Podcasts about family secrets

In this episode, we delve into the intricate world of the Chicago Outfit’s informants, featuring insights from my late friend, Cam Robinson, and Paul Whitcomb, a well-respected expert on the mob. This special compilation draws from past interviews and shorts that once highlighted various informants who operated during the notorious 1980s era of organized crime in Chicago. Through a series of concise segments, we explore the lives of key players who chose to turn against the Outfit, revealing the complex motivations and consequences of their decisions. We kick things off by revisiting the tale of Paul “Peanuts” Pansko, an influential figure leading the Polish faction of the Outfit. Pansko's criminal activities, including a racetrack heist, not only placed him in dangerous territory but also set into motion a chain of events that would later link to the infamous Family Secrets trial. It's during this journey that we outline how interconnected the informants’ narratives are, showcasing how Pansko’s actions inadvertently unraveled parts of the organization.   The discussion shifts to more dramatic stories, including Mario Rainone. Rainone's infamous decision to cooperate with the authorities opened the door to significant revelations about Lenny Patrick, one of the highest-ranking Outfit members to switch sides. Rainone's tapes ultimately led to the dismantling of major sections of the Outfit’s operations, including political connections that had long shielded them from legal repercussions.   We also explore the tale of Ken “Tokyo Joe” Eto, a Japanese mobster who thrived within the Outfit’s ranks. His attempts at self-preservation after surviving an assassination effort highlighted the stark realities faced by those who navigated the perilous landscape of organized crime. As he eventually became a witness for the prosecution, Eto’s insights illuminated the internal workings of one of Chicago’s most feared organizations. The episode further examines dramatic betrayals and deadly encounters that shaped the Outfit’s legacy. From the chilling events surrounding the murders of the Spilotro brothers, orchestrated by their own associates for reasons steeped in loyalty and betrayal, to the grim fate that met informants like Al Toco and the impact of domestic discord on organized crime, each tale is a window into the bleak realities faced by both mobsters and informants alike. As we round out the episode, we reflect on the cultural dynamics surrounding informants, particularly how personal relationships and family ties heavily influenced their decisions to cooperate. It becomes clear through the interviews that while fear of retribution often compels loyalty, the specter of betrayal looms large within the mob. This multifaceted examination blends personal stories with historical context, providing a deeper understanding of the Chicago Outfit’s complexity and its operatives. Join us in this retrospective journey through the shadows of organized crime as we pay homage to those who bravely shared their stories, revealing the inner workings of a criminal empire that continues to fascinate and terrify in equal measure. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Subscribe to the website for weekly notifications about updates and other Mob information. To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent ‘Brothers against Brothers’ or ‘Gangland Wire,’ the documentaries click here.  To purchase one of my books, click here. Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, guys, after listening to Bob Cooley, one of the more damaging sources and witness and informant to the Chicago Outfit outside of the Calabrese family, [0:13] Nick and his nephew, Frank Jr., I got the rest of the Chicago Outfit informants on tap here. No, not really. They’re not coming in. But I did do a story. I did a series of shorts a few years, or I don’t know, two or three years ago, maybe. [0:32] I interviewed my late friend, Cam Robinson, rest in peace, Cam. So you get to hear from him again. And Paul Whitcomb, who is a Chicago outfit expert, he’s been on this. They used to have some kind of a round table show up there. I don’t know if they still have it or not with the Seiferts. But anyhow, I got these guys to sit down with me and talk about all the different informants in Chicago during the, it was during the 80s. So this is just kind of a series of shorts that I put up before. They’re six or eight minutes long, I think, each one of them, that they talk about different informants. This kind of threw it together as another little bonus episode we’ve done. And I went to Chicago, if you notice, after Johnny Russo, which I apologize for in a way, I don’t know. I mean, the guy’s got some crazy-ass stories, doesn’t he? Who am I to say that he didn’t do it? But most people know that he didn’t do most of that stuff. Anyhow, so I threw up another Chicago right away about the guy that had the race wire that they killed, James Reagan. [1:38] Then i had this interview that i’d been doing during those last couple weeks with bob cooley who’s appeared uh out of nowhere and he’ll maybe see him on some other shows now he’s he’s wanting to do shows he tells me so after hearing bob cooley talk i thought well i’m doing do one more i want to just throw it up as an extra uh from some of my old chicago outfit stuff and that’ll finish me off on the Chicago outfit for a while. I hadn’t, I hadn’t been in Chicago, uh, doing shows about Chicago for quite a while. And, and I didn’t want to, uh, neglect you guys. You know, I get a lot of books written about New York and I’ve got all these authors that are wanting to do these books about New York. Uh, not so much about Chicago. So if you got anybody that, you know, wants to, got a book and wants to come on the show, uh, talking about the outfit, why steer them to me. So anyhow, just sit back and relax and enjoy. [2:37] My late, great friend, Cam Robinson. One more look at Cam, for those of you who remember him, and Paul Whitcomb. And we’re going to talk about famous snitches from Chicago. Thanks, guys. Well, let’s move along now to, this is kind of interesting, Paul Peanuts Panczko, who was the leader of the Polish branch of the outfield. Is that what you would call Peanuts Panczko, the leader of the Polish branch? If the Polish branch is the Panczko family, which you could easily say there were three brothers, then yeah, that wouldn’t be right. We haven’t really done a show on them. I don’t know a whole lot about them other than they were released at all. So we said non-Italian, Peckerwood, as we call them at Kansas City, professional criminals who did a lot of business with different outfit people. And he did a robbery of a racetrack. I think it’s the Balmoral Racetrack. It’s the name of it. James Duke Basile and then Panczko was in trouble for that and he convinced Basile to come in and they did some talking remember anything about that situation, you know in a lot of ways you. [3:50] Panczko could be considered one of the first dominoes that eventually led to the Family Secrets trial. Panczko, as you said, led to Dookie Bazile, who they had done robberies together. Bazile led them to Scarpelli, who was a much higher guy. I mean, there’s debate, but he was, because there was a making ceremony at this time, but Scarpelli was pretty highly ranked. I mean, he was a known killer, and he was up there. He was in the wild bunch. But Scarpelli then did tell them about a lot of the things that Frank Calabrese had done. [4:28] He wasn’t known as well as Scarpelli had brought him up to be. And a lot of those things dominoed into what would eventually lead to family secrets years later. [4:42] Scarpelli, I think, did not know so much about Nick, but he did know about Frank. And so a lot of that information sort of filled in the gaps. And even though Frank Calabrese Jr. Led them led them to Nick They A lot of seeds were planted And can be traced back to Pianus Pansico Um. [5:01] So it is kind of an interesting line. Basile, he wore a wire on Scarpelli and not even talking about a lot of these things. It’s not the FBI knew about that. They were in a car together. Right. If I remember right, he even talked about a mob graveyard. They went up there and they found two or three bodies. One of them was connected. It wasn’t anybody really important, but one of them was connected to Harry Aleman. So it was a pretty important wearing of a wire on Scarpelli, who then came at himself for a while. And that’s what led to the family secrets. He talked about Frank Calabrese. Is that what you’re saying? Yeah, that’s right. And some of those bodies in that graveyard were 10 years apart, which was interesting. I’ve got, it’s on the map that I created, but some of those bodies, there was years in between them. So it was something they were going back to and they believed that there were a lot of things there they did not find. Yeah, because they built a health care facility or something. They built some big building over where there would have been bodies. Right. Right. And the fascinating thing about this is Scarpelli, like, just like Cam said, this guy was a serious killer. He was a muscle builder. He was a terrifying guy. I mean, he had almost inhuman physical strength. Yeah. And when he flipped, he was completely debriefed by the FBI and the DOJ and then decided to try and change his mind. [6:27] But before he could do that He hung himself in the bathroom Of the Metropolitan Correctional Center With his hands behind his back And a bag over his head, Who was he in prison with? Who was he in MCC with, Paul? Was it anybody? He did happen to be in the MCC with the German at the time. He bound his hands behind his back and put a bag over his own head. He did. He did. And so the outfit continues to somehow persuade people to take their own lives rather than testify against them. [7:07] It’s a hell of a way to die by suicide it is by suicide at least they didn’t have arrows in his back, not as far as we know yeah it was terrible he cut his own head off I saw a cartoon once that the homicide guy liked to go ahead and maybe real suckle of suicide because then you could just walk away from it so there’s a dead body laying there with a bunch of arrows at his back and a homicide detective standing over him with a hand and pencil and says, hmm, suicide, huh? [7:44] Got the inside joke. It worked homicide. You see how those guys sometimes will try to make something into a suicide that probably is a homicide. On the other hand, we had one, we had a mob guy, he wasn’t really a mob associate, who had gone to Vegas. He lost a lot of money and they found his body in his car at the airport parking lot after coming back from Vegas and they found out later lost a lot of money and the car was parked up against the fence and he was shot in the head and there was no gun in the car you know found so just assume that somebody shot him in his head the car kept going and rolling up against the fence. [8:25] But this one detective, I remember Bob Pence is his name. He was dumb. And he started, he went back over and he dusted that car for prints again. And he got some more evidence out of it. And then he went back to the airport and he looked and started asking questions. And he found out later that somebody who had a pickup truck parked there had a week later, three or four days later, come back and got his truck. When he got home he found a pistol inside the bed of his truck and he called the airport or he called somebody turned it in Pinson found that pistol that was a pistol that that shot the guy so Pinson's theory was he was rolling along in his car he shot himself in the head and then he flipped that pistol out is with a reaction he flipped it out and went in the bed in that pickup and then it rolled on up against the fence and they ruled it a suicide wow damn that’s not that different than Scarpelli I mean the fbi to this day insists it was suicide yeah well, Oh, well, right. All right. Let’s move along to Mario. John, the arm. Rainone. [9:41] Is that correct, Cam? That yeah, that’s Rainone. Yeah. So tell us about that. I know we talked about this, you know, a little bit about this one. [9:50] This is kind of a funny one. He was he was sent to kill a building inspector. Raynaud was with the Grand Avenue crew and so he’s en route to kill this guy and this is one of those mob blunders and he sees a couple guys following him and it’s Rudy Fredo and Willie Messino and he recognizes him when he’s driving over there and it’s important to point out who these guys are, Cam, not to interrupt you Willie Messino, was the right hand man and bodyguard for Tony Accardo for 30 years I mean, he was serious, serious business. Rudy Frayto, you know, the chin, but Massino was serious news. If you saw Willie Massino, you knew he were in for trouble. Yeah, he wasn’t there as backup to do anything except clean up after Rainone, including Rainone. So Rainone saw the writing on the wall. He pulls up and he goes straight to the FBI. [10:54] And he informs, he talks to them and gives them his information. And later on, he sort of regrets doing so, denies that he ever did. Uh, there were, there were, uh, articles written about him. There’s a, there’s a Chicago Tribune writer, John Cass, and Ray Nolan had a back and forth with him writing letters. This is how these mob guys in Chicago operate, talking about, I’m, I ain’t no beefer. And, uh. Once he was out of prison in 2009, he was busted several more times. If you can believe it, he stayed in the criminal life. He was robbing a liquor store with another guy. And the guy he was robbing with, this is why I jump ahead a little bit, was a guy named Vincent Forliano. He claimed that he didn’t even know Fratto or Messino. These were guys he didn’t know, so he never would have informed against them. The guy he was robbing the liquor store with and he was committing other robberies with, Vincent Forliano, was Fredo’s son-in-law. [11:56] So he was committing robberies with a guy related to the guy, but he didn’t know who they were. And to say that somebody didn’t know, as Paul said, Willie Messino, is just ludicrous. Anybody in the criminal atmosphere, period, knew who Willie Messino was because you were probably paying money to it. to exist. And this is extremely important because Rainone, at the time this happened, Rainone cooperated long enough to record conversations with Lenny Patrick. That’s right. That’s right. And that set dominoes in place that would lead to the fall of the outfit. Even though he tried to take back his cooperation, to say he never cooperated, I’ve heard those tapes that were played in trials that I participated in, so I I know better. Uh, and that’s why they call him Mario flip flop Rainone because he, uh, would cooperate and uncooperate and then cooperate. But he is the one who got Lenny Patrick on the hook. Yeah. [13:00] Interesting, interesting. Let’s just continue on with this Lenny Patrick because we weren’t going to talk about him. That’s a good lead hand to talk about another, really one of the most important informants that year who testified. [13:13] Can you talk about the domino that led to the end? Rainone really, really flipped the domino that kicked over. Go ahead, Paul. Well, Lenny Patrick was the highest, and even to this day, remains the highest ranking member of the outfit to ever turn state’s evidence. The guy was a capo in all but name. He had been in charge of Rogers Park, the gambling. He was essentially the head of the Jewish arm of the mafia, kind of the Meyer Lansky figure of Chicago. And when the Lawndale neighborhood moved north to Rogers Park, he moved with them, and he had his own crew. He reported directly to Gus Alex, who was, of course, at the very top, and Sam Carlisi. And he was dealing with Marcello and Carlesi in a number of different outfit ventures, loan sharking. He personally had been staked by Carlesi with a quarter million in cash to put out on the street. And he was involved in extortions Bombings of theaters All these things directly at the command of Sam Carlisi Who was then the boss of bosses of the Chicago outfit So when Rainone got him on tape They set up what was the beginning of the end for the outfit And I think people need to understand who Gus Alex is also For people outside of Chicago Gus Alex was. [14:40] Basically, I guess you could call him the equivalent of maybe the consigliere in Chicago. When you look at Chicago, the triumvirate in the 70s, once a guy like Paul Ricca died and several major outfit leaders died in the early 70s. [14:58] Tony Accardo decided that the outfit would be led by himself, by Joy Iupa, and the political wing and all of the non-Italians and all of the grift and a lot of aspects would be led by Gus Alex. So he was essentially on the same level as Joey Iupa, and he was responsible for much more for things of greater import than Joey Iupa. I mean, controlling the political arm and all the payoffs and all of that is much, much more than the streets and the murders. So all the politics and all the anything that had to do was definitely fell under gus alex and he was part of a ruling triumvirate he was a non-italian part of a ruling triumvirate with iupa and uh acardo so he was the the leader top of the outfit and he had been for years going back to going back to the 30s and the 40s 40 he had come up under, the Murray the Camel Humphreys and had made those connections he was the most connected guy in the Chicago outfit, so for a guy like Lenny Patrick to be. [16:15] Rollover against is essentially the political leader, national political leader and political leader of Chicago. This was absolutely crippling to the outfit. That was he wiped out the entire political arm of the Chicago outfit. After Lenny Patrick brought down Gus Alex, this became a basically a street crime organization. It was that those political contacts. I mean, I think that’s a fair statement, right, Paul? Those political contacts and judges, I mean, that was all but eliminated with Gus Alex going away. You’re absolutely right, Cam. And he not only took out Gus Alex, but he took out the boss of the Italians, too. That’s right, yeah. Both of them at the same time. He wiped out the outfit, and you put it beautifully by saying it became a street crime organization. You think about the division of labor and it started with IUP and IUP and. [17:19] La Pietra, Jackie Cerone, they had all the gambling, a lot of the sports gambling, but they