In late August 1979, the FBI's Brooklyn-Queens Metropolitan Resident Agency (the BQ) received a significant tip from a top-echelon informant within the Genovese crime family. This informant, known as "Bob," reported that Paul Castellano, head of the Gambino crime family, had mentioned an upcoming major meeting at Gurney's Inn in Montauk, New York. The anticipated attendees included prominent figures such as Frank "Funzi" Tieri of the Genovese family, Carmine "The Snake" Persico of the Colombo family, and Tampa's organized crime leader, Santo Trafficante Jr.

Recognizing the potential significance of this gathering—the most consequential since the 1957 Apalachin summit—the FBI swiftly mobilized. Agents, including undercover operatives, were dispatched to Gurney's Inn, posing as tourists to monitor arrivals and activities. Specialized personnel were prepared to install surveillance equipment to capture conversations during the meeting.

Despite the extensive preparations, the anticipated meeting never occurred. The reasons remain uncertain; possibilities include the informant providing inaccurate information, the mobsters altering their plans, or suspicions about increased surveillance leading to a change in venue. This outcome was reminiscent of the 1957 Apalachin meeting, where law enforcement's unexpected presence led to the mobsters' dispersal.

While the immediate operation at Gurney's Inn did not yield the expected results, it underscored the FBI's evolving strategies in combating organized crime. The bureau's readiness to deploy advanced surveillance techniques and coordinate large-scale operations marked a shift towards more proactive and sophisticated approaches. This evolution contributed to significant successes in subsequent years, including the Mafia Commission Trial of 1986 and the conviction of John Gotti in 1992. This episode about the FBI’s almost-successful attempt to bug a major mob meeting at Gurney's Inn illustrates the challenges law enforcement faced in infiltrating organized crime and highlights the pivotal role such operations played in modernizing the FBI's methodologies.

Joining us in this episode, we have:

Daniel Edward Rosen, a staff reporter from the New York Sun, whose work has appeared in Esquire, the New York Observer, City Journal, New York Magazine, and the New York Times.

See his original article: https://www.nysun.com/article/how-the-fbis-mad-dash-to-wiretap-the-mob-at-a-montauk-hotel-nearly-50-years-ago-helped-modernize-todays-agency

Frank DiMatteo joins us to provide color commentary based upon his experiences growing up embedded in one of the most infamous mob crews in the history of the American Cosa Nostra.

Frank is the son of Ricky DiMatteo, a member of the legendary Gallo Crew of the Colombo Crime Family in New York City. He is also an author of several books in his own right including Growing Up Mafia, Mafia Hit Man, Lord High Executioner, The Cigar, Carmine the Snake, Red Hook, as well as the publisher of Mob Candy.

In today's episode, we wrap up one of the most detailed and historically rich series we’ve ever done. In Part Three of our special deep dive into the FBI’s 1967 report on La Cosa Nostra, we close the book on an era where the mob’s influence was at its peak across the United States.This final installment takes us beyond New York’s Five Families and paints a broader picture of organized crime’s national footprint — from the power struggles within familiar crime families to lesser-known but highly active Mafia outposts across the country.Read the full FBI report for yourself: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=113324🧠 In This Episode, We Cover:✅ The Bonanno Crime Family’s descent into chaos, civil war, and betrayal — as Joe Bonanno returns to face down the Commission and fight to reclaim his throne.✅ The Gambino Family’s rise, as Carlo Gambino cements his control and grooms Paul Castellano behind the scenes — a critical step in Mafia succession history.✅ The Genovese Family’s murky leadership, with Vito Genovese in prison and shadow bosses like Philip “Benny Squint” Lombardo running the show unnoticed.✅ The Lucchese Family’s transitional moment following Tommy Lucchese’s death — and the jockeying between Carmine Tramunti and Tony “Ducks” Corallo to take control.✅ The Colombo Family’s quiet power, with key figures like Sonny Franzese and Carmine Persico taking shape as future legends.But that’s just the beginning.🗺️ We also dive into the overlooked regional strongholds that reveal just how deep and wide La Cosa Nostra’s reach really was:Buffalo, NY – Under Stefano Magaddino, this powerful family controlled Western New York and stretched its reach into Canada and several upstate cities.Albany / Utica / Syracuse, NY – Subordinate to Buffalo, these cities were managed by men like the Falcone brothers and Anthony DeStefano, with FBI confusion over whether Utica operated as its own borgata.Cleveland, OH – Led by John Scalish with key figures like Frank Milano and James Licavoli, the Cleveland family maintained quiet power and deep national connections.Baltimore, MD – Frank Corbi ran a small but respected Gambino-aligned crew while the Jewish mob held most of the city’s gambling rackets.Rockford, IL – Uniquely independent, the Rockford family under Joseph Zammuto resisted Chicago Outfit control and operated with its own leadership structure.Dallas, TX – Joe Civello led a low-profile family that may have answered to the Genovese Family rather than New Orleans, challenging traditional narratives.Denver, CO – Though unnamed in this report, the Smaldone brothers dominated organized crime in Colorado, running a tightly knit and durable operation.Boston & Providence – Raymond Patriarca controlled New England, but the FBI misread key leadership roles, as Gennaro Angiulo and Henry Tameleo held more power than noted.🎯Each of these regional snapshots is more than just a list of names — they offer a rare “moment-in-time” look at how the FBI viewed organized crime in 1967. Some of it is accurate, some speculative, and some flat-out wrong — but all of it is fascinating.The report lists:📋 Full leadership rosters for major New York City families: Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Colombo, Bonanno.🌍 Regional family structures in other cities: Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago, Dallas, Rockford, Baltimore, Denver, and many more.⚖️ Acting titles, rival factions, and transitional leadership: Families undergoing internal strife (e.g., Bonanno and Chicago).In fact, we cover 30+ cities and over 200 individual mobsters across the United States, so get ready to dig in.🎬 Catch Up On Parts One & Two:Part One: https://youtu.be/p3YTUNRnDlwPart Two: https://youtu.be/hzz1F6E5c7A🔔 Support the show on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/GanglandHistoryPodcast

