The Gangland History Podcast: An Organized Crime & Mafia History Podcast

In this episode, we talk with Ray Franze author of ‘The Heights.’

The Heights is a historical mob fiction novel based upon the early days a very real and powerful crew of Italians in Chicago Heights, Illinois that became one of the most powerful, but least well-known, crews in the Chicago Outfit (as well as nationally).

Fox News Chicago has called The Heights “A masterful dive into mob history.”

Here is a brief synopsis of the book:

“FALL IN LINE, OR FALL IN A GRAVE

After 30 years of research and scouring 5,000 pages of FBI files, The Heights was born. Inspired by true events and racketeers who ruthlessly fought their way into Al Capone's inner circle and expanded organized crime across the American West.

It's hard to believe Sal Liparello has survived long enough to enjoy a midday scotch on his California tomato farm.

The sixty-something crime boss from Chicago Heights helped take out Sicilian gangs, advised Al Capone on some of his biggest moves, and rubbed elbows with the Kennedys, Sinatra, and Marilyn Monroe - all while avoiding the likes of Eliot Ness and J. Edgar Hoover.

But as he surveys the fruits of his labor, Sal also remembers the cost of staying above ground and out of prison.

And all those decisions are about to catch up with him.”

In the episode, we dive deep into the book and talk about:

Additionally, we dig deep into the real history behind ‘The Heights’ to discuss the real-life counterparts of some of the characters within the books. We discuss the origins of the Chicago Heights crew and how they eventually joined forces with Al Capone to become a part of the larger Chicago Outfit in the 1920's and beyond.

We also discuss their exploits and their potential part in planning the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Mentioned in this episode are:

These three men were the core leaders of the Chicago Heights crew in the 1920's that murdered their way to the top of Chicago Heights, formed partnerships with Al Capone and eventually were brought into the Chicago Outfit under Capone. They ran bootlegging in what Eliot Ness dubbed “the second wettest city in America” behind Cicero, Illinois, and provided shooters and brains whenever Capone needed them.

These three men ran Chicago Heights for the Outfit from the 1920's into the early 1970's before the crew was taken over by younger (and more violent) elements of the family. Yet, their history and relative importance in the national crime syndicate is relatively unknown.

Additional source: https://www.myalcaponemuseum.com/id193.htm

In this episode, we continue the “State of the Mafia (1967)” series. If you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to go back and watch ‘The State of the Mafia: Part One’ “The rules that hold us together” as it will be a very good primer for this episode’s content.

I’m calling this show ‘The State of the Mafia (1967): Part Two’ “Life or Death Obligations.” Like the first part of this series, this report will jump around a lot, but in the end I think you’ll still enjoy it, and hopefully it teaches you “a couple of three things.”

Okay, so let’s reset the stage here. 

This 1967 FBI report, which we began to cover in Part One (again, go watch or listen to it first if you haven’t), is a veritable gold-mine of information. The aim at the time of creation was focused on providing an overall picture of LCN membership and activities throughout the United States as things stood in 1967. The report was declassified in 1996.

The originator of the report was a man named Robert G. O’Neil, and the report itself was submitted to the FBI Director at the time, one J. Edgar Hoover.

Sometimes in the course of historical research, you just find things that are simply too good not to share. In this case, I found this report by accident, got to reading it, and was very much enthralled by it. And based on the responses in the first episode (a 96% approval rating on YouTube), I think it’s worth continuing. 

In Part One, I covered the following topics:

In this episode, we’re going to continue along that track and get into:

For the sake of time, we’ll stop this episode after transfers of members.

The report in its entirety will likely require four parts in total to fully cover, and will be linked in the description of the episode. Again, it contains references to 50+ cities and 196 informants in total. So, it’s a massive dossier and treasure trove of information on the Mafia.

Link to full report: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=113324#relPageId=21

There are many different families, individual mobsters, and stories referenced in this episode. The episode bounces from the "who's who" of the American Mafia, to several lesser known characters, citing informant reports that were geared on teaching the FBI about the Mafia back in the 1960's.

And now, I'm bringing this information to your doorstep.

We talk with Giovanni Rocco, a former deep cover agent for the FBI, is responsible for taking down the American Mob organization commonly referred to by the media as “The Real Sopranos.”

During Operation Charlie Horse, Giovanni infiltrated the DeCavalcante crime family based in New Jersey and personally gathered enough evidence to prosecute and convict several high-ranking members and associates of the crime family. This action, while bolstering his legend in the undercover world, ultimately led to early retirement and the relocation of his family. 

