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Organized Crime and Punishment

Organized crime has been a part of human society for centuries, and Organized Crime and Punishment: A History and Crime Podcast takes a deep dive into its roots, evolution, and impact on different cultures and countries. In Organized Crime and Punishment: A History and Crime Podcast, we explore the rise of organized crime in various regions of the world. Throughout different seasons of the show, we will examine the different types of organized crime, from the American Mafia to modern-day cartels, and how they have adapted to changes in society and law enforcement. We also delve into the lives of notorious gangsters and their criminal empires, revealing the inner workings of these secretive organizations. We will explore the political, economic, and social factors that have fueled the growth of organized crime, as well as the efforts of governments and law enforcement agencies to combat it. Join us as we take a journey through the shadowy world of organized crime, exploring its history, impact, and ongoing influence on our societies today. Whether you're a history buff, true crime aficionado, or simply curious about this fascinating topic, Organized Crime and Punishment: A History and Crime Podcast is sure to entertain and inform.

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Mob's Grim Reaper: Roy DeMeo's Violent Odyssey

September 6, 2023 - 38 min

Title: Mob's Grim Reaper: Roy DeMeo's Violent Odyssey Original Publication Date: 8/30/2023 Transcript URL: https://share.descript.com/view/bkHR55zM1qY Description: In this episode of Organized Crime and Punishment, Mustache Chris and Steve delve into the chilling tale of Roy DeMeo, a ruthless figure who left an indelible mark on the world of organized crime. Join us as we trace DeMeo's meteoric rise through the ranks of the Gambino crime family, his notorious "DeMeo Crew," and their involvement in a string of gruesome murders and criminal enterprises. From his reputation as a cold-blooded enforcer to his ties with powerful crime syndicates, we explore the factors that fueled DeMeo's dominance and the empire he built. However, as the walls closed in and law enforcement tightened their grip, his empire began to crumble, leading to his eventual demise in a hail of bullets. Tune in to unravel the complex web of power, violence, and justice in the underworld, and don't miss our expert analysis on the legacy that Roy DeMeo leaves behind. #OrganizedCrime #TrueCrime #RoyDeMeo #CriminalEmpire #GambinoFamily #DeMeoCrew #RiseAndFall #ColdBlooded #PodcastEpisode #TrueCrimeStory You can learn more about Organized Crime and Punishment and subscribe at all these great places: https://atozhistorypage.start.page email: crime@atozhistorypage.com www.organizedcrimeandpunishment.com Parthenon Podcast Network Home: parthenonpodcast.com On Social Media: https://www.youtube.com/@atozhistory https://www.facebook.com/groups/atozhistorypage https://facebook.com/atozhistorypage https://twitter.com/atozhistorypage https://www.instagram.com/atozhistorypage/ Music Provided by: Music from "5/8 Socket" by Rico's Gruv Used by permission. © 2021 All Rights Reserved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=210vQJ4-Ns0 https://open.spotify.com/album/32EOkwDG1YdZwfm8pFOzUu Begin Transcript: [00:00:00] Welcome to Organized Crime and Punishment, the best spot in town to hang out and talk about history and crime with your hosts, Steve and Mustache Chris. Let's talk a little bit about Paul Castellano because Paul Castellano, he came up in our last episode about the Iceman. To me, he seemed like the... Really the most unlikeliest of mafia guys, because he had a huge legitimate business in meatpacking that, uh, the, his business was in selling meat and chicken, and he made tons and tons of [00:01:00] money. If I'm not mistaken, both of his sons were involved in the business and they were completely legit. And I. Don't understand why someone like Paul Castellano would want to be involved in this really dirty, nasty. Underworld element of the, the mafia when he could have just been involved completely in the white collar part of the mafia, which in the 60s and the 70s and the 80s. Sure. If you were. In labor unions, or if you were in something like meatpacking, yeah, you were connected to the mafia, but you didn't have to be in the nitty gritty of being around people like Roy DeMeo and the Westies, and the really gritty, nasty part of the mafia and the organized crime. No, I just, I think. It's because he just kind of grew up with it and kind of got pulled into it. And [00:02:00] because he was such a good earner, I mean, it, it would make kind of sense that you would want that guy to be the head of the family because nobody knew how to like make as much money as Paul and do it somewhat. I mean, do it legitimately for the most part and not attract like police attention, but. I don't like Paul wasn't really cut out for the job to like, I don't think he really understood like stuff that was coming down the pipe in terms of like week, uh, Rico and like wiretapping. Cause he would have all the dude, you would have all the guys like show up at the, I believe it was like the veterans club that they called every two weeks, every week to sit down and talk about, you know, what was Gambino family. And it's the cops are just kind of sitting there laughing at them and say, well, I mean, really, they're all going to show up at the same time. We're just. I'm going to stand out here and take pictures and, you know, and his own house was wiretapped at one point. He just doesn't seem, it seemed like probably like a good idea in theory. This guy's a great [00:03:00] earner and he seems to keep his nose pretty cl

