Crime Capsule

Franklin County, Virginia is notorious for its moonshine legacy. The county's history is not a fairy tale, but a saga of blood and fire. The Scots-Irish settlers who came to its harsh mountains brought with them a fierce spirit of independence and resistance to authority. They made moonshine not only for profit, but also for pride and identity. During the Prohibition era, the county became a hotbed of illegal liquor production and distribution, attracting the attention of federal agents and rival bootleggers. The violence did not end with the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, as moonshine and drugs continued to fuel conflicts and crimes in the region. The year 1978 was especially gruesome, with nine murders related to the illicit trade. Phillip Andrew Gibbs, a historian and native of Virginia, recounts the events of that dreadful year and the historical context behind them.

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In this episode of Crime Capsule, host Benjamin Morris continues his conversation with author Paul Hodos, discussing his book "Steel City Mafia, Blood, Betrayal, and Pittsburgh's Last Dawn." They focus on Mike Genovese, a key figure in the Pittsburgh mob. Born in 1919 to Italian immigrant parents, Mike's early life was marked by both violence and opportunity. While his parents had no direct ties to crime families, there were hints of involvement in bootlegging. Join Benjamin and Paul as they delve deep into the streets of Pittsburgh and explore the captivating story of Mike Genovese.

Paul N. Hodos is a two-time book author, article author and former FBI supervisory intelligence analyst in the Criminal Investigative Division. He received his undergraduate degree in history at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and his graduate degree in strategic intelligence at the National Intelligence University in Bethesda, Maryland. Paul was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and currently resides in Kensington, Maryland, with his very supportive wife and kids.

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Pittsburgh's small but lucrative Cosa Nostra mafia family was on the rise in 1985 with a newly crowned Don... The men who came to dominate the rackets in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and West Virginia opened the family to massive profits from drug trafficking and a street tax on other criminal activities. At the same time, the Youngstown, OH faction of the family launched a brutal mob war against the weakening Cleveland mafia and the Altoona, PA crew violently clamped down on their city. Discover gritty stories of a made member who controlled who a local police department hired, an informant who betrayed his own mafia grandfather and father, numerous unsolved murders and a mob mole in the Pittsburgh office of the FBI. This is the tale of a mafia family at the pinnacle of its power, willing to do anything to hold on to that power and its downfall in the criminal underworld.

Paul N. Hodos is a two-time book author, article author and former FBI supervisory intelligence analyst in the Criminal Investigative Division. He received his undergraduate degree in history at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and his graduate degree in strategic intelligence at the National Intelligence University in Bethesda, Maryland. Paul was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and currently resides in Kensington, Maryland, with his very supportive wife and kids.

Purchase HERE

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Pittsburgh's small but lucrative Cosa Nostra mafia family was on the rise in 1985 with a newly crowned Don... The men who came to dominate the rackets in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and West Virginia opened the family to massive profits from drug trafficking and a street tax on other criminal activities. At the same time, the Youngstown, OH faction of the family launched a brutal mob war against the weakening Cleveland mafia and the Altoona, PA crew violently clamped down on their city. Discover gritty stories of a made member who controlled who a local police department hired, an informant who betrayed his own mafia grandfather and father, numerous unsolved murders and a mob mole in the Pittsburgh office of the FBI. This is the tale of a mafia family at the pinnacle of its power, willing to do anything to hold on to that power and its downfall in the criminal underworld.

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Even in a town notorious for gangsters like Al Capone, much of Chicago's lawless lore has remained uncharted. Chicago's Chinatown, in particular, was home to a vast criminal enterprise, strictly bound by old country rituals, rules and traditions. Few know of Moy Dong Chew, aka "Opium Dong,'? one of Chinatown's original godfathers, much less Frank Moy, his fedora-wearing predecessor. While incidents like the St. Valentine's Day Massacre dominated newspaper headlines, the Tong Wars were being waged in the shadows.

Author Harrison Fillmore relates the long and sordid history of Chinatown's underbelly from the early 1880s to the late 1980s when a Federal Indictment essentially ended organized crime's grip on their good citizens.

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Join host Benjamin Morris as he interviews the author Harrison Fillmore about his new book from Arcadia Publishing & The History Press, Godfathers of Chicago's Chinatown.

