Prologue

The most important issue I faced when deciding to start this blog was glorification.  I want, and will make every effort, to convey that I'm not naive enough to think that real life organized crime is anything like what's glorified as entertainment.

Mobsters and gangsters are interesting to learn about.  Books and movies about them many times depict them in a fictional light, showcasing their criminal activity as exciting and rewarding.  The reality of the criminal underworld is very different.  For every big score, there are a hundred bad deals and problems with law enforcement.  When a person decides they want to be a part of organized crime, they are likely going to end up dead or incarcerated.

Gangsters and mobsters aren’t persons to be envied.  Many of them develop ulcers, high blood pressure, and other ailments from the stresses they incur every time they go out on the street.  Most of them make paltry earnings, having to kick up most of the money they ever see to those bosses above them.  To advance in one of these gangs or mobs, the person has to indenture themselves permanently to the organization.  They become slaves to crime, and many turn to law enforcement agencies as the only means to extract themselves.

The few that sell their souls and commit any act to get to the top are interesting figures.  They are not to be admired in any way.  Yet, their stories and character are worth taking a look at.  Some of them would have done well in a legitimate business environment.  Most of them grew up in the neighborhoods they become the scourge of.  They prey on their own, taking by force, and the citizens of the neighborhood put on their fake smiles and gushing praise, but live in anger and shame for what mobs and gangs take from them.

American racketeering has a long history.

The purpose of this blog is provide the reader with entertaining information and stories about gangsters and mobsters.  The author isn’t invested in the subject matter, having to glean information from written works, police and news releases, and, without question the best source, government agencies that followed these kingpins around for years, observing their movement, and ultimately for many, sitting them down for a debriefing when they finally tire of the dangerous games they play.

Another of my goals for this blog is to build it into something that isn’t just informative, but explorative, too.  So, though many gangsters and mobsters will be profiled here, there will be other material related to organized crime.  I view it as a learning process for me, as well as the reader.  The organizations, cities and neighborhoods where they operate, and the law enforcement agencies that chase them down will all be examined here.

This is indeed a blog, not a wiki.  If you’re looking to track down some general information on a gangster, I recommend http://organizedcrimeencyclopedia.wikia.com.  If you’re interested in exploring different aspects and persons of the criminal underworld in a casual format, then you’re in the right place.

The author of this blog isn’t an expert, record keeper, or chronicler.  The author is a blogger.  I will do my best to keep the facts straight, and to use care when giving opinions and insight.  I will rely heavily on the various authorities who prosecuted the many who were sent to prison.  Even gangsters and mobsters have rights as human beings to have their stories rooted in the truth.

Even though it’s more exciting to see them as Goodfellas and Godfathers, the truth is they are people, many of them bad people, who let themselves get wrapped up in a life of crime and violence.