- Al Capone - Scarface
- Albert Anastasia - Lord High Executioner and Mad Hatter
- Albert Gallo - Kid Blast
- Albert Vena - Albie the Falcon
- Anthony Accardo - Big Tuna and Joe Batters
- Anthony Corallo - Tony Ducks
- Anthony Casso - Gaspipe
- Anthony Doyle - Twan
- Anthony Silvestro - Bugz
- Benjamin Siegel - Bugsy
- Carmine Persico - The Snake
- Charlie Luciano - Lucky
- Daniel Capaldo - The Wig and Shrek
- Dominick Ricigliano - The Lion
- Donald Angelini - The Wizard of Odds
- Felix Alderisio - Milwaukee Phil
- Frank Cali - Frankie Boy
- Frank Nitti - The Enforcer
- Frank Schweihs - The German
- Jim Colosimo - Big Jim
- John Cerone - Jackie
- John D'Amico - Jackie Nose
- John DiFronzo - No Nose and Johnny Bananas
- John Gotti - The Dapper Don and The Teflon Don
- Joseph Aiuppa - Joey Doves
- Joseph Andriacchi - Joe The Builder and The Sledgehammer
- Joseph Bonanno - Joe Bananas
- Joseph Lombardo - Joey The Clown
- Joseph Marra - Joe Fish
- Louis Daidone - Louie Bagels
- Louis Fratto - Cock-Eyed Louie
- Luigi Manocchio - Baby Shacks
- Michael DiLeonardo - Mikey Scars
- Michael Sarno - The Large Guy
- Michael Yannotti - Mikey Y.
- Paul Rica - The Waiter
- Paul Schiro - The Indian
- Patrick DeFilippo - Patty the Pig and Patty from the Bronx
- Philip Giaccone - Phil Lucky
- Salvatore DeLaurentis - Solly D
- Salvatore Gravano - Sammy the Bull
- Salvatore Vitale - Good Lookin' Sal
- Sam Battaglia - Teets
- Sam Giancana - Moony and MoMo
- Vincent Basciano - Vinny Gorgeous
- Vincent Gigante - The Chin
- Vincent Scura - Vinny Linen
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
47 Top Mobster Nicknames
Thursday, September 14, 2023
Former Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich Accused of Trading Favors for $150,000 in Bribes in Organized Crime Connected Charges
Eric Ulrich rose through the ranks of city government with modest momentum, first elected as a city councilman before Mayor Eric Adams appointed him a senior adviser and, finally, his commissioner of the Department of Buildings.
At each stop, prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney’s office said on Wednesday, he used his positions to benefit friends and associates, and harvested more than $150,000 for himself. They said he reaped New York Mets season tickets, a custom suit, a painting by an apprentice of Salvador Dalí and cash for gambling.
The district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, said in a statement that Mr. Ulrich had accepted or solicited the bribes over just two years. And a court filing said that Mr. Ulrich had engaged in conduct antithetical to his oath of office “on an almost daily basis.”
“At every possible turn,” Mr. Ulrich used his taxpayer-funded positions “to line his pockets,” Mr. Bragg’s statement said. At an afternoon news conference, the district attorney said that “Eric Ulrich’s duty was to the people of the City of New York, not his friends, not his associates and certainly not himself.”
Mr. Ulrich, 38, who faces 16 felony charges including counts of conspiracy and bribe-taking, pleaded not guilty, as did five other men who prosecutors say participated in the scheme. A sixth man was showing symptoms of Covid-19, his lawyer said, and is to be arraigned later this month.
Taken together, the five indictments that bear the charges portray Mr. Ulrich as a one-stop fixer who, after rising to the highest levels of municipal government, reached into more than a half-dozen agencies to expedite restaurant and building inspections, assist with licensing problems and arrange jobs and raises.
Mr. Ulrich’s lawyer, Samuel M. Braverman, said in a statement after the arraignment that his client maintained his innocence and that “today’s proceedings do nothing to change that — his integrity remains intact.”
