Operation Jersey Boyz

Operation Jersey Boyz is what the Bergen County Prosecutor's office called their massive gambling bust in December of 2004.  It looks just like any number of busts that go every year for bookmaking.  It included mobsters from the Genovese, Bonanno,Gambino and Lucchese Family.

The operation started when the prosecutor's office started investigating Cafe Roma, a small Italian dessert shop.  They found out that it was part of a multi-crime family bookmaking operation that took in $300k each week with over 12,000 active bettors.

Joseph “The Eagle” Gatto, a Genovese soldier, ran the bookmaking enterprise as well as the Catalina Wire Room in Costa Rica.  He is the son of Louis “Streaky” Gatto a legendary Genovese soldier who was a favorite of Chin Gigante.  

They arrested 40 people and confiscated more than a million in cash. One of the men arrested was Frank P. Lagano, who was the Lucchese Family point man in the operation.  They seized $200,000 from his home and safety deposit box.

Lagano soon became an informant. He was close with a man named Michael Mordaga, a respected member of law enforcement in New Jersey.  Michael was in the Bergen Prosecutor's office when Lagano was arrested.

In April of 2007 Lagano was shot in the head in front of his diner.

The Lagano family filed a federal court lawsuit against the Bergen prosecutor's office that claims Lagano had business dealings with Michael Mordaga before he was busted for gambling.

If it was just a wiseguy’s family filing suit, this would not be a big deal.  

James Sweeney worked as an organized crime investigator for the state of New Jersey for 44 years.  He also handled Lagano until he was murdered.  

He let his superiors know that the Bergen prosecutor's office had some corruption inside it.

He detailed some of Lagano and Michael Mordaga’s dealings.  Lagano lent Mordaga money for business deals and they vacationed together.  After Lagano was arrested in the gambling case, Mordaga allegedly called Lagano into his office and told him to hire a certain defense attorney and to give him a $25k retainer.  He also told him 90% of his problems would go away.  Their friendship soon went bad after this.

The case has been winding its way through the system with the State of New Jersey trying to get it thrown out.  There is more evidence coming forward that Michael Mordaga pushed other business to a law firm.

Who murdered Frank Lagano?  The Lucchese family, like all of the mafia, has a lot of informants.  How has this stayed a secret for 9 years?  Unless the mafia did not murder him.

Lucchese Family & Online Bookmaking

Another group of Lucchese family bookies has been busted by the Brooklyn District Attorney's office.  All of the families seem to be going back to their bread and butter businesses.

Gambling and loansharking go hand in hand. The penalties are not even close to drug charges.

This time Eugene “Boopsie” Castelle, a Lucchese soldier, was the defacto leader of this crew. During the six months they were watched by law enforcement, they took in 13 million dollars.

This was a pretty standard operation, run by Anthony Grecco who handled the day to day business with the other agents or shareholders.

They used the website www.stakestake.com and they also had an 800 number you could call in Costa Rica.  This is the way it works.  Agents or sheetholders are your local bookies, guys in bars or clubs. If you know them, they will give you a codename and you will either post money to bet or you get credit.  Let's say you post $1000. You can go to the website and place bets or call them in until your money or limit is used up.

The wire room is located in Costa Rica, and they record all the calls.  This way there is no grey area later on dealing with the bets that were placed.  If you win or lose, Tuesday or Wednesday is typically “settle up” day.  You either pay or get paid.  Back when I was involved in this sort of crime, if it was not more than a thousand owed to us, we didn't bother meeting anyone.

Each agent or sheet holder is responsible for his bettors.  He must decide if they post or not and how much their limit should be.  He must collect and drop off every week.

Anthony Grecco would meet with the other agents/sheetholders every week to settle up.

Every six weeks Anthony Grecco would pay the wire room in Costa Rica a per head fee for the bettors using the service.

This system works well, because bookmaking is legal in Costa Rica.

Who really profits from gambling? In the case of major sports, it’s not only the bookmakers, but also the broadcasters and the leagues.  Think about college sports.  They do not pay the athletes, yet they schools and broadcasters pull down billions of dollars.  

