William Hanhardt as he leaves the Federal Building. Guv claims he masterminded a jewelry thief ring including the time he served as Chief of Detectives for the Chicago Police Department. CST/Brian Jackson In the 1950s, most large Police Departments had a few corrupt officers. We were not different here in Kansas City. We got a break in 1960 the city hired a square jawed and square in every other way, F.B.I. agent named Clarence Kelley. He was able to sideline or fire the most corrupt cops. Unlik...
Feb 12, 2018
As we continue with our Media and the Mob series on the first Monday of each month, this week Aaron and I interview veteran Philadelphia television reporter Dave Schratwieser who has been an investigative reporter with Philadelphia FOX 29 News since 1994. Dave has investigated Philadelphia organized crime and corruption as well as government and judicial malfeasance. Dave talks about gathering and maintaining his extensive network of sources in the judiciary, law enforcement and organized crime....
Feb 04, 2018
Support Gangland Wire In part 2, Frank goes into how his father groomed him as a teenager for the Outfit life and his adult life as a soldier in the Calabrese crew ran by his uncle, Nick Calabrese. He describes how the Calabrese Frank at Mob-Con crew became the “go to” hit team for the Outfit bosses. He describes how meticulous the crew would prepare to do a murder. Yet, one of those murders done by Nick Calabrese would be his undoing. An Outfit member named John Fecarotta was responsible to bur...
Jan 29, 2018
Support Gangland Wire Aaron and I interview Frank Calabrese Jr. and learn the inside story of what it is like to grow up in an Outfit family and then go into the family business. Frank Calabrese Sr. separated his work life from his family until he realized his namesake son, Frank Calabrese Jr., had the brains and fortitude to into his father’s business, loansharking, extortion and gambling. Frank Jr.’s first inkling that his father was different came when he had to do a school report about what ...
Jan 22, 2018
Chuckie Nicoletti and ‘Milwaukee Phil’ Alderisio On May 2, 1962, Chicago cops responded to a suspicious party radio call at 1750 SupeStor st. in Chicago. They encountered Chicago Outfit members Philip (Milwaukee Phil) Alderisio, an Outfit trigger-man and loan shark, and Charles Nicoletti, a west side gambling boss sitting in a nondescript 4 door 1962 Ford automobile. As they searched this car, the officer uncovered one of the Outfit’s dirty and horrible little secrets. These guys were probably o...
Nov 06, 2017
Anthony DeStefano is a veteran reporter who covered the Five Families in New York City for over three decades. He recently sat through the trial of New York mob boss Vincent Asaros who was charged with conspiracy in the famous 6 Million dollar cash and jewelry robbery from a Lufthansa Air cargo warehouse. He is currently a reporter for Newsday in New York City, specializing in criminal justice and legal affairs. Anthony has covered all of the important criminal trials in NYC. He reported on The ...
Oct 30, 2017
Support Gangland Wire This is a repeat of last week, I forgot to attach the audio and then was out of town all week. Sorry for the delay of the audio podcast. The subject of this episode is Narcos, the story of the Cali Cartel. Ron Chepesiuk hosts the Crime Beat Radio show on the Artists First network. Just click on the highlighted show tile and be entertained. Ron Chepesiuk is a former college professor who got into true crime as a young man and has become one of the foremost experts and intern...
Oct 09, 2017
Crown Point jail In episode 2, we discuss the frantic flight of John Dillinger and Herbert Youngblood. Lillian Holley and every law enforcement officer in the Midwest was on the lookout for Dillinger. He was wearing out his Robin Hood status among citizens by this time and this would help. The Dillinger gang gets back together and conducts a raid on a police station where they take guns and bullet proof vests. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go...
Sep 25, 2017
Dillinger escape car Dillinger with Sheriff Lillian Holley In this first episode of the exciting story of John Dillinger and his jailbreak the listener learns how John Dillinger was wanted for killing a police officer during a bank robbery when he was captured in Tucson Arizona. He was extradited to Indiana where he was held without bond in the Lake County jail, located in Crown Point, Indiana. Lake County had a woman sheriff, Lillian Holley, who would pose for publicity pictures with her famous...
Sep 18, 2017
We talked in our first episode on the Irish mob about Owney Madden getting into promoting and managing and gambling on professional boxing. Like professional criminal activities, for young Irish and Italian guys, professional boxing was a manly way out of their crushing poverty. Many people during this time observed that Madden became a different person at a boxing match. He would jump up and scream advice, shadow box and generally become just like any other crazed fan at any athletic match. We ...
