THE DOSSIER

FAMILY BUSINESS: THE FALL OF VINNIE OCEAN Mar 13, 2025

As the DeCavalcante family transitioned into the late 90’s, the new leadership structure was causing a power struggle between Vinnie Ocean and Charlie “Big Ears” Majuri.

With law enforcement continuing to hassle Wiggles, Ocean’s cash-cow was drying up.

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FAMILY BUSINESS: FORMER FBI AGENT GIOVANNI ROCCO Mar 05, 2025

We interview the former FBI undercover task force officer and author of Giovanni’s Ring: My Life Inside the Real Sopranos, who spent 26 years undercover penetrating New Jersey’s DeCavalcante crime family, the criminal organization known to law enforcement as “The Real Sopranos”

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FAMILY BUSINESS: JOHNNY SACK Feb 26, 2025

While The Sopranos mainly focused on a fictional New Jersey mob, their fellow mafiosos in New York couldn’t be ignored.

The fictional New York family was represented by Johnny Sacrimoni, better known as Johnny Sack.

Vincent Curatola, a New Jersey native, portrayed the New York underboss with a steely cool that made him a hit with the legions of Sopranos fans.

We spoke with Curatola in a wide-ranging interview, beginning with his fondness for New Jersey.

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FAMILY BUSINESS: JOHNNY BOY Feb 19, 2025

As John Riggi is sent to prison, John “Johnny Boy” D’Amato, is made the acting head of the DeCavalcante family.

Despite being unpopular in his own crime family, D’Amato would use his close friendship with John Gotti to become head of the DeCavalcante crew.

Eventually, he is rubbed out by his own mafia family.

His crime...being gay.

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FAMILY BUSINESS: FURIO Feb 12, 2025

Playing a New Jersey gangster was nuanced, one part menacing, but equally comedic.

Federico Castellucio played the role of Furio Giunta , a Tony Soprano street-soldier who even tried to have a romantic fling with Tony’s wife Carmela Soprano.

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FAMILY BUSINESS: THE RISE OF VINNIE OCEAN Feb 05, 2025

In 1997, after the death of acting boss Jake Amari, Vinnie “Ocean” Palermo is named part of a three man panel that will now run the DeCavalcante family. Vinnie Ocean is considered the most likely candidate to be the real Tony Soprano, for a number of reasons.

We trace his rise & fall in the mafia in this two-part episode.

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FAMILY BUSINESS: GREG SMITH Jan 29, 2025

Organized crime has always been catnip to savvy crime reporters, and as the years have progressed with the proliferation of rats, the storytelling has gotten more nuanced and more in depth.

Former NY Daily News Reporter Greg Smith spent years reporting on orga-nized crime, and in 2003 he published a wide-ranging book on the DeCavalcante clan, and their hijinks.

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FAMILY BUSINESS: SAM THE PLUMBER Jan 22, 2025

The Sopranos considered by many the greatest show in television history, made the New Jersey mafia water cooler talk across the country from 1999-2007.

While based on fictional characters, there was an actual mafia family neck deep in criminal activities across the Hudson River from their La Cosa Nostra contemporaries in New York.

In New Jersey, starting in the 1960’s, the DeCavalcante family ran the show and are considered the inspiration for many of The Sopranos characters and storylines that fans are familiar with today.

This season on FAMILY BUSINESS, we will look at the rise and fall of the DeCavalcante family. Sometimes truth is even more colorful than fiction...

Family Business is an 8 episode investigative audio documentary focused on the most notorious mafia crime families and their impact and relationship with Hollywood. Each season we will take on another family, another city, and another set of nefarious, deadly and sometimes even comical, characters and their stories.

We begin Season One with the DeCavalcante crime family based in Northern New Jersey.

The DeCavalcante crime family is an Italian American crime family that operates in Northern New Jersey, particularly in Elizabeth, Newark and the surrounding areas in North Jersey and it operates on the opposite side of the Hudson, from the Five Families of New York, but it maintains strong relations with many of them, as well as with the Philadelphia Crime Family and the Patriarca Crime Family of New England, Its illicit activities include bookmaking, cement, and construction violations, bootlegging, corruption, drug trafficking, extortion, fencing, fraud, hijacking, illegal gambling, loan-sharking, money laundering, murder, pier thefts, pornography, prostitution, racketeering, and waste management violations. Interviews with informants,

gangsters, defense lawyers, cops, family members, and journalists weave a true-crime tale.

In Episode One, we will trace the rise & fall of the family, beginning with Sam 'The Plumber.’ DeCavalcante.

Samwas a sitting member of The Commission, allowing his family a seat at the table with the 5 families that ran La Cosa Nostra in New York.

We will discuss Sam 'The Plumber’s' career in crime & his arrests, leading to his semi-retirement to Florida.

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USA VS HIP HOP EP. 7 Dec 11, 2024

In hip hop, the end of the 80s ushered in a thriving music industry, with hip hop, diversifying itself immensely.

In 1990 alone, A Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy, Ice Cube, D Nice, Special Ed, LL Cool J, Vanilla Ice, and EPMD all had seminal releases.

These artists would start to define the trajectory of hip hop music as it invaded white suburbs and penetrated the minds of American political thought as hip hop started to gain in popularity.

The traumatic events inside the crack epidemic and the war on drugs resulted with draconian drug sentences, and most of the major drug kingpins facing huge life sentences or death.

The crack trade that spawned 1000s of corner millionaires was now coming home to roost, and its path of destruction was young men and women just out of their teenage years, being shipped to federal and state jails for 30 year and two life sentences.

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USA VS HIP HOP EP. 6 Dec 04, 2024

There were many defining events as it relates to the intersection of crime, the War on Drugs, and hip hop throughout the 80s.

That being said, there was a singular event that took place in Southside Jamaica, Queens, in February of 1988 that arguably changed the course of policing in this country, the mythology of the drug trade, and symbolically ended the crack era for the exalted hustlers inside New York City.

This event was the execution of a rookie NYPD Cop named Edward Byrne.

The NYPD, led by Chief Bill Bratton, would form the Tactical Narcotics Team, aimed at systematically taking down all drug crews in the city.

In part 2 of our interview with Prince Miller, he discusses the ramifications of Ed Byrne’s murder and Fat Cat Nichols' cooperation with the government leading to the fall of The Supreme Team.

**If you’re a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, and monthly online meetups with other Dossier fans and the Dossier team.

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USA VS HIP HOP EP. 5 Nov 27, 2024

The years of 1987 and ’88 ushered in the golden age of hip-hop, when a few groundbreaking artists, acting as cultural critics, show the power of this art form.

Led by the protest rap of KRS-One, Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim, among others, hip-hop was now shining a light on the plight of the inner-city struggle, the crack epidemic, mass incarceration & other societal plights.

The presidential race of 1988 is filled with subtle racial dog whistles, aimed at scaring white America into voting for George H Bush.

On the West Coast, we witness the rise of LA street gangs such as the Bloods & Crips, while NWA releases the seminal album Straight Outta Compton.

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USA VS HIP HOP EP. 4 Nov 20, 2024

As hip hop and the war on drugs hit the mid 1980s, it can be argued that both commercial endeavors hit their strides in inner cities across the United States.

As crack cocaine exploded, members of the United States government enacted one of the first steps in the revolution of our criminal justice system in soaring incarceration rates.

The comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 was the first revision of the US Criminal Code since the early 1900s.

It was sponsored by a racist Strom Thurmond, a Republican from South Carolina in the Senate, and by Hamilton Fish, a Republican from New York.

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USA VS HIP HOP EP. 3 Nov 19, 2024

If any story defines what New York was like at that time, it's the story of New York City subway vigilante Bernard Goetz's shooting of unarmed black teens.

On December 22, 1984, Barry Allen, Troy Canty, Darrell Cabey, and James Ramseur were shot and wounded by Bernard Goetz after they accosted him on a New York City subway train in Manhattan.

In America, you would think that we would learn from our mistakes as it relates to race, class, and the divisions that have been created.

One could see this case taking place in 2024, with protests in the cable news wars elevating it into the mainstream.

In the first two episodes, we set the stage in the early 1980s with iconic hip-hop drug kingpins who came to define an era.

Those names are "Freeway" Rick Ross in Los Angeles, Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols in Queens, Guy Fisher in Harlem, And finally, a mention of a crew called the Supreme Team.

These early kingpins were the table setters for what would become a new breed of hustling and the young men from Queens who launched a business idea that would revolutionize the drug trade forever.

In the Bible of hip-hop gangsters, Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff and Gerald "Prince" Miller of the Supreme Team were the top dogs.

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USA VS HIP HOP EP. 2 Nov 19, 2024

In the dynamic early years of hip hop, you could still see the influences of the disco era in the fashion the samples, and the party music played via car stereos in different neighborhoods in New York City.

The hip-hop releases for 1982 and 1983, included Wildstyle the first feature film to reveal the nuances of hip-hop culture written by Fab Five Freddy and directed by Charlie Ahern.

The film explores the work of artists such as Lady Pink, Daze, Grandmaster Flash, and the Rock Steady Crew.

Hip Hop goes international with a tour featuring Afrika Bambaataa, Fab Five Freddy, Double Dutch Girls, and fashion icon Dapper Dan opened his first boutique in Harlem, while Edward Koch is the mayor of New York City.

There's a case to be made that inside neighborhoods in New York City, hustlers still slinging heroin operate almost with impunity, as local police forces are overworked and underfunded.

In 1982, & '83, there's a young man who is starting to corner the market for illicit narcotics, and that man is Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols.

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USA VS HIP HOP EP. 1 Nov 19, 2024

In America in 2024, we have all watched major American cities burn the result of a powder keg that exploded around incidents of police killings. We should all know the names by now: George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Breanna Taylor, Stephon Clark, Philando Castille, and more.

As the list goes on, the debate surrounding race, policing, mass incarceration, and the war on drugs, it seems, has reached the tipping point. Fault lines have been drawn as our divided country simmers in a cauldron of internet conspiracy theories and news stories that may or may not be true. Commonly held facts and assumptions that should guide any democracy are hanging by a thread.

To understand the vast societal shifts in contemporary America and the proposition of understanding where we are now, we have to analyze it through the eyes of an art form that, for close to 40 years, arguably has been the voice of many generations and an analytical mirror that has reflected the ills of the United States of America.

That art form is Hip Hop.

In an irony-filled twist of fate, the music that has caused thousands of controversies, internal war, and conflict has come to define America in 2024.

This proposition is not easy, and the narrative will go down many roads.

