Kingpins

Latest Episodes:

Kingpins Daily: Frank Sinatra May 10, 2020

Show notes

Today’s quote is from none other than the beloved crooner Frank Sinatra. Throughout his life, Sinatra remained friends with many prominent gangsters. He is also suspected of using his mafia connections to give JFK a leg-up in the 1960 election.

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Kingpins Daily: Willie Moretti May 09, 2020

Show notes

Today’s quote is from gangster Guarino “Willie” Moretti. Though he was known as Frank Costello’s “muscle” he had a sharp sense of humor. And when he testified in the Senate’s Kefauver Hearings in 1950, Willie brought that humor with him.

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“Before the Medellín Cartel” Pt. 1: Jung & Rivas May 08, 2020

Show notes

In the late 1970s, George Jung and Carlos Lehder Rivas would team up to become one of the most infamous trafficking duos in the history of American cocaine. Before they could become professionals though, both men would start from humble origins, padding their resumes out with marajuana trafficking and forays into organized crime.

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Kingpins Daily: Willie Sutton May 07, 2020

Show notes

Today’s quote is from bank robber Willie Sutton, known for his gentlemanly manner and for escaping jail multiple times. His crimes eventually earned him a spot on the FBI’s most wanted list.

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Kingpins Daily: Otto Berman May 06, 2020

Show notes

Today, we return to a saying you’ve likely heard once or twice before. What you might not know is who coined it: New York math whiz turned mafia accountant, Otto “Abbadabba” Berman.

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Kingpins Daily: Stephanie St. Clair May 05, 2020

Show notes

Today’s quote is from 1920s and 30s underworld boss, Stephanie St. Clair. During that time, she was engaged in a fierce rivalry with Arthur Simon Flegenheimer, more commonly known as mobster Dutch Schultz.

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Kingpins Daily: Pablo Escobar May 04, 2020

Show notes

Today, we’re recalling an odd moment in the life of Colombia’s “King of Cocaine,” Pablo Escobar. According to his son, when the family was once holed up in one of Escobar’s hideouts in the mountains of Medellin, his father resorted to drastic measures to keep the family warm.

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Kingpins Daily: Henry Hill May 03, 2020

Show notes

Today’s quote is from mafioso-turned-informant Henry Hill, an associate of the Lucchese crime “family,” as many Italian mafia outfits are called.

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Kingpins Daily: Niccolò Machiavelli May 02, 2020

Show notes

Our first quote is not actually by a criminal—it’s from The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, written in 1513. But the book’s principles lie at the heart of every mobster’s philosophy.

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“The Torture Gang” Pt. 2: Charlie Richardson May 01, 2020

Show notes

By the 1960s, Charlie Richardson had London's criminal underbelly in the palm of his hand. This was all thanks to his acumen as a shady businessman and his “Torture Court,” where he judged and punished his enemies. And just as he was ready to go straight, his enemies would have something to say.

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