Gangland Wire

Retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins sits down with actor, writer, director, and Gravesend creator William DeMeo to discuss bringing 1980s Brooklyn mob culture to the screen. DeMeo discusses growing up around Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Mill Basin, and Dyker Heights—Brooklyn neighborhoods where organized crime figures were part of the landscape. Those memories helped shape Gravesend, his television series centered on Benny Zerletta and the world surrounding him.

William explains how his acting career began with a small role in A Bronx Tale, where Robert De Niro selected him from the extras, gave him lines, and helped him earn his SAG card on his first project. He eventually moved into writing, directing and producing his own films and television.

They also discuss the impressive Gravesend cast, including Chazz Palminteri, Armand Assante, William Forsythe, James Russo, Dominic Chianese, Vincent Pastore, Tony Danza and Shaquille O'Neal.

Gary and William explore why audiences remain fascinated with Mafia stories, why The Sopranos became a cultural phenomenon, and how Gravesend attempts to capture something beyond organized crime—the social clubs, pizzerias, bakeries, churches, stoops, families, cars, clothes, and street culture of 1980s Brooklyn.

William DeMeo also explains why he doesn't want to glamorize organized crime. Gravesend portrays prison, broken families and the consequences that accompany the life, while still functioning as entertainment and a nostalgic trip back to old Brooklyn.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gangland-wire--5504357/support.

Subscribe to Gangland Wire and Murder Blueprint wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.
Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app.

Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer use @ganglandwire
Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee"

To go to the store or make a donation click here.  
To rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here
To rent Brothers against Brothers, click here.
To rent Gangland Wire, click here

A body hidden in a barrel beneath Lake Mead sparked years of speculation about a Las Vegas mob hit. Now the victim has a name: Edward “Buddy” Jackson. But identifying him leaves the biggest questions unanswered: Who killed him, and why?

In this bonus episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City police intelligence detective Gary Jenkins examines the discovery near Hemingway Harbor, Jackson’s background, and the investigative work needed to reconstruct his final days.

Gary discusses why early speculation focused on missing Stardust casino employee Jay Vandermark and federal informant William Crespo. He also explains how detectives can develop leads through old criminal cases, former associates, employment records, and the barrel itself. A suspected mob connection remains unproven.

Gary separates the case information from theories surrounding this disturbing discovery. Have information about Edward “Buddy” Jackson? Contact the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. You can also reach Gary at ganglandwire@gmail.com.

For more true crime stories, listen to Gary’s other podcast, Murder Blueprint.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gangland-wire--5504357/support.

Subscribe to Gangland Wire and Murder Blueprint wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.
Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app.

Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer use @ganglandwire
Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee"

To go to the store or make a donation click here.  
To rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here
To rent Brothers against Brothers, click here.
To rent Gangland Wire, click here

Retired Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins discussed Henry Hill, Jimmy the Gent Burke, Paul Vario, and the Lucchese Family with former Federal prosecutor Ed McDonald.  

What happened to the $6 million stolen in the Lufthansa heist? Gary Jenkins talks with former federal prosecutor Ed McDonald, who investigated the robbery and worked with Henry Hill after he became a witness.

McDonald explains why Hill cooperated, how his information exposed the Boston College basketball point-shaving scheme, and why prosecutors took a chance on a case against Jimmy “the Gent” Burke. He also recalls meeting Burke in person and the unlikely path that led him to play himself in Goodfellas.

McDonald is the author of Chasing Goodfellas: Lufthansa, Henry Hill, Point Shaving, and Making Movies.
Chapters
- 00:00 Meet Ed McDonald
- 03:00 How the organized crime strike forces worked
- 08:00 The Lufthansa robbery and Boston College connection
- 11:00 Henry Hill and the Lufthansa investigation
- 28:00 How the point-shaving scheme worked
- 35:00 What happened to the Lufthansa money?
- 38:00 McDonald’s encounters with Jimmy Burke
Subscribe to Gangland Wire for more mob history from retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins. Which part of McDonald’s story surprised you most? Tell me in the comments.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gangland-wire--5504357/support.

Subscribe to Gangland Wire and Murder Blueprint wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.
Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app.

Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer use @ganglandwire
Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee"

To go to the store or make a donation click here.  
To rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here
To rent Brothers against Brothers, click here.
To rent Gangland Wire, click here

Meyer Lansky, Jewish gangsters, battles with American Nazis, and secret arms shipments to Israel—Myron Sugarman reveals a forgotten chapter of organized-crime history.  

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins sits down with Myron Sugarman, author of The Chronicles of the Last Jewish Gangster: From Meyer to Myron, for a revealing conversation about the Jewish underworld and its role in major events of the 20th century.  

Sugarman recounts how Jewish gangsters confronted Nazi sympathizers holding rallies in American cities during the years leading up to World War II. He discusses Meyer Lansky’s involvement and explains why these men relied on fists, clubs, and intimidation while carefully avoiding actions that might turn the Nazis into martyrs.  

The conversation also explores the largely forgotten role organized-crime figures played in supplying weapons to Jewish forces fighting for the creation and survival of Israel. Sugarman describes the risks involved in acquiring and secretly transporting arms when official assistance was unavailable.  

Gary and Myron examine Meyer Lansky’s place in Mafia history, the relationship between Jewish gangsters and the Italian Mafia, and the line separating historical fact from the legends surrounding the mob.  

Myron also discusses his personal connection to this world and what it means to call himself the “last Jewish gangster.” His stories offer an inside look at loyalty, violence, survival, and a generation of underworld figures who sometimes used criminal organizations to defend their communities.  

Subscribe to Gangland Wire for more Mafia history, true-crime stories, and interviews with authors, former investigators, and people who experienced the underworld firsthand.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gangland-wire--5504357/support.

Subscribe to Gangland Wire and Murder Blueprint wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.
Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app.

Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer use @ganglandwire
Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee"

To go to the store or make a donation click here.  
To rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here
To rent Brothers against Brothers, click here.
To rent Gangland Wire, click here

Retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins sits down with author Don Billy to uncover one of the lesser-known but potentially important gatherings in American Mafia history—the 1928 Cleveland Mafia Summit. Get the book Cleveland Mafia Summit: Siezed at the Statler

On December 5, 1928, during the height of Prohibition, mob figures from around the country gathered at Cleveland's Hotel Statler. A Cleveland patrolman noticed several carloads of suspicious men arriving at the hotel. Before long, dozens of police officers descended on the Statler and rounded up 23 men.

Among those caught were men who would become major figures in American organized crime, including Joe Profaci, future boss of the family that became the Colombo crime family, and Vincent Mangano, future boss of the organization that became the Gambino family. Other attendees had connections to Chicago and Al Capone.

But Don's research suggests the 23 men arrested may have represented only part of the gathering. Newspaper accounts indicated other mobsters escaped from the Statler and nearby hotels. Local Cleveland figures—as well as visitors who could stay with relatives or associates—may never have been identified by police.

So what brought all these gangsters to Cleveland?

Gary and Don examine several possibilities: the continuing violence and leadership struggles in New York and Chicago, the possibility that Joe “The Boss” Masseria was consolidating his power, disputes involving Prohibition rackets, and efforts to bring greater organization to an underworld still plagued by assassinations and territorial wars.

They also discuss what happened after the arrests. The mobsters were charged under Cleveland's broad “suspicious person” ordinance, but once lawyers got involved, the cases quickly began to fall apart. Some men pleaded guilty only to have their sentences effectively waived if they left town, while the remaining cases were dismissed.

Don explains how he used old newspaper accounts, police records, National Archives material and other primary sources to reconstruct the meeting and identify many of the mysterious men appearing in the famous police photographs.

Was Cleveland an important step toward the more organized national Mafia structure that emerged in the years that followed? This episode explores a forgotten gathering that brought some of America's future Mafia leaders together in one Cleveland hotel.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gangland-wire--5504357/support.

Subscribe to Gangland Wire and Murder Blueprint wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.
Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app.

Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer use @ganglandwire
Click here to "buy me a cup of coffee"

To go to the store or make a donation click here.  
To rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here
To rent Brothers against Brothers, click here.
To rent Gangland Wire, click here