WildBlue Press author and former gangster, Frank Cullota died on August 20, 2020. Although he had a fearsome reputation from his days as a hitman for Mob boss Tony Spilotro, many others knew a different side--gentle, warm, engaging. Among them was his frequent co-author and friend Denny Griffin with whom he wrote the bestselling book, "THE RISE AND FALL OF A 'CASINO' MOBSTER: The Tony Spilotro Story Through A Hitman's Eyes." They were … [Read more...]
Author Glen Meek Talks About an Unlikely Intersection of Nuclear Testing and Organized Crime (Sort Of)
For thirty years, I covered crime and punishment as a television reporter in Las Vegas. Naturally, organized crime cases were part of that coverage. But, along with crime and courts, I also had another, very unusual beat: atomic testing. In the mid 1980s, before the US and Russia signed a treaty banning underground nuclear detonations (above ground testing had ended in 1963) there were usually several atom bomb tests each year in … [Read more...]
SHOTS IN THE DARK: The Saga Of Rocco Balliro
On a cold, winter's night in early 1963, mob enforcer Rocco Anthony Balliro and a pair of associates stormed a darkened apartment on the outskirts of Boston and engaged in a fierce gun battle with several assailants (police officers, it turned out) waiting in ambush for the ex-convict and recent prison escapee. In the aftermath, a young woman and her toddler son lay dead. The story of Rocco Balliro, a petty criminal and enforcer for New England … [Read more...]
