Showing posts with label mafia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mafia. Show all posts

The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer Review

The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer ReviewI've studied NYC, NJ & Philly OC for over 20 years now. I've read 100's of books on this subject including the one by Anthony Bruno about Kuklinski about 10 years ago. Some by cops, some by feds, some by rats, some by reporters. Nowhere have I ever read, even hinted at, the more outragous claims made by Richard (Iceman) Kuklinski. A couple of the more unbelievable.
Paul (Big Paul) Castellano Shooting. HE WAS NOT THERE. This was planned and executed by "The Fist" a faction of Gambino's dissatisfied for a number of reasons with his leadership. The Fist was made up of John Gotti, Angelo Ruggerio, Frankie DeCicco, Robert (DeBee) Debenardo, and Sammy Bull Gravano. Others in the family (Gene Gotti, Joe Gallo, et al) knew of the plot, but it emulated and was executed primarily by the Bergin crew headed by Gotti. Below are the shooters. NONE was paid cash to participate. The payment was power within the Gambino's hierarchy after Big Paul was dead. There is NO WAY Gravano would have asked or Gotti would have approved of an unknown shooter being brought into the plot as a freelance mercenary.
John CarnegliaPrimary shooter, target Castellano, in front of Sparks,
Vincent Artuso Primary shooter, target Castellano, in front of Sparks,
Eddie LinoPrimary shooter, target Billotti, in front of Sparks,
Salvatore (Fat Sally) Scala,Primary shooter, target Billotti, in front of Sparks,
Dominick (Skinny Dom) Pizzonia,Back-up shooter across E. 46th St. from Sparks,
Anthony (Tony Roach) Rampino,Back-up shooter across E. 46th St. from Sparks,
Angelo (Quack Quack) Ruggerio,Back-up shooter across E. 46th St. from Sparks,
Joe (The German)Watts,Back-up shooter across E. 46th St. from Sparks,
John GottiIn Car at 3rd Ave & E. 46th St. opposite Sparks,
Salvatore (Sammy Bull) GravanoIn Car at 3rd Ave & E. 46th St. opposite Sparks,
FrankDeCiccoInside Sparks
The association with and killing of Roy DeMeo. It is possible that Kuklinski knew DeMeo. Although no cooperating witnesses ever mentioned him. It is even possible that DeMeo kept "The Pollock" around as a secert weapon - that I'd believe. But there is NO WAY, NONE, ZERO that DeMeo would have introduced him to his supervisor in the Gambino family, Anthony Gaggi. And Gaggi wouldn't introduce himself. BTW Gaggi's dog was not a German shepard but a pure breed male boxer. Lastly, Roy was killed by fellow crew associates Joseph Testa and Anthony Senter as well as Nino after orders came from Paul to "take care of him Nino". Also, Frankie DeCicco was instructed to assist Nino if he needed shooters or back-up. Again, no one was paid. Senter and Testa were promoted to made status. Dracula was killed around the same time.
The killing of Jimmy Hoffa. C'mon not even the author could possibly believe this. It has been verified beyond dispute that Tony Pro was in NJ at the time of the killing. I'm not going to waste time reputing this BS any more.
Carmine (Lilo, Cigar) Galante Shooting. There was a lone dinner in Joe & Mary's that hot July afternoon according to Giuseppe Turano's son. However, he hit the deck when Louis Giongetti, Dominick Trinchera and Sonny Black walked in armed to teeth. Turncoat Galante bodyguard Cesare Bonventre pulled his pistol and shot loyal Galante bodyguard Leonard Coppola six times before he hit the floor. Clueless and 3rd bodyguard Baldassare (Baldo) Amato pulled his gun and dove behind a table. Sonny shotgunned Galante while Big Trin chased down Turano's son and shot him in back while he searched for a gun stored in the employee's bathroom. Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato waited in the street by the car with a M1 carbine. Louis Giongetti walked over to Coppola and shot the top of his skull of for good measure. Cesare quickly informed his cousin Baldo not to shoot and leave with him, which he did. This killing was ordered by boss Phillip Rastelli in conjuction with the Gambino's over control of the heroin market and revenge for Gambino killings. Ironically, it was the Zips headed by Salvatore Catalano & Joe Ganci who eventually took over Galante's babina business. Massino took control of the family. This account has been verified by several different sources.
Cave with Rats. Logistics would be unlikely or impossible. Try to find a remote cave 75 miles from home at night whilst guarding a live hostage. Try setting up automatic camera's w/ lights to capture the rats eating the victim. I will admit it's a sick mind to envision such things, but I doubt he actually did it. Camera, light and motion technology plus logistics of transport makes it an unlikely tale to scare women and small children.
Flare to balls.I read almost same account about Legs Diamond and a farmer in a book called Mob Stories about seven years ago. A little less graphic but, punch line was same. Probably Rich read this too. Obviously author didn't read it or don't know how to vet a source.
All in all a good book and worth the money for true crime buffs. I'm glad I bought it, but the killings Kuklinski actually did would have been enough. The other mob stuff is his own fantasy.
The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer Overview

