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John Dillinger’s wooden gun and death mask preserve notorious moments in his life

July 22, 2024

On July 22, 1934, “Public Enemy Number One” – John Dillinger – was killed by federal agents moments after he walked out of the Biograph Theater in Chicago. The cat-and-mouse game between the Dillinger Gang and law enforcement had finally reached its conclusion after 14 months. Ten years earlier, Dillinger debuted on the criminal scene with life-changing consequences. At 21 years old, he robbed a grocery store owner. It was his first major crime. His well-meaning father encouraged him to plead guilty for lenience, but the judge doled out the maximum sentence. After nearly a decade behind bars, Dillinger came out ...

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Scarface retains cult status with Al Pacino’s ‘iconic’ performance

The 1983 movie Scarface, featuring Al Pacino in the title role, continues to attract attention more than 40 years after…

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The life and crimes of a Sinaloa sicario

Ten years ago, the confessions of a California-based hitman revealed new information on decades-old unsolved cases and offered a glimpse…

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Oscar-winning ‘On the Waterfront’ premiered 70 years ago, with Marlon Brando as a dockworker confronting the Mob

On the Waterfront, which debuted 70 years ago this summer, is a ground-breaking tale about dockworkers standing up to a…

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In 1980s New York, the Mob had its hands in everything — even a museum

This is The Mob Museum, but it has never been a mobbed-up museum. As surprising as it may seem, that…

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Mobsters and their four-legged associates: The top 5 pets of organized crime

“You come into my house on the day my daughter is to be married and you ask me to do…

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Irish drug kingpin’s whereabouts revealed through Google reviews

The longtime head of an Irish drug and weapons cartel has been posting Google restaurant reviews and travel tidbits from…

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Jack ‘Legs’ Diamond: The clay pigeon of the underworld

A bootlegger, enforcer, dopeman and erstwhile folk hero, Jack “Legs” Diamond was like a charming archvillain in a lurid detective…

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