o2005 On October 22, 1983, at the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois, two correctional officers were killed in a single shift by members of one gang. The facility was the toughest in the federal system, the successor to Alcatraz. Inside the Control Unit, the most restrictive housing complex in America, a prisoner named Thomas Silverstein … Read more
On July 15, 1988, just after dawn, a convoy of Bolivian special forces moved along a dirt road toward a vast cattle ranch called El Sogal. Inside the main house, a 62-year-old man in a silk robe was drinking coffee and watching the sun rise over his 400,000 acres of forest and pasture. He heard … Read more
Omlouvám se, už jdu pozdě. Můžete prosím jet? Promiňte? Prosím, ten pohovor začíná za deset minut. Vysvětlím vám to cestou. Chcete, abych vás odvezl? Ano, na to tady přece jste, ne? Vlastně ne. Jak to, že ne? Nejsem váš taxíkář. Aha. Omlouvám se, myslela jsem… Počkejte. Na jaký pohovor to jdete? Sterling Holdings. To je … Read more
In July 1943, an American tank rolled through the streets of a small Sicilian village looking for a man the Americans would soon call the Godfather. Don Calò Vizzini was finally in a position to settle a score with the dictator Benito Mussolini. When Mussolini rose to power, he wanted to revive the glory days … Read more
Salvatore "Toto" Riina remains the most notorious boss in the history of the Sicilian Mafia. He was known above all others for his murderous appetite and for doing what had once been unthinkable: going head-to-head not only with his many rivals but with the Italian state itself. Cosa Nostra was built to remain in the … Read more
In a recent live broadcast, former mob hitman Sammy "The Bull" Gravano addressed a wide range of topics, from the fate of Jimmy Hoffa to his own life inside the Mafia. The conversation moved between viewer questions and Gravano's personal reflections on organized crime, loyalty, and betrayal. Gravano began by expressing frustration over what he … Read more
Frankie Pentangeli tried to warn Michael Corleone about Hyman Roth. He told him that Vito Corleone never trusted Roth, and that Roth had used their Sicilian messenger, Johnny Ola, to get close to the family. Michael did not listen. The consequences were devastating. Michael's own bedroom was shot up with machine guns while his wife … Read more
In a recent live broadcast, former mob enforcer Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano shared his long-held theory about the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. Asked directly where Hoffa is, Gravano said he believes the former Teamsters leader is buried on a farm in Detroit. His reasoning is simple: Hoffa was killed in Detroit, and Gravano cannot … Read more
Tony Accardo is not the first name most people associate with the Chicago underworld. That distinction usually goes to Al Capone, the loud and violent face of American organized crime whose reign was short-lived and whose downfall was made an example of by the government. But while Capone made the headlines, the man who would … Read more
In the annals of American organized crime, few names carry the weight of Carlo Gambino. Known as Don Carlo, he built and led the most powerful Mafia family in the United States, doing so through silence, strategy, and patience rather than flashy violence. Gambino was mocked at one point by boss Joe Bonanno, who belittled … Read more