Want to learn more information about The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

The Man Who Got Away: The Bugs Moran Story--A Biography Review

The Man Who Got Away: The Bugs Moran Story--A Biography
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy The Man Who Got Away: The Bugs Moran Story--A Biography? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Man Who Got Away: The Bugs Moran Story--A Biography. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Man Who Got Away: The Bugs Moran Story--A Biography ReviewFinally, the untold story of George "Bugs" Moran. Previously largely a footnote to the life of Al Capone and recalled mainly as the guy who lost his gang in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Moran was a legend in his own time yet has always remained a man of mystery whose birth and background were early obscured by rumor and misinformation. Thanks to Rose Keefe, a wonderful writer and researcher and one of the rising stars of historical crime, we now have the complete and fascinating account of his life, from his Minnesota childhood to his equally intriguing post-Prohibition career as an independent criminal. An excellent companion to Rose's previous biography of Dean O'Banion (Guns and Roses, also highly recommended) and a marvelous uncovering of one of America's underworld legends that will leave you dying for more. Rose has captured The Man Who Got Away--something even Capone couldn't do!The Man Who Got Away: The Bugs Moran Story--A Biography Overview

Want to learn more information about The Man Who Got Away: The Bugs Moran Story--A Biography?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Fortuna Review

Fortuna
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Fortuna? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Fortuna. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Fortuna ReviewBored computer science major at Stanford University Jason Lind loves playing the online game Fortuna, based on Renaissance Florence economics. However, his role playing character Father Allesandro da Scala begins to take over more of Jason's time than his real life. He soon falls into heavy debt due to his character, but remains addicted to playing the game even as he is aware of what he is doing as the Renaissance Father
Broke he leaves Stanford to work for his Uncle Frank at Global Packet Control (GPC); the same firm his dad worked at before he died in a car accident almost a decade ago. At GPC, Jason uncovers questionable probably illegal deals and underhanded practices that leave him wondering what to do, but he thinks Father da Scala would know how to proceed.
Though the premise feels over the top of Mount Whitney, this is an intriguing blending of on-line role playing and global economics, as Michael R. Stevens argues that both consist of players starring in roles other than themselves. Except for a romantic subplot that feels forced and required, readers will find the saga of Jason-Father Allesandro fascinating.
Harriet Klausner
Fortuna Overview

Want to learn more information about Fortuna?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Friend of the Family: An Undercover Agent in the Mafia (Hardcover) Review

Friend of the Family: An Undercover Agent in the Mafia (Hardcover)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Friend of the Family: An Undercover Agent in the Mafia (Hardcover)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Friend of the Family: An Undercover Agent in the Mafia (Hardcover). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Friend of the Family: An Undercover Agent in the Mafia (Hardcover) ReviewThis book is about the FBI's undercover stories, specially the Coldwater and the Pizza II operations . Very intricate story line ,because of the many players involved.I am always fascinated with the workings of the Mafia ,and this is no exception. Michael Tsapazis author of "Zion and the Magic Sword"Friend of the Family: An Undercover Agent in the Mafia (Hardcover) Overview

Want to learn more information about Friend of the Family: An Undercover Agent in the Mafia (Hardcover)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Mob Nemesis Review

Mob Nemesis
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Mob Nemesis? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Mob Nemesis. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Mob Nemesis ReviewI guess this book was kinda interesting. It just seemd to drag on and go deep into FBI procedures and not so much into the everyday life of a gangster. Compared to other Mafia books I've read this is by far the worst. But it is still a mafia book, so I found it to be at least somewhat interesting. I would not recommend this book unless you are more interested in how the FBI fought organized crime, and not the everday operations of a mafia family.Mob Nemesis Overview

Want to learn more information about Mob Nemesis?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

The Takedown: A Suburban Mom, A Coal Miner's Son, and The Unlikely Demise of Colombia's Brutal Norte Valle Cartel Review