Coming Soon: A True Mafia Soldier

September 4, 2023 - 2 min

The Making of a Mob Monster: Roy DeMeo's Dark Origins

August 30, 2023 - 33 min

Title: The Making of a Mob Monster: Roy DeMeo's Dark Origins Original Publication Date: 8/23/2023 Transcript URL: https://share.descript.com/view/Dl1OmvVefjj Description: In this episode, Mustache Chris and Steve delve into the intriguing early life and career of the notorious Roy DeMeo, whose journey into organized crime paved the way for an empire built on fear and brutality. From his humble beginnings on the streets of Brooklyn to his calculated entrance into the Gambino crime family, we uncover the pivotal moments that shaped DeMeo's transformation into a ruthless enforcer and prolific contract killer. Join us as we unravel the layers of deception, ambition, and ruthlessness that defined DeMeo's ascent to power, and explore the shadowy world of organized crime that he would come to dominate with an iron fist. #TrueCrimeTales #MafiaChronicles #CriminalMasterminds #roydemeo #serialkiller You can learn more about Organized Crime and Punishment and subscribe at all these great places: https://atozhistorypage.start.page email: crime@atozhistorypage.com www.organizedcrimeandpunishment.com Parthenon Podcast Network Home: parthenonpodcast.com On Social Media: https://www.youtube.com/@atozhistory https://www.facebook.com/groups/atozhistorypage https://facebook.com/atozhistorypage https://twitter.com/atozhistorypage https://www.instagram.com/atozhistorypage/ Music Provided by: Music from "5/8 Socket" by Rico's Gruv Used by permission. © 2021 All Rights Reserved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=210vQJ4-Ns0 https://open.spotify.com/album/32EOkwDG1YdZwfm8pFOzUu Begin Transcript: [00:00:00] Welcome to Organized Crime and Punishment, the best spot in town to hang out and talk about history and crime, with your hosts, Steve and Mustache Chris. I'm excited again to be joined by Chris to talk about the background of a really infamous and in a sick way. Intriguing Mafia figure Roy DeMeo. Chris and I are jumping into a really the deep end of the Mafia pool here, and we're really glad you joined us today. This episode and the previous episode on Richard Kuklinski, the Iceman, is going to build a lot of background that we'll use to talk about the 2012 movie Iceman. So let's really get into [00:01:00] it. And I think Roy DeMeo is maybe not a Mafia. He's probably not one of the names that really comes up as one of people's first, like, most known Mafia figures, especially, uh, compared to his contemporary of somebody like John Gotti, but he was really extremely influential in his time, and maybe one of the most intriguing Mafia characters of all time. What do you think, just like, your first brush and your first blush, I guess you might say, of Roy DeMeo? Yeah, as Luke pointed out, Roy DeMeo isn't, um, as particularly, particularly well known as some of these other Mafia guys. I think one of the reasons is where Hollywood and popular culture tries to present the Mafia as kind of glitz and glamorous to a degree where it almost seems like kind of like a fun thing. Where, like, when you start reading about Roy DeMeo, it's the exact opposite of that. It's the... Kind of really, [00:02:00] really what the mob is, you know, boiled down to its essence and Roy kind of perfectly represents that where it's, it's not glitz and glamour, uh, glamour, it's, it's rough, it's dirty, it's kind of vile and disgusting. It's a horror story, really. I mean, if you, if you took away and said that this wasn't real and you just told somebody about a, I mean, not to give away too much, but a place where people go in, they get murdered, and dismembered, and just disappear. It's literally a scene from a horror movie, Ray D'Ameo's life. Yeah, you know, and it's, it really does come across, yeah, his entire life is, it's like a, kind of like what you would think would be like, almost like a cheesy B kind of horror film. Um, where, you know, this guy is, he's one thing, uh, to certain group of people, but then like when he's not away, when he's [00:03:00] away from those people, he's, he's an upstanding citizen. It's a really, but you know, this is real. It's a, it's a hundred percent real. I am doing a little bit of ancestry. com. I knew from my family that there was de Mayo's that sort of overarching, uh, family that my family belongs to as my. Great grandmother was, her maiden name was DeM

