Vinny Gorgeous

Vinny Gorgeous
Author: Anthony M. DeStefano
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2013-07-02
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 0762796596

A vain man of good looks but no family ties to the Mob, Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano worked his way up to acting boss of the Bonanno crime family, becoming its leader when official boss Joseph Massino went to prison in 2003. When the Mafia was crawling with secret operatives and informants caving to government pressure to flip, Basciano steadfastly obeyed the code of La Cosa Nostra. “I got faith in one guy,” he said during a secretly taped meeting. That man was Massino, head of the Bonanno borgata. But for all his loyalty, Basciano was still a hot-headed, cold-blooded killer, which ultimately led to his arrest and downfall. Then in a remarkable betrayal that rocked the Five Families to their foundations, Massino secretly cooperated with the FBI—the first head bossever to roll over. As a result, Basciano faced the death penalty, but a federal jury, disturbed by the prosecution’s use of deadly criminal informants, reached a surprising verdict. Here from veteran crime author Anthony M. DeStefano comes the riveting story of the last true believer in the Mob’s cult of brotherhood and his betrayal at the hands of the only man he ever trusted.

Nice Jewish Felon

Nice Jewish Felon
Author: Michael Mehler
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 148
Release: 2006-11
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0595400477

It was at this time that reputed mobster Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano walked into my life. Vincent swaggered into EJ's with the subtle grace of a man without a care in the world. He was wearing spotless white sneakers, a light blue tailored running suit, a diamond and gold encrusted watch, and designer glasses. His full head of hair was perfectly cropped. On his arm was a most gorgeous brunette, also elegantly dressed with a body only the gods could partake of. This particular Sunday was even busier than normal at EJ's and the wait was going on forty-five minutes for seating. I noticed Vincent from the moment he slipped a fifty-dollar bill into the manager's hand. The "commoners" would wait, but Vincent wouldn't. I knew where he would be seated as a table was opening in my section on the porch. Strangely, I felt some sort of a connection to Vincent from the moment I saw him. I whisked away the busboy and set the table myself, giving particular care to every detail. I wanted to subtly demonstrate my respect for this man who carried with him such an aura of power. www.nicejewishfelon.com

King of the Godfathers:

King of the Godfathers:
Author: Anthony M. DeStefano
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Total Pages: 372
Release: 2008-06-01
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 0806533099

The Last Of The Old-World Mob Bosses--And The Ultimate Betrayal For more than twenty years, Joseph "Big Joey" Massino ran what was called the largest criminal network in the U.S., employing over two hundred and fifty made men and untold numbers of associates. The Bonanno family was responsible for over thirty murders, even killing a dozen of its own members to enforce discipline and settle scores. He would be brought down by Salvatore "Good Looking Sal" Vitale, the underboss who was not only Massino's closest and most trusted friend, but also his brother-in-law. In the end, facing the death penalty and the prospect of leaving his family penniless, Massino started talking to the FBI--the first Mafia Godfather to break the sacred code of omerta, and the end of a centuries-old tradition. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Anthony DeStefano, who interviewed Massino's family and friends as well as law enforcement officials and confidential sources, King of the Godfathers is the story of the brutal mob war that made Massino head of the Bonanno family and the most powerful gangster in America. "The best and last word on the subject." --Jerry Capeci, Gangland News.com and bestselling co-author of Murder Machine With 16 Pages of Revealing Photos! Anthony Destefano was part of the team of New York Newsday reporters who won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the August 1991 subway crash in Manhattan. He covers organized crime for Newsday and was the lead reporter on several major criminal trials, including that of subway gunman Bernhard Goetz. He lives in New Jersey.

Mob Killer:

Mob Killer:
Author: Anthony M. DeStefano
Publisher: Citadel Press
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2017-05-30
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 0806538481

A Crazed Killer He dissolved the bodies of some of his victims in acid and poured them down the sewer. He hung grisly souvenirs on nails in his junkyard. La Costra Nostra Charles Carneglia was a stone-cold killer who fell in with the bloodthirsty John Gotti crew. As the infamous crime family rose to power with their murderous trail of sex, jealousy, greed, and revenge, Carneglia rose with them. Mafia, Madness And Murder This is the horrifying story of a misfit who fit perfectly into the New York mafia. In a harrowing journey inside a ruthless criminal underworld, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Anthony M. DeStefano chronicles one man's life in a world of depraved acts of violence and the horrors that went with being a member of the Gambino family. "Thrilling American crime writing." -Jimmy Breslin on King of the Godfathers Includes 16 Pages of Shocking Photos

The Last Godfather

The Last Godfather
Author: Anthony DeStefano
Publisher: Citadel Press
Total Pages: 372
Release: 2006
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780806527352

The epic inside story of Joseph Massino, the mob boss of New York's Bonanno crime family for more than 20 years, who was betrayed by his closest friend, underboss and brother-in-law Salvatore Vitale. Based on interviews with Massino's family and friends, as well as law enforcement officials and confidential sources, The Last Godfather reveals the truth behind incidents made legend in gangster films like Donnie Brasco and The Godfather.

