“Mafia Takedown” by Mike Campi

[Tonyd621]

His sources are himself and his imagination.

he's a forty five year old mongoloid. i feel a little bad for him but he's less knowledgeable than 70 percent of the ppl on here

He's 45??? Holy...

[Grouchy Sinatra]

Meh. I'm not exaggerating when I say about 25% of the book is ranting about how naive people are about the mob. He talks about what Chin said on a wiretap on 9/11 (it's not exciting, think of the same conversation you had with your elders that day), and then goes into a rant about how it proves he was lucid all along. Geez, like who didn't know that? Really breaking ground here...

Cookie D'Urso story provides somewhat new info about West Side. Not nearly enough about George Barone, the West Side dock boss in the glory days. I thought the book was going to focus on him. Guess that's my fault for not reading more reviews before picking it up. I guess I was just desperate to get a new book.

[Snakes]

Meh. I'm not exaggerating when I say about 25% of the book is ranting about how naive people are about the mob. He talks about what Chin said on a wiretap on 9/11 (it's not exciting, think of the same conversation you had with your elders that day), and then goes into a rant about how it proves he was lucid all along. Geez, like who didn't know that? Really breaking ground here...

Cookie D'Urso story provides somewhat new info about West Side. Not nearly enough about George Barone, the West Side dock boss in the glory days. I thought the book was going to focus on him. Guess that's my fault for not reading more reviews before picking it up. I guess I was just desperate to get a new book.

Really, if you read Chin (the poster's) summary near the beginning of the thread, you don't need to read it

[CornerBoy]

you can tell in the book that he was pretty disgusted by the FBI and the bosses there.

he strongly hinted that crazy slut made d'urso fuck her?

God only knows about the stuff that we don't know about

he wrote a book and then redacts portions of his own book. odd

i shouuld have just read chin's notes but what else is there to do on a flight.

[dack2001]

Got through it in two day and enjoyed it. Of course its from the FBI perspective. Of course a lot goes unsaid because the Feds censred it. Of course Chin's write up is excellent. But the book is still a good read.

[outfit guy]

He put effort into the book but again, from a government perspective; hence we don't get to know the gangsters themselves. He could have went further with the NYPD cop set-up to be the fall guy for Lindley DeVecchio. The Federal government went as far as pushing for the next Chief of NYPD Police who was never a NYPD officer but federal agent. Like Lyndon Johnson returning to the White House to - of all things - rescind Kennedy's EO on silver-backed currency, this clown's first action in all of the NYPD's 30K dept. was to rip this guys pension. This drove the guy to his death. FEDs sent in Miciotta to record him but nothing incriminating; so Misciotta shut the recorder off and implicated him anyway. It appears this guy realizes the FBI is that dirty.

[aray22]

His sources are himself and his imagination.

he's a forty five year old mongoloid. i feel a little bad for him but he's less knowledgeable than 70 percent of the ppl on here

He's 45??? Holy...

Pretty sure he's like 34.

[outfit guy]

Meh. I'm not exaggerating when I say about 25% of the book is ranting about how naive people are about the mob. He talks about what Chin said on a wiretap on 9/11 (it's not exciting, think of the same conversation you had with your elders that day), and then goes into a rant about how it proves he was lucid all along. Geez, like who didn't know that? Really breaking ground here...

Cookie D'Urso story provides somewhat new info about West Side. Not nearly enough about George Barone, the West Side dock boss in the glory days. I thought the book was going to focus on him. Guess that's my fault for not reading more reviews before picking it up. I guess I was just desperate to get a new book.

Really, if you read Chin (the poster's) summary near the beginning of the thread, you don't need to read it

I concur with Snakes; all this information is out there. Acknowledging the FBI's corruption was a highlight.

[B.]

Great breakdown, Chin.

Angiulo starting as a Genovese associate with Alo is good info. We've discussed many times how there was a somewhat fluid relationship between the Genovese and Patriarca Families, with Ray Patriarca and Mickey Rocco both being made with the Genovese originally and transferring. Also Patriarca inducting a number of the Genovese Springfield guys originally as well as some other examples.

Barone's story is interesting. Half-Italian, didn't know he was Italian for part of his childhood, then has more loyalty to his army of Cuban friends than he has to the Family. Interesting too he was aware of Joe Massei being half-Italian, though there were other examples back then of half-Italians being made aside from those two.

Gotti backing Malangone against Gigante fits the pattern of Gotti plotting against other Families during that period. He backed Orena against Persico and even apparently backed Vitale against Massino.

Good to get confirmation that Bobby Manna was Gigante's acting captain as we've wondered where he fit into the hierarchy before becoming consigliere. Glad to see more detail on what Barone was told at his ceremony, too, re: Lombardo being the official boss. That's Fish Cafaro, Pussy Russo, and Barone (all members) who said Lombardo was the actual boss.

Re: the Eboli crew having 100 members and being split into ten decine. Obviously an exaggeration of their size but there is likely some element of truth to them being a large decina that was later split up as we've seen that happen with other Genovese crews.

D'Urso being offered membership by Todaro in Buffalo is big. Tells us the Todaros were still in close enough contact with the Genovese to discuss prospective members and volunteer to make guys who couldn't get made in NYC, much as other Families made several NYC guys and transferred them earlier on (i.e. New England and Pittston).

I always enjoy hearing about Genovese Family drama. They certainly had plenty of it but have always been better about keeping their issues to themselves.