also had the skim from Las Vegas, and they ran all that stuff, while Gus Alex, along with Lenny Patrick, ran all that politics, and you can’t have a mob organization if you don’t have cover politically. That’s why even in Kansas City, we’re pretty clean here, but we still never had any real mob prosecutions. [17:47] And it certainly had very few, if any, little, if any mob prosecutions at Cook County. And you couldn’t even get convicted of a real crime, murder, assault, or something. It’s just a straight-out crime. You weren’t even trying to do a RICO, I think, on anybody. So it was, you know, they just operated with impunity. Well, you took out that whole gambling side. That was all the money coming in. And then shortly thereafter, you take out the political side, who then turns back and gets the new boss on the gambling side and loan sharking and all that. [18:23] I’ll tell you, by 1990, the outfit’s gone. It really is. It still exists to a degree, but Sam Carlisi was the last traditional old line boss of the outfit. you, that, in my opinion, that ever ruled. After that, it was never the same. Yeah, I think a guy like Gus Alex, you know, like you said, Gary, you had Aiuppa who was dealing with gambling, but I think that’s a lot of, there’s a lot of optics to that, you know, and you’ve got all these cities who have got characters who are not Italian, Gus Alex in Chicago, and, you know, as Paul said, Meyer Lansky, who was New York, and you had Mashie Rockman in Cleveland, and these characters not italians so they know when to step back and let and let the italians talk but that doesn’t mean that they’re not running things it’s just for the optics of city to city where the italians have to see that they’re dealing with italians they don’t walk in the room it doesn’t mean that behind the scenes they’re not pulling the levers they just because of of the uh uh criminal um. [19:34] The the criminal view of of non-italians in that world sort of sort of their own prejudices these guys don’t always walk in the room when they’re dealing with other cities gus alex is is sitting down with anybody in chicago but you go to kansas city you go to new york, you know meyer lansky would leave the room when they were when they were talking you know italian to Italian. And the same thing with Gus Alex or Mace Rockman or any of those other guys who are not Italian. It was just an optics city to city. It doesn’t mean that they weren’t pulling the levers. Is it Yehuda or Jehuda, Cam? Jehuda. I’ve always heard of Jehuda. Yeah, Jehuda. So he kind of dealed with the IRS that year. [20:23] He must have had some. The IRS was really strong working the mob in Chicago. I’ve noticed several references to IRS investigations. We did not have that in Kansas City, and the IRS did a little bit, but they were not as strong as they were up in Chicago. [20:38] Yeah, he met with an agent, Tom Moriarty, who’s been around and worked Chicago for a long time. He was a pretty well-known guy up here. But Bill Jehota worked under Ernest Rocco Infelice, who was a real powerhouse going back a long time. And out in Cicero, and his crew, a lot of these crews had their own little names, and they called the good shit Lollipop. He was a huge gambling enterprise, you know. And they bought a house up in Lake County, which is north of the city. It’s funny, this house they bought was actually the family that had lived in it. The son had murdered the family. It was a murder house before the outfit bought it. and uh they bought it used it as a as a gambling den and and after that moved out they used it for prostitution and they would park cars at a nearby motel that they ran and then then have a uh a, valet service that drove him to this this gambling house and there was also quite a few uh murders that uhJahoda witnessed i’m sure he took no part in it he just happened to be standing outside of the house when they when they these murders were committed there was a uh was it hal smith and um. [21:57] Oh i can’t remember the they killed somebody else in this home and they burnt these were guys who didn’t want to pay his tree tags, and they were gamblers who refused to give in. And he brought down this entire crew. I mean, Rocco and Felice was… There’s a famous picture of the day after the Spolatros were killed. And it was really the upper echelon of the up that you’ve got. You’ve got little Jimmy Marcello. You’ve got the boss, Sam Wings-Carlesi. You’ve got the street boss, Joe Ferriola. And you’ve got Rocco and Felice, who’s right there. These are the four top guys, basically, in the outfit as far as at this time, the Cicero crew had risen to the top. That was the powerhouse crew. And so he was involved in those discussions because he was such a powerhouse out there with Ferriola being the street boss. So he was, it really can’t be thatJahodatestimony that eventually brought down this crew was really, it really crippled that crew for a long time. Well, those people that went down in that trial have only in the last five years come out of prison. Yeah, we’ve actually had been talking to somebody. We’ve had the… [23:13] Opportunity to meet he brought down uh uh robert um to go beat um bellavia and another guy who doesn’t like to be mentioned who runs a pretty successful pizza pizza chain up in lake county and uh these guys went down for a long time the beat was down for 25 years and he just came out. [23:39] So and billJahoda have if you read his testimony it is kind of kind of odd that he was standing outside of the building and just looked in the window and they were committing a murder and he just he he places himself outside of the house witnessing a murder through the window which is convenient when you’re the one testifying against murderers it certainly is yeah. [24:03] So so that was he was involved in the gambling so that makes sense then the irs got him and millions of dollars millions of dollars a month they were bringing and he met uh, i don’t remember paul and you did he he contacted moriarty right or did moriarty reach out to him because he was under investigation i i thought Jahoda was was worried about himself so he reached out to them i can’t remember the details i think you’re right yeah i i think he was worried about his own his own safety gary and he reached out to moriarty and they met up at a hotel just outside the city on the uh up in the northwest and uh they talked about things i actually found the location and on the little map you can find where where they met each other but he they met each other in disgust and they would meet different locations and and jahuda wore a wire and some of those some of those wiretaps are they really make for that. [25:05] That those conversations come right out of the movie just i love what we’re doing out here and i love my job and and you actually where i’m going to make you trunk music i mean you really hear these things that that you see it right in the movies i mean you you can’t write the dialogue that these guys are actually using it’s it’s it’s you know it it comes straight out of a book i mean You’ve got, you’ve got, uh, this is the toughest dialogue you’ll ever hear. Interesting. How’d you buy it? Where’d you find that at? Is that, uh, it’s probably not the audio in probably anywhere. No book or something. Yeah. You can, if you look up, if you look up different, different, you know, you go on newspapers.com or you go in different, uh, I believe, uh, I’ve got, um, uh, mob textbook by, um, Howard Abedinsky. I’ve got a couple of copies of his, of his textbook, organized crime. And he’s got some clips of it. This guy who owns a pizza shop up north is talking about how he loves his job. He loves what he does. And it’s funny to hear he talk about smashing somebody and loving what you do. Really? I’ve heard a few conversations like that back at the station house. [26:25] I don’t care. It’s on both sides. Is that what you’re saying? When you live in that world. Those guys can go either direction. [26:37] Well, let’s talk about ex-Chicago cops. Speaking of cops, let’s talk about, Vince Rizza, his daughter actually appeared on that Chicago Mob Housewives, or they tried to do a show. And Frank Schweiss’ daughter was on it. And Pia Rizza, who has gotten some notoriety as a model or something, I can’t remember. And she really, she was tight. She would not talk about her dad at all. I read an interview of her. She would just talk about her dad at all. But he came in and he testified against Harry Aleman, of all people, and linked him to the murder of this bookie, Anthony Ritlinger. Remember that one? [27:22] Go ahead, Paul. No, that one I’m not very up on, Cam. I’m sorry. So, Ritlinger, I believe he didn’t want to pay his street tax, if I’m right, Gary. Yeah, you’re right. He had been warned. Rattlinger had been warned that he needs to pay, he needs to pay, and he was making a good deal of money. And Ratlinger was he was brought in just the normal course of action with the wild bunch because he was a wild bunch murder I’m a little rusty but here it comes so he was a wild bunch killing, he was brought in he was warned it was the typical Harry Ailerman and if I’m remembering correctly and people correct me if I’m not it was Butch Petruccelli they sat him down. [28:11] Usually it would be Butch and, um, uh, Borsellino who would do the talking, uh, Tony Borsellino, and they would do the talking. And then afterwards, Butch Petruccelli would just sit down and glare. So he was a pretty scary guy. And he had that, uh, uh, Malocchio, the, the evil eye, and he would just glare at people. And that would send the message and Rattlinger didn’t, didn’t listen. He was making too much money, he’s not going to pay any damn Degos, that kind of line. And so he, of course, fell victim to these guys. And I believe he may have been trunk music. I think I remember this one, Matt, but I can’t remember. Yeah, I got this one. He went to a restaurant. That’s right. That’s right. And he had already, his daughter lived with him. I’m not sure about the wife, but he had warned his family to take all kinds of extra cautious. He knew something was coming. And it was, you know, after reading that thing, it’s, It’s kind of like, well, we talked about Spilotro taking off their jewelry. Ken Eto did this similar kind of a thing and told his wife he may not be coming back. [29:22] I tell you, another guy that did the same thing was Sonny Black. That’s right. It came out about Joe Pistone, the Donnie Brasco story. He did the same thing. He went to a sit-down or a meeting, and he took off his jewelry, I believe left his billfold, when he went to the meeting. this. Ken Eto was the same way. Ken Eto, I think, thought he could talk his way out. I think all of them thought they could talk their way out of it. So Rettlinger went out by himself and sat in a prominent place in this local restaurant that was really well known up there in the north side. It’s north of downtown Chicago, and I can’t remember the name of it. [30:02] And he just sat there and pretty soon a car pulls up and two guys run in kind of like a Richard Cain kind of a deal and just start popping. And that was a Harry Aleman deal. That’s right. He did, I believe. There’s an old guy who married the girlfriend of Felix Adlericio, I believe. He and this woman are sitting out in front of their brownstone, and Aleman and some other dude pull out and get out when guys walk up to him and shoot him and kill him. [30:31] And so that was – Yeah, that was Petrocelli and Aleman walked up, And he had been, he had been dating, uh, uh, Aldericio’s, Alderico’s girlfriend. Now that’s the famous hit from beyond the grave. Because we’re going to go on the old Samuel’s just sitting in the lawn chair thinking he’d got it made. That’s right. You know, Gary, you and I did the show on the outfit, uh, a long time ago. No, I’m sorry. On the wild bunch, a long time ago. So a lot of those, and they did so much work back in the day. A lot of those run together, but yeah, you’re now, uh, now that you’re right, writing her was he was eating in a restaurant. I’m, Uh, I can’t remember the name. It may have been, been Luna’s, but he was, went out in public. He thought he’d be safe. And like you said, a lot of these guys have a six cents because they come up on the street and they know these things. And, uh, like a guy like Sammy and Reno knew it was coming. He was dodging them for a long time, but they, they know that their time is coming. Eventually they just, they stay ahead of it for a while and figure they can fight their way out or talk their way out. And yeah, they, he was blown away right in public. Like it was similar to the, I remember it being similar to the, to the Richard Cain murder. And this was in, it was right around the same time. It was, it was in the mid seventies, 75, 74, 75, 76. It might’ve been 75 that writing or happened right, right in the middle of the restaurant. [31:58] I’ve been a lot cheaper to pay the street tax, I reckon. You know, and it wasn’t, I don’t recall that they’re asking for so much, but once these murder started happening yeah i think it was it wasn’t like it was half or 75 i think they just wanted it was you know it might have been a quarter it might have just been a flat fee across the board but once that street tax was was instituted i mean we’ve talked about this before gary that was when the wild bunch was out there that was that was they really didn’t play around When Ferriola told these guys, get everybody in line, [32:31] they really cracked down and they weren’t playing at all. You pay or you die. And guys like Alem and Patrick Shelley, whether it was right in public or whatever, in the outfit in the 70s, Paul, you know this from Richard Cain and several others. They just write in public would just blow you away. and writing her was just was almost textbook just like the Richard Cain it was it was right in the right in the restaurant yeah I’ll tell you I’ll tell. [33:05] I was conflating him with Hal Smith. Okay. I’ll tell you something about those mob hits. When they kill somebody in public like that in a public way, more than likely it’s because whoever the victim is has been alerted, and they can’t get anybody to get close to them. They will already try to send somebody around to get them isolated, and when they can’t get them isolated, then they want them bad enough. They’ll just lay, as Frank Calabrese, I heard him say once, well, lay on them. And I thought, oh, that’s interesting. Well, lay on them. I read that somewhere else. They use that term when you’re following somebody and you’re trying to set them up, or yet they lay on them. Calabrese even said, you know, you’re like, get an empty refrigerator box and hide inside of it. I mean, it’s just like the kind of stuff we used to do at the intelligence unit to run surveillances on people. And so they’ll lay on them for a while until they can get you somewhat isolated. And if they can’t, then they’ll just take you out in public. It might be to send a message, but I don’t think so because it’s so risky to get somebody in public. You can have a young, all-fitty cop in there that you didn’t even notice, and he comes out blazing. And, you know, it’s just not worth it. Even if you take him out, he’s probably got to get you. [34:21] So it’s kind of a last resort. A desperation. Yeah, it’s desperation because they can’t get you isolated. [34:28] You look at some of these public murderers, guys like Richard Cain or Ridinger, like you said, who was on the watch. Sam Annarino, who was right on Cicero. [34:39] A guy like Chris Carty, who was years later. I mean, these are guys who would have been smart enough and street smart enough to be on the watch, to watch their step, to know what was going on. With the exception of a guy like Michael Cagnoni, who just happened to be difficult to get, and he probably might have had an idea that something was happening, but I think just he was a family guy, and so it was hard to isolate. They blew him up on the interstate, but I think that in general, that’s a good point, Gary. These guys, if they just run up and blow away, it’s just a last resort. That’s an excellent point. I have always been in that camp of, oh, that must be sending a message. But you, with your experience, I think you’re exactly right. One thing, guys, I think we’re mixing up Sambo Cesario with Sam Annarino. I was thinking when they – yeah, you’re right, Paul. I was thinking, though, when they blew away Sam Annarino in the parking lot with his family, though, they had been trying to get him for several months. And they finally just went after him in the parking lot, called in a robbery, and blew him away in the furniture store parking lot. That was what I meant. Yeah, Gary was referring to Sambo earlier. I just meant they had been trying to get Sam Annarino for a long time, and when they couldn’t, they just got him in the parking lot. [36:08] Well, interesting. You know, no matter how much terror these guys strike in the heart of their underlings, in the end, they still will turn once in a while. And I think people don’t really not turn because they’re afraid of getting killed so much if they don’t turn because they don’t want to have their family suffering the disgrace of them being a rat or a snitch. I think that’s more important to be a man and go out like a man in this subculture and believe me I’ve lived in a subculture where being a man and being a tough guy is more important than anything else, I think that’s the most important thing that keeps people from coming in you’re like a wimp you’re a puss, you can’t take it, can’t handle it you know what I mean you can’t handle five years I could do five years standing on my head or a tray like the dude told me so uh you know but even even with all that and still there’s a certain percentage that will end up coming in sure and usually there are people that either don’t care about their family like lenny patrick yeah or that don’t have close family so that they don’t have it so much of that pressure that you’re talking about gary because you make a really valid point that that that cultural value is so strong yeah yeah it’s it’s. [37:36] In a lot of these small towns, you see in Detroit where they’re all family tied in and everything, you don’t see informants. I think they’ve had one. Kansas City, as you said, Gary, you don’t see. But then you look at a place like Rochester where they’re all just lower tier mob guys. Everybody was informing on everybody because