Бесплатный фрагмент - Mafia boss

THE PREFACE

Take a look at yourself! It’s terrifying to look in the mirror and realize you’re just another cog in a vast machine, isn’t it? Life feels like a game where ordinary workers play by the rules, hoping for the best, only to end up stuck. They try to do the right thing, yet life keeps screwing them over. The working class has hit a dead end: they play by the rules and still lose — because they’re playing someone else’s game. You tried to do the right thing, but the cards were clearly stacked against you. Your job has become a monotonous routine, and despite your efforts, success seems out of reach.

Sometimes you question whether it was even worth it to stay honest and follow the rules especially when others break them with ease and still get ahead. You followed the «right» path, yet fate hasn’t been kind. The world is ruthless, and you’re stuck in a reality where the old rules no longer work. But despite all this, you keep going — maybe because there’s something deeper within you. Maybe there’s a spark of creativity, or a hunger for change, that keeps you alive in this long journey. You realize that taking risks and moving forward is the only way to unlock your true potential. Perhaps it’s your inner fire and drive for something greater that keeps you from giving up — that keeps you walking forward even when the odds are against you. So instead of becoming a prisoner of circumstance, you use your inner strength as fuel for a bold and creative approach to life. That could lead to unexpected discoveries, new opportunities, and maybe even a shift in the game itself in your favor.

I can show you how to gain the power, money, and respect that you’ve been denied for far too long. It’s all in this book: the tactics of the world’s most powerful bosses — those who became masters of their own fate, one shot at a time. Of course, this life isn’t for everyone. But by following their example, you’ll learn to use their tools — and you will become rich.

Chapter I GET A DREAM JOB

If I say «mafia boss,» who comes to mind? A mafia boss is someone who knows how to beat the system. A mafia boss is, essentially, the CEO of an organization. A big one. A very big one. And they rake in money by the shovel. When problems arise, they handle them in different ways: with fear, ruthlessness, cunning. Giants of the criminal underworld, managing operations worth $20 billion a year, they understand the value of the right connections and a diversified portfolio: extortion, drugs, gambling, kidnappings, fraud, racketeering, murder. Before you become a boss, you need to follow the manual — climb the corporate ladder. But not many have risen as high, and as fast, as the son of a Brooklyn barber who grew up to become a real gangster.

Al Capone an American gangster of Italian descent operated in Chicago during the 1920s–30s. Under the cover of a furniture business and dry-cleaning shops, he ran bootlegging, gambling, and prostitution rackets, while also engaging in charity work (he opened a network of free soup kitchens for unemployed citizens). A vivid representative of organized crime in the U.S. during Prohibition and the Great Depression, born and bred under the influence of the Italian mafia, he was the head of its Chicago branch. By the time he turned thirty, he was already the king of Chicago’s criminal world. He ran a massive criminal empire earning $100 million, leaving behind piles of corpses in the Windy City.

And the way he started that’s your first lesson in self-improvement. Do you want the kind of success that comes with being the boss? Ready to start building your own empire?

LESSON 1. UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL

To become a successful mafia boss, you need to have drive and ambition. You have to be smart, know how to motivate those around you, and sometimes intimidate people just enough to keep them on edge. Like in any other field, developing these skills requires hard practice and a focused approach. The guys who were drawn to the mafia were looking for a way to succeed. They didn’t have an education, they didn’t get into college, and they wondered who would value their skills in robbery and violence. The answer came to them instantly: they needed to join the mafia. As is well known, many criminal masterminds showed their potential from an early age.

The future boss of the New York mafia, John Gotti, had been arrested five times before he turned twenty-one. As a child, he nearly lost his toes to a cement mixer he was trying to steal, which gave him his signature walk. Sicilian mafia boss Salvatore Riina took part in his first murder when he was eighteen. He helped kill a union member who had publicly shamed Riina’s boss. The founder of the Medellín cartel, Pablo Escobar, as a teenager, made his teacher proud by selling fake diplomas and report cards. A young Al Capone also turned out to be a gifted student of the criminal arts. He was born into an immigrant family. His father, who arrived in the country first, worked as a barber. Back in Italy, the family made pasta. Al Capone wasn’t born into a family of criminals — America made him a gangster. While in school, he had good grades, but he dropped out in the sixth grade, either because of a fight with a teacher or simply because he got bored and wanted to earn money.

