHANNEL SEVEN NEWS in Chicago, they showed Bobby Salerno coming out of the courtroom. He was ecstatic, even shocked. In his mind. I think he thought he’d beat the case. Now at that first trial, he has a top defensive lawyer in Chicago called Terry Gizepi. He is guy represented all the mob guys in Chicago, Mike Sarno, Bobby Salerno and several others. Bobby Salerno son Alex Salerno was co-counsel. So fast forward, all the defendants are found guilty. The jury hung on Bobby Salerno. He was so proud that his son Alex sat at the defense table. 17 months later, the government tried Bobby Salerno again for the murder of Hal Smith. And some of us may or may not know this, but anytime the government tries you a second time, your chances of beating that case have really diminished because it allows the prosecution and the defense. It allows them time to really sharpen up their case, by name mistakes they made in the first trial, they’re definitely going to tie up on the second trial. So I went to the second trial of Bobby Salerno, he was the only defendants of the government called five witnesses. Four of them were like associates, criminals of the rocky and police crew. But the main witness against Bobby Salerno was BJ Jahoda. 06:21 Who was Jahoda, who was he? 06:23 BJ Jehoda was basically a career criminal and associate of Joe Ferriola and the Rocky Infelice crew. He wasn’t a made guy, but he was definitely a part of that crew. And he was also a large bookie himself. I don’t remember the dollar amount, but he was literally making millions of dollars for the outfit. BJ Jahoda was very good friends with Hal Smith, the bookie that they kill. 06:49 Tell us a little bit about Hal Smith paint a picture of Hal Smith. He’s kind of a character if I remember right. 06:56 How Smith, according to the prosecution was one of the largest bookies for the Chicago office back in the day, and literally one of the largest bookies in the entire country. And this guy will call him an associate of the rocky police crew. He was paying his monthly dues every month on time like clockwork, never once missed a payment. Fast forward Joe ferry Hola, Boston, Chicago outfit Iraqi and Felice decided we’re going to squeeze every single booking in Chicago. We want them to pay an extra $6,000 a month. According to Rocky Infelice who was caught on tape. The reason they wanted this extra $6,000 A month was to pay for their lawyers and all the cops, sheriffs and politicians that they were bribing. So when Hal Smith found out he had to pay an extra 6000 a month. He was livid. He’s there’s like no way in hell, I’m paying this. I’ve been paying you guys every month. You’ve never once had a problem with me. So he balked at it after numerous threats. One night, he was at a restaurant a famous restaurant here in Chicago called the Como Inn right off Grand Avenue. He bumped into Solly D’Laurentis they had words and basically Solly D’Laurentis told them You my friend are Trunk Music. Shortly after that, Rocky Infelice as BJ Jadoda, “Where does Hal Smith live?” BJ Jahoda testified as soon as Rocky asked him that he knew how Smith was in trouble. So they used BJs home in Long Grove, Illinois, which is a very wealthy suburb of Chicago.

Scarpa Assaults Vic Amuso Apr 24, 2023

Retired intelligence detective Gary Jenkins interviews Robert McNeese, a man who served many years in two different federal prisons and was the cellmate of Lucchese Boss Vic Amuso. He was nearby when Colombo mobster Greg Scarpa Jr. attacked and injured Vic Amuso. Robert tells precisely how this fight started and what resulted. Robert McNeese tells how Danny Marino introduced him to the federal prison Mafia society. Marino suggested that Vic Amuso take him in as a cellie. Robert McNeese became good friends with Amuso, which gave him credibility with every other Mafia nab he met in the Federal prison system. He tells about Mafia prison life, prison guard corruption, and how he received a life sentence while in prison for a much shorter bank robbery sentence. The most exciting story is how he befriended a female inmate and learned information that assisted authorities in finding the bodies of two dead children and earned an early out. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, Robert McNeese 00:00 The one day that was had open court on handball, Greg Scarpa, Jr. and his friend approached Vic and his friend aspect that they wanted to play doubles. And Vic said no, because you know dudes old man’s a snitch, and I don’t know if if he’s tainted, you know, he might be one two, I don’t know. So later that day or that evening, we had all had some pasta not to pick was Washington’s bowl out in my closet. He was bent over that. And Greg Scarborough Jr. You’re walked in there with a pipe and cracked him in the back of the head with a Game Over 170 stitches. They locked down the hole. Actually, they lock down the entire Bureau of Prisons when it happened. And then they ship colonial was out of there, and I went to Atlanta, and then about two weeks later, Vic showed up in Atlanta. But welcome 00:43 Welcome all you Wiretappers out there back here in the studio Gangland Wire, got a show for you today with a man named Robert McNeese. I got onto him. I can’t remember he was on another podcast I think and I listened to his stories and and he was great update you I was impressed and and we have Robert McNeese here Welcome, Robert. Thank you. I’m really happy to have you on the show we you know, we’ve had a couple three conversations and you know, I understand you live up in Cedar Rapids Iowa right now and there’s about five feet of snow or something 01:20 there’s enough there’s a lot of snow today and I’m Blizzard blizzard conditions today. 01:26 Let’s start off with you met a lot of mob guys in prison and and you got a lot of great stories, you also got noticed by Paramount Pictures. And they want to tell your life story even though you’ve never written a book and and I’m not sure how they got ahold of you exactly, but somebody told them about your story. And they were impressed enough with with your life experiences that they want to do a whole series on you. And I believe it’s gonna be called The Honorable Man. Is that correct? 01:57 Yeah they got onto me from Bill Staxx. Okay. 02:00 Just tell us a little bit. I think everybody’s curious about that. How does that go down when they just like call you or did Bill introduce you? Or whatever? How does that work? 02:10 Well, I got a call. Bill Staxxs reached out to me. He had interviewed a guy that I was incarcerated with, and he gave him my information. So he got a hold of me those tracks did ask if I wanted to do a podcast and you know, something news to me. So I said, Yeah, I’ll do one. And so we did the pod task. A week later, I got a phone call from from Bill again, one introduced me to a guy out in California that’s interested in doing a TV movie or mini mini series or something like that. And I said, Okay, well, that’s cool. So he gave my information and called me and just started talking and ended up he’s going to, they’re going to do eight episodes, season one and they’re hoping that it’ll carry over to Season Two. Interesting and it’s just like my life in incarcerated and I think every week it’s going to have like a different person that you know, that I’ve met that you know, they have a little story behind it. And I guess that would be intriguing to the population. I guess. I don’t know. 03:11 I will be I’ve seen the list of people and we’re going to talk about them and and your interactions with them and really kind of tell people you know, a little bit about what this series is gonna be like when it finally gets done. Yeah, I mean, you were met people like Christie the Tic Furnari with Fat Tony Salerno, Tony Ducks, Carolla. I mean, you met Danny Marino, you met some of the big people. How did you end up in the federal penitentiary? 03:39 Well, I robbed a bank. I did a bank robbery in Cedar Rapids when and as a young kid, young and dumb, I went to the bank and I had known some some bank robbers. Some you know, real life bank robbers, and I was like, fascinated by him, but I got to be friends with one of them. And he kind of like taught me how to rob banks on the way they did it. I wouldn’t did it and I don’t know got caught. Got caught like a couple weeks later, I actually turned myself in, you know, y’all know what I was doing. 04:10 They had they pick your picture out there on the news from the cameras or something or somebody right? Yeah. 04:16 Yeah. Someone told on the date. Okay. The spider man mask I was wearing a full mask with little holes on it. It was a spider man mask, okay. And I throw it thrown it off the over the bridge. And they found it and my hair particles wrote it. No hair sample and whatever. Hair and then someone had told him that. Yeah, that was my mask. You know, I bought a 04:38 yeah, this begins your tour of the federal penitentiary system. And usually you’re never in just one. Right? What was the first one you went into? 04:50 The first one was in Wisconsin. I can’t remember the 04:52 name. Okay, so. Oh, Oxford. I’m 04:55 sorry, Oxford. 04:56 Okay. Now, did you is that where you start? First start hooking up with some of these mob guys or 05:02 I was fortunate when I was a young younger guy. I had worked for a wax museum of Elvis Presley’s Wax Museum, the wax museum would go on to like, carnival grounds that was owned by, you know, different people. And one of them was Danny Marino. Gambino Oh, God, that I didn’t even know anything. I didn’t even know what Gambino is. We’re back then. So yeah, but it was me and my sister worked for this museum, I’m selling tickets and selling pictures, albums, things like that at the stores, Danny Marino was, what would come and, you know, he buy us lunch or dinner. And, you know, just, you know, just looking out for us, you know, a nice guy. And, and that was it. That was that was my only interaction with so, I mean, I get to Oxford, Wisconsin, I get off the bus. And I go to receiving and discharge and you go through the whole routine of you know, seeing an nurse and make sure you’re healthy enough to go on the yard. See a investigative officer to make sure that you know, you’re not going to have any problems. And so when they finally release you, they give you a bed roll with two sheets, pillowcase and a blanket and some shampoo and soap. And they point open up a door and a point in this prison yard. You know, you’re waiting on your unit is down here on the right. So you know, you gotta walk about two blocks. So you’re doing that you’re you’re you’re wearing bus pants, which are brown wrinkled pants and white t shirt, and everyone’s looking at you. I’m nervous wreck talking, they’re all by myself walking with them. You know? And I’m like, Man, this is hell. And I’m looking and just guys are just, you know, they all want to be tough guys. So they’re all staring down and like, Oh, my God, all sudden I hear Bobby Bobby and, and I didn’t recognize him. He came up gave me a big hug. You don’t remember me any? And then? Also, I’ve never been happy in my life. Yeah, so yeah, Danny Marino was the first one I had seen in the prison. 07:04 Interesting Danny Morino he was a real mob guy, for sure. In the Gambino family. I looked a little bit up about him when he is early arrest was was assault on an FBI agent outside of a Catholic church at a mass for another old time mafia. So it’s so he was able to pretty tough guy himself when when he was a kid. He was indicted in 93 on conspiracy to commit murder on a guy who was going to testify in Grand Jury hearing in New York about the trash hauling industry and, and he was connected to Gaspipe Casso. And, you know, he was, I mean, he was a pretty bad guy himself, but not really to you as sounds like, 07:51 yeah, most of them are real nice, guys. You know, the gentleman. Yeah. So I’m sure he found that out through your career, but oh, yeah, right then and there goes ask where I was going to when I said I was going down to one, one unit, that was the orientation unit. For one side, the other side was they had, you know, inmates. And he goes, let me go, I asked my friend, he’s looking for Cellie, I’m gonna tell him see what he says, Well, this friend of his was Chris Furnari. You know, Christy Tic. So I go down, and, you know, Danny Marino says, come on, he wants to talk to you. So I go around and meet him. And, you know, we teach sighs You know, I could be his roommate. So that was my,

Ray Liotta Mafia Actor Apr 21, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary found a clip of Ray Liotta telling about working on the set of GoodFellas and how one of the Mafa Cops, Lou Eppolito stole his wallet. He also adds a story about how Gaspipe Casso refused to hire the Mob cops because they wanted too much money. Gaspipe paid some other mob guy to do a hit, and the guy murdered the wrong man. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SPEAKERS JEFFREY SUSSMAN, GARY JENKINS, Ray Liotta 00:00 Hey all you wiretap errs out there welcome back to the studio is kind of low shorty I was noodling around and I found this clip of Ray Liotta talking about filming Goodfellas and dealing with Lou Eppolito The mom one of the mafia cops Steven Caracappa and Lou Eppolito where the mafia cops they were New York City policemen that that really they should have been mob guys then they were mob guys that went on the police department work there waves and positions that one of them was in the intelligence unit and actually for a while and then there was a homicide Dick I think they also did hits for mainly for Gaspipe Casso. Eppolito wrote a book and was pretty popular and he was consulting with on Hollywood movies and even at a small bit part in Goodfellas. And I think maybe it’s something else to do in the movies. But I thought Ray Liotta had some really interesting stories about working with the mob working with Joe Pesci working with Eppolito on Goodfellows check this out 01:02 Bob was there dinero Lorraine pesci didn’t make it though. Oh, he didn’t know he sent the letter. Oh, really old fashioned Bob read it. Did he really um basically it said sorry I can’t be there but the even curses when he writes he’s a funny guy. That is that might be the greatest scene ever. I mean really? It still makes me nervous even though I know what’s happening in that scene. So Goodfellas eatery right? You learn to ride a horse do you learn to be a mobster for a movie like that? And can you even What they said they gave me a guy who used to be a cop whose family was in the mob and he later went mob and I remember one day we go to we go to lunch right we go we get there eating and I want to pay he’s he’s you know he’s telling me things and sharing things with my my wallets left they’re like what the heck oh my gosh, what I do with my wallet? We go back No, this is like in Queens people all over the place walking up and down. And all of a sudden I walk boom there’s my wallet. There’s no question he took it from me. He took it from me and then I guess after he threw it on the streets and Oh look there it is. Why do you think that heavy he had a he’s a douche All right, well, that’s a good reason. The the night that I got the part Lorraine and I found out we went to Marty’s apartment then we went to a place called rails. You know it? Yeah, sure. And then we went there, we’re having a nice dinner. Then all of a sudden, towards dessert. All these guys start coming up. And basically they were auditioning, but but they did it by saying I knew a guy who did this than the other one Thompson. I knew a guy who did that and their stories got worse and worse and you know they were talking about themselves. So they were just not now I got some you think that’s a whacking? That kind of thing. Oh, you don’t have to be in the FBI. You just tell people you’re directing a movie and you’ll get all the information you need. 03:11 Well, that was pretty. That was pretty interesting one to the Joe Pesci and he’s casting all the time. You know, I know. Branca lotta has one of his videos out there. He talks about how on the set even pesci just dropped the F bomb but every third word which is in Amin, it’s okay maybe you work with a bunch of guys but it kind of gets on your nerves after a while some low guy dropping F bombs like he’s trying to be tough or something that you know who knows I will breaks dead and gone and I think he tried to straighten him out on the sad Joe Pesci is what he is and been immensely successful. So now let’s hear a story about our gas pipe. Casso hired the mob cops to locate and kill a guy, but he tries to chance on him he tried he tried to, you know, get him to do it for less money and they want more money and they they wouldn’t do it. So he tried to do it himself and and see what happens. Listen to this one was 04:13 a one of the people who tried to assassinate Casso was a guy named Nikki Guido. He wants the cops to kill Nikki Guido, but he can’t find out where he lives, or anything about him. So he asked the cops to do it, and they say, well, we want an additional $4,000. If you want us to do this, and Kassar refuses to pay them, he says, nevermind, I’ll find out myself. So he has a friend who works at the Brooklyn Union Gas Company. And the guy comes up with a name and address and a location of the Nicki Guido, who lives in the section of Brooklyn that’s known as mob territory. And he’s the same age as the Nicki Guido they’re looking for. So Casso gets a couple of his gunmen to go and kill is not the mafia customer to gunman to go and kill this Mickey quita. And of course, it’s the one that we do. And they pull up alongside him. He just bought a new Nissan Maxima, and he’s showing it to his uncle. And and from the side windows of this car that pulled up next to him. There are several blasts of gunfire and he throws himself over his uncle’s body to protect him, but he’s killed in the process and the power of killers drive away. And the Eppolito and Caracappa were furious, because you know, they said to Cat they told Kaplan that if Casso had been willing to pay us the other $4,000 we would have gotten the right person and he’s killed an innocent person and and this further alerts the police that something bad is going on and they have to solve the problem. 05:53 Well, that’s my little shorty about Gaspipe Casso. Oh, the mob cops and Ray Liotta and Goodfellas and, and just kind of a you know, catch all kind of a thing for your entertainment today. Don’t forget, I like to ride motorcycles. So watch out for motorcycles. When you’re out there on the streets. You have PTSD and you’ve been in the service, go to the VA website. I almost forgot what I’m saying there. Go to the VA website and get that hotline number. If you have problem drugs or alcohol which sometimes goes hand in hand with PTSD by get hold of our friend Anthony ruggiano. I think his report gangsters got.com or, or just searched his name on YouTube and and if you’re on YouTube, you’ll see his hotline number if you’re getting into treatment yourself. He’s down in Florida, maybe you can go down there and he can be your counselor. Would that be fun? Be interesting or maybe not might not be so fun if you’re just going into recovery, but he would make it fun. You’d have a great story to tell to thanks a lot 06:51 guys.

Steel City Mafia Apr 17, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. Gary interviews the author of Steel City Mafia: Blood Betrayal and Pittsburgh’s Last Don. Starting with the bombing of mob associate Paul Hankish, this is a story of Mafia life in Steel City with all its blood and betrayal. Paul Hankish was the boss of Wheeling West Virginia and he kicked up the Pittsburgh Family. Plus, we learn about the last Don and how a 1/2 Sicilian named Chuckie Porter became Underboss and took down the family. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, Paul Hodos 00:00 So you may have heard of Paul Hankish. He was a Wheeling associated Pittsburgh mobster, his nickname was No Legs basically how he got that nickname is pretty interesting story. He was an up and coming bookmaker and gambler and his rival and Wheeling was getting a little nervous about him in 1964. Paul Hankish on one morning was coming out of his house and he got into his car and started the car. Fortunately for him, there was a dynamite bomb in the engine block, his car exploded. Basically there was a shock wave throughout the neighborhoods and windows were blown out. The authorities arrived pretty quickly. Luckily for him, he was conscious throughout the ordeal was car was on fire. He was stuck in there. His one leg was partially severed and the other one was completely blown off. When the police arrived. He was basically just screaming come and help me please. And so they got him out, took them to the hospital and it ended up that they had to amputate his other leg. That’s how he basically had to go and wear prosthetics to walk with crutches basically for the rest of his life. 00:55 But welcome all you Wiretappers back here in the studio of Gangland Wire, I’ve got a story that I think a lot of you guys would really be interested in because it was such a big response to my friend Steve say John talked about being in the penitentiary down at Springfield in the hospital penitentiary with Lefty Ruggerio. And he told a story about a man named Paul Hankish. And we’re going to talk about Paul Hankish, a little bit and his connection to the Pittsburgh crime family and more about the Pittsburgh mob. So welcome my guest, Paul Hodos. Paul, welcome. 01:28 Thank you, Gary. Nice to be here. 01:30 It’s really great to have you here. And this is perfect this Paul Hankish had so many questions about Paul Hankish said I know my friend Steve, who I see every Wednesday anymore kind of interesting story may being a Copper and really be in charge of the Surveillance crew that helped get him put in the penitentiary and we become friends in the last few years after he got out and he led the straight life. But after he got out, he’ll really be interested to hear more about Paul hankies. And I know I have a lot of guys, especially my friend, Rob Starr, who wants to hear more and more about the Pittsburgh crime family. And it is an interesting small little family kind of like the Kansas City family. So you have done a lot of history, a lot of background into that. And tell us about your own personal history how you got into this. 02:17 So I’m actually from Western Pennsylvania, originally, I live in Maryland now. But I’m from the area where the current family was based, actually was born in a town called Johnstown PA, which is old time steel town, one of the Pittsburgh mafia as captains. If you guys they’re gambling and whatnot, pretty quiet area for the Pittsburgh mob, honestly, my hometown, but the rest of the family wasn’t as quiet. So it makes for an interesting read. 02:40 Really. So what did you do for a living? You have a kind of an interesting background. 02:45 Yeah. So as in the FBI. I started out in New York City, basically a surveillance operative, if you want to call it that the official term was investigative specialist. And we would do surveillances mostly on like terrorism type subjects and things like that. A little bit of criminal stuff. And I did that for seven years. And then I moved on to headquarters and was there for over 10 years as an analyst. So a lot of writing a lot of research and that career. It helped me out obviously, with understanding crime and terrorism, whatnot. But it also helped me with my writing, honestly, too. Yeah, 03:22 really. So now, what about researching the Pittsburgh Crime family? How did you go about that specifically? I’m sure you did some FOIA request. And 03:30 yeah, FOIA was very important. My book specifically focuses on like the last decades of the family. So family kind of went defunct in the 2000. And I took it from the sort of like, it’s a story about the fall the family. So FBI FOIA docs in that time, especially on the boss, Mike Genovese, and Pennsylvania did a bunch of really good reports, actually, that were basically just source reporting that they would package up and release to the public, believe it or not, Pennsylvania Crime Commission, very good source for anything that was OC in Pennsylvania, and then a few interviews for law enforcement and a little bit of talk into some of the associates who are still alive but not too much on the interview side, more documentary for sure. 04:15 So the Pittsburgh Crime Family, this was after Big John Larocca is what you’re talking about, correct? 04:22 Yes. And I go into big John’s reign, because you have to do the backgrounds for each of the characters in the chapter. So it does get covered some but the real focus of the book is post La Rocca. 04:32 Okay. And there’s my Genovese, who is not the Genovese from New York, we always have to 04:39 say so. Yeah, Vito Genovese had a brother named Mike. So there is a lot of confusion about that. But this is a different one. From what I’ve seen. He probably wasn’t like really closely related to the gentleman uses Vito and Mike in New York. But maybe maybe like way back. There were some family connections. They are kind of from the same area. 04:59 Yeah. It’s kind of like the O’Donnells of Ireland and they’re not all related. Or the Jenkins is from Wales are not all related. So, you know, a lot of great stories. I know they got into drugs and which historically was a no, no our crime family here, the only we had an associate that invested money into drug dealers, but nobody, no made guy ever got directly involved in drugs. And it looks like they got directly involved in drugs in Pittsburgh, but there’s a lot of stories came out of that. 05:37 Yeah, for sure. That’s one of the definite like, items that made them fall. They weren’t a very large family, as you mentioned. So when you get a few prosecutions, it can really cripple family. And drugs were definitely a problem. Some of them did just do the investing, like you said, but because Pittsburgh made so few people, some of their associates are really key. And so when you even take out some of those associates, because they were dealing drugs, that even that hits the family pretty hard. You had like, in the early 80s, you had like Nick the Blade Guesale as well, a guy who took a pinch and went down. He was a pretty important player in Pittsburgh. But he was very much involved in the drug trade. That was his main thing. 06:17 Yeah, what a name Nick the Blade. Yeah. So we talked before about Paul Hankish, How was he? He was an associate. He was not Sicilian for sure. I don’t even know if he was half Italian. But how was he connected to the family? 06:35 Yeah, so that was a kind of a hard thing to track down. It wasn’t really documented too. Well, like you could see him meeting with people in different documents and people that you interview with, but there was never any, like a smoking gun where you could say like, was he actually kicking up? Like, where was the money that he was making going? And because of that, I think a lot of people think wheeling is like a separate criminal entity. But it wasn’t and luckily, I found a former law enforcement officer who knew what was going on. And Paul Hankish, would basically travel up to a little town just outside of Pittsburgh, and he would go to a restaurant called Orsinis and he would meet with whatever made guy was basically handling him at the time. There were a few who did. And he would hand over the cash there, basically. So from his gambling rackets, he was actually you’re into drugs as well, selling cocaine and things like that. So organized theft, but he was just like everybody else in that area of pain, the family and he is unique, because this is kind of a Pittsburgh family thing, because they had so few made guys. A lot of times associates were really in charge of big operations. So he was in charge of all of Wheeling, West Virginia, even though he was just an associate. And he had a crew of his own a bunch of guys under him that were doing the work and including murders and things like that. So he had a lot of independence, but he was still taking direction and pain up. And I don’t know how much you want to get into him specifically, but we can get into his like backstory too. 08:06 So that would be interesting. Where do you come from? I mean, how does a guy like this kind of West Virginia hillbilly if you will, maybe not a hillbilly but backwoods kind of a guy going to Pittsburgh people,

Crooked: Interview about a Corrupt 1920’s Attorney General Apr 10, 2023

Retired Intelligence detective Gary Jenkins interviews Nathan Masters about his new book Crooked: The Roaring ’20s Tale of a Corrupt Attorney General, a Crusading Senator, and the Birth of the American Political Scandal. We learn about a corrupt U.S. Attorney General named Harry Daugherty, the puppet master behind President Warren G. Harding’s unlikely rise to power. Daugherty was well-known to maintain cozy relations with bootleggers and gamblers like Arnold Rothstein and other scofflaws. When his constant companion and trusted fixer, Jess Smith, is found dead of a gunshot wound in the apartment the two men share, a corruption-busting senator from Wyoming and the incorruptible J. Edgar Hoover go to work. This book is packed with political intrigue, salacious scandal, and many similarities to our modern era of political discord. Nathan Masters’ thrilling historical narrative shows how this intricate web of inconceivable crookedness set the stage for the next century of American political scandals. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, Nathan Masters 00:00 Yeah, so one of the scenes that really got me going when I started writing this book was something that happened on Memorial Day 1923 at the Wardman Park in fashionable Hotel in Washington where the Attorney General lived, there was a gunshot somebody and there was a man dead from a gunshot wound inside the suite that the Attorney General lived in. And the first law enforcement officer in the scene was none other than the head of what became the FBI, a man named William J. Burns, which if you think about it, it’s a pretty unusual circumstance to have the head of the FBI investigating a local homicide. I’ll read it from my book here a little bit inside the bedroom suite 600 E. Burns found the body of a man named Jeff Smith 50 crumpled at the foot of two beds, in his right hand was a 32 caliber revolver, single bullet had plowed through his head. This was clearly a matter for the local authorities burns knew better than to summon the police immediately, the situation called for discretion for a few in Washington had known as much as the man who now lay before him in a bloody heap, then the book just sort of unfolds from there. 00:56 Thanks a lot. That’s great. Yeah, guys, welcome. I’ll you work average out there. You just heard a little bit out of a new book out crooked. And it’s going to tell us all more than we ever want to know about a variety of things. If you remember back when you were a kid, you heard about the Teapot Dome scandal. There was this corrupt administration under Warren G. Harding, where the President and the founding of the FBI came out of this and just a lot of other interesting stories. The Attorney General the FBI was investigating their own attorney general and he was crooked as heck, as you can tell, but that was his sweet. So welcome. Nathan masters. Thanks a lot, Nathan, for coming on the show. 01:37 Well, thanks for having me, Gary. 01:39 So we’re a little bit about your background. You were in public TV, get background Public TV. Tell us a little bit about that. 01:47 Yeah, I’ve hosted a public television show called last la that explores Los Angeles history through the archives. I’ve been doing that since 2016. So I have a lot of experience digging through archival materials for compelling stories to share them with readers and viewers. 02:03 Now, this is your first nonfiction book, how’d you find this story? Was there some little archive that you were perusing through and said, you know, this is pretty I do this myself? I say, you know, this could be expanded into something. This is interesting. Did you do that? Or had that happen? 02:19 Yeah. Yeah. It started out exactly that way. This was about 2018. So I don’t know what was that five years ago. I don’t want to get too much into politics. But I was trying to think of a story that could speak to the present day a little bit like some untold story from the past, I started looking into corrupt presidential administrations, of course, there’s no administration as bigger reputation for corruption than that of Warren G. Harding. I started looking into Hardeen a little bit and I realized there wasn’t a lot there. There’s no real evidence that he personally was culpable in any of the corruption that went on under his regime. Of course, he was probably you could hold him responsible for letting that happen. Right. And he was the buck stop there, right. But I came across the story of a young freshman senator from Montana, who started investigating the attorney general who happened to be warrantee Hardings political mentor, he was the kingmaker of politics in Ohio. Basically, he served as Warren Harding as campaign manager got him the presidency. And then as his reward book, The Office of Attorney General This is a man named Harry Doherty. So the senator started investigating and Doherty discovered that the Department of Justice was being used as a political weapon to silence. Doherty’s and Harding’s political enemies was also maybe getting close to figuring out that door, he was using it to enrich himself. Since the 1920s of the roaring 20s prohibition, the entire nation was rife with graft, and the Attorney General realized there’s an opportunity there, but just as that Senator was getting a little too close to the truth, he found himself indicted on trumped up charges. And when I came across that I thought there’s a good story there. 03:54 Yeah, really, I mean, this sounds like Richard Nixon and John Michell John Mitchell was his campaign manager and then got rewarded as being the Attorney General, and then really put a rubber stamp on all those activities of wiretapping and going after political enemies. A lot like that to say what folks, everything old is new, again, cleared up to the threats, whatever, you can accuse Biden of doing bad stuff with the Attorney General’s Office weaponizing, that that’s a new word. You can accuse Trump of doing that. I mean, you can accuse about every president of weaponizing, the Attorney General’s office to greater and lesser extent, but it’s topical today. There’s no doubt about it. 04:33 You make a really good point. There’s nothing unusual about a president installing a political cronyism Attorney General. I mean, Bobby Kennedy, right. The brother of the President, nothing unusual in the fate. What was unusual is that Dougherty used the office to enrich himself right, a lot of these attorney generals who got in trouble, they use it to protect the president. They crossed the line legally to do that. Doherty was using it for his own death. But 05:01 so is this how the bureau investigation got started? How did that come about? Folks, this is the precursor of the FBI and reading the book, in my own knowledge, I know that the Secret Service was really the only federal policing kind of a function that there ever had been out of really out of the Civil War. They start working counterfeiters and organizations that did counterfeiting and the Secret Service were the early people that went after the old black handlers at the turn of the century. They were the only federal law enforcement there was like that. So how did then the bureau developed out of this? 05:38 Yeah, that was the case until 1909, the end of the Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency, the Secret Service was being pulled in too many directions. There were more federal statutes on the books that needed to be enforced more federal crimes that needed to be investigated. And as you know, Theodore Roosevelt was a great reformer crusader against corruption, antitrust violations, so he and his attorney general who was actually a relative of Napoleon Bonaparte’s, Charles Bonaparte created what became the Bureau of Investigation and then later the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was around the 1920s it was growing in size it had grown in response to first of all World War One chasing down anti war dissenters. And then, in the Red Scare that followed World War One when J. Edgar Hoover, who was then John Edgar Hoover orchestrated a series of raids against political radicals and led to hundreds of deportations 06:33 that was written in your book when they first first started. Hoover was like the man known that had all the secret files and the guy named William J. Burns was the detective. He was a real famous detective had the burns detective agency and then brought back in how did that all work? Yeah. Yeah, Billy 06:49 Burns was the most famous detective in all of America. He was called America’s Sherlock Holmes. He had eclipsed Allan Pinkerton, for instance, as America’s most famous detective people. I mean, he was so good at solving a crime with like little scraps of evidence that that people thought he was working magic. And then yeah, on the other hand, John Edgar Hoover was a former library catalog at the Library of Congress, actually, where yeah, he was just really good at organizing information. And as you know, organizing information is you have to do that if you’re gonna want to keep track of crime and solve crime. So he started organizing information on criminals and suspected subversives the same way he organized information about books, the pair worked pretty well together, even if they didn’t really quite get along. 07:33 Interesting. Interesting.

Did Al Capone Really Do That? Apr 03, 2023

Retired intelligence detective Gary Jenkins researched many well-known myths about Al Capone. In this episode, Gary explains the myths and the real story behind each myth. If you want to learn my about these myths, go to My Al Capone Museum website. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SUMMARY KEYWORDS scalise, capone, chicago, al capone, policemen, people, sicily, gangsters, big, starts, sicilian, gun, named, real, jenna, banquet, kill, olson, outfit, firing SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS 00:00 They can see he’s got a blue steel turned out a 30 caliber gun in his hand and he starts firing at them as he falls down. Well, he already had a severed femoral artery in his leg at the time, but he’s still going and, of course, they open up on him. And he’s still alive when they call an ambulance and Genna, Genna starts kicking at the ambulance drivers and you know, take that you son of a bitch. I tell you what, he was a bad dude. Hey, oh, all you wiretappers out there back here in the studio gangland wire. Good to be back here. And I have a story for you today about the myth about how Al Capone had this big banquet and he had some guy there who was a traitor that he knew about and he called him out and he beat him to death with a baseball bat and made famous in the movie. The Untouchables was Sean Connery and and I can’t think of that the guy’s name you know who it is who played Eliot Ness? Anyhow, Connor, he played the tough old Irish, Chicago copper. First of all, I saw a video the other day my my daughter My granddaughter told me about this is a true crime podcast on YouTube. And this wouldn’t work on the audio platform that I mainly use. A lady starts telling about some horror crime primarily some kind of a true crime deal, but she also instructs people on how to put on makeup the time so I thought well, well, there’s a gimmick. We’re always looking for a gimmick. There’s a gimmick. Here’s a gimmick. So what can I do? Alright, here’s what I’m thinking I should tell you how to clean and get a 4026 Smith and Wesson my old service pistol ready to go but you know I tell you what, I don’t know if I can tell that story a true crime story or keep concentration because it takes way too much concentration, I be going God Damnit , where is that spring, how does that thing spring go back in there. I forget how to do that. First. Whe I first got this gun, it was a pain in the butt. It was a good gun and I never had to use it for anything. But it’s always here in the house. For home protection anyhow. So let’s get on with the story of the two guys that really incurred the wrath of Al Capone and the kind of the the basis for that story. There was two men from Sicily named Alberto Anselmi and Giovanni Scalise. They came to Sicily Rackley running from came that they came to Chicago actually running from Benito Mussolini. Mussolini was after the mafia and he had warrants out for him for things like consorting with known criminals and some basic, you know, general, kind of a warrant like that. Even just putting them all in jail, but they were they were cold blooded, black hander mafia killers from Sicily. I came to Chicago and of course, the first time they first place they came to in Chicago was a Taylor Street area and the Patch and little Italy had actually had two areas, Little Italy and then little Sicily was just north of that as his 1920s. An arrest warrant was put out for one of them in 1927. I found out for associations, which are associating with a band of outlaws. Scalise and Anselmi quickly found work with the Genna’s the Genna family who ruled the roost on tyhe east side kinda as Al Capone is getting bigger and consolidating his territory and they’ll he’ll end up in a fight with them. The Genna’s are making and selling booze and they’re in a constant battle with what they call the North siders back then this is the Dean or Dion O’Bannon, Irish outfit and they had some some sayings and some other tie ins with them and some Jewish gangsters. I think Hymie Weiss was was with Dion O’Banion or Dean O’Banion, but somebody set dynamic duo from Sicily loose on Dion O’Banion and of course we all know now he had a flower shop somebody came and said that they had were in there to pick up an order and when he stuck out his hand to shake their hands, they killed him. The actual murders were never caught. These two guys are suspected a few months later in the north side and some of the North Side crews gunned down Angela Genna and Salvador Avatuna. So you know we don’t really know exactly police and Anselmi were really involved with the Genna’s at the time and they were once being driven around by Mike Genna and a car 1925 And there had been some kind of a gun battle with Bugsy Moran and a guy named Druchi. Just before that, who were who were part of this Northside crew police were out cruising around they had heard about this and they got word that As Mike they called him the devil. Jenna was part of this gunbattle or that happened earlier and they started they saw him and they started following him around. There was another man they said Samuel am atuna, who was the Beau Brummell. The gank plan area at the time was driving. So they started cruising and following them at 47 and Western Genna and the dynamic duo like the Gemini twins of the 1920s and Anselmi and Scalise took off and the car became this big car chase throughout the city that Mike was yelling loudly and saying and given instructions for everybody what they should do, he told Anselmi then Scalise to grab the guns and then we’re on the floor. I had two repeating shotguns and four sawed off shotguns and somebody in Scalise really wanted to take him out anyhow they were already trying to move on the jet again and they were getting other offers from other places couple three policemen Charles Walsh and Harold Olson. Michael Conway William Swinney were among the policemen that would follow them they were going 70-80 miles an hour on 59th street truck swerved in front of them the agenda driver hit the brakes caused a spin slammed into a lamppost, cops jumped out our dealer natum the Genna party started firing back at them. Sclaise and Anselmi started firing back at him with these shotguns. One patrolman, Mr. Our officer Olson is hitting the job but some slugs I guess they were using slugs and goes down to chrome and wolves was hitting the chest with some buckshot that are two policemen Sweeney and Conway returned Florida fire get his gun jams at this a hell of a gun pack on his gun jams Gleason Selmy take off running the other guy who the driver to Beau Brummell the outfit at the time was was gone. He slept away Jetta and he follows Gleason and Selma and they run into an alley between Western and artesian Avenue. If you know Chicago that Scalise and Anselmi are turned into a kind of a passageway between some houses at 6941 artesian Avenue. Jenna’s getting tired. Sometimes these guys get tired, again best shape and he turns around and faces patrolman Sweeney levels his shot gun at him presses that trigger and click nothing happens he must have been out or had a bad shell or some swing he starts firing back and hits Jenna and the leg. Jenna start stumbling away jumps to the basement of window of a nearby home Sweeney and some other policemen they picked up a couple of guys by now falling down in the basement and they seem line on the floor. They can see he’s got a blue steel turned out a 30 caliber gun in his hand and he starts firing at them as he falls down. Well, he really had a sweat severed femoral artery, artery in his leg at the time. But he’s still go on and doors they open up on him. And he’s still alive when they call an ambulance and Jenna Jenna starts kicking at the ambulance drivers and you know take that use of a bitch. They was a bad dude. When they looked at Jenna later on he was supposedly an olive oil and cheese in bordered lived at 856 Blue Island Avenue the officers Olson and wolves died from their wounds. And Selma and Scalise had ducked into a store but later on, they’re captured by the police and they’re roughed up pretty good things that there was no Marquess of Queensbury rules and no civil rights of the FBI or the Justice Department to take a look at this so they wrap them up pretty good. They say Harold Olsen’s rather more than slain officers came to the station and tried to kill and sell me and Scalise but they’ve talked him out of it. They get ready to go to trial. They have a handgun prosecutor named Max Wiggin in Cook County. And they figured that hit they’re gonna get the death penalty at least during the trial and Selmy is he can’t speak English Khaleesi speaks real broken English and they have like an interpreter that tries to help them but they keep claiming that I never would have shot at these people that were chasing them had they known their replacement they thought these rather gangsters. They also put the blame on my Jenna who’s already dead said you know he started this and we were just trying to get away but they ended up being sentenced for 14 or 14 years for manslaughter. So actually they got off lucky. I tell you what, during their time in prison, they were in fear for the lives the whole time. They were beaten and someone tried to poison them. Scalise once said that his food tasted a little funny.

Did Tony Accardo Spoil HIs Daughter? Mar 29, 2023

Retired intelligence detective tells about the time that the daughter of Tony Accardo took off with her friend on an unapproved trip out west. “The Boys” had given her a Triumph Sports car as a gift, probably for graduation. Without permission, she convinced her best girlfriend to accompany her on a driving trip out west. She neglected to tell her father, feared mob boss Tony Accardo. Gary received an anonymous email from this friend’s sister, who told the story. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

The KC Mob and Narcotics Mar 27, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this video, Gary interviews retired Assistant US Attorney Chuck Ambrose. He tells us the story of two brothers who were mob associates. Steven Vest was married to the granddaughter of Joe Filardo. Filardo took Nick Civella to the famous Mob Meeting in upstate New York when New York State Troopers arrested them. Steven Vest was a vicious and greedy cocaine dealer. Chuck tells how a witness described a double murder and pointed out the burial site. This investigation took the FBI into a dark underground of addicts, cocaine, and drug houses. Among many other crimes, Steven and Darrell Vest murdered two Colombian drug mules, buried the body, and kept the cocaine claiming the couriers never arrived. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SUMMARY KEYWORDS mob, kansas city, book, couriers, case, money, son, homicide, brothers, food stamp fraud, prosecutors, running, kilos, business, chuck, cocaine, spend, cartel, vest, rules SPEAKERS Chuck Ambrose, GARY JENKINS 00:00 One thing I can get into a little bit if you want me to is that you got the old mob mythology that they never did dope. But we all know that not the case. Even the New York families were running heroin wherever the money was the fastest. That’s where they win. You are listening to gangland wire hosted by former Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective, Gary Jenkins. 00:24 Welcome all you Wiretappers out there back here in the studio gangland wire. And I have an old friend of mine in many ways. We crossed paths many times. But we didn’t really know each other. He worked with the guys that worked for me, I was a sergeant in the intelligence unit. So I kind of stayed out of the day to day activities. And I had, you know, 12 guys that I was overseeing what everybody was doing and, and so my guys work with US Attorney’s Office and a particular FBI agent, who was one of the best I’ve ever met Larry Tongate. We have the US attorney that’s Assistant US Attorney that a lot of the guys worked with on several narcotics cases involving the mob in Kansas City. Chuck Ambrose, welcome, Chuck. Thank you, glad to be with you. It’s great to have you and kind of get to know you. Like I said, I heard your name so many times from these guys. But somehow we just our paths never crossed, never met face to face. So it’s really been good catching up with you. Before we started recording to hear some of the stories we’re not going to tell on the area. You have been writing crime fiction, and you have used your experience as a US Attorney here in Kansas City and other places a lot to create the storylines in these books. And that’s really sounds interesting. Chuck why don’t name off some of those books. 01:38 Okay, well, the first I wrote just a little bit of background I did several years in DC before moving to Kansas City, I’d come home every day and tell my wife what we’ve been doing it work and he can’t make this stuff up, he ought to write a book. So I finally did. The first one published about 10 years ago now is Capital Kill set in DC and it had to do with a Jamaican posse and a serial killer. And most of my books are based on either real cases or real investigations. Sometimes I will blend two or three into one novel. Often I will use actual court appearances and transcripts from my cases in those novels. And what I’ve tried to do is to write realism to bring realism back into this field because we’ve all seen the Hollywood overdone model with some guy, snap shooting someone off the roof 200 yards away. And out running machine gun fire and all that other ridiculous stuff. And I’ve gotten lots of positive feedbacks, both from prosecutors and from officers and agents who say finally, someone’s getting this right. And that’s probably the most rewarding type of review that I get. I’ve gotten 2000 Plus Reviews now on Amazon with the seven books and they are all averaging four and a half stars or higher. The first book did actually go to number one in Amazon’s Kindle Store for mystery series novels. And then the fifth book that I have out. One of them award winning one of the trade magazines for general fiction book of the year. And the one that might interest you is the sixth than the series based on the time I spend Kansas City Mob Rules having to do with the outfit they’re in a very fictional sense. 03:32 I understand I understand. You were Assistant US Attorney, the FBI had their one squad or Organized Crime Squad and we had a 12 person complement in the intelligence unit and about six or seven of them, worked a lot and worked on organized crime, but they work a lot with the Bureau. And so you had the prosecutors view what everybody was doing both in the one squad and the other squads in the FBI office, and we’re working maybe some other kinds of violent crime or work and extortion or white collar crimes and mob guys will get their fingers in and narcotics do. So that leads us to the question. Well, you know, historically, they always said that the mob doesn’t deal in narcotics. And we know that’s not exactly true. And Nick’s Civella who was the Godfather boss of the Kansas City family and had been since Gosh, their early 50s or middle 50s. We know by 57 He was at Appalachian. And so historically supposedly did not approve anybody dealing with narcotics. But you ran into some of that as a prosecutor. Is that not correct? 04:35 Lots of it. Like you mentioned that whole we don’t do dope line was a public relations move, I think by the mob and as a whole, but the New York families were running heroin back in the 30s. Yeah, Capone in his mob when alcohol was essentially an illegal drug made their bones off of that. And what I ran into in Kansas City was a substantial amount of cocaine. Trade and you mentioned Nick Civella and the Appalachian conference in 57. He and his driver, his underboss, at the time to Florida, are caught outside the conference in a cornfield wearing three piece suits. And when the state police picked them up, they said, What are you doing out here and they said, we’re looking for women. The narcotics mythology is about as accurate as that was. And in fact, Joe Filardo, his granddaughter, gal named Vicki Vogliardo. Married a mob want to be by the name of Steve Vest. And in the early 90s, we had lots of people saying that they knew the Vests were trading all kinds of cocaine, but everybody was refusing to talk about them because they said these guys will kill us. And you hear that a lot. And most of the time, it’s an overblown threat, it turned out not to be the case with the best brothers. As a wedding present, the Filardo-Voligardo family gave Steve Vest a convenience store called the Roma Deli, which was attached in a common wall to the old Roma bakery. And the only way that he was able to keep that afloat not being a very good businessman was to commit tons of food stamp fraud. And when we took that away from him and the Department of Agriculture investigation, he couldn’t make it work anymore. So he burned it down. And unfortunately, Billy, for the people that had given him this business, it also took the rumbo bakery with the fire, a roll of arson proceeds into a carwash out in Blue Springs, we ended up going up on four or five wiretaps at the same time. And when we did the initial round of indictments there, I think we indicted 28 or 31 of the mid level figures there spun became a cooperating witness. And the next thing you know, we’re investigating three homicides and on top of that tremendous amount of cocaine trafficking. So both the Mob members the mob wannabes had their hands heavily in the cocaine trade in Kansas City, at least in the 90s. 07:15 I explained to the guys, this food stamp fraud, I know what it is in several of the corner stores the mob associate own corner stores out in the neighborhoods, admitted food stamp fraud, tell the folks how that worked. 07:30 Well, it can take two or three different forms. One of the more common ones is to accept food stamp fraud, or food stamps for prohibited items like alcohol or cigarettes. The other things they would commonly do is buy up food stamps from the people who are getting them paying 40 or 50 cents on the dollar. And then they would turn those in for payment as if they had been submitted for grocery purposes. And we had a Department of Agriculture undercover investigator that we ran in there several times and you use that as a justification once we were able to document the illegal transactions for taking away the food stamp license from the Roma Deli. And then next crime we uncovered was insurance fraud. When I took the insurance claim on the arson they had said they rolled that into the carwash out in Blue Springs. And then away we went. 08:23 And now you mentioned murders that they were involved there. There was one particularly gruesome double murder that these Vest brothers it was Steve and I can’t remember the brother’s name. 08:32 There were four brothers involved in the case of where I’m okay. Darrell was not involved in the homicide, but he was the main street dealer for the cocaine. The other three who were involved in the murders were Steve, Mark, and Jane.

Scarpo versus Trafficante: A Florida Story Mar 20, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews Tony Scarpo about his family and how they fought to establish themselves independently of the Trafficante Mafia Family. Tony’s grandfather migrated from Bari, Italy, to the Pennsylvania coalfields and moved to Tampa, Florida, for an opportunity. His grandfather, Antonio, fought off gangsters in Pennsylvania, and his father, Art Scarpo, found himself in the same battle when they opened a bar and restaurant in Tampa. When the Scarpo family arrived, they encountered the powerful Trafficante family, an established American Mafia family. Tony Scarpo grew to adolescence witnessing and helping his father and uncles fight back against the Trafficantes. As an adult, Tony Scarpo achieved great success as a diamond importer and has become a generous philanthropist. At one point, he asked his sister, “Did we live through what I remember?” This put him on a path to document and memorialize his exciting family history in this book. Tony has obtained interest from a motion picture company, and a screenwriter is working on a script. Please click here to buy the book La Mia Famiglia: Never Let Them Steal Your Name. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SUMMARY KEYWORDS tampa, father, book, mafia, people, dad, family, mob, anthony, italian, story, began, fbi, bar, growing, narcotics, man, sat, brothers, bookmaking SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, Tony Scarpo 00:00 I don’t know the circumstances of how this meeting came about. He may have been invited. He may have been forced, or he may have been thinking he was going to dinner with friends, but he found himself at a scene straight out of the godfather. Two men he had never seen before asked him to join them for a cup of coffee. The meeting was to take place at hares diner on Hillsborough Avenue. When my dad entered to the well known restaurant, he was escorted back to a dimly lit banquet room, wondering why the main diner tables weren’t sufficient. He heard the door slam behind him. They’re sitting at a four top or two men waiting to meet him. He noticed several other men scattered throughout the room, all standing with their eyes focused intently on him, each man standing at attention as if waiting for some sort of signal. Well, thanks a lot. Anthony. Welcome while you are tappers out there. Back here in the studio gangland wire. You just heard a little short reading from Anthony’s book about the Trafficante mafia and family and his father growing up in Tampa, Florida. Welcome, Anthony. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Well, this is kind of a long torturous trip we took to get here. This date one time, folks, I hate to admit it, but I dropped the ball here. And Anthony got ahold of me a couple of years ago, just before COVID hit. And somehow I was looking back at my old podcast by my podcast group on Facebook and the messages and I see this not that well, what the heck, I never did talk to him. Let’s go find him because I’m thinking about doing something with Scott detail. Or Scott is going to talk about the Purple Gang up in Harlem. But Scott Deitche. If you guys don’t know he is kind of the main premiere historian of the southern Florida crime families. And he has the Ybor City mob tour, which I took if you look on my YouTube channel, you’ll find my kind of going on that tour so you can get a taste for what that’s like right now. It’s February and it’s colder. And heck, you may be going down to Tampa from up in the northern part of the United States. Now, Anthony, do you live down in Tampa still? Yes, I never left. I’ve been here since 1962. And I’m still here and my whole family. Well, we’re pretty much we’ve grown up here. Yes. So you got a copy of your book there. Hold that up so that folks can see that, La Mia Famiglia: Never let them steal your name. All right, La Mia Famiglia and never let them steal your name. So this is about your family. And their interactions with the Tampa crime family or the mafia inSouth Florida. Tell us a little bit about how you grew up. I thought that I grew up normal. I thought my life was normal. I’m 62 years old now. And as I have gotten older, and as I have had friends in high school, in college and professional world, everyone tells their stories of growing up, everyone talks about the things that they do growing up, and I’m a great listener. And I sat back for many, many years. And I thought to myself, Wow, I have some of the best friends in the world. I have people I’ve known since I was 13 years old, that are still friends of mine today. And what I began to realize is that none of their stories of growing up had anything to do with my story of growing up. There were virtually no similarities at all. And one day, about four years ago, I sat down with my two sisters. And I said, you know, did we grow up like this, that these things really happen? Was this really our world? Because you grew up sometimes, and you put things out of your head, and sometimes there’s coping of things and tragedies and circumstances in your life. And I sat down with my two younger sisters. And I said, if these things really happened, if this really happened with dad, and this really happened with my did we really go through this? I knew the answer was yes. I just needed confirmation from my sister’s on that day about four years ago, that yes, these things really happened. And in essence, what happened was, we’re an Italian family. We’re from Pennsylvania and Ohio. And when I was a baby, one year old baby, my family decided to move from Ohio, to Tampa, Florida. And they didn’t just move my mom and dad didn’t just move, the entire Scarfo clan decided to move. And when we moved I’d say between my grandfather’s well I write about in the book, my grandmother and Norma surmount cousins and aunts and uncles. I’d say maybe it was a mass exodus in 1962 of about 35 people. Right, and we came to Tampa, Florida, and there were many reasons for that move. My grandfather worked in the coal mines. They were from Spangler, Pennsylvania, my dad was a truck driver and electrician trying to make living in Cleveland, Ohio. But things just didn’t look right. The future didn’t look right. And in the process of all of that, when they moved down here, of course, I’m a baby. I don’t know anything about Tampa, I’m just a baby. But my father and his brothers and his dad and all of the family did what they did best. They got into the bar business. They got into the restaurant business. They were all entrepreneurs. They wanted to stake their claim in Tampa. But the truth is, our family didn’t know anything about the history of Tampa. My family was destined for Miami. They stopped in Tampa to meet a friend and realize they liked Tampa and didn’t want to go to Miami, but they had no history whatsoever. Well, Tampa Bay has a very rich history of the mob has an enormous history going back to the 20s and 30s of the mafia. And as you mentioned earlier, you mentioned Scott Scott’s Dietsch. He’s written many books on that. And at about the time that my family came here, Santo Trafficante, Jr. was the Overlord he ran the mafia. Well, the last thing on my family’s mind was mafia, gangsters, mafioso, the Trafficantes. Family, they just wanted to survive. Okay. And the story goes, as we’re all growing up as cousins, and we all have our own big, loud Italian family. We were our own family. We didn’t have neighbors and we didn’t have family that were here. We were our own clan. So in a lot of ways we were the Italian outsiders. Tampa Bay. Historically, you mentioned Ybor City is known for a large amount of Italian immigrants, Spanish immigrants, Cuban immigrants. So this city has been enriched with immigrants and rich with Latin history, because of the cigar industry. Well, going back to 1900, what we didn’t know and what my father could have never known when he started in the bar business, and he started doing well. And my father being a resourceful Italian man and trying to make some extra money. He began to set up booking operations on the side. Yes, he sell a pizza and sell a Cuban sandwich. Here’s your beer, here’s your draft. But oh, by the way, this isn’t cutting it. So he got into bookmaking, because the dog track that’s at the dog track, or the Greyhound track, was right across the street, from my father’s bar called The Springs Tap. My dad knew he wasn’t making enough money. It was a all of the scarper brothers were resourceful. And once he started making his book Making an operation, it got big. And once it got big, the traffic contract family found out about it. So my book launches, at a point where people think just because you’re Italian, you’re in the mafia, or just because you’re Italian, you might be invited into the mafia. That is the exact opposite of my book. My book is a complete and utter clash of two Italian families, because my father would not accept their invitation into the mafia. That reading that you did it to start that was like his invitation to probably to ask him to do a sit down and you need to start kicking up this gambling money, we need a piece of that action. Is that what you’re telling me? Thanks for asking that. That’s exactly why I chose that reading because there came a time when my dad’s bookmaking was doing so well, that Santo trafficante Jr,

The Purple Gang of New York Mar 15, 2023

Retired intelligence detective Gary Jenkins explains the Purple Gang of East Harlem in this bonus episode. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

Mafia Lawyers – Roy Cohn Mar 13, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews an expert on Mob lawyers, Australian lawyer Tony Taouk, about Roy Cohn. We learn that Mr. Cohn was a flamboyant fixture in New York City and “made his bones” as the advisory lawyer to Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Committee on Un-American activities during the 1950s. One of Roy Cohn’s most famous mob cases was the time he helped Carmine Galante beat a parole revocation. To contact our guest or get a good lawyer in Syndey, Australia, Click here Tony Taouk is an Australian lawyer and a Mafia researcher who specializes in the subject of mob trials and mob lawyers. He has also traveled to the United States and visited mob-related sites in New York, Chicago, and Las Vegas. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, Roy Cohn, Tony Taouk, Carmine Galante 00:00 And this grandfatherly man said that I’m gonna leave 00:04 the country good. What 00:05 are you gonna do when you get to the country? 00:07 Well, I mean, I tried peppers last week now I’m gonna plant tomatoes. 00:11 His name is Carmine Galante, the late Carmine Galati, who the papers said was the godfather of the mafia. Okay. 00:18 You think that had an influence on the federal judgment? He held that you were right in the parole customers role? I 00:23 think so 00:24 he thinks a farmer ought to be able to say the right thing. 00:26 So I mean, it’s very well known that what I do, 00:29 I don’t have to believe a person is innocent. Like we thought we got Galante or Tony Salerno or something like that. I don’t have to believe in their innocence in a particular case, I have to believe one of two things. Number one, that that person is innocent in the particular case, or that there are some extraordinary circumstances which make the prosecution unfair. 00:50 Well, hey all you wiretappers out there. Welcome back to the studio of Gangland Wire. We got a special show if you listen to that little promo that was Carmine Golante talking with his lawyer Roy Cohen right after Roy did a deal that got him out of jail. He was talking about that what he was gonna go do. I’ve got a an Australian lawyer, Tony Taouk, from down-under from Sydney, Australia, who is an expert on mob lawyers. And we’re gonna do a series of shows and today we’re gonna do one about Roy Cohen. Roy Cohen is not a household name when it comes to the mob lawyers, but he was a mob lawyer as well as the lawyer for Donald Trump and, and a lot of other people in New York City and that character all on his own. So I just thought it was an interesting guy. And that’s gonna be our first one there. We’re gonna do some of the other famous mob lawyers over the next several months. So just sit back and listen to my friend Tony Taouk. from Down Under and I will have a link to his website if you’re in Sydney and you need a lawyer. Thanks a lot for helping me out Tony. Good. We’re just gonna cut right into this guy’s 01:55 he’s one of the most he’s a toxic combination of brilliant and evil is probably one of the most interesting and complex and a moral character. I have least in the legal world, 02:09 really. I have to agree when it first started coming down. Now he was Donald Trump’s legal advisor. I’m thinking he’s still alive. He’s still around doing, man. I mean, he goes from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump then stops at the mafia in between? I don’t know. 02:27 Yes, he died in 1986. from AIDS. Yeah, at the age of 59 years old. He was actually born in Manhattan in 1927. He was the son of a New York judge and a doting mother. He was quite an excellent student. He earns a law degree from Columbia, before reaching 21. And shortly thereafter, in 1948, obviously, with his family’s help, because he’s judge, his father was a judge off the roll. He became a federal prosecutor in Manhattan, as you would know, becoming a prosecutor is a familiar career trajectory for a successful criminal lawyer because you know how they operate on the other side of the aisle. 03:06 What you do is you get out of law school and you need that trial experience. And you can get it with and still get a pay a regular paycheck by joining the prosecutor’s office. So you you’re going to trial, sometimes you’re going to trial, you know, you may have two trials a week small trials, and so you really get good experience in the prosecutor’s office. Yeah, 03:24 I didn’t take that path. I went straight into private practice for law school. As Assistant US Attorney, he helped convict the atomic spies, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg of espionage and his conduct during that trial was quite unethical. It’s allegedly, unilaterally contacted the judge to influence the proceedings on a number of occasions. That’s a big no, no, in the legal world. And he’s suborned false testimony from one of the witnesses. So in his early 20s, we can see that he’s already developing or has developed into a shyster lawyer not averse to dirty tricks in the dark arts. He played a role, a major role in Senator McCarthy’s anti communist drive in the 1950s, also known as the Red Scare. The Red Scare was basically a witch hunt to weed out supposed communist sympathizers from the US government. A lot of these witch hunts have no basis and they ended up ruining a lot of lives. Now, this is the interesting part in the course of that campaign. Ironically, Cohn, who was a closeted homosexual, also targeted several closeted homosexuals employed by the US government on the grounds that they were vulnerable to blackmail, by Soviet intelligence due to their sexuality. 04:45 Let’s let’s explain to the folks that you may not know some people may not be old enough, Joseph McCarthy was a state and United States senator from Wisconsin, I believe, and he chaired the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities He’s, which was looking at communist in the government and other positions of influence in the United States, correct? That’s correct. Yes. He started pulling movie stars and and government officials. And he made some of McCarthy made some claims like there’s like several 100 communists in the State Department and some real outrageous claims it was all about getting publicity, rather a lot 05:23 of it with no basis. A lot of it had no basis. I think he was just a Publicity Hound. And he did that for the attention and just to make himself known, that’s my personal opinion. But a lot of it was just unsubstantiated. And it just ruined like, I sorry, whispering in his ear like Yago from Shakespeare. 05:42 Right. That’s that was his position with the committee. He wasn’t a politician. He was a lawyer hired by Joseph McCarthy and the committee’s, and then he advised them on how to conduct themselves and maybe did some depositions and found out what people might say so they would know what to expect and totally how to conduct this. 06:02 That’s correct. They were both publicly disgraced on national television during the army McCarthy hearings, when they were called out by famous Boston attorney, Joseph Welch. Then in 1954, the Senate voted to censure McCarthy as people got fed up with his demagoguery and antics. Now, Cohn resigned, and he returned to New York and he went into private practice. A lot of people wrote him off as yesterday’s man and because it was his association with McCarthy, and the Red Scare, and people were right to think that not many people could survive such a fall from grace, yet, he somehow managed to reinvent himself in New York as a hired legal guardian and attracted an impressive a list clientele that included New York Yankees baseball club owner George Steinbrenner, the owners of Studio 54, even the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York and clients engaged in because he was unscrupulous and willing to do anything to win. He famously said, I don’t write polite letters I like to fight 07:15 if we don’t make a reasonable workout of everything. I fight all the way. You’ll fight all the way, but I leave everything in 07:21 your hands because you know what the article says you’re never mess with Roy Cohn. 07:27 As long as a few people, he delivered results for his clients. So the people that acted for him didn’t care about his past association with McCarthy. As unsavory as it was all the rumors about his sexuality, which was bought widespread, it goes to show that when it comes down to it, even the 1950s and 60s self interest superseded all other considerations. 07:50 How did he get in with the Mob? I know, for example, he must I think he was a lawyer for Donald Trump’s father, Fred Trump at first and then became Trump’s adviser maybe not really his legal counsel going to court but his advisor during those early 60s and 70s days, when Donald Trump first started going in the construction business in New York, is that correct? 08:16 Yes, it’s a little bit earlier than that. See, he was building up his profile in New York and he came to the attention of the mob. He was actually quite ambitious in his non legal business and Devastator was involved in a lot of diverse businesses, banks, insurance companies parking lots. Apparently, even porn theaters and his conventional business practices let Him lead to many investigations of federal indictments for fraud, bribery and conspiracy.

Drew DiDonato – How to Rob a Bank Mar 08, 2023

Retired Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins interviews Andrew DiDonato, a former mafia associate of the Gambino crew that Nicky Corazzo skippered. Andrew tells how Corazzo took him in and groomed him to be a part of his crew and how he made money for the Gambino family. He learned the hard way that there is no real honor in the mafia, only greed. As he brought in guys from other families and created a bank robbery crew, Corazzo became jealous and wanted more money and more money while Drew took all the risks. He describes a successful bank robbery in great detail. Andrew DiDonato and his co-author Denny GFriffin released a popular book about his exploits. Click here to get Surviving the Mob: A Street Soldier’s Life inside the Gambino Crime Family. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes, click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Transcript SUMMARY KEYWORDS money, knew, bags, life, lawyer, run, people, kill, friend, bank robbery, pinched, gary, day, put, nicky, street, lived, problems, location, years SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, Andrew DiDonardo 00:00 Hey all you wiretappers out there back here in the studio gangland wire. Nice sunny day here in Kansas City. This is the second of a two part episode with Andrew D DiDonato. A Gambino family Nicky Corazzo crew associate and in this he tells about, a litle bit about his life getting into the Mob, how they recruited him how they groomed him. He tells in great detail, you got to wait a little bit for it stick with it about doing a big bank robbery, which is really interesting. Now he did it. Then it ends up down about how he ended up going into witness protection. Actually, he never went into witness protection. He lived in New York as you see him on Facebook every once awhile, I think he if you remember from the last episode, he was talking about being in the car business, I think he’s in the car business, I need to get ahold of him and see how he’s doing and what’s going on with it was really a good guy. I really liked talking to him and would mind talking to him to get an update on what’s going on. You know, he was involved with Nicky Corazzo in that crew during the time when Michael DiLeonardo ends up coming in and and he knew about that whole deal where John Gotti Jr. was gonna try to kill or actually was only gonna have him beat up and then the guy tried to kill him, Curtis Sliwa. And so he was real close to all those guys that were close to God. And he was. I mean, he was in there and he was a moneymaker for him. And he got tired of being, you know, the guy that made all the money. And while they got all the gravy, and he took all the risk at the end, which is the way it is in the mob, listen to this and bear with it, especially if you want to hear about that armed robbery because it’s a great story. And he’s a good storyteller. As you know, if you’ve listened to that last one. You haven’t listened to the one I put that before, go back and find it. And it’s just like a couple of weeks ago, I’m gonna put this up right away. Listen, guys, it’s a good one. It really is no Ilana, there’s no Ilana, these guys were robbed everyone, mothers with the lights off, there’s money on the table. There’s no honor here. That’s a fabricated thing. It’s a fabricated thing to brainwash young guys like me to think that when they’re out there doing these things, justified in their actions. For many years, I carried myself again, I was part of this honor system, I was wanted to be a man of respect, there is none. The end of the day when you realize who you want, you look in the mirror, and I’m a grown man. And I realized that no one I am a criminal, plain and simple. In New York, it was a little bit different. I never had a friend of mine on had any sort of knowledge about a guy having a judge. I did know that a few times, you know, Jehovah’s were paid jurors were gotten to, you know, and that would happen in any big case, you know, witnesses were tampered with, you know, I myself, and we were witnesses in somebody’s case to try to deter them from, you know, pointing people out in a lineup or doing something like that, or in this case, we know of a case, the first case that Nikki was on, it got pinched in 1987. And it was Nicky, John. Lenny, was a few other guys, Tony Lee, I forget there was a few guys on trial back then. Back in 87, Sammy Gravano was the one who found the juror, and the juror happened to be a relative to an Albanian guy, they were able to give the guy 60,000. And that’s how they beat the first trial back in 87. Really? So New York, it was a little bit different. It was more about the intimidation of the witnesses as opposed to having to court people in your pocket. No, because in New York, it seemed like those people in Chicago they had that political system wired in Chicago. I didn’t I never knew about New York. And there’s a certain amount of corruption in any large city. But it doesn’t sound like you. Yeah, none of my ever though. Not none of my ever, Gary. And not in my area, like in the eighth. Like, I remember I was in the street from early, early 1980s, like 8182, all the way up until the late 90s until I got locked up on my second case and went away. So during that time period, that’s when the FBI and the government was putting a target on organized crime. Yeah, so there was it was no room for corruption, then back then there was just an all out assault on organized crime back then. It was so it was a big difference. You know, Rudolph Giuliani was that prosecutor in the early 80s. Friends of mine were now going away when going away it was never ever even spoken about. These guys were never getting the time that they would want get for the same crime. And that’s what they did. They stepped up all of these protocols on the federal guidelines were years ago, before this ice would do not even a third of what they’re trying to give you on the first number. Now they’ve given football numbers 30 years 40 years to start. Guys are, they are shutting guys lights out with 100 year sentences or whatever. And at the end of the day, I mean, that’s what’s happening today. You see guys are gonna go to jail for 100 years knowing that you’re expendable knowing that you know these guys are feeding you a lie. It really isn’t honor there is no honor. These guys were robbed everyone. Even their own mother’s with thier lights off. 05:00 When there’s money on the table. There’s no honor here. That’s a fabricated thing. It’s a fabricated thing to brainwash young guys like me to think that when they’re out there doing these things, they’re justified in their actions. For many years, I carried myself it can I was part of this honor system, I was wanting to be a man of respect, there is none. The end of the day when you realize who you want, you look in the mirror, and I’m a grown man. And I realized that no one I am a criminal, plain and simple. I’m not this honorable character that you see on TV, or what they portray in the movies. I’m a guy who’s told to do something, and I’m going to do it. And I’m only going to do it because it’s self preservation. My boss tells me to do this. It’s done. You could be the nicest guy in the world. But if my boss tells me, rake your arms and your legs, I’m breaking your arms and your legs because I know if I don’t, I’m the guy you’re going to see with his arms and legs broken. How did you first learn you were become an expendable, Andrew went to prison, on my first case, and a five to 15 year sentence was that on a bank robbery, no, that was on an attempted murder charge. Oh, I shot somebody. And I was away on that case. And on that case, my wife at the time was on welfare, Gary, my friends is stealing on the street, my wife’s on welfare, my friends came to see me maybe once or twice a year, first year, maybe once, twice a year, the second year, third year, I don’t even think I got to visit, I used to get a Christmas card every year, guys in the crew with sided, they at least you knew they cared about the guys that were away. But now maybe the gene pool changed or the way a life change, or I understand being industry, it is difficult. I’ve been in the street my whole life. So maybe you just get distracted from being in the street and you’re worried about your own problems. You’re worried about your friendships and your stuff. When those guys get out of prison, I understand that. But at the end of the day, when guys are swallowing sentences, and you expect loyalty and you expect this guy to give something back, that’s what organized crime is having the guys at the top just take and take and take they don’t share. The only time you get to share in those prizes is if you get to those positions. Other than that, you’re just going to keep on shoveling money to them. And you’re expendable. Every venture, you’re expendable guys are fighting for their lives. They’re away doing those life sentences, 20 years, 30 years, no what’s happening, Gary? Nothing. There a way it might get comments every and every now and then. It depends what kind of crew you get. It depends what kind of friendships you’ve got. Because that’s also and also plays into it. But for the most part, your wife is going to be on welfare. If you don’t have a pocket fold when you go away, where your wife can hold on to that money you’re in for a long ride you really are. And that’s definitely the myth. You keep your mouth shut, this is going to happen. And it doesn’t these days, you know what they do when you go away?

Anthony Ruggiano – Gambino Associate Tells All Mar 06, 2023

Retired Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins talks with former Gambino Crime Family associate Anthony Ruggiano about his life as the son of Gambino member Fat Andy Ruggiano. Anthony Ruggiano was born into Mob life and never had a chance. It was a typical day for him as a young man to meet others at his Father’s Social Club and plan scores like sending people out to the suburbs with stolen credit cards. He would meet them on their return and pay them a small amount on the dollar for various electronic goods and other small high-dollar items. Then take these items to the retail fence he used. This was his college and internship. He got hooked on the action, drugs, and alcohol from this dangerous fast-paced life. Ultimately, he couldn’t take it any longer and realized he could not maintain this lifestyle and stay alive. He went into treatment and then long-term recovery. He found he could not return to criminal life, and Anthony now works at an addiction treatment center. For help from Anthony, if you have a problem, call 855-963-2113. To see Anthony’s show click here on his YouTube channel, Reformed Gangsters. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes, click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Transcription 00:00 Hi my name is Anthony Ruggiano Jr. and I am the son of Anthony Fat Andy Ruggiano who became a main member of the American mafia in 1953. When I became a teenager at 16, I followed my father into that life and he started schooling me he was a member of the Gambino crime family at that time, I started to work with him at the age of 16. I started using drugs around that time and committed crimes with him when I was age 23. I went to prison for the first time when I came out. I was friendly with John Gotti through my father’s Association, I stopped running around with that Crow and also continued using drugs. My father was a high ranking member of the Gambino family in 1984. My father was arrested by the FBI at that point in time I was still in the street I started freebasing cocaine and I guess that’s what I crossed over the line into addiction my father was doing for two years in prison, John Gotti was the boss of the Gambino family at the time. I had a very good relationship with them. Welcome all you wiretappers out there. It’s good to have you back here in the studio gangland wire. I have a really special guest today. And if you’re out there on YouTube, and you’re a real mob fan and YouTube Bob fan, you know there’s a lot of guys that were formerly in the life that are out there on YouTube. Sammy the bull, Michael Franchese, but we have another guy who was part of the Gambino family Anthony ruggiano, Jr. and I’ve got him right here in the studio with me if you’re on YouTube, and if you’re not, you’re gonna hear him in a few minutes. Thanks a lot, guys for listening and welcome, Anthony. Oh, well, thanks. Thanks for having me. I’m really glad Glad to have you on here. This is like kind of a new phenomenon you guys that were formerly in the live with YouTube channels Bobby Luisi. And there’s just a quite a few of you. So it’s, you know, what a what a what a difference of 30 years makes 01:53 very true very true. 01:56 I’m waiting for somebody in Kansas City to come in and start a YouTube channel or want to co host with me I don’t see it covered though. There was a big mob family in Kansas City at one time I don’t know what happened to them well, as well you know, there’s still one of our last surviving guys just died yesterday actually, I started getting calls yesterday afternoon to hear what it comes down to Jr died and he got COVID really bad and then guy had a stroke and, and he was kind of the last there’s only one more old school guy from back in the 70s and 80s when they were at their peak left. So you know, it’s all changing and as you know, so let’s talk about your life in the mob. Now. We’ve heard a little bit about it, you guys, you know you did a little lead in with with Anthony and kind of where he came from and how he grew up and and so you know, you your father’s in prison, you’re in your 20s and you’re part of the Gambino family or is it Gotti family by the inner you’re part of the Gotti crew, right? Yes. I grew up in Ozone Park. My father and John Gotti both come out of East New York, Brooklyn. They both end up moving into Ozone Park Howard Beach area. So I grew up in Howard Beach and Ozone Park. I was just to junk it at a young age of 13 through my father, because my father knew him from when he was a teenager. And yes, so I was part of that crew. I wasn’t directly with him. I was with Tony Lee and my father and we had a social club a few blocks away from the Bergin Fish Club. But that was the clue. I ran around with that social club thing. That’s kind of an interesting little phenomenon to me here in Kansas City and people outside of New York City. There’s a little bit of it in Chicago, but but boy in New York, that social club thing and so your father had his own social club, he was part of got his crew. And so you know, what was it like that social club? What was that like? Well, it’s you know, it’s like, people ask me that all the time. It’s like, you know, guys on Wall Street, go to their office on Wall Street and guys in the mob, go to their office in the social club. I mean, every crew when I was younger, had a social club and my neighborhood and Ozone Park. I mean, probably all five families had a club there. And it was just a meeting place. It was like home base. It’s somewhere where we all went through the day we met, we would have lunch there we socialize, people would come there to meet us and we would plan out our day there was just a gathering place 04:23 that we socialized in and fellowship dinner and people would come there like my father, you know, always held quiet and his John Gotti had his social club and every Saturday he ate lunch there so people would know he was there every Saturday. And it was just a place where we met and talked about things that needed to be talked about jumper stone once said that guys sit around and plan out different scores all day long. And so I’m sure you plan down scores. What do you remember particular score that you had? How did that go down planning out a score? Yes. 04:56 We would plan out you know, we had a big policy ring and we would all start 05:00 without the club, and we would plan our day, who was going to go to the street who was going to answer the phones. I mean, you know, some actually had some social clubs, there was homicides were committed into my mean, you know? So I’m I planned out like I would, I would, I had a one point I had a credit card fraud ring, I had a big credit card fraud ring, and we would meet at my father’s Social Club, Cafe Liberty, and like, I would send one crew out in a van to Pennsylvania, I would send another throughout to Long Island. And then at the end of the day, we’d meet all back there, we’d collect all the money we needed to collect, we cut it up. So it was like a business office. How did that credit card thing work? Did you have a bunch of stolen cards or a bunch of fake accounts and sent to so bad, so to speak, and they’d like go to stores and use them and bring this stuff back or right so in the 90s, we had a guy in the post office that was selling us 05:56 credit cards, and we pay a 50,000 envelope for a credit card. And he used to give me stacks in amount of time. And then we would get we would send guys out we’d buy electronics, we would buy air conditioners, we were back. Back then in the day Palm pilots, Nintendo’s, jewelry, and then we had one guy that we would bring it all to itself to him for fix off. If the item was $100 the guy paid us $40 or $50. So and he would buy all the items. We had another guy. We had an Asian fella that we would buy cigarettes all day, we buy 100 200 cartons of cigarettes and in CVS and Walgreens throughout Long Island and then we bring them to this one fella and he would buy each carton for $10. So we had we had a pretty good I made a lot a lot of money with our credit cards. And then we also had a vending business. We had gambling machines, we had slot machines, Joker, poker machines, listen to mob makes money any way they can. 06:52 But I have to say one thing the way I made money back then I couldn’t do that today with all the technology and the cameras everywhere. And all the optics they have all this, you know, I can never earn money like that today, you would have to hire a bunch of young guys that could get online and do this games online. 07:13 Exactly. And I don’t know nothing about that. 07:16 Yeah, I just know enough about it that that’s the way to do it today. You cannot go out in the stores. I don’t know how anybody would do a hit or a murder today, with all the cameras out there and DNA and all that. It’s almost impossible. It’s almost impossible because I mean, there’s cameras and doorbells and even even with everything else, even with gambling, bookmaking. I don’t know how, like the mob today. Everybody has apps. I mean, every state, it’s legalized in every state. I mean, so who’s gonna bet with a bookmaker, a street guy, a guy that struggling for money. I mean, all anybody that has money now is going to just download an app and that is Caesars and MGM. So you know, it’s just a different world, you know, and it’s funny because everything I went to jail for now is legal. 08:04 And there are some people that are still in jail for doing things that were now illegal.

Gone in 60 Seconds with Vic Ferrari Feb 27, 2023

Vic Ferrari's colorful and unique storytelling style entertains and enlightens simultaneously.

Drew DiDonato – Gone in 60 Seconds Feb 22, 2023

Retired Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins interviews former Gambino associate Andrew DiDonato. As he is known on the street, Drew was a premiere car thief for the Nicky Corazzo crew in Brooklyn. He tells the best stories about car chases with cops, stealing a car belonging to Paul Castellano’s son-in-law, and finding a handgun with a book containing handwritten notations about loan shark collections and a lot of cash. Click here to get Andrew’s Book Surviving the Mob Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes, click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Transcript SUMMARY KEYWORDS car, money, friend, nikki, knew, listen, gambino crime family, genovese, bought, life, receipt, robbing, doors, give, hear, stolen, street, crew, told, put 00:00 Hey guys, welcome to Studio I got a heck of a story for you today. This is a guy Andrew de Donato grew was a member of or associate of the Nicki Carazzo crew and the Gambino family for a long time. And he has some stories and and I’m gonna taste them early on or is the best story ever heard about a car chase that he had, but we keep listening about 15 minutes in about the time that he and a buddy his stole a car belonging to the son in law Paul Castellano and in that car when it was a nice Mercedes that guy was, I won’t tell you the story. You got to listen to this story. When they got home, they found stuff in that car that Paul Castellano wanted back and his kappo Nicky Corrado was on the phone before he could even really get in and get back in and look at the car. He knew there was some stuff in the car, I knew there was a bag in the car, Nikki Corrazo said, you know, he just you gotta return that you gotta return that. And so, you know, the story of of what he found and his returning the car. And what happened after that is, it’s tell you this is one you guys got to share with your friends. You got to share this to everybody, this guy and he’s a heck of a storyteller too. So, so settle back and listen to this interview with Andrew DiDonado. 01:23 Friend of mine, Richie had a Mercedes Benz that, you know, on their cell that he was looking to put together, we found one in color, we took it, he took it out of a shopping center, we brought it to the location we were chopping the car, we couldn’t cut it the way we usually do where we can make a Pepsi came out of it. We had actually drive the shell out at night. And we had to get it out because a friend of mine we will use in his family’s garage at the time at this one location. What happened was, we had to signal setup that we were going to go out about two in the morning, a friend of mine was standing on a corner with a flashlight. I’m inside the garage and I’m crimping the why I’m crimping all the oil lines to the oil lines don’t squirt, and you know leave a trail back to the garage where we chopped the car. And then my friend comes up to me and says bottom line that you didn’t want to hear and your whole wildest dreams because we listened to I need that steering wheel. Like I can’t give it a steering wheel. I said I got to drive this car out. Because listen, it’s a wood wheels and naughty wheel. He goes it’s gonna cost about 500 If I gotta buy in the store. I said all right, right take this the steering wheel off the car and I put a vise grip on now the car’s got no seats in it just a shell engine is no trunk deck. There’s no hook. There’s no doors. There’s no not a friend of mine is standing outside. With a flashlight. He gives me the old gold single that it’s able to come out of the driveway. I come out of the driveway with a car I hit the hit the top of the street. I make a left I’m at the corner. I’m waiting for the other thing to let me know. In a corner my eye. I see. I see undercover cop on the corner. Also and I see excuse my language Gary, see the lights go on. I hit the gas and I’m taking off down the street. I must be going about a buck 10 I’m flying. All I hear is the guy behind me with it with a siren will will pull it over, pull it off. I’m flying. Sit on a milk crate. I got this. I got this car and I’m trying to steal I’m trying to steer this car with a vise grips. I’m flying and I’m going through. And if anybody knows the Canarsie area where I grew up, I’m going through. I’m on 85th Street at forestry 83rd Street I’m blowing red lights and red traffic screeching. Now it’s like 132 o’clock in the morning. But you never know what you’re going to do. Now I’m coming down railfan with you. I’m gonna close Ralph and flatland Ralph and Glenwood. Of course the Ralph in Glenwood. If anybody knows Brooke, and they know Ralph, he was one of the busiest intersections in the in, in Brooklyn. I’m flying. And all I hear is the cop car behind the earth. He hits the brake I go through I get about two blocks and I knew I had at this time the oil lines shoot out on the car. I get about full blocks I turned down the street, I jump out of the car I run down and now there’s a blue and white woman up the block because they see the smoke from the vehicle by staying behind a pole when I’m watching them fly to the vehicle. The vehicles on fire now it’s it’s it’s it’s smoking like crazy. I run to the corner. A friend of mine picks me up on the corner I jump in, I jump in the back seat, I lay down and we drive away. And I kept on saying to myself if they catch me they’re gonna beat the shit Adam. I got lucky because I should have been murdered that night because I’m going through these red lights like like I had a license to do so. And the traffic is screeching I’m going I’m off. I’m about a buck 10 A buck 15 Did on a milk crate the car behind me and then we cross that major intersection. He just didn’t want to do it. I went through it was like Mr. Magoo. I went right through and I was lucky as hell. I can be honest with you. It was just a frame it was just sitting on donut tires we do baloney tires on it. It just the engine shown it was just sitting on a milk crate on top of the engine. We will take out the windshield I there was no trunk deck, no nose, no doors or seats. No nothing. No I said drive them out once in a while but that was my closest time to get pinched. No that was the closest time to get pinched on that. You know but I tell you even this today, anti Crime cop would come by, and they knew it was us. He just did surveillance on the corner we had a social club on 90 Nursery named when you Well, every time I would get into my car they were pulling me over because he knew it was me. And they started harassing me. You know, if they knew it was me they just couldn’t prove it. But I got lucky. Did I lock ran my luck ran out quick. Believe me. That was one of the only times I got lucky. Other than that, I paid for everything I did. I must have drove about maybe if the 60 shells out. And then the rest of the cars we chop. No, we had a guy for every podcast, we had a guy who took the engines. We had a guy who took the scrap metal. We had a guy who took the tires and the wheels. We had a guy who took all the we took all the batteries we had you know we would sell we would sell the nose the the doors, the trunk lead, we would sell it as a package. All the other stuff got scrapped, we would cut it and we made money on every aspect of the automobile. Every aspect you know nothing went to waste and we made it we made a ton of money in the the car industry doing that and then also buying repairable cars. No years ago there were repairable business, goodbye, a stolen recovery from an insurance company, as the car needed some work to a dealer knows a door, whatever. You get the car for like 3500 Back then Well, the book value on the car say was 17,000 Gary, I will go out that night, rob the same exact car in color, often next to each other. I started these two kids in my neighborhood, we used to build the cars for me using my $1,000 to build it. They put the cost together. And then I go and sell that coffee book value. years ago, they didn’t have rebuildable on the license like today, if you did that in a salvage yard, you’d have to declare that it was a salvage title. years ago, you didn’t have to do that. But when the customer bought the car, they unbeknownst to them that the car was put together with stolen pots. Nobody knew I was making a fortune with it. This is funny. One day I I buy this car was 1984 Seville this how far back I’m going it was at 1984. So go buy the car, put the car together, put the car together and I sell it to a friend of mine a crew member of mine. I sell it to him he’s going to give it to his sister is this has got the car a month, and he does an insurance job on the car. When he does the insurance job on the car. When alive. Gary, I had this organization come to my house that I never knew existed. My doorbell rings one day and the guys on the other end adores it. It looks just like a detective writes, I said, What can I do for you? And he tells me that listen, he goes on from the National auto theft bureau. I never heard of the national auto. You’re on my life. I know them. 07:35 I says, I says well, what can I do for you? He goes well, I understand that you’re in the rebuildable business. I said I wouldn’t say I’m in the business. So it says more or less a hobby. I says I buy a car here and there. I says when I can find one that doesn’t need much work. I put it together when I try to make a few bucks. He goes well, I’m looking at this car takes a file out of his jacket.

What happened Sin City Gangsters? Feb 20, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins discusses the new book Sin City: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas with author Jeffrey Sussman. As you may know, your host, Gary Jenkins, chased the #mafia around Kansas City while they were secretly skimming millions from Sin City or Las Vegas casinos. Jeffrey Sussman has extensively researched the rise and fall of the Mafia in Las Vegas. Sin City had no home-grown Mafia family, and starting with Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, and Frank Costello, they built the Strip into a money-making machine. When Atlantic City opened, The New York mobsters took control of all gambling action in Atlantic City, while the Chicago Outfit moved into Sin City big time. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here! Transcript Jeffrey Sussman Feb 07, 2023 12:50PM • 20:59 SUMMARY KEYWORDS las vegas, casinos, money, teamsters, mob, built, chicago, tony, rosenthal, howard hughes, buy, people, book, gangsters, jeffrey, character, lefty, moe, hand, friend SPEAKERS JEFFREY SUSSMAN, GARY JENKINS 00:00 A lot of people don’t realize is that the flamingo hotel was not started by Bugsy Siegel as portrayed in the movie bugzy. It was actually started by a man named Billy Wilkerson, who owns the Hollywood Reporter, and a number of other places in Hollywood, including several restaurants. He started a flamingo and named it the flamingo but it had nothing to do with Bugsy Siegel’s girlfriend Virginia Hill, which was the premise in the movie that the flamingo got its name for because Bugsy Siegel named it after Virginia hill. It never happened that way. 00:36 Welcome while you are to average out there. Good to be back here in studio gangland wire. We have my repeat guest Jeffrey Sesemann. Jeffrey, welcome. 00:45 It’s a pleasure to be with you again, Gary. 00:47 Well, Jeffrey, we’ve done boxing in the mob. We’ve done some other older mob things that you and I talk a year or so ago about this new book about the kind of the origins in Las Vegas, how it developed, you get a copy of that book there, hold that up. 01:04 I have a copy of the book. It’s called Sin City gangsters, the rise and decline of the mob in Las Vegas. And it was just published. 01:12 Cool. So guys, I’m gonna have links to the Amazon site where you can buy that book, I highly recommend you buy the book and and looking forward, you’ll see that your intrepid host, Gary Jenkins gets a little credit. 01:24 Absolutely. Well deserved credit. 01:28 So definitely that he interviewed me and he recorded what I knew about Las Vegas courts. My knowledge of Las Vegas, as you all know, is really from Kansas City. And that’s about the skimming and what happened in the Kansas City area of the skimming investigation in the 1970s. But I was happy to help Jeffrey and I wish you all luck in the world. And so how did you happen to get started this year in the easterner right what you boxing in the mob has been one of your things boxing is your real thing. So head right into this. 02:00 Well, I met three different people at different points and it sparked my interest. In the late 1970s. I met a man named Big Julie Weintraub, who looked like an ex heavyweight fighter, you know, he had a broken nose and he was about six foot five 250 pounds. And he was the creator or the inventor of what was called the Las Vegas junket where he would take high rollers to the dunes hotel, and each one of them would lose about $250,000. And Julie was a compulsive craps player, and he would tell me about this and how it funded his gambling. So that was my first initiation into learning about Las Vegas. The second was, I was on vacation, also in the late 1970s, at a resort in Southern California called what Costco and I was invited to a New Year’s Eve party there at someone’s home. And at the New Year’s Eve party, I met this elderly man, and we were standing in the living room, each of us had a drink in hand. And he said to me, you know, my back is killing me. I’ve got to sit down. And so we both sat down on the couch, and we’re chatting. And I said, So what do you do? And he said, Well, I used to be a partner in owning the desert in with Moe Dalitzs and a guy named Robert Tucker and somebody else whose name I can’t recall. And I said, Oh, that must have been fascinating. He said, Yeah. And then we sold it to Howard Hughes. And I said, How did that come about? And he said, Well, pews and a whole entourage of Mormons came out, and they took over the top two floors of the Desert Inn. And because they were Mormon said, drinking, they didn’t gamble. And we were losing a ton of money on the place. And we usually reserved the top two floors for high rollers who come out over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. And so we went to Howard Hughes. And we told him that he either had to move or he had to buy the place. And he said to us, well, how much do you want for it? And we gave him a price that was four or five times the value, thinking that he would move out. And instead he said, Okay, I’ll buy it. And that’s how Howard Hughes bought the desert in. So that was my second encounter. And then the third time, I was on a book promotion tour in Chicago. And someone I knew, who was in the trucking business, invited me to his private club for dinner. And it got there a little early. And he was sitting at the bar talking to a man. And I had no idea at the time who he was. And my friend introduced me he said, Tony, this is Jeff Sussman. Jeff, this is Tony. We shook hands. And my friend said, why don’t you go in the dining room and tell the maitre d you’re with me, he’ll give you a table and I’ll be in in a few minutes. So I went in the dining room and waited a few minutes my friend came in and I said, Who was that? He said, his name is Tony Accardo. And he’s headed the outfit. And I was having trouble with people pilfering from my trucks, and he said he would take care of it and no more pilfering would occur. And then my friend took out this button that must have been this big and it had a picture of too only a quarter wanted. And it said on the top Happy Birthday. And then on the bottom it said big tuna Happy Birthday big tuna. And he said to me where this button any place in Chicago and no one will bother you. He said you could shoplift on Michigan Avenue, and no one will arrest you. And then after learning also about you and Rosenthal and Anthony Spilotro, they were controlled by the Chicago outfit. Yeah. And they also took orders from Tony Accardo, as well as Sam G and Connor and others. And so that was the third event that sparked my interest. 05:33 You realize everybody out there saying no, you have the button? Where do I find one of those buttons? You have that button? 05:40 Yeah, the only thing that button was made available to the public. It was just people who attended this dinner party that my friend attended. 05:48 Not too bad. Of a keepsake there. Absolutely. So I guess Las Vegas Sin City has a little bit I know about those early days is there was the built the Boulder Dam. So there’s a lot of men that need to be entertained out there. Right, right after the war, I believe what’s been going for a little bit. I think they had legalized gambling, but the only place that had it, but those really early nascent days. What did you learn about that? 06:17 Well, it was fascinating because one man who I found absolutely fascinating was a man named modell, who started out in Cleveland as a bootlegger during Prohibition. And when prohibition ended, he opened gambling casinos in several states in the Midwest, and did so well with them that he moved to Las Vegas, and he had been a friend ever since he was a young man if Jimmy Hoffa, and Jimmy Hoffa had risen to be head of the Teamsters, and he arranged for modalities to get a loan from the Central States pension fund, to build the desert in and moat, Alex went on to build several other casinos as well in partnership with other gangsters, primarily East Coast gangsters, the most prominent being a Meyer Lansky, who also own points in the desert, and he was a fascinating character because eventually, he became so well established in Las Vegas. He made so much money from his casino businesses that he built, built, he built churches, he built synagogues, he built shopping malls, he built schools, he built hospitals, he became known as Mr. Las Vegas. They even wanted him to run for the Senate at one time, and he turned them down. He went in one generation, from being a gangster to being one of the most respected citizens of Las Vegas, referred to in the media as Mr. Las Vegas, who is an extraordinary life that he lived. And for me, he was one of the most fascinating of the characters that I got to write about. 07:45 I have a wiretap where Nick Civella and Joe Agusto who was Nick’s Vegas mole in the Tropicana and they’re talking about doing some more business, what they’re really talking about is trying to put together a package to buy the Tropicana when Allen Glick was going to sell it. And they were talking about people to do business with and Nick said something about, you know, about Moe Dalitz and Joe’s Said, Moe, he’s a good guy, so we could do business with Moe. 08:14 He was such an influential tough guy. He was having lunch one day, I forgot who it was with.

Mr. Stinky Feet Finds a Killer Feb 16, 2023

Retired intelligence detective Gary Jenkins interviews Jim Cosgrove, aka Mr. Stinky Feet, a Kansas City children’s entertainer and author. Mr. Cosgrove reports on a multi-year investigation he conducted and chronicled in his book Ripple: A Long Strange Search for a Killer. This investigation takes him into the Low Country of South Carolina, where he finds the local crime boss and his underlings may have been the killers. Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!

Tony Accardo and his Daughter Feb 14, 2023

Retired Intelligence Unit Detective Gary Jenkins tells some stories he got from a childhood friend of the Tony Accardo family. We learn about the time “the boys” gave the daughter a new Triumph sports car. She graduated from high school, and she and a girlfriend headed west without parental approval. They had a few real schoolgirl adventures while Tony and the families worried. This and more. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes, click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Transcript 0:00:00 Hey, all you wiretappers out there. It’s gonna be a little short bonus episod. Wiat while we get adjusted here. I got a call. Actually, I got an email from a lady who lives in Chicago though, and she grew up with Tonia Accardo’s daughter. She and her sister lived in the same neighborhood in River Forest. About the big mansion with the pool in the bottom. First thing she told me was, I remember going in that mansion. She said it was really special. Said mister Carlo just said, you know, walk around, take a look, do whatever you want. So she met remembers going down into the basement where there was a big pool you remember. Right? And she said she saw a huge she thought it was a swordfish. She probably had the, like, the the sword down on them. Now. Maybe not a big tuna, but a big zordfish on the wall. She said it was really scary for her as a kid. And she said, remember seeing a a ball. Down there. And then she said she added, well, that was the vault that those two men were robbing. So I guess everybody in the neighborhood knew about somebody breaking into his house. Now she goes on to tell me her sister actually was better friends with with, I believe, the older daughter. Tony Accardo. 0:01:07 You know, I had that one story with Carlo Miceli, who was a young man, was asked by Tony to take his daughter to the school prom, and they ended up going up into Wisconsin drinking all night after they ditched the bodyguards. When he got back, Ricardo said, yeah, I understand, son. He knew his daughters. And they were they were wild. She talked about how they’d like one of them had a bunch of people over for the pool, for a pool party, and she hit all their regular clothes. Nobody was happy with that. One time she locked the gate so nobody could get out. She was always playing tricks like that. This was the older one. As I said, she was a wild hare. 0:01:46 The boys, as my informant tells me, the boys gave her a Triumph sports car sometime during the sixties. As a graduation present, and this is late in the year. So, schools out and she and my informant’s sister take off on an an unannounced, unapproved trip in this Triumph Sports Car, and they go out west. So they get to the Grand Canyon’s She remembers her sister told her that they rode the mules down into the bottom of the Grand Canyon, came back out there driving out across the desert down in the southwest and they had a flat tire. Well, you know, these little Italian American princesses aren’t gonna change their own flat tire. They’ve never had to change tire. A truckload of pickup truckload of of Native Americans, Indians came along. They stopped. And and so these five guys got out and and they loosened the lug nuts on their flat tire. They got the spare out. The other four lifted up the triumph and just held it up while the guy pulled the flat tire off and put the spare back on. 0:02:47 So I’d tell you these two girls that were on a real adventure. I wish I knew more of these stories. They end up down somewhere in the southwest and the larger city. The girl couldn’t remember. And Tony Accardo was really upset about this disappearance of his daughter. He knew that she’d taken off on a trip with her friend. So he went to the friend’s parents who were my informants parents. And I asked them, said, you know, if you hear from these girls and find out where they are, let me know immediately, and I’m gonna go get them. Finally, the one girl called back home and said, you know, I work at this hotel and wherever it was, Phoenix or Albuquerque or somewhere out there. So the dad calls Tonya Cargoes and says, here’s where they are. He charters a private plane and takes a guy out with him and gets the girls, put them on the private plane and flies them back to Chicago when the other the man brings the triumph back to the house. Remember for us. So it was she was she was a wild one. 0:03:42 One other story that that she remembered was that Mister Accardo took all the girls to a restaurant, to a nice restaurant, and they were all bickering around and nobody could decide what they wanted to eat and they changed their minds. And being a doting father and and a guy that might spoil his kids now and then, you know, we all do that. I especially have spoiled my granddaughter’s and I didn’t have any I I guess had one daughter to spoil, but I don’t know. I I did spoil her a little bit. Never spoil my son though. Like, I was never spoiled. But he spoiled these daughters. He he indulged these daughters. And so when they couldn’t decide what they wanted to eat, he got the waiter and he said just set me up a buffet and bring every little bit of everything on the menu, and then they can find something. He he was a guy. He was quite a guy. You know? 0:04:27 Another thing is in that story about Tony was on trial for tax evasion where he was deducting the red sports cars. So Tony likes sports cars as apparently his daughter likes sports cars. I don’t know if either one of these girls are live. Maybe still driving sports cars. I don’t know, but he had in the sixties, I think a nineteen sixty going Mercedes three twenty something. I don’t remember the Cam knew when we did the story. That story ended up yet, but NAI was a very, very nice expensive sports car, German sports car, and and she got the Triumph sports car. So they they like sports cars near cargo family, you know. 0:05:05 Always like telling these little inside stories that shows that that these mob families many times we we create these characters or these these demons or these these people who are not they were more than what their headlines are. Their family man many times. That’s what I find so interesting about him. Antonio Ricardo certainly was a doting father with his children. Here in Kansas City, you know, they they had children, and they had children’s children. And, you know, some of them ended up so good, some of them not so good, but you know, they were fam mob guys are family people, family oriented people and there’s no two ways about that. They usually try to keep them out of the business if they can, get them on to be doctors and lawyers and such and or set them up in some kind of a business Conicardo had a son. 0:05:54 I don’t know much about him. 0:05:56 I found a name on the Internet. 0:05:58 If you guys knew anything about him, my informant said that his son got involved in stealing coins, and then he had a list of dealers and collectors from the American Newmatic Society. 0:06:12 I hope I spelled that or pronounced that right. 0:06:15 And he was going down an alphabetical order stealing their coin collection. 0:06:20 So I I don’t know where I couldn’t find anything to verify that story. He must have been the bad seed, but there was looked like an adult who has since died and and I think Frank, and it was probably him and he probably got trouble once and and Tony probably straightened him out after that. He probably didn’t have the heart to to be a Bob Guinee, and that everybody has that kind of wherewithal had had kinda gumption the heart or guts or whatever you wanna call it to walk that edge and in which when you go over the edge, you either die or you go to the penitentiary for a long time. It’s just it’s a really interesting lifestyle from the family to the blood family to the mafia family. It’s it’s all about family with these guys. 0:07:03 Thanks a lot, guys. And don’t forget, I like to ride motorcycles. So watch out for motorcycles when you’re out there. You might like and subscribe down below. Give me a review. I forget to say those kinds of things. If you have a problem with PTSD or you have a friend or relative has a problem with PTSD, if you or they have been in the servers go to the VA website and get that hotline number because there’s help available. Thanks a lot, guys. Shownotes created by https://podium.page

Lucky Luciano and Operation Underworld Feb 13, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews Matt Black about his new book about how Navy Commander Charles Haffenden recruited Lucky Luciano and Socks Lanza into Operation Underworld. We learn the U.S. Navy was alarmed by the sinking of the world’s largest cruise liner, USS Normandie, while it was cocked at New York Harbor being converted to a cargo and troop ship. The Navy had reports of the FBI arresting German spies and saboteurs on American soil. They were terrified these German spies might cripple the Navy’s efforts to get troops and supplies to the European Theater of War. Commander Haffenden recruited Socks Lanza, the mafia’s kingpin for the harbor area. Once he worked successfully with Lanza and incorporated his contacts into Operation Underworld, Lanza introduced him to Luciano. Then Commander has to get the approval of Thomas E. Dewey and other local and state authorities. Once he got everybody on board, he transferred Lucky Lucian to a prison close to New York and promised the state would release him after the war. Click here to get the book on Amazon. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes, click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Lucky Luciano Operation Underworld Tue, Feb 07, 2023 10:26AM • 44:03 SUMMARY KEYWORDS luciano, book, mafia, underworld, longshoremen, ship, operation, people, lucky luciano, adonis, waterfront, new york city, navy, sicily, teamsters, world war, story, big, prison, new york SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, Matthew Black 00:00 They didn’t go to you know Luciano right away the Navy went to the district attorney’s office told them what they needed and they came up with you know, a few names that might be able to help. The first one you know, that really ended up being a lot of help was this mid level gangster named Socks Lanza. And Socks’ is nicknamed because he socked everybody. I mean, he’s like a big 275 pound man, you know, he’s got these enormous hands, you know, and he’ll punch you with brass knuckles. He was also the czar of the Fulton Fish Market. 00:33 Well, hey, all you are Wiretappers out there. It’s good to be back here in the studio. You know, we’re in the middle of winter right now here in Kansas City. It might be warm by the time I get this out, or at least warmer than it is right now. But this is about halfway between Christmas and New Year’s and then anybody that lives back East. I know you guys have had it. They’ve got it has been ordered back. They’re really cold here, but not so much snow. Anyhow, today. i It’s a treat for me. I don’t know about you guys. I hope you find it as a treat. But it’s a real treat for me. Ever since I was started in this mob stuff. I read my first mob book when I was probably in my teens, maybe early 20s I can’t remember and there’s this story about Lucky Luciano and World War Two and some naval officers and maybe in his in a movie or something a little bit about it. But I’ve never known the details on that. And it’s it’s kind of like a myth about Lucky Luciano. And you know, I like to get below where the myth it starts and what really gets that myth going. And what really happened in World War Two because you guys I don’t know how old you are. A lot of you are closer to my a lot of your post war baby boomers and, and I was just remarking to my wife, I really long from the time when everybody was together and World War Two. And those next few years afterwards. We were like together as a country. And I don’t know we’ve we’ve seemed like we’ve lost that. Anyhow, I’m my guess is sitting here. And I haven’t even heard. There’s a name. It’s Matthew black. Matthew, welcome. 02:10 Thank you so much. Nice to see you. 02:13 And so the book is operation underworld, how the mafia and US government teamed up to win World War Two as a great title. And I guess operation underworld was the name of the operation that the government started into, right? That’s right. Yeah. Well, Matthew, how did you get into this? 02:33 I’ll tell you a little bit about my background. And maybe it’ll kind of make sense of how I arrived. You know, the story. I mean, you know, I’ve loved history, you know, since I was a child, and mostly got that from my father, and I’ve loved writing for just as long. And I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and I went to college at the University of Washington where I studied history. I got a little sidetracked and for about a decade, I was working at Bank of America ended up being a bank manager, not not a profession you hear for a lot of writers. And, you know, no offense to any bankers out there, just this wasn’t for me, and was kind of soul crushing. So 03:15 I can imagine, 03:17 right? But then, you know, I left the industry for my first writing gig, and it did not go well. And, in fact, it was an unmitigated disaster. I was I was hired to write a memoir about this man. And eventually, I learned that he was running a Ponzi scheme. And I had actually invested with him too. And so he ended up getting busted by the FBI. And, you know, the, the notes for my for that book suddenly, you know, came into question if they were gonna use it as evidence, but 03:58 yeah, that’s a heck of a story in itself. Right. Yeah. Back and put that book together. Oh, yeah. 04:06 Maybe maybe one day I will tell that story, you know. So that that didn’t go too well. And, you know, kind of, again, doing some soul searching, but then I got an opportunity to write a book for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. So my my first book was a biography about a former president of theirs, and his name was Dave Beck. You guys probably haven’t heard of him. But he was the president of the Teamsters. Right before Jimmy Hoffa took office who you probably have heard of. 04:38 I have some vague memory of articles or like magazine articles or something. Yeah, Time Magazine about they back. That’s right. President or of the teamsters union. He was a big deal in the 50s until Hoffa took over, and he was kind of he was kind of a quasi criminal. He wasn’t quite like Hoffa, but he was ordered on the in a grid but 05:01 correct, Gary? Yeah, yeah, that’s great that you know that that a lot of folks know a lot about that. Yeah. I mean, he was he was president of the Teamsters from 52 to 57. So it’s, it’s a ways back and but you know, it just he it’s funny because, you know, he went to jail. Yeah, exactly. He wasn’t like a criminal mastermind he kind of got caught up in some bad business. But uh, you know, every everybody I write about, either goes to prison or has been imprisoned. So, you know, Operation underworld is just perfect for that. 05:31 So, so now, Matt, Matthew, this book about day bed for the real hardcore history. True Crime enthusiast, what’s the name of that book? And is it available like on the Amazon? 05:43 Well, it’s called Dave Beck, a teamsters life. If you want to find me on LinkedIn, or through my website, you know, I’d be happy to mail you a copy. But you know, what it is the teamsters did a history project, you know, for their, for their, you know, 1.2 million members and, you know, published some books about their history, and that was one of them. 06:03 Okay, I got it. And your website, I believe, is black and something. Remind me of the website? 06:09 Oh, yeah. No, that’s a portfolio one. But for the book, Operation underworld, book.com. 06:16 Okay. All right. Try that one out. Okay, cool. And so let’s, let’s start talking about Operation underworld. I think, again, you have this history of wanting to do true crime that sounds like it’s exciting to you. It’s exciting to me, it’s exciting to a lot of people and, and then it’s part and parcel just like the Teamsters. They’re part of our our psyche in the United States, and the mafia is part of our psyche. In the United States. I was just listening to a podcast about why do we like the mafia so much, and so integrated with all of society, and, you know, politics and, and business and in our entertainment in the United States, and we love the mob in this country. So how did you pick operation underworld? And I know, you had to, you had to do you had to go in a lot of military records, as well as court records and things too, I would think, 07:18 yeah, yeah, no, definitely. And, you know, you know, I’ve told you cut a connection to labor and crime, but you know, for military that, you know, I, when I was a kid, my love of history, you know, I really wanted to go to one of the academies, you know, West Point, or Annapolis, maybe even the Air Force Academy, but a couple of things dissuaded me, number one, they have very good technical degrees there, you know, and I’m not much, you know, tech guy, I would have been more into the humanities, you know, heard? Oh, no, no, no, not really, you don’t want me doing that. And then, you know, I was it kind of grew up at a pretty disciplined household. So you know, the, the idea of that people telling me what to do next. sound too appealing, but actually, the how Lucky Luciano in operation underworld came to be is, you know, I mean, I’ve always had a fascination with him, you know, anybody who’s interested in mafia or, or true crime, you know, we would find Luciano to be a particularly amazing character to study. And, you know, there’s a reason that Time Magazine listed him that’s one of the most one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. And that’s because he organized crime when you hear about organized crime. He’s the one who organized it, 08:41 you know, yeah,

There’s More Bodies Out There! Feb 06, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews noted true crime filmmaker and author Rick Porrello. You will remember Mr. Porrello from Kill the Irishman, the story of the Cleveland Celtic Warrior, Danny Greene. Rick has a new Book titled There’s More Bodies Out There: The True Story of a Mafia Associate and a Cop Who emerge as Suspected Serial Killers. Rick was able to obtain a series of prison interviews with Richard Henkel, who started life as an armed robber, became known to the Pittsburgh Mafia as a man who could kill without remorse, and participated in a famous hostage-taking standoff in Pittsbhurg’s Western Prison. Along the way, Richard Henke befriended Gary Small when he was an Edgewood Borough police officer and brought him into his schemes. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Transcript Rick Porrello edited bodies Thu, Jan 05, 2023 4:07PM • 24:06 SUMMARY KEYWORDS pittsburgh, youngstown, henkel, book, murder, mob, prison, cleveland, life insurance, story, kill, suspected, gary, writing, enforcers, mobsters, organized crime, hear, big, 70s 00:00 I first heard about Richard Henkel when I was writing my book super thief. And I learned that he was responsible for sending a bomb to a massage parlor to a prostitute who worked a massage parlor and sending it to her as a under the guise of a Christmas gift and blowing her up. He killed her, basically to keep her quiet over something else that had happened. And I was aghast and realize, Wow, this might be a story and a character that I want to look into. 00:31 Well, guys, I got a great show for you today. Rick Porello is going to be on here in a minute, a good friend of mine, ex cop, retired cop from back in Cleveland area, done a bunch of stuff you just heard kind of him talking to him a little bit of the low taste of what you’re gonna hear about from him. So let’s welcome Rick Porello. 00:50 And I was aghast and realize, Wow, this might be a story and a character that I want to look into. 00:57 Man, that guy was that guy was that cold Dude, why they? 01:00 He sure was I think he’s still he still is, you know, I’ve been in contact with him for over a year now about 10 months going into the completion of the book. And I first learned about Gary when I was writing my book, super thief, which goes back probably 15 years from working with Phil, Phil Christopher, the master burglar, the sub subject of my book, super thief. And he just kind of mentioned Richard Henkel in passing and, you know, said that he was involved in the murder for, for life insurance. And, you know, when you’re a writer, sometimes you hear you hear stories, or you’re a story or you hear about a certain character and sort of inserted plants a seed, you know, he kind of file that away. And that’s exactly what happened with with this character, Dick Henkel, Richard Henkel on file that away and years later, I started looking into him a little bit, I read a book actually a kind of a short story in a book called Pittsburgh characters. You know, he’s a Pittsburgh, he’s a pit he certainly is a Pittsburgh character. And it was written written by that particular short story was written by a journalist by the name of Paul Marciniak. And it basically tells the, the, you know, that the nuts and bolts of of, of Henkel story and just what a character I mean, he’s basically a mob that yeah, he’s, he’s a mob associate connected with the Pittsburgh mob, Youngstown, in a contract killer, or, you know, started off as a bank, a bank robber and well into branched in in Pittsburgh underworld, and just the whole the whole thing just really just pulled me in, you know, there’s there’s just so much going out. There’s so many different layers. 03:00 So what about about the mob connection? Did he did he have a particular mobster that he named now? You interviewed him in the penitentiary, right? 03:11 Yeah, well, I never actually met him in person, Gary, I thought about asking if he would let me come and visit him. But I thought I started writing to him. At first he said he didn’t want to talk to me. He was 83 years old at the time he had been in prison now for 40 years. He had, he had pled out to, I think for four or five. Well, he admitted he admitted to he bled out to one murder, he admitted to involvement in the four other murders. He claims, at least from an associate said that he claims he killed 28 people. I find that hard to believe. But I started writing to him at first he said he didn’t want to talk to me. I wrote back I said, well, listen, what if I write back to you, maybe six, eight months later, and I’ll tell you how the book is going and you can, you know, see how we go from there. He said, That’s fine. That’s exactly what I did. And when I when I wrote to him that second time, I included some questions in there. Well, that kind of caught his attention. He started writing to me, we started going back and forth. And it continued on and on and on. And, and, and he was very honest, I have no reason to believe that he was dishonest with me. And I became very pointed with some of my questions. Now of course, he could never step over a certain line. I mean, you know how it is dealing with these guys. Uh, you know, if you ask you’re in, I knew not to ask certain questions. I didn’t come out and ask him if he murdered a certain person. But, you know, there’s certain questions as a law enforcement officers, you could you could kind of ask, you know, kind of, kind of to kind of step up to that line. And I tried doing that a little bit and he was he was forthcoming with some things. And but but he, like I said he just never really stepped over that that line. And 05:07 what what faction of the Pittsburgh crime family was he connected to what? Well, well, it was the you know, did he do? 05:15 Well he wasn’t really he’s first of all, he started off as a as a bank robber. He served about four, he was actually sentenced to 20 years in prison for bank robbery. He’s pretty young when he started in his early 20s and was sentenced to 20 years got out after only four years in prison, you know, the real injustice there with what the system got out in, you know, may have already committed a murder or two at that point. So I think he had a real reputation in Pittsburgh’s underworld, Pittsburgh’s kind of a smaller, smaller, big city. So I think he came out and already had a reputation. And you know what it is, these guys meet, you know, other, other connected guys in prison, they make connections in prison. So they come out, they already have a reputation. They have their old connections, they have new connections, they come out, they want to get back in the business. He had a guy he was connected with named Joey DeMarco, who was either I’d say was at least associated with the Pittsburgh mob the John La Rocca crime family later. Now he got connected with a guy in Youngstown name Joey de rose Jr. Joey de rose, Jr. was a hitman for the Cleveland mob in particular, the karamba brothers the Corolla brothers out were enforcers for the Cleveland mafia, but they were kind of responsible for the Youngstown area, the mall, the Mahoning Valley, Youngstown Warren, which was split in territory between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. And so, Richard Henkel was a close friend of this Joe DeRosa, Jr. And they may have done some, you know, some some hits together. We that was never really proven. So he had, you know, he had the connections in Youngstown, he was connected with his Joey DeMarco in in, in Pittsburgh, George DeMarco had a had a joint called the court lounge, where I think some of these wise guys hung out out. He was the chemical was also associated with this, this drug and enforcement group that was headed by these, the these criminals. Kind of these these really loosely connected organized crime guys. Their names were a Robert codfish Bricker, and another one by the name of Charles Charles monster kellington. And these guys are really kind of a disorganized group of drug traffickers and enforcers that were not the smartest bunch when it came to the use of, of violence. And they came they came tumbling down pretty, pretty hard. But there’s all this other stuff going on. And like I said, there’s just a there’s just a lot going on in the story, the 08:17 The murder for hire, or for life insurance. How did that work? I know I was researching the story about the murder of Judge Wood. And Charles Harrelson. What his dad, he did some of that. So how did that 08:31 work for him? Well, you know, Richard Henkel. He’s really a con man, he’s a con man and a killer. And he would, you know, he said he would, he was very loyal to the people around him, as far as getting them in trouble with the law, he would never rat out one of his associates, he would kill him, he would kill one of his associates. Never rat him out, you know, he would kill him or her. Yeah. And what he was doing with some of the couple of the women, I think that he was around one in particular, it see what it convinced them and these were not the smartest women to begin with. They were they were vulnerable. And he would convince them to take out life insurance policies. And this was back during the mid later 70s, when life insurance was, was kind of at its height of popularity to come into the the personal finance picture where it became, you know, just at the height of popularity where you had to have life insurance as a part of your,

How to Research and Write Crime Fiction Jan 30, 2023

Intelligence detective Gary Jenkins interviews a mystery and thriller fiction writer, Jode Millman about her research and writing process. In Ms. Millman’s recent thriller, Hooker Avenue, she was inspired by a true crime involving sex workers in the Hudson Valley of New York. She also had a personal connection to those crimes. During the late 1990s, eight sex workers disappeared from the mean streets of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and for two years, the police took little action to locate them. Finally, in September 1998, after one woman escaped from the attacker’s clutches, the john, Kendall Francois, admitted to killing the women, and he buried them in his home. The perpetrator had solicited the women on the steps of Ms. Millman’s law office. Naturally, these heinous crimes and the lost lives of the victims haunted her. I wanted to discover whether Hollywood has perpetuated the early 20th Century stereotype of sex workers as boozy, broke, and burned out. She wanted to break through the Hollywood image of a sex worker and depict these women in their true form. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Chicago Mob War – Sam Carlisi Jan 30, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins and Outfit historians Camillus Robinson and Paul Whitcombe discuss Sam Carlisi, The Chicago Outfit, and the time when the government after Sam Carlisi and his crew. They operated in Western Cook and DuPage Counties throughout the 1980s. Sam Carlisi was called “Wings” and some people believe it was in his youth he was known for his unrivaled ability to elude the authorities. Others claim it was because he flew around the country to connect with other mob families and was a traveling emissary for the Outfit. James “Litte Jimmy” Marcello worked for Sam Carlisi as his chauffeur, emissary, and all-around right-hand man. Carlisi’s third in command was Anthony Zizzo. On the street, guys knew “Little Tony” Zizzo as that boss of Frank Bonavolante, the head of the crew’s gambling operations, and Anthony “Big Tony” or “Tony the Hatch” Chiaramonti, who managed the crew’s juice loan racket. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes, click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Transcript Sam Carlisi Well welcome all you are Wiretappers out there we are back here in studio gangland wired. And if you’re on YouTube, you can see I have a couple of 00:07 guests that have been on here regularly and semi regularly. Cam Robinson and Paul Whitcomb from Chicago. We’re going to Chicago today, folks. So welcome cam and Paul, I really appreciate you guys coming on help and tell his story. Thanks for having us. Glad to be here. 00:26 As you know, now cams got a book out there somewhere and I’m supposed to get an interview with Frank Calabrese a Jr’s wife who is who he wrote the book with a story of being married to the Mob, shall we say in Chicago? how’s that coming along? Okay, so final edits I’ve seen the cover and we’ve turned everything in should be going to print here very soon. All the all the edits it’s written and done and they just everything is set to pop so they’re good to go. What was the final title? 01:02 Final title we went with was Chicago swan song a mob wife story. Okay. All right. Guys, this one Yeah. latest ones for that guys. And I’m gonna have an interview with him and Lisa Swan here probably about the time that comes out. So we’ll we’ll be you’ll be hearing from us on Facebook and and on the podcast here. We want to see that book get read by a lot of people don’t wait cam. Absolutely. Yeah. The more the merrier or more the merrier. 01:32 You want readers I understand being an author or podcasts or whatever you want people to to digest your work. I just want to know people are digesting my work. You know, there’s there is the money angle to it. But I think it’d be really valuable information, a real different insight into Chicago outfit. We’ve never had that before. Yeah, it is that validation is sort of seeing what what goes on is I think Paul said it best what comes home with a monster comes home for dinner. So you know, it was it was Paul’s wording in in the interview the we did the initial interview and I really think that that says it I mean, this is this is what what the family is going through, I think we sort of getting windows with Carmela soprano, or Karen Hill and we’ll be good fellows. But we really take a deep dive and it’s it’s quite a story. Yeah, or even Gerard and Karen and Deborah Gravano you know, they get caught up in that ecstasy thing down in Phoenix and and all of them caught a case behind it. So I mean, you know, the family that does crime together goes to jail together. 02:39 But families are part of it. That’s that’s one thing I find so fascinating about the mob is the families that have families first of all, that they’re engaged with and and do things with and, and care about so you know, most of your regular scumbag criminals out there, you know, to bid gangbangers and stuff on the street and drug dealers and all that. They don’t have families they don’t live that other life a regular life. And that’s what to me is so fascinating about the mob is that you had that other aspect of these guys are more than one dimensional. Right. All right. So we’re going to talk about kind of start with Sam Carlisi aka Wings Carlisi. 03:22 Now, first of all, I found two different explanations for his name wings. One said he could outrun everybody. He was like he could dies. Everybody had wings. That one was that he flew around the country because he had contacts around the country and flew around the country was like an emissary maybe for the outfit around the country. So what do you guys think on that on getting that nickname wings? 03:49 There’s no doubt that he flew all over the country passing messages. And that’s the most popular explanation for why he was called wings. He was he was also black Sam. 04:01 So either one would work. I think that the messenger theory is probably right. What do you think of Ellis? i Yeah, I think that that’s 04:12 I think that’s probably probably the case. I think that it was he was flying around mourners, and I tend to defer to you and your expertise in this. I mean, nobody knows probably see, like you you’re sitting there. But he was traveling around and that that does draw attention to that was sort of broaden the scope of his of his nickname to people around the country. And that’s the one that’s known more broadly, Chicago. He’s black sands around the country, these rings. And I believe he had some really close family connections with the Buffalo Mob back east, I believe. I mean, he was from there. And his brother was Capo of a buffalo family which then bled into Sam’s or bringing the initiation ceremony back. 04:59 into Chicago. I think that was the influence of his brother and and the LCN in the East Coast. That led him to ask a Opus permission to do that in Chicago and late 70s and early 80s. Interesting. Yeah. Because 05:14 Chicago the outfit was dark by a guy from Naples, Al Capone. And so they didn’t have the Sicilian Mafia traditions and, and didn’t do the making ceremony and until I didn’t realize exactly it was and it was somewhere around Aiuppa, who was Carlisi must have been had Sicilian roots, too. Right. Oh, interesting. Well, I’m glad to know that I never really looked into that. I knew that there was a time when they started doing that.So, you know, currently see had been a driver for Aiuppa. Is that correct? He started even lower than that. Bill Romer said that the first time we ran into SAM Carlisi, he was parking cars at one of our youth clubs in Cicero. There was literally nobody and he worked his way up from from the very bottom. But he was also related with a lot of other mobsters in Chicago and I have a photograph of Carlisi from about 1962 with Joe Andriachi drinking together and so very early on Carlisi was heavily involved with Joey Aiuppa and the Cicero regime and that’s how he got his start. He followed Joey up and by the 70s Aiuppaa’s driver died and Carlisi took over that’s how he’s made all the contacts connected with the political contacts and became essentially a new bus right hand man. Right that driver that’s a pretty important position for the reasons that you said Paul, that you get to meet the political contacts you get to meet the contacts with other crews that you maybe work with. You’re not in this little silo just doing your own little gambling operation your own little loan sharking operation or burger crew or whatever. You’re there next to the man to meet other people. So when it comes time to move on up, you’re ready to move on up because you got the copntacts. And he was doing it at the height of outfit powers is the the early 70s through the 1986 the straw man convictions, Carly’s he was right there. And this is at a time when outfit power was unbelievable. They had all the skin from Las Vegas, the union’s the he was at the real height of things to do observe how it was done from the very top and of course, the Cardo was right there as well. Still giving advice. So they still have the links of all the way back to the beginning. 07:46 So I up goes to jail for a long time out of this straw man cases as they’re known and the government called him the straw man cases. So straw man two I think was in Chicago, we end debit and he goes to jail for a long time. So that leaves garlicy in the catbird seat I guess to move on in. Yeah, and the interesting thing about it is at the time the press and the government all thought it was Joe ferriola, who was the man and curlies he was operating pretty quietly in the background. He was very very close to a Aiuppa and it was Carlisi that became the boss very hola was still extremely influential and they’re both Cicero guys. Carlisi was more Melrose Park faction, but they were both pretty close. And Ferriola never had the good health of the strength to really challenge anything there. So by 89 Ferriola was dead. 08:45 And Carlisi was standing alone. It wasn’t until then, though, that authorities even really had a photograph of Carlisi a lot of the crime charts of the 70s you’ll see a blank spot you just didn’t know he was which is surprising because even as late as early as 1967, you have reports of Sam Carlisi being arrested in Cicero related to gambling. And at that time, he was going by the name of Drago, which is pretty interesting. But the name wings had not come out yet at least in the press. And which also leads me to believe it didn’t come from him being real fast because I don’t know. You know, I knew Carlisi see a little bit he wasn’t exactly the svelte runner type

Mob Stories from the Front Line – Bonus Jan 19, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary jenkins tells a couple of stories about the recently deceased Kansas City mobster, Willie Cammisano. Transcript Well hey all you wiretappers out there back here in the studio as you can see. We had our the last man standing in the way the Kansas City mafia and he’s younger than me actually he’s only seventy-three Willie Camposanto Jr. Died today. HIs father was the feared mafia enforcer and Capo named Willie the rat or Willie rats they mean Willie rats because he had rat terrier that he let go around and kill rats now Willie Jr. We used to call him Willie the mouse. A lot of people call him Little Willie, but he was he was his father’s son and they were both feared mafia enforcers so Willie Jr. I remember one time we tried to run in on him he was he had a connection with a guy that had a Buy Here – Pay Here used car lot. He was probably getting money out of that. We had a guy undercover got a all decked out with a crapola car and he came in is like looking to buy a car and loaded up his trunk with a bunch of property that looked like it might be stolen. And so he said, you know, he said I got a deal here and they knew that Willie JR. He’s a big hunter and a fisherman you know had fishing equipment had really high end fishing equipment he had some other things I don’t remember what all they had exactly, but mainly the fishing equipment and and so he came in two or three times and he tried to move in a little closer when Willie Jr. was there and tried to interest him in some of this fishing equipment he had you know, come on, take a look at this in the trunk and you know, really high end stuff and, and Willie Jr. Just you know, he didn’t even hardly talk to him because they have no and walked back away and just stayed away from a guy. So he was he was pretty canny. He was a kind of a guy we’d follow Him and follow Him and not really see anything but yet he’d always had to disappear and then something would happen I know we had a murderer one night and the last guy he was playing darts with the victim was playing darts with Willie comes out of Jr. And we were all around and watching this that night and then that guy left and we stayed there Willie he disappeared. Somehow he slipped under our radar and that guy was found dead the next day. So you know go figure we don’t know. Another time. Kind of interesting little story is there’s an FBI agent friend of mine was he was working on putting in a hidden microphone with a technical team, a black bag team, that came in from town putting a microphone in the trap or the Columbus Park social club. So on top of the social club there was about three stories of apartmen ts. The real old building was over what we call a little bit later the North End. Tony is down in the basement finishing up some of the worrying couple of the other guys the real highly technical guys they brought in from out of town were already out and gone. He was putting up the word you know talking that back up in and making sure everything was cleaned up and looking around and given that the final inspection and he started out the front door because what these guys did we were running we were at what we call Jigger and for him that night and we just got like hung around and a marked police car and wore the uniform in case somebody came in said Hey, what are you doing. We would fly into action right away. And so he was he was on his way out and he got to the front door and that the stairs that went up to those upstairs apartments were right next to the front door of the social club. So he or somebody does he opens the door he is somebody clunking down and he closes the doors quietly and the other door the apartment opens up so he kind of hunkers down he looks out there’s Willie come was auto Jr. Walking out getting his car was parked just down the street and driving off. This is about like 430 in the morning. You know he then done his thing and went out and partied the night before he stayed there for a while and then was on his way home. He lived way out in the suburbs. There’s another reason he was hard to follow is how you’d have to drive 30 miles to get out to where his house was to pick him up whenever he first went out on these rounds and running these traps as we say. There is a couple of Willie Jr. stories so Areverdici to Willie Camposanto Jr. Rest in peace. You know it’s kind of like to line from I can’t remember that group now mid 70s group where, you know, I’ll swear there ain’t no heaven but I’ll pray there ain’t no hell so Willie Jr. I bet you’re praying there ain’t no hell. Well, I hope you have been just one more little story in the life of a mafia detective. Oh, by the way, I ride motorcycles. Don’t forget, watch out for motorcycles. And if you have problems with PTSD, why get on their website, the VA website, get that hotline if you’ve been in the service. And if you got a problem drugs or alcohol get ahold of Anthony Ruggiano Go to his reform gangsters YouTube page and he’s got some information there for you.

