Mafia buff thread

[FORTY NINE TO ZERO 2652]

On 8/26/2021 at 8:13 PM, DonkeyCigars said:

What about Dallas or Texas in general? I assume defunct, but I can remember a time when everyone had a Campisi story.

 

On 8/26/2021 at 8:26 PM, billfromlaketravis said:

There's not many books in print on it, but Houston during Prohibition and onward was allegedly run by the Greeks as well. Galveston and the Maceo Bros being a notable exception. 

And guess who were the maceo underbosses who took over once they left the picture?  
Vic and anthony fertitta

great uncle and grandfather to none other than tilman fertitta

Tilman is probably the most powerful Mafia person alive (maybe ever).  Just managed to pull off godfather 3 irl 

PS   Maceos and the free state of Galveston is a great read.  And if you ever are on the island, stop by maceos spice imports.  Amazing Sicilian / Gulf coast fusion.  A grandson now runs it and has some amazing stories.  Awesome pictures on the wall showing maceos / fertittas with very famous mobsters  

 

Edited November 28, 2021 by ONE YARD

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

1 hour ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

I liked Gamorra the film....I don't think I've seen any of the series yet. You watch any of the ones set in Naples / Sicily more or less today?

I also watched some really bleak show set in Ireland that was a combo of mob and the Irish version of The Wire or some shit. It had absolutely zero characters you cared about so it was just one asshole getting whacked after another so you didn't give a shit. Irish mob shit has been crazy the last 20 years -- there are these two kingpins who hide out in Spain and Dubai ordering all these killings over the Dublin smack trade. 

Sounds familiar. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/irelands-bloodiest-gang-wars-kinahan-22715879.amp

[Updawg 2266]

And guess who were the maceo underbosses who took over once they left the picture?  
Vic and anthony fertitta
great uncle and grandfather to none other than tilman fertitta
Tilman is probably the most powerful Mafia person alive (maybe ever).  Just managed to pull off godfather 3 irl 
PS   Maceos and the free state of Galveston is a great read.  And if you ever are on the island, stop by maceos spice imports.  Amazing Sicilian / Gulf coast fusion.  A grandson now runs it and has some amazing stories.  Awesome pictures on the wall showing maceos / fertittas with very famous mobsters  
 

That’s interesting. Always heard shit but never knew. Would like to know more

He is an asshole though

[hayden_horn 11362]

yall were talking bandidos earlier. my niece married a motorcycle club guy. not official bandido, not 1%, but affiliated. on thanksgiving last year,  she was accidentally shot and killed through a kitchen wall. details are scarce, as you might imagine. 

i went to her funeral. as i was exiting the highway to head to the church i was flanked by bikers. i didn't make the connection. then they turned into the church parking lot. 

i went into the church and it was all motorcycle leather. the poor catholic ushers were at a loss.

anyways, nice service and all but the drive to the cemetery was crazy. full biker escort, with her husband riding point behind the hearse. the hired motorcycle cops seemed to have a rapport with the bikers.

so we get to the cemetery, and this poor undertaker is reading his words. people are smoking cigarettes and openly sobbing. i mean, big biker types,  with 1% patches. just tears everywhere. most funerals i have attended have people on one side of the grave. this was a circle. 

anyway the poor undertaker finishes his words, and they lower my niece into her grave. the poor undertaker says, the service is concluded, you may go now.

nope. out of nowhere appear brand new shovels and all the weeping bikers and their ladies line up on both sides. they let her husband throw the first couple shovels of dirt on her grave. then they all proceeded to bury my niece, crying all the while, while her husband quietly smoked. 

there were all kinds of clubs represented from all over texas, louisiana, oklahoma,  but 1% bandidos were heavily represented. it was humbling. i can see the appeal of gang family. 

i know these weren't good people. probably drug runners or worse. but they did my niece right that one day. 

what they didn't do was take care of the accidental discharge guy. but he took care of himself. maybe that was the deal. 

i dunno. thought I'd share my small experience with that life. 

