Geraldo Rivera uncovered ‘The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults’ on live television 40 years ago
On April 21, 1986, television reporter Geraldo Rivera completed his final on-air shot in a live broadcast from the Chicago hotel where Prohibition-era Mob boss Al Capone supposedly had an underground vault. With 30 million viewers watching, the vault contained not much more than a couple of decades-old bottles and a cloud of dust. Afterward, sensing that critics would pounce, Rivera went on a bender, convinced his career was over. “He said he got tequila drunk across the street,” William Elliott Hazelgrove told The Mob Museum. Hazelgrove is the author of the newly released book, Capone’s Vault: The Real Story of the Biggest ...
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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…
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How Prohibition changed beer
For dedicated home brewers and beer snobs, the tale is familiar. Prohibition killed small and mid-sized breweries, and after repeal,…
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A new look at Tony Spilotro in upcoming movie
When mobster Tony Spilotro was active in Las Vegas decades ago, doors opened for him in Hollywood. As the Chicago…
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Nevada marks 90th anniversary of legal gambling
Ninety years ago today, Nevada legalized gambling. It changed everything — eventually. When Governor Fred Balzar signed Assembly Bill 98…
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Embattled ‘maxi-trial’ prosecutor takes on ’Ndrangheta
Nicola Gratteri has not been to a restaurant in 20 years. The 62-year-old lawyer eats in his office. His home,…
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El Chapo’s wife arrested in U.S., faces federal charges
Emma Coronel Aispuro may not be a household name, but the U.S. Justice Department believes she was a key accomplice…
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The Mafia boss who flipped
Behind bars and abandoned by his men, Ralph Natale of Philadelphia became the first official American Mafia boss to flip…
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