Sep 11, 2017
Jimmy Coonan brought the Westies into the 20th Century and presided over the most bloody and violent gang in New York City history James Coonan was a baby boomer born December 21, 1946. He became known as “Jimmy C.” As we said last week, Jimmy C. took over the Hell’s Kitchen Irish mob after he made a deal with Gambino member Roy Demeo to kill the previous boss, Mickey Spillane, in 1977. During his time as boss of the Westies, they gained a reputation as a vicious crew of murderers. He opened up ...
Sep 04, 2017
The Irish Mob, thanks to Dean from Ireland in the next two episodes we will examine the Irish Mob or the Westies. The Hell’s Kitchen area of NYC is from about Central Park on the west side of Midtown Manhattan west of Broadway to the Hudson River from Battery Park street to 59th street. This is sometimes referred to as the 5 Points area of NYC. Many Irish immigrants settled in this area find work on the Hudson River docks. Martin Scorsese produced the film The Gangs of New York and it tells the ...
Aug 28, 2017
Joe Agosto In this third and final interview, we learn that the mob did not give nicknames to anyone except the people they believed were helping them in their skimming efforts so it is a bit suspicious when the mobsters called Harry Reid, Clean Face. A good example was a State Gaming Agent named Bybee, when they referred to him he was Bybee. Another example was when Agosto and DeLuna talked about the Governor Elect Bob List before he was the governor, he was called by his last name “List” but w...
Jul 31, 2017
Nick Civella In this second part of the Bill Ouseley interview, we learn more about the inner workings of Las Vegas casinos and Las Vegas politicians and why they were suspicious of Clean Face Harry Reid. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.
Jul 24, 2017
Nick Civella In the first of a three part interview with retired F.B.I. agent William Ouseley, we discuss the lessons learned from the Las Vegas wiretaps that exposed the Kansas City, Chicago, Milwaukee and Cleveland mob’s skimming from the Stardust and the Tropicana. In those intercepts, agents learned that a man named Joe Agosto had been able to position himself as the manager of the Les Folies Bergere show at the Tropicana casino during the 1970s. Joe Agosto was an organized crime associate a...
Jul 17, 2017
In this second part, Mafia blogger and expert David Amorouso from Gangsters Inc. tells us more about the influence of the American mob on illegal European casinos. Most European countries have state regulated casinos, but there was a demand for more gambling that the state run casinos could provide. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, gi...
Jul 10, 2017
Interview with Mob expert David Amoruso. he maintains and writes for the mob blog site gangster.inc. We discuss the influence of the American La Cosa Nostra mob in Europe. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.
Jul 03, 2017
Hole in the Wall Gang after the Bertha’s bust In Part 2, Frank goes into more depth about his work with the Hole in the Wall Gang. Spilotro obtained inside information that the owners of Bertha’s jewelry story in Las Vegas kept as much as a million dollars in jewelry and cash inside the safe. They planned to commit this burglary on the long weekend of the 4th of July, 1981. It was late June or early July in Las Vegas, Nevada. Frank Cullotta and the Hole in the Wall Gang members, Ernie Davino, Le...
Jun 26, 2017
How Frank Cullotta met Tony Spilotro In this first of a 2 part interview of Frank Cullotta, we talk to a guy who was a career criminal from his teenage years and rose through the ranks of the Chicago Outfit from being an associate who made money as a burglar to becoming a “Mustache” or a “guy” in Tony Spilotro’s crew. If Spilotro was the boss of the Chicago Outfit in Las Vegas, then Frank was his Underboss. Frank came up on the west side of Chicago and first met Tony when they were 12 years old....
Jun 19, 2017
Octave “Okkie” Durham, the thief behind one of the biggest art heists in history went on various Dutch talk shows to discuss how he stole two Van Gogh paintings worth millions from the Van Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in 2002. He claims he sold them to a Camorra drug boss. He also claims to have stayed at the home of then-FC Barcelona striker Patrick Kluivert while on the run from police. Durham is the subject of a documentary titled The Man Who Stole Two Van Goghs by Dutch news show Brandpunt. ...
Jun 05, 2017
In the second and final episode Gary and Aaron reveal the subsequent investigation by the Kansas City Police Department. Officer Joseph Raimo was assassinated at 11:15 PM on March 28, 1911 at 5th and Holmes. The officer was noted for his bravery and diligence in the performance of his duties. He had been especially assigned to the various Italian cases, and his untiring efforts aroused considerable enmity among the criminal classes of that nationality. Officers will use every means to bring to j...