they really weren’t as upper echelon sort of mob guys. So I think that, like you said, once you get that culture seeped in, you’ve got those families and all, there’s a lot of factors. But if it’s a deep-rooted mob town, you really don’t see a lot of real informants. [38:11] So, guys, now we’ve got one that I did a show on. I did a couple of shows on him. I talked to the FBI agent who brought him in and dealt with him for quite a while. Ken Tokiojo Eto. He survived a murder attempt. When that didn’t happen for him with the outfit, what happened after that? [38:32] I believe his attempted assassins got killed themselves. So tell me a little bit about Tokyo Joe Eto. There’s a photograph I have from the late 50s, early 60s And it shows Joe Ferriola And a couple of other heavyweights Hanging around with a young Ken Eto, And a lot of people didn’t know who Ken Eto was But he ran the Japanese game, Gambling, Bolita And lots of money Poured into the outfit through Tokyo Joe As they called him And there was a rumor that perhaps Tokyo Joe was going to turn under a little bit of pressure. And so Jasper Campisi put three slugs in the back of his head. [39:22] Miraculously, he survived three slugs at point blank range. And if he wasn’t going to turn state’s evidence before, he certainly had a powerful incentive to do so now. He seems to insist As I’ve heard that he was not His intention was not It’s hard to say at this point But he says he had no intention Of flipping and that he’s not sure What the evidence was against him But he was not going to flip until, It was Yeah. [39:55] I’m drawing a blank, Paul. Who was it that sent? It wasn’t the saint. It was Vincent Solano. He was kind of Vincent Solano, who was a union guy and a made guy up there. He kind of had which one. [40:11] He was a capo. And which crew was it? Do you remember? He was on the north side. North side crew. North side crew. And actually, Ken went to Vince Solano and had a talk with him. Said you know what i can do this he was looking at a tray i had a dude tell me what’s that pressure and tried to get him to talk and he said uh he said what am i gonna get out of this a tray he said man i can do a tray standing on my head and i threw him right then that’s right gotta talk to me so uh and that’s all he had to do but solano for some reason uh who knows what was in his head because uh ken Eto had made him a lot of money a lot of money and he was a tough little dude he had he had survived he had been put in the uh concentration camps if you will during the internment camps yeah internment camps and then came as a young man up chicago and been around for a long time by the time this all came down he’d been with him for a long time and made him a lot of money and all kinds of different gambling operations but particularly the bolita. [41:13] So uh it just didn’t make sense i heard one thing that these guys in chicago got the idea Yeah, to keep the noise down, they were loading their own rounds with lighter loads of powder. I don’t know. They had like a hit car up there. The guys in Chicago were pretty sophisticated or tried to be. And so they used these lighter loads. And when it went into his head, it just didn’t penetrate his skull. I remember I was at the hospital once, and there was a young guy who had gotten shot in the head. And they said that the bullet was not a good bullet because it went in under his skin and then went under his scalp, along his skull, and then lodged up on his forehead. [41:56] Wow. And so Eto was kind of the same way. Those bullets were probably lodged up underneath his scalp. He pulled himself to a neighboring, I believe it was a pharmacy that was right there, a corner store. And then that guy went to help him. I think he had to dial a call of 911 or whatever. 911 was in place then. He had to call for help for himself from a phone booth. You know, he saved his own life by being smart and playing dead. Yeah, that’s right. And you look at Chicago, it’s a city of neighborhoods, and you’ve got the Mexican town, and you’ve got the different towns, and you’ve got Chinatown where there’s so much money and so much gambling. And while Haneda was Japanese and there’s obviously division between Japanese and Chinese, it would be much easier for him to go in and then some of these outfit guys and because of different things going on back in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. But he could go into neighborhoods and represent the outfit in ways in different communities that the outfit wouldn’t go into or a lot of these made guys. [43:12] And that gave him entry into a lot of communities. In the Asian community, there’s a lot of gambling that he was able to tap into. He was smart enough to see that as a route that maybe the Italian guys didn’t, just like Lenny Patrick, who we’ve talked about in other episodes, had that access into the Jewish communities and other Jewish gangsters. There’s a lot of gambling there. If you can get somebody who has an in to different communities, that’s really a way to go and that’s part of why he made so much money. A game like BolEto wouldn’t normally be and that’s huge in the Hispanic communities and huge with Asians also. You know in kansas city that’s interesting that you should point that out camp we had a um large vietnamese community moved in after the the boat peoples when it started and they moved in through the same church uh. [44:09] Sacred Heart Church and Don Bosco Center that the Italians moved in, the Sicilians moved into back in the turn of the century, the same neighborhoods. And Italians are getting successful and they’re moving out the suburbs and the Vietnamese are moving in and creating the Vietnamese restaurants and Vietnamese shops. And they brought, they have a love for gambling. Like you said, they have huge love for gambling. They don’t drink so much or do so many drugs, but they do love to gamble, it seemed to me like. [44:36] And so they had their own book. he was called the king a guy a friend of mine told me a story uh there’s a mob book he got on the periphery that neighborhood’s got a joint and he he was running a sports book and he had a lot of action going in and out of his joint so this one vietnamese guy had a big debt owed to the king so he goes down and talks to this guy’s name was Larry Strada, he ends up getting killed by some other uh mobsters in a deal they thought he was going to testify but i just needed to hear are there, this young, middle-aged Vietnamese guy goes down to the Caddyshack, Larry Strada’s bar. And he starts telling him about the king. He said, man, he said, the king, you take all your business. He said, he got all business down here. He take all your business. He said, you know, you need to do something about the king. He said, you know, we’re close to the river here. And then he made a motion across his throat like he was cutting his throat. So he was trying to get out of his gambling debt to convince this Italian, La Cosa Nostra bookie to go back and kill me yeah king piano. [45:42] You know i’ve heard a lot of stories and some of them are true some are not that one had to ring a truth to it it had a definite ring of truth that that got to do that playing them against each other yeah you bet and you know another thing about tokyo joe and you know he could testify But Ben Solano had Campizé and Gattuso killed right away. Found them in the trunk of their car, I think. Maybe at the airport, even. [46:09] Chicago trunk music, but they have some saying like that. And so Solano knew that they could testify against him, and they didn’t want to go down for attempted murder, more than likely, and he just didn’t take a chance. So he had them killed, and I can’t remember if he went down behind this or not. But another thing Tokyo Joe was able to do, I mean, he certainly could expose all the inner workings of what he knew about to the FBI, which gives you a lot of tips on where to go, who to work on, and maybe where to throw up microphones or some wiretaps. But he also traveled around he came to Kansas City during the skimming trial because they’re working on the Chicago hierarchy. So they just fly him into town. They show him that picture, the last separate picture where everybody’s in the picture. And they say, now, who’s that? Oh, that’s Aiuppa. Okay, then who’s that? Oh, that’s Vince Solano. Yeah, he reports to Aiuppa. You know, and who’s that guy? I can’t remember the other people at all. So the nation said that Joe is up hard. Oh, yeah, he reports to this guy. So to show the organization of the mob in Chicago and that it is an organization that gives orders to have other people carry it to make the RICO case, that he was a storyteller for that. And he didn’t know anything about the skim at all. But he was a storyteller on getting the mob name and the organization in front of a jury. That’s huge, as you know, Paul. [47:35] Absolutely. We had a similar arrangement during the Carlesi trial about how [47:40] the Carlesi crew operated and who was who, and to tell the story. Yeah. You have to make it a story. Let’s take a look at Betty Toco, which, uh, this is pretty interesting. There was a, um, I’m not sure. Albert Toco was your husband. Remind me what his position was at the outfit at that time. So Al Toco was, there’s sort of a division on who was the leadership of, who was the central leader of Chicago Heights. There’s Dominic Tuts Palermo and Al Toco, who was really a powerhouse in Chicago Heights. And Tuts Palermo was definitely highly connected and across the pond too, also in Italy. But uh Toco was involved in the in the chop shop wars really really heavily involved and he had a lot of connections in chicago too he was involved with lombardo and a lot of these chop shops throughout chicago he had a lot of partnerships and so this was a 30 million dollar a year racket stolen cars chop shops international car rings uh car rings throughout stolen car rings throughout the country. Toco was responsible for burying the Spolatro brothers. It was very sectioned off. Each crew had a part in their murder. And then Chicago Heights was responsible for the burial. [49:02] And they were down in Enos, Indiana. They got kind of turned around a little bit. They were down a farm road. They were burying them in a freshly tilled field. And the road where they’re on, there’s a little side road that you would drive down. There’s very little down there. I’ve, I’ve seen it, but a car happened to come down middle of night and they were in a, there’s a, there were a couple of feet off of a wooded area and they see this car coming down and they sort of all panicked and before they had a chance to cover the area or really do anything, it just looked like a freshly dug, it really just looked like freshly dug mound. And so they all fled and three of Toco’s guys went one way and he went the other. They had the car in both radios. [49:46] He’s wandering around barefoot, and he calls his wife finally. She shows up, and he’s screaming and yelling. And he runs to Florida, and he’s waiting for permission to come back from Joe Ferriola. He’s worried he’s going to get killed because they find the Spallachos immediately because the farmer sees his field all messed up, freshly tilled ground, and it looks really suspicious, like somebody had been poaching deer and burying the carcass. Uh but Toco was a tyrant to his wife he was he was horrible to her he was he was when you think of what a mob guy was that was Toco you know tipping the guy who mows his lawn the kid who mows his lawn hundred bucks and wandered around town everybody knows him but he’d come home and unlike a lot of these guys he was he was a real you know a real. [50:36] Real bastard to his wife you know and for years she put up with this sort of abuse and finally after this this happened and it was in the news and all he finally pushed her too far and she began informing on him and and he was arrested later on he was in his jail cell talking about all the murders he had committed and and this and that about his wife and uh his his uh uh A cellmate repeated everything that he said to try and lessen his sentence. So really, Toco got buried by his big mouth and his terrible behavior. He initially fled to Greece before he was arrested, and they extradited him back from Greece. So this is, I mean, Toco is like deep in mob behavior. [51:22] I mean, fleeing the country and all. I mean, it doesn’t get much more mafia than Al Toco. I hesitate to use that word with Chicago, but that was, Al Toco was running deep. and that Betty Tocco’s testimony eventually led to the trial of Al Tocco. And that was really a blow to the Chicago Heights crew that nowadays, I mean, they continued on and had a few rackets, but after the eventual trial that stemmed from that, it really wasn’t, there’s not much activity now. I’m in that area and there’s just, there’s really nothing here. [51:59] Interesting. Now, so Tony and Michael Spilotro had been lured to somebody’s house on the promise that Michael was going to be made. It’s my understanding. I believe that’s what Frank Collada had reported. And some other people, not part of the Chicago Heights crew, killed him. How did that go down? And how did they pass off the body? You guys, is there anything out there about that? Wasn’t that the family secrets trial, maybe? It was. And, of course, it’s been popularly portrayed in the movie Casino. And it’s surprisingly accurate Except for the fact That where they were beaten But what happened was Little Jimmy Marcello called them. [52:41] And said Sam, meaning Sam Carlisi, the boss, wanted to see them. And they knew that that was ominous because of what was going on beyond the scope of this show. But they took off the jewelry. They left. They told their wives, if we’re not back by 930, it’s not good. They really did not suspect that it was to make Michael. That’s what Collada said. You’re absolutely right about that, Gary. But I don’t think that’s correct at all. They knew that it was bad. And they went. He took a pistol, which was against the rules. They hit him a pistol. Tony hit a pistol on his brother, which you do not do when you go to see the boss. And they were picked up by, by Marcello and taken to a house. I, uh, was it Bensonville? Yeah. Up in Bensonville. Uh, in, in the basement, they walked down the stairs and all of a sudden they looked into the eyes of Carlici and, uh, DeFranzo and everybody, the whole, all the couples were there to spread the, the, uh, liability around and they were beaten to death with, with fists and feet, uh, in, in that basement and then transported to that burial ground, which coincidentally was just maybe a couple hundred yards away from Joey Aupa’s farm. [54:00] Right. So I guess that they must have had, uh, Toco standing by, because I don’t believe he was in that basement. I like that. He must have had him standing by to go grab the bodies and take them out. Really interesting. He should have had the old Doug before he got there. You know, that’s what they always say. First you dig the hole then you go do the murder right and i don’t think he had it done before he got there yeah i don’t i really that’s a good that’s a good point gary i really don’t know and nobody’s ever come forward to say what the status of the hole was beforehand uh you know it was a deep it was a deep it was it was a pretty deep hole uh but they may have had a dug ahead of Tom, but, but, uh, cause they knew the location and it’s pretty obscure location. So they had clearly been there before. And, and, you know, everybody knew that that was, I, I hope was, I got it right. Farm. And, uh, So they may have had it dug, and they just did a shoddy job covering it up. [55:05] But I also haven’t heard the specific details about how they handed it off to Toco. I don’t recall seeing that in Calabrese’s testimony. Yeah, it was Nick Calabrese that testified about that. It brought up the light. He named the killer. So he may not have gone that far, probably having Toco and having his wife testify that he did do this. that she picked him up out there. It was just a piece of the entire prosecution on the spot, which it really never was a trial or anything on that. I don’t believe. Another odd thing is he, I believe he ranted and raved the entire car ride back. And from where he was, you would run up with, It’s now turns into Indianapolis. So it’s a good car ride from where they were to Chicago Heights. I believe he ranted and raved about the guys and his crew and the burial and everything, the entire car ride, which was not something most guys would do in front of their wives. But I really, especially when he treated like that. Right. And complained about how long it took her to get there and everything. So she was able to verify a lot of what Calabrese was saying from the final end of it. Interesting. A friend of mine was in the penitentiary, and he said, there’s a guy in there who called himself a verifier. He said, what do you mean? He said, I’m a professional verifier. What he was, he was an informant. That’s what he was, but he called himself a verifier. [56:33] A girl would come to him and say, well, I heard this, this, and this. Is that true or not? He’d say, well, that’s true. That’s not true. [56:40] I guess that’s a more preferable term. Yeah, she was a verifier. Well, that was great. I really appreciate having that on there and Paul. And I really, I still miss Cam. Every time I get ready to do a Chicago show, I think, oh, I want to get Cam or Rochester. [56:58] We did one about Rochester. We did one about Utica. I did several other shows about other families. And he was a good guy and a real great researcher and a real expert on the outfit and other mafia families. So rest in peace, Cam and Paul. I hope to talk to you again one of these days. Guys, don’t forget, I got stuff to sell out there. Just go to my website or just search on my name for Amazon. I can rent my movies about the skim in Las Vegas, about the big mob war between the Savella brothers and the Spiro brothers in Kansas City. Then one about the great 1946 ballot theft in which the mob… Rigged election, helped Harry Truman rig an election. It’s a little harder to find than mine. You need to put ballot theft and Gary Jenkins. I think you’ll find it then. The other two, Gangland Wire and Brothers Against Brothers, Sabella Spiro, were a little bit easier to find. Had to put it up a different way because Amazon changed the rules, but I got them up there. So thanks a lot, guys.

