In this episode, we talk with Ray Franze author of ‘The Heights.’

The Heights is a historical mob fiction novel based upon the early days a very real and powerful crew of Italians in Chicago Heights, Illinois that became one of the most powerful, but least well-known, crews in the Chicago Outfit (as well as nationally).

Fox News Chicago has called The Heights “A masterful dive into mob history.”

• Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Heights-Ray-Franze/dp/1955058083
• Blue Handle Publishing: https://www.bluehandlepublishing.com/ray-franze
• Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theheightsnovel/
• Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@writerrayfranze

Here is a brief synopsis of the book:

“FALL IN LINE, OR FALL IN A GRAVE

After 30 years of research and scouring 5,000 pages of FBI files, The Heights was born. Inspired by true events and racketeers who ruthlessly fought their way into Al Capone's inner circle and expanded organized crime across the American West.

It's hard to believe Sal Liparello has survived long enough to enjoy a midday scotch on his California tomato farm.

The sixty-something crime boss from Chicago Heights helped take out Sicilian gangs, advised Al Capone on some of his biggest moves, and rubbed elbows with the Kennedys, Sinatra, and Marilyn Monroe - all while avoiding the likes of Eliot Ness and J. Edgar Hoover.

But as he surveys the fruits of his labor, Sal also remembers the cost of staying above ground and out of prison.

And all those decisions are about to catch up with him.”

In the episode, we dive deep into the book and talk about:

• The characters and their backgrounds
• The process of mixing real history within a fictional novel following a single character
• The question of historical fiction versus non-fiction writing
• The writing process and getting published
• Weaving in real characters such as Al Capone, Tony Accardo, and even Eliot Ness

Additionally, we dig deep into the real history behind ‘The Heights’ to discuss the real-life counterparts of some of the characters within the books. We discuss the origins of the Chicago Heights crew and how they eventually joined forces with Al Capone to become a part of the larger Chicago Outfit in the 1920's and beyond.

We also discuss their exploits and their potential part in planning the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Mentioned in this episode are:

• Francesco Lipperatti (also known by the name “Frank LaPorte”)
• Vincenzo Ameratti (also known by the name “Jimmy Emery”)
• Dominico Roberto (also known by the name “Dominic Roberto”)

These three men were the core leaders of the Chicago Heights crew in the 1920's that murdered their way to the top of Chicago Heights, formed partnerships with Al Capone and eventually were brought into the Chicago Outfit under Capone. They ran bootlegging in what Eliot Ness dubbed “the second wettest city in America” behind Cicero, Illinois, and provided shooters and brains whenever Capone needed them.

These three men ran Chicago Heights for the Outfit from the 1920's into the early 1970's before the crew was taken over by younger (and more violent) elements of the family. Yet, their history and relative importance in the national crime syndicate is relatively unknown.

Additional source: https://www.myalcaponemuseum.com/id193.htm

In this episode, we continue the “State of the Mafia (1967)” series. If you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to go back and watch ‘The State of the Mafia: Part One’ “The rules that hold us together” as it will be a very good primer for this episode’s content.

I’m calling this show ‘The State of the Mafia (1967): Part Two’ “Life or Death Obligations.” Like the first part of this series, this report will jump around a lot, but in the end I think you’ll still enjoy it, and hopefully it teaches you “a couple of three things.”

Okay, so let’s reset the stage here.

This 1967 FBI report, which we began to cover in Part One (again, go watch or listen to it first if you haven’t), is a veritable gold-mine of information. The aim at the time of creation was focused on providing an overall picture of LCN membership and activities throughout the United States as things stood in 1967. The report was declassified in 1996.

The originator of the report was a man named Robert G. O’Neil, and the report itself was submitted to the FBI Director at the time, one J. Edgar Hoover.

Sometimes in the course of historical research, you just find things that are simply too good not to share. In this case, I found this report by accident, got to reading it, and was very much enthralled by it. And based on the responses in the first episode (a 96% approval rating on YouTube), I think it’s worth continuing.

