Amazon.com
Amid his efforts to expose the Russian mob, Robert I. Friedman learned from the FBI that "the most brilliant and savage Russian mob organization in the world" had put a $100,000 price on his head. Reading Red Mafiya, it's not hard to see why: this is a brave book about a troubling subject. Friedman, a freelance journalist, describes the research behind it: "I ventured into the Russians' gaudy strip clubs in Miami Beach; paid surprise visits to their well-kept suburban homes in Denver; interviewed hit men and godfathers in an array of federal lockups; and traveled halfway around the world trying to make sense of their tangled criminal webs, which have ensnared everyone from titans of finance and the heads of government to entire state security services." Their racket involves heroin smuggling, weapons trafficking, mass extortion, and casino operation, among other activities. "Blending financial sophistication with bone-crunching violence, the Russian mob has become the FBI's most formidable criminal adversary, creating an international criminal colossus that has surpassed the Colombian cartels, the Japanese Yakuzas, the Chinese triads, and the Italian Mafia in wealth and weaponry," writes Friedman. They've even penetrated professional hockey, as Friedman shows in an eye-opening chapter ("Federal authorities have come to fear that the NHL is now so compromised by Russian gangsters that the integrity of the game itself may be in jeopardy").
Red Mafiya benefits from a breezy narrative in detailing a master criminal operation whose influence on the United States is growing rapidly. Russian mobsters already have siphoned off millions of dollars in foreign aid meant to prop up their country's economy--and they may have a more direct impact on American national security concerns in the years ahead: "The Russian mob virtually controls their nuclear-tipped former superpower," writes Friedman. Now, there's a scary thought. Lifting the Iron Curtain seems to have been a mixed blessing: it let freedom in, and organized crime out. --John J. Miller
Book Description
"In North America alone there are now thirty Russian crime syndicates operating in at least seventeen U.S. cities, most notably New York, Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver. The Russians have already pulled off the largest jewelry heist and insurance Medicare frauds in American history, with a net haul exceeding $1 billion. They have invaded North America's financial markets, orchestrating complex stock scams, allegedly laundering billions of dollars through the Bank of New York, and coolly infiltrating the business and real estate worlds.
"The Russians didn't come here to enjoy the American dream," New York state tax agent Roger Berger says glumly. "They came here to steal it." -From the Introduction From an award-winning investigative journalist comes an astonishing exposi of Russian organized crime, its growing power in the United States, and its terrifying implications for the rest of the world.
In the past decade, from Brighton Beach to Moscow, Toronto to Hong Kong, the Russian mob has become the world's fastest-growing criminal superpower. Trafficking in prostitutes, heroin, and missiles, the mafiya poses an enormous threat to global stability and safety. The black-market corruption of the Brezhnev era proved the perfect breeding ground for organized crime. Beginning in the 1970s, Soviet ?migr?s--including a large number of felons and murderers the USSR was happy to get rid of--began arriving in the United States and quickly established themselves as a major criminal force in New York, Las Vegas, and elsewhere. But it was the breakup of the Soviet Union that made the
Russian mob what it is today. In a weakened, impoverished Russia, it quickly became the dominant power. And it has now spread to every corner of the United States, infiltrating its banks and brokerage firms--and American law enforcement is just waking up to this enormous problem. No journalist in the world knows more about the Russian mob in America than Robert Friedman. At great risk to himself, he has made connections with a number of top criminals who have gone on record about their activities for the first time. The result of his discoveries is a revelation: the Red Mafiya is everywhere. The implications--for law enforcement, the economy, foreign policy, for the American people themselves--are staggering."
Customer Reviews:
Good information, poorly organized.......2007-10-04
An account of the Russian Mafiya is an daunting task that requires a great deal of research. While I have no doubt that many of the statements in this book are true, the book suffers from a terrible lack of organization. It seems as though Friedman decided to write this book in a stream-of-conscious format. The format problem is damaging to the credibility of the book because it can confuse readers.
The evolution of the Russian Mafiya, which is located at the conclusion of chapter 5, should really open the book. Instead, Friedman jumps right into a prison interview with little primer before the important text. The main thesis alleges that the KGB stashed much of the money after the fall in the Soviet Union in as many places as possible. Among these places was organized crime, which has been diversifying since the 1970's. The problem was exacerbated when the Soviet Union fell. And because many of these Russian are Jewish, they seek asylum in Israel.
One of the move informative chapters discusses the extortion practices that mafiya associates exhibited with Russian NHL player. The media seems woefully unaware of any problem. This chapter is toward the middle of the book, sandwiched between prison interviews, illegal schemes, and biographies of members. The format left me with little frame of reference or time line regarding this developing problem. The book could benefit from a return to an editor.
Very Factual and in NO WAY anti semitic........2007-08-07
Contrary to some of the comments mentioned by those giving this book low marks; this book is extremely accurate and in NO WAY anti semitic. Some stated that this book was anti semitic because it did not talk about the good side of the Russian-Jew Imagre. NEWS FLASH!!! This book is about the Russian Mob! The book is about BAD GUYS! Who says the author has to talk about the honest and good Russian-Jew imagre?? Secondly those who said the content was embellished or un-believable obviously do not have any knowledge on the subject of the Russian Mafia. Myself being involved in law enforcement at the state and federal level for 23 years, I can attest that nothing is sensationalized in this book. As for the person who claimed to have been written about in the book.. GIVE ME A BREAK!
for lack of "0" star option.......2007-04-29
Bottom line: this is not what you'd expect - 90's Russian mafia in the West stories. I was duped into... by the title 7 years ago... and pissed of by the good reviews which I saw now.
The great robbing of Russia and the spill-overs into the world have nothing to do with the hoodlum stories of this book.
Publishers do that: once a topic gets media attention... publish anything related.
CRAP!
Quite Shocking!.......2006-10-07
This is quite shocking of how the mafia is able to buy off members of both major political parties in the U.S. along with other Western nations such as Israel. I would also recommend reading Double Cross about Sam and Chuck Giancana the two mafia bosses whom had the Kennedys in their pockets.
