Mob bosses houses: Mafia mansions: real-life gangster homes and hideouts

Mafia mansions: real-life gangster homes and hideouts

Mafia mansions: real-life gangster homes and hideouts | loveproperty.com

Mafia mansions: real-life gangster homes and hideouts

Gallery View|

Expand View

Tour the kingpin cribs of major mobsters

Bedfords via Rightmove ; Terry Disney / Stringer / Getty Images

Built from seriously ill-gotten gains, the infamous estates of history’s most prolific mafia kingpins are seriously extravagant and dripping with opulence. From the Kray Twins’ rural English countryside bolthole to Vincent Palermo’s Houston hideaway, click or scroll on and let’s take a tour around 11 of the most fascinating mobster homes and hideouts.

The Kray twins

Hulton Deutsch / Contributor / Getty Images

Infamous identical twin brothers, Ronnie and Reggie Kray were born in 1933 in Hoxton and became the most feared, leading perpetrators of organised crime in East London. Seen here in 1966 at their London home, the criminal twins drink tea after spending 36 hours helping the police with their enquiries into the murder of George Cornell. One year later, before being convicted of killing Cornell and murdering underworld associate Jack “The Hat” McVitie, the gangster duo purchased a rural bolt hole mansion in their favourite part of the English countryside…

The Kray twins’ Suffolk mansion

Bedfords via Rightmove

The Krays purchased the Suffolk mansion, 80 miles outside of London, for £11,000 ($13.2k) in 1967 as a weekend country retreat. Due to the pair’s criminal ways, the seven-bedroom abode was searched and raided by detectives investigating the gang’s extortion and protection rackets. Currently on the market for the first time in 30 years, The Brooks could be yours for £2.25 million ($2.7m).

A peaceful countryside escape

Bedfords via Rightmove

Dating back to the 16th century according to the listing, the property was extended and gentrified in the early 18th-century with later Victorian alterations, boasting original features throughout. The carpeted staircase leads towards the first floor, with ornate stained-glass interior windows and large cloakroom and the reception hall. According to tapes recorded at Broadmoor Hospital for the criminally insane, the brothers first fell in love with the Suffolk countryside after being evacuated from London to East House Lodge in Hadleigh during the Second World War. Ronnie Kray reportedly recalled enjoying “the quietness, the peacefulness of it, the fresh air, nice scenery, nice countryside – different from London.”

Fireplaces in every room

Bedfords via Rightmove

Residing within a 6-acre lot, The Brooks abode stretches out across three floors and 4,200 square foot of living space. The dual aspect drawing room hosts doors out onto the gardens beyond, alongside a marble fireplace with wood-burning stove. Fireplaces can be found throughout the property, with one even sitting in the cloakroom.

Formal dining with a view

Bedfords via Rightmove

Also on the ground floor you’ll find the plush dining room, with bay window illuminating handmade dark wood cupboards and shelving with snug, open fireplace and bespoke window seating. A candelabra looms over the dining table area, while the Aga kitchen itself sits adjacent, complete with handmade painted Shaker-style units with matching display cabinets, solid wood worktops and twin Belfast sink.

A vision in pink

Bedfords via Rightmove

Upstairs, as promised, another fireplace beckons, this time from a rose-tinted bathroom, heavily furnished with kitsch flower patterns, gold framed portraits and wall sconces. This room would not look out of place in the murderous brothers’ other purchase, according to the East Anglian Daily Times, a pink cottage in the village, next to the post office for their parents Violet and Charlie to live in.

Friendly with the neighbours

Bedfords via Rightmove

Many of the seven bedrooms host four poster beds and fireplaces (of course), with dual aspect views out across the grounds and en-suite bathroom in the guest suite. The brothers were reportedly amicable with the locals, who tell stories of how the Krays would supply donkey rides to local children on a field near the house, giving them money to buy ice cream, and buying rounds of pints at the local inns.

A country escape from criminality

Bedfords via Rightmove

But it wasn’t all donkey rides and ice creams. Once the pair were arrested in 1968, police dug up parts of the garden at their Suffolk retreat while carrying out a series of searches. Nothing was found, should that affect your interest in the property, with Ronnie confirming on tape that they were not involved with any criminal activity whilst living at The Brooks. In 1969, the brothers were jailed for life at the Old Bailey, with a sentence of at least 30 years.

Benny Binion

Bettmann / Getty Images

Lester Ben ‘Benny’ Binion is perhaps the most notorious mobster that Texas has ever seen. The gambling icon created a criminal empire and spent some four decades running casinos across Las Vegas. The Texas-born gangster began his career in Dallas, managing illegal lotteries before expanding to the gambling capital of the world. When he wasn’t presiding over his kingdom, the kingpin liked to lie low at Fincastle, a remote estate in Athens, Texas.

Benny Binion’s gambling den

Icon Global Group

Located around 90 minutes’ drive from Dallas, the ultra-private estate spans 1,369 acres. It features three cabin-style homes, dense woodlands and plenty of lakes – the perfect hidden home for a criminal to carry out a crooked career undetected. The estate was actually owned by Binion’s business partner, Dallas mobster Ivy Miller, who used the retreat to host a secret gambling society, according to Mansion Global.

Benny Binion’s gambling den

Icon Global Group

The story goes that Miller allegedly arranged for a rival, who was encroaching on Binion’s territory, to be killed. This move set off a 20-year turf war, which led to plenty of grizzly deaths and kidnappings. Despite the dark tales, there are no traces of the property’s sinister past inside. The rustic dwelling spans several-thousand square feet and features light-filled and cosy living areas, complete with impressive vaulted ceilings, exposed brickwork and swathes of wood panelling. If only walls could talk…

Benny Binion’s gambling den

Icon Global Group

Wherever Binion went, law enforcement wasn’t far behind. In 1931, he pleaded guilty to murder by self-defense and was given a suspended sentence. Binion’s crimes finally caught up with him in 1953 though, when he was found guilty of tax evasion – just like Al Capone. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but he was soon out and back to his old ways…

Benny Binion’s gambling den

Icon Global Group

It’s likely Binion returned to Fincastle after his release. The perfect bolthole for hiding out and running illegal activities, the secluded estate boasts several boat docks – ideal for making a quick getaway. Binion remained part of the casino world and even helped to establish the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas during the 1970s. The gangster died on Christmas Day 1989 and his former gambling den was sold off in 2020 for a whopping $12 million (£9.97m).

Pete Corrado

Courtesy DPD / MiRealSource

Pete Corrado, who was dubbed “Machine Gun Pete”, was one of the first members of the Detroit Outfit or Detroit Partnership, the Midwestern city’s most active Mafia organisation. He headed the Corrado clan offshoot from 1931 until his death from a heart attack in 1957. The mafioso lived in a 7,481-square-foot mansion on Middlesex Road in Grosse Pointe Park, just outside Detroit.

Pete Corrado’s Michigan manor

MiRealSource/Beth Rose Real Estate and Auctions

Corrado made his money organising and operating an illegal numbers racket or so-called “Italian lottery”. He also had interests in real estate and lucrative cuts in a number of profitable businesses. His Georgian-Colonial mansion was paid for with the proceeds of these activities.

Pete Corrado’s Michigan manor

MiRealSource/Beth Rose Real Estate and Auctions

Decorated in a classic 1950s style, the mafioso mansion has a decorative tiled entrance hall adorned with a pretty fountain. Aside from the numerous reception rooms and bedrooms, other highlights of the substantial suburban property include three bars, a wine cellar, spa and pool room, as well as a bomb-proof garage.

Pete Corrado’s Michigan manor

MiRealSource/Beth Rose Real Estate and Auctions

Given that this was a mob home, the property has several hidden spaces that were presumably used to hide Corrado’s machine guns and other weapons. Adding to the Mafia allure, a series of tunnels run under the house, one of which connects to a mansion across the road that was once owned by Detroit Outfit boss Anthony Zerilli.

Pete Corrado’s Michigan manor

MiRealSource/Beth Rose Real Estate and Auctions

Following Corrado’s death in 1957, the house stayed in the family and became the home of fellow gang member Anthony “The Bull” Corrado until 1988. It was eventually purchased by former Detroit Tigers baseball star Kirk Gibson in 1997 for $665,000 (£552k). He sold the property via auction in 2015 for $715,000 (£594k).

Bugs Moran

Dayton Police Department [Public domain]

Rather than a decadent mansion, Gangster George “Bugs” Moran preferred to live in a luxury hotel. Though his parents were French immigrants, the mobster, who was born Adelard Cunin, headed the mostly Irish-American North Side Gang, which battled against Al Capone’s Italian-American South Side Gang for control of Chicago’s illegal alcohol trade.

Bugs Moran’s Chicago hotel suite

Courtesy The Pierre

During the 1920s and 1930s, Moran resided at Chicago’s opulent Parkway Hotel. The Art Deco building was conveniently located less than a block away from the North Side garage, where the gang stored the bulk of its illicit booze. The garage was later the scene of the infamous Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929.

Bugs Moran’s Chicago hotel suite

Courtesy The Pierre

Moran wasn’t the only North Side Gang member who lived at the hotel. Optician-turned-criminal Reinhart Schwimmer also resided there. While Moran narrowly avoided being gunned down in the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, Schwimmer, on the other hand, wasn’t quite so lucky and was among the seven victims.

Bugs Moran’s Chicago hotel suite

Courtesy Lincoln Park Condos

Following the massacre, Moran lost much of his power and influence in Chicago, and the ending of Prohibition in 1933 coupled with the Great Depression pretty much finished him off. The mobster continued to reside at the Parkway before leaving Chicago in the mid-1930s. He was locked up in 1939 and spent much of his remaining life in prison, where he died in 1957.

Bugs Moran’s Chicago hotel suite

Courtesy Lincoln Park Condos

The luxurious hotel, which once housed a grand ballroom, high-end restaurant and of course the requisite speakeasy, has since been converted into the Pierre, a luxury condo development. Fortunately, the conversion was carried out sensitively, and the building still retains its Art Deco splendour.

Bugsy Siegel

New York Police Department [Public domain]

Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel had a fearsome reputation and was one of the founders of Murder, Inc., which acted as the enforcement arm of the Jewish mob and Italian-American Mafia during the 1930s and 1940s. Like Bugs Moran, Siegel was a bootlegger during the Prohibition era. He then got into gambling, moving to California in the late 1930s where he built a large mansion.

Bugsy Siegel’s LA bolthole

Redfin/Zillow/MLS

Located in the exclusive LA neighbourhood of Holmby Hills, Siegel’s city bolthole was constructed in 1938 with the proceeds of his many crimes. Sitting on a total of 1.8 acres, the house has five bedrooms, an enormous living room, oak-panelled library, imposing dining room, and a spacious home cinema.

Bugsy Siegel’s LA bolthole

Redfin/Zillow/MLS

Siegel resided at the property with his wife and children. No expense was spared and the house was decked out with every mod con and luxury imaginable. The principal lounge room had eighteen-foot-long carved divan sofas and an ornate bar stocked with the most exquisite champagnes, cognacs and whiskeys.

Bugsy Siegel’s LA bolthole

Redfin/Zillow/MLS

A rarity at a time when even the most extravagant homes had only one or two bathrooms at most, the house wowed with six vanity rooms. The dining room was outfitted with a vast wood table that seated a whopping 30 – significantly bigger than the polished wooden table shown here.

Bugsy Siegel’s LA bolthole

Redfin/Zillow/MLS

The grounds are equally lavish, featuring a pool and manicured gardens. The wardrobe in the master bedroom reportedly contained a secret trapdoor to the attic, which Siegel escaped through in 1940 to evade the cops, who saw through the ruse and arrested him for murder. Siegel was acquitted for the crime, but met his end in 1947 when he was shot dead at his girlfriend’s home in Beverly Hills.

Albert Anastasia

New York Police Department [Public domain]

The “Lord High Executioner” of the terrifying Murder, Inc. and the boss of what would become the Gambino crime family, Albert Anastasia was as ruthless as they come. The psychopathic Mafia leader is thought to have masterminded the murders of hundreds of people, making him one of the most notorious criminals in history. Anastasia lived in this Spanish-style New Jersey property from 1947 until his death in 1957.

Albert Anastasia’s New Jersey base

Dave Kotinsky/Getty

The menacing Mafia Don controlled his organisation’s criminal activities from the mansion and is alleged to have tortured and killed people in the house. The Fort Lee home, which is located across the Hudson River from Manhattan, has a total of 25 sprawling rooms and sits on 1.3 acres.

Albert Anastasia’s New Jersey base

Dave Kotinsky/Getty

The house is surrounded by high walls that were once covered in barbed wire and guarded by two vicious Dobermanns. Along with several reception rooms, the mansion has a number of capacious bedrooms, a retro kitchen and a glass-covered conservatory offering views of the New York skyline.

