Joey Cusumano, a close associate of Tony Spilotro and survivor of a hit attempt, dies at age 90
Joseph “Joey” Cusumano, a close associate of Chicago Outfit enforcer Tony Spilotro who was convicted of labor racketeering and banned from entering Nevada’s casinos, has died in Las Vegas. He was 90. Cusumano battled a number of medical challenges for several years before his passing Tuesday afternoon. Although law enforcement saw Cusumano as a hardened mobster, his charm and generosity earned him many friends from all walks of life, including in Hollywood, where he served as a line producer for the Francis Ford Coppola movie The Cotton Club. Oscar Goodman, the defense attorney turned Las Vegas mayor who represented Cusumano, tells a story reflecting ...
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New York godfather Carlo Gambino appointed Paul Castellano his successor 50 years ago
Before Carlo Gambino died in 1976, he chose Paul Castellano as his successor over his loyal underboss, Aniello “Neil” Dellacroce. The surprise move created a rift in the Gambino crime family, which ultimately culminated in John Gotti plotting Castellano’s murder.
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Former illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer reflects on Nevada’s Black Book and sports betting’s future
Mathew Bowyer is the former illegal bookmaker for Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter. Now out of prison, he questions his recent inclusion in Nevada’s Black Book, which bans him from casinos in the state. Bowyer told The Mob Museum that he wishes that gaming regulators would make it possible for individual bookkeepers to do business.
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The rise of Lawrence Bishnoi and India’s global organized crime syndicate
Punjabi mobster Lawrence Bishnoi leads a global organized crime network from prison. The Bishnoi Mob is involved in extortion and drug trafficking from New Delhi to Los Angeles. Bishnoi and his lieutenant, Goldy Brar, are both wanted by U.S. authorities and have been implicated in high-profile assassinations, including the 2022 murder of Punjabi rap superstar Sidhu Moose Wala. This is just the latest chapter in India’s long history of organized crime.
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Omertà: More than a ‘code of silence’
No English word entirely captures the Mafia concept of “omertà.” The code associated with Italian organized crime is sometimes so…
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Jury convicts Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis in Tupac Shakur murder after years of public admissions
A few pages in a memoir led to a murder conviction for Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who was charged with…
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Reputed Irish drug lord Daniel Kinahan is flown to Dublin to stand trial
After a decade away from Ireland, the accused leader of a global criminal organization is imprisoned back home near Dublin,…
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Benny Binion’s million-dollar gamble lives on 75 years later
On August 14, 1951, Benny Binion opened the Horseshoe Club in downtown Las Vegas. Binion’s Horseshoe would become a cornerstone…
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