USA vs. Hip Hop will tell this 40-year story through the eyes of the gangsters, the cops, and the artists who wrote the lyrics and created visuals that not only have shifted the world, but are a living and breathing experiment where Crime and Punishment can be unpacked and traced.

The starting point for our story is in two places:

First New York City in 1980, as Reaganomics left the poor to rot, a new form of music was born in the South Bronx. Over in Harlem, Nicky Barnes, one of the 70’s biggest drug kingpins, decides to cooperate with the government against his fellow members of The Council.

On the Left Coast, 1981 was engulfed with a crime wave in Oakland, California. While not an obvious place to start any story as it relates to hip-hop music, it is arguably one of the most important geographical cities where the symbiotic relationship between the fall of the Black Panthers and the rise of a young man named Todd Shaw.

This is the 40-year odyssey of The United States of America vs. Hip-Hop.

*Episode Note-We were honored to have Executive Producer Ice-T narrate Episode One!

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USA VS HIP HOP TRAILER Oct 22, 2024

From its start, the art of Hip-Hop music has not only defined our countries generations, it has done so by reporting on social and criminal injustices in America.

Referred to as the “Black CNN,” Hip-Hop music, throughout the past 40 years, has been reporting all of societies major issues and complex policies that remain to this day.

Whether it is the subject of brutal and biased policing, over-crowded jails, marginalized neighborhoods, public education, and the imbalance of economic wealth — it has been holding up a mirror to the world casting a dark reflection of the state of our country.

Rappers are the voice of poor, urban African - American youth, whose lives are dismissed or misrepresented by the mainstream media.

Hip-Hop music, with its African roots, has become an American art that reflects itself and the times in our country in profound ways. A country at war with itself, is also at war with Hip-Hop.

The music in 2024 has transcended race and class; it has become intertwined with the American Dream and the Amerikkkan Nightmare.

Executive Produced by Ice T, USA vs. Hip-Hop, will trace in chronological order the defining events of the music as it pertains to criminal justice, the connection between federal & state law enforcement, mass incarceration, social justice reform, and public policy.

These singular events defined the music, and how Americans have categorized race and American exceptionalism.

You can’t have Hip-Hop without the War on Drugs and vice versa.

This sprawling anthology will outline in sweeping detail — the Hip-Hop stars, American gangsters, and law enforcement agencies that were intertwined in a narrative that strangely connects like a puzzle starting in 1980 to present day.

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THE REAL SOPRANOS TRAILER Oct 16, 2024

The Sopranos considered by many the greatest show in television history, made the New Jersey mafia water cooler talk across the country from 1999-2007.

While based on fictional characters, there was an actual mafia family neck deep in criminal activities across the Hudson River from their La Cosa Nostra contemporaries in New York.

In New Jersey, starting in the 1960’s, the DeCavalcante family ran the show and are considered the inspiration for many of The Sopranos characters and storylines that fans are familiar with today. This season on Family Business, we will look at the rise and fall of the DeCavalcante family. Sometimes truth is even more colorful than fiction.

THE PODCAST FRANCHISE FAMILY BUSINESS, is an 8 episode investigative audio documentary focused on the most notorious mafia crime families and their impact and relationship with Hollywood.

Each season we will take on another family, another city, and another set of nefarious, deadly and sometimes even comical, characters and their stories.

We begin Season One with the DeCavalcante crime family based in Northern New Jersey.

The DeCavalcante crime family is an Italian American crime family that operates in Northern New Jersey, particularly in Elizabeth, Newark and the surrounding areas in North Jersey and it operates on the opposite side of the Hudson, from the Five Families of New York, but it maintains strong relations with many of them, as well as with the Philadelphia Crime Family and the Patriarca Crime Family of New England.

Its illicit activities include bookmaking, cement, and construction violations, bootlegging, corruption, drug trafficking, extortion, fencing, fraud, hijacking, illegal gambling, loan-sharking, money laundering, murder, pier thefts, pornography, prostitution, racketeering, and waste management violations. Interviews with informants, gangsters, defense lawyers, cops, family members, and journalists weave a true-crime tale/

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COLLATERAL DAMAGE: EP. 12 - RAMPART REVISITED WITH KENNETH BOAGNI Aug 28, 2024

Join hosts Nicole Luciano and Johnny ‘The Greek’ Anagnopoulos, two of the producers of The Dossier, as they break down all things crime and hip-hop, gleaned from their years of investigative work on the topic.

From the Biggie and Tupac murders, to the twenty plus killings that are tangentially related to Death Row Records, Suge Knight, the Bloods, the East vs. West rivalry, the gangster cops inside the LAPD and much more.

This week, Johnny and Niki begin the episode with some current events and an explanation for their breif hiatus.

Then they welcome a VERY special guest to look back at the Rampart Scandal and the actions of infamous ex-LAPD officer Ray Perez - his former friend and cellmate, Kenneth Boagni.

Kenny walks listeners through his history testifying for the LAPD in numerous Board of Rights Hearings, the crooked detectives who threatened him to keep quiet, passing polygraph exams, LAPD's involvement in the murder of Biggie and MUCH more.

**If you you’re a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meetups with other Dossier fans and the Dossier team.

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COLLATERAL DAMAGE: EP. 11 - THE TIMELINE PART 2: GOIN' BACK TO CALI Jul 30, 2024

Join hosts Nicole Luciano and Johnny ‘The Greek’ Anagnopoulos, two of the producers of The Dossier, as they break down all things crime and hip-hop, gleaned from their years of investigative work on the topic.

From the Biggie and Tupac murders, to the twenty plus killings that are tangentially related to Death Row Records, Suge Knight, the Bloods, the East vs. West rivalry, the gangster cops inside the LAPD and much more.

This week, we bring you part two of The Timeline, aptly titled 'Goin Back to Cali' by Niki.

We pick up the timeline minutes after the shooting at The Peterson, courtesy of the LAPD's own Chronological Record. Our hosts dissect the Willshire Division's investigation through their own documents, beginning the night of the shooting until early April when the case was given to Fred Miller, Russell Poole and the Robbery Homicide Division.

Episode note - We'd like to thank our friend RJ Bond for providing us the chronological record!

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COLLATERAL DAMAGE: EP. 10 - THE TIMELINE WITH BIG GENE DEAL Jul 22, 2024

Join hosts Nicole Luciano and Johnny ‘The Greek’ Anagnopoulos, two of the producers of The Dossier, as they break down all things crime and hip-hop, gleaned from their years of investigative work on the topic.

From the Biggie and Tupac murders, to the twenty plus killings that are tangentially related to Death Row Records, Suge Knight, the Bloods, the East vs. West rivalry, the gangster cops inside the LAPD and much more.

This is Part one of ‘The Timeline.’

Niki and Johnny have been working on creating a timeline of events leading up to and following what transpired on March 9th, 1997 at the Peterson Automotive Museum. And who better to walk us through the days leading up to the murder of Biggie than Eugene Deal.

Anyone who has listened to The Dossier or this show knows how we feel about Big Gene. This is a man who stepped forward when not many others would – at great personal and professional risk to himself.

For over 27 years Gene Deal has fought for justice for Miss Wallace and her son, his only thanks being constant attacks by internet gangsters and those who are still trying to cover up police involvement in the murder of Biggie.

**If you you’re a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meetups with other Dossier fans and the Dossier team.

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COLLATERAL DAMAGE: EP. 9 - JUST A SIMPLE MORTGAGE BROKER Jul 13, 2024

Join hosts Nicole Luciano and Johnny ‘The Greek’ Anagnopoulos, two of the producers of The Dossier, as they break down all things crime and hip-hop, gleaned from their years of investigative work on the topic.

From the Biggie and Tupac murders, to the twenty plus killings that are tangentially related to Death Row Records, Suge Knight, the Bloods, the East vs. West rivalry, the gangster cops inside the LAPD and much more.

This episode, Niki and Johnny start off by tying up some loose ends from last week's Kevin Gaines episode.

Then, they tackle a topic that listeners have overwhelmingly been asking for: a deeper look at the mystery man in the murder of Biggie Smalls - Amir Muhammad.

While he claims to just be a simple mortgage broker, some very interesting information exists inside LAPD and FBI documents.

There is also the information given to law enforcement officials by a former member of the Nation of Islam in 2010.

Finally, make sure to stick around for the end of the episode, as Niki gives the Greek a big surprise!

**If you you’re a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meetups with other Dossier fans and the Dossier team.

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COLLATERAL DAMAGE: EP. 8 - THE KEVIN GAINES QUANDARY Jul 05, 2024

Join hosts Nicole Luciano and Johnny ‘The Greek’ Anagnopoulos, two of the producers of The Dossier, as they break down all things crime and hip-hop, gleaned from their years of investigative work on the topic.

From the Biggie and Tupac murders, to the twenty plus killings that are tangentially related to Death Row Records, Suge Knight, the Bloods, the East vs. West rivalry, the gangster cops inside the LAPD and much more.

This week Niki and Johnny begin the episode with a conversation about the Keefe D - Wack 100 snafu that resulted in Davis being temporarily refused bail.

Then, they take a deep dive into the theory that deceased ex-LAPD officer Kevin Gaines may have been involved with the events on September 7th, 1996 in Las Vegas.

Is it possible Gaines was part of the Tupac murder and attempt on Suge Knight?

They also look through information that exists inside LAPD's Internal Affairs report on Gaines for clues...

Who was Kevin Gaines, according to his superiors?

What other criminal activity was he tied to and more importantly, who else was part of Gaines' inner circle??

Finally, Johnny lets Niki have center stage for an epic rant!

**If you you’re a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meetups with other Dossier fans and the Dossier team.

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COLLATERAL DAMAGE: EP. 7 - SUGE'S RIGHT HAND MAN IS GUNNED DOWN Jun 22, 2024

Join hosts Nicole Luciano and Johnny ‘The Greek’ Anagnopoulos, two of the producers of The Dossier, as they break down all things crime and hip-hop, gleaned from their years of investigative work on the topic.

From the Biggie and Tupac murders, to the twenty plus killings that are tangentially related to Death Row Records, Suge Knight, the Bloods, the East vs. West rivalry, the gangster cops inside the LAPD and much more.

This week, our co-hosts begin the episode with a look at New York Magazine's embarrassing profile titled The Tupac Cop.

Speaking of "The Tupac Cop", Big Gene Deal responds to Greg Kading's accusations that he identified someone other than Amir Muhammad in a six-pack provided by LAPD investigators.

Then they take a deep dive into our criminal case of the week - the murder of Suge Knight's main muscle, Alton 'Buntry' McDonald. Was this a continuation of the Blood on Blood killing between the Mob Piru's and the Fruit Town / Leuders Park Piru's crew being led by George Williams?

Also, why was Buntry driving a truck registered to Reggie Wright Junior when he was gunned down in Compton?

**If you you’re a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meetups with other Dossier fans and the Dossier team.

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COLLATERAL DAMAGE: EP. 6 - THE GRAVEYARD MURDER Jun 14, 2024

Join hosts Nicole Luciano and Johnny ‘The Greek’ Anagnopoulos, two of the producers of The Dossier, as they break down all things crime and hip-hop, gleaned from their years of investigative work on the topic.

From the Biggie and Tupac murders, to the twenty plus killings that are tangentially related to Death Row Records, Suge Knight, the Bloods, the East vs. West rivalry, the gangster cops inside the LAPD and much more.

This week, Niki and Johnny begin the conversation with the latest in current events, specifically a strange YouTube video from everyone's least favorite former head of Death Row security.

They also look into one of the infamous murders from the Death Row days - the torture and murder of Piru Blood Vence 'V' Buchanan at a Compton graveyard.

Was this all because of a beef that began inside Death Row Records between Suge Knight and the main suspect, George Williams?

Included in the conversation is break down of some FBI documents on the case, specifically a long rumored video tape of Buchanan's murder.

**If you you’re a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meetups with other Dossier fans and the Dossier team.

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COLLATERAL DAMAGE: EP. 5 - THE EXECUTION OF YAFEU FULA Jun 11, 2024

Join hosts Nicole Luciano and Johnny ‘The Greek’ Anagnopoulos, two of the producers of The Dossier, as they break down all things crime and hip-hop, gleaned from their years of investigative work on the topic.

From the Biggie and Tupac murders, to the twenty plus killings that are tangentially related to Death Row Records, Suge Knight, the Bloods, the East vs. West rivalry, the gangster cops inside the LAPD and much more.

This week, Niki and Johnny start off with a discussion on King Combs' latest release, the ugly video released by CNN of Diddy assaulting former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, as well as his 'apology' video.'

Then, they focus on this week's case - the murder of Tupac Shakur's half brother Yafeu Fula, aka Yaki Kaddafi.

Just two months after the killing of Tupac, the only witness to tell Las Vegas police that he could identify one of the suspects is gunned down in Orange, New Jersey.

Was this really an accident, like fellow Outlaw Napolean claims, or were there more sinister motives at play?

**If you you’re a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meetups with other Dossier fans and the Dossier team.

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BAD BOY 4 LIFE EP. 5: THE UPSIDE-DOWN May 29, 2024

In Stranger things, The Upside-Down is an alternate dimension existing in parallel to the human world. It contains the same locations and infrastructure as the human world, but it is much darker, colder and obscured by an omnipresent fog.

The Upside Down is devoid of human life, instead being overgrown with ropy, root-like tendrils and biological membranes covering practically every surface. At least one recognizable animal, a humanoid predator, was native to this dimension, while ash-like spores floated in the air.

To go into the mainstream media, social media and inner workings of the music business, the story of Sean Combs, is starting to descend into an upside-down dimension, the problem as I see it, is that in today’s ingestion of news or just fodder to throw around at a BBQ, this story not only has it all, but it also has pieces of it that at this point again is unraveling into a game of searching for meaning and truth, something to grasp onto that is close to reality it’s hard.

To wait for the Vanity Fairs, New York Magazine, the New Yorker or anyone at the NY TIMES to really dig into this is an exercise in futility as far as I can see it, the masses, they want fodder as fast as 50 Cent or Akademics can post, and they want more and more gluttonous hot takes into what exactly is going on, and what will happen next.

Was Diddy engaged in satanic rituals, or on Epstein’s Island, adopted a young white teenager, this stuff, is just getting Upside Down.

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BAD BOY 4 LIFE EP. 4: THE VIDEO FROM HELL May 17, 2024

As the media scrum has gone quiet and the news cycle has moved on from the Homeland Security raids into Diddy’s homes, I am sure many media operations, and gossip hounds are really curious about what is next in this story? What is going to be the next puzzle piece in all of this?

I propose a quick game of looking into the uknown future for just a second, and to advocate an exercise in caution on a number of fronts before we ALL assume Diddy’s guilt or innocence.

Not many people truly understand the inside baseball of federal prosecutions, and federal investigations and WHY would you as a great majority of us have never found ourslves inside this world at all.

One thing that I want on the record now is — the media, the Hip-Hop instagram meme machine have all indicted Diddy, and in the era of cancelling careers, legacies, and human beings what should be a cautionary tale is that right now Diddy has not been charged with crimes by any state or federal jurisdiction, and I outside of some vague social media posts, Diddy has been quiet and he is getting great legal advice because right NOW is not the time to talk.

AND, to define HOW fast things move as I was writing and recording this episode CNN had breaking news and has acquired a piece of surveillance video of Sean Combs, dragging, kicking, punching, and yelling at Cassie Ventura in the hallway of a hotel, to say the least the video is immensely disturbing….

But cue again social media and the vultures who I imagine will make many memes of Diddy who in the surveillance video is running in the hallway half naked with a white towel, the memes will yet again deflect from the more serious issues at hand, but In America SALACIOUS SELLS, SALACIOUS without thought WINS!

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COLLATERAL DAMAGE: EP. 4 WITH RJ BOND May 10, 2024

Join hosts Nicole Luciano and Johnny ‘The Greek’ Anagnopoulos, two of the producers of The Dossier, as they break down all things crime and hip-hop, gleaned from their years of investigative work on the topic.

From the Biggie and Tupac murders, to the twenty plus killings that are tangentially related to Death Row Records, Suge Knight, the Bloods, the East vs. West rivalry, the gangster cops inside the LAPD and much more.

This week Niki and Johnny welcome special guest RJ Bond to Collateral Damage!

RJ helps our hosts dissect the murder of Bobby Finch in Compton just days after the shooting of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas.

Speaking of the shooting in Vegas, RJ gives us his thoughts on the 1996 Compton PD Search Warrant and the '10 days of Hell' that allegedly followed Tupac's murder.

Finally, they break down another infamous shooting from 1997 - the attempted murder of Long Beach PD officer Brian Watt with a weapon that had a suspicious background.

**Episode note - in a true life case of the dog eating our homework, Nicole's puppy decided to take a bite out of her computer in the middle of recording this week's episode! Johnny and RJ soldiered on through the last segment, but our co-host with the most will be back in all her glory next week!!

If you’re a fan of The Dossier, please subscribe to our Patreon page for free and paid content - featuring exclusive documents, audio, video, online meetups with fellow Dossier fans and show creator Don Sikorski!

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HIP HOP VS. THE COPS EP. 8: WHAT'S REALLY CHANGED? May 06, 2024

In this final episode of this audio series, I needed to come full circle with an idea that I started twenty years ago as a young man, my instincts to uncover a battleground between Hip-Hop music and law enforcement was way ahead of the curve, and at that time with the completion of my documentary film Rap Sheet, I thought I had some answers, and clarity on what I set out to accomplish.

In hindsight, when I look at the landscape between our criminal justice system today, and the many cases of murder, or crime tied to the music of Hip-Hop, I wonder if in those twenty years if nothing has changed, maybe it has gotten worse. There is something bittersweet about that analysis because that would mean within our society, the leaders we have, the intellectuals, and more importantly law enforcement just can’t seem to evolve in anyway.

2020 brought what many thought was a monumental cultural shift, or awakening for us, but three years removed the prison industrial complex, the corrupt prosecutors, and the so-called system just seems to labor on, with no concrete and lasting change, I could make a case it is getting worse.

If you you're a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meet-ups with other Dossier fans and the show creator, Don Sikorski. Goto Patreon.com/dossier

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COLLATERAL DAMAGE: EP. 3 - THE MYSTERIOUS MURDER OF BRUCE RICHARDSON May 04, 2024

Join hosts Nicole Luciano and Johnny ‘The Greek’ Anagnopoulos, two of the producers of The Dossier, as they break down all things crime and hip-hop, gleaned from their years of investigative work on the topic.

From the Biggie and Tupac murders, to the twenty plus killings that are tangentially related to Death Row Records, Suge Knight, the Bloods, the East vs. West rivalry, the gangster cops inside the LAPD and much more.

This week, Niki and Johnny begin the episode discussing a certain former LAPD detective’s recent attempt to muddy up the truth and smear one of our favorite people.

Then they look into the murder of Bruce Richardson in 1996 and some interesting information surrounding the killing that exists in LAPD documents.

If you’re a fan of The Dossier, please subscribe to our Patreon page for free and paid content - featuring exclusive documents, audio, video, online meetups with fellow Dossier fans and show creator Don Sikorski!

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BAD BOY 4 LIFE EP. 3: THE GAME IS THE GAME May 02, 2024

As the news cycle churns, and people search for more answers around the HSI investigation of Puff, this last week an excellent article dropped in New York Magazine by acclaimed journalist Craig Jenkins, someone I admire, and a damn good writer.

The New York Magazine article stood out for various reasons, because as of now with no breaking news, Jenkins as the author took a more , “think piece” approach to it, and was immensely analytical and thoughtful in a way that I have not read anywhere else, but I also wanted to dig into his point of view just a bit, as I know he has the right instincts and chops to elevate the reporting.

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HIP HOP VS. THE COPS EP. 7: SCOTT LA ROCK TO TYRE NICHOLS Apr 29, 2024

91 MURDERS in Hip-Hop, that is the current number of Hip-Hop artists who have been killed since 1987 when Scott La Rock was killed in the Bronx, and TakeOff was tragically taken from the world in 2022.

91 Murders, wherein close to 50 of those murders remained unsolved by the police.

Some are long running investigations and some of these cases have taken on mythical status where the narrative of who murdered who is now lost down a rabbit hole of Internet conspiracy theories, YouTube misinformation videos, and social media sleuths who spread speculation, and bullshit theories.

The funny thing about the Hip-Hop Police is that they have done absolutely nothing as it relates to crime, or murder, they have just existed for sexy storylines.

If you you're a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meet-ups with other Dossier fans and the show creator, Don Sikorski. Goto Patreon.com/dossier

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COLLATERAL DAMAGE: EP. 2 - EAST VS. WEST TURNS DEADLY Apr 27, 2024

Join hosts Nicole Luciano and Johnny ‘The Greek’ Anagnopoulos, two of the producers of The Dossier, as they break down all things crime and hip-hop, gleaned from their years of investigative work on the topic.

