Mafia

Colombo was flooded with cash from his numerous rackets and enjoying the good life. Distress grew in the highest circles of the Mafia that law enforcement scrutiny would intensify because of Colombo’s actions. And he gained even more attention when he used the growing civil rights movement as retaliation against the FBI. Our Sponsors for this episode are: Light Stream Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is ”Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; "Fog," "Lucerna," and "She-Wolf In My Heart" by Sergey Cheremisinov; "Dark Alleys," "Difference," "Imminence," "January," "Snowfall (Intro)," and "Universe In Hands" by Kai Engel; "How the Night Came" by Showdown; "Unanswered Questions" by Kevin MacLeod. Sound Effects from freesound.org | Additional sound effects from freesfx.co.uk. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Joseph Colombo was a mid-ranking Mafioso in one of New York’s Five Families. But when Colombo decided to break one of the mob’s most important rules, his career began to skyrocket. The FBI took notice and Colombo, once again, made a daring move. Our Sponsors for this episode are: Best Fiends Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is ”Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; "Fog" and "Lucerna" by Sergey Cheremisinov; "Dark Alleys" and "Scenery" by Kai Engel; "Bankrupt" by Jahzzar; "Battalion" by krackatoa; “Waltz (Tchaikovsky Op. 40),” "On The Ground," "Deadly Roulette," and "Impact Moderato" by Kevin MacLeod. Sound Effects from freesound.org | Additional sound effects from freesfx.co.uk. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Valachi took the stand and revealed some of the strangest Cosa Nostra secrets - but the Mafia wouldn't stand idly by while their rules were broken. And when he had served his purpose, even the FBI couldn't keep him safe forever.  Our Sponsors this episode are:  Upstart Manscaped (code: MAFIA) Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is ”Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; “Gagool,” “Acid Jazz,” “Heart of the Beast,” “Dances and Dames,” and “Mourning Song,”  by Kevin MacLeod; “The One Great Step” by the Victor Dance Orchestra; “Angst” by Xenojam; “Golden Eye” by Daniel Birch and Ben Pegley; and “Thoughts About Future” by Parvus Decree. Sound Effects from freesound.org by Kyster, Incarnadine, and lawnjelly. Additional sound effects from freesfx.co.uk. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Joe Valachi had been in the Mafia for years, but hadn't risen much in the ranks. But when he was facing a life sentence, there was one group of people who thought he was high enough  - for information. The FBI saw in Valachi a chance to learn the mob's structure; and Valachi saw a chance to get out of jail. Our Sponsors for this episode are: LightStream Best Fiends Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is “Life” and ”Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; “Thoughts About Future” by Parvus Decree; “Gagool,” “Night on the Docks,” “Mourning Song,” “Walking Along,” “I Knew a Guy,” and “Heart of the Beast” by Kevin MacLeod. Sound Effects from freesound.org by tim.kahn, Pedaling-Prince, edwar64896, cemagar, pauliep83, and Omar-Alvarado. Additional sound effects from freesfx.co.uk. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

While Costello made his mafia money through gambling, Vito Genovese found something more lucrative: drugs. The brash and homicidal Don Vito was put in and out of exile from the United States - but when he returned at last, he went after Costello's mafia seat. And Costello, though unwilling to fight back, soon found himself on Don Vito's short hit list. Our Sponsors for this episode are: Parcast's Natural Disasters Audible (Text MAFIA to 500-500) Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is “Soldraconis” and ”Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; “Dark Alleys,” and “Imminence” by  Kai Engel; “Angst” by Xenojam; “Fading” and “Computations Altmix” by Scott Buckley; “Night on the Dock,” and “Covert Affairs”  by Kevin MacLeod; “Wastelands” by Sergey Cheremisinov; and “Like an Empty Sky” by Daniel Birch & Ben Pegley. Sound Effects from freesound.org by Soundholder, miastodzwiekow, iainmccurdy, manychefsbroth, ramston, CarlosCarty, shall555, Leoctiurs, JakLocke, Robinhood76, Castleof

Vito Genovese had been biding his time for 4 years to take over the Luciano crime family. But when an old crime came back for him, the position was taken over by Frank Costello. Costello, the Prime Minister, had high-reaching connections and an approachable bearing. Costello was an agreeable leader who got along with everyone; until Genovese came back into the picture. Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is “Soldraconis” and ”Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; “Dark Alleys” by  Kai Engel; “Hard Boiled,” and “Waltz Tschikovsky Op 40,” by Kevin MacLeod; “Like an Empty Sky” by  Daniel Birch and Ben Pegley; “Fading” by Scott Buckley; and “Fog”  by Sergey Cheremisinov. Sound Effects from freesound.org by arnaud-coutancier, kolezan, miastodzwiekow, and odditonic. Additional sound effects from freesfx.co.uk. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

