The Gangland History Podcast: An Organized Crime & Mafia History Podcast

In this episode, the second of this series, we cover several mob hits that occurred in and around Philadelphia's Bruno Crime Family of LCN during the 1960's.

Our goal of these episodes is to dispel the myth that Angelo Bruno—"The Docile Don"—was a non-violent Boss. In fact, evidence will show that he likely handed down many hit contracts, which we will go over in detail over the course of Volumes I and beyond.

For Cosa Nostra Bosses in this era, ordering hits was standard operating procedure and could not be avoided. While we will cover many during the "Hits" episodes, in this particular video we talk about the following gangland murders:

1) "Whispers" DiTullio prior to 1966 (from the movie "The Irishman" (2019) and the book "I Heard You Paint Houses" by Charles Brandt)

2) Alberto Galante in 1964

3) William "Willie" Sears in 1964

4) Robert "Bobby" Bennett in 1964

The next episode will detail two hits that took place during the 1960's over control of Teamsters Local 107 in what was considered to be the Philadelphia mob's "Golden Era."

In this episode, we cover several mob hits that occurred in and around Philadelphia's Bruno Crime Family of LCN during the 1960's.

Our goal of these episodes is to dispel the myth that Angelo Bruno—"The Docile Don"—was a non-violent Boss. In fact, evidence will show that he likely handed down many hit contracts, which we will go over in detail over the course of Volumes I and beyond.

For Cosa Nostra Bosses in this era, ordering hits was standard operating procedure and could not be avoided.

While we will cover many during the "Hits" episodes, in this particular video we talk about the following gangland murders:

1 & 2) Vincent and Richie Blaney in 1960 and 1961

3) Dominick "Reds" Caruso in 1962

4) Ferdinand “Blackie” Iacono in 1963

Future episodes will detail at least 7 additional hits that took place during the 1960's in what was considered to be the Philadelphia mob's "Golden Era."

In this episode, featuring myself and Australian lawyer Tony Taouk, we discuss the life and times of George Remus who was famously dubbed, "The King of the Bootleggers" in the 1920's.

George Remus, born in 1878, was a German-born American lawyer who was probably most famously well-known as a bootlegger during the early days of Prohibition, and who later became even more infamous for the murder his wife Imogene, for which he was acquitted.

In popular culture, many believed that George Remus served as the inspiration for The Great Gatsby, and he was even famously portrayed on the HBO series, Boardwalk Empire.

In this episode, we discuss:

Remus birth in Landsberg, Germany in the 1870's and his arrival in the United States in the 1880's

The Remus family's beginnings in Chicago, Illinois

Remus' early experience working at his uncle's pharmacy, as well as his attendance of the Chicago College of Pharmacy, where he became a certified pharmacist

George Remus' collegiate attendance of the Illinois College of Law in which he gained admittance to the Illinois Bar, specializing as a defense attorney

Remus' involvement in the 1914 murder trial of William Cheny Ellis, and the first successful use of the "transitory insanity" defense in the history of the United States

Remus' beginnings as a bootlegger after he was able to exploit a loophole in the Volstead Act, allowing him to grow his bootlegging business on a technicality

Remus' move from Chicago, Illinois to Cincinnati, Ohio and the growth of his bootlegging empire in the 1920's, run from his sprawling property on the west side of Cincinnati, dubbed "Death Valley"

Remus' divorce from his first wife, and marriage to socialite Imogene Holmes (later Remus), as well as the extravagant mansion, "The Marble Palace"

The eventual arrest of Remus for violations of the Volstead Act and his prison sentence

The collapse of Remus' marriage to Imogene after a cheating scandal with a Bureau of Investigation agent, Franklin Dodge

The murder of his wife Imogene in October of 1927, the subsequent trial in which Remus again pleaded "temporary insanity," and his acquittal after just 19 minutes of jury deliberations

The remainder of Remus' life and his ultimate legacy in the annals of the underworld