Albert Anastasia’s New Jersey base

Dave Kotinsky/Getty

Looking at this picture of the property’s wood-panelled office, it’s not hard to imagine the scary Mafia boss sitting behind the desk with a cigar in his hand, planning his next kill or directing his minions to execute it on his behalf. But the office is by no means the eeriest room in the house, not by a long shot. That would be the jacuzzi room…

Albert Anastasia’s New Jersey base

Dave Kotinsky/Getty

Known in Anastasia’s time as “the slaughter room”, it contained nothing apart from a drain, into which the blood of his unfortunate victims would flow. Anastasia’s reign of terror continued until 1957 when he was gunned down while having a shave in the barber shop at Manhattan’s Park Sheraton Hotel. His mansion was offloaded and passed through various owners, before selling in 2017 for $6.9 million (£5.73m).

Paul Ricca

Courtesy FBI [Public domain]

The brains behind the Chicago Outfit for a good 40 years, Paul “The Waiter” Ricca was Al Capone’s de facto successor and operated in the Windy City from the 1930s to the early 1970s. He lived with his family in this fine five-bedroom house in the Chicago suburb of River Forest from 1938 to 1957.

Paul Ricca’s Chicago hideaway

Berg Properties

Ricca served as underboss to Frank “The Enforcer” Nitti, but in reality, he called the shots. Nitti, who suffered from extreme claustrophobia, committed suicide in 1943 after he was reportedly pressured by Ricca and others to plead guilty to extortion charges to get them off the hook. Ricca then took over as leader of the Chicago Outfit and appointed Tony Accardo as underboss.

Paul Ricca’s Chicago hideaway

Berg Properties

Like his suburban mansion, Paul Ricca commanded a veneer of responsibility, but nonetheless, he was just as cruel and ruthless as the other Mafia bosses. If he wanted to get rid of someone, he would purportedly whisper “make-a him go away” to one of his enforcers and consider the job done.

Paul Ricca’s Chicago hideaway

Berg Properties

After a day’s work enforcing his iron rule, Ricca would return to his well-appointed home with its four fireplaces, parquet floors, a handsome library and other splendid rooms. Like other Mafia mansions, the property had plenty of places to hide incriminating items, including a wardrobe that was said to contain a secret door that leads to a concealed space.

Paul Ricca’s Chicago hideaway

Berg Properties

Ricca was arrested in 1957 and subsequently charged with tax evasion. He was imprisoned in 1959 but only served 27 months of his nine-year sentence. When Ricca died of a heart attack in 1972, his former mansion passed to a professor at the University of Illinois who sold it in 2014 for $900,000 (£748k) through Berg Properties.

Tony Accardo

Associated Press [Public domain]

Tony Accardo, AKA “Big Tuna”, allegedly took over from Paul Ricca in 1972 as the boss of the Chicago Outfit, having worked his way up from a small-time crook on Chicago’s South Side. Like his predecessor, Accardo ended up purchasing a magnificent mansion in the Chicago suburb of River Forest.

Tony Accardo’s River Forest residence

Jason Adrian Photography/Caporale Realty Group

Accardo lived in the Colonial-style five-bedroom house on Ashland Avenue from 1964 when he was the underboss of the Chicago Outfit, through to 1972 when he was the Don of the organisation. It was built in 1963 at a cost of up to $160,000 (£132k), which is around $1.3 million (£1.08m) in today’s money.

Tony Accardo’s River Forest residence

Jason Adrian Photography/Caporale Realty Group

Fitted out with stunning parquet flooring, intricate plasterwork and high-end brick fireplaces, the house has all the trappings of a Mafia leader’s residence. Aside from several regal reception rooms and bedrooms, the property has a library, cedar-lined spa, large three-car garage and swimming pool.

Tony Accardo’s River Forest residence

Jason Adrian Photography/Caporale Realty Group

The mansion hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons in 1978 after it was burgled. Accardo was on holiday in California at the time. Not long after, the three alleged thieves and four associates were found strangled with their throats cut. Accardo was suspected to have ordered the murders and the allegation was seemingly confirmed in 2002 by mobster-turned-informant Nicholas Calabrese.

Tony Accardo’s River Forest residence

Jason Adrian Photography/Caporale Realty Group

Following the burglary, Accardo sold the property and decamped to a condo in the same neighbourhood, before moving into his daughter and son-in-law’s home in Barrington Hills, Illinois. He died of respiratory and heart failure in 1992. As for the River Forest house, it was recently sold for just over $1.1 million (£915k).

Vito Rizzuto

Courtesy CSIS

Vito Rizzuto, “Montreal’s Teflon Don”, was the alleged boss of the Sicilian Mafia in Canada and head of the widely feared Rizzuto crime family – the subject of Netflix’s Bad Blood series. While Rizzuto is reputed to have been involved with the Mafia since the 1960s, he managed to evade jail until 2004. Prior to this, Rizzuto lived with his family in a plush Canadian mansion in Montreal’s Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough.

Vito Rizzuto’s Montreal mansion

Sotheby’s International Realty Québec

The Tudor-style five-bedroom house is situated on the affluent neighbourhood’s leafy Antoine Berthelet Avenue, which is nicknamed “Mafia Row” by locals. At least four alleged mafiosos have owned homes on the thoroughfare, including Rizzuto’s brother-in-law, Paolo Renda.

Vito Rizzuto’s Montreal mansion

Sotheby’s International Realty Québec

Needless to say, like all good Mafia-connected homes, the sizeable estate has plenty of high-end touches, including numerous luxury chandeliers, quality parquet flooring, sumptuous Persian carpets, antique furniture, and a sweeping staircase in the entrance hall.

Vito Rizzuto’s Montreal mansion

Sotheby’s International Realty Québec

Other selling points include a palatial family room, ensuite bathrooms for each of the home’s five bedrooms, two powder rooms and a state-of-the-art kitchen in tip-top condition with solid mahogany cabinets. The Rizzuto family obviously insisted on the best when it came to kitting out their home.

Vito Rizzuto’s Montreal mansion

Sotheby’s International Realty Québec

Rizzuto was released from jail in 2012 and a power struggle for control of the crime family’s operations ensued, resulting in several high-profile murders. The big boss passed away in 2013 from complications related to lung cancer and the house sold that same year.

Carmine Agnello

Courtesy FBI [Public domain]

Part of New York’s Gambino crime family, Carmine “The Bull” Agnello married the Don’s daughter Victoria Gotti in 1984. The couple moved into a five-bedroom mansion in the Long Island village of Westbury, New York in 1989, where they lived with their three sons, Carmine Jr., John and Frank.

Carmine Agnello’s Long Island estate

Shawn Elliot Luxury Homes & Estates

Agnello’s criminal activities eventually caught up with him, and he was sentenced in 2001 to nine years in prison for racketeering and arson. While he was in jail, his wife Victoria divorced him on grounds of constructive abandonment and was awarded the house. Together with her sons, Victoria went on to star in reality shows Growing up Gotti and Growing Up Gotti: Ten Years Later.

Carmine Agnello’s Long Island estate

Shawn Elliot Luxury Homes & Estates

The mansion featured prominently in the shows and Gotti has gone on to become a best-selling author, columnist and reality star. She has described the home as “very warm, very woodsy, very comfortable yet very elegant”. As you can see, this opulent living room is covered in fine wood panelling and lined with bookshelves.

Carmine Agnello’s Long Island estate

Shawn Elliot Luxury Homes & Estates

The bedrooms are just as luxurious, featuring ornate pillars and four-poster beds. Despite this, Gotti has made several attempts to sell the property. In 2008, it was listed for a pricey $3.5 million (£2.9m). The following year, the house was threatened with foreclosure when Gotti fell into arrears with her mortgage repayments. Since then it has been listed and taken off the market seven times.

Carmine Agnello’s Long Island estate

Shawn Elliot Luxury Homes & Estates

It seems nobody is willing to pay Gotti’s ambitious asking price. The mansion was in the news again in 2016 when it was raided by the FBI in relation to a tax fraud investigation, but no charges were brought. However, Victoria and Carmine’s son, Carmine Jr., was recently busted in 2018 for operating an illegal scrap metal yard.

Vincent Palermo

Courtesy FBI [Public domain]

Mobster-turned-FBI-informant Vincent Palermo, AKA Vinny Ocean, was the de facto boss of New Jersey’s DeCavalcante crime family, inspiring the character of Tony Soprano in the award-winning HBO series. After turning in his associates, Palermo was placed in the Witness Protection Program and snapped up a gated mansion in Houston under the pseudonym Vincent Cabella in 2003.

Vincent Palermo’s Houston hideout

Houston Association of Realtors

A veritable palace, the five-bedroom cabana property on Memorial Drive is fantastically ritzy. Surrounded by lush gardens, which boast a fancy fountain and pool, the mansion impresses with a plethora of luxurious features, from marble flooring and columns to elaborate plasterwork.

Vincent Palermo’s Houston hideout

Houston Association of Realtors

Talk about furnishings fit for a billionaire, Palermo didn’t hold back when it came to decorating his Houston hideaway. The main open-plan reception room boasts crystal chandeliers, expensive antique and reproduction furniture, Murano glass mirrors, plush carpets and a fabulous grand piano.

Vincent Palermo’s Houston hideout

Houston Association of Realtors

The ostentatious vibe carries through into the bedrooms. The master suite is graced with a solid mahogany four-poster bed, ornate chandelier and marble fireplace. The majestic home even features a lavish home cinema – perfect for watching all those Sopranos’ reruns.

Vincent Palermo’s Houston hideout

Houston Association of Realtors

Palermo’s cover was blown in 2009 when the New York Daily News ran an exposé of his new life in Houston. Several weeks later, he put the mansion up for sale with an asking price of $4 million (£3.32m). It failed to sell, so he took it off the market. The property was listed again in 2015 and purchased the following year for $2.9 million (£2.41m). We wonder if the new owners have an inkling of its shady past…

Al Capone

Miami Police Department [Public domain]

Al Capone, boss of the Chicago Outfit, otherwise known as the South Side Gang, made most of his money bootlegging booze. Based in the Windy City, Capone had a habit of leaving town to avoid both his enemies and the cops, and at the height of his power in 1928, he bought a spectacular villa on Palm Island, in Miami’s South Beach.

Al Capone’s Miami mansion

EWM Realty International

Capone paid $40,000 (£33k) for the 30,000-square-foot estate, around $589,000 (£489k) in today’s money. Sheltered by palm trees and stunning tropical gardens, it’s a quiet oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the mainland. The Spanish colonial-style mansion is accessed via a gatehouse at the entry gates that Capone installed himself – no doubt to keep an eye out for unwanted visitors.

Al Capone’s Miami mansion

EWM Realty International

Home to a dazzling swimming pool, Capone paid as much attention to privacy as he did to the property’s luxury amenities. The security-conscious kingpin reportedly spent $200,000 (£166k) on added extras, which is about $2.9 million (£2.4m) when adjusted for inflation. These included the installation of a seven-foot-high wall complete with searchlights, as well as a cabana and grotto – sounds like a pretty luxurious backyard!

Al Capone’s Miami mansion

EWM Realty International

Now decked out with stylish wood floors and white, minimalist décor, it’s hard to imagine what these walls may have witnessed. The gangster was at his Miami retreat when the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre occurred on 14 February 1929, which took out five members of arch-rival Bugs Moran’s gang and two affiliate members. A few months later in May of the same year, Capone was imprisoned for nine months in Philadelphia for carrying a concealed weapon, then jailed again for seven years in 1931 over tax evasion charges.

Al Capone’s Miami mansion

EWM Realty International

The former mafia hideout, which dates back to 1922, still retains many of its original Art Deco features, including a swish powder room and tiled fireplaces. It was here that Capone retreated to when he was released from Alcatraz in 1939. Seriously ill with late-stage syphilis, he spent the last years of his life with his devoted wife Mae at the Miami mansion, where he died in 1947. Mae Capone eventually sold the property in 1952.

Al Capone’s Miami mansion

EWM Realty International

Fully renovated in 2015, the interior combines modern finishes, like this sleek Shaker kitchen, with carefully preserved period fixtures including sash windows and original covings. But the future of this historic home looked uncertain in August 2021, when it was snapped up for almost $11 million (£9.15m) by developers who intended to raze the house and build a modern home in its place.

Al Capone’s Miami mansion

EWM Realty International

Ideal for indoor-outdoor living, the covered terrace that leads off from the main reception rooms offers an alfresco dining spot and an outside lounge framed by Art Deco archways. It’s hard to imagine why anyone would want to bulldoze this tropical retreat – the developer’s proposed plans were for an eight-bedroom, nine-bathroom mansion encompassing a sprawling 10,200 square feet. However, their vision never came to fruition…

Al Capone’s Miami mansion

EWM Realty International

The mansion’s current floor plan offers seven bedrooms and five bathrooms spread over 7,500 square feet of living space, and it looks as though that’s how it’ll stay. A campaign to save the property was launched by Miami Beach locals and at the end of September, mere weeks after the home’s sale, the developers had a change of heart and withdrew their planning application, before quickly selling the property on for $15.5 million (£12.8m), according to the New York Post.