Luigi the Zip – A True Mafia Hitman Jan 16, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews Michael Vecchione about his book; Homicide Is My Business: Luigi the Zip―A Hitman’s Quest for Honor. A retired New York City criminal prosecutor, Michael Vecchione, tells how he met Luigi Ronsisvalle and gives us an intimate look at the life of a professional killer. Luigi told Mr. Vecchione about his journey from Sicily to his arrival in the United States and his first murder for hire to his last. We learn that Luigi the Zip had an ambition at age twelve to be a made man in the Mafia. He appeared in front of a presidential commission and said, “American child falls in love with baseball, I fall in love with Mafia.” Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Transcript Hey, are you are tappers out there? It’s good to be back here in the studio with you gangland wired is going right on. Retired intelligence Sergeant Gary Jenkins here and I have on this as if you’re onto YouTube, you can see on the screen Miko Vecchione, is that correct, Michael? That’s correct. All right, great. And, Michael, I know if you’re on social media at all you and Bob stuff, you’ve seen this book we’ve seen come up, a lot of people are sharing this about Luigi, the zip. And he is the author of this book. So Michael, first of all, tell us a little bit about yourself how you are interested in you know what your work history, I know a little bit about it, but tell these guys about your work history. And then how you got interested in writing these my books? Sure. First of all, thank you, Gary, for having me. It’s such a pleasure to be here. And, and I, I have been involved in law enforcement, 00:58 probably for well over 40 years. I started way back in 1973, in a Brooklyn district attorney’s office after I graduated from law school, and, and I wound up leaving, after after about seven and a half years, to go into first Police Department as as an attorney for the New York City Police Department. And then after that, my own law practice for 10 years. At that point, the District Attorney in Brooklyn, a guy by the name of Joe Hines, Charles, Joe Heinz, had been elected and, and was looking to, to expand the trial aspect of the office, he had come up with this idea of dividing the borough, the Brooklyn, County of Brooklyn or county of Kings, into into five separate areas. And when police precincts in those five separate areas, was served by different bureaus in the in the office. And so the people who were working in the ADH, who were working in those bureaus got to know the police officers, detectives, the informants, the bad guys, and and he needed someone to try cases and asked me if I wanted to come back and I did. For I came back, I was promoted to Deputy Chief for the homicide bureau. Then I was promoted to homicide chief at about three months later, then Chief for trials and ultimately, in 2001. Just before 911, I was promoted to Chief for the rackets division. 02:30 And I retired from the office in 2013 as chief of the rackets division and first deputy district attorney and, and all those years, Gary, I was trying cases myself, in addition to being the supervisor, I wouldn’t ask people to do what I wouldn’t do and, and I wrote homicide duty going out to talk to pre two witnesses and defendants and precincts in the middle of the night. I did all of that stuff. And, and it was a it was I have to say that it was it was a very rewarding career. I really loved what I did. And and I was sorry that the DA lost his election since 2013. Because I probably wouldn’t be talking to you today. But if he had if he hadn’t, I’d be still working. So but to get back to Luigi. The book is called homicide is my business. And the subtitle is Luigi de zip. I hit man’s quest for honor. So how did I meet Luigi, I was a back in my first stint in the DHS office. While I was in the homicide bureau. I was at that point when I met him I was I was the probably the most experienced homicide prosecutor that we had. And, and I was, you know, I was doing some work one day and I get a call in my office from my boss. And he tells me that he wants me to come into his office. He’s got somebody wants me to want to meet. And I go in there and there were two detectives from the Brooklyn homicide squad who had come into the office. I didn’t see them walking in. So I hadn’t seen who they brought in. And they had brought into the office, this guy Luigi Ronsis Foley. And the reason they had him is that he had several by guests several months before, had turned himself into the FBI. He had and I’ll get into why in a second. But he had he had an open Brooklyn homicide case and after the FBI had gotten through debriefing him and giving and getting everything they wanted from him. They turned him over to the NYPD because of this open case, and the NYPD debrief them he confessed to them to this to this homage to this murder. And but they knew that you had a lot more information. Now the NYPD was not going to keep this guy on, you know in protective custody and, and waste all kinds of manpower. So who did they call Today came to the D. A ‘s office and said, Listen, this guy’s got a lot of information. Why don’t you guys take them and, and you’re going to deal with his case in any event. So the homicide that was opened was a case that was assigned to me. And and when I walked into my boss’s office, he told me the story that the DEA, the cops had this this informant who had been a hitman. And he said, It’s the new corner case. He’s the guy in a new corner. That’s where this homicide occurred in a restaurant in Brooklyn called a new corner restaurant, an Italian restaurant and, and he said, you know, this guy’s Italian from Sicily, you’re Italian. He’s yours you deal with. So that’s how I got involved with and, and I had to detect this bring him into a conference room in our area of the office. And when he walked in, I couldn’t believe it. I said to myself, this guy can’t be a hitman. He looks like a you know, he looked like somebody walked in, you know, like a plumber or something. He was. He was just an ordinary looking guy. He looked like he was built like a bowling ball. He was as tall as he was heavy. And, and I sat him down. And I I said to him, you know, I don’t know anything about you. We’re gonna get to know each other. But you look like you’re hungry. He said, Yeah. And he said to me in Italian, that he was eating shit. In the Brooklyn house of detention. He is the Italian word met a day. So I said, Okay, what do you want to eat? So I told him, he said to me, I want to veal cutlet Parmesan hero, and I want a bottle of beer. Gary, that was the key, the opening up his his information. I provided him with that every time he came into the office for the next several months. And I got more information out of him than I ever hope to get. And as a result of it, you know, as a result of everything I learned, and then I turned them over to to another squad in the police department. Then he went to jail for the homicide. But he got a very, very good sentence because of his cooperation. While he was in jail, he learned I’m sorry, 07:15 this first murder. I mean, was it obvious like a mafia connected murder? Or what was the one that I had? Yeah, that first month he brought Yeah, well, during with that? 07:26 Well, I’ll tell you, it was it was fairly obvious because of the location. And because of the people involved. What, what it was, and that was not his first homicide, by the way that was that was in the middle. His first homicide in Brooklyn was I’ll tell you about in a bit. He had already done several homicides in Sicily. He was part of the Sicilian Mafia, not a made man which is why he came to the United States. But he had been working for a big mafia Capo in Sicily, I had been doing hits in Sicily as well. This case was had all the earmarks. And when you look back on it now, you realize that we were right. This the victim was a chef in an Italian restaurant, the new corner restaurant. And the story goes and Luigi tells me this story very graphically and vividly. That the chef who he called Enzo, I think that was his nickname. I forgot his real name. I have it in the book, but I don’t recall it right now. He said this guy was raping his own niece. He had been having sex with his niece for for a long time until the niece had finally had enough and went to her family. And they lived out in a section of Brooklyn that is that many mobsters live in it’s the section is called Bensonhurst and, and they were they had friends and inroads in the Gambino family they knew that that you know that this guy needed to be taken care of and they went to the Gambino boss told him the whole story. And the Gambino said we’ll take care of pay got a hitman to go to the restaurant this 09:11 This is Old Country stuff here. Oh yeah, this school Old Country stuff. This name mafia at its finest. 09:19 Exactly. Exactly. They they they got a hitman and he went to the restaurant. But when he shows up at the restaurant, he sees that there are police cars outside detective cars, some some radio cars, and he takes off he says I’m not doing this. So I’m gonna get caught and I’m gone. Yeah, that was loss of face. But again, Vinos by the way, but but the but he didn’t know this, that the cops were there because the food was so good that they were there. They weren’t there for any investigation or anything of that nature.

How the Mafia Robs Jewelry Salesmen Jan 15, 2023

Retired Mafia Detective Gary Jenkins tells how Mafia gangsters set up and rob jewelry salesmen. You may not know, but every day in the U.S., thousands of honest, hardworking salesmen load up their sales cases and hit the road to show their samples of gold, silver, or platinum jewelry with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, or other precious stones embedded. Mafia associates gather intelligence constantly on these salesmen. Gary tells about a gang working for the infamous Chicago Police Superintendent William Handhardt and gives an example from his own experience in Kansas City. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Transcript Guy Altabello dealt with Hanhart second command a guy named Joseph Basinski. Ultra Bella will provide the names addresses car descriptions and license numbers and schedules of the various salesman that called on his son how to rob a jewelry salesman I happen to see on Facebook this morning, Mike Byrne up in Chicago, puts out Chicago Tribune articles and he put one out about William Hanhart. And some of his juries that gang he had a big gang of Chicago outfit kind of a lot of associates and professional criminals up there that went around robbing jewelry salesmen in jewelry stores. So how to rob a jewelry salesman in every major American city, jewelry salesman ply their trade by the hundreds of 1000s throughout the country, carrying jewelry samples around in jewelry salesman cases and call on independent Europe jewelers, and you know, they just travel around like any independent traveling salesman does. They travel in cars, they stay in hotels, they eat on the road, they stopped for gas, they use the bathroom, they do all the other normal roadtrip activities, which makes them kind of vulnerable to these guys mak es them a soft target. 01:14 Professional Jewelrey. The professional jewel thief needs intelligence on these guys though. So when the FBI broke up this jewelry theft ring of Chicago police superintendent William and heart a lot of these trade secrets were revealed and we kind of knew what they were but they got some solid information. When they when they took this whole crew down. There’s in this article and Tribune they had a guy learned they had a guy named Guy Ottobello of Elmhurst. And he worked in his son’s jewelry store which was called Altabellos. And it was in Wheaton, which is a far west kind of Chicago, small town suburb, and Guy Altabello dealt with Hanhart second command a guy named Joseph Basinski. Alta Bello will provide the names addresses, car descriptions and license numbers and schedules of the various salesman that called on his son or his son’s store, he could even give him approximate time of how long they would be in the Chicago area and when they came and when they might come back. And example this was real specific was one day in 1996 Altabello passed along the description of a salesman’s rental car that called on his store that day Hanhart then used the police aboard that you know, a called a sergeant a Sarja you know, as Commander Hanhart you know, would you find out about this cards and rental company cards, so they found out everything they could from rental company, and they get more of a fix on the guy and and then they start trying to find the guy that see where he goes next or where he’s staying what hotel he’s in, and, and and they know that he’s gonna have maybe $100,000 worth of jewelry or less or more, they’re gonna have he’s gonna have a lot. Now, when they took this down, they’re rested this Joseph Basinski in and he was carrying around a case of some guide and he they found descriptions of salesmen, car descriptions, home addresses, hotel names, that these various salesmen would stay in telephone numbers and other detailed information about travel schedules. And he had it run more than 100 Different salesman is amazing, you know, and here in Kansas City, we had a crew, Johnny Joe Calia, and George Bruton Jimmy Toes are Crazy eyes Abbot formed up this crew now they all didn’t go on every score, but they you know, they got a score going then it got some information then they would, you know, get together and they had people in the jewelry business. I can tell you that right now. I know one time our guys caught Johnny Caresio and Johnny Joe Calia shadowing a jewelry salesman, exclusive shopping area called the plaza. These guys were just down there goofing around. They didn’t really have a plan or what they were doing. They were just driving through. Probably looking at the girls It was a sunny day I can’t remember. 04:05 And they see Calia and Careso and look like maybe another guy that couldn’t tell exactly who it was. And they seem to be like focused on a guy parking and going in he’s into a store in a jewelry store. And so then our guys you know they went drove around the corner quickly and came back and sat up on him trying to watch that store and that Guy Jewelry sale or That guy’s car that went in and they found out later was a jewelry salesman and calling for some help to get down there because you know you don’t know how this is gonna go down they’re gonna take him down there maybe they follow him somewhere else. Maybe try to follow him to his hotel room and break in his trunk there because they didn’t do armed robberies you know that the the break in something to break into a car and steal $100,000 score the the consequences are much less than if you put a gun in their face. But these guys 04:59 as their antennae were up and there wasn’t any time John Jo Calia burned them and you always know when you’ve been burned, very few people. Don’t let you know when they burned. Yeah, I’ve noticed they’ll give you luck. They’ll come back by, they’ll do something, it or sometimes it’s even some of them. It’s just like a shift in their body. As you see them, they like come to attention come to a little more alert, and they can’t help but look your way. So they came to a alerted on our guys and they were gone. They were totally gone. Now the only time we ever and I like caught one here in the city. And we didn’t know the intelligence unit didn’t do it. But it happened is 05:40 an alert district officer noticed a guy in a really nice car. Remember what Caresio had it with John Caresio, really nice car walking out into a vacant lot where a lot of other crap was thrown out there and throwing something down. So a pause over snatches him up and makes him walk back out. And the district officer finds a really expensive looking briefcase. And he finds a really nice looking salesman case. And so he looks in him and he sees that, you know, there’s some kind of something in there indicated they belong to a jewelry salesman, he got I got good information on grease, yo, they couldn’t really never be probable cause to take him in. But they got really good information on him. Let him go took the case in the briefcase, and and looked at it as evidence possible evidence, put it in the property room got ahold of detectives and then about that time, you know, later that afternoon or the next day, the report comes in that some salesman’s cars had the lock picked on the trunk trunk was open and closed and there was no signs of forcible entry. And he lost, you know, 70 or $80,000 worth of jewelry. And one of their guys Jimmy tolls, he was like an expert at being a lockpick they always usually brought him along they thought they were going to have to pick a lock and especially in a car told us to go around the golf courses and and pick the lock, you know, guys would leave really expensive sets of clubs locked up in their trunk while they play cards or They gamble at Suburban country clubs and, and he picked the locks and get these really nice sets of clubs out so so they got they made it they were able to make a case on presyo But he was not talking about anybody else. So that’s how jewelry, that ring works. And in our case in Kansas City, they were all mob associates. So they would had to kick to the Civella family or to Cammisano or somebody Hanhart and them I don’t know if I would imagine Hanhart he got the money. He got the lion’s share because he set up everything and he was pretty tightly connected to the mob the outfit. I don’t know if he would have had to kick to him or not then he probably did and you know they don’t really like somebody having a piece of action that’s really going well and making money for people unless they get a little taste of it. So I don’t know. Anyhow, that’s a quick down and dirty story about the how you catch a jewelry theft. Right. Thanks guys. Thanks, guys.

The Night of the Sicilian Vespers Fact or Myth? Jan 11, 2023

Intelligence detective Gary Jenkins looks closely at the week after Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky murdered the last of the old-school Mob guys, Salvatore Marazano. For many years, several books by respected authors repeated a story that as many as 60 old-school Black Handers were murdered across the United States. The accepted theory was that Luciano cleared the decks all over the United States to make space for the new young mafioso and the National Crime Syndicate. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Art of Mafia Geneology Jan 09, 2023

Intelligence detective Gary Jenkins interviews Mafia genealogist about the art and science of searching out and documenting the family roots of various mob bosses. Justin Cascio has a great website called Mafia Geneology. Click the link to read some of the many stories Justin has learned and shared on his site. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Joe Valachi Love Him of Hate Him? Jan 02, 2023

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins and Camullis Robinson deconstruct Joe Valachi. What was his criminal background? What kind of crimes did Joe Valachi commit? Who was he connected to? Why did he think he was targeted for murder? Joe Valachi was born in 1904. He was not the sharpest tool in the toolbox. Joe Valachi was uneducated but possessed great native intelligence and good memory for mafia stories. In 1963, he will put that memory to work for the government and gave the American public the first glimpse into the secretive world of the Cosa Nostra mafia. Unlike many of these guys, Joe Valachi’s family came from southern Italy, not Sicily. They came from Campania. The father was a brutal alcoholic. Joe left school and took to the streets and gang life. Joe Valachi earned his lifelong nickname of “Joe Cargo” as a young kid because he could build scoters from wooden crates better than anybody. He started his criminal career with a Smash and Grab gang known as the Minutemen. He graduated to burglary and armed robbery. He served about a year in Sing Sing, where the guards assigned him to break rocks with a sledgehammer. After release, he was shot in the back of his head by a passing police officer who interrupted his gang in the middle of a burglary. They got away in a stolen car. The gang thought he was dead, so they dumped his body and fired several shots in the air to attract the cops. The gang thought the cops would find his body and believe he was shot in a gang fight. No cops showed up, and the gang returned. They noticed he was still breathing and took him to a neighborhood doc who used Scotch as an anesthetic while he removed the bullet. He later claimed all that work breaking rocks in Sing Sing made him so tough that this bullet could not kill him. He married a member of the Reina family and joined the Gaetano Reina mob family. Please listen to this story because we will change your mind about the most famous Mafia turncoat until Sammy the Bull testifies. For example, Joe was the first man ever to reveal the Mafia induction ceremony. We know what he said was true because his description matches every mob guy’s description since that time. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Transcription 00:00 Hello, welcome Wiretappers out there. Back here in studio gangland Noir. We have our good friend that many of you guys keep asking about when are you going to get cam back on Camilliuss “cam” Robinson welcome cam Hey Gary, how you doing glad to be here as always, hey, I get jealous of you people never asked me course I’m always here. Are you gonna have com back? 00:24 I tell you this in my industry I’m in the railroad man business has been you know, things have been crazy. So work has been Yeah, our work schedule has been something so yeah, it’s, it’s I’ve not been doing as much as I like 00:37 to you know, my son’s in the railroad business too. And they you guys are busy trying to keep those that supply chain going from the West Coast to the East Coast and it’s hard to do. It’s difficult. There’s so many parts that have to go together. It’s amazing. 00:54 Yeah, it’s it’s it’s quite a spiderweb All right, 00:57 well, it’s World Series time. I wonder if we’re gonna have a Yankees Phillies World Series again, you know, they had one back in I think 2009 I believe and and the Yankees won. So we’re looking at maybe Yankees Phillies? I don’t know what do you think you’d love it that 01:15 I don’t keep up so much. My mother was born in the Bronx. So she’s she’s my brother likes Pittsburgh, so he doesn’t really feel it too much. So yeah, I think that they will be happy with it. We’ll be happy with the gangs. 01:29 Yeah, well, I think the Phillies play the Padres and the Yankees are playing let me think I made a note here. The Astros Yankees are playing the Astros tonight. So by the end of the week, we’ll know our next person next week. We’ll know who who’s in the World Series this year. And but we’re gonna talk about job Laci today. But first, before we get started talking about job, Laci cam, I know you got a book coming out you’ve been working on for quite a while it’s kind of an exciting, different look at the Chicago outfit and in and look at the pilot the most important crew, the Calabrese a crew in Chicago and you got an insider that you’ve been talking to so tell the guys a little bit about that book, and the title and some timeline when it might be available. So 02:19 it’s a little bit different than consumer what we’ve traditionally not I met with Frank Calabrese who’s ex wife, Lisa swan. And we’ve been together and a lot of you may have seen our air interview that we did about a year and a half ago. And she has seen incredible story to tell and the idea of what goes on in behind closed doors and what goes on in the household and what happens with the kids when somebody gets arrested. And I think that it was important to get a woman’s story out there and let people hear what it was like for her as a mother and as a wife to go through that what it does to marriage what it does to you don’t get a female perspective. And she really opened up she gave incredible insight and incredible information about what it was like and what it was like sitting down across the table from Frank Calibrese senior 03:07 and what kind of man he was and how he could just switch it ON switch it off and what she went through and what what Frank Jr went through and how they came together and came apart during hard times. It’s really an incredible story with a lot of real new insight into Calabrese senior and thing and we talked about Nick a little bit and there’s there’s just not been sort of in depth family. Look on this level with the not not not really like you see something like the sopranos Carmela story, that’s one of those lines. The we were back and forth with titles a little bit but I think we said what do you got 03:48 to talk about the Sopranos? This is gonna be a true real life who sopranos look at the life inside the family. Nobody else has really done that. And Gravano is the Mob Wives stuff that they’ve done. It’s all scripted reality TV, but it’s all scripted. Nobody’s ever really done what you guys are doing. 04:10 Yeah, I think it was it was important. It was an important aspect to tell. And I think that she was she was an open book. I mean, I couldn’t have worked with anybody better. I mean, Lisa was really, she’s really a powerhouse and it’s really something else listening to her just laugh one minute and really talk that up into what’s the next and how scary it got at times and because nobody was off limits and then there was there were men and women on Frank Calabrese these notches. So nobody’s and he didn’t pull any punches literally with anybody in the family. So 04:43 interesting. I know what and her husband Frank Calabrese a junior he’s still hundreds of 1000s of dollars from his dad during this time. So I don’t be interested. per view of that, but that was 04:58 her view in his view, and then you’ll get sort of the full story similar sort of thing but yeah, it was really an incredible process working with her during the pandemic. So we did everything on Zoom. Yeah, it’s coming together we’ve got a lot of great pictures that have never been seen a wedding and people so the time we’re at right now is the real Chicago mob wife Marriage Marriage money myths about Chicago mob wife. And I think that it’s it really sums things up and sort of plays on what’s what’s going on media sort of a play on words that also is the real story. It’s not glamorize there’s there’s really no flavor to it. It’s just how a very strong woman protected their families, but she could during some incredibly difficult times in 05:51 the story, we all look forward to that. I’m really interested in that I’ll be looking forward to an interview with you. And Lisa, whenever anyone so 06:00 of course, you’ll be the first on our first almost guarantee you I want everything done. As you said many times, you’re my rabbi here. 06:10 I plucked you out of obscurity due to the big die, but then the dust 06:17 from obscurity to somewhat unknown. 06:25 That we all got these up. So let’s talk about Joe valachi. Really interested I’ve been wanting to do this for quite a while, as we were discussing before we turn the camera on here about how one important person he was to come in and tell that inside story for the first time and then tell them public they put him on television on the McClellan here. Yeah. And and the Senate I was at the Senate hearings. He was telling this story in public The Inside Story The mafia and in the United States that you know, Jagger Hoover, it pretty much denied and, and is really as pivotal moment as Apple Lakin was, I think, yeah. 07:10 Oh, absolutely. I mean, that when you hit her, like it was sort of a flash in the pan. I mean, it was a big to do. But it really didn’t give any insight. I mean, it was just the most you guys were these guys all together. But really the only, you know, a seismic change from that was the FBI and suddenly had to become involved. But as far as the public, they sort of, you know, things are forgotten. In short, just just like today, I mean, the news cycle lasts just so long. But once Laci came in and really pull back the curtain, and people say, Well, he was a low ranking guy, but that really doesn’t matter, because he was a made guy.

The Gangs of New Zealand Dec 26, 2022

Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins looks closely at the gangs of New Zealand. He finds that most of these organized gangs are formed around motorcyles and other established motorcycle gangs like the Mongols, the Hells Angels, or the Bandidos. As with most organized gangs like this in other parts of the world, they make money from the sale and distribution of narcotics. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Sammy the Bull Gravano Part 2 Dec 19, 2022

In Part 2 of this story, retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins continues looking into the drug investigation and conviction of Sammy Gravano. The listener learns how local drug dealer Michael Papa befriends Gravano’s son, Gerard Gravano. The Phoenix narcotics squad is picking up rumors about a new gang selling ecstasy, muscling other street-level dealers, and claiming to be under the protection of the famous Gambino hitman, Sammy Gravano. The local cops still do not believe this to be true, but they continue investigating. The U.S. Customs arrested an Ecstasy courier at the border and turn him into an informant. They learn he has been supplying a friend of the Gravano family named Michael Papa. This is the final piece that allows the police to bring in the DEA and go up on a wiretap of Papa. They quickly learn that Papa and Gerard Gravano used poorly coded conversations about selling drugs. From this, they spin off into more wiretaps, some of which are on Sammy Gravano and his family’s phones. These taps lead them to the final conversation they use to file charges against the Gravano family. Gerard Gravano calls his mother and tells her his Dad said it was ok to send 70 to give to Mike. Sammy Gravano’s daughter transported the money to Sammy Gravano. he calls his wife and complains the delivery was short $5,000. Sammy Gravano and his wife argue, and later Gravano admitted he miscounted. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Lucky Luciano and the Havana Meeting Dec 15, 2022

In this episode, Gary takes a close look at the 1946 mob meeting in Havana, Cuba. In 1946 Charles “Lucky” Luciano was residing in Italy after his deportation by the United States. He obtained an Italian passport issued in his real name, Salvatore Lucania, and obtained visas for travel in Mexico, Cuba, and several South American nations. Once he obtained these travel documents, Luciano journeyed to Caracas, Venezuela, then to Mexico City, and finally to Havana, Cuba. Luciano’s old friend Meyer Lansky met him in Cuba. Acting on Luciano’s orders, Lansky reserved several rooms and a meeting room at the Hotel/Casino Nacional from December 22 to January 1. Lansky recommended that his friend Luciano purchase a $150,000 interest in the Hotel Nacional because he had an important government official, President Fulgencio Batista as a silent partner. Luciano agreed because this operation would get him back in business only 90 miles from the United States and give him official government protection in Cuba. Leading up to Christmas Day of 1946, well-known American mob bosses started arriving at the Hotel Nacional. They were all there to welcome Luciano back from exile and to acknowledge his position within the North American crime families. As would be the custom, they all arrived with cash envelopes for the boss of bosses. Lansky scheduled a dinner where Luciano was publically acknowledged as the boss, and Lansky, Frank Costello, Joe Adonis, and the other bosses presented him with envelopes totaling around $200,000. They even flew Frank Sinrata in, and several cousins of Al Capone accompanied him. During the next few days, the bosses discussed some mob leadership problems in New York City, who may invest in Cuban casinos, the mob-controlled narcotics operations, and the work being done by Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel to develop Las Vegas into a gambling mecca and problems with the Flamingo casino/hotel. Since Luciano was not allowed inside the United States, Frank Costello had been running his mafia family. Vito Genovese was straining at the harness to be the new boss. Luciano obtained a consensus from the other mob bosses that he was the boss of all bosses or the capo de tutti capi. But by the time this entire meeting was over, Luciano was deported back to Italy, and he would never be the Boss of Bosses. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Sammy the Bull Ecstacy Case Part 1 Dec 12, 2022

Retired Intelligence Unit Detective Gary Jenkins takes a deep dive into the Sammy the Bull Gravano story that sent him back to prison after he avoided a life sentence due to his work as a member of the Gambino Crime Family. This story starts when the government released Sammy the Bull from his five-year sentence after they allowed him to avoid racketeering, extortion, and murder convictions from his lifetime serving the Gambino crime family. He appears around 1995 in Phoenix, Arizona. Gravano opens Marathon Construction Company and Creative Pools. His wife, daughter, and son all appear in Phoenix simultaneously. The listener will learn how Gravano is living under the name Jimmy Moran and getting recognized by many people. He released his book, Underboss, and appeared on 60 Minutes. His wife and son opened Uncle Sal’s Italian Restaurant, and he is often seen there. A local newspaper, Arizona Republic, learned Gravano was living and working in the area, and they published a story. A Gambino-sponsored hit team arrived. Gravano’s son, Gerard Gravano, starts hanging out and partying with a local weight lifter and ecstasy dealer named Michael Papa, who was part of a White Nationalist gang known as the Devil Dogs. Despite all this, Gravano became involved in a drug-selling operation. Gary looks at the origins of the local investigation into the new party drug Ecstacy and who sells it to ASU students and others at local clubs and Raves. Local police are astounded to learn the ring leader may be the most famous turncoat mafia member of all time, Sammy the Bull Gravano. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Michael Marcello Social Security Scam Dec 09, 2022

Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins looks into the recent conviction of Michael Marcello for scamming Social Security. Michael Marcello is the brother of former Chicago outfit Boss James Marcello. He used to run all the Video Poker business for the Outfit. Michaele Marcello got into his first big trouble during the Family Secrets trial in 2007. He was meeting in a bugged visiting room with his brother Jimmy. The FBI overheard him taking orders and carrying out Outfit business. For example, he was directed to give Nick Calabrese’s family $4,000 monthly to keep him quiet. he helped gather tips from a corrupt US marshall about the location of a government witness, Nick Calabrese. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Christmas in Las Vegas with Adam Flowers Dec 09, 2022

Intelligence detective Gary Jenkins interviews Adam Flowers, the host of Mob Vlog TV and the operator of Vegas Speciality Tours, about what to do and see in Las Vegas over the Christmas holiday. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Rise of Tony Accardo and Ross Prio Dec 05, 2022

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins tells how Tony Accardo started in the Circus street gang stealing from stores, pedestrians, and loading docks in Chicago’s Loop. Accardo caught the eye of Al Capone during prohibition and was brought in as a bodyguard. He was able to recruit and manage his own crew with Ross Prio and the three Doms, Dominick DiBella, Dominic Nuccio, and Dominick Brancato. From this power base, Accardo started his rise. His first real show of ambition was when he decided he should become the president of the Unione Siciliana. He used this deadly crew to murder the sitting president, Vincent Benevento. From this point, Anthony Accardo was taken very seriously by both the Sicilian faction and the non-Sicilian faction in the Outfit. He was smart enough to keep Ross Prio and Paul Ricca close to him when he took over as the boss. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Curtis Warren Liverpool Drug Smuggler Dec 01, 2022

Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins tells the story of Great Britain’s most successful drug dealer Curtis Warren. He started as a bouncer in various clubs around the British seaport of Liverpool. Using this job, Warren connected with all the drug dealers and started learning the game from the inside. At the height of cocaine’s popularity as a party drug, Curtis Warren and an established smuggler named Brain Charrington used Charrington’s yacht to slip into France. From France, they secretly traveled to Venezuela and arranged a deal with the Cali cartel to smuggle 900 kilograms of cocaine in steel boxes concealed in lead ingots. When their shipment arrived in the UK, customs officials were not very suspicious, but they cut open one lead ingot. They found nothing and let the entire shipment pass. The Dutch police obtained knowledge of these shipments and alerted the UK customs. Curtis Warren and Charrington already had a second 900-kilogram shipment en route from South America. Customs impounded the ship and found the second shipment. They arrested Warren, Charrington, and twenty-six other members of the crew. Curtis Warren was born under a lucky star because, at court, the British police announced that Charrington was a police informant for the North-East Regional Crime Squad. British Customs officials continued their prosecution, despite protests from the police. In Newcastle Crown Court, it soon became apparent that Charrington was so well informed by his police handlers that the Crown decided to drop all charges against Charrington. Curtis Warran was eventually acquitted of all charges. Warren was not stopped. He became one of the most successful and inventive drug dealers in Europe. For example, he purchased a vineyard in Bulgaria. He set up cocaine shipments from South America to his winery in Bulgaria. He infused his bottles of wine with cocaine for shipment to England. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. and To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

A Different Look at the NBA Betting Scandal Nov 28, 2022

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews Sean Griffin, author of Gaming the Game: The Story behind the NBA Betting Scandal and other nonfiction crime-related books. Sean has a different take on the NBA referee in the eye of the storm, Tim Donaghy. After the recent Netflix documentary, Sean started speaking out about how the media takes everything Tim Donaghy claims as the truth. Sean published his book based on an examination of the date, and he came to different conclusions. For example, Sean believes the mafia never knew who Donaghy was, destroying the claim that he was afraid to stop giving his picks to his favorite bookie. Sean believes that Tim Donaghy did make some dubious referee calls on games he bet on the outcome. This is a must-listen interview if you are interested in the NBA and the huge gaming interests surrounding these contests. For example, did you know some gamblers can bet large enough amounts in China or Japan to influence the line? Then after they know they have changed the line arbitrarily, they make their real bets in the United States. One of these gamblers told Sean about the Mafia, “We are the whales; they are the fish.” Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Robert Borelli: From the Mafia to the Ministry Nov 23, 2022

Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews former Gambino associate Robert Borelli about his life as an understudy to Anthony “Fat Andy” Ruggiano in the Gambino family. Gary learned that a young Robert Borelli witnessed a mob murder and refused to talk or testify. After he went to trial as part of this murder charge, he was found not guilty. When he returned to the streets, he was lauded as a real stand-up guy and taken into the crew of Nicky Corrazo. It was after Robert Borelli became addicted to narcotics and was on his way out of the Mob’s good graces and into a life of prison and worse that he is converted to Christianity. Robert Borelli has a book titled The Witness: A Tale of the Life and Death of a Mafia Madman. Robert can be contacted by clicking this link. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Uncle Charlie Killed Dutch Schultz Nov 21, 2022

Retired KCPD Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews Allen Geik about his book Uncle Charlie Killed Dutch Schultz. Geik’s uncle was Charlie Workman, who was a significant tool in the arsenal of the Murder Incorporated murderous toolchest. Charlie Workman was one of the men who killed Dutch Schultz. Mr. Geik was unaware of Charlie Workman and only knew him as Uncle Charlie, a man who seemed to have shadowy connections and no regular job. He was talking with Workman’s son recently when he was informed of the connection. After learning about his infamous ancestor, Allen Geik began researching by talking with other family members, looking at newspaper archives, then FBI files. He found a fascinating story of the 1930s Jewish gangsters, and he incorporated this into his book Uncle Charlie Killed Dutch Schultz. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Kenji Gallo: The Man who put Theodore “Teddy” Persico away Nov 16, 2022

Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins talks with former Colombo associate and California strip club owner Kenji Gallo. In the second of a three-part series of interviews about the Christain conversion experiences of mobsters, we learn that Kenji Gallo had been a successful mob associate in southern California and made connections back east with Teddie Persico. He was recruited by the FBI to work as an informant, but he refused to incriminate his old California friends. He went to the New York City area and was accepted into the Colombo family as an associate. After a series of events that caused him to go into witness protection, he dropped out of sight. In his early days in Wit Sec, Kenji Gallo meets some good Christian people, and he is attracted to this life. Kenji has since changed his life and runs a successful gym and personal training business. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Sal “Sally Ubatz” Polisi Talks Gotti and Other Subjects Nov 15, 2022

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews former Gotti associate Sal Polisi about his life from the mean streets of new york, to prison, to witness protection, and his post-mafia life. Gary has a candid conversation with Sal Polisi about his life in the mafia, how he turned and testified against John Gotti, and his post-mafia life. Sal Polisi started life as a New York street kid, was a drug dealer and mob associate, a protected witness, and ended as an author, a screenwriter, and a filmmaker, who now lives peacefully in the desert. Look for him next year in Fear City 2, a Netflix series that looks at the 5 Families through the eyes of mafia members. He has written his life story called The Sinatra Club. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Trial of Mike “The Large Guy” Sarno Nov 07, 2022

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews Jim Cosenza about his recollections of the characters and the evidence in the trial of Chicago Outfit Capo Mike Sarno. Sarno was also known as the “Large Guy” or “Big Mike” for obvious reasons. I recommend you go back and listen to my two-part interview of retired ATF Agent Lou Valoze because he tells what it was like to work his way into a crew bossed by Sarno associate Mark Polchan. Mike Sarno inherited Jimmy Marcello’s video poker operation after he went to prison in the Family Secrets trial. This video poker organization will be Sarno’s downfall. Sarno exhibited typical Chicago Outfit behavior when he demanded all small video poker machine operators pay him a piece of the action. He found one man who refused, and the business got violent. After a bombing of a rival operator, the government infiltrated and turned a key associate who wore a wire. This is a very exciting story of the Chicago Outfit and how they had not progressed much since prohibition in their brutal tactics. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Story of Michael Franzese Christian Conversion Nov 04, 2022

Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins looks into the conversion experience of several mobsters in this and two future shows. In this video, he tells listeners about Michael Franzese. Additionally, Gary tells about Ernie Davino, a now-deceased member of Tony Spilotro’s Las Vegas Hole in the Wall gang, and his Christian conversion experience. Michael Franzese is the son of Colombo Family Capo, John “Sonny” Franzese. Check out my interview with S.J. Peddie back on April 11, 2022. Gary learns that Michael Franzese was a very successful member of the Colombo Family, like his father. Michael’s particular road to success led him to the famous gas tax scam. He created numerous small corporations. he would use one corporation to start selling wholesale gasoline to retail outlets in the NYC area. In New York, the retailer collects all the gas tax and pays it to the wholesaler along with the price of the gasoline. The wholesale distributor is supposed to pass the gas tax to the State and city governments. Franzese’s corporation failed to pass along the tax. When the governmental agencies started pressing for their money, he abandoned that corporation and started the same business under the name of another corporation and did the same procedure. He earned millions with this scheme. He earned so much that he went to Hollywood and got into the film business and high-end nightclubs. It was from this high point that he ended up in solitary confinement, where a Christian Correctional Officer passed a bible through the food slot in his small cell. A lonely and dejected Micahel Franzese started reading and had a conversion experience. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Paul Shiro Released Nov 03, 2022

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the Chicago Outfit had a loyal soldier named Paul Shiro. The guys called him “The Indian” because he had facial features like a Native American. This man was a killer. I once did a story on four businessmen who were all killed with a gun firing .22 caliber bullets, and they were all killed inside one elevator. Paulie Shiro was the chief suspect when he moved to Phoenix to be the Outfit’s representative and work with Tony Spilotro in Las Vegas. When a casino employee named Jay Vandermark threatened the Las Vegas skim operation, the Outfit dispatched a hit team to murder Vandermark. A Chicago mob associate named Emil Vaca “set up” Vandermark. Later, the Outfit became worried that Vaca might turn into a witness. Paul Shiro helped Nick Calabrese murder Emil Vaca. When Nick Calabrese and his nephew Frank Calabrse Jr. became witnesses in the 2007 Family Secrets trial, they put Shiro in prison. He has been trying to get out on compassionate leave for a couple of years because of Covid-19. Finally, after a judge turned him down, Shiro has reached the time he can be released to a halfway house and will be completely free next year. Will Shiro return to his old criminal activities? Will Shiro return to Chicago or Phoenix? Will Paul Shiro try to find Nick Calabrese or Frank Calabrese Jr. and take revenge? Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Bonus MRBALLEN PODCAST: STRANGE, DARK & MYSTERIOUS STORIES Nov 01, 2022

Hey guys, I am releasing a special short segment from a very interesting true crime podcast. Not my usual mafia fare, but I hope you find this to be a fun look at another style of true crime storytelling. You can find this podcast on the Amazon Music Podcast App. This is the spine-chilling case of Haley Zega, who disappeared from a hiking trail for 51 hours after getting separated from her grandparents. When search and rescuers finally found her and asked how she survived, she said a friend helped her. She described this friend… 4 years old, black hair… brown eyes. This “friend” was initially dismissed until they realized a girl had gone missing in that exact spot 23 years earlier and was never found. That missing girl 23 years ago was also 4 years old and had black hair and brown eyes!

The Four Mistakes that created the Teflon Don Oct 31, 2022

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins examines John Gotti’s first RICO trial to determine why the jury failed to convict him. We learn about the four mistakes made by the prosecution team of Diane Giacalone and John Gleeson. The first was the attempt to force Wilfred “Willie Boy” Johnson to testify by exposing him as a long-time FBI Top Echelon Informant. Willie Boy replied, “I can’t testify against John. He is my friend.” Diane Giacalone was long on trial experience but short on facing the likes of Bruce Cutler. The defense took one of the government’s former informants and turned him on to the prosecutors. Matt Traynor was a bank robber, and when the government refused to pay him for his testimony against Gotti, he testified that Ms. Giacalone had tried to bribe him and offered him her panties as an enticement to help. The defense also got Traynor to claim that John Gleeson’s wife had obtained a narcotic drug from her work at a hospital, and Mr. Gleeson had given it to him in jail. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

How did Mikey Scars get his nickname? Oct 24, 2022

Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews Michael DiLeonardo and learns about his early history and how he got his famous nickname, Mikey Scars. Michael DiLeonardo, aka Mikey Scars, was a made man in the Gambino crime family. He was made by the Underboss, Sam the Bull Gravano. On the night that Mikey Scars was inducted into the Family, John Gotti Jr. was also inducted. John Gotti Sr. was now the boss after he had Paul Castellano murdered, so he thought it looked bad if he inducted his own son. I’m not sure who he thought he was fooling by having Gravano conduct this ceremony, but who knows the mind of a mobster? Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Stockton Police Surveillance Oct 18, 2022

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins congratulates the Stockton Police Department on their successful surveillance to catch a serial killer. He explains, using his own experience, just how difficult this operation is for the officers involved. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Al Capone and the 1933 World’s Fair Oct 15, 2022

Retired KCPD Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews William Hazelgrove, the author of Al Capone and the 1933 World’s Fair. He learns that this World’s Fair was one of the critical reasons the government created the special squad of Treasury agents to take Capone down by any means necessary. Mr. Hazelgrove describes how a group of anonymous businessmen called the Secret 6 pressured the Federal government to take down Capone. The negative publicity generated by the 1929 St. Valentine’s Day massacre was still in the public’s imagination. They wanted the fairgoers to feel safe. We learn how the long career of the famous Fan Dancer, Sally Rand, was launched by this event. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Top Hoodlum Program Oct 12, 2022

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews retired FBI Agent Bill Ouseley about the FBI and their Top hoodlum Program. Bill was one of the early agents the Bureau assigned to investigate solely La Cosa Nostra-style organized crime. We learn this happened after the 1957 raid of the New York farm of Mob boss Joseph Barbara, now known as the Apalachin meeting. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Chicago Outfit and the Hotel Employees and Restuarant Employees (HERE) Union Oct 10, 2022

Retired Intelligence Unit Detective Gary Jenkins and Mob historian and writer Camillius “Cam” Robinson discuss the Chicago Outfit and their infiltration of the Bartenders and Beverage Dispensers Union, which became an international union called Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union until the present day, where it is known as Unite HERE. Edward Hanley rose to lead this powerful union with the help of Joey Aiuppa and the Chicago Outfit. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Paul Ricca of the Chicago Outfit Oct 05, 2022

Retired KCPD Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins looks at the life of the Chicago Outfit’s Paul Ricca. We learn he probably was responsible for the suicide of Frank Nitti, that he was a “behind the scenes” boss and made decisions with Anthony Accardo for many years. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast. but hey are you wirecappers out there I have a story today it’s kind of a rehash I’ve been one of my old audio stories I did the uh just last week I think or a couple weeks ago now I posted a story on YouTube that was primarily uh audio and it was the story of it was an interview of a guy named Carlo Morelliwho was a guy that took Tony accardo’s daughter to the uh to her senior prom a couple other Accardo stories and it’s pretty interesting it’s kind of a one that once in a lifetime gig to get an inside information like that and Carlos deceased since I uh recorded that interview but somebody made a comment in the YouTube or the YouTube posting about and did you ever talk about Paul Rica or Paul the waiter who was a a Chicago boss out of the 40s and early 50s on up into the 60s who stayed way in the background a lot of people don’t know the name of 1:03 Paul Rican he was a really important guy 1:07 in in the Chicago outfit back in those 1:09 days so I dug out my old interview I did 1:12 an interview of him I never put it up on 1:13 YouTube so I dug up some pictures in 1:16 order for you to have some something to 1:19 look at while I tell the story of Paul 1:22 the waiter Rika uh interesting guy you 1:26 know he he stayed in the background just 1:28 like Tony Accardo did he and the cardo 1:31 really would sit together at Norwood’s 1:34 male restaurant that’s Meo restaurant 1:38 and I think the building still exists in 1:40 in Norwood I think is the name of the 1:43 suburb in Chicago anyhow they would sit 1:45 up there and people would come up and 1:47 and bring in envelopes and and they’d 1:50 make decisions and he always stayed in 1:52 the background with ocardo and and they 1:55 let guys like Sam giancana be out front 1:58 and you know he was a like a lightning 2:01 rod for uh for the FBI and and they sat 2:04 back there and never went to jail again 2:05 although the government never really 2:07 quit trying to deport Paul Rica which I 2:10 you know listen to the store and you’ll 2:12 learn a lot more about Paul Rica you 2:14 know one interesting little tidbit about 2:16 him he was once accused of doing a hit 2:18 in Kansas City of a guy who was running 2:22 a bunch of slot machines out in the 2:25 county and not kicking up to the Mob and 2:27 he was warm several times now I don’t 2:29 they showed his picture now why they 2:31 show this picture I don’t know uh but he 2:34 was uh during the 50s he well let’s 2:37 listen to the stories he’s a really 2:39 interesting guy well Paul Rica or Paul 2:42 the waiter Rika was born July 10 1898 he 2:46 died October the 11th 1972. he rose from 2:50 being a small time member of the Kimura 2:54 Mafia in Naples Italy to the boss of the 2:56 Chicago outfit by the time he died in 2:59 1898 Paul the waiter Rica was born 3:01 Felice de Lucia in Naples Italy by 1915 3:05 a 17 year old Felice de Lucia was an 3:09 associate of the Neapolitan Kimura Mafia 3:12 he got his first real taste of mob life 3:14 when he was ordered to murder a man 3:16 named Emilio perilio Elise de Lucia was 3:20 arrested and at trial a sicilian named 3:22 vicenzo capasso testified that he saw 3:26 Delicia murder prillio de Lucia 3:28 testified he had killed perlio because 3:31 berlio had disgraced his sister by 3:33 breaking an engagement with her in other 3:34 words it was an honor killing police 3:36 Delicia served two years in an Italian 3:38 jail before escaping after he escaped he 3:40 found that witness vicenzo capasso and 3:43 and you know what happens when a member 3:45 of the Kimura Mafia finds somebody who 3:47 testified against him he killed him by 3:49 slitting his throat de Lucia changed his 3:51 name to Paolo malio and fled to a small 3:54 town named aprissina about a hundred 3:56 miles north of Naples the heat was still 3:58 on cops are looking for him but Lucia 4:00 left for France once he got to France he 4:03 found passage on a boat to Cuba while in 4:05 Cuba he met a fellow member of the 4:06 Kimura Mafia from Naples a man named 4:10 Giuseppe Esposito Esposito was known as 4:13 Diamond Joe in Chicago and had graduated 4:15 from the Chicago street gangs in the 4:17 early 1900s young Felice de Lucia did 4:19 not know at this time but this 4:21 connection would determine Paula wader’s 4:23 future he arrived in New York shortly 4:25 after August 10 1920 just in time for 4:28 prohibition at that point in time or 4:30 sometimes sure shortly thereafter he 4:31 anglicized his name to Paul Rica 1919 4:34 the Volstead Act was passed and 4:36 prohibition began in January of 1920. 4:39 Giuseppe Esposito or Diamond Joe were 4:42 just beginning to form a bootlegging 4:43 gang in Chicago he recruited his young 4:45 friend from Cuba Paul Rica to come to 4:48 Chicago and and join his bootlegging 4:50 operation he also enlisted members of 4:52 the violent Chicago Street gang known as 4:54 known as the 42 gang and one of these 4:57 members was Sam Mooney giancana when 5:00 Paul Rica first arrived in Chicago of 5:02 course he moved to the Italian section 5:03 close to downtown he managed to get a 5:05 job as a theater Usher and Diamond Joe 5:07 hired him as a waiter for a small family 5:10 restaurant that he owned the easygoing 5:12 and genial Paula wetter was soon on a 5:15 first name basis with many of the 5:16 Mobsters who came in and out the door of 5:18 that restaurant one of these Mobsters 5:20 included Al Capone Rick and Capone had 5:22 several mutual friends among Neapolitan 5:24 gangsters who had returned to the Old 5:26 Country Capone enrika became good 5:28 friends Al Capone regularly visited a 5:30 restaurant and Paul Rica was soon hired 5:32 as a full-time gangster he rose very 5:34 quickly in the Capone organization he 5:36 was admired by Capone for his 5:38 intelligence and ability to obtain 5:40 cooperation from fellow gang members 5:42 they also became close personal friends 5:44 as well as fellow gang members Capone 5:46 was the best man at rika’s wedding in 5:48 because of this unique ability to 5:51 get along with other gangsters other 5:53 other mobsters 5:55 Al Capone named Paul Rica as his 5:58 Emissary to the east coast mafia 6:00 families in connection with his 6:02 bootlegging organization in May 1932 Al 6:05 Capone was sent to Atlanta to the U.S 6:07 Penitentiary thereafter his conviction 6:09 for tax fraud the well-known Frank Nitty 6:12 became the new boss of the Chicago 6:13 outfit nydian Capone had agreed in 6:17 advance that Paul Rica would be the new 6:19 underboss in hindsight historians 6:22 learned that Frank Nitty was a reluctant 6:23 and unskillful boss most people today 6:26 agreed that Paul Rica soon became the 6:29 boss in all but title one problem with 6:31 nitty was that the East Coast mob bosses 6:34 did not think highly of knitting by 1932 6:37 Charles Lucky Luciano and mayor Lansky 6:39 had formed the national crime syndicate 6:41 they refused to deal with knitting Paul 6:43 Rica frequently overruled nitty’s orders 6:46 such a move would normally be 6:48 Unthinkable in any crime family but 6:49 nitty did not object for some reason 6:51 when prohibition ended in 1933 the 6:54 outfit had find other sources of income 6:56 because all East Coast action was 6:58 claimed by the New York and New Jersey 7:00 mobs the Chicago outfit turned its eyes 7:02 West to the open territory of Los 7:04 Angeles California the outfit saw the 7:07 film industry as a huge Cash Cow just 7:09 waiting to be milked nitty sent outfit 7:12 Capo Johnny roselli to Hollywood with a 7:15 plan to extort money from Major Movie 7:17 Studios like RKO Paramount MGM and 20th 7:21 Century Fox at this time Frank Nitty was 7:23 spending all the money he could earn in 7:26 the rackets that he owned he loved the 7:27 dice cars he was a huge Gambler roulette 7:30 wheels horse racing dropped a bunch of 7:32 money on horse racing and he needed more 7:34 and more money all the time roselli went 7:36 to boxing gyms in Los Angeles and hired 7:39 a lot of the old pugs with cauliflower 7:40 ears he used them to make visits to 7:43 Studio Executives and shake them down 7:45 when folks like high-powered Executives 7:47 think their lives and their livelihoods 7:49 are at stake they’ll pay up the outfit 7:51 sent another gangster named Willie byoff 7:54 to California 7:55 buyoff had already created a Shakedown 7:58 operation of Chicago movie theater 7:59 projectionist he had infiltrated the 8:01 national Union of theater projectionists 8:04 and used its extortion plans in many 8:06 cities on the East Coast nitty sent buy 8:09 off to California he was instructed to 8:11 infiltrate the International Alliance of 8:13 theatrical stage employees buy off aided 8:16 by Johnny John handsome Johnny roselli 8:19 eventually became the collector for The 8:20 Syndicate controlled unions in Hollywood 8:22 they extorted millions of dollars from 8:24 major motion picture studios and buyoff 8:27 kept hundreds of thousands of dollars 8:28 for himself Willie buyoff was just a 8:31 small-time Chicago Thug who went to 8:33 Hollywood and it went to his head he 8:35 soon was living in a mansion had 8:36

Did the Yakuza Buy a Rocket Launcher? Oct 03, 2022

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins discusses the Yakuza with retired ATF agent Ignacio Esteban. We learn about the case where the government caught them buying rocket launchers. Ignacio Esteban is a true-crime author who has written a book on his illustrious career working undercover on drug dealers in South Florida. Since retirement, Mr. Esteban has written books on the Russian Arms dealer Viktor Bout, Sonny Barger, and the Hells Angels, several traditional organized crime organizations. In this episode, we focus on the Japanese Yakuza. Recently HBO Max released a series titled Toyko Vice. This series was based on the real-life experiences of an American reporter, Jake Adelstein. Ignacio Esteban tells us about the history of the Yakuza and about real-life cases that American law enforcement has made on this jap[anese criminal organization and the influence of the Yakuza in America. Esteban describes the Yakuza ritual of Yubitsume, or the cutting off of one’s finger. He explains this is a method an underling uses to show penance or an apology for some failure of an assignment handed out by his boss. If this is the first offense, the offender cuts off the tip of his left little finger. He must then present the severed part to his boss. We learn this practice is starting to be used less because the result marks them as actual members of the Yakuza to law enforcement. This practice began many years ago from the traditional way of holding a Japanese sword. A samurai warrior held a sword and the bottom three fingers of each hand gripped the sword tightly, with the thumb and index fingers slightly loose. When the little finger is removed, the sword grip is lessened. As more fingers are lost, the warrior because less effective with his sword. We learn about the famous tattoos exhibited by Yakuza members. Many, if not all, long-time members will have their entire bodies covered with tattoos. In public, to prevent identification by the Police, they always wear long sleeves and trousers. They are called Irezumi in Japan, and the ink is inserted beneath the skin using hand-held needles of sharpened bamboo or steel. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Crooked City: Youngstown Part 2 Sep 26, 2022

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews Johnny Chechitelli, one of the producers of a new limited series podcast called Crooked City: Youngstown. This Ohio Rust Belt City was one of the most corrupt mobbed-up towns in the area. Located an hour from Pittsburgh and an hour from Cleveland, members of both organized crime families staked claims. In this episode, we learn about Jim Traficant, one of the most corrupt politicians in the country. Click here to go to the Podcast Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Who took “Big Tuna” Accardo’s daughter to prom? Sep 21, 2022

Retired Intelligence Unit Detective Gary Jenkins talks with the man who took the daughter of Tony Accardo or “Big Tuna” to her prom and later helped out at her wedding. The Prom relationship never was; he was more of a bodyguard. Carlo Morelli grew up in Chicago and was a fly on the wall to many Outfit activities. Listen to the story of a high school kid who took Big Tuna’s daughter to prom, ditched the bodyguards to go drink beer in Wisconsin, and brought her home about daylight the following day. Carlo had an uncomfortable confrontation with the most feared mobster in Chicago and lived to tell the story. Carlo Morelli first encountered Tony Accardo at Meo’s Restaurant. He had become friends with Trip Meo, the wife of the owner, Charles Meo. Tony Accardo and Paul Ricca used this location as a place where they could always be found, and they conducted many meetings at a corner table. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, Please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Crooked City: Youngstown Part 1 Sep 19, 2022

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews Johnny Chechitelli, one of the producers of a new limited series podcast called Crooked City: Youngstown. This Ohio Rust Belt City was one of the most corrupt mobbed-up towns in the area. Located an hour from Pittsburgh and an hour from Cleveland, members of both organized crime families staked claims. Click here to go to the podcast Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Why did Gottti Murder Castellano? Sep 13, 2022

Retired intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins has looked into the story behind why John Gotti believed he must murder Paul Castellano. It started with the crash of a Lear jet off the coast of Florida and ended in a hail of bullets in front of the Manhatten eatery known as Sparks Steakhouse. In this podcast, Gary explains the chain of events that led to the plot to kill the boss, Big Paulie Castellano. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Tony Mirra – The Man Who Vouched for Joe Pistone Sep 12, 2022

Retired Intelligence Unit Detective Gary Jenkins tells the Wiretappers about the violent and brutal life of Bonanno Capo Tony Mirra. Tony Mirra comes from a Mafia legacy and rose through the ranks. He was so vicious and a good killer that Carmine “The Cigar” Galante used him to take out enemies. Mirra saw promise in a young newcomer named Donnie Brasco, who claimed to be a good jewel thief. The Feds put Mirra away, and Bonanno soldier Lefty Ruggerio “stole” Brasco (Joe Pistone). When Mirra left prison, he demanded Brasco back like he was a piece of property. They settled the dispute in a proper mafia manner by having a sit-down. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Allen Dorfman Murder Case File Review Sep 07, 2022

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins examines the Lincolnwood Police case file and initial investigative steps taken by the detectives the day someone shot Allen Dorfman in the head in front of Irvin Weiner. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Murder of Allen Dorfman Sep 05, 2022

Retired KC Police Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews Chicago Outfit author and historian Camillus “Cam” Robinson about Teamster Pension Fund advisor and Outfit associate Allen Dorfman and why the Outfit murdered him. Camillus Robinson explains how Allen Dorfman became embroiled in a scheme with Kansas City Teamster Roy Williams and Outfit Capo Joey “The Clown” Lombardo to bribe Nevada Senator Howard Cannon. The Teamsters were engaged in the political fight of their lives. Congress was working on legislation enabling the trucking companies to achieve independence from the Teamster’s Union. Senator Cannon had worked to delay and/or quash a trucking deregulation bill that would allow the big companies to hire more independent truckers. The Teamsters learned of an issue in Senator Cannon’s home neighborhood where he was trying to stop a high rise from being built. The Union purchased the land earmarked for the development and told Cannon, “Don’t worry, it’s yours now.” The government had Dorfman’s office wired for sound, and they could hear many conversations Dorman had with Joey Lombardo and others about Outfit business. Gary plays one tape allowing the listener to hear Joey Lombardo threaten a casino owner, Morris Shenker, in a demand he pay money to Dorfman because “the people who own Dorfman” do care about this money. The government also heard Dorfman discussing a transfer of power within the Outfit when the boss Joey Doves Aiuppa became so ill with heart problems that he was stepping away. In this conversation, Dorfman indicates that Jackie Cerone was incapable and too “hot-headed” and that Tony Spilotro had been the heir apparent until he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Loan Shark Beating Customer Aug 31, 2022

Bonus Episode – Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins plays a tape of loan shark Frank Robertson beating a customer. Steve St. John and Gary discuss this business. Support the podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Rise an Fall of Tommy Karate Aug 29, 2022

Retired intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins tells about the mob career of Tommy Karate Pitera. He got his name because, as a young man Tommy Pitera was often bullied because of his squeaky voice. He studied karate and became so proficient that he was given a scholarship and studied for several years in Japan. When he returned to New York City, Bonanno family members noticed his abilities and recruited Pitera to work as an enforcer and loan collector and gave him his moniker. Soon, he was taken into a crew, and once he committed his first murder, he became a very important member. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Viktor Bout – Arms Dealer Aug 26, 2022

Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews retired ATF agent Ignacio Esteban about his book on the infamous Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. We learned that in March of 2008, Bangkok, Thailand authorities arrested Bout as he left a Bancock hotel after DEA agents and informants engaged in a recorded negotiation for weapons. Colombian FARC informants agreed to make a deal with Bout for millions in military-grade weapons. This arrest was the culmination of a DEA sting operation using high-ranking members of Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia or FARC, a Communist-leaning band of rebels in the jungles of Colombia SA. Agent Esteban has written many books on aspects of organized crime, and the most recent is Viktor Bout – The World’s Most Notorious Arms Dealer. Viktor Bout was a shadowy international arms dealer since the fall of the old USSR. He quickly adapted to the chaos in Russia and started selling military weapons to rebel groups in Africa. From here, he gained a notorious reputation and was soon selling arms worldwide. He was an international man of mystery who lived on the run, was close to his crews, spoke many languages, and enjoyed the protection of the KGB and Putin since he rose to the head of the Russian government. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Robert Mazur and Money Laundering Part 2 Aug 25, 2022

In this second two-part interview, retired Intelligence Detective Gary jenkins questions Robert Mazur about his experiences that resulted in his second book, THE BETRAYAL. In this interview, we learn that a corrupt federal agent was telling drug dealers who he was and what he was doing. Even though he had worked the Columbian cartels and was known in cocaine circles to be an agent, he returned to Panama, where he moved effortlessly into Colombia’s Cali drug cartel. Robert Mazur noticed an unsettling shift in the cartel’s inner circle. He learned that someone had assassinated some of his Colombian contacts. He discovered someone was following him everywhere he traveled in Panama. Mazur became obsessed with learning who had exposed his operation and will find out who betrayed him. He will narrowly escape with his life. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Robert Mazur and Money Laundering Part 1 Aug 22, 2022

Retired intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews one of the most famous yet unknown undercover agents in the United States. Robert Mazur started his law enforcement career with the US Customs, the IRS, and the Drug Enforcement Administration over a 25-year career. He was one of the first agents to work “deep cover.” This means he lived out his part and did not go home from the office, like FBI Agent Joe Pistone. Robert Mazur will learn how to launder illegally derived cash and has become one of the world’s leading experts on underworld financial shenanigans. Over his long and storied career, Robert Mazur worked five years as a deep undercover agent for US, UK, French, and other agencies. Robert shares his insights on how this world works as he recounts his unique and dangerous experiences. Robert Mazur has written two books containing many exciting stories of his adventures working long-term undercover infiltrations. In THE INFILTRATOR, Mazure tells how he worked his way up to have face-to-face dealings with people who reported directly to Pablo Escobar. During this time, he began to have illicit dealings with bankers associated with the Bank of Credit & Commerce International (BCCI), the 7th largest privately held institution in the world. He exposed how corrupt bankers helped launder billions for drug traffickers, illegal arms dealers, terrorists, tax evaders, corrupt third-world leaders, and other criminals. This book was made into a major motion picture with the same name and starred Bryan Cranston. In his second book, THE BETRAYAL , Robert Mazur tells how a corrupt federal agent almost cost him his life. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Mafia Cops – Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa Aug 15, 2022

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews true crime author Jeffrey Sussman about the “Mob Cops” Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, one of the many stories in his new book Big Apple Gangsters (Boxing and the Mob, Holocaust Fighters, Sin City Gangsters, Rocky Graziano: Fists Fame and Fortune) about one story from his new book Big Apple Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in New York. This book was just released in paperback. Gary chose to discuss the Mafia cops with Jeffrey from this book’s many New York City mob stories. Louis Eppolito was actually a mafia legacy and came from a long line of Eppolitos who were made men. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Sonny Barger and the Hells Angels Aug 12, 2022

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviewed retired ATF Agent Ignacio Esteban about his book Full Throttle: Riding with the Hells Angels, the Life of Sonny Barger. This book is a free download until Monday, August 15, on Amazon. Ralph Sonny Barger was born October 8, 1938 and died recently on June 29, 2022. He was the original icon of an American outlaw biker. Sonny Barger was also an author of many books and an actor who was a founding member of the Oakland, California, chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club in 1957. Ignacio tells us how Barger started life with an alcoholic, abusive father, and a missing mother. In 1955, as a teenager, he lied about his age to join the military. When the army discovered he was underage, they gave him an honorable discharge. He was good mechanically and liked motorcycles. He joined a small San Francisco area gang known as the Panthers, which quickly went defunct. He joined a small club known as the Oakland Hells Angels, and when the leader went to prison, Sonny Barger became president. He learned several other California motorcycle gangs claimed the name of Hells Angels, so he traveled around and convinced them to form one club, even writing rules and bylaws. An example of the little-known tidbits that Ignacio Esteban passes along in his book is the story about how Barger wrote a letter to President Lyndon Johnson during a time when the War in Vietnam was not going well. Hells Angels President Barger advised United States President Johnson that he and the entire Hells Angels gang would travel to Vietnam, and he promised they would kick the butts of the Viet Cong and win the war quickly. LBJ did not respond. Transcript SPEAKERS Ignacio Esteban, GARY JENKINS 00:00 Welcome all you Wiretappers out there. Back here in studio Gangland Wire with our now regular almost frequent contributor Ignacio Esteban, retired ATF agent. Welcome, Ignacio. 00:12 Hey, Gary thanks for having me again. I enjoy being out here. 00:15 I know you do. And you guys you need to do look him up on Amazon. He’s got a whole bunch of books out there that are easy reads and you can learn anything you want about crime, guns, anything that that you might want to find out about. He’s got a book about it on Amazon. So just look him up. You can just look at the show notes and and I’ll put links to his Arthur page on Amazon and I’ve done other shows with him. So look back at my other shows and, and you can learn more about ATF Retired agent Ignacio Esteban? 00:52 That’s the one with ATF. 00:54 Yeah. How do you? How do you do first? You first retired? Did you feel like did you like did you bother you telling people you retired? It did me. I didn’t like say that was retired? 01:07 Yeah. I mean, it kind of didn’t because I was in headquarters. I did my two years there. Yeah. And I felt good. I mean, most of my career was with doing the investigation that being proactive. But you know, I learned a lot behind the scenes or to what will help you know, things really happen behind the scenes. So I was okay with it. And I really never thought I was dabbling with my autobiography, ATF Undercover. But I never thought I was gonna be a prolific writer like this. I was gonna do this. There’s something I didn’t think about really, yeah. And it’s really taken life. And I never thought I’ll be on podcast shows and YouTube shows. I never thought this and I’ve done over almost, I was telling you earlier about 25 shows and county. I’ve got some I did Australia. I did one in India, which is a written interview. And now I’m doing a show in London. A three part series is going to be doing in a few weeks. And then good thing is there might be something else bigger, which I’m working on a screenplay. So I’ll let you guys know down the road. What’s going to happen if this could be something big, so we’ll see. Great, 02:06 keep us keep us up on that. So what we want to talk about I had noticed that Ignacio had a book on the Hells Angels and Sonny Barger just died and he and he focuses quite a bit on Sonny Barger, and Sonny Barger of the Hells Angels, the Oakland Hells Angels. Correct. 02:25 It’s I spend a little bit how that how that came about because, yeah, there’s Oakland there San Bernardino, Hells Angels. But he was able to merge it all together. Okay. And he came up with the bylaws, and it’s very interesting how he’s able to do it. San Bernardino, Hells Angels start with Otto Fridley. But they were able to work things out because he was really part of the Panthers Oakland chapter that will defunct and I’ll give a little background about him feel like he was a very interesting guy himself. He came from a broken home. His mother left him when he was four months old, was older sister, his dad was a alcoholic. Right? He was a laborer working is just so he was a basketball. He dropped out of high school when he’s in 10th grade. And he ends up joining the military. He forges his birth certificate soon after, says he’s 18 We release 15. And he goes in the army. And he’s in the army for about a year and a half until they discover that this guy is underage. So but they don’t give him a dishonorable discharge, this regular discharge, which I thought was interesting. So it wasn’t he didn’t stay in it for that. But he did what he had to do. And he was out, but he’s only thinking to get as big of the hands and mechanics. So he liked motorcycles. And that’s how he developed with the Oakland chapter there. Well, he liked the name. It has a military background, the Hells Angels, people, you know, during World War Two, so he kept the name but the names were being used. So what happens is he has to work things out with other chapters. And he consolidating, he writes the bylaws by doing so that unifies the Hells Angels in California. And then from there on, he then becomes auto friedli gets arrested. He gets 10 years. Right. And this is about early 60s. So then he becomes a de facto president, National President of the Hells Angels. It’s very smart move on his part. He moves because at the time, the mother chapter so to speak to headquarters was in San Bernardino. He wants to protect Oakland. So then he moves it to Oakland, and all sudden he is it because Fridley never takes over again the rains and he becomes the national and the face for the next switches next 60 years old, the Hells Angels pretty much. 04:32 So now let me recap just a little bit. Is this Otto Fridley? He had something that was the Panthers and then they took the name of the Hells Angels in San Bernardino. 04:43 Heat no heat, no Panthers was something he had in Oakland. Sonny Barger Yeah, it was it. 04:49 Had Panthers okay, then Otto Friedly has got this Hells Angels in San Bernardino. There’s other disparate Hells Angels motorcycle clubs, right? So Sonny Barger being a strong personality every comes out of the army, and a guy that can organize and see the wisdom and organize. Then he starts. friedli goes to jail and Sonny Barger becomes the strong personality and the guy that gets around other chapters and starts putting it together that, 05:22 and very smartly, he moves the headquarters and Mother chapter to Oakland. And that consolidates his base. Yeah. Which kind of changes a lot for him. Because then from then on, he pretty much is He’s the face and he’s running the Hells Angels from then on until the end of his life when he gets sick. And I’ll talk about his cancer and throw and everything else that that kind of changes his life also. So the Hells Angels were involved in a lot of things. Obviously, they were present, I guess, the counterculture movement in the 60s, right when you need to think that you think a sounding board and the Hells Angels. And I put on my book, they had a really, really bad episode. And I didn’t really understand how bad it was in in the ultimate speedway. It was a concert, The Rolling Stones want to organize just after Woodstock, right? I don’t know if you heard about this. Oh, yeah. Yeah, how bad it was. 06:09 I have I know that you tell him about it. Everybody may not know about that. You got younger people. 06:13 I knew something about I didn’t know how bad the melee especially now that the videos are out there. Your audience can look at the videos. How bad it was. It was you know, hindsight is 2020 was a bad decision. Allegedly by the by the Rolling Stones, management should pick the Hells Angel for security. Right? It’s a great move in the world. And especially providing well someone did it wasn’t clear three kegs during the concert. Right. And this was an all weekend all day affair. So they’re doing heavily drinking, the concert goers are back in the 60s. They’re smoking, right? Tripping acid. They’re doing everything. So the Rolling Stones were the last act they have put together but they had all these big names. You know, Grateful Dead Jefferson Airplane. I mean, you name it. That was like the big show. And it was for free. So everybody can because you know, the Rolling Stones were accused of charging too much I guess that summer for a lot of concerts. So they feel bad about so they want to give us a small Woodstock that was free. So this is what’s the West Coast side of Woodstock where they pretty much were I was reading about, obviously before my time, but I was reading about it. I found it very interesting. But I didn’t realize all the video because they had filmed it like almost like doing some sort of concert they were filming it. And then you see the mele. You see how things get broken back. And allegedly Sonny Barger who’s organized puts a gun when they’re playing the Rolling Stones to Keith Richards signing so you guys keep on playing, or things get ugly because they didn’t want things to add. So you have that famous picture video, where allegedly they say, Hey, some of the concert goers hit over the bikes they had. And one of the guys supposed to have a knife or another gun.

Jack Tocco’s Promotion Photo Aug 08, 2022

Retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit Detective Gary Jenkins interviews retired FBI agent Greg Stejskal about the day he and his surveillance team followed a Detroit Mafia boss and took photos of Jack Tocco, Vito Giacalone, and Anthony Corrado meeting the day Toco was promoted to Boss at a mob meeting on the Timberland Game Farm near Detroit. Greg also tells about his work on the Jimmy Hoffa case and the Unabomber case. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Venmo me @ganglandwireAgent Stejskal was assigned to the Detroit FBI Surveillance Squad. One summer day in 1979, they were watching a known mob business when they saw Detroit mob upper-level guy named Jack Tocco arrive in one car and then leave in a van with several others. They immediately called in the rest of their squad and started flowing. They trailed behind and saw the van enter the Timberland Game Ranch about 50 miles west of Detroit. They set up the watch at the front gate of this ranch and soon started seeing Lincolns and Cadillacs arrive. they suspected they might be seeing another high-level mob meeting like the one in 1957 at Apalachin New York. Even though they had no idea what was going on, they knew this was important and Greg and his partner, Keith Cordes proceeded to the rear of this private hunting preserve to try for a vantage point where they might get a glimpse of the Ranch’s grounds and buildings.Throwing caution to the wind, they trespassed and entered the private property with their only weap[on, a Canon SLR with a 300 mm lens. They walked for 10 minutes or more until they could see a clearing and some buildings. They radioed out to the rest of the team their location and set up at the end of an archery target range where they could see some of the men gathered together. They figured they were safe as they had never heard of mob guys doing archery. Soon three men moved to the head of the archery range where the archers might stand and engage in conversation. Greg snapped several photos even though he was totally ignorant of what they were observing. He could recognize through the lens that these men were Jack Tocco, Vito “Billy Jack” Giacalone, and Anthony “The Bull” Corrado. Seventeen years later the FBI indicted 17 members of the Detroit family for violation of the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute, conspiracy, and all the related predicate crimes. The US Attorney admitted this photo into evidence to show the past relationship between these men. Along with the photo, the other observations made of the Detroit mob meeting and Vito Giacalone admitting there is a Mafia family in Detroit, the government was able to convict all the men charged with a RICO violation. To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Lefty Ruggerio and Joe Pistone Aug 03, 2022

Retired Kansas City Police Intelligence detective Gary Jenkins interviews Joe Pistone, Retired FBI agent Doug Fencl and a former cellmate of Lefty Ruggerio and friend of Gary’s Steve St. John. We learn that Lefty Ruggerio was difficult to be around and as Joe once stated, “I would hate to be locked up with Lefty.” Lefty Ruggerio was a lifetime made-guy in the Bonanno Crime Family of New York City. He was a key figure in the undercover assignment of FBI agent Joe Pistone who adopted the name of Donnie Brasco when he infiltrated the Bonanno crew under Capo Sonny Black Napolitano. Al Pachino played Lefty in the well-known movie titled Donnie Brosco. Johnnie Depp portrayed agent Pistone. Joe Pistone tells how Lefty hated air conditioning and fresh air. They were in Florida together and lefty refused to allow Joe to turn on the car air conditioning or lower the windows on a hot Florida day. During this time in the car, LEfty chained smoked his favorite cigarettes, English ovals. Joe remembers that Lefty always wanted more and more whenever he did anything for Lefty. Steve St. John, former cellie of Lefty, tells how he was incarcerated in the Federal hospital facility in the Springfield Missouri Federal Correctional Institution with Lefty Ruggerio. Steve remembered making a cake for Lefty’s birthday and upon presentation, Lefty replied, “Well what else ya got for me?” The FBI assigned now-retired agent Doug Fencl to the Bonanno squad and one of his jobs was to make contact with Ruggerio. Doug tells us that he went to see Lefty Ruggerio and tell him that Donnie Brosco was Agent Joe Pistone. He said he caught Lefty alone in his social club when he approached him with this explosive piece of information, Lefty lost his cool and started screaming incoherently. Lefty was so upset that he stormed out of the club into the street leaving agent Fencl alone inside the club. Doug also tells the story of how he broke this news to Sonny Black Napolitano. He hoped to turn Sonny Black because this situation would cause Sonny Black to become a pariah among his Bonanno Family peers. He said Sonny Black never blinked an eye and showed no visible emotion. Doug said that Sonny Black asked Doug to wait up a minute and he explained, “You know that I can’t do that (meaning turning witness).” Doug said he replied, “I understand.” Of course, someone murdered Sonny Black not long after. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

ATF Undercover in South Florida Aug 01, 2022

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews US Customs Agent turned ATF Agent Ignacio Esteban about his career. Esteban started with US Customs and was assigned to the Miami International Airpot where he interdicted millions in smuggled cocaine. He explains the uncomfortable options they give drug mules who swallow condoms filled with drugs. He later transferred to the ATF because they did so much undercover work. Agent Esteban was ideally suited to infiltrate south of the border drug operations because his family was from Cuba and he speaks Spanish like a native. He explains the history of the mob and Castro among other important historical details from that area. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Lou Valoze ATF Undercover in the Outfit Part 2 Jul 25, 2022

Retired KCPD Intelligence Unit Detective Gary Jenkins interviewed ATF agent Lou Valoze about his efforts to infiltrate an Outfit crew under Mike Sarno, aka “The Large Guy.” Lou tells how he used his MMA abilities and his motorcycle gang undercover persona to befriend a close associate of Mike Sarno named Mark Polchan. Mike The Large Guy Sarno used the Outlaw motorcycle gang member Polchan to help do burglary and robbery scores and intimidate business rivals with bombings. Mike Sarno had been promoted above his pay grade after Frank Calabrese Jr. had been jailed and convicted in the Family Secrets trial. Mike Sarno was working with people like Mark Polchan, who took in at face value a stranger like this ATF agent, Lou Valoze. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Mass shoootings and what can be done -Bonus Episode Jul 21, 2022

A bonus episode! Retired Detective Gary Jenkins and retired ATF Agent Igancio Esteban discuss the recent spike in school shootings and other mass murders. Agent Esteban recently wrote a book titled “The Worse Mass Shootings in American History and How to Stop Them From Happening Again.” Click this link to get the book. Click this link to see all of Agent Estebans books. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Lou Valose ATF Undercover in the Outfit Part 1 Jul 18, 2022

Retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit Detective Gary jenkins interviews retired ATF Agent Lou Valose about his undercover work on the Chicago Outfit and how he infiltrated a crew led by Outfit Associate Mark Polchan. Lou tells how he got his start working undercover stings that focused on buying “crime guns” from criminals who either had stolen them or traded drugs for them on the black market. He did not know, but he was really training for the biggest infiltration of his career. He will infiltrate the dangerous and feared Chicago Motorcycle gang called the Outlaws and then the Outfit. Marck Polchan will lead him to Mike “The Large Guy” Sarno and expose the Outfit to prosecution. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” A fellow agent who knew his work called him and asked if he would try to infiltrate a southside Outlaw Motorcycle gang leader’s pawnshop because they suspected he had done some bombings for the Chicago organized crime group known as the Outfit. When he arrived, he found this man’s name was Mark Polchan and he operated a pawnshop where he dealt with stolen property. Lou and other agents devised a plan to get the positive attention of Polchan. First, they knew he loved Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), and Lou was an MMA fighter. He started working at an MMA gym nearby in Cicero and was working his way into this subculture. He needed to get close to Polchan, so the agents had a novel idea, one agent knew a dentist and they purchased old gold teeth that the dentist had removed. He dropped by Polchan’s Pawnshop/jewelry store in Cicero and asked if he would buy gold teeth. Polchan replied he would and shortly after Lou returned with the gold teeth, some with roots still attached and a red stain that looked like blood on them. Polchan was impressed and also wanted to know more about his MMA career. Using these two things, Lou Valose worked his way into the inner circle of Polchan’s crew. He learned about his connection to a made guy named Mike “The Large Guy” Sarno. This guy had recently taken over the old Frank Calabrese Sr. crew after the Family Secrets convictions decimated the Outfit. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

ATF Goes Undercover into the Hells Angels Jul 11, 2022

Retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit Detective Gary Jenkins interviews retired ATF Agent Jay Dobyns about his undercover investigation of the Mesa Arizona Hells Angels. ATF assigned Jay Dobyns and other agents to a long-term undercover investigation they labeled Black Biscuit. This operation resulted from a deadly shoot-out between Hell’s Angels members and the Mongols Motorcycle club in Laughlin, Nevada. Venmo me @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Agent Dobyns and other agents obtained a cooperator and created the appearance they belonged to the Solo Angles Motorcycle Club from Tijuana, Mexico. They claimed they needed to buy guns and send them south to arm their fellow Solo Angles because of a rival Mongols gang. This ruse got the Mesa Hells Angel’s attention because they were bitter enemies of the Mongols stemming from the Laughlin Nevada shoot-out. Jay Dobyns was able to get the confidence of Mesa Bob, the local Hells Angles leader. After several months of working their way into the club and becoming “prospects”, the ATF decided to take down everybody they could charge. As a way to implicate the Mesa crew even deeper into a more serious crime, they devised a plan to tell them they were going to Mexico and murder a Mongol MC club member. To cement in the final take-down, the agents got a Mongol vest with their colors and dressed up another undercover officer. They placed him in a recently dug desert grave and spread animal blood and brains, and other tissue on the body, and then photographed the scene. They smeared the Mongol’s colors with the viscera and brought it and the photos back as proof they committed this murder. Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here; please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Life of Bill Bonnano Jul 04, 2022

Retired KCPD Intelligence Unit Detective Gary Jenkins and mob historian Camillius “Cam” Robinson discuss the life and times of New York Mob boss, Bill Bonanno. GET THE MAGIC MIND 40% DISCOUNT CLICK ON THIS LINK – MAGIC MIND – PUT THE CODE GANGLAND20 IN THE BOX AT CHECKOUT Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Plot to Kill Sammy the Bull Jun 27, 2022

Retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins examines the Gotti plot to kill Sammy the Bull Gravano. After Gravano served his time from his plea arrangement, 5 years for a lifetime of murder, assault, extortion, and racketeering. He was relocated to Tempe Arizona in the Witness protection program but left after a few years because he did not like the constraints. In 1995, he relocated to Scottsdale Arizona, started a construction company, and lived an open life. he even gave interviews to Diane Sawyer on 60 minutes and to the Arizona Republic newspaper. This enraged the Gotti family, especially after they learned he was collaborating on a book about his life in the Gambino family and his rise to underboss for John Gotti Sr. He even hired a publicist to get more press attention, the exact thing he claimed he did not like about John Gotti. TO GET THE MAGIC MIND DISCOUNT CLICK ON THIS LINK – MAGIC MIND – PUT GANGLAND20 IN THE CODE BOX AT CHECKOUT Gary tells the story of how Peter Gotti ordered two Gambino soldiers, Thomas “Huck” Carbonaro and Eddie Garafola, to murder Gravano. Salvatore “Fat Sal” Mangiavillano gave an interview to Ed Scarpo of www.cosanostranews.com in which he described the story of how he helped a New York hit team further a plot to kill Sammy the Bull Gravano on the orders of Gambino boss, Peter Gotti. Sammy the Bull Gravano described this attempt on his life in his podcast episode titled, A Hit Team From New York Came To Arizona To Kill Me. Fat Sal Mangiavillano was born in Italy and came to the US as a child. He never got his citizenship and lost his first green card after a criminal conviction. As an adult, Fat Sal worked with a sophisticated crew of New York thieves who perfected the art of breaking open bank night deposit boxes and then graduated to bank burglaries and invasion-type bank robberies. In other words, he was an upper-echelon professional criminal worthy of a whole podcast himself. Sal was known for his resourcefulness. For example, he made a homemade gaff with three-pronged spears to pull money out of night deposit boxes. During one Queens, New York, heist, he rigged a remote-controlled drill to cut through concrete and steel. His organized crime pals dubbed his capers “Fat Sallie Productions.” Fat Sal told Ed Scarpo that when he was a 16-year-old car thief, he first met a guy named Thomas Huck Carbonaro at a Gravano-connected chop shop. This was in the early 1980s. Huck was a little older and a member of Sammy the Bull Gravano’s crew. He got friendly with Huck when he saw him working as a doorman at an after-hours bar owned by Sammy the Bull Gravano. By 1988, Fat Sal has a crew chopping and tagging stolen cars. This means he would either chop the stolen car into body parts to be sold as used parts to auto-body repair shops or -re-tag a stolen car with another VIN number and title from a salvaged car. of interest, Chris Paciello was one of the guys bringing him stolen cars. Through these connections, he met a young smash and grab thief named Tommy Dono. He claims he and Tommy got arrested in a case of mistaken identity for mugging an off-duty cop. The cops handcuffed them to a radiator at the police station and beat them for several hours off and on. In the end, the cops brought in their fellow officer who exclaimed, “These aren’t the guys they were Puerto Rican.” He said he and Tommy Dono bonded over this incident and started working together. During this time, Fat Sal learned about alarm systems and other technical skills needed to do the more lucrative scores. He was retagging stolen cars and sending them to Atlanta at his own body shop by this time. In 1993, he claimed a guy from a Colombo crew included him on a bank score if he could shut down the ADT alarm system for New York so they could hit a bank safety deposit vault in Brooklyn. He said that since Tommy was “on record” or associates with Huck and the Gravano crew, they included Huck on this score. During the next few years Fat Sal, Tommy, and Huck perfected the art of robbing bank night deposits, then the safety deposit boxes inside and invasion robberies. He went to prison in 1996 for a bank burglary in Dover Delaware. Since he was not a citizen, he was ordered deported to Italy after his prison sentence. In 1999, he flew back from Italy to Canada and took a Jet Ski across the Niagara River. He had someone leave a car at his landing point where he returned to Brooklyn. Back home, Fat Sal got in touch with Tommy Dono and Huck Carbonaro. By this time, Tommy had a case and was about to go to prison. He said Huck took him for a walk and talk and asked him to join a crew to find and kill their old boss, Sammy Gravano. He said that he had gotten the order from Peter Gotti. In his podcast, Our Thing, Gravano told how Fat Sal and Thomas Huck Carbonaro had come to Arizona after they learned about his new construction business and where he lived. I believe they actually learned about Gravano’s whereabouts from a Gravano relative. As a matter of fact, a hit team member was Gravano’s brother-in-law Eddie Garafola. Both Garafola and Carbonaro were Gambino soldiers looking to please their new boss, Peter Gotti. Sammy tells his fantasy about how he would kill these men after he took them to a secluded place tied to a chair and explained the rules like how you never hurt a member of the family or kill anybody in front of the family. Fat Sal Mangiavillano told Ed Scarpo of Cosa Nostra news that first of all, he knows the rules, and they never planned to hit Gravano in front of his family or to harm any member of his family. He said they knew the FBI would come down hard on a hit on Gravano, but they were prepared for that. In his mind, once a member violates the oath, they are no longer members and no longer protected by the rules, but they would never harm a family member. At the time, Fat Sal himself was in wit Sec for another case and he said, I never became a punk, I became a little more humble but never became a puck. Fat Sal said that anybody in the hit team would be recognized, and Gravano would probably be armed. They tried to make a device that they could place along a route Gravano might walk. This device would spin and shoot shotgun shells. In the end, I guess they experimented because he said it didn’t work. Sal said, “his office was the main point of attention, and was the location we would set up electronic surveillance.” They went to Phoenix in December 1999 and got actual Arizona driver’s licenses for the team with fictitious names. He claimed this was from the Arizona DMV. They located found Sammy’s construction company office from the newspaper article. They bought some black market guns in Arizona and then headed back to New York for Christmas. The plan was to return and plant some listening devices on Gravano to help get a location safe for the hit. The team returned and conducted surveillance on Gravano but could never get the right situation to take him out. At that time, Sal got arrested for other bank burglaries and a racketeering conspiracy in the “Bank Crew Case.” This was in June of 2000. That was the third time the Feds had prosecuted him and again he was looking at a long sentence and then deportation. Then a year later, he was indicted on a fourth Federal case—because of cooperators telling on him—for racketeering conspiracy, which was for armed takeover bank robbery and conspiracy to commit armed takeover bank robberies and the interstate transportation of stolen money. He flipped on the 4th of July weekend of 2002, two years after surrendering on the Bank Crew Case, after running into Sammy’s brother-in-law Eddie Garafola (a reputed Gambino soldier) in the bullpen at the Federal lockup in Brooklyn. (I was going to court for an evidentiary hearing.) He noticed that Eddie was nervous and he stated, “I could smell the fear about him.” He became paranoid that a was turning on him and he would be looking at a murder-for-hire plot case soon. Mangiavillano told Ed Scarpo, “I made a hasty decision to cooperate. I can give you 100 excuses, but I won’t. At the end of the day by street code, I am still a rat/stoolpigeon—I don’t like it, but it’s the truth, I crossed the line. I can’t take it back and I won’t make half-baked excuses and blame guys who stood up. These are the rules of the street, not only Cosa Nostra.” He said he was selected for this team because he had a reputation as a meticulous planner with knowledge of alarms and stealthy moves. He said he was not a member of Cosa Nostra, nor did he want to be. He said he believed in the rules of that life and one reason is that once he was asked to join the plot, a refusal would show weakness, and folks might question his loyalty in the future. Salvatore “Fat Sal” Mangiavillano is living in secrecy somewhere and probably not in the US because of his citizenship problem. The government convicted the rest of the hit team for this plot, other murders, extortion, and racketeering. They were Louis Vallario, a Gambino capo, Frank Fappiano who was a Gambino soldier and enforcer, Edward “Cousin Eddie” Garafola, who was a brother-in-law of Gravano and a Gambino soldier, Frank Matera, and finally Thomas “Huck” Carbonaro another Gambino soldier. These men were also convicted of murdering Frederick Weiss and Frank Parasole. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Richard Stout and Jack Garcia – The FBI Fight Dirty Cops Jun 20, 2022

Retired KCPD Intelligence Unit Detective Gary Jenkins interviews retired FBI agents Richard Stout and Jack “Jack Falcone” Garica. Richard Stout worked on public corruption in South Florida during the 1980s. Agent Stout uncovered a small cabal of corrupt Broward county Florida cops. Together, these agents conducted an operation that snared the ringleader, former Deputy Richard Tauber, and another deputy Kevin Frankel. They also took down two civilians named Robert Baccari and Christopher Provenzano. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Agent Stout learned that Deputy Richard Tauber acted more like he was an organized crime associate than a deputy sheriff. He was able to insert an unc=dercover agent into Tauber’s circle and when the agent suggested that Tauber could earn a large payoff if he transported a large cache of stolen diamonds from Florida to New York. During the first meeting with this agent, Tauber openly bragged about how he could get anything done because of his police connections. He would later introduce his friends Baccari and Provenzano to help with future shipments of diamonds and what he thought was cocaine. Jack Garcia was introduced as the mafia boss from an unspecified Northeast mob family and these men continued bragging about how much they could do with the inside connections with all police departments because Tauber could always flash his badge and claim to be working his own undercover case. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Family Secrets Trial Part 2 Jun 13, 2022

Chicago Outfit historian James Imlach tells listeners about watching Frank Calabrese Sr. testify on his own behalf and how he could not hold his anger back. He also describes how funny and engaging Joey Lombardo was when he took the stand in his defense. Finally, he describes the rambling testimony of former Chicago cop Twan Doyle and how he had other Chicago cops testify what a great cop he had been. Then he watched as the prosecutor asked this question of each character witness, “Did you ever go visit a mob boss in prison?” Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Family Secrets Trial Part 1 Jun 06, 2022

In Part one of a two-part series, Chicago Outfit historian James Imlach tells how he attended the entire Family Secrets trial in 2007. The Family Secrets investigation started on July 27, 1998. Outfit associate Frank Calabrese Jr. mailed a letter from prison to the FBI and said he was willing to cooperate and help the FBI make murder cases on his father, Frank Calabrese Sr. Hence, the codename of the investigation became Family Secrets. Frank Jr. requested to meet in person with FBI agents and promised he could give good information about his father’s murders and other Outfit activities. Frank Jr. had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from his father to feed his lifestyle and cocaine habit. He was afraid his father would eventually have him murdered. During the next few months, Frank Jr. “wore a wire” on his own father inside the prison. The agents reviewing these tapes heard Frank Sr. bragging about his many crimes to his son. One of the most significant intercepts was details about the murder of Outfit member Frank Fecarotta in 1986. Frank Jr. also told them he had returned to the scene and retrieved the gun. More importantly, they learned that Frank Sr. lost a blood-stained gove at the scene. They reviewed the Chicago PD evidence and found they had recovered a blood-stained glove close to the murder scene. James Imlach provides a colorful and personal view of what it was like to sit through this two-month log trial. Some of the tidbits are a first-hand view of watching Frank Calabrese Sr. and Joey Lombardo testify in their own defense. Another is getting a first-hand account of watching a son testifying against his killer father in the same room less than a few yards away, that would be something to see. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Frank Balistreri and the Milwaukee Mob May 30, 2022

Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here Gary talks to Milwaukee author and mob historian Gavin Schmitt about the history of the Milwaukee organized crime family. One of the first things we learn is that Milwaukee rarely enforced the Volstead Act and consequently, the mob was important in smuggling from Canada but inside the city of Milwaukee, it was hard to tell that alcohol was a banned substance. Gavin continues to explain the rise of the Frank Balistreri crime family. Frank Balistreri became to head of the Milwaukee family and he was instrumental in Midwest organized crime activities. Frank Balistreri and the Teamsters are the most current and important stories we discussed. He was able to help influence the Central State’s Teamster’s Pension Fund to loan money to Allen Glick to buy the Stardust casino. In return, Glick ensured the mob could skim money from the count rooms. Gavin Schmitt has several books on Milwaukee crime. For your purposes check out The Milwaukee Mafia: Mobsters in the Heartland Show notes by Gary Jenkins Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

How to Turn an Informant! May 26, 2022

In this bonus episode, Gary tells about when he developed his first long-term organized crime informant. Turning a mob associate into an informant is a nuanced and delicate process. Gary began by merely revisiting the guy many times at his business as they developed a friendship and trust. He knew the guy had something to hide, but the prize goes to the guy who waits and watches. Finally, the new friend confessed his crime. As usual, it was not near as bad as the guy thought, and Gary was able to make sure he could avoid prosecution easily. This is when the real work starts. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Chuckie “I love to use a blow torch” Russell May 23, 2022

Charles Chuckie Russell was a vicious and brutal Chicago Outfit thief. He was a member of the Grand Avenue crew after Joey the Clown Lombardo went away in the Family Secrets trial. He was married to the sister of the new Grand Avenue Crew boss Albert Vena. Chuckie Russell took in an informant who was working for the ATF. He planned the home invasion robbery with this guy and told him how much he wanted to use a blow torch on their victim and take his money and jewelry. In the meantime, the informant introduced Chuckie Russell to an ATF agent who had guns for sale. In the end, they did a buy-bust on Russell and he never got to torture his home invasion victim into giving up his safe combination. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Murder of Roger Wheeler May 19, 2022

In 1981, Boston hitman Johnny Martorano murdered businessman and owner of World Jai Lai Roger Wheeler in the parking lot of the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Johnny Martorano was hired by the infamous and now deceased Whitey Bilger to perform this hit because Roger Wheeler presented a threat to an embezzlement that benefited Bulger. This weekend the PGA Championship golf tournament is played at this same exclusive private club. It costs an undisclosed amount to join and then 30K yearly dues. This has a little side story about retired FBI agent Paul Rico. Authorities arrested Rico for participating in this murder, but he died of natural causes after being arrested in Florida and taken back to Oklahoma for trial. A Tulsa businessman Roger Wheeler had made a ton of money in the Tech industry and invested in the Florida Jai Lai business. Jai Lai is a weird game played with rackets and hard rubber balls. The main thing about this is that it generates a lot of gambling interest, and that is followed by organized Crime interest. Roger Wheeler hired retired FBI agent Paul Rico who was retired from the Boston office, to run his security. As we now know, Boston FBI agent John Connelly was convicted of helping Whitey Bulger and protecting him in exchange for tips on the Italian mafia in Boston. Rico was the man who taught Connelly everything he knew. Bulger and his Winter Hill gang were stealing thousands of dollars from Wheeler’s Jai Lai operation. Roger Wheeler became suspicious when he noticed the money drain. Whitey Bulger learned of this and hired Boston area hitman Johnny Martorano to kill him. It has been claimed that FBI agent Paul Rico supplied information about Wheeler’s address, cars, and day-to-day activities to further this plot. Martarano went to Tulsa and waited in the Southern Hills Golf Club parking lot until he saw Wheeler leaving the clubhouse and entering his car. Martorano will later testify, “We spot his Caddy, but remember, I’ve never seen this guy. So we park a few rows closer to the club. I’m in full disguise—we’d picked up that stuff at a theatrical store in Tulsa. Full beard, sunglasses, a baseball cap. Finally, I see a guy coming down the hill from the club to the parking lot, it might be Wheeler. I let him walk past our car; then I fall in behind him. If he gets in the Caddy, I clip him. If he goes to another car, just keep walking. But it’s him; he’s getting in the car. He doesn’t hear me; he’s about to close the door, but I grab it to keep it open. Startled, he jumps back in the seat, and I let him have it: one shot between the eyes, .38 snub nose.” The president of Wheeler’s World Jai Lai was named John Callahan. He was involved in the embezzlement and the plot. A year later, Bulger thought he was a weak link, and Martarano murdered him also. Martorano went on the lam for 16 years. With tips from Bulger, the FBI arrested him in 1995. He made a deal and gave statements against the FBI agent Paul Rico, Whitey Bulger, and his fall partner Steve “The Rifleman” Flemmi. Martorano made his deal, admitted to 20 murders, served 8 years in prison, and was released in 2007. He gave an interview on 60 Minutes a year later in 2008. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Porn and the Mafia May 16, 2022

Gary and Cam Robinson discuss organized crime’s infiltration of the pornographic film business. Specifically, Colombo Family member Tony Peraino. He was this crime family’s biggest earners because Tony Peraino developed pornography into one of organized crime’s biggest moneymakers after narcotics and labor racketeering. Tony Peraino was aided by his brother Joe “The Whale” Peraino, his sons Louis “Butchie” Peraino, and his nephew, Joseph Peraino, Jr. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” They got their start with the biggest porn star ever, Linda Lovelace. Louis Peraino produced the movie Deep Throat and his father Tony loaned him the initial $22,500 in production costs. The Perainos leased the theatres and allowed employees to account for all proceeds. They ensured compliance by sending their associates known as “checkers” to manage the movie houses. They reaped huge profits from such successes as Deep Throat, The Devil and Miss Jones, and Wet Rainbow. In instances where they do not have a direct financial share in film, as in the case of Behind the Green Door and The Life and Times of Xaviera Hollander, crime figures pirated those films and distributed them illegally, earning money without any investment. Successes of several films have given several pornographic moviemakers with Mafia connections money to go into producing and distributing legitimate films. Anthony and Louis Peraino used the Deep Throat profits to build financial ownership of garment companies in New York and Miami and investment companies. The Perainos also controlled various adult and porn industry interests in New York, Los Angeles, and South Florida. These businesses included adult bookstores and adult movie theaters. The Feds took notice and prosecutors went after the Peraino family. In 1975, they obtained convictions of Anthony and brother Joseph Peraino on racketeering charges. In 1976, they convicted Anthony of conspiracy to ship obscene material interstate. Before appearing for sentencing, he jumped bail and disappeared for the next five years, reportedly to Italy. In 1981, in poor health, Anthony turned himself into authorities. Anthony was sentenced to ten months in prison and $15,000 in fines for his 1976 conviction and jumping bail. The Peraino brothers for into a dispute over their pornography empire. The Colombo Family mediated and the dispute was settled in favor of Anthony. Not too long after, an unidentified assailant shot Anthony’s brother Joseph and nephew Joseph Jr. in a residential area of Gravesend, Brooklyn. Joseph Sr. was paralyzed, and Joseph Jr. was killed. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes, click here; please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Bonus Forced Sex Trafficking: What It Is and How You Can End It May 12, 2022

Chris Armitage wrote a book on Sex Trafficking in the United States. This is a short interview to alert listeners to this problem and help Chris get his message out to a greater audience. As I suspected, drug gangs and sex trafficking go together. To find a copy, click on Forced Sex Trafficking: What it is and How Can You End It Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Chicago Woman found Butchered May 12, 2022

Gary tells the story of a party girl named Estelle Carey, who was found beaten, tortured, and burned in her Chicago apartment. Estelle was a B-girl and chip hustler in the Rush Street Colony Club owned by Outfit associate Nick Circella, aka Nicky Dean. He was purportedly the first person who suggested and helped the outfit start an extortion racket that ended with the arrest and conviction of many bosses. Along with Willie Bioff, Circella was getting ready to testify against Outfit men like Paul Ricca, Charlie “Cherry Nose” Gioe, Frank Nitti, Johnny Roselli, and others in Hollywood Extortion trial. Once this former paramour of Circella, Johnny Roselli, and others was found murdered, Nick Circella clammed up and refused to testify. These men will eventually be convicted in the Hollywood Extortion and serve about three years in prison. The main witness who was not scared off by the murder of Estelle Carey was Willie Bioff. he will eventually be murdered along with his wife after years in hiding. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes, click here; please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Lou Romano on Gene Borrello and John Alite May 09, 2022

Lou Romano is a guy that grew up in a New York Mafia neighborhood where young men either became cops, firemen, or joined the mob. As an adult and as a true-crime author, he became friends with mob guys Gene Borrello and John Alight. He was able to write books about both these men. His first was Mafia International with John Alite. His second was Born in the Life: Gene Borrello Lous has a whole list of fictional works based on real-life mob experiences. One title is Besa and thanks to the information provided by John Alite, Lous takes the reader inside the Albanian Mafia. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here Gary interviews mob author Lou Romano on his books Born in the life: Gene Borrello and Mafia International John Alite. Lou is a prolific crime author with many historical fiction books and the Vic Gonnella Detective Series. Check out his Amazon page by clicking on his name above. Lous is from a mafia neighborhood and has a mob family legacy so he talks and writes with great authority on this subject. He remains in contact with Gene Borrello and John Alite so we learn about their lives today as much as their history. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Mobsters in Leavenworth May 02, 2022

Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here Gary interviews retired Leavenworth Correctional Officer Ken Lemaster. We hear great stories like the time he asked Bufalino, “Hey what did you do with Hoffa’s body?” How about the time the Kansas City Underboss Carl “Tuffy” DeLuna was watching the Defenbaugh trash company pick up the dumpsters and he told Ken, “I’m glad to see a company I have stock in has a big government contract.” He has a bunch more like these. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Why did the Rat Pack open Giancana’s Villa Venice? Apr 26, 2022

Gary tells about Giancana's Villa Venice. In the Chicago suburb of Northbrook, Sam Giancana opened a fancy supper club called the Villa Venice. This club opened to great reviews at Christmas time, 1962. The club sold out for a week because Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Frank Sinatra put on a floor show. The Villa Venice was a beautiful place with an illegal gambling casino nearby. Outfit mobsters took gamblers back and forth to the Villa Venice. During the show, Dean Martin made jokes about playing the joint for free. Later when Sammy Davis Jr. was interviewed by FBI agents, he stated, “Baby, let me say this,” explained Davis, who lost his left eye years earlier in a car accident. “I got one eye, and that one eye sees a lot of things that my brain tells me I shouldn’t talk about. Because my brain says that, if I do, my one eye might not be seeing anything after a while.” The club was open until it burned to the ground in 1967. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee" To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Bombs, Bullets, & Bribes: Cleveland’s Shonder Birns Apr 25, 2022

Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee”Rick Porrello discusses Cleveland’s infamous Jewish mobster, Shonder Birns. Besides Bombs, Bullets, & Bribes: The True Story of Shonder Birns, Rick Porrello wrote and produced the movie about the life and death of Danny Greene in Kill the Irishman. Birns was a prohibition-era mobster that remained out of the Mafia’s control because he focused on running the Policy game and partnered with African-Americans. Birns had to lean on the soon-to-be-famous boxing promoter Don King in one interesting story about his policy business. Rick tells story after story about how Shonder Birns partnered with Danny Greene and even left him in charge of his policy business and his wife when he went to prison. In the end, it was suspected that Danny Greene was responsible for the bomb that tended the colorful life of Shonder Birns. Rick Porrello also wrote Superthief: A Master Burglar, the Mafia, and the Biggest Bank Heist in U.S. History Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Did the Mob Really Make Steven Seagal Cry? Apr 20, 2022

Sammy Gravano tells a story he heard from some FBI agents about how Steven Seagal cried like a baby and wanted to be hugged after he testified. Here is the whole story about why Seagal ever testified against the Mob in the first place. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Did Sonny Franzese Flirt with S. J. Peddie Apr 18, 2022

Gary talks with Sandra “S.J.” Peddie about her series of interviews and subsequent book on John Franzese aka Sonny Franzese. This is the story of a Colombo crime family underboss John “Sonny” Franzese. Franzese gave Ms. Peddie, an award-winning author, unprecedented access to his life in interviews both before and after his release from federal prison at age 102. FBI Director Herbert Hoover had once ordered an all-out assault to put Sonny Franzese in prison. Franzese was feared, loved, and most importantly respected by other New York mobsters during his lifetime of criminal activity. We learn that the famous Copacabana club staff always made sure he had a table even if they had to set a table on the stage. He became the manager and friend Bobbie Darrin, the only singer Sinatra envied. Ms. Peddie tells all the inside stories as a teaser to her well-received book Sonny: The Last of the Old-Time Bosses John “Sonny” Franzese. If you want to get the book, click on the highlighted title. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Did Marshall Caifano kill Ray Ryan? Apr 14, 2022

Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here Ray Ryan was a wealthy developer, casino owner, and Texas oil Man. He beat Nick the Greek Dandolos out of a lot of money in a poker game. Later, the Chicago Outfit’s man in Vegas, Marshall Caifano, went to Ryan and threatened to expose him as a cheat in this game unless Ryan paid him off to keep his mouth shut. Ryan refused and ended up testifying against Caifano. At trial, a jury convicted Caifano and sentenced him to ten years. Thirteen years after the trial, on October 18, 1977, Raymond Ryan worked out in his exercise club in Evansville, Indiana, left, entered his Lincoln Continental Mark IV, and died from a bomb rigged to the car. I suspect Caifano, what do you think? Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Pittsburgh’s Deep Throat Sam Mannarino Apr 11, 2022

Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here This episode is for our Pittsburgh supporter and Wiretapper Robb Starr. Rob is a talented artist and sometimes bruised up skateboarder. I found a story about a Pittsburgh long-time mob member named Sam Mannarino on The American Mafia website. Sam Mannarino was a prominent La Cosa Nostra figure in Western Pennsylvania, and he and his brother, Gabriel “Kelly” Mannarino controlled gambling and related activities in New Kensington for the Pittsburgh Crime Family. Of interest is that Sam Mannarino also had an interest in the Sans Souci casino in Cuba in the 1950s. Pittsburgh Mob boss John LaRocca forced Sam Mannarino into retirement in 1958. He had drawn too much attention with many run-ins with law enforcement and his health was bad. After this forced retirement, his boredom led him to start meeting with the FBI for informal talks over coffee. The agents assigned him an informant number and wrote reports on his information without his knowledge. He was what my friend Steve St. John calls a professional verifier. He never gave up accurate, current info, but he helped them understand what happened in the past. They often referred to him as a “retired racketeer” when they wrote reports on his information. An example of the information that Sam Mannarino told federal agents was about his early days in the Pittsburgh Family. He said he started as a driver for gangster Pittsburg boss Giovanni Bazzano. He ran errands and took Bazzano to meetings with other gangsters. Mannarino recalled all of Bazzano’s old associates had handlebar mustaches. He said Bazzano liked him and helped him get started with his mafia life. Giovanni Bazzano was murdered in less than a year for taking part in an unsanctioned hit. Mannarino remembered that Bazzano was called to a sit-down in New York. Later he learned that several guys killed his boss with about 80 ice pick stabs. Mannarino said he thought his boss had it coming and felt no sympathy for his mentor Sam Mannarino explained how he helped the Pittsburgh Crime Family muscle into gambling clubs in the 1920s and 1930s. He said he and a guy named Joseph Rosa first offered a fair price for ½ ownership then used intimidation and violence and if the owner of a gambling club resisted, Mannarino said they first their property and then escalated to breaking their bones. He told one story about they convinced the owners of one gambling club to cooperate by lining them up against the wall at gunpoint and threatening to kill them in the style of the “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.” Mannarino said, “the two operators broke completely and pleaded to be allowed to share their gambling profits.” Mannarino said that when “Jewish gamblers” saw him walking down the street, “they all disappeared as though hiding from the plague.” Sam Mannarino admitted to the FBI that he was a member of “La Cosa Nostra or whatever you want to call it.” FBI agents asked him if Pittsburgh Crime Family boss John LaRocca had sponsored him and his brother into the organization, and he grinned and replied, “Who else?” Mannarino shared the details about his induction ceremony. At the time he divulged this information, few other LCN members had ever talked about their induction ceremonies with federal law enforcement. He told agents that his finger was pricked during the ceremony, but no holy card was used nor was any fire ever lit. Mannarino couldn’t say if holy cards were used in other induction ceremonies, but he personally “never got no burns on my hands that way.” He claimed that Pittsburg had not conducted any induction ceremonies for a long time. Mannarino told federal agents about the “honor” of being a member of La Cosa Nostra and spelled out the membership rules. He said a member couldn’t kill another member without permission. A member could only kill another member if his honor were affronted or in self-defense. He could only kill another member in the heat of the moment and have a chance of not being punished. If he decided he wanted to kill the member after the fact, he needed the boss’s permission. He couldn’t kill someone for financial gain or to attain power. Mannarino lamented the new breed of mobsters coming up within the organization. He felt prospective members had “very little proper training and there ain’t the same kind of discipline there used to be 30 years ago.” According to Mannarino, misconduct that in the past would have resulted in the individual’s death, like stealing from the organization, now goes unpunished. Sam Mannarinol ended his last years running a restaurant and watching TV. He was always bitter about being placed on the shelf by John LaRocca. However, he said he would always remain loyal: “They know if they should ever need me for anything. I’ll be there.” Samuel Mannarino died of cancer at age 61 on June 6, 1967. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Crazy Joey Gallo Part 2 Apr 11, 2022

Gary and Camillius “Cam” Robinson examine the entire life of Crazy Joe Gallo from the perspective of his henchman Pete the Greek Diapoulos. This is Part 2. Pete the Greek was a childhood pal of Crazy Joey Gallo who remained a part of his crew and was actually sitting with Crazy Joey Gallo that fateful night at Umberto’s Clam House when unidentified gunmen entered and walked directly to their table firing their guns. Pete the Greek had a handgun and he was wounded as he returned fire. the government will charge Peter Diapoulus with having a gun and he will spend a year in jail. These same cops never charged anybody with the murder of Crazy Joey Gallo. Pete the Greek collaborated with a well-known writer named Steve Linakis. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here Guys called Crazy Joey Gallo “Joey the Blond” because he had blond chest hair. Around 1950 when Gallo had a charge pending, the court had him diagnosed with mental illness at the Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn. They believed he had schizophrenia. During this time, the cops started calling him Crazy Joey. He was a violent maniac who might beat down somebody just because he didn’t like the way they looked. He went to prison for about ten years, where he learned the Evelyn Wood speed reading technique. He read, read, and read, giving himself a graduate degree level of knowledge in just about everything. After he got out of prison that last time in the early 1970s, he dressed the part of a New York hipster of the 1950s. He liked a dark shirt, white tie, and pinstripe suit. He would wear sunglasses inside. He became friends and the pet of many sophisticated New Yorkers like David Steinberg, Ben Gazzara, Peter Falk, playwright Neil Simon, and Joan Hackett. Just before his murder, a TV show called, How They Cover Me was about media coverage of celebrities. He was to appear with Gore Vidal, Abbie Hoffman, Otto Preminger, and Bella Abzug. Cam and I tell the Joey Gallo story and the First and Second Colombo War. A famous book by New York Columnist Jimmy Breslin titled The Gang that Couldn’t Shoot Straight is about the Gallos and their war with first the Persico family and then the Colombo family. Mario Coppola used many of the situations and incidents in the Colombo wars in the Godfather. Peter Diapoulos tells in “The 6th Family” how he first met Crazy Joey. He was leaving their grade school, and he saw Gallo fight with a much bigger kid. Diapoulos said he started to step in when Gallo told him to lay back. He then grabbed a large flower pot and broke it over the bigger kid’s head, knocking him out. He started hanging out with Joey, Frankie “Punchy” Illiano, and a guy called Mike the Bandit at a candy store on 36th and 14th Avenue. Later in his life, Punchy will move to the Genovese crew with Joey’s brother Albert “Kid Twist” Gallo and live out his life as a mobster. They started burglarizing neighborhood homes and graduated to robbing small businesses. He told a story about how Mike the Bandit got a massive 1939 LaSalle. They used to pick up this neighborhood girl named Marilyn, and they would take turns doing her in the back seat. He told a story about them renting horses in Prospect Park. When Gallo’s horse was balking, Crazy Joey got off and punched the horse several times. He was also hanging out with Larry “Kid Blast” Gallo, Joey’s brother. They used to get into fights at Prospect Hall, where they had Knights of Columbus-sponsored dances. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Crazy Joey Gallo Part 1 Apr 04, 2022

Gary and Camillius “Cam” Robinson examine the entire life of Crazy Joe Gallo from the perspective of his henchman Pete the Greek Diapoulos. Pete the Greek was a childhood pal of Crazy Joey Gallo who remained a part of his crew and was actually sitting with Crazy Joey Gallo that fateful night at Umberto’s Clam House when unidentified gunmen entered and walked directly to their table firing their guns. Pet the Greek had a handgun and he was wounded as he returned fire. the government will charge Peter Diapoulus with having a gun and he will spend a year in jail. These same cops never charged anybody with the murder of Crazy Joey Gallo. Pete the Greek collaborated with a well-known writer named Steve Linakis. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here Guys called Crazy Joey Gallo “Joey the Blond” because he had blond chest hair. Around 1950 when Gallo had a charge pending, the court had him diagnosed with mental illness at the Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn. They believed he had schizophrenia. During this time, the cops started calling him Crazy Joey. He was a violent maniac who might beat down somebody just because he didn’t like the way they looked. He went to prison for about ten years, where he learned the Evelyn Wood speed reading technique. He read, read, and read, giving himself a graduate degree level of knowledge in just about everything. After he got out of prison that last time in the early 1970s, he dressed the part of a New York hipster of the 1950s. He liked a dark shirt, white tie, and pinstripe suit. He would wear sunglasses inside. He became friends and the pet of many sophisticated New Yorkers like David Steinberg, Ben Gazzara, Peter Falk, playwright Neil Simon, and Joan Hackett. Just before his murder, a TV show called, How They Cover Me was about media coverage of celebrities. He was to appear with Gore Vidal, Abbie Hoffman, Otto Preminger, and Bella Abzug. Cam and I tell the Joey Gallo story and the First and Second Colombo War. A famous book by New York Columnist Jimmy Breslin titled The Gang that Couldn’t Shoot Straight is about the Gallos and their war with first the Persico family and then the Colombo family. Mario Coppola used many of the situations and incidents in the Colombo wars in the Godfather. Peter Diapoulos tells in “The 6th Family” how he first met Crazy Joey. He was leaving their grade school, and he saw Gallo fight with a much bigger kid. Diapoulos said he started to step in when Gallo told him to lay back. He then grabbed a large flower pot and broke it over the bigger kid’s head, knocking him out. He started hanging out with Joey, Frankie “Punchy” Illiano, and a guy called Mike the Bandit at a candy store on 36th and 14th Avenue. Later in his life, Punchy will move to the Genovese crew with Joey’s brother Albert “Kid Twist” Gallo and live out his life as a mobster. They started burglarizing neighborhood homes and graduated to robbing small businesses. He told a story about how Mike the Bandit got a massive 1939 LaSalle. They used to pick up this neighborhood girl named Marilyn, and they would take turns doing her in the back seat. He told a story about them renting horses in Prospect Park. When Gallo’s horse was balking, Crazy Joey got off and punched the horse several times. He was also hanging out with Larry “Kid Blast” Gallo, Joey’s brother. They used to get into fights at Prospect Hall, where they had Knights of Columbus-sponsored dances. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Camorra with Jeff Nadu Mar 28, 2022

Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here Gary interviews The Sit Down Guy You Tube host Jeff Nadu. the Jeff tells the early history of the Camorra. We learn it started in Naples and was an unofficial government. The early Camorra families protected the people from the central authorities. By the 1970s and 1980s, Raffaele Cutolo made an unsuccessful attempt to unify the Camorra families in the manner of the Sicilian Mafia, by forming the New Organized Camorra. The Camorra control the milk and fish industries, the coffee trade, and most Napolitiano bakeries. Roberto Saviano, an investigative journalist and author of Gomorra, still lives in hiding. In 2004 and 2005, the Di Lauro clan and the Scissionisti di Secondigliano fought a bloody feud which came to be known in the Italian press as the Scampia feud. The result was over 100 street killings. At the end of October 2006, a new series of murders took place in Naples between 20 competing clans, costing 12 lives in 10 days. The government sent more than 1,000 extra police and carabinieri to Naples to fight crime and protect tourists. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Charlie Spillers Undercover in Mississippi Mar 21, 2022

Gary interviews Charlie Spillers, a former Marine, undercover agent, federal prosecutor, and Justice Attaché for Iraq. Charlie shares storied from his book, Confessions of an Undercover Agent: Adventures, Close Calls, and the Toll of a Double Life, an Amazon #1 New Release nationwide in law enforcement memoirs. Charlie Spillers describes some of his most harrowing experiences during 10 years of undercover police work and his many narrow escapes. Best-selling author Ace Atkins stated, “Charlie Spillers is a natural-born storyteller with one hell of a story to tell…. I loved it. A great read.” Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Chicky Cecchetelli Genovese Bookie Mar 14, 2022

Gary interviews former Western Massachusetts Wiseguy David (Chicky) Cecchetelli. He was the biggest bookie in Springfield, Mass. In the early 2000s Genovese associate, Chicky operated a multi-million-dollar sports gambling business. In 2005, he pled out and admitted to taking in over $3,000,000 worth of bets. The court sentenced him to a year in federal prison. In the 2000s, Chicky worked for Springfield mob capo Anthony (Bingy) Arillotta. Both men came up in the mob under Springfield crime boss Adolfo (Big Al) Bruno. Anthony Arillotta followed Bruno as a Springfield capo before he turned on the New York-based Genovese bosses. He testified and left the mafia. One of the interesting subjects we discuss is the fact that the FBI recently served a search warrant on his nephew’s house where Chicky was living. They charged him with being a felon in possession of a firearm because they found some bullets and a gun in his bedroom. However, Chicky’s felony was for sports gambling, and that formerly illegal behavior is being legitimatized by state and federal law all over the US. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

David True – ATF Agent Mar 07, 2022

Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here Gary interviews retired ATF Agent David True about his book Gangsters, Outlaws, and Mobsters: A Missouri History of Twentieth-Century Crimes and Criminals. Agent True was assigned to the Kansas City area for the majority of his career. In this episode, Gary and David recount the first organized “sting” operation in the United States. In 1978 The Kansas City Police Special Investigations Unit led by Major Sid Harlow joined the ATF and rented a storefront in the Northeast area of the city. They recruited a well-known professional criminal named Al Murie to take an undercover agent around to bars and clubs and spread the word that they were buying stolen cars, guns, jewelry, or anything else that they could turn for a buck. Al Murie was a local character who was a sprint car driver at Midwest racetracks who supported his racing by stealing record albums. He was well-known by the KC Mafia and during the course of this investigation, he introduced the undercover into the mob’s social club known as The Trap.” David True was the agent who handled all the logistics and liaison with other agencies for this project. Show notes by Gary Jenkins Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Scott Deitche and Ybor City Mob Tour Mar 05, 2022

Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here A short bonus podcast of an interview I conducted with Mob author Scott Deitche while we had drinks and smoked cigars at the King Corona Cigar Bar . Scott Deitche and Gary discuss the history of the Tampa Mafia. Scott Deitche is a skilled mob historian and has written eight books on subjects from the Tampa Mafia and other Ybor City history to the New Jersey mob in Garden State Gangland. Click here to see Scott’s Amazon author page. be sure to take the Ybor City Mob tour and Scott will be your tour guide. Tell him that I sent you and click here to make reservations. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Chad Marks Prison Storyteller Feb 28, 2022

Chad Marks Crime Chad Marks tells how a court gave him a forty-year forty sentence in the Federal Prison System. At age 24, Chad Mark was facing most if not all of his life in prison for a non-violent drug crime. To make matters worse, if that is possible, the Bureau of Prisons sent him one of the worst and toughest federal prisons in the system. Chad Marks survived 17 years in places where beatings, stabbings, and death were part of every day. After he was able to obtain an early release he wrote Blood on the Razor Wire to tell the story of how he turned a life of despair into a life of hope. In this book, the reader can feel the disappointment, hope, fear, and desperation of never knowing if today will be your last day in every paragraph. Chad Marks – The Rest of the Story During his time “behind the walls,” Chad taught himself the law and became known as “Lawyer,” by both staff and prisoners. Chad Marks secured releases and/or reduction of sentences for many fellow inmates. He taught classes in basic reading and writing to many inmates. He found himself teaching Alternative to Violence Project Seminars, Leaders Breed Leaders, and many other rehabilitative programs. In 2019 Chad wrote and filed his own Moptio0n for Reduction of Sentence and a court sided with him and reduced his 40 year sentence to 20 years. After his release Chad Marks continues his work for prisoner’s rights as a paralegal for Freedom Fighters & Prison Consultants. He is also the owner of FEL$CON, a business that provides services to prisoners across the country. Chad Marks – The Entertainer Chad is the kind of guy who never stays still. In addition to his other work and his book, Blood on the Razor Wire, he produces a series of YouTube Videos on his On The Razor Wire Channel, . Check out his Channel for many great prison stories. Show notes by Gary Jenkins Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Deep Cover: Mob Land Feb 21, 2022

Venmo me @ganglandwire or Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here Gary interviews Jake Halpern about his interviews with Ned Timmons and Bob Cooley. Jake hosts Deep Cover: Mob Land which is a new podcast in its second season. Deep Cover takes a single subject and situation and develops it out to its conclusion. For example, in the first season, Jake starts interviewing a retired FBI agent named Ned Timmons as he tells how he was assigned to work undercover on a Motorcycle Gang. By the end of the first season, Jake has interviewed other agents, several convicted marijuana smugglers as the listener hear how the first simple undercover assignment ended with Ned Timmons helping to make a case on General Manuel Noriega. In the second season just released, Jake interviews Bob Cooley who was a corrupt Chicago Mob lawyer. Jake discusses how Cooley bribed Judge Frank Wilson to bring back a “not guilty” verdict in the murder trial of the infamous Chicago Outfit hitman Harry Aleman. He was able to get interviews with an Outfit man who knew Colley as a “fixer,” Franke Forliano (Aleman’s daughter), and several FBI agents who worked this case. Show notes by Gary Jenkins Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Red Wemette on Bob Cooley Feb 07, 2022

Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here Gary interviews Red Wemette about Chicago attorney Bob Cooley and Red’s time as a contract agent for the FBI during the late 1970s and 1980s. Red Wemette owned a porn store making him a target for extortion from the Chicago Outfit. The FBI installed a hidden camera and microphone in Red’s office and taped many incriminating conversations between Red and Frank “The German” Schwiehs about outfit business. During this time, he heard about a Chicago attorney named Bob Cooley who was famous for putting in the fix for clients in Cook County courts. Red tells about his own connections into the Cook County court system and how he bribed judges himself. Bob Cooley was probably the most famous “fixer” because he was able to fix any case through bribery up to and including murder cases for mob hitmen. Bob Cooley owed a lot of money to gamblers when he offered his services to the Chicago area U.S. attorney and FBI. They started an ambitious multi-year project they called Gambet, which stands for “Gambling Attorney.” Cooley exposed many judges, cops, and other employees in the criminal justice system as corrupt. He even revealed how he had paid a judge $10,000 to obtain a not-guilty verdict in a slam dunk murder case against Outfit hitman Harry Aleman. Show notes by Gary Jenkins Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Michael McGowan – The guy who made the case on Bobby Luisi Jan 31, 2022

Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here Gary interviews retired FBI agent Michael McGowan about working long-term undercover projects in the New England and Philadelphia area during the 1990s. In his book Ghost: My 30 Years as an Undercover Agent, Michael McGowan takes the reader on a thrilling ride through the Boston, Philadelphia, and Rhode Island crime families. In his first story, listeners learn how Agent McGowan used the infamous Philadelphia informant Ron Previtte to get an introduction to Boston Bobby Luisi. Of interest is the fact that Gangland Wire had Bobby Luisi on the show during the last year, so to hear the other side of this story I suggest you go back and relisten. During this investigation, Agent McGowan was able to tape a phone call with Bobby Luisi and Philadelphia mob boss Joey Merlino and participate in a conversation about bringing in several kilos of cocaine. This was just the beginning of Agent Mcgowan’s thrilling stories. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

East Village Mafia Jan 24, 2022

Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here Gary interviews retired New York City Chief of Investigations Thomas F. Comiskey. Over his career, Tom Comiskey exposed and prosecuted corruption in New York City’s anti-poverty programs and public schools. In his non-fiction account of the Mob in lower Manhattan, Mr. Comiskey cuts through the myths and legends surrounding the East Village organized crime families. Hidden among East Village tenements, storefronts, neighborhood coffee shops, avant-garde art galleries, and alternative rock music venues, the Mafia ran rackets, murdered enemies, and corrupted politicians. From the 1920s to 1990, mob icons from Lucky Luciano, Joey Gallo to Bill Bonanno lived in or frequented the East Village. Tom Comiskey is a wonderful storyteller and this book should be a “must-have” for the library of every true mob historian. You can find East Village Mafia by clicking on this highlighted type. This takes you directly to the Amazon page. Show notes by Gary Jenkins Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Casino Leakage Jan 17, 2022

Your host Gary Jenkins tells the little-known story about the time when Nick Civella ordered a moratorium on all skimming activities from the Tropicana casino. During the fall of 1978, Nick Kansas City Mob boss Civella became obsessed that one of his inside men at the Tropicana was stealing from the skim. A Sicilian immigrant named Joe Agosto had infiltrated the Tropicana and obtained the confidence of the owners and was managing the famous Folies Bergère floor show. Agosto had placed another well-known casino executive named Carl Thomas as the casino manager. Thomas had come from jobs at Circus Circus, Slots-a-Go-Go, and most recently The Stardust. Thomas was a long-time friend of Alan Dorfman and other Teamsters officials. he had skimmed money from all his casinos for the Chicago Outfit and Dorfman. Thomas put together a trusted team and he brought in several of his old employees to set up an organized approach to skimming from the Tropicana. What none of these men knew was the FBI was listening to a series of conversations between Carl “Tuffy” DeLuna, the KC Underboss, and Joe Agosto. Nick decided he should order Thomas and Agosto to stop all skimming or declare a moratorium. he wanted Thomas to watch his crew and other casino employees to see if they started stealing from other places. After a few weeks, Nick ordered both of these Tropicana employees to travel o Kansas City for a meeting. The FBI wiretaps picked up the plans for this meeting. They knew when and where a couple of weeks prior to the date. They were able to plant a listening device and the take from this device would eventually bring down the entire skimming operations at the Tropicana and the Stardust. This story contains some of those clips and tells this story. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

.22 Cal. Killers Jan 03, 2022

The .22 Caliber Killings: Inside the Mafia’s Infiltration of Two FBI Field Offices During the post War period to 1968, the FBI and a few local police department Intelligence Units made liberal use of extrajudicial hidden microphones and wiretaps. In 1968, Congress passed the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. This statute authorized the first legal use of audio surveillance by law enforcement. The FBI created a large list of confidential informants. Many of them were street-level thugs and a few high-ranking mobsters. Since they did not have extensive electronic surveillance, they needed these men for probable cause to obtain the new legal wiretaps. Of these valuable informants, fifteen made-men were placed on the extremely confidential Top Echelon Informant list. Venmo me @ganglandwireSupport the podcast and click here to buy me a cup of coffee Access the Top Echelon List In 1971, a young lady named Irene Kuczynski was a typist at the FBI’s Newark field office. A New Jersey Mob associate named Peter Szwandrak learned about this employment when he worked at Western Electric with her husband George. Peter told George Kuczynski a New Jersey Mob boss named John “Johnny D” DiGilio would pay for any files his wife could get and copy. George Kucznskui was already a spouse abuser and when his wife refused, he beat her several times until she agreed to get some files. DiGilio gave George $100.00 per delivery of any files his wife copied and brought home. DiGilio was extorting money from shipping companies and conducted a loan sharking business. He learned from the FBI documents that two members of his crew, loan shark and gambler Vincent Capone, and Frank Chin, an electronics expert who moonlighted doing wiretaps and sweeping for government microphones, were talking to the Bureau. The FBI caught the Kuczynski’s and they agreed to testify. In July of 1975, the government charged Peter Szwandrak and Harry Lupo with the theft of FBI documents. They could not make a case on DiGilio. After this acquittal, unknown persons shot and killed Vincent Capone while his Cadillac was stopped at a traffic light. Someone murdered Frank Chin in the basement parking lot of his Manhattan apartment. In an interesting turn of events, the FBI lab results revealed that both men were killed by the same 22‐caliber pistol. FBI goes into high alert Once they discovered the theft of documents in the New Jersey field office was linked to the murder of witnesses, the FBI went on high alert. During the middle 1970s, they had noticed informants were being killed at every level. The newspapers reported on a rash of .22 cal. murders during this time and the FBI knew these were mostly informants. The FBI knew this entire leak of informant data did not come from the single theft at the New Jersey Field office. They theorized that the mob had paid persons to infiltrate the FBI throughout the United States. Cleveland has a Mole Cleveland mobster Anthony “Tony Lib” Liberatore had a car dealership and he learned that one of his employees named Jeffrey Rabinowitz was engaged to a young woman named Geraldine “Gerri” Linhart and that she was a clerk in the Cleveland office of the FBI. Gerri Linhart was getting a divorce. She did not earn much working for the Bureau and she was trying to sell a house she had received in the settlement. She had a hard time getting this house sold Liberatore had someone contact her and they promised to make her financial troubles disappear. She was advised that she only need to do some favors in return. She started selling files to Liberatore and his capo James “Blackie” Licavoli. Among those files was a complete list of FBI informants. An example was the name Danny Greene who was in a battle with the Italian mafia over control of a labor union. He had been informing on the Mafia for years. In an interesting turn of events, the Cleveland Teasmster official Jackie presser was a Top Echelon Informant but he had demanded his name never be put on any list. However, two of his underlings were on the informant list. Jimmy Fratianno Fratianno was a former Cleveland mobster who had moved on to become a roving mafia member who was based in Califonia. He had been giving information to the FBI himself for many years. When he learned of the Informant list, he called back to Cleveland and he was relieved his name was not on the list. He was shown this list and he recognized many names. Over the next few years, many other persons who may have been named as informants were murdered with a .22 cal pistol. the most famous .22 cal. murder was Sam Giancana. While his name may not have been on an informant list, the Chicago Outfit had learned about his deal with the CIA to kill Fidel Castro. Johnny Roselli who was part of this same arrangement was found murdered shortly after. Mortgage broker Edward Lazar was murdered with a .22 pistol in 1975. Lazar had been involved in laundering money for the Chicago Outfit by buying up property in the southwest. August “Augie” Maniaci was an old-time “made man” in the Milwaukee crime family. The FBI classified him as a Top Eschelon informant. Mob historian Gavin Schmitt stated Maniaci was dissatisfied with boss Frank Balistreri and the leadership when he had started talking. He exited his house one morning and found he had a flat tire. As he stopped to examine the tire, unknown assailants approached him and murdered him with a .22 pistol. Chicago Outfit assassins Paulie Shiro and Chuckie Nicoletti were the suspects. Nicoletti was listed as a Top Echelon Informant himself. Vincent Calderazzo was a soldier in the Genovese family and he reported to Vincent “The Chin” Gigante. “Chin” was suspicious of Calderazzo after an FBI raid. He sent Calderazzo to California. Shortly after he arrived someone murdered him with a .22 cal. pistol. The most famous murder was that of the boss of San Diego and Underboss of the LA Family, Frank “Bomp” Bompensiero. He had been implicated in the murder of a businesswoman, Tamera Rand because she was creating trouble for the Chicago outfit “Strawman” Allen Glick who owned the Stardssut and was sending skim back to Chicago. he did this murder with Chicago outfit member Tony Spilotro and they used a silenced .22 pistol. Jimmy Fratianno will later tell the FBI that Bompensiero told him that the Chicago Outfit had a large cache of .22 pistols and silencers. When the mob learned that Bompesiero was informing himself, he was set up while making a telephone call from a phone booth and killed with a .22 cal. silenced pistol. Show notes by Gary Jenkins Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

New Years Bonus Jan 01, 2022

Gangland Wire 2021 I wish all you guys a Happy and Prosperous 2022. Like everybody else, I feel like I just lost a year and more. The podcast kept me going and all of your emails, comments on the Gangland Wire Facebook page and the website, your emails, and every other way you sent me good wishes made my work worthwhile. I was able to finish my third documentary film, Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup. I especially thank every wiretapper who invested their time and money into making this a better production. My friend and fellow filmmaker, Terence O’Malley were able to put on the third annual Mafia Film Festival and premiere Ballot Theft in November. We are almost back to normal. I appreciate every PayPal and Venmo donation more than you will ever know. Some of the highlights over the year were the Montreal Mafia with Cam Robinson, the four-part series on the Pizza Connection, the Elaine Smith interview on Ken Eto, One of my personal favorites was with Steve St. John and Joe Pistone on Lefty Ruggerio, My last interview ever with my recently deceased friend Denny Griffin as a tribute to Frank Culotta, and the two-part interview with Michael DiLeonardo. Gangland Wire 2022 This next year, I will continue researching stories and finding great guests who lived the life of a mobster or a copper or agent who investigated the mob. Please feel free to send me suggestions for guests and mob stories. I plan on spending a little more time with my YouTube channel, Gangland Wire. Until this last year, I had looked at this as a method to entice folks to my audio podcast. I have learned that many folks watch YouTube and never go to the podcast apps. I plan on another motorcycle tour of mob sties in the spring with my friend Kate Kozal. We are heading south through Hot Springs Arkansas (Owney Madden and the prohibition era resort for many mobsters). We will travel south into Louisana and end up in New Orleans where we will look at many mob sites along the way. Basil Banghart Chicago Mobster Basil Banghart was known as “The Owl” because of his unusually large eyes. In the 19202 and 30s, the cops and the press knew him as an underworld legend. He was a man that escaped from every prison from Atlanta to Soledad. He could fly planes, drive like a race car driver while shooting a machine gun with deadly accuracy. He committed mail heists that totaled at least a million dollars. Prison officials labeled him a professional criminal with an unfavorable prognosis. In short, Basil Bqnhart was an astute criminal who was without social conscience or scruples. Additionally, they reported his I.Q to be 107. A couple of older professional thieves named Gerald Chapman and George Dutch Anderson took a liking to Basil Banghart in the Atlanta Federal pen. They tutored him in the fine arts of mail robbery and prison escapes. In this first sentence at the federal pen in Atlanta, Banghart made his first escape attempt by jumping 25 feet from a window into a marsh area outside the walls. Authorities captured him across the county in Montana shortly. He escaped again with George Chapman in 1927 and the police caught him a year later trying to steal a car in Pittsburgh. Adding insult to injury, during this arrest and transport back to Atlanta, Banghart escaped again. He was being escorted by an F.B.I. agent. He was able to get to a phone alone and he called the local police and claim he was an F.B.I. agent who was escorting a prisoner he had been overpowered by the prisoner and the prisoner had taken the agent’s gun and credentials then handcuffed the real agent. He described the agent and claimed he was really the prisoner. When the cops arrived with drawn guns and confronted the agent, Banghart was able to walk out during the confusion and melee. The police found him a few months later in Knoxville in February of 1930. After he returned to Atlanta, Banghart escaped again and was arrested less than a year later in January 1932 committing an armed robbery in Detroit. He escaped that arrest by throwing pepper in the guard’s face then shooting his way to freedom with a borrowed machine gun. He will live a life of crime and walk out of his last prison in 1960. Show notes by Gary Jenkins Click here to buy me a cup of coffee To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Prison story with Steve St. John Dec 27, 2021

Gary interviews Steve St. John about an interesting character Steve met in prison. Stephen Blumberg once lived off a $72,000 annual family trust fund. But, he helped a dark secret compulsion that will send him to prison more than once. Blumberg started as a child removing doorknobs and stained glass windows from the old houses that were slated for destruction in his childhood home of St. Paul. MN. His interest in Victorian architecture started his fascination with rare books. he found in college that the University of Minnesota library held thousands of like. Blumberg initially took items as a way to create a reference collection for his own use. Steve tells some great prison stories about this strange man. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” In 1990, federal authorities arrested Stephen Blumberg for the theft of thousands of rare books from 268 or more universities and museums throughout the United States and Canada. The government valued this haul at about US $5.3 million. In 1991, a federal judge sentenced Blumberg to 71 months in prison gave him a $200,000 fine. It was this conviction that sent him into a federal joint with my friend Steven St. John. On December 29, 1995, he completed his sentence and the BOP released him. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder Coverup click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

John Ambrose U.S. Marshall Dec 25, 2021

Witness Protection Failed The story of John T. Ambrose Merry Christmas Wiretappers. I am here in the studio alone today, and while noodling around, I found an interesting Chicago Outfit story that I had never heard. A U.S. Marshall named John Ambrose was assigned to help protect a government witness named Nick Calabrese. He revealed the location of this important witness in the Family Secrets trial. Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” U.S. Marshall’s Office The well-respected U.S. Marshal’s office is responsible for the security of government witnesses. The Mob and the Chicago Outfit, in particular, are well known for witness intimidation and even murder. So, WitSec (Witness Security) is a dangerous job on one hand while being boring on the other. According to the U.S. Marshals Service website, that agency is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement entity, serving our country since 1789. President George Washington appointed the first 13 U.S. Marshals. At that time, Congress tasked them with arresting fugitives, the housing and transport of prisoners after arrest, before conviction and sentencing, plus witness security. The Marshals must protect all federal judges and their courtrooms. To the present day, they are a little-known but very active law enforcement agency. In the fiscal year 2010 alone, the Marshals Service arrested more than 36,100 federal fugitives. They are often assigned to Federal Task Forces in large cities for drug investigations when they are not out chasing criminals. The most sensitive function of the Marshals Service is the WITSEC or Witness Security Protection Program. The Marshals Service provides for the security, health, and safety of government witnesses and their immediate family members when there is evidence they are in danger because of their testimony. Most of their protectees were witnesses in organized crime, drug trafficking, terrorism, and other significant criminal enterprises prosecutions. The program started in 1971, and Marshals have relocated and protected more than 8,300 witnesses and 9,800 of their family members since that time. So far to date, no WITSEC participant who followed security guidelines was harmed while under the active protection of the U.S. Marshals. But there have been leaks, and today I am going to tell you about one. Nick Calabrese One of the most crucial witnesses against the Chicago Outfit was Nick Calabrese. We have interviewed his nephew Frank Calabrese Jr, and I suggest you go back and listen to that for more on the Calabrese crew. But Nick worked under the direction of his brother Frank Calabrese Sr. as part of a murder team and juice loan collection service. They were part of the 26th Street crew or Chinatown crew under a capo named Angelo The Hook LaPrietra. The headquarters was a social club called the Old Neighborhood Italian American Club at 26th and Princeton. On July 28, 1995, the federal government indicted Nicholas Calabrese and nine other organized crime figures using threats, violence, and intimidation to enforce the loan-sharking racket from 1978 until 1992. The other defendants were Frank Calabrese, Sr., Frank Calabrese, Jr., Kurt Calabrese, Robert Dinella, Philip J. Fiore, Terry Scalise, Kevin Kudulis, Louis Bombacino and Philip Tolomeo. Nick Calabrese eventually was found guilty of racketeering. On August 27, 1997, a Federal judge sentenced Calabrese to 70 months in federal prison. Now that is only five years and ten months. At his sentencing, Nicholas Calabrese apologized to the court, saying, “I caused a lot of problems for a lot of people.” I assume he had made his deal by then. As part of the plea arrangement, Calabrese admitted taking part in 14 murders ordered by The Hook LaPietra. The Chicago Tribune reveals the Secret After Nick Calabrese agreed to testify, the F.B.I. interviewed him in a federal correctional facility in Milan, Michigan. In 2003, an enterprising Chicago Tribune reporter named John Kass learned that he had disappeared from Milan and that all his prison records were missing. On February 21, 2003, The Chicago Tribune published Kass’s story that Calabrese was talking to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and noted that Calabrese had disappeared from the federal prison in Milan, Michigan. They also published that Calabrese’s federal prison records had disappeared altogether. The Outfit knew that Calabrese had entered the United States Federal Witness Protection Program. Following this story, F.B.I. agents also had spread out across the country with search warrants, collecting D.N.A. evidence, hair cuttings, and oral swabs from many reputed Chicago Outfit members. On April 25, 2005, federal prosecutors indicted 12 Chicago Outfit figures and two former police officers for n murder, illegal gambling, and loan sharking. Agents named this investigation “Operation Family Secret.” The prosecution based their case on Calabrese’s cooperation. Soon it would come out that the F.B.I. turned Calabrese when they confronted him with D.N.A. evidence that connected him to the 1986 mob hit of mob enforcer John Fecarotta. John T. Ambrose U.S. Marshall I want to tell you a side story from that investigation about the corruption of a US Marshall named John T. Ambrose. When they learned about Calabrese’s betrayal, the Outfit desperately searched for Nick Calabrese to murder him. They knew he held many Outfit secrets because he had been one of their most prolific killers. The five other defendants — Joseph Lombardo, James Marcello, Frank Calabrese, Sr., Paul Schiro, and Anthony Doyle are deceased now except for Paul Schiro, who I noticed is applying for compassionate leave because of the CVOD 19. The judge denied this release. At trial, the jury learned that in January 2002, federal investigators confronted Nick Calabrese with a bloody glove containing his D.N.A. that he had inadvertently dropped at the scene of the John Fecarotta slaying. Calabrese acknowledged that he murdered Fecarotta, and his brother Frank Calabrese, Sr., and now-deceased mobster John Monteleone had assisted. He explained that the Outfit ordered him to kill John Fecarotta because he had been responsible for disposing of the murdered Anthony and Michael Spilotro. They believed that Feracotta and his men ruined the job because a farmer found those bodies shortly after being buried. Ranking Outfit men had noticed that Fercarotta had committed other violations of Outfit protocol, like bringing a girlfriend along on stakeouts of potential murder victims The Trial During the trial, the Marshall’s Service deputies brought Nick Calabrese to Chicago on two occasions in 2002 and 2003 to testify. While there, he stayed at a “safe house.” Deputy Marshal John T. Ambrose was one of his guards. During this trial, the government listened on court-authorized audio and visual recordings made between Michael Marcello and his brother James; Outfit members incarcerated at a federal prison. Agents heard the Marcellos discussing some location information about the whereabouts of a protected witness, Nick Calabrese. The mobsters said a “babysitter” provided this information. At the time, the authorities had not ascertained the identity of the “babysitter.” The Marcellos spoke in code and sometimes used gestures in place of words. The agents had to piece together interpretations of the conversation from the audio and visual tapes. For example, in audio and video they taped on January 30, 2003, Michael Marcello indicated to James that “the big thing with them is the Zhivago deal.” From prior experience, the federal investigators had ascertained that “Zhivago” was used to reference the unsolved murders of Michael and Anthony Spilotro. James replied, “he said something about that, they said? I thought it was in another direction?” to which Michael responded, “We don’t know what he said about that․ But I’m telling you, you’re in there. You know, how far, whatever. I don’t know. The guy can only do what he can do. You know what I’m saying?” James then asked, “well, that’s all he saw was names?” to which Michael replied, “the guy had the notes (putting hands out as if indicating a pad of paper and writing on it as if someone were writing notes. The threat assessment that was part of Calabrese’s WITSEC file indicated that he participated in 16 murders and had knowledge of 22 other murders. The investigators overheard talk about similar numbers mentioned by the Marcellos during a prison visit. Michael Marcello said, “he didn’t say that he did nineteen of them things.” No one outside the investigation knew how many murders that Calabrese had admitted. While the numbers are not exact, they are close to the actual numbers Calabrese had claimed to have participated in or committed. In a later conversation, they heard talk about “the guy” who was giving information as “the babysitter.” Michael asked James if he knew Tony DeRango, who was a “copper,” and James stated that he “grew up with him” in “our old neighborhood, that district.” Michael then explained in typical cursory fashion, “Marquette, the Marquette Ten,” and that DeRango was friends with “this guy.” Michael also said, “another guy by the name of Guide and Guide was close to this guy.” Michael continued, “They knew him from Marion Camp (a reference to the Federal Prison Camp in Marion, Illinois)․This kid’s father was with them on that beef and everything. He went down with them. He died though․ The kid’s father died. So they like, you know, the kid comes down. You know what I mean?” On June 12, 2003. Michael told James, “you know that kid that, that kid that handles him once in a while? You know, he was there. He was there for a week. A little over a week. Right in front of the thing. They were driving him all over the city. He took ’em there, down east by Pagliacci (clown in Italian) that way.’’ The agents thought that Pagliacci was a reference to Chicago Outfit member Joseph “the Clown” Lombardo].

Dominic Taddeo – Rochester Mob Dec 20, 2021

Dominic Taddeo and the Rochester Crime Family Venmo me @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup click here Gary and his regular contributor Mob author and historian Camillius Robison discuss this obscure but important mob figure, Dominic Taddeo. The Rochester New York crime family was thought of as a major crew under Stefano Magaddino, the boss of the Buffalo New York Family. He asserted ownership and ran it through a member of the Buffalo family named Jake Russo. Russo was a weak leader and fell out of favor with Maggidino. Stanley Valenti from Buffalo and Frank Valenti, brothers, worked under the Pittsburgh mob boss, Jake LaRocca. Russo mysteriously disappeared in September 1964. Frank Valenti declared himself boss of Rochester. Magaddino was getting older and his inaction allowed Valenti to create his own Rochester Mafia family and he got recognition from the Commission. Frank Valenti ruled with an iron fist and after several high-profile mob murders in the late 1960s and in 1970s, law enforcement brought in a lot of assets to break the Rochester family. The Valentis fomented an audacious plan to defer law enforcement interest. On Columbus Day, 1970, members of the Rochester family planted bombs in two Black churches, the Monroe County Office Building, the U.S. Federal Courthouse, and the home of a union official. This ruse worked and the police and FBI suspected anti-Vietnam War protesters or other radical groups and shifted resources away from La Cosa Nostra. Amazed that his plan had succeeded, Valenti ordered further bombings to three synagogues and the home of a federal judge. They also hatched a plan to assassinate the county sheriff. After this audacious plan worked with some limited success, Valenti was confronted by some of his underlings about his running a separate crew and keeping all the profits to himself. By the end of the 19790s, the Valentis left Rochester and a new regime took over. the new leaders were Samuel “Red” Russotti became boss. Salvatore Gingello was the underboss and Piccarreto retained the position of consigliere. They had the backing of the New York Bonanno family and this ended any influence the Pittsburgh Family exerted over Rochester. Taddeo picks the winning side By the 1980s, Dominic Taddeo had risen to be one of the most vicious hitmen of the Rochester family. He became part of a hit team known as the A-Team working for the boss “Red” Russotti. During this time the Rochester family experienced a long mob war with many murders. In 1982 and 1983, Taddeo shot Nicholas Mastrodonato, Gerald Peluso, and Dino Tortatice to death during local mob wars. Rochester Consigliere Rene Piccarreto ordered A-Team hit man Dominic Taddeo to eliminate members of the renegade team. Taddeo was responsible for murdering Nicholas Mastrodonato on May 25, 1982. That August, Taddeo shot and killed Thomas Peluso, who was trying to take over the Rochester gambling operation. Taddeo shot Thomas Peluso, wounding him, and killing his brother Gerald. In August 1982, Taddeo killed Dino Toratice. Then in 1983, He shot Thomas Marotta seven times on April 13. Marotta survived and was known as the Rochester Clay Pigeon. In October 1987, federal authorities named Dominic Taddeo as a suspect in the shootings. He disappeared from sight for the next three years until someone captured him in 1989 and brought him back to Rochester. Dominic Taddeo pleads guilty to the murder of three men. A court sentenced Taddeo to 24 years in prison on that guilty plea and later the court gave him an additional 30 years on RICO charges. On the Lam The most interesting story out of Rochester and this murderous hitman, Dominic Taddeo is stranger than fiction. The FBI learned he had been storing cash, guns, camouflage clothing, binoculars, silencers, and other firearms accessories in several different New York and Pennsylvania storage facilities. They alleged Dominic Taddeo rented these lockers to store equipment and cash to use in a plot to free Carlos Lehder, a top figure in the Medellin Cocaine cartel. The Feds had incarcerated this famous Colombian drug boss in the Maximum Security prison at Marion, Ill. Lehder had no knowledge of the plot to free him. Taddeo planned to break him out and try to sell him back to the Medellin drug cartel. Top support this story, after Taddeo’s arrest in 1989, federal agents seized nine handguns, a sawed-off shotgun, four machine guns, a semiautomatic rifle, a silencer and firearms accessories, binoculars, and camouflage clothing from a locker at the U-Stor-It Village, 2178 Industrial Drive, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. They found $65,000 in cash at a unit linked to Taddeo at U-Stor-It Village, 299 Shantz Road, Wescosville. They found rental forms on his person and a key that fit the rental unit’s lock. Dominic Taddeo in Prison In 2021, Taddeo was still in a federal prison in Florida. he applied for compassionate release because of SCVIP-19 but the judge denied him. he is scheduled for release in 2024. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent or buy my new documentary Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup go to the Donate page. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Jeffrey Sussman and Holocaust Fighters Dec 13, 2021

Jeffrey Sussman and the Holocaust Boxers This episode is a little different because we don’t deal with organized crime but with our friend Jeffrey Sussman on boxers who fought for the Auschwitz Concentration Camp guards and other Jewish fighters and the Nazis. One more thing, I am experimenting with placing a transcript of the show in the show notes. Let me know if you like or dislike this in the show note. Gary Jenkins 1:33 Welcome, all you Wiretappers Gangland Wire is back here in the studio. We’re talking with our good friend Jeffrey Sussman back in New York City. Welcome Jeffrey, great to have you back. Jeffrey Sussman 1:44 Thank you, Gary. It’s a pleasure to be back. Gary Jenkins 1:47 Guys. Jeffrey’s working on a book on Las Vegas. And he just interviewed me a little bit about what I remembered about the skim and that era of Las Vegas asked me a lot of detailed questions is going to be an overall view of Las Vegas, I would say right. Jeffrey Sussman Speaker 2:02 It’s going to be a view of how the mob first came to Vegas in the late 1940s. And then how corporate America kind of took it over in the 1980s 90s. Gary Jenkins 2:12 Interesting. There’s a guy kind of working on a documentary about this overall view of the mob from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. And then the mob got involved in the casino business. I did a little bit of research working with him on it. And it’s interesting how back then, the Los Angeles Police was more like the mafia. And then they move up to Las Vegas one of them did and start one of the early casinos and then the Italian Mafia kind of moved in behind this Los Angeles vice commander. I heard about you have another book that came out recently called Holocaust Fighters, Boxers Resisters and an Avengers I’m sorry, folks, I’ll send I couldn’t read my own writing down here. These guys that used to be I, you know, I’m not the slickest podcast host in the world, but we have a good time here. But Jeff, I’m really interested in this topic. I know you have a long-standing interest in boxing for can’t really remember the reason now your father took you to boxing a lot when you were a kid and you knew some boxers. Jeffrey Sussman 3:17 Well, my father was an amateur boxer. He gave me boxing lessons when I was 12 years old. And then after that, he knew a man named Lou Stillman, who had a famous boxing gym in New York called stillness. And he took me there and Lou Stillman arranged for a middle way. He gave me ten boxing lessons. And this was in the late 1950s. And the unbelievable price for the 10 boxing lessons was $100. And when I finished like a Stillman gym t-shirt, and I asked this guy the middleweight if I could get in the ring and box with someone, and I was a little skinny kid said to me, don’t be an idiot. You’re never gonna get out of the room. You’re gonna be killed. Gary Jenkins 3:59 You were in Stillman gym in the 1950s era right in the middle of lot of mobsters. Jeffrey Sussman 4:07 There were a lot of mobsters. And that’s where the subject of one of my books Rocky Graziano used to train. And as a matter of fact, the only film that I think is available of Stillman is in the movie Somebody Up There Likes Me, which is a film of that Rocky Graziano and part of it was filmed in that gym. I think it was torn down in the early 1960s. And there’s an apartment building. Gary Jenkins 4:27 Interesting. I just met a guy named Fratto, from Des Moines and he said his uncle was in the plane when Rocky Graziano went down. Jeffrey Sussman 4:37 That was Rocky Marciano. Gary Jenkins 4:38 I mean, oh, that was Rocky Marciano. That’s right. I got my Rockys mixed up. Jeffrey Sussman 4:42 A lot of people do. Gary Jenkins 4:44 Okay, so let’s talk about the Holocaust fighters. How’d you get interested and find out about this interesting topic? Jeffrey Sussman 4:52 My Interest in boxing led me into this because I came across a fighter named Harry Haft and I read a book about him and I became fascinated. He had been a fighter in Europe in the 1930s. He was arrested as a young man and taken to Auschwitz where he was forced to have 76 boxing matches the one old 76 of them. And his opponents were often dragged off to gas chambers and killed and then their bodies were later incinerated. And what I learned about him, it was very sad. He came out of Auschwitz, he survived him to the United States. He wanted a career as a professional boxer. It was either 1949 or 1950. He was scheduled to have a fight with Rocky Marciano, who wasn’t well known yet. He wasn’t a champion, and it was in the boxing Arena in Westchester, New York. And just before the fight to mob guys came into Harry Haft’s dressing room, and they told him that if he didn’t go down, they would kill him. And it’s proof of what they meant. Two weeks earlier, they had killed another boxer. So Harry Haft who had survived 76 boxing matches, but the entertainment of sadistic SS guards, all of a sudden was put out of business by two mob bosses. And it absolutely destroyed him. He was just an angry, unhappy man for the rest of his life. And his son told me you know how badly his father treated people what a bad temper he had bit when the Son mature, the sun realized why his father was that way of the terrible things that he had gone through. And he was able to forgive his father for the way he behaved. And he sent a very touching letter that he wrote to his father, in which you forgive him for his bad temper and so forth. But learning about Harry Hatton led me into finding out about other boxes. So there was a boxer from Tunisia, a Jewish boxer named Victor Perez, who became a French boxing champion in the Featherweight division. In fact, he became the youngest European champion in the Featherweight division, I think it was 20 or 21 years old. He was small, guy was featherweight, sorry, maybe weighed 119 pounds, he was very handsome, and women liked him very much. And he had an affair with one of the most popular French movie stars of the euro. And she was beautiful, and he was handsome, and they got a lot of press together. However, when the Nazis conquered France, she decided that her future lay with the Nazis rather than with this boxer. And so she started to pair up with a captain in the German army and to show her goodwill towards the Nazis, she betrayed her former lover. And he was arrested and also sent to Auschwitz, where he had a number of fights. And as the allies were closing in on Germany, from the West, and the Russians were closing in on them from the east Nazis wanted to evacuate the death camps, so there wouldn’t be evidence of what they had done. And they had what was called a death march. And Perez was on this death march. And he saw several slices of bread off to the side of the road. And he went to pick them up to get them to himself and to some of his friends because they were starving, and an SSH guard saw him and shot him twice in the back of the head and killed him. Then there was another fellow named Nathan Shapow whose son I also interviewed. Nathan had 200 fights in Auschwitz which was extraordinary. And he had a different attitude than Harry had. He was just happy to be alive. He just wanted to enjoy life. And after he was freed from the concentration camps, we went to what was then Palestine before it became Israel. And he joined the Israel Defense Forces in Florida in the Revolutionary War, I guess you would call it where Israel became a country. And then he emigrated to the United States and opened a trucking company in Los Angeles. And his son told me that his father was just the happiest person in the world. He was happy to survive, happy to have children happy to be married, happy that you felt blessed in many ways. And then there was another guy named salvo rouge, who was from Greece and had been a middleweight boxing champion of Greece. And he was arrested and also had probably 100 fights, but they make him fight when he was over starving to death, where he got the will to fight what was extraordinary that he was able to muster the strength, you know, on a diet of one slice of bread and a cup of soup a day to fight and he went to all these fights, and he survived. And he also went to Israel after the war. There was another man who wasn’t Jewish, he was gypsy. His name was Johan Trohman. There are two kinds of gypsies in Europe. One is called aromas, and one is called the synergize. He was a Sentai. And he was I think it was a light heavyweight boxing champion of Germany. But if the Germans hated him, because he wasn’t an area, and after he won the light heavyweight boxing championship, they took the title away from him, because it should be a Nazi who won. So he had another fight after that, and they told me better lose the fight, otherwise, they would kill him. And to kind of make fun of the Nazis. He was a very swampy-looking guy, black hair, he dyed his hair blonde, and he put white baking powder over his entire body and came into the ring looking like an ersatz Nazi. He was very quick on his feet, which the Nazis hated. The German-style of boxing was to stand toe to toe and trade punches and now this gypsy is dancing around the ring landing one punch after another, and the Nazis swinging at the air and not connected, and yet they wanted to Nazi win that fight. Yeah, they drafted him into the German army as an infantryman. And he was wounded and then sent home to recover from his wounds. And then they said to him, Well, you’re no use to us anymore because you can’t fight. So we will send you to Auschwitz. Here he had a number of fights, and there was a capo in Auschwitz, which was someone who was a prisoner, but we’ve made like a guard. He was a trusted guard, even though and he was forced to fight this guy, he beat the guy. And so the guy was furious at him and put him on a severe work detail. And while Trohman was picking up garbage on this work detail one day,

David Paul and MS-13 Dec 06, 2021

MS – 13 David Paul served with the Suffolk County Police Department for 20 years. Since that time, he has written true crime books, helped with Russian Organized Crime investigations, and has become an expert in the infiltration of Long Island by the MS-13 gang from El Salvador. This podcast tells the story of the MS-13 gang, how they got from El Salvador to Long Island, and about the crimes they have committed. David Paul, police officer, Russian organized crime expert, screenwriter and MS-13 expert David’s most popular book is Unearthing a Serial Killer and can be found by clicking on the title. In this book, David tells the horrifying story of Alex J. Mengel’s violent and brutal crime spree in the suburbs of New York City. He became the ‘Most Wanted’ man in North America in 1985. Thirty years later, other acts of evil committed by Mengel, were uncovered and that is what led David Paul to write Unearthing a Serial Killer. Transcript of the MS -13 story I am trying something new and I had the audio podcast transcribed and below you will find the unedited transcript of the entire show. let me know how you like hits effort. I have to pay a transcribing service and I cannot decide if it is worth the cost to have this done. Steven Colbert: You are listening to gang land wire hosted by former Kansas city police intelligence unit, detective Gary Jenkins. Gary Jenkins : Welcome while you are camera’s out there. I’m here on the cell phone, actually not the zoom this time. So there won’t be a video with my friend, David Paul, who is a retired Suffolk county police officer from [00:00:30] up in New York. He lives in upstate New York. Now he’s retired. He’s written a book on a serial killer, but more importantly for you. Guys’ information. He’s worked a lot on Ms. 13 and you know, we do organized crime primarily on this show. We’ve strayed out into serial killers a little bit, but we lack organized crime and learning about that. He knows about Russian organized crime even speaks Russian pretty fluently. It looks to me like, so now I couldn’t judge that because you can say anything to me in a Russian accent. [00:01:00] And then I just assume you were speaking Russian David. Welcome. Hi David Paul: Gary. Hey, thanks for having me on. I appreciate Gary Jenkins: It. All right. Cool. And I saw you on LinkedIn. I think for, at first, I am always just noodling around trying to find somebody, a guest for the show. That sounds interesting to me and I love getting other ex-coppers out there that are doing this kind of media stuff or writing books, doing documentary films. Like I am, I’ve done a couple of three books and then four documentary films all together as these guys know. [00:01:30] And so I love talking to you guys. So let’s talk a little bit about your and my police experience. Now. I was in the organized crime unit and that’s for most of my career. I did a little bit of everything. What did you do back there in separate county? David Paul: I’ll tell you what I was in the car of my whole career. I just didn’t have enough political juice to make the phone ring. Yeah. And you know, we had a saying great job, terrible career, but it, I had a lot of fun, especially [00:02:00] my first, you know, 10, 11 years. So I worked actually in Brentwood, Bayshore, which is in Suffolk county, long island. And it’s probably the biggest hub of Ms. 13 guys in New York state, to be honest with you. So I was in patrol for, uh, another whole 21 years. My last 13 or 14, I did the midnights, which I knew would know, not a lot of good decisions, man, after midnight. Gary Jenkins: Oh [00:02:30] man, I tell you what the worst call is at about four 30 or so in the morning disturbance or domestic disturbance or just disturbance because at four 30 in the morning, people have been drinking all night long and they are nuts. Nothing good comes up. Disturbance called after about 4, 4 30 in the morning, the earlier ones, you got to get why you go here and you go there and sit there by their own separate way, boy, by four or four or five o’clock in the morning. Oh my God. David Paul: Yeah. Yeah, no, that was Sunday mornings. David Paul: [00:03:00] You just run it all night. 20 calls all the cool shots. But yeah, I mean, whether they believe it or not, Suffolk county is the 11th largest department in the country because I mean, it actually pretty much entails the five towns of five big towns of Suffolk county, long island. They have your east Hampton, south Hampton, they do their thing. But you know, we’re bigger than Boston or bigger than Houston. I think manpower and [00:03:30] personnel altogether was 3000. And of course we never came close to that. That’s why we want, we’re not shutting cars here and there. And unfortunately that happened on the midnight. Somehow we come the old sheriff in town, but I had a great time. It was a great job. And the guys and girls 99.5% of doing the right thing out there. Yeah, Gary Jenkins: Yeah. That was my experience too. I, majority of us I’ll do the right thing. And the people that do the wrong thing many times, some of them are just spontaneous. You just it’s hot. [00:04:00] You can’t take it anymore. I did a few bad things and I don’t mean Steve thing, but, but I got to register liquid because I just couldn’t take it anymore. And so I feel for these guys that are getting in so much trouble for those displays of temper, it’s tough. David Paul: Yes. It’s really, really disgusting. What’s happened over the last, you know, whatever it is, eight, two months, and look, let’s face it defeat violence. You need greater violence. That’s just a matter of fact. Gary Jenkins: Yeah. I mean, well, we don’t need to go down that path. It’s it’s tough. And [00:04:30] I don’t know, I couldn’t, I wouldn’t do it today. I know that I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t go back today. I mean, it was cool being out of patrol now is out of control off a lot of my career. So you spent all your career in patrol and you know what it is. It’s just one uncontrolled situation after another and you’re supposed to bring some control to this uncontrolled situation. It’s tough. It’s tough. David Paul: Yeah, no, it’s exactly what it is. And it’s different than being a detective because obviously like a guys like you, and you’re a detective, you take that case home with you. [00:05:00] And pretty much my day is over when it’s over. But you know, I was a guy that the detective squad would always dial up and ask them and say, Hey, come to this guy. Gary Jenkins: Yeah. I know you. I had to have one guy and tried to have at least one gung ho guy that would work with me and did a little bit extra because you could be invaluable to detective you can’t be out there everywhere. And you’re out close to what he’s looking at. And they get a guy that like do something. Cause everybody, a lot of them would just be mad at you because [00:05:30] you’re a detective and their patrol car. But I was one of those guys when I was in patrol, I was a guy they’d call to when I went into detective unit way, I found guys out and you get a reputation among other detectives. I’ll call this guy. He’s working Doug. What’s over there. Call him, he’ll do something for you. He won’t just like blow you off. David Paul: Yeah, no, I mean, I can remember one situation where we had been offered a few days and we, my partner come into the precinct and probably had like 15 minutes before we really it roll out. And uh, one of the detectives he’s like, Hey, can [00:06:00] I do with ya? I’m like, yeah, what’s going on? He says, last night we had a cab driver shot in the face three times with a 45 caliber. And he actually, he did survive. He needed like 200 statements in his face. And as you know, a lot of times in police work, they usually charge what they think they can find the guy guilty at. So they don’t upcharge. But instead of reassort, they do charge attempted in this case. And then the other thing about working in the midnights was we were the only guys out there. So we were able to talk to people. David Paul: [00:06:30] And I always kind of tried to talk to people civilly. I mean, if you were going to give me a hard time with that, I’ll give you one time. But we roll up on this canine a bike. And I thought he was maybe 15 or 16 winds up being like 23. It was just kind of small. And I said, Hey man, what’s up? And he says, oh good. You know, I work down in the industrial factory on pioneer drive. It’s like, yeah. You know, just get back to home. I live with two blocks away and I just looked at him and I say, Hey, we shut the cab driver the other night. And he says, Jamal, [00:07:00] everybody knows that Backwoods he used. And then I figured, let me test him a little bit. I said, oh yeah. So it was, he carried that 22, right? He goes 22. What are you talking about? Carrie’s in 45. Matter of fact, he went up to me at the crack house last week. David Paul: So I said, look, man, can you come in? And I said, could you come in to the precinct? Because obviously it’s like three o’clock in the morning. Can you come in tomorrow? He’s like, yeah, I hate that. I [00:07:30] hate that, man. I’ll come in. So sure enough, he comes in, he’s got the guys, you know, pedigree. And the funny part about it was they wanted to Rob the cab driver because he was from New York city the very next day. So he wanted to have cash in his commissary account. So we wound up locking him up, upstate bringing them back to Suffolk county for the attempted murder. Yeah. So, but I know you were talking about before about the organized crime angle of it. The kind of the reason I got involved a little bit with the district attorney’s office was that state farm insurance [00:08:00] had met the district attorney at an awards ceremony. David Paul: And he says, you know,

Nick “Nick the Blade” Gesuale Nov 29, 2021

Nick The Blade – early years Eugene “Nick the Blade” Gesuale was a notorious Capo in the Genovese Crime Family. He also was the infamous “Pittsburgh Connect” in the movie Goodfellas and the guy that sup[plied narcotics to Henry Hill. Nick the Blade Gesuale grew up in the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh. He stared in the mob as a numbers runner like many other budding young gangsters. He dropped out of Central Catholic High School and started learning the trade of cutting hair at the Pittsburgh Beauty Academy. He will use this skill during his many years in prison. This seems like an unusual occupation for the real tough gangster Gesuale, but he was as tough as they come. The cops arrested Nick the Blade as many as 13-14 times from 1959 to 1981. The prosecutor could never get a conviction because all the witnesses refused to testify. Gesuale got this nickname, Nick the Blade, after he sued a knife in several fights. I found stories about his famous temper and knife ability like he sliced up a man’s face for checking out his girlfriend and he supposedly stabbed a guy at a brawl after a basketball game. The Pittsburgh police arrested him for many assaults in the 1970s and ’80s, including a shooting in a parking lot, and after they arrested him for running over a man with his car. As usual, no convictions because the victims refused to cooperate with the prosecution. Nick the Blade in Prison It was reported in Real Crime magazine a prisoner once said that Nick the Blade was a throwback gangster who did not “mess around” and “if he had a problem with you, he would tell you and if it was serious, he would strap up and you would not see it coming even at 70 years old.” The Genovese Family in Pittsburgh Most people think that the Genovese Family was restricted to New York City but they often had small enclaves of territory in upstate New York and in Pennsylvania. The mob has been active in western Pennsylvania since the 1920s because it was prime territory for bootlegging during Prohibition and there was already a sizable Sicialian populatio. The Genovese branch in Pittsburgh has been well konw for running narcoitics, gambling, loansharking and labor racketeering in Steel City for many years. FBI records show that Nick the Blade Gesuale “made his bones” for the gangland murder of a low level gangster named Alphonse Marano in 1967. The Pitsburgh underboss Joseph “Jo Jo” Pecora ordered this maan murdered becuse he had unknowlingly introduced an undercover IRS agent to himslef and other mobsters. Later after the resulting investigaiton the IRS arrested Pecora at the mob Marano’s social club where Marano was runing a interstate gambling racket. Nick the Blade and Narcotics Nick the Blade Gesuale became a well-known and notorious feared mobster by the 1980s. Another criminal reported to Real Cime that he was Pittsburgh’s biggest heroin trafficker by the 1908s. A judge would describe him as vicious, amoral, and that he was “as bad as it gets” in the criminal underworld. The IRS claimed he had earned as much as a million dollars in 1980 dollars during this time. He was a kilo weight dealer. Throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, Nick the Blade was one of Pittsburgh biggest narcotic’s traffickers. The Pittsburgh mafia bosses used Nick the Blade as an enforcer because they knew he was an all-in Mafia member and would practice the code of Omerta. He was a liaison between Outlaw bikers and the Mafia because he was in the narcotics business with the bikers. Fearsome Drug Kingpin and the Goodfellas connection A Pennsylvania Crime Commission report in 1990 claimed the LaRocca/Genovese La Cosa Nostra family and the Pagans motorcycle gang were the largest and most feared narcotics organization in western Pennsylvania. The FBI once asked the Pittsburgh mob boss, John LaRocca, why he kept around a volatile man like Gesuale. Larocca replied, “He keeps the heat off of us.” Nick the Blade lived a lavish life flaunting his wealth everywhere. He lived in an expensive top-of-the-line Penthouse apartment, he wore the most expensive designer clothes, the cops observed him eating at the most expensive restaurants and buying several different girlfriends’ expensive gifts. When he flew, he always flew first-class. he drove expensive cars and lost large amounts of cash in Las Vegas. Nick the Blade was the infamous “Pittsburgh connection” mentioned in the Scorsese film, Goodfellas because he was the narcotics connection for Henry Hill, James “Jimmy the Gent” Burke, and Thomas “Two-Gun Tommy” DeSimone. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Gotti in USP Marion Nov 22, 2021

John Gotti Arrives In this reboot of an old podcast, I talk with my friend David Layman who was a guard at the federal prison at Marion. He describes the day Gotti arrived at the Reception and Diagnostic Unit. David said men gathered around looking and watching like a movie star was being processed. He heard people yelling how much they loved Gotti, how they would do anything for him, and other expressions of admiration for the former mob boss. David tells about the day-to-day life of the famous mob boss inside the walls of Marion. Learn more about his relationship with the feared prison gang, the Aryan Brotherhood. David noticed Gotti sat with the leaders of the AB at meals. He observed that during this time the Aryan Brotherhood engaged in business-like conversations with Gotti. He claimed that after meeting Gotti, the feared prison gang changed some tactics and did not rise to minor slights or signs of disrespect from other prisoners. They maintained a more business-like demeanor. Gotti takes a beat-down David was the second guard to arrive on the scene when Walter Johnson was beating Gotti down. We get an insider’s version of both the events leading up to the beating and the aftermath. Gotti will die in prison and Walter Johnson will be released. Johnson does not stay out long until he is convicted of killing a Washington DC police officer. Show notes by Gary Jenkins Venmo @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Jesus Ruiz Henao aka Mr. Big Nov 15, 2021

Jesus Ruiz Henao Gary interviews the well-known true crime author Ron Chepesiuk and Jesus Ruiz Henao (aka Mr. Big). Gary gets the inside story of the largest single cocaine supplier to Great Britain during the 1990s. The famous English law enforcement organization known as MI-5 reported to British newspapers that when they took down the Henao organization, the price of cocaine increased by 50%. Henao tells the story of a young immigrant who works hard to establish himself in the cocaine business in Columbia. He gets an opportunity to help expand his bosses operation to Europe Jesus Ruiz Henao and the Sicilians Ron Chepesiuk and Jesus tell how his Columbian boss sent him to meet with the Sicilian mafia in Sicily. They liked what he had to say so much that they directed him to meet with a member of the mafia in London England. He learned that the British Isles are considered an open market with lax law enforcement to cocaine smuggling and drug use in general. He takes this information back to Columbia and over the next few years, they set up a supply line of cocaine from Columba to ports in Spain and Portugal where the cocaine is transported overland to England. Along the way, he bribes border guards, customs officials, and various law enforcement officers to keep out of trouble. During this time Jesus Ruiz Henao maintained a very low profile while living in England. He even went so far as to keep a regular job as a delivery driver to maintain his cover. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Polly Adler: The Madam to the Mob Nov 08, 2021

Madam Polly Adler Non-fiction author Debby Applegate discusses the famous New York madam Polly Adler. We learn how Ms. Adler came to America as a Russian Immigrant Jew and how she rose to prominence and achieved a certain amount of fame in New York Society in the same manner as other Jewish emigrants like Meyer Lansky. With most other opportunities denied her because she was Jewish, she turned to crime. Starting from the Brownsville Jewish ghetto in New York City, she learned that the only work available to her would result in a lifetime of drudgery and starvation. When a pregnancy results from date rape, Polly turned to a back alley abortionist. From this start, Polly Adler decided she is a ruined woman and turned to prostitution. Polly Adler and the Mob During prohibition, law enforcement directed a lot of attention toward the existing house of prostitution. Like the speakeasies, this drove the prostitutes underground. Polly Adler was an organizer and a natural leader. She rented an apartment and started a “Call House.” She had a book of clients that was growing all the time. She entertained men at her house and called in other girls. The famous gambler and mob fixer of the World Series, Arnold Rothstein took notice and admired her business sense. He gave her his approval among his underworld pals and her business grew. She was introduced to Lucky Luciano, Dutch Schultz, and Frank Costello among others. Lucky always used her girls when he wanted to entertain out-of-town guests. Dutch Schultz and Polly Adler had a strong relationship to the point that when Schultz was on the run from Tom Dewey’s men and other gangsters, he hid out in Polly’s house. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Giovanni Rocco Undercover with the Mob Oct 25, 2021

Giovanni Rocco Giovanni Rocco tells Gary his experiences as he infiltrated the DeCavalcante crime family AKA The Real Sopranos. Rocco was able to gain the confidence of the DeCavalcante hierarchy. He tells about the problems and rewards of working undercover on extended investigations that took years. He uses the tough guy characters he saw as he grew up in a working-class family in Bayonne New Jersey. He was a cop’s kid but also a wayward kid who is bored and looking for action. He started working the mean streets of northeast Jersey as a telephone repairman. He joins a police department and because of his father. Once he pays his dues as a patrol officer, because of his local accent and attitude, his Chief puts him undercover in a biker gang. This starts Giovanni Rocco on a long career of working so far undercover that at times he forgets who he really is. Charlie “The Hat” Stango Giovanni Rocco assumes the identity of Giovanni Gatto as he moves closer to an organized crime crew headed by Charlie Stango. Giovanni Rocco was part of a DEA/FBI task force and they provide him with “swag” or property that he can use to give the appearance that he has access to stolen property. He used these high-end designer clothes and shoes to trade for cocaine. Stango takes notice of Giovanni Rocco aka Gatto and recruits him into his crew as an associate. From here he will help make cases on many New Jersey mobsters. At the end of this investigation, the Feds placed Giovanni and his wife into Witness Protection and they now live under new identities. Giovanni Rocco uses his experiences in working undercover to help other former law enforcement officers who experience PTSD from their work. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

1989 Year of the Stool Pigeon William Jahoda Oct 21, 2021

William Jahoda William Jahoda was an Outfit gambler connected to Rocco Infelise, the ruthless consigliere of the Chicago mob. He and others run the most profitable gambling house in Chicago. The entire operation is dubbed the Good Ship Lollipop. At first, under Solly DeLaurentis, the Lake County crew are making money and not making any waves. This operation turns into a mess of greed, jealousy, and murder. After William Jahoda is forced to lure a couple of men to their deaths, he becomes disillusioned. Then he falls in love with a girl who recently dated his crew’s boss Solly DeLaurentis and he knows this could mean death for him. He decided to become a government witness. He contacts Thomas Moriarty of the IRS Intelligence unit because he has heard that Infeliise has a federal agent on his payroll. Moriarty is well now to be a straight incorruptible agent. Jahoda will meet with Moriarity and wear a wire on his Outfit bosses. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

1989 Year of the Stool Pigeon Vincent Rizza Oct 18, 2021

Vincent Rizza Vincent Rizza was a former Chicago cop who was a tipster to Outfit members, a gambler, a sports bookie, and a cocaine addict. His claim to fame later in life is that his daughter Pia Rizza was on a Mob Housewives TV show. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

1989 Year of the Stool Pigeon Ken Eto Oct 11, 2021

Ken Eto and Vince Solano An American-born man of Japanese extraction left the internment camps after World War II and landed in Chicago. Ken Eto was a professional gambler who received notice from the Outfit. By the 1970s, Vince Solano, boss of the Rush Street crew took over all Bolita action and he placed Ken Eto in charge. The FBI made a gambling case on Eto and before he appeared for sentencing, he assured Solano that he could do the time and he would not turn into a witness. Vince Solano did not want to take a chance and he dispatched two of his men named Jasper Campise and John Gattuso to murder Eto. they bungled the hit and Eto survived. A few months later Solano had his two errant hitmen murdered. Ken Eto and Elaine Smith FBI agent Elaine Smith had made the original case on Eto. She was part of the team who turned Eto and she became his minder turning the time when he started testifying about every Outfit secret he knew. They even flew him to Kansas City for the Las Vegas casino skim trials where he identified the Outfit hierarchy and told the jury that this was a criminal organization and was able to identify the hierarchy and tell how they worked. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

1989 Year of the Stool Pigeon Mario Rainone Oct 07, 2021

Mario Rainone Mario John “the Arm” Rainone saw a couple of guys tailing him and thought he was being set up for a hit. Rainone was preparing to take out a building inspector after his boss ordered the hit. As he followed his intended victim, he noticed a couple of other Outfit men named Rudy Fratto and Willie Messino were flowing him. He realized that he was actually the intended target. Rainone ran to his vehicle and escaped. he contacted the FBI in Chicago and told his story. He had been known as a vicious enforcer and collector for the OUtfit and the agents were skeptical. They offered to help only if he would wear a wire and help make cases against his Outfit bosses. Rainone must have given himself away because after obtaining a couple of conversations on his wire, someone exploded a bomb on his mother’s front stoop. He gave up his chance for witness protection pleaded guilty to extortion and racketeering. Lennie Patrick Mario Rainone cooperated long enough to record damaging conversations with Outfit enforcer Lenny Patrick. This was a significant find for the FBI. Lennie Patrick was a Jewish gambler how had murdered his way to the top of the Jewish sports bookmaking underworld on the west side of Chicago. The Outfit granted him the right to handle all those bookies and essentially made him a crew leader. After Rainone’s revelations, the FBI made a case on Patrick and he turned on the OPutfit’s main political fixer Gus Yaras and the boss at the time, Sam Carlisi. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

1989 Year of the Stool Pigeon Paul Panczko Oct 04, 2021

Paul Panczko Gary, Camillus Robinson, and Paul Whitcolmbe discuss the chain of events that started with Paul “Peanuts” Panczko and ended with the FBI making informants and government witnesses out of Duke Baisle and Gerald Scarpelli. These two men were long-time Outfit thieves, armed robbers, burglars, hitmen, and enforcers. First, we go back to Paul Panczko. He was a well-known career criminal who did burglaries and other crimes with his brothers. They were known as the Polish Robinhoods. He was once arrested by Chicago cop Dennis Farina (famous for his role as Lt. Mike Terrillo on Crime Story) for carrying a gun. The Chicago PD turned him and he started wearing a wire. He would commit a robbery of the Balmoral racetrack with outfit associate James “Duke” Basile. The FBI approaches Basile and he turns and wears a wire on Gerald Scarpelli. Gerald Scarpelli By 1989, what Paul Panczko put into motion when he helped turned Basile starts bearing results. Basile wore a wire on a more important Outfit member named Gerald Scarpelli. He was a member of the hit team called the Wild Bunch and had participated in many hits. Basile gets him to admit o many of his crimes and even tells about a mob graveyard in DuPage county. The FBI was able to find three bodies in this area. Basile’s information on Scarpelli allowed the FBI to turn him and he made a 500-page confession in which he detailed many Outfit secrets. He admitted to helping in 10 murders. He will commit suicide while the feds held him in the Cook County jail. Many folks speculate that Outfit heavy Frank “The German” Schweihs murdered him because he was in the same jail and even in the same general area. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

1989 Year of the Stool Pigeon Betty Tocco Sep 30, 2021

Betty Tocco Outfit wife Gary, Camillus Robinson, and Paul Whitcombe take a look at Betty Tocco, the wife of Al Tocco who was the boss of what was called the South Side Crew. He had married a beautiful brunette but she should have gotten a clue. She claimed their first date was a visit to a brothel so Al Tocco could pick up some money. Over the years, he abused Betty Tocco while threatening her life. He often told her to pack all her belongings because they were going on the lam and disappeared himself for long periods. Al Tocco was a protege of Al Pilotto who had been the long-time boss of this south-side crew. They extorted money from gamblers, prostitutes and loaned money at loan sharks’ rates of interest. To not repay the loan shark Al Tocco invited a beating or worse from Tocco or his chief enforcer Clarence Crockett. Betty Tocco the final straw She testified that she did not really understand what Tocco was until on Father’s Day, he called her in a panic. Al directed Betty Tocco to pick him up in rural Indiana next to a cornfield. On the ride home Al Tocco raged about how they had murdered the Spilotro brothers and he was in charge of disposing of the bodies. They were interrupted and his men ran off and left him stranded. She will later testify that she had to cancel a barbeque planned for that afternoon with her relatives. She said, “What was I supposed to tell them that my husband just killed the Spilotro brothers and buried their bodies.” She also testified that he said Billy Dauber was killed because he was talking. She will be the first mob wife to testify against her husband. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

1989 Year of the Stool Pigeon Robert Cooley Sep 27, 2021

Robert Cooley Outfit Stool Pigeon Robert Cooley and his impact on the Chicago Outfit is examined in this first of seven short episodes on the year 1989 which became known as the Year of the Stool Pigeon. Outfit historians Camilius Robinson and Paul Whitcombe discuss the importance of Robert Cooley. He was a former Chicago Police Officer, son of a Chicago cop who worked as a lawyer in the notorious and corrupt Cook County court system. Cooley volunteered his services to the FBI out of a guilty conscience and he had a side benefit of being able to walk away from a huge gambling debt. Harry Aleman and double jeopardy Harry Aleman was a notorious hitman and enforcer for Joe Ferriola boss of the Cicero Crew. The FBI turned an Outfit associate named Lou Almeida. The Outfit learned that Almeida was going to testify that he drove the getaway car when Harry Aleman murdered a low-level Teamster named Billy Logan. The Cook County prosecutor found another eyewitness and took Aleman to a jury trial. Someone in the Outfit contacted Robert Cooley because he had participated in putting in the “fix” on many cases. He knew which judge, bailiff, clerk, or police officer he could bribe. In the Aleman murder case, Cooley made sure a judge named Frank Wilson was assigned to the trial. He told Aleman’s defense attorney to ask for a bench trial and he paid Judge Wilson a $10,000 bribe. Sure enough, Wilson returned a not-guilty verdict stating the eye-witness and the getaway driver were not believable. Cooley turns After Robert Cooley turned into a state’s witness, he testified about the bribe to Judge Wilson. The Cook County prosecutor refiled the same murder case against Harry Aleman. The defense claimed double jeopardy or that the state cannot try the same case again after a not-guilty verdict. The new judge ruled that the corruption was so bad the first trial was not really a trial. the prosecution also used former Chicago cop Vince Rizza who will be discussed in a later episode. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Dave Schratweiser on Joey Merlino Sep 20, 2021

Joey Merlino returns to Philadelphia Dave Schratweiser is the co-host of Mob Talk Sitdown with well-known Philadelphia Mob reporter and author George Anastasia. Dave talks with Gary about the most recent activities out of the Philadelphia organized crime family. Right after we recorded Dave texted me and let me know about another breaking story and that was Joey Merlino had returned to the Philadelphia area from his home in Florida. He reported that Merlino made the rounds and visiting with his Philadelphia contacts all weekend plus he was seen visiting the Mob headquarters at 9th and Christian. dave’s sources reported he attended a Phillies game against the Colorado Rockies two nights in a row. He said to look for him to release some photos because mob fans made use of their cell phones. Dave reported he was later seen at a South Philly sports bar watching the Eagles/Falcons postgame show. Philadelphia FBI record Mafia induction Ceremony Even though Joey Merlino is the boss of the Philly Family, the business must go on. He left his underboss Steven Mazzone to run the day-to-day business. I am betting Joey Merlino is not happy with his underboss because while Merlino was in Florida, Mazzone allowed an FBI informant to wear a wire into the room where he was conducting a “making” ceremony. Now, these tapes are being played in court much to the disapproval of Skinny Joey Merlino. A Capo named Dominic Grande was recorded directing future mob activities and directing them to establish a stronger presence in Atlantic City. Dave agrees that this is a most embarrassing situation for the Philadelphia family. The Actual Ceremony During the ceremony, a mobster was recorded asking someone, “Now, you’ll use these, for us. Right?” The FBI explained this was a reference to a gun and knife laying on the table. Just like the few other first-hand reports of a Mob induction ceremony, someone stated, “If I betray this family, betray my friends, I’ll burn in hell forever.” Later the Agent heard someone introducing the new members to the LCN members that were present. They even heard Grande being called a “Caporegime.” .

The Philadelphia Black Mafia with Sean Griffin Sep 13, 2021

Philadelphia Black Mafia – the origins Gary interviews former Philadelphia Police officer turned college professor Sean Patrick Griffin on the Philadelphia Black Mafia. The Philadephia Black Mafia was one of the bloodiest crime syndicates in modern US history. From its roots in Philadelphia’s ghettos in the 1960s, it grew from a rabble of street toughs to a disciplined organization. They exerted their influence across the entire Eastern Seaboard via murders and other intimidation tactics. Known in its “legitimate” guise as Black Brothers, Inc., they held regular meetings. The Philadelphia black mafia maintained employees who were investigators, treasurers, and enforcers. They controlled Philadelphia drug dealing, loan-sharking, numbers rackets, armed robbery, and extortion. The founder Sam Christian was the most feared man on the streets of Philadelphia. He was a thinker and a planner. He saw how influential the Nation of Islam was, he formed a partnership with them. Soon, this deadly combination executed rivals, extorted Mafia bookies, and eliminated all other local gangs. The Black Mafia was suspected in more than forty murders. In one crime, they sent a hit team to Washington DC in 1973 and murdered two adults and five children in Washington, D.C. This attack was because the occupants of the house were connected to the hanafi Muslin sect and they had been critical of Elijah Muhammed the leader of the Nation of Islam. After the DC police arrested the entire hit team, they continued domination of Philadelphia crime. they were known to exploit prominent lawyers and civil rights leaders. Even after the government arrested and convicted the older members, a younger Junior black mafia emerged to dominate the Crack Cocaine market. Sean Patrick Griffin Sean Patrick Griffin, Professor of Criminal Justice at The Citadel (Charleston, SC), received his Ph.D. in the Administration of Justice (Sociology) from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Griffin had written books and articles on police legitimacy, police abuse of force, the social construction of white-collar crime, securities frauds, professional sports gambling, international narcotics trafficking, money laundering, political corruption, labor racketeering, and organized crime. Dr. Griffin also wrote the best-selling book, Black Brothers, Inc.: The Violent Rise and Fall of Philadelphia’s Black Mafia (Milo, 2005/2007). Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Michael DiLeonardo Bonus Sep 05, 2021

In this short episode, Michael DiLeonardo tells how he was inducted into the Gambino crime family by Sammy the Bull Gravano. He was inducted with John Gotti Jr. and John Gotti asked Gravano to conduct the ceremony because it did not look good for him to induct his own son. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Jimmy Burke aka Jimmy the Gent Aug 30, 2021

Jimmy Burke in the Movies A listener named Paul Blackwood from Edinburgh Scotland emailed me with some great compliments on the show and suggested I do a story that focuses on “Jimmy the Gent” Burke. I looked around and he is mentioned in several podcasts but only as part of the famous Lufthansa heist. James “Jimmy the Gent” Burke is one of the most famous Mob associates of all time. We use the word “associate” because he was not Sicilian or even Italian or 1/2 Italian. We know about him mainly because another mob associate, Henry Hill, turned on Burke and became a government witness. Jimmy Burke led a crew of professional thieves and this was documented in the book titled Wiseguys by Nicholas Pileggi. Filmmaker Martin Scorsese produced and directed a film from Pileggi’s book titled GoodFellas When Robert DeNiro took the part of Jimmy Burke, his place in mob history was cemented. In my humble opinion, this book and film were arguably the best and most accurate depictions of the day-to-day life of a mob crew. The screenwriters in the 1990 film Goodfellas changed the name of Jimmy the Gent Burke to “Jimmy Conway.” Some claim that the real-life gangster Jimmy Burke was so happy to have Robert DeNiro play him that he phoned him from prison to give him a few pointers. Author/screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi denies this, saying DeNiro and Burke had never spoken, but admitting that there were men around the set all the time who had known all of the principal characters very well. In another Hollywood depiction of this crew, Burke was played by Donald Sutherland in the television film The Big Heist. Jimmy Burke History He was born in Bronx, New York. He was the illegitimate son of Jane Conway, a prostitute who was an immigrant from Dublin, Ireland. The name of his father was never known. At age two the social services placed little Jimmy Conway in the first of many foster homes. A large part of his early years was spent in a Roman Catholic orphanage run by nuns. They say he never saw his mother again and never knew who his father was. As with many of these throw-away kids, he was in many different foster homes and other institutions for orphans. he would suffer physical and sexual abuse in these places. A pivotal event shaped his future life at age 13. He got into an argument with a foster father while the car was moving. The man turned to smack Burke in the back seat and crashed the car. The foster father died in that crash. The deceased man’s widow blamed Burke gave him regular beatings until he was taken back into foster care. Sometime after this incident, a family named Burke took him in as a foster child. He finally got lucky and they created a clean, comfortable and safe environment for the teenage Jimmy Burke. He lived out his teenage years on Rockaway Beach close to Ocean Promenade. Burke never forgot their kindness and for the rest of his life, he visited these foster parents and when he started making money he would leave unmarked envelopes of cash for them periodically. The “Burke” family adopted him and he took the family name. Some folks believe that he buried part of the 1978 Lufthansa heist loot at the Burke house. It is a fact that the majority of the take from this Caper has never been found. As he approached his later teen years, Burke’s trouble with the law became more serious. At age eighteen in 1949, authorities sentenced him to five years in prison for forgery. He was passing counterfeit checks for a Colombo family member named Dominick “Remo” Cersani. The police made him for passing $3,000 dollars of these counterfeit checks at an Ozone Park bank. After his arrest and Burke refused to inform after being offered a free ride because they wanted the mobster Remo, not an 18-year-old underling like Burke. He refused and earned Remo’s eternal gratitude. Remo nicknamed Jimmy “the Irish Guinea” When he went to prison, Remo arranged for his protection from other mob members already incarcerated. The Early Years As an adult, when he left prison Burke was a trusted young thief. He was a large guy with huge tattooed, muscular arms. He worked as a bricklayer for the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers for a short time. The other mob guys saw him as a leader who was known to be very polite and charming but turned on a dime to become a stone-cold killer. Henry Hill described him as a guy who looked like a fighter with large hands and a broken nose. He said that if a fight started, Burke would be all over you in a second. He’d grab a guy’s tie and slam his chin into the table before the guy knew he was in a war, not just a barroom brawl. During this time, he became the leader of a small crew of trusted thieves. During the 1960s, Burke married a woman named Mickey. One of the more well-known stories illustrating Burke’s temperament is about a former boyfriend of Mickey who had been bothering her. She complained to Jimmy. The day they were married in 1962, the police found this man’s body cut up into many pieces. jimmy Burke and Mickey had two sons, Frank James Burke and Jesse James Burke, and a daughter named, Catherine. This was a true mafia family because Cathrine will later marry a Bonanno family member Anthony Indelicato, the son of Sonny Red Indelicato. During the Commission trial, the prosecutor charged Anthony Indelicato with the murder of Carmine Galente and after conviction, he is incarcerated on Mafia Row in Lewisburg. That is where he meets Catherine Burke when she is visiting another inmate. They marry and Indelicato is later released with a promotion to Capo. He will eventually go down on another mafia-related murder and is presently in federal prison. Jimmy Burke and the Lucchese Family A Lucchese Family member named Paul Vario (Paul Sorvino character in GoodFellas) took notice of Jimmy Burke’s crew. By this time Burke bossed men like Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), Tommy DeSimone (Joe Pesci character), and a guy named Angelo Sepe. They used Robert’s Lounge in South Ozone Park, Queens as headquarters. This joint was the hangout for Burke and his crew, as well as many other mobsters, tipsters, bookmakers, loan sharks, and other assorted criminals. Burke was the quintessential mobster because he ran a loan sharking, bookmaking, and a high-stakes poker game in the basement out of that bar. This was in addition to the burglary scores the crew took down. Burke knew how to make money and he was a real earner for Paul Vario. Burke owned a dress factory in South Ozone Park, Queens, called Moo Moo Vedda’s. This business allowed him to clean up his cash money from his illegitimate enterprises. The ability to launder cash became even more important when he and Henry Hill got into the narcotics business. In 1972, Jimmy Burke and Henry Hill were arrested for beating up Gaspar Ciaccio. He was a Tampa, Florida gambler who owed a large gambling debt to their friend, the union boss Casey Rosado. They were charged with extortion, convicted, and sentenced to ten years in federal prison. Neither was tempted to talk at that time. Jimmy Burke and the Lufthansa Heist Burke and Hill got paroled after about six years in the joint. Both men went right back to the South Ozone Park, East New York, Canarsie, and Howard Beach area. South Ozone Park borders on New York’s JFK. Burke and his crew robbed many trucks delivering goods over the years. They had informants inside the JFK freight yards and other freight hauling businesses. They knew the truck drivers. Whenever they actually stopped a driver and hijacked his truck at gunpoint, Jimmy Burke always gave them a $50.00 “tip” even though they had no part in the robbery. Based on his gentlemanly demeanor and this tip, his fellow gangsters labeled him Jimmy the Gent. This was during the time when Burke and Henry Hill got into the drug business. The Lucchese family like the rest of the 5 Families banned members from narcotics trafficking because of the government attention and draconian sentencing by the feds. Henry Hill proved that to be a legitimate concern when he eventually faced a long sentence for cocaine trafficking. The famous Lufthansa heist happened on December 11, 1978. Of course, Jimmy the Gent is most famous for the multimillion-dollar Lufthansa robbery. The Lucchese family through Paul Vario granted permission for them to do this heist. Burke had his inside man in the shipping area tipping him off about the amount of gold, silver, and cash available and how the airport worked, The Bonanno Family claimed rights to all criminal activity inside the airport and they required a cut of any take. After the robbery, Lucchese member Paul Vario sent his son Peter to pick up his end of the take which may have amounted to as much as 2- 3 million. Burke paid a piece of this action to a Bonanno Capo named Vinnie Asaro because this was on territory claimed by the Bonanno family. Most famously after the robbery went down, Jimmy Burke becomes paranoid and wants to cut people out of their share. The one person he did not murder was his eldest son Frank James Burke who drove the van that was to be used as a crash car if any cops started chasing them. The film depicts Henry Hill not going on the robbery. Paul Vario was never charged but he ends up in prison for racketeering. Henry Hill and JFK Airport employees Louis Werner and Peter Gruenwald all testify and end up in Witness protection. Jimmy the Gent’s dead crew Parnell Stacks Edwards/Associate and Getaway Driver/Didn’t get rid of the van in Jersey Scrapyard after the heist, Got high instead/December 18th, 1978 Killed By DeSimone 7 days after the heist. Martin Krugman/Associate and Planned the heist/Kept harassing Burke for his money/January 6th, 1979 less than a month after the heist. killed by DeSimone and his body was never found. Tommy DeSimone/Associate and was one of the robbers/Was identified by one of the guards because of the well-polished shoes he wore/January 14th, 1979.

Vito Genovese with Anthony DeStefano Aug 23, 2021

Vito Genovese – The Deadly Don Gary interviews Pulitizer Prize-winning Anthony DeStefano on his most recent true crime history, The Deadly Don. Mr. DeStefano writes about the rise and fall of Vito Genovese. This is the very first comprehensive telling of this feared mafioso. Like most mobsters, he began his criminal career on the mean streets of lower Manhattan. He returned to Italy during the 1930s and was stuck there once World War II began. Genovese thrived, running a black market operation under the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. The Return of the Don After the Second World War was over, Vito Genovese returned to his place as the underboss of the Lucky Luciano Family where he made a fortune as the head of an illegal narcotics empire. DeStefano writes about the role Genovese played in the creation of the Mafia, his rise to the top after he pushed Frank Costello aside to take over the Lucky Luciano family. We discuss Genovese’s narcotics conviction that led to the creation of the most famous mob informant of all, Joe Valachi. Anthony DeStefano Anthony DeStefano has been a prolific and skilled chronicler of the New York Crime Families. He wrote Top Hoodlum: the Frank Costello Story, Gotti’s Boys, Vinnie Gorgeous: The Ugly Rise and Fall of a New York Mobster, King of the Godfathers: The Rise and Fall of Joey Massino, The Big Heist, Gangland New York, and Mob Killer. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Bobby Luisi Aug 16, 2021

Boston Bob Luisi Bobby Luisi was a mafia legacy growing up in the North End of Boston. His father and other relatives worked for the Boston capo Jerry Angiulo. As a young man, Bobby got into home construction and was doing week until the market crash in the 1990s. Bobby Lusi drifted back to his roots, the La Cosa Nostra. He had a good name and he organized some young drug dealers, opened up a loansharking business, and got into some gambling action. The Boston Family had a lot of internal conflict after the death of Raymond Patriarca. Bobby tells how he was under a lot of heart from the various federal agencies and the State Patrol when he had a problem with a Boston Capo under Patriarca. Boston Bob goes to Philadelphia Bobby Luisi tells how he was good friends with Gerald “Jerry’ Oumette from Providence Rhode Island and he negotiated for Luisi to join a Gambino faction. When that fell through, he migrated south to Philadelphia. Here he was connected to Joe “Skinny Joe” Merlino and George Borgesi who welcomed him into their organization. As he got set up with his own crew, a Philadelphia turncoat mobster named Ron Previte recruited him and introduced him to an FBI undercover officer. This introduction will end his career in the Mafia. Bobby Luisi becomes Pastor Alonso Esposito The FBI Undercover and informant Ron Previte set up Bobby Luisi and he was convicted of drug dealing. During his prison time, he agreed to testify against a Boston mobster and he was released in 2o12. But, he never testified and ended up working construction in Memphis Tennessee under the name Alonso Esposito. It was here that he had a change of heart and started a Christian ministry and became pastor Alonso Esposito. At the present time, he has returned to his original name Bobby Luisi and he is working on a book about his life in the mob. bobby Luisi has a Youtube Channell called the Bobby Lusi Show where he interviews other former mobsters about life in the mob. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Jimmy Fratianno – Bonus episode Aug 12, 2021

Jimmy Frattiano and the Two Tonys This is a bonus episode with a telling of the story of how Fratianno made his bones by murdering the Two Tonys from Kansas City. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Jimmy Fratianno and his Lawyer Aug 09, 2021

Jimmy Fratianno and the Lawyer Dennis McDonald was a civil lawyer who became fast friends with Jimmy Fratianno just before he went into witness protection. This is a rare interview with Dennis McDonald who gives listeners a rare insight into a member of the La Cosa Nostra. After a life of crime, the government was expending a lot of resources on nailing Jimmy Fratianno. As this was happening, he wanted to hire a civil lawyer to file a lawsuit in a business deal. He interviewed a San Franciso area lawyer named Dennis McDonald and hired him. this began a friendship that would last the rest of his life. Gary was asked to appear on another podcast as an expert on Fratianno and during his preparation, he located Dennis Mcdonald on his retirement ranch in Montana. This is an interview of Mr. McDonald’s remembrances of his time as Jimmy Fratianno’s confidant, friend, and advisor. James Aladena Fratianno – Background James Aladena “Jimmy the Weasel” Frantianno started his life of crime in Cleveland. As with most of these guys, he started stealing as a teenager. As a matter of act, he was being chased by a cop who exclaimed he looked like a Weasel as he ran away. Others picked up on that nickname and he was known by the sops and the press as Jimmy the Weasel the rest of his life. As with most young Italian immigrants, he did some time and never talked to the cops. He was released from a long robbery sentence right after World War II and again like many Americans, life in California seemed to hold opportunities he could not find in Cleveland. Older mobsters advised Jimmy Fratianno to find Johnny Roselli, the Chicago Outfit man in California for connections. He quickly fell in as an enforcer and collector for Mickey Cohn’s gambling operation. When the split came between Cohn and Jack Dragna, Fratianno chose his paisans in the Mafia. He orchestrated the murder of the Two Tony’s, Tony Brancato and Tony Trombino for holding up protected gamblers. Dragna rewarded him with his induction into that crime family. Jimmy Fratianno went on to own a successful trucking company and a roving fixer for other mob families throughout the United States. He will end his mob career as a co-boss of the Los Angeles Family with Tom Dragna. After he is asked to help murder his friend Frank “The Bomp” Bompensiaro, Dragna tries to discredit him with other mobsters. He learned he has significant government problems and about to be charged with a murder conspiracy with Frank Fertitta for the bombing murder of Cleveland racketeer Danny Greene. the final straw was when he noticed a couple of men in his neighborhood who he believed were sent to kill him. He will end up in witness protection after these events. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Dan Moldea on Finding Jimmy Hoffa Jul 26, 2021

Dan Moldea Dan Moldea describes himself as Ahab and his White Whale is the missing Teamster boss James R. Hoffa and maybe even solving the crime. In this episode, he tells about this journey from a clandestine meeting with Chicago Outfit hitman Charles Crimaldi to a more credible source who was close to one of the men who may have disposed of the body. The Books of Moldea Mr. Moldea has reported on the mob, union racketeering, and political corruption all of his adult life. He is the author of books about the rise and fall of Jimmy Hoffa, the murder of an Ohio businessman, the Mafia’s penetration of Hollywood, its links to Ronald Reagan, and its influence on professional football, as well as works about the assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy, the O.J. Simpson murder case, the suicide of White House Deputy Counsel Vincent Foster, the Anthony Pellicano wiretapping scandal and prosecution, and corruption in higher education via the student-loan program and for-profit colleges. Click here to see his books. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Mad Sam and Sam Giancana Part 5 Jul 19, 2021

Crimaldi tells about Mad Sam DeStefano going to Outfit boss Sam Giancana and asking for a package deal to murder three men. One was a man named Leo Foreman and Giancana gave his permission. The second was a man Peter Cappollitti who owed Mad Sam money. Giancana refused his permission reminding DeStefano about a time in the recent past where Capolitti was in other trouble and DeStefano had pleaded for Cappolettii’s life because Cappy owned juice money to him. The third was a business deal that had gone bad and a partner named Earnest “Rocky” Infelise owed DeStefano money. Giancana told Mad Sam to use his own judgment but Infelise was connected and there could be trouble with another mobster named Joey Aiuppa. Crimaldi tells how they kidnapped Infelise and after a promise to pay when a big jewelry score came in, they released him. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Crimaldi talks about other murder plans Part 4 Jul 15, 2021

Charles Crimaldi tells Robert Wiedrich about his day-to-day life. He recounts a situation where he warns off a guy he did not want to kill but warned the guy, if he showed up a certain place, Crimaldi would have to kill him. He tells about the time DeStefano wanted him to murder a judge. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Day to Day life of a Hitman Part 3 Jul 12, 2021

Crimaldi tells about the day-to-day life of working for a maniac like Mad Sam DeStefano. He tells how DeStefano got himself placed in a hospital while incarcerated. He paid off the guards to leave the room while he conducted his loan shark business. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Charles Crimaldi Part 2 Northlake Hospital Jul 08, 2021

Suburban Hospital Hideout In this episode, Charles Crimaldi tells Chicago Tribune reporter Robert Wiedrich about Northlake Community Hospital. He alleges the Outfit owned a man he knew as Dr. Bruni and this doctor would admit wanted men and allow them to hide from the authorities. He said the Outfit might take over a whole ward on a weekend and run big Gin Rummy tournaments. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Charles Crimaldi – Outfit Hitman Part 1 Jul 05, 2021

Charles “Chuckie” Crimaldi – Portrait of a Hitman Chicago mob hitman Charles Crimaldi once explained his job this way: ”I’ve broken arms, and I’ve broken legs, and I’ve watched a man die with a knife in his throat. But most of them had it coming, so what’s the difference? I have no regrets.” This series of shows is taken from a 1973 Chicago Tribune series by reporter Robert Wiedrich. He titled this “Portrait of a Hitman.” This well-known mob reporter obtained a series of interviews with Crimaldi in a series of secret locations. We learn how Crimaldi had turned on his Outfit boss “Mad Sam” DeStefano because he had ordered him murdered. The reason for this was because Mad Sam had gone to prison and his wife, Anita, was going to close out the books on his loan sharking business. Crimaldi had expected to take over this business and was disappointed. Crimaldi claimed that Mad Sam did not want his books closed and his wife told her husband that Crimaldi quit the business and this caused his debtors to stop paying. Shortly after that, a man tried to run Chuckie Crimaldi off the road and Crimaldi viciously beat him and told him to take a message back to Mad Sam that he better send someone better than this to do this job. An enraged Mad Sam sent two others to murder Crimaldi and he was able to avoid them. Sam DeStefano and the Leo Foreman Murder The main thing that Crimaldi had on DeStefano was the murder of a gambler named Leo Foreman. He testified that Mad Sam DeStefano personally participated with Tony Spilotro in this murder. Crimaldi will help the government with several other Chicago outfit investigations before he is relocated to Texas. The Death of Charles Crimaldi After 40 years in hiding, Crimaldi died in 2020. He was living in Austin Texas and was using the name of Chuck Cazzola. He owned a plumbing company and brought a little of Chicago with him by starting a Chicago-style Italian beef stand in the Texas capital. In 1976, he co-wrote the book, Crimaldi, Contract Killer with journalist John Kidner. This book has gone on the rare book list with copies going for $150.00 and more. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Nate Hendley on Dutch Schultz Jun 28, 2021

Nate Hendley Gary interviews the well-known Canadian true crime author Nate Hendley. Recently, He released his book Dutch Schultz: The Brazen Beer Baron of New York on Kindle for the first time. Mr. Hendley tells some of the best stories about this crude, repulsive 1930s mobster. For all his faults, Dutch Schultz could read the public’s desire for vice. As prohibition ended, he moved quickly into a previously untapped racket that the Italian mafia had not touched. He realized there was a lot of money in the little ten-cent bets made by many African-Americans in New York City. He eventually took over all the different Black policy operations except one. Schultz encountered an African-American policy kingpin who happened to be a woman named Stephanie Saint- Claire and her Lieutenant, Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson. Stephanie “Queenie” Saint-Clair Stephanie Sinclair, at age 15, immigrated from the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe to Montreal, Canada to be a domestic worker. She left Canada shortly and moved to New York City in 1912. She moved into Harlem where the first man she met tried to put her on the streets as a prostitute. He was murdered in a fight and she started her own business selling drugs with the help of a new boyfriend. As they made more and more money in the drug business, she tried to leave this new man. In a fight, she pushed him away so abruptly that he struck his head and died. She made more and more money in the drug business. As she got more successful she employed bodyguards, bribed cops, and set her ambitions on getting into the policy racket. She became the most well-known and successful policy operator in the city. Dutch Schultz and Stephanie Sinclair Queenie Saint-Clair refused to pay Dutch Schultz a piece of her action for protection. She had Bumpy Johnson and his men vandalize various storefronts of businesses where Dutch Schultz’s Policy agents worked. She also tipped off the police about Schultz. Resultingly, the police raided several of his policy operators and his personal home. They arrested more than a dozen of his employees and seized around $10 million. Ms. Saint-Clair never submitted to Dutch Schultz but she did retire from the business and turned everything over to Bumpy Johnson. The books and blog of Nate Hendley This Canadian author is based in Toronto and he has been entertaining readers with his stories of organized crime mobsters like Al Capone and Dutch Schultz, bank robbers like Bonnie and Clyde, scam artists, and a great story about a wrongful murder conviction. Click here to see all books by Nate Hendley. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Carlos Marcello Deported to Guatemala Jun 21, 2021

Ron Rawson on Carlos Marcello Ron Rawson is our resident expert on all things Mafia in New Orleans. He has researched the Marcello crime family for many years. We discuss the origins of the Italian mafia and the famous murder of the former New Orleans Chief of Police, David Hennessy. Even though the suspects were unknown, police arrested and charged nineteen members of the Sicilian community. After these men had been acquitted for lack of evidence, a large mob gathered at the Parish prison. They stormed the prison and seized all remaining defendants. Some accounts report that three were lynched from a lamp post or a tree and the others were clubbed to death. The New York Times reported this to be the largest mass lynching in the United States with all eleven men murdered by hanging. Was the New Orleans mob boss really deported to Guatemala? By 1950, Carlos Marcello was known as the crime boss of New Orleans. He had forged a partnership with the New York crime boss Frank Costello and was becoming a national figure. During this time, the INS tried to deport him based on a 1938 narcotics conviction. Marcello’s attorneys fought this off with a dispute over the policies and procedures of the INS. By 1961 Robert Kennedy became the Attorney General of the United States. He remembered how Marcello had refused to testify in a recent Senate Committee of Labor Racketeering and he ordered his deportation to Guatemala. Kennedy based his decision to deport on a fraudulent Guatemalan passport Marcello had obtained some years before. There are many stories told about this supposed deportation but Ron Rawson cuts through all the myths and tells the real story. Ron Rawson and Facebook Ron Rawson posts under the name Sam Marcello and is the administrator of several New Orleans interest Facebook groups. Look for Cresent City Mafia, Murder and Mysteries or New Orleans: Whistles in the Night Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Stephen Metelsky on Hells Angels and other mobs Jun 14, 2021

Stephen Metelsky Gary interviews Stephen Metelsky about his life as an Intelligence Unit officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Stephen left his career as a Mountie and entered the academic world but he did not leave undercover work behind. He wrote about many famous undercover operations in his new book Undercover: Stories From the Underworld of Law Enforcement. Stephen went into the academic world and he is a criminal psychology professor at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario. He also lectures about organized crime in the faculty of arts of sciences at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. Stephen developed and conducts training for undercover officers. Undercover: Stories from the Underworld of Law Enforcement Stephen Metelsky wrote a book with a vivid collection of the harrowing journeys of police officers who entered into the underbelly of organized crime and infiltrated dangerous gangs and other criminal organizations. He tells stories of death-defying experiences that put the reader in a front-row seat to police stories rarely shared by cops. He ranges from the hunt for cartel leader Pablo Escobar to the investigation of the famous Canadian mobster Vito Rizzuto. The reader learns about the infiltration of biker gangs, installing listening devices on New York mob boss Paul Castellano, biker clubhouses, and the Gambino crime family. Hells Angels Metelsky tells about one of the cases that he featured in his book. Jay Dobyns was an ATF agent who infiltrated the Hell’s Angels biker gang. Dobyns went so far as to fake a murder of a rival Mongols gang member to ingratiate himself with his Hell’s Angels club and other harrowing stories. Bonnano Crime Family Stephen Metelsky was part of a task force that turned a Canadian mobster named Vincent Morena in an operation codenamed Project O’Tremens. their informant was able to convince the Buffalo Crime family to induct him into the family and allowed the RCMP to videotape the induction ceremony. In the end, they charged members and associates of the Bonanno and Gambino families of with drug trafficking, loansharking, and firearms charges in a joint U.S.-Canada operation. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Boxing and the Mob with Jeffery Sussman May 24, 2021

The Mob and Boxing with Jeffrey Sussman Jeffrey Sussman is the author of 15 non-fiction books including the subject of this podcast, Boxing and the Mob: The Notorious History of the Sweet Science. Recently, Gangland Wire interviewed him about Murder Inc. taken from his popular book, Big Apple Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in New York. Mr. Sussman has a long interest in the sport of boxing and he has several books about this checkered history. In this podcast, Gary interviews him about the history of mob interference in the sport. Boxing is one of the easiest sports to fix for gamblers because there is only one person who needs to cooperate. Mr. Sussman has also written Rocky Graziano: Fists, Fame, and Fortune, Max Baer and Barney Ross: Jewish Heroes of Boxing, No Mere Bagatelles, a biography of handbag designer, Judith Leiber, and Power Promoting: How to Market Your Business to The Top! Jeffrey Sussman tells the listeners about the seamy underbelly of boxing during the entire twentieth century. Taken from his book, he has researched into organized crime characters like Owney Madden, Frankie Carbo, and Frank Palermo, and details many of the fixed matches in boxing’s storied history. He also discusses the influence of the mob on legendary boxers—including Primo Carnera, Sugar Ray Robinson, Max Baer, Carmen Basilio, Sonny Liston, and Jake LaMotta—and whether they caved to the mobsters’ threats or refused to throw their fights. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

David Bowman and Tony Spilotro May 17, 2021

David Bowman and Las Vegas Metro Intelligence David Bowman is one of the unsung heroes in law enforcement’s battle for Las Vegas with the imported Chicago outfit mobsters, Tony Spilotro, Frank Cullotta, Larry Neuman, and many others. He tells about getting into the drug business at an early age. It is pretty obvious that David Bowman is not a hardened career criminal and went to the wrong side of the law because of the incredible opportunity that the illegal narcotics trade provided. During this time, he became, at first, an ordinary informant and then continued to become an undercover agent into the activities of the Hole in the Wall gang, Tony Spilotro, and Frank Cullotta. This was during the time when Spilotro and Cullotta’s Hole in the Wall Gang was ripping cash, jewelry, and other valuables away from stores by cutting a hole in the wall or roof of each victim. David Bowman and Frank Cullotta After 38 years of silence, David Bowman tells his story in “Bringing Down Cullotta” The story Casino couldn’t tell you.” He got a very interesting push to tell his story. He was taking Frank Cullotta’s las Vegas Tour and reminded Frank that they once knew each other during the heyday of the Hole in the Wall Gang. He told Frank that he had once stolen about $100,000 worth of cocaine and other narcotics from his apartment and that he had been an informant for Las Vegas Metro Intelligence and had informed on his activities as well as on Tony Spilotro. Frank was not angry but realized this was a story that needed telling. He put David in touch with his co-author Denny Griffin and together they collaborated on this story behind the story of the Hole in the Wall Gang. Last year David and his co-author Denny Griffin published “Bringing Down Cullotta” The story Casino couldn’t tell you.” Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Buford Pusser and the Dixie Mafia May 10, 2021