Coming Soon: The Making of the Ultimate Bad Guy

August 28, 2023 - 2 min

Teddy Roosevelt Nearly Died in a Cavalry Charge Against German Machine Guns in WW1

August 26, 2023 - 20 min

Chilling Portrayal: The Iceman's Legacy on Film

August 23, 2023 - 44 min

Title: Chilling Portrayal: The Iceman's Legacy on Film Original Publication Date: 8/16/2023 Transcript URL: https://share.descript.com/view/xgTnsXwkc7o Description: In this episode of Organized Crime and Punishment, Mustache Chris and Steve delve deep into the chilling world of the critically acclaimed movie "The Iceman." This episode dissects the mesmerizing portrayal of the notorious contract killer Richard Kuklinski by Michael Shannon and disentangles the intricate web of organized crime he was a part of. From the gritty streets to the suspenseful courtroom scenes, we analyze how the film captures the chilling reality of a man leading a double life – family man by day and ruthless hitman by night. Tune in to explore the moral dilemmas, the complex characters, and the parallels to real-life criminal enterprises. As we explore the shades of gray in the criminal world, we raise questions about justice and punishment. Join the conversation using #RichardKuklinski #TheIcemanMovie #ColdBloodedKiller #ContractKiller #RealLifeCrime #TrueCrimeStory #OrganizedCrimeSaga #CriminalMastermind as we unravel the cinematic portrayal of organized crime and its consequences. You can learn more about Organized Crime and Punishment and subscribe at all these great places: https://atozhistorypage.start.page email: crime@atozhistorypage.com www.organizedcrimeandpunishment.com Parthenon Podcast Network Home: parthenonpodcast.com On Social Media: https://www.youtube.com/@atozhistory https://www.facebook.com/groups/atozhistorypage https://facebook.com/atozhistorypage https://twitter.com/atozhistorypage https://www.instagram.com/atozhistorypage/ Music Provided by: Music from "5/8 Socket" by Rico's Gruv Used by permission. © 2021 All Rights Reserved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=210vQJ4-Ns0 https://open.spotify.com/album/32EOkwDG1YdZwfm8pFOzUu Begin Transcript: [00:00:00] Welcome to Organized Crime and Punishment, the best spot in town to hang out and talk about history and crime, with your hosts, Steve and Mustache Chris. In the last couple of episodes, Chris and I talked about the real history and background of mobsters Richard the Iceman, Kuklinski, Roy DeMeo, and his famous crew. Today, we're going to talk about the 2012 film based on these events, the Iceman starring Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Ray Liotta, and more. So I really want to share a quick comment from our last YouTube live stream from one Wolfgang Schmuck. That's a great, [00:01:00] that's a great, uh, YouTube name. So, um, he says the guy on the right has the most perfect, clean looking mustache I've ever seen. Uh, mustache. How you doing? Oh, doing good. I'm pretty, uh, like the rest of my friends and family make jokes about the mustache. I've had it for so long now. I just, I'm just going to keep it. I'm never getting rid of it. And apparently, uh, somebody else pointed out that I look like, uh, Chris Rosenberg. And then I just, we were just looking at a picture and I was like, yeah, it's actually a little bit uncanny. Like his eye, like his hair is longer and stuff like that. But. I mean, I see it in the eyes, and then the mustache, I mean, there is definitely some similarity there. Wait, when did Chris Rosenberg die, and when were you born? Are you Chris Rosenberg reincarnated, maybe? I don't know, it'll be for the people to decide. Now this movie, uh, The Iceman, I have to say, it has, [00:02:00] I watched it probably more or less when it came out, and I liked it. This movie has so grown on me, to, to maybe it's one of my favorite mob movies. Of all time, because I wouldn't say just overall, it's not the most accurate movie I have ever seen, but it really captures something about the times, about Richard Kuklinski, and about what else was going on in the New York mafia scene in the 70s and the 80s. What did you think in your first couple of watches of this movie? Like you, when it first came out, I watched it right away because I heard about Richard Kuklinski. Michael Shannon, I always kind of, I've always enjoyed his acting, so I just, I watched and I enjoyed it, but, and I knew a little bit about Roy DeMeo and like a little bit of the history, but not a ton. But like, since doing like the 2 kind of deep dive background episodes and really [00:03:00] reading about that particular area and time period of the m