Monday night football was created because all the betters wanted a chance to win back some of their losses from over the weekend.  Why do all the papers and websites list the point spread?  If your team was losing, you would stop watching after a certain time - but with a spread it keeps you interested.

So the DA’s office shut these guys down. Does that stop gambling? No bettors will still bet.

They charged Anthony Grecco with money laundering because he made the payments to Costa Rica.

They also charged Anthony Grecco with loan sharking for charging over 25% for loans.

I wonder if the law enforcement could better spend their time going after the guys who blast each other every night in the streets.  Nobody forces you to take a loan out. I get that morally it is wrong but people are willing to do a lot of immoral things for money.  Why does the Government have to get into what should be personal responsibility?

Eugene “Boopsie” Castelle is no stranger to trouble.  He was the capo in charge of the Bensonhurst crew of the Lucchese family after Georgie “Neck” Zappola went away.  He has a brother named Anthony who is in carting and gambling.

The Mafia goes on.

Genovese Family Takes Another Hit

The Genovese Family has taken a few hits as of late. Considering it is the largest and the most intact family of the five New York families, I am sure they will not miss a step.  Last week the FBI along with the NYPD took down a crew that was associated with two inducted members of Genovese family.  A total of 18 people were taken down in a coordinated raid on May 12th.  

The two main leaders were Robert De Bello aka Old Man and Steven Pastore.  Both are Genovese family soldiers.  The indictment claims they both answered to capo Petey “Red” DiChiara at a social club in downtown Manhattan.

They ran a sports book which took in more than $2k a day from at least 2008 until now.

Gambling brings in the cash without much punishment.  The problem is that most of these guys have to get involved in all sorts of other deals.

Robert DeBello somehow got pulled into a plot to murder an associate. Ryan Ellis decided to murder a person who is referred to as Victim-1 in the indictment, but has since been identified as Joseph Bonelli.  It all started over a beef in which Ellis got the short end. Salvatore Delligatti aka Fat Sal, a member of the DeBello crew, was working with some Crip gang members that were hired to do the hit.  They stalked Joseph Bonelli for two nights but were pulled over by the police and caught with pistols. I will bet that Robert DeBello had very little to do with this murder plot.  You do not get paid to do a hit in the mob and why hire outsiders to do work?  Robert DeBello is a low key soldier who declined a promotion in the family. He was last arrested in 2001 in a racketeering case and he ended up pleading guilty to one count of assault in aid of racketeering.

Steven Pastore was last arrested in 2005 with some New Jersey Genovese.  He was an associate then and he was just running a numbers game.

Those two brought in some more people – Luigi Romano, Bertrem Duke, Tyrone Mccullum, Marcus Grant, and Sharif Brown.

Law enforcement was watching.  This is a nice 24 page indictment that is heavy on history and explanation.  It seems a bit light on crimes.  

Four of the men face 20 years for racketeering conspiracy, which today is a catchall that is hard to beat. DeBello, Pastore, Ellis and Delligatti will have to beat that charge or plead it down.

Three of the men: Pastore, Ellis and Delligatti face life because of the enhanced weapons charges.

The Feds like to jack up the charges when guns are involved.  This is kind of funny because on the streets gangbangers are blasting people everyday but they rarely if ever bring these kinds of charges.  

It just seems as if everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing.  Running a bookmaking operation and bringing in cash and not worrying about some beef.  Then this would be a bookmaking arrest.  Instead, it's a racketeering murder for hire case.  

Gambinos: Still Making Book.

The Brooklyn District Attorney's office just spent 17 months, and I'm sure millions of hard earned taxpayer dollars, to take down a bookmaking operation.

The operation was run in New Jersey by Patrick Deluise, a bookmaker, Illegal fireworks seller and a shylock debtor.

The Brooklyn D.A. may have some problems of its own now. Detective Investigator Nicole Byrd, who was in charge of the 24 hour command center for the investigation, was fired for falsifying records so she could get overtime pay when she was not even on the job.

Four other investigators are being looked at by law enforcement for possible padded hours on the job.

Now it may have really blown up in their faces, because Patrick Deluise shot himself after he was approached to flip on his co-conspirators.