[FORTY NINE TO ZERO 2652]

7 hours ago, Updawg said:

That’s interesting. Always heard shit but never knew. Would like to know more

He is an asshole though

There is surprisingly little info on him and his family history.  I have a feeling he pays money to keep books from being written. 
That said, the basics are on the internet/wiki. 
 

Here is a fun texas monthly article I always enjoyed about one of the minor maceos and the family history with a fertitta mention.

Quote

On one memorable occasion, when the Al Capone gang sent Frank Nitti to Galveston to inquire about “investing” in the Maceo organization, a Maceo in-law, Anthony Fertitta, personally showed Mr. Nitti the way back to the mainland. 

Quote

Most of the old gang had already gone by then anyway. By the early fifties, the dealers and pit bosses who worked for the Maceos had mostly migrated to Las Vegas, as had the high rollers and all the big-name entertainment. The Fertitta family, related to the Maceos by marriage, had assumed control of what remained of the syndicate. 

 

When 89-year-old Vic Maceo walked into the office of a Galveston accountant and opened fire, the incident brought back memories of the Island’s gangster past.

Edited November 28, 2021 by ONE YARD

[Johnny Sack 8397]

On 11/28/2021 at 8:55 AM, hayden_horn said:

yall were talking bandidos earlier. my niece married a motorcycle club guy. not official bandido, not 1%, but affiliated. on thanksgiving last year,  she was accidentally shot and killed through a kitchen wall. details are scarce, as you might imagine. 

i went to her funeral. as i was exiting the highway to head to the church i was flanked by bikers. i didn't make the connection. then they turned into the church parking lot. 

i went into the church and it was all motorcycle leather. the poor catholic ushers were at a loss.

anyways, nice service and all but the drive to the cemetery was crazy. full biker escort, with her husband riding point behind the hearse. the hired motorcycle cops seemed to have a rapport with the bikers.

so we get to the cemetery, and this poor undertaker is reading his words. people are smoking cigarettes and openly sobbing. i mean, big biker types,  with 1% patches. just tears everywhere. most funerals i have attended have people on one side of the grave. this was a circle. 

anyway the poor undertaker finishes his words, and they lower my niece into her grave. the poor undertaker says, the service is concluded, you may go now.

nope. out of nowhere appear brand new shovels and all the weeping bikers and their ladies line up on both sides. they let her husband throw the first couple shovels of dirt on her grave. then they all proceeded to bury my niece, crying all the while, while her husband quietly smoked. 

there were all kinds of clubs represented from all over texas, louisiana, oklahoma,  but 1% bandidos were heavily represented. it was humbling. i can see the appeal of gang family. 

i know these weren't good people. probably drug runners or worse. but they did my niece right that one day. 

what they didn't do was take care of the accidental discharge guy. but he took care of himself. maybe that was the deal. 

i dunno. thought I'd share my small experience with that life. 

This reminds me of a book I read about the ATF agent who went undercover and patched in with the Mongols.  When his dad or brother died (can't remember), his ATF co-worker friends barely acknowledged it.  His Mongol buddies were emotional and extremely warm with him about his loss.  He noted how scummy they were in life, but how they were definitely a brotherhood/family.  He wrote how he emotionally became attached to them and how it was difficult to leave and then testify against them.

I think street gangs offer the same for a lot of fatherless boys.

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

Burnstein with another good pod episode : https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-giacalone-crew-with-fbi-agent-mike-carone/id1467014230?i=1000542824842

This one is about the Capital Street Social Club crew in West Detroit. The crew consisted of Jewish and Middle Eastern Americans reporting up to the Giacaolone Brothers. 

[Harrison Bergeron 1798]

Years ago had a good friend (much older couple) who grew up at the end of the Galveston heyday. Galveston and the mob is a fascinating story that probably deserves more national attention ... probably would make as good of a movie as anything about the five families or the Outfit.

