Gangster-built Golden Nugget turns 70
By the late summer of 1946, Guy McAfee was the best-known big shot in Las Vegas. McAfee, 58, had spent…
Year: 2016
Too early for obituaries
The recent indictments of 46 bosses, capos and members of several marquee New York organized crime families suggests that the…
Fifty years ago, Jay Sarno opened Caesars Palace and changed the face of Las Vegas
When hotel developer Jay Sarno unwrapped his innovative Caesars Palace hotel-casino for a prolonged grand opening party on August 5,…
Mojitos, daiquiris and beyond
In the early 20th century Cuban bartenders, known as cantineros, created a unique cocktail culture that hit its zenith in…
The Havana conference
Mob meetings are tricky events to organize. Travel logistics aside, the conflicting personalities, territorial beefs, and ever-present threat of law…
Al Capone: The story behind his rise and fall
Born: January 17, 1899, Brooklyn, New York Died: January 25, 1947, Palm Island, Florida Nicknames: Scarface, Snorky, the Big Guy,…
Undercover, under stress
On September 28, 1977, 200 state troopers and FBI agents from all over New Jersey met at the armory in…
When Luciano’s luck ran out
He told one of his cohorts, Florence “Cokey Flo” Brown, that he wanted to run his string of New York…
Reader’s guide to Mob rub-outs
In New York’s long, rich history of organized crime, the death of Antonio Flaccomio is considered the city’s first Mafia…
Blinded by acid
On April 2, 1956, Charles Tuso, former armed robber and associate of New York labor racketeer Johnny Dio, entered a…