In this gripping Hidden Killers episode, we go inside the fractured world surrounding Bryan Kohberger — from the secret emotional ties he's maintaining behind bars to the courtroom moment that pierced the last layer of his psychological armor. Tony Brueski is joined by retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke and defense attorney Bob Motta to dissect the two most unsettling threads emerging from Kohberger's final days in court: his ongoing conversations with his mother, and the viral victim impact statement delivered by Alivea Goncalves. We explore why Kohberger's mother is still communicating with him, what psychological needs those conversations fulfill for him, and why offenders often cling to the last person who still gives them validation. Robin breaks down the emotional leverage and quiet manipulation that can happen even from a prison cell — the ego maintenance, the power dynamic, the distorted sense of control. We also examine the painful question families face when a child commits horrific acts: what does loyalty look like when the truth is unbearable? At the same time, we analyze the courtroom moment that defined sentencing: Alivea Goncalves's direct, devastating statement aimed squarely at Kohberger's identity — his intellect, his superiority, his fantasy narrative of control. Bob explains why her words cut deeper than most victim statements and why Kohberger's cold, rigid demeanor may have been his only remaining defense mechanism. His unblinking stare, tight jaw, and lack of emotion revealed far more than he intended. Together, this episode exposes the emotional and psychological ecosystem around Kohberger — the family ties he still manipulates, the ego he tries to preserve, and the moment in court when someone finally spoke to him in a way he could not ignore. If you want to understand the psychology behind the headlines, this is the breakdown that goes where few analyses ever do. #BryanKohberger #HiddenKillers #AliveaGoncalves #KohbergerMother #TrueCrimePodcast #BehavioralAnalysis #CourtroomPsychology #VictimImpactStatement #FBIProfiler Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

In this gripping Hidden Killers episode, we go inside the fractured world surrounding Bryan Kohberger — from the secret emotional ties he's maintaining behind bars to the courtroom moment that pierced the last layer of his psychological armor. Tony Brueski is joined by retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke and defense attorney Bob Motta to dissect the two most unsettling threads emerging from Kohberger's final days in court: his ongoing conversations with his mother, and the viral victim impact statement delivered by Alivea Goncalves. We explore why Kohberger's mother is still communicating with him, what psychological needs those conversations fulfill for him, and why offenders often cling to the last person who still gives them validation. Robin breaks down the emotional leverage and quiet manipulation that can happen even from a prison cell — the ego maintenance, the power dynamic, the distorted sense of control. We also examine the painful question families face when a child commits horrific acts: what does loyalty look like when the truth is unbearable? At the same time, we analyze the courtroom moment that defined sentencing: Alivea Goncalves's direct, devastating statement aimed squarely at Kohberger's identity — his intellect, his superiority, his fantasy narrative of control. Bob explains why her words cut deeper than most victim statements and why Kohberger's cold, rigid demeanor may have been his only remaining defense mechanism. His unblinking stare, tight jaw, and lack of emotion revealed far more than he intended. Together, this episode exposes the emotional and psychological ecosystem around Kohberger — the family ties he still manipulates, the ego he tries to preserve, and the moment in court when someone finally spoke to him in a way he could not ignore. If you want to understand the psychology behind the headlines, this is the breakdown that goes where few analyses ever do. #BryanKohberger #HiddenKillers #AliveaGoncalves #KohbergerMother #TrueCrimePodcast #BehavioralAnalysis #CourtroomPsychology #VictimImpactStatement #FBIProfiler Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

In this gripping Hidden Killers episode, we go inside the fractured world surrounding Bryan Kohberger — from the secret emotional ties he's maintaining behind bars to the courtroom moment that pierced the last layer of his psychological armor. Tony Brueski is joined by retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke and defense attorney Bob Motta to dissect the two most unsettling threads emerging from Kohberger's final days in court: his ongoing conversations with his mother, and the viral victim impact statement delivered by Alivea Goncalves. We explore why Kohberger's mother is still communicating with him, what psychological needs those conversations fulfill for him, and why offenders often cling to the last person who still gives them validation. Robin breaks down the emotional leverage and quiet manipulation that can happen even from a prison cell — the ego maintenance, the power dynamic, the distorted sense of control. We also examine the painful question families face when a child commits horrific acts: what does loyalty look like when the truth is unbearable? At the same time, we analyze the courtroom moment that defined sentencing: Alivea Goncalves's direct, devastating statement aimed squarely at Kohberger's identity — his intellect, his superiority, his fantasy narrative of control. Bob explains why her words cut deeper than most victim statements and why Kohberger's cold, rigid demeanor may have been his only remaining defense mechanism. His unblinking stare, tight jaw, and lack of emotion revealed far more than he intended. Together, this episode exposes the emotional and psychological ecosystem around Kohberger — the family ties he still manipulates, the ego he tries to preserve, and the moment in court when someone finally spoke to him in a way he could not ignore. If you want to understand the psychology behind the headlines, this is the breakdown that goes where few analyses ever do. #BryanKohberger #HiddenKillers #AliveaGoncalves #KohbergerMother #TrueCrimePodcast #BehavioralAnalysis #CourtroomPsychology #VictimImpactStatement #FBIProfiler Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

In this gripping Hidden Killers episode, we go inside the fractured world surrounding Bryan Kohberger — from the secret emotional ties he's maintaining behind bars to the courtroom moment that pierced the last layer of his psychological armor. Tony Brueski is joined by retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke and defense attorney Bob Motta to dissect the two most unsettling threads emerging from Kohberger's final days in court: his ongoing conversations with his mother, and the viral victim impact statement delivered by Alivea Goncalves. We explore why Kohberger's mother is still communicating with him, what psychological needs those conversations fulfill for him, and why offenders often cling to the last person who still gives them validation. Robin breaks down the emotional leverage and quiet manipulation that can happen even from a prison cell — the ego maintenance, the power dynamic, the distorted sense of control. We also examine the painful question families face when a child commits horrific acts: what does loyalty look like when the truth is unbearable? At the same time, we analyze the courtroom moment that defined sentencing: Alivea Goncalves's direct, devastating statement aimed squarely at Kohberger's identity — his intellect, his superiority, his fantasy narrative of control. Bob explains why her words cut deeper than most victim statements and why Kohberger's cold, rigid demeanor may have been his only remaining defense mechanism. His unblinking stare, tight jaw, and lack of emotion revealed far more than he intended. Together, this episode exposes the emotional and psychological ecosystem around Kohberger — the family ties he still manipulates, the ego he tries to preserve, and the moment in court when someone finally spoke to him in a way he could not ignore. If you want to understand the psychology behind the headlines, this is the breakdown that goes where few analyses ever do. #BryanKohberger #HiddenKillers #AliveaGoncalves #KohbergerMother #TrueCrimePodcast #BehavioralAnalysis #CourtroomPsychology #VictimImpactStatement #FBIProfiler Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

In one of the most emotionally charged moments of the Donna Adelson trial, Wendi Adelson took the stand — and the courtroom shifted. This wasn't just another witness testifying about timelines and documents. This was the daughter of the accused, the ex-wife of the victim, and the woman whose family turmoil prosecutors say fueled a murder-for-hire plot that stunned the nation. Wendi walked jurors through her bitter divorce from FSU law professor Dan Markel, the custody battles that stretched on for years, and the deep frustration her parents felt about her being “stuck” in Tallahassee instead of living near them in South Florida. She acknowledged how often her mother — defendant Donna Adelson — expressed resentment about the situation. Prosecutors seized on those statements, arguing they reveal the emotional pressure cooker they say ignited the plan to eliminate Markel. Her testimony didn't just support the prosecution's theory; it humanized it. While investigators like Jason Newlin brought the evidence, Wendi brought the context — the conversations, the tension, the unspoken expectations inside a family prosecutors allege was willing to cross unthinkable lines to get what it wanted. For jurors, this wasn't just information. It was a window into the dynamic the State says became the motive. And then there was the emotional weight: Wendi, testifying under oath, while her mother sat only feet away. Every pause, every careful wording, every sideways glance carried a gravity no piece of paper could ever convey. This was a daughter navigating loyalty, truth, and survival — all with the eyes of the courtroom locked on her. Wendi Adelson's testimony may ultimately be remembered as a turning point. It exposed fractures in the family, added credibility to the State's narrative, and placed jurors squarely inside the Adelson home — a place where prosecutors claim resentment and desperation led to murder. #DonnaAdelson #WendiAdelson #DanMarkel #TrialCoverage #AdelsonTrial #FamilySecrets #MurderForHire #TrueCrimeCommunity #CourtroomDrama #HiddenKillers Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

In one of the most emotionally charged moments of the Donna Adelson trial, Wendi Adelson took the stand — and the courtroom shifted. This wasn't just another witness testifying about timelines and documents. This was the daughter of the accused, the ex-wife of the victim, and the woman whose family turmoil prosecutors say fueled a murder-for-hire plot that stunned the nation. Wendi walked jurors through her bitter divorce from FSU law professor Dan Markel, the custody battles that stretched on for years, and the deep frustration her parents felt about her being “stuck” in Tallahassee instead of living near them in South Florida. She acknowledged how often her mother — defendant Donna Adelson — expressed resentment about the situation. Prosecutors seized on those statements, arguing they reveal the emotional pressure cooker they say ignited the plan to eliminate Markel. Her testimony didn't just support the prosecution's theory; it humanized it. While investigators like Jason Newlin brought the evidence, Wendi brought the context — the conversations, the tension, the unspoken expectations inside a family prosecutors allege was willing to cross unthinkable lines to get what it wanted. For jurors, this wasn't just information. It was a window into the dynamic the State says became the motive. And then there was the emotional weight: Wendi, testifying under oath, while her mother sat only feet away. Every pause, every careful wording, every sideways glance carried a gravity no piece of paper could ever convey. This was a daughter navigating loyalty, truth, and survival — all with the eyes of the courtroom locked on her. Wendi Adelson's testimony may ultimately be remembered as a turning point. It exposed fractures in the family, added credibility to the State's narrative, and placed jurors squarely inside the Adelson home — a place where prosecutors claim resentment and desperation led to murder. #DonnaAdelson #WendiAdelson #DanMarkel #TrialCoverage #AdelsonTrial #FamilySecrets #MurderForHire #TrueCrimeCommunity #CourtroomDrama #HiddenKillers Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

Fluent Fiction - French: Secrets of Savannah: A New Year's Mystery Unveiled Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/fr/episode/2025-12-28-08-38-20-fr Story Transcript:Fr: Dans un petit café chaleureux, au cœur du quartier historique de Savannah, l'air est rempli de l'arôme du café fraîchement moulu.En: In a small cozy café, at the heart of the historic district of Savannah, the air is filled with the aroma of freshly ground coffee.Fr: Les lampes diffusent une lumière douce sur les tables en bois rustique.En: The lamps cast a gentle glow over the rustic wooden tables.Fr: C'est la veille du Nouvel An, et les rues à l'extérieur scintillent de lumières festives.En: It is New Year's Eve, and the streets outside shimmer with festive lights.Fr: Éloi, un expatrié français aux yeux remplis de secrets, est assis dans un coin, une tasse de café à la main.En: Éloi, a French expatriate with eyes full of secrets, sits in a corner, a cup of coffee in hand.Fr: Cela fait un an qu'il a quitté la France pour commencer une nouvelle vie ici.En: It has been a year since he left France to start a new life here.Fr: Marcelline, sa nouvelle amie, est assise en face de lui.En: Marcelline, his new friend, sits across from him.Fr: Curieuse et pleine de vie, elle aime explorer les mystères de la ville.En: Curious and full of life, she loves exploring the city's mysteries.Fr: Alors qu'ils savourent leur café, un serveur s'approche de leur table avec une enveloppe à la main.En: As they savor their coffee, a waiter approaches their table with an envelope in hand.Fr: À l'intérieur, un lettre mystérieuse adressée à Éloi.En: Inside is a mysterious letter addressed to Éloi.Fr: Curieux mais aussi inquiet, il hésite à partager son contenu avec Marcelline.En: Curious yet worried, he hesitates to share its contents with Marcelline.Fr: "Qu'est-ce que c'est, Éloi?" demande-t-elle, ses yeux pétillant d'excitation.En: "What is it, Éloi?" she asks, her eyes sparkling with excitement.Fr: Après un moment de réflexion, Éloi décide de lui montrer la lettre.En: After a moment of reflection, Éloi decides to show her the letter.Fr: Elle est écrite en français et parle de secrets oubliés et de rendez-vous mystérieux dans les vieux quartiers de la ville.En: It is written in French and speaks of forgotten secrets and mysterious meetings in the old quarters of the city.Fr: "Je pense que cette lettre est importante," murmure Éloi.En: "I think this letter is important," Éloi murmurs.Fr: Ensemble, ils décident de suivre les indices.En: Together, they decide to follow the clues.Fr: La lettre les mène à travers les ruelles pavées de Savannah, pleines de mystères et d'histoires anciennes.En: The letter leads them through the cobblestone alleys of Savannah, full of mysteries and ancient stories.Fr: Chaque indice les rapproche d'une vérité oubliée.En: Each clue brings them closer to a forgotten truth.Fr: Ils découvrent finalement que la lettre est liée à un mystère non résolu de la famille d'Éloi. Une histoire d'héritages perdus et de secrets de famille.En: They finally discover that the letter is linked to an unresolved mystery of Éloi's family— a tale of lost inheritances and family secrets.Fr: Les pistes les conduisent à un ancien manoir, caché derrière des murs de briques.En: The leads take them to an old mansion, hidden behind brick walls.Fr: Là, ils découvrent des documents montrant le lien entre la famille d'Éloi et une vieille histoire de Savannah.En: There, they discover documents showing the connection between Éloi's family and an old story of Savannah.Fr: Ce que Nadine, l'arrière-grand-mère d'Éloi, avait laissé derrière elle était un trésor non pas de richesses matérielles, mais une compréhension de leur histoire familiale.En: What Nadine, Éloi's great-grandmother, had left behind was a treasure not of material wealth, but of an understanding of their family history.Fr: Éloi se rend compte qu'il peut enfin faire confiance à quelqu'un avec son passé.En: Éloi realizes he can finally trust someone with his past.Fr: En partageant cette histoire avec Marcelline, il se sent plus enraciné dans sa nouvelle vie à Savannah.En: By sharing this story with Marcelline, he feels more rooted in his new life in Savannah.Fr: Il découvre que sa place est ici, avec des amis qui l'acceptent tel qu'il est.En: He discovers that his place is here, with friends who accept him as he is.Fr: Alors que le son des cloches du Nouvel An résonne dans l'air froid de l'hiver, Éloi regarde Marcelline avec gratitude.En: As the sound of New Year's bells rings in the cold winter air, Éloi looks at Marcelline with gratitude.Fr: "Merci," dit-il simplement.En: "Thank you," he says simply.Fr: Ensemble, ils ont résolu un mystère, mais plus important encore, Éloi a trouvé une nouvelle manière d'accepter son passé.En: Together, they solved a mystery, but more importantly, Éloi found a new way to embrace his past.Fr: Ainsi, dans l'ambiance scintillante et sereine de la nouvelle année, Éloi se sent enfin chez lui, un sentiment qu'il n'avait pas ressenti depuis très longtemps.En: Thus, in the sparkling and serene ambiance of the new year, Éloi finally feels at home, a feeling he hadn't experienced for a very long time. Vocabulary Words:the aroma: l'arômecozy: chaleureuxthe lamp: la lampeto shimmer: scintillerthe expatriate: l'expatriécurious: curieuxthe envelope: l'enveloppeto hesitate: hésiterto savor: savourerthe clue: l'indicethe alley: la ruellethe mansion: le manoirforgotten: oubliéthe letter: la lettrethe bell: la clocherustic: rustiqueto discover: découvrirthe waiter: le serveurthe truth: la véritéthe secret: le secretthe story: l'histoiregrateful: reconnaissantto solve: résoudrethe mystery: le mystèreancient: ancienthe inheritance: l'héritageto trust: faire confiancethe brick: la briqueto embrace: embrassernew year's eve: la veille du Nouvel An

