CELEBRITIES & THE MOB

Just last week, January 2011, the FBI, State Law Enforcement Agencies, Drug Enforcement Agents and U.S. Marshals, along with International authorities, including Italian Police spanned across the earth's globe to arrest more than 125 Organized Crime family members. This was not "The Sapranos" TV show, nor the making of "The Godfather" series update, it was real life.

Wiseguys, "they like to be know as", represented several members of the "Mafia" (Italian) Crime families, the stereo typical gangsters as depicted in mob movies. Law enforcement identified the crime families as the Colombo's, Gambino's the Patriarch's (Boston) and Lucheses members. They also identified the individuals by street names, like "Jello", "Meatballs", Vinny Carwash", "Tony Bagels" or "Pooch". Colorful guys with colorful names, good for the press, bad for our culture.

These were not the old time "Mustachio Pete's", dapper in dress, quiet and reserve in demeanor, and under the radar of the law enforcement establishment.



Michael Franzese
Forbes Magazine Photo



John "Sonny" Franzese



Then comes the Hollywood twist. That's right, Hollywood, where they make motion pictures, have world giants of the screen who make millions from such pictures as "The Godfather"or the TV stars of the "Soprano's" depicted as a group of thugs who ran a misfit mafia crime family. These were not just pictures or television shows, they were based on reality (with literary license) to  expand, elaborate and create scenes off of actual events of the real mob.  Michael Franzeze, former Capo, left the Mob behind to become an actor then a producer. His father John "Sonny" Franzese, 93 years old, spending his life in Federal Prison for many years and will probably die behind bars, is now talking about "the life". He's giving up names, is angry with his son for leaving "the life". Today, he doesn't expect to be freed for his cooperation.

When "The Sopranos" was created, written and produced, the real wiseguys, "The Decalvalcante" family of New Jersey were not an accepted by the New York crime families producing tribute to the NY mob.  They wanted their own family and the benefits that came with it. A war breaks out between the New Jersey Decalvlacante's and the Gambino's for control of New Jersey. Bodies are left on both sides of the Hudson River, some are still missing. Yet, America honors such television shows with awards, after all they are Actors, not Mobsters. They're only depicting and mirroring life as it is.  Until?



125 Mobsters Arrested
Jan. 20, 2011



2011, when the Justice Department arrest 125+ "wiseguys", with charges of murder, extortion, illegal bookmaking, gambling, drug importation & distribution, assaults and racketeering, to name a few. All are swept up in early morning raids at home, social clubs, nightclubs and anywhere the targets hung out.  This is almost ten years in the making for the Fed's...but it just seemed so contrived, what I call "splash & flash".  Media attention by the Fed's to defray from the numerous questions being asked about the U.S. Attorney's past two years of confusion over trials of terrorists in America. 

It also comes a few weeks before the SUPERBOWL on February 6, 2011. The Superbowl mobsters rake in more money in one single day, from illegal sports betting, loansharking and bookmaking, than any other day of the year. History tells us that the Justice Department has been conducting these raids for the past 15 to 20 years, just weeks before the Superbowl, just to disrupt the gambling cash flow and make media headlines to show that they are still watching the MOB.



James Caan
Actor





James Caan
"Sonny Corleone"
"Godfather"



Colombo Mob biggy, Andrew "Andy Mush" Russo is trying to reestablish his family, according to an article in the New York Post (January 26, 2011.) "Mushy" claims to be a close friend of "Godfather" son "Sonny Corleone" actor "James Caan" who describes himself as a boyhood pal of Russo's. Caan also claim's that his son "Scott Caan" actor of the new TV series "Hawaii Five-O" is the god-son of Russo. In addition, actor



Federico Castelluccio
"Sapranos"

"Federico Caselluccio" , who played the imported Italian muscle "Furio Giunta" in the "Soprano's"cable television series is also an accomplished "artist". He claims to have met Russo through his art work.

It's not new that organized crime is involved with the entertainment industry. Its been more than 50+ years since "Bugsy Siegel" one of the original "Murder Incorporated" killers and a close associate of now deceased Meyer Lansky, the money machine behind the Luciano crime family. Seigel was murdered while building the start of what is now Las Vegas. It was Siegel's plan to open a gambling mecca in America for the mob. It continued to be built after Siegel's mobster planned murder, with the crime families having control of Vegas gambling casino's and hotels for more than 40 years. Today it's got a corporate face, but the crime families still have thier hands in many of the connected supporting businesses.



Frank Sinatra - Gambino

and wiseguy friends



During the early 1970's Frank Sinatra was photographed with Carlo Gambino and his band of gangsters, including Brother-In-Law Paul Castellano, murdered in 1986 by John Gotti for control of the Gambino Crime Family business, and others celebrating in the upstate New York's Westchester Premier Theatre nightclub. Carlo Gambino was "The Boss of Bosses" the "Don" of the mob commission, controlling the five Crime families of the United States, with ties to the Sicilian crime bosses.

The Mob and Celebrities are hand-in-hand today. New faces, new bosses, new scemes and scams. Some of the old type of  criminal scams, shakedowns, now drug distribution have entered into the music industry, movie productions and capitalizing specific entertainers.

American mobsters go on, crime still penetrates the entertainment industry, and law enforcement continues to spend manpower, money and time chasing them. That's the real story!!!