The truth of Remus' peculiar tendency to talk about himself in the third-person

Remus' death in 1952 of natural causes in Covington, Kentucky

In this episode, we again discuss Joseph Barbara Sr., the mobster who famously hosted the ill-fated Apalachin Mob Meeting in Apalachin, New York. Part Three covers the events leading up to the disastrous Apalachin meeting in 1957 and the fallout. Part One: https://youtu.be/NGHgoGlYOgw Part Two: https://youtu.be/2h1ERPB0sCU In this final installment of a three-part series, we discuss: 00:00 Start 01:27 Opening Remarks 05:38 Events directly preceding the Apalachin meeting 13:12 Who ordered the Apalachin meeting 13:58 The Apalachin meeting gets raided by police 19:27 Law enforcement's previous suspicions of Barbara 26:32 The history behind Edgar Croswell's initial interest in Barbara 34:09 The "sick friend" excuse and real reasons for the meeting 38:18 Barbara's ill health and becoming a recluse 40:12 The law catches up with Barbara and his company 41:15 Barbara sells Canada Dry Bottling Company 41:55 Barbara sells famous estate 42:50 Barbara subpoenaed to testify in front of grand jury 43:40 Barbara indicted for tax evasion 44:34 Barbara's last public appearance 45:32 Barbara's death and funeral 51:10 Joseph Barbara's mob legacy 54:27 Closing remarks

We sat down to talk with Gary Jenkins, who is a retired Kansas City Police Detective, lawyer, as well as the host of the extremely popular mob podcast, Gangland Wire. In this episode, we discuss the following topics:

Links to Gary's documentaries, podcast, website, and YouTube channel:

In this episode, we again discuss Joseph Barbara Sr., the mobster who famously hosted the ill-fated Apalachin Mob Meeting in Apalachin, New York.

In this second of a three-part series, we discuss:

Part Three will cover the events leading up to the disastrous Apalachin meeting in 1957 and the fallout.

Part One: https://youtu.be/NGHgoGlYOgw

In this episode, we discuss Roy Marcus Cohn (1927-1986) with professional attorney, Tony Taouk of Magna Carta Lawyers in Sydney, Australia. Tony and I walk through Roy Cohn's history, and Tony brings an attorney's perspective to some of Cohn's vicious tactics, personal life, as well as areas where he displayed both pure brilliance and borderline diabolical evil. We cover:

In this episode, we discuss Joseph Barbara Sr., the mobster who famously hosted the ill-fated Apalachin Mob Meeting in Apalachin, New York. In this first of a two-part series, we discuss the beginning of Barbara's mob career including:

Join me as a make a significant announcement about the future of this show and discuss my plans for 2024 and beyond.

In this episode, we finish the series on the Cerrito Crime Family of the American Cosa Nostra who operated in and around San Jose, California, and who were a significant entity controlling organized crime in the San Jose area for many decades beginning around the 1940’s and were in existence until at least the 1990’s or early 2000’s.

While we covered the family's first two bosses, Onofrio Sciortino and Joe Cerrito in Part One, in this episode we'll focus the majority of our time on the man who allegedly became Boss after Joseph Cerrito's death in 1978, that being Angelo Marino.

We discuss:

Part One: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMtMn1NTK3A

In the second episode of this multi-part series, we cover Angelo Bruno, Boss of the Philadelphia Mafia during the "Golden Age" of the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra from the years 1960-1969. We recap Bruno's ascension to Boss of the Philly Mob during 1959 when a dispute between himself and Acting Boss Antonio "Mr. Mig" Pollina, along with support from Bruno's good friend Carlo Gambino, resulting in Bruno taking the top chair in the Philadelphia underworld and joining The Commission as the first boss from Philadelphia to do so. From there, we also recap Bruno's underworld dealings leading up to his time as boss and his involvement as the top numbers man in Philadelphia during the 1950's and 1960's, as well as his illegitimate and legitimate business interests in several vending companies, the Maggio Cheese Company, and even companies down in Florida as well as an amusement park in the Dominican Republic. In the early 1960's, we cover the hierarchy of the family as well as a 1962 dispute between Bruno and his Underboss, Ignazio Denaro, which led to a major Commission beef. We also cover various arrests throughout the 1960's, some of which Bruno handled with great ease, and an extortion case from 1963 that caused Bruno to go on the lam to Italy and landed his trusted advisor Phil Testa in jail for over a year in the early 1960's. Once Bruno deals with the 1963 extortion case, which was taking place at the same time as the infamous Valachi Hearings, we walk you through the key members of the Philadelphia underworld and the various goings-on in the mid-to-late 1960's, including the death of Felix "Skinny Razor" DeTullio and the rise in Atlantic City of Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo. Bruno closes out the 1960's hitting his stride in the Philly underworld, batting away cases with ease as the Bruno Crime Family significantly expands it's influence and wealth. By the end of the decade, Angel Bruno is ranked as one of the Top 6 Costa Nostra bosses nationally by a Justice Department report. We cover all of this, with a lot of details and amazing stories in between. Watch Part One: https://youtu.be/7CpCcc2e_Ls

