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Back in the saddle to promote more books!

Back in the saddle to promote more books!

As you know, I enjoy podcasting and have been doing them on and off since 2008. Whether it’s on film, crime or anything in between, I love being on podcasts.

After my last stroke, I was having issues speaking as some of you might know. Because of this, I haven’t been on a podcast in some time. However, I keep having more and more books to promote and have continued to look into the best ways to achieve that promotion. With this in mind, I realized that a podcast which speaks about the strange going ons of serial killers, Mexican cartels and the mafia could make for entertaining listening. It helps that I also have books on these same topics!
So with that in mind, I am starting up a new podcast called Radio Free Mafia. We’ll talk crime and conspiracy theories and promote my books, as well as those of my guests!
We will quickly find out if the podcast will in fact help sell books. My bet is that it will but the real question is if it will increase sales enough to cover the cost of doing the podcast or get more visitors to explore my Chicago Outfit Blood on the Street website and purchase shirts or stickers, perhaps even book a stay at a casino in Vegas through the affiliate links there?
So over the next 30 days I will be doing 20-25 one-hour shows and posting them to my Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn feeds. I will also be posting them on my website and I hope that my guests will do so too. It is my hope that this will sell roughly 20 more paperbacks. That would be enough to pay for the podcast and net a tidy little bonus!
Guess we’ll find out!
Books can’t sell themselves and the more ways others can find out about them, the better. The key is to find out what works the best. What I can tell you is that Facebook Ads suck and Twitter blasts without engagement are not much better.
If you would like to be on the show, you can email me at wclingman@wi.rr.com
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Let’s look at the mafia in upstate New York and their good pals the Outlaw MC Clubs.

 

Let’s look at the mafia in upstate New York and their good pals the Outlaw MC Clubs.

If we go back in time, we find that one of my first ever podcasts was with Michael Grogan, author of You Gotta Be Dirty: The Outlaws Motorcycle Club In & Around Wisconsin. Again, like Frank Balistrieri: The Last, Most Powerful Godfather of Milwaukee, Grogan’s topic is a little known part of Milwaukee history despite having a strong impact in Milwaukee and the surrounding area that ranges from the spread of drugs to human trafficking (along with war with the Hell’s Angels). This show was utterly fascinating and I learned a lot in the process. You can find the show at:

Part 1:  https://www.blogtalkradio.com/themilwaukeemob/2016/09/15/michael-grogan-you-gotta-be-dirty-the-outlaws-motorcycle-club

I bring this up because around the same time as I was recording that show, I caught a History Channel series on the Hell’s Angels and was able to score an interview with a former Hell’s Angel, George Christie. You can find that show here: https://www.blogtalkradio.com/themilwaukeemob/2017/01/10/george-christie-fact-from-fiction-of-the-hells-angels
Netflix also had a series that I was able to check out. It was about how the Hell’s Angels were doing all kinds of bad things around Buffalo, NY, and even into Canada. A very interesting show to say the least.
But as much as I was interested in these topics, I ended up drifting into focusing on (as the name suggests) the mafia’s relationship with Vegas and the more “classic” pieces of mob history.
Still, I held onto an interest in the role that Outlaw Clubs played, and still play, as allies/partners of the mafia in Upstate New York and Montreal/Toronto, Canada. Reading newspaper stories and watching what documentaries I could find was enough for me. At least, that was until two events came to pass:
1) I read a very interesting story that stated that the mafia was far from dead in the Buffalo area. I took the opportunity to talk with Anthony Scapelliti about this and the Buffalo Mob. You can find that show: https://www.blogtalkradio.com/chicagooutfit/2019/03/15/we-talk-buffalo-mafia-with–anthony-scapelliti
2) I heard on The Dark North podcast about a story of the mob in Montreal and how it for sure has links to the Hell’s Angels (and others).
I love this show but I think that what is needed is a well researched and detailed book on the mob in Buffalo and Montreal. A book that looks at how the Outlaw MC Clubs fit into the bigger picture: are they are doing their own thing but work with the mafia as is needed or are they their own family? A book that looks into the Biker Wars that left many dead and that still flairs up from time to time.
This book will be larger than the one that Zack Long and I did on Frank Balistriei  (You can buy that here https://www.amazon.com/dp/1098754697  since there is more to cover and all of it is very interesting. This book is sure to interest those who already know about the bikers, as well as those who haven’t.

