Hollywood’s ‘Bugsy’ is entertaining but plays fast and loose with the facts

In the 1991 movie Bugsy, Warren Beatty, portraying mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, stands in the desert near Highway 91 south…


Harry Reid battled the Mob in Nevada before he fought for Nevada in Washington

In 1974, Nevada Lieutenant Governor Harry Reid decided to run for the U.S. Senate. Reid, a Democrat, would face former…


Separating fact from fiction on the Flamingo Hotel’s 75th anniversary

Much of what Americans know about Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel comes from watching the 1991 film Bugsy. That certainly applies to…


Anna Genovese’s life examined in ‘Mob Queens’ podcast, HBO series

Being married to violent Mafia boss Vito Genovese, according to wife Anna Genovese in a court filing, “endangered her health…


Assassination expert says Cubans encouraged Oswald to kill JFK

By 1964, two brothers secretly working for the FBI had been informing on the Communist Party for 10 years. One…


El Cortez, first luxury hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas, turns 80

In the late summer of 1939, John C. Grayson, casino manager of the Mt. Baker illegal gambling ship, was arrested…


When the Mob owned a minor-league hockey team

Standing up to a reputed Mob associate was a part of Richard Brosal’s job 15 years ago. As commissioner of…


Capone tax evasion trial: Jury finds Chicago mobster guilty on 5 of 23 counts

Last of two parts. On October 10, 1931, a Saturday, the prosecution read into the record Al Capone’s admissions to…


Capone tax evasion trial: 90 years ago, the T-Men had the goods on Mob chief

First of two parts. Spectators gathered outside each doorway to the U.S. District Court building in Chicago in the fall…


The world’s top five organized crime rackets

Online display ads on your computer and apps on your smart phone might include malware linked to a truly modern…