Inciteful and Highly Readable.......2006-05-12
A real eye-opener. Friedman writes about some pretty ruthless, cruel people. I don't know how the author could have possibly obtained all the information that he did; he is a brave man. I hope he's still alive, and will be amazed if he is, given the nature of the people about whom he has written. Friedman describes Russian Mafiya types operating in Toronto, near to where I live -- very unnerving. Mind you, if you live in NYC, Miami, Denver, San Francisco or Los Angeles, you are not alone...
Amazon.com
In the spring of 1988, Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill set out to write the story of two infamous brothers from the insular Irish enclave of South Boston: Jim "Whitey" Bulger and his younger brother Billy. Whitey was the city's most powerful gangster and a living legend--tough, cunning, without conscience, and above all, smart. Billy, president of the state Senate, was a political heavyweight in Massachusetts. These facts alone make for an intriguing story, but as Lehr and O'Neill found out, this was only the beginning.
John Connolly, a rising FBI agent and fellow "Southie," had known the Bulgers since boyhood when Whitey rescued him from a playground fight. After investigating organized crime in New York, Connolly was reassigned to the bureau's Boston office in 1975, and was determined to make a name for himself by relying on his old connections. He succeeded in a big way by lining up Whitey as an FBI informant in an effort to bring down the Italian Mafia--a major coup for both the FBI and Connolly. In exchange, Bulger received protection. Though heavily involved in extortion, intimidation, assassination, and drug trafficking, Connolly's "good bad guy" did not receive so much as a traffic infraction for over 20 years. In time, however, the deal changed, and information began flowing the other direction, with Bulger manipulating Connolly and a small group of corrupt FBI agents to further his nefarious network. The criminals and the lawmen eventually became virtually indistinguishable.
Black Mass expertly details the twists and turns of this complex story, painting a vivid portrait of Boston's underbelly and its inclusive political machine, as well as exposing one of the worst scandals in FBI history. It's also an examination of loyalty--to family, home, and heritage--and "a cautionary tale about the abuse of power that goes unchecked." As a final favor, Connolly tipped off Bulger that he was to be indicted on racketeering charges in 1995, allowing him time to go on the lam (he's reported to have access to secret bank accounts across the country). He was added to the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted List" in 1999. --Sharon M. Brown
Book Description
John Connoly and James "Whitey" Bulger grew up together on the streets of South Boston. Decades later, in the mid 1970's, they would meet again. By then, Connolly was a major figure in the FBI's Boston office and Whitey had become godfather of the Irish Mob. What happened next -- a dirty deal to being down the Italian mob in exchange for protection for Bulger -- would spiral out of control, leading to murders, drug dealing, racketeering indictments, and, ultimately, the biggest informant scandal in the history of the FBI.
Compellingly told by two Boston Globe reporters who were on the case from the beginning, Black Mass is at once a riveting crime story, a cautionary tale about the abuse of power, and a penetrating look at Boston and its Irish population.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect.......2007-03-14
This item was exactly what i ordered in the exact condition that i ordered it in. Would definitly do business with seller again! Thank you
The First Book.......2007-02-23
This book was the first book to be written on the Bulger/FBI scandal. For those who don't know; James "Whitey" Bulger ran Bostons Irish mafia for almost 20 years. He also was a Top Echelon Informant for the FBI. As such, they let him get away with all types of crimes, including murder. Making matters worse, his younger brother Billy was the Senate president of the Mass. state Senate. Another brother, Jackie, was a juvenile court judge. This family took corruption to new heights. Eventually they fell. Whitey is now one of the top 10 fugitives. This book by two Boston Globe reporters, details the Bulger brothers, their history, Boston politics, and how they all came together. This is a good book. The only problems are because it was written in 1998-1999, some things have changed ( For example, Bulgers partner in crime, Steven Flemi, has pleaded guilty to several murders, and is doing life without parole ). Also, there wasn't enough written about the Top Echelon Informant program and all the problems with it. I'd recomend getting 2 other books along with this to get a complete picture. 1 is Dangerous Alliances by Ralph Ranelli; the other is The Brothers Bulger by Howie Carr. All 3 books should give you a complete view of this scandal.
Frightening account of corruption.......2006-10-20
Black Mass is an unbelievable account of the illicit relationship between two Irish mobsters from South Boston (Whitey Bulger and Stevie Flemmi) and their FBI handlers (John Connolly and John Morris).
The book begins with background on South Boston and the "us against them" mentality of the residents. As a young boy, John Connolly looked up to and admired Whitey Bulger, a local gangster, and left an indelible impression on Connolly one day when Bulger rescued Connolly from a fight. Years later, when Connolly was assigned to the Boston FBI office, he sought out Bulger to turn him into an informant, hoping to make a name for himself. Bulger's younger brother was president of the state senate and Whitey by this time was head of the Irish mob in Boston, both highly regarded in their own circles.
Though Connolly may have begun the relationship with good intentions, it very quickly turned corrupt, and the information Bulger supplied Connolly was self-serving, and Connolly, never having grown out of his idolization of Bulger, did all he could to keep Whitey's record clean. The Irish and Italian mafias had a tenuous relationship, so for Bulgur, informing on his competition got them out of his way, and as long as he worked with the FBI, he was untouchable. Bulger's partner in crime, Stevie Flemmi, as it turned out, had been an informant for several years before Bulger. Rather than the FBI handling them, Bulger and Flemmi cultivated a bond with Connolly and Morris to ensure that they could do anything without fear of punishment. Reports were made up, lost, or taken; phone calls from other law enforcement agencies were ignored; Bulger and Flemmi's importance was inflated; and they were always one step ahead of a sting. Under the protection of the FBI, Bulger and Flemmi were involved in racketeering, gun running, drugs, and over a dozen murders - and got away with it.
What amazes me is that supposedly Connolly and Morris only benefited by $7000 during the two decades that Bulger and Flemmi were informants. Initially I believe that Connolly just wanted notoriety, but he is also flamboyant and likes living the high life, which it appears he did.