 

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Will Wisconsin make good money on cannabis after all?

Will Wisconsin make good money on cannabis after all?

As you know, the state of Illinois has full use cannabis. If you are over the age of 21 then, with proper proof of age, you can walk into a licensed sho[ and buy a wide range of cannabis for personal use, just like in eighteen other states in the Union. Wisconsin is not one of them (We should be but that’s a story for another time).
The press has done a damned good job at telling us here in Wisconsin that cannabis is not legal in the Badger State and that if you are caught with any you will be charged, perhaps as a felony, and you could find yourself having your cash property (including your car) fall prey to the Asset Forfeiture Program. That’s the program that allows the police to take away your assets (say your car for example) so they can sell them to fund further law enforcement efforts against crime. Sadly there are reports of abuses of this program by people who have been found not guilty. People who have had the charges against them dropped or dismissed have had a hard time getting their property back (if they even manage that much) and there are reports that funds acquired in this way are being misspent. Call for reform of the Asset Forfeiture Program laws have been made and of course both law enforcement and the Government are resisting them. No surprise, it is easy money after all.
Sorry, I meant a valuable tool for fighting crime…. yeah, that’s what I meant.
Back to cannabis in Illinois. So perhaps to bring in extra funds , and knowing that some in Wisconsin will buy cannabis for themselves and pals, we will see informants from Wisconsin (or hired in IL) serve as spotters to observe cars outside the shops and when they see a cannabis buyer get in a car, not just any car but a car worth money at auction with Wisconsin plants, they make a call to a law enforcement office. Law enforcement then set an officer on the Wisconsin side of the border to wait for the dumb ass to drive across the border so that they can pull him over for a routine stop and … Oh, what do we have here? I’m thinking that the guy that only has a couple joints will get a fine and let go but that the fool who buys enough for his pals, who has (god forbid) more than a few joints (or baggies and a scale), that guy will be losing his car and spending some time in jail.
Will this happen? Think it’s an easy way to make some drug busts and bring in some much needed money. to…”fight crime.” You teel me.
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Let’s pay some bills!

Let’s pay some bills!

As do we all, there are bills to be paid in the Clingman household. The cats need to have food, the cat shelters could use a fixing and it would be great to get started on the books I’ve got planned for 2020. We’ve all got all kinds of bills and they have to be paid one way or another.

The books that I have out do indeed help and the book on Frank Balistiere especially. Words can’t express how grateful I am for the love that book has found.

However, I can do more to that effect. I will be posting affiliate links here and one there  own pages and will be doing an Amazon store. I will also be doing affiliate links to Vegas, perfect for those who love to gamble. I may also expand this to include Atlantic City Casinos and maybe even other cities as time goes by.

When you follow these links it really helps me to keep these cats fed and continue my investigation into all things mafia.

Thank you.

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A Murder in Cleveland ?

A Murder in Cleveland?