Even in a town notorious for gangsters like Al Capone, much of Chicago's lawless lore has remained uncharted. Chicago's Chinatown, in particular, was home to a vast criminal enterprise, strictly bound by old country rituals, rules and traditions. Few know of Moy Dong Chew, aka "Opium Dong,'? one of Chinatown's original godfathers, much less Frank Moy, his fedora-wearing predecessor. While incidents like the St. Valentine's Day Massacre dominated newspaper headlines, the Tong Wars were being waged in the shadows. 

Author Harrison Fillmore relates the long and sordid history of Chinatown's underbelly from the early 1880s to the late 1980s when a Federal Indictment essentially ended organized crime's grip on their good citizens.

Purchase HERE

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Ellen E. Jack backed up her orders with a shotgun as she stood at the entrance to her Black Queen Mine. To profit from the mine, located near Aspen, she engaged in many other battles with lawyers and capitalists who tried to wrest her ore away. Mrs. Captain Jack contributed to the myth of the West by crowning herself as the “Mining Queen of the Rockies” as she entertained tourists at her roadhouse near Colorado Springs. Author Jane Bardal offers a captivating biography of a pioneering woman who fashioned a legacy through true tenacity and maybe even a few tall tales.

Jane Bardal’s previous publications include “Southwestern New Mexico Mining Towns” and “Oral Histories from the Grants Uranium District,” in the Mining History Journal. She teaches psychology at Central New Mexico Community College.

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Ellen E. Jack backed up her orders with a shotgun as she stood at the entrance to her Black Queen Mine. To profit from the mine, located near Aspen, she engaged in many other battles with lawyers and capitalists who tried to wrest her ore away. Mrs. Captain Jack contributed to the myth of the West by crowning herself as the “Mining Queen of the Rockies” as she entertained tourists at her roadhouse near Colorado Springs. Author Jane Bardal offers a captivating biography of a pioneering woman who fashioned a legacy through true tenacity and maybe even a few tall tales.

Jane Bardal’s previous publications include “Southwestern New Mexico Mining Towns” and “Oral Histories from the Grants Uranium District,” in the Mining History Journal. She teaches psychology at Central New Mexico Community College.

Purchase HERE

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Tales of California’s hidden treasures and lost mines span the state from the Pacific Ocean to the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Sunken cargo from the steamship Brother Jonathon is rumored to still be out there, awaiting discovery, as is the location of the famous lost Breyfogle Mine. Outlaws like Three Finger Jack and Joaquin Murrieta were said to have stashed their loot while evading law enforcement, and Sir Francis Drake’s English pirates buried treasures all along the coast. Deep underground and underwater, a bounty awaits for some lucky prospector. Join author W. Craig Gaines as he unearths stories of legendary and historic lost treasures yet to be found in the Golden State.

W. Craig Gaines is the author of several books, including Civil War Gold and Other Lost Treasures, Lost Oklahoma Treasure and Lost Texas Treasure. Craig has been interested in lost treasure ever since seeing the film Treasure Island when he was very young. He has written lost treasure stories for a variety of treasure hunting magazines. Craig is an engineer, geologist and writer who has been in many of the areas mentioned in this work. He currently resides with his wife, Arla, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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Tales of California’s hidden treasures and lost mines span the state from the Pacific Ocean to the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Sunken cargo from the steamship Brother Jonathon is rumored to still be out there, awaiting discovery, as is the location of the famous lost Breyfogle Mine. Outlaws like Three Finger Jack and Joaquin Murrieta were said to have stashed their loot while evading law enforcement, and Sir Francis Drake’s English pirates buried treasures all along the coast. Deep underground and underwater, a bounty awaits for some lucky prospector. Join author W. Craig Gaines as he unearths stories of legendary and historic lost treasures yet to be found in the Golden State.

W. Craig Gaines is the author of several books, including Civil War Gold and Other Lost Treasures, Lost Oklahoma Treasure and Lost Texas Treasure. Craig has been interested in lost treasure ever since seeing the film Treasure Island when he was very young. He has written lost treasure stories for a variety of treasure hunting magazines. Craig is an engineer, geologist and writer who has been in many of the areas mentioned in this work. He currently resides with his wife, Arla, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Purchase HERE

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