I understand that they were trying to shut down a mafia run book making operation.  We know they will use the cash to fund other operations.  The government now picks and chooses which crimes to go after.  Betting on football, basketball and baseball is a joke.  Everyone bets and that is why they have so many viewers on Superbowl Sunday.

They cannot stop the million plus illegal immigrants pouring across our southern border, but they pour tax money into shutting down a bookie in New Jersey?

Tons of heroin is coming across the border but they can’t bother to secure our border.  Something is wrong here.

Patrick Deluise is considered a “victim” because “he borrowed cash from a shylock.”

He borrowed $50,000 to pay for an experimental cancer treatment in Germany for his wife.  He agreed to the terms and took the cash.  He was not forced to take a loan.  

Most people could not borrow from a shylock and would just lose their homes, cars etc., paying for medical care.

He borrowed the cash from Anthony Vallario at a rate of $2,400 a month interest.  He had paid $129,600 interest on it.  He knew what it would cost when he took the cash and he knew it was an interest loan, not a knockdown loan, which means he had to pay back the $50,000 all at once.  

So the DA will charge Anthony Vallario with Loan Sharking, a guy who ran a 10 million dollar online bookmaking business.  Patrick used wagersport.com and other sites for his customers in Brooklyn.  They would bet online or call in and his guys would pay in Bay Ridge Brooklyn.  Patrick involved his two sons in his operation.  

Anthony Vallario is a big fish for the Brooklyn DA because his brother Louis Vallario is a capo in the Gambino family.

Still, one has to wonder is the time and money worth taking down a bookmaker who will be replaced before I'm done writing this blog?

Lucchese Crime Family's New Jersey faction

Away from the mess that is New York, the New Jersey faction of the Lucchese family has been able to get some pretty good money making ventures going.  

Nicky Scarfo Jr. and his crew infiltrated a mortgage company and stole millions.  I think Nicky Jr. is down for the count this time. Who can tell because strange things happen in the mafia world these days.  

I hear that a certain spouse of a Mob Wives personality is free at home.  The strange thing is he no longer shows up on the BOP search.  They still have dead guys like Greg Scarpa, so this is strange.  Today guys get busted and there is no case and yet their partners go down.  You would have to be crazy to work with anyone today.  There was a murder on Staten Island last week which may be something, or not.

This is why I am writing about Ralph Perna Sr. and his three sons.  Ralph was a top capo that stepped in for Nicky Scarfo and was in control of a ultra lucrative bookmaking operation.  The operation pulled in 2.2 billion in bets.  Even if they were stupid, somebody took vig in the neighborhood of 220 million.  The State and Feds have not announced any huge seizures of cash.  

Ralph Sr., Joseph Perna and John Perna each plead guilty to first degree racketeering, gambling and money laundering charges in June.  

They were part of a massive bust that took down 34 of their co-conspirators including some Blood Gang members in 2010.  Ralph Perna Jr. still has his charges pending at this time.  

Ralph Sr. will get 8 years while Joseph will get 10 years, but the charges against his wife were dropped.  John Perna was given 10 years also but all of them will be eligible for parole after serving half their time.  

They got a pretty sweet deal considering who they are and what they were charged with by the state.  

Their lawyers were able to get the judge to remove all references to violence from their pre sentencing reports.  Even the wiretap evidence of them making threats to collect debts had to be dropped because it was not in the plea deal.  

The Bloods Gang and Joseph Perna stuff had to be taken out because he did not plea to helping them smuggle cell phones and drugs into a prison.

There are still 20 others awaiting their time in court on this case.  The case has gone on so long that 3 men have died in the time since they were taken down.

This seems like a huge waste of New Jersey’s time.  They have casinos in the state and Lotto.  Nobody is ever forced to place a bet with a bookmaker.  Why do all the games have odds if they do not want you to bet?

Andrew "Mush" Russo

Andrew Russo was the acting boss of the Colombo Family on January 20, 2011 when he was arrested by the FBI.  The FBI knows this because there was a meeting in Brooklyn on May 11, 2010, and with the FBI listening, Russo was introduced to Ralph Scopo (a Colombo Soldier) as the Acting Boss of the family.  The FBI agents that listened to the recording must have chuckled when Russo accepted the congratulations from Scopo on his promotion.