During his decades-long career as an undercover for the federal government, he successfully infiltrated outlaw motorcycle gangs, domestic and international terror organizations and the Mafia. Drawing from his service in law enforcement in various positions, Giovanni now shares his expertise with law enforcement, military and intelligence units worldwide.

More recently, he has become the host of the show, “Inside the Life” along with co-host Dutch McAlpin, produced by The Mob Museum, where they give listeners a one-of-a-kind look into the inner world of organized crime, featuring guests who have lived on both sides of the law.

In addition to his work as a subject matter expert and host of a successful YouTube show, Giovanni is also an author. He released his autobiography entitled, “Giovanni’s Ring: My Life Inside the Real Sopranos” released in February of 2021. I’ll leave the link in the description of the episode, and if you’d like, you can get a signed copy from Giovanni himself. Definitely a must have book for your collection.

Giovanni’s experiences have been featured in The Washington Times, the New York Post, and more. 

This is his story in his own words.

Episode chapters and timestamps:

00:00 Start

01:27 Opening Remarks

03:36 Interview Begins

04:38 Growing up in Bayonne, New Jersey

06:40 Influence of the Mafia in Bayonne

08:32 Giovanni's family and upbringing

12:09 The influence of violence and the draw of the streets

16:03 Going from "Black Sheep" to becoming a police officer

18:28 The importance of the law enforcement oath

21:06 Giovanni's early law enforcement career

24:09 Working in extremely violent areas of New Jersey

27:35 Dealing with fear on the job

29:56 Were neighborhoods safer when the mob was in control?

31:47 Becoming an undercover operative

33:26 Undercover work and the element of truth

37:10 Physical tells and how they may betray an undercover operative

39:38 Balancing relationships and family life with undercover work

45:55 Introducing Giovanni Gatto (the alter ego)

48:50 The art of evasiveness

50:45 'Operation Charlie Horse' begins

55:19 Meeting Luigi 'Lui the Dog' Oliveri, alleged made member of the DeCavalcante Crime Family

55:52 Getting an introduction to Charlie 'The Hat' Stango, Capo in the DeCavalcante Crime Family

57:08 Getting to know Charlie 'The Hat' Stango

59:06 How 'Operation Charlie Horse' progressed

01:00:00 The Mafia's approach to vetting Giovanni

01:04:35 Walking the legal line as an undercover

01:06:09 Facing dangerous situations as an undercover

01:08:20 Nearly getting caught by The DeCav's

01:13:10 Nearly getting caught, the infamous bridge story

01:16: 15 Nearly getting caught, the soccer game

01:17:12 The end of 'Operation Charlie Horse'

01:18:41 Giovanni gets a contract to kill

01:20:40 The leadership of the DeCavalcante Family during Giovanni's undercover work

01:21:58 The possibility of faking a 'hit'

01:24:40 Early retirement and beginning work with training and development for law enforcement and military personnel

01:32:45 Doing the 'Inside the Life' podcast for The Mob Museum

01:39:25 Closing remarks

In this episode, special guest Tony Taouk and myself discuss the career of infamous Philadelphia mob lawyer, Robert "Bobby" Simone (1933 - 2007).

Robert F. Simone was known for winning a string of difficult cases for clients that included members of Philadelphia's organized-crime family such as Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo, Philip "Crazy" Phil Leonetti, Frank "The Baracuda" Sindone, union boss John McCullough, and many more.

We discuss many topics surrounding the life and times of Simone including:

Link to Simone's book, "The Last Mouthpiece: The Man Who Dared to Defend the Mob" https://www.amazon.com/Last-Mouthpiece-Man-Dared-Defend/dp/0940159694

Link to "MOUTHPIECE: VOICE FOR THE ACCUSED" (2002)" * PRODUCED BY THE HISTORY CHANNEL (Used in this video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7hDUNfyRJc

In this episode, the first of a two-part series, we discuss the life and times of Paul "The Waiter" Ricca, who was born Felice De Lucia in Apricena, Italy in 1898.

Paul Ricca was one of the most powerful underworld figures in the history of Cosa Nostra in this country, his career spanning from the Capone Era into the 1970's. For over 30 years, Ricca co-ran The Chicago Outfit with his friend and contemporary, Anthony "Tony" Accardo.