Eventually Morris' conscience bothered him enough to start talking, but it still took several years before Bulger, Flemmi, Connolly and Morris were indicted. Connolly warned Bulger, enabling him to escape. Flemmi, on the other hand, still thought that Morris would tell the court that this was all a mistake, and get Flemmi off as he had done for so many years.
As far as I know, Bulger is still a fugative and on the 10 Most Wanted List. I hope that regulations are now being followed to ensure FBI handlers are accountable for their action or inaction, and that the chain of command is aware of what the agents are doing. This was a well-written and engrossing story.
Incredible Book.......2006-08-19
I've had an interest in Boston and the organized crime around Boston for a while. I've actually had a big interest in the mafia in general. This is a great book with a lot of information that is very useful in understanding how corruption in the system allows organized crime to become more powerful and almost unstoppable.
More to come??.......2006-08-05
One might ask after reading this excellent book whether 2 kids,say brothers, were groomed to follow in the Bulger's footsteps but perhaps something went awry??
I know of 2 brothers from Massachusetts. Both were raised in state care during Bulger's reign. The older brother went into the army and a couple years later the younger was being harassed by activities a man who bore the same name in the same town, as if the younger brother had another identity created and which was made to look bad to hurt him in the identity confusion following. It is speculated the older brother set up the younger brother, both from Woburn,Mass and that the older brother after a name change went into FBI service at his younger brother's constant expense.Wherever the younger brother went the older followed and bad thingsalways happened to the younger as a result. There is a lot that went on but it looks as a duplicate of the Bulger's good guy/bad guy pairing for controlling different levels of influence was going on.
Book Description
Smart Mobs takes us on a journey around the world for a preview of the next techno-cultural shift. The coming wave, says Rheingold, is the result of super-efficient mobile communications-cellular phones, wireless-paging, and Internet-access devices-that will allow us to connect with anyone, anytime, anywhere.
Rheingold offers a penetrating perspective on the new convergence of pop culture, cutting-edge technology, and social activism. He also reminds us that the real impact of mobile communications will come not from the technology itself but from how people use it, resist it, and adapt to it.
Customer Reviews:
incohesive writing.......2006-01-20
This book suffers from incohesive writing and lacks a clear framework that covers the theme of smart mobs. The sequence of chapters does not provide a progressive build-up of a framework of any sort. Even more, the sequence inside each chapter does not carry the reader towards any defined theme. On one section the author describes teenagers in Finland sending text messages, then he jumps to his meeting with a company executive, then jumps to describing the mobile phone standards in Europe, etc.
The only common thread among sections in chapters and among the chapters is the smart mobs theme, obviously, but the author does not break down clearly this central theme into its parts. This makes for a very confusing and bothersome reading.
A whirlwind tour through the world next year........2005-10-09
Howard Rheingold has excellent credentials to write this book through his long involvement at Wired magazine. He blends an effervescent interest in smart new gadgetry (point your phone-cam at some foreign signwriting and have it translated into your own language) with a thirsty desire to understand what it means to our society. To hunt down the story he structures the narrative in a breathtaking first-person style that takes us from Shibuya Station in Tokyo to the wireless capital of the world, Helsinki, and then back across the Atlantic to Bell Laboratories - and beyond.
Clearly our society has been undergoing massive underlying change since the advent of the internet and mobile phones - but few writers have really grappled with the wider implications. If, as McLuhan said, the Medium is the Message then wireless technology provides a medium that totally re-engineers the way people can interact with their physical and social environment.
Rheingold calls on dramatic examples of how individuals, wireless and mobile, can outwit the top down forces of the establishment - for example in the World Trade protests at Seattle, and political protests in the Philippines. He uses these as a metaphor for how the top-down 20th Century style organisations, political, industrial or media are increasingly out of step in the mobile age. Rheingold looks to young urban people - urban tribes if you like - as a bellwether to tomorrow's society.
I loved this book. The writing is sharp, the insights deep and Rheingold's ability to take us into the labs of tomorrow a real treat. I strongly recommend it.
Smart Mobs. Smarter Marketers........2004-09-08
The cool thing about "Smart Mobs" is that it's really happening. People are behaving in "linked" ways that transcend the obvious demographic definitions of groups we typically think of as "behaving in unison." As technology and the infrastructure arriving with it enable increasingly extemporaneous networks between people, marketers are similarly challenged to reach outside of traditional mass channels. Howard Rheingold brings us a really nice set of actual examples--combined with his own unique insights--that provide the basis for next-generation communications strategies as what had been cohesive groups fragment into a foam of indivduals united (only) by this moments current interest and the task at hand. For marketers, it's a great read...and a big clue. Anyway, I liked it.
Remote Control To The World.......2004-04-08
How many of you recall that EF Hutton commercial that started off by saying, "When EF Hutton talks, people listen". The same thought can be applied to Howard Rheingold.
Rheingold is veteran technology watcher and well-publised futurist. He has identified yet another transformative technology. In 'Smart Mobs' he describes in vivid detail how large, geographically dispersed groups connected only by thin threads of communications techology, such as text messaging, e-mail, cell phones, two-way pagers, and web sites, can draw together in the blink of an eye, groups of people together for a collective cause.
From various parts of the world, Rheingold, has gathered stories about engineers and inventors of all sorts, working feverishly to create ever-smaller and more powerful devices that contribute to this new paradigm.
In this book,Rheingold points out examples of Smart Mobs such as the swarms of demonstrators who used mobile phones, Web sites, laptops and handheld computers to coordinate their protests against the World Trade Organization in November of 1999.
Rheingold shows a concern of smart mobs other than describing the weath of new communications technology that is available and coming. He is also concerned about the social, political, economic, environmental and even genetic consequences of the ever-expanding and more intrusive plethora of multidirectional communications technology.
This book is a must read.
Keen on Smart Mobs.......2004-04-07
As one who needed a basic primer on various areas of technology--past, present, and future--and their implications for the human being, I found "Smart Mobs" to be both helpful and conversational. Rheingold's journalistic style kept the topics easy to understand, interesting to read, and fairly light hearted in spite of some rather daunting conclusions that one could draw from his research. As well, those who want to delve further into the various topics discussed will find his endnotes quite helpful--annotated are works from a number of key figures who a) are making, or have made, breakthroughs in technology, or b) provided insightful critiques on those breakthroughs. I found that engaging in "Smart Mobs" opened the door to further research and understanding of this seemingly complex and very progressive area of study.