We cover instances of FBI wiretaps picking up mobster conversations related to both the FBI in the early 1960's and the Kennedy brothers pre-and-post JFK's assassination.

We share and help you interpret excerpts from the 1978-1979 Senate report entitled, "House Select Committee on Assassinations: Investigation of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy" which breaks down possible mob-involvement in the 1963 assassination of the 35th President John F. Kennedy, as well as other potential players and scenarios.

We briefly cover the mob's involvement in the election of the 35th president, and discuss his brother, Robert F. Kennedy, who was named Attorney General in the early 1960's, and who'd launched an all-out war on the American Mafia, spear-headed by advancements within the FBI focused on the outing Cosa Nostra in this country.

Robert F. Kennedy's efforts led to significant increases in legal action against the Mafia across the United States, and put immense pressure on many of the mob's key players.

We briefly touch on the findings of the 1964 Warren Commission, and then dive into the wiretaps, first sharing more well-known stories, but then sharing lesser-known conversations.

Mobsters mentioned in this episode include:

Others mentioned:

So it’s clear that they, the Mafia, had the means and the motive to commit the crime. But did they actually play a part in it? My personal opinion is that maybe they were the primary executioners, but we’d be naïve to believe that they played no part at all.

That being said, we may never actually know the truth until the government releases every single record, many of which are still classified to this day, about the plot.

Until then, I’ll let you decide.

In today’s episode, we’ve recorded an amazing interview with Jeff Canarsie, the host of Mob Talk Radio. I’m really excited and honestly very appreciative that this guest was able to take time out of their busy life to sit and talk with me for a few hours to talk about his life, his show, and much more.

In the interview, we discuss a range of topics including:

We also cover:

In this episode, we cover the Cerrito Crime Family of the American Cosa Nostra who operated in and around San Jose, California, and who were a significant entity controlling organized crime in the San Jose area for many decades beginning around the 1940’s and were in existence until at least the 1990’s or early 2000’s.

My research will show that this particular LCN family was likely the most risk-averse and least-aggressive family of all 20+ families across the country during the Mafia's hey-dey, but I'll let you decide.

We discuss:

Included prominently in this article are the family's long-time Underboss, Emanuel “Manny” Figlia, Angelo Marino, Alex Camarata, Pete Misuraca, as well as many other colorful characters and cameos from important Cosa Nostra figures throughout the country.

Read more: https://membersonlypodcast.com/cerrito-crime-family-part-one/

In this video, we cover Angelo Bruno, the man known as the "Docile Don" and/or "Gentle Don" who ruled over the Philadelphia underworld as the city's Cosa Nostra don from around 1959 until his murder in 1980. Bruno presided over one of the most, relatively speaking, peaceful eras of the Philly mafia.

In this video, we cover:

Read more: https://membersonlypodcast.com/angelo-bruno-the-docile-don-part-one/

In today's episode, I do my first-ever interview with author Sam Carlino, who is is in fact the Grandson of the infamous Colorado gangster Pete Carlino, dubbed in the late 1920's as the "The Al Capone of Southern Colorado" by the local media. The Carlino brothers (Pete and Sam) established a bootlegging empire beginning around 1916 until 1931 when they were murdered by rivals. We discuss the following:

Link to buy book: https://carlinobrothers.com/index.php/product/colorados-carlino-brothers-a-bootlegging-empire/

Read more: https://membersonlypodcast.com/interview-sam-carlino-grandson-of-pete-carlino/

We cover the era of the Smaldone brothers including Clyde Smaldone, Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone, and Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone. 