In Part One, I covered the following topics:

• The historical background of the Mafia and where it came from

• The ‘Commission,’ its members and purpose

• Organizational structure, terminology, qualifications and admission to membership

• Initiation rites and the differences between regions and families in ‘making’ ceremonies

In this episode, we’re going to continue along that track and get into:

• Membership obligations

• Advantages of La Cosa Nostra membership

• Security measures

• Transfers of Members

For the sake of time, we’ll stop this episode after transfers of members.

The report in its entirety will likely require four parts in total to fully cover, and will be linked in the description of the episode. Again, it contains references to 50+ cities and 196 informants in total. So, it’s a massive dossier and treasure trove of information on the Mafia.

Link to full report: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=113324#relPageId=21

There are many different families, individual mobsters, and stories referenced in this episode. The episode bounces from the "who's who" of the American Mafia, to several lesser known characters, citing informant reports that were geared on teaching the FBI about the Mafia back in the 1960's.

And now, I'm bringing this information to your doorstep.

We talk with Giovanni Rocco, a former deep cover agent for the FBI, is responsible for taking down the American Mob organization commonly referred to by the media as “The Real Sopranos.”

During Operation Charlie Horse, Giovanni infiltrated the DeCavalcante crime family based in New Jersey and personally gathered enough evidence to prosecute and convict several high-ranking members and associates of the crime family. This action, while bolstering his legend in the undercover world, ultimately led to early retirement and the relocation of his family.

During his decades-long career as an undercover for the federal government, he successfully infiltrated outlaw motorcycle gangs, domestic and international terror organizations and the Mafia. Drawing from his service in law enforcement in various positions, Giovanni now shares his expertise with law enforcement, military and intelligence units worldwide.

More recently, he has become the host of the show, “Inside the Life” along with co-host Dutch McAlpin, produced by The Mob Museum, where they give listeners a one-of-a-kind look into the inner world of organized crime, featuring guests who have lived on both sides of the law.

In addition to his work as a subject matter expert and host of a successful YouTube show, Giovanni is also an author. He released his autobiography entitled, “Giovanni’s Ring: My Life Inside the Real Sopranos” released in February of 2021. I’ll leave the link in the description of the episode, and if you’d like, you can get a signed copy from Giovanni himself. Definitely a must have book for your collection.

Giovanni’s experiences have been featured in The Washington Times, the New York Post, and more.

This is his story in his own words.

Episode chapters and timestamps:

00:00 Start

01:27 Opening Remarks

03:36 Interview Begins

04:38 Growing up in Bayonne, New Jersey

06:40 Influence of the Mafia in Bayonne

08:32 Giovanni's family and upbringing

12:09 The influence of violence and the draw of the streets

16:03 Going from "Black Sheep" to becoming a police officer

18:28 The importance of the law enforcement oath

21:06 Giovanni's early law enforcement career

24:09 Working in extremely violent areas of New Jersey

27:35 Dealing with fear on the job

29:56 Were neighborhoods safer when the mob was in control?

31:47 Becoming an undercover operative

33:26 Undercover work and the element of truth

37:10 Physical tells and how they may betray an undercover operative

39:38 Balancing relationships and family life with undercover work

45:55 Introducing Giovanni Gatto (the alter ego)

48:50 The art of evasiveness

50:45 'Operation Charlie Horse' begins

55:19 Meeting Luigi 'Lui the Dog' Oliveri, alleged made member of the DeCavalcante Crime Family

55:52 Getting an introduction to Charlie 'The Hat' Stango, Capo in the DeCavalcante Crime Family

57:08 Getting to know Charlie 'The Hat' Stango

59:06 How 'Operation Charlie Horse' progressed

01:00:00 The Mafia's approach to vetting Giovanni

01:04:35 Walking the legal line as an undercover

01:06:09 Facing dangerous situations as an undercover

01:08:20 Nearly getting caught by The DeCav's

01:13:10 Nearly getting caught, the infamous bridge story

01:16: 15 Nearly getting caught, the soccer game

01:17:12 The end of 'Operation Charlie Horse'

01:18:41 Giovanni gets a contract to kill

01:20:40 The leadership of the DeCavalcante Family during Giovanni's undercover work

01:21:58 The possibility of faking a 'hit'

01:24:40 Early retirement and beginning work with training and development for law enforcement and military personnel

01:32:45 Doing the 'Inside the Life' podcast for The Mob Museum

01:39:25 Closing remarks