Organized Crime History

Be the FBI Agent in training under J. Edgar Hoover and run the gauntlet of Machinegun Kelly, Baby Face Nelson, and the Barker Karpis Gang. Step back into downtown Chicago of the 1930s and retrace the steps of some of America's most notorious mobsters. True Stories from the Files of the FBI was written by W. Cleon Skousen under the direct supervision of Mr. Hoover himself. These first-hand accounts of actual "do or die" situations were used for decades to train thousands of FBI agents.

America's first African American heavyweight boxing champion, Jack Johnson, has a chance encounter with a mysterious Irishman, named Altamont, when they meet at the boxer's restaurant, Café de Champion, in August 1912. Johnson's new relationship with the unusual man, with beady eyes and hawk-like nose, places him in an unusual circumstance to help Altamont get out of a tough situation.

They called it Satan's Circus - a square mile of Midtown Manhattan where vice ruled, sin flourished, and depravity danced in every doorway. At the turn of the twentieth century, murder was so common in the vice district that few people were surprised when the loudmouthed owner of a shabby casino was gunned down on the steps of its best hotel. But when, two weeks later, an ambitious district attorney charged young policeman Charley Becker with ordering the murder, even the denizens of Satan's Circus were surprised.

C'è stato un tempo in cui, nella Sicilia lacerata da una furiosa guerra di mafia, si fecero largo gruppi di picciotti senza regole e senza padroni, che si misero in testa di arricchirsi con le rapine e con le estorsioni. Presto vennero coinvolti nelle faide tra vecchi e nuovi boss di Cosa nostra e si trasformarono in killer spietati. Li chiamavano stiddari. Tra la fine degli anni Ottanta e gli inizi dei Novanta seminarono il terrore nelle province di Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Enna, Ragusa e Trapani.

Eliot Ness presents the first complete picture of the real Eliot Ness. Both fearless and shockingly shy, he inspired courage and loyalty in men twice his age, forged law-enforcement innovations that are still with us today, and earned acclaim and scandal from both his professional and personal lives. Through it all, he believed unwaveringly in the integrity of law and the basic goodness of his fellow Americans.

Detroit, mid-1930s: In a city abuzz over its unrivaled sports success, gun-loving baseball fan Dayton Dean became ensnared in the nefarious and deadly Black Legion. The secretive, Klan-like group was executing a wicked plan of terror, murdering enemies, flogging associates, and contemplating armed rebellion. The Legion boasted tens of thousands of members across the Midwest, among them politicians and prominent citizens - even, possibly, a beloved athlete.

La vera storia della banda della Magliana. Quali misteri avvolgono ancora la banda della Magliana? Perché, pur macchiatosi di innumerevoli delitti, Enrico De Pedis, il boss della frangia più pericolosa della banda, è stato sepolto nella cripta della basilica vaticana di Sant'Apollinare, tra monsignori e cardinali e con il benestare del Vicario del Papa? Proprio lì vicino il 22 giugno del 1983 scomparve la quindicenne Emanuela Orlandi, e gli inquirenti sono ormai convinti che la banda della Magliana sia coinvolta nel rapimento.

Chi sono gli uomini che hanno combattuto in prima fila il terrorismo negli anni di piombo? Chi sono gli uomini che agli ordini del generale Carlo Alberto dalla Chiesa hanno indagato, rischiato, vissuto come clandestini, servito il Paese e la democrazia, per essere dimenticati dopo l'uccisione del loro comandante passato a combattere la mafia? Questo audiolibro racconta per la prima volta la lotta al terrorismo attraverso la voce dei protagonisti che sostennero il peso di un impegno senza limiti. Ne nasce una storia sincera, per molti aspetti nuova, che smonta sospetti.

"Neighbors in Mob: The Mafia History in Pennsylvania and New Jersey" presents an immersive exploration of two infamous crime families that have left an indelible mark on the underworld landscape of the East Coast. This comprehensive book delves deep into the histories of the Bruno-Scarfo Mafia crime family of Philadelphia and the DeCavalcante Mafia crime family of New Jersey, offering listeners an unparalleled journey into the heart of organized crime.

In 1910, Dorothy Arnold, a vibrant socialite and aspiring writer, stepped out for a shopping trip and was never seen again. Her disappearance gripped the nation, sparking a media frenzy and one of the most confounding unsolved mysteries in American history. Was it a tragic accident? A calculated escape? Or something far more sinister? The Vanishing Heiress dives deep into the heart of this century-old enigma, unraveling the circumstances surrounding Dorothy’s disappearance and the ripple effects it had on her wealthy family, the media, and society at large.