From the Biggie and Tupac murders, to the twenty plus killings that are tangentially related to Death Row Records, Suge Knight, the Bloods, the East vs. West rivalry, the gangster cops inside the LAPD and much more.

In this week’s episode, Niki and Johnny touch on Suge Knight’s recent speaking tour on the podcast and YouTube circuit.

They also delve into the incident that turned Death Row Records and Bad Boy from rap rivalry to blood feud.

Finally, they answer a listener’s email about another infamous and unsolved murder in Los Angeles’ history.

If you you’re a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meetups with other Dossier fans and the Dossier team.

Go to Patreon.com/Dossier to subscribe!

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BAD BOY 4 LIFE EP. 2: THE RAID Apr 25, 2024

When the ticker came across the screen on CNN on March 26th, 20024 there was news footage of a HSI or Homeland Security tactical team raiding Diddy’s home, and it was at that moment people started to wonder what HSI is and why do they look like a paramilitary operation in the United States….

So, I wanted to be clear and really understand where did Homeland Security come from? AND WHY would they be involved in investigating arguably Hip-Hop’s biggest mogul?

Well, 11 days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge was appointed as the first Director of the Office of Homeland Security in the White House. The office oversaw and coordinated a comprehensive national strategy to safeguard the country against terrorism and respond to any future attacks.

With the passage of the Homeland Security Act by Congress in November 2002, the Department of Homeland Security formally came into being as a stand-alone, Cabinet-level department to further coordinate and unify national homeland security efforts, opening its doors on March 1, 2003.

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HIP HOP VS THE COPS EP. 6: DERRICK PARKER, THE HIP HOP COP Apr 22, 2024

The story of the Hip-Hop Cops when I started the documentary back in 2004, was that it was a secret unit, and it was shrouded in mystery, for many reasons.

The journey of going inside Hip-Hop and law enforcement for two years, left me with a few takeaways, but more importantly it left me with a question inside my head that played over and over.

Why was the Hip-Hop music industry at War with the Cops, and more importantly why did Hip-Hop have such a distinct connection to the War on Drugs.

While the NYPD, FBI, HIDTA, and the United States Attorney looked at the business of Hip-Hop what they really were looking to do was connect 80s era crack kingpin organizations to known and famous faces, it made for a more interesting story, it made headlines, more importantly for young and hungry cops and investigators it gave them purpose and a sexy reason to pursue these cases.

While Hip-Hop artists are music storytellers, when cops solve a big case or they feel they have a story they too want to become storytellers, and while I was doing the documentary, there was a retired NYPD Cop, who was brazen enough and understood Hollywood, to start calling himself THE HIP-HOP COP, his name was Derrick Parker.

If you you're a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meet-ups with other Dossier fans and the show creator, Don Sikorski. Goto Patreon.com/dossier

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COLLATERAL DAMAGE: EP. 1 - THE MURDER OF KELLY JAMERSON Apr 19, 2024

Join hosts Nicole Luciano and Johnny ‘The Greek’ Anagnopoulos, two of the producers of The Dossier, as they break down all things crime and hip-hop, gleaned from their years of investigative work on the topic.

From the Biggie and Tupac murders, to the twenty plus killings that are tangentially related to Death Row Records, Suge Knight, the Bloods, the East vs. West rivalry, the gangster cops inside the LAPD and much more.

In this inaugural episode of Collateral Damage, Niki and Johnny give listeners some background on their work and how they’ve gained some expertise on the topics that will be discussed on the podcast.

Then, they take a look at the murder of Kelly Jamerson during a Death Row Records party in 1995 and give their opinions on the actions of those involved.

Speaking of Death Row, they also have a spirited debate on Marion ‘Suge’ Knight – is he a victim, victimizer, or a bit of both?

**If you you’re a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meetups with other Dossier fans and the Dossier team.

Go to Patreon.com/Dossier to subscribe!

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BAD BOY 4 LIFE EP. 1: DIDDY IN FEDERAL HOT WATER Apr 17, 2024

Where to begin, with the news of Homeland Security Investigations raiding the homes of Diddy in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami, it is very clear to me that something is afoot, combine that with rumors being reported that the Southern District is interviewing 3 what they are identifying as Jane Doe victims, and one John Doe, and Diddy has really hit a trifecta.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, and let's make some early analysis.

Personally, I have some experience covering HSI or Homeland Security Investigations, and in my work I have also embedded with them on an operation that involved the DEA, the FBI, ICE, and a branch of Mexican Special Forces, they mainly do transnational crime cases, which means heavy heavy shit, not to mention HSI has a lot of toys, a lot money, and incredible investigators.

The case I was embedded on involved going after a cell of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel just over the border from Phoenix Arizona. THAT IS THE TYPE OF SHIT HSI DOES.

Secondly, for listeners of the Dossier podcast, you might be familiar with the Phrase The Southern District of New York, or as they sometimes are refered to as the Soverign District.

So HSI, teamed up with the Southern District is really bad news for Diddy, and let me explain why for you very simply.

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HIP HOP VS THE COPS EP. 5: DARK TIMES IN NYC Apr 15, 2024

As my persistence to tell the story of the Hip-Hop Cops increased, my “fixers” —Steve Lobel and Pistol Pete, delivered on their promise to secure me interview subjects.

What sounded good in theory, was in reality far different, as their strategy was to merely accost artists and executives pretty much anywhere—at studios, at parties, concerts, on the street, back alleys—they even spotted Kanye West at an album release party and convinced him to do an interview in the back of the club’s kitchen.

In true Kanye fashion he gave me a great sound byte, even though I was only able to ask him one question. Here is his response to me asking him about the scrutiny that the police had on the industry. This was polo Kanye, College Dropout Kanye… but still it was Kanye in the back of a kitchen….

I was trying to tackle racial issues, but my execution was off—it was sloppy.

I just had to grab anything I could from the celebrities as it was rare to get an actual sit-down interview.

If you you're a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meet-ups with other Dossier fans and the show creator, Don Sikorski. Goto Patreon.com/dossier

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HIP HOP VS THE COPS EP. 4: HINDSIGHT IS 20/20 Apr 08, 2024

As I have started the introspective study of my life since the documentary I created 17 years ago, I don’t want to stray from my initial inspiration that catapulted me into my fascination with law enforcement and Hip-Hop, but more specifically, the nuances, perception, and uneven legal ground created by criminal prosecutors using lyrics, and their visuals, to pursue their criminal cases.

Like the secret book I found, the use of song lyrics or the use of a music video to create a criminal narrative seemed as odd to me today as it did back in 2005. Art imitating life, or life imitating art, these questions I still struggle with as my understanding has deepened.

Jaeah Lee who wrote the aforementioned New York Times article, opens the piece with the story of Tommy Munsdwell Canady, an aspiring rapper from Racine, Wisconsin, and when I say aspiring, I mean he uploaded a few songs to Soundcould, a feat my 10yr old niece can do.

Police in Racine were looking for suspects in three recent shootings, one of the victims, Semar Mcclain who was 19 at the time, was found dead with a bullet in his temple.

If you you're a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meet-ups with other Dossier fans and the show creator, Don Sikorski. Goto Patreon.com/dossier

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HIP HOP VS THE COPS EP. 3: MURDER INC. AND SUPREME Apr 01, 2024

If you have been listening in, a New York Times article about rap lyrics that I read by a pool in the Spring of 2022, really brought me back 17 years when I decided to explore the origins of a secret Hip-Hop dossier, and why the NYPD and federal government wanted to surveil, track, arrest and indict Hip-Hop Superstars.

The way I chose to tell my story was in the form of a documentary I called Rap Sheet, and where I left off was, I was now in business with Pistol Pete and Steve Lobel, and my best buddy Rick Phillips was my main source of financing.

I was in the hole $50K and I had never gone to film school so what did I really know, but there were some core themes that were important for me and remember I wanted to tell a story that resonated this connection between Hip-Hop and law enforcement.

In this episode we hear from Murder Inc's Irv Gotti about his case with the Feds and his relationship with none other than the mythical street legend, Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff. We also meet THE Hip Hop Cop himself, Derek Parker.

If you you're a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meet-ups with other Dossier fans and the show creator, Don Sikorski. Goto Patreon.com/dossier

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HIP HOP VS THE COPS EP. 2: THE HUNT IS ON! Mar 25, 2024

In Episode one, I talked about securing a weird dossier that was compiled by federal and state law enforcement to track Hip-Hop superstars, and their entourages, associates, and record labels. With the book in hand as a young journalist, I decided the best route to tell the story of the book was to actually make a documentary, but I had no experience, no money, and I didn’t know anyone inside the Hip-Hop industry, but fuck it I started anyway.

At that time in 2007 I was fascinated by what they called the Hip-Hop Police, and I was also fascinated with how much mystery was behind this unit.

In revisiting the film almost 17 years later in hindsight my quest, my search or curiosity was one part bold, two parts naïve, and somewhat dangerous, at that time Hip-Hop was just hitting the mainstream, so violence, gangsters, and a certain allure was all a part of the story I wanted to tell, but I need some help, I needed people who knew the industry, could get me interviews, or people who could talk….

So, I traveled down to Miami, where the annual Source Awards was going on, to this day why I went, and who I met, changed everything.

If you you're a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meet-ups with other Dossier fans and the show creator, Don Sikorski. Goto Patreon.com/dossier

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HIP HOP VS THE COPS EP. 1: WHO ARE THE HIP HOP COPS? Mar 18, 2024

My name is Don Sikorski.

I grew up in the confines of suburban Norwalk, Connecticut, a fan of the hip hop music of Public Enemy, KRS One and Rakim.

In 1994, at the age of 18, I left to pursue an interest in journalism and New York University. I was always fascinated by the rumors I heard surrounding hip hop culture, about murder, extortion, the laundering of drug money, the connection between criminal activity and the music.

Little did I know at the time, that fascination would eventually take me on a three-year journey into a very complex relationship between hip hop, violence and the likes of the NYPD, LAPD, DEA and FBI.

Hip Hop vs The Cops is the story of a clandestine joint task force of law enforcement, that have been surveilling hip hop stars. I would soon learn that even A-list artists who claimed to be targets of the so-called Hip-Hop cops, had no idea who these law enforcement officials really were or why they might exist.

Most officials questioned about the rumored secret unit refused to speak on or off camera may no comment are categorically denied knowledge of such a task force.

