Gangland Wire

Former Brooklyn mob associate Jimmy Easy (James Sirocco) joins retired Kansas City Police Intelligence detective Gary Jenkins for a candid discussion about his life in organized crime, his decision to cooperate with the government, and his years in the Witness Protection Program. Jimmy describes connections to the Gambino, Colombo, and DeCavalcante Families with his rise through bookmaking, loan sharking, Joker Poker machines, insurance fraud, and other rackets while operating around Brooklyn, Howard Beach, and Ozone Park.  

The conversation explores Jimmy's connections to the Gambino, Colombo, and DeCavalcante crime families, including disputes involving John Gotti Jr., Rudy Farone, and other New York underworld figures. He recounts surviving an attempted murder, receiving permission to retaliate, and the violent realities of Mafia politics.  

Jimmy explains why loan sharking was his most profitable business, how organized crime controlled lucrative fireworks sales, and details insurance fraud schemes, chop shops, and staged medical clinics, along with stories of robberies, extortion, and life as a major earner in the Mafia.  

The interview then turns to Jimmy's arrest, his decision to cooperate with federal authorities, and what it was actually like entering the U.S. Witness Protection Program. He describes rebuilding his life in Arkansas, starting legitimate businesses, raising his daughters, and why he finally decided to tell his story after more than two decades.  

Gary and Jimmy also discuss Mafia sit-downs, family politics, the murder of DeCavalcante boss John D'Amato, life after organized crime, and Jimmy's memoir, "Hit Man: Tell All About the Mafia and the Witness Protection Program." The result is a rare insider conversation about both the criminal world and the difficult transition to a lawful life.

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 wedding dress offered for sale. A young Tulsa woman murdered. More than four decades without answers.  

In this special promotional preview, retired Kansas City detective Gary Jenkins introduces "Murder in the 918", a new true-crime podcast from his friend and veteran journalist Melanie Morgan and fellow journalist Sandra Phillips.  

Their opening episode, “The Wedding Dress Murder,” examines the unsolved killing of a young woman who placed an advertisement to sell her wedding dress. The series explores unsolved murders, overlooked clues, and the stories of families still waiting for justice.  

Melanie Morgan and her co-host, Sandra Phillips, bring their reporting experience to cases that deserve another look, drawing on investigative journalism, law enforcement perspectives, and forensic evidence.  

Listen to this sneak peek, then search for **Murder in the 918** on your favorite podcast app. Follow the show and share it with someone who cares about cold cases and the search for answers.

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

Richard Cain wore a badge, worked for the Chicago Outfit, and developed secrets that made him dangerous to both sides.  

Retired Kansas City Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins welcomes Michael Cain, Richard’s half-brother and author of The Tangled Web: The Life and Death of Richard Cain, Chicago Cop and Mafia Hit Man. Drawing on family letters, police records, court transcripts, and interviews, Michael traces Richard’s path from Chicago vice detective to a trusted associate of mob boss Sam Giancana.  

Michael describes allegations of police payoffs, compromised investigations, a leaked jury list in Tony Accardo’s case, and a staged recovery of stolen pharmaceuticals. He also discusses Richard’s wiretapping work in Cuba, his years in Mexico, and the convictions that sent him to federal prison.  

The conversation builds toward Michael’s account of Richard’s extraordinary plan to eliminate the Outfit’s leadership—and his murder at Rose’s Sandwich Shop before that plan could unfold. It’s a family perspective on one of Chicago’s most complicated underworld figures, with Gary bringing a detective’s eye to the difference between Richard’s stories and the evidence he left behind.  

In this episode:
• Richard Cain’s relationship with Sam Giancana.
• Cash envelopes and corruption inside the Chicago police.
• His rise to lead Cook County’s Special Investigations Unit.
• Tony Accardo’s jury list and the FBI’s response.
• Criminal cases, prison, and Richard’s return to Mexico.
• Michael’s account of a planned takeover of the Chicago Outfit.
• The fatal ambush at Rose’s Sandwich Shop.  

Featured book: The Tangled Web: The Life and Death of Richard Cain, Chicago Cop and Mafia Hit Man by Michael Cain.  

Follow Gangland Wire for more Mafia history, detective interviews, and stories from inside organized crime investigations. 

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

How did Las Vegas change from a mob-influenced gambling town into a casino empire dominated by corporations?  

Retired Kansas City Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins welcomes Nelson Conway Jr., author of *Vegas Incorporated*, to explore that transformation through casino history and his family’s experiences.  

Conway’s father was a Las Vegas CPA whose firm worked with legendary properties, including the Flamingo, Sands, Golden Nugget, and Binion’s Horseshoe. Nelson explains his father’s role in taking the Showboat public in 1969 and why he believes that transaction helped open the door to corporate investment.  

Gary and Nelson discuss Benny Binion’s larger-than-life personality, high-stakes gambling at the Horseshoe, and Lefty Rosenthal’s battles with Nevada gaming regulators. Gary adds his perspective on casino skimming, Teamsters pension fund financing, and the Kansas City mob’s connection to the Tropicana.  

They also recall the personal service that defined old Vegas, where returning guests were greeted by name and casino employees remembered their favorite drinks and games.   Finally, Nelson shares a memorable family story: his father’s face-to-face encounter with Bugsy Siegel at the Flamingo’s 1946 opening.   An inside look at the businessmen, gangsters, and corporate money that helped reshape Las Vegas.

Get Vegas Incorporated here by clicking on the title. 

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 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