Book Description
Even among the Mob, the Westies were feared. Out of a partnership between two sadistic thugs, James Coonan and Mickey Featherstone, the gang rose out of the inferno of Hell's Kitchen, a decaying tenderloin slice of New York City's West Side. They became the most notorious gang in the history of organized crime, excelling in extortion, numbers running, loansharking, and drug peddling. Upping the ante on depravity, their specialty was execution by dismemberment. Though never numbering more than a dozen members, their reign lasted for almost twenty years-until their own violent natures got the best of them, precipitating a downfall that would become as infamous as their notorious ascension into the annals of crime. AUTHORBIO: T.J. ENGLISH covered the lengthy Westies RICO trial for the Irish Voice and had close to one hundred hours of telephone conversations with Mickey Featherstone, who is currently in the Federal Witness Protection Program. For this book, English gathered information from over three hundred sources, including interviews with other gang members, lawyers, cops and neighborhood residents. He lives in New York City.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book a little contradictory though.......2007-08-06
I love this book, it's one of my new favorites. I bought if after watching a Histories Mysteries episode on the History channel about Mickey Featherstone on St. Patricks Day. It's a great book but if you pay attention some of the things in this book are a little conflicting with other portions of this and with some of the stuff English says in interviews. I guess the way I look at is being "Based on a True Story" not an actual account. At the end I kinda felt bad for Coonan as well as Featherstone. For the most part I feel it's accurate and either way, it's fascinating!
Great true crime novel........2007-06-07
Mickey Featherstone is fresh out of Vietnam and back into the old neighborhood "Hells Kitchen". After meeting up with old friends and making new ones he became one of the leaders in the feared Irish mob. Then he is put into a position no gangster want to be to decide between him and his family or loyalty to the neighborhood.
The Book is called the Westies by T.J English. If you didn't know the term "westie" is a slang term for the Irish mob the controlled the west side of Manhattan for more than twenty years. The book follows a guy named Francis "Mickey" Featherstone he's a tuff but intelligent guy. After coming back from Vietnam he gets involved with the wrong crowed and is forced to make a decision between spending the rest of his life in jail or rating out his buddies which is a big "no no" in Hells Kitchen.
The Westies addresses the whole idea of doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. All throughout the book he is committing horrible crimes because he likes to put food on the table for his wife.
My favorite part in the whole book is when they are cutting up Ruby Stein. Now I know what you must be thinking, but Mickey starts throwing up and all the guys make fun of him, which brightens a very dark book.
A classic of the genre.......2006-09-02
After fifteen years in publication this book "The Westies" still holds its power. I read it when it came out and was blown away. Reading it again years later I am still impressed with the intimacy and also the historical framework for the story. The book has aged like fine Irish whiskey. Combine"The Westies" together with "Paddy Whacked," another book by T.J. English, and you have the full story of the Irish American gangster that puts these TV shows like "Brotherhood" and "Black Donnellys" to shame.
Still hasn't shipped!!!!!! :(.......2006-07-05
This item has taken forever to ship. I have little faith that it will, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
Interesting but disjointed.......2006-06-20
Westies is a very interesting book about the so-called Hell's Kitchen "Irish Mob." As true crime and mob books go, it's good. English does a nice job of holding the reader's attention with lots of (often gory) details seemingly gleened from first-hand accounts. Although violent, the book is entertaining -- much like mob movies -- and a quick read.
English's narrative style lacks depth or is missing an element of professionalism. Understandably, when reciting dialog between the various characters, English adeptly uses the language of the street. But the book has a pulp feel to it when he incorporates that street language into his own narrative, a device used quite often.
Westies would be a little easier to read in spots if it were more linear in time. English, for instance, may describe in one chapter an event that took place in November 1978; in the next chapter he might jump back to September 1978 to give the background to previously-described event.
All in all, Westies is a good book, a must-read for any mob book fan. Just enjoy it for what it is, a not-to-challenging true crime tale.
Product Description
Vegas like you've never seen, tales you've never heard -- until now. Sizzing, behind-the-scenes stories about the men, the Mob, movie stars, and missing money that made '50s and '60s Vegas such a hot spot in the Nevada desert. On opening night at the Cal-Neva Lodge, Sinatra's guests included Marilyn Monroe, Joe Kennedy and his son, John F. Kennedy. Also there that weekend were Johnny Roselli and Sam "Momo" Giancana. Uninvited and hiding up in the hills around the casino lodge was an FBI surveillance team with long-range lenses . . . From the chapter Frank Sinatras Cal-Neva Lodge "On Sept 22, 1953, the Riviera Hotel was approved, the name was changed from the Casa Blanca to the Riviera just before this meeting . . . and the list of newly approved owners included Harpo (Arthur) Marx, movie star, comedian; his brother, Gummo (Milton) Marx, comedian" . . . From the chapter Does the Riviera Still Kill Its Executives? The Tropicana partners included Rossellis bosses in Chicago: Sam Giancana, Paul Rica, Camel Humphries, Meyer Lansky, Frank Costello, and Carlos Marcello . . . Fronting for the Chicago Outfit was Ben Jaffe. He owned the giant Fountainbleu Hotel in Miami, and also owned a little insurance company in Indiana . . . From the chapter Frank Costello Builds the Tropicana "In every showroom in Las Vegas, there are certain inviolate rules. Rule Number One the headliners go for 60 minutes. Not 64. Those extra 4 minutes represent 4 minutes of lost revenue on the casino floor . . . Then Deano came out on stage with his signature, "Who are all you people, and what are you doing in my room?" and so started the two and a half hours of the Rat Pack Show!" From the chapter Coffee Shop Stories: Rat Pack and the Sands 21 stories packed with intrigue and mystery, a thoroughly research book, vintage photos.