On Saturday, July 14, 2018, Socrates S. Kokkalis, 34 died of a suspected drug overdose in his room at Cleveland Marriott Downtown. Son of Socrates P. Kokkalis, owner of Greek gambling tech company Intralot Interactive, was in Cleveland on business to meet with regulators regarding a sports betting project. Evidence found in the room indicates that Kokkalis died after he injected himself with a deadly mix of cocaine and fentanyl. Sadly, this combination of drugs has been killing drug users all across this country and around the world. From all the reports I read, it is my understanding that nobody had any idea that this young man had issues with drug use. Myself, father of an overdose victim, I can tell you that often family members have no idea what their loved one’s are struggling with. Even the wealthiest families have been blindsided by the discovery that a son or a daughter had died because of an OD.
From what I have been able to gather, the young Kokkalis was not in rehab or in a sober living home or chaperone, which is a common tactic used by many of the well off to help prevent their children from any drug use or destructive behavior.
Again, we may never know…
Now, to me, the troubling issue with this tragic death is why in God’s name would a man worth millions (if not tens of millions or more) be left alone in Cleveland? Perhaps it isn’t as dangerous as Chicago or Miami but it’s still a large city with crime issues. A man with that kind of wealth would just walk around in a hotel? That I find hard to believe. Worse is that Kokkalis knew who to call to score drugs, since it is my understanding from the papers that the dealer who the police caught was…
“A review of Kokkalis’ phone and other evidence revealed he had met with Christian on July 13 and several calls were made between them that day. Shortly after the calls and meeting, Kokalis made a hand-to-hand transaction with someone in a minivan, according to the affidavit…”
From News 5 Cleveland.
The alleged dealer, Terry Lee Christian, will be sentenced in January 2020. Perhaps more information on how a billionaire’s son from Greece meets a low level drug dealer in Ohio will be explained.
Where this gets interesting is in the number of times that Intralot and Socrates P. Kokkalis (the elder Kokkalis) have been alleged to be involved in incredibly wild activities such as money laundering, fraud, embezzlement, bribery, misleading investors and even espionage. As of now, no criminal convictions have occurred. Of course, Intralot has the contract to run the State Lottery of Malta, too.
My understanding is that since 1985, there is renewed activity of the Mafia in the State of Ohio and with at least one very mysterious death – that of Arthur Shapiro, a lawyer in Columbus, OH, who was working for Leslie Wexner (of Epstein fame) and may have had links to the East Coast Mob. As of yet, Shapiro’s death is still an open investigation.
Is it possible that somehow Kokkalis (the younger) was targeted for a blackmail effort that went wrong? Did the Mob want to have control or influence (here and abroad) over one of the world’s largest gaming companies?
Let’s see what the sentencing hearing brings out. After that, we should be able to access police reports and other information to follow up on this fascinating story.
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Let’s Run Cigarettes

 

Let’s Run Cigarettes

Sometimes crime comes calling, begging in fact, to be done. In this case, it’s running cigarettes from say Wisconsin into the tax hell called Chicago! Why? Easy! Here in Wisconsin, a pack of smokes runs about $7*. The same pack in the Windy City costs around $13. Wow! So you could fill a van with smokes and even if you sold them for say $10, you would end up doing well. You could bring them in from say Indiana and have more wiggle room. Not bad at all. Could rent a van, buy a few cartons, drive into Chicago to sell them in a day and after a long day of hustling have a few hundred in profit. No, not bad at all.
However, there are a few issues with this idea.
1) Getting caught is a hefty fine the first time and a good chance at jail the next time. Plus you might lose the van.
2) As I write this, in the city, others are indeed doing this sometimes even with cartons “found on the side of the road.” That they’re “found” means that needless to say these groups would not like to share space with others doing the same thing and it may not end well if they found out.
Thinking that running them into the city may not be a good idea so this is a nonstater. No, not at all. There is a fun way to do this and make damn good money risk free**.
So, how do we do this?
Easy, we do a casino tour!
Advertise in the Chicago area that say three days a week your shuttle bus will be picking up players to go on our mythical tour of Potawatomi (we would NEVER break the law) and after a five hour stay we then drive them back to the pick up point. We make damn sure that our guests know about and took advantage of the cheap cigarette prices. We even give our riders flyers to give to their pals so that they could come too.
There would be a small charge for the trip, say $10. Use a punch card system in which after ten trips a guest could get a free one.
Tips would be encouraged. T-shirts could be sold and tickets would be bought in advance and online to ensure as little cash as possible is handled by the driver.
We get a good number to go each time simply for the smokes. I go so far as to make it known that we would be happy to pick up a carton or two (paid in advance) for others who could not make it. Of course, we would charge a small handling fee for this and only make it known to riders after we have gotten to know them. However, I think it wouldn’t be hard to make a case for helping your long term riders out.
My belief is that we would get more than a few to use our tour simply to do a bit of small scale running on their own.
What is nice is our tour guide gets free month to gamble with for bringing in the crowd. Not a huge money maker but be a few hundred if we drove the van ourselves and did not have to hire a driver. There’s worse ways to make a few bucks.
* Estimated prices
** For entertainment only. Post no bills. Do no pass go.
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Why I Write

 

Why I Write

Of course I write to make money. But the idea is to make the cash necessary to help the stray cats in my area and foster them when we can. We come across kittens all the time (and are currently fostering two of them).

