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The life we chose : William "Big Billy" D'Elia and the last secrets of America's most powerful mafia family / Matt Birkbeck.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York, NY : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2023]Copyright date: ©2023Edition: First editionDescription: x, 260 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780063234673
  • 006323467X
Subject(s): Genre/Form:
Contents:
Pittston -- Russell -- Initiation -- Learning the ropes -- The league -- Gold Coast -- Deportation -- Good for everybody -- The box -- In, out, and in again -- The fixer -- Moving on -- Tookie -- Coming home -- Making do -- The wild, wild west -- The end of an era -- The boss -- Frank -- The beginning of the end -- Take it to the grave.
Summary: An investigative journalist takes readers deep inside the inner workings of the mob from the perspective of William "Big Billy" D'Elia, the "adopted son" of legendary organized crime boss Russell Bufalino who was a witness and participant to major historical events that have stymied law enforcement to this day.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library Biography D'ELIA, W. B619 Available 33111011304199
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"The Life We Chose--an unforgettable story. A really great read." --Nicholas Pileggi, author of Wiseguy and Casino and screenwriter of Goodfellas

From Matt Birkbeck--investigative journalist and executive producer of Netflix's #1 movie Girl in the Picture--a revelatory father/surrogate son story that takes readers deep inside the inner workings of the mob through the eyes of William "Big Billy" D'Elia, the right-hand man to legendary mafia kingpin Russell Bufalino, who ran organized crime in the US for more than fifty years.

William "Big Billy" D'Elia is Mafia royalty.

The "adopted" son of legendary organized crime boss Russell Bufalino, for decades D'Elia had unequaled access to the man the FBI and US Justice Department considered one of the leading organized crime figures in the United States. But the government had no real idea as to the breadth of Bufalino's power and influence--or that it was Bufalino, from his bucolic home base in Pittston, Pennsylvania, who reigned over the five families in New York and other organized crime families throughout the country.

For nearly thirty years, D'Elia was at Bufalino's side, and "Russ's son" was a witness and participant to major historical events that have stymied law enforcement, perplexed journalists, and produced false and wild narratives in books and movies--not the least of which being the infamous disappearance of union boss Jimmy Hoffa. In addition, their reach was illustrated by their relationships with Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Michael Jackson, Suge Knight, and many other celebrities and personalities.

D'Elia became the de facto leader of the Bufalino family upon Russell Bufalino's imprisonment in 1979, and he officially took control upon Bufalino's death in 1994 until his arrest in 2006, when he was charged with money laundering and the attempted murder of a witness. He pled guilty to money laundering and witness tampering and was released from federal prison in 2012.

Candid and unapologetic, D'Elia is finally ready to reveal the real story behind the myths and in so doing paints a complicated, compelling, and stunning portrait of crime, power, money, and finally, family.

An investigative journalist takes readers deep inside the inner workings of the mob from the perspective of William "Big Billy" D'Elia, the "adopted son" of legendary organized crime boss Russell Bufalino who was a witness and participant to major historical events that have stymied law enforcement to this day.

Pittston -- Russell -- Initiation -- Learning the ropes -- The league -- Gold Coast -- Deportation -- Good for everybody -- The box -- In, out, and in again -- The fixer -- Moving on -- Tookie -- Coming home -- Making do -- The wild, wild west -- The end of an era -- The boss -- Frank -- The beginning of the end -- Take it to the grave.

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