[B.]

Also the bit about Costello and Anastasia reaching out to Miranda to kill Genovese is great new info and likely sheds light on how Genovese was able to justify the attempt on Costello.

[The Greek]

Great breakdown, Chin.

Angiulo starting as a Genovese associate with Alo is good info. We've discussed many times how there was a somewhat fluid relationship between the Genovese and Patriarca Families, with Ray Patriarca and Mickey Rocco both being made with the Genovese originally and transferring. Also Patriarca inducting a number of the Genovese Springfield guys originally as well as some other examples.

Barone's story is interesting. Half-Italian, didn't know he was Italian for part of his childhood, then has more loyalty to his army of Cuban friends than he has to the Family. Interesting too he was aware of Joe Massei being half-Italian, though there were other examples back then of half-Italians being made aside from those two.

Gotti backing Malangone against Gigante fits the pattern of Gotti plotting against other Families during that period. He backed Orena against Persico and even apparently backed Vitale against Massino.

Good to get confirmation that Bobby Manna was Gigante's acting captain as we've wondered where he fit into the hierarchy before becoming consigliere. Glad to see more detail on what Barone was told at his ceremony, too, re: Lombardo being the official boss. That's Fish Cafaro, Pussy Russo, and Barone (all members) who said Lombardo was the actual boss.

Re: the Eboli crew having 100 members and being split into ten decine. Obviously an exaggeration of their size but there is likely some element of truth to them being a large decina that was later split up as we've seen that happen with other Genovese crews.

D'Urso being offered membership by Todaro in Buffalo is big. Tells us the Todaros were still in close enough contact with the Genovese to discuss prospective members and volunteer to make guys who couldn't get made in NYC, much as other Families made several NYC guys and transferred them earlier on (i.e. New England and Pittston).

I always enjoy hearing about Genovese Family drama. They certainly had plenty of it but have always been better about keeping their issues to themselves.

Definitely one of the best mob books in recent memory. I spent a lot of time on Mulberry from 97-2001 selling to restaurants and stores. Crazy to think all of this was going on then. Had my engagement party at Benito II which apparently was directly next door to Aparo's club. I remember a gray haired guy in a suit that the restaurant owners would fawn all over when he was walking down the street but no clue who he was. It was so different down there then. Today it's like 3 blocks long and Baby John has almost an entire block to himself.

[outfit guy]

Greek: it's not one of the best, in my opinion, as Campi did provide insights we maybe did not know in the lead-up to the Aparo, et al arrests. The tidbit info is from an agent on surveillance; we get no insights into the players and the rivalries: No Durso as the book written by an Agent. He doesn't call DeVecchio a criminal. He alludes to the NYPD cop getting set-up via a phony fax. The Federal Bureau of Set-up and Cover-up. It's sole purpose to cover for the government and their captive corporate entities.
I admit, I did miss some of the tidbits as I found myself skipping or skimming looking for something new. Essentially: No Linguine and Blood but instead Surveillance and 302s.

[The Greek]

Greek: it's not one of the best, in my opinion, as Campi did provide insights we maybe did not know in the lead-up to the Aparo, et al arrests. The tidbit info is from an agent on surveillance; we get no insights into the players and the rivalries: No Durso as the book written by an Agent. He doesn't call DeVecchio a criminal. He alludes to the NYPD cop getting set-up via a phony fax. The Federal Bureau of Set-up and Cover-up. It's sole purpose to cover for the government and their captive corporate entities.
I admit, I did miss some of the tidbits as I found myself skipping or skimming looking for something new. Essentially: No Linguine and Blood but instead Surveillance and 302s.

I definitely agree with "It's sole purpose to cover for the government and their captive corporate entities." to a degree. Campi does badmouth his superiors throughout the book but these guys will never not back Delvecchio. There was a ton of info in there I didn't know that maybe you did from 302s etc., and maybe I'm partial because I was so familiar with the backdrop that I could see pretty much everything playing out in my mind. Also, I wasn't super familiar with the Barone story either which I thought was pretty fascinating

[outfit guy]

Greek: it's not one of the best, in my opinion, as Campi did provide insights we maybe did not know in the lead-up to the Aparo, et al arrests. The tidbit info is from an agent on surveillance; we get no insights into the players and the rivalries: No Durso as the book written by an Agent. He doesn't call DeVecchio a criminal. He alludes to the NYPD cop getting set-up via a phony fax. The Federal Bureau of Set-up and Cover-up. It's sole purpose to cover for the government and their captive corporate entities.
I admit, I did miss some of the tidbits as I found myself skipping or skimming looking for something new. Essentially: No Linguine and Blood but instead Surveillance and 302s.

I definitely agree with "It's sole purpose to cover for the government and their captive corporate entities." to a degree. Campi does badmouth his superiors throughout the book but these guys will never not back Delvecchio. There was a ton of info in there I didn't know that maybe you did from 302s etc., and maybe I'm partial because I was so familiar with the backdrop that I could see pretty much everything playing out in my mind. Also, I wasn't super familiar with the Barone story either which I thought was pretty fascinating

I may have missed too much as I get frustrated with the reciting of mafia history that precedes every book. In hindesite, he did bang a lot of his superiors. The big disclosure is when he was told to "mail in" his complaint regarding the affair.

[outfit guy]

Reading a great page-turner on Ghost Shadow Peter Chin: a must buy!