Russo had some work to do inside the Colombo Family after being away for a number of years.  The Family had been run by a panel for years.  The panel was 3 or 4 Capos that decided what the family would do and handled the day to day operations of the family.  

Russo started reaching out for Colombo Family members and asking them to pledge their allegiance to the family.  He told people he was putting the family back together again after the war in the 1990s and all the busts that went down.  He told everyone that anyone who would not pledge allegiance to the family would be placed on an “enemy list” that would go to the other families.  If any of them worked with any of the guys on the list they would be placed on the list too.  These are Russo’s exact words from the wire:

“Yeah, what my intentions are that when I’m finished, who really doesn’t want to come in, I’m making up a list. I’m giving it to all the borgatas and they’re outlaws. Anybody that deals with them is my enemy. I’m making it as clear as that.”

I know the Persicos and I don't know anyone who would want to be on that list.

On June 29, 2010 the FBI was watching and listening when Russo had a meeting at a house on Staten Island with his son Billy (capo), Benji the Claw (underboss), Richie Fusco (consigliere) and Anthony Russo (capo).  He was talking about the family business and inducting new members. He wanted them to be smart, capable of murder and capable of doing time.

The FBI was again listening when incarcerated Russo bumped up Thomas Farese to consigliere.

Russo was very active in putting the family on the right track, the only problem is the FBI was there for every step.  I think he did do a lot of good (if you can call it that) for the family.

He had meeting after meeting with his capos to settle beefs, and even one beef they had with the Gambino Family.  He approved a gambling spot complete with Joker Poker machines that would bring more cash into the family.  He let Joseph Savarese and Larry Seesa run a bookmaking business.

Andrew Russo was so well liked that actor James Caan offered to put up his bail for him.  The judge must have liked him also because he only gave him 33 months.  Now he is 80 years old and a free man.

Patriarca Family

The New England Family is referred to by the FBI as NELCN (New England La Cosa Nostra).   I still call it the Patriarca Family after its long time boss Raymond Patriarca.  

The New England Family started as two distinct families in the early 1900’s: one in Boston centered around the North End, and the other in Providence Rhode Island.  Gaspare Messina became the boss of the Boston LCN in 1916 and in 1917 Frank Morelli became boss of the Providence LCN.  Filippo Buccola became the boss of Boston in the early 1930’s but it was a family at war.  He would battle Irish gangs and others for dominance and after he killed the Irish leader Frank Morelli and merged his Providence family into the Boston family.  Buccola would retire in 1952 giving control of the family to Raymond Patriarca.

Raymond would make a lot of changes to the family beginning with moving the seat of power to Rhode Island.  He would run the family from the Coin-o-Matic vending machine office on Atwells Ave in Federal Hill. It would be known as The Office to members of the family.  Federal Hill is still a small neighborhood today and you can see why Raymond chose it as his base of operations.

Raymond was close to the Colombo and Genovese Family in New York and he was a member of the Commission.  The Genovese would have a crew in Springfield Mass that is still there today.  He had ties with the Los Angeles Family and his guys would head to the West Coast when things got hot.  One of the guys who would become boss stabbed a guy on Hollywood blvd when he was hiding out.  The current Underboss Carmen DiNunzio was hiding out in California and worked with Joe Sica and his brothers.   

Raymond brought 30 years of stability and prosperity to the family.  In Boston there was an Italian bookmaker named Jerry Angiulo who was running a large book and other games from the North End. Jerry was being shaken down by other hoods because he was not a made man.  The story is he went to Raymond and offered up a sizeable cash gift if he was made.  No matter because Jerry and his brothers would bring in huge amounts of cash and in 1968 he was made underboss.

The family would suffer after Raymond passed away in 1984.  The FBI was able to penetrate Jerry Angiulo’s office and plant a bug which would bring him down.  

The Commission decided that Raymond Jr would be boss of the family and they hoped it would stop the factions from fighting.  The Family then decided to induct some new members including Vincent Ferrara who was in prison and had to be released on a furlough. What they did not know was the FBI was watching, they had gotten word from an informant that a ceremony was in the works.  Vincent had used the address of the home they were going to use for the ceremony as the place he would be at during his furlough.  They FBI bugged the home and the basement where a large table was set up.  They recorded the whole event and that would forever debunk the myth that there was no Mafia.  The tape is online and if you are interested you should give it a listen.  

