The afternoon that Joe Masseria dined on bullets

The tale of Giuseppe “Joe the Boss” Masseria’s assassination on April 15, 1931, is one of many gangland legends that have been told, retold and morphed over the decades. It is sometimes hard to distinguish facts from folklore. One thing is certain: We were not there, so we are never going to know precisely the who, what, when and why of this particular hit. Fortunately we do have reports from law enforcement officers who were eyeing the mobster’s every move (though they were not as clued-in as they thought they were). We also have the accounts of newspaper reporters (albeit often ...
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Geri Rosenthal’s ‘life on the edge’
In September 1980, during an argument with her husband, Geri Rosenthal waved a gun around outside their house in the…
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The biggest Mafia sweep in American history
The morning of January 20, 2011, was a particularly early one for many in law enforcement. Before dawn, more than…
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Ten alternative products made by breweries during Prohibition
American businesses have become adept at producing alternative products during the global Covid-19 pandemic. Distilleries have been producing hand sanitizer…
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Phyllis McGuire, singing star and Sam Giancana paramour, dies at age 89
Phyllis McGuire, the last of the popular McGuire Sisters singing trio and onetime girlfriend of Chicago Outfit boss Sam Giancana,…
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Big Mob trouble in the Big Easy
Organized crime’s influence in New Orleans is at the center of a legal drama airing on Showtime through January. Titled…
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Re-edited ‘Godfather: Part III’ wins applause
Francis Ford Coppola’s re-edit of The Godfather: Part III is receiving praise from critics who say the changes have streamlined…
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Blowing the whistle on Mob-connected sports betting
In the fourth quarter of a 2002 NBA conference playoff game, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant elbowed the Sacramento…
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