Customer Reviews:
Great Read.......2007-05-25
The book was excellent. A lot of names were mentioned so one should really read it twice and to get the full impact take some notes as to the persons involved as the accounts have what one might count as flash backs.
For those that want to know what Las Vegas was all about when the Mob & their associates were involved this is a MUST read. Highly recommended.
Entertaining as well as informative.......2007-03-12
I could not put this book down! A lot of nonfiction books have all the allure of required reading in school. This book is written in an almost
conversational style. I learned a lot of things I did not previously know about Las Vegas history. I have loaned it to others, urging them to read it.
If you are interested in Vegas ... You'll love this book!.......2007-03-09
I have lived in Las Vegas since 1992 and this book is very accurate for the period of time that it covers. I've met and talked to a lot of "old-timers" and they have filled me in on the "mob-run" Vegas so I knew some of the info written in the book ... however this book filled in the blanks (so to speak). A GREAT read!!
For Mobster Fans!.......2007-01-10
If you loved the Gofather, Goodfellas, The Untouchables, Sopranos... and so forth. You will love this book. Some parts to drag on but for the most part a great book. Interesting facts about the real mobsters which later were used to make movies like Casino and The Godfather. Also some great storied or I guess "myths" about President Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe.
A must read for you mob fans
Why These Men Gave Their Money.......2006-10-20
The Kefauver Committee is a 1951 flashback on the Las Vegas of the 1940's. The original charge of the committee was to combat crime of any type which crossed state boundaries. What the committee ended up investigating was gambling. One witness was Frank Costello
who raspy voice was imitated by Marlon Brando in The Godfather. "On advice of counsel" Costello took the 5th Amendment 138 times in five days of testimony. Meyer Lansky was subpoenaed as were Joey Adonis and Virginia Hill. Kefauver quizzed Hill about the death of her former boyfriend, Bugsy Siegel. Hill handled the questions easily. Then Kefauver made the mistake of wanting to know why men gave her money for no apparent reason. "Senator, are you sure you want to know why these men gave me money?" Hill asked. The Kefauver Committee hearings were broadcast live on network TV. There was no time delay to censor Hill's response.
What is now the commonly conceived of view of Las Vegas began in 1945 when an attorney by the name of Bautser bought the Folsom Guest Cottages on US 91, which were at that time six miles south of Las Vegas. The buyer was one of Ben (don't call me Bugsy) Siegel's men. The planned project was The Flamingo. Siegel got lumber and pipe for the project from movie studios in Hollywood and Culver City. Marble came from the Mexican black market. Siegel made friends with a US Senator named Pat McCrarran who reprioritized the building needs of southern Nevada so that Siegel get copper fixtures and tiling in time for the Flamingo to open by Christmas 1946. Siegel had a competitive racing service in Vegas run by James Regan. During the Flamingo's grand opening, Regan was shotgun blasted in half.
Siegel had already begun to scare off the movie stars. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn declined the Flamingo's grand opening. Clark Gable got a cold. Marlene Dietrich sprained her ankle. Gary Cooper said his mother had become very sick. At this time these stars were MGM stars and William Randolph Hearst ran the studio. Hearst hated Siegel because the latter had had a series of one night stands with starlet Marion Davies. Siegel in turn owned the Screen Actors Guild. The opening night of the Flamingo was disastrous. George raft was the only well known loser. Raft said he lost $75,000, but that didn't matter as the house was down $200,000 on just its first night. The next night was worse. Rose Marie (remember her from the Dick Van Dyke Show?) played to fewer than 20 people. Jimmy Durante played to the smallest crowd he had ever seen. New Year's Eve faired a little better with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez. In 65 days the Flamingo closed while losing close to three quarters of a million dollars.
It will be quite a number of pages before Fischer finishes his story. Along the way one will run into Meyer Lansky, Elvis, Joe Kennedy and his son John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Howard Hughes, Marilyn Monroe, Harpo Marx, and on and on. There are more big names than in front of Grumman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Fischer ends his story with Lefty Rosenthal leaving Las Vegas in the early 80's. There was no question that the Sands just had to close. Fischer and his wife take one more trip to Vegas and have to put up with a Jerry Lewis who is way too loud. Buddy Hackett does a show that under 18's can not enter and which has Frank Sinatra rolling on the floor. In the Rat Pack years of the early 60's the sands was "mobbed up." The Sands closed in 1996.
Customer Reviews:
compelling!.......2003-02-02
I read the book years ago and in my opinion the most compelling "insider" account of mafia mores...It is true that most true crime mafia tales are written by or with the help of mob members, hence the dubious veracity of some facts.(I was reminded of this book, as I just finished For the sins of my Father, written poignantly by Al Demeo, the son of a murderous mobster. We get to see another avenue in this certain world of horror.)
Mob Lawyer provides this same kind of insight, as Ragano was invited in to the mob world for a function, but he was not involved in the criminal activities.Extremely insightful.
From his son........2002-04-17
I was overwhelmed by the reviews, both positive and negative. The book only reveals some of the highlights of my
father's career. It captures the essence of what really transpired between Hoffa, Trafficante, and Marcello. He was in an unusual position to be able to represent all three of these men at once. According to my father, it was "tantamount to being counsel for General Motors." The book explores the uneasiness of trying to represent your clients zealously, yet ethically. In the end, though, he crossed the line of objectivity: Your never socialize with your clients, he would warn. When he was fighting Bobby Kennedy ("The General") in court, all too often he would refer to it as: "Their enemies became my enemies." The book reveals the inter-workings of a truly brilliant criminal defense attorney. It also shows how insightful these mafia chieftains were to the american public being exposed to drugs, particularly cocaine. This is later demostrated in John Gotti's interactions with the mob. I am very proud of him and I think he would be very proud of me, although I concentrate my practice in family law, where the clients are less difficult.
Straight-Forward & Believable: Hoffa, the Mob, Kennedys.......2002-01-08
A Straight-Forward and seemingly reliable Mob-insider's account by one of the LCN's top lawyers. Ragano is no name dropper, nor is he full of it. He was a top Lawyer for both Hoffa and Santo Trafficante from the late 50s through the 80s.
