At one time a cash pipeline straight to America’s Mafia. Casino: True Story, 2009
The most lucrative of them all was the Stardust. ibid.
A way of pocketing their cash without leaving any trace in the accounts – it was known as The Skim. ibid.
In 1971 the Chicago Mob sent in Tony ‘the Ant’ Spilotro to act as their enforcer. ibid.
As the city’s first organised burglary crew, the gang took full advantage of lax security ... the Hole-in-the-wall Gang. ibid.
In 1979 as part of a major government initiative FBI agents were dispatched to Vegas to drive the Mafia out of the city. ibid.
The Fed’s strategy was to follow the money. ibid.
The FBI offered to drop the charges if Collotta became a state witness against his boss. ibid.
The Mob had lost its biggest earner and someone had to pay. ibid.
The battle for Las Vegas was over and the Law had won. ibid.
From the chaos of the New York City streets rises a legion of visionary gangsters, determined to create their own version of the American dream. The Making of the Mob, Quest 2015
The American Mafia – making millions, killing thousands, and changing the face of crime for ever. ibid.
In the fall of 1931 Charles Lucky Luciano calls the most powerful gangsters in America to a hotel in Chicago for a meeting that will soon change everything. ibid.
They still have to give a huge cut of their profits to Joe Masseria. ibid.
Luciano and Lansky decide that they’re going to use their gangs to take out Joe the Boss Masseria. A move that will lead to an all-out war unlike anything New York has ever seen. ibid.
Every man has a weakness and for [Arnold] Rothstein it’s high-stakes gambling. The Making of the Mob II
Masseria’s empire has been targeted by a ruthless well-funded Sicilian mob boss named Salvatore Maranzano. ibid.
After taking out the two most powerful Mob bosses in New York, 34-year-old Charles Lucky Luciano sets in motion the next phase of his plan – to seize control of the New York City. Luciano and his crew – Mayer Lansky, Frank Costello, Bugsy Seigel and Vito Genovese – send an army of hitmen to eliminate loyalists of the New York underworld’s old regimes. The Making of the Mob III
‘Luciano calls for a major meeting of the crime bosses in New York and major gangsters elsewhere. Until this time there is really no Mafia in America.’ ibid. Selwyn Raab
Dutch Schultz: His numbers operation alone brings in $20 million a year. ibid.
Dutch Schultz plans to assassinate the man on a mission to take down the mob – New York prosecutor Thomas Dewey. Dewey launches a crusade against organised crime. The Making of the Mob IV
The New York kingpin orders a hit on one of his own. ibid.
Underground brothels are thriving and he [Luciano] wants a cut of their profits ... Luciano streamlines the prostitution business ... A city-wide network of up to 200 brothels and up to 1,200. ibid.
From a jail cell in Arkansas, Lucky Luciano is still in full control of his empire. ibid.
The most powerful gangster in the country is forced to surrender. ibid.
The New York kingpin will take the stand in his own defence. ibid.
Lucky Luciano has been sentenced to fifty years in a maximum security prison. The Making of the Mob V
Luciano is still calling the shots. But Costello and Genovese carry out his orders. ibid.
But Genovese lets the power go to his head. And Luciano’s empire starts to fall apart. When Genovese fleas the country on murder charges, Frank Costello is named acting boss of the family. But a snitch emerges from within forcing Luciano to order a hit that keeps his empire intact but brings him no closer to freedom. The Making of the Mob VI
Lepki Conviction Gratifies Dewey. ibid. newspaper article
In the 1940s heroin is legal in Italy. And Mussolini allows Genovese to export narcotics freely. ibid.
The Allies invade Sicily ... To Luciano, Genovese has been a liability for years, failing as a boss and drawing attention to the Mob. ibid.
Now, Lucky Luciano must leave it all behind. ibid.
Now, Luciano will have to figure out how to keep control of the American Mafia from four thousand miles away. The Making of the Mob VII
Lucky Luciano, Vito Genovese, Frank Costello, Meyer Lansky – each of Siegel’s childhood crew has either been the boss or has had the freedom to run his own operation. Siegel wants to be remembered as more than just a trigger man – he wants a lasting legacy. ibid.
Luciano seizes what’s left of Genovese’s drug operation and makes it his own. ibid.
Cuba: the perfect place for Luciano to make his comeback. ibid.
It will become known as the Havana Summit. For his long awaited return Luciano decides to go big and brings a well-known performer in from New York City – named Frank Sinatra. ibid.
Luciano is now in control of a global narcotics empire. ibid.
Siegel’s operation has gone wildly over budget ... Now more than ever he need the Flamingo to succeed. ibid.
Bugsy Siegel’s big gamble on a forgotten desert town finally pays off. ibid.
1947: Siegel becomes the first of Luciano’s original crew to be killed. ibid.
[Genovese] reaches out to a mid-level gangsta in one of the other New York families ... named Carlo Gambino. ibid.
In front of a television audience of 30 million, the Mafia takes the stand. ibid.
The hit on [Lawrence] Mangano was ordered by his underboss Albert Anastasia. The Making of the Mob VIII
In partnership with Vito Genovese, Carlo Gambino has successfully eliminated the head of his family – Albert Anastasia. ibid.
Vito Genovese is found guilty of smuggling and distributing narcotics and is sentenced to fifteen years in prison. ibid.
Frank Costello lives out his retirement in peace remaining an influential figure in the New York Mafia. ibid.
Mayer Lansky retires to Miami Beach where he lives well into his old age. ibid.
Bend your knees, Harry. When you jump from the train bend your knees to soften the blow. Bugsy 1991 starring Warren Beatty & Harvey Keitel & Ben Kingsley & Annette Bening & Elliott Gould & Joe Mantegna & Bebe Neuwirth & Bill Graham & Lewis van Bergen & Wendy Phillips & Richard C Sarafian et al, director Barry Levinson, Bugsy
Why don’t you go outside and jerk yourself a soda? ibid. her to him
Why are you looking at me like that? You’re not going to hurt me, are you? ibid. Tibbett to Bugsy
We both want everything. ibid. her to him
Do you really want to trust a dame with your cheque-book? ibid. gangsta to Bugsy
What is the most that this hotel could possible cost? ibid. Meyer Lansky to Bugsy
To hell with Meyer Lansky! To hell with Las Vegas! And to hell with the Flamingo. ibid. him to her
Benny’s got one basic problem. He doesn’t respect money. ibid. Meyer Lansky to gangstas
Meyer, you want a tip? Never sell your shares in the Flamingo. You’ll live to thank me. ibid. Bugsy
When one Mob family has a problem with another they call me. For the right price I solve it. I’m a fixer. That’s what I do. One in the Chamber 2012 starring Guba Gooding junior & Dolph Lundgren & Claudia Bassols & Andrew Bicknell & Catalin Babliuc & Louis Madylor & Leo Gregory & Lia Sinchevici & George Remes & Alin Panc & Billy Murray & Florin Roata et al, director William Kaufman, opening commentary
There are good cops and there are bad cops – and then there’s Bullitt. Bullitt 1968 starring Steve McQueen & Robert Vaughn & Jacqueline Bisset & Don Gordon & Simon Oakland & Norman Fell & Robert Duvall & Georg Stanford Brown, director Peter Yates, tagline
I have a witness who needs protection. ibid. Bullitt