Buford Pusser True Crime author and blogger Synova Cantrell tells the true story behind the murder of Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser. The well-known Walking Tall movies depict the story of this tough southern named Sheriff Buford Pusser and his fight with the State Line Mafia or more [popularly known as the Dixie Mafia. Actors like Joe Don Baker, Bo Svenson, and, in the most recent remake, “Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson have portrayed this modern-day Wyatt Earp as he took a stand against this southern-fried version of the mob. Buford Pusser’s story of his battle against The Dixie Mafia was more than an action movie. He was real and so was the Dixie Mafia. The Dixie Mafia The Dixie Mafia was also known as the State Line Mob and they controlled many rural counties in the Mid-South states of Tennesse and Kentucky. A man named Carl Douglas “Towhead” White was an important lieutenant in this organization. White was in prison when Sheriff Burford Pusser had a confrontation with his girlfriend Louis Hathcock. She tried to get the drop on Sheriff Pusser and he retaliated killing her. Towhead White was enraged and he called his boss Kirksey Nix who ordered his men to set up and kill Sherriff Pusser and his wife, Pauline. Later that same year, 1967, Sherriff Buford Pusser and his wife Pauline were responding to the report of a disturbance in the early morning hours before dawn. As they passed a rural church where this disturbance was reported they found nobody was in sight. As they passed the New Hope Church, a black car drove out from behind the building and started following the Pusser’s car. The driver of the Cadillac flashed on its headlights raced up beside Pusser’s police car and opened fire. Pusser stomped on the accelerator and pulled away from their pursuers. They backed off and in a few miles he pulled over to check on his wife. The unknown assailants had hit Pauline Pusser in the head and as he checked on her, the Cadillac appeared again and shot Pusser in his face. He will survive but his wife died from her wounds. The Cadillac’s passenger opened fire, hitting Pauline in the head. The sheriff ducked and stepped on the gas. The engine roared to life, and the car lurched ahead of the assassins. He sped up the road a couple of miles until he was sure he had lost his tail, and then pulled over to check on Pauline. Moments later, the assassins again found their mark, and gunshots rang out, hitting Sherriff Pusser in the face and jaw blowing it apart. Somehow the sheriff would survive the attack, but Pauline was killed. At first, Pusser declared he knew who was responsible and named Towhead White, George McGann, Gary McDaniel, and Kirksey Nix. After 18 days in the hospital and a dozen surgeries to repair his face, Pusser declared he couldn’t tell who had shot him. This set into motion a vendetta that ended only when Buford Pusser died in a suspicious one-car accident. Synova Cantrell Synova Cantrell is a prolific true crime author and blogger as well as an expert coach and teacher in the art of writing. She is well-known for her distinctive fedora. Ms. Cantrell not only documents historical accounts of criminal activity and she volunteers with the Missouri Missing organization. Synova blogs on cold cases to hopefully generate new witnesses and suspect information. She publishes the Murdered In Mississippi website and the synovaink.com website and she features Mobster Monday posts highlighting stories about the Dixie Mafia. Synova is available for coaching and consulting of new authors via her Synova’s Simply Biz author coaching service. Synova authored Unorganized Crime; a biography of the ex-gangster Sidney Heard of Chicago, IL. Check back for an interview in Gangland Wire about this thrilling tale of a Chicago gangster who brought the mob to Lubbock Texas. She has a best-selling series, Seriously Stupid Criminals, in both paperback and e-book formats. She is the winner of the Poisoned Cup Award from Crime Masters of America in 2019 and a flag was flown over Washington D.C. in honor of her cold casework. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Ray Morrow – Broken Shield, An Undercover Officer’s Perspective May 03, 2021

Ray Morrow – His Path to Undercover Work Retired F.B.I. agent Ray Morrow Ray Anthony Morrow grew up in Aliquippa, PA. He followed the proper path toward a career in law enforcement. He graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. Degree in Law Enforcement & Corrections/ Behavioral Science. His first job was with the Federal Bureau of Investigation where they hired him to be a File Clerk in the FBI’s Identification Division. As soon as he was old enough, he obtained an appointment from the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division. They assigned Ray to the White House Detail where he protected the President of the United States and the First Family. By 1980, he gravitated to private security and Allegheny International hired him away from the Secret Service as an Executive Protection Specialist. Here he used his skills to bodyguard the President of Allegheny International which is a Fortune 500 Company. After building this impressive resume as a personal security specialist, Ray was able to achieve his original dream, in February 1987, the FBI appointed him as a Special Agent. The FBI assigned Ray Morrow to Louisville, KY where he got his first taste working with undercover agents and informants in the division’s Drug Squad. In May 1989, just two years after his initial appointment, the FBI selected Ray for an undercover assignment where he served as the primary undercover agent in a 2-year police corruption matter. The Cleveland office of the FBI had received many reports of significant corruption among officers of the Cleveland, Ohio police department. This assignment will place at risk Agent Morrow’s life at times and his marriage at other times. In this podcast, Ray Morrow tells this gripping story of how he lived the life of an intermediate-level criminal, ran an illegal casino, convinced Cleveland cops to guard drug and money shipment that passed through Cleveland, ran a tee-shirt printing shop as a cover, and juggled his family life and his professional life with the professional life almost taking away his family life. Ray’s work resulted in the indictments and arrests, of 30 Cleveland Police Officers. Ray Morrow – Broken Shield, An Undercover Officer’s Perspective My fellow podcaster retired FBI agent Geri Williams writes this about Ray Morrow’s book. “What most people know about the FBI comes from novels, TV shows, and movies. However, with his memoir, Ray Morrow shows you what it’s really like to be an undercover FBI agent, including the personal sacrifices made by the agent’s family and loved ones. This is the real deal. Outstanding book. Must read!” I must say that I have read many similar books, but I never found a book that I found so hard to lay down and go on to sleep. Broken Shield depicts the tremendous technicalities of FBI work, the danger of undercover life, and the toll that life takes on families. My friend Ray Morrow did this in such a way that we all can understand it. you must get Broken Shield: An Undercover Officer’s Perspective by clicking on the title. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Michael DiLeonardo part 2 Apr 26, 2021

Michael Mikey Scars DiLeonardo This is a re-release of an interview I did last year but it must be listened to again or maybe for the first time. I was able to make contact with Mikey Scars DiLeonardo via telephone. This is a the second of a two part re-release of my first interview. Michael is a relocated federal witness in WitSec or Witness Protection. Mikey Scars is a Mafia legacy because his Sicilian-born grandfather, Vincenzo DiLeonardo, was a captain in the Brooklyn faction run by Salvatore D’Aquila who was the boss of bosses at that time. Mikey Scars Michael DiLeonardo grew up in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn with many other future members of the New York Five Families. He got the nickname of Mikey Scars because a dog took a large chunk out of his check leaving a scar. Michael’s father nor his uncles became associated with the Mafia but his brother, Robert DiLeonardo was part of the Colombo crime family until he was murdered on the orders of the Cosa Nostra. Michael DiLeonardo and the Sammy the Bull Gravano Michael DiLeonardo knew Sammy the Bull for many years during his life in the Gambino family. he went into the construction business and found that was where Gravano focused most of his attention. Gravano presided over his mob induction ceremony and they both have ended up in the Witness protection. Cammy the Bull has gone outside the program after he took a hit for selling narcotics. He now has a podcast. We learn that Mikey Scars was left twisting in the wind by the Gotti family when he went into prison. They would pick up money from DiLeonardo’s business and not take anything to his wife while he was incarcerated. he told them that he would get out one day but nobody seemed to help. Mickey Scars on Turning Government Witness Folks, this is one of the most interesting and revealing interviews I have ever done. If you want to get a peek behind the curtain of life in the Cosa Nostra in New York City, listen to Michael DiLeonardo’s interview. Mikey Scars describes his grueling decision to abandon every rule and ethic that he held as a made man when he turned witness. He felt the mob left him no choice in this matter after the way the family disrespected him. Show notes by Gary Jenkins To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Michael DiLeonardo Part 1 Apr 19, 2021

Michael DiLeonardo This is a re-release of an interview I did last year but it must be listened to again or maybe for the first time. I was able to make contact with Michael “Mikey Scars” DiLeonardo via telephone. Michael is a relocated federal witness in WitSec or Witness Protection. Michael DiLeonardo was a real mafia legacy in that his Sicilian-born grandfather, Vincenzo DiLeonardo, was a captain in the Brooklyn faction run by Salvatore D’Aquila who was the boss of bosses at that time. Mikey Scars Michael DiLeonardo grew up in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn with many other future members of the New York Five Families. He got the nickname of Mikey Scars because a dog took a large chunk out of his check leaving a scar. Michael’s father nor his uncles became associated with the Mafia but his brother, Robert DiLeonardo was part of the Colombo crime family until he was murdered on the orders of the Cosa Nostra. Michael DiLeonardo and the Gambino family Michael DiLeonardo grew up around Paul Castellano’s Veterans and Friends Social Club and as he matured, the older guys noticed him and eventually took him into their confidence. Michael tells a riveting chronological story of his entry into a life of crime. In this first episode, he gives a detailed description of the night that Sammy the Bull Gravano presided over his induction ceremony. It seems that John Gotti Jr. was inducted the same night and John Gotti Sr. did not attend because he thought it would look bad. Folks, this is one of the most interesting and revealing interviews I have ever done. If you want to get a peek behind the curtain of life in the Cosa Nostra in New York City, listen to Michael DiLeonardo’s interview. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

John Pennisi from Wit Sec Apr 12, 2021

John Pennisi John Pennisi is the interview subject. A very unusual former mobster. john Pennisi writes a regular blog titled Sitdown News (click to find this). He has become an accomplished author as he creates a new life outside his former life as a soldier in the Lucchese crime family. John Pennisi and Staten Island The Lucchese crime family has held a strong presence on Staten Island for many years. John Pennisi tells Gary how he was actually a member of the Brooklyn facion of the Lucchese family but they operated out of Staten Island. over the years, with the Mafia clan holding a clandestine initiation ritual here and numerous members of its so-called Brooklyn crew operating on the borough, a mob snitch said last week. How John Pennisi landed in Witness Protection John describes himself as a “cooperating witness” because he never wore a wore or “worked” undercover. He started cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation sometime after October 2018, when he walked into the Bureau’s office to share his “concerns and basically crimes that he committed. That was just the beginning of his sharing the secret information about the Lucchese crime family and other New York City mobsters. www.sitdownnews.com Here is some information he wrote about: SECRET INITIATION Pennisi said he became a member of the Lucchese family in 2013, during a secret initiation ceremony at a house on Staten Island on his wife’s birthday. Matty Madonna, the acting boss of the Lucchese family, presided over the ceremony, he said. In the darkness of a basement, Pennisi sat in front of a table. “There was a gun, a knife, there was a picture of a saint, an ashtray, a lighter, and like a diabetic pin, needle to check your blood,” said Pennisi. Below are some interesting titles of his blog pieces The Fashion Of Cosa Nostra Bonanno Wiseguy Falsely Makes Himself A Boss Nefarious Way of Johnny Sideburns “A Mob Handbook,” Below are some excerpts from his blog A clueless La Cosa Nostra candidate John (Butch) Arpino allegedly seeks advice from Pennisi on how one wiseguy should let another know that he too is a wiseguy. When Pennisi repeats the curious inquiry to John (Johnny Sideburns) Cerrella, a then-acting Lucchese captain, the boss shakes his head and says, “It is truly unbelievable, a guy like that got no business [becoming a made man]. What’s it come to? They now gotta hand them a f–king handbook after they straighten them out!” “The Gotti Chaperone Ended Up with a Broken Bone” documents a circa-2000 snafu involving the Gotti family. Peter Gotti accompanied his niece, Victoria, on a trip to see her father, Gambino godfather John Gotti, in the federal pen at Marion, Ill. After the visit, Uncle Pete ordered a longtime associate to chaperone his niece, who wanted to take in a movie. “No harm was done, just two adults enjoying a night at the movies,” Pennisi writes. However, days later, Victoria’s hotheaded Gambino capo husband, Carmine (Bull) Agnello, “got wind of the movie night.” He summoned the chaperone to his Jamaica junkyard and allegedly broke his arm with a baseball bat. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Paul Ricca – The Power Behind the Outfit’s Throne Apr 06, 2021

Paul Ricca – the beginnings In this episode, Gary examines the life of a young Italian immigrant named Paul Ricca who started his mob career with murder. He fled to Cuba in 1920. Once safely in Cuba, Ricca had the good fortune to meet a member of the Camorra mafia named Giuseppe Esposito who was known as “Diamond Joe” and a well-known leader in Chicago’s bootlegging business. Diamond Joe was just beginning to form a bootlegging gang and had joined with Sam Giancana and his Chicago street gang known as the 42 Gang. When Ricca arrived at the Italian section of Chicago he reconnected with Diamond Joe and went to work as a waiter in a restaurant owned by his mentor. Modern mob historians believe that was the source of his moniker. Paul Ricca was a very pleasant and charismatic young man who soon made many friends among the mobster of the day. One of these new friends was Al Capone who soon hired Ricca into his organization. He rose quickly in the Capone organization and was close personal friends with Capone He was Capone’s best man at his 1927 wedding. The rise of Paul the Waiter When the government convicted Capone and sent him to the Atlanta U.S. Penitentiary, he obtained Frank Nitti’s agreement that he would promote Paul Ricca to be the new underboss of the Outfit. Nitti was a poor excuse for a boss and the intelligent and resourceful Ricca would become the boss in reality while Nitti was the known boss. As a matter of fact, Charles “Lucky” Luciano refused to deal with Nitti and demanded that Ricca became Chicago’s contact with the National Crime Syndicate. Ricca would even overrule Nitti’s orders and Nitti never seemed to mind. Paul Ricca and the Hollywood Scam Prohibition ended in 1933 and the Chicago Outfit moved west to the untapped markets in Hollywood California. The Outfit saw the film industry as a huge cash cow just waiting to be milked. Ricca sent Johnny Roselli out with a plan to infiltrate labor unions involved with the film industry. Once they got control of those unions, they used another mobster named Willie Bioff to extort money from the Hollywood moguls of the time. Bioff had already created a shakedown operation of Chicago movie theater projectionists and the National Union of Theater Projectionists. Bioff infiltrated the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and began to extort millions of dollars from major motion-picture studios. Bioff got a little too big for his britches and started living a lavish Hollywood lifestyle with a mansion, expensive suits, gold jewelry, expensive cars, and solid gold business cards. Actor Robert Montgomery, president of the Screen Actors Guild tipped off the IRS and a California federal grand jury was called to investigate. Bioff was indicted for tax evasion and related crimes, as well as extortion and racketeering in 1943. Bioff was unable to stand the thought of prison so he testified against Chicago Outfit bosses Paul “The Waiter” Ricca, Philip D’Andrea, Charlie “Cherry Nose” Gioe, Johnny Roselli, Lou Kaufman, and Frank “The Enforcer” Nitti. Book Promo for the Crooked Sourwood: Kentucky’s Forgotten Tragedies Click on this title to learn more about this Crooked Sourwood: Kentucky’s Forgotten Tragedies by Steven Wright. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Russell Shorto Mar 29, 2021

Russell Shorto -Johnstown Mob Gary interviews the author of Smalltime: A story of My Family and the Mob. Mr. Shorto is the namesake and grandson of Johnstown Mafia gambler and long-time close associate of Youngstown Pennsylvania boss, Joseph (Little Joe Ragno) Regino. The grandson, Russell Sorto grew up knowing there was something dark and mysterious about his grandfather but the family never talked about this. As an adult, Mr. Shorto has become a successful author of non-fiction books. But, not in the true crime genre with titles like Revolution Song: A Story of the American Revolution, New Amsterdam: A History of America’s most Liberal City, Descarte’s Bones, and the Island at the Center of the World. He has also written extensively for the New York Times. As an adult, an older relative encouraged Mr. Shorto to use his research and writing skills to investigate this secretive relative. Francis Ford Coppola said, “Russell Shorto’s Smalltime draws a convincing portrait of a time when Italian Americans weren’t permitted to live in certain neighborhoods or rise too high in the political firmament. This remembrance of his grandfather’s and great-uncle’s lives―of slots and pinball machines, ‘tip seals,’ ‘skeeched dice,’ and places like the Melodee Lounge and City Cigar―mixes great history and lovely, lingering memories: ‘Long conversations about spaghetti sauce and aunts who kissed you on the lips: those were the ways we were Italian.’” Johnstown Mob Mr. Shorto’s namesake grandfather, Russell Shorto became an important figure in the gambling world of Johnstown in the post-war era because an important mafia figure, Joseph (Little Joe Ragno) Regino married his sister, Millie Shorto in 1932. At that time future Pittsburgh Mob Boss Sebastiano (John) LaRocca lived two doors down from his friend and fellow mob member Joe Regino. Joe Regino became his Capo de Decina in Johnstown. Regino made sizeable contributions to political campaigns and this opened up gambling in Johnstown. This is where Mr. Shorto’s grandfather and brother-in-law of the mob boss, Joe Regino, got his life career of helping to run Johnstown gambling rackets. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Anthony Celano NYPD Mar 22, 2021

Anthony Celano Retired Intelligence Detective Gary interviews a crime-mystery writer Anthony Celano. He is a retired New York City Police Department Intelligence Detective. Gary and Tony had very similar careers and this episode is like a couple of old friends who worked the mob telling war stories. He tells the greatest story about a confrontation he had with John Gotti when he was sitting surveillance on his house Anthony Celano Mystery-Writer Tony Celano started his Sgt. Markie series in 2019. The first in this exciting series is The Case of Two in the Trunk: A Sergeant Markie Mystery. Tony Celano uses his real-life experiences and situations to dramatize his character’s story. The second book in this series is The Case of the Crosseyed Strangler. Tony is hard at work on his third Sgt. Markie mystery novel. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Abe Reles: A Brotherhood Betrayed Mar 15, 2021

Abe Reles: A Brotherhood Betrayed Gary interviews Michael Cannell, the author of four non-fiction books and former sportswriter and editor for the New York Times. His most recent book, A Brotherhood betrayed: The man Behind the Rise and Fall of Murder Inc. tells the story of Murderer Incorporated’s most prolific killer, Abe Reles. The feared Albert Anastasia had turned to a group of young ambitious Jewish gangsters to carry out murders for the Mafia. They were so feared by other gangsters and they committed so many murders that the press dubbed the group Murder Inc. The Making of a Killer Abe Reles grew up on Manhatten’s lower east side and like most of his peers, he gravitated to a life of crime. Like most young men, he followed the older gangsters. He even adopted the nickname of “Kid Twist” after hearing about an older Jewish gangster named Max “Kid Twist” Zweiback. The most prominent Jewish gangster of the day was Lepke Buchalter. During the 1930s, chaos among organized crime members ran rampant. the boss of bosses, Lucky Luciano, and the other bosses formed the Commission. In one of their early moves, they created a hit team to handle rebellious young gangsters and bring them in line with the established Mafia Commission. They noticed Abe “Kid Twist” Reles as a man they could trust and picked him to be the anchor of this new hit team that became known as Murder Inc. Abe Reles: The Canary Who Sang But Couldn’t Fly Law enforcement and the press noticed the rise in unexplained and unprosecuted murders of gangsters. Thomas Dewey was the crime-busting politically ambitious prosecutor. He chose an aggressive Irishman named William O’Dwyer as his assistant and gave him the job to eliminate this professional criminal culture that had dominated New York City since prohibition. O’Dwyer found a good informant named Harry Rudolph who ratted on Abe Reles. It was not long before Kid Twist realized this only chance to avoid the Electric Chair was to become a cooperating witness against Lepke Buchalter and other mafia bosses. The Mafia Commission put out the word that anyone who killed Abe Reles would be paid $100,000. By 1941 a momentous trial was underway that threatened New York’s most brutal mob bosses, specifically the Lord high Executioner, Albert Anastasia. O’Dwyer based his case on a star witness, Abe Reles. The police stashed Kid Twist in a hotel room at the Coney Island Half Moon hotel and maintained 24 hours a day guard on the door. But before he could testify, the guards found his shattered body on the rooftop of an adjoining building. The first question was whether or not it was a botched escape or murder. They did find several sheets tied together and hanging out the window. The Grand Jury ruled he had tied these sheets to a radiator and when he tried to slide down them, he lost his grip and fell to his death. Michael Cannell’s A Brotherhood Betrayed documents the rise and all of Murder, Inc. through Reles’ life span from punk gangsters, to a top hitman to stool pigeon, and ending with his death. on a Coney Island rooftop. He colorfully depicts a time when crime became “organized” crime. The time of wise-cracking mobsters with names like Kid Twist, The Mad Hatter, The Prime Minister of the Underworld, and Tick Tock Tannenbaum. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast Transcript Hello, welcome while you are tappers out there back here in the studio gangland wire. I have a really interesting story today an interview a guest with 00:09 Arthur from New York, the writer writes a story about the canary who could fly but couldn’t sing now, if you’re any kind of a Mob aficionado, and all you know who I’m talking about, and Abe Reles, so it’s Michael Cannell. Well, Michael, welcome. Thank you, Gary. It’s really nice to be here with you. So I don’t remember how I found you. Twitter maybe or something. I don’t know. You know, you just got to keep throwing stuff out there. When you got a book yourself, or a podcast you’re promoting. You just got to keep throwing stuff out there. And notice that I don’t remember how I even got in contact with you. I thought, Well, this sounds interesting here. I’ve never really done a story just about a relative. I’ve done stuff all around even during that time and murder Incorporated. I just did an interview with Alan guy who whose uncle was Charlie workman and the name of his book is Uncle Charlie killed that Schultz. Yeah. 01:10 This period of time, and the 30s and 40s. Up to the 50s is is really an interesting time in New York City for mob activity. I mean, they they ruled New York, it seemed that neighborhoods they ruled the neighborhood, it seemed to me like yeah, they certainly did. Abe Reles is the gentleman in question here came from the neighborhood of Brownsville, Brooklyn, which was in a way a spin off from the Lower East Side. The Lower East Side was, of course, where all the immigrants settled when they came came in to New York. And it was crowded with crowded really to the rafters with with Jews and Italians in this period in the 1920s and 30s. And so, Brownsville was a way to get out of the Lower East Side. And it was really countryside until the city extended the subway out there and also began to build bridges that made it made it accessible and so Abe Reles’ family, a Jewish family from what we would now call Austria 02:23 came to New York and ended up in in Brownsville. A hard working family his father sold clothes out of a street pushcart. But from a very young age he relishes 02:40 was headed to crime. I mean even even as a teenager he was a kind of apprentice mobster running running errands for the local mob. So Brownsville would have been really the toughest neighborhood in, in America, I think we can I think we can say that and maybe the toughest neighborhood of all time, and he was maybe the toughest young man in that in that neighborhood. 03:13 That that’s an interesting 03:16 time when Jewish immigrants their fathers were, were had stores and push carts and a tie in young man, their fathers had stores and push carts. And then they started coming of age during that time during the 30s and and they started kind of taken over from the old guard and for people who are kept out of kind of mainstream jobs government jobs, the Irish already had all the government jobs sewed up and and the Germans had been here for a long time. So these guys and so many of these bright young tough guys turned to crime and in turn they are smart enough to know that organized crime is a way to make money at crime I always find that that fascinating and and he’s he is one of those guys it sounds to me like on and I forgot to mention the name of the book here it is a brotherhood betrayed the man behind the rise and fall or murder Incorporated. And it’s on Amazon and I’ll have links to it in the show notes and in my YouTube Michael I will have a picture of the cover of it right now. 04:23 So let’s 04:25 let’s talk a little more about how you know how did he get involved with murder court incorporated and most of us I think know that was you know, an arm if you will of the SE and like Cosa Nostra mafia and and Albert Anastasia was thinking to be like, it’d be kind of like the, the guy that that used them or worked with them from the tie in crime families and, and so kind of how did he get into that? Yeah, I mean, sort of the background to that Gary is as as you know that 05:00 At previous generation of, of gangsters, mostly men who had come over from Sicily and Naples, were known as the moustache Pete’s they came to America, not particularly because they wanted to be Americans. They didn’t really care about the American dream. They came to America for the most part because they were fleeing prosecution in Italy and there were no extradition 05:32 treaties or laws then. So coming to America living on the in the Lower East Side, living in Little Italy in lower Manhattan was a safe refuge for them. But while they were here, 05:46 they never they were never American eyes. They really 05:51 they really lived almost as if they were still in Italy, and pursued and pursued their kind of their grievances and vendettas, just as they would have in in Italy. The next generation had a slightly different sensibility. You know, the Bugsy Siegel’s? The Lucky Luciano was the Myers seagulls they had a they had a different notion. They were for the most part born in America, and thought of themselves as American. And they wanted they wanted organized crime. They wanted to Americanize organized crime. And they wanted it to be about profit, that great American pursuit of profit. So they were not concerned with these tribal grievances they really wanted to run. They really wanted to run organized crime as an American corporation, almost. And so Lucky Luciano in particular, 06:58 kind of spearheaded this. And he invited his his boss, Joe Masuria, to a Trattoria in a Back Street in Coney Island one day, they had a very big lunch, they played cards. And then at a at a very specific time, Lucky Luciano excused himself and went to the men’s restroom. And when he went to the men’s room, a couple of guys came in and shot Joe Masuria. And that was the beginning of the of this sort of a coup. And so they got rid of the old guys. And now Lucky Luciano. And his friends were in charge. And they they set up a what they call the commission of basically a board of directors that would run organized crime nationally. And they set it up almost like McDonald’s, you know, with franchises the different the different gangs in Chicago or Los Angeles or St. Louis. 07:59 You know, they ran,

Raymond Patriarca Mar 10, 2021

Raymond Patriarca the Early Years Raymond L.S. Patriarca started like every other major mafia figure of the 20th century. First, his parents were Sicilian. His father, Elatario Patriarca emigrated from Sicily in the early 1900s. He married a woman named Mary and they lived in Worster Massachusetts where Raymond was born. The Patriarca family moved to Federal Hill, an Italian neighborhood in Providence Rhode Island in 1908. Raymond’s father ran a bar and liquor store where young Raymond got his first exposure to criminals. When Raymond was 17, his father died leaving his widow and two daughters, and two sons. By that time, all the Patriarca kids were old enough to work and, like most immigrants, they all lived in the same Federal Hill house. Raymond will later tell a congressional committee that he “drifted a little” when his father died. As a teenager, Raymond Patriarca worked as a bellhop and supposedly shined shoes. He probably spent more time stealing, hijacking trucks and running from the police from his record of arrests. Like every other rising young criminal during prohibition, authorities arrested him for transporting illegal alcohol. By the 1930s, he gained a reputation as a professional criminal. He got involved in a plot to free two prison inmates where the participants killed a prison guard and trusty. He was sentenced to a year and a day in the federal prison at Atlanta in 1931 for transportation of a female over a state line for the purposes of prostitution or the Mann act. In 1932, he is charged with committing an armed bank robbery down in Massachusetts but the witnesses refuse to ID him. He was becoming so well known that the Providence police list him as a public enemy and they arrest him on sight and bring him in for at least a few hours. The Development of Raymond Patriarca and the Providence Family During the turn of the century, many Sicilians immigrated to the Federal Hill area of Providence RH. They brought the Black Hand mafia with them. In 1917, a person named Frank “Buttsey” Morelli moved to Providence with his family. He and his brother Joseph formed a robbery gang. Some claim they were the real robbers, not Sacco and Vanzetti, who killed the guard and pay clerk in that famous 1920 Braintree Massachusetts robbery. During those years, most people would consider Frank Morelli to be the face of the Mafia in Providence’s Federal Hill. Boston Family Gaspare Messina and Joseph Lombardo were the early bosses of the entire New England area based out of Boston. During the Castellammare War in New York, Other Mafia bosses appointed Gaspare Messina temporarily as the boss of bosses for a couple of years. Joseph Lombardo served as Messina’s underboss and he organized several Sicilian gangs and his most important accomplishment was that he helped eliminate the powerful Irish Gustin gang. As these men got older, Filippo Buccola arrived in Boston from Palermo Sicily. Joe Lombardo will never rise higher than Underboss and Buccola will become the Boss of Boston. At this time, I believe the Boston family was like the big brother over Providence and the rest of New England. Kind of like Chicago and Kansas City. According to the famous New England mob turncoat Vinnie Teresa, Boston’s underboss Joe Lombardo ordered Buttesy Morelli into retirement and Filippo Buccola became the boss of Boston and Providence in 1947. The Prime years By 1954, Filippo Buccola retired to Sicily. Raymond Patriarca was a Capo under Buccola and a well-known successful mobster. He had organized several small crews under his leadership. These men made big jewelry scores, bank, and armored car robberies and he opened several gambling establishments in Providence and the surrounding area. Patriarca allied with two different New York mob families. He had business interests with the Colombo family. During this time, Enrico “Henry” Tameleo transferred from the Bonanno family to be Patriarca’s underboss. This gave him solid connections back to the five families. He got involved with the Luciano family acting boss, Frank Costello in the gambling business. The Commission agreed that he would have Boston, Providence, and the majority of New England. Eventually, Patriarca will appoint an underboss based in Boston in the 1960s named Gennaro Angiulo. This guy ever worked his way up but he earned a lot of money. He had a very successful numbers racket and Patriarca made him an offer he could not refuse. Patriarca brought him into his family in exchange for a big piece of his gambling action. In 1957, the Massachusetts Crime Commission named Raymond Patriarca as the most powerful influence in New England gambling, which they allege was a 2 billion dollar a year business. Raymond Patriarca and the FBI In 1958, he has pretty well consolidated all gambling action in New England. He started the National Cigarette Service vending company and operated out of a building with the name Coin-o-Matic. This would be the target of an extensive MISUR survey by the FBI during the early 1960s. This is the FBI acronym for surveys of a property to install a hidden microphone. If it was for a telephone tap, they called it a TELSUR. Informants claim he has 250,000 invested in a Las Vegas casino with three other mobsters. In 1958, the McClellan Committee on Labor racketeering calls Patriarca. He is asked about using strong-arm tactics to remove rival cigarette vending machines. He claims he does not and the reason for his success is that he has a shoebox with $80-90 thousand in cash left from his mother’s savings. Robert Kennedy asked him why he got involved in burglaries when he was much younger and he replied with a question, “Why do a lot of young fellows do a lot of things when they haven’t a father.” Later in 1959, when bobby Kennedy gets him in front of the commission again, Patriarca does not take the fifth like all the others. He engages and describes himself as an honest businessman who is hounded by the police and press for no reason. In 1961, Patriarca toke out a large advertisement in the Providence Journal-Bulletin to complain about their coverage of him. Among other things, he states, “your newspapers seem to take a fiendish delight in their unwarranted and unjustifiable characterizations of me, in which you infer that I am involved in illegal activities documents his day to day activities from a hidden microphone. In July 1966, a Providence gambler named Willie Marfeo is murdered for failing to pay tribute from a gambling game and when confronted by Patriarca consigliere Henry Tameleo, Mario cursed and assaulted him. Patriarca ordered him murdered and someone shotgunned him to death in a Federal Hill grocery store shortly after. He will send people to murder Marfeo’s brother a couple of years later. Authorities will convict Patriarca of conspiracy in connecti0n to these murders. During 1960-61 FBI has a series of reports talking about constant surveillance of Patriarca trying to get a microphone inside the Coin-O-Matic office on Atwell Ave in the close-knit Italian Federal Hill neighborhood where they see him sitting inside all day along with his underboss Henry Teleleo and Frankie “Frank the Cheeseman” Cucchiara, his consigliere. This location is known by everybody as The Office. The agents report there is an Italian social club with gambling at all hours of the day and night prevents and easy installation. Eventually, by 1964, they get it installed. They established a listening post at 153 Dean St., which was St. Margaret’s home for Working Girls and is now the Arbor Hills Assisted Living building. FBI reports show the hidden microphone revealed that Patriarca was the Godfather of the New England area and they hear Patriarca talking sharing a bribe with a former NH governor, John Notte to get race dates added to horse tracks in Rhode Island. They learn that Raymond Patriarca forces recording industry executives to pay him to get airtime on New England radio stations. They hear insurance executives approach him complaining about auto thefts in the area. They learn that he is a dominant force in all illicit, political, and labor union activities in New England. People brought him complaints like those that someone was disrespected in a restaurant and he made a call. A father came to Patriarca about his son was murdered and the fact he was a dope addict and wondered where the dope came from. Patriarca said he had no information on this. He discussed police officers who were tipping them off about raids and named a state police officer as a man who was trying to set up and arrest one of their Providence police contacts. On one occasion, a man displayed a pistol silencer and said he paid $300.00 for it and was getting a few more made. He talked to a guy who had stolen a large quantity of Spiedel watchbands and Patriarca wanted about a dozen himself for Christmas presents. He discussed the use of slugs in his vending machines and whether or not they could be used in telephones. He discusses selling truckloads of TVs, radios, razor blades, and other retail items. He helped a guy get a demolition project and he charged him $1.00 for “each light” taken out of the demo project. He was asked about the Joe Bonanno disappearance and he said he would find out because “the kid is coming up.” Later he tells someone that Bonanno was not kidnapped and disappeared on his own. They discuss how they have some jockeys who they give $400-$500 if “they pull the horse real good” and they name a trainer who “runs hot horses” An underling came to Patriarca with a plan that involved some doctors in New York. One of the doctors was a relative of a New York boss and they wanted a piece of the action. Patriarca counseled him to not go into business with the New York families. He said they are nice people and I will help them occasionally but not to do any business. He explained he had some business with them years before and when a new boss came in,

Bill Roemer and Informants Mar 08, 2021

Bill Roemer FBI Bill Roemer was one of the first FBI agents assigned to Chicago’s Organized Crime Squad. He and his fellow agents in the C-1 Squad (organized Crime Squad) lost their access to many off-the-books wiretaps and hidden microphones. Once the Omnibus Crime Control Bill passed in 1968, Congress made it illegal and punishable by a prison sentence to conduct electronic surveillance without a warrant. To replace that source of intelligence on the Outfit, Chicago agents started developing “deep throat” informants. Gary Jenkins examines two of Roemer’s most important informants. In FBI documents, they were identified as Sporting Goods and Romero. Sporting Goods Roemer claimed that “Sporting Goods” was a “street boss” who was considered a source for more than ten years. It is not known exactly when but I believe he had been providing tidbits since the early 1970s and some people allege he started full bore about 1974. Romer never mentioned his ethnicity, never said he was Italian, Jewish, or other. A Chicago Outfit street boss would be a guy who managed a crew and directed gambling, bookmaking, and other criminal activities within an assigned territory. The traditional Outfit territories were the South Side of Chicago, the North Side, and the Loop. The Outfit unlike the New York Families was not a La Cosa Nostra Organization from top to bottom. Sporting Goods likely was not an “inducted member” of the Mafia or a Made Guy. Some non-Italian mobsters like Jake Guzik, Murray Humphreys, or Gus Alex had crews and managed others and Accardo and bosses since Al Capone gave them a lot of power and responsibility. Romer claimed that “Sporting Goods” provided the FBI with names of corrupt politicians, law enforcement members, updates on the general activities of Outfit members. Roemer talked about how he and “Sporting Goods” maintained an ongoing close friendship and even had dinner together every Friday for years. Roemer introduced “Sporting Goods” to his wife and she often talked to him on the phone when he called Roemer at home and even joined them for dinner once in a while. “Sporting Goods” suffered a heart attack in the middle 1980s and died. Romer claimed that “Sporting Goods” offered to give Roemer him a large sum of early retirement money. Roemer later recalled this death with sadness indicating the closeness of that relationship. Romer provided clues that “Sporting Goods” was an older man with polish and intelligence. He was a successful mobster, but he was developed emotionally to develop a real friendship with Roemer and his wife. I believe that the guy was not a member of the LCN because Romer specifically identified “Romano” as an LCN member. Romano Roemer described “Romano” described as a “top tier” mobster who was “high up in the rank of the Chicago mob.” Furthermore, he described him as an inducted LCN member. In Accardo, Roemer indicated that Romano was a capo. He wrote, “When Dominic DiBella, the capo on the North Side of Chicago, died, we weren’t able to ascertain who his successor was. I went to my source, the made guy who was in the same position as DiBella, and learned that it was Vince Solano. Another interesting fact about this revelation is that just before DiBella died, the entire hierarchy of the Outfit met at a restaurant to pay him some tribute. You all will know this as the famous “Last Supper” photo taken just before DiBella died. So Romero had to be there and the name of every mobster at the meeting is known. Of all the mobsters who were present that day and could be called a capo and a made member of the LCN, only Vince Solano and Dominic Butch Blaise are possibilities. It is well known that Romano had informed on Sam Giancana during the 1960s and had even visited him in Mexico. Romano remained was close to Giancana after his return from Mexico in 1974. Roemer wrote about how he dealt with Romano. He would meet him for dinner and state some mob gossip wrong like it was a fact and wait for “Romano” to correct him and give him the Intel he was after. By “finessing” his questioning. He only had to allow “Romano” then “straighten him out a bit. By doing this, he did not make Romano feel like he was informing. Roemer’s crafty tactic eventually caused “Romano” problems later after Roemer transferred out of Chicago. Other FBI agents approached “Romano” to work with them. Romano denied he was ever an informant and denied he ever met Roemer. Chuckie English and Butch Blasi both match this description and were supposedly inducted LCN members. Another interesting fact is that after Giancana returned from Mexico and was murdered, Butch Blasi was one of the last people to see him alive. The government never charged him with this murder. He met with Agent Roemer the very next day and claimed that Sam was peaceful and content when he died and that “outside forces” killed him. Roemer maintained that Blais was not the man who killed Sam, Giancana. My money is on Blasi because Chuckie English was murdered and Blasi died a natural death. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Real Oklahoma Outlaws Mar 01, 2021

Justice and Davis Gang Gary interviews retired Oklahoma City Detective Sergeant Richard Mullins about his career and his investigation of the Justice and Davis criminal gang. This was a group of long-time professional criminals who terrorized business owners during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. By the end of their run, they specialized in large grocery stores because they kept large sums of money to cash checks. Books by Richard Mullins Retired Detective Sergeant Richard Mullins had written and published two excellent true crime books. The first book, Real Oklahoma Outlaws: the Tue Story of the Davis and Justice Crime Families, tells the story of the famous Justice and Davis criminal gangs. He tells in exciting detail how he investigated these extended criminal families until he brought several of them to justice. His second book tells the story of George Machine Gun Kelly from the viewpoint of his wife Kathryn Kelley, Kathryn: The True Story Of Machine Gun Kelly’s Wife Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Alain Olivier Part 2 Feb 22, 2021

Most Wanted and The Trial of Alain Olivier Most Wanted, starring Josh Hartnett and Jim Gaffigan, is the real-life story of a French Canadian drug addict named Alain Olivier and how the Royal Canadian Mounted Police intimidated him into setting up an undercover narcotics operation. This plan went horribly wrong and ended with a Mountie getting killed under suspicious circumstances. In this second interview, Alain Olivier tells about his trial, 100-year sentence, and subsequent life in a Thai prison. The film crew of Most Wanted went to Thailand and used the actual Bang Kwang prison as a set for the time Olivier was in prison. Alain Olivier tells about how the Mounties testified against him to obtain a sentence of death. Once the court passed down a death sentence, they commuted it to 100 years because he was Canadian and Canada does not have a death penalty. Most Wanted and Prison Life Alain Olivier tells how one of the Mounties walked up to him during his trial and took a picture of him wearing his 40 pounds of chains for their family photo album. Alain alleges these Officers perjured themselves at trial and misrepresented him as a career criminal. In the end, one of them looked at him and stated “Good Luck Frency.” This became the title of his book and click on the title to find Alain Olivier’s website and the book. Olivier explains in horrifying detail how he survived inside a Thai prison for 8 long years. Exoneration The film Most Wanted shows how Alain Olivier adapted to prison life and even thrived by helping his fellow prisoners. A Canadian journalist traveled to Thailand and interviewed Olivier inside the infamous Bang Kwang prison (click for a link to photos of the prison). Canadian journalist Victor Malarek was suspicious after asking his RCMP contacts about the buy-bust and they refused to talk about what should have been their greatest narcotics arrest. He followed up and learned the Mounties were hiding something. After a series of articles appeared, a Canadian attorney was able to get Olivier returned to Canada to finish out his 100-year sentence after 8 years in Thailand. Shortly after, the Canadian courts released Olivier. He is fighting today to restore his good name and to cause reform within the RCMP. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Alain Olivier Part 1 Feb 19, 2021

Alain Olivier Most Wanted Recently Gary watched an Amazon Prime movie titled Most Wanted. The film starred Josh Hartnett, Jim Gaffigan, and Antoine Olivier Pilon. This film was about a Royal Canadian Mounted Police operation that went horribly wrong. The Mounties needed a big drug dealer that was importing China White heroin from the Southeast Asian Golden Triangle. Listen while a recovering drug addict named Alain Olivier tells how he was arrested in Thailand for heroin trafficking. In the second of this tw0-part interview, Alain Olivier will tell about his time in an infamous Bang Kwang prison in Thailand, Alain Olivier set-up Jim Gaffigan plays the part of a real-life professional informant who promised his RCMP handlers a real important guy who had the contacts to import multiple kilos of heroin from Thailand. gaffigan’s character brought in the young Alain Olivier to work on his charter fishing boat. The RCMP created a program that they believed would allow them to pass themselves off as mafia members or at least bug0time criminals. First, the Gaffigan character sold Olivier as a guy who had been to Thailand based on the fact that Olivier had gone on a backpacking trip to Thailand and he had used heroin over there. Once he had the confidence of his RCMP handlers, he brought the young Olivier in by offering him a job and allowed him to live on his boat. In an intricate series of subterfuges, the Gaffigan character convinced Olivier he was going to South America to set up a big cocaine deal. During that time, he introduced an undercover Mountie as an organized crime figure. While the Gaffigan character was going to be gone, he instructed Olivier to allow the undercover cop access to his boat for a weekend. The cop arrived to take the boat out with another man. When he returned, he returned alone and Olivier found an expended shell casing and a substance that looked like blood. he alerted Gaffigan and he indicated that the undercover had murdered the guy. Olivier was young and inexperienced in this level of crime so he bought the story. Mr. Olivier tells us that this setup was used in other RCMP drug operations. The RCMP Plot Once the Monties realize that Olivier believes they are members of a criminal organization, they start pressuring him to set them up with a drug connection in Thailand. He pleads to the Gaffigan character to convince them that he really cannot do this because the only dope he ever brought back from Aisa was a little brown heroin be bought in Nepal when he was backpacking over there. Gaffigan convinces him that he has to try or they will kill him. The RCMP introduces in “The Fat Man” who supposedly the big boss. They buy him a ticket to Bangkok and essentially babysit him until the plane leaves. Once they are in Thailand, they intimidate him into finding a drug connection. The RCMP Plot Goes South Olivier keeps asking around until he finds someone who introduces him to two girls who can get 2 kilos. He tells his handlers and they set up a buy-bust. When the arrest goes down, an undercover Mountie is killed. Olivier claims he heard a shot just before the man died but his fellow officers claim he fell out of a pickup truck during the arrest and he died from head injuries. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Lennie Patrick Chicago Outfit Enforcer Feb 01, 2021

Lennie Patrick Flips Gary and Cam discuss an Outfit gangster named Lennie Patrick with Chicago mob historian and attorney Paul Whitcombe. Paul and Camillus Robinson are associated with John Touhy and the Killers Kings and Clowns You Tube Mob channel and the Mafia Facebook group, Killers Kings and Clowns. In 1992, Paul was a law clerk for the trial Judge Patrick Alesia when 78-year-old Lennie Patrick testified against the Outfit’s chief political fixer and then boss Sam “Wings” Carlisi and several others. He traded off what would have been a life sentence for racketeering and extortion for a 2-year sentence and is testimony in this famous trial. Besides the discussion about Lenny Patrick in general, Paul tells great stories about events during the trial like his small talk with spectator Antoinette Giancana and the time the defense lawyers presented a theory that Lenny Patrick was the actual killer of JFK and they claimed he shot from the “grassy knoll.” Paul tells about how he was given the entire unredacted JFK murder file to review for any mentions of Lenny Patrick. Plus, he had to review a Cuban documentary film about the assassination for any evidence that Patrick was the killer. Lennie Patrick and the Outfit Patrick grew up in the Jewish section of Lincoln Park on the Near Northside during Prohibition. At age 15, Patrick quit school and started a life of crome. An Outfit capo named Joey Glimco noticed him when he started gambling at dice games at the Chicago taxi driver’s union. Like most young mobsters, Patrick graduated to armed robbery. In 1932 it is suspected he murdered his first man. He got into a fight with a gambler named Herman Glick and Glick knocked Patrick out. Patrick returned a week later and shot the man in his head. Patrick and his stick-up crew started robbing banks when the police caught them. An Indiana court sentenced him to 10 years in about 1933-34. He left prison in 1940 and returned to Chicago. He was a trusted and seasoned gangster by then. He was noticed by Outfit up and comers like Paul Ricca, Sam Giancana, and Milwaukee Phil Alderisio. He got involved with an Outfit gambler named Dave Yaras. The Italian dominated Outfit granted Patrick control of all book-making in the Jewish neighborhoods. It was during these years that he met the man he would eventually turn on, Outfit political fixer Gus Alex. over his first few years as an Outfit bookie, he would murder West Side book-maker Harry Krotish, a rival gangster named Edward Murphy, a man named David Zatz, and Milton Glickman. When he went into the witness program Patrick claimed he murdered a man who scammed him out of $165,000 for a phony sportsbook. Patrick “made his bones” and was a tough and respected Chicago Outfit mobster. The Patrick crew Lennie Patrick was probably making over $800,000 a year from his sportsbook. He was a lucky gambler and liked to gamble like most of the mob bosses in Chicago. it is claimed he once won a huge amount of money gy taking the Jets over the Colts in the 1969 Super Bowl. He must have seen something in Joe Nameth. He and his crew also extorted local business by starting fires or planting bombs. He claimed he and Dave Yaras extorted $300,000 from Allen Dorfman. These activities were all under the direction of the Outfit and he was a non-Italian who had his own crew on the Northside of Chicago. The FBI watched him meet with all the upper echelon Outfit Capos and boss at different times and appeared to be the equal of any other capo. Lennie Patrick was a mean vicious gangster Patrick showed no mercy and had few scruples. it is said that one time he offered a young kid some money for helping to push him out of the snow. When the kid refused the money, he decided the family must be wealthy. Thereupon, he extorted thousands of dollars from the kid’s father who owned a neighborhood pizza joint. In another example, Patrick’s own brother, Michael owed him $250,000. When the brother was unable to pay, Patrick threatened the brother’s son-in-law. He admitted to extortion a large sum from his common-law wife’s nephew. Once, the son of a pizza chain owner stopped to help push Patrick’s car in the snow. Lenny tried to give the kid a few bucks, but he refused to take it. In return, Lenny chose to extort the family-owned pizza chain. Honor? Gus Alex At age 78 in 1992, Patrick agreed to testify against the Outfit’s political fixer Gus Alex and the Outfit boss Sam “Wings” Carlisi. Patrick had maintained such a low profile that when he agreed to come over and talk, the FBI did to even have a photo of him. They had to review old surveillance photos of him with known Outfit members to prove he was important and had the knowledge he claimed Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast Listen on Pandora

Dustin Marks – A Crossroader Talks Jan 25, 2021

Dustin Marks is a Magician Dustin Marks tells listeners how he was drawn to perform magic tricks as a child. He notices that all the good magicians are based in Las Vegas. As a young adult, he moved to Vegas after a series of dead-end jobs. After a few months, he discovers that all the good magicians met on Wednesday nights at Gary Darwin’s Magic Club. He had to ask questions and search for a few months before finding this club. Like he was told, all the good magicians meet there on Wednesdays. They take him under their wing, and he increases his skills dramatically. From these professional magicians, he learns about the underground group of professional casino rip-off artists known as “Crossroaders.” Dustin Marks Meets Crunch He learned from his magician friends at Gary Darwin’s that a man known only as Crunch was a professional Crossroader, and Justin tells how he met Crunch. He learned that Crunch was well known at a local magic shop so Dustin befriended a clerk at this store. The clerk agreed to call Dustin if he saw Crunch in the store. A few weeks later, the clerk is good to his word and Justin runs over to the store and introduces himself to Crunch. The rest is history as Crunch takes Justin under his tutelage and, that very day, invites him to his home and begins a series of classes in how to cheat casinos. Dustin Marks on Cheating Casinos He tells about working with large crews to take a casino for over $100,000. We learn that this crew will have a couple of dealers already working at the casino and several players to set up the deck by taking all the chairs at a particular table where another crew member is the dealer. After a few plays, the dealer gets the card into the correct order as the players drift away. Another member of the crew will come to the table and demand that he be the only player and will place large bets on several hands. He will take several tricks and leave. They will come back on another shift and do this again. They will move to another casino with a cooperating dealer and do it again. Another technique for earning smaller amounts at a steady pace required him to have a dealer as his partner. Dustin Marks on Techniques We learn many techniques to get better odds, some even legal. One is called card palming. He could keep an extra card in one hand and switch it out with a bad card in his hand. Another is “pressing your bet.” In that technique, if the player gets a very good hand, say a 19 or above, he can slip another chip on the betting line to increase his bet after he knows his hand is good. Justin said how the same thing applies if he got a bad hand, and he talked about ways to take away a chip and lower the bet. The legal method of getting an edge is to find a dealer who is sloppy and might show cards as he dealt. The Cheater’s Appearance One of the main lessons Dustin Marks learned as he cheated casinos was he needed to blend into the background and not draw attention to himself. he explained how the cameras are really designed to prevent the dealer from stealing and to provide evidence for lawsuits. If the guys watching the “eye in the sky” started watching the cheater because he drew attention to himself, the cheater was finished. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Jeffrey Sussman on Greg Scarpa Jan 18, 2021

Jeffrey Sussman Gary interviews Jeffrey Sussman who is the author of 15 non-fiction books. Mr. Sussman’s most recent book, Big Apple Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in New York, is the subject. He has also written extensively about professional boxing as well as the subject of Marketing. with books like Boxing and the Mob: The Notorious History of the Sweet Science; Rocky Graziano: Fists, Fame, and Fortune; Max Baer and Barney Ross: Jewish Heroes of Boxing, and Power Promoting: How to Market Your Business to The Top! Greg Scarpa In this interview, Gary and Jeffrey discuss his chapter on Greg Scarpa or the “Grim Reaper.” Scarpa started as a young mobster in the Profaci crime family. Later he will graduate to be a Capo and hitman for the the Colombo crime family. He will fuel his success as a gangster by making a deal with the FBI. During his entire mob career Greg Scarpa acted as an informant in exchange for Burau turning a blind eye to his crimes. The Grim Reaper and the KKK During the summer of 1964, KKK members murdered three Civil Rights workers as they drove through the small town of Philadelphia Mississippi. The FBI sent many agents to solve this crime as seen in the film, Mississippi Burning with Gene Hackman. In that movie, hackman depicted a rouge FBI agent who threatened sexual torture to solve this crime and locate the victim’s bodies. In reality, Jeffrey tells us the FBI brought their prize informant down, gave him a gun, and pointed out the most likely suspects. Scarpa kidnapped an appliance store owner by buying television and taking him prisoner as he delivered the TV. Greg Scarpa beat the man to a bloody pulp and when he still refused to divulge the perpetrators and location of the bodies, Scarpa threatened castration. The man quickly confessed. A grateful FBI paid Scarpa $100,000 as a reward. They pointed him at another unsolved murder and when they refused to pay him another $100,000, he returned to New york. Greg Scarpa Loses an Eye On December 29, 1992, Greg Scarpa was on house arrest and wearing an electronic monitoring device. Lucchese family mobsters, Michael DeRosa and Ronald Moran, were doing a drug deal with Scarpa’s son, Joey Scarpa. They tried to cheat him over the money and threatened to kill him. Joey Scarpa told his Dad about this intimidation and the father and son hit the streets looking for retribution. Even though he was being monitored by his ankle monitor, the father and son drove to DeRosa’s house. During a short gun battle, they shot DeRosa. Ronald Moran was there and he fired back. Scarpa was wounded in his eye. Scarpa and his son drive back home where he poured whisky into his wound. The phone was bringing and he told the caller from the monitoring company that he had just stepped out to the pharmacy to get some medicine. Prosecutors learned about the ambush and revoked Scarpa’s house arrest. The Mobster gets AIDS Prison and death During the time of the above gunfight, Greg Scarpa was suffering from HIV and was into full-blown AIDS. He had received his infection from a blood transfusion. In a lawsuit against his doctor, the court learned about another complaint filed against this defendant doctor for allegedly sedating two different male patients. While they were under sedation, the doctor supposedly sodomized the patients. Mr. Sussman tells us the judge, in this case, remarked, “let’s see here we have a mafia hitman plaintiff and a defendant medical doctor who is accused of sedating and sodomizing patient.” Scarpa settled for $300,000 in cash payments to his family. On December 15, 1993, a federal judge sentenced Greg Scarpa. On June 4, 1994, Gregory Scarpa Sr. died in the Federal Medical Center (FMC) for prisoners in Rochester, Minnesota, from AIDS-related complications. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Chris Paciello – South Beach Celebrity Jan 11, 2021

Chris Paciello – The early days Chris Paciello was born Christian Ludwigsen in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn to an Italian mother and non-Italian father who was an addict and a petty thief. Chris’s father was a street guy who rarely took care of his family. His mother moved Chris to an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn and they began using her maiden name, Paciello. Chris started as a petty thief, boosting car stereos at age 15, and graduated to stealing cars. He became close with the New Springfield Boys, a young crew often used by both the Colombo and Bonanno families for small jobs, arson, robbery, intimidation. Like most young men of the 1980s-90s, they dabbled in street-level drug dealing. Paciello maintained his mafia connections for use later in his criminal career. Chris Paciello – First big score Paciello got his first big break in the early 90s when he noticed some young guys loading bales of marijuana into a panel truck. Chris was always quick to see an opportunity and he followed the panel truck until the men dropped it on the street and left it unguarded. Chris knew how to hotwire an automobile so he called in his crew and they took the marijuana. Since Paciello was in a group with mafia connections, a Bonanno Capo named Anthony Graziano demanded a piece of this theft. Graziano demanded $50,000 in cash. Paciello gladly paid this tribute because they actually made over three times that amount. Chris Paciello – Armed Robbery Chris Paciello and the New Springfield Boys decide to go for the big money and robbed six banks over the next few months after the marijuana caper. Modeling themselves after the Point Break robbery crew, they meticulously planned each robbery. They cased the locations, used crash cars, knew the schedules of the armored car arrivals and the personal schedules of every bank employee. Paciello was building for the future with each bank robbery and one even netted them over $300,000. Chris Paciello – A job goes wrong Paciello was always on the prowl for a bigger job and more money. He was a thinking robber and looked into the porn industry because they usually dealt in cash. He learned about a porn magnate named Sami Shemtov who owned many porn shops in New York City. Even while many of these porn stores were co-owned by mob members, Paciello started running surveillance on Shemtov. he learned where he lived and believed he must keep a cash hoard inside his home Chris recruited outside his normal crew and convinced mob associates and members of a Bonanno crew called the Bath Avenue crew to help him. Bonnano associates Jimmy Calendra and Tommy Reynolds went to Shemtov’s home. Reynolds was a crack addit and unreliable to the poin that he spent the whole day smoking in preparation for the home invasion. Paciello and his crew arrived at Shemtov’s. Calendra and Reynolds went to the door, while Paciello waited in the car. Shemtov’s wife answered the door. Reynolds was jittery and afraid and for some reason he pulled his trigger killing Ms. Chemtov in front of her 9-year old daughter. The two men fled back to Pacielloo and the getaway car with no money. Newspapers later reported that Shemtov diod not have a safe and did to keep his store rfeceiuopts at home. Chris Paciello – Still out there Paciello left New York after this crime and invested much of his money into a Miami South Beach club called Risk. During this time, he hedged his bets and started proving the FBI information. He was very successful in the Miami club scene and sooner partnered with a local celebrity named Ingrid Casares and opened Club Liquid. He became friends with many movie stars and music legends like Madonna during these days. On December 1, 1999, New York charged Paciello in the 1993 murder of Judith Shemtov. Sofia Vergara and other wealthy customers of his South Beach club posted his three million dollar bail. After a year of negotiation, Paciello pleaded guilty to s single racketeering charge. The court was sentenced Paciello to ten years in prison. In return, he admitted he drove the getaway car after the attempted robbery of the Shemtov home. Paciello also testified against members of the Bonanno family. In September 2006, he was released after serving six years in prison. Since that release, Paciello has opened several south Beach night clubs and lives down there today. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast To listen on Pandora https://www.pandora.com/podcast/gangland-wire/PC:56748

Ron Fino – Mr. Undercover Dec 28, 2020

Ron Fino- Undercover Contractor This is the audio from a Zoom call in which the Gangland Wire Supporters and I talk with Mr. Undercover, Ron Fino. Ron started as a Union business manager in the Buffalo New York area. His father was a member of the Buffalo Family under Stephano Maggadino. He saw how the mob abused their power and harmed union employees. Ron has always looked out for the folks with less power over their circumstances. Mr. Fino contacted the FBI and volunteered his services. They had him sign a contract to work for them as a paid undercover agent. Throughout his career, Ron passed along information on the Buffalo family, the Chicago Outfit, the Cleveland mob, New York City mobsters, the Russian mob, and he even passed along information from the west coast crime families. Later in his life, the FBI and CIA coordinated and sent him into Middle Eastern terrorist organizations to uncover arms deals. Ron Fino and his exploits are documented in his book, Mr. Undercover. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Joe Pistone and Deep Cover Dec 14, 2020

Joe Pistone Podcast In this episode, Gary interviews the famous retired FBI Agent Joe Pistone aka Donnie Brasko, and his podcasting partner Leo Rossi. Joe Pistone has started his own true-crime podcast based on stories from his 6-year undercover assignment. Agent Joe Pistone infiltrated the Bonanno Crime Family. He tells about working with Lefty Ruggerio and other stories. This podcast is titled Deep Cover and you can find it on all podcast apps. Click here to find their website Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos This week on December 16th, Amazon will allow free downloads of my book, Leaving Vegas. This is the second of a limited duration Christmas present for listeners and their friends. Be sure and tell everybody and share on your social media outlets. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Jack Garcia aka Jack Falcone Dec 07, 2020

Jack Garcia – the early days Joaquin “Jack” Garcia was actually born in pre-Castro Cuba. His family immigrated to the U.S. in the early days of Castro because his father was going to be arrested by the new regime. As a child, Jack was often the target of bullies because he did not speak English. His size and demeanor quickly put an end to the bullying. He grew into a 6′ 4″ 250-pound college football player. he became interested in law enforcement and tried several times to join the FBI. Finally, he saw an advertisement that the FBI was looking for native Spanish speakers and applied to that program. When he was finally accepted after many attempts, he learned the Bureau had rejected him before because they learned the CIA had a file on him and his family. Jack Garcia – first undercover assignment The FBI, after rejecting him for being Cuban born, took advantage of his natural Cuban accented Spanish. Jack chose the undercover name, Jack Falcone. TheFBI assigned him to work on Omega 7, an anti-Castro Cuban terrorist group. They also had him infiltrate all the various Cuban groups in Miami, the FALN – Puerto Rican terrorist organization, and investigate Cuban spy cells sent by Castro. He found himself the target of a death threat and the Bureau sent him back to the New Jersey and New York City area. Jack Garcia – the Mafia After several years working different Hispanic narcotics gangs where he acted as a money launderer and took down a group of dirty cops in Florida, the FBI decided they might send him into a mafia group. he was able to befriend a Gambino capo, named Greg DePalma. DePalma loved to use Garcia’s size to intimidate other mobsters and associates. Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos This week on December 19th and 11th, Amazon will allow free downloads of my book, Leaving Vegas. This is a two-day only Chrs=istmas present for listeners and their friends. Be sure and tell everybody and share on your social media outlets. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Frankie Carbo Nov 30, 2020

Frankie Carbo- the early years Paul John Carbo (born Paolo Giovanni Carbo; AKA Frankie Carbo was a New York City Mafia soldier in the Lucchese crime family. He was a gunman and assassin for “Lepke” Louis Buchalter in the Murder Inc. organization. Authorities arrested Carbo seventeen times for murder. He will gravitate to California and continue his murderous habits. In 1939, he was a suspect in the murder of informant Harry “Big Greenie” Greenberg in California. “Kid Twist” Abe Reles agreed to testify against Franky Carbo in this case. In one of the most famous suspicious deaths in mob history, Kid Twist Reles will either be pushed out a window or otherwise sustain a fatal fall from an 8th story window while under police protection. The prosecutor dismissed the case against Carbo. Informants at the time claimed Carbo was responsible for murdering Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel in Beverly Hills, California in 1947. Boxing Promoter During World War II, Carbo started promoting boxing matches in California. He joined with a group of other boxing promoters known as the Combination. They will become successful and promote many high-profile matches and fix those same matches for Mob gambling interests. Frankie Carbo had become the mob’s unofficial commissioner for boxing and controlled many fighters. They did not put in the fix on every fight. One of the more famous fixes was Kid Galivan and Johnny Saxon. Carbo Lieutenant, Blinky Palermo from Philadelphia, controlled Saxon. After a fifteen-round fight, the referees awarded the match to Saxton. Most boxing fans believed Kid Galivan won that match. Franky Carbo and Sonny Liston By 1959, Franky Carbo and his partner Blinky Palermo owned a piece of heavyweight boxer Sonny Liston. He would win the World Heavyweight Championship in 1962. From the start of his pro career in 1953, St. Louis crime family mobster John Vitale had been an owner of Liston’s first contract and he sold a piece of Liston to Carbo and Blinky Palermo. At the time, Carbo was imprisoned after the government convicted him of the undercover management of prize-fighters and unlicensed matchmaking. At the time law enforcement and the entire sports world knew that Vitale and other mobsters-controlled Liston’s contract. Liston fought 12 fights under the control of Vitale, Carbo, and Palermo. Franky Carbo and Legal troubles After serving a sentence for racketeering in 1960, a Senate investigation committee on mob influence on boxing subpoenaed Carbo and others to a hearing. Franky Carbo took the Fifth Amendment 25 times, answering “I cannot be compelled to be a witness against myself.” In 1961, after that hearing, the FBI made a case of conspiracy and extortion on Carbo and Palmero. This was for threats made to the National Boxing Association Welterweight Champion Don Jordan. Attorney General Robert Kennedy served as a prosecutor and the court sentenced Carbo to 25 years in Alcatraz Island Penitentiary. Granted early parole due to ill health, Carbo was released from prison. He died in Miami Beach, Florida on November 22, 1976. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Listener Zoom call How Larry Newman committed murder In McHenry Nov 23, 2020

Larry Newman Committed Murder in McHenry County Paul Scharff learned who murdered his father years before from his former babysitter. Paul’s father, Ron Scharff, was closing his neighborhood tavern on June 2, 1981. A man walks in that Ron knew. What he did not know was that this man was carrying a grudge because Ron had thrown the guy’s ex-wife out of the bar, and she complained that he had disrespected her. Larry Newman was a murderer who served several years for a triple murder of some folks he felt had disrespected him. he took the bar owner, Ron Scharff, and his barmaid into the back room and coldly executed them. He flew back to las Vegas and rejoined his crew popularly known as the Hole in the Wall Gang. Chicago mob enforcer Frank Culotta ran this gang for Outfit member Tony Spilotro. Frank had told Newman not to carry out his vendetta. Frank and Spiolotro were both terrified of Newman, and he committed the crime and even told Frank when he returned. A few years later when Frnka enters the witness protection program and his deal required him to testify about any crime where he was a participant or even had any knowledge. Today’s guest on this fan Zoom call tells his story of how he learned who murdered his father, his subsequent mission to force the Mchenry County Sheriff’s office to acknowledge this fact, and his campaign to root out corruption in this county. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Diamond Jim Moran Nov 16, 2020

Diamond Jim Moran and New Orleans Bobby Brocato Jr, nephew of the famous Diamond Jim Moran, aka James Brocato, has published a New Orleans history/Mafia history/New Orleans cuisine cookbook/family history book titled Food for Kings: A New Orleans Legend. In this episode, I interview Mr. Brocato about his famous grandfather. Diamond Jim Moran, the Boxer Diamond Jim Moran started life as an Italian immigrant who shined shoes on the streets of New Orleans. As a teenager, he found he had a talent and love for the sport of boxing. Just like Joey Aiuppa, Chicago outfit boss, he changed his name to the Irish Moran to attract more fans to his corner. He had a reasonably successful boxing career but moved into refereeing to earn money. He made friends with many celebrities, sports figures, mobsters, and politicians during his boxing career. Diamond Jim Moran and Prohibition Diamond Jim opened his first restaurant during Prohibition. Ming Toy, an Irish Chinese joint, had the usual speakeasy upstairs. Here Diamond Jim created relationships with Louisiana state and local politicians of the era. He would become remarkably close with the famous Huey P. Long and even serve as his bodyguard on occasion. Because of his prohibition connections, he became an associate of the New York mobster, Frank Costello, who was installing slot machines in New Orleans and later in the entire state. Diamond Jim alleged that Costello tipped him about a plot to assassinate Huey P. Long. Diamond Jim Moran and the La Louisiane Diamond Jim became wealthy from his various business dealings and bought the famous La Louisiane restaurant in New Orleans. Here he was host to many of America’s celebrities. Because of their shared Italian heritage, Diamond Jim and baseball player Joe DiMaggio would have a lifelong friendship. It was an accident during the preparation of meatballs that became Diamond Jim’s claim to fame. He knew he must not miss an opportunity for publicity. One day, his wife lost her diamond engagement ring while making meatballs. Diamond Jim knew that his wife had cooked her ring inside a meatball, and a customer would find that ring. He announced that night that a customer would discover this diamond ring in a meatball, and they may keep it. Diamond Jim told his wife not to worry because this stunt will earn him enough to buy her a bigger diamond. He was correct, and this became a periodic publicity stunt. He would get an inexpensive diamond ring and place it in a meatball and advertise this as the place where you may find a diamond-studded meatball in the order. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

The Trenchcoat Robbers Nov 09, 2020

William Kirkpatrick – Big Trenchcoat Robber This is the story of the trenchcoat robbers, one of the most successful bank robbery teams in all history. In the 1970s, William Kirkpatrick was often followed by the KC Police Intelligence Unit because he was a well-known booster or shoplifter connected to the Mob. I remember we once got information from a small town in Illinois where he had been caught by a random patrol car as he was trying to steal a car. He was on foot and the cops found he was dressed in black, had a pistol in a shoulder holster, and was carrying a mask in his pocket. We never figured out what he was doing at that time. We will learn later that he was stealing a car to use in a bank robbery. During the 1970s-1980s Kirkpatrick was well known for stealing record albums and fencing them with a Kansas City mob guy named Tiger Cardarella. Tiger had Tiger’s Records and it was the most popular record store in KC because he had all the newest releases and they were always discounted to about 75% of the sticker price. One time an ATF agent and myself noticed his car, a large 1975 Thunderbird was parked at a Ford dealership. We had heard he had special air shocks so when he filled his truck with record albums, the car would not sink to an unnatural level. So, we approached the service manager and asked for his help. He gave us the keys and we checked the trunk and found it filled to the brim with record albums and looking underneath, we saw the air shocks. Over the next few years, our friend Billie Kirkpatrick will graduate from boosting trips to a more dangerous yet more lucrative criminal activity. Bank Robbery! William Kirkpatrick was kind of a good old boy who grew up around mob members and other professional criminals in northeast Kansas City. Ray Bowman – Small Trenchcoat Robber Ray Bowman became the second man in the Trenchcoat Robbers team. During these years, he met another record booster named Ray Bowman. Both Kirkpatrick and Bowman sold all their record albums to a Kansas City mafia member named Tiger Cardarella. Tiger gave these men and a whole stable of other boosters shopping lists of record albums, tennis rackets, watches, leather coats, and other goods he would buy. Tiger had a famous record store named Tiger’s Records. Every booster in the city wanted to get Ray Bowman as a partner because he was very close-mouthed, He maintained good practices and procedures like he always scoped out the record stores and looked for the lazy and indifferent clerks before he boosted. Ray Bowman and William Kirkpatrick had known each other for many years and they started working together. During this time, Ray Bowman lived a big-spending fast lifestyle. He spent all his money on cocaine for club girls, rented limos, owned a Corvette, dressed in expensive clothes, and splurged on thousand-dollar dinners with his friends. A girlfriend at the time remembered that he was very antigovernment and was a survivalist. He purchased guns and ammo that he kept in a special locked room in his house. These guys made boosting outfits consisting of oversize pants and shirts with special pockets and long trench coats with booster sleeves or hidden pockets in the lining where they would conceal the albums. Bank Robberies After a series of successful bank robberies, this team perfected their disguises by always wearing trenchcoats. The FBI codenamed them the Trenchcoat Robbers. In 1997, they made a big score. In January both men met in suburban Tacoma Washington. They checked into a local hotel, ate out in the best restaurants, and even attended a piano concert. They staked out the Seafirst bank of Lakeland Washington. For one month they surveilled the bank and its activities. They figured out they always had a large amount of cash when it was payday at a nearby Army base. They noticed this bank took in excess cash from other branches and cash from an Indian casino. On Feb 10, 1997, Kirkpatrick used a Jeep master key he had made to steal a nice new Jeep Grand Cherokee. When they got to the bank, they slipped a lock on the side door and entered the lobby to find a few employees. Both men wore the trenchcoats plus an FBI hat, sunglasses, gloves, and Kirkpatrick had an earpiece attached to a police scanner. They unloaded several carts filled with cash into duffle bags. They left the women tied to the carts with zip ties and they exited the bank with 350 pounds of cash. This is how much 4 and ½ million dollars must weigh. FBI Agents flooded into the city. They checked every motel and hotel. They found the abandoned Jeep Commander and it was wiped clean. No fingerprints at the robbery and disguises prevented the cameras from helping. Immediately after the robbery, the cops and FBI agents did roadblocks on I-5 to no avail. The bandits had already escaped south to Portland and were in a motel. They split the money in half, and each made their own way back home. Capture In Kansas City Ray Bowman forgot to keep his storage locker rent paid and the locker manager entered his unit. He found guns, anti-government literature, disguises, and other suspicious items. he called the ATF and a tap was placed on his home phone. They heard suspicious calls to a rural Minnesota home. William Kirkpatrick and his wife lived in the Minnesota cabin they had specially built on the shores of Lake Superior. Kirkpatrick had a dispute over a payment to a local contractor and that led to trouble. Kirkpatrick paid the contractor thousands in cash. After the dispute, the contractor called the IRS. After the IRS agent visited them at home where Kirkpatrick was living under an alias, he panicked. He had stashed his loot from the Lakeland Washington robbery in a Las Vegas bank deposit box. He drove to Las Vegas, retrieved his cash, and started driving back to Minnesota. A state trooper stopped him in Nebraska and the trooper became suspicious of his story. Looking for narcotics or drug money, the trooper searched the car and found over two million dollars with some of the bank wrappers. The trooper also found four guns and various disguises. When his wife responded to the courthouse in Lincoln, Nebraska, agents arrested her for conspiracy. She broke down and implicated Ray Bowman. Agents arrested him and served search warrants at his house. They found more evidence linking the pair to the Seafirst robbery like the license number to the janitor’s car, wigs, fake beards and mustaches, blank car keys. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Halloween Extra – St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Oct 31, 2020

The Massacre on St. Valentine’s Day Gary investigates follows the journey of the bullet-riddled bricks for the wall where four assailants lined up seven members of the Bugs Moran gang and shot them down. This podcast includes an interview with Geoff Shumacher, Director of the Mob Museum, about how they obtained the bricks and about their current display. On St. Valentine’s Day morning in 1929 four men, two of them wearing police uniforms, wheeled up in front of the Clark Street building housing the S.M.C. Cartage Co. They arrived in a Cadillac touring car, with big running boards similar to those used by police detectives. They entered into a long, narrow garage where they surprised seven members or followers of the Bugs Moran gang and got the drop on them with Tommy guns and shotguns. The seven were lined up against the north wall with their hands raised above their heads. The occupants of the garage turned and faced the bricks with a minimum of protest, no doubt thinking it was just another innocuous police raid. Then the counterfeit cops opened fire with military precision, sending as many as 100 rounds of ammunition into the unsuspecting victims as they collapsed in bloody heaps. The two uniformed cops then marched the other two murderers out as if they were under arrest and drove away. It has been learned that Al Capone hired Fred “Killer” Burke and three other former members of Egan’s Rats, a St. Louis gang, to carry out this attack. The S.M.C. Cartage Building The building at 2122 Clark Street (click the highlighted link to see) quickly became an unofficial tourist attraction after newspapers printed the photos of the corpses and named the location. In 1949, a young couple turned the building into an antique furniture business. They had no idea of the building’s bloody past. They soon learned of the building’s bloody past when more tourists and curiosity-seekers than customers visited. The business closed and in 1967, the building was demolished leaving the bullet-riddled wall from the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. The Death Wall A Canadian businessman George Patey read about the demolition and he called Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. The mayor’s office told Patey to call the National Wrecking Co., which was knocking down the garage. After Mr. Patey negotiated the purchase with the Wrecking company, he purchased all the bricks that made up the wall the victims stood against as they were murdered on St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. The wrecking company sold the 7 1/2-foot-wide by 11-foot-high that had bullet-riddled bricks for an unknown price. The Exhibition of the Wall During that time, thousands of tourists had visited the death car of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow and Mr. Patey knew this was a valuable tourist attraction. In 1973 a casino owner purchased the blood-spattered 1934 Ford for $175,000 at an antique automobile auction. The death car today is displayed at Whiskey Pete’s Hotel and Casino in Primm Nevada. Mr. Patey had each of the 417 bricks numbered and packed in sequence and stored in seven barrels. He then had the wall reconstructed but everyplace he tried to display the artifact, in Canada a p[public outcry stopped the display. Patey offered the bullet-scarred wall to a crime museum, but the museum failed. Finally, in 1972, he opened a night club called the Banjo Palace. He rebuilt the all in the men’s restroom. He covered it with glass and made it into the back wall of the men’s urinal. Above the urinal, Patey placed a sign that said, “Piss On It. It’s History Down the Drain!” The women customers were so excited about seeing the wall that they would even enter the man’s bathroom while the men were using it. When he closed the club and had wall deconstructed, he found that 7 bricks from the original 417 were missing. These bricks have never been found. Missing Bricks from the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre The Chicago Tribune searched police records for the missing bricks and could not find them. They searched the archives and evidence room of the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office and were unable to find any record that they were ever stored as evidence. Patey heard a rumor that they were taken during the filming of “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” in 1967, starring Jason Robards and George Segal. He checked with Segal’s agent who denied he has ever owned such a brick. Bad Luck for Brick Owners George Patey did sell some of the bricks for $1,000.00 each. He included a letter of authenticity with each brick. He found that he was getting back as many as he sold. It seemed that anyone who bought one of the bricks was suddenly stricken with bad luck in the form of illness, financial ruin, divorce, and even death just like the members of the Moran gang murdered in the St. Valentine’s Day massacre. Mob Museum and their St. Valentine’s Day Massacre display I interviewed the Director of the Las Vegas Mob Museum, Geoff Shumacher, and he related the same basic story about the history of the wall bricks. He said the museum purchased the majority of the wall bricks for a St. Valentine’s Day massacre display and it is one of their most popular exhibits. Since the museum opened they have purchased some of the missing bricks along with the authentication letter. He said he has not seen any ghostly apparitions around the display but visitors and staff have reported some strange happenings. 2122 Clark Street Over the past years, many Chicagoans have reported passing by the massacre scene and heard strange noises like screams and gunshots. Dogs often bark and growl when walking by. Currently, the location is an empty lot with grass and 5 trees. The middle tree on the lot is placed exactly where the murder wall was in 1929. Show Notes by Gray Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

The Grave Robbing Mobsters Oct 26, 2020

The Grave Avron Goldbogen or Michael Todd started in the construction business and then got his start in the film industry when he worked on soundproofing stage sets when the pictures changed from silent to talking films. He would go bankrupt during the depression but soon rebounded first ventures into the construction business. After WW II, Michael Todd worked on a new big-screen film process called Cinerama. He then broke off and developed another Widescreen film process that would become known as Todd-AO. His first success was a film version of a popular musical, Oklahoma. His next big hit was Around the World in 80 days, which would win an Academy Award for the Best Picture of 1957. In 1958, Michael Todd was killed in an airplane crash. He was at the high point of his career. At that time, he was married to the most popular and beautiful actress in Hollywood, Elizabeth Taylor. They lived the Hollywood legend throwing grandiose parties on a lavish. After he died, Michael Todd left an estate estimated from $3 million to $5 million. After his death and internment, a story circulated that Elizabeth Taylor placed a 10-caret diamond ring valued at $100,000.00 on her husband’s finger before his burial. Anyone who did even a little research about the accident could figure out that Michael Todd hadn’t enough body left for Elizabeth to put any ring. Reporters questioned the manager of the Albuquerque, N.M. funeral home that processed Todd’s body immediately after the crash, and they learned that Todd’s body had been burned “100 percent” and had to be identified by dental charts. He said, “We did not attempt to embalm Mr. Todd’s body.” A spokesman for Miss Taylor said that to their knowledge, there were no valuables in the grave. After a well-attended funeral in Todd’s native Chicago, the family buried his few remains inside a full-size casket for the show: this was in the Jewish Waldheim Cemetery in the Chicago suburb of Forest Park. The Crime In June of 1977, 20 years later, a lady visiting a nearby grave noticed a recently open grave under the headstone containing the names of Avrom Hirsch Goldbogen and Michael Todd. Responding authorities quickly learned this was the grave of the famous movie director, Michael Todd, and the third husband of movie star Elizabeth Taylor. The Chicago police described this grave as being 100 feet south of Roosevelt Road, just west of Des Plaines Avenue. They found that unknown persons had opened the casket, and the remains of Mr. Todd were missing. They speculated the graverobbers had to do their digging sometime between 5 p.m. Friday, when the cemetery closed, and Sunday morning when it reopened. Their investigation noted the gravediggers buried the casket only about 4 ½ feet deep in the Congregation Beth Aaron section of the cemetery. Hidden by large branches they placed near the gravesite, the thieves pried open the coffin’s bronze lid and smashed through a glass case to remove the remains. Crime scene technicians could not find any fingerprints, and searchers found some digging tools they believe were used by the graverobbers. Forest Park police received no other complaints about disturbing graves in the cemetery. The cops got in touch with Elizabeth Taylor and learned she had received no threats or ransom demands, and, in an unusual coincidence, she visited the grave the previous Friday was the first time in years. She said she had some time to kill between flights at a stopover at O’Hare International Airport. Within a couple of weeks, the famous Hollywood private eye, Anthony Pellicano, got involved. He claimed he received instructions from an informant on where to find the body. He directed cemetery workers to a plastic body bag with human remains inside hidden under a pile of branches and leaves in an out of the way section of the Jewish Waldheim cemetery. Of note, they could see a heavy canvas web belt like an airplane seatbelt inside the bag with the remains. An investigation determined these were the remains of movie producer Michael Todd. Pellicano told police his informant suggested that the thieves may have removed the body in the belief that they might find a 10-carat diamond ring on Todd’s finger. Ms. Taylor and the rest of the family reassured police that Mr. Todd was not buried with any jewelry. Who Done It Three years later, in an unrelated situation, authorities will be able to solve this crime. In 1980, after being caught with a load of stolen furs, FBI agents turned Chicago Outfit thief Sal Romano into a government witness and undercover agent. The agents assigned Romano to infiltrate Tony Spilotro’s Hole in the Wall Gang. As we have talked about several times in the podcast, Frank Cullotta was the street boss of this gang. He took Romano in for a big score despite his suspicions – because Spilotro demanded it. He wanted Romano in his band of thieves because of his expertise with electronic alarms like motion detectors and other sophisticated devices. Another Chicago Outfit thief and gang member named Peter Basile vouched for Romano because they had stolen together before. On the 4th of July weekend in 1981, Sal Romano came out of the closet. Sal set up the gang for the Las Vegas Metro Intelligence Unit and the FBI Organized crime surveillance squad. They had a big burglary score planned. When Frank Cullotta and his Hole in the Wall Gang entered Bertha’s Gifts and Furnishings through the roof, the waiting cops and agents swooped in, and Sal Romano disappeared. When FBI agents thoroughly debriefed Sal of all the crimes, he claimed that Peter Basile bragged about robbing the grave of Michael Todd. Romano alleged that Basile told him right after the incident that Salvatore Romano, a government informant, now claims that Basile told him in 1977 that he and Glen DeVos had gone to Todd’s grave and dug up his body in search of the rumored ring. Frank Cullotta, another hole in the Wall member who turned informant, reported that Basile told him the same story in 1982. Romano claimed that Peter Basile told him he had heard about the 10-caret diamond ring buried on Mr. Todd’s hand and that he found the gravesite and then took a very drunk Glen DeVos along to help dig up the body. Reportedly Basile made Devos do the digging. He also confirmed that Basile told him that after they rummaged through the burned decomposed remains of Mick Todd, they found no ring. He did say that they saw what looked like a web strap like an airplane seatbelt. According to Romano, Basile said that after the graverobbers uncovered the casket, they broke through the top of the casket. They rummaged through a body bag containing Todd’s body and were unable to find the ring. The Informant A little more about Sal, he testified at the Family Secrets trial, and he said he had a “rather good” childhood and ran into the right people to become involved in burglaries. “Locks and alarms fascinated me,” he testified, telling jurors he would buy locks and take them apart to see how they worked. “I developed skills in those things.” Romano said, “At 26 or 27 years old, I began burglarizing different types of coin-operated machines around Chicago.” If he got caught, he would pay off the police or the court officials. Romano testified. “You indirectly paid the lawyer they requested you get.” The Mastermind In regards to Peter Basile, he did not go on the Bertha’s score, but law enforcement looked at him for various other crimes besides the grave robbing. They learned he might have been involved in a conspiracy to commit robbery in a 1983 attempted robbery of the Balmoral Racetrack at Crete, Illinois. An Outfit burglar named Paul Peanuts Panczko had worn a wire on another Outfit killer and thief named Gerald Gerry Scarpelli connected with this robbery. FBI agents learned that Scarpelli and Basile had committed several Brinks armored car robberies, and Scarpelli was nervous about him. When they told Basile that Scarpelli planned on killing him, he realized he had no other choice but to break the Mob’s code of silence. For 16 months, he wore a wire and helped the FBI listen in on his chats with Scarpelli and other associates before serving a few years in prison for the race track robbery and slipping into a witness protection program in the early 1990s. During one of his recordings of Scarpelli, the FBI first learned of the famous mob graveyard in DuPage County. Basile later took them to the site. The FBI heard there could be as many as seven bodies buried in the field. They would eventually find three bodies, I think. Basile went into witness protection and re-emerged briefly in June 1996 at a U.S. Senate judiciary committee hearing. “I finally decided to do something because it seemed there was no way out,” he testified. “I began informing on the mob.” The secret tapes Basile made led to Scarpelli’s arrest in July 1988. Scarpelli committed suicide in Cook County jail a year later. He gave a 500-page confession that exposed many mob secrets. He also admitted to 10 murders, including some in the Family Secrets trial. Show Notes by Camillius Robinson Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Jerry Catena Oct 19, 2020

Jerry Catena the early years Gerardo Jerry Catena was born in 1902 in South Orange, NJ. He made early connections to Jewish gangster “Longy” Zwillman working as a bodyguard and chauffeur. Later, he worked for racketeer Willie Moretti—the inspiration for Luca Brasi. Through Moretti, Catena made connections with Luciano, Costello, Adonis, and Genovese, and took part in the Castelamarese War. Catena had a younger brother, Gene, who followed him into the rackets. The Catena brothers were both very smart, capable leaders, but Jerry was very business savvy. He learned from “Longy” Zwillman to diversify his interests, and Catena had as many legal businesses as illegal. He was the kind of man Sammy Gravano would describe as a “racketeer and a gangster.” Jerry Catena was close with Frank Costello and had heavy interests in gambling making him a millionaire. But he could also read the tea leaves—Catena was the underboss of New Jersey under Vito Genovese, and he knew Don Vito was making moves. While Catena was in charge of all Luciano/Costello Family interests in New Jersey, capos Tony “Bender” Strollo, Mike Miraglia, and Tommy Eboli were also turning on Costello. When Costello was shot, Genovese became boss, and Catena had Jersey all to himself—he even attended the Apalachin Meeting with Genovese in 1957 and was arrested. Jerry Catena and the Great Atlanta & Pacific Tea Co. (A & P) Catena owned points in the Sands, the Fremont, and the Horseshoe Casinos, and was a major stockholder in Bally Corp, the jukebox, pinball, and slot machine manufacturer. The Chicago Outfit also had a large interest in Bally. For our story though, the Catena Brothers owned a distributing firm called Best Sales. Best Sales got a contract from Ecology Corp, a subsidiary of the North American Chemical Co to distribute a detergent called “Poly-Clean.” The problem is the FDA had labeled their product “dangerous to users.” That didn’t bother the Catena brothers. The North American Company’s sales jumped from $3,000,000 to $5,000,000 in one year when Best Sales became their exclusive distributor. Some might call their methods unorthodox, others would say that burning down any store that doesn’t buy palates of Poly-Clean was just high-pressure sales in 1960s North Jersey. Membership has its benefits. The Catena brothers sent representatives to the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. (A&P) grocery store chain. A&P did their research and wanted no part of substandard detergent. The Catena brothers had other ideas. Suddenly, A&P stores started burning down, first one, then another…six stores totaling $60 million in damages. However, A&P was a national chain. They didn’t realize they were being “muscled.” Several managers were beaten, two were murdered, one died by suicide. Gene Catena was recorded saying he wanted to “knock A&P’s brains in.” A&P contacted law enforcement, and even with New Jersey corruption, a federal investigation into arson and the deaths of supermarket employees is unwanted. The Catena brothers had to back off. Later, in 1967, North American Chemical realized who owned Best Sales, they tried to discontinue their relationship. It didn’t look good to be in business with leg-breakers. Jerry Catena agreed that North American must pay him $24,000 a year for 13 years to stop sales on North American’s behalf. He literally extorted this payment. Later, in 1970, long after the Catenas had shut down Best Sales, North American was still in business. So much so that the government seized 938 cases a toxic detergent with the names “Ecolo-G,” and “Bohack.” Maybe North American Chemical could have taught the Catenas a few things. As a company, they believed there was no reason to get rid of a good-selling product just because some law labels it “dangerous to consumers.” They gave it a catchy name, called in the mob to be their sole distributor, and made millions. Later, when the mob got too pushy, they paid them less than 10% to take a hike, they changed the name again and kept on selling the same product labeled as dangerous 7 years earlier. In this case, the so-called legitimate company were the real mobsters, and the mafia, they never had a chance. Show Notes by Camillius Robinson Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Gay Bars and the Mafia Oct 12, 2020

Genovese Capo Matty the Horse Ianiello and Gay Bars Author Phillip Crawford Jr. has released a dramatic and shocking account, The Mafia and the Gays, showing how the New York Mafia and the Chicago Outfit used the societal fear and loathing of to earn money. The Genovese man who oversaw the segment of Mob business was Matty the Horse Ianiello. He is known best for his control of Manhatten’s Times Square and 42nd Street Combat Zone of peep shows, strip clubs, and gay bars. In the 1950s-1960s, homosexual acts were banned by most state laws and city ordinances. Vice Units of most large city police departments spent a certain amount of their time in enforcing these laws. They often targeted taverns catering to gay men and women. The mob and men like Matty the Horse Ianiello had connections with the cops and for a piece of the action or a fee, they could buy off a Vice Unit and prevent raids. Mr. Crawford did extensive research and supports his stories with excerpts from Freedom of Information Act requests from FBI files. Gay Bars and Frank Costello Frank Costello associate and jukebox king Alfred Miniaci funded dozens of gay bars and other joints controlled by the Mafia in the 1950s and 1960s including the Peppermint Lounge. Miniaci supplied slot machines in the 1930s to Frank Costello. He actually had dinner with Costello on May 2, 1957, the night he was shot. Vito Genovese Crawford reports that during a messy divorce from Vito Genovese, Anna Genovese testified that her husband controlled several gay clubs using frontmen. Among those was Club 82 where tourists enjoyed drag shows. Club 82 and several other Manhateen gay clubs became sots where addicts could find heroin dealers and Genovese took a piece of that action. Matty the Horse Ianiello helped Genovese get control of gay clubs in order that they become an integral part of Genovese narcotics distribution network. Joe Columbo In the 1970s, a man named Steve Ostrow owned and operated the iconic Continential baths. A gay bathhouse was a place where gay men could hook up and have anonymous sex with others. Ostrow has said that he used the Columbo family for trash service, jukeboxes, other vending machines, and to pay off cops. This was a huge place that dealt in cash making it a perfect mobbed-up place. He tells a story about how Ostrow was delinquent by $17,000.00 in New York State taxes. A Colombo loan shark fronted this money. Steve Ostrow was the man singing the Star Spangled Banner for Colombo when he was murdered. Joe DiVarco Mr. Crawford tells how Chicago Outfit capo DiVarco controlled the Rush Street area and all gay bars paid him off for protection against the Chicago Cops. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Zoom Call with Dennis Griffin Sep 28, 2020

Frank Cullotta RIP December 14, 1938- August 20, 2020 In this episode, Gary hosts a Zoom call with podcast supporters who have either donated money or time to keep the podcast going. Since Frank Cullotta died recently, I have true crime author Dennis Griffin as a special guest. Dennis tells many stories about his life helping Frank Cullotta compose, edit and publish the three books on his life. In addition, Dennis Griffin has written several other true crime books like Surviving the Mob: A Street Soldier’s Life inside the Gambino Crime Family with Andrew DiDonato, The Battle for Las Vegas, A Family Business: The Life and times of Joey “The Fixer” Silvestri, Wrong Number: Call Girls, Hackers and the Mob in Las Vegas, Survival: From Childhood Sexual Abuse Victim to World Boxing Champion, Rogue Town. Just click on his name to see all those books. Frank Culotta’s Las Vegas Tour Podcast listener Berry Parks of Kansas City took Frank’s tour of mob sites and Casino the movie spots recently. He was able to tell many stories from that tour. Berry said that since the pizza place was closed where Frank usually took guests and he was not hungry, they just sat in the car and Frank told stories and answered questions for about an hour. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

An Australian Fan interviews Gary Sep 21, 2020

Australian Fans Dan Bashford from Southwest Australia and I talk organized crime in both Kansas City and Australia. Dan is a long time podcast supporter and an ardent fan of all things organized crime. I got up early and did a special Zoom call with him to answer questions about the mob and my career and in the process, I asked him questions about Australian organized crime activities. Donate Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Saratoga Springs, Arnold Rothstein and the Mob Sep 14, 2020

Arnold Rothstein develops Carpet Joints Greg Veitch, retired Chief of Police has written two excellent mob history books a bit a little known but an important period of organized crime history. Starting at the turn of the century, Saratoga Springs New York developed local mineral springs and a race track into a well-known spa retreat for the rich elite of New York City. The race track gambling drew the mob to this summer retreat. Arnold Rothstein built a large opulent casino called the Brook. he drew other gamblers like Meyer Lanskey, Joe Adonis and Frank Costello. These guys and other organized crime figures copied the idea of going to a resort area, bribing local officials, and building large clubs that included floor shows, fine dining, and a casino. Soon, similar operations became known as “Carpet Joints” and they spread across the country. Greg Veitch This former chief of Police is a life long multi-generational inhabitant of Saratoga Springs. He has written two important books that tell about his town’s response to gamblers, prohibition, and political chicanery from the turn of the century to the end of the Depression. You may find his work at the below websites. Home https://www.northshire.com/book/9781605714776 https://www.northshire.com/book/9781605713496 Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast N

Niko Vorobyov and Dopeworld Sep 07, 2020

Niko Vorobyov explores the world of dope Gary interviews author Niko Vorobyov about his book Dopeworld. (click here to purchase) Listeners learn how Niko started out selling Ecstasy and Marijuana in the London rave scene and ended up doing some time in a British prison. Instead of plotting how to commit more and better crimes upon his release, Niko sharpened his writing skills like well know former prison inmate writers Seth Ferranti or Gunnar Lindblom. Niko’s plan upon his release was to emulate the great character, Hunter S. Thompson, and take his readers on a gonzo journalist trip inside the work of international drug trafficking. How to Tour a Cocaine Plantation In one story, Niko tells about taking an escorted tour of a South American cocaine plantation. He learned about this from staying in hostels in Columbia. Niko Vorobyov is one brave dude. Niko Vorobyov interviews a Phillipino death squad member When he goes to the Philippines, he learns that the dictator, Rodrigo Duterte, employs “death squads” to combat drug dealing. Niko tells about the most danger he experienced while on his worldwide tour of the narcotics world. He was able to get a face-to-face interview with a Filipino man how was part of a government death squad. Niko’s interview subject sat between Niko and the exit making him incredibly nervous. The man wore a balaclava to hide his identity and waved a pistol in Niko’s face while as he asked him how many people the man has killed. Show Notes by Gary jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Bonus – The Murder of Sol Landie Sep 03, 2020

Sol Landie and Nick Civella In January of 1970, four days before the KC Chiefs met the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV, KC bettors were laying thousands on a Chief’s victory. An FBI agent climbed a pole directly across the street from the Northview Social Club, aka The Trap, and hooked up a couple of wires. About 20 blocks away at the local FBI headquarters, Agents gathered their coffee mugs, ashtrays, and snacks and put on earphones and settled in for a long boring day. It was not but a few minutes when agents heard a bookie named Frank Tousa scolding his sub-agents and directing their activities. They heard the big bettors like Sol Landie calling. Tousa expressed concern about how much money was going down on the Chiefs. A day before the January 11 Super Bowl, they heard Tousa call Nick Civella and report they had $47,360.00 in bets on the Chiefs that he needed to lay off to another bookie. He needed to keep his book balanced. How sports gambling works The mob does not like to bet, they want an equal amount of bets on both sides of a contest. They earn their money by taking a 10% vig or lug from the losing bettors. When Tousa called Nick Civella he got him to talk about this problem and giving directions on what to do. Nick Civella was caught by his own words. The US Attorney charged Nick with running a gambling enterprise and in October 1970, Agent Bill Ouseley and his partner Lee Flosi arrested him. The Court set a $5,000 bond. The Investigation and Sol Landie Over the next few months, agents subpoenaed bettors to a grand jury. One large sports bettor was a scrapyard operator named Sol Landie. He freely admitted that he had placed the bets in question and he became an important witness because he had called in from Kansas solidifying an interstate gambling case. The Kansas City Strike Force During this same time, the US Attorney designated Kansas City as the Midwest Office for Organized Crime and Racketeering which became known as the Strike Force. They designated several of their best Associate US Attorneys as members of the Strike Force. Each federal agency, FBI, DEA, ATF, Treasury assigned certain agents to work with the Strike Force. A brilliant attorney named Michale DeFeo was designated the lead attorney and 3 other attorneys were assigned along with small support staff. They took over the Civella gambling investigation s their first case. The plan to murder Sol Landie A Mob underling named Johnny Frankovigilia, aka Johnny Franks, learned that the government witness list included the wealthy scrapyard owner Sol Landie. While it will never be known for sure, all indicators make me believe that Johnny Franks wanted to prove his worth to Nick Civella and he decided to eliminate Sol Landie. In November 1970, less than a month after Nick Civella was released on bond. Johnny Franks called an African-American associate named Thomas Jefferson Lee to his gas station at 10th and Hardesty on the northeast side of Kansas City. He offered him money to “take care of ” Sol Landie. Lee said he would see what he could do and left. Shortly after than Lee approached 4 young African American guys. Lee recruited 25-year-old Ronnie Willaims and is cousin Marquis Williams who in turn offered 17-year-old Lee Johnson and Earl Howard $1,000 each to murder a white man who owned a scrap yard’s house. He instructed them to make this murder look like a robbery because the victim was a witness against “somebody big.” The night they killed Sol Landie Lee gave Ronnie Williams gave them the address of Landie’s scrapyard and a description of his Buick Riveria along with 3 marijuana joints. They drove to the scrapyard and found the car. Willimas found out Landie lived in the 74 hundred block of Washington Street and they made a few runs until they found the Buick at a house. Later that night, because e Willimas told them Johnn Franks wanted this done before the weekend was done, they started drinking and smoking marijuana. They made three trips over to the Landie house and each time left. On the 4th trip, they parked and entered through an unlocked back door. The 3 young men found Sol Landie and his wife in bed. They terrorized the couple pretending they were there to rob them. The men kept accusing Lanide of holding out on them. At one point in time, one man asked Landie’s wife if she wanted him to cover her face with a pillow because they were going to shoot her husband. At that time, one man did cover both of their faces with pillows and they murdered Sol Landie. They tore up the house and took all the cash they could find and about $10,000 in jewelry to make this appear like a robbery. The Trial They return and report to Thomas Jefferson Lee that the deed was done and he paid Ronnie Williams $2,000 and the others $1,000. These “hitmen” could not keep their mouths shut and soon local law enforcement arrested one who named the others. By the trail, all four men turn on Thomas Jefferson Lee and testify. Lee pleads out and takes a life sentence. They can link Lee to Johnny Franks via some observations made by Ronnie Williams and the others. When faced with a possible death penalty, Williams can directly implicate Johnny Franks. It is a slim case because all they had was that Lee told them they were killing this scrapyard dealer for a white guy because Sol Landie was going to testify against “someone big.” Ronnie Williams successfully implicated mob associate Johnny Franks because he claimed he used to place sticks of dynamite at businessmen’s houses and Johnny Franks then extorted money to p[recent this supposed death threat. The state produced a local witness who claimed he had found some dynamite on his porch and Johnny Franks later approached him and claimed he knew how did it and for $2,000.00 he would get it stopped. After a change of venue to St. Louis, a jury will find Johnny Franks guilty of murder for hire in the case of Sol Landie, the sports bettor. He never turned on Nick Civella or other mob members in this case. Show Notes by Camillus Robinson Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

The Mob and the Teamsters Part 3 -Roy Lee Williams Aug 31, 2020

In this 3rd and final episode, Gary and Cam take the Teamsters and the Mob to its conclusion through the transfer of power after Hoffa to the last mob influenced president, Kansas City Teamster boss Roy Lee Williams The Big Skim with Roy Lee Williams and Frank Ranney Dorfman and Presser’s legacy is a loan made to a young real estate developer named Allen Glick in 1974. Glick had known Bill Presser for some time when he was introduced to Milwaukee boss Frank Balistrieri as someone who could help him with a Teamster loan. Balestrieri went to his Teamster affiliate Frank Ranney who reached out to Roy Lee Williams. Williams got direction from Nick Civella, who reached out to Maishe Rockman and the Cleveland mob and Bill Presser for the pension fund loan to buy four casinos for $64,000,000. The loans were signed, the casinos purchased, and the Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Kansas City mobs began to receive skim money from the Fremont, the Hacienda, the Stardust, and the Marina casinos. The casinos were insured by Allen Dorfman’s insurance agency. Angelo Lonardo testified that shortly after the skim began, the three families began fighting amongst themselves regarding profit share. They went to Joey Aiuppa and Tony Accardo (Jackie Cerone was in prison) to mediate the dispute, and in return, they received a 25% share of the skim, cutting the total take into four equal pieces going to each family. New York families were not receiving any benefit from these loans—they lost a great deal of control of the National Teamsters when Tony “Pro” Provenzano went to prison from 1966-1970. Nationally, all mob families held tight control of their area and regional Teamsters locals and Joint Councils (the Provenzanos kept running Local 560), but without a presence on the Pension Board, the Chicago Outfit had de facto control of the union. Hoffa Makes Trouble Hoffa had been fighting furiously to undo the Justice Department ruling blocking him from accessing the union. Jimmy still had tremendous power in the Teamsters, and was able to make things happen from the outside—he could even delay Pension loans. He had crisscrossed the country meeting with mob figures looking for help with politicians who could get him re-instated. As incentive, Jimmy offered to stop Hoffa loyalists from gumming up the works…they all turned him down. The mob knew Jimmy didn’t like sharing power, and they never could have gained so much control if Hoffa had been running the union. Hoffa began speaking to the press about taking back his union. He went on talk shows and gave interviews. He showed up at Teamsters headquarters badmouthing Fitz. As time went by and Hoffa watched other people change the union, he got desperate. Jimmy began challenging mob bosses. Through his lawyer Frank Ragano, he reached out to Carlos Marcello and Santo Trafficante demanding their support. Normally, other families would have to go through Detroit to speak to Hoffa, but Jimmy did his own thing—he was his own boss, but he was also not protected. Part of Jimmy’s problem was his on-going war with Anthony Provenzano. Hoffa felt he might have a chance to return to labor if he was able to win the Teamster Presidency outright, member or not, but he needed Provenzano’s support as a Vice President to do it. Hoffa and Provenzano were unable to make peace at several meetings, and Hoffa became more and more desperate. Hoffa began threatening to have his loyalists call in all of the Pension loans made to mob front men. This would likely send control of the pensions into receivership and outside mediation. The mob didn’t want any extra eyes on their business. In addition, Hoffa’s public war against Fitz was getting out of hand. He was constantly drawing attention to Fitz playing golf with the President and creating bad will. Hoffa had been meeting with Charles Allen, a thug who worked under Frank Sheeran, to discuss murdering several members of the Teamsters Board of Trustees. Allen testified that Hoffa paid him $33,000 to kill Bill Presser, Frank Fitzsimmons, and three other men. Then on July 10, 1975, Richard Fitzsimmons’ car blew up in a parking lot while Frank and Richard were walking towards it. Enough was enough. Hoffa was jumpy and paranoid. There were not many people he would be alone with. He spoke often with the Giacalone brothers in Detroit, but was careful not to be alone with them. Then Tony Giacalone offered one last time mediate a sit down with Anthony Provenzano, a cousin by marriage. On July 30, 1975, Jimmy Hoffa was seen getting into Giacalone’s son’s red Mercury at the Machus Red Fox in Detroit and was never seen again. The Irishman – side story Eugene Boffa, a business owner under protection from Russell Bufalino, was going state to state guaranteeing labor peace if shippers hired his company, Country Wide Personnel to supply all drivers. Corporations would pay Boffa, and fire all of their current drivers. Boffa’s would then bribe local Teamsters bosses to pay less than the Master Freight Agreement. When they agreed, Boffa would rehire all of the same drivers the day they were fired for reduced rates and then take kickbacks for the insurance policies he offered. Boffa bribed members of the Teamsters Board of Trustees to make more connections. In addition, his company provided cars to the Presidents of the Locals that allowed him to scam members. As part of the huge investigation after Hoffa’s disappearance, the FBI discovered that Boffa’s boss Russell Bufalino and Frank Sheeran were in Detroit. They traced the license plate of the car the men were driving, and it came back registered to Eugene Boffa—the car was a bribe. More digging into Boffa showed that there was a loan for $30,000 from Boffa’s wife to Sally “Bugs” Briguglio’s wife. Sally Bugs was the number one suspect in the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. Boffa continued his kickback scheme, bribing Teamsters leadership and area mobs for several more years. After Hoffa Fitzsimmons won the Teamsters Presidency in 1976, the corruption continued. A large part of the Cleveland bomb war was for control of the skim. John Nardi was leader of Cleveland Local 410—he was close to the Pressers, and thought they would support him. He knew that Bill Presser was on the Pension Board, and as head of the Cleveland Mob, he would have access to the skim, and the national Teamster power. John Nardi partnered with Danny Greene to take on the current heads of the Cleveland mob…they lost. Cleveland cemented their future with the Teamsters by continuing to support Bill Presser’s son, Jackie. Jackie Presser was a car thief and hustler who lived in his father’s shadow. He was smart though, and early in his career, he became a Top Echelon FBI informant. Bill Presser and Cleveland wanted to keep a place on the Executive Board. Fitzsimmons supported him, and the Cleveland family reached out to Kansas City for Roy Lee Williams’ vote. The two families maintained a presence. During the 1970s, several reform groups started in the Teamsters. Members were unhappy with the corruption they saw, and began to run for leadership in the locals. This had happened before—Anthony “Three Fingers” Castlitto ran against Tony Provenzano and disappeared—but was becoming a major movement. Teamsters leadership called on the mob, who sent in thugs to beat up the Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) and the Professional Drivers Council (PROD) The mob did not want reform. In 1975, Tony Provenzano was indicted for conspiracy after setting up a $2.3 million loan from the Utica Teamsters Benefit Fund pension. In 1976, he was indicted for conspiracy for the murder of Teamsters Local 560 Secretary Anthony “Three Fingers” Castellito. In 1978, Provenzano was convicted of all charges and sentenced to life imprisonment. His brother “Sammy Pro” Provenzano took his place as International Vice President and head of Local 560. Carter, Deregulation, and the Pension When Carter was elected, he supported deregulation of the trucking industry. Shippers would be able to set their own prices, which gave more power to corporations, and took it away from the Teamsters, and therefore, the mob. The mob began digging deep for political connections to try to stop the Trucking Deregulation Bill. In addition to Deregulation, there was the matter of the pension. After years of misuse and poor management, followed by numerous investigations, in 1978, the government stepped in and took control of the Central States Pension away from the Board and turned it over to an independent agency, the Victor Palmieri Company. Palmieri closed the bank, and the mob was desperate to open it back up. The Teamsters owned a 5.8 acre piece of property in Nevada next to an expensive, gated country club community. Senator Howard Cannon, who sat on the Commerce Committee, and could tie up the bill, lived in the gated community, and he knew his neighbors did not want the land developed into condos. Allen Dorfman and Roy Lee Williams reached out to Senator Cannon, and offered to help him buy the land for $1.4 million… Cannon said if they get the land, he’d get the bill. Problem was, there was already a bid for $1.6 million. Coincidentally, it was Allen Glickman who had the high bid. The mob told him to drop it, while Roy Lee Williams and Fitz tried to get Palmieri to accept the Senator’s $1.4 million. Joey Lombardo and Nick Civella were behind the scenes pulling the strings on the entire deal…unfortunately, the FBI had a wire in Allen Dorfman’s office, and they heard every word. Palmieri was stuck at $1.6 million, and Civella, and Lombardo, and even Joey Aiuppa were leaning hard on their men, but without control of the pension, there wasn’t anything they could do. Finally, the land went to another buyer who came up with the full amount. The land sold, the bill passed, and the mob and the Teamsters lost their stranglehold on trucking, all because Chicago, Kansas City, the mob in general, were too cheap to just ADD $200,

The Mob and the Teamsters Part 2 Frank Fitzsimmons Aug 24, 2020

Cam and Gary continue discussing the Teamsters and the mob. In this episode, they examine Jimmy Hoffa and his efforts to consolidate bargaining with all trucking companies and have one agreement rather than separate agreements with each company, how he used mob muscle, how he ended up in prison and his deal with the devil to get released. Master Freight Agreement Many people view the Pension as the only interchange between the mob and Hoffa, but the relationship went both ways. From 1961-1964, with the help of his fellow Teamster Frank Fitzsimmons and the Executive Board, Hoffa put together the Master Freight Agreement. He negotiated, cajoled, called in favors, and threatened over the course of three years with every Local and shipper in the country in order to set flat salary rates for shipping everyone was willing to accept. Problem was, no one wanted to accept, locals, or shippers, and this is where Jimmy got creative. When the president of some Teamster local decided he wanted more for his members than the Agreement, Jimmy would work with the local mob to get him voted out or knocked around until he agreed. If some business didn’t want to agree to a price across the board, Jimmy called strike, and the mob broke the place up, tires were slashed, windows were broken. When members somewhere didn’t like the deal Hoffa was putting together, he worked with a shipper to hire scab (non-union) labor on the sly until the Teamsters guys started to get hungry from not working. This was incredible negotiation, but even with the mob’s help, it took 3 years to put this contract together. At the same time the Master Freight Agreement was being drafted, Hoffa was also dealing with the legal issues leftover from Bobby Kennedy, jury tampering, and unresolved issues with the mob. Hoffa had appeals, which he would lose, and he would go to prison in 1967. The mob was tired of Jimmy being so tight with the purse strings. They eyed the billion-dollar pension fund and did not want Jimmy to refuse any loans they recommended? The mob groomed Frank Fitzsimmons to move up and replace Hoffa. Jimmy Goes Away When Jimmy went to prison in 1967, he left specific instructions. Allen Dorfman in Chicago and Bill Presser in Cleveland would control the pension. Frank Fitzsimmons would be the acting president. Jimmy went to the infamous “Mafia Row” in Lewisburg. Vinnie Teresa wrote that he was tight with Carmine Galante. He had a falling out with Tony Provenzano while there, which was overseen by Lucchese consigliere Vinny Rao. John Gotti, Paul Vario and Henry Hill were there. It was while Jimmy was away that the mob learned how good it could be. Fitzsimmons was much easier to deal with than Jimmy. The mob liked him for the same reason Jimmy did…he just couldn’t say no. In addition, Allen Dorfman and Bill Presser strengthened their own factions within the Teamsters. Dorfman controlled the money, while Presser and Cleveland built a huge power base. Roy Lee Williams was the only Teamsters official who had the respect of the men, and this gave him a great deal of power within the organization. With Tony Provenzano in prison since 1966 no longer on the Executive Board, the New York Genovese family’s grasp of the Teamsters slipped. The Chicago Outfit wrestled control of the organization and the pension fund—and eventually Las Vegas—away from The Genovese and the New York Mafia. Chicago, Kansas City, and Cleveland would stand at the top of the Teamsters for several more years. The Mob Moves On with Frank Fitzsimmons Hoffa intended to run the union from his prison cell, using Fitz as his mouthpiece; Hoffa wanted to keep total control, but after years of abuse, Fitzsimmons rebelled…and the Board supported him. The mob liked their new control without Hoffa. Hoffa could say no to the mob, and because of his popularity with the men, he was too powerful to ignore, but with Hoffa gone, the mob directed their area locals and Teamster Delegates to fall in behind Frank Fitzsimmons, and Fitz liked the new power. Hoffa ran the Teamsters like a dictator, all decisions came through him, and he had total control. Fitz liked golf, so he delegated more power, letting others make decisions, and also gave Presser and Dorfman on the Pension Board free reign. With more regional control and increased access to the Central States Pension, the mob gained a major foothold in the Teamsters, becoming totally entwined in policy-making. Hoffa had created a program called DRIVE—Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education—for Teamsters to make political contributions. Hoffa used this huge fund to line up politicians in his favor, but now, the regional Teamsters had greater control of their area DRIVE funds, which gave the mob access to major pay-off money for Senators, Congressman, and other elected officials. Finally, Fitzsimmons had connections to the White House. In 1970, Nixon began courting the Teamsters. Fitzsimmons had a direct line to Nixon, and the first thing on his mind, was the Justice Department and the unfair investigations into the Teamsters. Charles Colson, Nixon’s lead advisor, advised Justice to lay off Teamster investigations. Afterward, Nixon and Fitzsimmons played golf at LaCosta, a resort built as a vacation spot for the mob using money from the pension fund. Power, politics, and protection…why would the mafia EVER want to deal with Hoffa again? Hoffa and Provenzano Hoffa and Provenzano were in prison in Lewisburg together. Initially, they had been allies but had a falling out while locked up. Provenzano was a dangerous enemy, and he also carried enormous power in the mafia and the Teamsters. Provenzano was released in 1970 and began building up northern Teamsters to support Fitzsimmon’s campaign. This fight is the earliest direct confrontation between Hoffa and the mafia. Hoffa resigned from the presidency in 1971, allowing Fitzsimmons to be elected actual president. Hoffa was losing control of his union completely, and he was furious. Many Teamsters were still loyal to Jimmy, and he called on them to block pension loans and undermine Fitzsimmons’ leadership. The mob was losing its patience. The other man in the Teamsters the rank and file respected was Kansas City board member Roy Lee Williams. Nicknamed “The Rancher,” Williams wielded enormous negotiating power and popularity with the men that catapulted him to Teamsters leadership, giving Kansas City crime boss Nick Civella a seat at the table. As long as Fitz and the mob had Williams, the men would follow him. In the end, Fitzsimmons agreed to help Jimmy out of prison—probably to try to stop Jimmy’s meddling. Time Magazine reported that FBI informants were aware of $500,000 in cash raised by Anthony Provenzano and the Genovese Family, and $500,000 from Allen Dorfman with the Chicago Outfit, raised at Fitzsimmons request—all from skimmed Teamsters fund. Someone delivered this money to President Nixon to secure Jimmy Hoffa’s release, with one (probably unconstitutional) stipulation: Jimmy Hoffa would be banned from participating in the Teamsters for the next five years. With that ban, the mob stole the Teamsters from Jimmy Hoffa. Show Notes by Camillus Robinson Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