The books explores the life of Tampa lawyer Ragano and his close relationship to Santo Trafficante. This is one of the few, if not only books, that examines the life of this shadowy, but important mobster who by his own and others' admission, was involved in planned or real assassinations of Castro and JFK.
Ragano's account of his dealings with Hoffa and Trafficante and his association with a who's-who of Organized Crime personalities- Carlos Marcello, Luchesse, Gooodfellow's mobsters Henry Hill and Jimmy Burke, Sinatra, Alan Dorfman (who milked the Central States Pesnion fund for all it was worth) and others -- is told without nonsenes and in a fully credible way.
Ragano is not a conspiracy nut, nor does he come across as one who makes up stories. Neither was Trafficante. So that is why when Ragano reveals what was told him by Trafficante about Hoffa's and JFK's murders, accounts which jive with other and most prevelant thoughts about those killings, I think he can be taken at his word. Clearly, it should come as no suprise that the Mafia was involved in those murders. And while not much is added to details of JFK's assassination, the death of Hoffa is clearly related, including the names of the triggermen and who ordered the hit.
Unlike some mob-insider accounts I have read, where the subject's integrity is of little worth and the story sometimes hard to swallow, 'Mob Lawyer' is both profound, soul searching and entertaining.
Book Description
The riveting, often bloody account of how the fifty-year attack by the federal government virtually extinguished the nation's most powerful crime syndicate
In the critically acclaimed American Mafia, Thomas Reppetto narrated the ferocious ascendancy of organized crime in America. In this fascinating sequel, he follows the mob from its peak into a shadowy period of decline as the government, no longer able to deny its existence, made subduing the Mafia a matter of national priority.
Reppetto draws on a lifetime of field experience to tell the stories of the Mafia’s twentieth-century leadership, showing how men such as Sam Giancana and John Gotti became household names. Crusaders like Robert Kennedy led concerted—if sometimes sporadic—attacks against organized crime. As the battles between the feds and the Mafia moved from the streets to the courtrooms, Reppetto describes how it came to resemble a conflict between sovereign powers.
In direct, shoot-from-the-hip prose, Reppetto chronicles a turning point in American Mafia history, and offers the provocative theory that, given the right formula of connections and shrewd business, a new generation of multinational criminals may be poised to take up the Mafia’s mantle.
Customer Reviews:
How the Mighty Are Fallen.......2007-07-13
In his _New Yorker_ essay "A Look at Organized Crime" from thirty years ago, Woody Allen had fun with gangster nicknames, including Thomas (The Butcher) Covello, Ciro (The Tailor) Santucci, Albert (The Logical Positivist) Corillo, Dominick (The Herpetologist) Mione, or Little Petey (Big Petey) Ross. I could not help thinking back on this silliness when reading _Bringing Down the Mob: The War Against the American Mafia_ (Henry Holt) by Thomas Reppetto. There is nothing funny about Reppetto's chronicle of the decline and fall of organized crime (which is a sequel to his 2004 _American Mafia_ which described the mob's ascension), but here are Salvatore (Tom Mix) Santoro, Christopher (Christy Ticks) Furnari, Vincenzo (Chin) Gigante who was also nicknamed Aunt Julia, Carmine (The Snake) Persico, Antony (Tony Ducks) Corallo, or Murray (The Camel) Humphreys. Gang members may have acquired their names in childhood, or they might have been given in respect or derogation within the gang itself. The press had a field day with the names, sometimes providing its own, denominating Chin Gigante as "The Odd Father", as he tried to fake mental illness to avoid prosecution. Sure, the names are colorful, and many of these characters had more going for them than just being sociopaths or murderers. But this is a gritty story, even if it has the theme of the general success of law enforcement. It has plenty of throw-away lines that encapsulate horror, like "This time the government's chief witness had his head blown off in front of his wife." It is a coherent, wonderfully organized tour of an underworld most of us know just from the movies.
Anyone familiar with those movies, like _The Godfather_, _Goodfellas_, or _Casino_ is going to find much familiar here, and much at odds with the movie scripts. Reppetto says that anyone with his sort of knowledge of Mafia lore is asked if the movies reflect the reality of mob life. "The answer is no - and yes." Movies have to concentrate on action, so that murders and gun battles are far more concentrated on the screen, but are extraordinary events in real life. Investigators often learned to their surprise, "Mob life was dull. Most of the soldiers and their associates sat around eating, drinking, and playing cards, occasionally making the rounds of their various hangouts." The movies did convince the public that the Mafia existed; that the existence of the Mafia was ever an issue is surprising, but Reppetto shows that this was a legacy of J. Edgar Hoover, whose had a famous reluctance to admit the existence of a national crime syndicate. Once the FBI was finally in action, there was a real war with the Mafia, and it was generally a law enforcement victory, but this was also due to outdated Mafia culture. For instance, the mob should have easily controlled Las Vegas, but it sent out bosses who were badly chosen to be managers. The violence such bosses brought with them to Las Vegas was out of place where discretion and decorum were needed for advancement. Eventually the corporations took over, and the prospects for a mob paradise faded.
There have been eventual changes in the culture of the mob, mostly in response to societal changes. Respect for elders was not automatically rendered by young people as the twentieth century went on. The old-world traditions of ring-kissing and ceremonial bowing were regarded as silly by the sons of Mafia chieftains. Belonging to a secret men's organization became less fashionable, as it had for, say, the Masons. Young Americans started the century with sticking to one company, even one job, for a working lifetime, but it became the pattern to jump from one job to another if the second job had advantages. For the Mafia, this meant that the soldiers who used to have lifetime loyalties would skip to another job or another family if the money was better. The young guys also tended to use drugs, and some wound up as their own best customers. These factors meant that there was a constant turnover in leadership, and some put into leadership roles were simply not ready for them. It also meant that mob families were operating as simple street gangs rather than devoted criminal syndicates with some semblance of a code of honor. Make a list of any gangsters whose names you know, and look at how few of these names are operating now; the Mafia is getting by as an organization with a great past. Not all the decline is sociological; Reppetto devotes a chapter to the RICO statute, passed in 1970 but not put into action for a decade, which broadened the way the FBI could look at the patterns of organized crime. Reppetto knows that the Mafia is not completely defeated, and he has a scary vision of what international organized crime might become. His book, however, full of details and anecdotes, documents an impressive decline and fall.
