The Life and Times of Frank Balistrieri: The Last, Most Powerful Godfather of Milwaukee

Who was Frank Peter Balistrieri, the last and most power Godfather of the Milwaukee Mafia?

Based on hundreds of FBI documents obtained by a Freedom of Information request (as well as substantiating research), Wayne Clingman and Zack Long lay out a timeline of Frank 'The Mad Bomber' Balistrieri's rise through the ranks of the Italian-American criminal underground and through his time controlling Milwaukee. From car bombs to the fabled Las Vegas casino skim, Balistrieri's little known story is sure to prove a captivating one.

The Life and Times of Frank Balistrieri: The Last, Most Powerful Godfather of Milwaukee.

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Highly-Ranked Ghost Face Gangster Orders Beating from Prison @GBI_GA #MorningRushATL

A high-ranking member of the Ghost Face Gangsters faces several new charges after penning a letter from jail ordering the beating of another gang member on the outside, the GBI said.

Tyler Estes, 25, was charged with conspiracy to commit battery and two counts of violating Georgia’s criminal street gang statute after a letter he sent from the Meriwether County jail was intercepted by deputies, the GBI said.

In the letter, which was allegedly written to another Ghost Face gang member, Estes touts his high-ranking status in the organization and orders the beating and expulsion of a third member for violating the gang’s code of conduct, authorities said. Estes reportedly wanted the gang member punished for being disloyal and stealing money from fellow Ghost Face members, the GBI said.

In an interview, Estes allegedly confessed to being part of the gang and admitted writing the letter to orchestrate the physical attack, authorities said. He had been in the Meriwether jail on charges of probation violation and destruction of government property, special agent Fred Wimberly said.The Meriwether County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the GBI with its investigation, which will be turned over to the Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

Thanks to Shaddi Abusaid.

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Purchase Al Capone's Former Hideout for Just $1,750,000.

Many homes come with amenities, but it's less common to come across a residence that is also a piece of history. A four-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath traditional for sale in Berlin, New Jersey, has both stunning design and a colorful past: It was once used as a hideout by the gangster Al Capone.

Listed at $1.75 million and nicknamed the "Valley House," the 6,500-square-foot dwelling is perched on over 36 acres of land, and is not visible from the street. The only indication the home even exists is a small curbside mailbox, which is perhaps what made it such a good hiding place for the organized-crime boss. Adding to the seclusion is the fact that the property is also surrounded by a 300-acre Boy Scouts preserve and is next to the prestigious Pine Valley golf course.

The interior of the main home has everything one would want while trying to stay out of the public eye. Inside is a "living room, formal dining room, library with fireplace, office, screened porch, studio, exercise room, two additional fireplaces, an amazing vault room perfect for a wine cellar, and a game room with an antique bar with a lake view," according to the listing.

There's also plenty of room for entertaining outdoors. The expansive property features a pool, a hot tub with an antique cabana bar, a European-style courtyard, a barbecue area, tennis court, large lake, and seven-car garage. An additional 2,400-square-foot guesthouse with three bedrooms, two kitchens, and two full baths can also be found on the grounds.

Capone isn't the only notable person to set foot on the property. The inventor of sonar for submarines is a former owner, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Sir Winston Churchill have both visited, according to a previous listing.

Thanks to Jordi Lippe-Mcgraw.

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I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran & Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa - Inspiration for the @Netflix Fiilm #TheIrishman

Soon to be a NETFLIX film directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel, and written by Steven Zaillian.

I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran & Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa, is updated with a 57-page Conclusion by the author that features new, independent corroboration of Frank Sheeran's revelations about the killing of Jimmy Hoffa, the killing of Joey Gallo and the murder of JFK, along with stories that could not be told before.

"I heard you paint houses" are he first words Jimmy Hoffa ever spoke to Frank "the Irishman" Sheeran. To paint a house is to kill a man. The paint is the blood that splatters on the walls and floors. In the course of nearly five years of recorded interviews Frank Sheeran confessed to Charles Brandt that he handled more than twenty-five hits for the mob, and for his friend Hoffa.

Sheeran learned to kill in the U.S. Army, where he saw an astonishing 411 days of active combat duty in Italy during World War II. After returning home he became a hustler and hit man, working for legendary crime boss Russell Bufalino. Eventually Sheeran would rise to a position of such prominence that in a RICO suit then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani would name him as one of only two non-Italians on a list of 26 top mob figures.

When Bufalino ordered Sheeran to kill Hoffa, the Irishman did the deed, knowing that if he had refused he would have been killed himself.

Sheeran's important and fascinating story includes new information on other famous murders including those of Joey Gallo and JFK, and provides rare insight to a chapter in American history. Charles Brandt has written a page-turner that has become a true crime classic.

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Due to Gun Control in Chicago, Violent Street Gangs Go as Far as New Mexico to Buy Weapons Used in Murders

A federal judge sentenced a Chicago man to four years in prison for unlawfully supplying guns to a violent street gang.

From February 2015 to May 2016, ANTHONY MORGAN directed and paid for an acquaintance to purchase at least seven guns in New Mexico. The weapons were shipped through the mail to Morgan’s residence in Chicago. Morgan then supplied some of the guns to members of his violent street gang on the city’s South Side. Law enforcement later tied two of the firearms to homicides, including the November 2015 murder of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood.

Morgan, 32, pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal firearms conspiracy charge. U.S. District Judge Charles R. Norgle imposed the 48-month sentence in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Timothy Jones, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Eddie Johnson, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.

During the investigation, law enforcement utilized ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms.

Holding firearms traffickers accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods – the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, including by prosecuting individuals who illegally traffic firearms.

Evidence in the case revealed that Morgan directed his acquaintance in New Mexico to purchase the guns in four separate transactions. Of the seven guns Morgan received, two were linked to murders, one was linked to a shooting that left two people wounded, and another was recovered in Morgan’s vehicle after CPD responded to an emergency call of shots fired on the Fourth of July 2017. In addition to the murder of Tyshawn Lee, the other fatality connected to one of Morgan’s guns involved the murder of a man on Chicago’s North Side in January 2016.

“This is a case study in how illegal guns flood this district and terrorize our community,” Assistant U.S. Attorney James P. Durkin argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Illegal firearms are the lifeblood of violent crime in this city, and they need to be treated as such.”

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