The FBI took down the acting boss of the family last week. Anthony Spagnolo, the acting boss, and Pryce Quintina, a made man in the family, were busted for extorting a video poker machine company.  The case actually shows a couple of things about the NELCN and the FBI.

The Poker machines were placed in the Revere Moose Lodge and they came from a company named Constitution Vending Company which broke both State and Federal law by placing the machines in bars and social clubs.  A new owner took over in 1984 and they quickly found out that they had to pay cash to the local mafioso in order for their machines to stay in places like the Moose Lodge.  The old owners paid and they started paying $600 a month to Anthony Spagnolo. When he became acting boss he had Pryce pick up the cash.  It is not much money but it is just one small portion of what gets picked up every month.  Another company wanted to put their machines into the Moose lodge and they even offered a better split with the lodge but they were not paying so Constitutions machines were there to stay.  The FBI got the owners of Constitution and the guys at the Moose Lodge to flip on Spagnolo and Quintina.

It is funny because the FBI uses the fact that the Moose Lodge and the illegal vending company do business across state lines as the violation of federal law to make the case.  It really shows how much the FBI does not want the family to revamp itself and make themselves whole.

Joe Isgro & Chinese Mafia Stories: Update

It is funny what stories the mainstream media will pick up and what they won't.  I have written about Shrimp Boy the Dragonhead of Chee Kung Tong and California State Senator Leeland Yee.  This past week they have been charged in a superseding indictment with even more felony counts but the media chooses not to give it much coverage. The new indictment raises the charge count from 50 to 228 against the same people. Shrimp Boy, Leeland Yee and Keith Jackson are among those now charged with racketeering in the indictment. Chinese Triads may not be as sexy as Mexican Cartels or Gangs, but they are much more dangerous.  The Chee Kung Tong is hundreds of years old with more members worldwide and much more diverse when it comes to criminal activity. It has become clear that Shrimp Boy had worked with Leeland Yee to advance his Criminal Enterprise.  The Tong was involved in illegal gambling, drug distribution and selling contraband cigarettes.  They used many
ways to launder the proceeds of the enterprise because the cash that was rolling in was staggering.  Leeland, along with Keith Jackson, used his various campaigns to solicit bribes.  He even wanted to shake down the NFL by using his influence with the California Athletic Commission to change rules regarding out-of-state athletes.  He also sought to extort cash from MMA Promotions that wished to operate in California. The worst thing that he conspired to (along with Keith Jackson and a dentist) was to sell weapons from an arms dealer to FBI sources.


I am sure that as this unfolds we will find out much more about how deep this conspiracy goes.  They will take some plea deal down the road and this will all be forgotten, but this is the future.  China is taking on a bigger role around the world as an economic power and this means many more Triad member's around the world.

On Thursday the Joe Isgro story hit the news, and sure enough, he was arrested for taking part in a Gambino family bookmaking ring that had an 8 year run starting in 2005. Part of the charges stem from gambling rings using a Bookmaking software program that keeps track of bets, bettors, games, odds and who owes what. The Arizona software company had licensed it out for a fee and when he was arrested for promoting gambling he agreed to cooperate.  He later changed his mind and decided to fight it.  The NYPD had already gone through the company records and they knew who the players were.  Joe had been inducted into the family by John Gotti Jr, but he now has a new Capo in the family.


The whole arrest for gambling is kind of weak.  Most people who get caught pay a small fine.  If you stop to think about it, people bet on all kinds of sporting events.  Even Obama spoke about his brackets during March Madness.  All professional sports use odds, otherwise everyone would stop watch before the end of games if their team was losing.  Monday night football is popular so bettors can make up for a weekend of losses.


I am no Joe Isgro fan, the guy is loud and a bragger but this is a waste. A lot of States have "Numbers"  Aka Lottery and OTB-Off Track Betting and yet they never seem to make a profit?  Here in California they were supposed to pay for the schools and yet every year the Politico's keep come back to us for more taxes for the kids.


