The celebrity crooner Frank Sinatra not only was tied up to the mob for life as they had helped him with his career, but he also owned casinos at Lake Tahoe and elsewhere in the area.
mob
The Sopranos creators were often contacted…
The Sopranos creators were often contacted by the FBI and told that actual mobsters, whose conversations were picked up by wiretaps, had plenty to say about the show. They considered the show’s portrayal of the mob life so dead-on, they thought one of their own was was working on the inside.
Mafia boss Lucky Luciano’s “favorite assassin”…
Mafia boss Lucky Luciano’s “favorite assassin”, “Red” Levine, an Orthodox Jew never planned to murder from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. If he had to make the hit on Shabbat, he would first put on a prayer shawl, say his prayers, and then do the job.
Frank Sinatra was friends with JFK…
Frank Sinatra was friends with JFK. In 1962, in anticipation of a presidential visit, Sinatra had a helipad built at his house in Palm Springs. When JFK snubbed him and ended their friendship (due to Sinatra’s alleged mob ties), Sinatra grabbed a sledge hammer and smashed up the helipad.
The Mafia helped establish the…
The Mafia helped establish the Gay Bar scene in New York. Fat Tony purchased the Stonewall Inn in 1966 and transformed it into a bar and restaurant. He later bribed the New York Police Department around $1,200 a week to ignore ‘indecent conduct’ occurring behind closed doors.
A con man tricked Al Capone out…
A con man tricked Al Capone out of $5,000. He got Capone to give him $50,000 to invest in a scam. After 2 months, he returned it. He told Capone that the scam had fallen through, and he had no money left to support himself. Capone, stung by his honesty, gave him $5,000 to “tide him over”.
1981 Cadillac Eldorados were…
1981 Cadillac Eldorados were fitted with a metal plate under the driver’s seat to fix a balancing problem. This saved mob associate Frank Rosenthal‘s life when the plate shielded him from the force of a car bomb exploding under his Eldorado.
New York’s underground gay bars of the 1960’s…
New York’s underground gay bars of the 1960’s (including the Stonewall Inn) were actually created and supported by the Mafia. It was illegal to be gay. The mob paid off local precincts to keep them from doing raids.
Al Capone’s older brother was a policeman in Nebraska.
Al Capone’s older brother was a policeman in Nebraska.