Mobbed Up: The Fight for Las Vegas

Mobbed Up chronicles the rise and fall of organized crime in Las Vegas through the eyes of those who lived it: mobsters, law enforcement officials, politicians, journalists, and Las Vegas Strip icons. From back alleys to bank vaults, dimly lit basements to the neon glow of Las Vegas, the Review-Journal in partnership with the Mob Museum will guide listeners through the 20th-century criminal underworlds of Chicago, Kansas City, Detroit, and Las Vegas. Season 2 Description: It was an unforgettable era in the fight against organized crime in Las Vegas. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mafia crime families wielded hidden control over more than a third of the Strip’s casinos, and federal and state agents were waking up to the enormous task of pushing them out. Season Two of “Mobbed Up: The Fight for Las Vegas,” an eight-part true-crime series, examines the Aladdin Hotel‘s pivotal role, and how entertainment giants Wayne Newton and Johnny Carson battled to buy the resort after the state banned its owners. The series also looks at the mysterious disappearance of Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa, whose mob-connected union pension fund loaned millions of dollars to Strip casinos and opened doors for organized crime. You’ll get an inside look at an unprecedented war between federal prosecutors pursuing the mob and Nevada’s two federal judges, who questioned their tactics. And you’ll see how the FBI struck a deal with a notorious brothel baron to accuse one of those judges, Harry Claiborne, of taking bribes, and how it led to the judge’s impeachment by Congress.

Mafia is an Audioboom Original that delves into the criminal underworld, exploring the lives and careers of America’s most infamous gangsters.

Mobbed Up chronicles the rise and fall of organized crime in Las Vegas through the eyes of those who lived it: mobsters, law enforcement officials, politicians, journalists, and Las Vegas Strip icons. From back alleys to bank vaults, dimly lit basements to the neon glow of Las Vegas, the Review-Journal in partnership with the Mob Museum will guide listeners through the 20th-century criminal underworlds of Chicago, Kansas City, Detroit, and Las Vegas. Season 2 Description: It was an unforgettable era in the fight against organized crime in Las Vegas. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mafia crime families wielded hidden control over more than a third of the Strip’s casinos, and federal and state agents were waking up to the enormous task of pushing them out. Season Two of “Mobbed Up: The Fight for Las Vegas,” an eight-part true-crime series, examines the Aladdin Hotel‘s pivotal role, and how entertainment giants Wayne Newton and Johnny Carson battled to buy the resort after the state banned its owners. The series also looks at the mysterious disappearance of Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa, whose mob-connected union pension fund loaned millions of dollars to Strip casinos and opened doors for organized crime. You’ll get an inside look at an unprecedented war between federal prosecutors pursuing the mob and Nevada’s two federal judges, who questioned their tactics. And you’ll see how the FBI struck a deal with a notorious brothel baron to accuse one of those judges, Harry Claiborne, of taking bribes, and how it led to the judge’s impeachment by Congress.

Mobbed Up chronicles the rise and fall of organized crime in Las Vegas through the eyes of those who lived it: mobsters, law enforcement officials, politicians, journalists, and Las Vegas Strip icons. From back alleys to bank vaults, dimly lit basements to the neon glow of Las Vegas, the Review-Journal in partnership with the Mob Museum will guide listeners through the 20th-century criminal underworlds of Chicago, Kansas City, Detroit, and Las Vegas. Season 2 Description: It was an unforgettable era in the fight against organized crime in Las Vegas. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mafia crime families wielded hidden control over more than a third of the Strip’s casinos, and federal and state agents were waking up to the enormous task of pushing them out. Season Two of “Mobbed Up: The Fight for Las Vegas,” an eight-part true-crime series, examines the Aladdin Hotel‘s pivotal role, and how entertainment giants Wayne Newton and Johnny Carson battled to buy the resort after the state banned its owners. The series also looks at the mysterious disappearance of Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa, whose mob-connected union pension fund loaned millions of dollars to Strip casinos and opened doors for organized crime. You’ll get an inside look at an unprecedented war between federal prosecutors pursuing the mob and Nevada’s two federal judges, who questioned their tactics. And you’ll see how the FBI struck a deal with a notorious brothel baron to accuse one of those judges, Harry Claiborne, of taking bribes, and how it led to the judge’s impeachment by Congress.

