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Chicago Outfit mobster Tony Spilotro and brother Michael murdered 40 years ago this month

June 14, 2026

Forty years ago, Tony Spilotro’s neon excesses gave way to the cold reality of Midwestern soil. In June 1986, a shallow grave in a remote Indiana cornfield closed the book on one of the most volatile chapters of the Las Vegas Strip. The discovery of the beaten bodies of Spilotro and his brother Michael marked the beginning of the end of the Chicago Outfit’s tenure in Las Vegas. His legacy remains a grim example of what happens when a mobster begins drawing too much unwanted attention. Mob killer to Las Vegas enforcer Born May 19, 1938, in Chicago, Spilotro became involved in crime ...

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Jack Dragna, pictured here in the late 1930s or early ‘40s, was the boss of the Los Angeles Mafia from 1935 until his death in 1956. Years after his death, the L.A. Mob’s decline led to the moniker, “Mickey Mouse Mafia.” Courtesy of J. Michael Niotta

Los Angeles kingpin Jack Dragna was no ‘Mickey Mouse’ boss

In 1984, when Los Angeles Mob boss Peter Milano was arrested along with 19 others, LAPD Chief Daryl Gates announced…

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Martin Scorsese, pictured here in 2024 at a German film festival, is an executive producer on a new Netflix series centered on a modern-day megaresort boss. Harald Krichel [ZJ1.1]/ CC BY-SA 4.0

Planned Netflix drama series to focus on ‘dangerous version’ of modern Las Vegas

A Las Vegas-centered drama series is in production for Netflix, focusing on “a dangerous version” of the city and an…

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Organized crime has been involved in point shaving for decades. During this game against Harvard on December 16, 1978, Boston College player Rick Kuhn, right, conspired with Lucchese crime family associate Henry Hill to ensure that Boston won, but not by too much. Janet Knott/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Recent NBA, NCAA point-shaving scandals follow the Mob’s playbook

When Antonio Blakeney ventured into international basketball, he became a star. He had been Louisiana State University’s top scorer in…

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Lucky Luciano, left, and his partner, Igea Lissoni, pictured in Rome giving a candid interview to reporter Philip Clarke, middle, in 1949. Courtesy of Cipollini Collection

Eighty years ago, Lucky Luciano traded prison for exile

When New York Governor Thomas Dewey commuted the sentence of imprisoned Mafia boss Charles “Lucky” Luciano 80 years ago, it was widely…

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Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding is, as of 2025, on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for his involvement in narcotics trafficking and murders. FBI

Manhunt underway for Ryan Wedding, former Olympian turned accused drug kingpin

A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder accused of cocaine trafficking and murder has landed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives…

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Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano murdered outside Manhattan steakhouse 40 years ago

Forty years ago, a faction of Gambino crime family members orchestrated and executed a brazen coup to permanently remove their…

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Irish drug kingpin living in Dubai attracts new attention

Irish drug kingpin Daniel Kinahan is back in the spotlight with a magazine story noting that he is living freely…

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