Posted on 02/10/2016 3:12:00 PM PST by TBP
Trump was building his eponymous empire of hotels, casinos, and high rises in the early 1980s in New York City and Atlantic City. In both places, the construction industry was firmly under the thumb of the mafia. And in both places there are literally concrete connections between La Cosa Nostra and Trumpâs lavish projects. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston, who has covered Trump for decades, has written a very useful list of questions for Trump. Many focus on his ties to the mob. In addition in his 1992 book, âTrump, The Deals and the Downfall,â author Wayne Barrett lays out a slew of suspicious dealings and associations.
The Atlantic City story starts with Trumpâs purchase of a bar, at twice its market value, from Salvatore Testa, a made man in the Philadelphia mafia and son of Philip âChicken Manâ Testa, who was briefly head of the Philly mob after Angelo Brunoâs 1980 killing. Harrahâs casino, half owned by Trump, would be built on that land, and Trump would quickly buy out his partner, Harrahâs Entertainment, and rename the casino Trump Plaza.
Trump Plazaâs connection to the mob didnât end with the land purchase from Testa. Nicademo âLittle Nickyâ Scarfo (who became boss after the elder Testa was blown up) and his nephew Phillip âcrazy Philâ Leonetti controlled two of the major construction and concrete companies in Atlantic City. Both companies, Scarf, Inc. and Nat Nat, did work on the construction of Harrahâs, according the State of New Jersey Commission of Investigationâs 1986 report on organized crime. In addition, Scarfo, whose reign as head of the Philly mob was one of the bloodiest in history, controlled the bartenders union, which represented Trumpâs workers in Atlantic City, according to George Anastasiaâs book, âBlood and Honor.â
One more link to organized crime lurks in Trumpâs past Atlantic City dealings. He had a close association with Kenny Shapiro, an investment banker for Scarfo. According to secret recordings of then Scarfo attorney Robert F. Simone, Shapiro was intimately involved with bribing Atlantic City Mayor Michael J. Matthews, whose term would end in 1984 with a conviction on extortion charges. On the tapes, in 1983, Simone, talking about Leonetti, states: âHeâs a nice-looking boyâ¦Nickyâs nephew, he can sit with theâ¦mayor. Ah, and Kennyâs (Shapiro) got the mayor through this kid Phillip.â
I'll wait.
The Cruz Slime machine is BACK. .....
You better have the patience of Job : )
hmmmmm......Marco has a string of mistresses (unless he’s gay) and Trump is a made member of La Cosa Nostra.
My my my, Jeb’s slime machine has been busy today.
What’s next? Bernie eats barbecued puppy dogs? Kasich is a space alien who has secretly been dating a wombat on the side? Cruz is not only Canadian but he’s the leading candidate to win the Vezina Trophy this year?
http://www.fivefamiliesnyc.com/2011/04/donald-trumps-mob-ties.html
http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/31/politics/trump-mob-mafia/index.html
I’m a cruz voter but how can you infer this because the concrete and garbage business in both places have been mob for decades.
What was he suppose to do, not build?
Second thread I’ve seen from you on this subject in a matter of minutes.....what, no confidence in Cruz?
You can't build a huge empire without crossing paths with many, many types and levels of people.
Besides, if the MSM gets too feisty he can call for "Lefty & the boys" to pay them a visit.
Yeah, but they are legion.
Memo to the media must have gone out...this is the 2nd posted news link out of the last three on Trump mob connections.
Are they Kosher?
What’s next?
An ad with kids as mobsters with Brooklyn accents?
Well, at least Trump isn’t associated with Glenn Beck. I’d take the mob any day over that douche.
I doubt he was any closer than Harry Reid, Hunh, Harry?
Coming soon, "Trump is the boss of all bosses"
LOL....wait for it!
LoL. Good one. ;)
You can’t build a Gazebo in NYC with some Mob contact, just reality.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.