Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. He welcomes Mafia author Blair Kenny, who lived through the Rochester Mob wars and has written on the battle between the A-Team, the B-Team, and later the C-Team. We explore the rise and fall of Frank Valenti, the boss of the Rochester crime family in the 1960s and 1970s. Valenti ran a tight ship, appointing Samuel Russotti as his second-in-command, Rene Picarreto as his advisor, and five other men as his captains. He assigned them different rackets, such as gambling, extortion, loan sharking, insurance fraud, arson, narcotics, and weapon trafficking. He also orchestrated a series of bombings in 1970 to divert the attention of the authorities from his operations. However, Valenti’s reign was challenged by Russotti, Picarreto, and one of his captains, Salvatore Gingello, who accused him of pocketing money from the family. They also had the support of the Bonanno crime family from New York. Valenti refused to step down, but he lost his most trusted ally and bodyguard, Domenic Chirico, who was shot and killed. Valenti decided to leave Rochester and retire in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was later arrested and convicted of extortion. He died in 2008. After Valenti’s departure, Russotti took over as the boss, with Picarreto and Gingello as his right-hand men. The family seemed stable until January 1977, when they were all arrested and convicted of murdering Vincent Massaro based on fabricated evidence. They received 25 years to life sentences. Thomas Didio became the acting boss but soon faced problems from within and outside the family. So tune in and learn more. To find Blair Kenny’s book, click on The Rochester Mob Wars.

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