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Lou tells about living in a garage growing up, smoking cigarettes while watching Scooby Doo AND by age 11 seeing someone stabbed along with women beaten by pimps. He then recalls the moment he knew he wanted to be a police officer along with what pushed him to serve in US Army. 

If you have seen the movie, “Colors” featuring Robert Duvall and Sean Penn. Lou was like Penn’s character in real life with the Arizona State Gang Task Force. Being undercover forced him to grow up. Lou admits being addicted to the rush of this position. What is the difficulty of not allowing a criminal to dictate the pace of an investigation? 

A graphic story of the extent drug dealers will go to hide drugs and get them to their destination. Complacency can not only get you hurt but killed, Lou retired medically after sustaining career ending injuries during an undercover assignment. 

His PTSD went deep and dark, Lou explains all he went through, what he found to help get past it, and what he does today. Traumatic experiences that law enforcement face and their difficulty managing them. 

As an entrepreneur, what did he do with that garage he lived in as a child? Being an actor, his own series; “Duress” and being in Jay Dobyn’s short film; “Big Red Friday.” Pimber’s thoughts on what leads to success, what breaking badly means to him, losing his identity, and did he write the book for him or others? COPLINE, what it is and how it serves officers. 

Lou Pimber Links:

Official Website: https://loupimber.com/

Buy Breaking Badly: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47PN5XX/

Watch DURESS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdVSmx5eEYA

Watch Big Red Friday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl9p48liC0I

COPLINE: https://www.copline.org/about/who-we-are

Lou Pimber YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LouPimber

Before the Lights Links:

Hire Tommy to Speak: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/public-speaking

Become a BTL Member: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/support

Before the Lights Website: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/

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Clips are from interviews with:
Lou Pimber
Simon Kirke
Nick Christophers
Jody Lichtor
Michael Green
Michael Fenenbock
Brian Downes
Louis Balestrieri

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The show consists of clips from 9 former shows. Nick Parisi on Springfield, MA, Nick Christophers on the Greek Mafia, Ron Fino the relations between politics and crime families, Andy Thibault with Louis the Coin’s connections to the Patriarca Family, Louis Balestrieri with his undercover work on the Italian Bread Industry, Andrea Giovino growing up in the life, George Martorano with Philadelphia Mafia, Michael Green with the early days of the mobbed up Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, and the mysterious death of Tony Cornero told by Tommy Canale. 

Full Episodes:

Nick Parisi: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/beforethelights-episodes/otns23m6z45403jagzgz14zigwv1yd

Nick Christophers: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/beforethelights-episodes/j36oy70av4bbozcz1ru6k5m5ahv7n3

Ron Fino: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/beforethelights-episodes/y41pi10clz8hd85rs8kbvived6alw6

Andy Thibault:

Louis Balestrieri: bit.ly/4aNTTq1

Andrea Giovino: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/beforethelights-episodes/t8cgl5qnlc5v8skut8qnquudl0rfo4

George Martorano: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/beforethelights-episodes/961kc4xpp2qn6q1apo6xk9o37wr9fn

Michael Green: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/beforethelights-episodes/sf7ri366d4jeqqazs55vv38uivk7vb

Tony Cornero: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/beforethelights-episodes/jw2nxnr06rkbvhghsrpsqjxy4jmpk2

Before the Lights Links:

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Before the Lights Website: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/

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Named after Elvis?? Find out! Hear about Horsetown, USA where you may see a horse in a drive thru instead of a vehicle. The story auditioning for a Christian Rock Group but kept getting cut until the mayor of Temecula, CA saw her and introduced her to them. She thought she was loud when in fact she has a powerful velvet soulful voice. Finding her way back to country after being in the pop genre, and the explanation of what California Country Sound is. 

Kelly Clarkson is the reason she started singing; she tells the “this is a dream” moment when she performed with her on stage in Las Vegas on her 17th birthday. Having Kelly has her mentor on S16 of The Voice, what is the best thing she taught her, being a friend with her idol and what the show did for her as an artist. 