Soon, Al found the perfect outlet for his entrepreneurial spirit. One birthday, his father gave him what every kid dreams of — a shoeshine kit. While waiting for clients, Al noticed another, more profitable hustle being run by a local gangster named Giuseppe Balsamo (Batista). Giuseppe was the mafia boss around the 1920s. According to some versions, Balsamo was a true mafioso from Sicily who came to Brooklyn in 1895 to organize the mafia there. He became the first «Godfather» of Brooklyn. It’s believed that early New York mafia legends like Giuseppe Morello, Frank Yale, and Vito Cascioferro all operated under his guidance. But that’s just one of many versions, although the most credible one. Batista spent most of his time fighting the Irish at the docks, passionately trying to bring them under his control. He was also successfully involved in racketeering.

Young Capone witnessed one of Batista and his crew’s shakedowns of a local shopkeeper. Capone was impressed and inspired. The next day, he hired two of his cousins to help a business crush its competitors. Al told the boy shining shoes on the next street over that if he didn’t want trouble, he’d have to pay. Those who did racketeering had street smarts. This shows that Al was resourceful. He had ambition, ideas, and the kind of business instinct that’s vital in a life of crime. It’s one thing to show you’ve got the guts to succeed, but you’ll never become a mafia boss if you don’t know which direction to go.

LESSON 2. LEARN FROM THE BEST

No matter how smart or strong you think you are, you won’t succeed in the world of the Mafia on your own. You’ll need a mentor. It’s crucial to have someone who believes in you and wants to teach you, because you’re entering a dangerous world. If you end up on the wrong side or sleep with the wrong person — you won’t last long. Finding a good mentor takes effort. You can’t just walk up to someone and say, «I want to be like you.» Someone has to see something special in you first. Then, you do everything you can to prove yourself. That’s how it works.

Young Al Capone proved his dedication to the game by finding not just one, but two mentors in the criminal world. Johnny Torrio was considered a genius in the world of crime. Yes, he was a criminal who broke the law, but he was known for being sharp in his business. Any kid on the streets of Brooklyn near Capone’s neighborhood knew who Johnny Torrio was. When Capone met him, Torrio told him that if he ever needed work, he should come see him. Eventually, Capone started doing jobs for him — delivering guns in a paper bag, collecting money at local brothels. Torrio became a father figure to Capone. The young Al learned several key rules from him: dress like a businessman, keep your mouth shut, and if you want to stay on top — remember, money is power. A lot of young guys were cocky, thinking they knew it all, but Capone was humble enough to listen and learn.

As for his second mentor, Capone had a lot to learn from him too. Brooklyn’s top racketeer Frankie Yale (real name Francesco Ioele) was an Italian-American gangster of Calabrian descent. He ran the Brooklyn Mafia and later became a caporegime in the Masseria family — and Capone’s second employer. Aside from Capone, other notorious gangsters who worked under Yale included Joe Adonis, Anthony Carfano, Albert Anastasia, and the infamous killer Willie «Two Knives» Altieri, named for his preferred method of murder. Yale was a brutal man — one of the most dangerous in New York. The fact that Capone wasn’t afraid of him and wanted to work with him says a lot about his character. Frankie taught Capone a different set of skills: always show you mean business, carry a weapon, and make sure your reputation gets there before you do.

In 1917, 18-year-old Al Capone worked as a bouncer at Frankie Yale’s bar. One night on the job, he noticed a young woman named Lena, who came in with her brother Frank Galluccio and his girlfriend Maria Tanzio. All evening, Capone tried to get the girl’s attention, but she ignored him. When Lena got up to leave, Al called after her, «I’ll tell you one thing, sweetheart — you’ve got a nice ass. Take that as a compliment.»