Another impressive book by this author!.......2007-06-25
After reading "American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power" l looked forward to the author's second book on the history of the decline of the American Mafia and am happy to write that l thoroughly enjoyed it and in fact it is superior to his first book. Thomas Reppetto brings his substantial experience of law enforcement combined with his brilliant historical analysis of organized crime and is able to write a precise, informative and profound book. If you only read two books on the history of the American Mafia you cannot go wrong if you read these two books.
The book begins with the famous raid on a meeting of national mafia kingpins at Apalachin on a mild November day in 1957 led by Detective Sergeant Edgar Croswell of the New York State Police. The author debunks the theory it was a random raid by some hick country cops but a predetermined blow at organized crime by a polished and professional group of able and determined policeman. So this chapter sets the tone of the book as it details the efforts of the various state and Federal Police Agencies and Justice Departments (including the FBI playing catch-up after years of neglect by Hoover) to gain intelligence about the illegal operations of the mafia families and its mobsters with a view to putting the mafia families out of business (such as construction, transport, union racketeering, garbage disposal, fruit and meat markets, share trading and allowing legitimate business to flourish without criminal interference) and putting the mobsters away in jail for as long as possible.
The law enforcement agencies were helped in their task by favorable Federal Government legislation from the 1960's onward. Some important legislation was the 1968 Organized Crime Control Act which authorized the USA Attorney General to apply to Federal judges to obtain a warrant for electronic eavesdropping, the new law also enabled tapes and bugs to be admitted as evidence in courts of law. The RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute) proved to be an essential and very successful law to convict many criminals and mafia members.
The author states that Hoover was reluctant to move against the mob for many years not because he was scared of it but because of the powerful political contacts and protection the Mob had especially in the big cities like New York, Chicago, Buffalo etc, Hoover wanted to keep his job and was not game to upset certain powerful politicians and he worried his agents could be corrupted by too much exposure to the Mob and political pressure. By the 1980's the wheel had done a full turn as the FBI went all out to put the Mob out of business, it was helped greatly by the Reagan administration with extra funds and resources. The book reveals the efforts of many people who were determined to win this war such as Bobby Kennedy, G Robert Blakey (who drafted the RICO laws) and countless Federal and State detectives, policeman and attorneys.
Since 09/11 much of the FBI resources have been directed to the war on terror possibly at the expense of the war on the Mob which includes not only the Mafia but other well organised gangs, l wonder at times if the Mob is in a state of renewal and becoming stronger again; I hope not!
Authentic and Authoritative.......2007-05-31
There are few people who can chronicle a topic in criminal justice with the scholarly erudition of Tom Reppetto. He combines his innate brilliance, his distinguished law enforcement career and his superb academic credentials in presenting a factual, detailed and accurate account of the government's efforts against the criminality of the American Mafia. The precision of his definition as well as his dedication to a factual accounting sets him apart from other authors writing about the "mafia" with their primary objective of appealing to the prurient entertainment interests of the unwary American reader. If you want to know [...] the American Mafia, Mr. Reppetto's works are a must read. Standing above and apart from the "spaccones", he is distinguished in his efforts.
A police like style to discussing the mob.......2007-05-23
This book is written in a tex-book style which is so perfectly crafted with police like detail to thehistory of mob events. The only mis-representation for the book is the cover which almost led me to believe that this would have been written with a yellow journalism tinge to it, rather the book is crafted most perfectly and reads with absolute flow.
Book Description
I grew up in the Old Colony housing project in South Boston and became partners with James "Whitey" Bulger, who I always called Jimmy.
Jimmy and I, we were unstoppable. We took what we wanted. And we made people disappear—permanently. We made millions. And if someone ratted us out, we killed him. We were not nice guys.
I found out that Jimmy had been an FBI informant in 1999, and my life was never the same. When the feds finally got me, I was faced with something Jimmy would have killed me for—cooperating with the authorities. I pled guilty to twenty-nine counts, including five murders. I went away for five and a half years.
I was brutally honest on the witness stand, and this book is brutally honest, too; the brutal truth that was never before told. How could it? Only three people could tell the true story. With one on the run and one in jail for life, it falls on me.
Customer Reviews:
Fairy tale.......2007-08-06
I'm sorry ,but reading this book was like reading a fairy tail.
Kevin not only followed in his mentor footsteps and became a rat ,but told the biggest fantasy story in the past 100yrs
You don't work your way up the ladder of an organization like Whitey's with out paying your dues.
How convenient that Kevin was never involved in any of the murders ,only the clean up and disposal.
His hands were dirty , plain and simple ,but to get the plea bargain he received he had to lie through his teeth to the feds ,and has told the story so many times , he now believes it.
I have read every book written about Whitey and the South Boston rat pack , and this one is by far the biggest fabrication since Snow White.
Brutal history of a "hit" man.......2007-07-09
This book has a killing almost every page. Well not exactly but his antics are very interesting. It really happened is the interesting thing.
You will enjoy it.
New York Times bestseller.......2007-06-09
There are probably many reasons why this became a best seller. I'll give you one reason to read this book. It's a fantastic read. An incredible 'true crime' story told by Kevin Weeks. I hope he writes more books.....
To be brutally honest, I couldn't put it down!.......2007-05-18
This book had my attention the whole time. An unbelieveable story. To know that Weeks was hanging out with Jimmy Bulger and Stevie Flemmi regularly made it anything but dull. These guys basically did whatever they wanted to with permission. You could say at the time they were getting away with murder. It seems like Weeks shows some remorse for chosing to live his life that way and I'm glad he wants to redeem himself. He should be sorry for causing pain to families of the victims. To learn that so many people were living a lie including the supposed good guys.In the end just about everybody was a rat! Pretty right about the title. If you're into this stuff you'll probably love the book.
enjoyed it.......2007-05-08
Was good book i also read bulger brothers and i beleave some were in between both books is truth this book was more entetaining other was lot of politics
Average customer rating:
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All fall down: One man against the waterfront mob
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Son of the Mob
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Amazon.com
Vince Luca, 17, has a problem. His wealthy family runs the, uh, vending machine business in New York, and Vince is determined not to be part of it. Especially after a hot date is ruined when he finds that his older brother Tommy has conducted some business with Jimmy the Rat and hidden the messy and temporarily unconscious body in the trunk of Vince's car. His dad, the King of the Mob, is reasonable, sensible, lots of fun, gives great presents to his kids--and his name strikes the hearts of other mobsters to stone.