The Mob and the Teamsters Part 1 Jimmy Hoffa Aug 17, 2020

In episode 1 of this 3-part series on the Mob and the Teamster’s Union, Gary and Cam discuss the early days of Jimmy Hoffa as he moves up in the Union making connections with mobsters and earning the respect of his fellow union members The Mob and the Teamsters, Part I: Jimmy Hoffa and the Pension Jimmy Hoffa (b.1913) James Riddle Hoffa joined the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in the early 1930s. He made his way through the ranks from city to city making connections in each city. In Detroit, he was tied up with the Giacalone’s; in Chicago, Red Dorfman introduced him to Joey Glimco, and later Murray “Curly” Humphreys, Tony Accardo, and Paul Ricca. In New York, Hoffa met Johnny Dioguardi and Tony Provenzano; in New Orleans, he met Carlos Marcello. Hoffa knew how to use the mobs to exploit businesses. These associations earned him the support he needed for the nomination to Vice President of the Brotherhood under Dave Beck, but everyone knew who was the real power behind the throne. A membership drive was Hoffa’s top priority. At this time, the Teamsters membership had just passed a million and was still on the rise. Unions were very competitive for membership at this time. The AFL-CIO had just merged in 1955, but the Teamsters were still very independent. Hoffa could use his mob connections to pound the union competition with Molotov cocktails and crowbars, but he needed to give workers a reason to want to be a Teamster. The Pension Hoffa combined many smaller work pensions from 22 states into the Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Fund, or Central States for short. In doing so, Hoffa gained the trust and support of the membership. Members could now change employers without losing their pension. In the beginning, employers paid two dollars a month for each Teamster on their payroll, members could contribute as they saw fit. With membership heading towards two million, the fund very quickly had tens of millions. Hoffa set up a board of trustees to help administer the pension. As part of a deal with the Chicago and Cleveland mobs, Red Dorfman’s son Allen, and Cleveland’s Bill Presser were members of the board, but the end of the day, Hoffa had total control. Allen Dorfman was made head of Union Casualty insurance company, while Bill Presser was the President of Cleveland’s 40,000 member Joint Council 41. The Cleveland connection would soon bear fruit. The Teamster’s pension fund and Las Vegas Moe Dalitz, a friend of Bill Presser from Cleveland and of Hoffa from his early Detroit time, suggested that a $4,000,000 loan could be used to help him build the Dunes Casino. Later, Dalitz himself received $1,000,000 to complete the construction of his Sunrise Hospital in his new town of Las Vegas. Moe Dalitz and the Mayfield Road Jewish gangsters from Cleveland built the Desert Inn in Las Vegas in 1949, and were seeking social acceptance. A few years later, Hoffa would loan then another $8,000,000 to buy the Stardust Hotel and Casino. Hoffa loaned additional money to Dalitz for the Star Dust ($6,000,000) and the Freemont ($4,000,000). In 1963, when the Dunes changed ownership, Dalitz helped St. Louis figure Morris Shenker secure the millions he needed to maintain it. Additional loans were made to Cesar’s Palace, the Landmark, Circus Circus, the Aladdin, and the Four Queens, basically creating the entire Vegas Strip. These loans gave the mob a presence in Vegas, with each family planting flags in various locations throughout the city. The Skim sent regular money to every mob family in the country. By 1961, the Central States had lent over $91,000,000 in low interest (6%) loans. By 1963, 2/3 of the fund’s $200,000,000 assets were in real estate loans. Hoffa received a 10% commission on each loan. Allen Dorfman is said to have made approx. $3,000,000 in insurance commissions. Bill Presser used the pension to put all his friends and family into businesses ranging from bowling alleys to sports coliseums, and he took a piece of each business for himself just like the mob would also take 10% in cash off the top of whatever loan they were able to secure for businessmen. McClellan Committee Lucchese mobster and Hoffa supporter Johnny Dioguardi supported Jimmy’s candidacy with seven “paper locals”—Jimmy gave him 15 charters to create fake locals, which gave Johnny Dio 15 votes. Progressive journalist Victor Riesel wrote several articles denouncing Hoffa’s work with the pension, his run for union presidency, and Johnny Dio’s paper union corruption. A thug threw a jar of acid in Riesel’s face, permanently blinding him. The paper union scandal, the blinding, and the public feud between Hoffa and President Dave Beck opened the door for Senate investigation. In 1957, Senator John McClellan began holding public hearings into the nature of corruption and organized labor, specifically, labor racketeering with Robert F. Kennedy as chief council. Kennedy felt that organized labor in general, and the Teamsters specifically, had become a corrupting force in the lives of the working class. Kennedy seemed to be personally offended that organized crime and organized labor had taken an interest in each other. Members of organized crime seemed to be offended that the son of their former partner, Joe Kennedy, the biggest bootlegger in the world, was now coming after them for supporting the working class he was no longer a part of. Hoffa was caught up in the middle. The Hoffa Hearings occurred in August of 1957, a month before Jimmy would be elected President. Robert Kennedy badgered the witnesses, frequently losing his temper, calling them repeatedly despite knowing they would cite the Fifth Amendment. Later in 1959, the Senate held the investigations into organized crime figures. Kennedy continued to badger witnesses while getting NO information. Hoffa referred to Bobby as “Booby” Kennedy. Besides labor law changes, the major outcome from the McClellan Committees was the overlapping images of Labor figures and Organized Crime figures being questioned together. There was absolutely corruption in organized labor, but because of these hearings, public opinion of organized labor began a downward trend. The unfortunate outcome is that people began to equate ALL organized labor with corruption. Presidency With the pension under his belt, membership on the rise, and the underworld certain they had their champion, Hoffa was elected President of the IBT in September 1957 in Florida. The new mob hierarchy revealed at Apalachin in 1957: Nick Civella, Raymond Patriarca, Carlo Gambino, Sam Giancana, Vito Genovese were the new breed and ready willing and able to go into labor union racketeering. Keep in mind, the IBT President wasn’t voted in through a general election. The Executive Board alone elected the President. The mobs controlled the board members, so Jimmy was elected. With Hoffa’s help, mob bosses began to stack IBT locals with their own men—loyal to both Hoffa and their underworld bosses. Tony Provenzano, Genovese family capo was president of Teamsters 560 in Union City, NJ and a member of the Board of Executives, representing the New York families’ interest in the Pension; Chicago Outfit Union boss Joey Glimco was the President of Teamster Local 777 making close to $78,000 a month in pay-offs, and Allen Dorfman with Union Casualty and sitting on the Pension Board, was also an Executive, looked after Chicago concerns. Bill Presser in Cleveland was tied into Maishe Rockman and John Scalish’s family in Cleveland was also on the Executive Board. Kansas City had control Local 41 and Joint Council 56 with Roy Lee Williams, a tough-talking trucker respected by the rank and file, and was also on the Executive Board. Raymond Patriarca controlled International Vice President William McCarthy. Hoffa did not value individuality. He wanted followers, not leaders. As his Secretary and eventual Vice President, he chose an old partner from Detroit, Frank Fitzsimmons. While the other members of the Executive board would all have to answer to the mob families that empowered them, Fitzsimmons would only be loyal to Hoffa. He was from Detroit, but his contacts were Jimmy’s contacts. Unfortunately, Jimmy treated him like an inferior, often yelling at him in public. As time would tell, the double-edged sword to Hoffa, was that Fitzsimmons always did what he was told. Hoffa maintained control of the mob by holding the strings to the Pension, but he also protected the rank and file. Hoffa ran a tight ship; even with mobsters as shop stewards, treasurers, and presidents of Locals, He held the Union together with an iron fist. He held the mob off on the loans, turning down more loans than he approved. Jimmy also refused to go along with the 1960 Election. Joseph Kennedy reached out to his mobster connections to help his son John become President of the United States. The mafia got on board and supported Kennedy—they told Jimmy to do the same. Hoffa remembered Bobby Kennedy and the McClellan Committee and gave $500,000 to Richard Nixon’s campaign. Get Hoffa Squad With the support of the nation’s Mafia (Chicago and New York), John Kennedy was elected in 1960. He named his brother, Robert Kennedy, as the Attorney General. Hoffa, having the better crystal ball, had donated $500,000 to Nixon’s campaign. Bobby Kennedy immediately went after Hoffa. In addition, Kennedy made it his personal mission to stop organized crime and its influence in the trucking industry. Bobby doggedly pursued Hoffa for jury-tampering, attempting to bribe a witness during the McClellan hearings, wire fraud, and misuse of pension. Show Notes by Camillus Robinson Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here,

Netflix Fear City and Joe Cantamessa Aug 03, 2020

RICO and The Comission As you wiretappers know last week Netflix released Fear City which is a 3 part series on how the FBI and the US Attorney convicted the bosses of the Five New York Families; the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese families. These bosses formed The Commission, and on a national basis, you can add the Chicago family boss to the Commission. The Commission settles disputes and makes decisions about approved and unapproved activities for La Cosa Nostra crime families. Fear City tells how courageous agents and prosecutors used the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, to take the New York bosses down as an organization. The codename for this operation was The Commission. The Director Sam Hobkinson wove together individual stories from street agent Charlotte Lang, Tech agent Joe Canatmessa, FBI supervisor Jim Kossler, to the Us Attorney Rudy Guliani. These agents followed, watched, waited, tapped phones installed microphones while the attorneys put together and presented the evidence and proved the mafia was an organization that committed corrupt acts. Joe Cantamessa bugs the Comission bosses In this episode, I interview tech agent Joe Cantamessa. He was the agent who made the entries into homes, bars, automobiles, and social clubs to install hidden listening devices. I highly recommend you watch this series. The producers bring the viewer previously unheard stories and video of FBI tech agents at work. Joe tells how they had to steal a mobster’s car, put in a microphone, and leave it where it could be found. To enhance the idea the car was stolen by regular car thieves, they removed the hubcaps. In another story, he tells how he was inside planting a microphone when somebody called the police on them. he looks out and sees about 5 NYPD cruisers. His boss came out of the surveillance van and convinced them they should just leave with no further investigation. he noticed that microphone never produced any evidence. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Netflix and Fear City Charlotte Lang Interview Jul 29, 2020

Fear City Recently Netflix released a 3-part series title Fear City. This documentary tells the story of how the New York office of the FBI made a RICO case on the heads of the 5-Families otherwise called The Commission. Charlotte Lang In this episode, I interview retired FBI agent Charlotte Lang who was recently a key figure in the Netflix documentary Fear City. The FBI first assigned Ms. Lang to review wiretaps searching for evidence that the Commission gave the order to murder Bonanno acting boss Carmine Galente. Ms. Lang tells how she was also assigned to monitor Paul Castellano while he met with Fat Tony Salerno at a lunch meeting in an upscale Manhatten restaurant. Ms. Lang revealed that she and another female agent, who was obviously pregnant, entered an upscale Manhatten restaurant and convinced the hostess that they had to sit at an adjacent table to Castellano because otherwise, her pregnant friend would be too close to the air conditioner. They were able to pick up several nice tidbits of conversation over this 3-hour lunch. In a review of old surveillance tapes of the Ravenite Social Club agents found that a Bonanno member named Bruno Indelicato arrived at this Gambino social club shortly after the Galente murder. The producer of Fear City was able to obtain this footage showing Indelicato being congratulated by various Gambino members including the underboss Dellacroce. Ms. Lang tells how they found a witness who got the license number and description of the Galante hit team and from that they suspected Indelicato. They were able to find the car and obtain some fingerprints. She and her partner tracked down Indelicato and obtained a set of major case prints to compare with a palm print on the suspect car. The fingerprint examiners got a match and they charged Indelicato with the Galente murder. Ms. Lang explains that the tape of Indelicato being congratulated by the underboss of another family after the murder was one more piece of evidence that tied this murder to the other mob bosses. The takedown of the Commission The final piece of evidence was actual proof that the bosses of the 5 families would meet. she tells how they were able to obtain information that a Commission was going to take place. They set up a surveillance and obtained video footage of all 5 bosses and underbosses leaving a house. The documentary Fear City contains the actual surveillance footage of this activity. Show Notes by Gary Jenkins Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Joey Doves Aiuppa and the Big Fish Jul 27, 2020

Joey Doves Aiuppa and the Muskie Mobsters and fishermen are notorious liars. Something about the nature of both lives lends itself to exaggeration. This is an example of where the two worlds meet. In 1949 angler Louis Spray reportedly caught the largest Muskie ever at the Chippewa Flowage in Wisconsin. The fish was 69 lbs, 11 oz, and there is a picture of Louis in a red flannel, corduroy field hat, and the fish is as long as he is tall. There have been several claims through the years of other fish, 1992, Art Lawton’s record fish, originally thought to be 69 lbs, 15 ozz, and 64 ½ inches long was found to have been falsely reported. Throughout the years, many people have accused Louis of fishing illegally or stuffing ground-up fish parts into dead muskie mouths to increase weight. Affidavits and accusations abound. Perhaps the strangest story about Louis Spray’s muskie record comes from Chicago, from a mobster who would one day be known for his exaggerations where animals were concerned. Other sources I found describe Spray as a Prohibition Era rum runner, familiar with Chicago gangsters throughout the Wisconsin area. The affidavits I found, are all full of stories of Spray buying record fish…he holds records from 1939-1949. When he wasn’t fishing or drinking, he was lying, and he carried a gun everywhere he went. Joey “Doves” Aiuppa was a fisherman He was known to editors of several fishing publications. He liked fishing for crappy, but more than anything, Aiuppa liked fishing for muskie. Aiuppa was fishing with Spence Petros of Fishing Facts magazine one day and asked if Petros was familiar with Louis Spray. Petros was familiar with Aiuppa, and Spray—he knew about the World Record Muskie. Aiuppa told Petros while fishing that he actually caught the record muskie and sold it to Spray for $50. Petros questioned him. He was fishing beneath the Winter Dam, where the Chippewa Flowage begins. Petros knew that was a restricted area. “That’s why I was fishing at night,” Aiuppa replied. Petros asked why Aiuppa didn’t just turn in the fish himself. He replied, “Do you know what ‘on the lam’ means?” Joey Doves Aiuppa or Louis Spray? So here we have two men, one whom multiple sources claim is a liar, who holds a record, and another who is named for his prodigious hunting abilities, who only ever told one person about his world record catch. I don’t know about you, but my money is on Doves. Show Notes by Camillus Robinson Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

The Great Bookie Robbery Jul 13, 2020

Great Bookie Robbery; Melbourne, April 21, 1976 “Ray Chuck” Bennett “Ray Chuck” Bennett was a career criminal (“crim”) in Australia—also known as “The General,” for his ability to plan jobs. He was a well-known bank-robber and smuggler. In the early 1970s, he left Australia and joined the “Kangaroo Crew” in England, pulling heists around the UK when he was arrested. While in prison, he worked closely with a British crew called the Wembley Mob learning military-style techniques for burglary. Using these tactics, he came up with the idea to rob the cash office of the Victoria Club when he returned to Melbourne. This was where all of the legal bookies would gather and tally up bets before the armored truck delivered cash to the Victoria Club. Ray Chuck Bennett decided that the best time to hit the Club would be on cash day. Book-making is a cash business, which would prove to be a double-edged sword. Ray Chuck (like many criminals in Australia) was a member of the Federated Ship Painters and Dockers Union (“Dockies”). The Painters and Dockers is kind of like the Australian equivalent of the Teamsters or the Laborer’s Union; criminals ran in, all had no-show (“ghost”) jobs, and in 1993, it was deregistered—officially because membership had fallen below 1000. The Painters and Dockers is important because this union (these work conditions) led men to be very close. They trusted each other, and they knew who had which skills. Ray Chuck built his team of fellow criminals who were also union brothers. The Planning Ray Chuck Bennett and his team planned the job for months. They rented an office two floors above the target and familiarized themselves with the layout. While there, the men tampered with elevators, causing them to constantly jam between floors, they bypassed the building’s security. They removed the bolts of the fire escape door, cut them in half, glued them, and replaced them, so they could just kick the door open. They even broke into the empty cash office at night and ran practice drills. For the months leading up, Ray Chuck and his men worked out, getting into shape for the robbery, running and boxing. They quietly, separately gathered weapons so as not to draw too much attention. The team was Ray Bennett, Ian Carroll, Laurie Prendergast, Normie Lee, Vinnie Mikkelson, Brian and Les Kane. The Robbery Right off, the armored truck was 15” late because of a flat tire, but the men waited down the street, armed in two vehicles, a panel van, and a large, loud semi with trailer, chosen for the noise. They pulled the van down the alley and the semi in front of the club, the loud engine rumbling. They pulled on balaclavas and kicked the fire door off the hinges. Once inside, they subdued the 118 people in the lobby, used bolt cutters to remove locks, and eventually got away with 118 calico bags full of cash…they were inside for 11 minutes. The Brilliant Escape A Melbourne criminal who was known to represent some of the suspected gang members would later tell a couple of different stories of how they escaped. It is said that even he was uncertain which is true. One story is that they all jumped in the van and drove away while an old truck they had parked out front blocked traffic and delayed police access. The second (and more likely based on the attorney’s smirk) is that the men had a safe in their upstairs office. While the people were subdued, rather than running out to the van, they ran up two flights of stairs and hid the money in that safe and it never left the location. They then sped away in an empty van. Whatever the case, the estimated cash take was $8-$15 million. The Victoria Club reported $1.2 million—the bookies vastly under-reported their business for tax purposes, and because most were corrupt, using the money for political pay-offs. The Aftermath Each man took half a million to spend immediately and they stored the rest until they could launder it or send it out of the country. Both the criminal world and the police had a good idea who committed the crime, but cops had no evidence, so it fell to the underworld to handle it. They invested in tourist properties throughout the Pacific rim and created trusts. The Falling Out The Kane Brothers, Les and Brian, had a long criminal history. They were high-ranking members of the Painters and Dockers, and felt that their standing and connections in the criminal world should entitle them to a larger cut. They began to feud with the tight-knit group of Bennett, Prendergast, and Mikkelson. During a drunken brawl, Mikkelson bit off Brian Kane’s ear. Les Kane, known to be a psychopath, was the biggest threat. He was absolutely going to kill Bennett and his pals. The Painters and Dockers supported the Kanes, and the criminal world became very interested in the $14 million in cash that was just sitting somewhere. On October 19, 1978, Les Kane and his family returned from an outing one night. Suddenly, three men in balaclavas burst into the house, waving guns. They took Les’ wife and children to a bedroom and locked them inside, then shot and killed Les in the bathroom. Les’ wife recognized the men—Bennett, Mikkelson, Prendergast, former friends. The killers loaded Les Kane’s body into the trunk of their car and hauled him away—he was never found. The entire murder closely resembled the Danny Seifert murder in Chicago in 1972 in which Seifert’s widow recognized Joey Lombardo. Kane’s wife abided by the Painters and Dockers “code of silence” when dealing with police. She let his brother Brian handle it. With Brian Kane and the Painter and Dockers after him, Ray Chuck Bennett knew he was in trouble. He turned himself in to police on minor charges, believing he would be safe in their custody. He was wrong. On November 12, 1979, Bennett was arraigned. While being escorted down the back steps of the courthouse, a man jumped out, fired several shots into him from a snub-nosed .38, and fled. The planning in this hit was impeccable. The officers escorting Bennett were both unarmed, a fence at the back of the building had been dismantled, and the crowd prevented pursuit. It was later revealed that police had co-operated with Brian Kane, who had committed the murder. The Kane gang was believed to be more predictable, following more rules. The killing of Les Kane in front of his family had soured the police on Bennett and his gang. An unnamed insider even reported that Brian Kane did a practice run earlier in the week, smuggled into the courthouse in the trunk of a police car. The majority of police at the time also believed it was an inside job. Regardless, Ray “Chuck” Bennett was dead. Brian Kane was shot dead in a pub by two masked men in 1982. Ian Carroll was shot and killed in 1983. Laurie Prendergast disappeared in 1985; his body was never found. Vinnie Mikkelsen fled to the Western States, and stayed there for many years, only returning east after everyone was dead. Norman Lee was eventually charged with the robbery but was acquitted. He was later shot to death by police during a 1992 robbery of a payroll truck. The moral of the story The moral of the story is, when you’ve got $16 million in cash in the underworld, things can go south awful damn fast. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. 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George Freeman – Australian Kingpin Jul 06, 2020

George Freeman, Lenny McPherson, Stan Smith: Sydney Australian Crime Lords George Freeman was born in 1935. First arrest was 1947 for theft. Born in 1935, he left school around 1946 and began work as a stable hand, continued petty crime, ended up in Boy’s Home, which is kind of like a Juvenile Detention Center. These places were terrible for young boys. Older boys brutalized them in a lot of ways. Many of Australia’s best-known criminals did time in these awful places. They were scarred for life. George Freeman spent most of the 1960s as a mid-level thug, racking up arrests and finding his way. He was always able to make money reliably setting odds on horse-racing. This is how he met Lenny McPherson and Stan Smith Lenny McPherson (b. 1921) McPherson was first arrested at 11. He also did time in Juvenile Detention and was brutalized by older boys and guards. He spent the 1950s in and out of jail for various violent crimes and made connections in the Sydney underworld. He became a career criminal with a network including prostitution, robbery, extortion, gambling, and protection rackets. He rose to power in the 1960s-1970s. McPherson committed a series of violent murders in the 1960s, eliminating his competition and consolidating his power over crime in New South Wales He developed contacts inside law enforcement and one time an honest cop found McPherson with an envelope containing a list of potential jurors to his murder trial. He had a large Protection racket, aided by officers in the notoriously corrupt New South Wales Police. For decades, the police literally helped criminals steal, kill rivals, and sell drugs. Triumverate: Lenny McPherson, Stan Smith, George Freeman Stan Smith (b. 1937) He was a partner in the group’s protection racket of Sydney’s King’s Cross—the night club/gambling district Stan Smith’s name arose in the investigations of 25 shootings during the 1950s-60s. He was shot in during a break-in of a rival’s home. He survived, said nothing to police, then several weeks later, the rival was machine-gunned to death on the street. McPherson took control of gambling in Sydney: loan-sharking and running casinos. He noticed George Freeman had a head for numbers and offered him a job as an SP Bookmaker (“starting price”) setting odds in their new casinos. Politicians, police, celebrities all gamble in their Sydney casinos. These three control all gambling in Sydney Smith puts together a massive marijuana smuggling operation, eventually integrating heroin. Freeman and McPherson do not like the drug trade. Stuart John Regan: 1960s-70s Regan was a psychopath in the criminal world. He murdered indiscriminately, drawing unwanted attention to the Sydney underworld. Finally, Regan actually murdered his girlfriend’s 2-year old son. Police will look the other way for a lot, but when children start disappearing, something has to be done. Freeman and Smith got the contract, shooting him eight times, one for every person he had killed. Connections to the Chicago Outfit Joseph Dan Testa He was a “developer” or an Outfit clean man who came to Australia in 1965 and made criminal connections with McPherson and Freeman. Testa invested money with McPherson in Grants Constructions Pty, Ltd. Testa owned property throughout Florida and Chicago. He had close ties with “Milwaukee Phil” Alderisio. At this time, Alderisio was responsible for Outfit gambling holdings in the Caribbean. McPherson sent George Freeman and Stan Smith to Chicago for six weeks with Joseph Dan Testa in 1968. McPherson also visited Chicago during this time. The theory is the Outfit was attempting to finance/buy into casinos in Australia and likely discussing the distribution of video poker machines. Las Vegas—the story told in Freeman’s biography George Freeman: An Autobiography. George Freeman used a forged passport to travel to Las Vegas. He met with Testa and others to discuss legal casinos being set up in New South Wales. At this time legislation had been proposed in Australia to allow small, legal gambling parlors, similar to London. George Freeman and company stayed at The Dunes, where everything was comped. Freeman brought $50,000 of his own money to gamble so as not to be indebted to anyone. On the return trip (Las Vegas to LAX), George Freeman was arrested in the airport for flying without his passport, which was forged anyway—he had left it in a home in San Diego. An associate destroyed the false passport while the FBI grilled Freeman. Testa called to offer $240,000 in cash and another $250,000 in a couple of days. In addition, Testa advised that there was an official they could lean on for “assistance” if necessary because the passport was never found, Freeman was deported, rather than charged with “illegal entry.” Later years In 1979 a masked gunman shot Freeman in the neck outside his home. The gun jammed and Freeman gave chase before seeking medical attention The shooter was allegedly Jacky Freeman, father of one of Freeman’s young girlfriends. Freeman retired from the day-to-day, but still ran odds on horse races. He had developed a Demerol addiction that lasted for years and eventually died of lung cancer in 1990. Stan Smith’s son OD’d in 1979 and Smith stepped away. He discovered religion and was born again, living his life as a (very wealthy) true believer. He died of natural causes in 2010. Lenny McPherson continued to control his criminal empire, but more in the vein of a boss, handling everything second and third hand. He was sentenced to prison in the 1990s for an attack on a business rival. He died of a heart attack in jail in 1996. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. 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The Boy on the Bicycle Jun 29, 2020

Another case of wrongful conviction True crime author Nate Hendley tells about a horrid case of wrongful conviction in 1950’s Toronto Canada. In a change of pace from organized crime stories, Gary Jenkins interviews Mr. Hendley about his latest book, The Boy on a Bicycle: A Forgotten Case of Wrongful Conviction in Toronto Canada. On September 15, 1056, a passerby found the body of seven-year-old Wayne Mallette on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. The police found he had been sexually abused prior to his murder. In this interview, Mr. Hendley tells how the police coerced a confession out of young Wayne Mallette and failed to find the real killer, Peter Woodcock, until after he killed two more children. Nate Hendley is a prolific true crime author who resides in Canada. Please visit this site at www.natehendely.com or click here to Amazon and see all his books. The suspect Toronto police detectives learned that a 14-year-old boy named Ronald Moffat had worked at the National Exhibition grounds and his parents had recently reported him as a runaway. They found this boy and subjected him to hours of intense interrogation. Just like many other cases of wrongful convictions, the investigators soon broke the boy down and obtained a confession. Like many other wrongful confession cases, all the evidence available that he killed Wayne Mallette was the suspect’s confession. Meanwhile, the real suspect, Peter Woodcock, was still riding his bicycle around Toronto and using it to lure children into a place where he would molest and kill them. If a suspect confesses, he must have done it Gary tells his own story of how he was a young inexperienced detective when he obtained a false confession from a teenage murder suspect. Thankfully, a veteran detective stepped in and asked a few key questions about the suspect’s memory of the crime scene and the kid got all the details wrong. They released this kid and about 2 weeks later the true suspect was arrested. In this case, a reliable witness reported the probable murderer was riding a bicycle. If the police had looked into their suspect Wayne Mallette, they would have learned he had a balance problem from damage to his inner ear and he was unable to balance on a bicycle. Meanwhile, a budding young serial killer named Peter Woodcock murdered and sexually abused two more children until he was captured and convicted. Amazon describes this as “A shocking true story, about a coerced confession, fumbled police investigation, a miscarriage of justice, and the star lawyer who fought to free Moffatt from custody.” Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Ken Eto and the FBI Jun 22, 2020

FBI Agent Elaine Smith and Ken Eto Ken Eto was a Japanese-American who became the highest known Asian-American in any Organized Crime family in the United States. He was called Joe the Jap or Toyko Joe by his peers in the Chicago Outfit. In this podcast, I interview retired FBI agent Elaine Smith about Eto because she worked up a gambling case on him and after it became known the government was sending Eto to jail, his Chicago Outfit boss, Vincent Solano ordered his murder. Ken Eto History Ken Eto was born in California prior to World War II. He was raised by socially conservative and strict Japanese immigrant parents. The government forced the Eto family along with thousands of other Japanese-Americans into Idaho internment camps for the duration of the War. Ken Eto spent the War at the Minidoka War Relocation Center. During this time, he learned he had a great mind for numbers and a memory for what cards had been played or not played during endless poker games in the camp. Ken Eto moved to Chicago in 1959 to make his fortune. The Chicago Outfit and Ken Eto Once Ken Eto arrived at Chicago, he sought out high stakes poker games where he was known as a consistent winner. The men who protected these games were Outfit up and comers like Turk Torrello, Vince Solano, Sam Giancana, and Joey Aiuppa. They noticed this newcomer was winning consistently and they forced him to pay a street tax on his earnings. In return for the money he made the Outfit, they assisted him in setting up a large Bolito or numbers operation. He was known to turn over up to $200,000 a week. Eto was responsible to pay off the Chicago cops to the tune of $3,000 per week. He became a huge earner for the Outfit. How The FBI got onto Ken Eto A new FBI agent named Elaine Smith talked her way into being assigned to the Organized Crime Squad at the Chicago FBI office. Ms. Smith was from Chicago and being steeped in the lore of the Outfit had long wanted to work cases on these guys. One of her first assignments was to look into Ken Eto. The squad had dismissed Eto as a minor player and of no consequence because of his ethnicity. Agent Smith learned he was a major earner for the Outfit. Once she made her case and it became known that the US Attorney was going to convict him, Eto’s Outfit boss, Vince Solano, got nervous. He “whistled in” Eto for a meet. Ken Eto assured Solano that he could easily take a gambling conviction and do his time. Vincent Solano was irrationally afraid that Eto would turn government witness. Elaine Smith turns Eto into a witness On February 10, 1983, Eto pleads guilty and gets prepared for sentencing. On February 10, 1983, Vince Solano sends hitmen Jasper Campise and John Gattuso to pick him up and take him to a dinner meeting. Solano was unaware of Eto’s culture and Samurai spirit or he would never have worried about him turning witness. Eto believes this is the way his life ends as he enters the car. He has instructed his wife on what to do if he is killed. Campise and Gattuso direct him to a restaurant that Eto has never heard body talk about. They park in a side street. Eto noticed that the hitmen’s hands are shaking and they keep incessantly and nervously talking about how great this food is going to taste. All of a sudden the men pull guns and fire to Ken Eto’s head and body. They push him out of the car and leave him on the street. Ken Eto staggers into an open drug store and calls for an ambulance. Elaine Smith answers a late-night phone call and leans of this murder attempt while on a Colorado ski trip. When she returned she is able to turn Eto against his bosses. She will spend the next week’s, months, and even years with Eto going around the country testifying against various Outfit members. Elaine Smith maintains a relationship with Eto until his death from natural causes while in Witness Protection living in a small Georgia town. Support the Podcast Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Paul Derry and the Canadian Hell’s Angels Jun 15, 2020

How Paul Derry ended working with the Hell’s Angel’s Paul Derry started in Halifax Nova Scotia as a teenage informant earning $20.00 for revealing where a drug stash was kept and then warning the dealer that the cops were on their way to sieze his marijuana. By the end of his colorful career as a professional criminal and informant, he goes deep undercover into the Nova Scotia Hell’s Angels gang. Paul Derry talks strip club During his early criminal career, Derry started dealing in junk pot and fell in with the Grim Reapers motorcycle club. He became a key member of a group that helped provide attractive girls from eastern European countries to Canadian strip clubs. Derry said he went to work for a business called the Exotic Globe Network. He explained this business made connections with Eastern European human traffickers who recruited girls. They kept an immigration lawyer on retainer to handle the immigration matters. Once the girls arrived in Canada, he was part of a group that helped the girls settle in group apartments. He continued to providing transportation in vans to various strip clubs and protection while the girls were performing. He revealed that he had to deal with the interpersonal drama between the girls more than any other problem. In this area of his background, Derry expressed the most regret. He has since done volunteer work for human trafficking organizations and tried to help stop the abuses of girls caught up in this web. Hell’s Angels rules for cocaine business Derry graduated to cocaine dealing with the Nova Scotia Hell’s Angels as it became so popular and lucrative. He learned that he must not use his product and he had to keep making money for the club to remain accepted. It was during this time he established a regular relationship with an RCMP officer named Shane Halliday. He tells about the Hell’s Angel clubhouse rules. In this club, they owned a bar that was frequented by many “hanger on” “wanna be” motorcycle gang members. The club connected an inner sanctum clubhouse to the bar where only patch wearing members and close associates could enter. For an associate member to enter, he had to be helping the Hell’s Angels MC club in some manner. Derry was able to gain this access because he was making them money with cocaine sales. Nova Scotia Hell’s Angels and a murder plot A path wearing club member named Neil Smith recruited Derry to help murder a biker named Sean Simmons. Neil Smith put together a hit team to kill Simmons over some old perceived wrong that remains murky today. Derry alerted the RCMP but they failed to get active at the outset of this murder plot. On the day of this murder, Derry happened to be at the clubhouse when Smith got a call from one of his hit team. Smith learned that Simmons was at his house. Smith immediately ordered Derry and another guy to go with him. They drove directly to the Simmons house before Derry could make a phone call. He tried other methods of dissuading this action without success. Once the designated hitman did the murder and the team dispersed, Derry telephoned his RCMP contact and explained what happened. The Mounties ordered Derry to get the co-conspirators on tape making incriminating statements in order to make a murder case. They wired up Derry’s house for sound and video and fitted him with a “Wire.” Soon, he was wearing a “wire” inside the Hell’s Angels clubhouse. He had a close call when a member grabbed him and hugged him without warning. Derry laughingly explained he guessed the guy thought he must have some hard nipples where the “mike” wires were taped on his chest. Paul Derry spends the next 10 years in court Derry explains how he gathered enough evidence to obtain charges. The Hell’s Angels discovered his role and sent a hit team to kill him but he was hidden away by the RCMP by this time. He spent the next 10 or more years retelling his story before a variety of different juries and then appeals courts. During this time, Paul Derry started advising various Canadian police organizations in undercover work and informant work. His book, (Click here) Treacherous,tells the story of the Hell’s Angel murder plot. Inside a Police Informant’s Mind is an instruction book for police officers. Click here to find Inside the Informent’s Mind by Paul Derry. Paul consults with private companies and police departments. He appeared in the National Geographic documentary episode on Canadian gangs. To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcastthe

Boring Mobster Life Jun 08, 2020

Nate Hendley on Joe Pistone In this episode noted Mob author and historian, Nate Hendley and Gary discuss the boring life of a mobster. Nate points out that Joe Pistone wrote in his book, Donnie Brasco, about how the Bonanno crew sat around a social club or bar all day exchanging small talk, gossip, other mob stories, and possible scores. He was allowed into this crew by a made guy named Anthony Mirra.Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero took Pistone under his wing and instructed him in the ways of the Mafia. They worked under a capo named Mike “Mimi” Sabella. Later Pistone reported to captain Dominick “Sonny Black” Napolitano. After Pistone surfaced, the Bonanno family held “Sonny Black” responsible for Pistone being accepted and trusted by his crew. They murdered him for his mistake. Cops and mobsters are not so different When we scratch the surface of any mob guy, underneath, we find the day to day life is basically the same repetitive boring existence that most folks fell on a daily basis. I liken it to the life of a street police officer, hours of boredom followed by moments of sheer terror, and then a few more minutes of exhilaration mixed with a gut-wrenching fear that we all hide pretty well. Don’t forget about buying me a shot and a beer on Venmo @jenkslaw. To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Joe the Shark Lopez – Chicago mob Lawyer Jun 01, 2020

The Shark Gary was able to land this interview with Joe the Shark Lopez, well known Chicago criminal attorney. He has represented Outfit guys like Frank Calabrese Sr. in the Family secrets trial and many Columbian and Mexican drug kingpins. We learn that Joe Lopez started out to be a divorce attorney until he was given a federal case where a woman was charged with possession of a single kilo. At is first hearing, he obtained a filing of no probable cause and the judge dismissed these charges. Joe the Shark Lopez was hooked on criminal law. We learn he had resisted this because he had known many lawbreakers from his youth who had no money for a lawyer. He thought the way to earn the big money was divorce. He did not predict the huge increase in cocaine clients who actually had money. The Cocaine Pipeline I-35 Joe the Shark Lopez discloses he learned that once the Columbian cocaine growers and producers started suing Mexican cartels to add cocaine to their regular marijuana smuggling routes, most cocaine traffic moved from Florida to the Texas border with Interstate 35 being the cocaine highway. Chicago is the largest consumer area at the end of that pipeline making a lot of defendants seek out the Shark. How to dress like the Shark Joe Lopez dresses the part. he describes his choice in sits as black Armani, his hairstyle is a ponytail, his shoes are expensive pointy-toed Italian and he drives a very nice car. Civil Asset Forfeiture Joe Lopez has a lot of experience in dealing with the government seizing assets from purported drug kingpins. He explains how government agents often abused these laws and he was part of a committee that rewrote the Civil Asset Forfeiture rules and procedures. The Outfit and Cocaine Trafficking In one large cocaine case, the government charges Outfit associates, Victor Pleschia, Frank Bonavolante, and Camillio Grassi in a multiple kilo cocaine distribution cases. Victor Pleschia hired the Shark. He explains the interesting facts around the case. For example, the prosecution presented evidence that one defendant spent $15,000.oo in one wild Miami weekend and then brought a load back to Chicago. The shark relates how in an unusual twist, the judge appointed two separate juries for two different defendants. Listeners will get a real education inside the criminal justice system from the aspect of a defense attorney. Don’t forget about my Venmo account to buy me a shot and a beer @ganglandwire. To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Al Capone Stories – Myth or Reality May 25, 2020

Al Capone Myths Exposed Cam Robinson and Gary Jenkins interview Mario Gomes, Al Capone historian and blogger on www.myalcaponemuseum.com . Mario has made it his mission to expose the various myths that have been perpetrated about Al Capone and his life. Was Al Capone a cocaine fiend? For example, after the modern Al Pacino film, Scarface became a massively popular film about a cocaine-addicted Cuban drug lord, rumors arose that this film was based on the first Scarface film released in 1932. Some folks believed that this first Scarface was based on Al Capone and that he was a cocaine fiend like the modern-day Scarface. In fact, cocaine in powder form was not available and that Al Capone was never known to take any kind of drugs and even only drank beer sparingly. How were the St. Valentine’s Day massacre and the murder of Frankie Yale connected? He also tells the real story about the St. Valentine’s Day massacre and how it was connected to the murder of Capone’s first mentor, New York mobster, Frankie Yale. Mario explains how Al Capone hired a group of St. Louis killers called the “Americans” to commit the Valentine’s Day massacre and how a ballistic expert connected one of the Chicago Tommy Guns used on that massacre to the murder of Frankie Yale in faraway Brooklyn. Did Capone offend President Herbert Hoover? Mario tells a story about how Capone threw a big noisy party at his Florida mansion and disturbed his neighbors. He ran into a neighbor named J.C. Penny and told him he would not charge him for the music and invited him to a future party, When the department store magnate advised Capone that the President was staying with him, Capone arrogantly said, “Well, tell him to come too.” It is believed that an offended President Hoover, upon his return to Washington, told the Treasury Department to go after Capone after that encounter. A new Capone fact revealed! Wiretappers, be sure to listen to the very end of the show because Mario tells about a new and never discovered Al Capone fact he has unearthed. Don’t forget about my Venmo account to buy me a shot and a beer @ganglandwire. To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Anthony “Tony” Strollo May 18, 2020

Anthony “Tony” Stollo: the early days First of all, I must tell you that I am stopping the extra episode every week until we get another “Shutdown.” Things are opening up here in KC and I want to play a little golf. This week Cam and I take a look at an early Lupara Blanca or “White Shotgun” murder. We learned during our Pizza Connection research that this means a mafia murder where the body is never found. Strollo was born in Manhattan on June 14, 1899, to Italian immigrants Leon and Jennie Strollo. He grew up in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village where the Lucky Luciano Crime Family was known to dominate. He started his work life as a truck driver and progressed into the rackets during the late 1920s. Lucky Luciano promoted Tony Strollo to a capo and his underboss was Vito Genovese. The infamous mob turncoat Joseph Valachi was one of the “soldiers” assigned to Tony Strollo as one of his crew. Valachi would later claim that he disliked Tony Strollo because he thought Stollo was conceited. Tony Strollo and his personal life Tony Strollo married a Jewish woman named Edna Goldenberg and they lived in Greenwich Village and would later move to the suburbs in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Tony Strollo had several children with his wife and none of them grew up to be in the rackets Tony Strollo was the son of Calabrian immigrants Leone and Giovannina Nigro. Strollo had two brothers, Emilio and Dominick. His path in the Mob Strollo was a well-known underworld leader in Greenwich Village. He ran loansharking, gambling, and bookmaking rackets from Greenwich Village to the Hudson River docks. He maintained financial interests in cafes and night clubs in the Village. He controlled New Jersey Teamsters Local 560 and he made sure that Hoffa confidant and future enemy Anthony “Tony Pro” Provenzano was elected president of the local. Strollo had a close relationship with New Jersey politicians. What happened? Vito Genovese attempted to have Frank Costello (temporary boss for Lucky Luciano) murdered and Costello steps down allowing Genovese to become boss. Joe Valachi jumps bail on a narcotics charge and Strollo convinces him to turn himself in and go to prison. Vito Genovese is convicted of a narcotics charge and ends up in the same prison as Valachi. Genovese suspects Valachi and another Strollo subordinate named Vincent Mauro of giving information to help the feds make his narcotics case. The Profaci family suspect Strollo of inciting the Gallo brothers to challenge them before brokering a peace deal Blanca Lupara for Tony Strollo On April 8, 1962, Anthony “Tony” Strollo, disappeared on Sunday evening, April 8, 1962. He went out for a walk and kept on going? Edna filed a missing person report with the local police and said he was last seen with an unknown associate driving away from their Fort Lee, New Jersey, home. The body of Tony Strollo was never found To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Richard Cain – Outfit Cop May 14, 2020

How did Richard Cain become a Chicago cop Gary interviews Chicago Outfit historian and Administrator of the Chicago Outfit – Old and Current News and Articles Mike Byrne. Richard Cain was born to an Irish-American father and Italian-American mother. He would sometimes go by Richard Scalzitti. Richard Cain started as a private Investigator learning about wiretapping and conducting surveillance. by the time he was in his twenties, he was recruited by Sam Giancana to join the Chicago Police Department. Sam wanted a trustworthy “bagman” to help find and pay Chicago police officers. Interestingly, at the same time, a man named William Hanratty will also join the Chicago PD. He will rise to become a high ranking officer and retire after a long career. Both men were actually associate members of the Outfit. Richard Cain and the Cuban revolution He takes a leave of absence and gets a job as an investigator working for Richard Ogilvie who was the U. S. Attorney in the Chicago area investigating Tony Accardo. He leaves from there and works with Cuban Revolutionaries prospering for the Bay of Pigs. After his return to Cook County in 1962, he works on Richard Ogilvie’s successful campaign for Cook County sheriff. Ogilvie appoints hi as his chief criminal investigator. By 1964, Cain is caught lying to a grand jury about his recovery of stolen legal drugs. At the same time, he is accused of being an accessory to a bank robbery. He eventually serves time for all these crimes and is no longer able to infiltrate law enforcement. Richard Cain and Sam Giancana Giancana is demoted by Accardo and exiled to Mexico. Richard Cain shows his true allegiances and follows Giancana to Mexico. he becomes the liaison between Chicago and Giancana who was still running international rackets from Mexico. FBI agent Bill Rohmer has made a career of putting Giancana in jail and he is able to turn Cain into an informant during this time. Richard Cain returns to Chicago along with Giancana. He starts making moves like forming a burglary gang with Marshall Caifano. It is believed that he and Giancana may have had dreams of returning Giancana to the position of boss in the Outfit. The death of Richard Cain On December 20, 1973, witnesses reported that Richard Cain was talking with four unidentified men at a booth in Ross’s Sandwich Shop on the north side of Chicago. They claimed that two of the four men left by a back door and the others left via the front. A short time later, two masked gunmen entered carrying a shotgun, a pistol, and a two-way radio. The witnesses said they used the radio to communicate with someone outside. They ordered all the patrons and the staff to line up against a wall like this was a robbery. They went down the line asking for money and when they got to Cain, the man with the shotgun pulled him away from the wall and shot him point-blank in the head. At that, the second gunman fired his pistol into Cain’s head. They ran out the door to a waiting getaway car. The aftermath of the murder FBI Agent Bill Rohmenr will tell everyone and report in his books that Richard Cain had been his informant for years. He claimed that Cain requested that if he was ever murdered by the Outfit that Rohmer should let everyone know that he (Cain) had been a top-echelon informant for years. Less than two years later in 1975, an unknown assassin murdered Sam Giancana in his home as he prepared some peppers and sausage for dinner. To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Lucky Luciano and the Night of the Sicilian Vespers May 11, 2020

Lucky Luciano and the Night of the Sicilian Vespers Gary interviews well known true crime author Nate Hendley about Charles “Lucky” Luciano and how he recruited other young gangsters to kill the old Mustache Petes and created the modern National Crime Syndicate. Francis Ford Coppola used this scenario in his fictional recounting of these events in The Godfather. Many people have mythologized these events and distilled them down to a single night where teams of young mafia assassins spread across New York and New Jersey murdering all the Black Hand Mustache Petes to seize control of organized crime organizations. We learn that this was actually a two-part operation in that Lucky Luciano first made a secret deal with a rival boss named Sal Maranzano, to kill his boss, “Joe the Boss” Masseria. In return, he would become Maranzano’s second-in-command. On April 15, 1931, Luciano met Joe the Boss Masseria at a restaurant called Nuova Villa Tammaro on Coney Island. After dinner, the men played cards and Luciano excused himself to the bathroom. Several gunmen entered the joint and murdered Joe the Boss. Supposedly the killers were Albert Anastasia, Vito Genovese, Joe Adonis, and Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel. After a short time as the second in command, Luciano realized the younger mobsters needed to kill off the final ruling Mustache Pete who was still an old Black Hand member, his new boss Sal Maranzano. On September 10, 1931, several Jewish gangsters disguised as government agents entered Maranzano’s office. They stabbed the old boss multiple times before administering a coup de grace with a gun. In an often-repeated fable, they moved on to other Sicilian bosses that same night, and this would become known as the “Night of the Sicilian Vespers” Gary and Nate discuss the origins and sources for this often-repeated story. They agree that Maranzano created the first Five Families in New York and after Lucky Luciano murdered him and took over, he created the National Crime Commission and the modern-day mafia organization in the United States. Nate Hendley True Crime Author Books Nate Hendley has written over a dozen books, primarily in the true-crime genre. The Boy on the Bicycle: A Forgotten Case of Wrongful Conviction in Toronto. This book is about 14-year old Ron Moffatt of Toronto, who was wrongly convicted of murdering a child in 1956. The real offender was notorious serial killer Peter Woodcock. The Boy on the Bicycle was released in August 2018 by Five Rivers Publishing, a Canadian company that has published several of my other true-crime books. “Hendley tells this important and disturbing story with objectivity and restraint, letting the facts speak for themselves as the reader’s sense of outrage builds. Moffatt has never received an apology for his mistreatment, let alone monetary compensation for an ordeal that derailed his life for years. Worst of all, his arrest meant Peter Woodcock remained at large long enough to kill again.”—Dean Jobb, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, April 2020 “The Boy on the Bicycle is an exceptional read and serves as a unique time capsule of the times and mores of post-WWII Toronto when murders were rare and sexual predators were practically unheard of … It was Mr. Hendley’s wish to finally tell Ron’s story after these many years, which he has done in a direct, yet compassionate manner. Five stars!” —The Miramichi Reader “The amazing story of a 62-year-old wrongful conviction is revealed in a riveting new book, The Boy on the Bicycle, by Nate Hendley, a seasoned true-crime writer and former Ontario regional director with the Professional Writers Association of Canada.” —Sootoday.com “Hendley’s telling of the tale is crisp and clear with compassion for all of the victims, both the murdered children and the man who spent a year of his youth behind bars, blemished for life by another man’s crimes … I highly recommend this book to all lovers of the true-crime genre.” —Donna Carrick, Host, Dead to Writes podcast, August 25, 2018 “Intriguing, immediately engaging, often disturbing and filled with fascinating facts, The Boy on the Bicycle transports you to a different era. Life in the 1950’s in ‘Toronto the Good’ wasn’t kind to everyone. The Boy on the Bicycle is written with such vivid attention to detail that this story of injustice and human cruelty will live in your mind long after you’ve read it … This is true crime at its finest.” —Lisa de Nikolits, author of No Fury Like That and other mystery novels. The Boy on the Bicycle was nominated for an Arthur Ellis crime-writing award on April 17, 2019. Sponsored by Crime Writers of Canada, the Arthur Ellis Awards recognize crime writing across a variety of genres. The Boy on the Bicycle was longlisted for “The Very Best!” Book Awards 2018 by The Miramichi Reader, in the category of Non-Fiction. Click here for The Miramichi Reader’s review of The Boy on the Bicycle, posted July 21, 2018. The Boy on the Bicycle can be purchased at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Chapters-Indigo or directly from the publisher, Five Rivers. Reviews of my book, The Big Con: Great Hoaxes, Frauds, Grifts, and Swindles in American History: “The Big Con is very authoritative, making it a great reference book to have for those who enjoy reading true crime, crime fiction, or who are born skeptics and get a certain ‘kick’ out reading how easily people can be fooled … Very readable. Mr. Hendley has done skeptics a genuine courtesy by assembling the history of frauds, cons, scams and hoaxes into one beautiful volume.” —The Miramichi Reader “Serious students and general readers alike will marvel at fraudsters’ ingenuity and cringe at human gullibility (sometimes fed by greed). Consider for all public libraries.” —Library Journal “[A] good overview and resource for public and academic libraries at all levels of beginning students. Summing up: Recommended. High school, community college and undergraduate students; general readers.” —Choice magazine, Association of College & Research Libraries “Canadian true crime author Nate Hendley has scoured the history books and the Internet to compile this ‘greatest hits’ collection of the clever ploys and outrageous exploits of con artists.” —Dean Jobb, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine The Big Con: Great Hoaxes, Frauds, Grifts, and Swindles in American History, can be purchased at Barnes and Noble, Amazon or directly from the publisher, ABC-CLIO. Reviews of my book, The Mafia: A Guide to an American Subculture: “This volume is well-researched and eminently readable.” —Booklist “Entertaining and informative.” —American Reference Books Annual (ARBA) The Mafia: A Guide to an American Subculture, can be purchased at Barnes and Noble, Amazon or directly from the publisher, ABC-CLIO. Reviews of my book, American Gangsters: Then and Now: “…perfect for general audiences…Recommended for public libraries.” —Library Journal “The writing in this compendium blazes with the glow of crime novels and gangbuster series while delivering loads of fascinating and gory details on American organized crime. . . . This quality work, which comes with full-text online access, fills a niche.” —School Library Journal “The book is designed…for academic research on the background and life of gangster organizations.” —Library Media Connection American Gangsters can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google Books or directly from the publisher, ABC-CLIO. Steven Truscott: Decades of Injustice Black Donnellys: The Outrageous Tale of Canada’s Deadliest Feud Black Donnellys: The Outrageous Tale of Canada’s Deadliest Feud can be purchased directly from publisher, Lorimer. AUDIO-BOOKS Three of my books, Al Capone: Chicago’s King of Crime, Dutch Schultz: The Brazen Beer Baron of the Bronx and Steven Truscott: Decades of Injustice, are now available as audio-books. Al Capone: Chicago’s King of Crime was narrated and produced by John Campagna. The audio production runs four hours and 24 minutes and can be purchased at Audible, Amazon and iTunes. Steven Truscott: Decades of Injustice is narrated by Douglas James, formerly with CBC, CNN and other international news agencies. The audio production runs two hours and 47 minutes and can be purchased at Audible, Amazon and iTunes. Dutch Schultz: The Brazen Beer Baron of New York was narrated and produced by John Campagna. The audio production runs three hours and 18 minutes and can be purchased at Audible, Amazon and iTunes. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. Click here for the store page. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Danny Greene – The Celtic Warrior May 07, 2020

Danny Greene – The Celtic Warrior Gary and Cam interview Rick Porrello, the author of Kill the Irishman: The War that Crippled the Mafia, The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia, Superthief, Bombs, Bullets, and Bribes. Danny Greene and the Cleveland Mafia Danny Greene was an up and coming young hoodlum who started working the docks as a stevedore. He used his popularity and machismo to become the President of the local International Longshoremen Association (ILA) until he was convicted of embezzlement. The FBI recruited him as a Top Echelon Informant during this case and he remained in the capacity until death. it was during this time that he was introduced to Jimmy Hoffa and the Cleveland mafia family started to notice him. Danny Greene Goes Rogue A well-known Mafia associate, Jewish gangster Alex “Shondor” Birns, hired Greene as an enforcer for the mob’s “numbers” racket. He is involved in organizing the local trash truck businesses into a mob dominated association. Cleveland mob underboss, Frank Brancato, started employing Danny Greene as muscle to enforce garbage-hauling contracts and to stop independent operators from cutting prices. He will botch a couple of assassination attempts and the mob loses confidence in him. Greene and Shonder Birns have a falling out over a drug deal that went bad and a loan that /Greene wanted to start another business. He joins forces with a jealous Italian mobster named John Nardi and attacks other young Irish criminals and breaks from the mafia in a public manner. The Cleveland mob declare an all-out war against Danny Greene and anybody associated with him. Cleveland will experience a number of bombing attmepts until a large explosive ends Danny Greene and his climb to the top of Cleveland’s rackets. Rick Porrello Rick grew up in Cleveland and he became interested in the mafia when he learned that his grandfather and three uncles were murdered in mob disputes during prohibition. In the small world category, we discuss the fact he had an extended relative named Angelo Porrello who was a Kansas City crime family member. Rick’s most well-known work came after he released his book, Kill the Irishman. He was a police officer and eventually the Chief of Police in a Cleveland suburb when the famous mob war between Danny Greene and the ruling mafia faction broke out in the 1970s. Kill the Irishman recounts that story in vivid detail from law enforcement, family members, and gangsters who participated. The book was made into a popular documentary film and finally, a narrative style true crime movie, Kill the Irishman, starring Christopher Walken, Vincent D’Onofrio, Val Kilmer, Tony Darrow, and Robert Davi. DonateTo rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. Click here for the store page. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

The ‘Ndrangheta in Australia May 04, 2020

History of the ‘Ndrangheta In this episode, Gary and Cam examine the history of organized crime in Australia as a big shout out to Sydney fan Dan Bashford. They examine how the ‘Ndrangheta became the largest and most powerful criminal organization in Australia. The ‘Ndrangheta organization originated from the state of Calabria in Italy. After WW II, many criminal members took part in the large immigration from post-war decimated Italy to the vast empty agricultural land in Australia. Once these criminals arrived with millions of other immigrants, they established seven ‘Ndrangheta families to mimic their homeland groups. The ‘Ndrangheta move into narcotics The ‘Ndrangheta members started buying up land and grew produce and soon moved into the most powerful and successful growers and wholesalers of produce in the early 1950s. They eventually controlled all the major wholesale produce markets. In these large tracts of land, they used legitimate crops as cover to grow marijuana between the rows of fruit trees and other citrus crops. The crime families will move into cocaine from South America and Heroin from Southeast Asia as their influence expands. They constantly adapt and move into whatever drug is lucrative as shown by a 2013 bust where Australian police interrupted and seized 15 million ecstasy pills hidden in 3000 tins of tomato paste as it was arriving from Naples, Italy. They arrested a descendant of one of the original crime families named Pasquale Barbaro as the leader of this narcotics ring. Following is the documentary made by the ABC Four-Corners investigative TV series To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. Click here for the store page. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Mob Blunders Apr 27, 2020

What is the biggest Mob Blunder ever? In this episode, Cam Robinson and Gary Jenkins discuss blunders by various organized crime families. We believe the largest and most devastating was the murder of Jimmy Hoffa on 6/30/1975. After his release from prison, Hoffa began campaigning to reclaim the leadership of the teamsters. The mafia enjoyed greater control under Frank Fitzsimmons and did not want Hoffa’s return. In addition, Hoffa began making threats to speak to authorities and to call in loans made by the pension fund for mob casinos. Hoffa disappeared while waiting for a meeting with Detroit capo Tony Giacalone and Genovese Capo Tony Provenzano. Result: The disappearance created a national scandal, drawing attention to the rampant corruption of the Teamsters. The FBI investigation disrupted mafia business for months. Congress increased scrutiny of the Teamsters, and the series of weak leaders followed the Teamsters down the drain, ending mob control of the once powerful union. 1977: Employee Retirement Income Security Act ends mob control of Central States Pension Fund 1979: Deregulation weakened the power of the Teamsters costing the mob national power 1991: General elections rather than indirect election by delegates—mafia no longer controlled presidency DonateTo go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Sidney Heard – The Unorganized Gangster Apr 23, 2020

Sidney Heard and the Kuggerrand Fraud In this episode, I interview Synova Cantrell about her book, Unorganized Crime: You Don’t Have to be Italian To Be a Wiseguy. Synova formed a friendship with a professional criminal named Sidney Heard and chronicled his flamboyant life in Unorganized Crime. Synova Cantrel is a prolific author who has written seven true crime books (click here to see them) and one on how to write and sell your book. In addition, she conducts a series of classes on how to write and sell your book and is available for consultation to new authors. The Unorganized Gangster Sidney Heard grew up in Chicago and learned the ways of the Outfit at an early age. he will move south to Amarillo Texas where he did not have to compete with an established organized crime ring. He became a well-known arsonist and con artist. His most significant crime came after he read about a large theft of South African Krugerrands. He seized the opportunity and counterfeited thousands of dollars worth of Krugerrands. He started moving them into the market by giving the impression he was selling the counterfeits at a big discount because they were part of the recent theft. He even used them to trade with Mexican drug dealers for cocaine. This gold scandal grossed him over a quarter of a million dollars. He will eventually work as a federal informant and be part of the most famous Supreme Court decision ever decided in criminal law, Gideon v. Wainwright. DonateTo go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Frank Costello and Huey P. Long Apr 20, 2020

Frank Costello goes South In this episode, Casey McBride, Frank Costello historian, discusses how a well known New York mobster formed a relationship with the flamboyant Huey P. Long, Louisiana’s governor, and then-Senator during the 1920-1930s. Frank Costello and Phil “Dandy Phil” Kastel set up the slot machine business in New York City. They disguised them as candy machine and the slots would dispense a mint on a losing pull and money on a winning pull. He soon had around 25,000 machines running in the northeast part of the United States. In 1933, Fiorello LaGuardia ran for the mayor of New York City on a clean government platform. After the voters elected him, he declared war on mob corruption of city officials and this meant a war on the slot machine business because it was a significant provider of graft. Frank quickly adapted and made a move south to Louisiana after making a deal with Huey P. long who ran the entire state like a dictatorship. DonateTo go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Ori Spado The Accidental Gangster Apr 16, 2020

How Ori Spado became a friend to many mobsters We interview Ori Spado, the Accidental Gangster this week. Mr. Spado started out as an insurance man who pioneered the extended warranty business for new car dealerships. This part of his life has nothing to do with organized crime but we learn that Spado started in New York where he made connections with some of the early gangsters like John “Sonny” Franzese Russell Bufalino, Meyer Lanskey, and Frank Costello. These men were gangsters who also had a head for business and saw the potential in Ori. He got into trouble with his insurance business by trying to grow too large and too fast. After that failed, he migrated to Hollywood California taking his business and organized crime connections with him. Ori goes to Hollywood In Hollywood, he established relationships with folks like President to be Ronald Reagan, talent agency head Jack Gilardi, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Jon Voight, Milton Berle, and Acadamy Award-nominated producer Agostino (Dino) De Laurentiis. Ori tells how he became a Hollywood Fixer or a man who can be counted on to take care of problems. He collected owed debts, scared away stalkers, or caused studio executives to live up to their agreements. He used his rumored connections with notorious mob bosses like Meyer Lansky, Sonny Franzese, and Russel Buffalino, which were real, to cause folks to do the right thing. These mob connections will eventually get him indicted on a RICO charge and Ori Spado will spend time in a Federal Prison. Ori Spado has documented his strange and exciting life in his book titled The Accident Ganster and it can be purchased on Amazon or on his website. Here is an example of an Amazon review. “A fascinating read from start to finish. Not only about the history of organized crime but the journey of one mans ability and willingness to think for himself and reflect on his own actions.” Donate To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Michael McCollum and the Hells Angels Apr 13, 2020

Michael McCollum has a rough start McCollum started early in a life of crime after his father, a motorcycle gang member, was the victim of a murder attempt where a dynamite bomb was detonated at their family home. Former law enforcement officer Gary Jenkins interviews former Hells Angel and Chicago Outfit Associate Michael McCollum. After having a dramatic enlightening, Michael turned his life around and is working on a book about his life on the wrong side of the law. That is when he is not working out in the gym. Michael’s life started with a rival motorcycle gang planting a dynamite bomb in his home in an effort to send a message to his father. DonateTo go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Larry Henry, Mob Museum Blogger on Nicholas Pileggi Apr 11, 2020

Interview with Mob Museum The Mob in Popular Culture blogger Larry Henry. Gary and Larry Henry discuss the film Casino and the work of Nichols Pileggi.

Too Politically Sensitive Apr 08, 2020

In this podcast, our guest Lieutenant (Ret) Michale Callahan tells how the Illinois State Police assigned him to review a murder investigation after they learned that the television show Dateline was doing a show that will allege the defendants were wrongfully prosecuted. Lt. Calahan’s assignment will lead to the court overturning two murder convictions and free one of these men from Death Row. He tells how an embarrassed Illinois State Police hierarchy will impede and hound him into retirement. He said that he had no more than started opening the case file for review when a local police officer called him and expressed concern about his reputation and said that he was not “a dirty cop.” Callahan wrote a book about his experience, and he titled it “Too Politically Sensitive” after a State Police Commander ordered him to drop his search for the truth because this murder was “too politically sensitive.” In July 1986, Paris Illinois firefighters responded to a residence engulfed in flames. They discovered that his fire was an intended coverup when they found the bodies of the young couple who lived there. Dyke and Karen Rhoads were a cute young couple who grew up in this area and were well known by many to be ordinary working folks. The pathologist will discover that someone had stabbed both victims to death. The local cops requested help from the Illinois State Police, and the area command assigned several State Troopers to help. The case went unsolved for several months until a well known “town drunk” claimed he knew something about this homicide. He implicated two other local men who were heavy drinkers themselves. He claimed he was passed out in their car outside the victim’s home the night of the homicide, and he awoke to see one of these men, Randy Steidle, holding a knife and with blood on his clothes. The investigators struggled to come up with a motive or any suspects, until the so-called town drunk, Darrell Herrington, said he knew something about the murders. He told police that he had been drinking with two locals — Randy Steidl and Herb Whitlock — the night of the incident and had passed out in the back of Steidl’s car on the way home. He told investigators that he awoke outside the Rhoads’ home and heard a woman screaming and that later, he saw Steidl with a knife and blood on his clothes. The investigators did not move on this information at first, and in about two months, a woman named Debra Reinbolt came forward and claimed to have been inside the victim’s house during the murders and claimed she witnessed Steidl and Whitlock do the deed. The investigators quickly arrested both men, and these two witnesses would testify. The prosecution claimed the motive was a drug deal gone wrong. In 1986, an Illinois jury convicted both men, and they sentenced Whitlock to life in prison, while they convicted Steidl of killing both Dyke and Karen and sentenced to death. In 2000, the TV show Dateline investigated this case and found a mass of evidence that indicated Steidl and Whitlock were the victims of malicious and wrongful prosecution. The Illinois State police assigned our guest, retired lieutenant Michale Callahan to review the case file. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Pizza Connection Episode 4 – the Investigation Apr 06, 2020

The Bonanno Family and drug smuggling In 1972, the Bonanno War is over, Joe and Bill Bonanno are out in Arizona. The Commission appoints Phil “Rusty”Rastelli the new boss of the Bonano crime family. Carmine Galante, the old Bonanno Consigliore completes a long prison sentence and returns to New York. Carmine Galante was at the original 1957 meeting in Sicily with Joe Bonanno, Lucky Luciano and members of the Sicilian mafia, among who were Gaetano Badalamenti and Tomasso Buscetta. During the 1960s, the Bonanno family and the Gambinos, as well as the Lucchese family, worked with Sicilians to bring heroin into the US via what became known as the French Connection. The French Connection becomes the Pizza Connection After the French Connection heroin pipeline dried up, the Sicilians created clandestine labs in Sicily and imported the raw product from Afganistan, Pakistan and other places in the Middle East. Carmine Galante had graduated to be the Bonanno Family boss and he imported several Sicilians to work directly for him. The local mafia members derisively nicknamed them Zips. Carmine Galante used two of them, Cesare Bonaventre and Baldassare “Baldo” Amato as his bodyguards. More Sicilians or “Zips” emigrated to the United States and started pizzerias, restaurants, and bakeries in New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan, and Illinois. In Brooklyn, Bonavatre and Amto started a high stakes baccarat game at the Café Viale on Knickerbocker Street. Another Sicilian named Salvatore Catalano showed up and opened a bakery. He and these two men were often seen together in long conversations and often used a payphone in that area. The plot to kill Carmine Galante The Zips were part of a conspiracy to kill Carmine Galante. Galante’s bodyguards Bonaventre and Amato were noticeably absent when two other men entered Joe and Mary’s Italian Restaurant on Knickerbocker Ave in NYC and murdered him. A Zip named Salvatore Catalano was believed to have taken over the Bonanno Family for a short period of time until the Commission could appoint Joe Messino as the new acting boss because Phil “Rusty” Rastelli was still in prison. Joe Pistone enters the picture It was during this time that undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone infiltrated a Bonanno crew. He developed a relationship with a mobster named Lefty Ruggerio. Lefty once pointed out Catalano and claimed he was granted the concession for heroin for the entire United States. The FBI passed this along to New York City agent Carmine Russo who had already started working on Catalano and other Zips and he suspected narcotics activity. The Pizza Connection task force takes down the entire operation These three Sicilians would become the objects of the Pizza Connection investigation as the FBI watched them, put pen registers on their payphone, and eventually installed wiretaps. They hear lots of code talk that was obviously drug transactions. They could not put narcotics in the hands of Catalano, Bonaventre, or Amato until they got a call from a Philadelphia DEA agent. They learned he was dealing with a Sicilian pizza shop owner for multi-kilos of heroin and the pen registers tied this drug transaction back to the Zips in NYC. This investigation will take many twists and turns but eventually lead to taking down the largest heroin ring in the United States. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Pizza Connection Episode 3 – FBI Retired Agent Leon Flosi Apr 03, 2020

Agent Leon Flosi and Giovanni Falcone In this third episode of the Pizza Connection story, I interviewed retired FBI agent Leon Flosi about Judge Giovanni Falcone and the Sicilian mafia. Agent Flosi was originally assigned to the Kansas City office where I became acquainted with him. He played an important part in the Strawman case in which he and Agent Bill Ouseley started the case that exposed how the mob’s infiltration of the Teamster’s Union led to their scheme to skim millions from Las Vegas casinos. We learn that Agent Flosi was a native-born Italian and the Bureau promoted him to be the assistant legal Attache in Rome Italy as the Strawman case went to trial. He developed a friendship with the famous mafia fighter, Judge Giuseppe Falcone. Together they set up an unprecedented working relationship between the New York City FBI office and Sicilian law enforcement. Agent Flosi creates the Italian-American Law Enforcement Task Force Agent Flosi reveals how he even encouraged a relationship between the Italian police, Judge Falcone, and the FBI to combat the importation of heroin into the United States. He even brought Judge Falcone to his home in Chicago and how the judge was able to relax without fear of his mafia stalkers for the first time. The murder of Giuseppe Falcone Eventually, the Mafia will set up and murder Judge Falcone. Agent Flosi reveals that the Mafia set up an ambush on a road that Judge Falcone traveled down on a regular basis. They set a huge cache of explosives in a culvert under this road. They established a look-out spot on top of a nearby hill and when the assassins saw Judge Falcone’s motorcade cross the culvert they detonated the bombing causing his death. The Italian police found cigarette butts and empty water bottles at the ambush lookout site. They never made any arrests leading to a conviction of this horrific crime. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Pizza Connection Episode 2 – Tommaso Bruscetta Mar 30, 2020

Tommaso Buscetta documentary Welcome Wiretappers to episode 2 of this Pizza Connection series. In this episode, Cam and I take a look at the famous Sicilian mafia boss Tommaso Buscetta. He is the subject of a documentary available on Amazon Prime called Our Godfather and I inserted the trailer for this film below. He is also the subject of a recently released narrative film titled the Traitor and the preview is inserted below. Buscetta and smuggling Tommaso Buscetta was a flamboyant mafia kingpin who graduated from being a Sicilian mafia soldier smuggling cigarettes around the Mediterranean Sea to a most-wanted transnational criminal and drug smuggler. Buscetta becomes involved in transnational heroin smuggling with Gaetano Bladalmenti from South America. Both had ended up on the strong end of a mafia war in Sicily when a clan led by Salvatore Riina murdered many of their associates and even non-involved relatives. Judge Falcone turns Tommasso Buscetta into a witness We learned that when he was arrested and extradited back to Italy from Brazil, his fellow Mafia bosses in Sicily killed his two sons and other family members to ensure that he would not talk. They calculated wrong and he did talk and he testified. He became the first Sicilian mafia boss to come in and be a witness and he helped convict over 400 Sicilian mafia members at the largest trial ever conducted in Italy. Our Godfather Documentary The Traitor To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Pizza Connection Episode 1 – The Beginning Mar 27, 2020

Pizza Connection: the biggest case against the mafia Welcome Wiretappers, Cam and I welcome you to the first of a 4-part series on the famous Pizza Connection investigation. Because this case was so intertwined with the Sicilian Mafia and the American Mafia, we start with a little history of the Mafia in Sicily. We know this is by no means comprehensive but it is an overview of that legacy. The Pizza Connection case will be a major blow against the Mafia in Sicily. The Sicilian Mafia before WW II The Sicilian mafia goes back to the 1800s and was formed to protect Sicilians from the central government in Rome and other foreign intruders. The formation of the modern Mafia did not begin until after a period of repression starting in the 1920s under the dictator Mussolini. A story about how and why he started his anti-mafia campaign was in 1924. The story goes that Mussolini visited Sicily in 1924 and passed through the town of Piana dei Greci where he was received by mayor/Mafia boss Francesco Cuccia. In those days, often the top politician would also be a mafia member or even a boss. At some point, Mayor Cuccia, noticing the big military escort, whispered into Mussolini’s ear: “You are with me, you are under my protection. What do you need all these cops for?” Mussolini rejected this offer of protection. Mayor Cuccia felt slighted and humiliated and instructed his constituents to stay home when El Duce made a speech. In turn, Mussolini felt humiliated and swore revenge. Over the next year, Mussolini sent his police and soldiers to repress the citizens and jailed over a thousand members of the Mafia. Many fled to New York City during this time bringing the legacy of the Sicilian mafia with them. The Sicilian Mafia after WW II During WWII all of Europe and the Mediterranean region dissolved into armed conflict and all the smuggling routes stopped. After the war disruption ended, a newly revitalized Sicilian mafia quickly redeveloped old contacts and went right back to their smuggling business after the War. Most, if not all, the jailed and exiled mafioso were released from jail or returned to Sicily and easily worked their way into the good graces of the occupying American troops. All the previous fascist government leaders were on the run or jailed by the Americans. The Mafia was poised to move into government positions with the help of the American army. Over the next decade, the Mafioso will develop and adapt to the new way of life and modern money-making rackets. The post-war government rationed cigarettes and the American Army had an endless supply of cigarettes. The mafioso developed black market contacts with corrupt army quartermasters and started a thriving cigarette smuggling business. These cigarette smuggling groups and routes will soon end and heroin will take the place of American smokes. From the French Connection to the Pizza Connection In this podcast, the listener learns about the birth of the Sicilian heroin business that starts with the French Connection and ends with the Pizza Connection. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Special Bonus episodes coming soon Mar 25, 2020

Your host, Gary Jenkins and Camulius Robinson want you to know that we are well and still making podcasts like crazy. Cam and I are going to release several in the next week to help entertain all the wiretappers during this time of crisis. After a lifetime of running into the breach where the public was in danger, I feel like doing a few extra podcasts and releasing them is the least I can do. Please disregard all the requests for donations inserted into these because we are good here and during this time of financial insecurity, we need to protect our families. Cam and I wish you all well and I am sure we will all survive and prosper after this time of fear, insecurity, and uncomfortableness. I am not used to being restricted in any manner and now I have to practiv=ce a lot more self-discipline than I want to practice. We will pull together and make it, of that I am sure. Stay safe all you wiretappers and keep your distance. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Michael O’Keefe on creating crime fiction Mar 23, 2020

Michael O’Keefe is a retired 1st Grade Detective from the NYPD. For twenty-four years, he worked in the toughest neighborhoods in New York, specializing in investigating Homicides and other violent crimes. He was born and raised on the mean streets described in his fiction. His characters and settings are drawn from the people he encountered there—on both sides of the law. oOf interest to the podcast is the fact he was raised around the men who would become involved in the Pizza Connection case and this will be the subject of a multi-episode piece on the podcast next month. Mike’s first full-length novel is Shot to Pieces and it was published this last year. This novel will be the first of a series about his fictional character based on his own life and career, Paddy Durr. He is presently near completion on two others. He lives on Long Island with his family, where he writes a little, and practices the ancient martial arts of lawn, and swimming pool maintenance—when he is not coaching football. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Utica New York Crime Family Mar 16, 2020

Cam and I discuss a little-known mafia family in upstate New York. From 1970 to 1992, Salvatore and Joseph Falcone led organized crime in Utica, NY. This family went back to the late 1930s. They were a powerful crew of the Buffalo, NY Maggadino Family, also known as The Arm. The New York State troopers arrested both men at the Apalachin Meeting in 1957. This crew was made up of approximately 15-20 “made” members. the famous witness, Joseph Valachi, claimed they were a separate family but it is more likely they were a powerful autonomous crew under Stefano Magaddino. In 1972 the older brother Salvatore Falcone died in Miami and in 1974 Buffalo boss Stefano Magaddino died. The younger Falcone brother, Joseph is aging and to outsiders there appeared to be a leadership vacuum. Carmine Persico ordered members of the Colombo Family to move into the area. Tony Falange, a top lieutenant of Falcone begins making moves, showing disrespect to Falcone. For example, he often failed to attend meetings or ask permission to expand the business. Someone robbed Falcone’s safe of $54,000. By September of 1976 Albert Marrone, a young Turk, was released from prison after using violence to collect on a loan. He immediately began making threats against everyone and expressed his intention to take over Utica’s rackets. Marrone had a history of violence and had been implicated in two murders in the early 1970s. By October 1076, things got crazy. Albert Marrone and his girlfriend were at dinner with local mob attorney Louis Brindisi and his wife. Brindisi excused himself, after which, Marrone became very nervous. Later that evening, Marrone walked toward his apartment when he was shot. He shielded his girlfriend, but he was killed. There are conflicting reports as to who was responsible. But it is believed that Donato “Danny” Nappi and Jack “Jake” Minicone were two of the shooters. They were working for the Colombo Family. Marrone is known to have threatened Colombo Family representatives. On the other hand, a Falange Lieutenant named Angelo Conte was reported to have wanted Marrone dead. The strongest supposition was that the Colombo family members acted without permission, despite being advised that Marrone’s actions could be dealt with in a sit-down. This unilateral action by the Colombo family—a sign of disrespect—is believed to have sparked further conflict in Utica. This all sets the scene for a long and protracted bloody mob war for the Utica New York rackets. The Colombos move in and start to extract a street tax on the bookies and they are met with much resistance. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Wearing a Wire on Steve St. John Bonus episode Mar 11, 2020

Our Venmo subscribers are responsible for this special bonus episode that I call “Wearing a Wire on Steve St. John.” If you don’t who Steve is, I once helped a new FBI agent on a drug case by doing surveillance on Steve in 1991. The FBI was working on Steve because they had an informant tell them that Steve had a connection to get Dilaudid and was supplying several street dealers. We worked Steve because he was known to be connected to several mob members in Kansas City. Mainly, we wanted to turn him and he never turned even after being charged as a drug kingpin. He would get 10 years and served his time in a variety of Federal institutions. After Steve’s release, he turned his life around and became successful in the used car business and has recently retired. We meet up periodically for donuts and coffee at the Donut King or waffles at a Waffle House. He is always telling me stories about his time in prison or other stories of the streets back in the days when I was a young cop and he was a young bail bondsman, fence and drug dealer. We were talking recently and I decided to record a story and release it as a bonus episode. I will do more in the future. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Undercover State Trooper and the KC Mob Mar 09, 2020

In this episode, the host, Gary Jenkins, interviews retired Missouri State Trooper Tom Gray about his months-long undercover investigation of Kansas City Mafia figures who were buying stolen property. The main target was a man named James H. Bradley Jr. or “Junior” as he was known. Because he operated a popular restaurant across the street from City Hall and Police Headquarters, a Kansas City cop would not be able to operate undercover. A police major had obtained the cooperation of the courts, the prosecutor and the County jail to get a prisoner out without any charges pending. Actually, this man, John Horn, had charges pending, but those charges were held back from public view and he was released into the custody of the KC police Department. The judge, in this case, required the police department to babysit with Mr. Horn and they were not to let him out of their sight until he had proven his worth enough that the prosecutor and the judge would agree to dismiss his charges. The Kansas City Police White Collar Crime and Intelligence Unit joined forces to make sure all the rules were followed. The police borrowed a Missouri state trooper who was working a drug case in Columbia, Missouri and was unknown in Kansas City. During the next several months, Trooper Tom Gray would arrive at the safe house where officers stayed overnight to watch Horn and they would “go to work.” They had a budget to buy property like women’s clothing, jewelry, cigarettes, canned hams, and other items. They took this supposedly stolen property to Junior Bradley’s Pumpernik Deli and sold them to him for about twenty-five cents on the dollar. He paid the sellers in cash and then resold this property out of the back room of his deli or a retail location he operated in the city market. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

John “Sonny” Franzese died at 103 Feb 27, 2020

Sonny Franzese came up the usual path to the life of a career criminal and Cosa Nostra boss. He started as a Brooklyn member of a juvenile gang and slowly graduated through Prohibition to become a member of the Profaci family. He was court-martialed during WW 2 and it was reported he exhibited “homicidal tendencies” In 1965 the FBI labeled him the most prominent loan shark in the Greater New York area. He became a modern-day celebrity mobster who was often seen at the famous Copacabana club in the company of stars like Dean Martin or boxer Rocky Graziano. He bought a record label called Buddha and promoted different celebrity musicians. He is known to have financed a few normal Hollywood quality films and as well as an independent film that became famous with the title of Deep Throat. By his last years, the government jails him for an old bank robbery case where he was sentenced to fifty years. He is finally given his release at age 103 in 2017 after the original 50-year sentence had expired. In an ironic twist, his own son, John Franzese Jr. testified against him in the case that sent him to jail for his final years. He had another son named Michael Franzese who has left the mafia business via the Witness Protection program and is in show business at the present time. His son. John Jr. is trying to shop his biography with no takers so far. John “Sonny Franzese Sr. died on February 20, 2020, at age 103. When he left prison, he was the oldest living inmate. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Montreal Mafia Part 2 Feb 24, 2020

In this second episode Gary and Cam go into the reason why Vito Rizzuto was charged in the famous murder of the three Capos in New York City. This story is a great example of how no good deed goes unpunished. During upheaval in the Bonanno family, a Bonanno Capo named Joe Messino gets approval from the Commission to remove three opposing Capos in his family to clear the way for him to become the new boss. Messino calls on Vito Rizzuto to help with this hit. Unbeknownst to Rizzuto, this same Joe Messino will later become the first Mob boss to make a deal with the FBI and among other information, he gave up, he named Rizzuto as a member of the hit team that murdered the three Capos. Vito will be extradited back to the U.S. and serve about 10 years in prison. The Montreal underworld will deteriorate into warring factions without the steady hand of Vito Rizzuto. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Montreal Mafia Part 1 Feb 17, 2020

After watching the Netflix series Bad Blood, Gary and Camulius Robinson take on the Rizzuto crime family and the Montreal Mafia. We believe because of the lack of prohibition, the Canadian mafia was not as fast-growing and organized as the American crime families. Nevertheless, they are a very interesting crime family that grew and prospered because of the personal drive and charisma of Vito Rizzuto. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Frank Costello with Casey McBride Feb 10, 2020

Host Gary Jenkins interviews fellow mob historian and expert on the life of Frank Costello, the Prime Minister of the Underworld. Casey is also a musician and he had created several original music compositions to be used in the podcast and the recently released mob documentary film, Brothers against Brothers” The Civella Spero War. In this episode, Casey and Gary discuss the use of Frank Costello in the recent Starz series, The Godfather of Harlem with Forrest Whitaker. Casey will get back to true crime as he continues telling the listeners about the life of Frank Costello as he got older and how he was able to become a senior statesman for the New York Mafia. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Lucky Luciano and the Dannemora Priest Jan 27, 2020

In this first of 2 episodes about Lucky Luciano, Gary tells a story about Lucky Luciano and the Dannemora priest. In 1936, the politically ambitious mob busting special prosecutor Thomas Dewey obtained a guilty verdict against Charles, “Lucky” Luciano for compulsory prostitution or for being a pimp. The state sent him to the Dannemora prison or Little Siberia which is as far away from New York City as possible. He arrived at Dannemora prison as just one more downstate inmate, a long fall from being the boss of bosses in New York City. Around this time the Catholic church assigned a young priest named Father Ambrose Hyland to minister to the inmates. Father Hyland asked himself, why is there no church building on the grounds. He proceeded to raise private money and obtained the warden’s permission to build a church on the actual prison grounds. By 1939 the inmates finished building the church and Father Ambrose would be able to say, “As far as I know, it is the first church in the United States to be dedicated to Saint Dismas.” He named the church after St. Dismas because he was known as the ‘good thief’ and is recognized as a Saint of the condemned. As the story goes, Dismas was one of the two thieves crucified with Christ. Many convicts volunteered their time and talents like a safe-cracking nitroglycerin expert, a forger, and a stickup man. Charles “Lucky” Luciano called “the most dangerous gangster” by his prosecutor made an unusual offer to Father Hyland. Luciano learned that Father Hyland had $5,000.00 in seed money from the Cardinal, but the cost of construction would exceed that amount. Luciano told Father Hyland that he was an expert at picking the winners of horse races and the results were posted in the New York papers every day. He had a paper and pointed out three horses on the race card for the following day. Luciano pointed at those names and said, “Bet it on these three horses tomorrow.” Father Hyland declined but he had to look at the race results for the following day. Sure enough, all three were long shots and all three came in as winners. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Leavenworth 7 Jan 20, 2020

After a few shows about John Gotti, this week, Gangland Wire will go to a 1930s story about a Leavenworth prison break that went wrong for both the prisoners and the town of Leavenworth. I interviewed former Leavenworth prison guard and prison historian Kenneth LeMaster. Kenneth tells the story of how prisoners behind the walls were aided by notorious bank robbers Frank “Jelly” Nash and George “Machine Gun” Kelly to facilitate a mass escape of seven desperate inmates. On December 11, 1931, chaos erupted behind Leavenworth’s limestone walls, and these criminals grabbed the warden hostage and escaped into the adjacent town of Leavenworth, Kansas. The nearby Ft. Leavenworth sent troops to restore order inside the institution, and many guards and local law enforcement engaged in running gun battles with the escaping inmate. When the prison emergency whistle alerted the town, all local officers and gun-wielding citizens joined the manhunt. Our guest, Kenneth LaMaster, tells an exciting story about flying bullets, first-person accounts, news reports, and official FBI files. Kenneth LeMaster has written three books on the infamous Leavenworth prison. Click here to go see the three books about Leavenworth Penitentiary written by Kenneth LeMaster. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Kill the Irishman Jan 17, 2020

Gary and his social media marketer, Basel Tarabishi, discuss the mob film Kill the Irishman. We both loved this modestly budgeted film because the screenwriter constructed a tight script with colorful characters without making them into cartoon characters. This film tells the real story of a 1970s mob war involving an old line but little known mob family in Cleveland Ohio. Gary compared this mob dispute in Cleveland with the 1970s mob dispute in Kansas City which is the topic of his latest film, Brothers against Brothers: The Civella Spero War. The film was stocked with all the usual suspects in a mob film with Paul Sorvino playing the classic overweight mob boss Tony Salerno, Robert Davi playing a hard-eyed hitman, Ray Ferrito, Vincent D’Onofrio playing an ambitious young mafia associate John Nardi and Christopher Walken playing a veteran Jewish mobster named Alex “Shondor” Birns. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Future of the Gambino/Gotti Family Jan 13, 2020

Happy New Year Wiretappers! In anticipation of a special Newsmax television special on John Gotti, Gangland Wire researched the most recent information on who might be the new leadership group of the former Gambino/Gotti crime family. Well known former Fox and Friends anchor, Greg Kelly. will interview your Gangland Wire host Gary Jenkins about organized crime on this live show that Newsmax will broadcast on January 16, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM CST. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

John Gotti and the Informant part 2 Dec 30, 2019

Merry Christmas Wiretappers! In part 2, I interview Steve St. John, a former prison inmate who served time with retired New York Police Detective William Priest who was an informant for John Gotti. I recently reacquainted myself with Steve St. John after a mutual acquaintance told me he had gone straight and was asking questions about some of the officers and agents who worked on his case. I was the sergeant in charge of a surveillance team who helped the FBI build a case against Steve for trading Dilaudid for stolen property. After I met him, I was convinced he had made a significant life change and we have become friends. Steve was a great help in the making of my last movie Brothers against Brothers: The Civella Spero War. I wanted a stripper to offer a lap dance to an actor playing an undercover cop and he found me a lady to fill that role. I needed a vintage car and he had a friend who has more than 30 vintage cars. Steve has some great stories about working in a prison bakery with the ex-police detective. He also was friends with the Gotti capo named Joe Butch Corrao who brought Gotti the inside police source. We learn that Joe Butch was not a man to fool with, even as he became advanced in age and many other prison stories. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

John Gotti and the Informant Part 1 Dec 25, 2019

This case starts with the FBI taping members of Gambino Capo John Gottis’s Bergen Hunt and Fish Club crew. This included his brother Gene Gotti and his good friend Angelo Ruggerio along with John Carneglia. Ruggerio was the main target and the Bureau uncovered their multi-million dollar a year heroin distribution ring. Additionally, Ruggerio was a big mouth who talked incessantly about everything. He even bad-mouthed his friend and boss, John Gotti. Even though when Ruggerio was with John Gotti, he was constantly stroking his ego and complimenting him. These tapes would be used as a big part of a probable cause affidavit to get a listening device placed inside big Paul Castellano’s home. Ruggerio and Carneglia were John Gotti’s closest allies in his crew and both participated in the murder of John Favera who was the man who accidentally hit and killed Gotti’s kid in an accident. In 1985, both men would help John Gotti murder his boss, Paul Castellano. Both had their own reasons for wanting Castellano dead because by the time of this murder in the FBI was moving on them for the heroin case and Paul Castellano had ordered the murder of the last member of the Gambino family caught dealing drugs. Plus, Castellano knew about the tapes made by the FBI because they were part of the evidence against him and he demanded that Ruggerio give them up to his lawyer. Ruggerio refused and appealed to his uncle, long-time Gambino underboss Aniello Dellacroce. He kept Castellano fended off until he died in 1985. Shortly after Dellacroce died, Gotti and his crew moved on Paul Castellano and with that murder, Gotti would ascend to become the boss of the Gambino crime family. During these years, Angelo Ruggerio would be caught trying to bribe a telephone man to find out about FBI wiretaps and he would have two mistrials because of jury tampering. He hired a couple of different private investigators to watch the courthouse and catch jurors entering cars to get their car registration names. He then sent someone out to attempt to bribe them. In the end, both Gene Gotti and John Carneglia were convicted and given 50-year sentences. Gene was released in 2015 after serving 29 years in prison. During all the is time there is a New York City police officer working in the Public Morals squad which is the Vice squad. They worked prostitution, illegal casinos, bars that violated liquor laws and all in all a fertile ground for bribes. On December 3, 1984, he is taking his wife and mother in law to a celebration at St. Barbara’s Greek Orthodox church in Manhattan. He was driving across the Manhattan Bridge when his car stalled and stopped. It was raining and low visibility. As traffic backed up and horns were blasting, a speeding car hit the officer pinning him against his car. At the hospital, doctors had to amputate his left foot at his ankle that day and over the next few months, they would take off more of his leg up to his thing. Intelligence Unit.” Once he was back to duty in 1986, The NYPD turned down the officer’s application for an on-duty disability. He did get a 1.4 million settlement from the driver’s insurance. The NYPD assigned this man as an Intelligence Unit analyst where he had access to sensitive information on organized-crime cases. Remember this was during the time that Gotti’s was taking over the Gambino family. He was able to obtain confidential information like the locations of electronic listening devices (wiretaps and bugs), the identity of confidential sources of information and cooperating witnesses, and the timing of prospective indictments. It was during this time that the feds figured out john Gotti had paid an old lady to vacate her apartment and he could access her apartment from inside the Ravenite Social Club. It was a tape from that microphone planted inside a VCR and wired directly to a telephone line that was a leased line monitored from the Manhattan FBI office. A Gotti Capo named Joe Butch Corrao and a guy Gotti liked to call the Grim Reaper who was George Helbig came to this apartment and told Gotti and Sammy the Bull Gravano that they had a guy who told them that the state, not the feds, had planted mikes inside Gravano’s Brooklyn club and his construction company office. The next day the US Attorney Bruce Mouw was reading the 100-page transcript when he saw this conversation. He called in FBI Agent Andy Kurins and together they found had 4 clues. The guy was either a golfer, a lawyer, a cop or somebody’s cousin. They did not know which clue or clues were pertinent. Gotti instructed the Grim Reaper, Geroge Heibig to give the guy enough money to buy some new golf clubs. The agent knew that John Gotti played at the Westchester County Club and Sammy Gravano’s construction company had a contract to do work there so he pulled the membership list but this did not reveal any suspects. Gotti said something about “every cop he knows there. But that’s good, You know why? He’s a legitimate lawyer so its beautiful.” So they thought he was a lawyer and which meant he was a prosecutor. Gotti did not like Hiebig and after he left, he exclaimed, “They all got a cop that’s a first cousin or an uncle or a fucking nephew. Gravano replied, “I know this guy he’s talking about, Pete! Gotti replied, “Yeah, That’s his first cousin?” They still could not figure out if Gotti meant that this was Hieibg’s first cousin or this Pete’s first cousin. He put pin registers on all of Hiebig’s telephones and cloned his beeper to no avail. Hiebig’s beeper did show a lot of calls from a payphone in Brooklyn. Agent Kurins went to the payphone and took photos of Heibig and Pete Mavis around and quickly found a doorman who knew Pete Mavis. He asked the agent if he was checking on the parties they had at this building. He learned this was a party pad rented to one of Heibig’s companies. This apartment had a phone and he pulled the phone records and found a lot of calls to a phone owned by a Constance Piest, but that meant nothing and he thought it might be a party girl. He visited Pete Mavis’s in-laws because they held the mortgage on a house used as a business by Heibig. As he talked, he figured they knew nothing but he happened to ask if they knew a Constance Peist. The wife replied, “Yes that’s Pete’s cousin, maybe you know her husband Billy who is a detective. The one who works in Intelligence and lost his leg in an accident.” Andy Kurins could not get out of there fast enough and made a beeline back to the US Attorney’s office with this information. Together they pieced together that Det. William Priest was a very active analyst and he was constantly checking with the prosecutor’s office, the FBI and other investigators gathering information on the New York mob. He got Priest’s phone records and work logs and they found that on the day that Corrao and Heibig told Gravano and Gotti about the bugs in Gravano’s office, Peter Mavis had called Priest’s phone that same day. Please listen to next week’s episode to hear an interview with a man who spent time inside the joint with former Detective Willaim Priest. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Merry Christmas Wiretappers Dec 24, 2019

Myself, Cam Robinson, Larry Henry, Bill Ouseley, Casey McBride, Synova Cantrell, and all the staff here at Gangland Wire Crime Stories wish all our friends a very happy Holiday season. I am off for Texas where I hope it is a bit warmer. It makes me wonder, is there any organized crime in Texas? Well, we will have to explore that someday in the future. As my Chrismas gift to the Wiretappers, I have recorded 2 episodes with a previously unknown little story about the Gotti crime family. This is the story of the informant that offered his services to Gotti. When Sammy the Bull Gravano came in and was telling all, FBI agents asked him about an NYPD police detective who had bee giving Gotti information. While they thought they knew from some great police work done by an agent, Gravano solidified this information. this episode drops on Christmas morning. Then the next day I have a second episode interviewing a man who was in federal prison with this same ex-police informant. I thank all of you who have donated, bought the KC Mob Tour App, bought Brothers against Brothers, Gangland Wire, or Leaving Vegas: How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos and listened to my stories.

Mob Town with Larry Henry Dec 23, 2019

Retired police Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins interviews Mob Museum blogger Larry Henry about his special pre-screening of the newest mob film, Mob Town. Larry reports this film has many comedic moments. The film’s director and writers tell the story of how a New York State Trooper, Edgar Croswell, discovered a meeting of mob chieftains from every major American city on Nov. 14, 1957. This film has some star power with David Arquette starring as Sergeant Edgar Croswell, Danny A. Abeckaser as Joseph Barbera, Sopranos Meadow Soprano, Jamie-Lynn Sigler starring as the wife of the host, Josephine Barbera and Gino Cafarelli who played Mayor Frank Rizzo on The Irishman, as Carmine Galente. A couple of great casting decisions were when the Director tapped the man who played the opera singing bad guy in the Goonies, Robert Davi as Vito Genovese and a Garry Pastore as Albert Anastasia. Pastore has been in many action films and he plays Matty the Horse Ianniello in the Duece. After that, we discuss my most recent mob documentary, Brothers against Brothers: The Civella Spero War. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Gangland Wire Reviews The Irishman Dec 16, 2019

In this episode, Cam Robinson and I give our thoughts on the recent Scorsese movie about the murder of James Riddle Hoffa, The Irishman. Neither of us believes Frank Sheerhan. We would like to think that he was the Forrest Gump of the 1960s and 1970s mob hits, but Lee Harvey Oswald, Bay of Pigs, Allen Dorfman and Joey Gallo? Too much for us. But listen and decide for yourself. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Brothers against Brothers: The Civella-Spero War Dec 04, 2019

Hey all you Wiretappers, As you may know, I recently finished my second documentary film Brothers against Brothers on the Kansas City crime family. In this film, Brothers against Brothers, I examine a mob war that pitted KC Mob boss, Nick Civella and his brother Carl “Cork” Civella against four “young turks” Nick, Mike, Joe, and Carl Spero. I have it for sale on my Website shop page and I offer it as a reward for any donation of $25.00 or more to the show. But for the small amount of $1.99 you can go to Amazon and rent the film. Even if you want the DVD with unedited raw interviews as special features please consider renting the film within a few days after you get this podcast. If enough of you download it at the same time and you give it a lot of reviews, Amazon will pump it up in their algorithms and offer it to more folks. In that simple inexpensive manner, you can give the podcast an immense boost. I make about 50% on digital downloads but the money I make from my regular fans is nothing compared to all the others out there who will then get an email with my film as a recommendation. This is a gift to the podcast that keeps on giving. The same thing happened to my other film Gangland Wire, but it took over a year to build enough downloads and reviews to get Amazon to promote that film. I want to cut that time down to a few weeks. I pulled out all the stops for this documentary. I hired a video company to produce reenactment scenes and film interviews. I hired actors and got friends to help film scenes inside a strip club and a mob hangout. I take the viewers to the actual locations for some of the interviews of the officers who worked the case. I released it last week at the Kansas City Mafia Film Festival and I got lots of favorable comments. Click here to go to Amazon for the movie rental. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Unfound Missing Mobsters Dec 02, 2019

Don’t forget to hit me up on Venmo. Recently, I was a guest on the podcast Unfound. The host of this show researches stories about people who went missing and have never been found. He contacted me to ask about mob guys who went missing and were never found. In this episode which is actually the Unfound show produced on my stream, I tell about a couple of Kansas City mobsters who went missing and were never found. Jimmy Towles was a career criminal who worked in a gang of jewel thieves who were controlled by the Civella crime family. when he left with one of his gang members one day, he never returned. Sal Manzo was a very closely connected associate of Carl Civella. He helped with the sportsbook, he managed a bingo operation that the KC family skimmed thousands from every week. He was involved in finding and fencing stolen property. He disappeared one day and a few weeks later an unidentified person called a well known KC police detective and instructed him to take a look for Manzo inside a trash can in the Italian section of Kansas City. The detective drove to the area the caller described and found the clothes that Manzo was wearing his last day. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The LaStella Restaurant Incident Nov 27, 2019

Welcome Wiretappers, don’t forget to hit me up on the venmo app and buy me a cup of coffee. First, I must warn you I had some sound problems, and Cam’s voice sounds like he is on the phone. In the last of this 4 episode series on Mob meetings, Cam Robinson and I look into the “Little Apalachin” meeting in 1966. In 1966, MYC police arrested thirteen members of organized crime a Queens NY Italian restaurant called the LaStella. The arrested Carlo Gambino, head of the crime family that bears his name; Thomas Eboli and Mike Miranda of the Genovese Family; Joseph Colombo; Aniello Delacroce, underboss of the Gambino Family; Joseph N. Gallo, the Gambino Family’s consigliere; Dominick Alongi, Eboli’s driver; and Anthony Cirillo, a Genovese soldier. From Florida, Santo Trafficante, Jr. and New Orleans boss Carlos Marcello, his brother Joseph Marcello, Jr., Anthony Carolla, and Frank Gagliano. They took the owners of the restaurant, Joseph and Jack Taliercio, in for questioning. The story goes that two New York police officers noted several black limousines parked outside and took a close look inside. They found the largest gathering of major Mafia bosses held since the Apalachin conclave of 1957. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Apalachin Meeting: Rounding up the Mobsters Part 2 Nov 14, 2019

In Part 2, I discuss what happened during and after this famous raid. Don’t forget to buy me a shot and a beer on your Venmo app at ganglandwire. Edgar Croswell was a detective sergeant in the New York State Police. He had some problems with a resident named Joseph Barbara Sr. Sgt. Croswell had done an extensive background check on Barbara and paid close attention to the Barbara estate. Croswell was in a good place to do this because he worked as an investigator for the State Criminal Investigation Bureau. He worked out of the Vestal substation near Binghamton, New York. Sgt. Creswell had found that Joe Barbara was a suspect in the 1931 murder in Wyoming, Pennsylvania. Months later, Pennsylvania police found a Thompson submachine gun in Joe’s car, which was linked to a gangland shooting in New York City. In 1933, Barbara was again arrested for double murder linked to Mafia activities. Later, in 1933, he was a suspect in a brutal torture-murder of a Scranton, Pennsylvania bootlegger named Albert Wichner. Sgt. Croswell learned that in the 1940s, Barbara had built an 11-room home with five outbuildings on fifty-three acres of land surrounding it. Barbara formed a small group of mobsters in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Joe established a legitimate business running a soft drink bottling plant, and somehow, through some political pressure in Albany, New York, received a district beer distribution license and was also awarded a franchise by the Canada Dry Company to bottle and distribute their products. Knowing all this background would propel Sgt. Croswell to take the action that led to mob bosses fleeing through the upstate New York woods in their expensive suits and alligator shoes. On November 13, 1957, an area motel called the State police substation and complained about someone passing a bad check. Sgt. Creswell and his partner, Trooper Vincent Vasisko, drove to the motel late in the afternoon. While they were talking to the owner’s wife, Helen Schroeder, Croswell noticed a cocky young man he knew as Joe Barbara Junior pull up in his Cadillac. The sergeant and the trooper ducked into a small lounge off the office area as Junior entered the motel office. They listened as Barbara Junior booked three double rooms for two nights. He mentioned that his father was hosting a meeting with folks involved in the soft drinks industry. However, he refused to tell the manager the names of the guests or when they were arriving. He paid a deposit and left. Sgt. Croswell smelt something fishy was up, and they left to check out Barbara’s bottling plant to see if anything suspicious was going on there. The plant was closed, and no cars were in the lot. They drove half a mile to the Barbara estate. Here, they sighted four automobiles. The next day, November 14, 1957, the mafia bosses, their advisers, and bodyguards, approximately one hundred men, met at Joe Barbara’s 53-acre estate in Apalachin, New York, about 200 miles northwest of New York City. Sergeant Croswell thought Barbara may have been involved in some kind of bootlegging operation so he called in treasury agents, Arthur Rustin and Kenneth Brown. They agreed to come from Binghamton, a 30-minute drive, and help. Croswell called his boss and got permission to set up on surveillance of the Joe Barbara estate. Croswell and his partner Vincent Vasisko and the two treasury agents drove up to McFall Road where the estate was located. They smelled a strong order of meat cooking over an open flame with dozens of men standing around the outdoor barbecue pit. They saw the area in front of Joe Barbara’s garage was filled to capacity with parked cars, expensive cars like Cadillacs, Imperials, Lincolns, and Chryslers. There were so many that they were parked in an adjoining pasture as an overflow lot. The officers quietly exited their cars and entered the field and started writing down license numbers. A small group of men from the barbeque pit area walked away and into this field, they stopped suddenly and looked stunned at the sight of the police officers, then started yelling, retreating towards the house. Croswell and his men dropped back to public property, and at about 1:00 p.m. Sgt. Croswell ordered a roadblock. He called into the substation and asked for backup. Soon, some twenty state police officers were entering their Plymouth cruisers and roared out of their barracks at Binghampton, Whitney Point, Waverly, and Horseheads and barreled toward Appalchin with lights flashing and sirens blaring. As the troopers were flying toward the Joe Barbara estate, Sgt. Croswell watched as they saw a stream of men fleeing the Joe Barbara property, rushing across fields and into the woods, then west towards the Apalachin Creek. It’s time to make a tactical decision on the fly with little or no information or legal grounds to articulate. Some got into their cars and exited not McFall Road. The first vehicle to hit the roadblock was a small truck driven by Bartolo Guccia, a fish merchant from Endicott, NY. He supposedly had been making a delivery at Barbara’s house. The police waived him through. Interestingly enough, Bartolo Guccia, while he has been regarded as a spectator, was more than likely, was part of the discussion. Later, they will learn he was part of the Barbara crime family and well-known to the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. His arrest record dated back to 1916 for just about everything, including murder. Sgt. Croswell stopped the next car and asked the driver and passenger to leave the vehicle. A driver’s license check found Russel Bufalino, boss of the northeastern Pennsylvania crime family, and New York crime boss Vito Genovese. The men sitting in the back of the Chrysler Imperial were Joseph Ida, Gerardo Catena, and Dominic Oliveto. They claimed they had dropped by to visit their friend Joe Barbara, who had been feeling ill. As Croswell was talking to these men, the first of the state troopers were arriving, pulling their cars onto the side of the road. Sergeant Croswell made some more tactical decisions. He organized the Troopers into groups and sent them into the woods and countryside to round up anybody who appeared to be coming from the estate. The remaining troopers stopped the ever-growing number of cars driving down the hill out of the estate. They organized them into groups created a convoy and escorted them and their vehicles to the state trooper’s building at 217 Vestal Parkway East. By late afternoon, the little state troopers building sub-station was packed with the men who had been taken from the cars and other men who were caught fleeing on foot from the Joe Barbara house. They found Kansas City crime boss Nick Civella and Joe Filardo at a nearby train station acting all nonchalant and like they were just waiting for a train. In the end, they had captured 60 men. Sgt. Croswell ordered them one by one to come into his office for interrogation. He ordered them to empty their pockets and give hive their name and an address. Every man there would soon be identified as a professional criminal and connected to a major la Cosa Nostra crime organization. There was an unusual level of blood relatives present at Apalachin-four pairs of brothers, two sets of cousins, and a mixture of uncles, nephews, and in-laws. Although all of these mobsters would have egg on their faces for a long time over the debacle in upstate New York, the man who really felt the heat was a man named John Montana. He was a businessman from Buffalo and very influential in state politics. He was a city council member and was recently nominated for “Businessman of the Year” by the Erie Club. He owned the most significant taxi-cab business in Buffalo, and he was quietly a capo in the Buffalo Mafia family run by Stefano Magaddino. Some of the other fancy stories came from men like Vincent Rao of Manhattan, who said he thought he had been invited to a buffet luncheon. Carmine Lombardozzi, a Brooklyn-based hoodlum, confirmed he was going hunting. Asked why he had no gun or hunting gear, he said he was planning to buy it there! Jimmy La Duca, a capo in the Magaddino organization, was apprehended in the woods, where he said he was chasing a deer. Joe Filardo of Kansas City said he was a businessman but refused to say what kind of business. Most everyone said they were paying a sick call on Mr. Barbara and had all coincidentally arrived at the same time. The most original excuse came from James Osticco. He said he had come to the house ‘to fix a pump.’ Later, at a grand jury, a New York City Police Lieut. Thomas Mooney gave his explanation about why the meeting had been called. He alleged this was to be a trial for a man named Lombardozzi, who had been accused of stealing from mob-owned jukeboxes. Other sources claim this trial was because Lombardozzi had raped a woman. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Apalachin Meeting Part 1 Nov 11, 2019

Don’t forget to buy me a cup of coffee on your venmo app at ganglandwire. This is the first of a two-part series on the now-famous Apalachin meeting, and I got my good friend retired K-9 Sergeant Cate Kozalto sit in on the show. If you want to learn more about Cate, check out my YouTube channel and see our motorcycle tour of Bonnie and Clyde sites from Iowa to Louisana. There are lots of questions out there about the famous Apalachin meeting. I have heard every rumor and speculation possible. Kate and I will try to go through this dispel some of the rumors, and get to the truth. We are doing this because I understand there is a movie about the meeting to be released in 2019. First, we need to pronounce it correctly. I noticed that our frequent guest Bill Ouseley always said Appa -lake-in. I looked it up and as usual, he is correct. So I will quit saying Appalachian and say Appa-lake-in The famous Apalachin meeting has taken on mythical proportions in popular culture. In Kansas City, we brag how New York cops arrested our long-time boss, Nick Civella at a train station very close to this meeting, and he was with prohibition-era Kansas City crime boss, Joe Filardo. This event gave the Kansas City crime family credibility on a national scale. The earliest mention in popular culture was in the Peter Mass book, The Valachi Papers. The movie of the same title also depicted the meeting. Charles Bronson played Joe Valachi. The Apalachin Meeting was loosely depicted in the 1959 film Inside the Mafia. This film starred Cameron Mitchell. Inside the Mafia is a 1959 film noir crime film based on a true incident. It was based on the Albert Anastasia murder and the subsequent Apalachin Meeting. The meeting was comically depicted in the 1999 film Analyze This with Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal. Narration near the beginning of the 1990 Martin Scorsese movie Goodfellas Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta said, “It was a glorious time, before Apalachin, before Crazy Joe Gallo took on a mob boss and started a war…” In the film, the name Apalachin was mispronounced – Henry Hill’s character pronounces the “ch” in Apalachin like in the word “chin,” but it is correctly pronounced like a “k.” The full name is pronounced “Apple-lake-in.” Why was this Apalachin meeting necessary? By this time, the mobsters knew that local police, the FBI, and most importantly, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics were using electronic surveillance methods or bugging telephones and rooms. In 1957, the phone was good but not the best, and there was no such thing as conference calls, let alone Skype or FaceTime conference calls. I believe they wanted to look at each other face to face when they made decisions about the future of the National Crime Commission. Transportation was constantly improving, and interstate crime was becoming more accessible. Las Vegas was on the horizon, and other western cities were growing to create more opportunities for gambling and labor racketeering. Narcotics were a question. The Federal Bureau of Narcotics had gathered a lot of information about the various criminal organization, and narcotics was becoming known as dirty money. Was the profit worth the risk? However, one of the main reasons for this meeting was a struggle for control between the more Americanized liberal factions and the old-school conservative factions of the mafia. The progressive wing wanted to move more into business crime and avoid killings and interfamily wars, while the conservatives wanted to keep everything open. First, let’s go back and see who some players were and how they got there. In 1957, a National Crime Syndicate existed. In 1931 after the last old Mustache Pete, Sal Marazano, was killed by Lucky Luciano and his crew, the bosses of the New York 5 families along with Buffalo New York boss Stephano Magaddino and Chicago’s Al Capone formalized the geographic boundaries and created a set of rules, like for example, for a man to be approved as a made man, all families had to agree. They also allowed Jewish members of the National Crime Syndicate, not the La Cosa Nostra mind you. They elected Charles Lucky Luciano as the Boss of all Bosses. In 1936 after Lucky Luciano was sent to prison, several conservative New York bosses took over and wanted to return to old-world Sicilian traditions, which would exclude anyone not of Sicilian blood. These crime families held a meeting in Havana, Cuba, and in the end, some of the more progressive opinions were adopted, like keeping their Jewish friends in the Commission, but they approved of Lucky Luciano remaining as the Boss of Bosses and that the American Mafia would deal in narcotics. Supposedly, they agreed to have Bugsy Siegal killed for skimming money from the Flamingo in Las Vegas. The Chicago Outfit always represented the Kansas City Crime Family during this time. In the early 1950s, Frank Costello rose to the top of the heap and wanted to adopt more progressive and business-like methods, while the old-school mafiosos did not want to change. Why was this meeting held in 1957? By this time, several cities had grown large enough crime families to feel they deserved a seat on the commission. Philadelphia and Detroit families wanted a seat at the table. The power struggle in New York between some old-school conservative bosses and the younger liberal Americanized bosses was creating havoc. After several mob hits in which 2 bosses were killed, the New York crime families split even further. The more liberal and progressive faction was Frank Costello and Albert Anastasia. They were opposed by Vito Genovese, Tommy Lucchese, and Carlo Gambino. In 1957, Vito Genovese thought that the Mafia’s political climate in New York and on the Commission was right for a power move. Genovese, Lucchese, and Gambino conspired to murder Frank Costello and Albert Anastasia. On May 2, Genovese gunman and protégé Vincent “Chin” Gigante tried to kill Frank Costello in the lobby of his Manhattan apartment building but failed, leaving Costello with only a minor head wound. Costello got the message and told Genovese that he would step down as boss of the Luciano Family and retire. The following month, Anastasia’s Family underboss, Frank “Don Cheech” Scalise, was assassinated on June 17 by Anastasia’s nephew and gunman, James “Jimmy/Jerome” Squillante. This seemed to be another crazy act by the boss of Murder Incorporated, and Genovese used the Scalise hit, along with Anastasia’s attempt to muscle into the Havana casino operations of Meyer Lansky and his partner, Florida boss Santo Trafficante, Jr. as examples of Anastasia’s madness and reasons to kill him. On October 25, 1957, in the barbershop of Manhattan’s Park Sheraton Hotel, Anastasia was shot and killed by two masked gunmen sent by Genovese and Gambino. Genovese was now head of the Genovese crime family and a Commission member, making him the most powerful boss in La Cosa Nostra. In 1957, Chicago mafioso, Sam Giancana was elected to replace former Chicago Outfit boss and Commission member, Anthony Accardo, giving the new “Liberal Faction” another ally. After the recent killing of Anastasia, the New York bosses needed a sit down to discuss how they might divide up Anastasia’s rackets such as gambling, casinos, and narcotics dealing. Some Anastasia capos like Aniello “The Lamb” Dellacroce and Armand “Tommy” Rava were about to go to war against Genovese and his allies. Another topic was gambling and narcotics activity in Cuba. Santo Trafficante, Jr. of Florida and Northeastern Pennsylvania Family Underboss Rosario “Russell” Bufalino, Frank DeSimone of Los Angeles, Carlos “Little Man” Marcello of New Orleans, and Meyer Lansky were very concerned with attempts by others to muscle in on their Havana casino operations. The most important topic at the Apalachin meeting was the international narcotics trade. Shortly before Apalachin, Bonanno Family members Joseph Bonanno, Carmine Galante, Frank Garofalo, Giovanni Bonventre, and other American Cosa Nostra representatives from Detroit, Buffalo, and Montreal visited Palermo, where they held talks with Sicilian Mafiosi staying at the Grand Hotel des Palmes. This connection will remain intact despite a ban on mafia trafficking in narcotics. The Sicilian Mafiosi had already established smuggling routes and connections from Turkey and the Middle East through France to Canada and the United States. Carmine Galante will become known as the heroin kingpin before he is murdered dramatically in a New York restaurant. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Mob Meeting in Philadelphia – November is Mob Meeting month Nov 07, 2019

Wiretappers, this is the first of a 4 part series on mob meetings. Since November 14 is the 62nd anniversary of the famous Apalachin meeting in upstate New York, I decided to focus on mob meetings in November. Next week, I will release 2 episodes on the Apalachin meeting. The Chicago Tribune reported that sometime in 1979, representatives of the Outfit traveled top Philadelphia to discuss the new gambling mecca in Atlantic City and Las Vegas casinos. At the meeting, they reported that the Outfit was granted all rights to action in Las Vegas while the 5 Families and Philadelphia Family was granted exclusive rights to Atlantic City. Representatives of Carlo Gambino, Joseph Bonnano, Vito Genovese, Thomas Luchese and Joseph Columbo, Angelo Bruno family of New Jersey aides from the Tony Accardo and Joseph Aiuppa families attended. The National Cosa Nostra commission consisted of seven members and the Detroit based Zerrelli family of Detroit did not attend the meeting because of internal unrest after the death of Mr. Zerrilli and the Stefano Magaddino family of Buffalo, N.Y., was not represented. Under terms of the agreement, any East Coast mobsters now involved in illegal activities in las Vegas must report to Outfit Capo Anthony Spilatro and a cut of any action should be turned over to Spilatro as a tribute to Chicago mob bosses. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Genovese Family in Springfield Massachusetts Oct 28, 2019