In this gripping episode of Gangland Wire, host Gary Jenkins sits down with Robert “Bob” Cooley, the Chicago lawyer whose extraordinary journey took him from deep inside the Outfit's criminal operations to becoming one of the federal government's most valuable witnesses against organized crime. Cooley pulls back the curtain on the hidden machinery of Chicago's underworld, describing how corruption, bribery, and violence shaped the Chicago Outfit's power in the 1970s and beyond. As a lawyer, gambler, and trusted insider, Cooley saw firsthand how mob influence tilted the scales of justice—often in open daylight. Inside the “Chicago Method” of Courtroom Corruption Cooley explains the notorious system of judicial bribery he once helped facilitate—what he calls the “Chicago Method.” He walks listeners through: How defense attorneys worked directly with Outfit associates to buy favorable rulings. The process of approaching and bribing judges. Why weak forensic standards of the era made witness discrediting the key mob strategy. His personal involvement in the infamous Harry Aleman murder case, where clear guilt was erased by corruption. Life in the Outfit: Gambling, Debt, and Mob Justice Cooley recounts his early days gambling with Chicago Outfit associates, including Marco D'Amico, Jackie Cerrone, and John DeFranzo. Notable stories include: The violent implications of unpaid gambling debts in mob circles. Tense interactions with bookmaker Hal Smith and the chaotic fallout of a bounced check involving mobster Eddie Corrado. How D'Amico often stepped in—sometimes with intimidation—to shield Cooley from harm. These stories reflect the daily volatility of life inside the Outfit, where money, fear, and loyalty intersect constantly. Bob Cooley has a great book titled When Corruption Was King where he goes into even greater detail and has many more stories from his life inside the Chicago Mob. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Subscribe to the website for weekly notifications about updates and other Mob information. To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent ‘Brothers against Brothers’ or ‘Gangland Wire,’ the documentaries click here.  To purchase one of my books, click here. 0:06 Introduction to Bob Cooley 1:32 Life as an Outfit Gambler 2:00 My Relationship with Marco D’Amico 10:40 The Story of Hal Smith 11:05 A Dangerous Encounter 20:21 Meeting Sally D 22:23 A Contract on My Life 22:37 The Harry Alleman Case 34:47 Inside the Courtroom 51:08 The Verdict 52:26 Warning the Judge 53:49 The Case Against the Policewoman 58:36 Navigating the Legal Maze 1:08:14 The Outcome and Its Consequences 1:11:39 The Decision to Flip 1:24:38 A Father’s Influence 1:33:57 The Corruption Revealed 1:50:12 Political Connections 2:02:07 The Setup for Robbery 2:20:29 Consequences of Loyalty transcript [0:00] Hey, guys, my guest today is a former Chicago outfit associate named Robert Bob Cooley. He has a book out there titled When Corruption Was King. I highly recommend you get it if you want to look inside the Chicago outfit of the 1970s. Now, Bob’s going to tell us about his life as an outfit gambler, lawyer, and I use payoff to judges to get many, many not guilty verdicts. Now, I always call this the Chicago method. This happened for, I know, for Harry Ailman, a case we’re going to talk about, Tony Spolatro got one of these not-guilties. Now, the outfit member associate who is blessed to get this fix put in for him may be charged with a crime, even up to murder. And he gets a lawyer, a connected lawyer, and they’ll demand a bench trial. That means that only a judge makes the decision. A lawyer, like my guest, who worked with a political fixer named Pat Marcy. [0:53] They’ll work together and they’ll get a friendly judge assigned to that case and then they’ll bribe the judge. And all that judge needs is some kind of alibi witnesses and any kind of information to discredit any prosecution witnesses. Now, this is back in the olden days before you had all this DNA and all that kind of thing. So physical evidence was not really a part of it. Mainly, it was from witnesses. And they just have to discredit any prosecution witness. Then the judge can say, well, state hadn’t really proven their case beyond a reasonable doubt and issue a not guilty verdict and walk away. Now, our guest, Bob Cooley, is going to take us inside this world. [1:29] And it’s a world of beatings, murders, bribes, and other kinds of plots. He was a member of the Elmwood Park crew. He was a big gambler. He was a big loan shark. And he worked for a guy named Marco D’Amico, who was their gambling boss and loan shark in that crew. Among other bosses in this powerful crew were Jackie Cerrone, who will go on and become the underboss and eventually the boss for a short [1:55] period of time. and John no-nose DeFranzo, who will also go on to become the boss eventually. What was your relationship with Marco D’Amico? I talked about when I first came into the 18th district, when I came into work there, and they put me back in uniform, the first person I met was Rick Borelli. Rick Borelli, he was Marco’s cousin. [2:23] When I started gambling right away with Rick, within a couple of days, I’m being his face, and I’m calling and making bets. There was a restaurant across the street where every Wednesday and sometimes a couple days a week, I would meet with Ricky. And one of the first people he brought in there was Marco. Was Marco. And Marco would usually be with a person or two. And I thought they were just bookmakers. [2:55] And I started being friendly with him, meeting him there. Then I started having card games Up in my apartment And, Because now I’m making, in the very beginning, I’m making first $100 extra a week. And within a couple of weeks, I’m making $500, $600 extra a week. And within about a month, I’m making $1,000, sometimes more than that. So now I’m having card games, relatively big card games, because I’ve got a bankroll. I’ve got probably about $5,000, $6,000, which seemed like a lot of money to me. Initially uh and after a while that was a daily that was a daily deal but uh so we we started having card games up there and then we started socializing we started now he’d be at these nightclubs all the time when when i’d go to make my payoffs he was part of the main group there he was one of the call he was right he was right under jack right under at that time originally Jackie Cerrone, and then he was right under Johnny DeFranco. [4:07] But he was… And we became real good friends. We would double date and we spent a lot of time together. And we had these big card games. And that’s when I realized how powerful these people were. Because after one of the card games, there was somebody that was brought in, a guy named Corrado. I’m pretty sure his name was I can’t think of his first name, but Corrado was this person that somebody brought into the game. And after we finished playing cards, and I won all the time. I mean, I was a real good card player, and I wouldn’t drink. I’d supply liquor and food and everything, but I wouldn’t drink. And as the others drank, they were the same as at my office. After we finish up, this guy says, you want to play some? We can play maybe some gin. just human being. And he was there with another friend of his who just sat there and watched. So we played, not gin, but blackjack. We played and passed cards back and forth when you win. Then you’re the dealer and back and forth. And I lost, I think I lost about $4,000 or $13,000 to him. [5:26] I lost the cash that I had. I had cash about $5,000 or $6,000. And I gave him a check for the rest. You know, but everything I was doing was wrong, you know. Yeah, one of those nights. It’s in there. And it’s funny because you asked about Marco. [5:47] And I thought, you know, oh, well, and whatever. And I gave him a check. I said, no, it’s a good check. And it was. It was for my office. It was an office check that I gave him. And that next morning, I’m meeting with Ricky and with Marco at this restaurant across from the station before I go in and to work. And I said, son of a B. I said, you know, they had a bad night first ever. Marco wasn’t at that game, at that particular game. And what happened? I said, I blew about 12,000. Okay, but you? Wow. And I said, yeah, I said, one of the guys at the game played some, I played some blackjack with somebody. What was his name? Eddie, Eddie Corrado. Eddie Corrado. He said, that mother, he said, stop payment on the check. He said, stop payment on the check. He said, because it wasn’t nine o’clock. It was only like, you know, seven, you know, seven 30 or whatever. He said, and when he gets ahold of you, arrange to have him come to your house. Tell him you’ll have the money for him at your house. So that’s what I, that’s what I do. So I stopped payment on it probably about five after nine. I get a call from, from Mr. Corrado. You mother fucker. [7:17] I said, no, no. I said, there wasn’t enough money in the account. I said, I’m sorry. I said, all right, then I’ll be over. I said, no, no, no. I said, I’m in court right now. I said, I’m in court. I said, I’m going to be tied up all day. I’ll meet you at my place. I’ll meet you back there. Well, I’ll be there. You better have that. I want cash and you better have it. Okay. Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m at home. Marco comes in. And he was there with Tony and Tony was there and Ricky was there. And Ricky was there. And they come over a little ahead of time and he comes in. I live on the 27th floor. The doorbell rings. Up he comes with some big mustache. [8:00] I open the door. You better have the fucking money and whatever. And I try to look nervous. I try to look real nervous. and when you walk into my apartment you walk in and you see the kitchen right in front of you and to the left to the left you’ve got an area away and you’ve got the the kitchen wall blocking what’s behind it over there and these three guys are standing marco and you are standing right there alongside of it and and when he walks in behind me, He sees Marco and all but shit in his pants. When he sees Marco, he goes, and Marco, you motherfucker. And, you know, oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was with you. He says, how much money you got me right now? And, you know, he says, pull your pockets out. He had about, he had about three or 4,000 with him. [9:02] And he says, you give him that. He says, you, he says, you, and he says, you give him that right now. And you apologize to him. Oh, and he says, he says, and I may give you a number. I want you to call. He says, we can put you to work. Apparently this guy had done the same thing to them a few years before and got the beating of his life somebody brought him into one of their card games, did he have a technique a cheating technique or had some marked cards no it was a card mechanic he could play games with cards they call him a mechanic and, in fact the guy was great at it because he had his own plane and everything else. But again, he had moved from Chicago and had just come back in the area. And they mounted. And so anyhow, he leaves. And he leaves then, and Marco took the money. Marco took the money. Marco took the money. Typical Bob guy, man. [10:19] And I says, what about the cash I lost to him? He says, well, you lost that. He says, you lost that. That’s when I realized how powerful. That’s when I realized how powerful that [10:35] he was part of the mob, not only a part of it, but one of the operational. Yeah, important part of it. That brings to mind another unbelievable situation that occurred. [10:49] The, uh, this is probably the, we’ll know the year by when it happened. There was a bookmaker named Hal Smith. Oh yeah. I remember that name. He got, tell us about Hal Smith. [11:05] Well, Hal Smith was a, he was a big guy too. A real, a real big guy. I met him on Rush street. He knew I was a gambler. He knew that I was a big gambler and I started gambling with him. Thank you. And I was with him probably for about maybe five or six months. And I’d win with him. I’d lose with him. And he would take big places. He would take $5,000 a game for me. And as they say, so the numbers were big. At the end of the week, we were sometimes $60,000, $70,000. [11:42] They were big numbers back and forth. And he was always good for the money. I was always good for the money. And one particular week, it was about $30,000. And I was waiting for money. Somebody else was supposed to give me even more than that. And the person put me off. And it was a good friend of mine. And I knew the money would be there. But a lot of times, these guys are going to collect it at a certain time. And then they’re expecting to give it to somebody else. Well, he was short. So I said, look, I don’t have it right now, but I’ll have it tomorrow, I said, because I’m meeting somebody. Well, okay, it better be there. [12:31] And look, it’ll be there, okay? Not a problem. So the next day, the person I’m supposed to get it from says, I’ll have it in a couple of hours. I don’t have it right now, but I’ll have it by late this afternoon. And I’m in my office when Hale Smith calls me and I said, I’ll have it a little bit later. And he slams the phone bell. I’m downstairs in Counselor’s Row. In fact, I’m meeting with Butchie and Harry. We’re in a booth talking about something. They had just sent me some business or whatever, but I’m talking about something. And George, the owner of the restaurant, comes over and he says, somebody is asking who you are and they want to talk to you. And they point out this guy. It was a guy I had seen before, because a lot of times at two in the morning, I would go down on West Street, and they had entertainment upstairs. And there was this big English guy. He was an English guy, as you could tell by his accent, a real loud guy. And when I walk up to talk to him, and he’s talking loud enough so people can hear him, and he says, you better have that. I’m here for it. You better have that. You better have that money. [13:51] Bob Hellsmith sent me, you get the money and you better have that money or there’s going to be a problem or whatever. And I said, well, the money will be there, but people can hear what this guy, this guy talking that shit. And he leaves. And he leaves. He’s going to call me back. And he leaves. I said, I’m busy right now. I says, give me a call back when I’m in the office and I’ll meet with you. So Butch, he goes, what was that all about? And I said, you know, it’s somebody I owe some money to. Well, who is he? Who is he with? I said, Harold Smith. And he said, who’s Harold Smith? You don’t pay him anything. He said, you don’t pay him anything. And he calls, when he calls back, he says, you will arrange to meet him. And I said, you know, I said, well, where? [14:44] And they knew where I lived. They’d been to my place at that time. I’m living in Newberry Plaza and they said, there’s a, there’s a Walgreens drugstore in Chicago Avenue. Tell him you’ll meet him there at Walgreens, and we’ll take it. And he says, and we’ll take it from there. When he does call me, I said, look, I said, I’ll meet you tomorrow morning for sure at Walgreens. I’ll have the cash. I said, I’ll have the cash, and I’ll have all of it. I said, but, you know, I’m tied up on some things. I said, I’ll go to my own bank when I’m finished here and whatever, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning for sure at 9 o’clock tomorrow morning. Okay. I sit down with them and they just said, I said, they said, go there and go meet them. And we’ll take care of it. The Walgreens is a store right in the corner of Michigan Avenue and Chicago Avenue, south side of the street. And it’s all windows. Huge windows here. Huge windows here. And a bus stop, a bus stop over here. When I get there, I park in the bus stop and I’m looking to my right and here he is sitting in a booth by himself, right by the window. And I look around and I don’t see anybody. I mean, with a lot of people, I don’t see Butchie. [16:06] Uh or red or anybody around but i i go in there anyhow and uh sit down and i uh sit down in the booth across from him and he’s eating breakfast he’s got some food in front of him and uh the girl comes by right away the girl comes by and i says you know just get me a coke and and he says have you got the money and i said yes and why i got i got a lot i got a lot of money in my pocket but not the, whatever it was he wanted, not the 27 or 28,000. There’s nobody there. And, uh, so we’re talking for no more than about two or three minutes. They had a telephone on the counter. I hear the phone ring and the waitress, the waitress is on the phone. And then she comes walking over and she says, it’s a call for you. And, and when I go get in the phone, I woke up and there’s a phone booth there. And here’s Butchie in the phone booth. And he’s there with a couple of other people. I hang the phone up. I walk over and I had my appointment booked. And I walk over and I just pick up the book. And as I’m walking out there, walking in, we pass each other. And so now when I get in my car and he’s looking at me in my car and right next to him is Butchie. And across from him was a red old male and Fat Herbie. [17:34] Herbie Blitzstein? Herbie Blitzstein? No, it wasn’t Herbie. This is another one. That’s one thing of Herbie. We called Herbie Fat. It was Fat Herbie. And the third guy is like sitting facing him. This is like, that weighs about 300 pounds. Oh, Sarno. Make Mike Sarno. Mike Sarno. That was it. And that’s, that’s, that’s who it was. You know, and I, I drive off, go to my office and go about my business. I get a call later that day from, uh, Hale Smith. Where’s my money? Where’s my money? I said, I gave it to your guy. You what? I gave it to him. I met him at nine o’clock this morning and I gave him the money. You did. And I said, yeah. Um, okay. And he hangs, and he hangs up. I don’t hear anything for a while. I never saw him again. I saw Hale a couple of times because he was always in one of the other