“When thousands of phone calls and documents are cherry-picked and cut into small bits, and then viewed with eyes biased toward guilt, anyone can be made to look bad,” he added. “Mr. Ulrich unequivocally denies these charges and looks forward to his day in court where only the evidence matters, not charging documents or press releases.”
The head of the city’s Department of Investigation, Jocelyn Strauber, said that Mr. Ulrich had promised the six other defendants such favors with little hesitation.
“When a public official puts New York City up for sale and uses their government office, influence and relationships to enrich themselves, they will be held accountable,” she said at the news conference.
The mayor was not charged or implicated in any wrongdoing. But the investigation has put him in an uncomfortable position. He appointed Mr. Ulrich despite a letter the councilman wrote on behalf of a constituent with ties to organized crime, and despite his acknowledged gambling and alcohol addictions. Mr. Ulrich and three of the other defendants hosted an August 2021 fund-raiser on the mayor’s behalf.
Asked whether Mr. Adams regretted appointing Mr. Ulrich after the indictments were made public, a spokesman for the mayor said, “We always expect all our employees to adhere to the strictest ethical guidelines.” The mayor’s statement on Wednesday reasserted that his office would continue to assist Mr. Bragg.
The arraignment Wednesday afternoon in New York State Supreme Court was a crowded affair, with Mr. Ulrich, the other defendants and their lawyers clustered around the table as the docket numbers for the five indictments were read out. Throughout, Mr. Ulrich sat at the table, wearing a flannel jacket and gray slacks. Prosecutors asked the judge, Daniel Conviser, to impose mild restrictions on Mr. Ulrich’s travel, which the judge agreed to do.
Four of the indictments charged Mr. Ulrich and various friends and associates with bribery and corruption-related crimes. The fifth accused him of failing to disclose his ill-gotten gains on financial disclosure forms.
The other defendants are Mark Caller, 51, a Brooklyn real estate developer; Joseph Livreri, 55, and Anthony Livreri, 51, brothers who own a Queens pizzeria; Michael Mazzio, 54, who operates a Brooklyn towing company; Paul Grego, 73, who expedites permit and plan approvals at the Buildings Department; and Victor Truta, 53, a former city correction captain.
Court papers said the bribes bestowed on Mr. Ulrich included a bespoke suit, artwork and a discounted apartment in a luxury beachfront building in Queens where Mr. Ulrich lived. The premium Mets season ticket package was valued at nearly $10,000.
Last month, Mr. Ulrich, whose phone was wiretapped as part of the investigation, posted to social media a grinning selfie in a Mets shirt with the caption “Take me out to the ballgame!”
The Livreri brothers and Mr. Mazzio were said to have given Mr. Ulrich cash that he used in part to fund his gambling at casinos and at the 89th Street Cafe, an illegal gambling club, according to the court papers.
Law enforcement officials have identified Mr. Mazzio and the Livreri brothers as having connections to organized crime, and prosecutors had sought to find out more about Mr. Ulrich’s relationship with organized crime figures.
The former commissioner surrendered at the district attorney’s office in Lower Manhattan shortly after 7 a.m. He was accompanied by his lawyer, Samuel M. Braverman, and was carrying a copy of Bill O’Reilly’s book, “Killing Jesus: A History.”
Mr. Ulrich was appointed to head the Buildings Department in May 2022. He resigned six months later, when news of the investigation surfaced.
The department, though often bedeviled by scandal, is among the most important city agencies. It regulates the construction and real estate industries, issuing permits, licensing contractors and policing construction safety and the city’s building code, and thus can have a significant impact on development.
Mr. Caller, a Brooklyn real estate developer, was accused of attempting to use his relationship with Mr. Ulrich to influence the department to expedite requests for his firm, the Marcal Group, and of pushing the Department of City Planning to make a zoning change in Rockaway Park.