Coming Soon: an Awkward Family Renunion

August 21, 2023 - 2 min

Beneath the Ice: The Secrets of Richard Kuklinski Revealed

August 16, 2023 - 33 min

Title: Beneath the Ice: The Secrets of Richard Kuklinski Revealed Original Publication Date: 8/16/2023 Transcript URL: https://share.descript.com/view/gQGAxbZu3M2 Description: In this chilling episode of Organized Crime and Punishment, we delve into the life and career of Richard Kuklinski, famously known as "The Iceman." Our hosts explore the chilling details of Kuklinski’s journey from a seemingly ordinary family man to a ruthless contract killer responsible for over 100 murders. Discover the method behind his madness as we analyze his notorious use of freezing techniques to confound forensic investigations. Join us as we uncover the sinister secrets of this enigmatic figure and shed light on the cat-and-mouse game he played with law enforcement. Tune in to this gripping episode and explore the dark world of one of history's most notorious hitmen. #TrueCrimePodcast #OrganizedCrimeChronicles #TheIcemanCometh #ColdBloodedKiller #MurderMystery #CrimeWorldRevealed #CriminalMastermind #UnmaskingTheIceman #ForensicInvestigation #LawEnforcementPursuit You can learn more about Organized Crime and Punishment and subscribe at all these great places: https://atozhistorypage.start.page email: crime@atozhistorypage.com www.organizedcrimeandpunishment.com Parthenon Podcast Network Home: parthenonpodcast.com On Social Media: https://www.youtube.com/@atozhistory https://www.facebook.com/groups/atozhistorypage https://facebook.com/atozhistorypage https://twitter.com/atozhistorypage https://www.instagram.com/atozhistorypage/ Music Provided by: Music from "5/8 Socket" by Rico's Gruv Used by permission. © 2021 All Rights Reserved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=210vQJ4-Ns0 https://open.spotify.com/album/32EOkwDG1YdZwfm8pFOzUu Begin Transcript: [00:00:00] Welcome to Organized Crime and Punishment, the best spot in town to hang out and talk about history and crime, with your hosts, Steve and Mustache Chris. The whole story of Richard Kuklinski, the Iceman, meeting Barbara is really interesting because everything to me screamed that Barbara should have stayed a million miles away. And it was really, she, this is my impression. I got of it. She got caught up in his gravity. He's like, he was like a black hole. And once she got too close to him, there was no escaping him. Yeah. Like he was working [00:01:00] at, I believe it was a, it was like a shipping and receiving thing. And. At first, he just kind of bumped into Barbara and they talked for a little bit and the manager, the boss told Richard, you got to stay away from her. Don't you talk to her ever again? And Richard wasn't even thinking about her romantically in that sense. But as soon as the boss is like, you couldn't, you can't have her. That was like, okay, Richard, like Richard's like, I got to have her and pretty much almost kind of starts like stalking her and they start dating a little bit and then. At one point, Barbara's family, because they're picking up kind of weird vibes from him, they hire a private investigator to kind of look into Richard and they start, you know, seeing things that, uh, not the murder, but just a bunch of other like low end crimes and stuff that he'd been doing and just words on the streets. And at one point, like Barbara steps back, but she's, she says to herself, like, well, that's in the past. He's not doing that anymore. And then. You know, this whole [00:02:00] time he's still married to his first wife, which is another wild thing. And that's like a big thing in the, uh, in the confessions of a hitman book where people are really focused on her family's really focused on like, well, you got to get a divorce. You got to get a divorce. And Richard kind of struggles, like to get the money to get the divorce. But we talked about this earlier. He has like low impulse control with that. Eventually he ends up getting her pregnant and. She starts seeing the real Richard, and she doesn't like what she sees, and she runs away, I believe, to live with her father in Florida, and he goes and talks to her mother, and her mother's like, well, I'll tell you where she is, but you gotta show, you gotta prove to me that you got the divorce, he ends up getting the divorce, and she shows him, she tells him, um, um, um, Where Barbara is, and he finds her and they end up getting married because I gu