Al Capone’s Miami mansion

EWM Realty International

Campaigners claimed the site’s redevelopment would not just be a loss for local history but for American history too, while adding little to the community. One thing’s for sure, this property, with all its colourful history, will certainly make a unique family home. As well as the stylish living areas, there’s no shortage of space for entertaining – this covered loggia overlooking the water has some of the best views in the house.

Al Capone’s Miami mansion

EWM Realty International

Along with Capone’s mansion, the lot itself offers just less than 0. 7 acres of sought-after land on one of Miami’s most desirable island enclaves. If the vast swimming pool and deck weren’t enough, the residence also benefits from 100 feet of pristine water frontage – ideal for making a hasty getaway, though hopefully the new buyers don’t have as infamous a past as the home’s previous resident…

Loved this? Like and follow us on Facebook for more fascinating home tours

08 August 2022

Features

See more on this topic

isLoading”>

Be the first to comment

Do you want to comment on this article?
You need to be signed in for this feature

The Top 10 Mob Boss Mansions

Finding a list of lavish properties proved to be as difficult as I thought, as Tony Accardo told his boys, to keep low level and below the radar. I have chosen these ten with the help of Rob Bailot Jr. who has also provided the pictures for this piece, thanks Rob.

l. Al Capone’s Florida Mansion

Bought For $40,000 in 1923
Now Worth $15,000,000

This is the Capone mansion, which he bought in 1923 for $40,000. It is estimated today to be worth $15 million. This is also the place where it said that Capone planned the St. Valentine’s day massacre. Sadly, it was also where Capone passed away, due to syphilis, years later.

2. Paul Castellano’s Staten Island Mansion

Paul Castellano’s Staten island mansion

Sold For $5,000,000

Paul Castellano’s Staten island mansion which his wife sold for $5 million after his death. Castellano became boss of the Gambino’s after the death in 1976 of Carlo Gambino. Castellano spent a lot of his time at the mansion known as
‘The White House’. Gloria Olarte, his maid and lover, was turned and placed a bug in the kitchen. 600 hours of Gambino family business that bug recorded.

3. Tony Accardo’s River Forest Mansion

Tony Accardo’s River Forest Mansion

Now Worth $2,000,000

Chicago outfit boss, Tony Accardo’s, mansion in River Forest is worth over $2 million today. He lived here from 1951 – ’63. Accardo took his own advice about keeping a low profile and moved to a less grand ranch style house in River Forest. Accardo never spent a night in jail and died of natural causes at the age of 86.

4. Albert Anastasia’s New Jersey Mansion

Albert Anastasia’s New Jersey Mansion

Sold For $5,000,000 in 2016

Albert Anastasia’s New Jersey Italiante-styled mansion that he had built in the 1940’s. The 25-room mansion was sold in 2016 for $5 million. Anastasia chose the site for its sweeping views of Manhattan. Albert was killed in 1957 and after his murder Del Webb, the NY Yankees co-owner, bought the estate which was the purchased by the comedian Buddy Hackett.

5. Vito Genovese’s Mansion

Vito Genovese’s Mansion

Now Worth $2,500,000

Vito Genovese’s house he bought in 1935, today’s value is approx. $2.5 million. Genovese’s rise to power took place during the Castellammarese war. Vito was head of the Genovese family from 1957 until his death in ’69. The Genovese family, one of the ‘Five Families’ that dominated NYC. He was known as the Boss of Bosses from 1957- ’59.

6. Vito Rizzuto’s Canadian Mansion

Vito Rizzuto’s house on Mafia Row, Canada

Worth $2,000,000

Montreal mob boss Vito Rizzuto’s house on Mafia Row, Canada is worth around the $2 million mark. While he was behind bars there was a string of deaths in the Rizzuto family including his father, Nicolo Sr., and his son, Nick Jr. The Mob boss returned to Canada in 2012 and died of natural causes on Dec. 23, 2013.

7. Carlo Gambino’s Long Island Mansion

Carlo Gambino’s Long Island Mansion

Worth $3,000,000

Carlo Gambino’s Long Island house worth approx. $3 million, This Long Island residence which is located at 34 Club Drive in Massapequa was used by Gambino as his summer vacation home. He also maintained the house located next door so that his bodyguard could live there. Carlo Gambino died of natural causes here on October 15, 1976.

8. Joey Merlino’s Florida Mansion

Joey Merlino’s Florida Mansion

Worth $1,000,000

Philly mob boss Joey Merlino’s house in Boca Raton, Florida around the $1 million-mark value wise. The property is owned by the CEO of the company that Joey works for as a carpet fitter. While Joey was in jail, cocaine dealer, Billy Rinnick, was found during a police raid hiding under Joey’s wife Deborah’s bed. Close friends of Deborah denied anything was going on with the now convicted murderer.

9. Sonny Franzese’s Long Island Mansion

Sonny Franzese’s Long Island Mansion

Worth $3,000,000

Colombo crime family underboss Sonny Franzese’s Long Island residence approx. worth $3 million. Sonny Franzese was one of the last of from the prime time of the mafia. Controlling most of the bars and nightclubs on Long Island Sonny was also the muscle behind successful record labels, he also invested into films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Deep Throat.

10. Jerry Angiulio’s Massachusetts Mansion

Jerry Angiulio’s Massachusetts Mansion

Patriarca crime family underboss Jerry Angiulio’s waterfront home in Nahant, Massachusetts. I have a friend that used to go there for Christmas parties as a child. Patriarca appointed him underboss of the Providence based family. Retired State Police Colonel Thomas J. Foley said “He [Angiulio] is probably the last very significant Mafia boss in Boston’s history. In these times you don’t have anybody who exerts the control, the force or even maintains the discipline like he had with his organisation during his day”.

Tags : featured

David Breakspear May 15, 2018

15 Millionaire Mafia Mansions Owned By Infamous Kingpins

15. Vincent Palermo’s Mega Mansion

Known to many as Vinny Ocean, this mobster-turned FBI agent ran New Jersey’s DeCavalcante crime family and was the inspiration for Tony Soprano in the Sopranos.

After grassing up his fellow associates he was placed in the witness protection program and purchased this amazing gated mansion in the city of Houston.

The five-bedroom cabana property on Memorial Drive is consdered nothing short of a palace and the front of the property features a massive fountain, large driveway and lines of trees.

There are many luxurious features fit for a king in here and they include a large swimming pool, marble flooring, marble colums, and even the walls are marble.

The bedroom features a four poster mahogany bed, ornate chandalier and marble fireplace while the private cinema keeps entertainment high.

The mansion was listed for sale in 2009 after Palermo had his cover blown by a newspaper article but it was not sold until 2015 when it exchanged hands for $2.9 million dollars.

14. Carmine Agnello’s Long Island Estate

Carmine the bull Agnello was well known in New York’s Gambino crime family and even married the bosses daughter in 1984.

They later moved into a five-bedroom home located in Long Island’s village of Westbury and they lived there with three sons.

After being sentanced to nine years in prison, Agnello lost the house to his wife who divorced him and later went on to star in a number of TV shows.

The home features a large living room, library, bedrooms with four poster beds and large ornate colums in every room.

The home was raided by the FBI in 2016 after suspecting tax evasion and was listed for sale for $3.5 million dollars several times but it would appear its notoriety is well known.

13. Vito Rizzuto’s Montreal Mansion

Once known as Montreal’s Teflon Don, Vito Rizzuto’s huge Canadian estate is located in Montreal’s Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough.

The alleged boss of the Sicilian Mafia, Rizzuto was head of the family, his 5 bedroom home is located on whats known as mafia row after four mafia kingpins are said to have had houses there.

The home has a sweeping staircase in the entry hall, persian rugs, luxury chandeliers, family room, en-suite bathrooms, two powder rooms and state-of-the-art kitchen.

After Rizzuto passed away from Lung Cancer in 2013 the home was sold for a substancial amount.

12. Tony Accardo’s River Forest Residence

One of Chicago’s biggest and best known gangsters, Big Tuna Accardo as he was known, lived in this amazing five bedroom palatial home in River Forest.

Located on Ashland Avenue he purchased the home while still second in command in 1964 and only cost around $100,000 dollars, something more like $1.3 million in todays money.

The home was sold after a robbery at the property for which Accardo was later said to have ordered the men killed.

He died of heart faliure in 1992 and the property was recently sold for $1.1 million dollars.

11. Paul Ricca’s Chicago Hideaway

Notorious Boss of Chicago’s Mafia gangs for at least 40 years, Paul Ricca AKA “The Waiter” owned this large home in River forest and was also the defacto to Al Capone in the 1930’s.

The magnificent mansion featured four fireplaces, parquet floors, a handsome library and the property reportedly featured a secret tunnel to rooms filled with hidden items.

The property was sold for in 1972 for $900,000 dollars after Ricca, who had been in jail for some time thanks to a tax evasion conviction, died of a heart attack.

10. Rakesh Saran’s Arlington Texas Mansion

Once belonging to online pharmacy Tsar Rakesh Saran, this massive home was listed for auction after he pled guilty and sold for $1.2 million dollars.

Today, the 22,000 square foot home is thought to be worth close to $3.7 million and features five fireplaces, marble tiles, indoor pool and sits just minutes from the Cowboys stadium.

Not much is known about the inside of the home as the reported buyers are very private but expect a warren of rooms and even a reported lift between floors.

9. Pezao’s Slum Mega Mansion

Located in possibly one of the poorest slums in Rio De Janeiro, Drug Lord Pezao built this triplex home in plain sight of his neighbors but hidden well enough from view not to be discovered.

Featuring air conditioning, LED televisions in every room and a well hidden swimming pool on the roof, the home even had its own Jacuzzi and state of the art kitchen.

The drug lord, being a huge fan of Justin Bieber had his own nightclub inside the property, appartnely underground to limit noise and its reported that 6 tons of drugs and weapons were hidden in the walls.

Found by a team of police cleaning the area in preperation for the Rio Olympics, the home was siezed, yet before this the whole favela was run by the gang that controlled billions.

8. Al Capone’s Miami Mansion

Boss of the world famous South Side Gand, very few people have not heard of Al Capone and many people also know of his notorious mega mansion.

Al Capone was in residence at this Palm Beach Villa which is located on Palm Island and is thought to be worth roughly $14.9 million today.

After purchasing the home for just $40,000 dollars, Capone reportedly spent another $140,000 on security measures and upgrades that included seven foot high walls, searchlights and a gatehouse, cabana and grotto.

The home has an amazing swimming pool on the outside and was reportedly where Al Capone spent his final days after being released from Alcatraz prison in 1939.

7. Paul Yearsley’s British Mansion

Once on the market for $8 million pounds, this english estate was the former home of Paul Yearsley, one of the United Kingdoms most prolific gangsters and a former swimming pool supervisor.

Yearsley was sent to prison for his crimes and the home, now on the market for just over $6 million dollars, was described as being fit for a pop star.

The mansion, on the outskirts of Bolton near Manchester has some interesting features for a UK property including multiple bedrooms and bathrooms and a full underground cinema.

Spread across four other floors you will find two living rooms, a large open plan kitchen, an indoor pool, gymnasium, games room, bar and shower room.

He also had a fleet of luxury cars kept at the property, which were also siezed after his 5 year jail sentance.

6. Bugs Morans Chicago Hotel Suite

Another famous name and another massive living quaters, Bugs Morans lived in style thanks to his permanent home inside Chicago’s opulent Parkway Hotel.

The hotel was minutes away from where Morans gang stored all of its booze and counterfit goods and Moran lived in the suite for over 10 years.

The hotel gave Moran access to many entertainment features including a grand ballroom, high-end restaurant and of course its famous speakeasy.

Today it has been converted into flats, and as for Moran? He died in 1957 while still in prison where he was sent in 1939.

5. Billionaire Bolthole of Bugsy Siegel

One of the most feared gangsters of all time the founder of Murder, Inc., which acted as the enforcement arm of the Jewish mob and Italian-American Mafia built his large mansion in California in the 1930’s.

Sitting on a total of 1.8 acres the Holmby Hills mansion has five bedrooms, an enormous living room, oak-panelled library, imposing dining room, and a spacious home cinema.

No expense was spared on the property and he lived there with his wife and children while his bar had every drink imaginable including cognacs and champagnes.

Most homes of this time only had one vanity room, Bugsy built six and the dining room alone seated 30 people.

Manicured gardens and a swimming pool on the outside join the large driveway and its reported that the wardrobe in the atic housed a trapdoor letting him escape arrest on multiple occasions

He was arrested for murder in 1940, later aquitted but was shot dead at his girlfriends home in Beverly Hills, with the home selling for an undisclosed amount.