In Part One, we cover:

(1) De Lucia's birth in Apricena, Italy in 1898 and the mystery surrounding both his real birthdate as well as the true names of his parents

(2) De Lucia's involvement and conviction of multiple murders in Italy as part of an ongoing family feud, and his immigration to the United States in 1920 (while still a fugitive in Italy)

(3) His original connections with key underworld players including Joseph "Diamond Joe" Esposito and Johnny "The Fox" Torrio, which led to his arrival in Chicago in the early 1920's

(4) His introduction to major Chicago underworld figures including Frank Nitti and Al Capone as a manager at the Bella Napoli Restaurant (where he got his nickname)

(5) His admission to the Al Capone organization and his subsequent rise through the ranks

(6) His ascension to leadership of The Chicago Outfit after Capone was convicted of tax evasion in 1931

(7) Ricca's many arrests in the early 1930's with famous national syndicate figures including Meyer Lansky and Charles "Lucky" Luciano

(8) Ricca's involvement in labor racketeering and his extortion of local Chicago unions

(9) The infamous 1943 Hollywood Extortion trial, which led to Ricca's first major conviction and prison time

(10) Ricca and The Outfit's possible involvement in the Frank Nitti suicide

I hope you enjoy this episode!

"To the rules that hold us together"

In this episode, we discuss a comprehensive 1967 FBI Intelligence Report distributed across all FBI field offices within the United States.

This report provided an overall picture of the American Cosa Nostra across the entire country and provided reports, taken from the accounts of 190+ informants, around the following:

The report is comprehensive and touches upon many interesting points such as:

As part of this episode, we discuss some myths and facts related to many of the accounts contained within the report from various informants.

In this episode, the third of this series, we cover several mob hits that occurred in and around Philadelphia's Bruno Crime Family of LCN during the 1960's. This video focuses on the battle that occurred for control of Philadelphia's Teamsters Local 107, between the Mafia and law-abiding members of the union.

Our goal of these episodes is to dispel the myth that Angelo Bruno—"The Docile Don"—was a non-violent Boss. In fact, evidence will show that he likely handed down many hit contracts, which we will go over in detail over the course of Volumes I and beyond. For Cosa Nostra Bosses in this era, ordering hits was standard operating procedure and could not be avoided.

While we will cover many slayings during the "Hits" episodes, in this particular video we talk about the following gangland murders, related specifically to Teamsters Local 107:

1) John Gorey & Rita Yanda (1966)

2) Robert DeGeorge (1967)

The murders of the three individuals above were among the most heinous and saddest that I've covered as part of this series, and shows the level of influence and control that the mob had in Local 107 at the time.

In this episode, the second of this series, we cover several mob hits that occurred in and around Philadelphia's Bruno Crime Family of LCN during the 1960's.

Our goal of these episodes is to dispel the myth that Angelo Bruno—"The Docile Don"—was a non-violent Boss. In fact, evidence will show that he likely handed down many hit contracts, which we will go over in detail over the course of Volumes I and beyond.

For Cosa Nostra Bosses in this era, ordering hits was standard operating procedure and could not be avoided. While we will cover many during the "Hits" episodes, in this particular video we talk about the following gangland murders:

1) "Whispers" DiTullio prior to 1966 (from the movie "The Irishman" (2019) and the book "I Heard You Paint Houses" by Charles Brandt)

2) Alberto Galante in 1964

3) William "Willie" Sears in 1964

4) Robert "Bobby" Bennett in 1964

The next episode will detail two hits that took place during the 1960's over control of Teamsters Local 107 in what was considered to be the Philadelphia mob's "Golden Era."

In this episode, we cover several mob hits that occurred in and around Philadelphia's Bruno Crime Family of LCN during the 1960's.

Our goal of these episodes is to dispel the myth that Angelo Bruno—"The Docile Don"—was a non-violent Boss. In fact, evidence will show that he likely handed down many hit contracts, which we will go over in detail over the course of Volumes I and beyond.

For Cosa Nostra Bosses in this era, ordering hits was standard operating procedure and could not be avoided.

While we will cover many during the "Hits" episodes, in this particular video we talk about the following gangland murders:

1 & 2) Vincent and Richie Blaney in 1960 and 1961

3) Dominick "Reds" Caruso in 1962

4) Ferdinand “Blackie” Iacono in 1963

Future episodes will detail at least 7 additional hits that took place during the 1960's in what was considered to be the Philadelphia mob's "Golden Era."

In this episode, featuring myself and Australian lawyer Tony Taouk, we discuss the life and times of George Remus who was famously dubbed, "The King of the Bootleggers" in the 1920's.

George Remus, born in 1878, was a German-born American lawyer who was probably most famously well-known as a bootlegger during the early days of Prohibition, and who later became even more infamous for the murder his wife Imogene, for which he was acquitted.

In popular culture, many believed that George Remus served as the inspiration for The Great Gatsby, and he was even famously portrayed on the HBO series, Boardwalk Empire.

In this episode, we discuss: