By David Amoruso

What were two mobsters doing inside a van outfitted with gun ports and with a .22-caliber sniper rifle and silencer inside? That’s the question authorities in New Orleans have as they continue to investigate how come two members of a thought to be extinct and relatively docile Mafia family were apparently getting ready to dish out…

By David Amoruso

Hollywood loves gangsters. Not because film makers condone their crimes, but because their stories make them lots of money. It’s difficult to name any other genre that has so many titles based on a true story. Yet, despite this label, the true story often gets twisted to fit the silver screen. That is why Gangsters Inc. shares its…

By David Amoruso

One of the American Mafia’s last old school Godfathers has passed away. Detroit mob boss Giacomo “Black Jack” Tocco died this Monday, July 14, 2014, at age 87 while surrounded by his family. Despite an alleged criminal career dating back to the 1940s, Tocco’s only conviction came in 1998 when he was found guilty of racketeering and was sentenced…

By David Amoruso

Pure evil. There is no other way to describe Russian mob boss Sergei Tsapok. He is a prime example of the totalitarian power Russian gangsters have over their respective territories. For a long time he got away with murder. But then he murdered twelve people, among them four children, and Moscow took notice.

The village of Kushchevskaya is located…

By David Amoruso

In the old days every gangster wanted to be the boss of a Mafia family. It meant you had the world at your feet. All the broads, more money than God, and the power over life and death. That was then. Nowadays, being the boss of a family means only one thing: Life behind bars. Philadelphia mobster Joseph Merlino knows this all too well. And he…

By David Amoruso

Russian mob boss Alexander Matusov (52) was arrested in Thailand this week on charges that he led a violent gang that committed over 60 murders in Moscow and St. Petersburg. He had been a fugitive since 2009. His arrest is another sign that life as a fugitive in Thailand isn’t what it used to be.

Matusov was caught in front of a supermarket…

By Christian Cipollini

Just a month following the murder of “Boss of all Bosses” Salvatore Maranzano, another crucial moment in the evolution of the National Crime Syndicate took place. This, essentially, was an incident that not only officially inaugurated the…

Crime Beat: Issues, Controversies and Personalities from the darkside on Artist First Radio Network is pleased to announce its forthcoming schedule for June 26, 2014, through August 21, 2014. Topics covered include Mafia History, the Pizza Bomber, Joseph Mengele, private investigation work and more.

Here is the lineup:

• June 26—Mel…

By David Amoruso

“I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me.” – Fictional mob boss Frank Costello in The Departed

It’s a quote befitting of the situation in Italy, which is one drenched in Mafia intimidation, corruption, and malpractice. It’s also the topic of accusations…

By David Amuroso

Cops and mobsters will never be the best of friends. But every wiseguy trusts that if he surrenders to the law he will not be murdered. Ironically, it’s that belief that got a bunch of gangsters killed. Not by the cops, but by their underworld rivals who abused the trust all members of society, including criminals, place in the badge and the uniform…