4. Pablo Escobar’s Mega Home Haul

There are few famous drug kingpins such as Pablo Escobar and few have achieved his power and wealth since, he also owned hundreds of properties, businesses and more!

Of particular intrest to the FBI was his massive Pink mansion was located in a waterfront plot in Miami beach and was said to be worth close to $16 million dollars.

The home was demolished in 2016 and the 30,000 square foot lot where it once stood is still valued at $15.9 million thanks in part to its notiriety.

Two hidden safes were found in the walls of the wrecked home and later dissapeared in mysterious circumstances while Escobars wealth was $30 billion at one point in his life.

Escobar was shot dead in 1993 and there are now plans to build a modern mansion on the site of his former residence, no doubt it will be worth a small fortune, especially if your a NARCO’s fan!

3. Albert Anastasia’s New Jersey Compound

Considered to be the lord high executioner of Murder INC, he would later go onto becone the boss of the feared Gambino crime family in the 1940’s

He lived in this amazing spanish-style New Jersey property from 1947 until 1957 and is also said to have comitted multiple crimes here while organising all gamg activities from the home.

The home sits on 1.3 acres, has 25 sprawling rooms and sits on Fort Lee, just across the river from Manhatten and is surrounded by 7 foot high walls once covered in steel spikes and barbed wire to keep out his enemies.

Multiple bedrooms, an ornate kitchen, a glass covered conservatory and windows offering amazing views of the New York Skyline are on offer in this property.

The home has a wood panelled office and the creepiest room in the house is the Jacuzzi room, also known in the gangsters time as the slaughter room, you can use your imagination as to why.

His reign of terror ended in 1957 when he was gunned down in a barbers shop and his home was later sold multiple times eventually for a high price of $6.9 million dollars.

2. El Chapo’s Mansion Collection

Another notorious drug lord whom is actually still alive, albeit incarcerated in one of the strongest prisons known to man, El Chapo had a net worth at his peak of $3 billion.

He ownd a vast array of different businesses and properties including one house, valued at $80,000 dollars in Culiacan that was used to aid his escape in 2016.

Another home, where the kingpin stayed while trying to evade the army is on sale for $90,000 dollars and his mother even owned a large property in the city.

Sitting on three floors and covering 700 meters of land, it is thought to be valued at $450,000 dollars and he once owned over 9 homes across the globe.

1. Michigan Manor of Pete Corrado

Dubbed the world famous Machine Gun Pete, Corrado belonged to the mafia in Detroit and lived in a 7,481-square-foot mansion on Middlesex Road in Grosse Pointe Park, just outside Detroit.

He made his money from an Italian Style Lottery, an illigal numbers racket and proceeds from his illegal activities were used to buy the home.

The home has a large fountain on the outside and was decorated in 1950’s style with two reception rooms, five bedrooms and the property has access to three bars, a wine cellar, pool room and spa.

The mob home had several hidding places and a series of tunnels run underneath the house with machine guns and other contraband reportedly once stored there and one tunnel even connects to a house across the road.

The home stayed in the family after Corrado’s death in 1957 and was owned by a Corrado until 1988, being purchased for $665,000 dollars and later sold again in 1995 for $715,000 dollars.

Thanks for watching our video on 15 Millionaire Mafia Mansions Owned By Infamous Kingpins, please like the video hit the subscribe button and check out the videos on the next page!

Abandoned Mafia Mansion With Hidden Room

Our very first location of the year is a vacant/abandoned mansion, once owned by a mafia boss.

The first road trip of the year: RiddimRyder, Carlo Paolozza & myself spent the night inside this abandoned mansion that was owned by a member of the mafia. By far one of the most unique places we have explored.

What we find here is unbelievable. The things you can buy when money is no object. Very cool place for sure!! One can only imagine the parties & other happenings here!

Not only did this abandoned mansion have 8 Bedrooms and 8 Bathrooms…but it also had some very interesting and curious surprises found within

Here you can see me celebrating our success in a fully mirrored bathroom in the master bedroom, the mirrors run floor to ceiling on every wall.

Here I am in the basement level from the main staircase. Ahead of me we will enter a bar and recreation are and behind me….well I can’t tell you or show you what we found back there until the end of the week! So stay tuned here

Here is a silly shot of me taken while exploring an abandoned mansion.

Yes, you are seeing this right – that is a bathroom with floor to ceiling mirrors, including ON the ceiling!

The bathroom was pitch black so I lit the room by strategically placing three small LED lights in the right positions and then took advantage of the mirrors to spread the light.

Here is a self portrait of me at the indoor pool inside the abandoned mansion discovered and explored by Carlo Paolozza RiddimRyder Photography and myself.

The pool had windows that looked into the basement rec room, so I placed my lights in the windows to light up the pool for this picture. Then I put my headlamp on backwards to get the red light silhouette effect.

“You know, we always called each other goodfellas. Like you’d say to somebody: You’re gonna like this guy, he’s all right. He’s a goodfella. He’s one of us. You understand?”

Carlo Paolozza, RiddimRyder Photography and I in the basement bar and recreation room of a vacant/abandoned mansion.

Abandoned Mansion Living Room, naturally lit by a large window and five skylights, this is the main living room of a vacant mansion that we recently discovered.

Imagine our surprise, we are exploring, going room to room with no idea what is around the corner or behind each door.

In the basement of this abandoned mansion, we open a normal looking door, expecting a laundry room and our flashlights present us with THIS room.

Some kind of a sexy red lounge for entertaining guests, a strange metal palm tree in the center, tables, benches and stools all around and floor to ceiling curtains.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?” I yelled as we all stood in awe, shining our lights all around this curious and very sexy red room.

But it doesn’t end there, we spot something behind the curtains….hinges to a door, a door that takes us into another room, this room was a secret room, hidden behind a curtain.

For this photo I used 5 different light sources to light up the room. My LED Panel light and a small LED light in the far rom, a flashlght underneath the palm tree and two other lights behind the camera.

Abandoned Mafia Boss Mansion Hidden Sexy Red Room

See the photo above of the sexy party room with the big metal palm tree? You will see a door open, that door was hidden entirely by curtains on the wall, the only thing that made us find it was a door hinge that was visible at a break in the curtain.

We opened the door to this secret hidden room and we lost our minds when we walked in that door and found this amazing room, entirely covered in red curtains and red carpet.

The room also had its own private bathroom with black floor, black toilet and a black couNter.

I got a message from someone who follows my stuff, this individual was looking at my photos of the abandoned mafia mansion when their boss notices one of the photos and recognizes the large party room right away…

Here is that message:

“My boss walked in and said she had recognized the room and that she was pretty sure it was at one point owned by the people of REDACTED, or the owners had a relationship with the owner. Something along those lines.

She was very vague (for obvious reasons I’m sure) but she said that her husband had went to a party like none other there. Lavish, possible hint of drugs (though she didn’t confirm or deny).

She said the lounge was almost as if it were setup as a swingers lounge, a safe haven for people to frolic and have fun. Without using the word orgies, I think it was more or less implied.”

I promised you all something amazing and I think RiddimRyder, Carlo Paolozza and I have made you wait long enough. Imagine our surprise, we are exploring, going room to room with no idea what is around the corner or behind each door. In the basement of this abandoned mansion, we open a normal looking door, expecting a laundry room and our flashlights present us with THIS room. Some kind of a sexy red lounge for entertaining guests, a strange metal palm tree in the center, tables, benches and stools all around and floor to ceiling curtains. “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?” I yelled as we all stood in awe, shining our lights all around this curious and very sexy red room. But it doesn’t end there, we spot something behind the curtains….hinges to a door, a door that takes us into another room, this room was a secret room, hidden behind a curtain. We’ll see that room this week, I promise/. For this photo I used 5 different light sources to light up the room. My LED Panel light and a small LED light in the far rom, a flashlght underneath the palm tree and two other lights behind the camera. What do you think, crazy eh?? You can see this room and some other parts of the house in my short discovery trailer at the link below and I will post the whole video on Saturday. https://youtu.be/HrS3HnjxLBM Be sure to follow Carlo Paolozza and RiddimRyder https://www.facebook.com/RiddimRyderPhotography/ https://www.instagram.com/riddim_ryder/ https://twitter.com/RealRiddimRyder https://www.youtube.com/c/RiddimRyder https://www.facebook.com/CarloPaolozzaYT/ https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCyberRealm https://www.instagram.com/carlopaolozza/ https://twitter.com/CarloPaolozza

Freaktography: Abandoned Places, Urban Exploration, Photography of the normally unseen and off-limits.

Abandoned Mansion Living Room Naturally lit by a large window and five skylights, this is the main living room of a vacant mansion that we recetly discovered. Stay tuned all week to see this exclusive find, a mansion left behind that was once owned by a member of the mafia. Check out my quick discovery video below and I’ll post the full video next saturday. https://youtu.be/HrS3HnjxLBM Be sure to follow Carlo Paolozza and RiddimRyder https://www.facebook.com/RiddimRyderPhotography/ https://www.instagram.com/riddim_ryder/ https://twitter.com/RealRiddimRyder https://www.youtube.com/c/RiddimRyder https://www.facebook.com/CarloPaolozzaYT/ https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCyberRealm https://www.instagram.com/carlopaolozza/ https://twitter.com/CarloPaolozza Freaktography: Abandoned Places, Urban Exploration, Photography of the normally unseen and off-limits.

Freaktography: Abandoned Places, Urban Exploration, Photography of the normally unseen and off-limits.

“You know, we always called each other goodfellas. Like you’d say to somebody: You’re gonna like this guy, he’s all right. He’s a goodfella. He’s one of us. You understand?” Carlo Paolozza, RiddimRyder and I in the basement bar and recreation room of a vacant/abandoned mansion. Stay tuned all week to see this exclusive find, a mansion left behind that was once owned by a member of the mafia. Check out my quick discovery video below and I’ll post the full video next saturday. https://youtu.be/HrS3HnjxLBM Be sure to follow Carlo Paolozza and RiddimRyder https://www.facebook.com/RiddimRyderPhotography/ https://www.instagram.com/riddim_ryder/ https://twitter.com/RealRiddimRyder https://www.youtube.com/c/RiddimRyder https://www.facebook.com/CarloPaolozzaYT/ https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCyberRealm https://www.instagram.com/carlopaolozza/ https://twitter.com/CarloPaolozza

Freaktography: Abandoned Places, Urban Exploration, Photography of the normally unseen and off-limits.

What is up Guys?? Okay heeeeere we go, here is a self portrait of me at the indoor pool inside an abandoned mansion discovered and explored by Carlo Paolozza, RiddimRyder and myself. The pool had windows that looked into the basement rec room, so I placed my lights in the windows to light up the pool for this picture. Then I put my headlamp on backwards to get the red light silhouette effect. This morning we are each dropping our first of two videos from this abandoned mansion. The first video will be of our discovery and first explore followed next weekend by a complete daytime video. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channels to get notified when we post our teaser videos today. Click here to subscribe to my YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCstrXRqOR2dotMpxE81i8Jw?sub_confirmation=1 RiddimRyder https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwycGVFX0KXfwc9T9ucm6ow?sub_confirmation=1 Carlo Paolozza https://www. youtube.com/channel/UCmTjkAsTWV6l4LpD46XhNXg?sub_confirmation=1

Freaktography: Abandoned Places, Urban Exploration, Photography of the normally unseen and off-limits.

Urban Exploring Abandoned Mansions is the Shit!!! Here is a silly shot of me taken while exploring an abandoned mansion. Yes, you are seeing this right – that is a bathroom with floor to ceiling mirrors, including ON the ceiling! The bathroom was pitch black so I lit the room by strategically placing three small LED lights in the right positions and then took advantage of the mirrors to spread the light. Next week I am going all out with this location and I promise by next satutday you will have seen the entire place!! You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel to get notified when I post my teaser video of this abandoned mansion on Saturday. Click here to subscribe to my YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCstrXRqOR2dotMpxE81i8Jw?sub_confirmation=1 Freaktography: Abandoned Places, Urban Exploration, Photography of the normally unseen and off-limits.

Mafia Secrets: Crime’s Most Famous ‘Families’

Blood oaths, secret tunnels, codes and ciphers are tradecraft of the modern-day mafia, the ‘Goodfellas’ network that evolved in Sicily in the 19th century and now stretches from Naples to New York, Miami to Melbourne and far beyond.

Investigations by the FBI and other elite police units have shone light into the dark corners occupied by the real-life gangsters immortalized in The Godfather, Goodfellas and The Sopranos. The FBI has kept an eye on the five families that have run New York’s US-Italian mob since the 1930s – the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese families – and continue to do so today.

In the mafia hotbed of southwest Italy, mobsters are tracked by the Cacciatori di Calabria, literally ‘the hunters’ of the Calabria region, highly-trained police who track the ‘Ndrangheta syndicate, one of Europe’s biggest drug cartels. During one raid, the hunters struck gold: they found notebooks of hieroglyphics and a cipher detailing how each hieroglyphic corresponded to the Latin alphabet. Italian media described the find as a mafia Rosetta Stone. Police have since cracked the code, gaining insight into the myths, sacred oaths and inner workings of the ‘Ndrangheta (from the Greek word for heroism and manly virtue).