I would prove otherwise.

If you you're a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meet-ups with other Dossier fans and the show creator, Don Sikorski. Goto Patreon.com/dossier

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 23: THE DEATH ROW SEARCH WARRANT Mar 11, 2024

In 1999, LAPD detectives Buford Watts and Fred Miller (whose name should ring a bell) served a sweeping search warrant on the following places while investigating the murder of Biggie Smalls:

A 1995 Chevy Impala SS that was in the possession of Michel’le Toussant Knight
8200 Wilshire Boulevard – at the time the home of Death Row Records’ Company Offices
The home of Michel’le Toussant Knight
The home of Reggie Wright Jr.

While information has been scarce for years about the affidavit and search warrant, we are in possession of the thirteen-page document. In this week’s episode, Don Sikorski dissects not only the search warrant, but the confidential informants whose information was used by LAPD in this investigation.

One name will be familiar to Dosser listeners - find out who LAPD Detective Miller was referring to during his testimony in the civil trial when he stated that “the information he provided us was very good.”

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 22: INVESTIGATIVE LEADS Mar 04, 2024

As we get deeper into the FBI Files data dump, one correlation came to mind: at every step of the investigation by the FBI and Phil Carson, he had to constantly communicate to his bosses and many investigators within the FBI.

He had to provide the path he wanted to take to get further evidence and information that would lead to a prosecutable case.

This episode we dissect an electronic communication from April 22nd of 2004. It was defined as a restricted document and the Synopsis as written was to communicate investigative leads, and witnesses which Phil Carson wanted to pursue.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - BONUS EPISODE 7: THE DOSSIER OBITUARY- "REST EASY CHUCK" Mar 01, 2024

Here at Dossier HQ, it is with a melancholy sadness that we end our years long quest to get disgraced former LA Times journalist Chuck Philips to come clean regarding his knowledge of the players and forces behind the murders of Biggie & Tupac.

As many of our listeners know, Philips died in late January with Dossier Producers hot on his trail. Don Sikorski and the rest of the team have been in relentless pursuit of Philips for over five years, and our disappointment in the Grim Reaper catching up to Philips before we did is profound.

So with that we mourn Philips' secrets, we mourn his persistence to somehow wedge himself in between Suge Knight & Death Row, the LA Times, the FBI and Phil Carson, and the LAPD in such a way, that his back story and mystery takes on even more added subterfuge and red herrings.

In this special bonus episode, Don Sikorski gives Chuck Philips the proper sendoff as only The Dossier can.

Rest Easy Chuck.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 21: THE POLITICS OF MURDER Feb 26, 2024

The FBI investigation documents are broken out into a few categories: the last two episodes really looked at the idea of evidence, but more importantly witnesses, and informants that hold information.

The documents that we find more interesting, and really speak to the cover-up or a lack of effort on the part of the LAPD are contained in internal FBI memos that were circulated among the higher-ups at the LA Field Division.

Call it political, call it back-room deal making, call it having an inside track to understanding years after the murder of Biggie, the high-profile names that had to do a sinister job of managing what would become a huge mistake by one of America’s biggest police departments.

Names like famed Chief of Police Bill Bratton, and his hatchet man Mike Berkow, and in these documents you start to see the influence of the Criminal Division of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.

If it wasn’t bad enough that the Wallace Family was suing the city for $400 million dollars for wrongful death, here comes FBI Agent Phil Carson wanting access to the Murder Books, wanting access to detectives at Robbery/Homicide, wanting information and more importantly just wanting the truth.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 20: FULL FIELD INVESTIGATION PT. 2 Feb 23, 2024

Don Sikorski continues dissecting what we’re calling the ‘Origin Document’ of the FBI’s investigation into Biggie’s murder, and this is where it gets interesting.

FBI agent Phil Carson is outlining to his FBI bosses, the confidential informants, confidential sources, and witnesses to interview.

Now, one caveat: in the world that any FBI agent steps into there are red herrings, the hiding and misdirection of truth, and to be clear, these documents are not gospel; but they do show the directions they were looking in and what people who were insiders of Death Row, the LAPD and this dark underworld were saying transpired.

These documents contain information from upwards of 15 People, 15 sources of information - NOT one informant, or source.

Needless to say, this Origin Document led to the FBI opening a full field investigation into potential LAPD involvement in the murder of Christopher Wallace.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 19: FULL FIELD INVESTIGATION Feb 19, 2024

In Season One of The Dossier, retired FBI agent Phil Carson walked listeners through the origin of his investigation into the murder of Biggie.

After receiving approval from his bosses at the LA Field Division, agent Carson began a months long fact finding mission, as he gathered evidence and spoke to witnesses.

He then wrote an Electronic Communication (EC) to his superiors and broke down what he’d learned, requesting that the FBI open a full field investigation into the matter.

In this episode, Don Sikorski breaks down Carson’s EC to his bosses.

It’s the official origin document of the investigation of potential police involvement in the murder of Christopher Wallace.

For more information, exclusive content, background materials and more, please go to www.patreon.com/dossier

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 18: FRANK LYGA INTERVIEW PT. 6 Feb 16, 2024

Detective Frank Lyga had already been through more in the last few years than most officers deal with during a career. From the Gaines shooting to the multiple investigations into the incident, to the theft of his cocaine and the scrutiny that followed…Lyga needed a break.

That wasn’t remotely what he got, however.

First, he had to face off with powerful attorneys Johnnie Cochran & Carl Douglas in the wrongful death suit filed by the Gaines family. His reputation was already in tatters, as Cochran and company played the media like a fiddle, planting stories about Lyga that portrayed him as a wild-eyed racist cop.

Former detective Lyga takes Don Sikorski inside the civil suit, from his deposition with Carl Douglas to the controversial settlement, he gives listeners a front row seat into the politics that took place behind the scenes.

That was far from Lyga’s only problem, as the Gaines incident had fractured the LAPD along racial lines – and he was in the eye of the storm. Frank discusses what all the swirling controversy did to him, both mentally and physically.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 17: FRANK LYGA PT. 5 Feb 12, 2024

After being cleared by LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Detectives, the District Attorney’s office and THREE Shooting Boards, Detective Frank Lyga thought he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

That feeling would not last long.

Two weeks after LAPD Chief Bernard Parks announced that he’d been cleared of any wrongdoing in the shooting death of Kevin Gaines, two pounds of cocaine belonging to one of Detective Lyga’s cases would mysteriously vanish.

Suddenly, Frank was considered a crooked cop, a thief and drug dealer who’d gotten away with murder.

After months of being under 24-hour surveillance by Internal Affairs, he would be called into a secret meeting with Rampart Task Force Detectives Mike Hohan and Brian Tyndall.

In this week’s episode, Lyga takes Dossier host Don Sikorski through that secret meeting, which included a stunning piece of information picked up by detectives during a Title 3 wiretap on Raphael Perez’ phone.

He also discusses a previously unknown connection to Perez and his partner in crime, David Mack.

The Dossier II: The Secret Biggie FBI Files is a production of Criminal Minded Media, Action Park Media and DCP Entertainment.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 16: FRANK LYGA PT. 4 Feb 05, 2024

As Detective Lyga’s career twisted in the wind following the shooting death of Kevin Gaines, he would face a multitude of attacks from inside and outside the LAPD.

It was just days after the incident that the Gaines family would hire Johnny Cochran as their attorney, who along with Carl Douglas immediately began to paint Lyga as an “out-of-control racist cop.”

At the same time, the Officer Involved Shooting (OIS) investigation continued, headed by LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Detectives, while the District Attorney’s office considered charges stemming from the incident.

Newly appointed LAPD Chief Bernard Parks would put Detective Lyga through three separate Shooting Boards, something never done to an LAPD officer before or since.

Frank Lyga would find an ally inside the department, from one of the LAPD officers investigating the Gaines shooting — Robbery Homicide Detective Russell Poole.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - BONUS EPISODE 6: THE RAMPART REPORT PT. 2 Feb 01, 2024

When any police department gets into trouble, leadership will do their best to triage the problems right away. At the biggest police departments like the LAPD or NYPD, a lot of times these internal task forces are developed, wherein seasoned investigators along with a version of Internal Affairs decide to roll up their sleeves and go after their own.

But do they really?

In these circumstances, sometimes begrudgingly, police departments will put together joint task forces that include FBI agents, and that is where the fun really starts. Because if you know anything about law enforcement, you know that no cops really like the FBI. My knowledge about Rampart, and some of the investigative bodies comes from Phil Carson and what he talked about on Season 1 of The Dossier. He was brought in as an FBI agent in the Public Corruption Division of the FBI to work with LAPD investigators as a part of RAMFIT.

But again, I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves here. Let’s take this step by step, to really find out WHAT the LAPD did right after they realized their own officers were robbing banks, stealing coke, beating people up, planting guns and drugs - and oh yeah, they also are working inside Death Row Records for Suge Knight.

SO WHAT DID THEY DO??

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 15: FRANK LYGA PT. 3 Jan 29, 2024

In the immediate aftermath of the death of Kevin Gaines, the story of the cop versus cop shootout in broad daylight would become world news within 24 hours of the incident.

While Frank Lyga received support in the hours after the shooting all the way up to Chief Willie Williams, soon after the narrative would begin to change. Especially as the Gaines family hired Johnny Cochran, and then-Head of Internal Affairs Bernard Parks pulled his personnel package.

As former detective Lyga takes us through those initial hours and days following the shooting, for the first time on record he tells Don Sikorski what he now believes regarding Kevin Gaines’ motivations & actions on that fateful day.

That includes an eerie coincidence regarding the gas station where Gaines’ life would end on March 18th, 1997.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - BONUS EPISODE. 5: THE RAMPART REPORT Jan 25, 2024

If you say the name Rampart to anyone, maybe they have heard and identify it with an immense police scandal inside the Los Angeles Police Department.

In this podcast, I believe if you counted, it has been mentioned 100s of times.

There also is case to be made that when people say RAMPART, they might tell you they know what the story is, BUT DO THEY REALLY understand and know the various aspects of it?

Now coming up on its 25 year anniversary, I felt the need to really go back in time for my own personal knowledge to examine each aspect of it.

In the words of famed journalist and author Randall Sullivan, Rampart might be the biggest LIE that an American police department has ever spun.

Even more importantly, I wanted to undertake this exercise because I have a feeling very soon, Rampart will be back in the American cultural zeitgeist with television specials or documentary series, everyone in TV loves an anniversary, so for me I am just getting a head start.

