Gino Accettola, a 52-year-old man with ties to Detroit’s “Tocco crew” Mafia, gambled away over $6 million of investors’ money that was supposed to be used towards construction projects. The investors then sued the casino saying they should be held responsible for the loss. According to official court papers, the swindled investors loaned a large … [Read more…]
Foggia, a small city in Italy’s Puglia region, recently saw its residents come out in large numbers on the streets to protest against the organized criminal Mafia that plagues the city. In the first 3 weeks of this year alone, several devasting bomb attacks and murders have rocked the city. Cerignola, Manfredonia, Mattinata, and Monte … [Read more…]
The New York borough of Queens had yet to see its boom in organized crime until the late 1930s. Not that Queens was a particularly popular area for Mafia families to carry out their Costa Nostra activities, rather they were lured in due to the airport built during the infrastructural developmental boom there, which took … [Read more…]
Giuseppe Costa, 53, the brother of Rosario Costa, widow of anti-Mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone’s security detail who was killed in 1992 with the magistrate, has been arrested in Palermo over his alleged ties to the Arenella Cosa Nostra. He has been charged with working for the Mafia by collecting protection money (Pizzo) and helping relatives … [Read more…]
Salvatore Nicitra, ex-boss of the Magliana gang has been arrested. Over a period of a few years, he had taken mafia control of the management and distribution of the gambling equipment unit of Rome. The equipment includes video lottery, games, slot machines, and online betting. A brief overview of the Magliana Gang The Magliana Gang … [Read more…]
Infestation of the Brussels Project. The mafia in Europe has found a new and unique way to launder money from their enormous take from drug trafficking and other illegal businesses. They have started taking advantage of the Brussels Project, often laundering money from across the continent to invest in legal, legitimate businesses that it seems, … [Read more…]
The Sicilian capital of Palermo hosted a marathon trial of the Mafia for almost 6 years, from 1986 to 1992. It ended with 338 members of La Cosa Nostra being convicted. 19 men were sentenced to life in prison (ergastolo). This trial was one of the longest in Mafia history. It was held after the Corleonesi … [Read more…]
Anthony Comello only wanted one thing the day he ended up at the house of Francesco Cali (Franky Boy); to make a citizen’s arrest. Little was it anticipated that he will end up killing one of the leaders of the Gambino crime family. The day of the incident He took his pickup truck to Todt … [Read more…]
With a little help from one of New York City’s most notorious crime families, it was the man in charge of protecting the game pieces of McDonald’s high-stakes Monopoly promotional game that ultimately led to a $24 million scam that robbed real customers of their chance to win the biggest prizes. Jerome Jacobson, a former … [Read more…]
Gambino crime family member Riccardo (Richie) Cefalu, an old-school wise guy known as a man who lived by the rule “admit nothing,” died Jan. 23 at the age of 92. Part of the Gambino’s Sicilian faction, Cefalu emigrated into the United States from Italy in 1965, settling in Greenlawn, Long Island, where he was still … [Read more…]
The most infamous gangster of them all, Al Capone earned the reputation of a tough, ruthless and feared mob boss. One of the last cars he owned before his conviction for tax evasion in 1931 was, according to the company selling the car – Celebrity Cars, one of the earliest bulletproof cars in existence – … [Read more…]
After 13 years in a Connecticut prison, 50-year-old Philadelphia Mafia member Damion Canalichio is out from behind bars and expected to be promoted after he is released from the Philly halfway house where he was sent following his prison stint. The mobster, who was released late last month, wasn’t expected to be up for parole until 2021, but before … [Read more…]
The Debate About Media Glamorization Of The Mafia This should have been expected: “The Irishman,” a film directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese has been a big hit not just among critics but also among audiences of Netflix, the premier digital video streaming service that bankrolled production. It should be noted that Netflix audiences tend … [Read more…]
Sure, at 209 minutes, the acclaimed Martin Scorsese movie “The Irishman” may clock in a bit long. But the drama-filled moments skitter like gunfire throughout the film, so it would be a shame to skip it based on length alone. (Plus, it’s on Netflix, so you can make it a two-night event.) Not only is … [Read more…]
The bloody Montreal Mafia War has definitely taken a toll but the mighty Rizzuto crime family has not only survived they have seemingly re-established themselves as a dominant force. It seemed as if the demise of the once-great organized crime family was imminent after the family lost several key leaders including longtime godfather Vito Rizzuto. … [Read more…]