A conversation that more need to have regarding unnecessary comment on social media when this world needs to come together. Does she get nervous singing the National Anthem or opening for headliners such as Tim McGraw. Yes, ladies according to Presley, his jeans are that tight. 

Talks about her music that include the tracks; “Half That Strong”, her debut EP “600 Miles”, “Break My Heart”, & “God Forbid We Pray” which leads into her new single that is excellent called, “Somebody Like You.” Fashion! Is she interested in it? A water bottle attachment, a big heart for animals and helping shelters with Riffs & Rescues. 

Presley Tennant Links:

Official Website: https://www.presleytennant.com/

Presley Tennant Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6WAnQSoxNf0YiXhWkEAqr7

Tickets Ole Red Las Vegas: https://www.bandsintown.com/e/105312967-presley-tennant-at-ole-red-las-vegas

Riffs& Rescues: https://www.presleytennant.com/riffsandrescues

Before the Lights Links:

Need Editing Help? Email Tommy: [email protected]

Get Tommy a Glass of Vino: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/beforethelights

RATE & REVIEW THE SHOW! 5 STAR & NICE COMMENTS PLEASE!

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The portrayal of Almanzo Wilder on Little House on the Prairie inspired a new memoir, Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond. Show begins with his upbringing in Northern California as a child acting as a cowboy, cherishing the simplicity of days gone by, like heating water on the stove. His journey into acting stemmed from experiences of bullying, leading to his breakthrough moment when he was first heard and seen.

Securing his first major role as Michael Wagner in Judy Blume’s Forever was preceded by a small part on The Streets of San Francisco. His agent, Ina Bernstein, played a pivotal role in opening doors for him and affirming, “You will do this show,” referring to Little House on the Prairie. He reflects on the importance of roles aligning with an actor's essence, noting how his upbringing uniquely suited him for the character of Almanzo Wilder.

Becoming a published author holds deep significance for him. He shares insights into Michael Landon's personality and his experience joining the series midway through its run. He was captivated by the show's essence after being cast. He discusses how fans embraced the love story between Laura and Almanzo, recalling a pivotal moment when he realized the show's immense popularity beyond the set. He expresses gratitude towards the many individuals who have supported him on his journey to success.

We reflect on how past television shows once brought families together, a tradition now fading into yesteryear.

Dean Butler Links:

Official Website: https://deanbutler.com/

Buy Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond: https://www.amazon.com/Prairie-Man-Little-House-Beyond/dp/0806543299

Before the Lights Links:

Hire Tommy to Speak: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/public-speaking

Become a BTL Member: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/support

Before the Lights Website: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/

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Co-Author of “You Thought It Was More” New Adventures of the World’s Greatest Counterfeiter begins by explain how he met Louis “the Coin” Colavecchio and if he wanted to be a made guy. 

Louis sold fake luxury brand sweaters, stole money from Catholics, and even did load frauds to purchase luxury sports cars from Italy! A master at creating casino chips/tokens, but where does one get this equipment? It took four years to perfect with coins for 36 casinos that were used in Las Vegas, Laughlin, NV, Atlantic City, and even Tribal Casinos in Connecticut.

Where did all the money go? How did Louis the Coin get caught? Louis had a ¾ piece of plywood under a rug in the trunk of his car to handle the weight of all the counterfeit tokens along with other things. A quick discussion of having a travelling Louis the Coin Exhibit especially at The Mob Museum in Las Vegas! 

Part of his pea deal after serving two years at Fort Dix, he showed Mohegan Sun how he did it and was hired by the US Mint! He paid only $2400 of a 90K restitution agreement and was given a REFUND! 

Louis was also in trouble for not just casino chips but also for stealing $100K from his 92-year-old aunt, counterfeiting $100 bills and walked from testing positive for cocaine saying he needed it for sex. In addition to bank, mortgage, and insurance fraud!

Was Louis straightforward about his actions, did his mouth get him into trouble, and the status of the screenplay. What does he miss the most about Louis who passed away in 2020.