Lena didn’t take it as a compliment, and neither did her brother, Frank Galluccio. Furious, Galluccio pulled out a knife and attacked Capone. He aimed for the neck but, being fairly drunk, missed and slashed his face instead. The wounds weren’t fatal. Frankie Yale managed to intervene before it got worse. Later, after hearing both sides of the story, New York’s Mafia bosses forbade Capone from taking revenge on Galluccio, telling him he brought it on himself by disrespecting the girl. Capone didn’t argue. But later, his revenge would be sweeter — Galluccio would become his servant.

Capone was a good student to his mentors. He absorbed everything they taught him and applied it to life. The fact that Frankie Yale had his back explains how Capone survived his teenage years. He had powerful people behind him. You’ve laid the foundation for your future. Now it’s time to carve out your own path. To break away from the pack, you need to prove you’ve got leadership — and nothing says that better than a million-dollar idea.

LESSON 3. RELY ONLY ON YOURSELF

Do you want to rise to the top? You have to work hard. You need to know how to make money, and nothing should stand in the way of your financial vision for life. Learn from Al Capone. Al decided to move to Chicago because he saw an opportunity to make his life better. Chicago was a big, noisy city, and he arrived there just as Prohibition was being introduced. After World War I, the best minds in Congress decided that America would prosper if alcohol were banned. However, Capone was skeptical about his fellow citizens embracing sobriety. Al understood that many would not accept this law, and so he started thinking like a businessman. He realized he could turn this law to his advantage. He saw that he could make millions because consumers still wanted alcohol, and he could supply it. Nothing complicated: demand creates supply.

The government’s decision marked the beginning of an underground industry known as bootlegging. A bootlegger could fulfill any request. If you liked whiskey, you could sell it as medicine with a doctor’s prescription any drunkard could get a bottle. You could get creative by smuggling alcohol across the Canadian border. If someone preferred something sweeter, they could go for rum — a high-quality product imported straight from overseas by ship. But to make even more money, you had to go for beer. Bootleggers took over shut-down breweries. And when the police showed up, they were «persuaded» to look the other way. Clever labels were slapped on, and the money began to flow in. But if you wanted to make the most money, you had to transport everything.

Shortly after moving to Chicago and reuniting with his old mentor, Torrio, Capone focused his attention on organizing bootlegging operations. At first, he was just one of Torrio’s soldiers. Johnny first got Capone a job as a bouncer at one of the brothels, and later as the manager of the «Four Deuces» — a new brothel Colosimo opened with Torrio’s involvement. But gradually, Johnny began to realize that Capone wasn’t just a good enforcer — he was also a great businessman, a smart and charismatic leader. People could work under him. However, on the road to realizing his criminal vision, Capone faced an obstacle.

Chicago’s top gangster and Torrio’s boss, James «Big Jim» Colosimo, was against diversifying and expanding the empire. Colosimo didn’t want to get into bootlegging. He was satisfied with his restaurant, brothel, and casino. He didn’t want to risk everything just to gain more. Capone couldn’t let a narrow mind get in the way of a great idea. So he and Torrio had to find a solution. At some point, they decided it was time for «Big Jim» to go.

At stake was a fortune born from lawlessness. Al couldn’t trust just anyone with the job of killing Big Jim. He knew who to call his mentor and former boss, Frankie Yale. Capone handled the matter and offered Frankie ten thousand dollars, which today would be equivalent to around one hundred and fifty thousand. On Capone’s orders, Frank entered Colosimo’s restaurant and took position. Around 4 p.m., Colosimo arrived for a meeting with a partner — who never showed. Colosimo headed to the phone booth to find out why, and walked straight into the trap. Frank fired. «Big Jim» was shot in the head and died on the spot.

It shocked Chicago’s underworld, and Capone was able to turn his leadership into reality. Over the next three years, Capone and Torrio took over three major breweries. Soon, it became clear who the bosses were. They controlled a massive operation. Breweries that once belonged to large companies were now run by them. Capone’s strategy helped turn Torrio’s operation into a criminal empire bringing in three million dollars a year (equivalent to fifty million in today’s money). Getting rid of Colosimo had another benefit: Johnny Torrio rose to the top of the criminal organization — and Capone was right behind him. But even if you’re climbing the career ladder, that doesn’t mean you’ll definitely become the boss. So how do you secure that spot for yourself?