Mr. Caller’s firm works on developing commercial and residential projects in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, including an 86-unit condo building in Rockaway Park and several others in the Rockaways, according to news reports from the real estate website The Real Deal and The City.
According to the Marcal Group’s website, Mr. Caller “amassed a $100 million portfolio” of more than 1,500 units in “underserved communities.” The Marcal Group says in recent years it has collaborated with the city on affordable housing and with Maimonides Medical Center on medical facilities.
Mr. Caller’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said in a statement that his client “did not commit any crime whatsoever,” adding that the indictment was “predicated on a flawed theory” and Mr. Ulrich’s apartment was obtained at market rate.
Lawyers for the Livreris, Mr. Grego and Mr. Truta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Livreri brothers, Mr. Mazzio and Mr. Ulrich organized the 2021 fund-raiser for the mayor, and Mr. Ulrich has raised Mr. Adams’s name during the investigation.
Mr. Ulrich has told prosecutors that Mr. Adams warned him of the investigation, which the mayor has denied. And Mr. Adams was among those whose conversations were wiretapped by investigators.
Thanks to Jonah E. Bromwich and William K. Rashbaum.
At each stop, prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney’s office said on Wednesday, he used his positions to benefit friends and associates, and harvested more than $150,000 for himself. They said he reaped New York Mets season tickets, a custom suit, a painting by an apprentice of Salvador Dalí and cash for gambling.
The district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, said in a statement that Mr. Ulrich had accepted or solicited the bribes over just two years. And a court filing said that Mr. Ulrich had engaged in conduct antithetical to his oath of office “on an almost daily basis.”
“At every possible turn,” Mr. Ulrich used his taxpayer-funded positions “to line his pockets,” Mr. Bragg’s statement said. At an afternoon news conference, the district attorney said that “Eric Ulrich’s duty was to the people of the City of New York, not his friends, not his associates and certainly not himself.”
Mr. Ulrich, 38, who faces 16 felony charges including counts of conspiracy and bribe-taking, pleaded not guilty, as did five other men who prosecutors say participated in the scheme. A sixth man was showing symptoms of Covid-19, his lawyer said, and is to be arraigned later this month.
Taken together, the five indictments that bear the charges portray Mr. Ulrich as a one-stop fixer who, after rising to the highest levels of municipal government, reached into more than a half-dozen agencies to expedite restaurant and building inspections, assist with licensing problems and arrange jobs and raises.
Mr. Ulrich’s lawyer, Samuel M. Braverman, said in a statement after the arraignment that his client maintained his innocence and that “today’s proceedings do nothing to change that — his integrity remains intact.”
“When thousands of phone calls and documents are cherry-picked and cut into small bits, and then viewed with eyes biased toward guilt, anyone can be made to look bad,” he added. “Mr. Ulrich unequivocally denies these charges and looks forward to his day in court where only the evidence matters, not charging documents or press releases.”
The head of the city’s Department of Investigation, Jocelyn Strauber, said that Mr. Ulrich had promised the six other defendants such favors with little hesitation.
“When a public official puts New York City up for sale and uses their government office, influence and relationships to enrich themselves, they will be held accountable,” she said at the news conference.
The mayor was not charged or implicated in any wrongdoing. But the investigation has put him in an uncomfortable position. He appointed Mr. Ulrich despite a letter the councilman wrote on behalf of a constituent with ties to organized crime, and despite his acknowledged gambling and alcohol addictions. Mr. Ulrich and three of the other defendants hosted an August 2021 fund-raiser on the mayor’s behalf.
Asked whether Mr. Adams regretted appointing Mr. Ulrich after the indictments were made public, a spokesman for the mayor said, “We always expect all our employees to adhere to the strictest ethical guidelines.” The mayor’s statement on Wednesday reasserted that his office would continue to assist Mr. Bragg.