We dive into the history behind this family which ran most of the rackets in and around Denver, Colorado throughout the 1930’s through the 1980’s. 

We’re also going to touch on their connection to the Mafia in Pueblo, Colorado, and discuss some of the players in that family as well.

Topics that we dive into:

Mentioned in this episode: Clyde "Flip Flop" Smaldone, Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone, Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone, Paul "Fat Paulie" Villano, Raffaele "Ralph" Smaldone, Eugene "Young Gene" Smaldone, Giuseppe "Joe" Roma, Paul Enrichi, Frank "Blackie" Mazza, John "Porky" Routta, Joe "The Ram" Salardino, Calogero "Charles" Blanda, Vincenzo "Black Jim" Coletti, Joseph "Scotty" Spinuzzi, Leo Barnes, Mike "Fats" Falbo, Harold "Murph" Cohen, Robin "Walkie Talkie" Roberts, Sam Shanks, Pauline Smaldone, John "Skip" LaGuardia, Ralph Pizzalato

If you haven't watcehed to Part one, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72WhjfPxUq8

Also, here are the links to buy the books I cited within the episode...  

Blog Post: https://membersonlypodcast.com/colorado-mob-history-part-two/

The first episode of a two-part series on the organization that would later become known as the Smaldone Crime Family, which ran organized crime in Denver and much of Colorado during the 20th century.  

We tell the story of the early days of organized crime in Colorado, how the area’s Mafia got its start, the bloody strife during the 1920’s and early 30’s, and how that strife ultimately led to what became known as the Smaldone organization.  

If the violence in New York and on the East Coast at the time can be considered the epitome of viciousness, I can assure you that Colorado’s infighting was every bit as violent—it just doesn’t get the credit it deserves since it’s not quite as high profile.  

This episode is focused primarily on how the mob evolved within the state, and specifically in the main hubs of Denver and Pueblo, Colorado which were two separate but very much interrelated groups. To those from the area, I’d love it if you chime in and share your stories in the comments section for this video.  

The big events we cover in this video include: 

In the next episode, we will discuss the rise and careers of Clyde "Flip Flop" Smaldone, Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone, Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone, as well as several Pueblo Cosa Nostra members.

Also, here are the links to buy the books I cited within the episode...

In this episode, we explore the first and second Gallo Wars (also dubbed the Profaci and Colombo family wars) in an effort to solve the question of whether the alleged incident in which Aniello "Mr. Neil" Dellacroce was severely beaten by Joey Gallo during the original Profaci-Gallo conflict in 1961.  

Additionally, we provide a blow-by-blow of some of the key events related to both Gallo Wars, as well as analysis related to the alleged incident involved Dellacroce and Gallo.  

See website for full list of sources: https://membersonlypodcast.com/did-joey-gallo-punch-neil-dellacroce-during-gallo-wars/

Primary sources:  

In this episode, we tell the story of a man who once had a blossoming career as a professional ballplayer, and how he became a vicious and respected hitman for the Patriarca Crime Family.  

Maurice "Pro" Lerner grew up in Massachusetts and at just 18 years old, he signed his first professional baseball contract with the Washington Senators. He would go on to spend 10 years in the minor leagues, compiling a career batting average of .308 while playing for 21 different minor league ball clubs.  

Unfortunately, when his baseball career fizzled out, his penchant for getting into trouble and a violent streak led him to become involved in the criminal underworld in New England. He would ultimately become an enforcer and hitman for the Patriarca Crime Family and would be involved in a number of gangland slayings, including his role as the primary shooter in the infamous double homicide of Rudolph "Rudy" Marfeo and Anthony Melei in 1968.  

Ultimately, Lerner would stand trial with several confederates including the Don of the underworld in New England, Raymond Patriarca himself. Lerner and the others would be convicted and sentenced to prison, with Lerner receiving two life sentences.  