I do see Law Enforcement's point because Bookmaking is the bread and butter of the Mafia.  The Gambling enables them to work in many rackets including Joe Isgro's Shylocking.  Even the Genovese have taken hits lately for bookmaking.  Last week in New Jersey a couple of them plead guilty to running a gambling ring.

Joe Isgro plead not guilty, posted a $250,000 bond and was released.

I'll keep you posted on both of these stories.

Mickey Cohen Files

I have recently acquired a lot of FBI Documents on Meyer Harris Cohen AKA: C. Cain, Donald Duitz, Michael Kane, Michael Masters, M. Michaels, Max Patterson, M. Weaver and best known as Mickey Cohen.

Mickey, Mike Howard, Johnny Stompanato

These were easy (and cheap) to get my hands on.  It makes me wonder why all these people writing books or screenplays could not bother to get this information. Its all Freedom of Information Act stuff, which means a lot of the names are redacted.  I have read most of the 4,000 pages, many are FBI Airtels (interoffice memos) and other interoffice communications.

Mickey was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 4 1913 to Max and Fannie Cohen. Both Max and Fannie were born in Russia and emigrated to the US.  Mickey attended school until the age of 15 but never did well because he was a truant.  Max died a year after Mickey was born, and his mother moved them to the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles. 

He was a bad kid and did a lot of time in reform school.  In 1929 he moved to Cleveland to train as a pro boxer.  He was never a stand out in pro boxing but I am sure from what I have read that he fought in a lot of "smokers" or illegal fights.  He became known as a scrappy tough fighter, although not a great fighter.

He got involved in the gambling rackets in Cleveland with some other Jewish gangsters but soon left for Chicago.  Once in Chicago, he built up a gambling business that included games and taking bets.  He got into trouble with some Outfit men and soon left for Los Angeles.  

Once in Los Angeles he began shaking down madams for cash and this brought him to Joe Sica. The FBI has Joe Sica listed as part of the Mafia, but according to everything I have been told, he was never a made guy. Joe, along with his brothers, was a huge money maker that basically ran his own family that stretched from Tijuana to the Bay Area.  Joe Sica had a huge gambling network and was a very big drug smuggler.  He was very well respected by many Cosa Nostra bosses all over the country.

Joe Sica and a man named Mike Howard witnessed Mickey's marriage at a Chapel on Western Ave in Los Angeles on October 15, 1940, the marriage would last until February 1st, 1957 when his wife divorced him because of "extreme cruelty."  He must have done something because he got away with just paying her 1 dollar a month in alimony.

The FBI had a number of female informants that gave them information on Mickey and by the winter of 1950 they were investigating them for kidnapping a former Los Angeles Gambler/Bookie who had fled to Las Vegas because he owned Mickey $5,000.  Mickey found out where the man was living and had his men grab him and put him on a plane to Los Angeles.  Once in Los Angeles, the man gave Mickey two checks for 1000.00 each that he deposited in his own account!  The FBI seized them from the bank and opened a safety deposit box he had at the bank but the victim told them he came to Los Angeles on his own accord.  That case died on the vine.

The FBI would speak to anyone who was ever seen with Mickey, including a number of Hollywood stars and others in the entertainment business.  They all said that Mickey loved the attention and loved being in the media.  He lived for the spotlight.  

Mickey was arrested for tax evasion twice.  After his release he had a number of businesses, Michael's Greenhouses 1956-57, Carousel Ice Cream Parlor 1958-60, he owned a piece of Rounders Restaurant and he went on to sell his life story many times, but he never had a resulting book published.  

The selling of his life story was a con job that he used to get cash from a lot of people.  He did have a really well known gifted writer working on it.  The man's name was Ben Hecht, and he won an Academy Award for Underworld at the very first awards ceremony.  He also wrote the classic movie Scarface, the original black and white movie.

Mickey and Ben went to La Paz Mexico to finish the book but it was never finished.

Mickey moved into a brand new apartment complex at 705 South Barrington where he paid a lot of money at the time, $250.00 a month in rent.  He had lived for years at the Hotel Del Capri on Wilshire before he moved.  Another soon-to-be famous name also lived at the Del Capri, Johnny Stompanato, the sometimes body guard of Mickey.  Stompanato had been a Marine during World War II for 3 years until he was discharged honorably.  The FBI had information that Cohen was working with others back east in an extortion ring where they used young good looking people like Stompanato as gigolos that catered to both men and women.  Stompannato was killed by his girlfriend Lana Turner's daughter in April of 1958.  

