Jeffrey Sussman

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Mafia Hits, Misses, Wars, and Prosecutions

THE MAFIA IS STILL WITH US:

A UNIQUE NEW BOOK LAYS IT OUT

Is the Mafia thriving? Are the Five Families still scooping up illegal cash? Where are they and what are they doing?

In his new book, Mafia Hits, Misses, Wars, and Prosecutions, Jeffrey Sussman, author of six books about organized crime, claims that the Mafia is operating smoothly and efficiently. It no longer has bosses in the media spotlights; no longer are colorful tough guys swaggering into courtrooms; no longer are Mafiosos dancing in trendy night spots; no longer are Mafiosos giving interviews to 60 Minutes; instead, the Mafia is operating in shadows; its members are keeping their heads down.

After the famous Mafia Commission Trials, where bosses were sentenced to 100-year prison terms, their replacements are doing all that they can never to be indicted, tried, and sentenced on RICO charges (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act). In the days before RICO, bosses, underbosses, capos, consiglieres, soldiers, and associates expected they might have to serve short prison sentences, from five to ten years; they would say they could do the time standing on their heads, but nobody wants to do a 100 years headstand. So, now they call their lawyers, getting advice about how to be extra cautious, how to avoid being indicted under the curse of RICO. And they are succeeding. The big Mafia trials are operatic performances of the tabloid past.

Mafia Hits, Misses, Wars, and Prosecutions is the only book that focuses on how the mob has adapted to the murders of its bosses, failed hits, internecine wars, and to prosecutions, yet continues to thrive throughout the United States. It covers pivotal events that changed the way the Mafia has done business since its establishment in American cities. It vividly reports on the murders that ended the careers of Mafia bosses from Joe Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano to Paul Castellano and Carmine Galante. There are riveting accounts of how prosecutors Thomas Dewey, Robert F. Kennedy, and Rudy Giuliani built successful political careers following their high-profile convictions of some of the biggest names in Mafia history. Sussman covers the notorious murders and wars the mob engaged in from the St. Valentine's Day Massacre to the Castellamarese War to the Gallo and Colombo/Profaci Wars as well as to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The book offers insights into how obstacles provided lessons and opportunities, so the mob could adapt and go right on making money.

"For over a century, the Mafia has been known for its many murders, schemes, bloody wars, and prosecutions. The list is long, and for anyone trying to get an insight into that history, the job can be daunting. Thankfully, Jeffrey Sussman's Mafia Hits, Misses, Wars, and Prosecutions has arrived to give us an encyclopedic volume that will satisfy anyone interested in the history of La Cosa Nostra and its cast of characters. From the Castellammarese War through the Kefauver hearings, various prosecutions, and the bloody Gallo and Colombo wars, Sussman lays out a gangland history that is now part of modern American folklore. It is a welcomed addition to the library of any crime buff," writes Tony DeStefano, award-winning journalist and bestselling author of Gotti's Boys, Top Hoodlum, and The Big Heist

"Drawing on his encyclopedic research into America's criminal empires, Jeffrey Sussman has fashioned a narrative of organized crime's 'greatest hits' from the early 20th century right up until today. The body count is over the top. The headlines are lurid. Read it!" adds David Rabinovitch, author of Jukebox Empire: The Mob and the Dark Side of the American Dream.

Mafia Hits, Misses, Wars, and Prosecutions was be published by Bloomsbury Publishing. For further information, please visit your online bookseller and the author's page on Amazon.com as well as ww.jeffreysussmanauthor.com.

Jeffrey Sussman is also the author of the following books about organized crime:

*Boxing and The Mob: The Notorious History of the Sweet Science;

*Big Apple Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in New York;

*Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas;

*Tinseltown Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Hollywood;

*Backbeat Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Rock Mus

Backbeat Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Rock Music

Backbeat Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Rock Music is the latest Rise and Decline Mob books by popular author Jeffrey Sussman. The book is a shocking expose of the early days of rock and roll when the mob used every tactic they could, from creating their own record labels, bribing radio DJs and stacking jukeboxes with their own artists, to exploiting and intimidating performers, and creating their own black market of bootlegged records, to make millions.

Nicholas Pileggi, author of Casino and co-author of Goodfellas, wrote, "Jeffrey Sussman exposes how the mob controlled much of the music business and shaped much of American culture. It will fascinate anyone interested in organized crime, rock & roll, and American history."

It began in the 1950s, when rock and roll music burst upon the scene. The major established record companies thought that the new music was a passing teenage trend, but mobsters were there and pounced on the new business opportunity. They opened small independent record companies, signed ambitious young singers and musicians, and produced truckloads of 45 rpm records. To make sure that their records would be successful, the mob bribed disc jockeys in major cities to play the records and made sure jukeboxes, which were already mob-controlled, were filled to capacity with the new music. Whatever it took to gain airtime and repeated plays of their songs, the mob made sure it happened.

Backbeat Gangsters includes the stories of the most sinister people who took control of the record business during the early days of rock and roll, as well as those of the numerous, young performers who were exploited and received threats and beatings instead of the compensation they were promised. The Mafia used intimidation and violence to achieve their ends and made millions from denying royalties, maintaining copyrights and trademarks, bribing DJs, and numerous scams like flooding the market with counterfeit records which didn't have the burden of paying royalties. In yet another well-researched and thorough account, Jeffrey Sussman, details how the mob was able to infiltrate and control another aspect of American culture with devastating results.

Tinseltown Gangsters; The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Hollywood

Tinseltown Gangsters is an exciting, in-depth account of how mobsters controlled movie studios, movie stars, directors, and producers during the 20th century. Its narrative is as engaging as a gripping gangster movie.

Sin City Gangsters:The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas

Sin City Gangster provides an exciting, eye-opening account of how the mob created and controlled Las Vegas. In addition, it contains fascinating accounts of celebrities, such as Frank Sinatra and others, who were controlled by the Vegas mobs and were paid with favors.

Big Apple Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in New York

Big Apple Gangsters is a a true crime thriller, an engaging page-turner for anyone interested in the history of the mob in New York

Events

Jeffrey Sussman Interviewed About Backbeat Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Rock Music.

Jeffrey Sussman was recently interviewed on Gangland Wire about his new book, Backbeat Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Rock Music. Here is a link to a video of the interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbG0WVdtq3E&t=4s

Please go to YouTube to view other interviews about all of Jeffrey Sussman's mob books. Thank you.

For a complete list of all of Jeffrey Sussman's mob books, please go to his author's page on amazon.com