Although Vince keeps a low profile at school, his family connection brings him unwanted advantages, like the birthday Porsche that gets him arrested on stolen vehicle charges, or the football game in which he makes touchdown after touchdown because word has gotten around and nobody is willing to tackle him. Even private conversations at home have to be carried on in the basement because the FBI has bugged the house and an agent is always listening. Vince's life is inextricably tangled up with the family business, no matter how hard he tries to stay out of it. How can he show them he's serious? Then he meets Kendra, and when she innocently reveals that her father's an FBI agent--that FBI agent--it's a match made in heaven. He thinks.
Gordon Korman, author of (No More Dead Dogs) and over 30 other witty YA novels, is at his best in this Sopranos-style spoof about a teen's home life with the Mob. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell
Book Description
Vince Luca is just like any other high school guy. His best friend, Alex, is trying to score vicariously through him; his brother is a giant pain; and his father keeps bugging him to get motivated. There is just one thing that really sets him apart for other kidsæhis father happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization. Needless to say, while Vince's family's connections can be handy for certain things-like when teachers are afraid to give him a bad grade as they can put a serious crimp in his dating life. How is he supposed to explain to a girl what his father does for a living? But when Vince finally meets one who seems to be worth the trouble, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of all. Because her father is an FBI agent-the one who wants to put his father away for good.
Customer Reviews:
Son of the Mob.......2007-10-05
The Son of the Mob is a great book about the hecttic life of a teenage boy. The weird thing is that Vinces the main characters dad is the Mob leader of NYC (the Godfather). Vinces love Kendra is a big part of his life but her father is a FBI agent trying to get Vinces dad away forever. Although this book is very slow it was lightly funny overall it was pretty good.
Lightly Humorous, Heavily Unrealistic.......2007-08-09
Gordon Korman's SON OF THE MOB gets as much mileage as possible out of a funny situation -- the teenaged son of a mobster falls in love with the daughter of the FBI agent investigating said mobster -- but ultimately runs out of gas while taking unrealistic turns that at times make little sense. Of course, you could argue that a book written to be humorous does not have to drive over the suspension bridge of disbelief, but I'll argue that it sure would get the narrative from here to there a lot faster.
Vince Luca is the protagonist with a heart, Alex is his dweeby friend, and Kendra Bightly (set up for the gag line, daughter of "Agent Bite-Me") the girlfriend. Vince has a bad-boy older brother named Tommy, a Godfather-type dad named (guess what?) Anthony, and a mother who lives to feed her family too much like an Italian (fancy that!) grandmother. The Luca family has a lot of "uncles," if you know what I mean, and Vince commands a lot of respect simply because of his name. I can hear the stereo even as I type!
There's a few good gags in the book, and the plot is carefully constructed, it's just that the actions and the twists and turns don't seem terribly real. Vince does not want to be a mobster's son, yet takes advantage of many of its perks. Anthony Luca is ruthless, but has a heart. Mom cooks, but turns out to hold a larger than expected (or to be believed) role (pass the butter). It's all breezy and maybe entertaining, if you like this sort of thing.
Kids looking for a lot of bang-bang, shoot-em-up, Mario Puzo-type stuff will be disappointed, as this is more skewed toward the trials and tribulations of first love and fitting in with the family than with any violence. It's also safely clean, language, sex, and violence-wise. More for boys, but perhaps of interest to girls as well, SON OF THE MOB is one of those books that will work for you if you embrace both the situation and the characters. I had some trouble with both, making it what mobsters would call "my problem."
Son of the mob.......2007-05-25
The book is very deep in detil and it goes deep into the mob. in alot of the parts it's very suspensful and there is close dangerous action. you can barley put the book down and if you like the mob you'll love this book. It goes deep into the FBI falling the mob boss or godfather.
Great Book!.......2007-02-14
Son of the Mob, by Gordon Korman is a thrilling realistic fiction book about a boy, normal in every sense, except for the fact that his dad is the leader of one of the most known crime organizations in the city, the mob. Vince Luca, 16, has to deal with his dad's title on a daily basis. Son of the Mob is all about how Vince tries to help two guys, James Ratelli (Jimmy Rat) and Ed Manakin. While all of this is going on, he has to keep struggling relationship going with Kendra Brightly, an FBI agent's daughter, with out spilling the beans about his dad. Vince ha
Son of the Mob is a great books for teens, because it talks about all the things that we have to deal with in our everyday lives. I would definitely recommend it to any and all of my friends. but I would not recommend it to any kids under 12-13, because of some scenes in the book, and adults probably wouldn't enjoy it as much. Son of the Mob is not in a series, and it is not a prequel, or a sequel.
My point of view is that he did the right thing, most of the time. This book is about organized crime, mystery, and realistic fiction. The themes are about doing the right thing, love, and lots, lots more. Gordon Korman has written more than 50 books for teens. I give it a 4 stars, out of five.
- Matt Hupy
Son of the Mob.......2006-05-26
Ages 13 and up. Vincent Luca, a 17 year old now a senior in high school, is a mob prince in 'Son of the Mob'. His best friend Alex helps him through his tangeled life with his dad's business, also called 'The Life'. Vince has lovelife problems, until this one amazing girl, Kendra Bightly enters his life; who happens to be the daughter of a FBI agent who is trying to put Vince's dad in prison for a long time. Kendra happens to be the miracle of Vince's life. Would Vince reveal his identity to Kendra? What will he do next? Get your hands on this sensational, comical and amazing book by Gordon Korman.
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