Sunday, December 25, 2011

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Best Mob Movie List






The Godfather (1972) - Not only is it the best Mob movie of all time, it's one of the best movies period.

Goodfellas (1990) - Martin Scorcese at his best. Lost the Best Picture Oscar to Dances With Wolves. A winner in any other year.

The Godfather Part II (1974) - The only sequel to win a best picture Oscar. Yes, it's that good.

Donnie Brasco (1997) - Stars Al Pacino and Johnny Depp. Enough said!


Scarface (1983) - Brian DePalma's best film. By the way, Al Pacino would like you to meet his friend.

A History of Violence (2005) - A graphic illustration of what might have happened had Charles Manson visited Mayberry- only darker! William Hurt is phenomenal here.

The Departed (2006) - The question of whether a definitive list of Scorsese pictures will include The Departed has been answered. It's brilliant!

On the Waterfront (1954) - One of the best films of all time. Brando displays one of the best acting performances ever to be captured on film.


Reservoir Dogs (1992) - Quentin Tarantino's best film? Mr. Pink thinks so.

Casino (1995) - Another Scorcese Mob film. Not as good as Goodfellas, but still pretty damn good!

A Bronx Tale (1993) - DeNiro's directorial debut. And a fine debut it is. And he stars in the film too.

The Untouchables (1987) - Elliot Ness cleans up the Chicago underworld. Directed by Brian de Palma, written by David Mamet, starring Kevin Costner. How's that for firepower?

The Dark Knight (2008) - Heath Ledger's performance aside, it's just a great movie. Not really as much a superhero tale as it is a brilliant crime drama that happens to feature a superhero.

Carlito's Way (1993) - De Palma and Pacino sure know their way around a gangster flick!


Pulp Fiction (1994) - Tarantino's sophomore effort. No sophomore slump here! Style and verve that have been copied ever since.

Heat (1995) - The first time De Niro and Pacino acted together. Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry.

Jackie Brown (1997) - Another Tarantino classic. Hip, stylish and pure Tarantino!

Boondock Saints (1999) - Little known, but a huge cult classic.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967) - Not a Mafia movie, but a gangster flick nonetheless. One of the most controversial films of the 1960s. And there was a lot of controversy in the 60s! Towards the top of many "best films of all times" lists.

Miller's Crossing (1990) - Lust, vengeance, and Ireland! All the things that make a good Mob movie!

Analyze This (1998) - A change of pace for a gangster pic, but worth the look anyway. Good to see De Niro do levity.

The Sopranos (2000- 2007) - Sure, it's not a movie, but it's the best show on TV, so it deserves a mention here. Will unfortunately typecast Gandolfini to the point of unrecoverability.

Road to Perdition (2002) - A Sam Mendes masterpiece. It's a cold, brooding noir piece with violence, intrigue, style and of course the father son dynamic.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

The Top 5 Most Corrupt U.S. Police Officers Of All-Time

September 29, 2011
Police corruption is a major problem in the United States. Some police officers turn bad to make money through ripping off drug dealers and even dealing drugs themselves. Some try and cover up their own acts of brutality, murder and even torture. Police corruption happens in New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans and every major U.S. city and is conducted by officers of all races, creeds and colors.
Here is our list of the top 5 most corrupt U.S. police officers of all-time.
Louis Eppolito Stephen Caracappa The Top 5 Most Corrupt U.S. Police Officers Of All Time
- Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa -

5. Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa

Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa worked for the NYPD but in reality, they worked for the mafia. Caracappa was a member of the Organized Crime Homicide Unit investigating the very people he was working for.
The two former partners were taking orders for the Lucchese crime family and served as hitmen as well as moles in the NYPD. In 2006,  Eppolito and Caracappa were convicted of racketeering, obstruction of justice, extortion and eight counts of murder and conspiracy.
Joseph Miedzianowski The Top 5 Most Corrupt U.S. Police Officers Of All Time
- Joseph Miedzianowski -

4.  Joseph Miedzianowski

Joseph Miedzianowski was a Chicago police officer labeled as the most corrupt cop. Miedzianowski served as both police officer and drug kingpin using his knowledge of the streets and gangs to shake down drug dealers.
For most of his 22-year career, Miedzianowski would run the Chicago Gangs Unit, while running his own drug gang at the same time. Miedzianowski would be convicted of 10 counts including drug conspiracy and racketeering in 2001.
David Mack Rafael Perez The Top 5 Most Corrupt U.S. Police Officers Of All Time
- David Mack And Rafael Perez -