Mobbed Up chronicles the rise and fall of organized crime in Las Vegas through the eyes of those who lived it: mobsters, law enforcement officials, politicians, journalists, and Las Vegas Strip icons. From back alleys to bank vaults, dimly lit basements to the neon glow of Las Vegas, the Review-Journal in partnership with the Mob Museum will guide listeners through the 20th-century criminal underworlds of Chicago, Kansas City, Detroit, and Las Vegas. Season 2 Description: It was an unforgettable era in the fight against organized crime in Las Vegas. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mafia crime families wielded hidden control over more than a third of the Strip’s casinos, and federal and state agents were waking up to the enormous task of pushing them out. Season Two of “Mobbed Up: The Fight for Las Vegas,” an eight-part true-crime series, examines the Aladdin Hotel‘s pivotal role, and how entertainment giants Wayne Newton and Johnny Carson battled to buy the resort after the state banned its owners. The series also looks at the mysterious disappearance of Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa, whose mob-connected union pension fund loaned millions of dollars to Strip casinos and opened doors for organized crime. You’ll get an inside look at an unprecedented war between federal prosecutors pursuing the mob and Nevada’s two federal judges, who questioned their tactics. And you’ll see how the FBI struck a deal with a notorious brothel baron to accuse one of those judges, Harry Claiborne, of taking bribes, and how it led to the judge’s impeachment by Congress.

Season 2 of “Mobbed Up: The Fight for Las Vegas,” an eight-part, true-crime series, takes you to the late 1970s and early 1980s, an unforgettable era in the battle against organized crime in Las Vegas. Mafia families wielded hidden control over more than a third of the Strip's casinos, and federal and state agents were waking up to the enormous task of pushing them out. This series is produced by the Las Vegas Review-Journal in partnership with The Mob Museum. For more information visit, www.reviewjournal.com/mobbedup.

This week, Mobbed Up host Reed Redmond and Mob Museum VP of Exhibits of Programs Geoff Schumacher hosted 'Mobbed Up Live,' which aired on the Las Vegas Review-Journal website and Facebook page. The livestream included panel discussions with voices from the podcast, as well as a follow-up interview with Sen. Harry Reid about his time on the Nevada Gaming Commission.  Full video of 'Mobbed Up Live' is available at www.reviewjournal.com or on the Las Vegas Review-Journal Facebook page.

Don't miss 'Mobbed Up Live,' streaming tonight, Aug. 4, on the Las Vegas Review-Journal Facebook page. Visit https://www.facebook.com/reviewjournal/ at 7 p.m. to watch the live event, which will feature new stories from many of the voices you've heard throughout the series. 

"I'm probably the only guy standing right now."  Decades after it was at the center of a federal racketeering case, the aging Stardust hotel-casino is imploded to make way for a new resort project. Meanwhile, Frank Cullotta has returned to living under his own name in Las Vegas.    Join us for Mobbed Up LIVE on Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. Pacific on the Las Vegas Review-Journal Facebook page. Send your questions in advance to rredmond@reviewjournal.com.    For more on this episode, visit www.reviewjournal.com/mobbedup. For more on the Mob Museum, visit www.themobmuseum.org. 

"They didn't care if you were a mobster or a corporate executive or a politician or a federal agent."  When Frank Cullotta arrived in Las Vegas in 1978, one of his first stops was The Golden Steer Steakhouse, where he and Tony Spilotro sat down to discuss their plans for the future over dinner. The restaurant's current owner, Dr. Michael J. Signorelli, shares a few tales from the Steer's storied past. To learn more about The Golden Steer, or to order online, visit www.goldensteerlasvegas.com.

“He always said if you pull a gun on somebody, you finish it.”  Tony Spilotro goes missing in June of 1986, last seen driving away from his brother's home in suburban Illinois. Over two decades later, a racketeering trial in Chicago reveals what happened after that. For more on this episode, visit www.reviewjournal.com/mobbedup. To learn about The Mob Museum, visit www.themobmuseum.org.

"You never become a rat." Following their arrests for attempted robbery of a home furnishings store in Las Vegas, Frank Cullotta and five other members of the "Hole in the Wall Gang" face steep prison sentences. Loyalty wears thin, and the FBI sees an opportunity. For more on this episode, visit www.reviewjournal.com/mobbedup. To learn about The Mob Museum, visit www.themobmuseum.org.

"Las Vegas was the last thing on our mind." In the spring of 1978, the FBI’s Organized Crime Squad in Kansas City placed microphones in a restaurant, hoping to pick up information about local mob activity. Instead, they picked up on something far bigger: casino skimming operations in Las Vegas. For more on this episode, visit www.reviewjournal.com/mobbedup. To learn about The Mob Museum, visit www.themobmuseum.org.

“This was the end of organized crime in Las Vegas.” In 1978, mob-connected thief Frank Cullotta moves from Chicago to Las Vegas to work alongside his childhood friend, reputed Las Vegas mob enforcer Tony Spilotro. When he arrives, Frank says his first assignment was to put together a crew of guys⁠—a crew that would soon earn a reputation as one of the most prolific burglary outfits in the country. For more on this episode, visit www.reviewjournal.com/mobbedup. To learn about The Mob Museum, visit www.themobmuseum.org.

"Now I’m getting this directly from, you know, Cleanface. You follow me?" In 1977, future Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was appointed chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission. Before long, Reid would find himself battling bribery accusations, working with the FBI on a sting operation and going toe-to-toe with Chicago mob associate Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal at licensing hearings. For more on this episode, visit www.reviewjournal.com/mobbedup. To learn about The Mob Museum, visit www.themobmuseum.org.