After gaining fortune and notoriety, Rothstein moved from bootlegging to drug smuggling to labor racketeering. With his connections and friendly demeanor, Rothstein was able to get out of any situation, and taught the likes of Charles Luciano, Meyer Lanksy, and Dutch Schultz to do the same. But a gambler is a gambler, and at some point there are some debts you can't get out of.  Our Sponsors for this episode are: Best Fiends The Bouqs Company Upstart Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is ”Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; “Rolling at 5,” “Backed Vibes Clean,” “On the Cool Side,” “Night on the Docks,” “On the Ground,” “Deadly Roulette,” “I Knew a Guy,” by Kevin MacLeod; “daedalus” and “Snowfall” by  Kai Engel; and “Wastelands” and “Breath of Death Part 1,” by Sergey Cheremisinov. Sound Effects from freesound.org by Audionautics, konakaboom, pastabra, ceberation,  bennychico11, and bmoreno. Additional sound effects from freesfx.co.uk. Licensed under Creative Commons: By A

Before the Mafia existed, at the turn of the century, there was Arnold Rothstein, known as The Brain. Rothstein would teach an entire generation of gangsters how to organize, act like gentlemen, and interact with the upper crust. And Rothstein himself, well-connected,  could get away with almost anything - including fixing the World Series. Our Sponsors for this episode are: LightStream Audible (text MAFIA to 500-500) Pessimists Archive Podcast Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is ”Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; “Rolling at 5,” “Night on the Docks,” “On the Cool Side,” “Dances and Dames,” “On the Ground,” “Acid Jazz,” “Walking Alone,” “Faster Does It,” “Deadly Roulette,” by Kevin MacLeod; “Breath of Death Part 1,” and “Wastelands” by Sergey Cheremisinov; and “daedalus” and “Junction” by  Kai Engel. Sound Effects from freesound.org by Ellary, stereodivo, shelf-employed, AshFox,  and InspectorJ. Additional sound effects from freesfx.co.uk. Licensed under Creative Comm

Three investigators try to put together the murder of Andrei Katz with the car thievery that the DeMeo crew has been doing for years without notice. And once the cops are on the case, it spells trouble for DeMeo. With rats running rampant and family members turning informant, even DeMeo's earning power can't save him. Our Sponsors for this episode are: Best Fiends Feals CBD Parcast's Villains Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is “Life” and ”Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; “Unification on Multiplicity” by Ad Serpentae; “Backed Vibes Clean,” “Unanswered Questions,” “Night on the Docks” and “I Knew a Guy” by Kevin MacLeod; “Imminence,” “Dark Alleys,” and “River” by  Kai Engel; and “Lucerna” and “Book of Mirrors,” by Sergey Cheremisinov. Sound Effects from freesound.org by kfosse13, willybilly1984, theshaggyfreak, Leoctiurs, Ellary,  Pastabra, Dynamicell, kernschall, wertstahl, and InspectorJ. Additional sound effects from freesfx.co.uk. Licensed under Creative Commons: B

Listen to new episodes of What Makes a Killer for a look into the life and crimes of the world’s most infamous serial killers. Featuring interviews with family members, forensic experts, law enforcement, and witnesses. What Makes a Killer premieres 10/31. Subscribe to What Makes a Killer on Apple Podcasts.

From car thief to the operator of the Murder Machine, Roy DeMeo and his crew were possibly responsible for more than 200 murders in the 1970s. DeMeo made so much money for the Mafia that they would look the other way when it came to drugs, prostitution, and cruelty - but others on his crew were more disposable. Our Sponsors for this episode are: Zip Recruiter Upstart Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is "Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; “Imminence” by  Kai Engel;  "Dances and Dames," and “I Knew a Guy," by Kevin MacLeod.; “Smoke” by Rafael Archangel;  “Saturn (Lessons Learnt)” by Ars Sonor; “Unification on Multiplicity” by Ad Serpentae; “Book of Mirrors,” and “Lucerna” by Sergey Cheremisinov;  and “Burnt to a Crisp” by Daniel Birch;  Sound Effects from freesound.org by Ellary, Eelke, Pastabra, pauliep83, ximian, manychefsbroth, Huggy13ear, Nkzdra, Robinhood76, iainmccurdy, and CGEffex. Additional sound effects from freesfx.co.uk. Licensed under Creative Commons: By