With the Dossier, what I have tried to do is base my reporting and investigating on a road map, and the road map I want to use for these series of episodes on Rampart, is a document titled: The Los Angeles Police Department Board of Inquiry into the Rampart Area Corruption Incident, authored by the illustrious Los Angeles ex-Chief of Police Bernard C. Parks written March 1, 2000.

I will be pulling information from the report, written by the police department itself to see, where are the lies, where are the contradictions, and where is the spin.

Maybe at this point three years post scandal, the LAPD decided it was time to come clean, or MAYBE this report was the NARRATIVE that Parks wanted to be cemented in History.

We will find out together some of those answers and more.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 14: FRANK LYGA PT. 2 Jan 22, 2024

March 18th, 1997 - The events of that afternoon would have far reaching effects that are still felt to this day.

Detective Frank Lyga’s life and career were never the same.

That could also be said for the Los Angeles Police Department, which immediately faced a racial divide among fellow officers that only grew more intense once Gaines’ family hired attorney Johnny Cochran. It also served as the match that would eventually turn into the flame that became the Rampart Scandal and engulfed the city of Los Angeles.

In greater detail then ever before, Frank Lyga takes listeners through the events of that fateful day, second by second. As Don Sikorski spoke to Lyga about the incident, it became clear just how much the granular minutia of that day are burned into his memory forever.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - BONUS EPISODE 4: 3.10.97 — CHUCK PHILIPS AND THE DAY AFTER Jan 17, 2024

Rehashing the day after Biggie was killed is old news, for you maybe it isn’t.

What isn’t old news is Chuck Philips’ article on March 10th of 1997.

In reading this for the first time with fresh eyes, it’s like staring at a painting in the Louvre for three days, and on the fourth, you find a different pattern.

The headline of the article reads “Gangsta Rap Performer Notorious B.I.G. Slain.” Barely 24 hours after the murder of Biggie, the narratives being pushed by the LAPD begin to form through their future mouthpiece – the LA Times & Chuck Philips.

The Dossier II: The Secret Biggie FBI Files is a production of Criminal Minded Media, Action Park Media and DCP Entertainment.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 13: FRANK LYGA ORIGIN STORY PT. 1 Jan 15, 2024

Since March of 1997, former LAPD Detective Frank Lyga has been an enigma, followed by whispers and innuendo regarding his involvement in the shooting death of fellow LAPD officer Kevin Gaines. With the exception of a 23 year old interview with PBS Frontline, the notoriously press shy Lyga has never gone on the record about his time at the LAPD with anyone inside the media. Because of that, very little is known about the man outside of what transpired on March 18th, 1997.

That’s about to change.

In part one of a series of exclusive interviews with Don Sikorski, former detective Lyga gives us his origin story. He talks about what led him to joining the LAPD, as well as his career as a police officer prior to the events that changed his life in an instant.

The Dossier II: The Secret Biggie FBI Files is a production of Criminal Minded Media, Action Park Media and DCP Entertainment.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 12: A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL Jan 08, 2024

It was in 1995, that the relationship between Chuck Philips and his obsession with Suge and Death Row Records started.

Suge Knight was cold and calculating, and any journalist allowed around him at that time would have been part of a quid pro quo or they would have been intimidated by Suge with threats of violence.

Suge trusted Chuck, but more importantly, Suge understood the power of the LA Times, and what it could do for him, Death Row Records, and his stable of artists.

It might be hard to pinpoint when Chuck decided to start manipulating the truth and go down a deep and dark rabbit hole inside the East Coast vs. West Coast strife. But in a puff piece on Dr Dre, a series of paragraphs starts to indicate to the reader what would become Chuck’s obsession.

That was the battle between Hip-Hop and the Cops in the LAPD, NYPD, FBI, and even DEA.

In Chuck's writing, I think this is where — and I am not being hyperbolic — his career in journalism shifted. ~ Don Sikorski

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 11: RANDALL SULLIVAN INTERVIEW PT. 2 Jan 01, 2024

Randall Sullivan has built a journalistic legacy over the course of his career.

He was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone for over 20 years, and his work has been published in places like the Washington Post, Esquire & Guardian.

He also has authored numerous books, including The Curse of Oak Island, The Price of Experience, Untouchable, The Miracle Detective, LAbyrinth & Dead Wrong.

As Randall and Don continue their conversation, they touch on a number of topics related to the murder of Biggie, Rampart & much more…

Here’s Part 2 of Don Sikorski’s interview with Randall Sullivan.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 10: RANDALL SULLIVAN INTERVIEW PT. 1 Dec 25, 2023

In 2002, Randall Sullivan decided to publish LAbyrinth, what I consider the best piece of journalism ever written about the LAPD cover up of the murder of Biggie.

I can still vividly remember reading the book and realizing that I too wanted to become a reporter, an investigator, a writer. In some ways, you can make a case that Randall’s work inspired me and was a pivotal moment in my life.

To imagine that almost 20 years later that I would become Randall’s friend and co-worker is staggering to think about.

He remains a hero, and he remains a beacon of intense reporting and writing.

I will never be able to write as eloquently as Randall, but I will say my investigative skills have improved. It’s hard to believe that I would end up an Executive Producer of City of Lies, which was based on LAbyrinth.

A full circle moment, to be sure.

For Season 2 of The Dossier, I felt the need to go back to Randall, have a conversation and get some insight.

Here’s Part 1 of my interview with Randall Sullivan.

The Dossier II: The Secret Biggie FBI Files is a production of Criminal Minded Media, Action Park Media and DCP Entertainment.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 9: SEARCHING FOR CHUCK Dec 18, 2023

It must be five years now that I have kept a color-coded binder of information under my desk inside my home office.

The binder was sent by a fellow television producer, and it was very thorough.

The full Dossier is a catalogue of the work of a journalist who has worked for the LA Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Rolling Stone, Spin, the Village Voice, the hip-hop bible Source Magazine, and many others.

The name of this journalist is Chuck Philips.

What if I explained to you, I know for a fact that Chuck Philips has information, evidence, tape recordings, and most likely a treasure trove of documents that would answer the questions on who killed Tupac Shakur, who killed Biggie Smalls, who at the LAPD had enough power to cover it up, and why?

The Dossier II: The Secret Biggie FBI Files, is a production of Criminal Minded Media, Action Park Media and DCP Entertainment.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 8: PENITENTIARY VOICES Dec 11, 2023

After coming across Waymon Anderson’s name in numerous LAPD, FBI and civil trial documents, Don Sikorski tries to unpack his story in relation to the murder of Biggie.

We take a closer look at documents from a Habeas Corpus hearing in 2008, and the testimony Waymon Anderson gave under oath in open court.

Sikorski is re-joined by fellow Dossier producer John Anagnopoulos to discuss the relationship between Anderson and disgraced former LA Times journalist Chuck Philips.

Episode note - We would like to thank RJ Bond for the audio excerpts of his prison interview with Waymon Anderson.

The Dossier II: The Secret Biggie FBI Files is a production of Criminal Minded Media, Action Park Media and DCP Entertainment.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 7: THE FORGOTTEN FILES WITH KENNETH BOAGNI Dec 04, 2023

In June of 2005, the Wallace Family Civil Trial was in court, the wheels of justice were spinning.

On a Friday afternoon Perry Sanders told the Court and the judge that he'd received a telephone call from someone claiming to be a former officer of the LAPD.

This person in the phone call provided detailed information about the existence of evidence concerning the Biggie murder.

The judge directed the Wallace family lawyers to provide to the City of LA,

all available information about this development and directed the City of LA to conduct a thorough investigation.

The trial was temporarily adjourned.

As a result of the search of Robbery-Homicide undisclosed evidence was discovered, much of which was in the desk or cabinet of Detective Steven Katz, the lead detective in the Biggie Murder investigation.

The documents centered around interviews by numerous police officers of Kenneth Boagni, who had been Rafael Perez’s cellmate for some extended period of time.

Kenneth Boagni re-joins Don Sikorski to discuss a number of topics related to ’The Forgotten Files’ in this week’s episode.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 6: LAPD PLAY HIDE & SEEK Nov 27, 2023

As we’ve discussed in detail, the city and the LAPD continually hid the existence of information, as well as witnesses from the Wallace family and their attorneys – while claiming there was no evidence connecting their officers to the murder of Biggie. From Kenneth Boagni to Mario Hammonds & Eric Fairmon, the city of Los Angeles played keep away, trying to hide anything supporting the Wallace family’s theory of the case.

Well, there’s more where that came from.

Beginning on page 15 of the legal filing, the lawyers for Miss Wallace and Biggie’s family outline the information and evidence that the city and the LAPD knew about and decided to not only hide from the Wallace estate, but they decided that this evidence and information was not worthy of further investigation.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - BONUS EPISODE 3: THE FBI DOCUMENTS PART 2. Nov 22, 2023

In this week’s bonus episode, Criminal Minded Media's Don Sikorski and Senior Producer John Anagnopoulos of The Dossier Season II: The Secret Biggie FBI Files, continue their dissection of the FBI documents from the Biggie Smalls murder investigation.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 5: INFERNAL AFFAIRS Nov 20, 2023

In January of 2001, the LAPD instituted a formal internal affairs investigation bearing LAPD Internal Affairs number CF-01-0190.

In what might be the most explosive revelation from the IA report, the LAPD itself alleged that David Mack and Rafael Perez conspired to murder and assisted in the Murder of Biggie.

The paragraph above is the sole reason I am recording Season 2 of The Dossier.

I have cited several names throughout the first four episodes, but starting now, is where I will begin to tell you in exacting detail, the individuals within the LAPD who covered up Biggie’s murder per the documents.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - BONUS EPISODE 2: THE KEVIN GAINES CONNECTION Nov 15, 2023

After CMM's Don Sikorski is contacted by ex-LAPD Detective Frank Lyga, we take a closer look the facts and rumors surrounding Kevin Gaines. While he’s always been connected to the Biggie murder, was Gaines also involved in the killing of Tupac in Las Vegas?

We also check in with RJ Bond, our resident Tupac expert, to get his thoughts on Kevin Gaines.

The Dossier II: The Secret Biggie FBI Files, is a production of Criminal Minded Media, Action Park Media & DCP Entertainment.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 4: THE CORRUPT CITY OF ANGELS Nov 13, 2023

The game was clear, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

The City of Los Angeles knew if they could just get to trial and hide all the David Mack and Suge Knight evidence, their chances against the Wallace Family were pretty good.

They could beat the Wallace Family lawyers and save the LAPD from financial ruin.