The FBI and the LAPD Intelligence division had a number of bugs in Mickey's places. It would be great to listen to those tapes!

One of the things they picked up was Mickey having someone break into Stompanato's room when he was killed and stealing his shave kit.  It was not just a shave kit it had a bundle of love letters from Lana Turner which Mickey sold to the tabloids.

A lot of the memos and Airtels are from the FBI Top Hoodlum Program but in none of them do they ever refer to Mickey as a Boss or part of what they called the Mafia at the time The Syndicate. They just call him a hoodlum or a muscleman who collects debts with bodily force.  He was employed by the Flamingo Casino Hotel to collect cash from guys who left Las Vegas without paying their markers. 

There were a lot of FBI Memos from an informant who was a woman that was close to Bugsy Seigal. She told the FBI that when Bugsy came to LA he wanted to establish himself as a sportsman, not a gangster, so he used Mickey because he would do whatever he was asked to do.  He helped Bugsy get bookmakers signed up for the wire service he was repping at the time.

She went on to tell the FBI that Mickey was never on the inside circle and that is why after Bugsy was murdered in Beverly Hills, Mickey went to the Ambassador Hotel with a pistol.

This lady was pretty plugged into the workings of the Mafia or Syndicate because she told the FBI after Los Angeles Boss Jack Dragna died Nick Licata took over aided by Frank Milano!  She told them that Jimmy Frattiano was a killer who set up Mickey to be murdered.  She told them that Frattiano had killed Frank Nicoli, Dave Ogul and the Two Tonys.  She also gave them information on Frank Costello being the boss but later falling out of favor.  I am pretty sure I know who this informant was and I am sure many of you can guess because she later moved to Europe.

 One story that has been told and retold is Mickey killing bookie Max Shaman who came into his office on May 16, 1945 threatening him.  The FBI claimed the real shooter was Hooky Rotham, his body guard, but Mickey took the blame because it was easier to claim self defense.  Paulie Gibbons was a burglar, gambler, cheater and armed robber of gamblers.  He also robbed Mickey's home. Mickey told people he wanted him dead, but he was killed instead by major gamblers Benny Gamson and George Levinson.  They would be gunned down by Hooky Rothman near their home.  Hooky was paid $500.00 a week by Mickey.  The other men working for Mickey were paid $200.00 a week. Hooky would never face the music for any murders because he was killed by Frank Bomp when Frattiano set up Mickey in his Haberdashery on Sunset Blvd.

It is very clear from all the papers that Mickey was never a boss.  He shook down madams, bookies, drug dealers.  He conned people for money, extorted them, did armed robberies, dealt in stolen credit cards and shoplifted clothes.  The real Gangsters of that era are still relatively unknown men like Jack Dragna, Nick Licata, Frank Milano and the Sica Brothers.  It is also clear that Mickey bribed LAPD Vice and other officials.  He also informed for them, giving up his competition.  He had an LAPD Sgt for a body guard and that was not the only time. He was shot outside Sherry's on Sunset along with Special Agent Harry Cooper from the California Attorney General's office.  No other gangster has ever had law enforcement body guards in public.

The LIFE BLOOD OF ORGANIZED CRIME.

So you would like to start your own Sports Book. That can be hard unless you live in Nevada, Atlantic City or on a Reservation.  Plus, you will need millions to get it started. The good news is you can still start your own Book, and it is being done everyday all over the country.   

The best advice I can give you regarding gambling is never gamble. Its a sucker's play, the house always wins. You may have a good run, but it will grind you down.  The best Bookies never play EVER.

What action will you take?  The old Mafia Bookies took bets on Horses.  Today unless they are huge races, don't waste your time. There are four races: the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes, the Preakness and the Breeder’s Cup. Those you can take action on, but use track odds and you will also take in some smaller bets but it will be easy and it pays. In New York they had the OTB (Off Track Betting) and somehow they lost money!  It is kind of like the Lottery.  For years Organized Crime made a ton of cash in the Numbers games.  Now that states run them, they cost millions and they do not give as much to schools as they say.