LESSON 4. ALWAYS PROVE YOURSELF

When you become the boss of the mafia, you’ll be able to give orders. But before you get promoted, you’ll have to demonstrate the most important quality — loyalty. Do your job. If they say, «Go there, do that,» then you go and do it. If they say, collect money from the Thursday card games — you do it. Follow orders!

As the inevitable rise approached, Capone did everything he could to ensure his boss, Joe Torrio, knew he had his support. He was young and still learning. He was making money, but he wasn’t yet the kind of man who could take the reins of power. However, in the criminal world, life moves fast. The Chicago beer wars were the result of clashes between rival bootlegging gangs. The fight over territory was fierce. There were shootouts soaked in vengeance.

Capone and Torrio’s main turf on the South Side of the city faced off against their rival bootlegger on the North Side — Dean O’Banion, who was also a florist. Dean «Dion» O’Banion was an American mobster and the main rival of Johnny Torrio and Al Capone during the brutal Chicago bootlegging wars of the 1920s. Newspapers of the time made him more widely known as Dion O’Banion, although he never used that name himself. He led the North Side Gang until 1924, when he was shot — reportedly by Frankie Yale, John Scalise, and Albert Anselmi.

Dean tried to encroach on Torrio’s territory, and Torrio was getting fed up. Being a loyal soldier, Capone knew what to do — and who to call. He ordered another hit from his old mentor, Frankie Yale. Dean was working in his flower shop. A few men walked in, ones he didn’t recognize — and one of them was Frankie. He greeted them, and Yale used the «Chicago handshake» — grabbed his hand, pulled him close, pressed a gun to his stomach, and fired. One threat down, but Dean had many friends. After Dean’s murder, Al Capone took extra security measures and surrounded himself with bodyguards, but Torrio wasn’t as concerned. After a shopping trip with his wife, they were returning home — where Dean’s friends were waiting. They shot Torrio five times, but he survived.

While Torrio was recovering, Capone seized the opportunity to prove his loyalty — he came to the hospital and sat by his side, making sure no one came to finish the job. He was loyal and cared for Torrio. Al Capone’s loyalty paid off. When Torrio left the hospital, he said he was retiring and moving to New York. And so, at just 26 years old, Capone became the new boss of Chicago’s criminal underworld.

After six years in the Windy City, Al Capone became the top boss in Chicago — but his reign wouldn’t last long. By following the guidebook’s instructions, you landed your dream job, unlocked your criminal talent, learned the right lessons, proved you could earn, and set yourself up for success. But once you got the job, jealous rivals started thirsting for blood. If you want to survive the coming storm, the next lesson in the guidebook will help you.

LESSON 5. PROTECT YOUR POSITION

You’ve reached the top of the food chain, but it’s only a matter of time before the vultures start circling. Out on the streets, everyone wants to take what you have, and you always have to defend yourself. Violence is the best way to do that. Other rookie bosses would surely agree. Just two months after Nicodemo Scarfo became the boss of the Philadelphia Mafia, he targeted competitors from the Greek mob, killing their leader in a popular South Philadelphia restaurant to seize control of the Greek drug trade. When Yakuza lieutenant Hiroshi Yamamoto broke away from Japan’s largest criminal organization, the Yamaguchi-gumi, to form his own crew, his first move was to kill rival Masahisa Takenaka, who stood in his way of becoming boss.

Little Vic, in just his first year as head of the Colombo crime family, financed the assassination of Thomas Asera, who was accused of skimming profits from the family’s sanitation business. In 1926, during the height of the «beer wars,» more than 500 Chicago gangsters were killed by fellow gangsters as ambitious rivals tried to undermine Al Capone’s bootlegging empire. Capone’s first year as boss was a constant battle for survival. If your rivals sense weakness, they’ll find you and kill you. They’ll beat you down until they get what they want. But when your whole operation is under threat, silence isn’t an option.