SPYSCAPE breaks the code of silence:

John Gotti died in a Missouri prison age 61

1. John Gotti relaxed by playing chess

‘Teflon Don’ Gotti was the boss of the Gambino crime family in the 1980s, earning the nickname because he evaded prison for years – none of the charges stuck. When Gotti was arrested in 1990, the mafia don told police: “I bet ya three-to-one I beat this.” Gotti lost the bet. He was convicted of five murders and an assortment of other charges – gambling, loansharking and narcotics trafficking were all his stocks in trade. When he wasn’t ordering hits, Gotti was obsessed with chess, telling friends it “makes you think like a boss”. Gotti admired Bobby Fischer so much he called him the “Al Capone of chess”. Gotti also enjoyed betting on Scrabble, author Sal Polisi wrote in The Sinatra Club: My Life Inside the New York Mafia. One evening, Gotti put money down on the word ‘ken’. The stakes rose and rose until finally Polisi opened the dictionary saying: “Oh f*** me.” Polisi had to read it aloud so everybody knew Gotti was right. ‘Ken’ means knowing, or to have knowledge about something.

Godfather Paul ‘Paulie’ Castellano built his own White House

2. What goes around, comes around

The life of a mobster is bloody work. Gotti’s predecessor was Paul ‘Big Paulie’ Castellano – aka “The Howard Hughes of the Mob” – who became Godfather in 1976. Castellano was a businessman. He oversaw a poultry distribution company, read the Wall Street Journal and ran the Gambino ‘family’ like a Fortune 500 business. Castellano also liked bling. He built a 17-room mansion on Staten Island resembling the White House with an Olympic-size swimming pool and an English garden. By 1985 it was all going horribly wrong, however. There were rumblings when Castellano banned his ‘made’ men from dealing drugs under the threat of death. Meanwhile, an FBI agent posing as a cable TV repairman bugged his house (Castellano actually held the flashlight) and wiretapped his meetings. Castellano was indicted for loan sharking and connected to five murders. In December 1985, as Castellano was about to enter Sparks Steak House in Manhattan, he was shot in the face. Gotti drove over to see the body. The ‘Teflon Don’ was later convicted of ordering the hit.

Frank Sinatra had the FBI under his skin

3. The FBI tracked Frank Sinatra for 40 years

G-men kept an eye on singer Frank Sinatra for decades, watching his mob contacts and early involvement with the Communist Party in Hollywood. Sinatra’s Italian grandfather had immigrated from Sicily to New York in 1900. The crooner’s father was a bootlegger during Prohibition and ran a bar with Waxey Gordon, a gangster known as “the beer baron of New York”. Sinatra Jr grew up in Hoboken, New Jersey and started singing in the bar when he was eight, so he knew the regulars. Sinatra was friendly with Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana. He also accepted gifts from brothers Joseph and Charles ‘Trigger Happy’ Fischetti, part of the Chicago mob who ran illegal gambling operations, and he appeared at Atlantic City as a favor for Philadelphia mobster Angelo Bruno. Sinatra was never prosecuted, but that didn’t stop the FBI from spying on him. They finally released Sinatra’s dossier after the singer’s death in 1998.
‍

Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) swears an oath to Tony Soprano

4. The blood oath

‍
The initiation of a ‘made’ man begins with a blood oath similar to the one Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) swore to crime boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini). Italy’s recruits recite a ‘poison oath’ and mobsters who break the code of conduct are told to kill themselves – cyanide and bullets being the preferred options. The American initiation rite starts with a similar ceremony and a prick of the finger. The blood is rubbed onto a photo of a saint – sometimes the Archangel Michael – and an oath of silence is recited. The picture is then set on fire and passed around a circle.

Henry Hill (R) was invited to the Warner Bros’ lot for a secret screening of Goodfellas

5. Omertà and snitches

Omertà is the mafia code of silence involving criminal activities. Snitches who betray omertà get whacked – or so the legend goes. So why didn’t Brooklyn mobster Henry Hill (played by Ray Liota in Goodfellas) get a bullet to the head? In a 2006 interview Hill, a former member of the Lucchese crime family, said the mafia tried twice after he left witness protection and ended up in a California prison on drug charges. Hill doesn’t know why he survived, but he didn’t feel safe until Jimmy ‘The Gent’ Burke (played by Robert DeNiro) and Paul ‘Paulie’ Vario (Paul Sorvino) were dead: “Paulie wouldn’t have killed me, but I knew Jimm … y… Jimmy you know, on his f***ing deathbed, I’m sure that Jimmy said ‘Get f***ing Henry. ’”

Buscetta’s story is told in the Italian film Il Traditore (The Traitor) with Pierfrancesco Favino (above)

6. What the mafia holds dear
Tommaso Buscetta, the ex-Mafia leader turned FBI informant, provided an insiders’ view into La Cosa Nostra during his testimony in New York in 1985. Buscetta said the mafia smuggled $1.6bn in heroin from Sicily into the US through pizza parlors and laundered the money using banks and brokers in New York, the Bahamas and Switzerland. Asked about his initiation, Buscetta said he swore that if he betrayed the mob his flesh would burn like the photo of the saint. He was reminded to behave at all times: “To be silent, not to look at other men’s wives or women, not to steal and especially, at all times when I was called, I had to rush, leaving whatever I was doing.” He was suspended twice. Once for cheating on his wife and once for smuggling cigarettes without telling his bosses. Asked about the usual penalty for disobeying the rules, Buscetta replied: “Death. ”

‍

The so-called ‘San Luca Code’

7. The legend

Just how the mafia started is a mystery but coded notebooks found during an Italian raid included reference to the legend. The myth began with three Spanish knights who killed a man to save the honor of their sister. The men were banished to the Sicilian island of Favignana. They wrote a code of conduct and the law of omertà (the code of silence). According to the legend, the men parted ways and formed three secret societies: the Cosa Nostra in Sicily, romanticized in The Godfather; the Camorra in Naples, the focus of the TV series Gomorrah; and the more reclusive ‘Ndrangheta in Calabria, at Italy’s southern tip.
‍

Tunnels are built underground in Calabria, Italy

8. The mafia may have kicked off over lemons

England’s University of Nottingham said the Sicilian mafia, as we now recognize it, may be linked to lemons. In the mid to late 1800s, law enforcement was lax and the Italian government wasn’t keeping the peace, so lemon farmers used protection squads (who were either hired or extorted money) to keep their crops safe. Initially, ‘mafioso’ meant someone who didn’t trust centralized authority. The protection squads were called ‘mafie’ and later by the slang ‘mafia’. As Don Calo Vizzini, head of the Villalba mafia during World War II summed it up: “In every society there has to be a category of people who straighten things out when situations get complicated.”

Authorities found a complex of tunnels under the town of Plati, Italy

9. A secret labyrinth

Police and military surveyors pinpointed an underground fortress in 2014, a labyrinth of tunnels under the Calabria mountains that the Italian mafia are suspected of using to move around unnoticed. The tunnels are sophisticated and in some places large enough to drive a truck through. They are also accessible from different points – the bottom of a staircase, a field or a forest. Suspected drug lord Pasquale Marando reportedly entered the tunnels via a pizza oven.

One bunker had a kitchen stocked with fresh tomatoes and cheese

10. Hidden bunkers and safe houses

Some of Calabria’s rat-infested tunnels lead to dead ends, others to trap doors, bunkers and safe houses. Even on the run, it seems the mafia like their comforts. Italian police found some bunkers – built within shipping containers – filled with books, battery-operated gadgets and drug paraphernalia. Others were erected behind water tanks and fitted out with bathrooms. One had a kitchen packed with fresh tomatoes and ricotta cheese. Another had a full wood-fired pizza oven.

The feared mob boss whose great-grandson is now a 49ers star

Ten days after the 1906 earthquake, Tony Accardo was born in Chicago’s Little Italy. Accardo was 14 when he dropped out of school. By 16, he was working for Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn, one of Al Capone’s hit men, and in his mid-20s, he was promoted to be Capone’s bodyguard. Two decades later, Accardo had risen to the top of the Chicago Outfit, one of America’s most-feared organized crime families.

This Sunday, 116 years after Accardo was born, his great-grandson Nick Bosa — a boss of a very different sort — will take the field for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. It’s one of the NFL’s strangest connections: a mob capo and a football dynasty.

Bosa’s great-grandfather got the nickname “Joe Batters” as a mere teen, allegedly due to a penchant for beating disloyal compatriots with a baseball bat. Accardo eventually met Capone at the race track, where he was betting on ponies. He became Capone’s chauffeur-bodyguard — and potentially more. Years later, when federal authorities wiretapped him, Accardo was heard bragging about being involved in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Experts on the notorious gangland slaying think it was just bluster. But Accardo’s reputation was such that it didn’t seem far off.

Tony Accardo rose to the top of the Chicago Outfit, the organized crime family best known for its connection to Al Capone.

Bettmann/Bettmann Archive

In 1931, the infamous Chicago Crime Commission officially added Accardo to its list of “public enemies.” Once, after an arrest for disorderly conduct, he listed his permanent address as a vacant lot. When a judge asked why he’d done so, Accardo shot back, “If I gave the police my right address, they would be all over my place all the time.”

By the time Capone was sent to Alcatraz for tax evasion in 1932, Accardo was head of enforcement for the Chicago Outfit, well on his way to a lifelong career of racketeering, extortion and prodigiously avoiding the authorities.

In stark contrast to the celebrity of Capone, Accardo was virtually unrecognizable to the public, dressing like “a stockbroker” in cashmere coats and trim suits. His attorneys insisted he was a beer salesman. If true, he must have been quite the seller; he lived in a 22-room mansion with an indoor swimming pool, a bowling alley and a huge pipe organ. The feds were always on Accardo’s tail, so much so that he reportedly complained he “couldn’t even take a bath without one of them college boy gumshoes … peeking through the Venetian blinds. ”

The Illinois home of gangster Tony Accardo before the wedding of his daughter, Linda, in 1961.

Michael Rougier/The LIFE Picture Collection via

A series of deaths and imprisonments helped Accardo move up the Chicago Outfit hierarchy. Facing the prospect of jail time, Capone successor Frank Nitti killed himself in 1943, putting Accardo at the top of the organization.

“Accardo is the head — the absolute head — of the Capone mob,” the director of the Chicago Crime Commission told the Associated Press in 1961. “Capone was powerful, but Accardo’s power exceeds that of the feudal lords of old.”

Unlike his contemporaries, Accardo had a remarkable track record of avoiding trouble, both from the authorities and within the mob. He was subpoenaed a few times by the U.S. Senate, including by the Senate Rackets Committee, which called him, almost reverentially, the “godfather of Chicago organized crime … a legend in his own time, the heir to Al Capone.” At one 1984 hearing, Accardo admitted to knowing Capone but claimed he was never his bodyguard. “I have no control over anybody,” he testified.

Tony Accardo testifies before the Senate Government Affairs Committee on Nov. 17, 1984, in Washington, D.C. At that time, Accardo was being investigated on labor racketeering within the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union.

Cynthia Johnson/Getty Images

Accardo was repeatedly arrested for murder, extortion and kidnapping, but boasted that he never spent a night in jail. By the estimation of FBI agent William Roemer, Accardo got away with ordering or approving hundreds of hits.

Most people were wise enough not to cross him. In 1978, while Accardo was lounging in his Palm Springs vacation home, burglars broke into his Chicago mansion. In the following days, at least seven individuals connected to the robbery were found with their throats slit. “One was castrated and disemboweled, his face removed with a blow torch, a punishment imposed, presumably, because he was Italian and should have known better,” the Chicago Tribune wrote.

While his cohorts died violent deaths, Accardo slipped quietly into retirement. It was during this time that his family’s NFL empire began. His daughter Marie married Palmer Pyle, a guard who was selected in the first round of the 1960 AFL draft by the Houston Oilers. Although the marriage didn’t last, the NFL bloodline did. Marie and Palmer’s son, Eric Kumerow (he took the last name of his mother’s second husband), became a Dolphins linebacker. During the lead-up to the 1988 draft, Kumerow was questioned by teams about Accardo; some were worried his mob boss grandpa might have a hand in influencing games.

“To me, he’s just my grandfather, and I love him. He’s a great man, a caring man. I remember him coming to ball games and being with us,” Kumerow told the Miami Herald. “I never had an opinion when I would see articles in the paper. I don’t believe them. Half of what you read in the paper isn’t true.”

Joey Bosa of the Los Angeles Chargers speaks with his brother Nick Bosa prior to a playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 11, 2020, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

Kiyoshi Mio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Kumerow’s sister, Cheryl, married Dolphins defensive end John Bosa, and together they had Nick and Joey, now both in the NFL. In addition, Kumerow’s son Jake plays wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills. Although none in the current generation knew Accardo personally, his legacy still looms large over the family.