restaurants. I lived in Newberry right across from there, but he never talked to me. I never talked to him, never said anything. It was about maybe it had to be a good couple of months later, When I read about Hale, Hale’s no longer with us. [18:52] That’s obviously how they found out about him. I never saw the other guy again. I’m hoping they didn’t kill him, but I’m assuming that’s what probably happened to him. In a public place like that, they probably just scared him off. He probably said, you know, I’m way over my head. I’m out of here. [19:15] They didn’t kill him in the public place he wouldn’t have been in the newspapers my little thought is like with the three guys they took him for a ride, I don’t know they just told him to leave town and he realized what it was and he did Hal didn’t get a chance to leave town Hal had other problems if I remember right I’d have to look it back up but he had other problems with the outfit what I found out later what they had done, was they had gotten one of their guys connected with him to find out who his customers were. In other words, one of the other people that he didn’t realize, that Hale didn’t realize was with them, they got him connected with them where he’s the one who’s doing his collecting and finding out who the customers were because they wanted to get all his customers as well as his money. It turns out he was He was a huge bookmaker for years. That’s what happened to him. And they just took his book. Yeah, I remember something about that story because I killed him in his house, I believe. Yeah, Sally D. [20:22] Sally D, yeah. Sally D was one. When I first met Sally D, he was with Marco’s Fruit, too. [20:30] He owned a pizza place up on the north side, north shore, and I broke him. I was betting with him and beating him week after week. And one of the last times I played with him, he couldn’t come up with the money. It took him an extra couple of weeks to get the cash to pay me. But we were real close friends with him. He’s a bizarre character because he was a totally low level at that time. Yeah. When he then connected up with the Cicero crew, with Rocky and Felice, with Rocky and those people, he became a boss with them. It turns out it was after they killed Al Smith. He was part of all that. That’s Salih De Laurentiis. He’s supposed to be a boss. He moved on up after the Family Secrets trial. He didn’t go down with that, I believe, and he kind of moved on up after that. I don’t know what happened to him. What was so funny about that, when he would come into the club, Marco’s club, Bobby Abinati. [21:42] Who was strictly a very low-level player, although we indicted him with the Gambia star. He’s the one who set up the robbery. Would that have been great if that would have gone through? He’s the one who set up that robbery in Wisconsin. He’d be making fun of Salihide all the time. [22:03] When Salihide would come in, he would make fun of him and joke about him and talk about what a loser he was. This is when he’s a boss of that crew. I mean, just a strange, I mean, nobody talked to bosses like that, especially when, when you’re, when you’re what they call Bobby, you know, what was Marco’s nickname for Bobby Knucklehead? [22:23] That was his nickname, Knucklehead. Pat Marcy, uh, contacted me about, you know, handling me in the only own case. [22:32] I couldn’t have been happier because that was a short time after they put a contract on me. So now i realized if they’re going to be making money you know they finally stopped because for good six seven months when i when i came back to chicago uh i was checking under my car every day in case there was a bomb i moved i moved from uh from a place that i own in the suburbs into an apartment complex so i wouldn’t be living on the first floor yeah it’d be impossible to somebody to break into my, you know, took them thrashing into my place. I changed my whole life around in that sense. [23:10] And when I drove everywhere I went, you know, I would go on the highway and then jump over. I would do all, I wanted to make absolutes. Even though nobody came around, I wasn’t taking any chances for a long period of time. And that was too when it cost me a fortune because that’s when I stopped dealing with the bookmakers because I wasn’t going to be in a position where I had to go meet somebody at any time to collect my money and whatever. [23:39] So what had happened, though, was somebody came to see me. And when I was practicing, there’s a lot of things I wouldn’t do. I set my own rules. I would not get involved. After the Harry Alleman case, I never got involved anymore myself fixing certain cases. But even prior to that, I wouldn’t fix certain cases. I wouldn’t get involved in certain cases, especially involving the police, because my father was such a terrific policeman, and I felt I was too in a lot of sentences. I loved the police. I disliked some of the crooked cops that I knew, but on the surface, I’d be friendly with them, etc. Harry Ailman was a prolific hitman for the Elmwood Park crew. He killed a teamster who wouldn’t help set up trucks for the outfit, a guy named Billy Logan. He was just a regular guy. He’s going to take us right into the meeting with the judge. He’ll take us into a counselor’s row restaurant where these cases were fixed. Now, Bob will give us a seat right at Pat Marcy’s table. Now, Pat Marcy was the first ward fixture, and he’s going to take us into the hallway with Pat Marcy where they made the payoffs. [24:57] Now, Bob, can you take us inside the famous Harry Aileman murder case? I know you fixed it. And tell us, you know, and I know there was a human toll that this took on that corrupt judge, Frank Wilson. Okay. The Harry Aileman case was, it was not long after I became partners with Johnny DeArco. I get a call from, I’m in Counselor’s Row at the restaurant. Whenever I was in there now, my spot was the first ward table. Nobody was allowed to sit there day or night. That was reserved for first ward connected people and only the top group of people. [25:40] I’m sitting there at the table and Johnny DeArco Sr. Tells me, you know, Pat wants to talk to you. About something. And I said, you know, sure. Not long afterwards, Pat comes downstairs. We go out. We go out in the hall because we never talk at the table. And he tells me, have you got somebody that can handle the Harry Alleman case? I had seen in the news, he was front page news. He was one of the main mob hitmen. He was partners with Butchie Petrucelli. But it was common knowledge that he was a hitman. He looked like one. He dressed like one. He acted like one. And whatever. And he was one. In fact, he was the one that used to go to New York. And I know he also went to Arizona to do some hits and whatever. He traveled around the country. I said to Pat, they thought the case was a mob hit on a team street. a teamster. I assumed that it was just that. It was people doing what they do. But I said to Pat, I said, well, get me the file. Get me the file. Let me see what the case looks like. Because I would never put a judge in a bad spot. That was my nature. [27:06] When I had cases, a lot of these judges were personal friends of mine. What I would do, if I wanted to have a case, if I wanted to fix a case to save all the time of having to go to a damn long trial, I would make sure that it was a case that was winnable, easily winnable. When I got the file, when I got the file from Pat, he got me the file the next day. The next morning, when he came in, he gave me the file. I looked at the file. It was a throw-out case. When I say throw-out case, absolutely a nothing case. [27:46] The records in the file showed that a car drove up down the street. Suddenly somebody with a shotgun blasted a guy named Billy Logan in front of his house and drove away. They were contacted by a neighbor, this guy, Bobby Lowe. Was it Bobby Lowe? Yeah, I’m pretty sure Bobby Lowe. Who indicated that he opened the door and let his dog run out. And when he looked, he saw somebody. He saw a car, and he gave a description of the car. And he saw somebody pull up, and he saw him shoot with a shotgun. And then he saw the person get out of the car and shoot him with a .45, and shoot him with a .45. And then the car sped away. That was pretty much the case. Some other people heard some noise, looked out, and saw a car driving away. A period of time after that, it had to be about a year or so after that, somebody was arrested driving to Pennsylvania to kill somebody. There was a guy who stopped. [29:16] Louie Almeida was his name. Louie Almeida was stopped in his car. He was on the way to Pennsylvania. And in front of his car, he had shotguns. And he winds up, when he gets arrested, he winds up telling the authorities that he can tell them about a mob murder back in Chicago and winds up cooperating with them. He indicates what happened. He indicated that, you know, he was asked to, you know, or he got involved in it. He got the car and whatever. They did this. They did that. And he pulled up alongside Billy and wound up shooting the victim as he came out of the house. [30:09] Now, I look at some other reports in there, some reports that were made out, new reports. They talk about the Louis Almeida. They talk about the witness that gave the first statement. and they said that they found, or he’s giving us a new statement now where he says he’s walking his dog. He hears a shotgun. His dog runs towards the car where the shooting was coming from. He saw Harry get out of the car and walk over and shoot him, walk over and shoot the victim, and he was looking at him, And then he jumped in the bushes and the car drove away. A complete new story. Yeah. A complete new story. And. I looked at the reports, and this is an easy winner. And so I told Pat, you know, I’ll take it. You know, I’m sure I can handle it. I said, I’m sure I can handle it, but, you know, I’ll let you know. [31:21] That’s when I contacted, I met my restaurant, Greco’s, and I had Frank Wilson there a lot. Well, I called Frank Wilson, invited him and his wife to come to the restaurant. I had done that many times before. When he gets there, I tell him, I have the case. You know, I told him I was contacted on this case, I said. And I said, it’s an easy winner, I said. And I explained to him what it was. I told him, you know, it’s the driver of the car who’s doing this to help himself. And this other guy, Bobby Lowe, that gave a complete new story from the original story that he gave. And I indicated, you know, can you handle the case? And he tells me, I can’t handle the case, he said, because I was SOJ’d. In Chicago, Illinois, they have a rule that makes it easy for people to fool around because for no reason at all you can ask to have a judge moved off the case. And you can name a second judge that you don’t want to handle the case. [32:34] Frank Wilson’s reputation was as such that the lawyer that turned out to be a judge later on, Tom Maloney, who had the case, named him in the SOJ. It was assigned to somebody else, and he indicated he wanted any other judge except Frank Wilson. Frank Wilson on the case. And this was Harry Aileman’s lawyer. Yeah. Okay. And who Tom Maloney, who then ends up being the judge years later. But yeah. Well, because we knew he was going to be a judge. Yeah. We knew ahead of time. I knew at that time. That’s what makes the story so unbelievably interesting. Yeah. Anyhow, he says, I can’t do it because… In Chicago, in Chicago, it’s supposed to keep it honest. I love this. To keep it honest. Yeah. To keep it honest, each judge is supposed to be picked by computer. [33:33] Same thing they’re doing to this day. Trump wondered why the same judge kept getting all his cases. Because they’re doing the same thing we did, some of us could do in Chicago. He was the chief judge in the area. he said to me, I don’t think I can get the case. I don’t think I can’t get the case. I said, I’ll get the case to you. I said, I’ll get, because I already, I, in fact, through Pat Marcy, anytime I wanted a case to go anywhere, I would contact Pat and I’d give him a thousand dollars and he would get me any judge I wanted. Uh, I said, well, I think I can. I said, I said, And I gave him $1,000. [34:16] I said, here, this is yours. And if I can’t get the case to you, you keep it. If I can’t get, I never said to him, will you fix it? Will you this or that? I mean, he understood what it was. I didn’t know how he would react to it. When I asked him, would you handle it? Were the words I used. I had never fixed anything with him before. [34:43] In case he was, you know, he would want to report it to somebody. I wasn’t worried because Frank had a reputation as being a big drinker. After I got the Harry Elliman file, Pat tells me, I’m going to have somebody come and talk to you. Who comes? And we meet in the first ward office, and then we go downstairs into the special room they had for conversations. It’s Mike Ficarro. He’s the head of the organized crime section. He’s the one who prosecutes all the criminals. He’s one of the many prosecutors in Chicago. That’s why there were over 1,000 mob murders and never a conviction from the time of Al Capone. Not a single conviction with over 1,000 mob murders because they controlled absolutely everything. He’s the boss. [35:35] I knew him. I didn’t like him. He had an attitude about him. You know, when I would see him at parties and when I’d see him at other places, and I’d walk by and say, hi, he just seemed coldish. [35:47] I found out later why. He was jealous of the relationship I had with all these people. [35:54] He says, I’ll help you any way I can, anything you need, whatever. So the prosecutors on the Harry Olliman case were our people. That’s who’s prosecuting the case anyhow. But they couldn’t get one of their judges apparently who would handle the case. So, but anyhow, uh, so, uh, when we, um, when we go, when we, when we go to trial, um. [36:25] Before to help me out, I told Pat, I’ll get somebody else to handle the case. I’ll have somebody else. I said, I won’t go in there. I won’t go in there because everybody knows I’m close to Frank, very close to Frank. I said, so I won’t go in there. I’ll get somebody. He says, no, no. He said, I’ll get somebody. And so he gets a guy named Frank Whalen, who I didn’t know at the time. He was a retired lawyer from Chicago. He was one of the mob lawyers. [37:00] He was one of the mob lawyers. And he lived in Florida. He lived in Miami. I think it was, no, Lauderdale. He lived in the Lauderdale area. He was practicing there. So I fly out. I fly out to meet him. I i do all the investigating in the case the i’m using an investigator that harry alleman got from me in fact he was the same investigator that got in trouble in in uh in in hollywood for what for a lot of stuff i can’t think of his name right now but he’s the one who got indicted in hollywood eventually for you know wiretapping people and whatever it was the same one. And he got me information on Bobby on this Bobby Lowe. He found out Bobby Lowe, Bobby Lowe was a drug addict. [37:59] When the FBI got a hold of him, Bobby Lowe was living out in the street because he had been fired from his first job. He had a job in some kind of an ice cream company where they made ice cream, and he got fired there for stealing. And then he had a job after that in a gas station, and he faked a robbery there. Apparently, what he did was he called the police and said he had been robbed. This is before they had cameras and all the rest of that stuff. He said he had been robbed. And somebody happened to have been in the gas station getting gas. It was a big place, apparently. [38:45] And when the police talked to him, he said, I didn’t see anything strange. He said, I saw the attendant walk out to the back about 10, 15 minutes ago. I saw him walk out to the back of the place and then come back in. And so they go out, and he had his car parked behind it, and they found the money that was supposed to have been stolen in the car. So not the best witness, in other words. Well, that’s an understatement, because that was why… That was why now he suddenly shows up, and they know all this. The FBI agents that obviously know all this, that’s their witness. That’s their case. To me, it’s an airtight, you know. Yeah. Anyhow, I developed the defense. I went back to see Frank a second time. I flew out to Florida a second time, gave him all this information. [39:48] I had talked to some other people to a number of people that were going to indicate that Harry played golf with them that day see how they remembered not golf but he was at a driving range with them with about five people they remember what they were three or four years three or four years before that what I also found out now, and I didn’t know and it changed my whole attitude on that this wasn’t a mob killing you, This guy that he killed was married to his, I think it was his cousin or some relation was married. I’m pretty sure it was to his cousin. She had told Harry, I got this from Butchie, Butchie Petrosselli, who had become a close friend of mine after I got involved with Harry’s case, his partner. And that was why he killed them, because apparently the sister, his sister-in-law, whatever she was, had told him, you know, when he was beating her up, she had said, well, my Harry Alameda won’t be happy about this. And he said, supposedly, he said, fuck that, Kenny. [41:02] And that’s why the shooting took place. Wow. This changed me. You know, I’m in the middle of it. There’s no getting out of it now. Yeah, they’ll turn it back. And by now, I’m running around all the time with Butch and Mary at night. I’m meeting them at dinner. They’re coming to one of my places where I have dinners all the time. You know, I’m becoming like close friends, close friends with both of them. Yeah. So anyhow, but anyhow, the lawyer that he got, Frank Whalen, who was supposed to be sharp, turned out like he was not in his, let’s just say he was not in his prime. [41:46] Charitable. And when he went in, you know, while the trial was going on, you know, while the trial was going on, I get a call from Frank. From Frank Wilson, because I told him, you don’t come back into the restaurant now. You don’t come back into the restaurant. I used his office as my office all the time, along with a bunch