The Dossier II: The Secret Biggie FBI Files, is a production of Criminal Minded Media, Action Park Media and DCP Entertainment.

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 3: THE GANGSTER & THE LAPD FIXER Nov 06, 2023

As we continue analyzing the legal filing introduced in Episode 2, it just gets more interesting – and more unbelievable.

First, we introduce a witness who contacted both the LAPD and City Attorney Don Vincent with information pertinent to the murder of Biggie.

Why did the City of Los Angeles hide this information from the Wallace family and their attorneys for over two years?

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 2: THE WALLACE ESTATE VS. THE CITY OF LA Oct 30, 2023

"In setting out to record a second round of episodes, there was something that didn’t sit right with me," says Criminal Minded Media's Don Sikorski.

There is a legal filing that I always have in my backpack — I know without a shadow of a doubt, that inside this document are the final answers as to the actual evidence that exists inside the walls of the LAPD, and inside the file cabinets of LAPD’s Robbery Homicide.

In these upcoming episodes I am not going to talk about rumors or innuendo.

Like a prosecutor you see in any great crime show, I am going to explain, piece by piece in a forensic manner, the hardcore evidence that exists to tell listeners for one final time - who killed Biggie, who covered it up and why.

The Dossier II: The Secret Biggie FBI Files is a production of Criminal Minded Media, DCP Entertainment and Action Park Media.

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BONUS EPISODE 1: THE FBI DOCUMENTS PART 1 Oct 25, 2023

As we like to say on The Dossier, the evidence is all there in black & white. In this week’s bonus episode, Criminal Minded Media's Don Sikorski and Senior Producer John Anagnopoulos of The Dossier Season II: The Secret Biggie FBI Files, begin a dissection of the FBI documents from the Biggie Smalls murder investigation.

The Dossier Season II: The Secret Biggie FBI Files, is a production of Criminal Minded Media, DCP Entertainment, and Action Park Media.

The key moments in this episode are:

00:00:10 - Introduction to Season Two

00:05:05 - Implication of David Mack

00:08:03 - LAPD Involvement before Russell Poole

00:10:51 - Importance of Miss Wallace's Call

00:12:00 - Photos and Mario Hammonds

00:17:35 - FBI and Law Enforcement Agencies' Consensus

00:19:05 - Future Episodes and Audience Questions

00:21:52 - David Mack's Legal Defense and Donald Ray

00:24:27 - Importance of David Kenner

00:28:31 - False Claims of Amir Mohammed's Alibi

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DOSSIER SEASON II - EP. 1: MACK ATTACK Oct 23, 2023

As we ended up production of Season One of The Dossier, Criminal Minded Media's Don Sikorski had begun a quest to track down the alleged coconspirators of the plot to murder The Notorious B.I.G., rogue ex-LAPD officers Raphael Perez and David Mack. In this episode Sikorski attempts to get an agreement done with Mack to tell his story.

Welcome to Season Two of The Dossier. A special thanks to Richard Phillips, Kevin Connolly, Nicole Luciano, John Anagnopoulos, Phil Carson, Sergio Robledo, Brad Furman and Jess Fuerst, Zion, RJ Bond, Randall Sullivan, Perry Sanders, Grace Sikorski, Little D, Chris Colbert, DCP Entertainment and many others who have helped me to investigate, distribute, create and release The Dossier.

The Dossier Season II: The Secret Biggie FBI Files, is a production of Criminal Minded Media, DCP Entertainment, and Action Park Media.

The key moments in this episode are:

00:00:12 - David Mack's Background and Arrest

00:01:47 - Tracking Down Alleged Co-Conspirators

00:04:32 - The Enigma of David Mack

00:06:21 - Engaging David Mack in Conversation

00:17:40 - Meeting Harry Billups and the LAPD

00:18:27 - Mack's Behavior and Reactions

00:19:23 - LAPD Involvement and Russ Poole's Claims

00:20:23 - Phil Carson's Report and Mack's Demeanor

00:22:53 - Negotiating a Deal with Mack

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EP18 - Mario Hammonds Interview Part 1 Oct 23, 2023

In today’s episode, we are releasing the Mario Hammonds deposition in its entirety, as he's questioned by Rob Frank, one of the lawyers for Voletta Wallace. Also included in today’s episode, the late Sergio Robleto and Don Sikorski discuss Sikorski’s secret meeting with Hammonds.

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DOSSIER II TRAILER Oct 16, 2023

The Dossier: the LAPD Cover Up of the Murder of Biggie is back, with two investigative angles - a dissection of all the investigative files in the cover-up, and an examination on how the LA Times and a rogue journalist named Chuck Phillips created a public narrative of lies and misdirection.

Dossier II: The Secret Biggie Files, coming October 23rd wherever you listen to podcasts!

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EP17 - Friend of Foe Oct 16, 2023

In this Bonus Episode, James Rosemond discusses how the government turned friends and allies into weapons against him. He and Don Sikorski also begin breaking down the murder charges he faced after the death of Lowell Fletcher.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 16 - TRUMP PARDON Oct 09, 2023

I have been investigating the case of James Rosemond for six years, through all his federal criminal trials, and in doing a reconciliation of the story, I keep going back to two major points that need explaining and examination.

The first is the idea that Jimmy has a harsher sentence than El Chapo, and just put that into context, El Chapo led an organization that imported billions of dollars’ worth of drugs. Rosemond is alleged by the government to have run an organization with five guys, who dabbled in the drug game, El Chapo laundered billions of dollars through American banks, while government at trial never proved or showed evidence that Jimmy laundered any money, it was the exact opposite.

So just think about the dichotomy of the federal criminal justice system, and levers of power that has allowed for this to transpire.

The second part that I need to reconcile, is the story behind Jimmy’s pardon by President Donald Trump, and his administration, for that part of the story, I will use a Washington Post article and exclusive audio I recorded with Jimmy around his experience, and what exactly happened from his perspective, the story of the pardon has taken on more importance as it has floated through the appeals court, and the Justice Department has responded to Jimmy’s lawyer.

It is a bizarre epilogue to Jimmy’s story as he remains behind bars currently.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 15 - BRUCE MAFFEO INTERVIEW PT. 2 Oct 02, 2023

Bruce Maffeo has been a high profile criminal defense attorney in New York for decades.

He was James Rosemond's lawyer in both of the murder for hire trials.

Listen to Part 2. of the interview with Don Sikorski and Maffeo discussing Rosemond's case.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 15 - BRUCE MAFFEO INTERVIEW PT. 1 Sep 23, 2023

Bruce Maffeo has been a high profile criminal defense attorney in New York for decades.

He was James Rosemond's lawyer in both of the murder for hire trials.

He sat down with Don Sikorski to discuss Rosemond's case.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 13 - MURDER TRIAL PT. 2 Sep 17, 2023

Before diving deeper into the murder for hire trial, James Rosemond reflects on his life, mentally surviving prison & his unwavering belief that he will one day walkout through those prison gates.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 13 - MURDER TRIAL PT. 1 Sep 08, 2023

After being given 7 life sentences on drug charges, the government apparently felt they hadn’t buried James Rosemond far enough beneath the jail.

He would soon be indicted on murder for hire charges in the death of G-Unit affiliate Lowell Fletcher.

Rosemond & Don Sikorski begin detailing the government’s allegations surrounding Fletcher’s killing.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 11 - MIC DROP Sep 06, 2023

James Rosemond a.k.a. Jimmy Henchmand, must watch as former friends and allies testify against him in order to avoid jail time.

He reflects on the trial and the lack of evidence that was used to convict him

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 11 - LEGAL LETDOWN Aug 25, 2023

Reeling from losing Jeff Lichtman as his attorney, Rosemond scrambles to find a new lawyer who can handle his case.

Two former associates of Jimmy go on the record, disputing the government’s narrative of the case.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 11 - GOTTI'S GUY Aug 16, 2023

Jeff Lichtman is one of the best criminal defense attorneys of his generation, once defending El Chapo and John Gotti Jr.

He discusses his longtime client Jimmy Rosemond and the lengths prosecutors took to get him thrown off Jimmy’s defense team.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - BONUS EPISODE - SAN QUENTIN PRISON - MARIO HAMMONDS Aug 07, 2023

In today’s episode, we are releasing the Mario Hammonds deposition in its entirety, as he's questioned by Rob Frank, one of the lawyers for Voletta Wallace.

Also included in today’s episode, the late Sergio Robleto and Don Sikorski discuss Sikorski’s secret meeting with Hammonds.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 8 - SNITCHES Aug 05, 2023

As the investigation picks up steam, several of Rosemond’s close friends and associates are targeted by Kaminsky.

As the walls close in, Jimmy makes the decision to go on the run.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 7 - THE HEAT IS ON Aug 01, 2023

US Attorney Todd Kaminsky becomes obsessed with the rap game and Jimmy Henchman, starting his investigation in earnest.

He will have an unlikely ally in reporter Chuck Phillips.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 6 - RIVALRIES Jul 27, 2023

James Rosemond is pulled into another rap war, this time involving 50 Cent and The Game.

This beef will spiral out of control, eventually involving Rosemond’s family and law enforcement.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 5 - TRIAL BY MEDIA Jul 26, 2023

After Ethan Brown writes a profile on James Rosemond for Vibe Magazine, he becomes the target of others in the media, most notably Chuck Phillips of the LA Times.

These articles will put Rosemond in the crosshairs of law enforcement and Todd Kaminsky.

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BONUS EPISODE - RJ BOND ON THE BREAKING TUPAC NEWS Jul 23, 2023

Don Sikorski speaks with RJ Bond about the breaking news coming out of Las Vegas on Tuesday - that Vegas PD served a search warrant in nearby Henderson, Nevada, related to the murder of Tupac Shakur.

RJ shares his thoughts on who the search warrant targeted and what could come next in the police investigation.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 4 - GOING CORPORATE Jul 18, 2023

Despite being arrested and sent back to prison, James Rosemond continues his rise in the entertainment industry.

He reaches the pinnacle after negotiating the Mike Tyson/Lennox Lewis fight and signing his own rap superstar, The Game.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 3 - WATCH YA BACK Jul 13, 2023

William ‘Bill’ Courtney spent his career investigating street figures and their connection to hip hop.

He gives us his perspective from the law enforcement side on James Rosemond, Haitian Jack, Tupac and others involved in the game.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 2 - QUAD STUDIOS Jul 11, 2023

While entering Quad Studios to meet Jimmy for a recording session, Tupac Shakur is robbed and shot in the lobby. The incident will haunt Jimmy forever and start the infamous East vs West rap war.