**Note: due to supply chain issues the release date of "You Thought It Was More" is July 9, 2024.**

Andy Thibault Links

Buy Book: https://louisthecoinbook.com/

CT. State Police Museum: https://www.cspaaa.com/museum/

Before the Lights Links:

Want Trivia? Email me: [email protected]

Hire Tommy to Speak: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/public-speaking

Become a BTL Member: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/support

Before the Lights Website: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/

Get Tommy a Glass of Vino: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/beforethelights

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An expert in the music of Frank Sinatra’s music and all its components. The son of NFL star, Chuck Fenenbock talks about writing the book, “Fireworks Everytime He Touched the Ball."

How his affinity for Sinatra began, a funny story seeing him in concert, & does he have a favorite song or albums. The lasting musical legacy of Sinatra that spans four different periods. 

See the links below to follow his podcast: Sinatra Matters that has over 60 episodes. The excellent explanation of choosing which tracks to do and the brilliant musicians Sinatra worked with that include Nelson Riddle, Don Costa & Count Basie Orchestras, and his longtime pianist, Bill Miller. 

We get into talking about particulars songs that include All or Nothing at All, Come Fly With Me, I’m Getting Sentimental Over You, Goody Goody, Strangers in the Night, & Send in the Clowns. 

Sinatra’s impact on popular culture which could be its own show. Will there ever be another Frank Sinatra that transitions to the reason why his music will live on forever. 

Michael Fenenbock Links:

Follow Sinatra Matters Podcast: (Spotify) https://open.spotify.com/show/5hN0qfCDIjbRzA1FJ9mEL8

Songs talked about on the podcast:

All or Nothing at All: https://open.spotify.com/track/290Hwi5fTlIPTAymzadZti?si=a58f48f8897940e9

Come Fly With Me: https://open.spotify.com/track/1GcPhT7osBb4LEJnQ0tmfj?si=426704d953da4974

I’m Getting Sentimental Over You: https://open.spotify.com/track/1xRcmiaCpezTbsG3ig76cu?si=fc11dac6eec742e4

Goody Goody: https://open.spotify.com/track/45zzv95NObWLS55RdiGqlf?si=04730da867754fca

Strangers In the Night: https://open.spotify.com/track/74VR3AkGPhbYXnxcOYa16x?si=400d24a5d2264f43

Send In the Clowns: https://open.spotify.com/track/6qj3QuBUEwQINq2LkjhY5Z

Before the Lights Links:

A Heartbeat & A Guitar: Johnny Cash & the Making of Bitter Tear Docuseries: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/docuseries/bitter-tears

Hire Tommy to Speak: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/public-speaking

Become a BTL Member: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/support

Before the Lights Website: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/

Get Tommy a Glass of Vino: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/beforethelights

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Growing up in Brooklyn the Park Slope Area and later Massapequa Park he was associating with children of connected guys. Living in a cop family, he tells his humbled opinion between the police and organized crime. Learning to be loyal and respectful from mob guys and by the age of 21 he was driving a new Lincoln and hustling. Stories of Roy DeMeo and him being an opportunistic criminal. 

Did any of his previous jobs help him with being undercover? This transitions into how he landed being the Asian Undercover for China White Heroin and the enormity of the drug problem in NYC. Stories of being undercover include having a knife to his throat. 

The Italian Bread Industry which was protected as he explains leads into Operation Wasteland where he was placed in a unit called, The Bad New Bears. Quick trip into martial arts background and back to the private sanitation industry where over 30 arrests of mob associates, soldiers, & capos of the largest organized crime case in NYPD & Manhattan District history. His explanation of why there it was no confidence in this team. What working wiretap is really like leads into a story that landed him in trouble. 

The waste disposal industry before Operation Wasteland and how the wise guys were controlling it. Everyone was benefiting from it, but was Mayor Guiliani?  A story about how he got a particular envelope from a meeting that broke the case open. The new laws that were made due to the case and The Operation Wasteland Documentary. Ending with the insurance business is organized crime!

