Florida Mafia boss Santo Trafficante Jr. died 30 years ago March 17
At 7:25 p.m. on January 3, 1953, Florida Mafia boss Santo Trafficante Jr. had just finished dinner with his wife…
Seventy years ago, Luciano’s Havana sojourn was cut short
Written February 2017 In 1946, Charles “Lucky” Luciano was persona non grata in America. Though he was granted a pardon…
Iconic Chicago Outfit boss Al Capone died 70 years ago today
Al “Scarface” Capone, the ruthless yet media-friendly Chicago Outfit boss during Prohibition, died of natural causes 70 years ago today,…
Fat Herbie’s rise and fall
Second of two parts. Part One looks at Herbie Blitzstein’s murder twenty years ago. Herbert “Fat Herbie” Blitzstein was born…
A late Mob hit in Las Vegas
First of two parts. Part Two looks at Blitzstein’s criminal activity in Las Vegas. By the mid-1990s, death had claimed…
The Hollywood legend, the Mob and the jukebox racket
The venerable actress and singer Debbie Reynolds, who died last week at age 84, was a risk-taker for decades when…
Mob involved in attempts to assassinate Castro
This is the second of three blogs on the death of Fidel Castro. Part one looks at the harsh blow…
Fidel Castro derailed Mob’s plans in Cuba
This is the first of three blogs on the death of Fidel Castro. Part two looks at Mob ties to…
Too early for obituaries
The recent indictments of 46 bosses, capos and members of several marquee New York organized crime families suggests that the…
Fifty years ago, Jay Sarno opened Caesars Palace and changed the face of Las Vegas
When hotel developer Jay Sarno unwrapped his innovative Caesars Palace hotel-casino for a prolonged grand opening party on August 5,…