Greatest Hits of the Past Year

Vinny Asaro was among the top characters of interest in 2014....
His Tommy D rant makes us really want to hear the tapes....


I deleted a bunch of horseshit with which I initially started this post.

Based on a quick Google Analytics filter, we found five days when there was a clear spike in our daily traffic.

piked progressively, save for the last two samples, which were nearly equal. 




The kinds of stories that seem to grab the most attention are some of the ones you'd least suspect. However, in terms of historical data, these stories were not necessarily among my most read.

The first spike was the Lufthansa-related Bonanno roundup, then a book announcement (Gotti's Rules by George Anastasia). The next was another book announcement, followed by an historical story on Canadian organized crime, and last but not least a Mob Wives-related story. 

Though the spikes progressed in size, the last couple were pretty close.

Anyway, here is a quick roundup of the five most-popular stories based on a glimpse of my blog's performance for the past year. I include the date of each spike as well.


Jan. 23, 2014
Cosa Nostra News: Bonanno Roundup Nets Acting Boss, Capo Involved with Lufthansa: "Bonanno capo Vincent Asaro was arrested for murder, racketeering, extortion, arson, robbery and other charges--some of which are linked to the infamous 1978 Lufthansa heist at John F. Kennedy International Airport. He was one of five alleged members of the crime family rounded up by Federal agents in a series of pre-dawn raids this morning in the New York area. Also arrested were Bonanno acting boss/underboss Thomas “Tommy D” DiFiore of Commack, the highest-ranking Bonanno family member not behind bars; soldier John “Bazoo” Ragano; soldier and acting captain Jack Bonventre; and Asaro's son, Jerome. See the indictment here, courtesy of CBS News. Only Vincent Asaro was charged in the Dec. 11, 1978 JFK robbery itself; both Asaros face life in prison for the murder of a suspected police informant. High-profile informant Henry Hill long ago identified Vincent Asaro as the capo who ran the airport for the Bonanno family at the time of the heist. James “Jimmy the Gent” Burke (July 5, 1931 – April 13, 1996), an Irish-American gangster with ties to the Luchese family through his association with Luchese capo Paul Vario, has historically been credited for masterminding the caper, described as the biggest of its day. The daring robbery on December 11, 1978, netted the outlaws about $5 million in cash and nearly another million in jewels. Burke is also believed to have murdered or orchestrated the murders of nearly all the people involved in heist; within one week of the heist, the killings had begun."


July 31, 2014
"Amazon.com: From the New York Times bestselling author of Blood and Honor and The Last Gangster—“one of the most respected crime reporters in the country” (60 Minutes)—comes the sure to be headline-making inside story of the Gotti and Gambino families, told from the unique viewpoint of notorious mob hit-man John Alite, a close associate of Junior Gotti who later testified against him. In Gotti's Rules: The Story of John Alite, Junior Gotti, and the Demise of the American Mafia, George Anastasia, a prize-winning reporter who spent over thirty years covering crime, offers a shocking and very rare glimpse into the Gotti family, witnessed up-close from former family insider John Alite, John Gotti Jr.’s longtime friend and protector. Until now, no one has given up the kind of personal details about the Gottis—including the legendary “Gotti Rules” of leadership—that Anastasia exposes here."

The Cicale Files
The announcement that our ebook was
available was among our top five...

Nov 7, 2014
Cosa Nostra News: "Last Great Mafia Empire" Update: "I hope you all buy a copy, especially since Dom padded his goddamn expenses... You won't believe how many copies we have to sell before yours truly sees a single nickel!  Just kidding...  But I am not kidding about hoping you all buy a copy. It's going to cost less than $5, and we packed the book with as much value as possible. Researching extensively to set the background and context for Dominick's information, I tried to focus on little-known facts that were part of some of the major events described in the book. For example, did you know that "Sonny Red" Indelicato was under investigation for the murder of Crazy Joe Gallo when he was killed? Or that on the night of the three-capo meeting, he scattered his crews throughout New York City in case the loyalist faction tried to take them all out in one strike? In addition, several Bonanno members supposedly stayed with Tommy “Karate” Pitera while the three capos were slaughtered. It appears that someone is already trying to "piss in our pool," stating on social media that there can't be anything interesting in our book because Joe Massino and Sal Vitale already revealed it all. Let me address this absurd allegation. Firstly, neither of them were on the scene when a high-level member of the Bonanno family -- actually, the capo of the Sicilian faction -- Gerlando "George from Canada" Sciascia was murdered, and there is more to the hit than what the two know and said on the stand. A hit team, depending on the target, can include capos, soldiers and associates (even the boss and underboss on occasion). When one of them screws up, if the "boss" of the hit team likes that person they will include a fabrication in their update for the boss. "


Dec 1, 2014
Cosa Nostra News: Bonanno's Plan Kept the Peace in Canada's Mafia: "The Mafia in America evolved into one organization linked to the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, though from its inception it was composed of former members of all Italy's Mafias, including the Calabrian Ndrangheta and Neapolitan Camorra. For some reason, things happened differently in Canada. It is composed of two distinct Mafia organizations, the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and the Calabrian Ndrangheta. The American Mafia did business with both groups, apparently not noticing the difference or using any rivalries to manipulate the territory. The American Mafia's Commission in 1931 decreed how Canada would be carved up. Quebec, including the key city of Montreal, fell under the purview of Joseph Bonanno. Southern Ontario, including Toronto and the waterfront steel-making town of Hamilton, were placed under the control of Bonanno's cousin, Stefano Magaddino. (Canada's crime families were historically subservient to their American brethren, though today this has changed; relationships likely still exist if they are mutually beneficial; in fact we'd wager the Mafia in Canada, including both the Ndrangheta and Cosa Nostra, is larger and more powerful than the American Mafia. Chalk it up to American law enforcement; the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) need a Canadian version of the RICO act, it would appear.)"


Jan 8, 2015
Cosa Nostra News: Junior Testified Against Mob Wives Star Big Ang's Cousin: " The big news from last night's episode of "Mob Wives" is that Big Ang is the cousin of "Ronnie," aka Ronnie Petrino, aka Luigi Grasso. We know there's a time lag between filming and airing, but last night Big Ang was saying she'd just found out that "Junior" was the informant in the James Donovan murder case. Hector "Junior" Pagan, a well-known gangland character who appeared on "Mob Wives" during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, was in fact the star witness against Grasso and Richard Riccardi. Both were convicted for the murder of James Donovan, whom Pagan himself had shot. Riccardi and Grasso were sentenced to more than 35 years in prison each. Pagan basically helped put away his cohorts for murder, when the original plan was for a heist. It only became a murder case because of a decision Pagan made during the Gravesend heist, which netted the trio $50,000 apiece."

Comments

  1. Congratulations Ed! Wow, 2 million page views. Now that's very impressive. Keep up the great work.

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  2. This site is brilliant and I stumbled upon it on a Google search. Being from the UK the only mob related reports we see is the occasional big bust in Italy.... This is the best and most up to date source I've come across, you have a fan from across the pond. Keep up the good work.

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  3. Congrats Ed! Love the site and the hard work you do, you always treated me with respect even if disagreed on a subject which is rare. I truly enjoyed the Cicale Files book from you and Dom and I hope another one is in the works. I've been around the life all my life and I have to say your sources are on point thanks AJ

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