In America, Football is king.  That goes for NFL and College games. Then there is Baseball. I love to take action on Baseball because the game is slow and I enjoy it.  A lot of Bookies close up shop for Baseball season. Hockey is a game not many people bet on in Los Angeles, but hey, why not, and if you live in a cold climate take the action.  Boxing is another sport that has few bettors unless it is a big pay-per-view fight.  Where you live will determine how much boxing action you should take.  The new fast growing sport of MMA is great for bookies.  It is fast paced and there is a clear winner.  You can take action on many aspects not just a knock out, but a Submission a kick etc...Then you also have Golf, Soccer and Nascar.  

What types of Bets?

The Straight Bet- The most basic of bets.  Lets say it is the Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs. Who cares who wins the game.  If I bet a straight bet, I only care who covers. The Lakers score 102 and The Spurs score 98.  Whoever took the Spurs wins! The Lakers did not cover the spread! The Lakers need to score 103 to win by 4.5 points. Some of your bettors may want to buy for 10 dollars on every 100 on top of the vig.  This would have paid off in this case.

• San Antonio -4.5 -110
• LA Lakers +4.5 -110

Moneyline- This means you just bet the team that wins.  It is simple but it does not pay off well.

• San Antonio   -190
• LA Lakers   +160

Over/Under- This is very simple. It is the total scores combined.  

• Over +187.5 -110
• Under

Parlays- This means the player will bet multiple games and teams and all his picks must win.  It pays off big but it is difficult to win.  It will make you money.

Teasers are great because again the player has to win both games he plays and pay juice!

Exotics-These are bets like who wins the coin toss, first round knock out etc.  

There are many more types of bets. Things to remember regardless of what action you decide to take: the gambler will always lose.  The edge is always with the house.  If a player is on a roll and wins 50k in a week, pay him. My rule as a bookie was always pay, no matter what.  When I give him that payout, I will put anything on it I would soon earn it right back, plus double, because he will keep chasing that big win.

I liked to settle up on Tuesdays.  I was taught that way, so I did it.  Most action was taken over the weekends. If someone lost, he will want to recoup some of his lost money, hence Monday Night Football is so popular!

I would only have my guys meet players if we were owed a thousand or more or if we owed it.  Some smaller books have different numbers, those were mine.

Today gambling has changed so much. There is no need to get a bunch of hardlines or a telephone system for a room.  You can get an 800 number for cheap and have it forwarded to a cell phone and then roll over to another.  A lot of guys use Offshore rooms, I did use those but sometimes the people working were hard to understand and were not that good.  

Getting set up Online combined with local Agents is the best for what I needed. I had a site and I had other bookies as Agents they would get their clients to post (deposit)  Then I would credit their account or they would tell me what to credit their clients. That way the could go online and bet whenever they wished.  If they lost or won they would meet their guy on settlement day and collect.  It is the same as a regular local bookie only now they have an option.  Plus with the service they can see the lines for all the games.  You used to have to call and ask what the line was at the time.  The papers print it but it may change.

Book Making is easy and it makes huge money.  You just have to balance your books and you will never lose because you get the vig no matter who wins, that is the fee you take for the bet.  If you are a Bookie it is up to you to look over your players.  If you have a guy who is a waiter and is married to a waitress you cannot allow him to bet more than a hundred or so.  If he gets in over his head its lost.  If a guy owns a couple of used car lots he can bet up to 10k because he can pay.  If someone gets in over their head, cut their debt and get a payment.  It is stupid to threaten players for a debt. Its all "Air" money anyway.  In other words you are not out any product.  If you sell cocaine, you bought it so you are out that money.  If you front it and do not get paid then you are out real hard money.  So if a player does not pay just write it off.  I used to just say oh well now you cannot bet with us or anyone I know.  The business is real small and if you let people know a player is a deadbeat it works!  A Gambler that cannot gamble is lost.  Gambling is a great business and it supplies the cash for so many things.  It also goes hand in hand with my other former favorite way to make money, Shylocking or Loan Sharking.  The funny thing is, even today I see these payday loan places and they charge the same rates! Usary!  More on this another time.