The Takedown: A Suburban Mom, A Coal Miner's Son, and The Unlikely Demise of Colombia's Brutal Norte Valle Cartel
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy The Takedown: A Suburban Mom, A Coal Miner's Son, and The Unlikely Demise of Colombia's Brutal Norte Valle Cartel? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Takedown: A Suburban Mom, A Coal Miner's Son, and The Unlikely Demise of Colombia's Brutal Norte Valle Cartel. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Takedown: A Suburban Mom, A Coal Miner's Son, and The Unlikely Demise of Colombia's Brutal Norte Valle Cartel ReviewJEFFREY ROBINSON DID IT AGAIN,HE FASCINATED US ONE MORE TIME IN HIS GREAT WAY OF WRITING AND GOING IN THE SUBJECT SO DEEPLY;
MUST BE READ;The Takedown: A Suburban Mom, A Coal Miner's Son, and The Unlikely Demise of Colombia's Brutal Norte Valle Cartel Overview

Want to learn more information about The Takedown: A Suburban Mom, A Coal Miner's Son, and The Unlikely Demise of Colombia's Brutal Norte Valle Cartel?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists Review

Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists Review"The first version of the story you hear is always wrong." Although movies makes stealing art look upper crust, Anthony M. Amore and Tom Mashberg prove time and again that art thievery is generally low class crooks looking to make a buck. They aren't interested in the art, it's just that art museums, unlike a bank, are not secure and therefore make stealing a Rembrandt much easier than stealing a million dollars.
That makes it a double crime because the thieves have so little understanding of the masterpiece they are making off with that they are willing to cut it from its frame, roll it up and stash it under beds and behind sofas. Not a good way to deal with four and five hundred year old masterpieces! And why Rembrandts? Why not Titian or Fra Angelico? It is simply that most people are familiar with the name Rembrandt as a fine artist.
But any semi intelligent person would realize the difficulty of reselling such obvious well known works of art. The pieces are generally recovered very quickly and if not a generation will go by before they are recovered.
I was intrigued to read of the problem with etchings. It has never occurred to me but it makes sense, because an etching can be reprinted over and over again, a new print of a Rembrandt etching can easily be inserted into a collection to replace a stolen one. The difference can sometimes be seen easily but not necessarily. The four hundred year old hand-made paper is usually the give away.
I appreciated these authors' interesting details about the art itself, its history and its importance along with the art crime. I had to google Portrait of a Young Girl Wearing a Gold-Trimmed Cloak. A Boston art dealer, Robert C. Vose, visited a monastery in Hollywood Hills to view and appraise their collection. He found most to be fakes with the exception of Rembrandts' Young Girl Wearing a Gold Trimmed Cloak. He bought it for $100,000 and sold it quickly for $125,000. It was then loaned to the Museum of Fine Arts and was stolen in 1975.
The account that made me groan aloud were the 239 items, works of art by Rembrandt, Watteau, Boucher and Peter Brueghel, Greek pottery, medieval crossbow and a Roman bugle. Stéphane Breitwieser was finally caught in 2001 whereupon his mother began cutting and destroying both art and frame, then put the canvas in the garbage disposal, she threw vases, jewelry, statuettes into a canal. By the time police raided the house there was virtually not one thing left! Nothing! 1.5 billion dollars worth of amazing art and relics was gone forever. Breitwieser spent two years in jail.
And then there is the painting by Rembrandt, Saskia at Her Bath, stolen from a home never to return. It was burned! Argh!!!
I grew up in Massachusetts and was fascinated to read of the Worcester museum theft, thefts from the Museum of Fine Art and of course the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum theft. It is an eerie sight to see the vacant frame still hanging in the museum where The Storm on the Sea of Galilee and A Lady and Gentleman in Black used to hang.
Having a compiled list at the back of the book is sobering.
This book was so interesting because of the historical details that accompanied the pieces of art that were stolen.Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists Overview

Want to learn more information about Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

The King of the Sunset Strip: Hangin' With Mickey Cohen And the Hollywood Mob Review

The King of the Sunset Strip: Hangin' With Mickey Cohen And the Hollywood Mob
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy The King of the Sunset Strip: Hangin' With Mickey Cohen And the Hollywood Mob? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The King of the Sunset Strip: Hangin' With Mickey Cohen And the Hollywood Mob. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The King of the Sunset Strip: Hangin' With Mickey Cohen And the Hollywood Mob Review. . . unless you want to lose sleep. Once I started reading, I found I didn't want to put it down until I was done. With all the famous names connected with the story, I felt like I was watching a movie while I read it. A totally different view of Hollywood Glamour meeting Hollywood Mob. Everybody loves a celebrity, and if they can't be one, they want to know one, or know somebody who knows one - and Mickey Cohen was no different. It was easy to see how and why a young man could get seduced by the power surrounding someone like Cohen, and, knowing he was bad, still find it hard to break away. Lucky for Stevens, he lived through it, and was able to tell his story.The King of the Sunset Strip: Hangin' With Mickey Cohen And the Hollywood Mob Overview

Want to learn more information about The King of the Sunset Strip: Hangin' With Mickey Cohen And the Hollywood Mob?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...