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THE JIMMY HENCHMAN STORY - EP. 1 - MEAN STREETS Jul 07, 2023

Growing up on the streets of Brooklyn, Jimmy Ace becomes one of the most feared gangsters in the city. After serving time in Rikers Island, however, Jimmy makes his play to go legit.

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Episode 20: The Game is the Game Feb 24, 2021

Journalist Don Sikorski goes in search of David Mack and Rafael Perez.

The closing episode of Season One of The Dossier leaves more questions than answers.

Will the FBI reopen this case based on the evidence and the story of Phil Carson?

Will Ms. Wallace and Perry Sanders refile the civil case against the City of Los Angeles and the LAPD?

Finally, will there ever be justice in the murder of Hip-Hop's biggest star?

Please stay tuned for updates on the case and look out for Season 2 of The Dossier, launching soon.

Special thanks to Griff, Nicole Luciano, Rick Phillips, Dave Sikorski, John Anagnopoulos, Brandon Blackburn, Mike Caruso, Seth Lawrence, Andy Hill, Andrew Rath, Adam Leibner, and all the listeners of Season One, thank you for all the support.

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Episode 19: Big Gene and Phil Carson Feb 11, 2021

Phil Carson interviewed Eugene Deal in 2004 as part of his sprawling FBI investigation into the murder of Biggie. Now, 17 years later, the two of them are reunited to discuss their individual journeys inside the case and the lies that have evolved over the course of time. Phil and Gene also talk about a mysterious photograph that is in the possession of the LAPD that points to the triggerman in the murder of Biggie.

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Episode 18: City of Lies, Director Brad Furman, Johnny Depp & The Truth Feb 04, 2021

Director Brad Furman has spent the last two years working on the feature film City of Lies, starring Johnny Depp and Forrest Whitaker.

The film is based on Randall Sullivan's book Labyrinth, which delves into LAPD Robbery Homicide Investigator Russell Poole's work.

Don Sikorski, Furman, and Producer Jess Fuerst talk through the movie's origin story, the battle for truth in the case, and the Wallace Family's involvement in the movie.

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Episode 17: DEAD WRONG - Randall Sullivan and Phil Carson Jan 27, 2021

Author Randall Sullivan has investigated the LAPD cover-up of Biggie for close to 20 years.

His two books Labyrinth and the sequel Dead Wrong, are really the Bibles when it comes to information on how the LAPD, City of Los Angeles, and US Attorney inside Los Angeles orchestrated the cover-up.

Randall sits down with Phil Carson and Don Sikorski for a wide-ranging conversation, and new information on Perry Sanders refiling the lawsuit against the LAPD and City of Los Angeles.

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Episode 16: RJ Bond and The Truth Dec 17, 2020

Filmmaker/Journalist RJ Bond sets the record straight with Don Sikorski about his vast work surrounding both the Biggie and Tupac cases. He talks about the final days of Russell Poole and the internal dynamics of the Los Angeles Police Department and the City. RJ also delves into his history investigating the Compton Police Department, Death Row, and Reggie Wright Jr.

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Episode 15: Reggie Wright Jr & Phil Carson Dec 10, 2020

Reggie Wright Jr goes on the record with Phil Carson about the murder of Biggie. Reggie also talks about his relationship with the FBI and Death Row Records .

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Episode 14: Phil Carson Investigated the LAPD Rampart Scandal Dec 03, 2020

Before Phil Carson opened an FBI Investigation into the LAPD corruption and the cover-up of Biggie's murder, he was one of a handful of FBI assigned to a federal task force called RAMFIT.

This task force was supposed to look into all the officers inside the Rampart Division and track down the alleged crimes defined by Rafael Perez's deal with the LA District Attorney.

The pattern of deception between Phil Carson and officials at the LAPD and City Attorney started with Rampart.

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Episode 13: The Origin Story of The Dossier Nov 26, 2020

Journalist Don Sikorski tracks down the audio from a rare documentary series done by PBS and Frontline.

Sikorski analyzes, criticizes, and deconstructs the story of the Rampart Police Scandal.

Audio interviews with LAPD Chief Bernard Parks, Robbery/Homicide Detective Bryan Tyndall, and LA District Attorney Gil Garcetti as it relates to the Rampart Police Scandal.

Rare Audio of Corrupt LAPD Officer Rafael Perez from interview testimony defines this controversial era in the City of Los Angeles.

The Origin Story of the murder of Biggie is explained.

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Episode 12: The Curious Case of Greg Kading Nov 19, 2020

In the narrative of Biggie's murder investigations, former LAPD Investigator Greg Kading has stated that he has solved both the murders of Biggie and Tupac. Journalist Don Sikorski explores Kading's theory and statements about Phil Carson and the LAPD cover-up. Misinformation has thrived for years, supported by unchallenged evidence in the murder of Biggie. Is it possible that Greg Kading will change his opinion on who killed Biggie? Sikorski explores an interview by Geg Kading on the Gangster Chronicles podcast.

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Episode 11: Phil Carson & The Trail of Evidence Nov 12, 2020

Journalist Don Sikorski interviews Phil Carson on the treasure trove of documents acquired through the Freedom Of Information Act. Phil breaks down an elaborate ruse by LA City Attorney Paul Paquette that involves David Mack taking a lie detector test. Phil Carson also speaks about the ballistic evidence in Biggie's murder and how the LAPD handled it.

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Episode 10: Michael Carlin & Suge Knight on Tupac and Biggie Nov 05, 2020

Don Sikorski interviews Compton based journalist Michael Carlin about his work and information related to the murder of Biggie.

Carlin traces the deep connections inside Compton, California, that led to Biggie's murder.

Carlin also shares audio he recorded of Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight. Suge discusses both the murders of Tupac and Biggie.

Suge also outlines the stealing of close to $30 Million from Death Row accounts by famed defense attorney David Kenner.

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Episode 9: Phil Carson & The United States Attorney Oct 29, 2020

Phil Carson investigated the murder of Biggie for close to 2 years inside the FBI. With the approval of his bosses, Carson took the prosecutive report to the United States Attorney in Los Angeles to file charges against LAPD Officers David Mack, Rafael Perez, and the LAPD as it relates to the cover-up in the murder of Biggie. Journalist Don Sikorski receives a phone call from Compton based journalist Michael Carlin, with an audio interview with Suge Knight, speaking about the murder of Biggie.

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Episode 8: The FBI Informant, Suge Knight & San Quentin Prison Oct 22, 2020

FBI Informant Mario Hammonds was deposed in San Quentin Prison by lawyer Rob Frank on behalf of Voletta Wallace during the civil trial against the LAPD. In the deposition, Hammonds implicates Suge Knight, Reggie Wright Jr, David Mack, and Rafael Perez in orchestrating the murder of Biggie. Journalist Don Sikorski reveals a hidden document created by LAPD's Internal Affairs that has detailed information that implicates both Mack and Perez in the murder of Biggie. Phil Carson discusses the implications of this document on the case moving forward.

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Episode 7: The LA Times and the Murder of Biggie Oct 15, 2020

Phil Carson explains how the LAPD used the LA Times as a tool in the cover-up. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chuck Phillips has secrets buried to this day surrounding the murder of Biggie and his relationship with LAPD brass Mike Berkow. Exclusive audio from inside California's San Quentin Prison ties Suge Knight to David Mack, Rafael Perez, and Amir Muhammad.

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Episode 6: Suge Knight & The Pursuit of Justice Oct 08, 2020

FBI Agent Phil Carson completes his story about the operation to wire up FBI Informant Psycho Mike Robinson to meet with alleged triggerman Amir Muhammad. Former LAPD Homicide investigator Sergio Robleto was hired by Violetta Wallace and her attorney Perry Sanders. Robleto reveals information and evidence secured in the course of his own investigation during the civil trial, filed by Miss Wallace against the City of Los Angeles and the LAPD.

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Episode 5: FBI Informant Psycho Mike Robinson & the LAPD Oct 01, 2020

Phil Carson continues to break down his FBI investigation into the LAPD cover-up in the murder of Biggie.

He goes in-depth about his FBI operation to wire Psycho Mike and confront alleged hitman Amir Muhammad.

Richard Valdemar of the LA County Sheriff's Department connects the dots on who Psycho Mike was and why he was a trusted informant for the Sheriff's department and the FBI.

Valdemar uncovers the relationship between Suge Knight, Reggie Wright Jr., and Amir Muhammad.

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Episode 4: FBI Agent Phil Carson Defines the Cover-Up Sep 24, 2020

FBI Agent Phil Carson walks Don Sikorski through different layers of the LAPD Cover-Up and the connection between upper management in Police Chief Bill Bratton's operation at the LAPD. Phil Carson also connects journalist Chuck Phillips and the LA Times to the cover-up.

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Episode 3: The Secret Files of the LAPD Sep 24, 2020

Police Activist and LA insider Xavier Hermosillo goes on the record about investigative documents in the murder of Biggie that members of LAPD's Robbery/Homicide Division locked into a secret compartment at their offices. These files show proof that the LAPD covered-up the involvement of David Mack and Rafael Perez in the murder.

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Episode 2: Dirty Cop Rafael Perez vs. LAPD Sep 17, 2020

Prison Inmate Kenneth Boagni spent time in protective custody with former LAPD Officer Rafael Perez. While in jail Perez confessed to Boagni his involvement in the murder of Biggie. Boagni also describes the efforts of LA City Attorney Don Vincent to muzzle him and the information he holds.

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Episode 1: Agent Phil Carson Sep 17, 2020

Journalist Don Sikorski is able to track down FBI Agent Phil Carson, the only FBI Agent to ever investigate the murder of Biggie and the triangle of corruption of the LAPD, City Attorney, and LA Times. Phil Carson goes on the record for the first time.

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The Dossier - Trailer Sep 01, 2020

FBI Agent Phil Carson has held onto a dark secret for fifteen years, which will prove for the final time that there was a cover-up of the murder of Hip-Hop Superstar The Notorious B.I.G. by officials at the LAPD, LA Times, and US Attorney. Agent Carson is talking, and journalist Don Sikorski has the FBI Files to prove it.

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Organized crime has always been catnip to savvy crime reporters, and as the years have progressed with the proliferation of rats, the storytelling has gotten more nuanced and more in depth.

Former NY Daily News Reporter Greg Smith spent years reporting on orga-nized crime, and in 2003 he published a wide-ranging book on the DeCavalcante clan, and their hijinks.

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