This led to the arrest of Featherstone on a murder charge. Coonan decided to remove his gangs debt by murdering Stein. Those who chose Coonan were immune from these harsh activities because Spillanes gang was on the run and unable to retaliate. Holstein lived it largehe owned many luxury cars, had two swanky apartments in New Yorks Harlem area, a house on Long Island and thousands of acres of land in the state of Virginia. He got involved with the Milano family out there, and Jimmy Caci, and was huge into the cocaine and porn business in the late 80's and early 90's. Wore a wire during the Colombo wars against Teddy Persico Jr and Luchese capo John Baudanza. Home Crime Library Organized Crime James Coonan James Coonan was born December 21, 1946 in Manhattan, New York. The Irish Mob: Mickey Spillane And Jimmy Coonan Younger The Elder 3.57K subscribers Subscribe 27K views 3 years ago This episode explores the lives of Mickey Spillane, known as "the last of the. According to lore, the carton contained Dugan's penis, which was later rumored to have been placed in a pickle jar and kept in a refrigerator. In 1980, the Secret Service put Featherstone in jail for using fake currency at a massage parlor. Two, he made his money via illegal gambling. Among other members of the Westies arrested were Jimmy McElroy, a top enforcer, who was sentenced to 60 years and Richard Ritter, a loan shark and drug dealer, who was sentenced to 40 years. Dont forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. Having left his native California (after a stint, like many Japanese Americans, in an internment camp in the 40s), Eto moved to Chicago in 1949. Although Coonan wounded no one, Spillane understood that the younger hoodlum was not to be taken lightly. Instead of a cross, she hid an inverted pentagram in a flower engraved into the stone. Coonan and Ryan will never see the light of day (Sean Ryan wasn't a Westies anyways). The association between Italian Americans and the Mafia is as strong as the association between Italian Americans and pizza. Nobody hustles like the Hump Capone said. Adler is also producing the latter, which Matt Cirulnick is adapting from the bestselling T.J. English book about organized crime in Cuba in the 1950s. Coonan was incarcerated and began serving a 75-year prison term in 1988. What prison is he in? He left for England and acquired an English accent years ago. When you consider that the same guy also fought for the US-backed rebels in the botched Bay of Pigs invasion, got imprisoned for 2 years by the Cubans before fleeing back to the US to forge a criminal empire I mean, why are we only getting a movie now? Along with Bouras, Curro was also killed whilst Martonaro and Blavat escaped with minor injuries. He would usually tell neighborhood youths about his criminal escapades from his violent past interjected with humor that left his audience laughing. reddit. Upon his return, Coonan and Cummiskey instructed him to leave the bar and get rid of the contents of the carton. The tome, published two decades ago, centers on the rise to power of the Westies gang during the 1970s and 80s in the Hells Kitchen section of Manhattan. A Westie named John Bokun went to Hollys bar and shot him. By his teenage years, Coonan stood five feet, seven inches tall and had a stocky build, with broad shoulders and a thick neck. Because the construction site was in Hell's Kitchen that made it Mickey Spillane's territory, but, the Genovese family front boss Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno did not like that, so, he sent a freelance Irish hit man from Queens by name of Joseph "Mad Dog" Sullivan to get rid of some of Spillane's main men. Spillane was the mob boss who ran Hells Kitchen and was said to have pistol whipped Coonans father before kidnapping and beating him. James Michael Coonan (born December 21, 1946), nicknamed "Jimmy C", is an Irish-American mobster and racketeer from Manhattan, New York who, served as the boss of the Westies gang, an Irish mob group based in Hell's Kitchen, from approximately 1977 to 1988. Top 10 Movies About Italians That Dont Involve The Mafia. Dont worry pop, Im all right, Bokun shouted across the courtroom before being led back to jail. Last edited on 22 September 2022, at 01:02, Learn how and when to remove this template message, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Cummiskey&oldid=1111624835, This page was last edited on 22 September 2022, at 01:02. Coonan and a number of the Westies gang owed money to a popular Jewish loan shark named Ruby Stein. Jimmy Coonan is currently being held at Lewisburg Federal Penetentiary, he is 59 years old and is Inmate Number 13874-054 his projected release date is November 6th, 2036, he'll be like 89 or some shit if he lives that long. Dugan took the jest as a personal insult and stormed out on his friend. He opened up the gang to the lucrative drug dealing rackets as well as continuing extortion, numbers, loansharking and counterfeiting rackets in the