The Districts

The Districts
Author: Johnny Dwyer
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2020-09-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1101970189

Johnny Dwyer examines the New York crimes we’ve seen in the news, in movies, and on television—drug trafficking, organized crime, terrorism, corruption, and white-collar crime—while weaving in the nuances that rarely make it into headlines. “Told in the kind of pointillist detail that can only come from years of hanging around the courthouse and doing old-school shoe-leather reporting.” —Patrick Radden Keefe, author of Say Nothing The Rosenbergs, Rudy Giuliani, Bernie Madoff, James Comey, John Gotti, Preet Bharara, and El Chapo are just a few of the figures to have appeared before the courts in the Southern and Eastern District of New York—the two federal courts tasked with maintaining order in New York City. These two epicenters of power in our justice system have become proving grounds for ambitious prosecutors who turn their service in government into power, position, and, in some cases, celebrity. These attorneys don’t hope for victory in court; they expect it. In The Districts, Johnny Dwyer takes us not just into the courtrooms but also into the lives of the judges and defendants, prosecutors and defense counsels, and winners and losers who people the courts. An unprecedented look at New York City’s federal court system that exposes the incentives driving how America chooses to punish crime—and what those choices reveal about our politics and our society—The Districts paints a revelatory picture of how our justice system, and the pursuit of justice, really works.

Five Families

Five Families
Author: Selwyn Raab
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 810
Release: 2014-05-13
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 1429907983

The New York Times bestseller chronicling the history of NYC’s infamous five mafia families is now the basis for the upcoming The HISTORY® Channel documentary series American Godfathers: The Five Families. Genovese, Gambino, Bonnano, Colombo and Lucchese. For decades these Five Families ruled New York and built the American Mafia (or Cosa Nostra) into an underworld empire. Today, the Mafia is an endangered species, battered and beleaguered by aggressive investigators, incompetent leadership, betrayals and generational changes that produced violent and unreliable leaders and recruits. A twenty year assault against the five families in particular blossomed into the most successful law enforcement campaign of the last century. Selwyn Raab's Five Families is the vivid story of the rise and fall of New York's premier dons from Lucky Luciano to Paul Castellano to John Gotti and more. The book also brings the reader right up to the possible resurgence of the Mafia as the FBI and local law enforcement agencies turn their attention to homeland security and away from organized crime.

Summary of Anthony M. DeStefano's The Big Heist

Summary of Anthony M. DeStefano's The Big Heist
Author: Everest Media,
Publisher: Everest Media LLC
Total Pages: 45
Release: 2022-05-25T22:59:00Z
Genre: True Crime
ISBN:

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The house on 102nd Road was owned by Burke’s daughter Catherine, who leased it to an elderly woman Burke had known growing up in an orphanage after being born with the name Jimmy Conway. The FBI dug up the soil and found some bones that had been overlooked in the burial pit. #2 On June 17, 2013, Gaspare Valenti had arranged for his cousin Vincent Asaro to meet him at the Esquire Diner, a neighborhood place on Woodhaven Boulevard, where they could talk about a problem. Asaro drove up in a black Mercedes. #3 Asaro’s paranoia was well placed, as his cousin Gaspare was a rat. He knew something was up, and when his car was spotted leaving the diner parking lot, he knew he was being taped. He didn’t want to say anything but ended up giving his cousin the only information he had: nothing. #4 Vincent only stayed about ten minutes at the Inwood funeral home, and it wasn’t clear what he may have said to his son. He drove back to Liberty Avenue and got back into the Mercedes. Perhaps he was preoccupied thinking about his earlier conversation with cousin Gaspare and the suspicion that he was setting him up.

The Mafia

The Mafia
Author: Al Cimino
Publisher: Arcturus Publishing
Total Pages: 463
Release: 2017-08-01
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 1788286472

The Mafia began on the small Mediterranean island of Sicily. It grew to become a major political force in Italy, while its tentacles penetrated every aspect of life in the United States. Through drugs, it spread its influence around the world. This is its story.