of other judges. I had a phone, but it cost about a dollar a minute to talk on my phone. I had to talk on my phone. So when I’d be at 26th Street in the courthouse, even though no lawyers are allowed back there in the chamber, so I’m back there sitting at his desk using the phone taking care of my own other business. I stopped going in there while the trial was going on. [42:35] So, anyhow, he calls me, and he wants to meet me at a restaurant over on Western Avenue. And, okay, he called me from one of the pay phones out there in front of the courthouse, and I go to meet him. What did he want? Was he complaining about the lawyer, Waylon? What was he complaining about, Waylon? and I was screwing it up. [42:59] When I meet him, I said, you know, he’s like, you know, he said, you know, we go into the bathroom and he and he said he’s all shooken up. He says, this is going to cost me my job. He said, he said, you know, they’re burying him. You’re burying him. You know, because I had given this information on the two witnesses. And he says, Frank Whalen, he said, isn’t doing a thing and cross-examining these people and whatever. [43:32] And he says, and he’s all upset. And I said, Frank, no, I’m shook up one of the few times in my life where it’s something I can’t handle. He had never told me, you know, I’ll fix the case, never. And I said to him, and I said, Frank, I said, if something goes wrong, I said, I’m sure they’re going to kill me, is what I said to him. Yeah. I said, if something goes wrong, I’m sure they’re going to kill me. And I left. I left the bathroom. Now, I have no idea what’s going on in his mind and whatever. Yeah. I see Pat the next day. And by something goes wrong in this case, you mean if he gets found guilty, that’d be what would go wrong and you would get killed. Is that that’s what you mean? Well, no question, because when I met, I didn’t go into that. I met with Harry Alleman. I get a call after I got involved in the case. A couple days later, I get a call from Markle. Meet me at one of the nightclubs where I was all the time at night with these people. [44:47] Above it, you’ve got a motel, a bunch of hotel rooms. I get a call from Markle. The reason everybody loved me and the mob, I never discussed what I was doing with anybody or any of the other dozens of mobsters I run with that I was involved in Harry’s case. Never said a word to anybody about any of this. That was my nature, and that’s why all these people love me. I never talked about one thing with anybody else or whatever. He says, I want to meet you. When I get over there, he says, let’s go upstairs. Somebody wants to talk to you. And we go upstairs, and there’s Harry Alleman. And Harry, how you doing? How are you? [45:27] And he says, listen, you’re sure about this? And I said, yeah. I said, I’m sure. And he said, well, if something goes wrong, you’re going to have a problem. Those were his words to me. You’re going to have a problem. And I said, you know, he says, because this judge, he says, this judge is a straight judge. And he said, Tom, you mean Tom Maloney. He says, and Tom wants to handle my case. And he tells me he’s going to be named a judge by the Supreme Court real soon. And he wants to handle and he wants to handle my case before he… Uh, you know, before he becomes a Supreme court, before he becomes a judge, I knew the moment he told me that I knew for sure that was the case because we control everything, including the Supreme court. I said, you know, I said, don’t, you know, don’t worry about it. I lied to him. And I said, uh, I said, yeah, the judge is going to, I said, yeah, he’s going to throw it out. He knows, I said, he knows what’ll happen if he doesn’t. That’s what I told Harry. I want to keep him happy. [46:34] I’m going to keep him happy probably for a few hours I’m a little nervous and then that’s all behind me like so many other problems I got in the middle of oh my god talking about walking a tightrope so now the lawyer came into Chicago he was in Chicago I met him when he came in he was staying at the Bismarck was at the Bismarck Hotel right around the corner from you know where Counselor’s Row was that’s where he was staying in the in the hotel right there by the first board office and there was a way to go in there without being seen and there was a, You go through another restaurant and you go through the alley and go up there. And I wouldn’t, I didn’t want to be seen walking into there because I know the FBI are probably, are probably watching and whatever. When he comes into town, they handle the case. So I go upstairs to see him. You know, I said, what the hell’s going on in court? He says, I’m going, it’s going great. It’s going great. I said, it’s going great. I just, you know, I just got a call last night. I had to go meet the judge. And he said, you’re not doing any cross-examining. Oh, I’m doing a great job. You know, I’m doing a great job. So after a few minutes of, I leave. Yeah. [47:52] That’s when I saw Pat Marcy, too. And I said, Pat, I said, the judge is upset about whatever’s going on. I said, maybe we should give him some more because I agreed to give him $10,000. And he said, you know, what a piece of work he is. You know, he said $10,000, and that’s all he’s going to get, not a nickel more or whatever. So now to say I’m nervous again is an ultra statement. The case, I walked over, and I wouldn’t go in the room, but I wanted to just be around that room for some reason. FBI agents all over the place. [48:30] FBI agents all over the place. And so now I’m at home and I’m packed. I’ve got my bags packed because if he finds it, I don’t know what he’s going to do. I’m worried he might find him guilty because of all that had happened. He, when the trial ended a given night, and the next day he was going to give the result. In fact, I didn’t go out and play that night. I was a little nervous, and I stayed home, and I packed up my bags. I packed up my bags, and about 9 o’clock, I got in the car, and I started driving. And by the time he gave the ruling, I was probably about 100, maybe 150 miles away. And I hear on the radio, you know, found him not guilty, found him not guilty. So I turn around. Hit the next exit, turn around and come back. I turn around. Northbound on I-55. [49:27] Probably a couple hours later, here I am parked in my parking spot. My parking spot was in front of my office, right across from City Hall. And I parked in the mayor’s spot when she wasn’t there. And drove probably to drive her crazy. But that was where I parked. That was my parking spot. We’d see my big car with the RJC license plates parked in the bus stop. And so here I am. I parked the car and I go in. I go in. [50:01] And I’m sure Pat told some people, probably not, but I’m sure they told all the mobsters, all the top mobsters, because these guys all wanted to meet me afterwards and get the restaurant. I go in to see them. We walked into the janitor’s closet. You walk out of Counselor’s Row. You go to the left. It goes into the 100 North Building. Now, you’ve got the elevators to the right. And behind that, you’ve got a closet where the janitors keep all their stuff. And you’ve got some stairs leading up to the, there was a, what do you call it? There was an office there where the commodities, big commodity exchange was right there. that there was a stairway leading up to where the offices were with some doors with bars and everything on it. And Pat is standing on those stairs, about two or three stairs. You know, I said, wow. I said, you know, everybody’s going nuts. And he goes, well, you know, you did a good job. And he gives me an envelope. He gives me an envelope. And, you know, I put the money in my pocket. [51:09] We said we had some more. We said a couple other words about, you know, this and that. And then I just go in there. I go back in the counselor’s. [51:21] Now, after the feds started getting indictments, did you try and warn the Aleman case judge, Frank Wilson? Why did you do that? And when I went to see Frank Wilson, I went to help him. I said, Frank, I said, look, I said, I was contacted by, I said, I was contacted by the, by the, by the FBI. They were investigating the Harry Aleman case. I said to him, I said, they, they feel the case was fixed. I said, when they come to see me, I said, you know, I said, I’m not going to talk to them. I said, I’m not going to talk to them. I’m going to take the fifth. And in your case, you can do the same thing. When they, if they come to talk to you, you just take the fifth amendment. If they give you immunity, I said, you know, then you, then you testify, but you tell them the truth. I said, don’t worry about me. Tell them the truth. This is how I talk to him. When I’m talking to him like that, it’s almost like he’s trying to run away from me. [52:27] We’re at a restaurant in a big complex. It was in one of those resorts in Arizona. He’s all but running away from me. I was trying to help him. What I said to him was, Frank, I said, the statute of limitations ran on all this. It’s been more than five years. There’s nothing they can do to you or to me, I said, because the statute ran. I said, so don’t lie to them. What the feds were concerned about, and I don’t know why, that he would deny ever fixing the case when it went through. I don’t know why they’re worried about that, but they were, and I didn’t want to see him get in trouble. [53:13] That’s why I went there to protect him. Hey, Bob, you were asked to represent an outfit associate or an outfit associate’s son who was accused of breaking the jaw of a Chicago policewoman. And you know, when a cop is injured in a fight with somebody, the cops follow that case. And I do not want to see any shenanigans going on. So, so tell us about how you walked that line. And I bet those cops were, were not happy with you in the end. Some people think this is a reason you flipped. Take us inside that case, will you? [53:45] And the reason I mentioned that it had a lot to do with what I eventually did. Now we’ll get back to what made me do what I was going to do. When I was practicing law now, and now I have been away from all this for years, I was out of town a lot because I’m representing the Chinese all around the country. I’m their main lawyer right now. [54:10] And I get a call from Lenny Colella. And he says, my son, he said, my son is in trouble. I want to come in and I want to talk to you about handling his case. This was a heater case, too. This was a front page case because he was charged with aggravated battery and attempted murder. Supposedly, he had beat up a policewoman and it was all over the place. He was a drug addict and whatever, supposedly he did all this. And when he came into the office with his dad, he was high. When I talked to him, he’s got his kid with him. And the kid is a smart aleck. As we’re talking, the kid, and I asked the kid, well, whatever. The kid was a smart aleck. And I just said to him, I said, Len, I can’t help you. I said, get him out of here. I want nothing to do with him. I said, I can’t help you. You didn’t take cases that were involved with cops anyhow, for the most part. No. I didn’t know what had happened in this case. I know what I saw in the paper. I didn’t know what the facts or anything were or whatever. I mean, if it turned out that if I felt when I talked to him that he had done it, whatever, I would not have taken the case anyhow. [55:26] I mean, I would not have. That’s why I say, too, that may be, too, why I was as quick and as rude as I was when he came in there and was acting and was a little bit high. I just wanted nothing to do with him, period. I said to his dad, his father said, you know, if I get him cleaned up, you know, I said, well, if you get him cleaned up, then we’ll talk again. I said, but I can’t help him, and I can’t help him. [55:54] And off he goes. the father re-contacted me about a week later. And he said, I had him in rehab and he straightened out and whatever. And he brought him back in and it was a new person. And when he told me the facts of the case, when he told me what happened, because he was a big, tough kid. He was a big, you know, he was a weightlifter, but he was a big, tough looking kid. [56:19] And it’s a little police woman. When he told me what happened, I believed him. Because I’ve been out in the street and whatever. And he says, you know, he told me what happened, that he had gotten stopped. He was out there talking to her. And when she said, you’re under arrest for DUI, he just walked. He says, I walked. I was going to get in my car and drive away. And she grabbed me and was pulling me or whatever. And I hear all these sirens coming. And within a few minutes, there’s all kinds of police. There’s about half a dozen police there. He says, and then they started jumping on me. He said, she was under me. He was all beaten up. He was all bloody and whatever. And she apparently had her jaw broken. And there’s no doubt in my mind when he’s telling me that, you know, when they were hit with his clubs or with this thing that they claimed he had without his fingerprints, it was a metal bar. Right, a slapper. A chunk of lead covered by leather. Everybody used to carry a slapper. How about you carry a slapper? They claimed, but there was no cloth on this. It was just the metal itself. Yeah, oh really? [57:45] Anyhow, that makes it interesting during the trial when they flat out lied. No, he had no blood. I got the hospital reports. They wouldn’t take him in the station because he was too badly beaten up. But anyhow, he also had two other charges. He had been involved in a fight in a bar. And he had been involved in another situation with the police. And he was charged with resisting arrest and battery on a policeman out in Cicero. So he had these three cases. So I gave the father a fee on handling, you know, the one, I was going to, I gave him a fee one case at a time. I said, you know, first thing we’ll do, I want to get rid of those other two cases. I’ll take them to juries, I said. [58:36] I’ll take them to juries because I wasn’t going to put them. I knew both the judges on those cases, but I wasn’t going to put them in a position on a case like that. I take the first case to trial. And I get him a not guilty. That was the fight in the bar. [58:54] That was out in one of the suburbs. That was out in, I’m not sure which suburb, in the northwest side. After we get that case over with, before that case, I get a call from Pat Marcy. Pat Marcy, I hadn’t seen him probably even for a couple months, but I hadn’t talked to him for quite a long period of time. And he says to me, you got a case that just came in. He said, we’re going to handle it. And I said, there’s no need, Pat. I said, I can win these cases. I said, there’s no need. I can win these cases. And he said, we’re going to handle this. The case is going to go to Judge Passarella, he said, and we’ll take care of it. I said, Pat, there’s no need to. I said, I can win these cases. I said, they’re all jury trials, but I know I can win them all. And he says, you do as you’re told. Pat had never talked to me like that before. [59:54] Powerful as he was and crazy as I am, And he never, you know, you never demand that I do anything or whatever. We had a different type relationship. And although I hadn’t broken away from them by now, it’s been years. I had broken away from them for about, you know, two, three years. And he says, you know, take the case to trial. I said, well, he’s got some other cases, too, and I’m going to take the one. And she says, I’ll take it to a jury, and I’ll win it. You’ll see how I win it. I take her to trial, and I get her not guilty. The second case was set for trial about a month after that. Not even, yeah, about a month or so after that. And during that time, a couple of times I’m in counselors, and Pat says, when are you going to take the case to trial? I said, well, Pat, you know, I won the one case. I got the other case on trial, and it was before Judge Stillo. He was a judge that we eventually indicted. [1:00:51] Stillo was very, very well connected to the first ward. He’s one of the old-time judges out in Maywood. And I told him, you know, when I came in there, he assumed I’d take it to trial and he’d throw it out. And I said, no, no, no, there’s no need to. I says, I’m going to take the jury on this one. Number one, I had stopped fixing things long before this. And, but he was, to make money, he was willing that he would have thrown the case out. It was a battery with a Cicero policeman. And I says, no, no, I’ll take it. I’ll take it to, you know, I’ll take the jury. I said, I don’t want to put you in that pursuit. Oh, don’t worry about me. I take that one to trial and I win that one too. Now Pat calls me, when the hell are you going to take the case to trial? And that’s the original case with the police woman. That’s the main one. The main one. Okay, go ahead. [1:01:44] When are you going to take it to trial? And I don’t want to take it to trial. In fact. I had talked to the prosecutor, and I said, look, I said, because he was charged with, he was charged with, you know, attempted murder and arrest. I said, if you’ll reduce it, the prosecutor was an idiot. He knew me, should have realized that, you know, that I never lose cases. Yeah. You know, but I want to work out something. He was a special prosecutor on it. He said, we’re not going to reduce it. We said, you know, if you want to work out a plea, we went five years, we went five to ten or whatever in the penitentiary. And I said, well, that’s not going to happen. I said, well, then we’ll just have to go to trial. So now, while I’m at Counselor’s Row, on one of my many occasions, because I was still having some card games over there at somebody else’s other lawyer’s office, because I had had big card games going on there for years. I’m sitting at the counselor’s row table, and Judge Passarella comes in. There’s just him and me there, and when he comes in, I say, Oh, you’re here to see Pat? [1:02:56] And he goes, Pat, who? No more conversation. Who the fuck? No more. The guy’s treating me like I’m some kind of a fool or whatever. And I developed an instant disliking to him. I had never seen him around that much or whatever before that. So now, after the second case, you’re going to go to, you know. So I talked to Lenny. When