On April 27, 1927, rival bootleggers Miles and Dion O’Banion made a bold move by spending the night on Capone’s turf. Soon, their friends joined them. Over the next few weeks, O’Banion tried to sabotage Capone’s alcohol sales by spreading rumors about its poor quality. When Capone found out what they were doing on his territory, he decided not to let it slide. He sent his men to the bar and declared the party over. The brothers were wounded but managed to escape. One of their friends wasn’t so lucky — nor was Capone. He accidentally killed Assistant District Attorney McSwiggin. When they realized they had killed a prosecutor’s assistant, panic set in. Capone’s attempt to defend his position backfired, as now the entire Chicago police force wanted to take down the new boss. Police began raiding and inspecting every bar in the city, forcing Capone to lay low. He continued to watch the police’s moves — and how his legend grew. Eventually, Capone decided it was time to step out of the shadows and face them. He called a press conference, returned to Chicago, stood on the courthouse steps, and declared that the assistant DA had been his guy, he was on his payroll, and he had no reason to want him dead.

— «If the cops want to talk about it, I’m ready. Reporters got questions? I’m the boss here, so I’ll be glad to discuss it all.»

Capone openly declared himself the king of the Chicago mob, and in a single moment, the legend of Al Capone was born. From that moment on, he was in the national spotlight for five bloody and glorious years — until he was finally arrested for the one thing the U.S. government can’t tolerate: tax evasion. Every era brings forth people who want to change the world for the better — and others, just as intelligent and talented, who cynically exploit its flaws and weaknesses. Alphonse Capone was one of those anti-heroes. His life was the inside-out version of the American Dream — or an inverted canvas, if you will. The son of poor Italian immigrants, he rose to become the «King of Chicago,» making a fortune during Prohibition from the illegal production and distribution of alcohol. He bought politicians and journalists wholesale and retail. Naturally, the road to the top was long and bloody. Errand boy, street robber, club bouncer, racketeer, pimp — just a few of the «professions» Capone held throughout his career.

Alphonse was one of the first to realize the need to launder illegal income — but he overlooked one thing: you have to pay taxes. It was the skills he developed that helped him leave the streets and rise to power. You may need to build your fortune without his impeccable timing. For that, you’ll need a solid business plan. A year that will revolutionize your industry and help you build an empire. In the next chapter, heroin tycoon Frank Lucas will show that there’s more than one way to make the Forbes list. Ready to make real money?

Chapter II OPTIMIZE YOUR WORK PROCESSES

Having followed the first lessons from the guide, you’ve gone from rock bottom to the mafia boss’s penthouse. Now it’s time to think about profit. In this cold and ruthless world, morality sometimes feels like a luxury. Business is often seen as a brutal game where principles and ethical standards are pushed to the sidelines. Many claim that, in the pursuit of maximum income, you must be ready to make certain compromises.

You realize that mere desire isn’t enough fuel for financial success. Without compromise, without a willingness to take risks — and sometimes ignore moral aspects — it’s hard to reach maximum profit. You may be facing a dilemma: stay true to your beliefs and have limited opportunities, or adopt a harsh business approach to maximize your income. This choice is not only financial but also an internal battle between ambition and morality. Perhaps you decide that it’s important to find a balance between achieving material goals and preserving human values, but that requires the ability to maneuver in a complex world where business and ethics often clash.

However, this book is not about morality. Dealing drugs or running a brothel is, of course, wrong — but let’s look at it from another angle: it’s still business, and here you have to grab the money with both hands. You can’t reach maximum income on desire alone. It’s absolutely vital for a mafia boss to have a solid business plan. Without a plan, the whole system will collapse. But if you combine muscle with brains, you’ll outsmart your competition and become the CEO of the criminal world you dream of. Just like that guy — Frank Lucas, the heroin kingpin of Harlem. Lucas’s revolutionary strategy turned the drug trade in New York upside down. He built his own supply chain, pulling in over a million dollars a day. Follow Frank’s latest business plan — and then you can be sure your crimes will pay off.

LESSON 6. IMPROVE YOUR PROCESSES

Frank Lucas built an international multimillion-dollar heroin empire from scratch by the time he was forty. His goal was to make a lot of money by selling heroin. But before you decide to follow Frank’s path to the top, take a lesson from his story.

