Cosa Nostra News

Neil G. Clark is the author of Dock Boss: Eddie McGrath and the West Side Waterfront ; the real-life story of the preeminent racketeer on Manhattan's lucrative waterfront and the bloodshed that long haunted the ports of New York City. The book is available now at all major retailers. And Neil is getting some strong kudos, too, for Dock Boss -- including from TJ ENGLISH ! In    addition to  Scott Deitch e, who has written quite a few books about the Mafia, including Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld , and The Silent Don: The World of Santo Trafficante Jr. , and our old friend Dennis Griffin, who wrote Andrew DiDonato's book on life as a Gambino associate under Little Nicky Corozzo , Surviving the Mob: A Street Soldier's Life Inside the Gambino Crime Family , a must-read for anyone interested in the New York Mafia in the 1990s, a period of incredible violence. Before becoming a waterfront power, Eddie McGrath started out as a low-level...

Frank Cullotta warned "Frankie Blue" An interesting story on  Tony Spilotro is on Gangland Wire : On June 9, 1980, the night Frank Bluestein, aka “Frankie Blue” , was murdered, Frank Cullotta had warned him that the Las Vegas police department was following him. "Frankie Blue" knew someone was on his ass, but he was certain it was criminals -- a group with bad intentions, looking to rob him. And that didn't give him a moment's pause. It was actually an occupational hazard. Garbage men may tweak their back while hefting trash cans, mobsters might get shot or robbed or both. So "Frankie Blue" was like “ I got a gun if anybody tries to rob me .”

Former KCPD detective Gary Jenkins It is not too late to sign up for the interactive webinar entitled: Gangland Wire  in which you can meet the man who helped take down the mob:  Kansas City Police Department Detective  Gary Jenkins . The webinar is November 13, 2014 from 7:00 to 8:00 P.M. In 1977, Kansas City Police Department Detective Jenkins joined the FBI organized crime task force to implement Operation Strawman .Formed to investigate Kansas City mob activities, the OCTF gathered information that convicted Mafia leaders in Kansas City, Chicago, Cleveland and Milwaukee. It's the story behind the story of Martin Scorsese's film Casino. Jenkins also runs the blog Gangland Wire , where he posts stories as well as actual wiretap recordings .

Larry Neumann: Despite mountains of evidence, was never Charged for a double homicide he committed when someone "disrespected" his ex-wife. He was a member of Frank Cullotta's crew in Las Vegas, the Hole in the Wall Gang. June 2, 1981. Morning. An apartment located behind the P.M. Pub drinking establishment in Lakemoor, Ill. (If a reader recalls another apartment located behind a bar , it wouldn't be inappropriate.) Two people are found dead in the living room. One of the dead had been the owner of the P.M., 37-year-old Ronald Scharff; the other was barmaid Patricia Freeman. The previous evening was actually her first night working at the pub. As noted on the website Murder in McHenry , Lakemoor, situated about 50 miles northwest of Chicago, was then a community that had served as home to around 800 souls.

Dennis Griffin has written several books on organized crime in America. Dennis Griffin writes about a lot of things, perhaps most notably, the Mafia (see story on Andrew Didonato , about whom Denny wrote Surviving the Mob , one of my favorite mob books ). When I interviewed him recently, one of my first questions was: "What do you consider the most difficult part of the book-writing process?" I expected a few possible responses, one or two involving a firearm. "Promotions," he said immediately as if that answer had been lurking on the tip of his tongue all along. I nearly fell out of my chair. "What about the research?"