Louis Balestrieri Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-a-balestrieri-1543b213/

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm15022308/

Before the Lights Links:

Need Editing Help? Email Tommy: [email protected]

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Become a BTL Member: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/support

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Javier tells going from small bust operations in Austin, Texas to ending up on the case of Pablo Escobar in Colombia. Out of the academy he was hoping for a bigger city but ended up in Austin. After applying to go to Mexico, he was given Colombia. The eye-opening experience of dealing with Pablo Escobar who was hiding drugs in fruit and humans which we ended up on one of the biggest cases in the world!

Javier knew Pablo very well from all the studying he did such as his informants, family, drug movements, money, etc. He explains Narco Terrorism and the extent of how Pablo would get people to kill for him by buying them houses and providing for their families. Pablo placed bounties on police officers of $100 for each one killed. 

In 1989 Escobar put a bomb on a commercial airline to kill a presidential candidate that killed 109 innocent people, a bus with dynamite in front of a building killed more, and the one that made him Enemy #1 in the world was he killed the presidential candidate at his rally. Extradition was eventually signed, which was the green light for Javier and his team. Was there an order to kill Escobar? 

His self-surrender with his own penthouse prison and how he was later found after the DEA found his frequency that resulted in his killing by the Colombian National Police. Pablo’s motto was that he preferred a tomb in Colombia versus a jail cell in the United States. Javier said he was probably worth more than $30 Billion at the time of his death! 

Javier Pena Links:

DEA Narcos Website: https://www.deanarcos.com/

Netflix Series: Narcos: https://www.netflix.com/title/80025172

Buy the book! Manhunter: How We Took Down Pablo Escobar: https://www.deanarcos.com/shop

Before the Lights Interview with Steve Murphy & Javier Pena (4-18-22): https://www.beforethelightspod.com/beforethelights-episodes/dymv1glth0ujf65z0trqocx9acplf8

Before the Lights Links:

Want Trivia? Email me: [email protected]

Hire Tommy to Speak: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/public-speaking

Become a BTL Member: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/support

Before the Lights Website: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/

Get Tommy a Glass of Vino: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/beforethelights

Support the show

Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beforethelightspodcast/
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Rate & Review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/before-the-lights/id1501245041
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His journey begins with a childhood connection to a character from "The Outsiders," leading to a stint in a junior high gang. Amidst this, music and breakdancing emerge.

His writing career began with a Greek publication that led him to mainstream. His path intertwined with his father's café near Kennedy Airport, frequented by mob figures. A youthful venture into bookmaking at 13 prompted questions from his father after finding a betting sheet. 

A brief flirtation with a gangster persona led to an arrest, a pivotal moment curbing his criminal inclinations due to his father's influence. Seeing John Gotti, the Greek Mafia in America, and the origins of the term "Godfathers of the Night."

His novels, notably "Destinies" and its sequel "No Honor Among Thieves," he is working on taking from page to screen. His co-wrote "Prison Rules,"  with ex-Gambino bodyguard John Alite which draws from real experiences and offers a gritty glimpse into life behind bars. His third book "Mafia Ties - The Greek Syndicates" will be available by June 1st. 

His most intriguing mob story involves a man eliminating three assailants sent to kill him  

His upcoming attendance at the June 1 Mob Summit in Las Vegas, he will have his 3rd book available for sale “Mafia Ties- The Greek Syndicates.”

Nick Christophers Links

Website: https://nickchristophers.org/

Buy Destinies: https://bit.ly/3JELbPP           Destines Vol. 2: https://bit.ly/4dojUPi

Get Prison Rules: https://bit.ly/44mGiUQ

Mob Summit Tickets: https://bit.ly/3Ux4Pnw

Mob Tales Podcast with Tommy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ1BMHltiv4&t=452s

Before the Lights Links

Get Tommy a Glass of Vino: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/beforethelights

RATE & REVIEW THE SHOW! 5 STAR & NICE COMMENTS PLEASE!

Become a BTL Member: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/support

Before the Lights Website: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/

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Email the host: [email protected]