Maurice "Pro" Lerner would serve 18 years of his life sentence, but would be released in 1988 after his conviction was overturned due to a revelation of significant perjury on the part of the main witness in his case along with corruption from the primary FBI agent on the case.  

After release, Lerner would live out the rest of his life in Las Vegas, Nevada, passing away in 2013 at the age of 78.  Primary source for this story: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/30/sports/baseball/maurice-lerner-prospect-turned-mob-hitman.html

In today’s episode, the second of a two-part series, we’re finally branching outside of New York to cover Raymond L.S. Patriarca, one of the most feared and respected bosses in the history of the American Cosa Nostra.  

Raimondo "Raymond" Loredo Salvatore Patriarca was boss over the New England area for over 30 years (1952-1984). Basing his family's operations in Providence, Rhode Island, Patriarca was one of the most feared and respected bosses in the history of the American Cosa Nostra. He ruled over the New England area including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, etc. with an iron fist for more than three decades as the namesake of what is still known even today as the Patriarca crime family.   

By most accounts, Ray Patriarca was one of the most ruthless and effective bosses, be it inside or outside of New York, in the entire country. In fact, legend has it that he allegedly even once ordered a solider to murder his own son. So when I say ruthless, I mean about as heartless as they come. Even still, his men respected him, he was viewed as a good and fair leader, and due to that he was able to exert control not just Rhode Island but on the entirety of New England.  

Link to Part One: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qyHLNBUc7w

In today’s episode, the first of a two-part series, we’re finally branching outside of New York to cover Raymond L.S. Patriarca, one of the most feared and respected bosses in the history of the American Cosa Nostra.

Raimondo "Raymond" Loredo Salvatore Patriarca was boss over the New England area for over 30 years (1952-1984). Basing his family's operations in Providence, Rhode Island, Patriarca was one of the most feared and respected bosses in the history of the American Cosa Nostra. He ruled over the New England area including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, etc. with an iron fist for more than three decades as the namesake of what is still known even today as the Patriarca crime family. 

By most accounts, Ray Patriarca was one of the most ruthless and effective bosses, be it inside or outside of New York, in the entire country. In fact, legend has it that he allegedly even once ordered a solider to murder his own son. 

So when I say ruthless, I mean about as heartless as they come. Even still, his men respected him, he was viewed as a good and fair leader, and due to that he was able to exert control not just Rhode Island but on the entirety of New England. 

Link to Part Two: https://youtu.be/Zae26BJCafo

In this episode, mob historian and history buff Jacob Stoops delves into the Wedding Scene from the Godfather.   

In this scene, which is one of the most important scenes of the movie, you're introduced to the Corleone family at large. He dives into the stories of the iconic characters, the actors, and even real life mafiosi including:  

Please check out the video review of The Opening Scene: https://youtu.be/oBkPJoiBEJI  

The focus will be on providing his opinion, tidbits of information from the books the movies are often based on, as well as some behind-the-scenes information that serves to help viewers explore, contextualize, and clarify stories related to the most famous historical movies. The overarching goal is not only to entertain but to educate and inform.  

As with all episodes of this podcast, his views are his own. The production of this content is a labor of love, and is a means of expressing passion for history as well as cinema and pop culture. Courteous viewer feedback is always welcomed.  

*Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. All rights belong to their respective owners.

In this episode, we cover a mobster who is probably most well-known for enjoying a good shoe shine. That’s right, we’re talking about none other than William “Billy Batts” Bentvena.  

“Billy Batts” was a soldier within the Gambino Crime Family from the 1950’s through the early 1970’s, and was one who rubbed elbows with some very famous Cosa Nostra members including of course his good friend, one John Joseph Gotti.  

Bentvena’s lasting legacy is in my opinion not as a significant individual contributor to the mob, though he was tied up in a pretty significant event as we’ll discuss. 

His name is really only remembered as a result of the repercussions of his brutal murder, which was famously portrayed in the classic mob film, Goodfellas. "Now go home and get your fucking shine box!" is one of the most memorable lines in movie history.