Coming Soon An International Iceman of Mystery

August 14, 2023 - 2 min

Cold-Blooded: The Origin Story of the Iceman Richard Kuklinski

August 9, 2023 - 26 min

Title: Cold-Blooded: The Origin Story of the Iceman Richard Kuklinski Original Publication Date: 8/9/2023 Transcript URL: https://share.descript.com/view/j6tJb4VQxS1 Description: In this episode of Organized Crime and Punishment, Mustache Chris and Steve delve into the captivating life of Iceman Richard Kuklinski. Join us as we explore his early years and the circumstances that led him into a life of crime. From his troubled upbringing to his initial steps into the underworld, we uncover the intriguing journey of this notorious figure. Tune in for a chilling tale of a man shaped by darkness. #IcemanChronicles #TrueCrimeTales #ColdBloodedCriminal You can learn more about Organized Crime and Punishment and subscribe at all these great places: https://atozhistorypage.start.page email: crime@atozhistorypage.com www.organizedcrimeandpunishment.com Parthenon Podcast Network Home: parthenonpodcast.com On Social Media: https://www.youtube.com/@atozhistory https://www.facebook.com/groups/atozhistorypage https://facebook.com/atozhistorypage https://twitter.com/atozhistorypage https://www.instagram.com/atozhistorypage/ Music Provided by: Music from "5/8 Socket" by Rico's Gruv Used by permission. © 2021 All Rights Reserved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=210vQJ4-Ns0 https://open.spotify.com/album/32EOkwDG1YdZwfm8pFOzUu Begin Transcript: [00:00:00] This episode will bring up topics that are not necessarily appropriate for all audiences. Uh, we're gonna really try not to be graphic. I mean, in all honesty, we'll try to make it as less graphic as, as possible. But we will be talking about mafia, and killing, and contracts. Pillars, just to let you know in advance. So what we're going to do today, Chris and I are, we're going to try to build some context on Richard Kuklinski, the Iceman, and this will lead into the next few episodes where we'll talk about mobster, Roy DeMeo, and then the 2012 movie, the Iceman, we really think you'll enjoy these conversations and really this whole series and the series within a series. Uh, We're going to break down Richard Kuklinski's life into several sections, because that's really how the, the books break up his life and [00:01:00] how he broke up his life and his jailhouse in a series of three or four sets of jailhouse interviews, hours and hours of interviews, really his early childhood, his early life and life in crime, and then his later life in crime. Um, And then his, uh, the end, where he's finally captured and prosecuted, and then his life in jail, which was a whole nother life after life. Just initially, Chris, what did you think overall of Richard Kuklinski? When we started looking into the Iceman, we were like... Really started looking into it like, yeah, we got to do this guy deserves his own episode because it is really a crazy, crazy story about like, you know, is this guy telling the truth? Is this guy not telling the truth? Is, um, how much, how much is he lying? How much is he not lying? It's it. And there's opinions that vary where people say he's lying about everything. And there's people that just take them exactly at his word. And [00:02:00] yeah, Richard Kuklinski, I mean, in terms of mafia guys, if you can really call him that, I don't, he's not really a mafia guy. He was kind of around them. I mean, he's, his story is fascinating. I remember when the Iceman tapes came out in the late 80s, maybe early 90s on HBO, and it was even too creepy to, for me to watch. I remember watching a little bit of it and turning it right off. And then a couple of years ago, I, Listen to some podcasts about him. I'm like, this is a strange guy, but then watching this movie and then diving into the deep dive of the research that we did. There's so much to him. And I think for me, it's he really dives into. What history is, and I think that we're going to learn a lot more about him. Hopefully when historians start looking into a story, as opposed to journalists who [00:03:00] are looking at it and looking at it in different ways, I think that we're going to learn a lot more about him because like you said. There's so much obscured about his story. We were relying so much on what he said that I don't think, at least for a while, that we'll know the full story of Richard Kuklinski. And it's also just the nature of... The m

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Meet Your Hosts

Steve Guerra is a historian and podcaster who hosts three different shows. He started with the History of the Papacy Podcast in 2013. In 2017, Steve began Beyond the Big Screen, a podcast that delves into the fascinating stories behind films through lively interviews. His newest show, Organized Crime and Punishment, takes a deep dive into the roots, evolution, and impact of organized crime across different cultures and countries.

Mustache Chris is the co-host of Organized Crime and Punishment. He is from the True North, born and bred in Toronto, Canada. Some say he bears a striking resemblance to Gambino Crime Family associate Chris Rosenberg, but we'll leave that up to you.