Cosa Nostra News

Punchy Illiano, RIP I feel like Rodney Dangerfield these days. I don't get no respect! That's a catchy lede for a blog story, but to be perfectly frank, respect has nothing to do with this. Credit does come into play -- in terms of credibility, and here we could all take a page from the mob; they certainly know the importance of giving credit where credit is due. People can suddenly die otherwise.

Joe Isgro leaves a New York courthouse today. Cosa Nostra News was the first to break this story on Joe Isgro ... Houston Chronicle : "He's been one of the nation's most influential record promoters, the producer of an Oscar-nominated movie, a defendant who successfully fought racketeering charges in a high-profile payola case, and an admitted loan shark who shook down borrowers in ritzy Beverly Hills. Now the roller-coaster life of Joe Isgro is taking another plunge, with new charges that he helped run a mob-linked gambling operation. Isgro, who once helped get airplay for songs by such stars as Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson, pleaded not guilty to gambling, conspiracy and money laundering charges Wednesday in New York City. He for years has denied any connection to organized crime.