In Part Two of our deep-dive biography on Paul "The Waiter" Ricca, we chronicle his ascent to the top of the Chicago Outfit from the late 1940s through the early 1970s — a reign that cemented his legacy as one of the most powerful and influential mob bosses in American history.

Listen to Part One: https://youtu.be/D2S-22pslCA

This episode picks up with Ricca serving time in Atlanta Federal Penitentiary following his conviction in the infamous Hollywood extortion case — a racket that siphoned millions from the motion picture industry during the 1930s and 1940s. We explore Ricca's brutal prison experience under Warden Joseph Sanford, a notorious white supremacist who cracked down on Italian inmates, and how Ricca's allies on the outside — including Tony Accardo and Murray "The Camel" Humphreys — pulled political strings and greased palms to orchestrate his early transfer to Leavenworth and eventual release after serving only three years.

Once back in Chicago, Ricca quietly shared power with Tony Accardo in one of the most successful power-sharing arrangements in Mafia history. While Accardo handled day-to-day operations, Ricca became the Outfit's elder statesman — making high-level decisions, approving hits, and shaping the organization's future from behind the scenes. The two men orchestrated the Outfit's expansion into Las Vegas, using Teamsters pension loans and alliances with Meyer Lansky to finance casinos like The Stardust, Desert Inn, and Riviera — creating a multimillion-dollar pipeline of skimmed cash that flowed directly into Chicago's coffers for decades.

Despite his low profile, Ricca remained a prime target for law enforcement. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he fought off tax evasion charges, perjury indictments, and a relentless deportation campaign that sought to return him to Italy — where he had been convicted of two murders in his youth. His decade-long legal battle to avoid deportation became one of the longest-running immigration cases in American history, with Ricca outmaneuvering authorities at every turn.

As law enforcement pressure mounted, Ricca and Accardo made the strategic decision to promote Sam "Momo" Giancana as front boss of the Chicago Outfit in the mid-1950s — allowing the brash and flashy Giancana to become the lightning rod for law enforcement while Ricca and Accardo continued pulling the strings from the shadows. But Giancana's high-profile lifestyle, affairs with celebrities, and erratic leadership style caused turmoil within the Outfit. By the mid-1960s, Ricca and Accardo had seen enough, orchestrating Giancana's ouster and restoring order to the organization.

During this era, Ricca rubbed shoulders with and mentored some of the Outfit's most notorious figures, including Murray Humphreys, Gus Alex, Ralph Pierce, Sam Battaglia, Willie Daddano, and Felix "Milwaukee Phil" Alderisio. He also played a pivotal role in grooming the next generation of Chicago gangsters — including the fearsome enforcer Marshall Caifano and the psychopathic loan shark Sam "Mad Sam" DeStefano.

Even into his 70s, Ricca's influence never waned. He remained the ultimate consigliere of the Chicago Outfit — a man whose word was law and whose wisdom guided the Outfit's rackets from Chicago to Las Vegas. This episode breaks down how Ricca's strategic brilliance, political connections, and ruthless pragmatism helped him outlast nearly all of his contemporaries and solidified his place as one of the most underrated and powerful mobsters in American history.0

• 0:00:00 Start
• 00:00:42 Opening Remarks
• 00:01:37 Cliff-Notes of Part One
• 00:07:24 The Waiter's Time in Prison (Mid-to-Late 1940's)
• 00:28:15 Co-Boss of The Outfit (Late 1940's and 1950's)
• 01:17:20 Running the Chicago Outfit (Keeping Control in the 1960's)
• 02:13:56 Late Career & Legacy (The 1970's)02:23:16 Closing Remarks