Vol. 2, No. 4: October 2009

Vol. 2, Issue 4, October 2009 Contents

As Fidel Castro took control of Cuba a half century ago, it is commonly believed that he abruptly shut down Havana’s luxurious casinos and nightclubs and banished American racketeers from his island nation. While it is true that the end of Havana’s glitzy nightlife coincided with the final victory of Castro’s revolution, that end was not designed—or even sought—by the Cuban dictator. In addition, Castro’s relationships with American racketeers were far more complex than generally thought. His Cuban Revolution actually benefited from arms shipped to the island by American Mafiosi frustrated with the corrupt regime of Fulgencio Batista and hopeful of establishing a positive relationship with rising star Castro.

In the end, the casinos closed due to American reluctance to travel to postrevolution Cuba, despite Castro’s efforts to keep the tourist dollars flowing in. In this issue, we look back fifty years to the often misunderstood relationship between Castro and the Havana casinos (preview).

In his autobiography, Joseph Bonanno stated that the Buccellato clan of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, played no significant role in the American Mafia. It seems Bonanno ignored the
presence of Giuseppe Buccellato, a key figure in Bonanno’s own crime family and leader of Mafia rackets in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Historian Justin Dugard sets the record straight (preview).

Within this issue, we also look at Jack Ruby’s visit to Havana (preview) and at the membership of the early Bonanno Crime Family (preview). Books coverage includes an interview with Martha Sheldon, reviews and previews. Plus: A Look Back (preview), Ask the Informer (preview), and In the News (preview).

Fifty-six pages including cover and advertisements

Published October 19, 2009.

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Castro and the Casinos

Vol. 2, Issue 4, October 2009 Contents

Feature article

Until the success of Fidel Castro's revolution 50 years ago,

Havana Cuba was a playground for the wealthy

and a sanctuary for American Mafiosi

Castro and the Casinos

By Thomas Hunt

"A growing law enforcement threat at home in the early 1950s caused the American Mafia to transplant a number of its rackets to the island nation of Cuba - just outside United States jurisdiction. Protected by a friendly and thoroughly corrupt Cuban administration, the underworld pumped millions of dollars into gambling and narcotics enterprises on the island. The Cuban capital became a playground for wealthy tourists and a paradise for organized criminals."

Nineteen and a half pages article body

Four and a half pages endnotes

Eighteen images

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Jack Ruby visits Havana in 1959

Vol. 2, Issue 4, October 2009 Contents

Feature article

Jack Ruby visits

Havana in 1959

"Jack Ruby of Dallas, a prominent character in an American drama in 1963, appears to have played a role in the departure of American racketeers from Cuba four years earlier. How big a role he played remains uncertain."

Three pages

Two images

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Giuseppe Buccellato & the Bushwick crew

Vol. 2, Issue 4, October 2009 Contents
Feature article

Giuseppe Buccellato

and the Bushwick crew

By Justin Dugard

"Though overshadowed by a number of his peers, Giuseppe Buccellato was a high-ranking member of the Bonanno Family during the Natale Evola and Philip Rastelli regimes."


Five pages
Eight images

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Ask the Informer: William Flynn and the NYPD

Vol. 2, Issue 4, October 2009 Contents

Ask the Informer

Question: New Yorker William Flynn reached the top spot in both the U.S. Secret Service and the federal Bureau of Investigation. What do we know of Flynn's experiences as an official of the New York Police Department?

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A Look Back

Vol. 2, Issue 4, October 2009 Contents
A Look Back

100 years ago:

• Black Hand ring leader in Connecticut is sentenced.
• Black Hander claims to be victim of extortion.
• Mafia counterfeiters are arrested.

75 years ago:

• Future mob boss commits a murder
• Criminal lawyer dies.

50 years ago:

• Dallas nightclub owner visits Cuba
• Future NY Mafia boss convicted of obstructing investigation.

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In the News

Vol. 2, Issue 4, October 2009 Contents

In the News:

• NY Lucchese clan clobbered.
• Gotti goes on trial for fourth time.
• Plea deals likely for South Florida Bonanno crew.
• Anastasia nephew on trial for racketeering.
• Gambino soldier Carneglia gets life prison sentence.
• 'Saint' wants plot charges dropped.
• New England's Gennario Angiulo dies at 90.
• Mafia Cops witness Kaplan dies at 75.
  

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Bonanno Mafia Membership, 1900-1940s

Vol. 2, Issue 4, October 2009 Contents

Membership Chart

Researcher Bill Feather provides a chart of dozens of known and suspected Bonanno Crime Family members from the 1900-1940s era. Names, aliases, birth-death-immigration data, birthplaces and ranks are provided.

Three and a half pages

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Deep Water: Joseph P. Macheca and the Birth of the American Mafia

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On the Spot is the authority on Gangster Era history. Every issue features a rich and entertaining mix of articles, book and movie reviews, photographs and event announcements.

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