Speaking With Michael Franzese, Former Colombo Cosa Nostra Crime Family Captain, Motivational Speaker, Podcaster And Author

I had a most interesting conversation yesterday with former Colombo Cosa Nostra crime family caporegime (captain) Michael Franzese.

I interviewed Michael Franzese for my On Crime column in the Washington Times.

A reformed criminal, Christian, and popular podcaster on youtube.com, Michael Franzese has written an interesting book called Mafia Democracy. The book explores how elected government officials operate like mob guys.       

I'll post the column here when the Washington Times runs it. 

Former New York Times Books Editor Sam Tanenhaus On Journalism And The Art Of The Book Review

I love books. I always have. I have always had a great curiosity about all things and books can satisfy that curiosity. I also love a good story and once again books satisfy that need. 

For many years now, in addition to writing news and features on crime, espionage, terrorism and the military, I've been a book reviewer. I wrote book reviews for the Philadelphia Inquirer for a good number of years and these days my book reviews appear in the Washington Times. 

So I was interested in what former New York Times book editor had to say about the art and the journalism of the book review. Sam Tanenhaus was interviewed by Mary Gooderham at the University of Toronto. 

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Your talk this week is on “The art of the book review.” What do you look for in a good review?

It’s not simply a matter of thumbs up or thumbs down, of stating your opinion and letting people know whether you like a book. If it’s done well, it can be a really superb form of journalism. Oscar Wilde once said criticism is the highest form of autobiography, and I think really good reviewers are actually writing miniature memoirs that invite readers in to share the experience of reading a particular book or books.

You can read the rest of the interview, which also covers Sam Tanenhaus’ views on journalism in general, teaching and politics, via the below link:

https://www.utoronto.ca/news/former-new-york-times-books-editor-what-makes-great-review-and-why-us-political-coverage-needs 

Pennsylvania State Senator And Pennsylvania Democratic Party Official Charged In Vote Buying Scheme

The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

A Pennsylvania State Senator and a Pennsylvania Democratic Party Official were charged in a federal indictment for their involvement in a bribery and fraud scheme related to the 2011 election for Democratic Ward Leader for Philadelphia’s Eighth Ward. 

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement. 

Lawrence “Larry” Farnese, 47, and Ellen Chapman, 62, both of Philadelphia, were charged with conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, and violations of the Travel Act.  According to the indictment, at the time of the alleged illegal conduct, Farnese was a Pennsylvania State Senator and a candidate for Democratic Ward Leader of the Eighth Ward and Chapman was a member of the Eighth Ward Democratic Committee.

The indictment alleges that from May to December 2011, Farnese and Chapman devised a bribe scheme in which Farnese paid $6,000 to a college study-abroad program for Chapman’s daughter in exchange for Chapman’s agreement to use her position with the Eighth Ward Democratic Committee to support Farnese in the upcoming ward leader election.  According to the indictment, Chapman had originally intended to support a different candidate in the ward leader election.  The indictment also alleges that Farnese made the $6,000 payment using campaign funds and disguised the true purpose of the payment by falsely listing it as a “donation” on the campaign’s finance report. 

The charges and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Jonathan Kravis and Peter Halpern of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.  

"Trumpkins' Beware: Navigating The Trump terrain

Jennifer Rubin, a conservative columnist at the Washington Post, offers her take on Donald Trump's positions - past, present and future.

The Trumpkins put their faith in a charlatan, and now they are discovering that, well, he’s a charlatan. In the last 48 hours or so we learn:

He might just raise taxes, after all. The supply-siders who swooned over his $10T-debt-creating tax plan and didn’t bother with his trade and entitlement policies (straight liberal) may have been snookered. (Oh, and he’s flip-flopped on raising the minimum wage.)

Like an owner of a cheesy casino haggling with the banks, he thinks he can negotiate down the sovereign debt of the United States. No, really. (Question: If we aren’t going to pay off all our debt do we have enough pennies in the couch to keep NATO running?)

The populists who believed he was going to self-fund and avoid corrupting influences? Not only is that not happening but his finance director is mainly a Democratic money man. And he worked for Goldman Sachs. And he skipped out just before a bankruptcy sunk a film company in which he invested clients’ money. (“With Relativity’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing last week, those high hopes have been dashed, and Mnuchin has been left in a particularly uncomfortable position. The money-man and fellow investors in a Dune Capital fund are said to have lost as much as $80 million — equity that is almost certain to be lost for good, said two sources familiar with the situation. And disgruntled Relativity investors privately are questioning how a bank Mnuchin once headed –OneWest Bank of Pasadena – was allowed by Relativity to drain $50 million from the studio just weeks prior to the July 30 insolvency filing.”) Birds of a feather, I guess. Well, joke’s on the populists I suppose.

You can read the rest of the column via the below link:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2016/05/05/treacherous-territory-navigating-the-trump-terrain/?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_popns 

The Story Of The Only NYPD Officer Ever Sentenced To Death—100 Years Ago Today

Edward Conlon, former NYPD detective and the author of Blue Blood, offers an interesting piece at the Daily Beast that looks back at the only NYPD officer ever sentenced to death.