Hey Wiretappers, don’t forget t but me a cup of coffee on your venmo app. in this episode of our ongoing examination of the new England crime families, Camilius Robinson and I take a look at the far western Massachusetts city of Springfield. In the earliest days, this city was organized by members of New York’s Genovese family. The first known boss was “Big Nose Sam” Cufari. He was born around the turn of the 19th Century in Bianco, Reggio di Calabria. Historically this was the home base for the Ndrangheta, two organizations similar to the Sicilian Mafia and the Neapolitan Camorra. Another early Springfield associate with ties to pre-Castro Cuba is Carlo Mastrototaro, who would later occupy positions in both the Patriarca and Genovese families. As Raymond Patriarca rose to power he made arrangements for tribute from this Genovese crew operating inside what Patriarca believed to be his territory because it was part of New England. Over the years, this crew participated in the usual mob activities of sports gambling, loan sharking, truck hijacking and all of the other vices. Sam Cufari died in 1983 and Francesco “Skyball” Scibelli took control of this longtime outpost of the Genovese crime family. he was born and raised in Springfield’s South End neighborhood. He focused on the lucrative sports and illegal casino gambling business. He would get two convictions for those activities in the early 196os and the judge ordered him out of organized crime activities and sentenced Scibelli to 19 months in jail. The papers at the time hailed this sentence as the “end of organized crime in Springfield.” He ignored the judge’s admonition and eventually went on to run “Springfield” for the New York-based Genovese crime family from the early 1980s until 1998, two years before his death in 2000 at the ripe age of 87 of natural causes. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Wild Guy William Grasso Oct 21, 2019

Hey Wiretappers, don’t forget to buy us a shot and a beer on your Venmo app. Just hit up ganglandwire to help with the podcast expenses. Today my regular contributor Camilius Robinson provides us with more stories from Raymond L.S. Patriarca and his new England Crime family known as the “Office.” Wild Guy William Grasso began his mob career in New Haven CT as an associate of Columbo family under a Capo named Ralph “Whitey” Tropiano who was a bad guy in his own right who once killed his entire crew on mob orders. He allegedly was one of the men who killed Willie Moretti, the New Jersey boss of the Genovese family. In the early days, Grasso ran dice games and street loans for Tropiano, but he was a big thinker. He put together a plan to take over the entire garbage industry for New Haven, CT. He was convicted of this conspiracy and the government gave him a 12-year sentence. This turned out to be beneficial in the long term, Grasso was fortunate to have a cellmate named Raymond L.S. Patriarca, the boss of all organized crime in New England. When Wild Guy William Grasso was released from prison he switched allegiance from the Columbo family to Patriarca. He began to work closely with Raymond Patriarca, enforcing territorial lines between the New York families and the New England Borgata. In the late 1960s, the Five Families shared Connecticut and most of Massachusetts, but Raymond L.S. Patriarca did not accept their intrusion. Patriarca began taking over all of New England and pushing the other families out. Grasso helped him with this while still insulating Patriarca. Wild Guy Grasso’s old boss Columbo capo Ralph Tropiano is in prison when Grasso returned to New Haven. During the late 1970s, the New England Gambino family representative Paul “the Greaser” Agresta disappeared, and capo John “Slew” Palmieri was killed by a car bomb. In 1978, Columbo representative Sal Annunziato was released in from prison and he disappeared in 1979. Grasso’s old boss and Genovese capo Ralph Tropiano was shot and killed in 1980. With these moves Grasso eliminated the Gambino, Genovese, and Columbo families from New Haven for Raymond Patriarca, taking control of everything east of the Housatonic River in Connecticut. Wild Guy William Grasso dressed modestly, reportedly buying his clothes from K-Mart, wearing cheap shoes, and living in a ranch home in a quiet neighborhood at 147 Tuttle Dr. in New Haven. He knew the police were after him and was careful about surveillance. He drove 40-50 miles to make local calls from different payphones and would park on the side of the highway just to lose tails, and he refused to discuss business indoors. The FBI would report they never had anything incriminating on Grasso. He owned a restaurant called Franco’s on Franklin Avenue, New Haven’s Little Italy, and rarely left the area. He was a health fanatic and demanded his food be free of salt. Grasso was also militant about how it was prepared and would erupt if anything was out of place. He was tyrannical in the treatment of his men, demanding half of their income. Across the board, he treated everyone, mob members, and civilians, all ages, terribly. He is later described as a “real gangster,” not flashy or showy. Hartford, CT was historically an open city for the mob. It was not officially claimed, so anyone could operate there without permission until Grasso moved in. Grasso approached Genovese town capo Tony Volpe at Valle’s Steak House and tells him to leave town and Volpe complies. The Five Families understand that the Patriarcas are too powerful on their own turf, so new partnerships must be formed. Wild Guy William Grasso lined up all book-makers between Connecticut and Rhode Island and demanded percentages. Grasso oversaw all gambling in Connecticut. Court testimony states Grasso was bringing in millions a week just in eastern Connecticut. In 1984, Grasso’s mentor and boss, Raymond L.S. Patriarca died of a heart attack. He names his son to be his successor and Raymond Patriarca Jr. became boss, and the Boston based Gennaro “Jerry” Angiulo became underboss until he was imprisoned in 1986. Wild Guy William Grasso followed Angiulo to become underboss to Raymond Patriarca Jr. Sources at the time report Ray Jr. is weak and not well-regarded by the men as having earned his position. “Cadillac” Frank Salemme (Boston) and Grasso are considered the power behind the throne. Grasso began expanding his gambling empire into Springfield, MA, the Genovese turf. He also begins disputing vending machine turf in Worcester with Genovese mobster Carlo Mastrototaro. Grasso’s rise to power has not made him a popular man. He has been abusive and greedy with his own men, he has violated previous agreements with the Genovese family, and his influence over Ray Patriarca Jr. has angered other capos. Capo Joseph “J.R.” Russo, and Vincent “The Animal” Ferrara are not close to Patriarca Jr. and resented his leadership and the new power of Grasso and Salemme. J.R. Russo was the man who killed Joseph “the Animal” Barboza. In 1987, Consiglieri Ilario “Larry Baione” Zannino of Boston, a well-respected and powerful Mafiosi, goes to prison. He recognizes possible trouble, so advises Patriarca Jr. to promote J.R. Russo to Consiglieri. Russo is ambitious and he really wants to run the family and believed he could over-throw Raymond Jr. if he killed Frank Salemme and William Grasso. On June 16, 1989, an assassin shot Frank Salemme as he was walking across a parking lot in Saugus, MA. The killer hits him twice, but Salemme dove into a pizza shop. Four hours later, the body of William Grasso was found partially submerged along the Connecticut River in Wethersfield, Conn. Because Wild Guy William Grasso was very suspicious, special planning had to go into any assassination. Grasso was lured to a meeting with Genovese capo Carlo Mastrototaro to discuss vending machine territories, implying that the Genovese family was in on the hit. As usually happens, members of his won crew were responsible. Gaetano Milano, Frank Colatoni, and Louie and Frankie Pugliano of Grasso’s Hartford crew followed Grasso to this meeting and killed him as he drove up the I-95 freeway. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Boston Organized Crime with Emily Sweeney Oct 16, 2019

Don’t forget to hit me up on Vemno at ganglandwire and buy me a cup of coffee to help with expenses. This is a republished story from November 2018 to finish out our month on the New England Organized Crime scene. Boston Globe Reporter Emily Sweeney has covered it all as a reporter and blogger. In her spare time, she has written two books on the history of organized crime in the Boston area. Emily covers local news and writes the “Blotter Tales” column for the Globe. A native of the area, she was born in Dorchester, graduated from Northeastern University and played on NU’s championship-winning women’s ice hockey team. Emily has been on the Boston Globe staff since 2001. She currently serves on the board of directors for the New England First Amendment Coalition (NEFAC) and the New England Society of News Editors (NESNE). Emily’s first book is titled Boston Organized Crime and contains many rare photographs from Boston organized crime history. Learn about all the bookies and loan sharks, gangsters and wiseguys, hoodlums and hitmen from New England. Emily’s book documents famous Boston crimes and criminals from the Great Brink’s Robbery, Charlie “King” Solomon and his death inside the Cotton Club in Roxbury and Blackfriars Massacre, where authorities found five gangsters men dead, slumped a card game in a cramped basement office. In Boston Organized Crime, true crime author and reporter Emily Sweeney takes the reader on a dark path looking at Boston’s famous crimes and criminals. using her exclusive access to a rare collection of crime scene photographs, mug shots, and police documents. This book reveals the places and people who set the scene for the modern rise of Whitey Bulger. Emily’s second book, Gangland Boston chronicles Boston’s organized crime from the La Cosa Nostra and prohibition-era Irish gangs to the rise of Whitey Bulger. Boston gangsters have played a major role in shaping the area’s history. Gangland Boston is packed with photos and Sweeney reveals the hidden history of the time when the North End was wrought with gun violence and Hanover Street was a virtual shooting gallery. A time when Mickey the Wiseguy ruled the underworld. Sweeney writes how gang violence unfolded during Prohibition and the Italian mafia rise to power. She documents the development of the major Irish gang, the Gustin Gang and the reader learns the little known fact that the leader of the Gustin Gang was an Olympic athlete? As a bonus for Boston residents or mob fans that may visit Boston, Sweeney’s book contains the exact addresses where mobsters lived, worked, and played around Greater Boston Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the Gangland wire store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here

Joe Broadmeadow on Bobby Walason Oct 14, 2019

Wiretappers, don’t forget to hit me up on Venmo. In this second of a two-episode series with retired East Providence RI Police Captain Joe Broadmeadow, we discuss his second book about members of Raymond L.S. Patriarca’s crime family. In Broadmeadow’s book, Unmade: Honor, Loyalty, Redemption he tells about the unusual crime career of Bobby Walason. Bobby Walason’s father threw him out of the house and he was left to fend for himself on the mean streets of Providence RI at age 12. Walason learned to survive and even thrive on the streets and inside juvenile detention centers until a court sentenced him to adult prison at age 16. He gravitates to the toughest men inside because he is a very tough kid and a skilled street fighter. in an unusual situation, young Bobby comes to the aid of Patriarca crew leader Gerard Ouimette and another prisoner named Raymond Patriarca takes notice. Walason is invited into the “gangster side” of this Rhode Island prison and the older mobsters groom him as a new crew member. Upon release, he gravitates to Ouimette’s tavern called the Bronx Tap Room and becomes a feared enforcer for the Patriarca crime family. Bobby Waalson finds that he has life skills that will serve him better as a legitimate businessman and the story of how he extracts himself from a mafia family who believes death is the only way out, is one of the most gripping stories I have ever heard. Once again Joe Broadmeadow uses his skilled writing style and police officer’s insight into this life to tell a compelling story of, as the title states, “Honor, Loyalty, Redemption.” Joe Broadmeadow is a skilled writer who uses his insights as a cop who investigated Organized Crime to tell compelling stories about life in the New England mob. He has a new book being released on October 8, 2019, It’s Just the Way it Was: Inside the War on the New England Crime Family and other Stories. He writes this with Brendan Doherty, a retired Rhode Island State Police Officer who worked the mob for the majority of his long career. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Joe Broadmeadow on Jerry Tillinghast Oct 07, 2019

Wiretappers, don’t forget to hit me up on your Venmo app. In this week’s episode, I interview retired East Providence (RI) Police Captain Joe Broadmeadow. He is a skilled and prolific true crime author who has written several non-fiction books and articles on members of the New England Crime Family, headed by the infamous Raymond L.S. Patriarca. In this episode, we discuss his book Choices: The Jerry Tillinghast Story. Joe met Jerry Tillinghast after he served a very long murder sentence. He was a bit wary at first, but Jerry wanted his story told and was so sincere, that joe was won over and agreed to help a man who had once been on the wrong side of the law in a major way. Joe Broadmeadow weaves the good, the bad and the ugly of Tillinghast’s life into a remarkably personal and intimate account. Jerry grew up a hardscrabble life on the Jerry and Harold Tillinghast streets of Providence. We learn he escaped by enlisting in the United States Marine Corps and fighting in Vietnam. In a pivotal moment in his life, he becomes a victim of the politics of that war and his learned behavior of never talking to authorities. He returning to Providence an angry young man and made a choice to hang with the wiseguys. He was a tough young guy who rightfully earned the reputation of a “feared mob enforcer.” Raymond L.S. Patriarca and his chief crew leader, Gerard Ouimette would become his mentors and father figures. Joe tells the inside story of the famous Bonded Vault heist and how Jerry beat that case. But a much more serious case awaited Tillinghast and Joe tells how Jerry Tillinghast was caught up in a mob murder known as the George Basmajian Homicide. We learn how his brother, Harold Tillinghast was falsely accused in that murder and Jerry refused to cooperate with the authorities in a manner that could exonerate his brother but would then implicate another mobster. As a result, his brother, Harold, served a long sentence for a murder he did not commit. Joe Broadmeadow is a skilled writer who uses his insights as a cop who investigated Organized Crime to tell compelling stories about life in the New England mob. He has a new book being released on October 8, 2019, It’s Just the Way it Was; Inside the War on the New England Crime Family and other Stories. He writes this with Brendan Doherty, a retired Rhode Island State Police Officer who worked the mob for the majority of his long career. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Raymond Patriarca and the Genovese and Gambino Families Sep 30, 2019

Welcome Wiretappers, don’t forget to hit me up on Venmo and buy us a shot and a beer. In this episode host Gary Jenkins and his main contributor Camulius Robinson take a look at Raymond L.S. Patriarca and New England Crime Family or the “Office” and their relationships with New York’s Genevose and Gambino families in connection with the pornography business. The office is concentrated in Providence, RI, and Boston, MA. The Patriarca family had interests in the Desert Inn in Las Vegas, as well as all of the standard mafia income-generating methods. Raymond L.S. Patriarca was well-connected politically, and headed the family for 30 years, from 1954 until his death in 1984. We find the Patriarca family “Office” is especially interesting, because like New York and Chicago, they stood alone. Angelo Bruno in Philadelphia basically answered to Carlo Gambino, and Cleveland belonged to the Genovese family and deferred to them, likewise with Kansas City and Milwaukee leaned on Chicago. The Patriarca family though is unique. They weren’t isolated like the Marcellos or the Trafficantes, where they didn’t need to answer to anyone. Raymond Patrarca ran two cities, Boston and Providence, and later with Grasso’s help, they took Connecticut from New York in the 1970s, about the same time Philadelphia was losing Atlantic City to New York. Law enforcement really shut them down by the early 90s. When Raymond died in 1984 and tried to make his son the next boss, historically, that always leads to a problems (e.g. Bonannos, Columbos, Gambinos), then the FBI recorded an Office making ceremony in 1989 in Medford, MA, followed by all of the RICO cases in 1991, they were basically done. There have been a few recent arrests, but like other Cosa Nostra families, they are all brainless thugs nowadays. The Genoveses were a Manhattan-based crime family and have historically created wide-ranging partnerships with other crime families across the country, most notable Chicago, Cleveland, and New England. These relationships can be traced to Lucky Luciano’s philosophy of partnership. Vito Genovese had very close ties to Boston-based faction of Patriarca family The Gambinos were a very powerful New York family, and they had vast interests in pornography, and closer ties to the Patriarcas in Providence, RI. Jerry Angiulo was Patriarca’s Boston area crime boss and he shared interests in certain money-making ventures with the Genovese Family under Sam Cufari as previously agreed to by Raymond Patriarca earlier Genovese leadership. In 1980, Carlo Mastrototaro and Jerry Angiulo were co-owners of a United Books porn shop in. Joe Palladino, the manager of the store, owed Angiulo $200,000, and the weekly vig was $2000. The weekly gross of a porn shop in 1981 was between $2500-$3500. United Books was the only porn shop in Worcester…until November of 1980. In November 1980, Carlo Mastrototaro, looking to expand, seeks permission from New York to open a second porn shop—Green, Street News & Smoke Shop. He is put in touch with Kenneth Guarino of the Gambino family. Genovese soldier, Carlo Mastrototaro supplied this store with pornography from Guarino, the Gambino soldier. The Boston suburb of Worcester, MA now has two porn shops. Joe Palladino who owned the original porn shop was worried about the competition, and his loss of revenue which cuts down his ability to pay his cut to Jerry Angiulo. He goes to see Mastrototaro who tells him he has permission from New York. Palladino returns to Angiulo and Jerry Angiulo is furious. He does not want to share any porn business and feels like both the Genevose and Gambino families are showing his disrespect. FBI wiretaps record much of his rants on this subject and they are already building a case on the new England pron business. . While we don’t know exactly what happened as a result of Angiulo’s escalation, we know what happened to everyone involved. In April 1981, Ken Guarino was sentenced to 2 years in prison for his part in a $3 million a year porn ring in Rhode Island. In November 1981: Carlo Mastrotaro is prosecuted as part of “Operation Big League,” targeting organized crime in Worcester, MA, and he is imprisoned for 18 months. In December 1981 the Green Street News & Smoke Shop is closed but Mastrotaro remained the capo of Worcester for Genovese. The second porn shop was closed as a concession made between families. On September 19, 1983, Jerry Angiulo was arrested and held without bail during his trial for murder, extortion, and loan-sharking after evidence given by Whitey Bulger was used to plant a bug at his headquarters and in February 1986, Jerry Angiulo was sentenced to 45 years. In June 1986: Robert DiBernardo is killed by Sammy Gravano on orders of John Gotti. His death benefited numerous people, and as DiBernardo had no crew of his own, and was not a violent man, he was an easy target for machinations. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Johnny Roselli and Hollywood Sep 16, 2019

Don’t forget to buy me a shot and a beer on my @ganglandwire Venmo app. This week I am joined by Larry Henry, the Mob in Popular Culture blogger for the Las Vegas Mob Museum. He and I discuss “Handsome Johnny” Roselli who was an influential mobster for the Chicago Outfit who helped that organization control Hollywood and the Las Vegas Strip. Roselli was born in Brooklyn and traveled around the country as a young man. He made some connections ion Los Angeles and ended up working in a bootlegging business during prohibition for a Los Angeles mobster named Tony Cornero. This operation was under the control of Jack Dragna, the mafia boss of southern California. He would gravitate into working on the off-shore gambling boats operating out of Santa Monica and helped run a race wire. He first met Al Capone in Los Angeles when the police gangster squad was trying to run Capone out of town. He would become a western representative for the Chicago Outfit over his lifetime and would probably be called a member of the Outfit and not a member of the Dragna crime family. Meanwhile back in Chicago, a man named Willie Bioff was extorting money from n Chicago area movie theaters by controlling the Stagehand’s Union. When the Outfit learned of this they incorporated Bioff’s scheme and expanded it to the actual studios themselves in Hollywood. Johnny Roselli was already involved in Los Aneles and Outfit boss Paul Ricca, Roselli’s mentor, appointed him to oversee Willie Bioff major extortion plots against the major film companies like Fox, Universal and Warner brothers. Bioff would get indicted by the IRS after the famous actor Robert Montgomery tipped them off about these extortion activities. Bioff became a witness and testified against Paul Ricca, Tony Accardo, Roselli, and other Chicago mobsters. The government convicted them in 1943, and the judge handed down ten-year sentences. The Outfit had backed Harry Truman in the 1948 election and his Attorney General, Tom Clark, helped them all get paroled after serving only three years. After the government released Roselli from prison, he returns to Hollywood, and he finds work in the film industry where he helps produce Film-Noir gangster movies before moving on and becoming involved in a plot to kill Castro and become embroiled in the rumors of the Outfit’s involvement in the assignation of President John F. Kennedy. Larry Henry worked in television and newspaper media in 1970’s Nevada before changing careers to become a journalism professor and then headmaster at the Haas Hall academy in Fayetteville Arkansas. He has been blogging about the Mob and Las Vegas for the past several years. Larry organized the Mob World Summit that was held in the Las Vegas Mob Museum in 2018 and in the Hot Springs Arkansas Gangster Museum in 2019. We are hosting the 2020 Mob World Summit in Kansas City next June. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Carmine Galente Sep 09, 2019

Carmine Galante was born Camillo Galente on February 21, 1910, in East Harlem, New York City. Like many La Cosa Nostra mobsters his parents, Vincenzo “James” Galante and Vincenza Russo, had emigrated to New York City in 1906 from Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily. His father had worked as a fisherman. The Galante family had the three brothers Camillo, Samuel, Peter Galante, and two sisters, Josephine and Angelina Galante. Camillo would get his name changed to Carmine Galente. He married Helen Marulli, and they had three children; James Galante, Camille Galante, and Angela Galante. He left his wife and lived with Ann Acquavella for most of his adult life. They had had two children together. The authorities sent 10-year-old Carmine to reform school for petty thievery. He was a natural leader who formed a juvenile street gang on the Lower East Side. Galante had dropped out of seventh grade during Prohibition and became a young Mafia associate. He was a small-statured but violent young man who used his violent tendencies to become a leading enforcer by the time he was in his mid-20s. In 1931, a prison shrink diagnosed Galente as a psychopath. Carmine Galent or “The Cigar” became a valuable member of the Bonanno crime family and was a valuable asset and associate to Joseph Bonanno. Joe Bananas will promote Galente to caporegime and then underboss. He was always loyal to Bonanno and sided with him in a mob war with Carlo Gambino. Joe Bonanno was heavily involved in the heroin trafficking from the middle east, and he sent Galante to Montreal, Quebec to work Vincenzo Cotroni of the French Connection. Joe Bonanno will take Carmine Galante to a 1957 meeting in Palermo, Sicily and conspire with the Sicilian mob to import heroin into the United States. Lucky Luciano who was living in Sicily also attended that meeting. The Bonnano family recruited young unknown Sicilian men to help distribute the narcotics. These men became known as “Zips” and most came from the Galente family home of Castellammare del Golfo, Trapani. They worked as bodyguards, contract killers, and drug traffickers. Galante placed total trust and confidence in his new immigrants. The Federal Bureau of narcotics will charge Carmine Galante with heroin distribution in 1960. An interesting fact is that William Bentvena (“Billy Batts” murdered by Tommy DeSimone) was also a codefendant. The defendants intimidated and coerced the jurors and witnesses throughout the trial culminating in a mistrial because the jury foreman had “fallen” down some stairs. In a second trial the jury sentenced Galent to 20 years in federal prison. The government released Carmine Galente from prison in the 1970s, and he moves to consolidate and control all narcotics trafficking in the northeast. Galante refused to share any drug profits with the other families. Galante understood that many of his fellow mobsters wanted to kill him, he was so bold that he once said, “No one will ever kill me; they wouldn’t dare.” Genovese crime family boss Frank Tieri started a conspiracy with other New York family leaders to murder Galante. They even obtained approval from Galent’s old boss, Joseph Bonanno, even though he was retired to Arizona. In 1979, the Mafia Commission ordered Galante’s execution. On July 12, 1979, Anthony “Bruno” Indelicato, Dominick Trinchera, and found Carmine eating lunch on an open patio at Joe and Mary’s Italian-American Restaurant at 205 Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Galante was dining with several other Bonanno family men and with his two Sicilian bodyguards, Baldassare Amato, and Cesare Bonventre. These three men walked to the outdoor patio wearing ski maks and opened fire with shotguns and handguns. They killed Galante and two others instantly. An enterprising New York Post photographer climbed to a fire escape behind the patio and took the famous picture of Carmine Galente crumpled on the floor with his ever-present cigar clenched between his teeth and one open eye staring into space. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Aiuppa Bribery Case Aug 26, 2019

In the 1960s, the Chicago Outfit owned practically all the local government officials and a lot of cops. In this podcast we tell about a failed bribery attempt. An incorruptible Cook County Deputy named Donald Shaw refused this bribery attempt, even though an older and higher ranking officer named Dutch Bergbrieter encouraged him to meet with “Joey Doves” Aiuppa and to take the offered bribe. It seems that Officer Shaw had raided a tavern for illegal gambling and when the proprietor offered a bribe, Officer Shaw arrested him for attempted bribery. As the case got close to trial, Outfit gambling boss Joey Aiuppa asked Officer Shaw if he couldn’t forget the exact details of this interaction. This game was protected by the Outfit and this is their promise of protection from competition and law enforcement. Officer Shaw went to Cook County sheriff Richard Ogilvie. The sheriff organized a sting operation where he got Chicago PD officers “wire up” Officer Shaw who in turn approached Cook County Deputy Lt. Dutch Bergbrieter to set up a meeting with Aiuppa. In this podcast we use the actual words spoken by Aiuppa, Bergbrieter and Donald Shaw because the transcript was given to the Chicago Tribune who reported in detail on this story. Aiuppa’s words show the guile and cleverness of a good Outfit fixer and a man who will rise to become the boss by the end of career. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Indiana Organized Crime Aug 19, 2019

First of all Wiretappers, don’t forget to buy me a cup of coffee on Venmo at ganglandwire. Today we must thank our frequent guest host and mafia researcher screenwriter Camulius “Cam” Robinson. In this episode Cam goes deep into the Chicago Outfit’s influence over the Northwest Indiana organized crime rackets. In the Indian state line city of Chicago Heights, IL over 50% of the population was Italian while Indiana did not have the large Italian population. Despite its rural image Indiana organized crime was a real thing. Lake County, IN Fell under Chicago Heights crew of Chicago Outfit Anthony Pinelli: early boss of NWI under Capone after Chicago consolidation, later retired to California and LA Family Frank LaPorte boss of Chicago Heights (famous photo with Capone sitting on lawn), boss of whole crew (IL/IN) until 1972 Al Pilotto 1972-1982 indictment Al Tocco/Dominick Palermo 1982-1990 Indiana capos: Gaetano “Tommy” Morgano: deported to Sicily 1963 after a gambling conviction rather than go to prison Frank Zizzo (ran operations 1963-1988): owner of Pepper Pot Pizza in Gary and Highland—NOT Santini’s Pepper Pot in Portage or Valparaiso (no lawsuits) Bernard “Snooky” Morgano (b. 1936): son of Tommy, indicted in 1990, released in 1996 Snooky Morgano’s organization: Anthony Leone (b. 1939) : nephew of Morgano and lieutenant,;ran street tax and gambling rackets in the area; lived in a “huge house” in Valparaiso; went into Witness Protection after testifying in syndicate trail in NWI in 1989; but left voluntarily in 1991 to return to the area and spend the holidays with his sons; he was active in the Special Olympics; and died March 13, 2019 Peter “Cadillac Pete” Petros (b 1935): street tax collector for Leone Sam “Frog” Glorioso (b 1942): street tax collector and soldier, he was a steel worker Sam Nuzzo (Merrillville): 80% of illegal gambling in Lake County Efrain “Puerto Rican Frankie” Santos: ran bolita in East Chicago, partner in operation with Ken Eto, controlled Latino crime in the area, Chicago came to appreciate Santos more than Morgano James A. “Sonny” Peterson (East Chicago): controls policy rackets in predominantly black neighborhoods, involved in scam with County Commissioner to sell nursing home to County at elevated price Funny Indiana Organized Crime: Al Roy Watkins: lottery operator turned federal witness, reported to Anthony Leone 1983—Anthony Leone and Al Roy Watkins both laid off as foremen at Gary Works of US Steel, so they started a lottery with &10,000 loan from Bernard “Snooky” Morgano $600-$700 per day in the beginning, $3000 later per day, every day, except Christmas—that’s a holy day Same numbers as Illinois Lottery Pick-Four, and they drove to Illinois and use that state lottery to “lay-off” number combinations that would break the bank 55% of every dollar to costs (15% to mob, 10% to cops, 30% to lottery winnings), 45% to Leone and Watkins Leone was said to carry a gun and lived in a “very huge house” in Valparaiso, IN Leone sold the lottery for $10,000 to a new lottery group, and gave Watkins nothing, but assured he could go with the sale and continue running it…basically throwing Watkins in. Watkins later said, “He sold me like a slave. Poor Vincent “Pee Wee” Lozado: gambling operator in Merrillville, IN, caught talking to under-cover Gary police officer Paid 10% street tax to Morgano through Leone—also had to pay 15% to Santos, because“all Latins involved in illegal activity paid street tax to Puerto Rican Frankie” Leone owed Lozado $10,000, so Lozado left and worked only for Santos Christmas 1985, Leone took Lozado’s business back and demanded 10% plus $1,000 a month street tax, plus the 15% he was forced to pay Santos. Lozado couldn’t complain to anyone, because they were all connected to the Outfit, so he told undercover officers he was only making book to continue paying the street tax he owed. In 1990, he was indicted and went to prison for 3 years. Frank Zizzo pay shake-up—Indiana organized crime leader Anthony Leone starts to lose faith Frank Zizzo the previous boss of NWI died in 1986. He paid his people well. When he died, his counter-parts in Illinois did not. Anthony Leone stated that he was paid $1000 per month for collecting street tax from Snooky Morgano until Zizzo died Leone questioned his uncle Morgano about pay going forward, “He said he didn’t know if either one of us was going to have a job.” His pay eventually fell to $300 a month from “people across the state line” The Chicago/NWI dynamic is somewhat similar to the New York/North Jersey dynamic NWI Construction Racket 1989 Al Tocco is imprisoned based on testimony his wife gives. Dominick “Tootsie” Palermo takes over Chicago Heights. Tootsie Palermo is capo/boss, Nick “Jumbo” Guzzino is capo of Illinois rackets, Snooky Morgano runs Indiana Historically, the crew has dealt in gambling and unions, but they bagan to dabble in construction Palermo and Guzzino were heads of the Laborers International Union of North America Guzzino collected $2.3 million from contractors in the 1980s for Welfare and Pension Fund, but the office wasn’t set up for cash, so they took him at his word. Tootsie Palermo collected cash membership dues, for which he was paid $1000 weekly Snooky Morgano controlled gambling and construction rackets in NWI through his nephew Anthony Leone Major arrests in 1990 of all major gambling and union figures in NWI based on multiple witnesses Anthony Leone agreed to testify against his uncle Snooky Morgano and Dominick Tootsie Palermo and Nick Guzzino Leone had handled business after Morgano had a heart attack in 1986 FBI contacted previous owners of pizzeria where Palermo and Guzzino met, owners wife called and notified mobsters “Jan called yesterday…the G was checking who owned the joint 1992: Dominick Palermo (74) sentenced to 32 years, 3 months for extorting protection money from bookmakers in NWI, and fined $250,000 Nick Guzzino (50) sentenced to 39 years, 6 months and fined $185,000 Bernard Morgano (55) sentenced to 16 years, 3 months, $177,000 fine Morgano said of his nephew “He is a snake, he lied on that stand. I do not ask for mercy, I ask for justice.” Guilty of using threats of bodily harm and arson to collect thousands in street tax—11 victims testified There were several tapes discussing extortion “we are going to have to check it out with Chicago first” To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

David Breakspear on Cops Aug 12, 2019

Don’t forget to buy me a cup of coffee on your venmo app at ganglandwire. In this show we talk with our British friend, David Breakspear. He spent a large part of his life “under care” as they say in Great Britain. This means he was incarcerated because of life on the wrong side of the law. In this episode former cop and host, Gary Jenkins talks with a reformed man, writer, mob historian, and criminal justice reform activist David Breakspear about their respective experiences with cops and crooks. David currently blogs for the mob history site. Click on this sentence to see his blog pieces. David created his own blog site, Journey of a Reformed Man. Go to that site to read more of David’s excellent writing and insightful knowledge of British criminal justice and their prison system. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Last Brother Standing Aug 08, 2019

This is a possible title for my upcoming documentary about the Kansas City mob war of the 1970s. This is the story of the ruling Civella brothers, Nick and Cork Civella and the upstart young Turks, Nick Spero and his brothers, Mike, Joe and Carl Spero. A quick overview if you don’t remember the multi-episode podcast I did on this conflict. Basically it is the generation gap played out in a mob war. The old school Nick and his brother Cork Civella were born in the early 1900s and the young Turk Speros were born during WW II. Just like the Baby Boomers resisted the previous generation’s conservative values and influence on society, the Spero brothers resisted the conservative mafia leadership of the Civellas. A quick overview begins with the eldest brother Nick Spero coming of age as a career criminal who joins a mob robbery crew traveling around the country robbing grocery stores. They always kick a piece of this action up to Nick and Cork Civella after a successful score. One of these crew members is a blood relative of other mob members named Sam Palma. He is arrested for a Texas supermarket robbery and the night before he is scheduled to plead guilty, someone murders him. Unknown persons set up this murder to look like a suicide and mob informants implicate Nick Spero. This must have been the desire of Nick Civella because Spero graduates to set up a scheme to hijacking trailers of merchandise from trucking companies. I have one story that lets you know how sharp this guy was. The mob dominated Teamster’s Union makes sure he get a job working for a national truck line, Yellow Freight. He sets up a trailer load of liquor to be stolen. Nick goes to management and Yellow Freight security, claiming he can get this trailer back. Quickly he located the entire trailer minus a few cases of booze. probably for his trouble. A grateful Yellow Freight management team promoted Nick to a position of authority. He was access to all truck schedules and cargo manifest and given a voice in whether or not an employee will be prosecuted. Yellow Freight notices that more and more trailers of merchandise like electric knives, perfume, batteries, film, and booze are missing and presumed stolen. Nick is hard to fire with his mob connections though the Teamster’s Union but finally, Yellow Freight pays him a cash settlement to resign. Nick moves on to running traveling jewelry theft gangs of which his youngest brother, Carl Spero is the team leader. He gets another Teamster job and is so popular that he is elected a union steward. Nick Spero has a part-time job for a mob-connected c=vending company and he successfully intimidates many stores and bars into installing these companies’ vending machines. He seems to be a young mobster on a management track Remember, this is the 1960s and by 1970, Nick Spero has effected the look and dress of other young people. In other words, he grows his hair out and sports a large Fu Man Chu mustache. He is seen wearing flowery bell-bottom pants and colorful shirts. The conservative Nick Civella has always dictated that none of his men shall have facial hair and they all dress in dress shirts and slacks with a snap-brim hat or fedora, exactly like Nick and Cork Civella. Informants start reporting that Nick Civella does not like or trust Nick Spero because of his dress but more importantly his demeanor. He is loud, flamboyant and is seen as a leader among his peers in the criminal underworld. These attributes are all great for the boss if he can control the man, but in this case Nick Spero once made the following statement when asked about joining the Civella organization rather than operating on his own and paying a tribute. “I ain’t no jockstrap, they use you up until the stretch is all gone and then they throw you away. I have always been my own man. i don’t listen to anybody but my father and he is dead.” This just the first few minutes. This story goes on the describe a war to the death from two opposing factions in the Kansas City underworld. The mob dictates that Nick Spero be murdered. He leaves three brothers, and one of them, Carl Spero, is exactly like his older brother Nick, loud, flamboyant, aggressive and a charismatic leader of other mob associates. I will take the viewer on a trip that exposes this mob war from the inside. I was assigned on a surveillance team that stayed in the middle trying to stop any more murders and catch any folks trying to commit murder. If you would like to contribute in any way to this documentary hit me up. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

John “Pudge” Matassa Aug 05, 2019

John “Pudgy” Matassa, Jr is reportedly connected to the Outfit’s Northside/Rush Street crew. He is the son of retired Chicago Police officer. Northside/Rush Street crew history Covered Rush Street, which was the entertainment district of Chicago, and the rest of the Northside of Chicago, extorting porn shops (Red Wemette), night clubs, bars, as well as traditional loan-sharking, and gambling. Several members have held leadership positions in the powerful LIUNA (Laborors International Union of North America) and other unions. Territory is north of Chicago River or the Eisenhower Exp north to Rogers Park Northside crew ran a large casino-type operation out of the Grand Plaza Hotel in Rosemont. Several members owned tables Northside Crew Members Ross Prio long-time capo, back to the days of Frank Nitti. Prio took over after murder of Ted Newberry when Capone went to prison. Jimmy “the Monk” Allegretti ran all vice on the Northside until he was imprisoned in 1962. He was released for health reasons (diabetes and bad heart) and died on the plane en route to Chicago Felix “Milwaukee Phil” Alderisio started off as a hitman early on, later moved up and ran a protection racket on Rush Street until he became underboss under Sam Giancana 3 Doms—Dominick DiBella (Last Supper photo), Dominic Nuccio, and Dominic Brancato—were bosses of the Near North Side and was close to Ross Prio working in various capacities as a drivers and enforcers “Innocent” Vincent Solano (Last Supper photo) boss of North Side after Prio’s death in 1972—originally driver for Prio. Oversaw all gambling, prostitution, and extortion. Long-time president of the LIUNA. Best known for sending hit men after Ken “Tokyo Joe” Eto Jasper Campise—North Side muscle brutally killed for botched Ken Eto hit John Gattuso—deputy sheriff and hit man for Solano, also murdered brutally for failing to kill Ken Eto Joseph DiVarco—street boss for Solano collecting “street tax” from businesses on Rush St, loan-sharking, prostitution died in 1992 Matassa’s Union history: LIUNA 1985—Matassa joined the Laborers International Union of North America, Local #2 1987-1989—Matassa becomes business agent (BA) of Local #2 and delegate to the LIUNA District Council, and eventually the Vice President, with Solano being the President of Local #1 1992—Vince Solano dies, Matassa became President and Coordinator of Committees gaining access to the Pension Fund 1993-1994—Matassa takes control of the LIU Chicago Political League (and fund), and the training fund Matassa uses his financial access to embezzle millions from the LIUNA 1998 Fed placed Chicago District Council of the LIUNA—19,000 members—into a trusteeship forcing Matassa out Matassa fought for several years to maintain control Failed to hold contested elections for 25 years Fun facts about Pudgy Matassa Mike Glitta, an elder in the Northside crew, was cousin to Matassa’s “Uncle” Mike introduced Pudgy around and helped him to promote in the Outfit 1988—Matassa supposedly took part in a formal ceremony to become a “made” member of the Outfit along current boss Salvatore “Solly D” Delaurentis. Historically, the Outfit shunned such formalities, mocking the more traditional mobs in other cities, but during the 80s (’83 or ’85), it is rumored that someone—Joe Ferriola or possibly Joey Aiuppa—started initiating members Pudgy Matassa dealt directly with Ken Eto and was responsible for security over Eto’s protected games Matassa had a close friend on the Chicago PD Tactical Unit, and used Ken Eto to set up another gambler, giving his associate the time and location of the game, which was then raided Matassa was close friends with Jasper Campise and they co-owned gambling tables at the Grand Plaza underground casino Attended Campise’s wake and told authorities he knew nothing about Campise’s murder Pudgy Matassa was involved in the scheme to bribe US Marshall John Ambrose into revealing the whereabouts of informant Nick Calabrese Pudgy was trying to send Nick a belated birthday cars from Jimmy “Little Man” Marcello Current charges: IUAW 2000s—Matassa formed the International Union of Amalgamated Workers (IUAW) Local #711, a non-descript conglomeration of approx. 150 workers from several unrelated fields (food service, roofers, construction. Members paid $40 a month, most of which went to Matassa’s salary, basically $4500 dollars a month in cash and $1000 a month in “expenses” He used the union as his personal bank for years Gave his wife a no-show job, signing her pay checks and depositing them himself falsified meeting minutes to reflect that Union Board voted his wife in and gave her a job He structured an illegal retirement plan, then lowered his own reported salary in order to qualify himself to receive early retirement (age 65) benefits from the SSA— He used the exorbitant salary in his wife’s name to off-set his “lower salary” Matassa was able to embezzle funds from both the union, and the SSA **Matassa was receiving a strategically reduced personal salary, the higher salary from his wife’s no show job, SSA retirement benefits, and using the union treasury to pay all of his bills Individuals cited as board members revealed in court that they had no idea they were even trustees Timeline 2000—Matassa established the IUAW Local #711, making himself officer and representative, and as Secretary-Treasurer, he is responsible for the Union monies—paying bills, his own salary, expenses as approved by the Executive Board When questioned later, “board members” of record had no idea they were trustees, or that they held any position Food service workers, construction workers, roofers—very random group of represented workers 2013—Matassa, born in 1951, is eligible for SSA retirement 2013—2015 February 2013—Matassa gives his wife a no-show job on payroll by forging meeting minutes to show Board approval; Matassa reduces his own salary in relation to his wife’s new salary to calculate the same sum but with 2 checks Matassa signs and deposits the checks issued to his wife April 30, 2013—Matassa submits application for Old Age Insurance to the SSA reporting his annual income as $15,120, the same figure as the exempt amount to qualify for SSA July 2013—Matassa had the SSA wire his first check to his bank account Dec 2013, Jan 2014—Matassa received 2 wire transfer of funds ($1,659.60×2)from the Federal Reserve to his bank account 2013-2015—Matassa’s wife receives paychecks and several raises 2015—Matassa altered unions tax forms W-2 and W-3 to ensure he received SS benefits May 25, 2017—Jury hands down 10 count indictment for Matassa 2 counts of wire fraud, 2 counts of theft of government funds, 4 counts of embezzlement from a labor union, and 2 counts of making false statements on union financial documents Prosecutor requests Judge set a cash bond, on the grounds he still has access to union funds and potential witnesses Judge refused, allowing Matassa to go home, putting off any order that might restrict Matassa’s ability to “do his job” February 25, 2019—Matassa pleads guilty to 1 felony embezzlement charge July 23, 2019—John “Pudgy” Matassa (67) isentenced to 6 months in Federal prison, 6 months house arrest, $66,500 restitution A Lighter Moment Matassa addressed Judge, complaining about unfair treatment, and FBI intimidation of witnesses against him “I’m only standing here because my name is John Matassa”—judge reminded Matassa he had no prior arrest record, and asked why his name matters Matassa basically stood in front of the judge and implied he was in the Outfit despite the fact that he has never been charged with anything, and the judge had no idea his relation to any “mob” Matassa changed his mind and decided that the Department of Labor was out to get him To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Bonus John “Pudge” Matassa – One Man’s Opinion Aug 05, 2019

This is a short bonus episode containing the opinion of a Wiretapper who is a member of the Chicago Laborers’ District Council LiUNA. This is a real deal strong Chicago union who looks out for 20,000 members. Give this a listen and then go onto my next episode in which myself and Cam Robinson examine the government’s case and the Outfit history of the participants. I was once a member of the United Automotive Workers Local 249 and I understand the benefits and need for a strong labor union. Ben Ellickson makes an interesting point, a mobbed up union representative may work harder on an individual worker’s grievance than another guy who is not connected. he has one great story about how that worked for one member. Don’t forget to hit me on your Venmo app and buy me eggs for my Hammy from Denny’s. You have to listen to get this inside joke. Just a little Podcaster’s humor. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The execution of Louis Lepke Buchalter Jun 24, 2019

Louis “Lepke” Buchalter was a 1930s New York City racketeer. Authorities believed Albert Anastasia appointed him to run his Murder, Inc., enforcement squad. Crime buster Thomas Dewey will set his sights in Lepke as an example of Mob violence and will eventually prosecute him for murder and obtain a death sentence. Eventually, Lepke will appeal to the governor for a commutation from his execution and the person who denies that appeal is Thomas Dewey. A New York City jury sentenced Louis Buchalter, Emanuel “Mendy” Weiss, and Louis Capone to death in 1936 for the murder of Joseph Rosen. The victim was a trucking contractor that had been forced out of business by Anastasia led rackets. Anastasia believed that Rosen, who was out of the trucking business and running a candy store, had agreed to testify for Manhattan Special Prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey who was investigating mob influence in the trucking industry. The FBI and other law enforcement believed that Buchalter had ordered as many as eighty murders in his underworld career by this time. During the trial, Lepke and his co-defendants insisted they were innocent of the killing of Rosen and they had been framed. After the jury found them guilty and they appealed, all state appeals were denied. It is claimed that some of the reviewing judges did claim the state’s evidence was not very strong against the three mob associates. Buchalter, Weiss, and Capone had been able to use legal maneuvers to obtain several delays of their final execution date. The last delay was the most dramatic because the lawyers obtained this final postponement within an hour and a half of their scheduled appointment with the prison Death Chamber. At 9:35 p.m. on Thursday, March 2, Governor Thomas Dewey ordered a 48-hour postponement and granted lawyers time to file a last-ditch appeal to federal courts. They argued that that U.S. Attorney General Francis Biddle improperly released Buchalter from federal prison to be executed for his state conviction. Just like in the movies, the warden at Sing Sing, William E. Snyder, received a phone call from Governor Dewey and he sent word of the postponement to the prisoners through the prison chaplain, Father Bernard Martin. The courts were not moved and Lepke, Capone, and Weiss were electrocuted at Sing Sing Prison, March 4, 1944. If they had lived until June 6, 1944, they would have heard about D-Day. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Willem Holleeder Part 2 Jun 17, 2019

Holleeder challenges the Hells Angels In Part 2, David Amoruso continues the story of Dutch master criminal Willem Holleeder and how he became the leader of a major Dutch motorcycle gang called the No Surrender. and eventually challenged the American based Hells Angels. It will be during this time he starts extorting money from a real estate named Willem Endstra. Holleeder and Willem Endstra launder dirty money Along the way, we learn that Willem Holleeder becomes an extortionist of wealthy European real estate investors. Holleeder went into business with a real estate businessman named Willem Endstra and involved him in money laundering. Holleeder had a dispute with Endstra and he became an informant about Holleeder and his criminal activities. Holleeder has Endstra and another partner murdered while they are on holiday in Thailand. Dutch police investigate a top criminal (topcriminelen) By 2006, Dutch police have charged Holleeder with murder and extortion and his trial was dubbed the trial of the century. Holleeder’s lawyer, Bram Moszkowicz, argued that media pronunciations on Holleeder as one of the “topcriminelen” had prejudiced the case against him. David Amoruso I recommend you go to David’s website, Gangstersinc by clicking here. David has written about American gangsters and famous American crimes as well as the La Cosa Nostra, Camorra and ‘Ndrangheta in Italy and Sicily and other European criminal organizations. To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show.

Willem Holleeder Part 1 Jun 10, 2019

Willem Holleeder In this story about Willem Holleeder, I interview a Netherlands based crime writer David Amaruso about the John Gotti of the Netherlands. He was a young guy from the middle class with all the advantages of a nice family until his father’s alcoholism caused the Heineken Brewery to fire him. Holleeder gets back at the Heineken company Willem Holleeder burst into the European public’s imagination for his audacious kidnapping of Heineken beer baron, Freddy Heineken. Anthony Hopkins starred in a biopic film titled Kidnapping Freddy Heineken adding to the myth of Willem Holleeder as a master criminal. He recruited some other small-time criminals and they walked away with about 20 million in U.S. dollars. Authorities solved this crime and in 1987, they caught him hiding in Paris. A Dutch court sentenced Hollender to 11 years in prison. Authorities released him in 5 years. Prison time In Part 1, David Amoruso tells the story of the kidnapping of Freddie Heineken, who was involved, how they were caught, and how this crime caught the public’s attention. The public and the press saw Willem Holleeder, aka “The Nose,” as a mythical benevolent criminal following in the footsteps of Robin Hood, Jesse James, John Dillinger, and John Gotti. The men who joined in this kidnapping were Cor van Hout, Jan Boelaard, Frans Meijer, and Martin Erkamps and all served prison sentences. the authorities were never able to recover several millions of the Ranson. While in prison, Holleeder met other gangsters and emerged from prison a full-fledged gang boss intent on living the life of a master criminal. David Amoruso I recommend you go to David’s website, Gangstersinc by clicking here. David has written about American gangsters and famous American crimes as well as the International Camorra and ‘Ndrangheta in Italy and Sicily and other European criminal organizations. To go to the store or make a donation Click Here. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast

Gerald Scarpelli and the Wild Bunch May 27, 2019

Scarpelli made several attempts to “go legitimate,” first by investing several thousand into a jewelry boutique, and when that failed, he worked at a shipping company owned by his brother. He ultimately wanted to own an auto salvage yard, but as a felon, licensing would have been difficult to obtain in Illinois. To make ends meet, he had a partnership with a small-time, unsuccessful bookie, and had his Outfit salary. Scarpelli’s first arrest was in 1960 for robbery and served three prison terms through the years, but it was in the 1970s he did his major work. He was arrested in 1972 for armed robbery, but given probation, then he violated probation in 1973 with another armed robbery in Illinois, for which he received 15 years, but claimed his confession was made under duress. Released from prison in 1976 after the US Supreme Court ruled in his favor in Gagnon v. Scarpelli, he immediately worked as a hitman for many Outfit leaders and was a member of the Wild Bunch. He is credited with numerous murders for which he would have received orders, most notably Ned Bakes, a Capone-era mobster whose real name was Ignacius Spacchesi, who was once wanted for questioning in the murder of Bugsy Siegel. In 1977, Chicago Heights lieutenant Al Tocco sought out his former associate, Gerry Scarpelli and the Wild Bunch for assistance in the Chop Shop Wars. Scarpelli and his partner Scalise killed junkyard owner Richie Ferraro and later his partner Frank Theo, both of whom were close to Scalise. Scarpelli would go on to commit several more murders as part of the Wild Bunch, finally taking part in ending the group with the murders of former partner Tony Borsellino and Petrocelli, with whom Scarpelli fell out. Despite Scarpelli’s close ties to Petrocelli, Butch attempted to use his position to rob from Scarpelli. In the late 70s, Scarpelli and Duke Basile teamed up to rob two Brinks trucks. The first was in October of 1978 in Hammond, IN, the second was for $346,000 April of 1979, in Tinley Park. In addition, they robbed a Brinks courier in the lobby of a bank in Elmwood Park for $324,000, all of which netted him over a million dollars. After these armed robberies, Butch Petrocelli claimed “street tax,” in the name of the Outfit, but didn’t kick back to his bosses. This tax created a rift between Scarpelli and Petrocelli and Scarpelli demanded justice from Cicero capo Joe Ferriola, who knew nothing about the tax. This was the final straw for Butch Petrocelli. Scarpelli spent the 1980s hustling, committing small robberies, and working for the Cicero crew. Throughout 1986 and 1987, he worked with Duke Basile on a number of robberies, often describing his Outfit work. Throughout this time, Basile was an FBI informant wearing a wire. At one point, the FBI trailed Scarpelli and Basile to a safe garage where vehicles and weapons were stored. They observed Scarpelli storing several firearms in preparation for a robbery that the FBI had set up in a residence the FBI had wired for sound. The FBI then returned to the garage and rendered the weapons inoperable. After Scarpelli and Basile committed the robbery in Michigan City, the FBI approached him and advised him of his situation. Scarpelli initially refused to cooperate but agreed in time. He spent several hours speaking to the FBI describing the daily activities of the Outfit and offered to wear a wire, but because he was a murderer, the FBI would not release him. On the record, Scarpelli complained about the bosses, and the difficulty making real money. He stated murder was just business, and he was not compensated for it. Scarpelli later recanted his earlier statements and complained that they were not the product of free-will. When his legal appeals against his testimony were found to be without merit, Scarpelli went to the correctional center shower and hanged himself. The FBI later stated that much of the information given has proven to have been deliberately false. Murders: Richard “Richie” Ferraro: 6/13/1977, junkyard owner who refused to comply with Outfit tax on chop shops. Ferraro’s body was never found; he was declared dead in 1984. Jerry Scalise worked in Ferraro’s junkyard. In addition, per a 1990 memo by US Atty Dean Polales, Ferraro was killed on land owned by Charles Cruz, whose body would be found in 1997, 50 yards from the Scalise junkyard in Dupage County, IL Frank Theo: 7/15/1977, partner and associate of Richie Ferrara, a known associate of Jerry Scalise. Mark C. Thanasouras: ex-CPR district captain who served 18 months for shaking down businesses for protection rackets, had recently given testimony about crooked officers and Outfit members, cut down by two masked men with shotguns Richard Crofton: 12/22/1977, manager for South Side Catering, associated with John Lourgos, who also had business dealings with Mark C. Thanasouras. Owner of Southside Catering, Theresa Schaffer received death threats and her car was bombed. Rita Payonk, who was shot in the head (2/6/76), was a book-keeper for a restaurant owned by late John Schaffer. Crofton was killed by two masked men while a third drove a white Camaro. George Christofalos: 3/11/1979, known racketeer who came into competition with Tony Borsellino. Borsellino received approval to execute Christofalos. Jerry Scalise, Gerry Scarpelli, and Tony Borsellino waited for the victim outside the L&L #2 Club at Rt 41 and Buckley. Scarpelli pinned down on-lookers, while Borsellino shot Christofalos. Scalise drove. Tony Borsellino: 5/22/1979, higher ranking Butch Petrocelli blamed missing revenue on Borsellino and threw in a bit about him speaking to the police for good measure. Likely, both are true: Butch was lying, and Borsellino was skimming. Borsellino sought help from Frank Calabrese who asked Angelo LaPietra if Borsellino could switch crews. LaPietra stated that the only way to save Borsellino was for Calabrese to sacrifice himself in his place. Tony Borsellino would have trusted Scarpelli Gerald Carusiello: 9/28/1979, a driver for Joey Aiuppa, and partner of Tony Borsellino, Carusiello is a loose end to both the burglary murders Michael Oliver: 11/14/1979, a porn shop owner in competition with Vito Caliendo, who works under Butch Petrocelli. Butch orders crew to smash up shop, but at some point, Oliver is shot. He is buried in DuPage County. Killed by Robert Sarno, Gerry Scarpelli, Jerry Scalise, and Sal Cataudella By Camillius Robinson This podcast was done with the assistance of Camillius “Cam” Robinson, a Chicago based writer and mob historian. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Butch Petrocelli and the Wild Bunch May 20, 2019

Don’t forget to buy me a coffee on Venmo at ganglandwire. This week, Chicago writer and Outfit historian, Camillius “Cam” Robinson and I talk about Butch Petrocelli and the Wild Bunch. As a special bonus in the sho0w notes, Cam has written a short piece with additional facts and stories about Butch and this feared hit team of young Turks in the Outfit. I had a great time talking with Gary on Gangland Wire. I thought it might be helpful to include a bit more information on our buddy Butch as a companion to the podcast. I’ll expand further on the Wild Bunch as a whole in future blog posts. If there are any other areas of mob interest, whether Chicago, New York, or parts in between, comment below, and I’ll do what I can. William “Butch” Petrocelli was born on Taylor Street in 1938 to Aurelio and Assunta, immigrants from Abruzzi, Italy. He was the eighth of nine children, and while Aurelio dug ditches in Chicago, Butch wondered if maybe there were better ways to make a buck. His older brother John would go on to become a sergeant in the Chicago PD, joining the force in 1954, but by 1957, Butch was given probation for cartage theft, a new hobby he had picked up with his good buddy, a young Harry Aleman. They were off to an early start. Butch spent most of the 60s as an Outfit member-in-training, collecting juice loans, and protection money…he didn’t mind getting a little rough. By 1969, Butch and Harry got in trouble for roughing up a contractor over a couple of thousand dollars owed to the Outfit. Even with first-hand testimony from undercover officers, the case never even made it past the grand jury. Membership has its privileges. In 1971, Sambo Cesario was blown away by two masked men. Between 1973-74, Butch and Harry, and their new pal Jimmy Inendino were robbing houses with a stolen sheriff’s badge. Then in 1974, Harry’s uncle, Joe Ferriola came out of prison, and Turk Torello wanted to crack down. There would now be a street tax on all book-making, gambling, and loan-sharking in the city. Joe Ferriola knew just the men for the job: Butch Petrocelli, Harry Aleman, Tony Borsellino, and Harry Aleman…The Wild Bunch was born. One after another, recalcitrant bookies fell, either in line, or on the pavement, the Wild Bunch weren’t picky, but they were effective. Chris Cardi, Nick Galanos, Tony Reitinger, the hits just kept coming. In 1977, the Feds tried to serve a warrant on Butch for illegally purchasing firearms. He sped from the scene, leading them on a chase through the city, until he finally lost them in the Old Neighborhood. That charge was dropped too. His brother John, the cop, was diagnosed with cancer in 1978, and Butch was at the hospital almost every day, even driving John to the Mayo Clinic when he didn’t seem to be improving. John died later that year. Butch’s marriage had also broken up by that time. As a reward for his efficiency, Butch (seen with Rocco Infelice) received control of all three race tracks in the Chicago area. Meanwhile, “Jimmy I” and Harry both got 30 years on a RICO charge for the burglaries Butch took part in. Butch looked out for his friends, To help out the Alemans, he took over Harry’s collections…then he had Tony Borsellino killed. 1980 started badly for Butch, and ended worse. Eleftherios Valentzas, a well-liked restaurant owner and bookmaker, was shotgunned to death after agreeing to testify against the Petrocelli crew—the bosses weren’t impressed. Then the $100,000 Butch put together for Harry’s family seems to have gotten misplaced. Finally, he threw a huge Image by Ross Stanger Christmas party in a Gold Coast hotel for the whole Outfit; this was Butch’s mob now…or so he kept telling people. It probably wasn’t a surprise when Angelo LaPietra and Joe Ferriola called Butch to come in for a sit-down. I likely was a surprise when Frank Calabrese threw a rope around his neck and slit his throat. Butch was bound up in a sleeping bag and left in his red 1977 Ford LTD, with the white Landau roof, and left at the 4300 Block of West 25th Place. Nick Calabrese tried to burn the car, but forgot to leave the window open and the fire went out, but not before doing a hell of a number on Butch’s face. Image by Annoyatorium In 1989, when Harry Aleman appealed his sentence claiming he must have been an informant. Harry didn’t think it was fair that he got caught while Butch went free. The judge disagreed. The last anyone in Chicago heard of Butch Petrocelli officially, was when Frank Calabrese was charged with his murder in 2007. -Camillus Robinson Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Bonus episode The Chicago Tribune and the Outfit Apr 27, 2019

In this special bonus episode, I thank our generous contributors with an extra episode in which our most faithful fan, Chicago resident and mob historian Ben Ellickson does a dramatic read of an in-depth article about the upper echelon of the Chicago Outfit published on August 18, 1963, and written by one of their best mob reporters, Thomas Powers. I thank Ben for his never-ending support with his time, talent and treasure. A little background on why Mr. Powers may have believed that Sam Giancana was getting too much publicity. In 1961, Frank Sinatra introduced a man named Profirio Rubirosa to President John F. Kennedy. Rubirosa was a young Dominican who was close to the Dominican dictator Trujillo. Many persons suspected that Sinatra obtained a verbal commitment from Rubirosa to open up the Dominican Republic to gambling casinos if Trujillo were suddenly deposed. Sinatra flew Rubirosa to the Kennedy Compound at the Cape and they spent several hours out fishing with the president. Less than a month after that meeting, President Kennedy gave CIA Director Alan Dulles the okay to assassinate Trujillo. Sam Giancana began his plans to rebuild the Dominican Republic into another pre-Castro Cuba. Sam was making his moves when an FBI bug picked up on Giancana’s plans to turn the Dominican Republic into another Cuba. The agents heard some references to using their influence with the White House. Hoover told President Kennedy about this intercept and in anger, he and Hoover agreed they should institute “Operation Lockstep” to show Giancana who was boss. Chicago FBI agents followed Giancana and stayed immediately behind him in a car, sat next to him in restaurants, walked a few steps behind when he was walking, played in a foursome immediately behind Giancana when he golfed. Well-known FBI agent Bill Rohmer took this harassment to a new level when he met Giancana and his girlfriend, famous singer Phyllis McGuire, at O’Hare airport and Giancana claims that Rohmer, “whistled and howled at me and yelled how pretty I looked said I was queer and everything like that.” Giancana was drawing publicity because of his famous girlfriend as well as from government surveillance. The Trib learned that the Outfit bosses were tired of all the heat and wanted to displace Giancana as the boss. This article was released in 1963 and Giancana will hang on until 1966 when the government jails him for refusing to testify after being given a grant of immunity. As we now know, Tony Accardo and Paul Ricca, the real Outfit powers named Joseph “Joey Doves” Aiuppa, the new Outfit boss. When the Government released Giancana in 1967, he left the country for Mexico and stayed until 1974 when Mexican authorities deported him. During this time Accardo learned about Giancana’s international casino connections in Iran and the Caribbean and he ordered him to share those profits. Sam refused claiming he developed that stream of income on his own. In contrast, during the same time, KC boss Nick Civella developed a skim inside the Tropicana without any help from Chicago and he voluntarily sent money to Aiuppa monthly. Sam will be killed by an unknown person or persons at his Chicago home in 1975. This murder was just before he was to testify in front of the Church Committee about his dealings with the CIA. In death, Sam Giancana remains as much of a man of mystery and controversy as he was in life Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast. .

Roy DeMeo Apr 22, 2019

How did Roy DeMeo get into a Life of Crime Roy Albert DeMeo was born into the Mafia neighborhood of Bath Beach Brooklyn. As a teenager, he starts loansharking while enrolled in James Madison High School. It would be during this time he is noticed by a Gambino crime family soldier named Nino Gaggi who takes him under his wing. Growing up in this atmosphere young Roy DeMeo, not unlike Henry Hill, notices that the men who have the money as represented by cash, cars, jewelry, and neighbor respect are all “connected guys” like Nino Gaggi. Early adulthood Nino Gaggi uses his Gambino connections to increase young Roy’s loanshark business by investing his cash into the young loan shark and sent him men who needed larger loans than DeMeo’s high school friends. Roy DeMeo will find other criminal opportunities as an associate to Gaggi’s crew. He recruited other neighborhood guys to steal cars and sell drugs. One of his first recruits is a high school friend named Chris Rosenberg. DeMeo finds Rosenberg hanging out at a popular Canarsie gas station where he was basically a street dealer. Roy had connections and money that allowed Rosenberg to deal with narcotics in larger amounts. With Roy as his partner, Chris became an illegal drug wholesaler with street dealers working for him. In the early 1970s, Chris introduced some of his friends to Roy. Joseph “Dracula” Guglielmo, Anthony Senter, and brothers Joseph Testa and Patrick Testa became the core members of Demeo’s crew. A New Murder Inc. After a life devoted to crime in his teens and early 20s, Nino Gaggi will mentor Roy Demeo as an associate of the Gambino crime family. He became a proficient killer who will live on in mob lore for the deeds of “DeMeo crew.” Joey Testa and Anthony Senter, who became known as the “Gemini Twins,” were the most feared crew members. DeMeo owned a Brooklyn tavern at 4021 Flatlands Ave. that he named the Gemini Lounge. During this time he recruited another psychopathic killer named Henry Borelli. DeMeo was a gun nut and he stored an impressive arsenal of machineguns, automatic rifles, and silencers in a storeroom at the lounge. He installed his cousin, crew member Joseph “Dracula” Guglielmo, into the adjoining apartment as a security procedure to prevent the NYPD cops and/or FBI from planting listening devices. The building is still there, and in an ironic twist, it is now the Purpose Life Church. Like the Jimmy Burke crew meeting at the nearby Bamboo Lounge, the DeMeo crew came in almost every day and drank, planned scores, critiqued past scores, gossiped as any mafia crew might do at their social club. Roy DeMeo had once worked as a butcher in his early life, and some mob historians claim the Gemini Lounge was more like the killing floor in a slaughterhouse except they killed and butchered humans instead of pigs. I remember a Sopranos’ episode where they cut up Richie Aprile’s body in Satriale’s Pork Store using the utensils normally used for the pork. The FBI claimed the DeMeo crew was responsible for as many as 200-300 murders from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. Law enforcement often described the Demeo crew as the deadliest and most feared Mafia crew of the 5 Families in New York. They were described as “sadistic homicidal maniacs,” “the crazy killers,” “ice-cold murderous maniacs,” “lethal animals,” “barbaric psychopaths,” and “brutal psychopathic killers.” Law Enforcement at the time estimated the DeMeo crew contained over 40 men who were each trying to outdo each other as vicious, ruthless, bloodthirsty psychopathic killers. Roy DeMeo infiltrates the Brooklyn Credit Union In one of his more sophisticated operations, Roy joined the Borough of Brooklyn Credit Union and used his Gambino influence to gain a position on the board of directors. Roy DeMeo used his position at the credit union to launder illegal profits from loansharking and drug dealing as well as other rackets. He became the money launderer for many New York drug dealers. This guy never missed a chance to make some money. DeMeo used the credit union money to supplement his money available to loan in his loansharking business. He maintained a cover job as a salesman for a Brooklyn company named S & C Sportswear Corporation. He claimed he owned a variety of businesses and was in construction, owned a restaurant, and a used car lot. The Art of murder By age 32, DeMeo was living in an expensive home with his wife and children. This is always one of those things I find fascinating about these mob guys. He leaves his nice home and children where he is Dad and the enforcer of rules and goes into the city for his work as a professional criminal. his first murder for the Gambino family was under the direction of his capo, Nino Gaggi. They are extorting money from a lucrative X-rated film business. Police arrest the owner, Paul Rothenberg, on a porn charge. The mobsters believe Rothenberg will make a deal and give them up to the cops. Roy asks Rothenberg to meet him at a diner, purportedly to talk about how the Gambinos will pay his legal fees. They arrived at the diner at the same time and Roy produced a silencer-equipped gun and pulled Rothenberg into a nearby alley. He shot him several times in the head. Later, informants claimed that Roy DeMeo said he was surprised how easy this was and how he looked at murder as just business. informants reported that DeMeo claimed he felt a sense of power while committing the act of murder. He told his underlings that once you do this, you can do anything. During the next few years, Roy Demeo trained his crew to kill without question whenever he gave the order. In a macabre twist, DeMeo had once been a butcher’s apprentice and he would train his crew members in the art of dismembering a body so they could easily dispose of it. Roy Demeo and the stolen auto business The Gemini Twins, Joey Testa and Anthony Senter, were proficient at stealing cars and selling them to chop shops for Demeo. They got into a dispute over money with a body shop owner named Andrei Katz. In May 1975, a crooked cop informed Roy that Katz was snitching on them. A month later, Roy Demeo takes care of business, Joseph Testa and Henry Borelli lured Katz to a place where they could snatch him unobserved. Mob Reporter Jerry Capeci will debrief a source and get the following description of this murder. Capsci claims that the crew killed Katz by stabbing him several times in the heart with a butcher knife. They put on butcher aprons and started to dismember the body. One crew member wanted to pulverize Katz’s head so he put in in a compacting machine. As the others dismembered a body part, they wrapped it in a green trash bag for disposal. They dumped these bags in a nearby garbage bin to be hauled away. The DeMeo crew dumped the body too early. Before the trash truck arrived, a homeless man found the body and called the police. The crime scene investigators would find eight neatly wrapped packages. They claimed they never found Katz’s genitals. Later the police turned a witness and they charged the DeMeo crew with this murder. However, at trial, a skillful defense lawyer completely discredited the witness and the jury returned with a not guilty verdict. DeMeo’s “disassembly line” I believe the murder of Andrei Katz to be one of the first murders committed by the DeMeo crew and the first one to use dismemberment as a tool to dispose of the evidence. Years later a Bonanno underboss named Salvatore Vitale claimed that he once delivered a dead body to Roy DeMeo and his crew and he watched as several crew members dismembered this corpse. The crew learned a lesson from the Katz screwup and they cut this and all future bodies into 6 parts and dumped each package in a different place. It is said that they used a mountainous garbage dump just across the highway from the housing complex in Starrett City, which is a housing development in Brooklyn. DeMeo was kind of a perfectionist in these grisly tasks. He directed his crew members to form a “disassembly” line of butchers. These men would lure the unsuspecting victim to the Gemini Lounge. Many times they put them at ease by wining and dining them until late in the night. Once the coast was clear in the Gemini, they delivered a fatal blow. The next step was the “disassembly” line and the victim would soon be neatly wrapped into 5-6 brown butcher paper wrappers then stuffed into garbage bags. Crew members took those body parts to separate places in Brooklyn. Roy DeMeo and the Gambino Family In 1976, when DeMeo was 34, Carlo Gambino died. The new boss of the Gambino family was Big Paul Castellano. The person closest to Castellano was Nino Gaggi who was DeMeo’s mentor and capo of his crew. He had been earning well for Nino but the new boss, Paul Castellano despised Roy because his heritage was not from Sicily, his ancestors were from Naples. Big Paul considered Neapolitans as unreliable. But, Nino kept putting in a good word for him. Demeo had a strong sense of duty and an overachieving “let me show you” attitude. He desired more than all else to become a made man. One of the reasons he became this killing machine was because he believed that would help him earn his button. Making money was another way to earn his way into the good graces of the boss. Paul Castellano had heard the stories about DeMeo and his crew and he was very conservative. He wanted no “cowboys” in the family or somebody who went off and killed for no good reason and with his approval. He told Nino he would never see Roy DeMeo become a made member of the Gambino family. DeMeo believed that to become “made” all he had to do was be a good soldier, do what he was told, and earn a lot of money for the family. During this time, he redoubled his efforts in shylocking and the stolen car racket. The Irish mob had a leader named Mickey Spillane who was being difficult about the Gambino family operating in Manhattan.

Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso Part 2 Apr 15, 2019

As Anthony Casso progressed in his mob career, he became more suspicious and violent. One of the many interesting stories about Gaspipe is his interactions with the Russian Mafia of Brighton Beach. Gaspipe Casso was a very prolific thief during his life. He was not choosy who he worked with as long he could make money. He developed a close alliance with a Ukrainian mob boss named Marat Balagula. This guy had multi-billion dollar gasoline tax avoidance scams going on in and around Brighton Beach. The Russians formed small companies and purchased gasoline as wholesalers. At that time the wholesalers were supposed to collect the tax and pay it to the government. These small gasoline wholesale companies collected the taxes from the retailers and failed to pay the government entities as required. When an investigation followed, the companies folded and they created new companies. The Russian Mafia learned Gaspipe Casso’s friend, Balagula, was paying off Casso. The Russian mobsters started a campaign to discredit him among other Russians and they said because Barat was a punk and had no balls. They were wrong about Balagua, he was a ruthless killer and a smart dude. He knew that the combined force of the Italian crime families would end any threat from the other Russians. In 1986, a Russian boss named Vladimir Reznikov, entered the Rasputin nightclub in Brighton Beach and confronted Balagula. He pushed a 9mm Beretta into Balagula’s face and demanded $600,000 immediately and a future percentage of the gasoline profits. Balagula promised to get the money to which Reznikov replied, “Fuck with me and you’re dead, you and your whole fucking family; I swear I’ll fucking and kill your wife as you watch, you understand?” Anthony Casso heard about this and told Balagula, “Send word to Vladimir that you have his money, that he should come to the club tomorrow. We’ll take care of the rest.” Casso also requested a photograph of Reznikov and a description of his car. When Reznikov arrived at Balagula’s nightclub to pick up his money, a Gambino associate named Joseph Testa killed. Gaspipe Casso would later claim, “After that, Marat didn’t have any problems with other Russians.” During the 1990s, several high ranking members of the Lucchese family had gone over to the government. Peter Chiodo had committed numerous murders for Casso. Casso became enraged at Chido or rather at his wife for meddling in family business, He ordered a hit on Chiodo’s wife. It seems she had advised him to take a plea in a case and he did not consult with his boss, Anthony Casso. After a murder attempt on Peter Chido, he entered Witness Protection. Casso will soon follow him into the program after he realized the government had several good witnesses and a massive amount of evidence against him. Gaspipe, the head of the Lucchese Crime family would enter into the witness protection program. In one of the biggest and most shocking reveals, Casso disclosed that his two NYPD detective friends who helped him with hits were on the Lucchese payroll. It would be learned that Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa had committed eight murders ordered by Casso. They had given Casso information and he used this info to commit other murders. The turncoat cops revealed the names of many police and FBI informants. After Gaspipe helped law enforcement dismantle the Lucchese family, he was accused of continuing to commit crimes and other disruptions inside a federal witness protection facility. The U.S. Attorney dropped him the Witness Protection Program. He is currently serving a life sentence without parole at the Supermax ADX Florence prison in Florence, Colorado. Donate HereTo go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso part 1 Apr 08, 2019

Gaspipe Casso – the early years Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso was born May 21, 1940. Before his career ended with the U. S. Marshal’s office and Witness Security, mob bosses would promote him to the formal position of Underboss of the Lucchese crime family. Gaspipe Casso will gain the reputation of being a “homicidal maniac.” Anthony Casso was the youngest of the three children born to Michael and Margaret Casso. Casso’s grandparents had emigrated from Campania, Italy, (the Naples area, not Sicily). Michael Casso was a low-level soldier in the Genovese crime family and worked on the docks in Brooklyn. His parents asked a Capo in the Genovese family, Salvatore “Sally” Callinbrano, to be little Anthony Casso’s Godfather. Since this guy was a powerful influence on the Brooklyn docks and his father probably benefited from that relationship. Casso dropped out of school at 16 and got a longshoreman’s job. As a young boy, Casso became a crack shot, firing pistols at targets on a rooftop which he and his friends used as a shooting range. Casso also made money shooting predatory hawks for pigeon tenders. During these years Anthony Casso was short at 5’6 but was a very solid 185 pounds. He joined a street gang known as the South Brooklyn Boys. Christopher Furnari, a Lucchese Capo, noticed a teenage Anthony Casso and put him to work as a collector of his loan shark money. Christopher Furnari saw his value as a criminal and brought him into his gambling operations and drug dealing. How did he get the moniker – Gaspipe Over the years, there have been various stories of how Casso got the nickname “Gaspipe” Casso claims it is from his father, Michael, and passed along the story that his father used a gas pipe to threaten union dissidents. Others have claimed that his father made extra money hooking up illegal gas connections. Gaspipe Casso never liked the nickname but it stuck to him for life. Few people and mainly only cops would ever say it to his face. It was said that some close friends did call him “Gas.” Like most mob guys in his early 20s, he married and his wife’s name was Lillian. They would have a daughter and a son. Gaspipe makes his bones In the 1970s, he appears to have “made his bones” by murdering a drug dealer who was a suspected stoolie or snitch. By 1974, at age 32, The Lucchese family made him a full member, of the Lucchese crime family. Gaspipe partnered with another young soldier, Vittorio Amuso, and started a criminal partnership that would last for years. They committed scores of crimes, including drug trafficking, burglary, and murder. Later in life Gasspipe will claim to be one of the greatest burglars ever known. He claimed in a 60 minutes interview that he was an expert with a magnesium burning bar to open heavy safes and bank vaults. He believes the character played by James Caan in Thief was based on him and his exploits. I really don’t agree with that because this crew as based in Chicago and they had a real deal Chicago burglar Chicago Outfit burglar as a technical advisor and he had a small part in the film. The next episode Anthony Casso will have a successful career and become an important capo in the Gambino family. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Bob Gross Serial Killer Part 2 Mar 25, 2019

In part 2 of this story of fear and horror on Kansas City streets. Gary and newspaper reporter Ian Cummings examines how Bob Gross once escaped any penalty because a rural deputy sheriff thought he could alter evidence to make a stronger case. Gary and Ian tell how a team of Kansas City police detectives finally brought Bob Gross to justice using modern technology. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Bob Gross Serial Killer part 1 Mar 18, 2019

Authorities could have predicted that a teenager named Robert “Bob” Gross might end up a suspect in sex crimes. They just did not know how far he would take his obsession. As with many sex offenders, he became enamored neighbor girl’s underwear drawer. He liked to creep around and window peep. To some, this may seem like normal boyhood sexual curiosity, but these behaviors often end up as adult obsessions that many men take to the next level of kidnapping, rape, and murder. This is the story of one of those guys who was mostly a free man during his life. The Kansas City Police Department spent millions on man-hours investigating and following Gross. He made a few slip-ups that took him off the streets for periods but never for his real crimes of murder. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Frank Costello and the Honest Cabbie Mar 11, 2019

A few days after D-Day in June of 1944, the Prime Minister of the New York Underworld, Frank Costello took a short cab ride. When he exited the cab, he left behind two envelopes containing $27,200.00 in hundreds and fifties. Probably gambling receipts because he was known as the slot machine king of New York City. The honest cabbie was named Edward Waters. He found the envelope and turned it into the NY police. After the story hit the papers, Costello made a claim alleging this was his money and it was from a debt he collected from a friend. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia wanted to make a point and fought Costello, claiming the money should go to the police pension fund. A court case followed. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Chris Spina and Chicago Corruption Feb 20, 2019

As you know, this podcast runs on donations and purchases of my books, movie and the Kansas City Mob Tour app. I have over 200 free episodes out there with interviews of ex-mobsters, cops and federal agents, all mostly about the mob across the United States. We did a first-person interview with a parachuting skyjacker, a prison interview with the bank robbing Boonie Hat bandit and interviews with the investigators of serial killers. I thank Ben Ellickson, Mark Ryan, Berry Parks, Rich Sullivan and I have added an easy method of supporting the show. I got a Venmo account. If you have Venmo, just send a dollar or two to ganglandwire. Kind of like buying me a cup of Starbuck’s coffee. Remember my story about the “Starbucks kind of girl?” I am a Starbucks kind of guy, but you can buy me a McDonald’s senior coffee if you want. So, do that or go my gangland Wire website and click on the sip page to donate with a credit card or buy my movie or book. And you can help for free by liking and sharing my gangland wire facebook page, my twitter feed or Instagram. Since you had to listen to that advertisement, now on to this bonus episode. The City of Chicago is well known for its corruption. They had it all: kickbacks on snow removal contracts, hauling contracts, and ghost employees. This corruption can be found mostly out of the famous or infamous Pat Marcy’s 1st Ward. He ran this Ward like his own personal fiefdom for years. If you listened to my show with Mike Byrne on the Outfit hitman, Harry Aleman, you will remember that the fixer lawyer Robert Cooley testified that Pat Marcy was involved in the payoff of Judge Frank Wilson ensuring that Aleman was found not guilty in the murder of Billy Logan. In 1991 Chicago’s Inspector General Alexander Vroustouris conducted an investigation into the Department of Streets and Sanitation. He found 37 employees on the payroll but he found no evidence that they reported to work. All 37 were from the 1st Ward. He took this information to the Daley administration. After negotiating with the politically powerful Laborer’s International, the city fired a handful and suspended the majority. I guess they came back to work after their suspension? The City Inspector General was not done yet. In 1993, he has uncovered another Outfit-connected piece of corruption. A First Ward resident named Chris “Christy the Nose” Spina was a foreman assigned to a Streets and Sanitation scrap metal yard. He used city crews to periodically clean up all the scrap and sell it to private scrap yards. In one deal he received $6,000.00. When that was exposed the City sternly transferred him to the Bureau of Signs and Markings. There, the City paid him $41,000 per year plus overtime. The FBI reported they often observed Spina driving Outfit Capo Joey Lombardo to meetings with other Outfit members. He was the perfect driver because he was an Outfit guy with no criminal record. The City Inspector found the City was paying Spina during the time he was seen with Lombardo and he was even putting in for overtime pay. I guess when Joey had a late meeting, Chris needed the overtime. It’s not over with yet, during this investigation they found Spina supervised his two brothers, John and Anthony Spina who were arrested for weapons charges during the city internal investigation. This was during the time when Lombardo was released from his last prison sentence and he took out an ad in the Tribune claiming. “I am not a made member of the Chicago Mob and if anybody hears my name in connection with any criminal activity, please notify the FBI, local police and my parole officer, Ron Kumke.” Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Jimmy the Weasel Fratianno Feb 18, 2019

In this episode, we taped an interview with Jimmy Fratianno expert George Custer at the MobWorld Summit in our Las Vegas hotel room. We learn that Jimmy the Weasel started as a Cleveland mobster, then passed through the Chicago outfit and ended up in southern California by the 1950s. He made his bones by killing two Kansas City mobsters in Los Angeles. this murder was made famous in the popular Hollywood film, Kansas City Confidential as the Killing of the Two Tonys. Fratianno had a long career as a good earner for the mob and would rise to be a co-boss of the Los Angeles family. He knew how to play the angles and was an informant for the FBI all along to keep the heat off of himself and onto his rivals. In the end, the Bureau forced him into the Witness protection program and he spent the next several years and the last years of his life as a government witness. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Frank Schwiehs Hijacker Feb 14, 2019

In 1954, the Chicago Outfit found it lucrative to hijack trucks filled with cartons of cigarettes. They had dozens of corner stores who did not question the history of a case of Lucky Strikes if the price was right. In 1954, an alert tobacco distributor named Alfred Koenecke noticed a truck was following his delivery trucks. He called the Chicago PD and they assigned Det. Bernard Kennedy and Det. Geroge Hanennecke. Mr. Koenecke called the detectives and told them the suspicious truck was marked Unity Refrigeration was parked nearby his distribution warehouse. The detectives responded and Mr. Koenecke dispatched a delivery truck. The detectives started following the Unity Refrigeration truck who was following the Koenecke Distribution truck. they noticed another car was also following the Unity Refrigeration truck. they stopped that car and found a Koenecke salesman and a Chicago foot patrolman who had just been picked up by the salesman. The identified them and resumed their chase. they caught up with the Koenecke trucj=k and the Unity Refrigeration truck. The detectives stopped the uNity Refrigeration truck and found career criminals Frank Schweihs, age 22, Stanely Bajic and Sam Ciancino. Inside the glove compartment, they found a .38 pistol and a police scanner set to the Chicago PD frequencies. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

Women and Undercover Narcotics Feb 11, 2019

In this episode, we interview retired Undercover Detective Reyne Reyes. She worked in the most dangerous job of all the Street Narcotics Units before she arrived to work for your host in the Intelligence Unit and then later in the Major Case Narcotics Unit. One of the fun stories she shares is about the time we sent her into a bar owned by a mob bookie. Jackie Dale Norris was soon attracted to Detective Reyes and tried to hire her to work in his massage parlor. He offered many times to share his hot tub with Det. Reyes. This is typical of the delicate balancing act a woman must handle when she works undercover. Reyne was one of the best. She thinks fast on her feet and always has a good explanation and cover story ready, no matter the circumstances. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the store or make a donation click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, please give me a review and help others find the podcast.

The Great River Hills Caper Jan 31, 2019

River Hills In keeping with last months subject about a team of cops running surveillance and catching somebody during a caper, this bonus episode Gary will tell about his first successful surveillance. As they used to say in Dragnet, I was assigned to the day watch out of Central Patrol, The Field Investigations Unit. Along with my partner, John Fraise, we responded to Police Headquarters to interview a larceny suspect. When we checked him out of Central Detention, we found our man wearing a security guard uniform. After reviewing the arrest report, we figured this was more likely embezzlement and a not very big one at that. He was charged with stealing a couple of hundred dollars in tools from a company where he was the night watchman. I could sense his fear of going across the street to the Jackson County Jail so we pressed him about any other crimes he might help us clear. He mentioned he had recently worked at a downtown apartment complex known as River Hills. I remembered something so I quickly stepped outside and called our crime analyst and found, just I suspected, an unknown suspect had recently entered many River Hills’ apartments with a key and taken thousands in cash and jewelry. I called my partner out of the interrogation room and I remember saying, “There is meat on this bone.” I explained the recent burglary pattern with no forcible entry. and we knew if we could turn him into an informant, proper surveillance would stop these burglaries. We returned to confront our quarry. We leaned on him and reminded him what happens when he can’t post bond on his larceny case. We then threw him a safety line, “help us and we will help you.” He started breaking down and within an hour we learned he had given a master key and a list of tenants, apartment numbers and home phone numbers to a man named Darryl Gilyard. He admitted he knew Gilyard had burglarized some apartments because later Gilyard had paid him some money. He had been reassigned by the contract security company so he didn’t know how many burglaries Gilyard had committed with his master key. Clip Art provided by Clipartof Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the our store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Hole in the Wall Gang Part 3 Jan 28, 2019

Larry “Lurch” Newman The FBI waits outside Bertha’s Gifts and Furnishings for the Hole in the Wall Gang In this third and final installment in my report on Tony Spilotro and his Hole in the Wall gang, the reader will learn how the gang plan a big burglary at Bertha’s Gifts and Furnishings. The only problem is they took in a government informant before the score. As they plan a huge score in the burglary of Bertha’s Gifts and Furnishings, Sal Romano reported every move to his FBI control. By 1981, Spilotro knows he is in for a series of legal challenges. He is facing a RICO indictment for conspiring to skim money from Las Vegas casinos. He knows the government has dedicated a huge amount of resources and they are very serious. He knows his Chicago Outfit bosses, Joey Aiuppa, Jackie Cerone and Angelo LaPietra are all facing these same charges. He needs money and a lot of it. Oscar Goodman, his Las Vegas lawyer does not work cheap. If the government convicts Spilotro, more than likely he goes away for a long stretch and he must earn money to provide for his family in the eventuality. Las Vegas Metro Intelligence Commander Kent Clifford and FBI agent Emmet Michaels are very focused on the Spilotro burglary crew for several reasons. First because of the bad publicity from the Frankie Bluestein killing, second because of the threats against Sgt. Gene Smith and Det. David Groover of Metro and thirdly because of Commander Clifford’s trip to Chicago to threaten Outfit bosses. They need a win. The FBI and Las Vegas Metro form a task force with the specific intent to bring down Spilotro. They will get a huge break. How the FBI and Metro Intelligence finally joined forces Because of the former Sheriff, Ralph Lamb, and his corrupt Intelligence Unit detectives, the FBI has had to hide what they are doing from local law enforcement. In 1981, David Helfry, the USA Attorney in Kansas City, and his staff were working with Bill Ouseley and agents in Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Las Vegas to put together the skimming cases. They are putting folks in front of a grand jury and trying to get somebody to turn and explain how the skimming works to the trial jury. Even though Metro Intelligence has cleaned up its act, they are still distrustful of the FBI and vice versa. Since much of the FBI information is coming from a Federal Grand Jury, they cannot share that intelligence with the local cops. The FBI has this Top Echelon Informant (Lefty Rosenthal) in Las Vegas and this information cannot be shared. Then a couple of Chicago agents turn a guy who will make all the difference. The FBI will require local cooperation to pull off what they believe will be the blow that brings down Spilotro and his Hole in the Wall Gang. When the government decides to take down a crew and forms a partnership with the local cops, the target does not have a chance. By this time, the Spilotro Task Force was very familiar with all the usual Hole in the Wall Gang hangouts. Many times, unless there is a specific operation going, the Intelligence guys will merely hang around the known spots like clubs, casinos, apartments or homes to see who their targets meet and follow them to maybe identify other businesses they go into or to see what other activities they participate in. The officers might see Cullotta or another member of the gang frequenting another bar or business where they had a friend or a source working and they would later visit the place to find out what the crook was doing there. Many people think this is a waste of time and the officers themselves may not realize or understand exactly what they are seeing during these kinds of surveillance. In his case, they were observing Tony Spilotro with Frank Cullotta, Ernie Davino, Larry Newman, Wayne Mateki, Leo Guardino, and Joe Blasko quite a lot. They knew these were all career criminals and had done high-end burglaries or robberies in the past. The cops suspected they may be the famous Hole in the Wall Gang, but they had been unable to catch them in the act. Frank and Tony plan the last big job at Bertha’s Gifts and Furnishings In the Spring of 1981, Frank and his crew started planning their biggest job to date, Bertha’s Gifts and Furnishings located just west of Sarah on Maryland Parkway, 896 E Sahara Ave. The surveillance officers started seeing a new guy they identified as Sal Romano hanging out with the gang. This did not worry them because they were the ones who placed Romano inside the gang. Sal had caught a case and the FBI had turned him. They even set him up in an apartment in Las Vegas with a fake girlfriend who was supposed to be an airline attendant to explain why she was rarely seen. The Bureau wired up this apartment for sound and video. Sal would work to get his crew members over to the apartment and talk about their jobs. Sal would later testify that a part-time gang member named Peter Basile brought him into the gang because he had electronic skills to deal with sophisticated burglar alarms. Chicago cops warn off Frank but Spilotro disregards Frank Cullotta claims that he was visited by two Chicago cops sent to see him by the corrupt Chicago police commander William Hanhardt. They told Frank that they knew that local cops in Chicago had a stolen property case on Romano and the case involved interstate transportation, so it was taken over by the Feds. They went back to check on the progress of their case and could not find any record in the system. Frank said he thanked them, offered to get them casino show or meal comps and they refused. They both said they just thought they should tell him about Romano. Frank said he went to Spilotro with this information and Tony brushed it off. He told Frank to put the guy with Larry Newman when they went to Bertha’s Gifts and Furnishings during the burglary and if anything, funny happened to have Newman kill Romano. Frank also alleges that in retrospect, he did notice that when he went to Romano’s new apartment it looked like a set or that things were placed so it looked like Romano lived there with his new girlfriend. He noticed that whenever he engaged her in conversation, she refused to look him in the eye and appeared nervous. Despite Frank’s information, Tony insisted he stay with the score. Frank said that Tony probably had a plan to kill Romano after the score was over. He never thought that Sal was actively helping law enforcement and figured the worst-case scenario would be that he would become a cooperating witness after the score was taken down. What they did not know was that the Feds and Metro Intelligence were all over Romano and he was briefing them about the preparations as July the 4th got closer. They chose this weekend to give them more time because the store was closed an extra day, the fireworks would cover any noise and the cops would be very busy on the strip and in the residential areas. The fateful night arrives. It is July 4, 1981. This was a Saturday and Bertha’s Gifts and Furnishings would not be open again until Tuesday. Like that 1957 burglary, Frank and Tony did back in Chicago, a long weekend. Frank was crazy with suspicion over Sal Romano. The tension was running high in all the burglary crew. The night of the take-down at Bertha’s Gifts and Furnishings The cops and agents had already made their reconnaissance and had established assignment on fixed positions surrounding Bertha’s. They alerted the FBI surveillance plane, so it would be overheard circling. Agents and Metro officers will form 2-man teams for the moving surveillance around the outside. Agent Michaels and Commander Clifford will set up a command post in a nearby building. They issue instructions that all moving surveillance crews will maintain a respectable distance and to not alert any of the suspects. Each crew is assigned a gang member to monitor. They will report when they see them leaving their homes or moving toward the target. They will stay way back because they know the entire crew is headed, to Bertha’s. The ground crew will be hiding behind air conditioners on other buildings, inside a couple of empty storefronts, or watching from a nearby bank roof. Once the burglary crew drips off Ernie Davino, Leo Guardino, and Wayne Mateki, the moving surveillance crew move in a little closer and park. The airplane is circling and reporting the movements. Joe Blasko has provided each of the burglars with 2-way radios. He is sitting outside in a van with police monitors. Soon, one of the rooftop crews reports that they see men on Bertha’s roof. Everybody tenses up and their heart rate and breathing become rapid. Sal Romano will lay back and radio to Frank that his car is in a nearby parking lot and the battery is dead. Frank responds and pushes his car a short distance away and orders him to ride with Larry Newman. Sal will slip away during this time. Once the rooftop lookout sees the men on the roof drop inside Bertha’s Gifts and Furnishings, they notify the command post. In the command post, the FBI supervisor will wait a short time to let them start moving stuff around and setting up to open the safe. The evidence of property moved inside a burglary changes it to a burglary from a trespass. The elements of a burglary are the breaking and entering but you need to show an intention to steal. Several agents are assigned to enter the business and take down Ernie Davino, Leo Guradino and Wayne Mateki. The mobile crews have been given the car descriptions of Larry Newman and Frank Cullotta. The Surveillance crews move in. They secure the outside of the store and enter with some uniformed officers. Davino and Guardino quickly give up. The mobile crews take Blasko, Newman and Mateki into custody with no drama. Frank Cullotta makes a short run, he will claim later that he wanted to get into a lit populated area because he was afraid the cops would kill him out of revenge over the Spilotro response to the killing of Frankie Blue.

Hole in the Wall Gang Part 2 Jan 21, 2019

I am adding a new method of supporting the podcast. If you have the venmo app, how about donating an average of fifty cents an episode or just hit me up for a buck every time you think of it. In this second installment, I will talk about the activities of the Hole in the Wall gang as they stole, drank, gambled and ate pizza in Las Vegas. Remember during this time the Chicago outfit and 3 other Midwestern families had manipulated the Teamsters Union pension fund to loan money to a man named Allen Glick. He purchased the Stardust, the Hacienda, the Fremont and the Marina. The Stardust would be the flagship. Frank Balistrieri, boss of the Milwaukee family, had ordered Glick to promote a current stardust employee named Frank Rosenthal to a position of authority in his corporation. In 1971, Chicago Outfit boss Joseph “Joey Doves” Aiuppa ordered Tony Spilotro to move to Las Vegas in support of their interests. Aiuppa is replacing an aging Chicago Outfit member named Marshal Caifano who has been Chicago’s man in Vegas. Spilotro opens a gift shop in Circus Circus under his often-used alias, Anthony Stuart. The Circus Circus owner, Jay Sarno, had received a 43-million-dollar Teamster’s loan and could not question this new gift shop operator. Tony Spilotro will eventually be found out by the Nevada Gaming Control board and placed in the Black Book of banned persons. As a item of interest, Spilotro invested $70,000.00 in this Gift shop and will sell it for over $700,000.00 dollars. Law enforcement is starting to watch Spilotro and he must use other people to pass messages back and forth between himself and Lefty Rosenthal. They need to avoid any overt contact because the FBI has forged a working relationship with Las Vegas Metro Police Intelligence and Nevada Gaming Control and they are all watching closely by the later 1970s. Frank Cullotta was not known to Vegas authorities and Spilotro brings him out to Las Vegas to assist. During this time, Spilotro needs to make money and he knows how to do big time scores, like jewelry stores, banks, fur stores and robbing drug dealers. He opens a jewelry store called The Gold Rush limited to use as his headquarters and a front to fence stolen good. This store was just off the strip at 228 West Sahara and is a vacant lot now. By this time in his life Tony Spilotro is the only real boss of organized crime in Las Vegas. As the boss, tony does not go on scores. Aiuppa has assigned Joey the Clown or Joseph Lombardo to be Spilotor’s Chicago contact. Spilotro has recruited Frank Cullotta who will recruit other Chicago burglars to join his crew. Between Spilotro and Cullotta, they put together guys who law enforcement will name The Hole in the Wall Gang. One of the men Frank Cullotta recruited was a career criminal named Ernie Davino. Unlike the others, Ernie Davino was not from Chicago, he was a New Jersey mobster who had migrated to Las Vegas on his own. He was the son of Ernest “Tubby” Davino, a leg breaker and enforcer for New York mobster Albert Anastasia in the 1950s. Ernie Davino would later claim that he and a man named Leo Guardino started the Hole in the Wall Gang and eventually fell in with Frank Cullotta and Tony Spilotro. I think Ernie Davino and Frank Cullotta both wanted to be the alpha male of the gang but Frank’s connection to Tony Spilotro gave him the upper hand. No matter who started this gang, it is undisputed that by the end, this was Frank Cullotta and Tony Spilotro’s gang. Another burglar Frank recruited was Wayne Matecki. He was a good candidate because he never moved out to Las Vegas and was unknown to local cops plus he didn’t have a criminal record. Anytime Frank lined up a score, Mateki would fly into town and leave immediately after from an airport in California or Arizona. Frank tested Mateki early on by having him hide inside a Las Vegas store after closing. Frank directed him to hide inside when the store closed. Then Mateki was to gather up the fur coats and other expensive items and pile them close to the front door. Frank would drive up to the front and Mateki broke out and they drove off in a few minutes after the alarm sounded. Once Frank saw that Mateki had the heart to do a job, he was an integral part of the team. Ernie Davino’s friend, Leo Guardino was a Chicago burglar and at this point in his life I learned he was tired and trying to go legit. After a lifetime in and out of jail, he was struggling with earning a legitimate living. He was still making scores with Ernie Davino. Frank Cullotta would later describe Leo Guardino as a Chicago career criminal who was trying to go legit when he joined the Hole in the Wall gang. Probably Guardino thought Cullotta and Spilotro’s scores would be big and would become his last big scores, so he could retire from the life. Spilotro recruited the disgraced former Las Vegas Metro cop named Joe Blasko into the gang. He was valuable in counter surveillance and monitoring police scanners during jobs. Frank did ot like the idea of working with this former cop, but Tony Spiloto told Cullotta he must use Blasko on scores, so he could make some money. Davino said he did not mind working with this former cop and found him helpful on jobs. One of the most unusual members of the hole in the wall gang was a guy named Larry Newman. He was about 6’ – 4“and 250 lbs. When Frank first met him, he was serving time for a triple murder. In 1956 Larry Newman became angry at a Chicago bartender. He left and returned with a shot gun and killed the bartender, a waitress and a newsboy who stumbled into the tavern. He had served 11 years of a life sentence and he met Frank Cullotta during this prison sentence. Frank remembers they both worked n the kitchen. He knew Newman was a very dangerous man but he also knew this was the kind of guy wo was capable of anything he was asked to do, up to and including murder. Larry Newman was not the usual Outfit associate. He did not grow up with other gang members nor did he have any relatives that were known to the other gang members. He did have Frank’s trust because Frank had spent several years in a prison with Newman. Larry Newman was a child of a wealthy Chicago family and had enough monthly income from a trust fund that allowed him to not have to work. He elected to become a criminal. During these years when the Hole in the Wall Gang was doing high end commercial burglaries, Larry Newman continued his murderous ways. In an eerily similar crime, Newman became angry with another bartender. A Henry County Illinois man named Ron Scharff ran a joint in suburban Chicago and he once ejected Newman’s former girlfriend. She called Larry and mentioned this incident. He became enraged and talked about going back and killing this guy. Frank Cullotta learned of this threat and told Newman to forget about it. But Newman being “Larry Newman” flew back to Chicago and murdered Ron Scharff and his waitress anyway. Exactly like the previous killing without the newsboy walked in on the murder. Ron Scharff’s son, Paul Scharff wrote a book, Murder in McHenry on this incident. To demonstrate just how dangerous Newman was, Frank set up a score on Chicago jewelry store owner named Bob Brown. He put Wayne Mateki and Larry Newman together and gave them the description and address of this Bob Brown’s store. Frank thought there would be as much as $100,000 in jewelry in the store. Frank also warned them that the guy was connected to Allen Dorfman, the Outfit’s man on the inside of the Teamsters Union and they had to keep quiet about the job. He warned them that above all else, so not tell Spilotro because Dorfman was very close to Spilotro’s Chicago boss, Joey the Clown Lombardo. When Newman and Mateki returned Newman told Frank that he had killed the jeweler. Mateki related to Cullotta that they ambushed the man inside his store after closing. Before they left, Newman grabbed a machete off the wall and hacked him to death. New claimed he wanted to avoid any chance the guy could ever identify them because it might be a death sentence. Then he told Frank he hacked him up to make it look like a crazy man had done this killing. Now there is the pot calling the kettle black. For the Bertha’s job Frank’s main crew were three men he knew from Chicago, Larry Newman, Wayne Mateki and Leo Guardino, the ex-cop Joe Blasko, and Ernie Davino from New Jersey. Tony Spilotro liked Blasko because he had fed him information when he was still a cop and Leo Guradino vouched for Ernie Davino. This little gang had all the bases covered, Leo Guardino and Ernie Davino specialized in burglaries. Larry Neumann and Wayne Matecki were capable of anything, including armed robbery and murder. Joe Blasko could help in counter surveillance and use his cop connections to get information like home address or license plate registrations. Tony will ask Frank to take on one more man to add some electronic expertise to their kit of tools. Sal Romano will complete the Hole in the Wall gang for the Bertha’s Gifts and Furnishings score. Frank Cullotta will later claim that Ernie Davino invited Sal Romano to go on the Bertha’s job because he is an expert in locks and alarms. Since Sal was a long time Chicago Outfit burglar, it is more likely that either Tony or Frank invited him to join. Sal Romano was a gentleman burglar. On one occasion Romano was doing a burglary set up by Outfit member Paul Shiro. This job was down in Phoenix and after he made entry, a small dog started barking and raising a ruckus. Romano backed out and took his crew with him. When he returned to face Shiro, he was asked why he didn’t just kill the dog and Romano quietly said, “I don’t do dogs.” During these years Frank opened a pizza place and claims he was the first person to introduce Chicago deep dish style pizza in Las Vegas. Upper Crust Pizza and the adjoining My Place lounge were located at 4110 S. Maryland Parkway. This is now the Pioneer Plaza, a small strip mall.

Hole in the Wall Gang Part 1 Jan 14, 2019

The making of the Hole in the Wall Series I am adding a new method of supporting the podcast. If you have the venmo app, how about donating an average of fifty cents an episode or just hit me up for a buck every time you think of it. Now on with the show. This is the first of a 3 part series telling the story of the Chicago Outfit member Tony Spilotro Hole in the Wall Gang. In this first episode, your hosts tell about the early beginnings and the Las Vegas background that allowed such a gang to start. We use a few dramatic depictions of interviews with the participants who are not available. Plus we use interviews of a few of the actual people involved like Frank Cullotta and FBI agent Emmet Michaels, former Las Vegas Metro Commander Kent Clifford, and Mob historian Michael Green. If we can’t get an original participant in these events because they are dead of impossible to find, we are using actors, lets give credit to our actors, Ben Ellickson of Chicago, the comedian Cojac of Kansas City and the man of a thousand voices, Alex Virgo of Kansas City. Every good thief wants that one big score. How many movies have there been made about the big score or the last score before a master thief retires? My first one I remember was probably the Thomas Crown Affair, but there have been plenty like Heat, Heist, Oceans 11, 12, and Oceans 8 with an all-female cast. What is your favorite caper film? Personally, mine is Heat with Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino. The background on the Hole in the Wall Gang In this first episode, we look at the Hole in the Wall gang that starts stealing fro Sears stores and from drug dealers and ends with the last big score, the 1981 burglary at Bertha’s Gifts and Home Furnishings at 896 East Sahara Street in Las Vegas. The Bertha’s store was started by Bertha Ragland who came to Vegas right after WW II and opened a fine china and home furnishings store. She would eventually add a high-end jewelry store inside the home furnishing store. Bertha Ragland was a colorful and well-known successful Las Vegas businesswoman. Remember this was over 30 years ago and while credit cards were being used, in Las Vegas most still dealt in a lot of cash. The cash transaction report, or CTR, was in use but widely ignored by many financial institutions until the later 1980s when the DEA got very tough on money laundering. It was a well-known fact to her employees that she did not trust banks and kept large amounts of cash and jewelry inside a safe in the store. To take you back to the late 1970s and early 1980s, remember Jane Byrne, she was mayor of Chicago and in 1981 she moved her family into the Cabrini Green high-rise housing project for 3 weeks. In 1981 The ground-breaking cop show, Hill Street Blues based on the Chicago PD was released. I was watching the Kansas City mob boys as they tried to regain some organization after the skimming search warrants were served in 1979 and Joe Agosto turned government witness. The FBI attacks the Outfit In 1981, Anthony Accardo was the real power behind the throne of the Chicago outfit while Joey Doves Aiuppa was the boss to all outside observers. The FBI was conducting a multi-prong attack on the Outfit and their connections to the Teamster’s union and Las Vegas casinos in Operation Strawman 1 and 2. In Operation Penfdorf the FBI taped Teamster’s official Allen Dorfman plotting to skim Teamster money with Outfit Capo Joey the Clown Lombardo and others. Operation Greylord and Operation Gambet were uncovering and identifying the Outift’s penetration of the Cook County Circuit court and other Chicago government entities. 1981 will be the last good year for the Chicago Outfit. A burglary in the Las Vegas store named Bertha’s Gifts and Furnishings will provide one of the most important witnesses to come forward in the Outfit’s history. Frank Cullotta meets Tony Spilotro First, we will examine another event that starts a relationship that ends at a big score at Bertha’s. We look back to the early 1960s in Chicago, a young thief named Frank Cullotta had become friends with Tony Spilotro. Their relationship was cemented when 23-year-old Frank Cullotta used his friendship with a fall partner, a young thief named Billy McCarthy. As a favor for the Outfit, Frank lured McCarthy into a spot where he was kidnapped and handed over for Spilotro to torture and murder. Also, during the 1960s, Tony and Frank partnered on several successful burglary scores. For example, a 1957 bank job where they broke through the wall of a basement into the basement of a bank. In their first big score, Tony and Frank used sledgehammers, acetylene torches, and other heavy equipment tools and started on a weekend so they had plenty of time to complete the job and get away before the bank reopened for business. Frank netted $50,000.00 for his end of that score. A lot of money in 1957. Frank Cullotta and Tony Spilotro would use these same techniques until their last burglary together in 1981. The Midwest Mobs moved into Las Vegas So how did these 2 Chicago thieves and Outfit members end up burglarizing a Gift shop in 1981 Las Vegas? First, we have to understand why Chicago, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Cleveland mobsters were in Las Vegas. During the 1970s, the Outfit moved into the Las Vegas casino business after an agreement with the East Coast Families to take over all rackets in Atlantic City. Chicago, being the leader of this Midwest cabal of crime families led the way into Vegas. In preparation, in 1971, an Outfit associate and well-known gambler named Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal moved from Florida to Vegas and got a job at the Stardust. Later in 1971, 33-year-old Chicago Outfit member Anthony “Tony” Spilotro moved to Las Vegas. Aiuppa wanted an Outfit member to watch Rosenthal’s back and to take care of any problems that might threaten the skim. In 1962, a 22-year-old Tony Spilotro earned his place in the Outfit from the torture and murder of two men who had angered the bosses, Billy McCarthy and Jimmy Miraglia. The opening scene of Casino was a depiction of the Spilotro’s torture and murder of Billy McCarthy using a vice. Tony Spilotro and his wife, Nancy, move to Las Vegas and Frank and Geri Rosenthal are observed meeting them and help them get settled. The Outfit through the Teamsters has set up a deal at the Circus Circus casino and Tony opens a gift shop as a front business. An interesting sidebar on the Circus Circus us that it has an actual circus inside. This became the first casino developed to attract families. In 1974, the Chicago Outfit, the Kansas City Crime Family, the Milwaukee family, and the Cleveland mob organizations pooled their Teamster’s Union contacts and paved the way for a 32-year-old mild-mannered, bald, former Vietnam helicopter pilot turned real estate developer named Allen Glick to obtain a 62-million-dollar loan. Glick created the Argent Corporation and purchased the Stardust, Fremont, Hacienda, and Marina casino/hotels. In return, he was advised to promote a current Stardust employee named Frank Lefty Rosenthal to a high-level job in his organization. Lefty Rosenthal or Ace Rothstein We all remember the Robert DeNiro character Ace Rothstein in the Scorsese film Casino. Well, that was the screenwriter Nicholas Pillegi’s depiction of Frank Lefty Rosenthal. The fictional Ace Rothstein was a very accurate depiction of the real Lefty who described as an arrogant, egotistical, ostentatious, flamboyant, and conspicuous gambler. That was in 1974 and for the next few years, things were going unimpeded for this cabal of Midwest mob families. Lefty was able to hire several corrupt employees and start a regular flow of money skimmed from the four casinos owned by Argent. This money was divided between Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Kansas City. Tony Spilotro’s duties in Las Vegas The Outfit boss at the time was Joey Aiuppa and he wanted a guy who was loyal to Chicago to watch Lefty and back him up with any problems. Chicago Outfit mob associate would later say that Lefty did not make this easy. The Chicago Outfit does not pay Spilotro a salary for watching Lefty’s back or for helping Lefty with any strong-arm tactics he needed to run the casinos. In return for his work, the Outfit granted Spilotro a license to steal in Las Vegas. Working with the Outfit is not like a normal job, it is more like the Outfit grants a member like Spilotro a franchise to display a sign that they are a well-connected guy, and in return, Spilotro or the franchisee agrees to pay a street tax of a percentage of each score they earn from any illicit activity they conduct. By 1979 Spilotro friend and professional burglar Frank Cullotta was fed up with Chicago. He would later relate that crooked Chicago law enforcement wanted to take a chunk of his money and the good cops wanted to put him in jail. He accepted Spilotro’s invitation to join a crew in Las Vegas. When Frank arrived Spilotro told him he wanted Frank to put a crew of Chicago guys together and start doing jobs and to be his inside man at the Casinos because the Nevada Gaming Control Board had learned enough about Spilotro that he was placed in the Black Book. During the early 1970s, Las Vegas law enforcement including Gaming Control enforcement was not the most professional in the world. All gaming background investigations were conducted by the Clark County Sheriff’s office. The sheriff was Ralph lamb. He was an old school western style lawman who ran a large family ranch as well as serving as the sheriff. He was known to meet the lower level mobsters at the airport, rough them up a bit and tell them to go back home. He claimed he once grabbed Chicago Outfit mobster Johnny Roselli and “slapped the cologne” off of him. Lamb’s department once stopped a large group of Hell’s Angels and destroyed several motorcycles and gave the bikers haircuts before turning them loose. On the other hand,

Hole in the Wall Gang Burglary Gang Jan 09, 2019

Hole in the Wall Gang Frank Cullotta Frank Cullotta committed many crimes and had long been part of a burglary gang in Chicago. Gangland Wire is releasing a 3 part series on Tony Spilotro and his Hole in the Wall Gang burglary gang Our main source of interviews comes from Frank Cullotta, a former gang leader. Frank emerged from the Witness Protection program to author several books with well known true crime author Denny Griffin, act and work as a mob film technical adviser and currently operates Frank Cullotta’s Casino Tour. He can be reached to book the tour at 702-622-0850 or email him at fcullotta@yahoo.com. This loose confederation of career criminals was directed by Chicago Outfit member Tony Spilotro. Who was in this Burglary Gang? During the 1970s, Spilotro recruited his childhood friend Frank Cullotta to be the street leader of this burglary gang. Cullotta moved to Las Vegas and he recruited a relocated New Jersey mobster named Ernie Davino and Chicago Outfit associates Wayne Mateki, Leo Guardino and Larry Newman. Tony Spilotro added an ex Las Vegas Metro cop named Joe Blasko. These men created havoc in the Las Vegas burglarizing jewelry stores, fur boutiques, and the homes of the wealthy. They committed murders for hire, robbed drug dealers and pimps, and loan sharked. They became the Chicago Outfit crew in Las Vegas by 1981. Support the podcast Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. I am adding a new method of supporting the podcast. If you have the venmo app, how about donating an average of fifty cents an episode or just hit me up for a buck every time you think of it. To go to the our store and donate click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here,

Harry “The Hook” Aleman Part 4 Dec 24, 2018

Robert Cooley testifies In this 4th and final episode chronicling the life and times of feared Chicago outfit enforcer Harry “The Hook” Aleman, Gary, and David Byrne of the Facebook page The Chicago Outfit Old and Current news and articles, discuss the witness Robert Cooley who will testify that the judge in Aleman’s first trial took a bribe. This revelation destroys Aleman’s double jeopardy protection and how the government was able to force Aleman to stand trial a second time after being found not guilty for the same murder. Operation Greylord, exposed corruption and bribery in the Cook County courts. Because of Robert Cooley and his exposing corruption in Chicago, FBI agents exposed many clerks, judges, and police officers as corrupt. We hope to get the FBI agent Terence Hake in soon to talk about this investigation. In 1986, 3 years after Operation Greylord was concluded a Cook County criminal defense attorney named Robert J. Cooley walked into the FBI office and offered to work. He knew where a lot more bodies were buried. He had seen the success of Operation Greylord and felt guilty about his past use of bribery for the Outfit but felt powerless. The final straw was when he was forced by his mob contacts to bribe a judge to find for a defendant who had severely beaten a Chicago policewoman, he had enough. Cooley had started his career as a young Chicago cop before law school and came from a long line of Chicago cops who were not corrupt, and he had seen enough. Robert Cooley testifies Robert Cooley was not innocent in all this and had been a go-between for bribes. He was a heavy gambler and confident of many Outfit guys. Cooley’s main contact in the outfit was Marco D`Amico, who was in the Elmwood Park crew and ran a major bookmaking organization and juice loan business. He even intimidated a bookie to forgive a $50,000 gambling debt owed by the lawyer Cooley. Of course, no good deed goes unpunished, and later Cooley will wear a wire on him after he and his FBI friends set up D’Amico on a robbery, gambling, and extortion conspiracy which became the predicate acts for a racketeering charge. He was close personal friends with Aleman’s old partner, Butch Petrocelli. Robert Cooley told many stories during his debriefing and named many court officials who were involved in bribery. These were men who had escaped the dragnet of Operation Greylord. The FBI realized they should mount another long-term undercover investigation and they named this Operation Gambat short for Gambling Attorney. Because Cooley had also been acting as a bookmaker and held high-stakes poker games in his office, he was close to the Outfit’s gambling enterprise. So in addition to exposing more Cook County court corruption, the FBI also used him to gather information on Outfit gambling. During his debriefing he told the agents that back in 1977, he had delivered a $10,000 bribe to Judge Frank Wilson at the Outfit’s request, to deliver the not guilty verdict in the Billy Logan murder case. Cooley described exactly how this happened. He was called to a meeting with Cook County Outfit fixer Pat Marcy at a downtown restaurant called Counselors Row. Cooley reported that march and another outfit fixer named John D’Arco always sat at this same table to meet and discuss court cases, gambling business, and other Outfit business. The FBI will place a hidden mike here only to have it found by a busboy. It was at this table that Pat Marcy told him that Aleman’s case must be fixed and asked his advice. Cooley told Marcy that this was very sensitive and must be handled delicately because Aleman drew a lot of attention. He knew that for a judge to find a murder defendant not guilty, he must have some disputing fact or facts to enable him to say the state had not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Cooley was a close personal friend to Judge Frank Wilson and often visited him in his chambers. He knew that Wilson had heavy expenses maintaining a country club membership and private school tuition. in 1977 Wilson had a reputation as a “hard-nosed, state-oriented judge who had no empathy” for criminals. Cooley approached Wilson at a downtown bar and mentioned that he had been approached to handle a big murder case. Wilson seemed to know because he replied, “The Aleman Case?” Judge Wilson was unfazed by this talk about Cooley handling the case and he went back to Marcy and told him he may have a judge, but Aleman’s lawyer had already requested that Wilson not be a judge on this case. Marcy replied to not worry about that and if Wilson will play ball to offer him $10,000.00. Ironically, how Frank Wilson finally got the case is a mystery. It was originally assigned to a Judge James Bailey, but Aleman’s lawyers filed a motion for substitution of judge, naming Bailey and the aforementioned Frank Wilson as unacceptable because they were allegedly biased. The case was then reassigned to a judge named Fred G. Suria Jr, but Aleman’s lawyers also objected to Suria contending he was biased, too, but the motion was filed beyond the deadline. Then unexpectedly, Suria recused himself because the motion contained information that could have been the basis for a reversal had he continued to hear the case. Suria then called Chief Judge Richard Fitzgerald office to get the case reassigned and was told the new judge would be Wilson even though Wilson had already been rejected by Aleman’s lawyers as unfair. In the meantime, Cooley met with Judge Frank Wilson one more time in the bathroom of a downtown bar. He told him that he had $10,000 to handle the case. Wilson nodded agreement and Cooley warned him that if he took this money he must do what he has bargained to do because these are serious and dangerous people. Wilson asked what the evidence was, and Cooley said they had an Outfit guy, our old friend Louis Almeida who was driving the car but he had many problems of his own and could be easily discredited. He said they had a neighbor as an eyewitness, but this guy had waited to come in and could be discredited easily. That was all the prosecution had. Wilson then said that if they could get the case to his court, they had a deal. Cooley pulled out $2500. In cash and said the judge would get the rest after an acquittal. Wilson also demanded that Aleman’s first lawyer withdraw from the case because he had been the pone who rejected Wilson early in the process. This lawyer had already asked for a bench trial and Cooley knew that it looked bad if the lawyer who asks for a bench trial, rejects a certain judge and then accepts that same judge for the trial. The original lawyer withdraws, and a new lawyer takes over. The new lawyer meets with Cooley and he is assured that Cooley has Judge Frank Wilson in his pocket. A few weeks later, Cooley gets a call from Aleman asking for a meeting. Upon arrival, Aleman tells Cooley that his brother has found a neighborhood girl who will take $10,000.00 to go into court and testify she was outside the night of the murder and that it was not Harry Aleman who shot Billy Logan. Judge Frank Wilson Two days into the trial, Cooley receives a panicked call from Judge Wilson. It seems that Bob Lowe is a very convincing witness and the new lawyer was doing a crappy job of cross-examination. Somehow it had come out in chambers that the girl had been paid $10,000 and the judge had to dismiss her as a witness. He stated to Cooley, “This is what you give me? They are fucking burying me. I am going to lose my judgeship over this” Cooley clams him down and then the judge asks for more money. It seems that the judge’s real problem was that they had paid this girl $10,000.00 to be a witness and had only paid him 10 K to guarantee a dismissal. He goes back to Pat Marcy and Marcy reminds him who they are dealing with and refuses to give out any more money. Cooley reported that the day the verdict was to be delivered, he packed his clothes into his car and was ready to leave town. When the not guilty verdict came down and harry Aleman leaves the courtroom happy as a clam, he goes to Pat Marcy and gets two envelopes. One with the remaining $7500.00 for the Judge and one with $3000.00 for Cooley. Remember Cooley had already paid $2500.00 out of his own pocket so he got $500.00 for this huge risk he took for Aleman. Below is a link to some news footage of Aleman leaving the courtroom and greeting his family and making a statement. https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/harry-the-hitman-aleman-franky-forliano-211501971.html Before the government announced the end of Operation Gambet, Robert Cooley visited now-retired Judge Frank Wilson at his Arizona retirement village. He tried to get Wilson to collaborate this bribe. He was unable, but Wilson saw the handwriting on the wall and committed suicide shortly after the visit. In 1997, because of Robert Cooley, Harry Aleman was tried a second time for the Logan murder. Bob Lowe and Louis Almeida are still live and willing to testify. Lou probably had not choice because he was in witness protection and had agreed as part of his deal to testify in this case. Bob Lowe had to go through the same intimidation again. A man visited his work looking for him and told him he knew the names of his wife and daughter and where they lived. Aleman was in jail without bond and he was overheard to claim that the witnesses would be “taken care of.” The first pretrial motion was a claim of double jeopardy. The prosecution replied with an argument that double jeopardy could not apply because of the bribe to the judge. In other words, because of the bribe, Aleman was never in jeopardy of being convicted. The first case was built on fraud and was null and void as if it never happened. That argument won and September 22, 25 years after Harry Aleman killed Billy Logan, the trial began. This was the first time ever in U.S. history that a citizen acquitted of murder would go on trial for the same murder a second time.