“I’ve only heard amazing things about him,” Joey Bosa said before the 2016 NFL Draft. “Wish I could have spent some time with him before he passed.”

Jake Kumerow of the Buffalo Bills enters the stadium prior to a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium on Sept. 12, 2021, in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Bryan Bennett/Getty Images

Accardo died of heart disease in 1992. He was 86, an enviable lifespan for a mafia man. The Chicago Tribune reported his funeral was a surprisingly low-key affair, attended only by a handful of family members and curious passersby. “There was no sign of any notables, except perhaps two of the pallbearers, Ernest Kumerow, Accardo’s son-in-law and president of Local 1001 of the International Laborers Union, and his son, Eric, a Chicago Bears football player,” the Tribune noted. Police confirmed two “old pals” from Accardo’s Little Italy days, both in their 80s, showed up, which also tacitly confirmed G-men were casing the funeral.

A small procession accompanied Accardo to the Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Chicago’s suburbs. Before he was lowered into the ground, a few people grabbed the pink and yellow roses off his coffin for keepsakes.

“He would have wanted it that way,” an anonymous FBI agent told the Tribune. “Quiet, no hoopla.”

More 49ers Playoff Coverage

Mafia game – how to play Mafia

Mafia is a popular psychological game. The plot is simple. The civilians of the city, who are tired of the unbridled mafia, decide to arrange lynching and kill criminals. The Mafia responds by declaring war with the goal of destroying all the townspeople. Teams of mafia and civilians play against each other. Civilians win if they figure out and “send to death” all mafiosi. The mafia wins if it is mathematically impossible for civilians to win.

Detailed description of the rules of the mafia game.

Alternatives

Mafia is not the only social game for the company! There are other options:

Questoria – if you have a company of 8-10 people, then you can try something new – Questoria. This is a role-playing game with a detective story. Players will transform into detective heroes for a couple of hours. You will become a detective, one of your friends will become a murderer. Everyone has different goals: solve a crime, confuse the tracks, get secret blueprints, or take over the world (until the head doctor returns)

Detailed description of Questoria plots

Detective quests online. If circumstances and distances interfere with gathering with friends in the same room, then online mini-quests will do. Players can be anywhere, in different cities or countries. The main thing is that everyone has a ZOOM). More about detective quests online

Children’s analogues of the mafia . Children can also play quests with roles. They are a bit like the mafia, but the plots are more in line with children’s interests: superheroes, pirates, spies, young wizards. Here is more information about children’s Questoria

Rules. How to play mafia

Playing mafia is interesting for different types of people because there are two ways to win in it. You can calculate opponents logically, remembering their actions during the game, comparing them with the voting results. And you can psychologically put pressure on the players, encouraging them to make mistakes, provoke, or just carefully observe their behavior, drawing conclusions and making decisions. Here everyone can reveal himself in the role that has fallen to him in his own way.

You can be a quiet, shy Mafioso who does not attract attention, you can be a loud, accusing civilian, suspecting and provoking everyone and everything. It can be vice versa. The game situation changes easily, and the player who has just been accused and almost sent to “death” can make the team believe in the guilt of his opponent with one successful argument. Or a calm civilian, whose innocence no one doubts, suddenly undergoes a psychological attack, gets lost and arouses the suspicion of the team. Mafia is a gambling, bright game that develops unpredictably and keeps all participants in suspense.

Mafia is best played with a leader. And it’s better with an experienced one. His role is very important. A professional will clearly explain the instructions, better understand the rules, and tell you what to do in a confusing situation. Leaders can imperceptibly increase the degree of the game, and, conversely, discharge the atmosphere if it is very tense.

But if there is no professional presenter, this is not a reason to cancel the game. Any person who understands the rules and has authority over the players can lead.

Speaking of rules. Here they are. How to play Mafia

The “closed” roles are distributed at the beginning of the game in random order. You can take a regular card deck or a special set for the game. Some players get the role of law-abiding civilians led by a sheriff with special powers. This is a team of civilians. Others get the roles of mafiosi, which Don controls. The goal of each team is to find all opponents and send them to the gallows.

The game is divided into two stages: alternating “day” and “night”.

Night of acquaintance.

When the roles are assigned, the facilitator announces nightfall and all players close their eyes (or put on masks that do not allow them to see anything). After the leader’s phrase “Mafia is waking up”, all mafia players open their eyes. Without saying a word, they meet eyes, get to know each other. Then, at the signal of the host, the mafia “falls asleep” again, then the day comes, and everyone opens their eyes.

First day.

Participants need to figure out which of the players is the mafia. On the first day, this is the hardest thing to do. Therefore, according to different versions of the rules, on the first day, participants either briefly tell a fictitious biography, or their opinion about any subject or issue. Then a general discussion begins, during which you can use any arguments, or remain silent, blame simply for “not liking” the player, or defend someone who seems safe. After discussion, each player puts up a candidate for a vote. The three candidates who were nominated most often go to the vote. Players, at the signal of the leader, vote for each. The one who gets the most votes is out of the game – goes to the gallows. If two players have the same number of votes, they are given thirty seconds for the last speech of justification to convince them to stay in the game, then a re-vote occurs.

After a player is killed, he must show his card to those present. So they will find out who he really was, a mafia or a civilian.

Second night.

After the first day in the mafia game, night falls again. The host announces “the city is falling asleep, the mafia is waking up.” Mafia players open their eyes, silently agree between themselves and their eyes, or silently point their finger at their victim to the host. After the murder, the mafia falls asleep, the sheriff wakes up and checks one of the players for belonging to the mafia. He points his finger or eyes at the suspect, and the host must show the sheriff a thumbs up (which means “this is a civilian”) or down (respectively – “this is the mafia”) in response to the sheriff

Second and subsequent days.

In the morning, the host announces who has been killed, and the day’s discussion begins about who needs to be removed from the game. Then again voting and so on until one of the teams wins.

Any arguments can be used in the discussion – from logical evidence to accusations of neighbors that they were moving at night, which means they took part in a mafia hunt.

The game can be made more difficult and more interesting by introducing additional roles: Doctor, Maniac, Putana, Commissar and others.

Number of players.

You can play Mafia with three people. But this will not be interesting, the game will end quickly. The best number of players is 8-11, such a company will have time to play, the arguments of everyone will be heard and the game will not drag on too long.

How to calculate how many mafia will be, how many civilians?

Mafia=(Total number of players/4).

That is, if a company of 8 people is playing, then there will be two mafiosos. If 9 people gathered at the gaming table, then three of them are mafia.

Mafia alternatives

Games where you have to identify villains who pretend to be ordinary people and confuse players by averting suspicion by any means are popular. It’s exciting to dive into the detective story and figure out the criminal yourself. Do not watch the screen where the confused hero is looking for the truth while chewing a chocolate bar. And to peer into the faces of the people opposite and try to find justifications for whether they are enemies or friends. There are role-playing games, and their board versions, and exit quests, and Questorias. The most distant from the game “Mafia” are outdoor quests, which are held in nature. In them, the emphasis is not on the role and plot, but on movement, searching for objects, overcoming obstacles.

Let’s dwell on the Questoria in detail, and not just like that. Questoria has a completely different game mechanic. It is very different from the mafia. And their emotional structure is similar. The same tension, limited time, excitement.

Let’s take the Questoria “Séance” as an example. In its basic version, there are 7 roles. The maximum number of players is 10. The host (in Questorias, it can only be a professional who is well versed in the nuances of the plot) distributes roles to the players and gives instructions. Unlike the mafia, where only a card with a picture of “civilian” is given, the participant of the Questoria receives a small text about his role. He learns about the character’s past, about his secrets and receives a personal task. Each role is worked out, each character is unique.

Therefore, the development of the plot here is more complex, the achievement of the team goal – to find the killer – intersects with the completion of personal tasks. By participating in the “Séance” Questoria, players are immersed in a detective story worked out by the writers with a main line and several parallel ones.

The way to achieve the goal in the Questoria is the same as in the Mafia game. You need to be able to convince, argue, mimic, listen carefully to what and how others say. You can also figure out the criminal with the help of logic, or using psychological methods of pressure or empathy.

Learn more about Questorias

Russian mafia: at home

Politics

President Putin and the mafia? There is no direct evidence from the German author. But indirect – more than enough.

Part II

German author Juergen Roth , who decided to take a closer look at how and where immigrants from Russia penetrated into Germany, came to an unexpected conclusion for many: political Germany does not seek to fight aliens. To convince us of the validity of this assertion, Roth places the focus of his study on the President of Russia. He is, so to speak, the key figure in the documentary book “Gangsters from the East”:

– I got into Putin because there is a black hole in the St. Petersburg period of his career. No one really knows what he actually did while serving as vice-governor of St. Petersburg, responsible for the privatization of state property. It was a time when life in the city was dominated by crime syndicates.

At the same time, the central question for Jurgen Roth was: how free Putin was (and still is) in his decisions. The author of the book became convinced of the relevance of just such a formulation of the question quite recently:

– As you know, now the prosecutor’s office of the German city of Darmstadt is investigating the case of the St. Petersburg company SP-AG …

, engaged in various investment projects and real estate sales – ed )

. .. Putin was officially a member of the supervisory board of this company, at least in the early nineties. This firm (SP-AG) is accused of laundering money for the “Tambovskaya criminal gang”.

Mafiosi – intermediary – Putin

One of the leaders of the group “ Vladimir Kumarin , according to the Darmstadt prosecutor’s office, maintained contacts with this company (SP-AG), and at the same time – through an intermediary Vladimir Smirnov – had the closest relationship with Vladimir Putin, in particular during the time when Putin was the head of the FSB. According to Jürgen Roth, the existence of certain relations between Putin and SP-AG to this day is proved by one small but curious detail: on May thirteenth of this year, starting a search on the premises of SP-AG in the town of Mörfelden, the police and the prosecutor’s office found it necessary to inform the Federal Chancellor about this, and also called the Russian Minister of the Interior in Moscow. 0005

In other words, the case is clearly politically motivated, but is it possible to say that Putin is the godfather of the Russian mafia?

– No, of course, the Russian president cannot be called a “godfather”. But he was involved in the relevant structures, including criminal ones. We can say that Putin, in his tenure as vice-governor, helped them get on their feet. Kumarin and later had direct access to the president’s inner circle. I argue that without Putin, the Tambov group would not have such influence today.

To whom Putin gave the monopoly on St. Petersburg gasoline

It is worth adding here that the casually mentioned “intermediary” Vladimir Smirnov was at one time the President’s affairs manager, then became the head of Techsnabexport in Minatom, the main character in the deal for the supply of reactor fuel to the United States , low-enriched uranium made from weapons-grade uranium. On this, Russia should earn a total of 12 billion dollars. Before moving to Moscow, Smirnov was the manager of the Petersburg Fuel Company. She got right ( document signed personally by Putin ) for the monopoly trade in petroleum products in St. Petersburg (Smirnov is the president of the company, Kumarin is a member of the administrative council).

It is easy to see that Vladimir Smirnov has always been associated with companies supported by Vladimir Putin, and has always collaborated with Vladimir Kumarin, the leader of the Tambovites. As Italian journalists wrote in the famous article “Putin’s Years in St. Petersburg. Between the Mafia and the KGB” two years ago, “a politician who came from the KGB (Vladimir Putin), a mafia (Vladimir Kumarin), a businessman (Vladimir Smirnov) – a triangle of power and money. Three Vladimirs are related to the Spag company. Putin, like Smirnov, is in parent company, Kumarin – in “Znamenskaya”, a closed fund, to which Putin allocated a plot in the city center for the construction of a “business center”.

How much information is worth

Jurgen Roth, exposing all these connections, nevertheless emphasizes that he does not in any way accuse Putin of personally profiting from the affairs of the Russian mafia:

– No, Putin had the information needed to make decisions, to control some people or organizations. And information, as you know, is power.

Under Putin, Jurgen Roth is sure, who also refers to Russian studies, Russia is increasingly becoming a criminal community and a criminal state, in which the democratic and liberal achievements of the perestroika era are gradually being lost (if they were). At the same time, authoritarian and even totalitarian tendencies are on the rise:

– The Kremlin itself has essentially become the roof of organized crime in the country. Corruption has permeated the entire society, reached out to judges, the prosecutor’s office, to the highest political circles. During Yeltsin, was the same. But under Putin, the situation has changed not for the better, but for the worse.