With his rivals wiped out, Capone had taken over the prohibition scene in Chicago. His love of the spotlight would soon get him in trouble with the law - and a new legal loophole. Our sponsors for this episode are: Best Fiends Audible (text MAFIA to 500-500) Zip Recruiter Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is "Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; "Rollin at 5," "Acid Jazz," "Unanswered Questions," "Dances and Dames," "I Knew a Guy," by Kevin MacLeod.; "Wastelands", "Fog," "Gates" by Sergey Cheremisinov; "Angst" by Xenojam; "Like an Empty Sky" by Ben Pegley and Daniel Birch; and "Snowfall" by  Kai Engel. Sound Effects from freesound.org by CarlosCarty, thanvannispen, lawnjelly, odditonic, Dynamicell, and InspectorJ. Additional sound effects from freesfx.co.uk. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

At the height of Prohibition, Al Capone made a killing selling illegal alcohol and by making a spectacle of the gangster lifestyle. But with the booze running free and the money pouring in, his wasn't the only gang trying to get a piece of the pie. And Capone was never the sharing type. Our sponsors for this episode are: Manscaped (code: MAFIA) Lightstream Hello Fresh MDRN CBD (code: MAFIA) Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is "Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; "Angst" by Xenojam; "Backed Vibes Clean," "Dances and Dames," "Rollin at 5," "Vibe Ace," "Acid Jazz," and "Night on the Docks" by Kevin MacLeod.; "Snowfall (Intro)" by  Kai Engel; "Gates" and "Wastelands" by Sergey Cheremisinov; and "Burnt to a Crisp" by Daniel Birch.  Sound Effects from freesound.org by Kyster, cmusounddesign, unfa, FunWithSound, CosmicEmbers, Tdude9000, unchaz, Australopithecusman, Medartimus, manychefsbroth, MWLANDI, MAJ061785, pfranzen, and lonemonk. Additional sound effects from freesfx

Mafia is coming back October 16th, taking you inside the American mob from interviews with experts, law enforcement, and educators. Season 3 brings stories about the lives of Al Capone, Joe Colombo, Vito Genovese, and more. What happened at the Valentine's Day Massacre? Was the fixing of a White Sox World Series an inside job? And who was behind the Gemini Lounge's murder machine?  Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow Mafia on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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 mobsters, those willing to cooperate with authorities began to grow longer and longer. It turned out mobsters do talk about the Mafia and about others to save their own skin, even bosses. Our sponsors are Hims and Casper (CODE: MAFIA). Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is "Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; "Sonata 8, 'Pathetique' - I. Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio" by Daniel Veesey; "Thoughts About Future" by Parvus Decree. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

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 Mafia, they always expected something in return.  Our sponsor is Talkspace. Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is "Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; “Throatless” by Argiflex; “Spring Rain” by Daniel Saylor and “Last Transmission oot” by Dave Keifer. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

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 bring it down. Our sponsors for this episode are Button Man by Andrew Gross from St. Martin's Press and RobinHood. Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is "Misery" and "Life" by Damiano Baldoni; "Universe in Hands", "visium", and "Scenery" by Kai Engel; "She Wolf in My Heart" by Sergey Cheremisinov; "Dances and Dames", "Unanswered Questions," and "Cool Vibes" by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

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, and Bugsy Siegel. Our sponsor for this episode is Button Man by Andrew Gross from St. Martin's Press. Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is "Misery" and "Life" by Damiano Baldoni; "Low Horizon" by Kai Engel; "Ma Gee Katadai" and "Diya Kinduriya" by HR Jothipala; "She Wolf in My Heart" by Sergey Cheremisinov; "Unanswered Questions", "Backed Vibes Clean," and "Night at the Docks," by Kevin MacLeod; and "сеанс" by Kosta T. Sound Effects by RTB45 from freesound.org. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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 sponsors for this episode are LightStream, Hims and Indochino CODE: MAFIA. Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is "Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; “There Are Many Different Kinds of Love” and “The Theatrical Poster for Poltergeist III” by Chris Zabriskie; “I'm Not Dreaming (Instrumental Version)” by Josh Woodward; “Gagool” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

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 sponsors for this episode are Uncover: Escaping NXIVM podcast and SimpliSafe. Mafia's theme is "Spellbound Hell" by Damiano Baldoni. Music in this episode is "Misery" by Damiano Baldoni; “Hiding Your Reality”, “Nerves”, “Comfortable Mystery 2 & 3” by Kevin MacLeod. Sound Effects from freesound.org by hopflog, 14g-panska, and vibe-crc. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.