Gangland Wire

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.

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Gary Jenkins sits down with author Scott Weller to discuss his book Stripping for the Mob and the dark history of organized crime’s involvement in the Las Vegas strip-club business. As federal investigations and increased regulation began squeezing the Mafia out of traditional casino operations, adult entertainment offered mobsters something they understood well: a cash-heavy business with fewer regulatory eyes on the money.  

Weller traces the story back to figures such as Tony Albanese, a Southern California mobster who moved into the Las Vegas adult-entertainment business. Albanese disappeared in 1981, and his severed head was later discovered in the Mojave Desert. His murder became part of the violent struggle surrounding control of Las Vegas adult businesses during the waning years of traditional mob power.  

Gary and Scott discuss the notorious Crazy Horse Two, its owner Rick Rizzolo, and the FBI investigations that eventually targeted the club. They also examine the unsolved death of Rizzolo adversary “Buffalo Jim” Barrier, who had spent years providing information about activities surrounding the club.  

The conversation moves into political corruption and Operation G-Sting, which exposed bribery involving strip-club interests and public officials. Weller explains how cash payments, political influence, intimidation, credit-card schemes, drugs, and violence could make mob-connected clubs extraordinarily profitable.  

Scott also tells the remarkable story of a 17-year-old dancer who was reportedly told her braces were a problem when she applied at Crazy Horse Too. She removed them herself and returned to get the job. She later became internationally known as Jenna Jameson.  

Gary and Scott also explore the bizarre history of the Palomino Club, including murders connected to people around the business, and discuss how New York organized-crime interests remained involved in Las Vegas after the Chicago Outfit's influence began to decline.   It is a look beyond the casino floor at another side of Las Vegas organized crime—where strip clubs, mobsters, politicians, federal agents, dancers, money, and murder intersected.

Stripping for the Mob: Murder, Corruption and the Men who turned the Las Vegas Strip into a Criminal Empire

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Subscribe to Gangland Wire wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week as we uncover the stories buried beneath the headlines—and the bodies.
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To go to the store or make a donation click here.  
To rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here
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In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit Detective Gary Jenkins welcomes former Cook County prosecutor Greg Owen, author of Convergence, for an insider's look at one of the most corrupt periods in Chicago's criminal justice history. Times when gangsters like Harry Aleman or Tony Spilotro evaded justice and even beat murder cases, aided by a system of corrupt lawyers like Bob Cooley and several corrupt judges. Gregg tells about these case and another interesting case about the murder of Gio Messina and Delphine Moore and how Chicago corruption can fix any case. The book is Convergence and click here to get that book  

Before entering the courtroom, Greg Owen enjoyed a successful career as a professional musician. He shares the unlikely path that led him from touring with a band to prosecuting violent criminals in Chicago's busiest courthouse, where he quickly discovered that corruption reached far beyond organized crime and into the very courtrooms entrusted with delivering justice.

Gary and Greg explore Operation Greylord, the landmark FBI investigation that exposed widespread judicial corruption in Cook County. Greg explains how traffic ticket schemes evolved into fixing serious felony and murder cases, revealing how judges, attorneys, court personnel, and organized crime figures manipulated the justice system for profit. The discussion also revisits attorney Bob Cooley, whose cooperation with federal authorities helped expose corruption at the highest levels of Chicago's political and judicial establishment. Greg offers his firsthand perspective on Cooley, the infamous Harry Aleman murder case, the influence of the Chicago Outfit, and the FBI's unprecedented undercover operation involving prosecutor Terry Hake, who spent years secretly recording corrupt judges and lawyers.

Greg also recounts remarkable behind-the-scenes stories from his own prosecution career, including jury tampering concerns, courtroom manipulation, and the extraordinary lengths honest prosecutors had to go to ensure justice prevailed in Chicago during the Outfit's most powerful era. If you're fascinated by the Chicago Outfit, judicial corruption, FBI undercover investigations, and the real history behind Operation Greylord, this episode provides a rare firsthand account from someone who lived it.

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

Subscribe to Gangland Wire 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
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To go to the store or make a donation click here.  
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Gary Jenkins, a retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective, sits down with author David Kinney to uncover a little-known chapter of Mafia history: a mob war between Stefano Magaddino and local bookies from Batavia, New York. Batavia is a small city located between Buffalo and Rochester that was strategically important to organized crime.     

Kinney is the author of Mobbed Up in Batavia, a nonfiction investigation into the bookmakers, bootleggers, murders, and Mafia connections that surrounded this western New York community during the Prohibition era and the years that followed.  

At the center of the story is powerful Buffalo Mafia boss Stefano Magaddino. During Prohibition, liquor moving south from Canada passed through western New York, and Batavia sat along an important route toward the rest of the state. Kinney explains how Magaddino's organization profited from bootlegging and later expanded its influence into gambling and bookmaking.  

But this story becomes much more personal—and much more violent.   Kinney examines the bombing of the home of Arcangelo Longo, Magaddino's sister, who was killed in the explosion. He believes the bombing may explain a subsequent series of killings traditionally described as Batavia's “Bookie War.”  

Gary and David discuss the murder of bookmaker Frank LoTempio, the killing of Alfred Panepinto, attempts on other Batavia gambling figures, and the possibility that these crimes represented something more than a fight over gambling profits. They may have been part of an old-fashioned Mafia vendetta.  

The conversation also explores illegal horse betting, dice games, prostitution, the racing wire, protection payments, and the remarkable amount of money bookmakers could generate even during the Great Depression.  

It is a fascinating look at how organized crime extended far beyond New York City and Chicago—and how one violent act in a small western New York town may have triggered a deadly Mafia campaign of revenge.

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

Subscribe to Gangland Wire 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
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To rent Gangland Wire, click here.

The Untold Story of Meyer Lansky: The Man Behind Organized Crime. Who was the real Meyer Lansky? Was he America's greatest criminal strategist, a financial genius, or simply one of the most misunderstood figures in organized crime history?  

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins welcomes award-winning investigative journalist and author Sandra Peddie to discuss her new book, The Lansky Legacy.

Drawing on never-before-seen family letters, photographs, and personal memories from Meyer Lansky's grandson, Sandra paints a revealing portrait of the man who helped reshape organized crime in America.  

You'll hear how Lansky forged his lifelong partnership with Lucky Luciano, helped organize the modern Mafia during Prohibition, expanded gambling into Florida, Cuba, and beyond, and quietly influenced some of the biggest events in organized crime history.

The listener will also hear about National Crime Syndicate, Havana casinos, Cuba gambling Las Vegas history, Frank Costello, Santo Trafficante, Bugsy Siegel and others in the pantheon of the American Mafia.

Click here to get The Lansky Legacy: The Life and Letters of Meyer Lansky
Click here to get her book on Sonny Franzese Sonny: The Last of the Old-Time Mafia Bosses, John "Sonny" Franzese

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

Subscribe to Gangland Wire 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.