Cosa Nostra News

75 years ago today Abe Reles went out the window... The Writers of Wrong is the name of a blog I discovered today; I knew it was a more-than-credible source once I saw the names attached to it... Christian Cipollini. .. Thomas Hunt ... and Patrick Downey (who authored a book on Legs Diamond I am currently enjoying immensely. And speaking of books, Cip and Downey both contributed to a fictional short story compendium , Cocktail Noir: From Gangsters and Gin Joints to Gumshoes and Gimlets .) Mob historians are invited to contribute, as the blog notes : " Writers of crime history are encouraged to submit news releases; short book excerpts; event announcements; links to videos, images, websites, etc., for publication in this blog using the 'Contact Us' form at the bottom of the page ." On this date in 1941, informant Abe "Kid Twist" Reles fell to his death at the Half Moon Hotel, Coney Island. The thirty-five-year-old Reles, who had been coop...

Christian Cipollini, the award-winning author of three true-crime books, has broken new ground with his latest effort, which revisits a somewhat familiar topic: Salvatore Lucania -- that's Charlie "Lucky" Luciano to you. Cipollini is a standout in the Mafia-based true-crime genre. In addition to authoring three books --  Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangland Legend ,  Murder Inc.  and  Diary of a Motor City Hit Man  -- he's appeared on several high-profile television shows, including the Biography Channel's  Gangsters: America's Most Evil  and the History Channel's  United Stuff of America  (in addition to also serving as a consultant/producer for National Geographic's critically acclaimed series,  DRUGS, INC. ) The "lab," where Christian writes, muses, maybe smokes a cigar.... Most recently, he appeared at the Las Vegas Mob Museum to discuss the Mafia's pre-WWII hit squad known as Murder Incorporated (the topic of...

When I add a link to the "link section," (unique title!) I usually first ask permission from the new addition. Sometimes, I forget to ask. (This is a one hell of a story so far, isn't it?) Which reminds me, I didn't really ask Scott Deitche if I could link to his personal website and the Tampa Mafia site that all along I thought he owned but doesn't. (A quite l ovely  woman named Lisa Figueredo owns it.)

Now available:   Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangster Legend   by journalist Christian Cipollini focuses exclusively on the many mysteries surrounding Charles "Lucky" Luciano, the Godfather of the American Mafia. Issued raised in the book include: The origin's of the famous scar Luciano's involvement with the shadowy Seven Group and Murder Incorporated... Did he ever actually murder anyone... And what of all the wild theories following his death in 1962... With information culled from rare news articles, government documents and numerous published works, this book will give readers a chance to rediscover Luciano -- as a gangster, a man, and a pop culture icon. It no doubt also will ignite new debates over the facts and fallacies regarding Luciano's true role in helping to structure what became the American Mafia that still exists today.

Luciano offers a rare smile. Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangster Legend , scheduled for release next month, will put to bed some key mysteries surrounding one of the most mythical Mafia figures in organized crime's history. The book's author, Christian Cipollini, in a recent interview, told me he's made some startling discoveries while writing the book about "Lucky," including how the gangster got his famous nickname, which believe it or not, has never been adequately detailed. With Lucky Luciano, a lot of facts are up for grabs. No one has ever even categorically explained how one of the founding members of the modern Mafia got the scars for which he was so famous. Some will even argue that he was not even a founding member of the modern Mafia. "The guy fascinated me," Cipollini said.“There’s so much mythology around him."

A Scar Is Born: Mysterious Tales of a Gangland Legend | Cigar City Magazine : This chapter addresses the numerous myths and folklore tales that circulated after Luciano was found in a bloody state in 1929. From the scars to the nickname to the possible culprits in the attack–all are discussed, but the following section truly adds yet another convoluted piece to the puzzle.

Christian Cipollini's book on Luciano is due this May. The Mob Museum Blog  by Beverly Ford and Stephanie Schorow: The Italian-born gangster and head of [the crime family known today as] New York’s Genovese crime family who died in January more than 50 years ago was grossing $12 million from bootlegging, gambling and other illegal activities by the age of 28. Now that’s lucky. He escaped several attempts on his life, including a notorious beating and stabbing attack in 1929 that left him with a scar and drooping eye. That’s lucky too. He orchestrated the execution of several crime bosses – even luckier still since he survived to become one of the top crime bosses in the nation until dying of a heart attack in Naples, Italy, in 1962 at the age of 64. But if you think that’s all to the story of Charles “Lucky” Luciano, think again. Author Christian Cipollini has made some remarkable new discoveries about the gangster while researching his upcoming book, “Lucky ...