o2005

On April 7, 1972, at 4:30 in the morning, Joey Gallo was sitting at a butcher block table in the back corner of a restaurant at 129 Mulberry Street in Little Italy, Manhattan. The restaurant, Umberto's Clam House, had been open for exactly two months. He was eating scungilli. His wife was laughing at something. … Read more

On July 30, 1975, at 2:45 in the afternoon, Jimmy Hoffa stood in the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. He was chain smoking beside his green Pontiac, checking his watch. He was supposed to meet two men, Anthony Giacalone and Anthony Provenzano, for a sit-down to bury the … Read more

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