For some background to this: We live in the inner city of a slowly dying city, Racine, Wisconsin. Moving into our home in the slums, we found out fast that one of the major sports here was dog fighting. Working with the Parks department and the police, we were able to put an end to this (at least in the park below our home). The monsters’ running this ring were up to the triple act: Stealing pets to use as bait to train dogs, shooting dogs that lost and simply letting them go when they had no more use for them (because of injury or age). We got real tired of having to call about another injured or dying animal.

At least we were able to stop this by our house.

An issue that still goes on here though is when a kitten or a puppy is no longer cute, the owner gets bored of taking care of it and just tosses it outside. Because of this we have a lot of stray cats and a few dogs in the area. The city is good at getting the dogs off the streets and into the new shelter that’s gone up. They’re not so good with taking care of the cats.

I know I can’t change the world but I am sure that I can do something for the cats.

The Gun Moll and I have built two cat houses (still need red lights) filled with straw for the outside strays, as well as two beds for them in the wind break that our front door creates. We feed them cat food and treat them with dewormer when we can. There’s not much more we can do but when we do find young kittens we have been very lucky in our ability to foster them. In a perfect world we would run a spay and release program but sadly we can’t afford that. Yes, the world is a cruel place and most of the outside strays only last a year or two. It is what it is but we have done everything that is in our power to do.

It is nice that the books I have written are able to help pay for the cats, something that being on a fixed income would not allow us to do.

I just wanted to take the time to tell you about why I write and how it helps greatly in our efforts looking after these poor creatures.

Thanks!

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Narco Saints The Audio Book is out !

 

Like a gritty Audio Book to hear in the car, working in the shop or even cleaning up the blood splatter ?

Then out this morning we have Narco Saints   https://www.audible.com/pd/Narco-Saints-Audiobook/B0812CQTCZ?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-170961&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_170961_rh_us&fbclid=IwAR1YQPG4-FNebM6RHTkPoLHtqEFP47MwHl656qUsFvBjcWVq7Yo-nfW1QKw

This is lets say a bloody ride with a twist that you will not see coming.

Check it out, well worth your time and hard earned cash

Thanks

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George Jay Vandermark or Lets not steal from the Mafia)

Vandermark

 

Born in 1923, George Jay Vandermark had worked in Vegas for some time already when 1976 found him working at the mob owned Stardust Casino. In May of that year, the Nevada Gaming Commission staged a raid and quickly found out that a wide ranging skim was being conducted to the tune of about $7 million. Nice money, that, too bad that George told the mob it was only $4 million (roughly $300,000 a week). That meant that George had put aside $3 million for himself. It is alleged that Vandermark’s job as a slot supervisor was to create opportunities to do this skim, such as rigging the scales that were used to weigh the coins from slots (For example, 1lb of coins would weigh in at 3/4 a pound to be reported to the IRS).

Mr. Vandermark vanished before law enforcement could interview him.

As you might imagine, this upset the mafia who were running the show. Such men as the alleged Godfather of Milwaukee, Frank Balistrieri (a man believe by many to have had others killed for simply insulting him behind his back).

Not a good thing to do, pissing those folks off.

The government reached out to George via his son, Jeff, to warn him that his life was in great danger. They offered to put him into witness protection. My understanding is that Jeff told the FBI that he was able to contact his father, who may have been living in Mexico at the time, and that George was willing to talk with the FBI. This might have been a fatal mistake on his part, since soon after Jeff was found dead with his skull crushed (1).

For a few years following, there were reports of Vandermark sightings both in Baja, Mexico, and Phoenix. These stopped by 1978.

Current rumor has it that the mafia caught up with George in Mexico where they had him killed and buried in the desert (2).

No one has been charged with Vandermark’s disappearance or murder, nor has any trace of the money looted from the Stardust ever been discovered.

Stealing from the mafia is never a good idea.

(1): Was his son, Jeff, killed to find the money that his father stole? Three million is a lot of money, after all.

(2). Another story is that the mob gave him a trip to Mexico, a thanks for all of George’s hard work, and then had him killed in Mexico and used a look alike to cause confusion through the subsequent sightings.

You can find me on Twitter @Themilwaukeemob

You can buy my book on Frank Balistrieri   Here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S15JL4B