The “Deutsche Welle” correspondent comments on the fairness of the German author’s judgments about St. Petersburg Vladimir Izotov :

– The so-called “Tambovskaya” organized criminal group (or more neutrally, “Tambovskaya business group”) was again discussed in St. Petersburg during the celebration of the city’s 300th anniversary. Just at that time, a St. Petersburg crime boss was shot dead in Moscow Konstantin Yakovlev better known as Kostya Mogila. Journalists specializing in criminal matters immediately remembered that in the city, which in the second half of the 90s began to be called the “criminal capital of Russia”, for several years there was a confrontation between the “Tambovites” (led by Vladimir Kumarin) and the people of “Mogila’s Bones”. On June 2, 2000, in the Angleterre Hotel, in the presence of the author of crime novels Andrey Konstantinov , a reconciliation of two “respectable people” took place.

Two Yakovlevs – one “family”?

Interestingly, both the Tambovites and the Mogila group were often associated in the press with people from the entourage of the namesake Konstantin Yakovlev – the governor of St. Petersburg Vladimir Yakovlev . Guesses slipped that it was from Smolny that the instruction came to stop internecine squabbles and not to arouse excessive interest in city affairs on the part of the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General’s Office. And now, power in St. Petersburg is changing. The governor announced that he would not run for re-election, and soon the head of one of the criminal clans died.

This murder marked the beginning of a whole series of crimes. In July, one of the leaders of the Armenian group Shura Avakyan was seriously wounded, and the next day the bullets overtook the crime boss Rustam Ravilov , a native of Tatarstan. In early August, one of the most famous St. Petersburg businessmen Ruslan Kolyak , who was associated with both the underworld and the police, was killed in Crimea. Two days later, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC “Pharmaceutical Factory of Petersburg” was blown up in St. Petersburg Ismail Rahimov . The investigation found out that Rahimov was planning a meeting with Kolyak. And at the end of August, the vice-governor of St. Petersburg Anatoly Kagan , who was in charge of pharmaceutical issues in the government of Vladimir Yakovlev, was severely beaten.

The return of “wild” times

The newspapers “Vecherniy Peterburg”, “Vash privy adviser” and Internet agency “Fontanka.ru” published a number of publications devoted to the criminal war unfolding in the city. The authors of the articles conclude that now, during the interregnum, the authorities who had gone into the shadows decided to once again divide the market, but if six years ago they divided the gasoline market, this time they took up the pharmaceutical market. Thus, writes “Evening Petersburg”, in the city of the anniversary, which is under the close attention of the president, again, as if in wild 90th, crime is flourishing…

And what about the “Tambov group”? Back in early June (that is, shortly after the murder of Kostya Mogila), Vladimir Kumarin reconciled in court with the former head of the St. Petersburg police department Anatoly Ponidelko , who accused Kumarin of being the leader of the Tambov criminal community. Kumarin himself, who changed his surname to Barsukov, considers himself a law-abiding businessman. So, as they said in one Italian film about the fight against the mafia, “the investigation is over, forget it …”.

This phrase has a scientific synonym – berlusconization of politics. It was coined by Juergen Roth, an author who studies organized crime. But more on that later. In the meantime, let me remind you that Kumarin is one of the heroes of a detective story about SP-AG, a company that is suspected in Germany of laundering the criminal money of the Tambov group and being close to President Putin.

But neither the Russian president nor the Tambov group are “objects” of the investigation conducted by the German prosecutor’s office. Crime in other countries is none of her business.

And Jurgen Roth himself, when publishing the book “Gangsters from the East”, wanted to draw our attention not so much to Putin, but to the fact that the German authorities and especially the politicians of the FRG are clearly trying to hush up any accusations leveled against Putin.

Houses for Mafia 2

All

ENB and ReShade

Gameplay

Graphic arts

For adults 18+

Houses

Sounds

Interface

Error correction

Camera

Cards

Quests and Missions

Locations

Models

Non-playable characters (NPCs)

clothing

Optimization

Weapon

Official patches

Items

Hairstyles and Faces

Russifiers

Soundtracks

Assemblies

Skins

Creatures and Monsters

Transport

Utilities

July 25, 2020
|
Houses,
Error correction,
Locations

Mafia 2 “Beta version of Joe’s apartment in the 1950s”

June 26, 2019
|
Graphic arts,
Houses,
Gameplay,
Interface,
Clothing,
Weapon,
sounds,
Vehicles

Mafia 2 “FOREVER MOD”

August 28, 2015
|
Houses,
Gameplay

Mafia 2 “New apartments v 2”

December 16, 2014
|
Graphic arts,
Houses,
Gameplay

Mafia 2 “New Snack bar and Bar”

yesterday at 20:28
|
PC

In honor of the 10th anniversary of the release of the sci-fi game Black Mesa, the official fan page was launched

September 12

Talented artist redraws famous characters from early Pixar movies and TV shows

September 11
|
Movies and series

The first trailer for “The Little Mermaid” from Disney drowned in the number of dislikes on YouTube

yesterday at 19:49
|
Movies and series

Amazon approves production of Blade Runner 2099″

September 14

Red Dead Redemption 2 files show what Red Dead Online could be

September 14
|
Trailers

New trailer for the cooperative shooter The First Descendant

September 13
|
Industry

The development of Assassin’s Creed Red in Japan is under threat, the team refuses to work because of the manager

September 12
|
PC

A third-party developer has fixed performance in the profiles of the owners of a large number of games on Steam

yesterday at 09:53
|
Rumors

Insider: The Sims 5 will be announced this fall

September 12,
|
PC

New mod for Fallout 4 completely overhauls the mechanics of the game, making it deeper, more logical and more enjoyable

September 14

Tekken 8 development manager reveals the first details of the “next generation” fighting game

September 14
|
Trailers

A spectacular new Project EVE trailer that reveals the game’s official title

September 14
|
PC

Square Enix has published system requirements for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion

September 14

Basim will not copy Eivor – new information about Assassin’s Creed: Mirage

How to play mafia at home

Print and play
The Mafia game is a team-based turn-based role-playing game with a detective story. The number of players is optimal: 8-15 people.

Game preparation:
1. Make 20 pieces of paper on which the characters of the game will be written:
Host – 1
Civilian – 12
Mafia – 3
Commissar – 1
Doctor – 1
Mistress – 1
Maniac – 1
2. Bend the pieces of paper, so that the characters written on them are not visible.
3. Shuffle the papers and give one to each player.
4. Players take a piece of paper without showing anyone what is written on it, read it and put it in their pocket.

Game progress:
Those who got the papers of “Civilians” make up a team of “honest city dwellers” who do not know each other. Players with papers “Mafia” – a team of “mafia” and a special player “commissioner” (you can play without him). Paper “Leader” – determines the leader (you can not distribute if initially someone volunteered to play the game).
The gameplay is divided into two phases – “day” and “night”. When the host announces the night phase in the city, all players close their eyes and “sleep”. On the first night, the host allows the mafia to open their eyes and remember their comrades-in-arms – “get acquainted”. It is necessary to get acquainted as carefully and silently as possible. After that, the mafia “falls asleep”, and the presenter demands to wake up the commissioner. Thus, the leader becomes aware of who is who.
At the announcement of of the “day” phase , all residents wake up. During the day, the players discuss which of them can be involved in the mafia. At the end of the discussion, the host announces an open vote for landing in prison. The most suspicious resident, who received the most votes, is sent to jail (leaves the game), and the presenter opens his piece of paper and announces the game status.
Then comes the “night” phase. At night, the mafia wakes up, silently (with gestures) conferring and “killing” one of the surviving citizens, showing the host exactly who. The player is killed at night if all members of the mafia agree. At night, the mafia is obliged to agree on who they actually take out of the game with their shot.
Morning. The host announces: “The mafia has chosen its victim and fell asleep. The commissar woke up. The commissioner wakes up and chooses who to check. You can check only one player. The host silently nods: “Yes, the mafia,” or shakes his head: “No, honest.” If the commissar is killed that night, even before checking it, the host shows crossed arms – this means that the commissar is killed. The commissioner checks the players who cause him the most suspicion.
During the day, the announcer announces who was killed during the night. This player leaves the game, his piece of paper (“status”) is shown to all residents.
Information about the events that have taken place is used by the surviving players to discuss the next “condemnation”! The game continues until the complete victory of one of the teams, when the opponents are completely either planted or killed . ..

For more intrigue, new characters have been added to the extended version of the game: Maniac, Doctor and Mistress.
Maniac – speaks out for himself, every night killing one of the inhabitants of the city. Wakes up at night after the mafia. He can win only if he is left alone.
Doctor – can save one of the inhabitants of the city from death. Wakes up last. The host shows who is killed, and he, at his choice, either reanimates the dead or not. Wakes up at night after a maniac. Including he can “heal” himself, but no more than two times.
Mistress – spends the night with one of the inhabitants of the town, while preventing him from performing his special function. For example, maybe, pointing to a member of the mafia, prevent them from shooting. Treat civilians.

How to play mafia – bigwig-moscow.ru

When the cards are dealt, the players will learn their roles. There are quite a few roles in the city mafia – a civilian, a mafia, a maniac, a prostitute, a doctor or a sheriff. But there is one thing, but – the players should not show their cards until the game is over. But you are allowed to say whatever you want and lie as much as you want.

Introducing

Players choose the city in which all actions will unfold:

— Let is be Istanbul, it’s my favorite city!

After everyone knows what city they live in, acquaintance in the city begins. Each player has one minute to tell their story. Stories are always different – long and funny, short but informative.

Then comes the night…

“Night” without the Commander’s command, all players are forbidden to open their eyes. The host says who is waking up:

– Mafia wakes up. Mafia has one minute to decide who they are going to kill. Mafia is asleep. Prostitute wakes up…

Next, the facilitator draws up a picture of what happened during the night.

Morning is coming…

The announcer announces who was killed. The dead have 30 seconds to voice their suspicions or otherwise help the city and civilians win. But be careful – a maniac kills at night and does not understand, so the probability that the person killed is the mafia is very high, so you still should not believe 100%.

Time for afternoon discussion begins. Each player is given 1 minute to express their suspicions. But if you want to go further and put the player up for voting, then you need to nominate him:

– I nominate Jolie for voting.

Voting

One participant in the game votes for one candidate. If he abstained, the vote goes out for the last voted. After voting, the one for whom the most votes were given has the last word. In 30 seconds, he can speak out and share his suspicions about who the mafia is. The player can then only watch the game. During and after this, all players are prohibited from talking to him during the game. For violation – a warning.

The most eliminated player is also prohibited from communicating with players with gestures or words. Violation of this paragraph is punishable by removal from the next game.

Car crash

A car crash situation is when two or more players receive the same number of votes. In this case, they are given extra time (one minute) to justify themselves. If the situation repeats, then the Host asks all players whether to leave both of them, or remove both of them.

Warnings

To organize the game, it is necessary to follow the order, which is why players receive warnings or, as we say, penalties for breaking the rules.

If a player receives more than three warnings, then he is removed from the game so that he knows how to play the mafia by the rules. A removal will also follow if the player consumes excessive alcohol and swear words during the game, as well as for insulting another player.

The Host gives warnings: for violating the rules of the Mafia game, incorrect behavior, excessive use of gestures that interfere with the game and distract players, and other violations that the Host determines based on the rules.

Mafia → The role of the Mafia Don

The mafia don is the embodiment of evil that the civilians and the commissar are fighting. Don of the mafia is cunning and dodgy, he never confesses to anything,
but at the same time he will gladly blame another, and at night he is ruthless and merciless.

The role of the mafia don is to find and destroy the commissar, simultaneously killing civilians with the hands of his mafia henchmen or personally.

The mafia don wakes up at night with the mafia and appoints civilians to be “killed” now and in the future.
At the same time, his main task is to find and eliminate the commissioner. During the day, of course, he skillfully pretends to be a civilian or even a commissar.

1. Beginning of the game, acceptance of the role.

After accepting the role of the mafia don, he gets acquainted with the participants in the game, checks the volume of the sound, the performance of the webcam and microphone, in general, gets used to the environment.

2. The “day” of acquaintance is over, the “night” has come.

Night is the time of the mafia don, this is his business of the night, it is at night that the mafia don is active and commits his atrocities, and if there are players with the role of mafia in the game,
they become his assistants in his dark deeds.

On the first “night” the following events occur:

all civilians sleep;

mafia get to know each other.

3. The “night” ends, the first “day” begins.

Night incident information is displayed.

Next, each player is given the floor to express their assumptions and concerns about the night they lived and the morning’s news.

When everyone has spoken in turn, everyone can speak, building their guesses and suspicions based on what they heard.

The role of the mafia don is to divert any suspicions from himself and turn the arrows to a completely innocent person, as well as try to understand who the commissioner is among the players.

On the first “day” voting for candidates for the court and the court itself does not take place.

4. The first “day” is over, the second “night” has come.

On the second “night” the following events take place:

all civilians sleep;

the commissar goes out for a night check looking for the mafia don or his cronies;

the mafia discusses and agrees who they are going to “kill” this night and “kill” the selected player;

mafia don makes a night check to identify the commissioner.

To accomplish their dirty work, the mafia conduct their secret nightly vote.