3. David Mack And Rafael Perez

David Mack and Rafael Perez worked together for the LAPD Rampart division, but also worked for Death Row Records and were members of the Bloods gang.
Mack would receive the LAPD Medal Of Honor for killing a drug dealer who allegedly pulled a gun on him. But he would also later be  convicted of robbing a bank and be implicated in the murder of rapper, Notorious BIG.
Perez shot and framed an unarmed gang member during his tenure, and stole eight pounds of cocaine from an LAPD evidence locker.
Jon Burge The Top 5 Most Corrupt U.S. Police Officers Of All Time
- Jon Burge -

2. Jon Burge

Jon Burge is a former Chicago Police Department detective who oversaw the torture of hundreds of Black men resulting in false confessions between 1972 and 1991.
Burge would burn suspects with radiators and cigarettes, and electrocute their testicles.
Although Burge was protected by the statute of limitations for his crimes, he was convicted for lying about the torture in January of this year.
Robert Gisevius Kenneth Bowen Anthony Villavaso The Top 5 Most Corrupt U.S. Police Officers Of All Time
- Robert Gisevius, Kenneth Bowen, and Anthony Villavaso -

1. Robert Gisevius, Kenneth Bowen, and Anthony Villavaso

Robert Gisevius, Kenneth Bowen, and Anthony Villavaso were members of the New Orleans police department during Hurricane Katrina. They were charged with first degree murder for killing seventeen-year-old James Brissette who was innocent and unarmed during Hurricane Katrina on the Danzinger bridge. Brisette was simply looking for shelter in the Hurricane and cops pounced on him.
Bowen, Gisevius, Faulcon, Villavaso were found guilty of falsifying reports and false prosecution in the conspiracy to cover-up the shooting and may face the death penalty.
Source: newsone.com

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Friday, August 5, 2011

Operation Family Secrets



Operation Family Secrets was an FBI investigation of mob related crimes in Chicago. According to the FBI it was one of the most successful investigations of organized crime done by the FBI ever.[1] The investigation and trial was accurately dubbed "Family Secrets" because of the betrayal within the Calabrese family. The son, Frank Calabrese, Jr., and brother, Nick Calabrese, of a Chicago Outfit mob hit man, Frank Calabrese, Sr. provided testimony that was instrumental to the success of Operation Family Secrets. The investigation led to indictments of 14 defendants affiliated with the Chicago Outfit, which has been one of the most prolific organized crime enterprises in the United States.[2] The most heinous of their crimes investigated were the 18 murders and one attempted murder that took place over the span between the years 1970 and 1986. All of the murders and other crimes being charged to the defendants were allegedly committed to further the Outfit's illegal activities such as loansharking, bookmaking and protecting the enterprise from law enforcement. Operation Family Secrets was a milestone in the FBI's battle against organized crime in the city of Chicago that will have a significant effect on the operations of the Chicago Outfit, but it did not end the Outfit's reign in Chicago. The FBI and local law enforcement agencies will continue their efforts to eradicate organized crime in Chicago.[3]

Contents

[hide]

[edit] Murder Table

The following list is of the murders committed as objectives of the Chicago Outfit that were investigated in Operation Family Secrets.[4]
Date of Murder Killer(s) Victim(s) Location of Murder
August, 1970 Frank Calabrese, Sr. Michael "Hambone" Albergo Chicago, Illinois
September 27, 1974 Joseph Lombardo and Frank Schweihs Daniel Siefert Bensenville, Illinois
June 24, 1976 Frank Calabrese, Sr. Paul Haggerty Chicago, Illinois
March 15, 1977 Frank Calabrese, Sr. Henry Cosentino Chicago, Illinois
January 16, 1978 Frank Calabrese, Sr. John Mendell Chicago, Illinois
January 31, 1978 Frank Calabrese, Sr. Donald Renno and Vincent Moretti Cicero, Illinois
July 2, 1980 Frank Calabrese, Sr. William Dauber and Charlette Dauber Will County, Illinois
December 30, 1980 Frank Calabrese, Sr. William Petrocelli Cicero, Illinois
June 24, 1981 Frank Calabrese, Sr. Michael Cagnoni DuPage County, Illinois
September 13, 1981 James Marcello Nicholas D'Andrea Chicago Heights, Illinois
April 24, 1982 James Marcello and Frank Calabrese, Sr. Individual A Lake County, Illinois
July 23, 1983 Frank Calabrese, Sr. Richard D. Ortiz and Arthur Morawski Cicero, Illinois
June 6, 1986 Frank Schweihs and Paul Schiro Emil Vaci Phoenix, Arizona
June 14, 1986 James Marcello Anthony Spilotro and Michael Spilotro DuPage County, Illinois
September 14, 1986 Nicholas Calabrese and Frank Calabrese, Sr. John Fecarotta Chicago, Illinois