The arraignment Wednesday afternoon in New York State Supreme Court was a crowded affair, with Mr. Ulrich, the other defendants and their lawyers clustered around the table as the docket numbers for the five indictments were read out. Throughout, Mr. Ulrich sat at the table, wearing a flannel jacket and gray slacks. Prosecutors asked the judge, Daniel Conviser, to impose mild restrictions on Mr. Ulrich’s travel, which the judge agreed to do.
Four of the indictments charged Mr. Ulrich and various friends and associates with bribery and corruption-related crimes. The fifth accused him of failing to disclose his ill-gotten gains on financial disclosure forms.
The other defendants are Mark Caller, 51, a Brooklyn real estate developer; Joseph Livreri, 55, and Anthony Livreri, 51, brothers who own a Queens pizzeria; Michael Mazzio, 54, who operates a Brooklyn towing company; Paul Grego, 73, who expedites permit and plan approvals at the Buildings Department; and Victor Truta, 53, a former city correction captain.
Court papers said the bribes bestowed on Mr. Ulrich included a bespoke suit, artwork and a discounted apartment in a luxury beachfront building in Queens where Mr. Ulrich lived. The premium Mets season ticket package was valued at nearly $10,000.
Last month, Mr. Ulrich, whose phone was wiretapped as part of the investigation, posted to social media a grinning selfie in a Mets shirt with the caption “Take me out to the ballgame!”
The Livreri brothers and Mr. Mazzio were said to have given Mr. Ulrich cash that he used in part to fund his gambling at casinos and at the 89th Street Cafe, an illegal gambling club, according to the court papers.
Law enforcement officials have identified Mr. Mazzio and the Livreri brothers as having connections to organized crime, and prosecutors had sought to find out more about Mr. Ulrich’s relationship with organized crime figures.
The former commissioner surrendered at the district attorney’s office in Lower Manhattan shortly after 7 a.m. He was accompanied by his lawyer, Samuel M. Braverman, and was carrying a copy of Bill O’Reilly’s book, “Killing Jesus: A History.”
Mr. Ulrich was appointed to head the Buildings Department in May 2022. He resigned six months later, when news of the investigation surfaced.
The department, though often bedeviled by scandal, is among the most important city agencies. It regulates the construction and real estate industries, issuing permits, licensing contractors and policing construction safety and the city’s building code, and thus can have a significant impact on development.
Mr. Caller, a Brooklyn real estate developer, was accused of attempting to use his relationship with Mr. Ulrich to influence the department to expedite requests for his firm, the Marcal Group, and of pushing the Department of City Planning to make a zoning change in Rockaway Park.
Mr. Caller’s firm works on developing commercial and residential projects in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, including an 86-unit condo building in Rockaway Park and several others in the Rockaways, according to news reports from the real estate website The Real Deal and The City.
According to the Marcal Group’s website, Mr. Caller “amassed a $100 million portfolio” of more than 1,500 units in “underserved communities.” The Marcal Group says in recent years it has collaborated with the city on affordable housing and with Maimonides Medical Center on medical facilities.
Mr. Caller’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said in a statement that his client “did not commit any crime whatsoever,” adding that the indictment was “predicated on a flawed theory” and Mr. Ulrich’s apartment was obtained at market rate.
Lawyers for the Livreris, Mr. Grego and Mr. Truta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Livreri brothers, Mr. Mazzio and Mr. Ulrich organized the 2021 fund-raiser for the mayor, and Mr. Ulrich has raised Mr. Adams’s name during the investigation.
Mr. Ulrich has told prosecutors that Mr. Adams warned him of the investigation, which the mayor has denied. And Mr. Adams was among those whose conversations were wiretapped by investigators.
Thanks to Jonah E. Bromwich and William K. Rashbaum.
