By 1983 some were crossing lines that couldn’t be uncrossed: A mysterious trader had convinced the market he was a magician when in reality he was just a cheater [Boesky]; a poor girl from Brooklyn had become the queen of hospitality [Helmsley] but her fairytale would soon take a very dark turn; a real estate showman had won his nasty battle with the city and was preparing to make his biggest gamble yet (so what if his numbers didn’t add up); and as the new sheriff in town [Giuliani] plotted the move that would launch him to stardom, a ruthless young Capo [Gotti] made a move of his own, one that would shake the Mafia to its core. Empires of New York s1e2: Nothing in Their Way
Gotti: He was the Capo who wanted to be Don. And he decided he wouldn’t wait for his due, he’d seize it … ‘Now he had got to power, Gotti now wanted to be the peacock. Because he’d spent so long being under-appreciated within the Gambino family, when he gets to the top of it he almost wants to make up for lost time.’ Empires of New York s1e3: Image is Everything, Sean Deveney, author Greed & Glory
It’s a jewellery store ... We don’t want Tiffany’s; we want a mom-and-pop operation. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead 2007 starring Philip Seymour Hoffman & Ethan Hawke & Marisa Tomei & Albert Finney & Rosemary Harris & Brian F O'Byrne & Aleksa Palladino & Michael Shannon & Amy Ryan & Sarah Livingston & Jordan Gelber et al, director Sidney Lumet, Hoffman to Hawke
The world is an evil place, Charlie. And some of us make money off of that. Others get destroyed. ibid. pawn bloke to father
What’s advertising but a legalised con game? And what the hell’s marriage? The Anderson Tapes 1971 starring Sean Connery & Christopher Walken & Alan King & Martin Balsam & Dyan Cannon & Ralph Meeker Val Avery & Dick Anthony Williams & Garrett Morris et al, director Sidney Lumet, Duke
America, man. You know, it’s so beautiful I wanna eat it. ibid. Walken
My name is Dalton Russell. Inside Man 2006 starring Denzel Washington & Clive Owen & Jodie Foster & Christopher Plummer & Willem Dafoe et al, director Spike Lee, prologue
My friends and I are making a very large withdrawal from this bank. ibid. bank robber
Get rich or die trying. ibid. kid hostage
During World War II there was an American working for a bank in Switzerland ... He used his position with the Nazis to enrich himself ... He used his blood money to start a bank. ibid. Dalton
You saw Dog Day Afternoon – you’re stalling. ibid. Denzel
I sold my soul and I’ve been trying to buy it back ever since. ibid. bank boss
Respect is the ultimate currency. ibid. Dalton’s currency
The Dominican Republic is a major transit point for heroin and cocaine. From here it is smuggled into the United States. Narco Wars: The Mob s2e1: The Heroin Don
In 2016 almost a million Americans used heroin. Double the number of users in the 1970s. They’re supplying a mass market created in the 1950s by one of the most powerful crime syndicates in the world: the American Mafia. ibid.
Carmine Galante was far and away the biggest heroin kingpin in the world. He developed a whole system of smuggling tons of heroin into the country. ibid.
Carmine Galante is a trusted member of one of the most brutal Mafia families in New York: the Bonanno Family. ibid.
Galante is on the brink of transforming the North American heroin trade. But in 1962 his plans are thwarted. He’s sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for drug offences. ibid.
In 1974 there are 460,000 heroin addicts in the US. Almost half are in New York. ibid.
‘They had to make an example of Galante. It was a daylight assassination to send a message that we are the ones who rule, the rules are not to be broken.’ ibid.
