Double Deal - True Stories of Criminals, Crimes and Lies
My name is Lara Chicofsky, and my cohost is Nina Jobe. We created this podcast to shine a light on some of the lesser known characters and crimes in Boston and New England. We've spent the past two years researching the Boston crime scene primarily focusing on the 1960s. There are many podcasts and books available about organized crime in the Boston area, but ours is a bit different. I spent most of my life in my father’s world. Eavesdropping when I was a kid, listening intently when he was at the end of his life. I often took what he said with a grain of salt. He was, after all, a conman, an expert liar and an Academy Award worthy actor, but there was always a sliver of truth in his stories. RSSVERIFY
Episodes
Lara and Nina discuss the history of Jai Alai in the US, and how it was a perfect opportunity for organized crime groups who wanted to expand their gambling operations. The delve into H. Paul Rico's position in World Jai Alai, and the people who lost their lives either because of their direct involvement in Jai Alai or because of Boston area organized crime figures such as Whitey Bulger, Stevie Flemmi and Johnny Martorano.
In this episode, Nina and Lara delve into the impeachment case brought against judge Alcee Hastings after FBI Special Agent H. Paul Rico cut his retirement short to go undercover as Frank Romano. The Romano brothers were associates of Tony Pro Provenzano who was rumored to be involved in the disappearance of Teamster boss, Jimmy Hoffa. Here about the sting operation the Feds hoped would bring down the judge, and how a few local guy...
Lara is still waging her Pizza War against Nina, but they're both serving up another slice of Mafia history in today's episode. There's a recap of the Raymond "Baby" Curcio hit and Nicky Palmigiano's testimony against Raymond Patriarca and Rudy Sciarra. The discussion moves onto the murder victims of 1981 including Ronnie and Debra Davis, Angelo Patrizzi, Georgie Pappas, an innocent cabbie named Allan Matloff, and tattoo artist Den...
Nina and Lara discuss art theft as a negotiating tool including the master of such deals, Myles Connor. The Rossettis including Mark, Stephen and Ralph and two of their heists are on the list of topics along with Richard Megna, Louis Royce and Richie "Nine Lives" Devlin. And Nina makes a confession!
Nina and Lara discuss the gangland slayings that took place in the Boston area in 1980. Sal Sperlinga, Stevie Hughes Jr., Louis Litif, Robert Lamonica and others are profiled. They also delve into the wrongful imprisonment of Fred Weichel, Whitey Bulgers involvement and Nina's obsession with beach pizza!
Lara and Nina discuss the Massachusetts State Police surveillance operation of the Lancaster Street Garage in Boston that began in the summer of 1980. Their goal was to collect evidence and make a case against Whitey Bulger and the Winter Hill gang. Little did they know that two of their subjects where FBI informants who were enjoying the full protection of their handlers.
The girls tell some stories about a few of the men who freq...
Lara and Nina delve into the homicides in Boston and the surrounding area during 1979, exploring various unsolved murders and the connections between some of the victims and organized crime. They discuss notable cases, including Joseph "Chris" D'Amelio and Anthony "Dapper" Corlito's slaying on the same street in the North End of Boston.
Lara and Nina discuss Operation Lobster, a joint undercover FBI/Mass State Police operation targeting the Winter Hill Gang. They also delve into the background of infamous former FBI agent John Zip Connolly and his connections with notorious and illustrious figures like Whitey Bulger and Billy Bulger. And of course the truck hijacking case that resulted from the undercover work of Special Agent Nick "Doc" Gianturco.
Chapters
00:00 I...
The girls delve into loan sharking in Massachusetts in the 1970s, focusing on key figures like Jimmy Martorano and the various legal challenges they faced. They discuss the timeline of the arrests, the run up to Operation Lobster, the ongoing legal battles and the connection of some of the men to Lara's father, Richie.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Listener Engagement
01:02 Loan Sharking in Massachusetts
05:33 The Case Against Loan S...
The girls delve into the criminal activities surrounding Howie Winter in the 1970s, focusing on the pinball case and the subsequent race fixing scandal. They discuss the key players involved and the legal proceedings that followed exploring the testimonies of witnesses and the eventual verdicts.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Schedule Changes
00:45 The Pinball Case Overview
02:39 The Race Fixing Case Begins
05:39 Key Players and Invest...
Thanks to technical difficulties and Nina being on strike in protest of said tech issues, Lara is flying solo today. She talks about the gangland slayings of 1978 in the Boston area and Rhode Island. Some of the men profiled in this episode are Joseph "Joe Onions" Scanlon, Joseph DiFronzo, Joseph Patrizzi and George Basmajian.
Lara and Nina delve into the infamous Blackfriars Massacre that occurred in Boston in June of 1978, exploring the profiles of the victims, the details of the crime scene, the investigation that followed, and the various theories surrounding the suspects involved. The girls discuss the complexities of the case, including the connections between the victims and organized crime, as well as the aftermath of the massacre.
Chapters
00:00 I...
Nina and Lara wrap up this three part series about the men who were killed in gangland slayings in Massachusetts and Rhode Island in 1977. The last 6 men who lost their lives were linked together not just geography and association but also by an international drug smuggling ring.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the 1977 Drug Smuggling Case
02:04 The Discovery of the Ghost Ship
04:47 The Murders of Ralph Imperatore and Billy Lavin
07:43 T...
The girls delve into two of the mob related homicide cases of 1977, focusing on the lives and deaths of Mike Ross and Dennis Lytwyn aka Danny Raimondi. They explore the circumstances surrounding Ross' murder, his connections to organized crime, and the man who killed him. They wrap up with Lytwyn's story, the events that leading up to his death and the outcome of his murder trial.
Lara and Nina delve into the gangland slayings in Massachusetts in 1977, focusing on former Alcatraz inmate, Louis Arquilla, and others including Robert McFarland and Jackie DiFronzo.
In this episode, Lara and Nina delve into the 1977 gambling charges against several mob figures, including Larry Zannino, Abe Sarkis and Melvin Berger. They discuss the background of these individuals, the events leading up to the charges, the court proceedings, and the eventual sentencing. The conversation also touches on the life of Dominic Isabella, a figure in Boston organized crime, and how he was connected to Lara's father, R...
In this episode Lara and Nina discuss the Danvers Armory heist of 1976, where the weapons ended up, the attacks carried out by the IRA with some of the stolen M60s, their theories and more!
Much attention has been given to the Mafia induction ceremony of 1989 in Medford, Massachusetts, but few remember the ceremony that took place on October 5, 1977 in Boston. Lara and Nina discuss the men that were made that day and the testimony about the induction ceremony itself.
Links:
La "Causa" Nostra - The Hill - Part 1
Family Feud - The Hill - Part 2
Lara and Nina delve answer questions about Sonny Mercurio and Little Joe Napolitano. They introduce Joe Puzzangara, discuss informants, connections between various Mafia figures., their counterfeiting operations and the massage parlor case that was the first RICO case in Massachusetts.
Joseph Puzzangara family tree
Russell Nicholson episodes 13 and 25
Chapters
00:00 Mailbag Questions and Informants
04:03 The Story of Joe Puzzangara
09:57...
This episode was inspired by a listener's email. Nina and Lara discuss Big Joe, Mickey and Little Joe Napolitano and their adventures in Maine including morphine, a still and a counterfeiting ring.
00:00Introduction to Organized Crime in Maine
01:55Intel Laundering: The Dark Side of Information
04:40The Napolitano Family
07:30Mickey Napolitano's Criminal Ventures
10:12Little Joe Napolitano's Counterfeiting Operations
13:09The Downfall ...
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