Fact 1: Confrontation with Violence. A young Lucas quickly realized the odds were stacked against him. Frank Lucas was born in North Carolina during the Great Depression. In segregated North Carolina, there were no opportunities — you couldn’t build a good life or take care of your family. Members of the Ku Klux Klan killed his cousin right in front of him. They shoved a gun into his mouth and blew his brains out. Sometimes in life, something happens that changes everything — absolutely everything.

Eventually, Lucas moved to New York. The thing is, he was illiterate: he couldn’t work as a paperboy — he couldn’t do anything! The only way to survive was to get into something illegal — they would definitely take him in. That’s how Frank Lucas started selling drugs.

Fact 2: Mentorship. Lucas had a powerful mentor — Ellsworth Raymond «Bumpy» Johnson, an African American gangster and crime boss who ruled Harlem in the 20th century. The nickname «Bumpy» came from a bump on the back of his head. Bumpy was the coolest Black gangster in the city, and to Frank, he became like a father. Lucas worked with Bumpy for many years — specifically, thirty years, eight months, and thirty days. He was grateful to him for every cent and always made that clear. When Bumpy died, Frank got into the drug business. He did it because he believed that’s where the most money could be made.

Fact 3: A Family Business. Frank’s business was a family affair. He was the eldest of seven sons. If he asked his brothers to do something, they did it! Lucas managed to keep control of his growing business thanks to his brothers, whom he trusted and made rich. Frank used to say, «Always stay with family» — he drilled that into his own head. He had a promising career and a loyal inner circle that helped him build the business. But that didn’t mean everyone respected his authority. When you’re starting out, how do you prove to everyone that you’ve got what it takes?

LESSON 7. EARN A REPUTATION

For a mafia boss, the only way to ensure business success is to immediately show what happens to those who stand in his way. You need to establish yourself as a ruthless leader. Drugs are a tough business, where reputation and street credibility are everything. If you show weakness as a boss, you won’t last long. These guys knew how to show strength right from the start. Soon after taking over the Boston gang, Whitey Bulger allegedly decided to send a message to the rest by killing Louis Litif — a longtime associate who refused to follow Whitey’s orders. His mutilated body was found in the trunk of a car.

Albert Anastasia, boss of the Gambino family (1951–1957), one of the five powerful mafia families that «controlled» New York, had the nickname «The Mad Hatter.» He was a member of the criminal organization Murder Inc., also known as «The Brownsville Boys,» which carried out contract killings. Albert began his reign by allegedly ordering the murder of salesman Arnold Schuster, who made the list after helping police track down a notorious fugitive. When Griselda Blanco started dealing cocaine in Miami, she came up with a terrifying tactic to keep her rivals in check: she hired motorcycle hitmen who carried out executions right on the streets, usually during the day.

Soon after Frank Lucas took over the heroin business in Harlem, he too was put to the test. When you’re at the top, there will always be someone nearby thinking: «You know, I’m better than this guy — maybe I should be the boss?» Never leave such defiance unanswered. In the 1960s, the most dangerous man in Harlem was Tango — a two-meter-tall brute feared by the locals. Tango was an independent heroin dealer and known for cheating his suppliers. The new boss, Frank Lucas, couldn’t let that slide. He saw a chance to show who was in charge and bring the giant down. When he learned that Tango was looking for more product, he gave him a kilo of heroin, knowing that Tango would eventually try to cheat him too. Two weeks later, when Frank came to collect, Tango didn’t disappoint — he refused to pay. Worse, he lunged at Frank, insulting both him and his mother. A crowd gathered — just as Frank had hoped. He pulled out a gun. Bullet to the head — body in a coffin. Message received loud and clear.

Frank knew: he had to show people that he was a boss who didn’t just put his finger on the trigger — he pulled it. That’s the kind of reputation you need for success. And yes, your strength as a mafia boss might open doors, but only your mind will bring in the money. Start with the rule every wise businessman must follow: never pay the middleman.

LESSON 8. GET RID OF THE MIDDLEMAN