area. After four weeks of testimony Coonan was found guilty of racketeering and was sentenced to 60 years in prison. He got a sweet deal in a pea bargain and was released in late 1971 and continued his war on Mickey Spillane. Shady doings, ambitious heists and international political skulduggery are elements covered by great journalists like Vojislav Stanimirovic. This Serbian mobster turned journo was an arch opportunist, driven in part by the love he held for his native Serbia, (along with his love of stealing shiny objects). [10], He and his wife Edna (b.1942; Julia Edna Crotty) lived in Hazlet and Keansburg, New Jersey, before his incarceration. In the 1970s Coonan worked as an enforcer and bodyguard for loanshark named Ruby Stein. Shondor Birns managed to survive the 'golden age' of gangster historythe 20s and 30sand succeeded in the equally violent 50s and 60s. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Privacy Policy. During the early 1970s, Cummiskey took on a young protg by the name of James "Jimmy C" Coonan, a violent younger generation Irish hoodlum who wanted to take out the old-timer Mickey Spillane. Allegedly, they brought the head of Dugan with them, set it down on the bar stool, ordered his favorite whiskey, lit one of his cigarettes and put it in his mouth. During the early 1970s, Coonan recruited a gang of young Irish hoods and they began kidnapping, beating, and murdering any Spillane loyalists. The Genovese crime family took over Spillanes construction business, and all of his organized crime businesses, and from that point on the Genovese crime family also ruled all of Hells Kitchen with an iron fist. Feb 9, 2019 - Rare pic of Club 596 / Jimmy Coonan (The Westies) headquarters. It would also see a string of gang members turn on their former friends too, Jimmy McElroy, Billy Beatie and Tony Lucich being the main ones Jimmy Coonan was sentenced to 75 years in prison on racketeering charges, including seven murders and other crimes. In 1920, the still blew up as Birns mother was near it and killed her, leaving young Shondor to first have to live in a Jewish orphanage before eventually being taken in by his grandmother. Mickey Featherstone was a complete nut case. But that simply is not the whole story. Hell's Kitchen ~ West Manhatten Mickey Spillane, known as "the last of the gentleman gangsters," and Jimmy Coonan, who led the much-feared Westies.The Westie. Despite being innocent of this particular murder, he was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison. In September 1986, Judge Alvin Schlesinger overturned Featherstones conviction in the murder of Michael Holly. Jimmy Coonan's nephew, John "Jackie" Coonan jr. runs things in the Kitchen. Thats the nightmare of RICO (the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act).. Learn how your comment data is processed. This new friendship was not to Spillane's liking; however, he did not act on his anger as he did not yet want to risk severing ties with Cummiskey, one of his heaviest hitters. There is a documentary somewhere on YouTube from the early 90s where Mickey is in disguise but talks about his days in the Westies. The hit was probably ordered by his greatest rival, famous Florida gangster Santo Trafficante Sr.[10]. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Biography [ edit] He was released from the mental hospital 4 years later. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Featherstone became upset with the direction the Westies were headed and confronted Coonan about his problems. Coonan's niece Alberta Sachs was party to the murder, providing the knives and helping with the cleanup. He was the brother of Margaret Kagabines, Elaine McCue, Joan Ferrick, Patricia Baeza, Bernard, Robert, Lawrence and Paul. Unfortunately we do not know the nature of their meeting, but we do know that usually any person dragged into a meeting with Capone wouldnt leave with his legs intact (and may even leave through the back door in a carpet). Related Posts: Richie Ryan; Rudy Giulliani Quote; Cadillac Frank; A Rare Photo of Egan's Rats Leaders; Phillips is a storyteller, actor and writer living in rural West Wales. Part of the estate was reputedly used as a firing range by members of the Flying Dragons, honing their accuracy with machine guns. In 1969, Police arrested Coonan on kidnapping and murder beefs. This murder between friends rocked the entire neighborhood, violent as it was known for being. He was operating under the blessing of the Chicago Outfit for decades until, in 1983, the FBI uncovered Etos illegal bolito game. After Coonan took over as boss of the Westies, he had Stein murdered to gain control of his gambling and loansharking customers. He passed away in 2004. He was born on the upper West Side and his mother worked with the VFW and his father was a U. S. Customs officer. They are also the actions of a dirty, low-down career criminal like Vojislav Stanimirovic. Two of Coonan's hoods were Dennis "Rhinestone Cowboy" Curley and Patrick (Padd)y Dugan, both lifelong best friends. One of the most compelling characters in HBOs prohibition-era drama Boardwalk Empire was Dr. Valentin Narcisse, a Marcus Garvey-supporting pillar of his community that also indulges in some nefarious gangster behaviour, portrayed by the amazing Jeffrey Wright . Featherstone plead guilty to one racketeering charge and was soon released for his cooperation. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Android | RSS | More, Jimmy Coonan brought the Westies into the 20th Century and presided over the most bloody and violent gang in New York City history. An off-duty policeman in the bar saw John Bokun shoot Michael Holly, then he shot and killed John Bokun. Famous for his part in the 1971 robbery at the Villa Vizacaya in Florida that saw an estimated $1.5 million worth of art and silver objects, including a priceless silver bowl once owned by Napoleon Bonaparte, Stanimirovic paid his dues to society and went on to write for a living. About The Author: C.J. His wife Edna was given 15 years. During the 70s and 80s, he became the leader of The Corporationa sprawling crime/business empire that consisted of bolita games across the US eastern seaboard as well as holdings in Peruvian casinos and a host of investments in legitimate businesses. Roy DeMeo was a close friend of James Coonan and as a favor to Coonan he found Spillane and murdered him. Feb 9, 2019 - Rare pic of Club 596 / Jimmy Coonan (The Westies) headquarters. by John L. Coonan. The way he became part of Al Capones Chicago Outfit is pretty amazing, tantalisingly lacking in enough key info to render the tale legendary as opposed to simply a footnote in mob history. Jimmie Grayson Coan (Bobba to her family) was born on January 2, 1935 in Charleston, Arkansas to Joseph and Rena Pritchett. [8][9] Coonan was first eligible for parole in 1998. Cummiskey was murdered by hitman Joseph Sullivan on August 20, 1976, in a bar. The Westies murdered Stein, dismembered him, and threw the remains in the Hudson River. In May 1977, Jimmy Coonan owed a substantial amount of money to loan shark Ruby Stein and decided to forgive his own debt by murdering Stein. James Michael Coonan (born December 21, 1946), nicknamed "Jimmy C", is an Irish-American mobster and racketeer from Manhattan, New York who, served as the boss of the Westies gang, an Irish mob group based in Hell's Kitchen, from approximately 1977 to 1988. He set up a numbers game and quickly started raking in the big bucks$200,000 a week, with $3000 finding its way into the pockets of corrupt cops that allowed Eto to prosper. An eighth defendant was acquitted of all charges as the five-month trial ended. If your enemies catch you, your face will get blown off. Duing this time, Jimmy Coonan was in jail on gun possession charges. Gmail. Coonan, 41, was found guilty of attempted murder, murder conspiracy, loansharking, extortion and income tax evasion among other crimes. Its just a matter of the government, piling it all together. Johnny Eng, AKA Onionhead or Machinegun Johnny, was the leader of the Flying Dragons street gang in the 1980s, controlling heroin in the Chinatown area of New York. It was not long before the feared Cummiskey favored working for Coonan over Spillane. . Later that evening, Paddy Dugan came across Dennis Curley walking around the streets of Hell's Kitchen and shot Curley twice in the head, killing him instantly. Apr 01, 2003 #15. The gang then tipped the cops thatFeatherstone killed Holly. Afraid that Eto would turn states witness, the mob decided to take him out. Out of all the things he did, cutting hands off and saving body parts etc. Jimmy Coonan (1977-1986)- Jimmy Coonan led the most violent Irish gang Hell's Kitchen and New York has ever seen. NEW YORK (AP) _ Seven people were convicted Wednesday on federal racketeering charges for taking part in the violent activities of a murderous gang known as the Westies, which terrorized Manhattans Hells Kitchen neighborhood for 20 years. From time to time, the Westies worked for the Gambino crime family as a contract killer squad. [6][7], In 1979, Coonan was tried and acquitted for the murder of Harold Whitehead, but convicted on weapons charges and sentenced to four years in federal prison. Defense lawyers had contended that there was no such organization as the Westies. Coonan joined with the Italiansbecause Spillane had refused the Mafias efforts to control criminal activities in and around the Jacob Javits convention center. A member of the Westies forgot to deflate the lungs before throwing the torso in and Steins torso washed up on shore and was found a few days later. Mr Anonymous Jul 01, 2010 #2 Kevin Kelly is out now. I hope you enjoyed, please subscribe if you did! Thats my son there.. The Irish-American gang led by Jimmy Coonan and Francis (Mickey) Featherstone aligned itself with the Gambino crime family and enforced its racketeering schemes with a campaign of murder and.
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