If there is more than one mafia in the game, then there is a night vote between the members of the mafia for the “murder” of civilians.
Members of the mafia discuss and agree among themselves which of the civilians they will “kill” that night, or they can even build more distant insidious plans.

With luck, mafiosi can also kill the commissar.

The process of voting for murder. A “Vote” button appears next to each of the honest video windows.

On the morning of the next day, the name of the “killed” will be reported to all those remaining in the game.

5. The “night” ends, the second “day” begins.

Night incident information is displayed.

Next, each player is given the floor to express their assumptions and concerns about the night they lived and the morning’s news.
When everyone has spoken in turn, everyone can speak, building their guesses and suspicions based on what they heard.

The role of the mafia don is to avert any suspicions from himself and from other members of the mafia, if they are in the game, and to transfer the arrows to a completely innocent person,
and also try to understand who is the commissar among the players.

After discussion, the voting process for the court is initiated. Near each of the video windows there is a “Vote” button.

If the mafia don was not imprisoned, then the game continues for him, otherwise the eliminated player can only watch what will happen next without the opportunity to influence the outcome of the case.

Further, everything repeats…

Mafia → Implementation of the Mafia game strategy

In addition to the mafia game strategy regarding groups of players and the subordinate goal of group survival and victory in the Mafia game, there are own techniques developed by each player for individual use. They accumulate over time, are tested in practice and represent a kind of individual baggage of experience and knowledge that determines the level of training of the player, the degree of his participation in the implementation of the overall strategy of the mafia game.

The game of each participant is based on two components that are used simultaneously, but, due to personal qualities, the player may give preference to one of them.

• Mathematical. During the game, each participant makes assumptions and speaks for and against certain players. Taking into account the sympathies and antipathies expressed by him in the process of exposing them reveals his true face.

• Psychological. The player must have acting skills that help him “keep face” and the talent of persuasion. Indeed, often he not only has to hide the true background of his actions, but also convince other players to believe him and follow him. The ability to recognize the lies of the other player becomes vital.

Some of the tricks of personal baggage that can help achieve the overall strategic goal of the group.

Studying facial expressions

An experienced player, even at the stage of acquaintance with other participants in the game, tries to see them from different points of view. An unfamiliar player can be asked several questions, to which he, obviously for the questioner, will answer truthfully or lie. Now in the game we will know how it looks in both cases.

Surprise effect

A fairly simple technique sometimes gives the desired effect. An unexpected head-on question about the player’s belonging to the mafia during the discussion period can provide material for comparing the interlocutor’s facial expressions with those samples that were already obtained before the game.

Trust

Trust is a very personal issue. But first of all, you need to trust yourself. Otherwise, no one will believe at all. The degree of persuasiveness does not depend on the level of truthfulness. There should be logic and effective presentation in the words. Once you get a mafia card, just forget about it during the day. Act as if your life depended on the detection of the mafia. Squint, ask leading questions, catch inconsistencies, and be persuasive.

Half a word of truth, two drops of lies

An outright liar can be cornered by clarifying questions, a truthful one can be confused when he feels that he is not trusted. The one who speaks half-truth does not come across. He behaves most naturally.

Criteria

In the process of discussion, you can use your own criterion for determining the mafia, to which the speaker himself cannot be attributed. For example, to state that under your suspicion is the player who keeps silent, because you think that this is a behavioral sign of the mafia.

Victims

Each player is a member of opposing groups. The group must win. In order to achieve the goal of the Mafia game strategy, the mafioso can kill his own, the player declares himself a false commissioner, and so on.

The game is over and it’s won. Finally, you can relax and share your tricks and tricks with former rivals. Indeed, in the light of victory, they look especially dexterous. Now you can … if the winner leaves the club for good. Otherwise, it is better not to reveal your secrets ever.

See also

How to play Ziggs

How to play csgo with skins from workshop

How to play the electric guitar correctly

How to play the piano chant

How to play leapfrog

How to play the quiz

How to play browser games on a tablet

But I play this role as two sisters

How to play kokkuri san in Russian

How to play casino

How to play the guitar stupid nerves

Antiquity, mafia, public women.

What was Gianni Versace made of?

Between these two dates and points on the map is the life of probably the most striking fashion designer of the second half of the 20th century: a designer who brought the most beautiful women of his time to the catwalks in the most provocative outfits, who created costumes for opera and theater, passionately loved art , was friends with Madonna and Elton John, created interior items that literally screamed about his love for antiquity and baroque.

The life and death of Gianni Versace today become the basis for films, TV series and speculation.

But every time his fashion house shows at Fashion Week, critics invariably compare the collections of his sister, Donatella Versace, with what he did himself. And they come to the conclusion that the case of Gianni Versace is still alive.

close

100%

Gianni Versace’s aesthetic was shaped by his early childhood environment. In one of the interviews, he said: “When you are born in a place like Calabria and surrounded by such beauty as Roman baths and Greek ruins, you cannot resist the influence of the classical past. ”

However, it was surrounded not only by ancient ruins: as fashion historian Alexander Vasiliev told in the Fashion Podcast YouTube channel. The atelier run by Versace’s mother Francesca was located in the red light district. Not being able to use the services of a nanny, the mother constantly took her son with her to work – and he saw public women, clad in corsets, standing on high platforms.

Mom forbade him to look at these women, but they seriously influenced the aesthetics of Gianni Versace: emphasized sexuality, mini-skirts, corsets and heels in his collections – this is the same style of “puttanesca”, puttanesca, in which vicious women dressed, on which he was not allowed to watch as a child.

close

100%

Mother’s atelier was Gianni Versace’s playground, tinkering with scraps and helping his mother sew and decorate wedding dresses, which Francesca specialized in. He later graduated from fashion school and since 1972 has been working in Italian ready-to-wear houses. He opened his own fashion house in 1978. It is known that the funds for the launch of the Gianni Versace S.p.A. it was supplied by the Girombelli family. Alexander Vasiliev is sure that it was the money of the Italian mafia.

“…After this rather short education and small short-term jobs, a sponsor comes to Italian ready-to-wear companies who decided to remain incognito. With a suitcase of cash, ”said the fashion historian and suggested that“ there must have been a serious conversation before that ”with a sponsor who asked not to mention him. “He paid for Gianni’s first atelier, the rent of the premises, the purchase of machines, cutting tables, mannequins, the payment of dressmakers, cutters, modellers, fashion models. And, of course, a PR company,” he continued.

close

100%

According to Vasiliev, Gianni Versace’s parents already had connections with the Italian mafia.

“Mom did not sew dresses for ordinary people. She sewed wedding dresses, it was her specialty, for mafia brides, ”said Alexander Vasiliev and added that “mommy had connections in this environment. ”

“Papa Gianni was a driver of a small truck” for transporting private goods inside Calabria. What private cargoes did dad carry in 1944 and 1945? Smuggling,” he continued.

Thus, it turns out that the fashion designer also managed to open his fashion house with the help of a sponsor who wanted to remain anonymous, with the help of Italian mafiosi.

close

100%

In 1978, Versace opened his own atelier, and in 1980 he was already invited to La Scala to create costumes for opera performances. In 1982, his fashion house began producing jewelry and home furnishings. In 1989, Gianni Versace launched the Atelier Versace couture line. At his shows, first-rate stars were already sitting in the front rows, and Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Linda Evangelista walked along the catwalks.

The name Versace has already symbolized flashy luxury bordering on vulgarity, baroque pop culture, mixing styles and sexuality.

And wealth. Gianni Versace’s company was valued at $807 million at the time of his death in 1997, and he had 130 boutiques around the world.

close

100%

On the morning of July 15, 1997, Gianni Versace went to get a newspaper down Ocean Drive in Miami. He had already returned home to Casa Casuarina’s villa and was walking up the stairs when a man in a gray tank top, black shorts and a white cap shot him in the head.

The death of Gianni Versace was already declared at the Memorial Hospital in Miami. He was 50 years old.

close

100%

Gianni Versace’s killer turned out to be Andrew Cunanan, who had previously killed four men – later he himself committed suicide. It turned out that he was obsessed with the personality of a fashion designer and suffered from a personality disorder that caused him to take credit for his acquaintance with many celebrities.

13 years after the death of Gianni Versace, in 2010, a book was published that cited the testimony of the former member of the Calabrian mafia, Giuseppe Di Bella. He claimed that the fashion designer was killed on the order of the mafia because of a money debt – allegedly his fashion house was used for money laundering. The fashion designer’s family called these statements “fake and shameful.”

close

100%

Is the mafia immortal? How and why the people of Sicily ask the “cosa nostra” to solve problems

June 6, 2021

Image copyright EPA

Notorious Sicilian mafia boss Giovanni Brusca was released from jail last week after being responsible for more than 150 murders. His release caused a wave of condemnation in Italy: mafiosi at 19In 92, he detonated an explosive device that killed the famous judge and crime fighter Giovanni Falcone.

Professor of Criminology at the University of Oxford Federico Varese The state has achieved significant success in the fight against it.

The most important tool of the Italian authorities in the fight against organized crime are the mafiosi who decided to cooperate with the police, the so-called “collaboratori di giustizia” (it al . “n assistants of justice “ ) It was Judge Falcone who came up with this method.

In 1996, Brusca was arrested, he was a close associate of the boss of “Cosa Nostra” Salvatore “Toto” Riina. When deciding on his release, the court took into account that it was Bruschi’s testimony that formed the basis of many investigations against the mafia.

Sicilian mafia boss Giovanni Brusca, who was involved in 100 murders, was released early from prison in Italy

Mafia today: how the Italian clans work

‘Ndrangheta on trial: the biggest mafia trial in 30 years begins in Italy

What kind of life will Brusca discover behind prison walls? Does the Sicilian mafia remain a force to be reckoned with by the authorities and locals, or is there nothing left of it? The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Image copyright, Getty Images

Image caption,

Pictured in Palermo, Giovanni Falcone (left) and Paolo Borsellino, judges killed by the mafia at 1992 year.

To assess the place of the mafia in modern Sicilian society, it is worth paying attention to the results of the investigation into the Pagliarelli mafia clan, published in April this year.

Troubleshooting

Pagliarelli is the central area of Palermo, home to the city’s main prison, hospital and several local university buildings.

Documents made public by investigators read like a terrible detective story. Under the heading “Public Order in the Territory,” the authors describe how local entrepreneurs periodically turn to the services of the mafia to recover stolen goods and unpaid debts, or to get rid of competitors.

In the summer of 2019, the owner of a chain of seven stores selling household goods was robbed twice. We hear a recording of his conversation with the boss of the Pagliarelli clan: “Can you come … for five minutes to the store?”. “No problem!” the mobster quickly agrees.

Image caption,

The Mafia, or “Cosa Nostra”, still plays an important role in Sicily’s life – despite the fact that in recent years the state has made significant progress in combating it.

The businessman shows him the CCTV footage and gives him other information about the thefts. A week later, the mafia finds the perpetrators, subjecting them to severe torture and forcing them to return the stolen goods. At the same time, the businessman is personally present during the beatings. In this case, there is no evidence that the mafiosi were involved in the thefts, that is, this is not the case when the “cosa nostra” helps to solve the problems that they themselves create.

Or another case. The owner of an expensive downtown bar calls a mob boss when his colleague’s car is stolen. The car is returned to the owner in five days.

The investigation showed that the mafia can solve even more complex issues. One of the local bars wants to expand the business and start selling pastries and hot food. But there is one problem: literally a few meters away on the same street there is another establishment that sells pastries, and the owner of the bar is afraid of competition. Then he calls the mafia for help.

On another occasion, the Mafia was present at a meeting between an accountant, a house owner, and a tenant who owed rent.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, a man close to the Pagliarelli clan helped organize the supply of 5,000 medical masks through a shell company. Another investigation found that mafia members were handing out grocery bags to local residents.

“Justice” and charity, which are engaged in mafiosi, have sad consequences. Anyone who agrees to cooperate with them will then certainly be asked for other “favors”. But such mafia activity is quite real.

Young Bosses

Lately there have been signs that things are going pretty bad for the Mafia right now.

The authorities arrested many of its important figures, as a result of which the “goat nostra” began to be controlled by younger and less significant mafiosi.

The alleged current boss of the Pagliarelli clan, Giuseppe Calvaruso, was born in 1977. He was so afraid of arrest that he was forced to move around Palermo undercover. Mafiosi also decided to spend the first year of the pandemic in Brazil. And was arrested immediately after returning to Italy this year.

Globally, the Sicilian mafia no longer plays a major role in international drug smuggling. Now she is mainly busy buying drugs from dealers in Naples to sell on the local market.

Problems of the justice system

But how to explain the sad fact that legal businessmen with a good reputation and economic status ask the mafia to solve problems that the state should deal with?

The fact is that the state system of justice in the country, to put it mildly, leaves much to be desired. It takes 527 days in Italy to get a decision from a court of first instance in a civil suit, the longest in Europe.