Harry “The Hook” Aleman Part 3 Dec 17, 2018

Lou Almeida This is the third of a four-part series on one of the most feared enforcers in the history if the Chicago Outfit. In this episode the Gary discusses how Lou Almeida and Harry Aleman murder Billy Logan hit with Chicago Outfit – Old and Current News and Articles Facebook page administrator and Outfit expert Mike Byrne. In 1975, a state trooper arrested Lou Almeida in Ohio en route to a murder “some guy” in Pittsburgh. I could not find any more about this guy he was supposed to kill but I bet he was set up by somebody. State police stopped his car on suspicion and found a loaded pistol with a silencer. An Ohio court sentenced Lou Almeida to ten years in prison where he attempted suicide. He began cooperating with the government shortly afterward, cutting a deal for early release and entry into the witness protection program. Lou Almeida had quite a story to tell and it will end in Outfit history being made. His information will lead to the first time ever that a person was tried twice for the same crime by the same jurisdiction. The murder of Billy Logan was on Sept. 27, 1972, and number 2 on the Aleman hit list, the next one after he and probably Butch Petrocelli hit the guy called “Sambo” the guy who married the former girlfriend of Milwaukee Phil. Billy Logan is set-up According to Lou Almeida, Teamster’s steward Billy Logan refused to cooperate with the Outfit’s plans to steal cargo from his trucks, and Aleman was sent to kill him. Almeida said that in August of 1972, he and Aleman discussed a plan to kill Logan. He alleged Aleman gave him two license plate numbers and Logan’s home and work addresses, writing “Death to Billy” on the same piece of paper. Almeida then trailed Logan to learn his habits and schedule. As our friend Frank Calabrse Jr, said, “He layed on” (watched and followed) Billy Logan for 2 weeks.” Lou Almeida learned Billy Logan drove a taxi during the day and returned to his sister’s house for dinner and then left at 1:00 PM every evening for his teamster job as a dispatcher with Interstate trucking in Cicero. Almeida testified that eleven days before the murder, on Sept. 16, 1972, Aleman directed Almeida and another hood to burglarize a home in suburban Oak Lawn where Aleman believed $40,000 in cash was kept in the basement. But after tying up a woman in the home and terrorizing her baby, Almeida and his buddy left with only $1,800 and some jewelry. Aleman was not happy with the take but paid Almeida his customary $500.00 fee. he gave him $500.00 for each job no matter the entire take. A few nights later, on September 27, 1972, Almeida drove Aleman to Logan’s home and the two killers sat in the dark and waited. By this time, Harry knew that Billy Logan stayed at his sister’s house and left for a second job at 11:00 Pm every evening. Lou Almeida drives the get-away car Billy Logan, then 37 years old, had grown up on Chicago’s Near West Side, an area known as “Little Italy.” He lived on the second floor at 5916 W. Walton St. with his sister, Betty, who was divorced. His sister, Joanna, and her children lived on the first floor. Logan, a part-time cab driver, awoke for his second job on the night shift at Interstate trucking, dressed, and stopped to say good night to his sister. Logan’s nephew William Dietrich was on the front porch and watched his uncle walk across the street to his parked car and then heard a voice say, “Hey, Bill, come here.” Almost simultaneously, three gunshots rang out: two from a shotgun, a third from a pistol. He heard his uncle yell out “Oh, my God,” Logan’s sister Betty raced out the street where he lay dying. “He was still alive. He mumbled something. His keys fell. Betty held his head and refused to let it go crying, “I don’t want his head on the ground.” One witness described this as like a scene in the movies. A Witness A neighbor named Bob Lowe was walking with his dog up to the scene because he wanted to catch Billy before he left for work. He wanted to sell the dog to Logan as a watch dog. He would say that Billy was like clockwork, he left for his second job every night at this time. He was within a few feet and stared directly at the face of Harry Aleman as he shot down Logan, jumped back into the get-away car, and left. Lowe did not want to be a witness in the case. Right after he saw the shooting, he says, his father told him it was possibly a Syndicate killing and “to shut up and get inside” the house. When the police interviewed him that night, Lowe never volunteered that he saw the murderer. This will cause some problems later in trial. Bob Lowe kept worrying about what he knew and felt that he had a responsibility to speak up. He would say, “I didn’t feel it was safe for my kids on the street. Did you ever watch a horror movie? You’d be sleeping, and then parts of that movie would come back and scare you? Well, this was the same way. I’d be trying to sleep, and I would see that face. I was always looking behind me, looking for a car to pull up alongside me.” Three months after the murder, Lowe went to the police and, after examining photos, picked out Harry Aleman, although he had no idea who Aleman was or that he was suspected in taking part in at least twenty mob murders, maybe more. But no case was brought against Aleman. Later when the state’s attorney checked on the progress of the case, first the cops claimed that Lowe was lying and that he ever hadn’t come into headquarters and no one showed him photos. They later changed the story and said that they had lost only Lowe’s identification. In 1977, 5 years after the Billy Logan murder, Almeida had been arrested and told about the Billy Logan hit. Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Nicholas Lavarone found Bobby Lowe and got him to cooperate on the case. But, understandably, when Lowe found out who Aleman was, he backed out. His father urged him to stay away from the case. However, his brother, who had been shot in a gas station holdup and later was helped by a witness who agreed to testify for him, told him “think for yourself, be your own man.” Lowe agreed to be a prosecution witness. He was forced to leave his job as a gas station manager and give up his apartment. The family was put under 24-hour guard. He was given a $250.00 a month allowance by the state and the strain began to show and his marriage started to come apart and he lost weight and couldn’t sleep. Harry Aleman found Not Guilty The case came to trial in May 1977 before Cook County Circuit Judge Frank Wilson. Aleman’s defense attorney asked for a bench trial and there was no jury. On the witness stand Bobby Lowe testified “Me and that man (Aleman) just stared at each other.” They were perhaps four feet apart. Lou Almeida testified that he drove Aleman to the murder scene and watched him kill Billy Logan and drove him away. Aleman presented 4 witnesses, including his wife Ruth, claiming that he was at a golf driving range at the time of the murder. Remember, Bobby Lowe said he did not see the killer the night of the shooting and then came in later and identified Aleman from a mug book. As Judge Wilson began to read the verdict he said he had been a judge in criminal court for over 10 years and he had twice sentenced men to die in the electric chair. The judge then focused on those first statements that night and said “the policemen wrote them down and then Lowe denied on the stand that he said those things, and because of that variance in his testimony puts great doubt. The first statement is inherently more trustworthy than testimony from the stand. I find the defendant not guilty.” To go to our store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Harry “The Hook” Aleman Part 2 Dec 10, 2018

Harry Aleman and Butch Petrocelli Harry Aleman matured into a full-fledged member of the Chicago Outfit. It was like he was born to fill the purpose of stealing, intimidating, and serving Chicago Outfit bosses in many ways. Although he was slightly built, 5 feet 8 inches tall and 145 pounds, Aleman became so feared in underworld circles in the 1970s that small-time hoodlums trying to collect gambling debts simply invoked his name to collect. Two Chicago loan sharks were convicted of extortion and sent to prison in 1978 for collecting a $6,500 debt from a South Side tavern owner by saying that Aleman would come after him if he didn’t pay. Prosecutors said it was a ruse and Aleman was not involved in any way. Harry the Hook teamed up with a childhood friend named Butch Petrocelli. The team hung out at the Survivors Athletic Club on Taylor Street. This was the kind of mobster social club you see in the movies. The cappuccino machine was always going. In the winter the men sat around tables and talked or played cards. As the weather warmed up, by summertime, the dangerous-looking inhabitants were standing out front wearing wife-beaters or polo shirts and sansabelt slacks. Inside Petrocelli and Aleman developed skills as bomb makers by packing 2-inch pipes with black powder and a little nitroglycerin. These were used to get the attention of any businessman who refused to cooperate with the gang. This duo first came to the attention of law enforcement in 1969. A painting contractor told agents that he had lost $6,000.00 to an Outfit bookmaker and he had been threatened with death if he did not pay the “Vig” (interest) on the debt because they converted it to a juice loan. He had been accosted by two men who beat him up, threatened to bomb his house and kill his wife. He made arrangements to meet these two men and make a payment and alerted the agents. When he arrived at the pre-selected meeting spot, the agents caught Harry Aleman and Butch Petrocelli parked nearby. The victim identified them as the two men who had beat and threatened him. A grand jury has presented this evidence and no indictment was ever returned. This would not be the first case that Harry Aleman ever had just disappear inside the Cook County judicial system. Harry Aleman will never be a made guy and never be a boss but he will become the leader of home invasion crews, hit teams, keep the Taylor Street’s Crew’s bookies in line, and collect from loan shark victims who were behind. A lot of high-powered businessmen, lawyers, accounts, and normal men can make deals, make the hard business decisions and attract capital to create powerful companies. Most Outfit guys could probably not do any of these things except for the hard-faced, empty-eyed killers like Harry Aleman, Frank the German Schweihs, Carl Tuffy DeLuna, Anthony Spilotro, and many others. Men who have no compunction about saying “I will kill you” and their eyes show they mean it. Harry Aleman was one of the best. A small man who could switch from an easy-going intelligent demeanor to project a menace and threat with no remorse in a split second. Butch Petrocelli and the murder of Sambo Cesario Harry and Butch Petrocelli were a powerful duo, not the dynamic duo exactly but they were a powerhouse pair in the outfit. One of the earliest murders they were suspected of was Sam Sambo Cesario. Actually, Sambo Cesario had once been an uncle of Harry’s by marriage until he divorced Aleman’s aunt Viola Ferriola. She was also Outfit Capo Joe Ferriola’s sister. Sambo was a well-known and feared Outfit member who had been described as a Capone man and a middle echelon mobster in the 1950s. In June 1971 Sambo married a woman named Nan Partipilo. He had kept this relationship hush-hush because she had been the girlfriend of Felix “Milwaukee Phil” Aldersio who was on a death bed in prison at that time. Many young mobsters wanted the approval and favor of a guy like Milwaukee Phil. On October 19, 1971, a warm October evening, the newly married couple were relaxing on lawn chairs on the sidewalk in front of their Brownstone at 1071 West Polk. Two masked men approached them, and one was carrying what was described as a .30 cal. Carbine. The man with the carbine butt stroked Sambo onto the ground and beat him mercilessly. The other man fired 4 pistol shots into Sam “Sambo” Cesario killing him. A lot of inside information about Aleman’s criminal activities was learned from his Taylor Street crew member Louis Almeida. Tune in next week for more of the adventures of Harry “The Hook” Aleman. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to our store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Harry “The Hook” Aleman Part 1 Dec 07, 2018

Harry Aleman – the early years We talk with Mike Byrne, Administrator of the popular Facebook group The Chicago Outfit – Old and Current News Articles. Harry “The Hook” Aleman was born Harry Peralt Alemen on January 19, 1939 in Chicago. He has been accused of as many as 18 murders by the Chicago Crime Commission and most folks believe that number is way low. He was an important tool in the Outfit’s enforcement of street tax on bookmakers and other gray area businesses like porn shops and the bar business. If you remember our friend Red Wemette talking about Frank “The German” Schweihs being the collector and enforcer for Joe Lombardo and the Grand Avenue Crew, and Harry Aleman was the collector and enforcer for Joe Ferrolia and his Taylor Street Crew. Aleman’s mother was Italian, his Mexican father was a native of Durango, Mexico. Aleman grew up in a 3 floor brownstone style building at 917 S. Bishop Street in Chicago that was owned by his maternal grandmother. All the extended family of uncles, aunts and cousins lived here just west and south of the Loop. who became, as Aleman put it “sort of a Mexican godfather” who was allegedly involved in narcotics trafficking. Years later in a probation interview Harry Aleman described his father Louis Aleman as “sort of a Mexican godfather” who was allegedly involved in narcotics trafficking. His mother Mary was an abused wife and Harry would become the target of his father’s angry fists as he grew up. Harry once stated, “My father was hard on me, extremely hard,” “He beat me every day until I left home. He used his fist or a horsewhip. If I looked at him the wrong way, he beat me. If my mother stepped in, she got hit herself.” Harry was given a respite from his father’s abuse when Louis Aleman went to prison for a 4 year robbery bit from about 1946 to 1950. Young Harry Aleman excelled in Crane Tech high school from 1951-1955. He was a halfback on the football team, a member of the physics club and took up boxing at the North Side Duncan YMCA club. His boxing career gave him his nickname “The Hook” because he had a devastating left hook. He graduated in 1955, rare for a hoodlum of that generation, and enrolled in the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and graduated in 1958 with a commercial art diploma. It seems that Harry Aleman had displayed skill at painting and this ability will provide him with something do during his subsequent incarcerations. Aleman’s official police record starts after graduation from the Academy of Fine Arts. He told the probation officer that during this time he sold race track tout sheets and worked at the produce markets on the Near West Side, where he sold produce and was able to sell some of his drawings. In 1960, his police record shows he was arrested for malicious mischief, in 1961, gambling, in 1962, possession of burglary tools assault and criminal damage. In 1965 he was arrested for aggravated assault. In 1966, grand theft auto and armed robbery. In 1968, criminal damage to property in 1969, aggravated kidnapping. In 1960, Harry became infatuated with a beautiful young spunky widow named Ruth Mustari who worked at a Rush street bar. When he first met Ruth, she was having trouble with a former boyfriend named Richard Fanning. On December 10, 1960, Mr Fanning was found beaten and stabbed to death near his South Side home. In 1964, he married Ruth Mustari, a widow with four children. Ruth’s first husband, Frank Mustari, had been an Outfit connected mobster as well. He was killed in 1957 in an attempted murder of a hijacker and tavern owner. In this case, his victim was armed and shot first. The man was killed a few months later. Ruth was the ultimate mob wife. She always stood by her husband’s story that he was a commercial artist and that, in true mob tradition, the family was dead broke most of the time. A great story on Ruth the classic mob wife happened in 1976. Harry Aleman was indicted for the murder of Billy Logan, Ruth came to the Cook County Jail with a suitcase containing $350,000 to bail him out, not realizing that she needed only $35,000. Aleman and his turncoat friend Lou Almedia In later years a friend of Harry’s named Lou Almeida went into the witness protection. Almeida who has served time for armed robbery, grand theft, burglary, and bond jumping, recalled that he and Aleman grew up together near Taylor Street and Racine. He remembered how Aleman met his wife, Ruth. She was working in a State Street nightclub club and all the neighborhood guys loved Ruth because she was so beautiful. He remembered Harry as a very slim physically fit guy who wore sharp suits and skinny little ties in the fashion of the times and they called him `The Sheik’ because he dressed nice. Almeida recalled. “Everybody looked up to him because his family was supposed to be in the Mafia.” The two young hoodlums hung around in the neighborhood pool hall on Taylor Street. He remembered Larry liked to bet on the horses and he always had money and nice jewelry and clothes. Almeida said He remembered that Aleman was a strict father to his adopted children. On one occasion Almeida remembers that Harry asked him to give one of his adopted sons a good beating because the kid was getting drunk and staying out late. Harry didn’t want to beat him up because Ruth would be angry. The couple had no biological children, and in later years Ruth Aleman once said, “He was wonderful to my children, He took the kids to Kiddieland, to dinner, on picnics, camping. He always had time for the kids. In the Cook county probation interview, Harry said of his stepchildren, “I raised them, I consider them my own. I couldn’t be any closer if they were my own blood. I love my kids. I love my wife. I have six grandkids–this gives me hope.” Harry always came home for dinner and asked the children about their day and how they were doing. To go to our store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Carlo Morelli and Mad Sam DeStefano Dec 07, 2018

Carlo Morelli was born in the Italian section of Chicago known as the Patch. While we often tell negative stories about young men who came out of the Patch, this episode and the next episode will tell about a talented young man of Italian descent who overcame the negative influences of the culture and how he overcame and grew up to have a long and successful career in fashion design, the hospitality business and finally as a chef and television host. In this and the next episode, Mr. Morelli recounts how the Chicago Outfit affected his early life. In this episode Aaron and I learn about Mr. Morelli’s almost disastrous confrontation with the most brutal and vicious Chicago Outfit loan shark of all times Mad Sam DeStefano. At the tender age of 11 years, Carlo Morelli won a citywide art festival and an art scholarship to the Chicago Art Institute. During these years, he lived in the famous old Maryland Hotel an area close to the near north side entertainment and bar are along Rush street. By this time in the 1960s, the North Rush Street area had taken on a seediness like most American cities during that time. Like other downtown hotels, people down on their luck, prostitutes, strippers, small time criminals and men seeking cheap rooms for assignations were the primary residents. Although small, the rooms were cheap at less than $200.00 monthly. Much like 42nd Street in Times Square, this Rush street area that once saw posh supper clubs now was host to adult movie theaters and strip clubs that were actually thinly-disguised places of prostitution. Of course, the Outfit was very prevalent and controlled the area’s clubs. The Chicago cops found this area to be a lucrative source of bribes to leave the clubs alone by not enforcing liquor laws and parking restrictions around certain establishment along with other little corruptions. At age 15, Carlo Morelli had the chutzpah to live and prosper in this atmosphere. He made friends with the strippers and prostitutes by using his costume design and repair skills to save them a lot of money with their wardrobes. In a supper club known as Meo’s Norwood House, in the Northwest suburb of Norridge, the wife of one of the owners had an idea to promote a weekly lingerie fashion show for the benefit of the wise guys who frequented this place. At that time and for many years after, Chicago Outfit bosses Anthony Accardo and Paul Ricca met their in a corner table and most Outfit decisions at that time were made at that table. Ms. Meo sought the help of young Carlo Morelli to create original lingerie and other sexy garments to attract the Outfit men. Many mob girl friends who were also strippers were employed as the runway models. When a mob guy’s girl friend appeared on stage, the men would buy the outfit. In one case, the new girl friend of Sam DeStefano made a miscalculation that brought down the wrath of Mad Sam onto her and our friend Carlo Morelii. Well, Mr. Morelli survived this and other brushes with the Outfit and by the age of 23, he held a much acclaimed International Debut of Fashion and quickly launched The House of Carlo fashions. His fashion career led him to Hollywood where he was a wardrobe and costume designer on productions such as The Dean Martin Show, The Perry Como Show, Red Skeleton, Bonanza, and Hogan’s Heroes, and feature films, The Son’s of Katie Elder, War Lord, and Harlow! Click here to learn more about Carlo Morelli. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the our store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Freddy Geas killed Whitey Bulger Nov 02, 2018

In this podcast, Aaron and I interview our friend who is a former prison guard at the maximum security federal prison at Marion, Illinois. He will talk about the procedures in handling high profile prisoners and special circumstances like dealing with former informants inside the system. Breaking news, a known Springfield, Massachusetts area mob member and others entered the cell of Boston gangster and former FBI Top Echelon informant James “Whitey” Bulger and beat him to death with padlocks deposited in socks or “Slocks.” This murder happened within hours of his arrival at this federal prison in West Virginia. Additionally, authorities report, the assailants gouged out Bulger’s eyes and tried to cut out his tongue. For certain, these killers sent a message to other mobsters who might think about cooperating with the government. So far prison authorities believe that Fotios “Freddy” Geas, a West Springfield Massachusetts Mafia hit man serving a life sentence for the 2003 slaying of the leader of the Genovese crime family, is the prime suspect. They have video surveillance of several men entering Bulger’s cell around 6 a.m., according to authorities. Freddy Geas, his younger brother, Ty Geas and onetime Genovese crime family boss named Arthur Nigro were convicted in 2011 by a federal jury after being charged with several violent crimes dating back to 2003. One of those crimes was the murder of Springfield mob boss Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno. At that time, the Geas brothers were feared enforcers for Anthony Arillotta, the boss of a mafia family in Springfield. Freddy Geas had a particularly good reason to hate informants or government witnesses because in the Bruno murder, his old boss Anthony Arillotta turned on him and became an FBI informant after all three were charged with Bruno’s murder. Arillotta testified that Geas and a man named Gary D. Westerman committed several murders and that he and Geas killed Westerman. Geas is doing life for these crimes. To learn more about life behind the walls of a federal prison, go to our guests’s You Tube page As the Key Turns by clicking here. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the our store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

The Real French Connection Oct 22, 2018

Aaron and Gary go into the real story behind the French Connection, a popular film staring Gene Hackman. The French Connection film followed Robin Moore’s true crime book that documented the exploits of famous New York Police narcotics detectives Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso. In this episode Gary and Arron examine the real story behind how these two detectives exposed the largest heroin ring in New York City. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the our store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Heroin and the Kansas City Mafia Part 1 Oct 08, 2018

Retired FBI agent Bill Ouseley discusses the history of heroin use and trafficking in the Untied States. During the mid-1800s, Chinese immigrants arriving in California introduced opium smoking to America and soon organized gangs were smuggling and distributing opium throughout the region. Opium dens and the habit of getting high on this drug spread across the United States. The Harrison Act of 1914 made the use of these heroin and other opiates illegal except for medical purposes. By 1925, a black market for opium was very attractive to the formed mafia gangs in New York. It is believed there were about 200,000 heroin addicts in the 1920s United States. the use of opiates and marijuana became more popular during the jazz era on the 1930s and 1940s. In Kansas City Missouri, several mafia members saw the quick profits to be earned in dealing drugs. Bill Ouseley is a noted mob historian in regards to the Kansas City mafia family and he tells how the international heroin trade worked in Kansas City. Click here to buy Bill Ouseley’s book “Open City” and learn more about the Kansas City mob. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the our store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Sam Giancana Part 2 Sep 24, 2018

In Part 2, David, Aaron and Gary discuss Sam Momo Giacana and his rise in the ranks and how that leads to his downfall. Momo Giancana would rise to the top of the Chicago Outfit duing the 1960s and 1970s. He will become a high profile gangster who draws the attention of the press and the FBI. Agent Bill Rohmer and other Chicago agents will commence Operation Lockstep and follow Momo everywhere he went in a very aggressive manner. Momo Giancana will go to court and get an order requiring the agents to stay back at least one foursome on the golf course. Chicago Outift members will eventually think he has become too high profile when he becomes involved in a plot to kill Castro with the CIA. We learn that Momo Giancana acheived success by investing in international gambling success after he moved to mexico to take the heat off from the Chicago FBI. Tony Accardo demanded that Momo Giancana give a share of the profits to The Outfit and Sam refused. He beleived he did this all by himself and was therefore outside the Outfit’s jurisdiction. Accardo was overheard telling a mutual acquaintance the he must “explain him the facts of life. And I mean life” to Momo. Giancana, stubbornly refused to pay. This gave Accardo had another reason to end the life of Momo Giancana Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the our store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Kenji Gallo Sep 10, 2018

Kenny “Kenji” Gallo was born to a well to do Japanese-American family in ritzy suburban Orange County, California. Kenji started his criminal career as a quiet but hyperactive kid who entered into the drug trafficking world of the cocaine fueled 1980s in Southern California. He became a gun-toting international drug trafficker who owned a nightclub, produced porn movies, and was arrested for the murder of his own best friend. He married a porn star and became a jet-setting playboy thug. Kenji would make millions for himself and others in stock fraud, extortion, gambling, and the sex trade. An almost spiritual epiphany caused Kenji Gallo to volunteer as an undercover informant with the FBI. His fresh start trying to regain his soul almost caused him to lose his life. After Kenji Gallo retired from the action filled life as an F.B.I. undercover agent, he wrote Breakshot: A Life in the 21st Century Mafia. This riveting memoir captures the American underworld from Orange County to South Florida to New York City in all its tawdry spectacle. You may find Kenji Gallo on Instagram @kenjioc and @betterlivedlives Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the our store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Ron Fino – Mr. Undercover Aug 20, 2018

When Aaron and I were at the MobWorld Summit 2018, we had the opportunity to interview Ron Fino. I met him at the previous Las Vegas Mob Con when we were co-presenters in 2104. Ron Fino was born into a Buffalo mob family, the son of a Mafia Capo, Joe Fino. As an adult, Ron would see how the mob boss Stefano Magaddino, corrupted unions and government officials. Ron joined the corrupt Laborers’ Local 210, controlled by Magaddino. he stood up for his union members and was elected business manager on a platform to clean up the union. After an overly successful election, he found that powerful members of the Buffalo Mafia got all the good jobs and were corrupting the labor/management relationship. Ron Fino made the decision to become a contract employee for the FBI. He would report to his control agent about the Buffalo mafia’s activites for the nest 17 years. His cover was eventually blown and the FBI assigned him to work undercover in Russia, the Middle East and Belarus. He found himself in the middle of international arms negotiations and he was involved in a peace deal to bring peace in Gambia after a coup ousted their president. He had to drop out of the undercover life and he now works as a private detective in the Washington DC area. A major film company is exploring a project on his life with Robert DeNiro and a documentary film, titled Mr. Undercover is scheduled for release next year. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the our store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free. https://youtu.be/boblW8t4wCI

Harry Jones Kansas City Mob Reporter Aug 06, 2018

For our media on Monday, the Kansas City Mob is the subject of your interview of a retired Kansas City Star reporter who covered the Kansas City Mob extensively in their 1970s heyday. Harry Jones developed sources deep within the mob and federal and state law enforcement. He even shared one professional informant used by the media, the FBI and the Kansas City police Intelligence Unit. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show. To go to the our store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Rob the Mob Part 2 Tommy Uva goes down Jul 23, 2018

Movie coupleMichael Pitt Nina AriandaReal CoupleTommy Uva, Rosemarie DeToma Tommy Uva thought he was smart In the movie, Tommy Uva made the mob guys strip to their underwear and lay on top of each other and act like they were humping the bottom guy. I found nothing to substantiate that but I did find that Tommy Uva did make them drop their pants as he made his escape to the waiting Rosemarie. They did use the exact same Mercury Topaz and never changed the license plate as best I can tell. The FBI listens: Reality or Fiction The film depicts the FBI was listening on a hidden microphone as he did one of these robberies and that they took photos of the men as they ran outside in their underwear. And the film shows one of the agents giving a New York Post reporter, played by Ray Romano, the story and one of the photos. I can find no documented support of that story. It appears that these robberies were never reported to the police, which makes sense, and there were no media reports of them until much later. Many reporters and cops did pick up the rumors during the time Tommy Uva and Rosemarie terrorized the 5 families inside their “Safe place.” The mob guys never reported these robberies to the police. Gotti takes revenge We know about this suicidal “rob the mob” spree because Christmas eve 1992, a maroon mercury Topaz pulls up to a traffic light at Woodhaven Boulevard and 103rd Avenue in the Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens, Gotti territory. Before the light can change two men run up on each side of the topaz and empty their handguns into the driver and passenger. The car creeps across the intersection, striking another car and coming to rest up against a building. Responding cops find the lifeless bodies of Tommy and Rosemarie Uva in the Topaz. Within two weeks of the double slaying, police from the 106th Precinct investigating the crime, began to receive hints from street informants that the couple had been earmarked for death by the mob in retaliation for robbing their social clubs. John Gotti gives the order to take revenge and the feds can prove this from our previous subject Michael DiLeonardo aka Mickey Scars a captain in the Gambino crime family. Gotti or Joe Massino: who gets the credit The government was able to prove that John Gotti Junior had received confirmation from Gotti Senior, incarcerated for life in prison, to go ahead and eliminate the Uvas. According to testimony Gotti Junior had informed Bonanno leader Joe Massino that the rumors going around indicating Bonanno soldiers Anthony Donato and Vincent Baciano had murdered the Uvas were untrue and that they, the Gambinos, claimed the hit as theirs. It was our Skinny Dom that did the job,” Gotti Junior is alleged to have said in various meetings, according to testimony from the government’s informants. “It was our trophy.” https://youtu.be/8xdEKS_51vU To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free. .

Rob the Mob Part 1 Jul 16, 2018

Rob the Mob Movie In this first of a 2-part series, Gary and Aaron reveal that John Gotti inspired the Bonnie and Clyde couple made famous for robbing New York City mafia social clubs. The story was made into a crime film in 2014. Rob the Mob was directed by Raymond De Felitta and written by Jonathan Fernandez. The film stars Michael Pitt, Nina Arianda, Andy García, Ray Romano, Aida Turturro, Frank Whaley, Michael Rispoli, and Joseph R. Gannascoli and is based on a true story. It was released on March 21, 2014. Rob the Mob: The Real Story Rob the Mob begins in 1992 when a drug addict ex-con named Tommy Uva got a job with his wife and fellow drug addict Rosemarie at a debt collection agency. The boss, Michael Schussel, would later say that they were both were entranced with Gotti and the mafia. He described the pair as Mafia groupies who had at one time asked for days off to attend the trial of the Gambino boss John Gotti. The movie suggests that was where Tommy Uva got the idea because Sammy the Bull testified that mob guys played high stakes card games and never carried guns inside the social clubs. Sammy the Bull did testify at that trial and it would be probable that he would say something like this. Gotti was in a trial during the spring of 1992. Why pick Mafia social clubs Like most drug addicts, the Rob the Mob couple made decisions based on their chemical feelings of invincibility and never thought ahead to the future or to the consequences of their actions. It is said that in one club, as he was brandishing his heist weapon of choice, an Uzi sub-machine gun, one of his victims pointed out the foolhardy nature of his choice of robbery venues. He looked at the man through his ski mask and replied: “Everybody dies.” The movie depicts Tommy trying to figure out what to do with a fully automatic Uzi and having trouble with his first robbery by accidentally firing off long bursts. When you fire a long burst from an automatic weapon, the continuous recoil moves the barrel up. This is one technical depiction that the film got right. Many people asked why they picked these social clubs and one New York reporter said, “Maybe they were just plain stupid. After they got started doing these robberies, the stress took its toll. Rosemarie fainted at work after people were passing around a newspaper that contained an article about one of their robberies. Tommy would be fired for fighting with Rosemarie at work. To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Ed Scarpo on Michael DiLeonardo Jul 03, 2018

Peter Gotti and Michael DiLeonardo New York Mafia expert Ed Scarpo tells about his relationship with Michael DiLeonardo, aka Mikey Scars, since he went into the witness protection program. DiLeonardo gives very few interviews but he did give this one Ed Scarpo of www.cosanostranews.com. After the incarceration of John Gotti, the Commission allowed his older brother Peter Gotti to be acting as the Gambino Family boss of the Gambinos. Ed tells us that after Michael DiLeonardo was indicted for labor racketeering, extortion, loan sharking, witness tampering, and the murder of Fred Weiss, the new Gambino boss, Peter Gotti stopped all money going to him. DiLeonardo was told he was suspected of robbing the family. DiLeonardo made some vague threats and reminded the new Gambino boss that he may be home one day. After that, Peter Gotti announced that DiLeonardo was”shelved.”That was the turning point for DiLeonardo, and he told Ed Scarpo that he felt betrayed and how it crushed him. he told Ed that this act of disloyalty caused him to turn witness and go into the witness protection program. The other story I asked Ed about was the murder of a NYPD undercover police officer named Anthony Venditti and the wounding of his partner, Kathy Burke. On January 21, 1986, Officer Anthony Venditti and Kathleen Burke were following a Genovese family member named Federico Giovanelli. the officers became separated and Officer Venditti was shot and killed as Officer Burke approached the scene. She was wounded and would later testify at Giovanelli’s trial. Giovanelli denied she was a witness to the scene. Ms. Burke has written a book about her life as a NYPD cop. In the first trial in the summer of 1987, the jury ended in a deadlock after Burke was combative and testy under the defense lawyers’ questioning. The second trail ended in deadlock after another major prosecution witness withdrew the part of his testimony in which he had said Mr. Giovanelli was one of the murders. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Ned Day and the Mob Part 2 Jun 11, 2018

In this second of a two part interview with former Las Vegas newsman and current Mob Museum blogger Larry Henry we talk Vegas and the mob and about the famous muckraking reporter Ned Day. Larry was the political editor at the Las Vegas Sun during those days. Back when “the mob ran the town.” Currently, Larry is an official blogger for the Mob Museum in Las Vegas and as as his own blog titled The Mafia Chronicles. Yes he is. Last week, Larry told us about Day’s colorful exploits began in his mobbed-up Midwestern hometown, Milwaukee. This week he will tell more about his career in Las Vegas Ned Day will die while snorkeling in Hawaii on September 3, 1987. Some claim he was murdered. If you want to meet myself, Aaron and Larry Henry, come to the MobWorld Summit at the Plaza hotel from June 15-17, 2018. Meet and greet Friday night in Oscar Goodman’s Plaza Hotel then Panel discussions with mob experts at the hotel during the day with a Saturday evening trip to the Mob Museum. Finally panel discussions on Sunday. All for $100.00. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free. D

Ned Day and the Mob Part 1 Jun 04, 2018

In this first of a two part interview with former Las Vegas newsman and current Mob Museum blogger Larry Henry we talk Vegas and the mob and about the famous muckraking reporter Ned Day. Ned Day Since we could not interview the late Ned Day, we opted for a man who knew him and the organized crime beat Day covered in 1970s Las Vegas. Larry was the political editor at the Las Vegas Sun during those days in Sin City when some would say “the mob ran the town.” He left Vegas for the slower paced life in Northwest Arkansas and became the managing editor at KFSM-TV, a CBS Affiliate. Currently, Larry is an official blogger for the Mob Museum in Las Vegas and as as his own blog titled The Mafia Chronicles. Larry tells how Ned Day, whose car was firebombed in 1986, upset mob figures with his hard-hitting stories about Mafia control of local casinos and street rackets. That bombed proved that Day’s work was uncovering long held mob secret control of Vegas casinos. Ned Day is considered one of the most fearless mob reporters of his generation. Larry tells us that Day’s colorful exploits began in his mobbed-up Midwestern hometown, Milwaukee. Actually we learn that Day started on the wrong side of the law in his formative years. This may explain how he was able to work the mob beat so well later in life. In Milwaukee of the 1960s, Ned Day was a self-described gambler and pimp, worked in mob boss Frank “Mad Bomber” Balistrieri’s strip clubs and ran a tout sheet providing tips on horse races down in Chicago. Day was once arrested for passing bad checks and held the dubious fame of a marriage to a former Miss Nude International. Ned Day enrolled in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a professor steered him into journalism. the rest is history. Ned Day will die while snorkeling in Hawaii on September 3, 1987. Some claim he was murdered. To see his work watch the below linked You Tube mob documentary featuring narration by Ned Day. If you want to meet myself, Aaron and Larry Henry, come to the MobWorld Summit at the Plaza hotel from June 15-17, 2018. Panel discussions with mob experts at the hotel with a Saturday evening trip to the Mob Museum. All for $100.00. Click on MobWorld Summit for tickets and more information. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free. D

Gotti and Prison May 07, 2018

Our friend from the federal prison at Marion, former guard David, continues in this episode telling about his experiences with New York City crime boss, John Gotti. We learn that when Gotti arrived at the Reception and Diagnostic Unit, he was greeted like royalty by other prisoners. David tells about the day-to-day life of the famous mob boss was like inside the walls of Marion. Learn more about his relationship with the feared prison gang, the Aryan Brotherhood. David was the second guard to arrive on the scene when Walter Johnson was beating Gotti down. We get an insider’s version of both the events leading up to the beating and the aftermath. Gotti will die in prison and Walter Johnson will be released. Johnson does not stay out long until he is convicted of killing a Washington DC police officer. To Donate click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Martin J. McNally, Prison Stories Apr 30, 2018

If you have not listened to the 7 part interview with the parachuting skyjacker Martin J. McNally, please stop and go back to listen to those episodes. In this episode, David, a retired Marion prison guard, recounts stories from his life as a guard in the maximum security prison at Marion Illinois. During his time at the facility, he was assigned to the cell block where Martin J. McNally resided. David came to the prison after McNally’s dramatic escape attempts with another well known skyjacker, Garrett Brock Trapnell. David tells more than stories about Martin J. McNally, he also tells what life behind those walls is really like on a day to day basis. David has been telling his stories on his You Tube Channel “As The Key Turns.” https://youtu.be/wHm2uID30ck Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free. D

Scott Deitche on Garden State Gangland Apr 23, 2018

We interview noted mob historian and author Scott Deitche about his latest book, Garden State Gangland and the listener learns about the New Jersey crime families. As a bonus, Scott also tells the Wiretappers about Santos Trafficante Jr. and the development of the Tampa crime family. Scott has written six books on organized crime, including Garden State Gangland: The Rise of the Mob in New Jersey, Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld, The Silent Don: The World of Santo Trafficante Jr., and Rogue Mobster: The Untold Story of Mark Silverman and the New England Mafia. He has written dozens of magazine articles on organized crime and has been featured on The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, A&E, local news shows, and radio. Scott conducts periodic Mafia tours of Cigar City and the different mob historic locations. One of his most interesting books is titled Cocktail Noir. He relates, “I thought Noir was a great concept because a lot of these crime stories and films have bars and drinks that are either important information gathering points and help the story move forward, or they really set the mood of the character and help define them. A great example is Kiss Me Deadly. Mike Hammer goes into the bar www.nationalcrimesyndicate.com and says, ‘Give me a bourbon and leave the bottle.’ Something about a scene like that says all you really need to know about the type of day he had.” Cocktail Noir blends alcohol, mixers and gangster stories and is shaken, not stirred for a delightful montage of short stories. Most recently Scott has gone on the Board of Directors of the Las Vegas Mob Museum. He lives in St. Petersburg, Florida with his family. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Jose Miguel Battle – A Cuban American Mob Story Part 2 Apr 16, 2018

Jose Miguel Battle David Shanks spent most of his law enforcement career working on Jose Miguel Battle and his mafia organization known as The Corporation. Jose Miguel Battle started his life as a corrupt police sergeant taking bribes from american mobsters like Meyer Lansky and passing them along to corrupt Cuban officials in the Batista government. Battle joined the CIA backed anti-Castro revolutionaries and was captured at the Bay of Pigs. Jose Miguel Battle became known as the “Hero of the Bay of Pigs.” Once the American government freed Battle and his fellow revolutionaries from a Cuban prison, he came to south Florida with a brand new plan. He wanted to be part of the Italian La Cosa Nostra mafia. It is said he watched the Godfather dozens of times. Jose Miguel Battle approached Tampa boss, Santos Trafficante Jr. and was granted permission to form subordinate crime organization under the protection of the Trafficante Family. All he had to do was earn money and pay the Trafficante family a share. From here, Battle started running bolita games and slowly took over all the existing bolita organizations from Florida to New Jersey and even into New York City. Having all the south Florida criminal contacts soon steered him to the cocaine business by the 1980s. using his criminal contacts, Battle became one of the most successful cocaine dealers on the east coast. Jose Miguel Battle with an iron hand and murder was most often his choice in a dispute. David Shanks, of the Miami/Dade Organized Crime Division, made his life’s work into investigating The Corporation and Jose Miguel Battle. David is now retired and your podcast host became friends with him over the past year. While he granted a well known true crime writer, T. J. English, the rights to tell his story in the book, The Corporation, David lived this story and is in the studio to give our Wiretappers his first hand account of this epic investigation. David reports that the book has already been optioned to Paramount for a motion picture, They have signed Benicio Del Toro to play the part of Battle and Leonardo DiCaprio to produce the movie and to play the part of David Shanks. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free. D

Jose Miguel Battle – A Cuban American Mob Story Part 1 Apr 09, 2018

Nick Civella – A Reporter’s View Apr 02, 2018

Bill Norton covered the Kansas City mob boss Nick Civella and the crime beat for the Kansas City Star newspaper from his first day as a reporter. In the 1970s, the KC Police Department furnished a bare bones office with one desk and a telephone for the crime reporter. Bill did not report to the Star offices but rather went to work each day at police headquarters. He developed police sources as well as many criminal sources during his tenure. Bill gradually was able to leave the reporting of day to day crime and became the Star’s expert on the mafia. Bill tells how he learned from the older reporters about covering Nick Civella and relates several funny stories about his various interactions with the KC crime family. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Scott Burnstein and the Detroit Mob Mar 05, 2018

Support Gangland Wire Scott Bernstein was one of my first contacts in the true crime mob world. I found his website and blog Gangster Report and realized this guy was a serious student of organized crime. another thing I notices was he also had developed his own sources within the criminal organizations as well as law enforcement. He does a podcast with his co-host Al Profit, Click here to go to the feed. Scott comes from the infamous Bernstein family who created Detroit’s Purple Gang. Abe Bernstein was the original leader and his brother’s Joseph Bernstein, Raymond Bernstein, and Isadore Bernstein were members of this bootlegging operation during Prohibition. Scott became fascinated with the Mob when he was a young law student assigned to work with the Illinois Attorney General’a office in Cook County, Illinois. He has gone on to a successful career as a writer and documentary filmmaker. In this podcast Scott tells his history and about the inner workings of the Detroit family and how they got heir hands caught in the Las Vegas Casino cookie jar before Chicago and Kansas City got caught. Scott’s Gangster Report has stories about historical mob figures as well as what is going on in the mob today. A great resource for the mob fan. Scott has authored a number of mob books including Motor City Mafia and Mafia Prince with Phil Leonetti. Al Profit and Scott Bernstein have collaborated on 3 documentary films, Finding Jimmy Hoffa, The Frank Matthews Story, Detroit Mob Confidential and The T. Stuckey Story: How a man dreamed of forming a record company with Eminem and ended up in prison. Click on the below picture to find these books and films. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Melvin Purvis and the Battle of Little Bohemia Feb 19, 2018

Support Gangland Wire The famous and controversial F.B.I. agent Melvin Purvis was most famous for his fanatical pursuit of the Midwest bank robbing gangs led by John Dillinger and George “Baby Face” Nelson. We like to find those other lesser known stories about well known criminals and the men who investigate them. We found a first hand account of the Battle of Little Bohemia in a 1937 newspaper article written by Melvin Purvis. After Escaping the Crown Point Jail on January 24, 1934, (click here to hear our episode on the Dillinger jailbreak, John Dillinger reunites with Baby Face Nelson, Homer Van Meter and others to go on a bank robbery spree. Dillinger had investigated getting his face changed by plastic surgery and having his fingerprints obliterated. He almost died on the operating table and the sugary was postponed. The Chicago Police, led by Capt. John Stege, beat the bushes for the newly formed Dillinger/Nelson gang. Melvin Purvis and his fellow Chicago agents run down hundreds of leads. On the afternoon of April 20, 1934, Nelson, Dillinger, Van Meter and other gang members, accompanied by Nelson’s wife Little Bohemia Dillinger Museum Helen and three other girlfriends needed a brief respite from the crime spree. They select the secluded Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin as a hideout. Dillinger’s attorney, Louis Piquett, was friends with the lodge owner Emil Wanatka. Wanatka’s wife made an excuse to go to a local store and there she informed a friend, Henry Voss about their new guests. A note was sent to the Chicago F.B.I. Melvin Purvis and his bank robbery squad tooled up with guns and bulletproof vest, chartered a small plane and flew to the nearest airport. they called in other agents from the St. Paul office who drove up. Agent Purivs learned the gang was preparing to leave and he ordered his squad into action. They even had to commandeer a local automobile to get to the scene. Actor Paul Kim does a dramatic reading of this amazing first person article. The Battle of Little Bohemia ends with the Dillinger gang escaping and a dead F.B.I. agent. Furthermore, the agents kill an innocent bystander. The Dillinger guns severely wound two more agents and two innocent bystanders. Public criticism of the F.B.I resulted in a widely circulated petition demanding Purvis’ suspension. Politicians called for the resignation of J. Edgar Hoover. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

William Hanhardt – Cop on the Chicago Outfit payroll Feb 12, 2018

William Hanhardt as he leaves the Federal Building. Guv claims he masterminded a jewelry thief ring including the time he served as Chief of Detectives for the Chicago Police Department. CST/Brian Jackson In the 1950s, most large Police Departments had a few corrupt officers. We were not different here in Kansas City. We got a break in 1960 the city hired a square jawed and square in every other way, F.B.I. agent named Clarence Kelley. He was able to sideline or fire the most corrupt cops. Unlike the Chicago outfit, the Kansas City Mob family did not have many local officers on their payroll. In 1976, we did expose and arrest a cop burglary ring. My Intelligence Unit partner, Bobby Arnold was placed on a surveillance of a cabinet shop owned by one of the cops involved. It was winter and he brought a sleeping bag because the surveillance point was unheated. A few days after he brought the sleeping bag home, his wife went into the kitchen one night and found an infestation of roaches scurrying for cover. They knew the sleeping bag was the culprit. The Intelligence Unit working with F.B.I. agents uncovered a ring of officers who were working off duty at a Sears warehouse and stealing large appliances and furniture from the docks. They all plead guilty and received a 5 year sentence with probation granted. All were vested in the retirement system and took retirement before they plead guilty to protect their retirement. Recently I noticed a headline in a tribune article posted by Mike Byrne on his The Chicago Outfit-Old and Current news and articles Facebook page. The headline was, “EX Chicago Top Cop who ran mobbed up jewelry ring dies.” I found that William Hanhardt had been a high ranking Chicago Cop who was exposed in the Family Secrets testimony. It was reported that even back in his early career, the Outfit paid him as much as $1,000 monthly and provided a new car every two years. In 1953 William Hanhardt made headlines early in his career with big busts and shootouts. In 1962 encountered 3 robbers with a machine gun and had a shoot out killing 2 robbers. He made headlines in a hot case involving the kidnapping and murder of a Hillside police officer named Anthony Raymond. Three men were stopped by Officer Raymond shortly after they robbed a restaurant of $5,000.00. They got the drop on him, killed him and buried him. Our friend, William Hanhardt had an informant tell him who the suspects were and where to find the body. It will come out later was that the suspects were part of an Outfit robbery crew and the Outfit bosses decided to give them up to the cops to help Handhardt. William Hanhardt and tommy gun William Hanhardt was a bigger than life colorful character who cultivated reporters, politicians and FBI agents. He was always able to provide background information about many Chicago crimes, political liaisons. But buy 1979 he had fallen under suspicion and he was demoted down to the traffic squad after he was accused of playing footsie with mobsters who ruled the city’s corrupt downtown ward. Yet, just months later, he was promoted to being chief of detectives by the new Police Superintendent Richard Brzeczek after the election of Mayor Jane Byrne. In 1993 Teamsters official Allen Dorfman was killed by a couple of outfit hitmen. Officers processing the scene found Hanhardt’s contact information in Dorfman’s phone book. Even after his name turned up in Dorfman’s black book, Hanhardt was allowed to enjoy the twilight of his police career as a district commander. In 1986, while still on the job, one of his last official acts was to testify in the Nevada conspiracy trial of Anthony Spilotro, the Chicago Outfit’s man in Las Vegas. Hanhardt’s testimony helped discredit one of the mobster’s key accusers, Frank Cullotta. Spilotro got a mistrial and was awaiting a second trial when he was killed In October 2000, he was indicted as the leader of a band of thieves who stole $5 million in jewelry over 12 years beginning in 1984, while he was still a top cop. Hanhardt fenced the goods through friends in the outfit. It seemed Hanhardt was able to think like a criminal because he was one. He used techniques he learned as commander of the police burglary squad to devise diabolically clever thefts. He tapped active cop friends and private detectives for leads on potential victims, targeting gem salesmen traveling with valises of valuable samples. In some cases they simply tailed a salesman and broke into his vehicle: such jobs included a $300,000 gem theft in Wisconsin in 1984, $500,000 worth of Rolex watches in California in 1986, and jewelry thefts of $125,000 in Ohio in 1989, and $1 million in Michigan and $240,000 in Minnesota in 1993. The gang sometimes used the old spy scam of swapping identical bags with a salesman – a trick that netted $1 million worth of diamonds in Dallas in 1992 from a representative of J. Schliff and Son, a W. 48th St. jeweler. Hanhardt’s biggest score came in 1994. For two months before a gem wholesalers show at a hotel in Columbus, Ohio, a gang member checked in under the name Sol Gold and asked to store valuables in the hotel’s safe-deposit boxes, which were in a secure room behind the front desk. He systematically copied the keys until Hanhardt was able to create a master passkey. One night during the gem show, a desk clerk allowed “Mrs. Sol Gold” unsupervised access to the safe-deposit box room. Eight gem dealers were relieved of some $2 million in valuables. The jig was up when the woman went from accomplice to spurned wife and informed on the gang to the FBI. The federal government had plenty of evidence, including 1,307 incriminating phone calls collected during a yearlong wiretap on his home phone. For two years, cops and mobsters wondered whether Hanhardt would go to trial and give a public airing to his double life. But he pleaded guilty in 2002. He was ordered to pay $5 million in restitution and packed away to a Minnesota prison for a 12-year sentence. He died shortly after his release. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

David Schratwieser – Mob Reporter Feb 04, 2018

As we continue with our Media and the Mob series on the first Monday of each month, this week Aaron and I interview veteran Philadelphia television reporter Dave Schratwieser who has been an investigative reporter with Philadelphia FOX 29 News since 1994. Dave has investigated Philadelphia organized crime and corruption as well as government and judicial malfeasance. Dave talks about gathering and maintaining his extensive network of sources in the judiciary, law enforcement and organized crime. Dave brings us up to date on the current mob situation in Philadelphia including the latest on Skinny Joe Merlino. Dave and the famous Mob reporter and author George Anastasia produce and distribute a series of You Tube videos called Mob Talk. See an example below. These mob experts discuss the most recent events as well as historical events regarding the Philly organized crime families. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Frank Calabrese Jr. Part 2 Jan 29, 2018

Support Gangland Wire In part 2, Frank goes into how his father groomed him as a teenager for the Outfit life and his adult life as a soldier in the Calabrese crew ran by his uncle, Nick Calabrese. He describes how the Calabrese Frank at Mob-Con crew became the “go to” hit team for the Outfit bosses. He describes how meticulous the crew would prepare to do a murder. Yet, one of those murders done by Nick Calabrese would be his undoing. An Outfit member named John Fecarotta was responsible to bury the bodies of Anthony “Ant” and Mike Spilotro. He did a poor job and a farmer found those bodies shortly after the murder. Laprietra ordered Calbrese to murder Fecarotta. The hit did not go smoothly and before Fecarotta was killed he wounded Frank Junior’s Uncle, Nick Calebrese. As Nick ran away, he left a bloody glove close to the scene and when another informer accused him of that murder, the police only had to go to their evidence room, retrieve this glove and they would find Nick’s DNA in the glove. After Frank turned on the outfit and agree to testify, his uncle Nick Calabrese became the first actual member of the Outfit to go into the Witness Protection program and testify about the 14 murders he had committed with his brother at the order of Outfit bosses like Joey Lombardo, James Marcello and his own brother, Frank Calabrese Sr. Frank Calabrese Sr. in prison Frank Jr. tells a story about wearing a wire on his father in the prison yard. It seems a fellow prisoner had recently given Frank Jr. a prison tattoo and his father tried to pull up his shirt to see this new tattoo. Frank had to create a scene to not be discovered. Listeners will learn about the codes used by Outfit members and we play short clips from hidden FBI microphones and Frank translates the dialogue. Frank tells how he did not go into the Witness Protection program but did move to the Southwest part of the United States and stayed out of the public view for almost 10 years. At the present time he feels comfortable enough to return to Chicago since his father has died and the rest of the folks he testified about are either dead or almost dead and in prison. Frank currently manages the Bella Luna restaurant and conducts the Family Secret Outfit Tours of well known crime scenes and other Outfit connected locations. Call him at 847-261-4435 or stop by the Bella Luna at 731 North Dearbon, Chicago, IL. the tour ends at the Bella Luna for dinner and more questions to Frank. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Frank Calabrese Jr. Part 1 Jan 22, 2018

Support Gangland Wire Aaron and I interview Frank Calabrese Jr. and learn the inside story of what it is like to grow up in an Outfit family and then go into the family business. Frank Calabrese Sr. separated his work life from his family until he realized his namesake son, Frank Calabrese Jr., had the brains and fortitude to into his father’s business, loansharking, extortion and gambling. Frank Jr.’s first inkling that his father was different came when he had to do a school report about what his father did for a living. He asked Frank Sr. and the reply was to tell them that “I am an engineer.” Frank Jr. said, “You don’t drive a train” and his father said that he was an operating engineer. The Calabrese family started in the old Sicilian neighborhood known as the Patch and later moved to Elmwood Park, another Sicilian neighborhood, where many other Outfit families lived. Frank Senior moved much of extended family into a 3 story home. In the “Compound” Frank Senior’s word was the law. Frank Junior did all the normal high school activities and was a great football player but the lure of the streets got in the way. Frank tells how his father was “whistled in” and became a member of the Chinatown crew headed by Angelo “The Hook” LaPrietra. Aaron and I have spoken with other men who lived the life, but Frank is one of the more introspective we have interviewed. He shares fascinating insights into the Outfit and the mind set of Outfit members. Once Frank made the decision to get out, he had to make a terrible decision, he had to come to the “other side” if he wanted to live. Frank would in fact “wear a wire” and testify against his own father. He will eventually collaborate with another author and write his life story in the book Operation Family Secrets: How a Mobster’s son and the FBI brought down Chicago’s Murderous Crime Family. Bella Luna Frank tells how he did not go into the Witness Protection program but did move to the Southwest part of the United States and stayed out of the public view for almost 10 years. At the present time he feels comfortable enough to return to Chicago since his father has died and the rest of the folks he testified about are either dead or almost dead and in prison. Frank currently manages the Bella Luna restaurant and conducts the Family Secret Outfit Tours of well known crime scenes and other Outfit connected locations. Call him at 847-261-4435 or stop by the Bella Luna at 731 North Dearbon, Chicago, IL. the tour ends at the Bella Luna for dinner and more questions to Frank. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Chicago Outfit Hit Car Nov 06, 2017

Chuckie Nicoletti and ‘Milwaukee Phil’ Alderisio On May 2, 1962, Chicago cops responded to a suspicious party radio call at 1750 SupeStor st. in Chicago. They encountered Chicago Outfit members Philip (Milwaukee Phil) Alderisio, an Outfit trigger-man and loan shark, and Charles Nicoletti, a west side gambling boss sitting in a nondescript 4 door 1962 Ford automobile. As they searched this car, the officer uncovered one of the Outfit’s dirty and horrible little secrets. These guys were probably on a stakeout waiting on their victim in a “hitmobile.” The officers checked the registration and found it was registered to a man named Alter Getz of 9430 S. New England Ave., Oak Lawn. Their investigation revealed this address is a vacant lot. The two mobsters were charged with using a fictitious address to register this Ford and Judge Harry G. Comerford ruled the state failed to prove Alderisio and Nicoletti were guilty of using a fictitious address on the registration form for state license plates or of displaying plates listed to a fictitious address. Years layer, Investigators learned that in May 1962 these 2 guys and Tony Spilotro took part in the famous torture of Billy McCarthy and a few days later grabbed Jimmy Miraglia and killed him. The torture of Billy McCarthy was made famous in the head in a vise scene on the opening of the film, Casino. The Ford had three hidden switches under the dashboard. Two of these were for disconnected tail lights and stop-lights so that the car would be difficult for police to follow in a chase. The third switch turned on an electric motor to open a hidden compartment in the back rest of the front seat. The compartment was fitted with brackets to hold shotguns or rifles. The back of the front seat was changed to provide a hiding place for bulky objects. Detective John Willems points the into compartment, whose door was motor-operated by a hidden dashboard button. The car is held in the police auto pound and “Walter Gezt” never claimed his brand new car Charles “Chuckie” Nicoletti grew up in an impoverished and dysfunctional family in Chicago; his parents were both natives of Santa Caterina Villarmosa, Sicily. They lived at 737 S. Campbell Avenue in Near West Side, Chicago. On February 27, 1929, at the age of 12, Charles shot and killed his own father, allegedly in self-defense. As is drunken father attacked him with a knife, Charles ran into a bedroom, where a gun was kept in a bureau drawer. Nicoletti was exonerated by the Cook County coroner. He dropped out of school in eighth grade and soon joined the “Forty-Two Gang.” At the time, the gang’s members included such future Outfit members as Giancana, Sam “Teets” Battaglia, “Lew Farrell,” “Mad Sam” DeStefano and William “Willie Potatoes” Daddano. On March 29, 1977, Outfit killers shot Nicoletti three time in the back of his head while he was sitting in his car in the parking lot of the Golden Horns Restaurant. Chicago mob assassin Harry Aleman is the suspected hitman. Felix Anthony “Milwaukee Phil” Alderisio began his criminal career as a teenager during the Prohibition era. He hung out around locations where he knew he could find Outfit boss Al Capone‘s like his Lexington Hotel headquarters. He wanted to get noticed and get a messenger’s job. In the early 1930s, Alderisio dream came true and he began working with Sam Battaglia and John Marshall Caifano as an enforcer. Rising steadily through the ranks during the Great Depression, Alderisio soon gained a reputation for brutality. By the end of the decade, Alderisio was working under Jake “Greasy Thumb” Guzik, the Outfit’s financial expert, as a bagman delivering payoffs to Chicago judges and police officials. Alderisio was suspected in carrying out 13 or 14 “hits” for The Outfit. Alderisio was part of a burglary crew that operated in Chicago’s upscale Gold Coast district. These thieves specialized in rare gems and jewelry, which they fenced to Outfit-controlled jewelry stores and wholesalers. Alderisio also owned several restaurants, meat packing firms, small hotels, Rush Street nightclubs, bordellos and striptease joints. Over a lifetime of criminal activity, law enforcement arrest Alderisio at least 36 times for assault and battery, bombing, racketeering, loansharking, illegal gambling, hijacking, narcotics, counterfeiting, bootlegging, bribery, extortion, and murder-for-hire. However, Alderisio usually avoided prosecution because of the Outfit’s strong political connections. On September 25, 1971, Felix Alderisio died from natural causes at the United States Penitentiary, in Marion, Illinois. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Anthony DeStefano on the Lufthansa heist Oct 30, 2017

Anthony DeStefano is a veteran reporter who covered the Five Families in New York City for over three decades. He recently sat through the trial of New York mob boss Vincent Asaros who was charged with conspiracy in the famous 6 Million dollar cash and jewelry robbery from a Lufthansa Air cargo warehouse. He is currently a reporter for Newsday in New York City, specializing in criminal justice and legal affairs. Anthony has covered all of the important criminal trials in NYC. He reported on The Happy Land Social Club Fire, the trial of Gambino crime boss Peter Gotti, former Bonanno crime boss Joseph Massino, and the so-called “Mafia Cops.” He also covered the case against Wall Street Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff from 2008 through 2014. He has written several true crime books on New York crime families, including The Last Godfather: Joseph Massino and The Fall of The Bonanno Crime Family” (Citadel Press), Mob Killer: The Bloody Rampage of Charlie Carneglia, Mafia Hit Man, Vinny Gorgeous: The Ugly Rise And Fall Of A New York Mobster, The War On Human Trafficking, Gangland New York, and most recently The Big Heist: The Real Story of the Lufthansa Heist, the Mafia, and Murder. Go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Narcos with Ron Chepesiuk Oct 09, 2017

Support Gangland Wire This is a repeat of last week, I forgot to attach the audio and then was out of town all week. Sorry for the delay of the audio podcast. The subject of this episode is Narcos, the story of the Cali Cartel. Ron Chepesiuk hosts the Crime Beat Radio show on the Artists First network. Just click on the highlighted show tile and be entertained. Ron Chepesiuk is a former college professor who got into true crime as a young man and has become one of the foremost experts and internationally known author, speaker and investigative reporter on organized crime. in this show Aaron and I talked with him about Frank Matthews, “Black Caesar”, the first well known drug kingpin who disappeared with about 20 million dollars in 1973. Ron tells how Frank Matthews made the one of the first international connections with South American drug dealers and organized drug markets all over the United States in the 1970s. Ron later discusses how he was in Columbia covering the narcotics problem when he met a Colombian woman and married her. this commenced a life long study of Columbia, narco-traffickers and the Colombian government. When he first started, he was warned to not go outside of Bogota and today, Ron reports that the former drug capitol of Medellin is now a preferred place for North Americans to visit and even live out their retirement. The listener learns about the inside workings of the Cali Cartel and how they quietly became the most successful drug organization after Pablo Escobar was killed. Ron tells of his first hand experiences and stories about the same events depicted in the recently released Netflix series Narcos, Season Three. Ron operates Strategic Media Books, LLC, www.strategicmediabooks.com, an independent U.S. publisher of original paperback and e-book editions that aims to bring its outstanding publishing program to the widest possible audience. Founded in 2010, Strategic Media Books publishes nonfiction that includes true crime, biography/memoir, business, history/current affairs, and lifestyle, as well as cutting-edge and inspirational fiction. Strategic Media Books also publishes a book series titled “Gangsta Chronicles.” This series focuses on true and gritty stories from the street and the world of crime. Strategic Media Books’ authors have received numerous literary honors and awards, taking many of the industry’s top prizes. Ron Chepesiuk is an optioned screenwriter and the award-winning author of numerous books – three of them optioned for movies. On Ron’s Crime Beat Radio he has interviewed such guests as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., F. lee Bailey, Henry Hill, Noam Chomsky, George Jung, Joe Pistone ( aka Donnie Brasco) and Chris Kyle , American Sniper , among others. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

John Dillinger Escape – Episode 2 Sep 25, 2017

Crown Point jail In episode 2, we discuss the frantic flight of John Dillinger and Herbert Youngblood. Lillian Holley and every law enforcement officer in the Midwest was on the lookout for Dillinger. He was wearing out his Robin Hood status among citizens by this time and this would help. The Dillinger gang gets back together and conducts a raid on a police station where they take guns and bullet proof vests. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

John Dillinger Escape – Episode 1 Sep 18, 2017

Dillinger escape car Dillinger with Sheriff Lillian Holley In this first episode of the exciting story of John Dillinger and his jailbreak the listener learns how John Dillinger was wanted for killing a police officer during a bank robbery when he was captured in Tucson Arizona. He was extradited to Indiana where he was held without bond in the Lake County jail, located in Crown Point, Indiana. Lake County had a woman sheriff, Lillian Holley, who would pose for publicity pictures with her famous prisoner. On May 3rd, 1934, myth has it that Dillinger carved a gun out of either a bar of soap or a wooden washboard. A trusty named Sam Cahoon entered an exercise area where Dillinger was being held with others waiting to take their Saturday night bath. Dillinger took the trusty hostage with the gun and left the exercise area. He found a county fingerprint expert, Ernest Blunk, in the corridor and used him as a hostage to lure in other guards and locked them up. Using Blunk as a hostage, he and another prisoner, Herbert Youngblood, went outside and encountered a county mechanic and several county sheriff patrol cars. He asked which one was the fastest and the mechanic indicated to a V-8 Ford and they took the mechanic and Blunt along as they drove away. This was the car owned by Sheriff Holley, adding insult to injury. The fugitives drove away and later released their hostages, broke the spotlight off the police car. and were soon were observed crossing the state line between Indiana and Illinois. This brought the F.B.I. into the investigation. This podcast is taken directly from the newspapers articles written at the time by means of a dramatic reading by the professional actor, Paul Kim. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Owney Madden and Primo Carnera Sep 11, 2017

We talked in our first episode on the Irish mob about Owney Madden getting into promoting and managing and gambling on professional boxing. Like professional criminal activities, for young Irish and Italian guys, professional boxing was a manly way out of their crushing poverty. Many people during this time observed that Madden became a different person at a boxing match. He would jump up and scream advice, shadow box and generally become just like any other crazed fan at any athletic match. We talked in our first episode on the Irish mob about Owney Madden getting into promoting and managing and gambling on professional boxing. Many people during this time observed that Madden became a different person at a boxing match. He would jump up and scream advice, shadow box and generally become just like any other crazed fan at any athletic match. Primo Carnera ad Max Baer Owney Madden purchased the contract of a boxer named Primo Carnera. He was born in 1906 in Venice Italy, he weighed 15 to 20 lbs at birth. The Carnera family soon realized the potential of their broad-shouldered son. The Carnera family were poor peasants and they did their best to ensure that their son earned good money. As a teenager, Primo had moved to France and got a job as a strongman in a circus. He went into professional boxing and fought many fights in Europe. From his earliest matches, many were rumored to be fixed fights. Primo was a simple gentle young man who was easily manipulated by his handlers. He was ill-equipped for the limelight of the boxing world. He grew to be 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighing in at 275 lbs, an imposingly large man by any standards. He became a celebrity in Europe and in 1929 he came to the US on a well-publicized series of fights against American boxers. Primo was an instant media attraction. He was like the Andre the Giant of boxing. His language struggles caused him to be unintentionally funny and he was once asked how old he was and he replied with his weight, 275. During the 1920s and 1930s New York gangster Owney Madden financed several Hells Kitchen amateur boxing clubs and was credited with keeping many young men out of problems with the law. He bought out Carnera’s contract and started setting up fights. He and his partner in crime, Frenchy LeMange became corner men at Carnera’s fights and could be seen giving fight advice during the breaks in the rounds. Carnera was the unwitting participant in a series of fixed fights. This corruption in professional boxing was continually investigated by the New York State Boxing commission. But during this time, a lot of control over the fight game was given to gamblers like Owney Madden. After Carnera arrived in the U.S., he triumphed by KO in 89 of 103 professional fights. Madden and his gang bribed, physically intimidated, or used other dirty tricks to ensure that Carnera won each fight. They had to because Primo Carnera had a glass jaw, he could be knocked out by even the lightest tap to the chin. In his defense, Carnera’s size became his key defensive trait. It never made him a popular fighter and he always drew crowds—even when it seemed obvious that his fights were fixed. he had the reputation of a dumb oaf and the newspapers nicknamed him the ‘Ambling Alp’ for the way he staggered around the ring. An interesting note, Primo Carnera’s story has been told a few times in the movies. His early life as a circus strongman was told by the famous Italian Director Frederico Fellinni in La Strada, released in 1954. In 1947, Bud Schulberg, a boxing columnist and Hollywood screenwriter published a slim novel about prizefight corruption entitled The Harder They Fall. This was loosely based on the career of Primo Carnera. He wrote the screenplay by the same title and it depicted a giant immigrant who spoke broken English who is taken advantage of by hustling fight promoters and gangsters. In the plot the gangsters sent him, unknowingly, to fight with the fix in and then siphoned off most of his money. The mob was able to make large bets on when they knew the fix was in. The film, The Harder They Fall , was released in 1956, with a starring role for Humphrey Bogart as one of the men who helps to con the young boxer. Another connection to Hollywood was that one member of this Owney Madden team was a movie star named George Raft. In 1932, the NYC native was given a breakout role in Howard Hawks’ classic Scarface: Shame of a Nation. He plays the big-time gangster’s right-hand man—a role, it turns out, that Raft was well accustomed to in real life. Around the time of Primo Carnera’s rise, Raft had one foot in Hollywood and one foot firmly back in the New York underworld where he’d been raised. His lifelong friend—Owney Madden—was a murdering, bootlegging Hell’s Kitchen gang leader with a tight grasp on the city’s illegal rackets. This included prizefighting—and Raft, who had once dabbled in boxing (he lost 10 of his 21 fights by KO), was a natural choice to help out. He could slip into the Madison Square Garden dressing rooms relatively unnoticed, and later told the story of how he did so one night in 1930, prior to a Carnera bout. As Raft’s biographer James Robert Parrish tells it, Carnera’s opponent that evening—’Big Boy’ Peterson, another oversized contender—refused to throw the fight. Owney Madden’s vested interest in his Italian fighter—not to mention all the money that had been wagered on his win—meant that this was a major problem for the criminals who handled Carnera. Raft was the perfect one to fix the problem; and so he slipped into Peterson’s dressing room, chatting and laughing. Somehow, he managed to spike the fighter’s drink. Peterson came into the ring so woozy that Carnera knocked him out in the first round. It was in this way that George Raft, the dapper onscreen tough-guy, helped Primo Carnera make a spectacular Madison Square Garden debut.By the time of this incident, Raft had done worse things than tamper with boxing matches. He’d grown up rough in the tenements of turn-of-the-century Hell’s Kitchen, running with a vicious street gang. He later said of his upbringing: ‘In my neighborhood, a boy without a knife was like Babe Ruth without a bat. On 29 June 1933, Carnera’s shot at the title had come. His opponent was Jack Sharkey, a popular heavyweight champ who was the only fighter to ever face both Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis. Sharkey had faced Carnera before in 1931. Sharkey dominated that fight as Carnera wobbled like a mighty tree in a hurricane. In this title bout, a crowd of 40,000 gathered in Madison Square Garden. Primo Carnera had developed some boxing skill since he’d started his career, and had some awareness of how to use his size to his advantage. By the 6th round, Carnera’s reach seemed to be genuinely getting the better of Sharkey, opening him up to uppercuts from the Italian. Sharkey landed many right-hand blows throughout but in the end a clean uppercut from Carnera put the champ down. The “Ambling Alp”‘ became the heavyweight champion of the world. Sharkey always insisted that he had not “thrown” this fight and it had been a fair win for Carnera. His wife and many others doubted this claim that it had been a fair loss. If it was a fix, they say it was a convincing fix. In the fight footage, Carnera is filed lifting an one of his corner men off his feet like a rag doll in a celebratory embrace. Carnera maintained his World Championship belt for just a year. He became a huge celebrity and his toothy grin had was seen on the cover of TIME magazine. He played himself in a Hollywood film, The Prizefighter and the Lady. Carnera continued to struggle with money, probably due to his crooked managers, and he was forced into bankruptcy. the next year, Max Baer challenged Carnera for the title. Baer was a popular crowd-pleaser himself, making for an exciting title fight. Max baer proved more than a match for the champ, by the end of the first round, he had already crumpled the big fighter against the ropes. He pummeled Carnera for 9 more rounds before the fight was stopped and Baer won by TKO. He knocked Carnera down to the canvas at least 10 times. After this loss, Carnera’s career took a downward path. Owney Madden had troubles of his own with rival mobsters and the immigration and naturalization services. He left for Hot Springs that year and he dropped Carnera. Madden said he was sick of defending him against reporter’s claims of crookedness. But in fact, immigration and naturalization was looking at Carnera and Madden wanted to stay away from them because he was not an American citizen. Carnera lost several more fights over the next 4 years years. In 1938, at age 32, he returned to Italy with kidney problems and diabetes and next no money. He was given parts in several Italian films until the war came along. In the 1950s, he made a comeback and actually made money and had a successful career as a professional wrestler. The 1962 movie Requiem for a Heavyweight starring Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney told the story of a wrestling giant who was once a champion boxer and was later exploited by an unscrupulous manager. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Westies Part 2 Jimmy Coonan goes down Sep 04, 2017

Jimmy Coonan brought the Westies into the 20th Century and presided over the most bloody and violent gang in New York City history James Coonan was a baby boomer born December 21, 1946. He became known as “Jimmy C.” As we said last week, Jimmy C. took over the Hell’s Kitchen Irish mob after he made a deal with Gambino member Roy Demeo to kill the previous boss, Mickey Spillane, in 1977. During his time as boss of the Westies, they gained a reputation as a vicious crew of murderers. He opened up the gang to the lucrative drug dealing rackets as well as continuing extortion, numbers, loansharking and counterfeiting rackets in the area. Coonan forged a strong alliance with the Gambino crime family in the late 70s, and became their hit-squad and enforcement arm for the next 10 years. Jimmy Coonan’s criminal career started in his teens. His father was an accountant and not involved in criminal activity. Mickey Spillane or someone in his gang kidnapped Mr. Coonan for ransom and someone pistol whipped Coonan’s father. Jimmy was ashamed that his father was treated like this and he swore revenge against Mickey Spillane. Jimmy C. purchased a machine gun and got on top of a Hells Kitchen tenement building waited for Micky Spillane. He took aim and fired a whole 30 round magazine in one long burst at Spillane and some men with him. Coonan failed to murder Spillane and his followers, not even wounding one man, but Spillane got the message. In 1969, Police arrested Coonan on kidnapping and murder beefs. He got a sweet deal in a pea bargain and was released in late 1971 and continued his war on Mickey Spillane. Coonan joined with the Italians because Spillane had refused the Mafia’s efforts to control criminal activities in and around the Jacob Javit’s convention center. The Genovese crime family wanted to run all mob activity associated with the convention center. The story is that the Genovese crime family sent a team of heavily-armed hitmen to kill off Spillane’s gang. The hit-squad killed 68 members of Spillane’s gang with most of them killed by being gunned down. At least 30 of Spillane’s gang were killed by bombings. The Genovese crime family took over Spillane’s construction business, and all of his organized crime businesses, and from that point on the Genovese crime family also ruled all of Hell’s Kitchen with an iron fist. During the early 1970s, Coonan recruited a gang of young Irish hoods and they began kidnapping, beating, and murdering any Spillane loyalists. One of these new recruits was 24-year-old Vietnam Vet by the name of Mickey Featherstone. Any resident of Hell’s Kitchen who who took Spillane’s side were subject to beatings, kidnappings, store vandalism, and robberies. Those who chose Coonan were immune from these harsh activities because Spillane’s gang was on the run and unable to retaliate. Mickey Featherstone was a complete nut case. He was born on the upper West Side and his mother worked with the VFW and his father was a U. S. Customs officer. He was blond haired and baby-faced. He volunteered for combat in Vietnam and would claim he spent time killing with the Special Forces. There is a story that he was uncircumcised and he got drunk with a bunch of medics. He passed out and when he awoke, he found they had given him a circumcision. He received a medical discharge in 1967 after just a year, claiming to have hallucinations. Featherstone achieved neighborhood fame for single-handedly running a group of toughs from New Jersey out of a Hell’s Kitchen bar with a rifle. In another bar room fight in 1971, he shot and killed a guy named Linwood Willi. In this case, he was found not guilty due to insanity. He was released from the mental hospital 4 years later. During this incarceration Featherstone was injected with Thorazine. Featherstone’s violence caught the eye of Coonan. In 1977 when Mickey Spillane was killed outside his apartment, Featherstone was arrested but acquitted for his killing. The police and FBI suspected him of a series of mob contract killings. He went on trial with Coonan for the killing of Harold Whitehead, and they were acquitted in December 1979 after one witness killed himself and another refused to testify. In the 1970’s Coonan worked as an enforcer and bodyguard for loanshark named Ruby Stein. After Coonan took over as boss of the Westies, he had Stein murdered to gain control of his gambling and loansharking customers. Several Westies owed money to Stein and were looking to escape these debts. Coonan used these gang members to lure Stein to the 596 Club bar where he was shot to death. He and the others dismember Stein’s corpse and dumped it in the Hudson River. Coonan and his men forgot to puncture the lungs and Stein’s torso washed ashore. This dismembering method of disposing of his victims was used by Coonan many times. Coonan reportedly killed a loan shark victim who could not pay his debt, dismembered him and cut off his hands. He put the hands in bags in a freezer with the intention of using them to put those fingerprints on a gun he would use later. Coonan learned how to dismember murder victims from Edward Cummiskey, a fellow Westies member, prison-trained as a butcher.. During the late 1970s, Coonan and his Westies allied themselves with the Gambino family and his main contact was Roy DeMeo. In 1980, the Secret Service put Featherstone in jail for using fake currency at a massage parlor. He passed the money to a girl who remembered seeing his name tattooed on his forearm. The judge sentenced Featherstone to 6 years and he did time in the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield Missouri in the psychiatric ward. Duing this time, Jimmy Coonan was in jail on gun possession charges. Roy DeMeo, his Gambino contact, was murdered and Coonan’s Gambino family connection became Daniel Marino, a capo from Brooklyn. Coonan eventually interacted directly with John Gotti, who took over the Gambino crime family after the murder of Castellano in December 1985. From time to time, the Westies worked for the Gambino crime family as a contract killer squad. Bad blood between Coonan and Featherstone, in part due to Featherstone’s distaste for Coonan’s Italian Mafia connections, eventually led to Featherstone being framed for the murder of Michael Holly, a construction worker and neighborhood bar owner who refused to give the Westies protection money. A Westie named John Bokun went to Holly’s bar and shot him. An off-duty policeman in the bar saw John Bokun shoot Michael Holly, then he shot and killed John Bokun. In retaliation and to set Mickey Featherstone up to take the fall, Billy Bokun, John’s brother got a car identical to Mickey Featherstones and put on a long haired wig and fake mustache to look like Featherstone. He drove up and shot and killed Michel Holly on the street in front of witnesses. The gang then tipped the cops that Featherstone killed Holly. The end of Jimmy Coonan In 1986, the police arrested Mickey Featherstone for the murder of Michael Holly. Despite being innocent of this particular murder, he was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison. he learned that he had been set up and framed by his own gang. He instead told prosecutors that Bokun had committed the murder, and he became an informant. Featherstone’s wife, Sissy, wore a wire and engaged other Westies in incriminating conversations to help her husband get out of jail. In September 1986, Judge Alvin Schlesinger overturned Featherstone’s conviction in the murder of Michael Holly. He testified against Jimmy Coonan and other gang members. Featherstone plead guilty to one racketeering charge and was soon released for his cooperation. In 1988, he and his wife went into a witness protection program. Coonan is serving his time at the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary. Featherstone, if still alive is in the Wit Sec. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Westies Part 1 from Owney Madden to Mickey Spillane Aug 28, 2017

The Irish Mob, thanks to Dean from Ireland in the next two episodes we will examine the Irish Mob or the Westies. The Hell’s Kitchen area of NYC is from about Central Park on the west side of Midtown Manhattan west of Broadway to the Hudson River from Battery Park street to 59th street. This is sometimes referred to as the 5 Points area of NYC. Many Irish immigrants settled in this area find work on the Hudson River docks. Martin Scorsese produced the film The Gangs of New York and it tells the story of the early Irish gangs fighting the Protestant gangs. Since it is on the west side of Manhattan, it was natural to call the Irish gang The Westies. The name Hells Kitchen purportedly came from 2 cops watching a small riot between rival Irish gangs and one sad this place is like Hell and the older cop said no this place is so hot it is more like Hell’s Kitchen. As the new century arrived, in 1901 an Irish woman named Mary Madden left a drunken petty criminal husband, Francis and her 2 sons in England and came to new York looking for work. By 1902 she was able to bring her sons, Owney and Martin Madden over. The father never made it to the US. The family found a new home in New York’s Irish community in Hells Kitchen and this will shape Madden’s life permanently. The thousands of other Irish emigrant families will become Madden’s loyal. Settling in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, little Owney Madden joined the Gopher Gang. He was known as “The Killer” after gunning down an Italian gang member in the streets, after which he shouted, “I’m Owney Madden, 10th Avenue!” No witnesses came forward linking Madden to the crime. By age 18, Madden had become a prominent member of the Gophers and was suspected in the deaths of five rival gang members. He was earning as much as $200 (like $2000.00 today) a day from the Gophers’ criminal activities, such as the gang’s protection racket which forced local businessmen to pay in the face of firebomb threats. Madden’s movie star looks and his wealth from his rackets made him a prince of Hells Kitchen. He was violently jealous and he once shot and killed a store clerk named William Henshaw, who had asked out one of Madden’s girl. Henshaw died of his wounds and Madden police was arrested. The case had to be dismissed after no corroborating witnesses came forward. Over the next three years, the Gophers reached the height of their power. The Hudson Dusters were threatened by Madden’s power and they ambushed him outside a 52nd Street dance hall on November 6, 1912. Madden refused to identify his attackers to police, stating “My boys will get ’em. It’s nobody’s business but mine who put these slugs in me!” Shortly after several members of the Dusters were killed. In 1914, Madden became involved in a dispute with Little Patsy Doyle, a prominent member of the Dusters, over a woman named Freda Horner. Doyle informed police of Madden’s operations. Madden sent a message to Doyle through one of his girl friends, a Margaret Everdeane, to ask Doyle to meet Madden and hash out a peace agreement. As Doyle arrived at this meeting on November 28, 1914, Madden ambushed Doyle and killed him. The police questioned the woman and she confessed to her role in the killing and named Madden. Madden was eventually sentenced to 20 years at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York. After serving nine years of his sentence, Madden was released on parole in 1923, 3 years after the start of prohibition. The Gopher gang had broken up, and many members of his own faction were either in Sing Sing or working for other bootlegging gangs. Upon his release, he was given a job by a former member of Madden’s street gang, Larry Fay who had a taxi cab company as a cover for his bootlegging activities. He needed Madden’s killer reputation to maintain control of his territory. Fay employed Madden to boss a gang of strong-arm men to help him gain control of the most profitable cab-stands along Broadway. Owney Madden learned quickly about this new business and soon moved on to form his own organization. During this time, Madden employed a young friend as a personal driver. The driver, George Raft, later became a film star noted for his authentic portrayals of gangland figures. Madden soon became heavily involved in bootlegging, establishing a territory in the Hells Kitchen area. In 1924 the Madden gang began highjacking liquor shipments belonging to Big Bill Dwyer (another established bootlegger) but rather than go to war, Dwyer took Madden on as a partner when Dwyer decided he needed to beef up the enforcement side of his own operations. Madden and a former gang rival turned partner, George “Big Frenchy” De Mange began to open or acquire some of the flashiest speakeasies and nightclubs of the era, most notably the legendary Cotton Club in Harlem. Owney Madden Nightclub patrons flooded into Harlem from downtown Manhattan to catch performers such as Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and the Nicholas Brothers. Madden and his partner, Big Frenchy, also muscled their way into a piece of the exclusive Stork Club, where the influential gossip columnist Walter Winchell held court and everyone who was anyone wanted to see and be seen. As a celebrity nightclub owner with ownership in more than twenty clubs, Madden became well-known and glamorized for his Prohibition-era activities. He also gained recognition for his revenge tactics and payoffs of City Hall. In 1931, shortly before the end of Prohibition, Madden got out of bootlegging and entered into the professional boxing business with his club partners “Broadway” Bill Duffy and “Big Frenchie” DeMange. Between them, they controlled the careers of several boxing champions including Max Baer and Primo Carnera. As Carnera’s manager, Madden arranged fixed fights which led eventually to Carnera’s winning the World Heavyweight Championship, in 1933. Carnera held onto the title for nearly a year, until reporters’ suspicions about fixed fights led Madden to desert the Italian strongman, setting up Carnera’s famous defeat at the hands of Baer on June 14, 1934. Exile in Hot Springs In 1932, Madden was involved in the murder of Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll, who had been extorting money from several mobsters, including DeMange and Madden. After being arrested for a parole violation that same year, Madden began facing greater harassment from police and encroachment on his territory by Italian Mafia families, until he finally left Manhattan, New York City in 1935. Southern Club He settled in Hot Springs Arkansas, a city known to be wide open to mobsters on the run. A city with a corrupt police force and city officials that overlooked illegal casino gambling and had a well known race track. He would open a nightclub, the Southern Club and it became a popular nightspot for vacationing mobsters. Charles Luciano was apprehended there in 1935. Madden became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1943, and eventually married the daughter of the city postmaster. He lived in Hot Springs until his death in 1965. The Irish rackets did not resist the La Cosa nostra families and by the 1950s a man named Hugh Mulligan was seen a boss in Hells Kitchen. Tow of his most famous proteges were Jimmy Burke and Mickey Spillane. Burke would go on to lead a hijacking crew working for the Paul Vario of the Lucchese family. He would be made famous by Henry Hill in the Scorsese film, GoodFellas. He was played by Robert DeNiro. The one I want to talk about is Michael J. Spillane, better known as Mickey Spillane because he stayed true to his Irish roots and became the boss of the organization that became known as The Westies. He was born on July 13, 1933. Mickey no connection to the fictional private eye Mickey Spillane, was an Irish-American mobster from Hell’s Kitchen, New York City. He was often called the “last of the gentleman gangsters” because his style or doing criminal business was more businesslike than the violent Westies mob members who succeeded him in Hell’s Kitchen. With movie star good looking, Spillane started as a numbers runner for various organized crime figures in Hell’s Kitchen. In 1960, Mickey took over the bookmaking and loansharking rackets left to him by his predecessor Hughie Mulligan. He married Maureen McManus, the daughter of the Democratic district leader Eugene McManus. Mickey was known to hand out turkeys to poor families on thanksgiving and visit elderly widows in the neighborhood. Though Italian mobsters dominated organized crime in the city, the Italian mob stayed out of Hell’s Kitchen while Spillane was the Westies’ boss. Often, Spillane would kidnap members of the Italian Mafia and hold them for ransom to raise money for his operations. Although he ran the rackets such as gambling and loansharking, he never allowed the sale of drugs. It was Spillane’s refusal to allow the Italian mobsters to participate in the Hell’s Kitchen rackets that led to his downfall. The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center was being built on Spillane’s westside. The amount of money the new convention center, Madison Square Garden, the waterfront and the unions were generating for Spillane was enormous, and the Italians were desperate for a piece of the action. Spillane refused to allow the Italian mob to participate, and the New York – Irish – Italian Mob War began. During the mid-1960s, the Genovese crime family sought control over any rackets associated with the soon to be built Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. From construction contracts, to union Mickey Spillane activity to kickbacks and other fees associated with the running of a large convention center. Harking back to the old days when certain gangs controlled a geographical territory in NYC and the convention center was located in Spillane’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, Spillane refused to allow any involvement by the Italians. Although the Italian gangsters greatly outnumbered the members of the Irish mob,

Harry Reid is Clean Face part 3 Jul 31, 2017

Joe Agosto In this third and final interview, we learn that the mob did not give nicknames to anyone except the people they believed were helping them in their skimming efforts so it is a bit suspicious when the mobsters called Harry Reid, Clean Face. A good example was a State Gaming Agent named Bybee, when they referred to him he was Bybee. Another example was when Agosto and DeLuna talked about the Governor Elect Bob List before he was the governor, he was called by his last name “List” but when the when they talked about Harry Reid, Gaming Control Board Chairman, he was known as Clean Face, just like Frank Rosenthal was “Crazy” or “Newspaper” or “Lefty” and the attorney Jay Brown was “Channel One” or when Oscar Goodman was called “Senior.” Another school of thought is that Joe Agosto was claiming to have a direct connection with Gaming Control Board chairman, Harry Reid. He talked in convoluted terms and was hard to decipher. It might be noted that Joe Agosto did not bring any smoking gun evidence on Harry Reid when he became a government witness. The listener can make up their own mind as to the influence and control that organized crime had over Harry Reid. Lefty Rosenthal Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Harry Reid is Clean Face Part 2 Jul 24, 2017

Nick Civella In this second part of the Bill Ouseley interview, we learn more about the inner workings of Las Vegas casinos and Las Vegas politicians and why they were suspicious of Clean Face Harry Reid. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Harry Reid is Clean Face Part 1 Jul 17, 2017

Nick Civella In the first of a three part interview with retired F.B.I. agent William Ouseley, we discuss the lessons learned from the Las Vegas wiretaps that exposed the Kansas City, Chicago, Milwaukee and Cleveland mob’s skimming from the Stardust and the Tropicana. In those intercepts, agents learned that a man named Joe Agosto had been able to position himself as the manager of the Les Folies Bergere show at the Tropicana casino during the 1970s. Joe Agosto was an organized crime associate and underling of Nick Civella and the Kansas City crime family. William Ouseley was the case agent in this investigation and therefore responsible for gathering and interpreting all the evidence. he was able to figure out that Agosto reported directly to Civella’s underboss, Carl “Tuffy”DeLuna on a regular basis. In this 3 part series, we play some clips from these tapes and retired agent Ouseley interprets what the mobsters are discussing. They use a variety of code words and the most important was “Clean Face. Agent Ouseley was able to determine this was the name the mobsters used when the discussed the Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, Harry Reid. Most people will know him as the recently retired Senator from Nevada. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

The Mob in the Netherlands and Europe Part 2 Jul 10, 2017

In this second part, Mafia blogger and expert David Amorouso from Gangsters Inc. tells us more about the influence of the American mob on illegal European casinos. Most European countries have state regulated casinos, but there was a demand for more gambling that the state run casinos could provide. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

The Mob in Europe Part 1 Jul 03, 2017

Interview with Mob expert David Amoruso. he maintains and writes for the mob blog site gangster.inc. We discuss the influence of the American La Cosa Nostra mob in Europe. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Frank Cullotta and Tony Spilotro Part 2 Jun 26, 2017

Hole in the Wall Gang after the Bertha’s bust In Part 2, Frank goes into more depth about his work with the Hole in the Wall Gang. Spilotro obtained inside information that the owners of Bertha’s jewelry story in Las Vegas kept as much as a million dollars in jewelry and cash inside the safe. They planned to commit this burglary on the long weekend of the 4th of July, 1981. It was late June or early July in Las Vegas, Nevada. Frank Cullotta and the Hole in the Wall Gang members, Ernie Davino, Leo Guardino, Joe Blasko, and Larry Neumann were planning the hit on Bertha’s Gifts and Home Furnishings on 896 E Sahara Ave, Las Vegas. It was an exclusive resale shop Bertha’s Location today for the finer connoisseur of home furnishings and jewelry. This was going to be at least a million dollar score for the Hole in the Wall Gang with a nice kick up to Tony Spilotro and the Chicago Outfit. This was not going to be easy, not even for the Hole in the Wall Gang. The Hole in the Wall Gang got their name from the media. When they reported on burglaries in Las Vegas the reporters noticed the perpetrators gained access by breaking through the wall or roof of their target buildings. They did this to avoid being detected by alarm systems. Back then, alarms were wired around windows and doors, and it was very rare that an expensive motion detectors are used. The newspapers reported on these robberies and called them the Hole in the Wall Gang. However in the case of Bertha’s, they did have the expensive motion detectors. Frank has gone into Bertha’s a couple of times to case the joint out. He found they had motion detectors and so he determined the way to get into Bertha’s was to go through the roof over the safe and drill through the ceiling of the safe. He knew they did not have a motion detector inside the safe. What he did not know was they had an informant inside their crew. Frank suspected that one crew member could be a snitch. He tells how he was contacted in Las Vegas by two Chicago cops and they told him about a mutual acquaintance named Sal Romano. It seems that the Chicago PD had a case on Romano and the FBI had taken the case away and it seemed to disappear. Frank knew this meant trouble for anyone connected to Romano. He informed Spilotro and he refused to believe that Romano was working with the Feds. You have to listen to the exciting conclusion of this story and the story of his encounter with Spilotro’s widow recently. Tony S. Thanks to Paul Scharff and his Murder in McHenry, 1981 for info for this article. Thanks to Casey McBride for the track music. To learn more about Frank’s Las Vegas tour click here. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Frank Cullotta and Tony Spilotro Part 1 Jun 19, 2017

How Frank Cullotta met Tony Spilotro In this first of a 2 part interview of Frank Cullotta, we talk to a guy who was a career criminal from his teenage years and rose through the ranks of the Chicago Outfit from being an associate who made money as a burglar to becoming a “Mustache” or a “guy” in Tony Spilotro’s crew. If Spilotro was the boss of the Chicago Outfit in Las Vegas, then Frank was his Underboss. Frank came up on the west side of Chicago and first met Tony when they were 12 years old. Joey Aiuppa sent Tony Spilotro out to Las Vegas to monitor Lefty Rosenthal’s activities when he needed a backup, he called Frank Cullotta. Spilotro, Culotta and others at the Upper Crust Spilotro and Mad Sam Destefano Frank tells how the Chicago outfit placed Tony Spilotro with the vicious Outfit Associate, Mad Sam DisteFano to learn the loan sharking business and to keep an eye on Outfit money invested with Mad Sam. When I mentioned that I heard that Spilotro and Mad Sam’s brother killed Mad Sam, Frank hints that he will reveal the details of Mad Sam’s murder in his new book. Tony Spilotro made Frank the boss of his “Hole in the Wall Gang.” This was a crew of professional criminals who participated in many “high end” home and business burglaries in southern Nevada and Arizona. Frank shares the story of his relationship with Spilotro and some of the crimes that Spilotro committed. Frank reveals the real story behind the famous torture scene in the film, Casino, where the Joe Pesci character is tightening a vise on a man’s head. https://youtu.be/3-d5yU-aQ34 He has co-authored 3 books with famous mob author, Dennis Griffin. His most recent is The Rise and Fall of a Casino Mobster. To learn more about Frank’s Las Vegas tour click here. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Van Gogh and the Camorra Jun 05, 2017

Octave “Okkie” Durham, the thief behind one of the biggest art heists in history went on various Dutch talk shows to discuss how he stole two Van Gogh paintings worth millions from the Van Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in 2002. He claims he sold them to a Camorra drug boss. He also claims to have stayed at the home of then-FC Barcelona striker Patrick Kluivert while on the run from police. Durham is the subject of a documentary titled The Man Who Stole Two Van Goghs by Dutch news show Brandpunt. The 2002 Van Gogh heist in Amsterdam was a simple, grab a ladder, break into a second floor window and go out the back door to a waiting car while the police knocked on the front door. Durham and a friend, had been casing the famous Van Gogh museum for some time before they finally decided to go ahead and execute their plan. Using a stolen ladder, some rope, and a hammer the two men entered the museum filled with hundreds of millions worth’ of exclusive art. They grabbed Vincent van Gogh’s View of the Sea at Scheveningen and Congregation Leaving the Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church at Nuenen Reformed Church at Nuenen. As professional as “Okkie” may claim to be, he left behind a baseball cap with his DNA in it, putting authorities on his tail almost immediately. A lack of evidence and urgency, however, kept police from searching the burglar’s residence or other locations, giving him enough time to move the paintings to a safe location. He was unable to sell these priceless paintings to his regular contacts. One man, a Dutch drug boss Cor van Hout was eager to buy the paintings to use them as a bargaining chip for a court case, but he was shot to death before he and Durham could reach a deal. Durham then received a call from a man known as “Pinocchio,” who quickly closed the deal and purchased the two Van Gogh paintings. “Pinocchio” was an important player in the Amsterdam underworld. He lived there for twelve years and owned Coffeeshop Rockland, where tourists enjoyed smoking some weed. Pinocchio is Raffaele Imperiale, an Italian drug boss with close links to the Neapolitan Camorra. Durham has never told how much Imperiale paid for the paintings. In September of 2016 when Imperiale offers the paintings to Italian authorities in exchange for lowering his prison sentence. He has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for drug trafficking. He has yet to serve a day of his sentence as he remains a fugitive, living a life of luxury in Dubai. Life wasn’t so sweet for Durham, though. When police are on his tail he manages to flee to Spain where he eventually runs into Patrick Kluivert, star player of FC Barcelona. The two men knew each other from the old neighborhood back in Amsterdam. Durham tells Kluivert he is staying at a hotel and Kluivert asks him to stay with him at his mansion. The fugitive art thief is hesitant and tells Kluivert he is on the run from police and his presence might cause Kluivert some unwanted media attention. The Barcelona striker is dismissive however, telling “Okkie” he is in the media every day anyway. Thanks to David Amoruso the True Crime Blog, Gangstersinc.com In 2013, Italian police recovered the paintings during a raid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYLvypoCToo Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Joe Raimo and the Black Hand Part 2 May 29, 2017

In the second and final episode Gary and Aaron reveal the subsequent investigation by the Kansas City Police Department. Officer Joseph Raimo was assassinated at 11:15 PM on March 28, 1911 at 5th and Holmes. The officer was noted for his bravery and diligence in the performance of his duties. He had been especially assigned to the various Italian cases, and his untiring efforts aroused considerable enmity among the criminal classes of that nationality. Officers will use every means to bring to justice the perpetrators of this foul crime. March 29, 1911, KC Police arrest 4 men for the murder of Paulina Pizano. They are Lorenzo Messina, Nick DeHernnado, Sam Genuso and Joe Denusisio. The paper identifies as Syrians. They are found in possession of 3 shotguns exactly like the shotguns left by the assassins of Joe Raimo. We don’t know the disposition of these three men. By April 7, 1911, 300 copies of a reward poster were published in both English and Italian. The City Council offered a $1,000.00 reward. The Police Board discussed offering their own reward, but they never offered any reward. Because Joseph Raimo had recently become a member of the Police Relief Association, his widow was to be paid about $1500.00 from a life insurance policy they purchased for each officer. The Police board did pass a resolution to ask the court council to pay Raimos’ widow his salary for 6 months. During the next few days, speculation abounded. Some Italian residents speculated that the “bad” Italians were trying to raise a lot of money in the United States to be sent back to Italy to pay for the defense of a member of the Camorra. When asked what that had to do with the death of Joe Raimo, the residents said that Officer Raimo must have possessed that knowledge and since he was a man who treated all alike and would do his duty to stop them from using criminal methods to obtain this money. They also speculated that the spectacular killing of a man like Joseph Raimo would strike terror into the hearts of the gang’s proposed victims making their work easier. By this time, all Italian residents understood that only Sicilians could be members of the Black Hand and the public murder of a police officer was more likely to be a Black Hand crime. During the investigation, the KC Star printed an article explaining the two different Italian criminal organizations. One gang was the Camorra and to be in the Camorra, the member had to be from Naples. The paper said these two organizations never worked together and the Camorra was highly organized. The Camorra was a degeneration of several secret societies that brought about the unification of Italy. They learned the Black Hand was Sicilian and any members had to be from Sicily They believed the Black Hand was more a criminal method rather than an organization. They hold power by inveigling hope in some by hope of gain, in others by the fearful knowledge of its unscrupulous vengeance people it deems as traitors to their organization. The paper asked the question, does the Black Hand in Kansas City have anything to do with the Black Hand anywhere else? The police and the KC Star had obtained the Black Hand Letter by this time. They are convinced this was a legitimate Black Hand letter because it was written in Sicilian and in the manner the Sicilian words were pronounced. They noted the letter was written by two different people because there were two distinct handwriting styles. They connected this with the fact there were two assassins. A prominent Italian businessman agreed to provide some information on the Black Hand if he could remain anonymous. He said that until a couple of years ago, there was no La Mano Nera. Since that time, he knows of several businessmen who have received extortion letters from the Black Hand or La Mano Nera. He said they feel safer paying the protection money than going to the police and that is how they obtained power. He told the story of a friend who received an extortion letter and he tried to borrow money to pay the protection. The money lender advised him to take it to his brother in law who was a saloon keeper. The bother in law showed the letter around to his customers and told them that whoever sent this letter to his family member made a mistake and that was the end of it. Another friend went to the police over a letter that demanded $3,000.00 or his children would be kidnapped. He said he was going to put out a parcel with the money as directed by the letter. He believed the police would watch and arrest the suspects if they came for the money. He watched himself and abut 3:00 AM, two men appeared on the street acting like they were sweeping the street. They got close and he recognized them as Sicilians from the neighborhood. The police never put in any appearance. As the police investigated Joe’s death, they were told that there were only 6 men responsible for this outrage of killing Joe Raimo and all the other Black Hand crimes. However, no one would reveal those 6 names. One informant was quoted by the paper, “If Raimo was allowed to live and given the proper backing, he would have cleaned up the gang singlehandedly. He was ambitious and after he knew he was marked by the gang, he was desperate. He could have driven them out of town, but he wanted to gather enough information to convict them of their crimes” On April 3rd, at noon, Chief Wentworth Griffin and his chief of Detectives directed 23 detectives, 17 patrolmen in plain clothes and 15 uniform patrolmen to the area around Joe Raimo’s murder at 5th and Charlotte. The conducted a systematic search of all houses and inhabitants for three blocks around. This drew thousands of citizens from the surrounding neighborhoods to observe this invasion of Little Italy. These officers entered and searched every house and business. They arrested 60 men said to be of Sicilian extraction, recovered 29 shotguns, revolvers and rifles, a stiletto, a cane sword and many shotgun cartridges filled with the same kind of buckshot that killed officer Raimo. The police chief grew nervous at the sight of so many spectators, and ordered more police officers from the Walnut Street police station, the west bottoms station on Mulberry street and the Woodland Street Station in the south part of the city. The crowd was quiet and orderly out of respect for officer Raimo and they were content to bear silent witness to this raid. Officers released 42 of those arrested either on arrival at police headquarters or shortly after questioning. They continued to question the remaining 18 subjects throughout the night. Lt. Edward A. Parker, in charge of the Bertillon room, photographed the many firearms. I wondered what a Bertillon room was. I learned that this must the the room where they photographed criminals and kept identification records. In the early 1800s, French criminologist Alphonse Bertillon wanted to improve on the accuracy of criminal identification. What became known as the Bertillon System was an improvement of identification over simple mug shots and basic physical measurements, and was a forerunner to fingerprinting. This identification method was introduced into the United States in 1887. Alphonse Bertillon developed a system to measure certain bony portions of the body, including the skull, foot, cubit, trunk and left middle finger. These measurements were kept on Bertillon Cards which are about 5 6 by 5½ inches. They contain the front/profile photographs of the criminal and Bertillon measurements on the front of the card. During the day of the raids, Chief Griffin released a statement that he knew the suspects lived within a few blocks of where officer Raimo was killed. He said that he had information that he has known for some time that the Italian criminals in Kansas City have meeting places in Little Italy and they are known to store large quantities of guns and ammo. One of these places the police raided was a poolhall and bar located at 602 east 5th St. (about two blocks from the assassination site). In the front area, the police found pool tables, a counter separated this large room and behind the counter were two tables for card games. Near one of these tables was a hidden trap door in the floor leading to the cellar. In the cellar, they found a case of beer and 8 revolvers, 12 double barreled shotguns and several rifles. They also found many of the special shotgun cartridges loaded with buckshot. The Barbosi family, two brothers and a sister, recently Sicilian immigrants, lived in an apartment over the pool hall. They fled the city shortly after. Chief Griffin, Detective Inspector Boyle and Captain Flahive started the questioning as the prisoners were brought in. That evening, Captain J. J. Ennis, Night chief of Police, and Sgt. S. W. Zickefoose continued the interrogation of the suspects taken to police headquarters from Little Italy. As they took prisoners out of the lockup and returned them after questioning, Sgt. Zickefoose noticed the jailers were placing the prisoners who had already been “sweated” back into the same cells with prisoners waiting to be questioned. This allowed the new prisoners to learn the direction of the questioning before they were taken in. He quickly ordered these prisoners to be separated into the persons who had been “sweated” and the ones who had not. Some of the prominent Italians were questioned by the Kansas City Star reporters and when they were shown a list of the locations raided, like the pool hall, they responded with, “If they ever get anybody, they will get them there.” But, they refused to say any more. A friend of Joe Raimo, who refused to give his name, commented that Joe was a cop who knew Little Italy well and he knew those places and those people were not friendly to him. He said they were known hangouts for bad men. Many Italians became afraid of law enforcement after this raid, A rumor was started that the City would pass a “law of subsistence.