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

Yeah decades after settling in Vegas a branch of the Fertittas took over and bankrolled the UFC. That branch and Tilman's do not get along -- I think Tilman is jealous they had a decades long head start on him in Vegas.

Details on it are hard to find now even in court records, but before Tilman got into restaurants he was a porn peddler and ran afoul of the obscenity laws back when those were enforced on occasion. He had one or more of those "newsstands" you used to see around town with a few magazines in a tiny front room that fed into a larger back room and an ocean of porn. In Houston, the Hollywood c-stores kind of put the newstands out of business simply by bringing the porn out right in the middle of the store -- that's the Dang family, same one that gave us TV Johnny of the famous ice grills. 

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

Given the identity of the victim, this seemed really odd.

 

Quote

A family member has identified 25-year-old Jessica Fertitta of Beaumont as the woman who died in a car fire on Sunday.

Fertitta was a second year law student at the University of Texas at Austin and was in town for a wedding, said grandfather Vincent Fertitta.

She had just left the house and was about half a block away when the car caught fire, he said. He said she was the only person in the car.

 

[JohnnyRage 1617]

Wanna see to old narcs yell at each other...

 

 

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

On 12/1/2021 at 12:13 AM, JohnnyRage said:

Wanna see to old narcs yell at each other...

 

 

I don't think Franzese was a rat. Telling gambling cautionary tales to college athletes isn't a big deal in my opinion. 

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

Another rat, but much more entertaining than the MBA and the Button Man. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/larry-mazza-wiseguys-hollywood-sport-betting/id1585530953?i=1000537003892

Later Days also has a long interview with Billy Beattie of The Westies. 

Both excellent. Joe Poletto is a pretty engaging interviewer. 

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

^

One interesting tidbit. Mazza said the Colombos would make new members while they were in prison. 

Edited December 10, 2021 by billfromlaketravis

[Johnny Sack 8397]

2 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I don't think Franzese was a rat. Telling gambling cautionary tales to college athletes isn't a big deal in my opinion. 

You don't ever admit to the existence of this thing of ours.

[lateshow 1304]

25 minutes ago, Johnny Sack said:

You don't ever admit to the existence of this thing of ours.

You're one to talk! 

[Hermanator 7052]

On 11/29/2021 at 9:51 AM, Johnny Sack said:

This reminds me of a book I read about the ATF agent who went undercover and patched in with the Mongols.  When his dad or brother died (can't remember), his ATF co-worker friends barely acknowledged it.  His Mongol buddies were emotional and extremely warm with him about his loss.  He noted how scummy they were in life, but how they were definitely a brotherhood/family.  He wrote how he emotionally became attached to them and how it was difficult to leave and then testify against them.

I think street gangs offer the same for a lot of fatherless boys.

It definitely is fun right up until it's not. 

HST's early work hanging out with the Hell's Angels is interesting stuff too. If I remember correctly he said he stood up for one of the biker's wive's who the biker was beating the shit out of in front of everyone and subsequently got his ass kicked. Then he decided he had enough and got out. 

[El Diablo 4232]

2 hours ago, Hermanator said:

It definitely is fun right up until it's not. 

HST's early work hanging out with the Hell's Angels is interesting stuff too. If I remember correctly he said he stood up for one of the biker's wive's who the biker was beating the shit out of in front of everyone and subsequently got his ass kicked. Then he decided he had enough and got out. 

I don't think HST's Angels friends were the "bad" ones either. There were two factions, the San Fran group who were a motorcycle gang with your typical rough customers and I think were HST's associates and then there were the Oakland bunch of Angels who were much more heavy into crime. 

[FORTY NINE TO ZERO 2652]

On 11/30/2021 at 1:02 AM, MaybeACoordinator said:

Given the identity of the victim, this seemed really odd.

 

 

Very much like out of a movie 

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

5 hours ago, El Diablo said:

I don't think HST's Angels friends were the "bad" ones either. There were two factions, the San Fran group who were a motorcycle gang with your typical rough customers and I think were HST's associates and then there were the Oakland bunch of Angels who were much more heavy into crime. 

Speaking of the Angels, and the Bandidos, remember this idiot? 

Quote

When biker Anthony W. Benesh III displayed his Hells Angels colors in the middle of Bandidos territory in the Lone Star State in 2006, he was given extensive warnings to stop.

But because Benesh ignored the instructions, the Bandidos Motorcycle Club dispatched two hit crews in March 2006 to find him and another Hells Angels member and send a message, a high-ranking ex-member of the Bandidos testified Wednesday at a racketeering trial for two former top Bandidos leaders.

Not only did this Benesh guy defy the Bandidos for months, but the Hell's Angels leadership told him in no uncertain terms he was on his own...

So a message was sent: As Benesh was walking out of Saccone's Pizza in Anderson Mill with his old lady and his two kids, a sniper's bullet literally blew his brains out. HIs entire skull had been blown to pieces. 

I feel bad for the kids having to see that, but damn, what a fucking moron.

The feds cracked the case after they got a member of the hit team to snitch when they had him on a drug charge. Eventually all of this indirectly caused the downfall of the US president Jeffery Fay, under whose watch ties between the European and Australian chapters were severed. Fay was working on expanding into Central America at the time of his arrest....The idea of Salvadoran Bandidos is pretty nightmarish.

[Matuka 1310]

“Portillo, ordering that Benesh be killed, said he would take another crew to find and rub out Benesh’s counterpart in College Station, Romo said.”

Counterpart wasn’t rubbed out, he just ran out of time.

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

Stallone-Taylor Sheridan mafia show: 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/collider.com/sylvester-stallone-tv-show-taylor-sheridan-kansas-city-paramount-plus/amp/

Curious setting. KC has a very rich LCN history with the Civellas. 

Edited December 12, 2021 by billfromlaketravis

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

14 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Stallone-Taylor Sheridan mafia show: 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/collider.com/sylvester-stallone-tv-show-taylor-sheridan-kansas-city-paramount-plus/amp/

Curious setting. KC has a very rich LCN history with the Civellas. 

Aw man, I wish he would have done the Maceos....their story really does have everything, including the kind of doomed romance you need in one of these sagas. Rose Maceo's first wife ran off with another man and both were found murdered....Really hard to find details on that online now, other than it happened. I am sure it was just a robbery gone wrong. These things happen. 

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

On 12/10/2021 at 2:03 PM, billfromlaketravis said:

Another rat, but much more entertaining than the MBA and the Button Man. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/larry-mazza-wiseguys-hollywood-sport-betting/id1585530953?i=1000537003892

Later Days also has a long interview with Billy Beattie of The Westies. 

Both excellent. Joe Poletto is a pretty engaging interviewer. 

I finished the long interview with Mazza. Really interesting stuff in the piece about Greg "The Grim Reaper" Scarpa. I always thought of Scarpa as a hitman/rat, but he was a prolific earner as well. Mazza thinks Scarpa's shylock business probably netted him $30-40 million over the course of his career. 

 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13515]

Franzese can be a good watch on youtube but you can burn out if you binge his channel. 

He offers some good insight to Goodfellas as much of that story is from when he was active in the NYC mafia. He's even called out in the movie in the bar scene of running down made men names but he claims he has no idea why he was mentioned other than maybe they just like his name.

Anyway, he's critical of Goodfellas in that Hill and Conway (Burke IRL) weren't as important as they claim. Or more precisely he's critical of Hill being a unreliable narrator. Especially like in the scenes of Hill being the dashing mob figure walking through restaurant kitchens to get an up front table at the Copa. According to Franzese, Hill was more of a hanger-on that would only walk to the front of the line if Paul Vario (Sorvino's character) was with him. Vario was a capo. Which makes sense because later on Hill and Conway were ecstatic when Tommy was being made as that would elevate them through association. 

Edited December 13, 2021 by Nice Guy Eddie

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

28 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Franzese can be a good watch on youtube but you can burn out if you binge his channel. 

He offers some good insight to Goodfellas as much of that story is from when he was active in the NYC mafia. He's even called out in the movie in the bar scene of running down made men names but he claims he has no idea why he was mentioned other than maybe they just like his name.

Anyway, he's critical of Goodfellas in that Hill and Conway (Burke IRL) weren't as important as they claim. Or more precisely he's critical of Hill being a unreliable narrator. Especially like in the scenes of Hill being the dashing mob figure walking through restaurant kitchens to get an up front table at the Copa. According to Franzese, Hill was more of a hanger-on that would only walk to the front of the line if Paul Vario (Sorvino's character) was with him. Vario was a capo. Which makes sense because later on Hill and Conway were ecstatic when Tommy was being made as that would elevate them through association. 

Nicholas Pileggi's book Wiseguy is a much more accurate retelling of events. Hill was generally an alcoholic and piece of shit. Look at pictures of Henry from that era. That guy probably didn't even own a tie, much less wear shark skin suits to the Copa. He was tight with Vario in a father - son social type of way. If I'm remembering correctly, Vario kept his distance on the business end of things. 

When Scorsese gets criticized for glamourizing the mob, it's completely warranted. The life portrayed in Goodfellas isn't what's on the pages of Wiseguy. 

Burke was pretty high up for an Irish guy, especially in New York. He was a de facto captain in the Lucchese Family. Vario gave him carte blanche to do whatever he wanted and backed him in sitdowns with made guys. 

Vario won the sitdown with Gambinos over Billy Batts. Burke stole Batts' shylock or sports betting business. Batts gets out of jail, and wants it back and Batts is famously murdered in 1970. Batts was a made guy, and a close friend of the very violent John Gotti, yet Burke wasn't ever punished for it. That's how powerful Vario and those under him were at the time. 

Edited December 13, 2021 by billfromlaketravis

[Nice Guy Eddie 13515]

25 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Nicholas Pileggi's book Wiseguy is a much more accurate retelling of events. Hill was generally an alcoholic and piece of shit. Look at pictures of Henry from that era. That guy probably didn't even own a tie, much less wear shark skin suits to the Copa. He was tight with Vario in a father - son social type of way. If I'm remembering correctly, Vario kept his distance on the business end of things. 

When Scorsese gets criticized for glamourizing the mob, it's completely warranted. The life portrayed in Goodfellas isn't what's on the pages of Wiseguy. 

Burke was pretty high up for an Irish guy, especially in New York. He was a de facto captain in the Lucchese Family. Vario gave him carte blanche to do whatever he wanted and backed him in sitdowns with made guys. 

Vario won the sitdown with Gambinos over Billy Batts. Burke stole Batts' shylock or sports betting business. Batts gets out of jail, and wants it back and Batts is famously murdered in 1970. Batts was a made guy, and a close friend of the very violent John Gotti, yet Burke wasn't ever punished for it. That's how powerful Vario and those under him were at the time. 

good points. Whether this is fully accurate or not, there is speculation that the Billy Batts situation ended up involving HIll's wife. When Hill is in prison but Vario wasn't, Vario had an affair with her. She confided to Vario that Tommy had attempted to rape her. Then Vario gave up Tommy to the Gambinos as the murderer of Batts but kept Burke and Hill out of it. In Burke's case it was due to amount of money he earned Vario.

And like you said, the real life Hill and Vario make Liotta and Sorvino look like super models. Not an attractive group IRL.

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

Just now, Nice Guy Eddie said:

good points. Whether this is fully accurate or not, there is speculation that the Billy Batts situation ended up involving HIll's wife. When Hill is in prison but Vario wasn't, Vario had an affair with her. She confided to Vario that Tommy had attempted to rape her. Then Vario gave up Tommy to the Gambinos as the murderer of Batts but kept Burke and Hill out of it. In Burke's case it was due to amount of money he earned Vario.

And like you said, the real life Hill and Vario make Liotta and Sorvino look like super models. Not an attractive group IRL.

I believe this is correct version of events. The Gambinos probably wouldn't have killed Tommy without Vario's OK. I think they probably knew exactly happened to Batts, but they played the long game. Given their extremely competent leadership at the time, this is probably what happened. 

There's also a theory out there that Gotti killed Tommy to avenge the death of his friend Ronald "Foxy" Jerothe. It's all very plausible as Gotti's crew operated near Robert's Lounge in Queens and they also robbed the airport. 

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

More Hoffa stuff on the Original Gangster pod if you're into that sort of thing: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-is-the-hoffa-kill-house/id1467014230?i=1000546995157

[Gil Bang 25960]

On 11/29/2021 at 7:51 AM, Johnny Sack said:

This reminds me of a book I read about the ATF agent who went undercover and patched in with the Mongols.  When his dad or brother died (can't remember), his ATF co-worker friends barely acknowledged it.  His Mongol buddies were emotional and extremely warm with him about his loss.  He noted how scummy they were in life, but how they were definitely a brotherhood/family.  He wrote how he emotionally became attached to them and how it was difficult to leave and then testify against them.

I think street gangs offer the same for a lot of fatherless boys.

"Under and Alone" by Billy Queen.

[Gil Bang 25960]

On the subject of biker gangs; I came across this powerpoint intended for LE training.  https://lp.post.ca.gov/post/resources/resources/LASD/Outlaw-Motorcycle-Gangs-LES-FOUO.pdf

Page 43 is interesting. It describes handlebars modified to fire a .410 shell.  Fucking scary. 

[Jiggy-Z 3432]

On 11/28/2021 at 8:55 AM, hayden_horn said:

there were all kinds of clubs represented from all over texas, louisiana, oklahoma,  but 1% bandidos were heavily represented. it was humbling. i can see the appeal of gang family. 

Cat in suit reading newspaper: "I should join a gang."

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

Burnstein with an interesting pod on the Pagans and the Outlaws. About 20 minutes on the Philly Mafia. Pretty interesting. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/outlaw-bikers-and-the-mafia/id1467014230?i=1000548811408

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

The Chicago Mob: Deadly Associates is airing on Reelz right now. Pretty good. 
 

Focuses on Milwaukee Phil and Joey The Clown. 

[Harrison Bergeron 1798]

I watch the Gravano show. I guess no one cares about rats anymore. Any sign the mob's dead seems to be these guys are out and about with impunity.

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

31 minutes ago, Harrison Bergeron said:

I watch the Gravano show. I guess no one cares about rats anymore. Any sign the mob's dead seems to be these guys are out and about with impunity.

Murdering prominent rats probably isn't worth the heat. If a mobster takes a plea, he's probably looking at 10 years max. Murdering a Larry Mazza or John Pennisi carries a possible life sentence with it. Funny article on wise guy's podcasts : https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/why-the-fbi-loves-mob-podcasts

He's been out of law enforcement for some time, but the Gangland Wire host Gary Jenkins is convinced that if mobsters stick to making money and not kill each other law enforcement really doesn't care. 

 

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

The Last Gangster (the Gravano show) is on Hulu. Allegedly Gravano is in really poor health. Maybe ABC wanted to run it before he passed? 

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

Joey and Nick Bosa's great-grandfather was Tony Accardo. Mind blown. 

https://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/49ers-Bosa-is-great-grandson-Tony-Accardo-16802616.php

[FORTY NINE TO ZERO 2652]

On 11/27/2021 at 9:57 PM, ONE YARD said:

 

And guess who were the maceo underbosses who took over once they left the picture?  
Vic and anthony fertitta

great uncle and grandfather to none other than tilman fertitta

Tilman is probably the most powerful Mafia person alive (maybe ever).  Just managed to pull off godfather 3 irl 

PS   Maceos and the free state of Galveston is a great read.  And if you ever are on the island, stop by maceos spice imports.  Amazing Sicilian / Gulf coast fusion.  A grandson now runs it and has some amazing stories.  Awesome pictures on the wall showing maceos / fertittas with very famous mobsters  

 

i was reading an old article that mentions vic and anthony were actually old man maceos nephews.   had no idea the line was that direct.  

