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Rene Enriquez was a member of the Mexican Mafia, and he spent years thinking about a story that involved a lot of moving pieces. It is a complex and fascinating story, and it centers on a man named Vessie Sagatto, whose real name was Vevessie Sagatto. Vessie was a well-known brother from 18th Street. He … Read more

On August 27, 1979, inside Chino State Prison in California, Robert "Robot" Salas was walking the yard track with a cup of instant coffee. Three men came up behind him without a word. The first shank went into his kidney, the second hit a lung, and the third punctured the side of his neck. By … Read more

The story of Vessie Sagatto is a complex one, involving betrayal, bungled murder plots, and a decades-long feud inside the Mexican Mafia. It is a story that Rene Enriquez, a former member of the organization, has thought about for a long time because of the many moving pieces involved. Vessie Sagatto, whose real name was … Read more

On August 27, 1979, at Chino State Prison in California, Robert "Robot" Salas was walking the yard with a cup of instant coffee when three men came up behind him. There were no words and no warning. The first shank went into his kidney, the second hit a lung, and the third punctured the side … Read more

In January 1979, a young man in Queens dressed in his best suit, combed his hair, and climbed into a car he believed was taking him to the most important night of his life. He had been told he was finally getting made, earning full membership in the Lucchese crime family. He never arrived. His … Read more

On July 30, 1975, at 2:30 in the afternoon, Jimmy Hoffa stood by a payphone outside the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. He wore a blue golf shirt and was sweating through the Detroit summer. He had called his wife twenty minutes earlier and said the words that would haunt the FBI … Read more

On the evening of November 10, 2010, in the Cartierville neighborhood of Montreal, an 86-year-old man named Nicolo Rizzuto sat down to dinner with his wife Libertina and his daughter Maria. The table held soup, bread, and a glass of red wine. Outside, behind a row of cedar trees, a sniper waited with a rifle … Read more

Frank Peter Balistrieri died the way he lived: quietly, privately, and on his own terms. On February 7, 1993, the 74-year-old collapsed from a heart attack in his living room on Milwaukee's east side. There were no bullets, no handcuffs, and no federal agents kicking in the door. After three decades running one of the … Read more