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Gambler: Secrets from a Life at Risk - Compelling Story of Billy Walters and his Syndicate, plus Phil Mickelson #LasVegas #Gambling
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| Gambler: Secrets from a Life at Risk Billy Walters |
Anybody can get lucky. Nobody controls the odds like Billy Walters. Widely regarded as “the Michael Jordan of sports betting,” Walters is a living legend in Las Vegas and among sports bettors worldwide. With an unmatched winning streak of thirty-six consecutive years, Walters has become fabulously wealthy by placing hundreds of millions of dollars a year in gross wagers, including one Super Bowl bet of $3.5 million alone. Competitors desperate to crack his betting techniques have tried hacking his phones, cloning his beepers, rifling through his trash, and bribing his employees. Now, after decades of avoiding the spotlight and fiercely protecting the keys to his success, Walters has reached the age where he wants to pass along his wisdom to future generations of sports wagerers.
Gambler is more than a traditional autobiography. In addition to sharing his against-all-odds American dream story, Walters reveals in granular detail the secrets of his proprietary betting system, which will serve as a master class for anyone who wants to improve their odds at betting on sports. Walters also breaks his silence about his long and complicated relationship with Hall of Fame professional golfer Phil Mickelson.
On a typical weekend gameday packed with college and pro sports, Walters will bet $10 million—a small sum for someone as wealthy as he is today, but an unbelievable fortune for the child who was raised by his grandmother in extreme poverty in rural Kentucky. By the age of nine, Walters became a shark at hustling pool and pitching pennies. As a young adult, he set records as a used-car salesman, hustled golf, and dabbled in bookmaking. He eventually moved to Las Vegas, where he revolutionized sports betting strategy and became a member of the famed Computer Group, the first syndicate to apply sophisticated algorithms and data analysis to sports gambling. He became extraordinarily wealthy while overcoming addictions and outmaneuvering organized crime figures made infamous by Martin Scorsese’s film Casino.
In Gambler, Walters passes along everything he’s learned about sports betting. First, he shows bettors how to mine the information we have at our fingertips to develop a sophisticated betting strategy and handicapping system of our own. He explains how even avid bettors often do not grasp all of the variables that go into making an informed wager—factors such as home field advantage, individual player values, injuries or illness, weather forecasts, each team’s previous schedule (bye weeks, multiple away games in a row, etc.), travel distance/difficulty, stadium quirks, turf types, and more. Not every bettor has access to Walters’s team of expert analysts, but every bettor can follow his guidelines on how to measure the detailed information available online and look for unique situations that could affect a game’s outcome more than usual. Variable by variable, Walters breaks down the formulas, point systems, and principles that he’s developed over decades of improving his craft.
A self-made man who’s repeatedly won it all, lost it all, and earned it all back again, Walters has lived a singular and wildly appealing American life, of the outlaw variety. Gambler is at once a gripping autobiography, a blistering tell-all, and an indispensable playbook for coming out on top.
Tuesday, August 01, 2023
Narcas: The Secret Rise of Women in Latin America's Cartels
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| NARCAS: The Secret Rise of Women in Latin America's Cartels |
You’ve heard of Pablo Escobar, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, and Rafael Caro Quintero. Their names conjure ghoulish images of bloody streets, white powder, bundles of weed, and a particular flavor of machismo unique to ruthless druglords. But what of the drugladies, las narcas? For the first time, investigative reporter Deborah Bonello takes you behind the curtain to introduce the women at the helm of organized crime south of the US-Mexico border. These women are the powerhouses behind violent cartels; masterminds of extortion rackets; right-hand ladies to El Chapo’s cocaine flow to the US; and matriarchs of major drug trafficking families. In these pages, you will meet women like Doña Digna, the leader of the Valle cartel, and Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia, one of “El Chapo” Guzman’s closest confidants.
Narcas: The Secret Rise of Women in Latin America's Cartels, for the first time, gives voice to the women of notorious drug-trafficking monarchies, meticulously documenting the variety of roles they play. Bonello chronicles the complexity of their actions and their desires, the grey chasm between victims and victimizers, co-option and agency, and right and wrong. She examines why women’s experiences are under-reported, emphasizing the importance of understanding women as fully capable beings who are often as ambitious, innovative, ruthless, and violent as their male counterparts.
