May 22nd, 2017 
CEO 
By Larry Henry
“Stayin’ Alive.”
That Bee Gee’s disco song could have been the anthem — or at least the goal — of the mob hitmen and car-bombing killers at war in Kansas City in the 1970s.
Much of the mayhem was centered on a now-defunct but then-lucrative downtown entertainment district, the River Quay (pronounced River Key).
Control of that district resulted in a high-stakes mob war with bodies stuffed in car trunks and with nightclubs and automobiles blown sky high.
May 22nd, 2017 CEO May 18th, 2017 CEO 
By Marla Eggar
“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster. To me, being a gangster was better than being President of the United States. Even before I first wandered into the cabstand for an after-school job, I knew I wanted to be a part of them. It was there that I knew that I belonged. To me, it meant being somebody in a neighborhood that was full of nobodies. They weren’t like anybody else. I mean, they did whatever they wanted. They double-parked in front of a hydrant and nobody ever gave them a ticket. In the summer when they played cards all night, nobody ever called the cops.”–Henry Hill age 12.
May 17th, 2017 CEO May 17th, 2017 CEO 
By Larry Henry
Writing about the “Crimetown” podcast series on Providence, Rhode Island, last week brought to my mind the writer George V. Higgins.
Higgins, a New England journalist and lawyer who once worked in Providence — he died in 1999 — is one of the great novelists in American literature, known nowadays by too few readers, possibly because he is categorized only as a crime writer.
But compared to many who write “crime fiction” or “mysteries,” Higgins gives readers much more than the standard potboiler plots and bent-nose bad guys. His eye for detail and ear for authentic dialogue rival anyone who has published any kind of fiction — literary, crime, or anything else.
May 16th, 2017 CEO May 14th, 2017 CEO 
By “Bad” Brad Berkwitt
Character actor Powers Boothe who appeared in such great movies as Tombstone, Sin City, the original Red Dawn (not the horrible remake) and many others died in his sleep of natural causes at the age of 68.
His role of Curly Bill, in Tombstone, is beloved by millions of movie fans and I am in that group.
His rep told The Hollywood Reporter that a private service will be held in Boothe’s home state of Texas, with a memorial celebration under consideration as well.
Donations can be made to the Gary Sinise Foundation, which honors the nation’s defenders, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need.
May 11th, 2017 CEO May 10th, 2017 CEO 
By Marla Eggar
The CIA and the Mafia have more in common than meets the eye. Both enjoy working in the dark and a legal status which operates above the law. According to declassified documents, the CIA at one point planned to use the mob to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro for $150,000! Documents detail how the mob and “Cuban exiles” settled on a payment of $100,000 for assassinating Castro, $20,000 for his brother Raúl and $20,000 for revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara, plus $2,500 for expenses.
Not sure why there’s a difference of $7,500, but I digress.
As the story goes, following a meeting with the Office of security, Richard Bissell a CIA officer, employed a go-between, Robert Maheu a businessman and lawyer,and asked him to make contact with “gangster elements”.
May 9th, 2017 CEO 
By Larry Henry
Providence, Rhode Island.
Not a place some people might think to put on a short list of the most corrupt, mobbed-up cities in American Mafia history.
New York definitely would go on the list, as would Boston and Philadelphia.
Chicago would be there, and so would Detroit and Milwaukee and Kansas City. Tampa and New Orleans would make it, too, along with Las Vegas and Los Angeles — and even Hot Springs, Arkansas.
But Providence, Rhode Island?
May 9th, 2017 CEO 
By Marla Eggar
As everyone may know Frank Costello was known as “The Prime Minister of the Underworld”. Despite retiring from the mob, he still retained power and influence in New York’s mafia and remained prominent throughout his final years. Mob bosses and old associates such as Carlo Gambino and Meyer Lansky still held Costello in high regard during his retirement and sought after his advice on important mafia affairs.
In his lifetime, Costello became known for combining crime with politics. His ability to do such helped the mob buy and influence judges, police and politicians. In return, the mob didn’t need to worry about pressure from the law considering much of them were on their payroll. One might ask how Frank Costello became so influential and valuable to the mob? Well, I’ll tell you…
May 7th, 2017 CEO 
By “Bad” Brad Berkwitt
Don Gordon, an Emmy-nominated character actor who often starred alongside his close friend Steve McQueen, died on April 24 in Los Angeles. He was 90.
His death was confirmed by his wife, Denise.
Gordon found steady work starting in the 60’s and going through to the 80’s, when his career kind of hit a slower pace.