When it came to scandal, the Tammany leader Big Tim Sullivan said, New York was a nine-day town. But in the case of the murder of his friend Herman “Beansie” Rosenthal, a gangster and gambling house proprietor, Sullivan’s adage proved spectacularly untrue. Charles Becker, an NYPD lieutenant, was one of five men convicted of the murder, and he remains the only New York City police officer sent to the electric chair. Though the case was sensational and the conviction a travesty, Becker is little remembered today, and defended less. Both failures are all the more disgraceful because the prosecution was undertaken for a noble cause, that of political reform in general and police reform in particular. 

As with any criminal trial that is transformed into social allegory, the cause trumped the case; facts that contradicted it were held not as false but as heretical, demanding suppression instead of debate. Later generations seeking lessons from the past are likelier to dwell on episodes of clear-cut triumph or transgression. Who wants to commemorate a battle without heroes?   

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/07/30/the-story-of-the-only-nypd-officer-ever-sentenced-to-death-100-years-ago-today.html 

Welcome To Philly, Democrats. A Local's Dos And Don'ts For The Democrats Coming To Philadelphia In 2016

In light of the news that Philadelphia was selected to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Buzz Bissinger offers an amusing piece on the city at politico.com.

So Philadelphia is getting the Democratic National Convention in 2016… Given the competition—gentrified, Disney-fied, richified New York, where residents now only answer to the name of their shell corporation, and Columbus (why even consider a city in North Dakota??)—Philadelphia was a no-brainer.

 

As someone who spent the five longest years of anyone’s natural life writing a book about the city and its then-Mayor Ed Rendell, a few dos and don’ts to make the convention experience special.

... DON’T come near a cheesesteak. They are gnarly and fundamentally deranged in conception. Until you eat one. Then they are almost worth the guilt you will inevitably feel because you just ate one and likely ingested fifty or sixty thousand calories. Instead satisfy your cravings in what is America's most interesting and diverse culinary city. Try one of the many BYOBs. They are small and intimate and the food stunning and the cost reasonable.

... DO drive on the Schuylkill Expressway one night to see the twinkling lights of Boathouse Row against the backdrop of the art museum and the Fairmount Water Works and the city skyline. It is the single most spectacular view in the city. Then be prepared to die since the expressway is the worst engineered highway in history (for a real death thrill, take the South Street exit heading east and try to merge).

... DON'T refer to Philadelphia as “The City of Brotherly Love.” It’s tired and worn out and has never been remotely true. Philadelphians take great pride in their city. They are open and friendly, as long as you don’t mess with them. Same with the Eagles’ fans who once threw snowballs at a fan dressed as Santa Claus. It happened almost fifty years ago. It is also not at all representative of Eagles fans, except for the ten thousand or so still in jail for various unspeakable offenses. So don’t bring it up.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/02/democratic-convention-philadelphia-2016-115164.html#.VN7qD8t0yM9

Note: As a lifelong South Philadelphian - the main arena will be the Wells Fargo Center in South Philly, near the sports stadiums - I'm pleased for the city.

Did New York Mayor's Wife Wear Jeans To Cop's Funeral?

The Daily Mail offers the above photo and the below report:

...within hours of the funeral for Officer Wenjian Liu, pictures began to circulation on NYPD email chains and social media criticizing First Lady Chirlane McCray and were promptly turned into a series of memes, pictured. The criticism reached such a furor that City Hall issued a statement saying that the outfit was in fact a dark pants suit and cost $600 from a designer boutique.

Ten Years Ago, A Bugging At The Mayor's Office Shook Philadelphia

Craig R. McCoy and Mark Faziollah at the Philadelphia Inquirer offer a look back at the bugging of the mayor's office.

Before it all blew up, the FBI's bugging of Mayor John F. Street's City Hall office went off without a hitch.

... In perhaps the most audacious act by law enforcement in recent Philadelphia history, the FBI and federal prosecutors chose to rig Street's office with listening devices as the climax of a "
pay-to-play" investigation weeks before before Street was to stand for reelection.

It was all for naught. The FBI would not pick up a single conversation, incriminating or otherwise, before someone leaked word of the bug to the Street administration. A top aide to the mayor then instructed the police commissioner to sweep the office for listening devices.

Ten years ago Monday, Philadelphia police pulled down the small bug from the ceiling of Street's office, revealing the massive federal investigation.

The news was a bombshell. It rocked the electorate and triggered a tumultuous week rivaled for governmental chaos in recent memory only by the aftermath of the MOVE bombing. The furor grew as FBI agents fanned out across the region, raiding city offices, businesses and homes and handing out a blizzard of federal subpoenas.

You can read the rest of the story via the below link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20131006_Ten_years_ago__a_bugging_at_the_mayor_s_office_shook_Philadelphia.html

You can also read my Crime Beat column on the subject via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2010/07/politicians-dubious-prison-sentence-bug.html