With careful detail, comprehensive research, and groundbreaking storytelling, Narcas paints a vivid picture of the women behind some of the most notorious drug cartels. You will not see Sebastiana Cottón or Marixa Lemus in the stereotypical portrayals of beautiful narco wives or girlfriends, or in the faces of trafficking survivors or drug mules. Rather, you’ll encounter—at staggering rates—the female cartel killers, money launderers, logistical heads, and transporters of Latin America’s infamous crime syndicates
VICE journalist Deborah Bonello reports from the trenches in this first-ever in-depth exploration of the hidden power women wield in Latin American drug cartels.
Thursday, July 20, 2023
Final Aryan Circle White Supremacy Gang Member Sentenced to Prison for RICO Conspiracy
A Missouri man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations (RICO) charges stemming from his membership in the Aryan Circle (AC), a white supremacy prison gang.
According to court documents, Timothy Long, aka Timmy, of Mountain Grove, was a member of the AC, a violent, race-based, and prison-based gang with hundreds of members operating inside and outside of state and federal prisons throughout the country. The AC enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members, prospects, and associates through threats, intimidation, and acts of violence including murder, kidnapping, and narcotics trafficking. Members are required to follow the orders of higher-ranking members without question.
“This is the final sentencing in a multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency effort to dismantle the Aryan Circle, which terrorized local communities and perpetuated a cycle of gang violence in federal prisons for far too long,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This case represents the Justice Department’s continued dedication to working with our partners across the country to pursue and eradicate criminal enterprises like the AC.”
In 2018, as part of his membership in the AC, Long stabbed two separate victims while all were housed at U.S. Penitentiary (USP) Lee, a federal prison in Lee County, Virginia. Long stabbed each victim at the direction of AC leadership as retaliation for an attack on a higher-ranking member of the AC by a rival white supremacist gang.
“Violent gangs like the Aryan Circle present a growing threat to our communities in the Eastern District of Texas and the type of violence associated with these organizations is alarming,” said U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs for the Eastern District of Texas. “The Eastern District of Texas will continue to investigate and prosecute those who do harm to others. And we’ll specifically target the leaders of these violent gangs.”
In 2022, two of Long’s co-defendants, AC leaders William Glenn Chunn and Jesse Blankenship, were both sentenced to life in prison for RICO conspiracy and related racketeering charges.
Trial Attorney Rebecca Dunnan of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Rapp for the Eastern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
According to court documents, Timothy Long, aka Timmy, of Mountain Grove, was a member of the AC, a violent, race-based, and prison-based gang with hundreds of members operating inside and outside of state and federal prisons throughout the country. The AC enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members, prospects, and associates through threats, intimidation, and acts of violence including murder, kidnapping, and narcotics trafficking. Members are required to follow the orders of higher-ranking members without question.
“This is the final sentencing in a multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency effort to dismantle the Aryan Circle, which terrorized local communities and perpetuated a cycle of gang violence in federal prisons for far too long,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This case represents the Justice Department’s continued dedication to working with our partners across the country to pursue and eradicate criminal enterprises like the AC.”
In 2018, as part of his membership in the AC, Long stabbed two separate victims while all were housed at U.S. Penitentiary (USP) Lee, a federal prison in Lee County, Virginia. Long stabbed each victim at the direction of AC leadership as retaliation for an attack on a higher-ranking member of the AC by a rival white supremacist gang.
“Violent gangs like the Aryan Circle present a growing threat to our communities in the Eastern District of Texas and the type of violence associated with these organizations is alarming,” said U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs for the Eastern District of Texas. “The Eastern District of Texas will continue to investigate and prosecute those who do harm to others. And we’ll specifically target the leaders of these violent gangs.”
In 2022, two of Long’s co-defendants, AC leaders William Glenn Chunn and Jesse Blankenship, were both sentenced to life in prison for RICO conspiracy and related racketeering charges.
Trial Attorney Rebecca Dunnan of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Rapp for the Eastern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
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