In the shadows of Northeastern Pennsylvania, a clandestine empire emerged—one that would become synonymous with the essence of organized crime. The Bufalino Mafia Crime Family takes you on a gripping journey through the tumultuous history of the notorious Bufalino crime syndicate. This meticulously researched and fascinating narrative unveils the hidden layers of a mafia family that left an indelible mark on American criminal history.

It wasn’t surprising when the first abandoned bicycles were found along the dirt roads and farmland just across the border from Tijuana, but before long they were arriving in droves. The bikes went from curiosity, to nuisance, to phenomenon. But until they caught the eye of journalist Kimball Taylor, only a small cadre of human smugglers - coyotes - and migrants could say how or why they’d gotten there. This is the story of 7,000 bikes that made an incredible journey and one young man from Oaxaca who arrived at the border with nothing, built a small empire, and then vanished.

Caught between Camorra gunrunners selling to ISIS and Nigerian drug gangs along Italy's picturesque coast, each year thousands of refugees and migrants are lured into their underworld, forced to become sex slaves, drug mules, or weapon smugglers. In this powerful expose, investigative journalist Barbie Latza Nadeau follows the weapons trail, meets the trafficked women trapped by black magic, the brave nuns who try to save them, and the Italian police who turn a blind eye as the most urgent issues facing Europe play out in broad daylight.

The thrilling story of the Bonnot Gang, a band of anarchist bank robbers whose crimes terrorized belle époque Paris, and whose escapades reflected the fast-paced, dizzyingly modern, and increasingly violent period on the eve of World War I. For six terrifying months in 1911-1912, the citizens of Paris were gripped by a violent crime streak. A group of bandits went on a rampage throughout the city and its suburbs, robbing banks and wealthy Parisians, killing anyone who got in their way, and always managing to stay one step ahead of the police.

Every village, town, and city has its share of notorious names and infamous families. Ones who seem to capture the headlines and imagination of its inhabitants. On Tyneside, one family name has long been synonymous with controversy and crime for decades, yet their lifelong conflict with the law began over a century ago.

The Kosher Capones tells the fascinating story of Chicago’s Jewish gangsters from Prohibition into the 1980s. Author Joe Kraus traces these gangsters through the lives, criminal careers, and conflicts of Benjamin “Zukie the Bookie” Zuckerman, last of the independent West Side Jewish bosses, and Lenny Patrick, eventual head of the Syndicate’s “Jewish wing.”

As the second installment in the acclaimed Shadows of the Past series, The Silent Witness combines meticulous research with a captivating narrative style. Listeners will gain new insights into Mary’s life, the public’s obsession with her death, and how her story influenced the literary world, including Poe’s classic The Mystery of Marie Rogêt.

Coca, farlopa, perico, merca, Fariña. Nunca Galicia comercializó un producto con tanto éxito. Aunque ahora parezca una pesadilla lejana, en los años 90 el 80 por ciento de la cocaína desembarcaba en Europa por las costas gallegas. A través de testimonios directos de capos, pilotos de planeadoras, arrepentidos, jueces, policías, periodistas y madres de toxicómanos, Nacho Carretero retrata con minuciosidad este paisaje criminal. Fariña incluye, además, un repaso inédito por los clanes que siguen operando hoy en día.

Follow infamous Italian mafiosos, cocaine cowboys, hitmen, jewel thieves, outlaw bikers, and others as they leave a trail of carnage on their climb to the top of the criminal underworld. It’s a vicious and dangerous game as determined authorities and bloodthirsty rivals try to take them down by any means necessary. With vivid scenes of murder, mayhem, and millions of dollars, Criminal Escapades chronicles the rise and fall of 20 of the most notorious gangsters to ever walk the cities, slums, and prisons in the modern era.

Jack Dawe is an unconventional street cop. His ability to not act or look like a "Copper" enabled him to infiltrate the drug networks of the UK. This no-holds-barred, explosive, and, at times, humorous account of undercover policing takes the listener through a journey of crime, violence, and deception. This memoir is a true story of poacher turned game keeper. A veteran of 30 years’ service as a soldier and police officer, Jack reveals how he grew from a young thief into a soldier in search of danger and adventure across the world.