 

Quote

Sam Maceo remained fastidious in his campaigns to lure more tourists, gamblers, and convention attendees to the Island. But on April 15, 1951, Salvatore “Sam” Maceo died of cancer, and the effect of his death was felt even more than the palpable influence of his life. 

  The cloud that rolled onto the shores of Galveston with his passing was further darkened by a fire that gutted the Balinese Room on March 8, 1953, and then Rose’s death a year later on March 29, 1954. The brothers had been grooming their nephews Vic and Anthony Fertitta to take over their Galveston operations since the late 40s, but they simply did not inspire the same trust and loyalty as their uncles.

galveston monthly article

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

I'd recommend this podcast. All of the Philly episodes have been really good. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sit-down-a-mafia-history-podcast/id1561478045

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

On 2/5/2022 at 11:27 PM, ONE YARD said:

i was reading an old article that mentions vic and anthony were actually old man maceos nephews.   had no idea the line was that direct.  

 

galveston monthly article

That ANICO skyscraper in Galveston was built with Maceo money laundered through Vegas...The Moodys were willing to play ball with the Maceos so long as it was very discreet and preferably 2000 miles away. Mob Texas played a much bigger role in the founding of Vegas than we are generally credited with -- the Maceos with the Desert Inn, Benny Binion with the Gold Nugget, and Jakey Friedman, the former owner of Houston's Domain Privee casino way down South Main, and a protege / partner of the Maceos, had a big part in opening The Sands. (He is also credited with developing "eye in the sky" technology to catch card cheats.)

He was also the grandfather of Houston mega-socialite Carolyn Farb, which was almost as mind-blowing to me as finding out about Accardo and the Bosa brothers on this thread. 

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

OG pod on the New England Mafia. Boston personality Tim White is the guest. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-england-mafia-past-present-and-future/id1467014230?i=1000551757279

In short, the Patriarca Crime Family is in shambles. A lot of cooperators, including acting bosses, and very few active members. 

[FartingMonk 3608]

On 1/30/2022 at 12:34 PM, billfromlaketravis said:

Murdering prominent rats probably isn't worth the heat. If a mobster takes a plea, he's probably looking at 10 years max. Murdering a Larry Mazza or John Pennisi carries a possible life sentence with it. Funny article on wise guy's podcasts : https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/why-the-fbi-loves-mob-podcasts

He's been out of law enforcement for some time, but the Gangland Wire host Gary Jenkins is convinced that if mobsters stick to making money and not kill each other law enforcement really doesn't care. 

 

That's been the MO for quite a while now.  That's why you don't hear much about Asian syndicates anymore or even that much of gangland shootouts except with maybe African American gangs.  Most other organized crime groups have gone underground with the understanding that no bodies means no cops.  

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

3 minutes ago, FartingMonk said:

That's been the MO for quite a while now.  That's why you don't hear much about Asian syndicates anymore or even that much of gangland shootouts except with maybe African American gangs.  Most other organized crime groups have gone underground with the understanding that no bodies means no cops.  

It's the smart approach, but I do wonder how they mete out punishment for guys that get out of line. I'm probably giving wiseguys too much credit here, but it seems like silly beefs that ended with guns 30-40 years ago are now getting settled in sitdowns. 

It's amazing that there has been one known "mob sanctioned" hit in New York City since 2013. Michael Meldish, a Harlem Purple Gang member. The hit resulted in Meldish dying, but it was an outright disaster. A Lucchese associate took the contract on Meldish. Then hired an African American man to pull the trigger. The messiness and public nature of that hit brought down the entire Lucchese Administration. 

The government used all their resources and "tricks" to get life sentence convictions on the defendants. I think they wanted to send a message: No more bodies. LCN appears to have received the message. 

