One of the unwritten rules of the Mafia was Omerta, the code of silence. No one was allowed to talk about the existence of the Mafia, reveal how it worked or who the main players were. The Mafia demanded loyalty from its members to the very end. But when the law enforcement started to use modern surveillance techniques and tools to incriminate ...…

We bring you Audioboom's new podcast, Dead Man Talking. It follows the investigation of the confessions of the infamous Railroad Killer. Did he confess to more murders to delay his death penalty? Or was he really more sinister than anyone could have imagined? Journalist Alex Hannaford talks to the only surviving victim, fellow prisoners, and fa ...…

There is a long list of people and organizations who were in one way or another in the Mafia’s pockets. In this bonus episode, we’ll look at the connection between the Mafia and the American establishment. From politicians, law enforcement, the CIA and the unions the mob collaborated with the state and officials on many occasions. And being the ...…

For years, the mob was able to rule New York, Chicago, and many other cities, free to run gambling rackets, flood the street with drugs, and corrupt officials to their liking. Until the law enforcement got wise and turned up the heat. How Thomas Dewey, RICO, and undercover operations finally took a stand against the mob and ultimately worked to ...…

Organized crime and street gangs were originally strongly divided along ethnic lines, but into the 1930s, those lines began to blur, especially between the Italian and Jewish gangsters. In this bonus episode, Mafia explores how this change came about, and highlights the prolific Jews who ran the underground world: Arnold Rothstein, Meyer Lanksy ...…

In the 1980s and 1990s, four of the bosses of the five families had been taken down by the FBI. But one family, the Bonnanos, remained untouched. But after years of the FBI being unable to catch Joe Massino in anything, they had finally bagged his right-hand man, Sal Vitale. And finally were given the edge they had been looking for. Our sponsor ...…

Joseph Massino was the legendary godfather of the Bonnano crime family, known as ‘The Last Don’ of a generation. And he absolutely crushed anyone who went against the mafia code of silence or 'Omerta.' But when the family was infiltrated by the legendary undercover agent Donnie Brasco, it spelled the end for the Bonannos and for the Mafia. Our ...…

Tony Spilotro had gotten away with murder for a long time - too long. The Las Vegas PD was finally ready to turn around their corrupt ways and work hand in hand with the FBI to bring the man down. And suddenly, as one by one his allies turned on him, Spilotro became expendable. Our sponsors for this episode are Neflix's Original Show Ozark and ...…

Tony Spilotro, known as the Las Vegas enforcer, was a feared man who's job it was to make sure the mob's law was kept – or else. But when he proved too rough for the job, and went back to his street hustling ways, there came a point when the mafia couldn't get behind him. And the corrupt police force was about to change. Their first target? Ton ...…

The mob’s merchant of death and family man, Albert Anastasia, continues as head of Murder Inc. But when the Commission decides to shutdown this violent organization how does Albert adjust to his new role in the mob? What are the three cardinal rules of the modern mafia that Anastasia would break? Our sponsors for this episode is Hims and Frameb ...…

Albert Anastasia was chosen by Lucky Luciano to be the head of Murder Inc. where he violently enforced the modern Mafia as the head of their killing squad. And the employees of Murder Inc. were not only good at their jobs: but took pride in their work. Our sponsor for this episode is SimpliSafe. Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Bal ...…

At the Warren Committee hearings, looking into the deaths of Fidel Castro and JFK, Santo Trafficante kept his lips sealed. And yet the connections kept coming up. Trafficante had every reason to want to kill the man who had shut down his Cuban casinos - but had the CIA really ordered him to assassinate Castro? And what exactly was his connectio ...…

Far from the big-name mob territories of New York and Chicago, the mafia scene in Tampa, Florida was of a smaller scale. That is, until Santo Trafficante used his influence and geographic advantage to turn Cuba in a gambling paradise. His smooth-talking demeanor made him fast friends with powerful officials, making life easy street - until he w ...…

Allen Dorfman assumes control over the Teamsters’ Union vast pension fund with Jimmy Hoffa out of the picture. But it would be FBI surveillance and Dorfman’s carelessness in attempting to bribe a U.S. Senator that would lead to the end of his reign. Our sponsors for this episode are SimpliSafe (simplisafe.com/mafia) and Framebridge (framebridge ...…

Allen Dorfman was a insurance agency owner and consultant to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He was also known in the criminal underworld of Chicago as the ‘Mafia’s Banker,’ one of the most powerful middlemen between prominent union figure Jimmy Hoffa and the Mafia. Our sponsors for this episode are The Black Tux (theblacktux.com/MA ...…