Joe Raimo and the Black Hand Part 1 May 22, 2017

Kansas Police Officer Joe Raimo was born September 23, 1879 in Naples Italy. He came to the United States, in 1892, when he was 13 years old. The Raimo family lived in Chicago until 1897. Joe and his mother moved to Kansas City, where he married, Genaverffa (Jennie) DiFeo on July 3, 1898. They were married by Father Cesare Spigardi at her parent’s home in the Italian neighborhood at 910 Missouri Ave. Their first child, Frank Joseph Raimo was born May 26, 1900. They would have six children altogether, but only 4 lived, Frank, Josphine, Benjamin and Fanny Joe Raimo was hired as a Kansas City on June 28, 1909 and he was the first Italian police officer hired. Chief Wentworth Griffin assigned him the North End or the Italian neighborhood. He actually lived in his patrol area at 521 Charlotte. In December, 1910, a Paulina Pizano, who runs a North End grocery store at 301 Campbell, received a black hand letter asking for $50.00. The next month, in January, 1911, another shopkeeper, Vincenzo Lasiado, was killed in front of his store at 412 East 4th St. Joe was investigating these murders when he received a threatening letter from the Black Hand. In February, 1911, Joe was off duty in a saloon over by the city market when he overheard three men talking about these murders. As they talked, one man looked around the saloon and recognizes Joe. After that, he had have informants that are warning me of a plot to have him killed. and it got a threatening letter. It is translated here. “Mr Raimo, Traitor, the others want money and you know it and this notice brings you death. Beware! The last notice!” In this episode Gary and Aaron interview the ghost of Joe Raimo and tell about the murder and how his son, Frank, found the Black Hand letter and gave it to Kansas City Star reporters. Thanks to Alex Virgo for his impersonation of Officer Joe Raimo. Click here to see a performance. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Joe Petrosino and The Black Hand May 08, 2017

Petrosino Park Joe Petrosino was the first cop to investigate the Mob in the United States. Steven Taltry has written a thrilling account of Petrosino and his investigation into Petrosino and His Italian Squad the Black Hand, an organization that will morph into the American Mafia. His book, The Black Hand, has been optioned to be made into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Joe Petrosino was able to penetrate the secrets of the American Mafia because he spoke Sicilian and had many friends and relationships with Sicilian immigrants. He even prevented the Mafia from extorting money form the beloved Italian singer, Caruso. In this episode we interview New York Times best selling author Steven Taltry. Mr Taltry made his bones as police reporter during the cocaine wars in Miami during the 198os. He’s written for the New York Times Magazine, GQ, Playboy, the Irish Times, the Chicago Review and many other publications. Talty is the author of five non-fiction books: Mulatto America, about the mixing of black and white culture throughout American History; Empire of BlueWater, the story of the great pirate captain Henry Morgan; The Illustrious Dead, about Napoleon’s invasion of Russia and the typhus epidemic that doomed it; Escape from the Land of Snows, an account of the Dalai Lama’s escape from Tibet in 1959; and Agent Garbo, the story of the greatest double agent of World War II, Juan Pujol. His first work of fiction, a crime novel called Black Irish, introduces the Harvard-educated detective, Absalom Kearney, and marks the beginning of a new crime series. He is also the co-author of the New York Times bestselling account, A Captain’s Duty, with Captain Richard Phillips, the hero of the Maersk Alabama hijacking. The book is being made into a film starring Tom Hanks, to be released in late 2013. Visit the facebook page Petrosino Square. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Alan Gunnar Lindbloom and the Detroit Mob Part 2 Apr 17, 2017

In this second episode, Alan tells more about his book To Be a King and the problems of writing inside a prison. We learn a lot about how to rob a drug dealer. You just get a contact inside a strip club to tip you off when a high roller is on the premises. Get your crew together and wait for the dealer to leave. Most often, the dealer will go to an all night diner for breakfast after partying with strippers. At that time, a decision must be made, do you storm the diner an hold everybody at bay while you rob the dealer or follow him home. If you follow him home, the skilled holdup man will kick open the front door immediately after the dealer enters. Gives him less time to get to any guns. Alan finishes with the story of how he was sentenced to 13 years in prison. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Gunnar Alan Lindbloom and the Detroit Mob Part 1 Apr 16, 2017

Gunnar Alan Lindbloom visits Gangland Wire in this first of a two part series on his life in the Detroit underworld. Gunnar was the 1/2 Sicilian which kept him out the the Brogata or La Cosa Nostra or as the they call it in Detroit, the Syndicate or Combination. Gunnar was born into the extended family of Detroit Mob boss Jack Tocco. He was recently released from a 13 year stretch in the Michigan state prison system. While inside he authored 8 books. His book To Be A King is released either today or within the next few days click here to find this book. In our first episode Mr. Lindbloom tells about his young adult life growing up Tocco. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

The Trial of Al Capone Part 2 Apr 03, 2017

This second episode recounts in great detail the interactions between jurors in the famous trial of Al Capone for income tax evasion. CAPONE JURORS NATE C. BROWN, 64, retired, Protestant, SL Charles. BURR DUGAN, 54, farmer Catholic McClare. T. HEINRICHS, 52, engineer. Protestant, Thornton. GEORGE H. LARSEN, 41, breadmaker, Protestant, Thornton A. G., 65, country store owner, Protestant. Prairie View. W. F. McCORMICK, 58, receiving clerk. Catholic. Maywood. M. E. MERCHANT, 30, real estate broker. Catholic, Waukegan. ARTHUR O. PROCHNO 49, insurance, Protestant, Edison Park C. SMART, 43, painter, Protestant, Libertyville. JOHN A. WALTER, 54, abstracter. Protestant.,Yorkville. LOUIS P. WEIDLING, 62, pointer. Protestant, Wilmington. LOUIS T., 64, retired, Protestant, Chicago. “We were taken to quarters in the Great Northern hotel. We had to stay in our rooms. There were three rooms for twelve men. Some of us had to sleep double. We readily saw that we were going to Capone Jury be more prisoner than the defendant in the case. We decided we might as get acquainted. We divided into groups which could be broadly and roughly defined as students, gossipers, and jokers. Among us, it developed, were a couple of men who had as jurors in the income tax case of Ralph Capone, Al’s brother, a year or two before. They had convicted him. I was told that these men wanted to get on Al Capone’s case to give him some of the same medicine. Our guards were Deputies Frank Otto and Ladd Purcha. They telephoned our families that we would not be home. Next all our clothing was minutely examined. Pockets were turned Inside out. Cuffs of trousers were rolled down. Even sleeves were turned inside out. Correspondence was carefully censored. We were not allowed to talk over the phone to our families, even in the presence of a deputy. We were not allowed to see our wives. Our newspapers were strictly censored. The deputies wielded scissors very expertly, cutting out headlines and stories pertaining to the Ca. pone trial. Once they slipped. We saw a five-line item about Philip D’Andrea, Capone’s bodyguard, who was arrested in court while carrying a gun. This little item was con. in a news column entirely unrelated to the Capone case. This 2 how the deputies missed it. When they learned about it they became greatly excited. I assured them, however, that only a few of LIs had seen the item. I destroyed it. Not only newspapers, but magazines also, were censored. Nor did the radio escape. We wanted to go in a body to either a Protestant or Catholic church. This was denied. Capone with Defense and Prosecution It wasn’t long before I clashed with the jury guards. I took notes of the testimony the first. morning. During the recess the guard ordered me to stop taking notes. He said it was not allowed. I told him to ask the judge. He said he could not do this. I pointed out that jurors ought to be permitted to take notes the same as lawyers and others who were more familiar with the trial of cases. I don’t know if the guard asked the judge, but, anyway, I was permitted to take notes. They proved helpful later on. As the trial progressed I for one got the idea that the government lawyers were making a good case out of nothing and that they did not want Capone’s tax money, which he had offered in compromise, so much as they wanted him and the honor that went with a conviction. We all were impressed with the bearing and evident fairness of Judge Wilkerson and the conduct of the prosecution and defense lawyers. District Attorney George E. Q. Johnson, Dwight N. Green, Samuel Clawson, and Jacob I. Grossman for the prosecution. Michael Ahern and Albert Fink for the defense. We naturally studied Capone considerably and noted that he had a ready smile. We were highly concerned with every bit of evidence, every exhibit, every witness. We were particular- ly interested in the grandiose things that we had read about Capone, some of which now were being un- folded to us . We heard about h is Florida mansion and walled-in estate on Palm Island. We tried to visualize it. Some of us recalled seeing pictures of Ca- pone clad in a bathing suit and fishing from the deck of his yacht. Witnesses told of huge sums that Capone spent on entertainment. In addition there was the evidence on gambling. Stacks of checks for thousands of dollars Were introduced. These were described as rep- resenting gambling gains and losses. This impressed us. So did the diamond belt buckles that Capone gave to his friends. The trial was long. We naturally tired at times. This probably was due more to our confinement than to anything else, We were practically prisoners In our hotel. Our meals excellent but too heavy, considering the little exercise we were allowed. One of the Jurors, Mr. Merchant, became Ill. For a time we thought the case would be delayed. Walking was our main exercise. Occasionally we were on short strolls in Michigan Avenue, but mostly our walks were around the federal building during the noon recess. This was not always pleasant. Crowds stared at us as Al Capone waiting for verdict though we were . Many people apart from newspaper men trick to take our pictures. We didn’t want our pictures taken. Whenever one of us spotted a camera we d give a warning and dodge or turn our heads. Capone convicted We had our reasons. Most of us feared that pictures might make us or our families targets for annoyance. This actually happened in my case, I learned later. While I was on the jury many automobiles drove slowly past my house, their occupants gazing intently into the front porch. Several times practical jokers called my wife, only to hang up abruptly. This worried her. Inside the courtroom we forgot outside worries and gave complete attention to the case. We realized its importance. We realized the mighty battle going on between the two groups of lawyers. Without prejudging Capone’s case, we were not unconscious of what he represented in the public eye. We could not help knowing he was the biggest representative of gangland in the world. And there he was, a big, fat man, facing the bar of justice like any other man accused of crime, and we, twelve ordinary citizens, sitting in judgment. Near the end of the second week we realized that this case was coming to an end. We were quite happy, because all of us were anxious to get home, and some of us were on edge. Our nerves were getting a little ragged. One of the men had been ill. A few of us thought the case would be over by Friday, Oct. 16. That was the day that dissension first broke out. By that time it was evident that the jury was separating into factions on the question of guilt or innocence.” This is sample of the Chicago Tribune first person account by Capone juror, Authur O. Prochno. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

The Trial of Al Capone Part 1 Mar 26, 2017

Al Capone Juror I found a detailed newspaper account written by a juror shortly after the October 5, 1931 trail of Al Capone for income tax evasion at the federal courthouse in downtown Chicago. For several weeks before the scheduled start of the Capone trial, informant Eddie O’Hare notified the prosecutor and the lead Treasury Agent investigator, Frank Wilson, that Capone’s organization had a complete list of prospective jurors and was already “passing out $1,000 bills,” promising political jobs, giving away tickets to prize fights, and “using muscle too.” Wilson and the U.S. Attorney Johnson got a list of 10 names from O’Hare, names 30 to 39 on the jury list. Wilson and U. S. Attorney Johnson related O’Hare’s story to Judge Wilkerson in his chambers. Wilkerson told the men that he hadn’t yet received his jury list for the Capone trial, but when he did, he would call them. When the names on Wilkerson’s list turned out to match exactly with the names on O’Hare’s list, the judge met once again with Wilson and prosecutors. The judge seemed curiously unconcerned and said “Bring your case into court as planned, gentlemen.” Frank Wilson Treasury Agent He told the government’s attorneys. “Leave the rest to me.” On the first day of trial, Capone and his attorney smiled at jurors as they sat at the defendant’s table. Judge Wilkerson took his seat at the bench and looked out over the packed courtroom. He called the bailiff to the bench. “Judge Edwards has another trial commencing today,” he told the bailiff. “Go to his courtroom and bring me his entire panel of jurors; take my entire panel to Judge Edwards.” Al Capone’s smile sank when he saw the jury was switched. The prosecutor outlined the 23 charges of tax evasion against Capone in the government’s opening statement. The first witness, Charles W. Arndt, a tax collector for the United States, told jurors that Al Capone failed to file any tax return at all during for the years 1924 through 1929. Thus begins the famous trial of Al Capone. In this two part story, I will recount the trial from the perspective of a juror. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Mad Sam DeStefano Chicago Outfit Part 2 Mar 19, 2017

“Mad Sam” was truly a crazy sadist. He liked to muse about feeding his victims to victims to the pigs. He drove to pig farms just to watch them for hours. A government witness, Charles Crimaldi, claimed DeStefano made his wife Anita take his gun and put the end of the barrel in her mouth, then demanded that she pull the trigger. When she pulled the trigger and the gun didn’t go off, DeStefano began to laugh and told her that he had removed the bullets. He would tell this story over and over again to his mob associates for amusement. FBI Agent William “Bill” Roemer wrote that the Bureau assigned him to visit and question “Mad Sam” in his home. Agent Roemer said DeStefano would walk down the stairs in his pajamas, with his penis hanging out. The visiting agents would drink coffee and they noticed it had a unique taste. “Mad Sam” claimed the coffee was made from special Italian coffee beans. Roemer learned that DeStefano had been urinating in the coffee. A story is told that DeStefano forced a stranger into his car at gunpoint, took the man to his house. he forced his wife to perform oral copulation on this stranger. We know this because afterward, the man went to the nearest police station and reported the incident. Sam brought his brothers, Mario and Michael into the Outfit loan sharking business. Mario was an excellent associate because he was almost as sick as “Mad Sam.” Michael was not cut out for this business and developed a heroin addiction. DeStefano’s Outfit bosses ordered Sam to kill his brother, Michael. On September 17th, 1955 the Chicago Police received a call with the location of a fresh body in a car’s trunk. The cops found a dead Michael, he was shot in the body, but not in the head. The body was cleaned up and was made sure to be found early. It was during this time, the early 1960s that a young jewel thief and enforcer named Tony Spilotro was coming up in the Outfit. “Mad Sam” took Spilotro in as a juice loan collector. Mad Sam claimed he personally mentored Tony Spilotro. The first scene in Casino is a man with his head in a vise as the Joe Pecsi character questions him. Two men named Billy McCarthy and Jimmy Miraglia had stepped out of line because they committed a triple murder in the Outfit neighborhood of Elmwood Park. In May of 1962, the Outfit bosses gave Mad Sam’s collector Spilotro the job of killing McCarthy and Miraglia along with Charles Nicoletti. Spilotro was friends with Frank Cullotta and he got Cullotta to set up McCarthy. They kidnapped 24-year-old Billy McCarthy. The men started torturing McCarthy to find out the name of his accomplice. Spilotro had placed the man’s head in an industrial vice and started squeezing it tighter and tighter. Suddenly, McCarthy’s eye popped completely out of its socket. At that point, he revealed his accomplice’s name. Later the killers found Jimmy Miraglia and they merely killed him. Years later, Tony Spilotro told this story to his friend Frank Cullotta. Spilotro was impressed by Nicoletti’s reaction to the gory scene: “Boy, this is a heartless guy. He was eating pasta when Billy’s eye popped out.” Frank Cullotta tells a story about the one time that he was with “Mad Sam.” Frank thinks that he just needs to talk to his lawyer, so they go to the lawyer’s office. Sam started yelling and screaming at this lawyer because he did not take care of a guy on a case like he said that he would. He started calling him names, grabbing him, and threatening the lawyer. “Mad Sam” zips down his pants and starts to urinate on the lawyer. The lawyer thanks “Mad Sam” for not killing him on the way out. Frank cannot believe that this really happened. “Mad Sam” had one the biggest, if not the biggest loan shark business in the 50-60s in Chicago. “Mad Sam” enjoyed his line of work. The fact that he was probably bringing in around a million dollars a year on “juice” loans, was not his favorite part. His favorite part was collecting the debts when people didn’t or couldn’t pay. He liked torturing people. Not all of mad Sam’s victims were killed. He liked to humiliate his victims. Peter Cappelletti, a collector for DeStefano, fled Chicago with $25,000 from a loan shark victim. DeStefano’s men located Cappelletti in Wisconsin and brought him back to Chicago. DeStefano chained Cappelletti to a radiator in the back of a restuarant and tortured him for three days. While a banquet was going on, Cappelletti was secretly being tortured in the back of the restaurant. “Kill me man, please, I’m on fire!” Cappelletti implored, to which DeStefano replied “Then we need to put the fire out” before having his men drag the severely burned Cappelletti into the dining area and forcing the man’s family to urinate on him in unison. Following the banquet, the family quickly paid back the stolen money. Mad Sam will eventually be killed by his protege Tony Spilotro and his remaining brother, Mario. A fitting for “Mad Sam.” To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Mad Sam DeStefano Chicago Outfit Part 1 Mar 13, 2017

Sam “Mad Sam” DeStefano will become the Chicago Outfit’s most notorious loan shark and sociopathic killer. No less an authority than FBI agent and mob fighter, William F. Roemer, Jr., considered DeStefano to be the worst torture-murderer in the history of the United States. Samuel DeStefano, Jr. was born on September 13, 1909 in Streator, Illinois. Samuel DeStefano, Sr. was a laborer and later had a produce market. He and his wife Rosalie DeStefano (née Brasco), immigrated from Italy to the United States in 1903. Destefano, Sr., would rise in status and later a real estate salesman. Mad Sam’s father was not an Outfit member and would die of natural causes, in 1942, at age 77. His mother, Rosalie, was a housewife, who throughout her life was supported by the contributions of her children. She died in October 1960. In all, the DeStefanos had six children, four sons and two daughters. In the early 1900s the DeStefano family moved to Herrin, Illinois, where Sam Sr. worked in the local coal mine. After the labor-related turmoil surrounding the Herrin Massacre,(this was a coal mine strike and union members killed several strikebreakers), the DeStefano family moved north to Chicago’s Little Italy. By the age of 17, on September 12, 1926, Sam Jr. was arrested in Chicago as a fugitive for breaking out of jail. He became involved in gang activity and in July, 1927, several hundred Westside gang members showed up threatening violence against a police sergeant for arresting DeStefano and shooting DeStefano’s associate Harry Casgrovi. In November 1927, Chicago police arrested DeStefano and another gang member Ralph Orlando on charges of kidnapping and the rape of a 17-year-old girl. DeStefano was found guilty of rape but was sentenced to only three years because the police arrived before DeStefano had actually raped the girl. In 1930, DeStefano joined the infamous Forty-Two Gang. This gang became a conduit for Sam and fellow gang members like future Outfit boss, Salvatore “Sam” Giancana to move up into Al Capone’s Chicago Outfit. The Outfit would hire gang members as beer runners or truck drivers and help fence their booty from various robberies and burglaries. Sam “Momo” Giancana had built a reputation as a skilled wheel man and became the first Forty-Two member to join the Outfit. He eventually became a protégé of Tony “Joe Batters” Accardo and Paul “The Waiter” Ricca. With his induction, Giancana was able to eventually bring a number of his fellow gang members like Mad Sam into the Outfit. Many former Forty-Two members like Joey Aiuppa would go on to rule the Outfit well into the 1970s. Al Capone’s bootlegging and gambling operations brought Mad Sam into the Outfit. In 1932, a policeman shot and wounded him during a grocery store robbery. DeStefano appeared at a hospital on Chicago’s West Side with bullet wounds, which he refused to explain. In 1933, DeStefano got his first taste of the big time when he was was convicted of a Wisconsin bank robbery. The judge sentenced him to 40 years in prison. But after 11 years, the Wisconsin Governor released in him in December 1944. DeStefano got a job in a printing plant but he was soon returning to prison for possessing counterfeit sugar ration stamps. This was an opportune sentence, because while in the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, DeStefano became close to Outfit members Paul Ricca and Louis Campagna. DeStefano was released in 1947 and the Outfit helped him obtain a civil service job in Chicago as a garbage dump foreman. By the 1950s, DeStefano became one of the most well known loan shark operators in Chicago. he had cash left over from his Wisconsin bank robbery and he began investing in Chicago real estate. He bought a 24-suite apartment building and used the rent money as legitimate income to bribe local aldermen and other politicians. DeStefano soon became known as the most successful fixer in Chicago as he bribed city officials, prominent judges, and law enforcement officers. DeStefano often bragged “there wasn’t any case he couldn’t fix. Since that time law enforcement learned that Mad Sam’s fees ranged from $800 for fixing a robbery case to $1,500 for an assault case. Allegedly, DeStefano once fixed a murder case for $20,000. In Chicago where the corruption was so open and notorious, police officers often took arrests directly to mad Sam’s house for their bribe. When they received the bribe and released their suspects, that person would be “put on the juice” to DeStefano in exchange for his assistance. The political corruption business created the loan sharking business for mad Sam. By the 1960s, DeStefano was a leading Outfit loan shark. His victims included politicians, lawyers and small-time criminals. DeStefano charged 20% to 25% a week in “vig” or interest. These high-risk debtors, such as drug addicts or business men who had already defaulted on previous debts, were often delinquent in making payments. DeStefano reportedly looked forward to dealing with his delinquents. He would bring them to the sound-proof torture chamber he had built in his basement. Other gangsters said the sadistic DeStefano would actually foam at the mouth while torturing his victims. From time to time, DeStefano would also kill debtors who owed him small sums just to scare other debtors into paying their bigger debts. DeStefano had an unusual practice. In order to provide evidence that his customers/victims were really just friends and not loan shark victims, he would give his loan shark victims presents, such as a gold watch with his name engraved on the back. Then if they ever complained to the police or he had to murder them, he could use the watch as proof of how close he was to the victim and why he could never have harmed him. Under normal circumstances, the Outfit would have distanced itself from DeStefano due to his sadistic, irrational behavior. However, the bosses tolerated DeStefano because he earned them a great deal of money. DeStefano was such a successful earner, most Outfit bosses like Giancana and Tony Accardo invested some of their own money in DeStefano’s loansharking operations. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Bob Berdella Serial Killer Part 4 Jan 23, 2017

L-R Aaron, Gary and Troy In this fourth and final episode of our interview with Troy Cole, we learn about Berdella’s frantic efforts to avoid the death penalty. First, he tries to plead guilty to one count of murder. The father of one victim attacks Berdella at a hearing. The prosecutor quickly moved and avoid Berdella from controlling any of the court procedures. He makes a last ditch attempt to save his house from state confiscation. Finally, a deal is struck and in exchange for the prosecutor not asking for the death penalty, Berdella agrees to cooperate and tell the authorities the names of all his victims reveal what he did with the bodies. Troy Cole and his main detective along with the Chief Prosecutor and trial prosecutor meet for hours with Berdella. He reveals in gleeful detail exactly what happened inside his house of horrors. he will explain all the codes in the torture logs he kept. In the end, Berdella goes to the Missouir State Pen for several life terms. In a few years, after creating as much administrative haqvoc as possible, Berdella dies from a heart attack in 1992. the ironic fact about his death was he had written to a Kansas City minister and complained many times about how the Prison authorities withheld his heart medicine. He was taken back to his home town of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and buried with his father. Click here to see gravesite. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Bob Berdella Serial Killer – Part 3 Jan 17, 2017

In Part 3, Troy Cole relates how his detectives encountered problems trying to identify the young men in the photos found in the home of Bob Berdella. Most of these men had lived lives estranged from long time friends and even family. By the end of the first week into this investigation, a whole special squad was formed with detectives from Homicide, Sex Crimes and Vice. They set up a command post inside the show-up room. The word got around that this was a very high profile case with lurid details. Cops, having a morbid curiosity like most folks, wanted to learn all the gory details. Troy soon found that from high level commanders down to the newest rookie all had a desire to see the torture photographs the detectives found. Troy consulted with his commander, Lt. Col. Bob Jenkins, and they decided to move the command post to a secret location to keep away the distraction of the curious. They found a large room at a little used police building. Once some phone lines were installed, the entire squad moved. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Bob Berdella Serial Killer – Part 2 Jan 07, 2017

In episode 2, Troy Cole tells about the search of this chamber of horrors. The house was in complete disarray, kind of like a teenage kid’s room. When Bob got done with something, he just threw it down. Except for the torture logs which were found on the second floor. An interview of Christopher Bryson revealed he had been kept captive and injected with several unknown substances that created burning and stinging sensations. As the officers searched the second floor they found a room exactly as the room described by Bryson. The bed had tethers on the headboard and they had been burned through exactly as Bryson had described how he made his escape. In another bedroom, under a mattress, a searching detective found an envelope containing a couple of hundred Polaroid photographs.In these photos, Cole found images of several other young men. To his horror, these men seemed to be tethered to the same bed and were being tortured. Other detectives find a skull on the first floor and in close proximity they found a bag of loose teeth. At this time, Cole heads home to watch the NCAA. shortly after, he is called back to the scene because the searchers were finding more evidence that this was a homicide scene. One of the Polaroids contained human body hanging from a basement rafter that had be be dead. Cole explains that this body showed signs of liver in the lower extremities. More homicide detectives are called in and subjected to the inch by inch search of a filthy, stinky, gross chamber of horrors. These detectives worked until 2:00 AM Easter Sunday morning. A forensic pathologist is called out and he examines the skull and loose teeth. The pathologist concludes this skull is not an old artifact or fake and is probably a recent death. The next morning Cole and CSI Captain Ron Canady examine the yard as other detectives return to searching the interior. Capt. Canady notes there is a place in the yard with the ground disturbed. this plot is about the size of a grave. He calls in a back hoe and the second shovelful reveals a human skull with the hair still attached. At that time, Cole thinks that all those young men he had seen in the Polaroids were dead and buried in the back yard. Troy Cole realizes he is now into one of the biggest criminal cases he has ever worked. The Crime Lab Supervisor, Gary Howell, takes over the crime scene. He calls in a group of recruits from the academy to dig the yard up with hand shovels. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Bob Berdella Serial Killer – Part 1 Jan 07, 2017

L-R Aaron, Gary and Troy This is the first of a 4-part series of interviews with retired Kansas City Police Department Sergeant Troy Cole. On April 2, 1988, Homicide Sergeant Troy Cole was preparing to leave work and looking forward to watching his Oklahoma Sooners play Arizona in the NCAA tournament that night. He received a call from the police dispatcher that a naked man wearing a dog collar and leash was claiming he had been kidnapped and tortured. A uniformed officer, Larry Lewis, had requested the Crimes Against Person’s Unit Supervisor be notified. Sgt. Cole sent 2 Sex Crimes detectives, Ashley Hurn and Darwin Dupree, out to investigate. Shortly after, Detective Hurn called Sgt. Cole and said this looked like it might be a real kidnapping and crime and the suspect was a Bob Berdella. Most police officers encountering this kind of scene will approach skeptically until the evidence proves this is not just a falling out of lovers. Note – if you don’t like it that cops are skeptical when confronted with this street scenario, go out and work the streets and then come back and talk. 4315 Charlotte The naked man, Christopher Bryson, points out a nearby house, 4315 Charlotte St., and claims that is the house where he was held captive by a man named Bob. Det. Hurn sends Mr. Bryson to a nearby hospital and returns to his office to prepare a search warrant for the house. Police Officer Cindy Cherry is left to guard the home when a man drives up and asks what is going on. Officer Cherry learns this is the owner of the home Bob Berdella. He is placed under arrest for forcible sodomy based on Bryson’s allegations. While Sgt. Cole will get to watch his favorites, the Oklahoma Sooners, defeat Arizona, what seemed to start as a simple gay lovers quarrel will soon dominate Troy Cole’s life for several months. In the next episode, Sgt. Cole tells how his team will uncover evidence that will force him to merely hear the reports of how the Kansas Jayhawks defeat his Sooners for the NCAA championship on April, 4, 1988. Sgt. (Ret.) Troy Cole and former KC Star and now Washington Post reporter, Tom Jackman, published an account of this case, the Rites of Burial. To go to the Store click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Janitor In a Drum – Part 2 Dec 19, 2016

Korner Sandwich in 2016 In this last episode of 2016, Retired Chicago P.D. Detective Jim Padar tells how he learned the real story behind why Chicago Outfit associates Samuel Marcello and Joseph Grisafe were killed. He also reveals how they learned about the subjects who placed the bodies in the drum and what happened to those men. Read this story and many other great cop stories from the mouths of the men how lived the job, Jim Padar and his son, Chicago cop Jay Padar by clicking here. To purchase premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Janitor In a Drum – Part 1 Dec 12, 2016

In our last episode we told a story about how just before Thanksgiving day in 1973, Chicago Outfit associates Samuel Marcello and Joseph Grisafe parked in front of a fire hydrant at Taylor & Western on the west side of Chicago. They would enter the Korner Sandwich Shop just down the block and never be seen again, until the next summer. A month later in January , Sam Rantis, the sandwich shop owner, was found in the trunk of his car at O’Hare International Airport, dead. On a hot July night, 6 months later, Chicago Homicide Detective, Jim Padar and his partner will be assigned to go investigate a body in a drum. In the first of 2 episodes, now retired Det. Padar will tell about how he and his son, Chicago Police Officer Jay Padar, collaborated to tell this and many other real stories of life on the Chicago Police Department. Additionally, Jim will recount his first persons observations of that night and explain how he investigated what he called the Janitor in a Drum case. Read this story and many other great cop stories from the mouths of the men how lived the job, Jim Padar and his son, Chicago cop Jay Padar by clicking here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Angelo Lonardo – Cleveland Mob – Part 2 Nov 08, 2016

In the Cleveland mob war the Danny Greene gang (Danny was backed by mob associate and teamster John Nardi who had been mad because he thought he should be boss over Licavoli) the city experienced almost 40 car bombings. Nardi was killed on May 17, 1977 by a car bomb in the parking lot of the Teamster Hall in Cleveland. After eight failed attempts to kill Greene, the Cleveland mob boss, Jack Licavoli contracted Ray Ferritto to assassinate him. First Ferritto killed Bill McDuffee, Greene’s right hand man. The next try was for Greene. While Greene was inside a building with his car in the parking lot, Ferritto and Ronald Carrabbia planted a box bomb inside a bomb car, they parked the car next to Greene’s. When Greene came out was entering his car, Carabbia set off the bomb, killing Greene. Ferritto later heard that the Cleveland crime family wanted him dead, so he flipped and made a deal with the authorities. The building where this all took place is called “Brainard Place” and still stands today. It can be easily seen as you enter/exit the Interstate-271 Exit 32 ramps. In the aftermath of the conflict, many Cleveland Mafiosi, including the boss, Licavoli, were convicted of various crimes. After Licavoli was sent to prison for the murder of Danny Greene in 1982, Angelo Lonardo, the son of Prohibition mob boss Joseph Lonardo, took control of the Cleveland crime family. He led the family until 1984 when he was convicted of running a drug ring and was sentenced to life in prison. He then became an informant, making him the highest-ranking Mafia turncoat up to that time. During these turbulent times, the FBI in Kansas City was tapping phones and building a case against the Chicago, Milwaukee, Kansas City and Cleveland mobs for skimming from Las Vegas casinos. In the subsequent trials, Angelo “Big Ange” Lonardo confirmed what the wiretaps had demonstrated, and Maishe Rockman had told him. It must have been extra tough to testify against his brother-in-law, Mashie Rockman. He will testify that a man named Allen Glick went to Frank Peter Balistrieri, a mob boss in Milwaukee, and asked for his influence to get a 62 million dollar Teamster pension fund loan. Balistrieri asked Nick Civella in Kansas City to get the cooperation of Kansas City Teamster boss Roy Lee Williams and for Milton Rockman to use his relationship with Cleveland Teamster president Jackie Presser and Chicago influenced Allen Dorman of the Teamsters to get loan approval. The loan was approved, and Glick bought the Stardust, The Hacienda, the Frontier and the Marina casinos. Soon, Chicago installed lefty Rosenthal inside the Stardust, and at least 100,000 a month started flowing to these four mob families. Big Ange testified that Rockman was the pickup man for the Cleveland share. This share was as much as $40,000 monthly, with Lonardo getting $10,000 monthly. Teamsters Jackie Presser and Roy Williams received about $1,500.00 a month. Lonardo alleges that Milwaukee and Kansas City mobs align with the Chicago Outfit. Cleveland is aligned with the Genevose Family in New York City. Big Ange will get out of prison and return to live openly his last years in Cleveland. After leaving the witness protection program, Angelo Lonardo lived quietly in northeast Ohio until his death in March of 2006 at the age of 95. He remains one of the most significant figures in the history of the American Mafia. To purchase premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Angelo Lonardo – Cleveland Mob – Part 1 Nov 01, 2016

Angelo Lonardo Angelo Lonardo “Big Ange” In the 1980s, the FBI recorded Cleveland Mob Underboss, Joey Gallo, “Angelo Lonardo is probably one of the most respected guys in the whole United States.” Gallo went on to state, “He’s really the kind of guy we needed in this town a long time ago, but you know, nobody ever listened to him because… he don’t express himself… But out of everybody that’s left, this guy commands a lot of respect… I respect him not only because I have to because, I’m telling you, he’s a great guy.” Even police detectives and F.B.I. agents had a certain respect for Lonardo. “To me, he was almost like the movie version of The Godfather,” a policeman commented. “He was always the gentleman, not a tough street rat. He was someone who recognized us as people in the same general line of work – on an opposing team, of course.” Like KC Underboss Tuffy DeLuna, Lonardo maintained respect for the police. When detectives would arrive at his home to execute a search or arrest warrant, Lonardo and his wife would treat them like guests even inviting them to sit and have coffee. I was part of a search warrant team at DeLuna’s house and he did the same thing. In 1982, Lonardo was charged in a major drug ring operated by Joey Gallo and others. Strike Force prosecutor Donna Congeni was impressed with Lonardo’s demeanor in the court room. “He was the epitome of class,” she once remarked. She later said, “Because of his years of careful training in the art of secrecy and insulation, with meetings held in back rooms and decisions made with nods and coded phrases, our case against Angelo Lonardo was difficult to prove.But once drug ring leader and informant Carmen Zagaria testified about Lonardo’s methods, the jury could see his power and control.” As a result of sentences handed down by U.S. District Court Judge John Manos, Angelo Lonardo, Joe Gallo and several others would be destined to life behind federal bars. Lonardo survived the most hazardous pitfalls of Mafia involvement – mob bullets and prison. Through a lifetime of earning money from criminal and legitimate enterprises, he had spent only eighteen months incarcerated. After his incarceration for the narcotics conviction in 1983, F.B.I. agents began visiting Lonardo and offered deals in exchange for his testimony. They promised to get him out of prison on an appeal bond. Lonardo had inside knowledge of the Midwest mob’s skimming operation in Las Vegas. In August of 1983, the government brought Lonardo to Kansas City to testify before the U.S. grand jury investigating this skimming from several Las Vegas casinos. Lonardo refused to testify, despite an offer of immunity and a judicial order. Soon thereafter, Lonardo must have been weighing his options. He is looking at life in prison, He had an appeal pending but after that was denied, he quietly slipped away to a prison pay phone and called the agent who had visited him. He had made a painfully tormenting decision that would have far-reaching effects throughout the national underworld. “Are you still there?” he quietly asked. At age 77, the highest ranking Mob boss who ever came over broke the code of Omerta and became a government witness in the Las Vegas skimming trials. Senator Nunn: Thank you, Senator Roth. Mr. Lonardo, why don't you proceed. Mr. Lonardo: My name is Angelo Lonardo. I am 77 years old, and I am a member of the La Cosa Nostra. I am the former underboss of the Cleveland organized crime family. I became a member of La Cosa Nostra in the late 1940's, but have been associated with the organization since the late 1920's. When I was "made" or became a member of La Cosa Nostra, I went through an initiation ceremony. I later learned that to be proposed for membership in La Cosa Nostra, you would have to have killed someone and stood up to the pressure of police scrutiny. Today, you do not have to kill to be a member, but just prove yourself worthy by keeping your mouth shut or by being a "stand-up" guy. However, if you are called upon to kill someone, you have to be prepared to do it. In my case, my father was murdered by Salvatore Todaro in 1927. In revenge, my cousin, Dominic Sospirato, and I killed Todaro. This is one of the reasons that I was proposed for membership in La Cosa Nostra. Big Aage’s father was Cleveland Mob Boss Joseph Lonardo during the 1930s. He was killed by Salvatore Todaro. Angelo Lodardo killed Todaro in retaliation. Lonardo was eventually forgiven for this killing because the Commission had not approved this in advance. After a temporary time when the Commission “closed the books” on new members, he was made in a ceremony in the late 1940s. During the next 20 years Big Ange would live the life of a made guy in Cleveland loansharking, overseeing illegal gambling interests and other mob activities. During the 1970s, the Cleveland family partnered with Moe Dalitz, Moe Dalitz Maurice Kleinman and other Jewish gamblers who had been running illegal casinos in Kentucky. These Jewish gamblers bought into the Desert Inn and the Cleveland family provided protection from other mobsters for a piece of the action. Dalitz would buy into the Stardust with mob money, probably teamster money, and Chicago and Cleveland shared some of the profits from that casino. In 1976, Cleveland boss, John Scalish dies of natural causes. Lonardo claims that Mashie Rockman called him into a meeting and said Scalish requested that a guy named Jack Licavoli new named the new boss. This started a mob war because another mobster named John Nardi thought he should be the boss. Licavoli names Lonardo as his Underboss. At that time, Rockman tells Lonardo the details of the Las Vegas skimming operation. Big Ange is pleasantly surprised that he will start receiving a large amount of skimmed cash with his new position. Danny Greene By the late 1970s, the Cleveland family becomes involved in a mob war. To purchase premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Murder Incorporated – Part 3 Oct 25, 2016

After the deaths of the Mangano brothers, Costello pushes Anastasia as the new boss of that family. The Commission confirmed Anastasia’s ascension to be boss of the renamed Anastasia family. To take control of the Luciano family, Genovese needed to kill Frank Costello. However, Genovese could not kill Costello without also eliminating Anastasia. To do that, Genovese needed allies. Frank Costello Vito Genovese used Anastasia’s brutal behavior against him. The behavior that had been useful to the New York mob was used by Genovose to portray Anastasia as an unstable killer who would bring extra bring law enforcement pressure on the Cosa Nostra. Genovese claimed that Anastasia had been selling memberships to his crime family for $50,000, a clear violation. The famous mob turncoat, Joseph Valachi, testified that Anastasia had been losing large amounts of money betting on horse races, making him even more unpredictable and brutal. This set the scene for Anastasia’s underboss, Carlo Gambino, to take sides and establish himself as a boss. Genovese offered Gambino the leadership of Anastasia’s family in return for his help. Genovese also received approval from Meyer Lansky. Genovese could not kill Anastasia without Lansky’s support. Lansky had developed a gambling business in Cuba and when Anastasia tried to get a piece of this action, Lansky refused. When Anastasia started his own casino racket in Cuba, Lansky threw his support to Genovese. Genovese then makes a move on Costello. On May 2, 1957, gunman Vincent Gigante shot and wounded Costello outside his apartment building. Although the wound was superficial, it persuaded Costello to relinquish power to Genovese and retire. Genovese now controlled what is now called the Genovese crime family. Joseph Bonanno would later credit himself with arranging a sitdown where he kept Anastasia from immediately taking Genovese to war in response. Five months later, on the morning of October 25, 1957, Anastasia entered the barber shop of the Park Sheraton Hotel at 870 7th Avenue (now the Park Central Hotel, on 56th Street and 7th Avenue) in Midtown Manhattan. Anastasia’s driver parked the car in an underground garage and then took a walk outside, leaving Anastasia unprotected. As Anastasia relaxed in the barber chair, two men—scarves covering their faces—rushed in, shoved the barber out of the way, and fired at Anastasia. After the first volley of bullets, Anastasia allegedly lunged at his killers. However, the stunned Anastasia had actually attacked the gunmen’s reflections in the wall mirror of the barber shop. The gunmen continued firing and Albert Anastasia finally fell to the floor, dead. Initially, the NYPD concluded that the Anastasia hit had been arranged by Genovese and Gambino, and Joe Gallo it was carried out by a crew led by “Crazy Joe” Gallo of the Profaci family. At one point, Gallo boasted to an associate of his part in the hit: “You can just call the five of us the barbershop quintet.” This ends the long and brutal life of the man known as the Lord High Executioner of the New York Mob. Thanks to Wikipedia for help. To purchase premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Murder Incorporated – Part 2 Oct 18, 2016

To reward Anastasia’s loyalty, Luciano placed him and Louis “Lepke” Buchalter, the nation’s leading labor racketeer, in control of the Syndicate’s enforcement arm, Murder, Inc. This was a group of Jewish and Italian killers that operated out of the back room of Midnight Rose’s, a candy store owned by mobster Louis Capone in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn. Some experts claim Louis Buchalter Sentencing Murder Inc. may have executed over 500 persons. Lepke and many other members of Murder, Inc., eventually were prosecuted for some of these murders, while Anastasia was never prosecuted for his Murder Inc. role. Some even doubt that he even was involved, since he was the Underboss of a family during this time and he would have merely ordered the murders. As a cover, Anastasia claimed that he was a “sales representative” for the Convertible Mattress Corporation in Brooklyn. On June 7, 1936, Luciano was convicted on 62 counts of compulsory prostitution. On July 18, 1936, Luciano received a 30 to 50-year sentence in state prison. Vito Genovese became acting boss, but he was forced to flee to Italy in 1937 after being indicted on a 1934 murder. Frank Costello now became acting boss of the Luciano crime family. In May 1939, Anastasia allegedly ordered the murder of Morris Diamond, an official of a trucking union in Brooklyn. Diamond was a Teamsters Union official who had opposed mobster Louis Buchalter‘s attempts to maintain control of the Garment District in Manhattan. With the 1941 arrest of Myrder Inc. hitman, Abe Reles, on murder charges, law enforcement began to take down Murder, Inc. Reles was a gang leader from Brownsville, Brooklyn who had been supplying Anastasia and Murder, Inc. with hired killers. To escape a death sentence, Reles volunteered to testify against Anastasia and others. His testimony convicted seven members of Murder Inc. Reles also had information that could implicate Anastasia two particular murders. Anastasia offered a $100,000 reward for Reles’ murder. On November 12, 1941, Reles was being guarded in a room in the Half Moon hotel in Coney Island during an ongoing trial. Abe Reles was found dead on a restaurant roof adjacent to the hotel. Specualtion was that the law enforcement guards were paid off to turn the backs. The evidence appeared to indicate Reles had tied together sheets and fell as he attempted to slide down and escape. In the spring of 1942, Anastasia allegedly ordered the murder of an associate named Anthony Romeo. Like Reles, Romeo was going to testify and implicate Anastasia in several murders. However shortly after, Romeo’s body was discovered near Guyencourt, Delaware. During World War II, Anastasia purportedly originated the plan to use mafia members on the New York Waterfront to protect against German sabotage and to obtain the cooperation of the Sicilian mafia to help allied troops as they invaded. In return, Anastasia orchestrated a deal to obtain lighter treatment for Luciano while he was in prison, and after the war, a parole. In 1942, Anastasia joined the U.S. Army. Attaining the rank of technical sergeant, Anastasia trained soldiers to be longshoremen. In 1943, as a reward for his military service, The Untied States Army made sure he was granted citizenship. In 1944, Anastasia was honorably discharged from the Army. In 1948, Anastasia bought a dress making factory in Hazleton, Pennsylvania and left his waterfront activities in the control of his brother Anthony. In 1951, the U.S. Senate summoned Anastasia to answer questions about organized crime at the Kefauver Hearings. Anastasia refused to answer any questions. Despite being a mob power in his own right, Anastasia was nominally the underboss of the Mangano crime family under boss Vincent Mangano. During his 20-year rule, Mangano had resented Anastasia’s close ties to Luciano and Costello. Mangano was particularly irked that Luciano and Costello obtained Anastasia’s services without first seeking Mangano’s permission. This and other business disputes led to heated, almost physical fights between the two mobsters. In early 1951, Vincent Mangano went missing and his body was never found. On April 19, 1951, the body of Philip Mangano, shot three times, was discovered in a wetland in Bergen Beach, Brooklyn. No one was ever arrested in the Mangano murders, but it was widely assumed that Anastasia had them killed. Thanks to Wikipedia for help with this. To purchase premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Murder Incorporated – Part 1 Oct 12, 2016

Long before Albert Anastasia forms Murder Incorporated in 1919, he and his brothers arrived in New York City, working on a freighter. Jumping ship, the brothers stayed in the United States, working as longshoremen on the Brooklyn waterfront. It was not long before Anastasia was convicted of murdering a brother longshoreman, George Turino, as the result of a quarrel. Anastasia was sentenced to death and sent to Sing Sing State Prison Charles “Lucky” Luciano in Ossining, New York to await execution. Due to a legal technicality, however, Anastasia won a retrial in 1922. Because four of the original prosecution witnesses had disappeared in the meantime, Anastasia was released from custody in 1922. Anastasia was convicted of illegal possession of a firearm and sentenced to two years in prison in 1923. During the 1920s, Anastasia had become a top leader of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), controlling six union local chapters in Brooklyn. Anastasia allied himself with Giuseppe “Joe the Boss” Masseria, a powerful gang leader in Brooklyn. Anastasia soon became close associates with future Cosa Nostra bosses Joe Adonis, Charles “Lucky” Luciano, Vito Genovese, and Frank Costello. In what would become a pattern, in 1928, Anastasia was charged with a murder in Joe the Boss Masseria Brooklyn, but the witnesses either disappeared or refused to testify in court. In 1930, Lucky Luciano finalized his plans to take over the organized crime rackets and form a National Crime Syndicate in New York. Luciano plotted to kill the two old-line Mafia factions headed by Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano. Luciano joined with Anastasia, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel in the plot. Anastasia reportedly assured Luciano that he would kill everyone for Luciano to reach the top. Anastasia knew his future as a mobster was assured if Luciano’s plans were completed and he created the National Crime Syndicate. Luciano then secretly gave his support to Maranzano. Luciano lured Masseria to a meeting at a Coney Island, Brooklyn restaurant. During their meal, Luciano excused himself to go to the restroom. As soon as Luciano was gone, Anastasia, Vito Genovese, Joe Adonis, and Bugsy Siegel rushed into the dining room and shot Masseria to death. No one was ever indicted in the Masseria murder. In Maranzano’s subsequent reorganization of New York’s mafia into its current Five Families, Anastasia was appointed underboss of the Vincent Mangano, crime family which will become the modern Gambino crime family. In September 1931, Maranzano was himself murdered and Luciano became the preeminent mobster in America or Boss of Bosses. To avoid future power struggles and turf disputes, Luciano established the National Crime Syndicate, consisting of the major family bosses from around the country and the so-called “five families” of New York. The Syndicate was meant to serve as a deliberative body to solve disputes, carve up and distribute territories, and regulate lucrative illegal activities such as racketeering, gambling, and bootlegging (which came to a close with the repeal of Prohibition in 1933). The Italian-American Mafia had their own body, known as the Commission. Anastasia’s Murder Incorporated will become the enforcement arm of the Commission. Thanks to Mafia Wiki for help with this account of events. To purchase premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Red Wemette and the Chicago Outfit Oct 02, 2016

William “Red” Wemette was an FBI informant who testified against against the most feared and dangerous Chicago Outfit killers of modern times. I must note that Red was not the usual infomant but more a contract agent. He was not providing information as a trade to get out of a criminal charge, he was gathering information as a public service. He was paid, but this work was so dangerous, the pay was minimal compared to the risk and time involvement required. In this exciting interview Red Wemette calls in from an undisclosed location in a warmer climate (his words) and recounts how he got started as an undercover contract agent for the F.B.I. He explains how he was not trying to inform his way out of a criminal case, he just saw the arrogance and brutishness of the Chicago Outfit and wanted to help stop them. Red recently released a biography of his exploits in a book titled “Nobody Cares and What I did About It! The Red Wemette Story of the Chicago Outfit” through Joshua Tree Publishing in Chicago, IL. Red operated a pornography shop in Chicago and in Chicago if you are involved in any grey area business like a porn shop, you must pay a “street tax” to the outfit. Red was so angry about this interference with his business that he contacted the FBI and agreed to wear a wire and allow a hidden video camera to be installed in his office have his discussions with the mobsters recorded. Red reveals the Outfit Capo who was to receive his street tax money was the notorious Joseph “Lumpy or Joey the Clown” Lombardo. He met with FBI agents in 1971 at the Lion House in the Lincoln Park Zoo and agreed to become a Hidden Camera contract agent and provide information on Chicago Mob activity and figures. Wemette had video cameras concealed in his apartment that captured his regular meetings with organized crime figures. Frank “the German” Schweihs One of the most dangerous killer ever produced in Chicago was Frank “The German” Schweihs. “The German” took a liking to Red and often showed up at his office telling stories into the hidden recording equipment. Click here to see a news story that contains some of that hidden video footage. Wemette has been a key witness in a number of federal trials of mobsters and other Chicago area crime figures ending with the well known and important Family Secrets trials. If you have ever wanted to see what it is like to live on the wild side—all from the safety and security of your own armchair, listen to this interview and then read Nobody Cares and What I Did About It! The Red Wemette Story of The Chicago Outfit. To purchase premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Richard Grissom Jr.: Apartments Painted and Girls Murdered – Part Two Sep 26, 2016

The Investigation and Arrest In Part 2 of this horrifying story, retired detectives, Joe Langer and Tom Robinson tell about the Theresa Brown subsequent man hunt for Grissom. After he escaped arrest in the nearby town of Lawrence, Kansas, Grissom steals a car and drives to Corpus Christi, Texas on the Gulf of Mexico. He was a body builder and attractive man who could be quite charming to young women. While Kansas City apartment complex residents lived in fear and changed their locks, Grissom was living it up in the Texas beach resort community known as Padre Island. He got lonely and called an old girl friend in Chicago. By then, the national news had picked up the murder investigation and manhunt story. She had seen this Christine Rusch and had talked with other mutual friends in Kansas City. She was smart enough to not alert him and kept him calling back for several days while she alerted the Kansas City Metro Squad investigation team. Langer and Robinson were instructed to fly to Padre Island. Grissom begged the girl to come to Texas and she agreed to help set up an arrest situation. Hear the inside story of a dramatic arrest at a Texas airport. Joan Marie Butler To purchase premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Martin J. McNally- Part 7 Sep 01, 2016

Prison Break The Department of Justice sentencing guidelines send Mac to the famous maximum security federal prison at Leavenworth, Kansas. Here, he has a fateful meeting with another skyjacker named Gordon Trapp Brocknell. And, just when you think it is all over for Martin Joseph McNally, the case takes another unusual twist at the Super Max Penitentiary in Marion Illinois. McNally and his new friend and fellow skyjacker Garret Brock Trapnell wait in the prison yard while Barbara Oswald, a women in love with Trapnell, hijacks a helicopter and forces the pilot to fly to the prison. Mac and Trapnell see and hear a helicopter in the sky. As the chopper pilot, Allen Barklage, descends, gunfire explodes and the female passenger is killed. The chopper goes back up and lands outside the prison. Mac tells how Trapnell just collapsed, while he and another prisoner frantically try to get back inside the prison exercise yard. As they climb back down off the last roof, a guard spots them. Now, you think this story is over, not yet. Trapnell had one more escape attempt in him. The daughter of Barbara Oswald, Robyn Oswald will attempt to hijack a plane as it lands in Kansas City. She uses a bomb looking device to force the plane to divert to Marion, Illinois. Here, she demands the release of her mother’s lover, Gordon Brock Trapnell. Martin McNally Mac tells how he goes on to be a “jailhouse lawyer” helping inmates with legal research and appeals. Finally, Mac is released after 37 years. He has been out on two life paroles and totally square for about 6 years. Mac was helped with housing by a prison ministries program and he subsequently helped with counselling other newly released inmates. He has an upcoming hearing to be finally released from his parole. To hear premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Martin J. McNally – Part 6 Aug 24, 2016

Arrest and Trial Of McNally Martin J. McNally in Lineup Shortly after, Mac arrives back home with a new plan. He is going to skyjack another plane and ask for a million dollars this time. As Mac makes contacts with his criminal associates, one of them alerts a Detroit police officer who passes this along to the F.B.I. This contact agrees to work with the Bureau and wears a wire trying to get Mac to implicate himself on tape as well as reveal his plan for the next skyjacking. The F.B.I. puts a full court press surveillance on Mac over the next couple of days. After a meeting with the wired up informant, the F.B.I. makes the arrest and searches his house in the Detroit suburb of Wyandotte, Michigan. The U. S. Attorney returns Mac to St. Louis for trial because that is where the crime occurred. Mac retains a lawyer but the evidence is very strong. McNally’s attorney appeals on the basis the F.B.I. entered his home prior to obtaining a search warrant. After hearing compelling evidence this breach of the law may have occurred, the judge ruled against him. Mac settles in to serve two life terms for skyjacking. To hear premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Martin J. McNally – Part 5 Aug 15, 2016

The Hunt for the Skyjacker Skyjacker Martin J. McNally continues telling how he lands safely in a farm field. He determines he is in Indiana by the license plates. After hiding over night, hearing helicopters come and go, he decides to make his way to the closest town. After a nearly being struck by a passing car, the local sheriff stops to check him out. Mac convinces the sheriff he has been visiting a friend in the area and after a fight with his brother, he is trying to return home. The law enforcement officer gives him a ride into Peru, Indiana where he checks into a local hotel.As he enters the sheriff’s car, he has a small pistol in his back pocket. Being confident he has fooled the sheriff, Mac pitches the Beretta .25 pistol into the weeds next to the road. While Mac is hiding in the local hotel, searchers find the clothes, his parachute and his gun. A local farmer finds the money. After a discussion with his son, the farmer turns in the money. Mac said if the man had kept the money, even if he gets caught, he would never have revealed he lost the money. After several calls back to Detroit trying to get a ride home, Walter Petlikowski answers and agrees to drive down. To hear premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Martin J. McNally – Part 4 Aug 08, 2016

Skyjacking Interrupted Actual Parachute In Part 4, convicted skyjacker Martin J. McNally (“Mac”) relates how a local St. Louis man is drinking at the Lambert Airport Mariott Inn lobby bar. The bar patrons are watching this skyjacker drama live on a television. A patron abruptly leaves the bar with a comment something like, “hold my drink and keep watching, you’ll see something!” Mac has taken a lesson in how to strap on a parachute, received the 1/2 million cash in a leather American Airlines pouch, given several possible destinations to the Captain and ordered the plane to take off. As the aircraft taxis down the runway, the pilot yells American Airlines Mail Pouch back, “Oh my God, there is a car on the runway!” Mac feels a thump and the planes skids to a stop. With all the window shades closed for security, Mac becomes very tense. The flight crew assures him this is no plot to storm the plane and somebody has crashed into their nose gear. Mac directs the Captain to obtain another plane and have it parked next to his plane. The F.B.I. and American Airlines comply with the skyjacker’s orders. All the money, guns, parachutes and flight crew board the new plane. He has specified another Boeing 727 because he needs the rear stair for his mid-air exit. He directed the pilot to fly north from St. Louis toward Toronto. He ordered the plane to fly low over the Canadian airport so he could look out and verify they were over Canada. After that he requested the pilot to fly toward New York City. He reveals how he had trouble lowering the rear stairs and the plane had to slow down to 300 mph. After one last check of the altimeter and the heading, Mac orders the entire crew to stay up front. He closes the First Class curtain, walks back to the stairs and straps the 45-50 pounds of cash around his waist with a leather belt. You must listen to his ordeal of going down these stairs and finally letting go into the night. At this time, he does not have any idea where the plane is in relation to the ground. He has a thought they could be over Lake Michigan, but dismisses that with the thought that he is a good swimmer. He later learns that the weight change when he left the plane alerted the Captain he was gone. The pilot alerts the F.B.I. tracking plane and they mark the spot. As Mac falls he spins out control, he is able to find the rip cord and deploys the parachute. He feels a jerk in his leg as the money bag is affected by the chute opening. Listen to learn how Mac felt as he watched the money satchel fall away into the darkness. To hear premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Martin J. McNally – Part 3 Aug 04, 2016

The Hijacking Our D. B. Cooper copycat, Martin J. McNally, continues with his fascinating account of a real life skyjacking. He has selected Lambert Field in St. Louis and has arrived at the gate. Mac gets on the plane and takes his seat. This plane is a Boeing 727 arriving from New York and proceeding on to Tulsa Oklahoma. When the Captain announces the descent into Tulsa, Mac takes his attache case and heads to the rear bathroom. Inside, he puts on a cheap wig and takes out his “grease gun.” He exits the bathroom and observes the M3 Grease Gun flight attendant has gone to the front of the plane. He frantically waves to get her attention and motions her to come to the back. As she arrives, he produces the gun. Mac instructs her to tell the captain the plane is to turn around and return to St. Louis. She does that and returns to the rear. The Captain announces they are returning to St. Louis because a passenger has requested this action. Because the passengers start to grumble and look around, Mac orders the stewardess to remove the rear seat passengers and seat them closer to the front, leaving several empty rows between himself and the passengers. He notices one man glaring at him and may have an idea about taking action. Mac stares him down and gives him a growl. The man quickly complies and moves to the front. This is just the beginning of a harrowing ride back to St. Louis and back into the air while American Airlines gathers up the $502,200.00 cash ransom Mac has demanded. We learn the odd number was part of his overall plan to bury the $500,000.00 and use the $2200.00 as walking around money until he can return for the ransom. A very unexpected event will happen as Mac gets the money and starts to make his getaway. To hear premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Martin J. McNally – Part 2 Jul 31, 2016

The Preparation In the first episode, Mac told how he heard about the successful skyjacking of D. B. Cooper and started his own skyjacking plan. In this second episode of our interview with convicted skyjacker, Martin J. McNally, we learn about how Mac selected his target airport and airline. He believed that any airline would come up with the ransom demand. He recruited an old partner in crime, pool hustler Walter J. Petlikowski. Mac’s friend did not want to take part in the actual skyjacking, but he agreed to take Mac to the airport. Since Mac had lived in Detroit all his life, he eliminated that airport as a target. After several trips to nearby airline terminals (Chicago O’Hare, Indianapolis and Lambert Field in St. Louis) he selected Lambert Field because of its lack of security. M3 Grease Gun Mac made two attempts. On his first trip, he told Petlikowski to wait in a nearby bar and if he called, then the skyjacking was off and he was to pick Mac up at the airport. On that attempt, mac got in line for a flight and then noticed there was a magnetometer at the gate. He backed out. Mac said he considered just walking up to the ticket agent and taking them hostage then taking over the flight on the ground. He dropped that idea and called his partner. They returned to Detroit. For the second attempt he checked out the Lambert Field American Airlines gates and they did not have magnetometers or any other security. He purchased a ticket and returned a few days later. This time, he did not call Petlikowski at the nearby tavern. Mac passed through security and was in the air shortly. As the Captain announced they were about to land in Tulsa, he decided it was now or never. Mac had determined the bathroom was in the rear of the plane. He took his attache case into the bathroom, put on a wig and took out his gun. This was an assault type weapon he had altered to look like a “machine” gun or a grease gun. He had a hard time getting the Flight Attendant’s attention as she had gone to the front of the plane. Shortly after, she was given his ransom demand and the Captain announced they were returning to St. Louis. Listen in for more exciting details of this D. B. Cooper copy cat. Or, could he be D. B. Cooper? To hear premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Al Capone – The Early Days Jul 18, 2016

Al Capone was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. He was a small time criminal and belonged to several different gangs including the powerful 5-Points Gang in lower Manhattan. He received his scar when he insulted a woman at a bar. Her brother, a gangster named Frank Gallucio, slashed Capone’s face. His boss in the 5-Points gang, Frankie Yale, made Capone apologize to Gallucio. In an ironic turn of events, Capone would later hire Gallucio as a bodyguard. Johnny Torrio Listen as the well known mob expert and author Bill Friedman tells the stories of Capone’s entrance into the Chicago underworld and subsequent rise. All these stories and many more can be found in his book, 30 Illegal Years to the Strip. In 30 Years, Mr. Freidman tells the stories of the beginnings and early history of the Chicago Outfit leaders, John Torrio, Al Capone and Frank Nitti. In this interesting and easy to read book, Mr. Freidman also recounts the history of Ben Siegal, Meyer Lansky, Charlie Luciano, Frank Costello, Joe Adonis and Moe Dalitz. At about 20 years of age, Capone had a bar fight. He believed he killed his opponent and sought refuge with a transplanted New Yorker, Johnny Torrio. Jim “Big Jim Colosimo had recruited New York mobster Torrio to Chicago. Torrio was helping to oversee Colosimo’s vast prostitution activities. James “Big Jim” Colisimo On May 11, 1920, unknown persons killed Big Jim Colosimo. Johnny Torrio took over his rackets. Capone was suspected of that murder. During the 1920s, the Torrio Italian-dominated gang would engage in a turf war with the North Side gang led by Dion O’Banion. For a time, a truce was maintained. By October, 1924, Torrio either arranged or approved the murder of O’Banion at his flower shop. Hymie Wiess and Bugs Moran took over O’Banion’s rackets. Wiess made his top priority, revenge for O’Banion’s murder. In January 1925, the Wiess/Moran faction ambushed Capone leaving him shaken but unhurt. Twelve days later, a similar attempt was made on Johnny Torrio. He was shot several times. Shortly after, Torrio handed control to the 26-year-old Al Capone. By this time prohibition was making everybody a lot of money. Capone became the owner of illegal breweries and a transportation network that reached to Canada. He also consolidated and enhanced the gang’s political and law-enforcement protection. Al Capone was more prone to violence than Torrio and he freely used this tactic to increase revenue. Capone henchman often blew up any speakeasy that refused to buy their illegal alcohol. The famous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre is often attributed to Capone, even though he was conveniently in Florida when that went down. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes click, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Martin J. McNally – Part 1 Jul 14, 2016

Several months back, Aaron and I posted an episode telling about a 1972 D.B. Cooper copycat skyjacker named Martin J. McNally. In 1972, D. B. Cooper inspired McNally and several others to skyjack passenger planes and use parachutes to escape. After posting this story, Martin McNally (“Mac”) was googling his own name and found my podcast episode about his escapade. He reached out by commenting in each episode comments section. Mac wrote that he thought our episodes were entertaining and funny, but we got a few facts wrong. I emailed him back and he agreed to a taped D. B. Cooper interview. I was surprised because I knew he had received 2 life sentences for Air Piracy. Mac said he had been released from Federal prison a few years back and he is on life parole. We packed up the recording equipment and drove to Mac’s residence a few hours away. He does not want to reveal where he lives and we agreed to hold that confidence. In this first episode, Mac tells us about his childhood and young adult life up to the time he gets serious about doing this skyjacking. He remembers the exact moment that he got the idea to skyjack a Martin J. McNally passenger plane. He was listening to a Detroit DJ talking about how D.B. Cooper got several hundred thousand dollars and disappeared. Mac said it was like a light bulb came on and he started planning to make his fortune from this crime. Could Martin J. McNally really be D.B. Cooper? Compare the photos, be your own judge. The F.B.I. thought he was at one time. To hear premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes go to, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

F.B.I. Black Bag Jobs part 2 Jul 09, 2016

When Ed Tickel was installing F.B.I. wiretaps, he led a secret life as a burglar. He was the son of a respected FBI agent and well-liked by his coworkers. I found a report about this secret life in a book titled The Secrets of the FBI by investigative reporter Ronald Kessler. He was known as a guy who could defeat any lock, crack any safe and make any covert entry required. Many agents attended lavish parties held at his 5-acre horse farm in Virginia. They all supposed this lavish lifestyle that included Porsche automobiles was paid for by a unique lock he invented. he was the guy who worked on ensuring the Director’s home was burglar-proof. Ed Tickel led this secret life until one night on April 16, 1980, Earl Thorton, an FBI janitor, caught him while cleaning FBI Headquarters after hours. Like Frank Willis, the night he discovered the locks of the Watergate complex taped open, Earl Thorton stumbled into something that did not rock the nation, but it did rock the FBI. At 5:30 p.m. Earl Thornton opened the door to the Federal Credit Union on the eighth floor of FBI headquarters. He turned on the lights. Thornton was about to start vacuuming when he saw crouching behind a counter a stocky man with brown hair in front of an open safe. After a pause, the man behind the counter jumped up and yelled, “Freeze FBI!” Mr. Thorton was looking at Ed Tickel holding a pistol, and immediately behind him was an open safe door. Tickel would claim he had received a call for help at the Credit Union and while inside he saw this black man enter, and he was merely making an arrest. The problem with this story was he remained hidden behind the counter for several minutes until Mr. Thorton spotted him and more importantly, the purported person calling for help could never be produced. Tickel subsequently failed a polygraph test. When the FBI’s head polygraph examiner told Tickel he was not truthful, Tickel replied, ” I knew this would come down to a contest between experts, and I respect you very much.” In the examiner’s mind, Tickel admitted he was not telling the truth, and the polygraph examiner was correct in his interpretation. When this investigation was referred to the Department of Justice, John Hume, U.S. attorney, learned this was not the first FBI investigation of Ed Tickel. He found that Tickel had been investigated for using his FBI position to help a friend under investigation for a $200,000.00 jewelry store burglary and theft in North Carolina. Hume re-opened that case, and his investigation determined that Tickel’s credit card had been used in the area of this diamond theft at the time of this theft. He kept digging into Tickel’s activities and found he was suspected of many crimes. One strange crime was the misappropriation of government property, to be more precise, FBI radios. Ed Tickel was a member of Richard Petty’s pit crew in the late 1970’s early 80’s. He can be seen at the celebration of Petty’s 1979 Daytona 500 win! If you watch any video’s of the end of that race, you can see Ed on the hood of Petty’s car (the guy with the curly dark hair) as Richard drove the crew into Victory Lane. The radios mentioned earlier were used during some of the NASCAR races that Ed was a part of. These radios helped usher in the now standard two-way communications between drivers and crews during races and practice seen in NASCAR today. An investigation determined that Tickel had been selling stolen rings and loose diamonds aside from his activities in the credit union. He also sold stolen cars and stole two-way FBI radios for friends. Tickel was acquitted in federal court in Washington of burglarizing the FBI credit union. However, he pleaded guilty to having misappropriated the radios. After a nine-day trial, Tickel was also convicted in Alexandria, Va., of charges connected with a jewelry theft from a jewelry store — interstate transportation of stolen goods, making false statements, obstruction of justice, and tax evasion. For these charges, he received a prison term of eight years. During his trial, Tickel, a 14-year FBI veteran, denied wrongdoing and said that he was the victim of a government “vendetta” because he had informed FBI Director William H. Webster that secret entries, known in bureau parlance as “black bag jobs,” to install FBI eavesdropping equipment had been conducted without court permission. At sentencing, 42-year-old Ed Tickel showed remorse and stated, “I’m sorry to cause all of these problems. I’ve made some bad judgments.” A spokesman for the FBI said, “As far as we know, this is the stiffest sentence handed out to an agent convicted of criminal charges in the modern history of the FBI.” Tickel appealed and during a hearing for an appeal bond reduction to keep him on the streets during his appeal, prosecutors alleged that during his trial Tickel had been driving a stolen van. it seems that a van he drove to the courthouse was towed for a parking violation near the federal courthouse, impounded and then found by Alexandria police to be stolen. His lawyer said he was convinced Tickel did not know the vehicle was stolen. A federal judge sentenced the former FBI agent to eight years for fencing stolen jewelry and obstructing justice. He was acquitted of six other charges. In a Virginia state court case, Tickel was convicted of receiving $120,000 in stolen cars and other items. Then, when this is all done, Ed Tickel is charged again. Tickel was charged in Prince George’s County outside of Washington with second-degree rape for having sex with a daughter of one of his many lawyers. The daughter, who was 20 then, had a learning disability and epilepsy. Tickel pleaded guilty to a second-degree sex offense — having sex with force or the threat of force. His 20-year sentence for that crime ran concurrently with the federal sentences he was already serving. Unnoticed by the press, the notorious FBI legend died last March. Take our short survey and help us get a sponsor Thank you Gary To hear premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes go to, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

F.B.I. Black Bag Jobs Part 1 Jul 05, 2016

This show is about F.B.I. Black Bag operations and the men who do this. Without the skill of the “bag men” the important microphones would not have installed and the Mob control over the Tropicana and Stardust Casinos would never have been uncovered. In this episode, I tell about an FBI agent that went bad, Ed Tickel. In the 1970s, this agent made many surreptitious entries inside and outside the country. He was what is known as an expert in NDE (non destructive entry). He was a legend within the Bureau. One time, the story goes, he was sent to Tehran, Iran to break into our embassy to retrieve some hidden documents after the hostages were released. He was an expert lock picker. For some locations, the Bureau wanted to have their own key, in that case, the lock expert used a technique called lock impressioning. The first method of impressioning occurs by stealing the key and using a soft substance like clay or wax to make an impression of the key. A duplicate can be made from the impression. The other more difficult is known as “manipulation based impressioning” a key. Ed Tickel was an expert in this technique. The target lock manufacturer is identified and a blank key that fits that lock is purchased. The hard metal blank is then copied onto a softer metal. The bag man needs some time in front of the lock. He inserts the specially made blank and manipulates it to get an impression of the pin location and depth. The blank is withdrawn with almost unseen impressions of the lock pin locations. The locksmith uses an ultraviolet light or maybe a microscope to identify the pin locations. He then files away the pin areas creating a duplicate key. Ed Tickel once hid inside a large refrigerator box placed in front of the door in a highly traveled area to impression a key. He used this refrigerator box again to protect himself from a guard dog while he made a key impression of the front door lock of a mob guy’s business. In Kansas City we had three well known microphones installed. One was inside the Villa Capri tavern, the second was inside the law office of John Patrick Quinn and the third was inside the house of Josephine Marlo. The first two, being a business were relatively easy. Just watch the owners at home, in case they have a sudden notion to go back to the business. The third was at a private home located in a neighborhood populated by KC Mob boss Nick Civella and his friends and relatives. Our friend and sometimes guest, retired agent, Bill Ousely called this putting a microphone inside the Lion’s Den. Tickel and local the back bag expert conferred and came up with a plan. They created a telephone problem. They responded disguised as telephone repairmen to survey the residence and place a microphone inside the telephone. They realized the telephone mike was not placed close enough to any meetings. Listen for the rest of the story. Take a short survey and help us get a sponsor Gary To hear premium podcast click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes go to, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Tropicana Casino Skimming Jun 24, 2016

In this episode, Tropicana Casino Skimming, Aaron and I talk about how KC boss Nick Civella used Joe Agosto to Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal infiltrate the Tropicana casino. I use the below actual wiretap audio to help tell the story. Nick Civella is concerned with the skimmers stealing and Civella wants a moratorium on all Tropicana skimming. The code names are: Carl DeLuna is Deluna Nick Civella is Zio or uncle Joe Agosto (Tropicana employee) is Caesar Carl Thomas (Tropicana employee )is Mr. C Don Shepard (Tropicana employee) is Pecoradu (Sicilian for Shepherd) Lefty Rosenthal is Crazy Joe Cusamano (Stardust emplyee)is Car Dealer Tony Spilotro (Chicago Outfit member) is Little T Diel Gustafason (Tropicana investor) is Hunter Jack Urich (Tropicana investor) is Transmission Joseph Agosto -Tropicana DELUNA: So we talked for, they talked for quite a long time, you know I’m not sticking my mouth in there too much but once in a while and in the final end, Zio (uncle) asked him what do you think happens to “C”? He says well, I think that maybe you should go ahead and declare this moratorium, go ahead and do it, uh, for whatever period of time. And Mr. Zio says well, I would be hard put if Little Joe re-, Caesar’s requesting this, to tell him not to, you know we’ll rely on Mr. “C” to tell us. AGOSTO: Right. DELUNA: We asked him another question. We asked him if Tu Pecoradu (The Shepard) was capable of spotting any bad leakage. AGOSTO: Yeah. DELUNA: He says he positively thinks so because if we used ‘im, this guy was cu noi-altri (with us) down at the big place with Crazy. AGOSTO: (unintelligible). DELUNA: He said we used him down there, he did a wonderful job, had him in both joints. The other one downtown. AGOSTO: right DELUNA: — You know had him in bo-, he said he did a good job. Yes, he is capable. DELUNA: Uh, we pushed on him that when he gets with you, when youse two gets together, that he should try to push you, we know how busy you are in and outta town — AGOSTO: Yeah. DELUNA: But to try to get, to meet you once a week like we been talking about, you know? AGOSTO: Right. DELUNA: Someplace away, not his joint or your joint. AGOSTO: Right. DELUNA: Some little coffee, someplace else. All right. Also we’ll put it in his head to put in your head Carl “Tuffy” DeLuna that, look forward to, let’s see if we could work out the mechanics of a safe, discreet way that Caesar and Mr. DC” could sometime in the next couple of months have a nose to nose meeting with Mr. Zio (Mr. Uncle or Nick Civella). AGOSTO: I see. DELUNA: Let’s start thinking about it now. Let’s say the moratorium is going to last two, three months, whatever it last us, you know? AGOSTO: Umph. DELUNA: Four or whatever it is. Before the end of the mor-, moratorium a month or so before the end. AGOSTO: Umph. DELUNA: See if we could start thinking about it right now for a safe, discreet way for Mr. “C” and Mr. Caesar to meet with uh, Zio. AGOSTO: All right. (overlapping DELUNA: Okay. So he’s supposed to tell you these things AGOSTO: I like the arrangements. Tell Zio (Uncle) I wanna thank you urn, to have ah, make such decision because I think it’s a proper decision. DELUNA: here’s another thing that he said. He said that Caesar and Pecoradu (Shepard) AGOSTO: Yeah. DELUNA: — get along real well together. They have a nice relationship with each other and he knew, that you two guys were together. AGOSTO: Yeah. DELUNA: Uh, that is uh, Caesar and uh, Pecoradu (Shepard). AGOSTO: Right. DELUNA: And he knew of some exchange of, of dialogue between you two — AGOSTO: Right. DELUNA: And one of you said that this is uh, should be uh, a fifty million dollar joint or something like that. I forgot the words. AGOSTO: Right. DELUNA: And the Pecoradu (Shepard) answered yeah, but it’s got a thirty million dollar management. They’re not happy, truly happy with the management. AGOSTO: Yeah. DELUNA: So Mr. “C” put the bum on Zio — AGOSTO: Yeah. DELUNA: — is it possible that Caesar could see his way clear to give uh, Pecoradu (Shepard) a little bit more say so. He says, you know with uh Newspaper, crazy ma–, you turn a guy loose, if you got faith in him, you turn him loose. Do what you wanta do. AGOSTO: Yeah. DELUNA: So Mr., so Zio says, what are you talking about, Carl? DELUNA: Here’s what we oughta do. I don’t care if it’s the “Car Dealer”, I don’t care if it’s “Little T”, the guy you told me about the black book, AGOSTO: Right. DELUNA: I don’t give a fuck who they are, Joe, AGOSTO: Yes. DELUNA: If you want to delegate the power to ah, to’ Pecoradu (Shepard) or you wanna see to it it get’s done some other way. If he knows that some friend of “Little T’S” say for instance, he, he knows for sure he’s stealing. Fuck ’em. Let him go. AGOSTO: Fuck ’em. I told him that. DELUNA: Okay. You and him have that down. AGOSTO: I told ‘im that, I told him that anybody that he has, he don’t have to have proof, anybody has a fifty fifty suspicions, let him go because in this type of business, you cannot, you cannot uh, take the, you know the chances. If you’ve gotta fifty percent suspicion letta go but not to put a jacket, you know on those basis to people only because they are the friend of Doumani, “Little T” whatever hell, the Cusumano, whatever it is. DELUNA: Okay. AGOSTO: You have gotten long way. DELUNA: Jay. AGOSTO: Administration, you see, he has uh, he has uh, he has now, because never, you never know, though. Those, some of those uh, fucking people, they could be vani (hollow, empty shells) you know what I mean? They could, could be stool pigeon too, you know what I mean? DELUNA: Right, “J”, and for, and for lot of reasons. DELUNA: Okay. Ah, something I had on my mind. I, I, I believe that I know what you’re going through and a, I know it probably even more than you think I do and I wanted to tell you I wonder if you regret having told Mr. Transmission and Mr. Hunter, remember when you told me that you — AGOSTO: Yeah. DELUNA: — told them your intentions of the sutta (underneath) stuff? AGOSTO: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. DELUNA: I wonder if that wasn’t kicking back in your face now? AGOSTO: No. DELUNA: Well. AGOSTO: I mean those, those guys, they don’t even a, they forgot about it. They’re so fuckin’ DELUNA: Well, I hope so. You can see what’s going through my mind can’t you? AGOSTO: No. DELUNA: When you had that small dialogue with them, whenever you had it a few months ago. AGOSTO: Yeah. DELUNA: They could be thinking, Jesus Christ, Caesar’s doing this already. You know, ’cause the bookkeepers are probably, got them bugged to death too. You know? AGOSTO: Well, I think a they, they, they might say that but I assure them there was nothing involved underneath. No, I, I don’t be concerned about it. To get a premium podcast, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes go to, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Milwaukee Mob Story – Part 2 Jun 21, 2016

In part 2, Aaron and I talk about the crime that our friend Schlecter, aka Joe Sharpino, did to get himself in witness protection. A woman named Sally Papia came from Chicago to Milwaukee and opened a nice club called Sally’s Steak House. She was the girl friend of a Chicago Outfit guy named Frank Buccieri. She was described as a raven haired firecracker who thought she was the queen bee of Milwaukee Organized Crime, because of her Chicago relationships. She hired three local mob associates and professional criminals to help run the club. Chicago Outfit guys would come into town and eat here, then never pay any respect to the Milwaukee mob boss, Frank Balistreri or “Fancy Pants.” Balistreri was known to call Sally a “wannabe in a fucking skirt.” Sally, the mob moll, hired a chef and paid his tuition at a good culinary school. He left shortly after to open his own restaurant, the Northridge Inn. She became enraged and hired a mob associate named Joseph Basile to burn it down. On December 29, 1974, Joseph Basile called Jacob Schlechter to set the Northbrook Inn on fire that very night. Schlechter did so in the company of his wife, who later contacted the police and began supplying information concerning the ongoing conspiracy. Following the fire, Schlechter went to Basile’s home to collect money for his work. Basile gave Schlechter $100 and told him that another $900 would be forthcoming from out of town. Schlechter asked what the fire was all about, and Basile told him that it was ordered because the chef had “screwed over” Sally Papia and because of a “personal grievance” Basile had against this chef. On New Year’s Eve, two days after the fire, Papia ran into the Chef at a local restaurant. Dropping a lighted match into an ash tray, Papia said, “I told you this was going to happen.” In early January, Schlechter asked Basile for the balance of the money due him for setting the fire. Basile deflected the request by advising Schlechter that they were getting pressure from Frank Balistrieri, who had lost some juke boxes in the Northbrook Inn fire, and that Schlechter should not tell anyone of his involvement in the fire. On January 7, a friend of Basile’s named Russell Enea approached Schlechter in Sally’s Steak House and asked him if he knew anything about the fire. Schlechter, complying with Basile’s order to keep mum, said that he did not. Three days later, apparently satisfied that Schlechter could be trusted, Baisile sent Enea again to approach Schlechter. Enea directed him to break the Chef’s wrists “so he never cooks again.” Enea said that “Max” would get in touch with Schlechter to talk about the job. Shortly thereafter, a friend of Sally’s named Max Adonnis contacted Schlechter and told him to kidnap the Chef and take him to a garage so that Adonnis and Enea could break his wrists personally. Adonnis explained to Schlechter that this Chef owed Sally Papia $5,000, that he had “screwed over Sally,” and “he wasn’t going to get away with it.” Adonnis gave Schlechter a slip of paper listing the Chef’s address, the make of his car and its license plate number. A week later, Adonnis passed along a photo of the Chef taken in Papia’s restaurant on which Papia’s handwriting appeared. During the next couple of weeks, Schlechter and Adonnis attempted to locate the Chef without success. On January 18, Enea, disturbed by the lack of progress, approached Schlechter and, gesturing with his wrists, inquired what Schlechter was doing about the chef. Schlechter recruited a friend named Holland and renewed his efforts to locate the Chef, but failed to do so. One evening, Adonnis saw the Chef working at another at a restaurant and obtained his new address, place of employment and license plate number. He passed this information on to Schlechter with instructions to do the job right away. After purchasing a baseball bat and two ski masks for use in the assault, Schlechter and Holland went to the Chef’s place of employment in the early morning hours of February 9, 1975. While waiting for him to leave work, the two were confronted by police because the auto in which they were riding matched a description of a stolen car. The cops let them go after identifying them and they soon followed the Chef home. Supposedly, the two Milwaukee police intelligence detectives were going to warn the Chef about the renewed threat. As the cops arrived at the Chef’s apartment, they saw two suspicious men cruising the area. They got them stopped and found two baseball bats in the car, two ski masks, the Chef’s photo and his address inside the car. They arrested them for CCW and the thugs spent the night in jail. Gary Magnesun and his partner went to the jail the next morning after being notified that one of the suspects wanted to talk to the FBI. This was Jacob Schlecter who was 6’6 250 lbs with a leg breaker’s mentality. He was not as tough as he looked. Schlecter agreed to work with the Bureau and set up Sally and her underlings. Soon, he was out of jail and wearing a wire. He was able to record Sally and her co-conspirators talking about this plot to kill or injure the former chef. This is how he ended up in the witnesses protection program in Kansas City. To get a premium podcast, click here. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here. To subscribe on iTunes go to, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Milwaukee Mob Story – Part 1 Jun 13, 2016

I met retired F.B.I. Agent Gary Magnesun in Las Vegas- he had been assigned to the Milwaukee Organized Crime Squad and then transferred to Las Vegas. In Milwaukee, he was assigned to the first Organized Crime squad. In Las Vegas, he was assigned to the investigation of Lefty Rosenthal and Tony Spilotro and the Stardust skim. When I went out to Vegas to interview folks for my film, he cooperated and gave me a great interview. Before I went out, I obtained his book Straw Man in which he tells about his career. I noted a name, Jacob Schlecter, and a description of 6’6′ 250s lbs and a leg breaker mentality. I remembered back to a narcotics investigation and surveillance we once did with the DEA. We had a man that fit this description but with a different name. I asked Gary about this and it seems this was the same guy. To go back, We had a tip and an informant that claimed he could buy weed from a mob guy named Joe Sharpino, who had a tow truck and worked out of a body shop on Independence Ave in Kansas City. The DEA could find no criminal record on this guy. We checked with the FBI and the Intelligence Unit records and sources and found this guy to be a mystery. The DEA were able to make a few small controlled buys thought the informant. The informant is reporting the guy has some connection with local La Cosa Nostra family. The guy was an independent two truck driver who mainly hung around the body shop. The body shop was not known to be a mob front. The informant was buying more and more weed, but in small quantities. He was laying the groundwork to introduce a female DEA agent in as a big buyer with lots of customers in the suburbs. We rented a nearby apartment and watched the body shop recording every license number that came and went. No mob guys were showing up. If this was a mob guy, he was not associated with any local mob folks, and if this was his real name, he had no criminal record. The informant would be seen going into the body shop and leaving, then contacting the DEA agent with a story about how Joe Sharpino was going to break somebody’s legs because they owed the body shop money. I had an informant who sold used cars. He offered Joe Sharpino a car repossession job that we set up. The guy was suspicious or something because he turned down the job. After a couple of weeks into this, the informant reported his tow truck driver had a heart attack. He went into St. Luke’s hospital for heart surgery. While he was recuperating, the informant relates that he has a Universal Life minister’s certificate and the supposedly mob guy wants the informant to marry him and his girl friend while he is still in the hospital. After several jokes about how to “wire up” the informant and record the ceremony, we let that go and the informant married the target and his new wife. Finally the guy got back to his tow truck and the body shop. The informant makes the introduction to the female agent and she makes her pitch. The guy agrees and claims he can supply 50 pounds of weed. By this time, the DEA rules dictate they must identify the guy in order to continue the investigation and put these kinds of resources into it. I asked the KCPD Fingerprint Unit supervisor to make personal calls to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) at the FBI headquarters. This revealed some very odd results. The DEA took these results to the US Attorney’s office. They contacted the Witnesses Protection folks at the US Marshall’s. After a consultation and looking at our skimpy case, the US Attorney ordered the DEA to stand down. The guy disappeared shortly after. Next episode, I tell how he got put in the witness protection program. www.ganglandwire.com For tee shirts and premium episodes click on the Store. Click here to rent Gangland Wire, the documentary film, only $1.99.

Illegal Gambling before Las Vegas – Part 2 Jun 08, 2016

In his 30 Illegal Years to the Strip Bill Friedman explains how Al Capone, Frank Nitti, Charles Luciano, John Torrio, Moe Dalitz, Meyer Lansky and Joe Adonis and Frank Costello created the modern criminal gambling Syndicate that ruled organized crime in the United States. He wrote “The seven leaders of the three dominating Prohibition gangs imported the world’s finest liquors on a massive scale. Although they conducted their business in an illegal and dangerous world, these seven espoused traditional business values and rejected the key tools of organized crime – monopoly, violence, and vendetta. This made them the most unlikely gangsters to rise to underworld leadership. But they earned every criminal’s respect, and fate made them the most powerful gangland leaders in American history.” In the second episode, Mr. Friedman tells how Frank Costello was not your usual old time mobster. He believed in making concessions and agreements that benefited everybody, not violence benefiting nobody. He opened exclusive high end nightclubs like the Copacabana in New York City. He had the largest slot machine route in the United States. After an assassination attempt ordered by rival mobster, Vito Genovese, Costello proved he was against violence and went so far as to refuse to identify Vincent “The Chin” Gigante as the man who attempted to assassinate him in 1957. “The Chin” would go on to be the boss of the Genevose family. “The Chin” was famous his later years to feign mental illness and walk the streets of Greenwich Village talking to himself, dressed in pajamas and a bathrobe. He would later be convicted of racketeering and die in prison. Shortly after the murder attempt, Frank Costello retired as an active mob boss of the Luciano Family and Vito Genovese would take over. The “Chin” would succeed Vito Genovese, using a series of high profile mobsters acting as if they were the Boss. During his retirement, Costello was known as “The Prime Minister of the Underworld.” He still retained power and influence in New York’s Mafia and remained busy throughout his final years. Like the Godfather in the Mario Puzo story, Costello occupied himself with gardening in his later years.. On February 18, 1973, after 11 days in the hospital, Frank Costello died of a heart attack. It was his 82nd birthday. Photo of Frank Costello by Al Aumuller, World Telegram staff photographer – Library of Congress. New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection. Books by Bill Friedman www.ganglandwire.com To make a donation or purchase premium podcasts episodes go to https://ganglandwire.com/store

Illegal Gambling before Las Vegas Part 1 May 31, 2016

In his 30 Illegal Years to the Strip Bill Friedman explains how the early Mob bosses created illegal gambling empires after prohibition. Some of these men went on to help create modern Las Vegas. Al Capone, Frank Nitti, Charles Luciano, John Torrio, Moe Dalitz, Meyer Lansky and Joe Adonis and Frank Costello created the modern criminal Syndicate that ruled organized crime in the United States. He wrote “The seven leaders of the three dominating Prohibition gangs imported the world’s finest liquors on a massive scale. Although they conducted their business in an illegal and dangerous world, these seven espoused traditional business values and rejected the key tools of organized crime – monopoly, violence, and vendetta. This made them the most unlikely gangsters to rise to underworld leadership. But they earned every criminal’s respect, and fate made them the most powerful gangland leaders in American history.” In this 2 part series, Bill focuses on Frank Costello and how he rose to be the Boss of Bosses and retired peacefully to die a natural death. Bill has an interesting theory. He believes that what we know as the modern Las Vegas entertainment and convention mecca would never have been, except for these mobsters. Bill would say the early casino operators were incapable of managing and successfully operating a gambling casino. They soon turned to the men who knew how to run a casino, the Mob.

Murder in McHenry – Paul Scharff – Part 3 May 10, 2016

In Part 3, Paul Scharff tells about his struggle to help clean up the McHenry County Sheriff’s office and elect a new sheriff. Paul runs into reluctance on the part of the sitting sheriff and he embarks on his own investigation into why the McHenry county authorities do not want to verify Frank Culotta’s claim that Larry “Lurch” Neumann killed his father, Ron Scharff. He learns the sitting sheriff was even called out to Nevada to testify in the Bertha’s Gift’s burglary trial. He was going to be used to discredit the main government witness, Frank Culotta who was testifying against Tony Spilotro, Larry Neumann and his other Hole in the Wall Gang members.

Murder in McHenry – Paul Scharff – Part 2 May 05, 2016

In Part 2, our special guest, Paul Scharff tells about his first contact with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Investigator. Paul learns they have never looked at Larry “Lurch” Neumann. When Paul first contacts the Sheriff’s investigator, they try to discourage him by intimating he may learn information about his father that he does not want to hear. They had put this off as a killing by a jealous lover of the bar maid killed at the same time. He talks to Frank Culotta and finds out that Neumann is a real psychopath that killed for money as well as fun. Culotta tells him the story of how Neumann got a phone call from his ex-wife and was very angry when he hung up. Cuoltta asked him about the call and Nuemann said this bar owner in Chicago had thrown his wife out of the bar. Neumann said he had to go back and kill the guy because this was disrespectful to him. Culotta and Neumann were part of a burglary gang headed up by Chicago Outfit member, Tony Spilotro. Culotta knew the boss, Spilotro, would not approve of a revenge killing. This is the kind of unnecessary murder that can bring heat on the Outfit. Culotta sends a guy back to Chicago with Neumann on his next trip home in an attempt to prevent this killing. For unknown reasons, Neumann was still able to kill Ron Scharff and get back to Las Vegas. Frank Culotta, Larry Neumann and other members of Spilotro’s Hole in the Wall Gang were set up by the Las Vegas F.B.I. and the Las Vegas Metro Intelligence Unit on July 4, 1981. Spilotro’s gang was dubbed the Hole in the Wall Gang because they cut usually cut a hole in the wall or roof of jewelry store to steal diamond and gold jewelry. They used this entry method to escape the usual window and door burglary alarms. Only one month, almost to the day, after Neumann killed Ron Scharff, F.B.I., Agents Emment Michaels and Dennis Arnoldy along with Metro Police Intelligence Commander Kent Clifford and his squad waited for the Hole in the Wall gang. On July 4, 1981, the officers watched as the gang cut a hole in the roof of Bertha’s Gifts at 896 East Sahara, Las Vegas. Once the gang was inside, they surrounded the building and arrested everyone. This was the end of this gang. The gang members posted bail and Spilotro ordered him to kill Frank Culotta and another gang member. Culotta learned of this plot and entered the Witness Protection program. His testimony would help put Neumann in prison for life on another unrelated killing. Culotta would testify against Spilotro in both Las Vegas and Chicago. He was not convicted on either case, but the Chicago judge hearing that case would be convicted of bribery charges a few years later.

Murder in McHenry – Paul Scharff – Part 1 May 01, 2016

In 1981, 10 year old Paul Scharff was awakened and told the news that his father, Ron Scharff, was killed by unknown persons at his McHenry County neighborhood tavern. Twenty-eight years later, Paul receives a call telling him who killed his father. In this story, we learn that sometimes the bad guys are the good guys and the good guys are the bad guys. This is the fascinating true story of a mob killer working with the son of a murder victim to uncover the truth behind his father’s death. Paul Scharff received a phone call from a family friend in 2008. The friend, Jim Hager, related that his daughter, Holly Hager — Paul’s one-time babysitter — had read a book that she believed included a segment on Ron Scharff’s killing. Although the names of the victims and the specific location of the crimes weren’t included, she felt everything else matched. Jim agreed and reached out to Paul. Paul immediately buys a copy of Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster, and Government Witness by Mob killer turned government witness, Frank Culotta. At this time, Culotta was in the Witness Protection program, hiding from his former Chicago Outfit bosses. The Culotta story was actually written by well known true crime author, Dennis Griffin. Paul soon found Mr. Griffin and told him of his connection. By this time, Paul knew this book had been published in 2007 and he had heard nothing from the McHenry County Sheriff. To contact Culotta, Dennis Griffin connects Paul with Culotta’s former handler, retired F.B.I. agent, Dennis Arnoldy. After being vetted by the former agent, he is put in direct touch with Culotta. In this episode, Paul tells us how he learned about his father’s death and the friendship he developed with Frank Culotta, a former associate of his father’s killer, Larry Newman. He learns Newman’s mob boss was Tony Spilotro (“The Ant”), a dangerous and feared Chicago Outfit member. Frank Culotta will say that even The Ant was afraid of Newman, also known as Lurch, because he looked like the Adam’s Family TV show character. Culotta tells Paul that Lurch killed Ron Sharff because he learned that Ron had thrown Lurch’s ex-wife out of his bar. Paul becomes suspicious of the McHenry County Sheriff’s office because they are not following up on this information. Paul learns that if any law enforcement agency collaborates Culotta’s information, this makes him a more creditable witness in other mob trials. This is the first of three exciting and interesting episodes.

Chicago Mob Diamond Theft -Segment 2 Apr 12, 2016

In the second episode, Aaron and I discuss the mystery of what happened to the Marlborough Diamond. The listener will learn about the subsequent investigation and arrest of The Monk and The Brain in another audacious scheme long after the Marlborough Diamond caper. In what may be their last crime outside of prison, the 72 year old dynamic duo plan an armored car robbery. The investigating agents learn about another plan. Scalise and Rachel along with a third man are soon caught in the act of a home invasion robbery. The surprising detail is the victim was to be the widow of deceased Chicago Outfit boss, Angelo “The Hook” LaPietra. The Feds had installed a hidden mike to listen to Scalise and Rachel. The agents soon heard the Scalise gang was inspired by the FBI’s March 23 raid of the home of imprisoned Mob boss Frank Calabrese Sr. where the Feds found $720,000 in cash and $500,000 worth of jewelry hidden in the wall behind a family portrait. Scalise wondered if Angelo LaPietra might have had a similar in-home hiding place. The Mafia blog site Mafia Today reports that Scalise told Rachel and Pullia that he considered LaPietra and Calabrese to be “the same guys” and equally distrustful and unlikely to use a bank’s safe-deposit box. The monitoring agents learned the home invasion was not just about money. Scalise called LaPietra “a miserable person,” remembering the Hook sitting imperiously in the corner of his Italian social club, eyeing all who walked in. “Every little thing made him nuts,” Scalise said; even though the soldiers had paid to join the club, “nobody wanted to go there.” Agents speculate that Scalise and his gang did not have to fear from the new Outfit bosses. The Chicago Outfit’s top boss is 83-year-old John DiFronzo. He is known to be very cautious.

Chicago Mob Diamond Theft – Segment 1 Apr 06, 2016

In this new two part series, I tell about Chicago Mob associates Jerome “Jerry” “The Monk” Scalise and Arthur “The Brain” Rachel. These two guys were master criminals of the Chicago Underworld. Some claim that in the Michael Mann film Thief, the James Caan character, known only as Frank, was modeled on Scalise and the Jim Belushi character, known only as Barry, on Rachel. Thief marked the first film appearance of actor and former Chicago cop Dennis Farina. Another interesting tidbit about the Thief cast was the appearance of real Chicago Mob associate, John Schiavone aka, John Santucci. He played a corrupt cop and was a technical adviser. A few years later, a guy, driving a new Corvette and wearing a production jacket from Thief, started showing up at the Virginian Tavern, a noted 1980s Kansas City mob bar. We soon learned this was John Schiavone who acted under the name, John Santucci. He was seen with some KC theives and then disappeared. We never really learned why he was here. As we always say, “7 million stories in the naked city and this was just one of them.” He would go on to be charged a few years later in a scheme to steal from vending machines. The kicker is, we saw him with a guy who specialized in breaking into vending machines, Gene Maggio. That may not sound like much but think of a 20 story hotel with a coke and candy machine on every floor. In this episode, Aaron and I set the scene for the theft of the famous Marlborough diamond. Jerry Scalise and Art Rachel travel from Chicago to London, England with the plan to steal the most famous diamond of the day. In 1980, The Monk and The Brain pulled off an audacious theft of the over one million in diamonds from the famous Graff Jewelers store in exclusive Knightsbridge section of London. Among the diamonds they took was the 45 caret Marlborough diamond. The former owner of the Marlborough diamond was the Duchess of Marlborough, the niece of Winston Churchill. At the live podcast, I got some great podcast feedback from a nice young woman whose name I can’t remember. She needs to email me, I have a gift for your important feedback.

Joseph “Joey Doves” Aiuppa – Segment 3 Feb 04, 2016

For this third segment on Joey Doves, I have gone back to my Freedom of Information Act documents on his criminal history. Aaron and I discuss raids on two clubs he owned. The Frolics and the Magic Lounge were in the 4800 block of Cermak Road, Cicero, Illinois. From the F.B.I. documents, I learned they were notorious strip clubs. The local police had refused to take any action after repeated complaints by the Cicero Minister’s Council. Finally, a State’s Attorney investigator named Spencer T. Roswell, led a raid on these clubs in 1962. Roswell, a former F.B.I agent, was successful in carrying out the raids, but had a little trouble obtaining any convictions in Cook County, Illinois. After all, it was the Cook County judicial system where Tony Spilotro would have a murder case dismissed. Go to www.ganglandwire.com to see the written blog posts about organized crime and other crime stories.

Joseph “Joey Doves” Aiuppa – Segment 2 Jan 29, 2016

In this episode, Aaron and I examine exactly how Aiuppa got the nickname, Joey Doves. Most mob fans know he got caught with several hundred dead doves while on a hunting trip in Kansas. We will tell you where in Kansas, who he was hunting with and exactly how this Federal Gaming Law violation went down.

Joseph “Joey Doves” Aiuppa – Segment 1 Jan 29, 2016

I recently did a short written blog piece on Joey Doves. Aaron and I did a two-part episode on Joey Doves on Gangland Wire Crime Stories. In this first segment, we examine Aiuppa’s early criminal career. One unusual aspect is something I found in his FBI file. The FBI believe he had a relationship with the famous bank robber, John Dillinger and other Midwest bank bandits.

Nick Civella and the Chicago Outfit Segment 2 Jan 21, 2016

In the second segment, Bill Ouseley tells about Chicago mobster, Charles “Cherry Nose” Gioe and his connection to Nick Civella and the 1950s KC Mob Boss, Anthony “Tony” Gizzo. Gizzo was made famous during the Estes Kefauver hearings when asked how much money he usually carried and he pulled a stack of hundred dollar bills from his pocket and counted out twenty-five of them. Gioe and other Chicago Outfit members were doing a “bit” in Leavenworth for extorting money from Hollywood film studios. During that time, Chicago Outfit members would travel to KC and Tony Gizzo would meet and transport them to Leavenworth for visits. During Nick Civella’s last Chicago visit, he made friends with Gioe. When Civella was allowed to return, Gioe and probably Chicago Mob Boss Tony Accardo, paved the way and Nick was given the job as Tony Gizzo’s driver. Apparently, all was forgiven and Nick would soon rise from driver to Under-Boss to Boss of the KC Family.

Nick Civella and the Chicago Outfit Segment 3 Jan 21, 2016

In this third and final segment, we learn about Nick Civella, Carl “Tuffy” DeLuna and their relationship with Joseph “Joey Doves” Aiuppa and the Chicago Outfit. Nick Civella teamed up with the Chicago, Milwaukee and Cleveland Mobs to influence a 62 million dollar Teamster’s Pension Fund loan and finance a man named Allen Glick to buy the Stardust, Hacienda, Frontier and Marina hotel/casinos. This is the situation that Martin Scorsese used to create his fictional film, Casino. Tuffy and Nick go to Chicago to work out details and set the details of how they would skim money as a payback for getting Glick the loan. Once Lefty Rosenthal gets the skim started, it goes to Chicago and Chicago sends a percentage back to Milwaukee, Cleveland and Kansas City. In FBI wiretaps, we hear Tuffy and Nick discussing if Nick should call Lefty Rosenthal directly or should he get permission from Chicago Outfit bosses first.

Nick Civella and the Chicago Outfit Segment 1 Jan 21, 2016

In the first of three episodes, Aaron and I invite retired F.B.I. Agent Bill Ouseley to discuss the connection between the Chicago Outfit and the Kansas City crime family. We will discuss the early days of Nick Civella’s criminal career and how his trouble with the Kansas City La Cosa Nostra forced him to flee to Chicago on two separate occasions. The second time Nick returns from Chicago, Kansas City mobsters ambush him and a Civella associate is killed. Another Civella associate, Joseph “Buggy” Anch, was killed a few days before this attempt. He returns to Chicago. I studied Bill Ouseley’s books, Mobsters In Our Midst and Open City to prepare for this show. www.ganglandwire.com

The Mob and the Boosters – Gangland Wire Jan 15, 2016

Shoplifting seems like a crime done by kleptomaniacs, dysfunctional movie stars or teenagers. Well, there is a huge contingent of professional shoplifters working stores somewhere in the world,as you read this blog. In criminal lingo, a shoplifter is known as a “Booster.” Mostly, they are drug addicts trying to feed their habit. Most work in pairs or larger teams. I remember seeing a report from Metro North Mall back in the 1990s. The clerk stated 4-6 individuals entered the Macy’s store and as they spread out, store security became alerted. The clerk and security officer reported they all were speaking a foreign language and appeared to be Europeans from their dress. One was spotted concealing a armful of cashmere sweaters inside a large purse. As the security person followed the “booster” out into the mall, another one of this group bumped into the officer and pushed him and distracted him while the woman with the sweaters ran out the mall. The security guard ran into the parking lot and obtained a license number off a car leaving at a high rate of speed. A check of this license number revealed an Hispanic name and a Los Angeles name address. We checked with LAPD and learned this name and address was associated with a large group of professional boosters who were all from Argentina, South America. In Kansas City during the 1970s, 80s and 90s, we had several retail outlets owned by Mob associates. They were supplied by the area’s professional boosters. In at least one case, James Harvey Bradley, known as “Junior,” paid his boosters stolen narcotic pills for the boosted items. He had a retail outlet at the City Market and sold some items out of his restaurant known as the Pumpernik Deli, 11th and Walnut. This podcast is a broad overview of the Mob and the fencing of stolen goods. I have sent out several Freedom of Information Act requests for individuals arrested for being involved with Junior Bradley as well as record album boosters who sold to Tiger Cardarella. In 2016, Aaron and I will go into the cases in great detail. Aaron Gnirk and I would like to thank our listeners for this freshman season of Gangland Wire Crime Stories. This is the last podcast of our first season. I have several others in the hopper. I think you will like to hear the inside scoop on how the mob made money from fencing and narcotics. I am also working on the Bob Berdella serial killer case, the unsolved $400,000.00 theft of art objects from the Truman Library and the plot to kidnap Muriel Kaufman.

James S. Duardi and the Oklahoma Connection part 2 Sep 30, 2015

In this podcast, learn how a mob hit gone wrong can be ignored by a Federal judge because of a disagreement with the Strike Force. The U.S. Strike Force was formed to cut though jurisdictional boundaries and eliminate inter agency rivalries. In major American cities with La Cosa Nostra families, the Department of Justice created a separate division titled the Strike Force. Each city had an Assistant U.S. Attorney to lead the Strike Force. Several other attorneys were hired to prosecute Strike Force cases. Each Federal agency like the F.B.I., A.T.F. , D.E.A., Agriculture Dept, I.R.S. and Immigration assigned agents to the strike force. They were to select high value targets like Nick Civella, Cork Civella, Tuffy DeLuna or Jimmy Duardi and later drug kingpins were added to the targets. Bill Ouseley explains the result of the Oklahoma case and how the Strike Force works.

James S. Duardi and the Oklahoma connection Sep 30, 2015

This podcast is the first of a two-part series about Kansas City Mob associate James S. “Jimmy” Duardi. Jimmy Duardi was a mobster from the old school. His personality had a range from being a most pleasant fellow to a cold deadly killer. He was the nephew of Gaetanno LaCoco who was a old time mafia leader during prohibition. Retired F.B.I. Agent Bill Ouseley is a guest for this series. Jimmy Duardi and several others, notably Nate Brancato, conspired to take over a large night club in the Grand Lake of the Cherokees, an Oklahoma resort area. During the course of this operation, the conspirators bribed the County District Attorney, Frank Grayson, members of his staff and the county sheriff. Jess Roberts, owner of the Mr. Yuk Club, was the intended victim. The final plan was to open up the county for illegal liquor by the drink, gambling and prostitution at this club and other clubs. This plan went awry when Duardi underlings, Clifford Bishop and Jack Michael King attempted to assassinate Jess Roberts, the owner of the Mr. Yuk Club.

Nick Civella and the Teamsters -3 Aug 20, 2015

In the third and final episode I tell about the Mob influence over the Teamster’s local in Cleveland, Ohio and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, In Cleveland a man named Jackie Presser would double deal his way to the top job as president of the Teamsters. His father, Bill Presser, was a guy with connections to both Jimmy Hoffa and Cleveland Mob. Like Allen Dorfman and Roy Lee Williams, he served in WWII. During the 1950s, Jackie Presser rises to International Vice president of the Teamster union. In the early 1970s, his father, Bill Presser is under indictment for corruption charges relating to Union activities. Bill and Jackie Presser agree to become government informants to stop the charges against Bill Presser. They will use their FBI connections to keep Jimmy Hoffa from regaining any Teamster power. Jimmie Hoffa disappears in 1975 and the Pressers were some of the folks that benefitted from his death. Jackie Presser became a Top Echelon Informant for the Bureau for the rest of his life. By 1980, he is poised to become the next national president. He has become important to the election of Ronald Reagan though his influence over Teamster votes. He will become a member of the Reagan transition team in regards to union affairs. When his organized crime connections are reported and it is demanded he be separated from the Reagan administration, Reagan officials claim he is no longer connected to them because his work on the transition team is over. In 1983, he is backed by all the mob families to become the next president of the Teamsters. He has given the FBI the information required to indict Roy Lee Williams and Allen Dorfman for an attempted bribery of Nevada Senator Howard Cannon. Dorfman will soon be executed in a Chicago parking lot and Roy Lee Williams will be stricken with terminal cancer and he turns government witness. In April of 1983, Top Echelon FBI informant Jackie Presser becomes the next president of the Teamsters Union. During this time, his FBI agent handlers purportedly approve of a scheme for him to add ghost members to a Cleveland Teamster Local. Roy Lee Williams turns government witness and gives enough information to indict Jackie Presser for fraud in his addition of ghost employees to a local union. He was able to collect money for each ghost employee. His FBI handlers were indicted for approving of this scheme. However, documents revealed they did not act without approval and the indictments were dropped. Another example of the problems in handing informants. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Boss Frank Balistrieri was being followed by a lone agent, Gary Magnensun. This is a great example of why just watching mob guys is worthwhile. Listen to Agent Magnensun tell about a discovery he made on day. During this time, Kansas City FBI agents were telling Milwaukee about phone calls coming from Nick Civella to Milwaukee boss Balistrieri. This enabled them to go up on several phones and install some hidden microphones. In the end, the FBI exposed the domination of the Teamster’s Union by Organized Crime interests. the Labor Department and Justice Department placed the Teamster Pension Fund and the Union under the care of government selected trustees until new elections had been held. Listen below for the conclusion of Nick Civella and the Teamsters

Nick Civella and the Teamster – 2 Aug 20, 2015

In the second episode, you will learn about a WW II veteran named Allen Dorfman who returned from combat. Like Roy Williams, Dorfman was a hero and had been awarded the Silver Star. Dorfman’s step-father Paul “Red” Dorfman was a long time Teamster’s official with ties to the Chicago Outfit. In 1949, Red Dorfman was one of only 2 trustees of the Teamster Pension fund, called the Welfare Fund at that time. He set up his wife, Rose Dorfman, and son, Allen Dorfman, as owners of a Chicago branch office of the Union Casualty Co. They were given the responsibility of managing and investing what became the Central States Teamster’s Pension fund. Allen was owned by the Chicago mob. I play a clip from a hidden mike where “Joey the Clown” Lombardo explains to casino owner, Morris Shenker, about Allen Dorfman’s relationship to the Chicago mob. This clip is part of my film and available on this website. I tell an interesting story about how the FBI learned of a meeting at Phil Simone’s house in Nick Civella‘s neighborhood. Phil Simone was a truck company terminal manger and associate of Civella. Dorfman and Lombardo had come to Kansas City and were meeting with Nick Civella in a Crown Center hotel room. Agent Bill Ouseley was able to listen though a door and hear of plans for a future meeting in KC to discuss Teamster pension fund business. From this and other wiretap information, they knew that the Simone home would be the site of a secret meeting. They were able to get a court order for a hidden mike and had time to do the install. This was, like the Marlo house, within visual distance of all the Civella’s homes. A Kansas City-North neighborhood known as Filamena Acres. The day came and agents watched KC Teamster, Sam Ancona, pick up Dorfman at the airport. They watched as Nick Civella made great efforts to “clean” off any surveillance. They were all set and poised at the tape recorders in the “wire Room.” Then, nothing, nada, bupkis, no sound but a TV running. Later, they learned the meeting was held in a bedroom. At that time, mikes could not be placed inside a bedroom or bathroom.

Nick Civella and the Teamsters Union – 1 Aug 20, 2015

This is the first episode of a three part episode discussing how the Midwest Mob families obtained influence over the Central States Teamsters Pension Fund. I am a member of the Board for the Kansas City Police Pension Fund. We have 800 Million dollars invested. If 5 Board members were to agree to make a multi-million dollar loan to an individual to buy a casino, we could do that. That is exactly what happened to the Central States Teamster’s Pension Fund. By the time Prohibition ended, every major city from Kansas City east to New York City had politically powerful criminal organizations known as La Cosa Nostra, The Mob, The Mafia, the Syndicate, The Outfit, the Clique or in general “This Thing Of Ours.” The Teamsters Union was one of the most powerful and corrupt unions in the United States by this time. In 1953 the long time president Daniel Tobin retired and his handpicked successor Dave Beck was elected. Beck was notoriously corrupt and he took steps to ensure he was Teamsters president for life. James R. “Jimmy” Hoffa was an up and comer and in 1956 he conspired with a New York gangster named Johnny Dio to rig the next Teamster’s president’s election. At this time, in Kansas City, we had an up and comer in Local 41, named Roy Lee Williams. Roy Lee Williams started driving trucks in 1935. As with most able bodied men in 1941, Williams went to war. He came back a war hero with a Silver Star. The first known contact between Hoffa and Williams was around 1950 when Hoffa appointed Williams as a Trustee to a Local in Wichita, Kansas. By 1952, Williams was appointed to a Joint Council that supervised all Locals in Western Missouri and Kansas. He soon became the President of Local 41 in Kansas City, MO. As Williams and Hoffa rose in the ranks of the Teamster’s Union, they both sought the assistance of the Mob. Retired FBI agent Bill Ouseley relates the first known contact between Nick Civella and Roy Lee Williams. They were both on a Jackson County Democratic Party committee. The committee’s purpose was to recommend candidates for various city and County offices. Just like Hoffa and Dio, Williams and Civella found they could use each other’s talents to ensure better contracts for Teamsters and provide work for the Mafia. Civella came up with a plan to provide a special medical insurance for Kansas City Teamsters. He had a local doctor who would provide all Teamster’s members office visits. Williams was to charge each member $1.00 monthly. This would be about $4,000.00 per month. Williams would pay this to the doctor and the doctor would “take care” of Civella. Williams resisted this unnecessary medical plan (they already had health insurance). A mob guy named Thomas “Highway” Simone confronted Willams and threatened to kill Williams’ wife and children and then kill Williams. The plan was adopted. Bill Ouseley reports in his book, Mobsters in Our Midst that the Teamsters started a drive to take control of the Firefighters Local 42 In Kansas City. The Fire Fighter’s president was a Battalion Captain named Stanton Gladden. He resisted the Teamster efforts. A politically appointed “Fire Chief” named Edgar Grass offered a promotion to a popular Fire Captain to support the Teamster’s Union among the rank and file. Gladden threatened to expose this offer. Nick Civella’s brother, Cork Civella, asked Gladden to meet and discuss this issue. Civella offered his influence on the city council to get Gladden promoted to Fire Chief while Chief Grass would be given a position as “Director” of the Fire Department. In return, Gladden had to stop exposing the Teamsters influence over the promotional process and the existing fire chief. Gladden declined this offer and subsequently released an affidavit proving this allegations of improper influence over the promotional process by Teamster’s advocates. Shortly after that Gladden started his car and a bomb exploded. He was severely injured. This bombing created so much publicity that then Attorney General Robert Kennedy opened an investigation into these activities and the local F.B.I. started their years of investigation into mob influence over the Teamsters union. Listen below for more exciting details.

Klu Klux Klan Part 3 Jul 01, 2015

These three episodes became very topical just as I recorded them. In a free society, we have to protect the worst of us under the law. Democracy is not neat and clean and sometimes not pretty. Do you want the rule of the mob or the rule of law?

Klu Klux Klan Part 2 Jul 01, 2015

The conundrum in a free society, where does free speech pass from protected to censored? In the recent killings by white power advocate, Dylann Roof, folks are stirred to anger by the image of Roof with a Confederate battle flag. I believe that the majority of popular opinion right now is for banning of this flag. Supporters of the flag as an artifact commemorating soldiers who died in the Civil War are vigorously resisting any restriction of flying this flag. The conflict has become an extension of the already vehement disagreement between liberals and conservatives. Remember, this is the country that allowed members of the American Nazi party to conduct a public march through the streets of Skokie, Illinois, a majority Jewish Chicago suburb. Anyway, enjoy the next episode of the KKK and the Kansas City Police department.

Klu Klux Klan Part 1 Jun 25, 2015

Starting with Episode 8, I am inserting a photo we took of the Klan members we targeted and arrested in this Intelligence Unit investigation. Episode 8 was Dennis Mahon, the Imperial Dragon of all the White Knights of the KKK. This Episode is Daniel Mahon, the Keagle of the Oklahoma White Knights. In Episode #9, I tell how our investigation began with a conflict between the Missouri White Knights of the Klu Klux Klan and American Cablevision as well as the City Council of Kansas City. Do not try to make sense of any organizational structure of these White Power groups. They will claim to be members of the White Knights of the KKK from both Oklahoma and Missouri as well as members of the White Aryan Resistance (WAR), the National Socialist Party, the Nazi party, the Skin Heads or some other name.

Episode 7 The Bowery Jun 19, 2015

We have new opening and closing segments with local music from Odd-O-Matic, a new independent group with an electro-punk beat with hip-hop undertones. Search for them on Facebook and like their page. To purchase their music go to Itunes. Episode 7 – The Bowery finds me investigating a River Quay area bar. Can you believe, I witnessed a live sex act? This one is definitely X rated for language. Subscribe to my podcast and tell your friends. Remember, we need to get some donations to pay for studio time. Go to my Shop page and be a part of the Gangland Wire team. Get a Gangland Wire Tee-shirt for your donation. Upcoming, I recorded a 3-part series on a Klu Klux Klan investigation and another on solving the mystery of the missing Enunciator.

Episode 6 Wrap Up Apr 08, 2015

I am researching the next exciting story right now. In 1990, the Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit conducted an investigation into Kansas City Klu Klux Klan activities. Now, listen below to a short wrap up of the Civella/Spero mob war. If you have enjoyed my true crime stories, please support this work and go to the shop page and make a donation.

Episode 5 Take-down Apr 03, 2015

This is the exciting conclusion where the informant, Lyle Neal, finally is shown the actual bomb and gets to watch Joe Spero test the bomb remote control detonator.

Episode 4 The bomb Apr 03, 2015

In this episode, I tell about the Civellas working on their Las Vegas skim while Joe Spero makes his first attempt to kill Tuffy DeLuna. This may have been better titled as the gang that could not detonate a bomb. Listeners will get an inside look at the difficulty in knowing a murder was about to happen and waiting to make an arrest that will result in a conviction.

Episode 3 Informants Apr 03, 2015

In this episode I tell about the development of some informants. For example, one guy had worked for a mob owned used car lot and auto repair garage. He had been able to listen through a thin wall and hear some snippets of mob plans. When we approached him and asked about his work at this mob owned business, we were making a “cold call.” In other words, we asked him for information without any pressure. We did not know about a situation where Carl Spero involved him in a the theft of a piece of heavy equipment. he thought we knew and he immediately told us everything he knew about the Spero crew. in another case, a guy got in too deep and knew the only way out was to seek law enforcement protection or end up dead.

Episode 2 Ambush at the Virginian Apr 03, 2015

As KCPD Intelligence and the FBI monitor Civella family soldiers and the Spero brothers, the war heats up. I will tell how law enforcement almost stumbled into the middle of a mob hit going down at a public place.

Episode 1 Civella versus Spero Apr 03, 2015

In this exciting podcast, I will describe how the origins of the Civella/Spero war began. The murder of Nick Spero followed by revenge from his brothers.

Gangland Wire – Crime Stories Welcome Apr 03, 2015

This post marks the first of my podcast series, Gangland Wire -Crime Stories. After this first short explanation episode, the next 5 episodes will chronicle the 1970s gang war between the Nick Civella crime family and the upstart Spero brother’s faction. I hope this to be the beginning of a long lasting series of Kansas City true crime stories. Some will be cases I was personally involved with and others I research. Sometimes, I will be able to obtain interviews with actual participants. If, you are entertained and enlightened by my true crime stories, please make a donation to this cause. It will be up to the listeners to keep this podcast on the air. To make a donation, use your venmo app and buy me a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer at ganglandwire. I have created a Paypal button on my “Shop” page. Click on the Paypal button and this takes you to the Paypal page. If you have a Paypal account you can designate an amount to donate from that account. If you do not have a Paypal account, go to the Paypal page and look at the section just below the words “forgot email or password?” Click on the sentence, ” Pay with a debit or credit card, or PayPal Credit.” This takes the user to a section that allows them to use a credit card. Rest assured, your credit card information is as well protected by Paypal as Amazon or any other major online store. Hit the play button in the below podcast player.

Crime Beat Radio Nov 01, 2013

I was interviewed on the Crime Beat Radio show last night. Co-hosts R0n Chepesiuk and Willie Hyb have the world's biggest audience in the true crime genre with over 200,000 listeners. Both are true crime authors in the area of organized crime. They both are very excited about the new perspective Gangland Wire brings to the subject with the extensive use of the actual wiretap audio from government archives. Click here to listen to the interview. Check out Crime Beat shows and more about Ron and Willie, go to Crime Beat Radio.

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