 

[Tailgate 3022]

My dad’s side of the family supposedly had some connections to a crime family.

He got these passed down from his dad.

One looks manufactured by Colt? The other I’m not sure. Both small. Put a quarter next to them for comparison. Easily concealable in boot or anywhere. I like the seven-shot .22.

Not sure of caliber on the single shot.

[Beantown Express 2.0 6559]

Just found this thread so I thought I would share my “connection” to this life.  I grew up in S. Florida in the 70’s/80’s.  I never realized my father’s connection to that world until I was in college at UT watching Goodfellas and I started realizing growing up all my dad’s friends had nicknames just like in the movie.  I came home from college and had a long talk with him and he told me everything.  My father’s friend was my “uncle Oscar”.  He was a little Armenian guy and our families were together growing up.  Turns out Oscar was Oscar “the watchman” Ansourian.  He was a feared hitman for the Gambino and Lucchese crime families in NY.  I still remember for one Christmas he gave me a $100 and told my parents I got to spend all of it at Toys R Us. We are talking like 1978 and that was a shit ton of money for a kid to buy a lot of Star Wars crap.  Oscar was best friends with a guy from New York who would come down to Florida for Easter and whatnot and I knew that guy as my “uncle Vic”. Turns out that was Vic Amuso the Don of the Lucchese crime family.  Oscar disappeared and went on the run after being indicted and the FBI finally caught him a decade later.  After getting out of prison he was filmed in Central Park saying “hi” to a jogger passing by who was also in the mob so the Feds put him back into prison for breaking parole for associating with criminals or something.  He died in prison.   My dad swore the government had him killed in prison because he was such a pain in the ass to them all those years he was on the run.  

Edited September 1 by Beantown Express 2.0

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

16 hours ago, Beantown Express 2.0 said:

Just found this thread so I thought I would share my “connection” to this life.  I grew up in S. Florida in the 70’s/80’s.  I never realized my father’s connection to that world until I was in college at UT watching Goodfellas and I started realizing growing up all my dad’s friends had nicknames just like in the movie.  I came home from college and had a long talk with him and he told me everything.  My father’s business partner was my “uncle Oscar”.  He was a little Armenian guy and our families were always together growing up as he was in business with my father in a insurance agency.  My father was the insurance guy and Oscar was the money that helped him get started.  Turns out Oscar was Oscar “the watchman” Ansourian.  He was a feared hitman for the Gambino and Lucchese crime families in NY.  I still remember for one Christmas he gave me a $100 and told my parents I got to spend all of it at Toys R Us. We are talking like 1978 and that was a shit ton of money for a kid to buy a lot of Star Wars crap.  Oscar was best friends with a guy from New York who would come down to Florida for Easter and whatnot and I knew that guy as my “uncle Vic”. Turns out that was Vic Amuso the Don of the Lucchese crime family.  Oscar disappeared and went on the run after being indicted and the FBI finally caught him a decade later.  After getting out of prison he was filmed in Central Park saying “hi” to a jogger passing by who was also in the mob so the Feds put him back into prison for breaking parole for associating with criminals or something.  He died in prison.   My dad swore the government had him killed in prison because he was such a pain in the ass to them all those years he was on the run.  

Vic is serving a life sentence, but is still the reputed boss of the Lucchese going back to 1987. 
 

Amuso has shown a tendency to be easily aamanipulated. He let Gas Pipe Casso effectively run the family and poison it from the inside while he was on the street. When he was in the can, Nicky Scarfo convinced Vic/the Luccheses to back him in some insane plea to take out Merlino.

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

The Outfit (2022) is a pretty solid film. Imagine if PBS Masterpiece made a gangster movie. 
 

Based in 1956 Chicago. 

[Tailgate 3022]

Check out Gomorrah on HBO plus. Great drama series Italian mafia. Highly recommend. 

[billfromlaketravis 11487]

Regarding Gomarrah, the movie is much better.

Gravesend on Tubi isn’t terrible.