Episode 1: The Life Reading Time: Follow the footsteps of Carmine Contello, a handsome Sicilian teenage boy, as he is slowly indoctrinated into the secretive world of “The Syndicate,” Detroit’s little-known faction of La Cosa Nostra. Carmine, a brilliant straight-A student and star athlete, has decided college and the life of a “straight shooter” is not the life for him. Instead, he wants to be like his Uncle Salvatore, who is his idol and one…
I’ll give you two words and you tell me what first comes to you mind. Vito Genovese………. Don Vitone is one of those polarizing figures. People either love him or hate him. If you love him, he was a tough street guy who commanded respect and left his family in great shape with guys who would lead long into the future. If you hate him, he’s a treacherous, jealous sociopath. Of course us mob nerds…
Similar to the way movie stars are fawned over and followed, a certain mystique also clings to the criminal element. And in rare instances, the celebrity and the gangster are even balled into one. Dillinger, Capone, and Bugsy are but a few examples of well-dress killers who reached media heights and fame during their lifetimes. And nearing a century later, the luster of the gangster genre hasn’t faded. Decades after the demise of each crime…
A week ago we asked you if you had to chose one New York Crime Family to join, which one would it be? The results are in… Genovese Crime Family – 55% Gambino Crime Family – 26% Bonanno Crime Family – 11% Lucchese Crime Family – 5% Colombo Crime Family – 3%
Umberto Anastasio was born September 26, 1902 in Tropea, Italy. He was one of 9 brothers and 3 sisters. In 1919 Umberto and 3 of his brothers working a freighter deserted the ship in New York and soon started working as longshoreman on the Brooklyn docks. On March 17, 1921 Umberto was convicted of murdering fellow longshoreman George Turino and Albert “Lord High Executioner” Anastasia was born. Rising in power quickly on the waterfront Albert…
The books are open for all five New York crime families, and now you have an important decision to make. If you had to chose one family to join, which one would it be?
The initial wave of gambling boats that hit the West during the roaring twenties, kicked off in the summer of 1927. Although Tony Cornero—the good looking racketeer with a reputation for being a straight shooter among thieves—is often crowned King of these floating casinos, he was actually nowhere to be found when the trade first got rolling. A short while after his 1926 bootlegging arrest, Cornero managed to escape custody. A wanted man, he fled…
An intriguing event in the history of the mob is the shooting of Frank Costello. On May 2, 1957 after entering the lobby of his residence, The Majestic at 115 Central Park West in Manhattan, a gunman enters the lobby behind him, calls out “This is for you, Frank!” and shoots. Luckily, Frank turned as the gun was fired and the bullet while penetrating the skin of his head did not actually cause much damage….
The Irish Mafia is said to be the oldest organized crime group in the United States, dating back to the early 19th century. Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago were some of the major cities they operated in. In the mid-to-late 1900’s the Irish Mob had a strong presence in Boston. The Italian Mafia controlled Boston’s North End, while the Irish operated in surrounding cities such as South Boston, Charlestown, Dorchester, Roxbury and Somerville. Irish-American…
We have done the top mob bosses of all time, the most brutal of all time, and many other polls over the years. One we haven’t done, is the worst mob bosses of all time. So, a week ago we put the question out there, and let you decide between yourselves on who the worst mob bosses were. We had over 215 responses on the poll, and here are the results… The top 3 as…
And then there’s Vegas. The mecca of gambling in the United States. Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, New York gangster, went out there in 1945 and had the famous/infamous Flamingo Hotel and Casino built. Most know of the financial issues that occurred. The project went way over budget and had a poor opening night. It actually closed right after the grand opening so that the hotel could be finished. Bugsy was killed shortly after its grand re-opening…
March of 1934 ushered in the first post-prohibition celebration of St Paddy’s. It had been fourteen years since America’s Irish immigrants celebrated properly. When the drought finally lifted, many a bootlegging entrepreneur made a quick leap into the gambling rackets. And those who’d already been juggling both enterprises thickened what they had in motion. Facilitating the shift, the timeline seemed to offer an almost seamless transition. Early in 1931, in an effort to counter the…
Are you an author, journalist, former mobster, former law official, or mob historian? Perhaps you want to plug a new book or product, or increase awareness for yourself? Uncle Frank’s Place is a talk radio show dedicated to discussing the history of organized crime in America, and we are always looking for guests on the show! If you are interested just leave us your name, email address and optionally a number to give you a…
