The rise of Lawrence Bishnoi and India’s global organized crime syndicate
Sidhu Moose Wala was one of the biggest music stars in the world to come out of the Punjabi music industry. The 28-year-old’s gritty, gunslinging lyrics redefined Indian hip-hop, making him popular across India and the South Asian diaspora. He collaborated with other international artists, including Nigerian singer Burna Boy and British rapper Stefflon Don. The rapper once told an interviewer that he was inspired by Tupac Shakur. Sadly, he would resemble Shakur more than he hoped. On a warm summer evening in 2022, Moose Wala took his black SUV for a spin on the dusty roads outside his village in Punjab ...
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Artifact Spotlight: Hollywood prop guns
What’s a Mob movie without guns? Prop guns have been a part of this movie genre since the first silent…
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Dead men walking: Murder Inc. trio electrocuted at Sing Sing prison eighty years ago
Eighty years ago, Sing Sing’s electric chair, “Old Sparky,” delivered its sinister, life-ending jolts in succession to the trio of…
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Netflix crime drama ‘Griselda’ highlights story of ‘Godmother of Cocaine’
The Netflix limited series Griselda, inspired by the true story of the Colombian “Godmother of Cocaine,” tells the story of…
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The Top 5 Mob myths: Hollywood’s creative license drives misinformation
From The Godfather to Griselda, the Mob is firmly embedded in pop culture, which comes with a few drawbacks. In…
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The 1863 draft riots and the birth of the New York City Police
On July 13, 1863, during the Civil War, New York City burst into flames when the federal government started a…
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Artifact Spotlight: Frank Calabrese Sr.’s handmade dictionary
“PRISON: IS WARE I AM AT,” reads an entry in the handmade dictionary of Frank Calabrese Sr., former boss of…
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Classic Mob drama ‘The Sopranos’ first aired 25 years ago
When the groundbreaking HBO series The Sopranos debuted in 1999, it was an instant hit and a critical success. It…
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