Angelo Lapi and his friend and partner Butchie, another key member of the crew, operated a crude but extensive shakedown racket in the neighborhood. Over the years they had developed a long string of retail shops and wholesale businesses that paid them a weekly or monthly “envelope;” essentially a “shakedown” or extortion payment reminiscent of 1920s New York.
From city to city and state to state, Button Guys of The New York Mafia breaks down the history of organized crime in America. Through deep-dive biographies and snapshots of mobsters to in-depth stories about mafia regimes and crews, you’ll uncover an underworld you might never have known existed – maybe even in your own hometown!
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