Even a legend can go too far … A man in his position has to worry as much about his friends as his enemies. (GBH Films & Terror & Gangs US: New York) Nighthawks 1981 starring Sylvester Stallone & Billy Dee Williams & Lindsay Wagner & Persis Khambatta & Nigel Davenport & Hilarie Thompson & Rutger Hauer & et al, director, English rozzer
I do not enjoy killing. But it’s my job. Someone has to do it … I’m a liberator. ibid. terrorist to Stalone
New York City 1982: One in every forty residents in New York City is a heroin addict. Drug Lords: The Takedown s1e5: Tse Chi Lop, TV news, National Geographic 2023
If you were shooting up heroin in New York City you were almost certainly shooting up his heroin. ibid. dude
I would say he was the biggest heroin trafficker I came across in my career. ibid. rozzer
Squad C25 began as an Asian Crime Squad. ibid.
As a new wave of heroin sweeps New York City, C25 sets out to find the suppliers and take them down … China White was the designation given to the heroin. ibid. caption
The Chinese gang involved with the Sicilians are new in town. They’re called the Big Circle Boys. ibid.
By the end of 1997 the entire snake is in custody. Almost. ibid.
August 1998: 6 years after the tip-off about the Bronx Street Corner heroin market, Mark Calnan comes face to face with Mr Big. ibid.
Two people [Castellano] gunned down brazenly just after five o’clock during Christmas shopping. Get Gotti I, Netflix 2023
Who would have the balls to kill the boss of bosses? ibid. rozzer
New York in the ’80s was the perfect time to be a criminal. You can get away with everything. ibid. woman
He came in, he was like a movie star. ibid. reporter
They’re confused. ibid. Gotti going into court
We were absolutely unprepared for the firestorm that followed. ibid. prosecutor
I, John Gotti, will sever your motherfucking head off. Get Gotti II
A veritable zoo of lowlifes. ibid. witnesses for Gotti in court
The first successful defence of a RICO case. ibid.
We had to surreptitiously install microphones, transmitters, bugs etc. ibid. ops squad
January 1989: Gotti is accused of ordering the 1986 shooting of John O’Connor, a Carpenters’ Union official. Get Gotti III
Everyone in the room including John Gotti was surprised. ibid. man
The Feds were all over the place. They were on everybody. ibid. Gangster
This will be a Costa Nostra till I die. ibid. Gotti on tape
Gotti is accused of several acts of racketeering … ibid. TV news
The Gotti trial is the hottest show off-Broadway. ibid. TV reporting
Tonight, the Dapper Don trades his pinstripes for prison stripes. ibid.
Now it’s time to focus on your bottom line. Reaching your full earning potential won’t happen on its own. But by putting your intellect to work along with your muscle you can outfox your competition and become the underworld CEO of your dreams. How to Become a Mob Boss II: Build a Better Operation, Netflix 2023
Harlem’s superfly heroin tycoon Frank Lucas. Lucas’s revolutionary strategy upended New York’s drug trade creating his own supply chain that banked more than $1 billion a day. ibid.
Frank Lucas built a multi-million-dollar international heroin empire from the ground up, all before his 40th birthday. ibid.
Earn street cred … Cut out the middleman … Corner the market … By creating a premium product and mastering distribution Frank had Harlem’s heroin market in the palm of his hand … Clean your cash … His time on top lasted just seven years ... ibid.
Not all Mob bosses pay attention to its lessons. I want to tell you about someone who thought he knew better. His name – John Gotti. How to Become a Mob Boss IV: Don’t Go Rogue: John Gotti
During his tumultuous six year reign over the New York’s Gambino crime family Gotti blew off the rulebook at every turn leading to an endless series of arrests and betrayals. ibid.
Fact #1: Gotti fell in with the Gambino crime family as a teen; Fact #2: Gotti had a powerful mentor; Fact 3: Gotti shot his way to the top; Tactic: Keep your head down; Tactic: Stay connected. ibid.
Albert Anastasia … First chance he gets, Albert along with three of his seven brothers, takes to sea and jumps ship in the port of New York. Scary Tales of New York s1e4: Haircut for a Mob Boss
Witnesses against Albert Anastasia can expect a very short life. ibid.
Lucky Luciano and Albert Anastasia are soldiers for Joe the Boss Masseria. ibid.
Albert Anastasia is made underboss in the Mangano family. ibid.