May 29, 2017
Kansas Police Officer Joe Raimo was born September 23, 1879 in Naples Italy. He came to the United States, in 1892, when he was 13 years old. The Raimo family lived in Chicago until 1897. Joe and his mother moved to Kansas City, where he married, Genaverffa (Jennie) DiFeo on July 3, 1898. They were married by Father Cesare Spigardi at her parent’s home in the Italian neighborhood at 910 Missouri Ave. Their first child, Frank Joseph Raimo was born May 26, 1900. They would have six children altoge...
May 22, 2017
Petrosino Park Joe Petrosino was the first cop to investigate the Mob in the United States. Steven Taltry has written a thrilling account of Petrosino and his investigation into Petrosino and His Italian Squad the Black Hand, an organization that will morph into the American Mafia. His book, The Black Hand, has been optioned to be made into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Joe Petrosino was able to penetrate the secrets of the American Mafia because he spoke Sicilian and had many friends and r...
May 08, 2017
In this second episode, Alan tells more about his book To Be a King and the problems of writing inside a prison. We learn a lot about how to rob a drug dealer. You just get a contact inside a strip club to tip you off when a high roller is on the premises. Get your crew together and wait for the dealer to leave. Most often, the dealer will go to an all night diner for breakfast after partying with strippers. At that time, a decision must be made, do you storm the diner an hold everybody at bay w...
Apr 17, 2017
Gunnar Alan Lindbloom visits Gangland Wire in this first of a two part series on his life in the Detroit underworld. Gunnar was the 1/2 Sicilian which kept him out the the Brogata or La Cosa Nostra or as the they call it in Detroit, the Syndicate or Combination. Gunnar was born into the extended family of Detroit Mob boss Jack Tocco. He was recently released from a 13 year stretch in the Michigan state prison system. While inside he authored 8 books. His book To Be A King is released either toda...
Apr 16, 2017
This second episode recounts in great detail the interactions between jurors in the famous trial of Al Capone for income tax evasion. CAPONE JURORS NATE C. BROWN, 64, retired, Protestant, SL Charles. BURR DUGAN, 54, farmer Catholic McClare. T. HEINRICHS, 52, engineer. Protestant, Thornton. GEORGE H. LARSEN, 41, breadmaker, Protestant, Thornton A. G., 65, country store owner, Protestant. Prairie View. W. F. McCORMICK, 58, receiving clerk. Catholic. Maywood. M. E. MERCHANT, 30, real estate broker....
Apr 03, 2017
Al Capone Juror I found a detailed newspaper account written by a juror shortly after the October 5, 1931 trail of Al Capone for income tax evasion at the federal courthouse in downtown Chicago. For several weeks before the scheduled start of the Capone trial, informant Eddie O’Hare notified the prosecutor and the lead Treasury Agent investigator, Frank Wilson, that Capone’s organization had a complete list of prospective jurors and was already “passing out $1,000 bills,” promising political job...
Mar 26, 2017
“Mad Sam” was truly a crazy sadist. He liked to muse about feeding his victims to victims to the pigs. He drove to pig farms just to watch them for hours. A government witness, Charles Crimaldi, claimed DeStefano made his wife Anita take his gun and put the end of the barrel in her mouth, then demanded that she pull the trigger. When she pulled the trigger and the gun didn’t go off, DeStefano began to laugh and told her that he had removed the bullets. He would tell this story over and over agai...
Mar 19, 2017
Sam “Mad Sam” DeStefano will become the Chicago Outfit’s most notorious loan shark and sociopathic killer. No less an authority than FBI agent and mob fighter, William F. Roemer, Jr., considered DeStefano to be the worst torture-murderer in the history of the United States. Samuel DeStefano, Jr. was born on September 13, 1909 in Streator, Illinois. Samuel DeStefano, Sr. was a laborer and later had a produce market. He and his wife Rosalie DeStefano (née Brasco), immigrated from Italy to the Unit...
Mar 13, 2017
L-R Aaron, Gary and Troy In this fourth and final episode of our interview with Troy Cole, we learn about Berdella’s frantic efforts to avoid the death penalty. First, he tries to plead guilty to one count of murder. The father of one victim attacks Berdella at a hearing. The prosecutor quickly moved and avoid Berdella from controlling any of the court procedures. He makes a last ditch attempt to save his house from state confiscation. Finally, a deal is struck and in exchange for the prosecutor...
Jan 23, 2017
