Retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins interviews non-fiction author Frank Hayde about his newest book, Mafia Dreams: A True Crime Saga of Young Men at the End of an Era in Kansas City.  Frank tells how an FBI investigation into the insurance crimes of Travis Riley ended with his son, Joe Riley, being shot to death during a drug reverse-sting in an Airport hotel room.  The FBI turned their sights on Riley’s son, Joe Riley, to put pressure on the Father and learn where he had hidden all his hidden assets. Joe Riley delivered himself up to the FBI because he was trying too hard to be a gangster. He was inexperienced and easily tricked. Before that investigation was done, an FBI agent shoots and kills Joe Riley.  This story also tells about the demise of the KC Mafia and how the FBI used the grand jury immunity process to jail many young men whose only crime was to be seen talking to a made guy and then refuse to testify.

Other books by Frank Haye are The Mafia and The Machine,  The Italian Gardens: A History of Kansas City though its Most Favorite Restaurant.  

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Transcript

SPEAKERS

GARY JENKINS, Frank Hayde

00:00

Welcome all you Wiretappers out there good to be back here in studio Gangland Wire. I have a Kansas City story but it kind of stretches out to Las Vegas you’re gonna hear a little tidbit little interesting teaser about Oscar Goodman, the famous mob lawyer which is you know, I’ve done a story about so Welcome Frank. Hey, I really appreciate you coming on the show Frank.

00:24

Thanks for having me back Gary

00:26

Now we did another show about the Mafia and the Machine is like the history of the mob and Kansas City so Frank is steeped in the mafia in Kansas City. And go back and check that show out I think I titled it the Mafia and the Machine and but whatever you can find it you know, Google Frank Hatde HAYDE on YouTube or you know, gangland wire and Frank Hayde Mafia and the Machine. You’ll you’ll find it I’ll have a link to it down below guys. We’re going to talk about his new book mafia dreams a true crime saga of young men at the end of an era in Kansas City. Frank, you told me this is about these young guys that came along after we did the straw man caper. And all the old guys Nick’s about died, Corky Civella, Tuffy DeLuna and Tony Ripe Civella and Charlie Mortena. All of them went to jail for long periods of time. And these are the next generation of Mob guys. So, Frank, start, tell me how did you get into this book? How did you get into this? It’s an interesting story with twin twist.

01:32

Right? Well, you know, after I wrote them off you in the machine, I worked with the DiCapofamily, and we wrote the history of Italian Gardens restaurant, this very iconic restaurant in Kansas City, it was downtown at 12 iand Baltimore for 75 years run by the same four families that were all in a related by blood and marriage. It was a real icon of the city, very much a landmark restaurant. And you can kind of experience the history of Kansas City through the history of Italian Gardens. So that was a really fun book fun project. And that’s how I got clued into this story, that the DiCapos and other people that were closely associated with Italian Guardian mention this story.