[edit] The Investigation

[edit] Frank, Jr.'s Letter to the FBI

The investigation began on July 27, 1998 when Frank Calabrese, Jr. wrote a letter to the FBI saying he wanted help put his father in jail. The letter was sent without warning from the federal correctional facility in Milan, Michigan where both Frank Jr. and Sr, were incarcerated since 1995 when four members of the Calabrese family had been sentenced for collecting juice loans and racketeering an auto repair business. In his letter Frank Jr. requested a face-to-face meeting in which he planned to give the FBI information about his father's crimes, business of the Chicago Outfit street crews, and the murder of John Fecorotta.[5] Frank Jr.'s letter read, "This is no game. I feel I have to help keep this sick man locked up forever."[6] Frank, Jr. and his father had rough patches in their relationship over the years. Frank, Jr. had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from his father which he blew away on a cocaine addiction and a bad business decision.[7] In the wake of his son's disloyalty, Frank Sr. allegedly forced a gun to his son's head and threatened to kill him.[8] This and many other instances of Frank, Sr.'s abuse and poor fathering of his sons contributed to Frank, Jr.'s desire to help the FBI bring him down for hard time. Frank Calabrese, Jr. volunteered to record conversations he had with his father while they were imprisoned. Frank Jr. wore a pair of headphones around his neck that the FBI fitted with hidden a microphone to record conversation between the father and son. It was not difficult for Frank Jr. to direct his conversations in the prison courtyard and recreational facilities with his father towards information that would benefit the FBI's quickly assembling investigation. Frank Sr. would tell his son in a bragging manner about criminal activities of his past.

[edit] Nick Calabrese's Cooperation with Federal Agents

Federal agents Michael Maseth, Tom Bourgeois, and Michael Hartnett were assigned to the investigation. They began to put together pieces of information on the Fecarotta murder. Frank Sr. spoke nervously to his son about a pair of gloves that were mistakenly left on the scene of the Fecorotta murder by his brother Nick Calabrese. Frank Sr. knew the gloves were enough evidence to convict his brother for murder and he feared that his brother would turn on the Outfit in order to receive a lighter sentencing. The FBI took this information and reopened the unsolved Fecoratta case. Agents Bourgeois and Hartnett went to visit Nick Calabrese who they had put in jail a few years earlier to pursue him as the suspect in the Fecarotta murder case. When the investigation team had a sample of DNA taken from Nick, Nick's vulnerability became apparent. With his DNA matching that of the gloves used in the Fecarotta murder Nick Calabrese knew he was going down and was willing to betray the criminal organization he belonged to along with his brother. Nick cooperated with the FBI for months by giving depositions about the murders that he witnessed, took part in, and was told about. He also gave the government key information about how the Chicago Outfit operated.

[edit] The Trial

The FBI turned in a 43-page indictment that was created by the Family Secrets investigation in April 2005. Operation Family Secrets was unprecedented for the fact that it named the entire Chicago Outfit as a criminal enterprise. Assistant United States Attorneys T. Markus Funk, Mitchell Mars and John Scully would represent a the United States in the case. After more than two years, in June 2007 the Family Secrets trial began. Judge James Zagel would hear the case. The evidence was presented between June 28, 2007 and August 8, 2007. The trial included testimony from more than 125 witnesses and over 200 pieces of evidence.[9] For Calabrese Sr., James Marcello, Joseph “The Clown” Lombardo, Paul “The Indian” Schiro, and Anthony “Twan” Doyle who the five main defendants the trial ended on August 30. The five men were found guilty on all counts for conspiracy and criminal acts of racketeering. Of the other nine defendants six plead guilty, two died before trial (Frank Saladino and Michael Ricci), and lastly Frank "The German" Schweihs was too ill to stand trial.[10]

[edit] Sentencing

"Joey the Clown" Lombardo, 80; Frank Calabrese, Sr., 71; and James Marcello, 66, were all sentenced the maximum penalty of life in prison for their convictions which included murder.[11] After admitting his contribution in 14 murders, Nick Calabrese was sentenced to only 12 years in prison, a light punishment rewarded because of unprecedented cooperation. Anthony Doyle, 64, and Paul Schiro, 71, were the only defendants who were not convicted of murder. The Family Secrets trial was a spectacle that added to the reputation for mob history that the city of Chicago has held for a long time.