Oct 14, 2009
Ciro Terranova The story of Ciro Terranova - believed by some to be the original "Boss of Bosses" in New York City. by Allan May As a history writer covering organized crime, one of my concerns is to find reliable sources for the stories I produce. One of the ways I try to do...
Oct 14, 2009
Louis "Lepke" Buchalter
Thomas E. Dewey built a political career around hounding the Jewish gangster Lepke. His execution in 1944 — the first of a major underworld figure – riveted the attention of a nation and was in doubt up to the last minute.
by Allan May
It was...
Oct 14, 2009
James McBratneyby Allan May To most organized crime followers John Gotti is the most popular underworld figure of the past 15 years. His meteoric and bloody rise to prominence, his bravado, and his seemingly carefree attitude in beating the justice system during the late 1980s...
Oct 14, 2009
Gerald E. "Jerry" Buckley Was Detroit radio crusader Jerry Buckley murdered because he led a successful recall of the mayor or because he had witnessed a gangland murder? His unsolved case from 1930 leaves that question open. by Allan May Radio commentator and crusader...
Oct 14, 2009
Waxey GordonWaxey Gordon led a life of crime during a very long life. Busted for pickpocketing at age 18, he became a major East Coast bootlegger during Prohibition and the head of a heroin ring following World War II when he was in his 60s. He was the one Jewish gangster...
Oct 14, 2009
Anthony GiordanoThe story of a St. Louis mob boss who wielded influence not only in St. Louis, but in all of Colorado. Giordano was an old time gangster with a temper and was a legend in the Midwest.by Allan MayThe story of a St. Louis mob boss who wielded influence not only in...
Oct 14, 2009
Salvatore GingelloSalvatore Gingello was the most colorful gangland figure in Rochester’s organized crime history. His quick rise to fame and sensational ending was characteristic of the Rochester mob itself. by Allan May Salvatore Gingello was the most colorful gangland...
Oct 14, 2009
Anthony Brancato and Anthony Joseph TrombinoThe story of two Kansas City hoods who went to Los Angeles to throw their weight around. This story, peopled with such characters as Mickey Cohen and Jimmy "The Weasel" Frattiano, is a page that could have been torn from "L.A...
Oct 14, 2009
Charlie "The Bug" WorkmanThe story of Charlie "The Bug" Workman, who was rumored to have killed 20 men. One of those 20 men was Dutch Schultz.by Allan May When I read the biographies of criminals in Jay Nash’s World Encyclopedia of Organized Crime and Carl Sifakis’s Mafia...
Oct 14, 2009
"Mad Sam" DeStefanoThe story of a man many consider to be the most vicious in Chicago gangster history. by Allan MayWhen FBI agents and members of the Chicago Police Department’s Organized Crime Unit showed up to monitor the mourners at "Mad Sam" DeStefano’s funeral, they were...