Carmine Galante was released from prison on parole and immediately took over his mafia family and reestablished his heroin empire. But greed and cruelty made him enemies and made him paranoid, and started a war between families that led to a photographic end. Our sponsors for this episode are Indochino (indochino.com promo: MAFIA); and the new ...…

Carmine Galante wanted to be the "Boss of All Bosses," the head of the mafia, and would stop at nothing to reach his goal. He was single-handedly responsible for trafficking enormous amounts of heroin into the United States, raking in millions for himself and leaving streets of addicts in his wake. Until he was nabbed by the new narcotics laws. ...…

From the creative team that makes MAFIA comes a new series that tells the real stories behind history's greatest secret military operations. To check out the rest of the episodes and subscribe, find Covert on Apple Podcasts or other podcatchers, or follow Covert on Spotify. In this first episode we’ll trace the origins of Osama Bin Laden and th ...…

Dutch Schultz continues his feud with Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll. The reign of violence puts the mafia in a delicate position when it gains the attention of an ambitious new prosecutor named Thomas Dewey. His friends dwindling as he betrays and kills them, and the mob unable to cope with his recklessness, Schultz finds himself into dangerous territ ...…

Prohibition was a time that allowed those outside of the law to thrive, as rival bootlegging businesses were set up by mafia members all over the world. In the heart of New York's gangland was Dutch Schultz, a student of the old world thuggery, and a man with an exceptional taste for violence. Not even his closest friends were safe from his blo ...…

From the poor streets of downtown New York, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel worked his way up through the mafia and through Hollywood. And then he set his sights on Las Vegas. Siegel bought what is now the Strip, determined to make a luxurious casino resort where people would have fun as they were parted from their money. The mafia funded the wayward p ...…

When Charles Luciano organized the mob and decided that money didn't care what your ethnicity was, it was the chance for Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel to prove his worth. With ambition as big as Las Vegas and a temper to boot, Siegel made his way to the top through charm, hustle, and murder. And Sigel's tendency to vilolence would take him from the p ...…

Joe Pistone continues his story of spending six years undercover as the gangster Donnie Brasco. With the help from the FBI and other undercover agents, Pistone spread his own influence and string operation beyond New York, to Wisconsin and Flordia. As Brasco continued to make his way up the mafia heirarchy, he grew increasingly close to Sonny B ...…

In the 1970s, penetrating the mob hierarchy was considered too difficult and too dangerous. But when the infamous five families became involved in a series of car hijackings, veteran agent Joe Pistone of the FBI volunteered to go undercover. What he didn't know was that he would be undercover for six years. In this episode, hear the story from ...…

When last we met John Gotti, he had taken the media by storm, posing for the camera as a glamorous mafioso. Meanwhile, he had taken over the Gambino family by treacherous means: lying and murdering his way to the top. In part 2, Gotti earns his nickname, "TheTeflon Don," beating every case brought up against him . . . until the FBI teamed up wi ...…

In the 1980s, one man became the face of the Mafia. The most famous gangster since Al Capone. Through murder, deception, and pure luck, John Gotti worked his way up the mob ladder. But Gotti was best known for flaunting his status, enticing the media, and attracting the attention of the press – the press that gave him the name "The Teflon Don." ...…

The story continues about Charles “Lucky” Luciano, who made the Mob a highly sophisticated criminal empire. From night clubs to brothels, Luciano’s Mob spread its tentacles into every part of American society, earning billions . . . and a reputation. Meanwhile, the FBI had declared war on organized crime, and the prosecution took the form of Th ...…

In the 1920s, at the height of prohibition, the intelligent, ruthless, and visionary, Charles “Lucky” Luciano forever transformed the Mob from warring street gangs into a highly sophisticated criminal empire. By the time Luciano was finished, the Mob was bigger than General Motors, and he had fully organized crime into a booming business. In Pa ...…

In the previous episode, we explored the early days of one of the most flamboyant and dangerous mafia bosses of all time, Sam Giancana, and heard from those who strived to bring him to justice. We discovered how he helped get JFK elected to president. hat he made clandestine deals with the CIA to assassinate Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, all in t ...…

Welcome to Mafia, a look into America’s criminal underworld. In the debut episode, Fleet Cooper tells the story of one of the most powerful, flamboyant and dangerous mafia bosses of all time, Sam Giancana. Sam Giancana was utterly ruthless and willing to do anything in his pursuit of power. But unlike most mobsters, he didn’t live his life in t ...…

Launching February 7th is a new podcast that explores the underworld of American organized crime and the stories behind the rise and fall of the most notorious mobsters in history.