This Week In Gang Land
Gang Land Column Sparked Big New Book — And Spooked A Rising Gang Land Star
Former
FBI Agent Mike Campi says the warning that turncoat gangster Michael
(Cookie) D'Urso gave the Genovese family to think twice before seeking
revenge against him in a Gang Land column nearly five years ago was the
genesis of his blockbuster Mafia book that will be published next week. But
the January 9, 2020 column triggered a more immediate reaction from family
wiseguys, including one who was convicted — and later absolved — of plotting
to kill D'Urso, Gang Land has learned.
"They became even more close-mouthed than normal," said a law enforcement source whom Gang Land spoke to this week about the crime family's reaction to DUso's open letter to the mob. D'Urso penned the missive after he learned that "individuals" at an Upper East Side bar had discussed his "new identity" and where he "might be living."
"People started paying close attention to the people around them," the source said. "Watch what you say to anyone," was a common refrain, the source continued. "They were saying, 'You can't trust anyone; you can't trust your son; you can't trust your brother.'"
Wiseguy: 'I Didn't Get A Fair Shake;' Wants Do-Over In Naked City Loansharking Trial
John (Bazoo) Ragano says he deserves a new trial. The Bonanno soldier,
convicted last month of trying to use extortion to collect a $150,000 debt,
claims he was robbed of a fair hearing when he was barred from introducing
evidence to rebut what he calls a "highly misleading" closing argument by
the prosecutor. Bazoo says that even though jurors acquitted him of three
counts, an improper closing argument allowed them to find him guilty of the
loansharking count.
DeNiro, President Trump, Roy Cohn, Sammy Bull, And Martin Scorsese's Irishman*
Even if he wasn't getting raves for his role in Martin Scorsese's new mob
epic, The Irishman, Gang Land would be inclined to give a shout out to
Robert DeNiro. That's because, as part of the rollout for the three and a
half hour film, DeNiro used the opportunity to call President Trump "a
gangster." Here's what he said on CNN's Reliable Sources the other day:
"This guy should not be president, period," said DeNiro, a longtime critic
of Trump.