Lenny came in, Lenny came in with him when we were starting to get prepared for the case. And, oh, this is before this is before I talked to the prosecutor. And I said, Lenny, I said, I says, if I can get it reduced to a misdemeanor, to a misdemeanor. I said, you know, can we work with, you know, and work out a plea, let’s say, for maybe a month or two, you know, a month or two. Is that OK with you? Oh, sure. He says, oh, sure. [1:03:57] Now, this Lenny, this was the kid’s dad, your client’s dad. This is his dad. Now, explain who he was, who Lenny was. His dad was. What’s his last name? Yeah, Karela. Karela, okay. Lenny Karela, I’m pretty sure was his name. He owned a big bakery out there in Elmwood Park area. Okay. And he was friendly with all the mobsters. Okay, all right. I got you. For all I knew, he may have been a mobster himself, but I mean, he may have been because we had thousands of people that were connected. He was a connected guy. All right, go ahead. I’m sorry. And he said, oh, yeah, sure, no, not a problem because the papers are meant, they’re still, after a year, they’re still mentioning that case will be going to trial soon and every so often. [1:04:43] What I had also done, I tried to make contact with the policewoman, not with her, but I put the word out and I knew a lot of police and I got a hold of somebody that did know her. And I said, look, I said, no, the case is fixed if I want it. Yeah. But I don’t want it. Even though I know that, you know, that it’s all BS, you know, I said, look, I said, get a hold of her and get a hold of her lawyer and tell them if they want to file a lawsuit, you know, you know, we can, they can get themselves some money on it. Uh, you know, he’ll indicate, you know, he’ll, he’ll, he’ll indicate that, you know, he, he was guilty or whatever, but I wanted to get her some money. The word I get back is tell him that piece of shit, meaning me to drop dead, to drop dead. You know, we’re going to put this guy in prison and that’s where he should be too. When the case now, now when the case goes to trial. [1:05:48] The coppers lied like hell and talk about stupid. I’ve got the police reports there. When they took him into the police station, they wouldn’t take him. The station said take him to a hospital. He goes to the hospital and the reports, you know, bleeding here, bleeding there, and, you know, marks here, marks there. They beat the hell out of him. [1:06:10] You know, nobody touched him. You know, nobody touched him. Nobody touched him. Was he bleeding? No, no, he wasn’t. He wasn’t bleeding. Didn’t have any, you know, along with, you know, along with everything else. Flat out lied. How many policemen were there? There were two or three. There were about 10 by the time it’s over. But it’s an absolute throwout. Any fingerprints on that metal? Well, we had some fingerprints, but not his. And on and on it went. It’s a throwout case to start with. The courtroom now where the case was, was very interesting. You walk in there, and when you walk in there, there’s about 20 people that can sit. And then there’s, it’s the only courtroom in the building where you have a wall, a glass wall, all the way up, all the way up. Covering in the door, opens up and goes in there. You go in there. It’s a big courtroom. A bunch of benches now in there. You go to the left, and here’s the judge’s chambers. You come out of the chambers, and you walk up about four steps. And here the desk is on like a podium. And it’s not where all the others are, you know, where you look straight forward. It’s over on the side. It’s over, you know, to the left as you walk out of his chambers. [1:07:40] When the judge listens to the case he goes in there I’ll come up back with my ruling he comes out about 10 minutes later he walks up the steps, And now he turns off the microphone. Somebody turns off the microphone so the people in the back can’t hear anything. The ones inside there can, you know, can hear. The one back there can’t hear anything because it’s all enclosed. [1:08:11] That’s why they got the microphone back there. Somebody shut it off. He says, basically, I’m not guilty in a real strange voice. And all but runs off the all but run and don’t ask me why this is what he did all but runs off all but runs off into the into his chambers, you know he’s afraid all those cops out in the audience were going to come and charge the stand I guess and put a whack on him. [1:08:43] But think about it this is Chicago he’s with the bad guys but I’m just saying I don’t know why he did all that, but that’s what he did. And so now, as I come walking out with Mike, and they’re all in uniform, and most of them are in uniform, and then you’ve got the press and all kinds of cameras and whatever there. And as I come walking out along with him, some of these guys I know, and these jerk-offs are like calling me names and whatever. I go, I go see Pat. [1:09:23] And when I go back into Counselor’s Row now, he’s there at the table. And when I come in, it’s a repeat of the Harry Allerman thing. He walks out. He walks directly. And I’m following him, and he walks in. He goes back into the same janitor’s closet and stands on the same steps just above me, you know, talking to me. And I said to him I said this judge is going to have a problem, I said, he’s going to have a problem. I said, what if he says something? And he said to me, nobody would dare. He said, nobody would dare cooperate against us. They know what would happen. Or words to that effect. And don’t ask me why. So many other things had happened before this. But now I’m looking at him and I’m thinking, you know, somebody’s got to stop this craziness. All this stuff. I’m thinking that at the moment, but then I’m worried for some reason, I think he can read my mind. [1:10:34] Stupid as all of this seems, I’m afraid to think that anymore. I’m almost, you know, cause Pat’s such a powerful person and every sense I know, I know his power, but anyhow, so I leave. And like I say, 10, 15 minutes later, that’s all forgotten about. He paid me the rest of the money I was supposed to get from them. [1:10:56] Obviously, he wanted to do it because he was probably charging a lot of money. That’s why he didn’t want me to take things. He wanted to collect the money because while the case was going on too, he puts me in touch with the head of the probation department because he was able to help in some way. He knew some of the, you know, some of the, some of the policemen involved in the thing had been contacted too. Yeah. But they were contacted and they messed up by, you know, they messed up by lying about all that. Yeah. When there’s police reports saying, oh, no, but anyhow, that was that particular case. Tell us why you decided to flip. [1:11:38] These had been your friends. You knew you had explosive information. You knew as a lawyer, you knew what you had to say would send these people to prison for many, many years. if not life. It had to be hard. As other things happened, why did I commit the, Probably two or three other times things happened. But the most important thing was to think when my dad was dying, and I was very close to my dad. When my dad was dyi

In this deeply personal conversation (and crossover episode), Stacy opens up about discovering she's a double NPE, confronting painful family truths, and grieving a father she never had the chance to know. She reflects on healing, chosen family, and how community, therapy, and self-compassion helped her rebuild her sense of identity.Stacy is the host of Mothers, Lies, and DNA Surprises and recently recorded Lily's Story on her podcast.  Stacy can be reached on Facebook Stacy Porter Williams, or her email sandkey06@gmail.comResources Mentioned:Hiraeth Hope & Healing RetreatsStacy's podcast Mothers, Lies, and DNA SurprisesTogetherness Heals NPE private group on FacebookBook: Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. GibsonNPE Stories PatreonNPE Stories facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Unveiling Hidden Heritage: A Serbian Holiday Mystery Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sr/episode/2025-12-19-23-34-02-sr Story Transcript:Sr: Снег је лагано падао у српском селу, покривајући све.En: Snow was gently falling in the Serbian village, covering everything.Sr: Кућа од старог камена стајала је мирно, чувајући тајну дубоко испод себе.En: An old stone house stood calmly, guarding a secret deep beneath it.Sr: Милош је тихо ушао у тајни бункер испод куће.En: Miloš quietly entered the secret bunker below the house.Sr: Ваздух је био хладан, а полице су биле прекривене прашином.En: The air was cold, and the shelves were covered in dust.Sr: Светло из батеријске лампе је пало на стари сандук.En: The light from the flashlight fell on an old chest.Sr: Милош га је отворио и пронашао писмо.En: Miloš opened it and found a letter.Sr: Било је старо и записано чудним, старинским писмом.En: It was old and written in strange, antique script.Sr: Осећај радозналости и узбуђења захватио је Милоша.En: A feeling of curiosity and excitement engulfed Miloš.Sr: Да ли је ово кључ за истину о његовој породици?En: Could this be the key to the truth about his family?Sr: Ана, Милошева сестра, ушла је у бункер.En: Ana, Miloš's sister, entered the bunker.Sr: "Шта си нашао?En: "What did you find?"Sr: " питала је сумњичаво.En: she asked suspiciously.Sr: Милош јој је показао писмо, али Ана је одмах рекла: "Можда је то само безвредни папир.En: Miloš showed her the letter, but Ana immediately said, "Maybe it's just a worthless piece of paper."Sr: "Милош је осетио разочарање, али није одустао.En: Miloš felt disappointed, but he didn't give up.Sr: Знао је да мора сазнати више.En: He knew he had to learn more.Sr: Потражио је помоћ од Светлане, стручњака за српску историју, без да је рекао породици.En: He sought help from Svetlana, an expert in Serbian history, without telling his family.Sr: На Бадње вече, срео се са Светланом.En: On Christmas Eve, he met with Svetlana.Sr: Она је пажљиво погледала писмо и узбуђено рекла: "Ово писмо открива место где се налази породична реликвија!En: She carefully looked at the letter and excitedly said, "This letter reveals the location of a family relic!"Sr: "Милош је био пресрећан.En: Miloš was overjoyed.Sr: Након што је добио инструкције од Светлане, кренуо је у потрагу.En: After receiving instructions from Svetlana, he set out on a quest.Sr: Успео је да пронађе реликвију на месту које је писмо указивало.En: He managed to find the relic at the place indicated by the letter.Sr: На Божићно јутро, Милош је окупио породицу око себе.En: On Christmas morning, Miloš gathered his family around him.Sr: Рекао је: "Погледајте шта сам нашао," и показао им је реликвију.En: He said, "Look what I found," and showed them the relic.Sr: Његова породица била је пресрећна и поносна.En: His family was overjoyed and proud.Sr: Милош је стекао самопоуздање које му је недостајало.En: Miloš gained the confidence he had been lacking.Sr: Сада је знао да је део историје своје породице.En: Now he knew he was part of his family's history.Sr: Осетио је поштовање и припадност.En: He felt respect and belonging.Sr: Његова потрага донела му је више него што је могао замислити.En: His quest had brought him more than he could have imagined. Vocabulary Words:gently: лаганоvillage: селоguarding: чувајућиsuspiciously: сумњичавоcuriosity: радозналостantique: старинскимengulfed: захватиоworthless: безвредниdisappointed: разочарањеquest: потрагуrelief: помоћrelic: реликвијуproud: поноснаconfidence: самопоуздањеbelonging: припадностreveals: откриваlocation: местоmystery: тајнуflashlight: батеријске лампеdust: прашиномcarefully: пажљивоreceive: добиоinstructions: инструкцијеstone: старог каменаbeneath: исподchest: сандукbunker: бункерexpert: стручњакаletter: писмоhistory: историју

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Discovering Family Ties in the Light of Hanukkah Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2025-12-18-23-34-02-he Story Transcript:He: ביתה של תמר היה בית הילדים בקצה הרחוב בירושלים.En: The home of Tamar was the children's home at the end of the street in Jerusalem.He: המקום נקרא בית הילדים בעל הסולם, והוא היה מלא באור החנוכה.En: The place was called the children's home with the ladder, and it was filled with the light of Hanukkah.He: כל לילה, נרות חנוכייה מאירים את החדרים הישנים, והילדים שרים שירי חג.En: Every night, Hanukkah candles illuminated the old rooms, and the children sang holiday songs.He: החורף היה בעיצומו.En: Winter was in full swing.He: האוויר היה קריר וריח של סופגניות מילא את המסדרונות.En: The air was cool, and the smell of sufganiyot filled the corridors.He: תמר מצאה מכתב ישן בחדר הקטן שלה.En: Tamar found an old letter in her small room.He: המכתב היה חבוי בקופסת עץ מתחת למיטה.En: The letter was hidden in a wooden box under the bed.He: המכתב הכיל סוד על משפחתה שלא ידעה קודם.En: It contained a secret about her family that she had not known before.He: תמר לא הייתה לבד.En: Tamar was not alone.He: נועם, חבר נאמן שלה, עמד לצידה.En: Noam, her loyal friend, stood by her side.He: הוא היה תמיד זהיר ומגן עליה.En: He was always careful and protective of her.He: "מה כתוב שם?En: "What does it say?"He: " הוא שאל בעדינות כשהבין שיש משהו שונה בעיניה.En: he asked gently when he realized there was something different in her eyes.He: "תראה," אמרה תמר, "המכתב הזה מספר על משפחתי.En: "Look," said Tamar, "this letter talks about my family.He: אולי יש לי קרובי משפחה בירושלים.En: I might have relatives in Jerusalem."He: " תמר הייתה מלאת תשוקה לגלות את האמת על משפחתה.En: Tamar was filled with a passion to discover the truth about her family.He: אולם, אריאל, המטפל החביב שלהם בבית הילדים, ידע יותר ממה שגילה.En: However, Ariel, their kind caretaker at the children's home, knew more than he had revealed.He: הוא היה תמיד זהיר לא לחשוף יותר מדי.En: He was always careful not to disclose too much.He: "אני לא בטוח שזה רעיון טוב," אמר נועם, דאגתו בקולו ברורה.En: "I'm not sure it's a good idea," said Noam, his concern clear in his voice.He: הוא פחד שתמר תתאכזב.En: He feared Tamar would be disappointed.He: באמצע חגיגת החנוכה, כאשר הילדים שיחקו ומילות שירים מילאו את החדר, תמר ראתה את אריאל.En: In the middle of the Hanukkah celebration, when the children were playing and songs filled the room, Tamar saw Ariel.He: הוא עמד לבד במשרדו, בוחן תצלום ישן של אמה.En: He stood alone in his office, examining an old photograph of her mother.He: היא החליטה שזמן המחשבה נגמר.En: She decided the time for thinking was over.He: "אריאל," היא פנתה אליו, "אני רוצה לדעת את האמת.En: "Ariel," she approached him, "I want to know the truth.He: מי היו ההורים שלי?En: Who were my parents?"He: "אריאל נשם עמוק, כיוון שידע שזה הזמן לחשוף את האמת.En: Ariel took a deep breath, knowing it was time to reveal the truth.He: "תמר," הוא אמר ברכות, "הוריך היו אנשים חשובים בעיר הזאת.En: "Tamar," he said gently, "your parents were important people in this city.He: יש לך קרובי משפחה בירושלים.En: You have relatives in Jerusalem.He: אני פשוט רציתי לשמור עלייך, שלא תיפגעי.En: I just wanted to protect you, so you wouldn't get hurt."He: "החדשות העניקו לתמר תחושת זהות חדשה וביטחון שלא ידעה קודם.En: The news gave Tamar a new sense of identity and confidence she had not known before.He: החום של בית הילדים עטף אותה בעוד היא מתבוננת בחנוכייה המוארת.En: The warmth of the children's home enveloped her as she gazed at the lit Hanukkiah.He: היא הרגישה יותר מחוברת לשורשיה ולעיר שהיא כעת קוראת לה בית.En: She felt more connected to her roots and to the city she now calls home. Vocabulary Words:ladder: סולםilluminated: מאיריםcorridors: מסדרונותhidden: חבויwooden: עץsecret: סודloyal: נאמןgently: בעדינותrelatives: קרובי משפחהreveal: לחשוףdisclose: לחשוףdisappointed: מתאכזבתcelebration: חגיגהexamining: בוחןapproached: פנתהtruth: אמתidentity: זהותconfidence: ביטחוןenveloped: עטףgazed: מתבוננתconnected: מחוברתroots: שורשיםsmell: ריחphotograph: תצלוםcaretaker: מטפלfilled: מילאconcern: דאגהpassion: תשוקהimportant: חשובbreathe: נשוםBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

Fluent Fiction - Swedish: Unraveling Secrets: Astrid's Christmas Discovery Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sv/episode/2025-12-18-23-34-02-sv Story Transcript:Sv: Det var en kall vintermorgon när snöflingor försiktigt landade på det gamla tegelhuset.En: It was a cold winter morning when snowflakes gently landed on the old brick house.Sv: Orpanhuset var fullt av liv.En: The orphanage was full of life.Sv: Julen närmade sig, och alla förberedelser var i full gång.En: Christmas was approaching, and all the preparations were in full swing.Sv: Barnen hade hängt upp glittrande juldekorationer och satte upp en gran i allrummet.En: The children had hung up glittering Christmas decorations and set up a tree in the common room.Sv: Men mitt i julrusningen var Astrid distraherad.En: But in the midst of the holiday rush, Astrid was distracted.Sv: Astrid, en tyst men nyfiken tonåring, satt för sig själv med ett mysterium i händerna.En: Astrid, a quiet yet curious teenager, sat by herself with a mystery in her hands.Sv: En anonymt brev hade hittat sin väg in i hennes händer, utan avsändare.En: An anonymous letter had found its way into her hands, without a sender.Sv: Vem hade skickat det, och varför till just henne?En: Who had sent it, and why to her specifically?Sv: Brevet var märkligt, orden få och kryptiska.En: The letter was strange, the words few and cryptic.Sv: Men det fanns en känsla av att något stort var dolt bakom raderna.En: But there was a feeling that something big was hidden behind the lines.Sv: "Vi måste ta reda på mer," sa Astrid beslutsamt till sin bästa vän Karin.En: "We have to find out more," Astrid said decisively to her best friend Karin.Sv: Karin var alltid redo för äventyr och nickade ivrigt.En: Karin was always ready for adventure and nodded eagerly.Sv: "Vi börjar på biblioteket," föreslog hon.En: "We'll start at the library," she suggested.Sv: De två flickorna smög ut i snön, deras kängor knarrade under dem på väg till byns lilla bibliotek.En: The two girls snuck out into the snow, their boots crunching beneath them on their way to the village's small library.Sv: Där, bland dammiga böcker, letade de efter ledtrådar.En: There, among dusty books, they searched for clues.Sv: Delar av brevet pekade mot någonting i orphanaget, men vad?En: Parts of the letter pointed to something in the orphanage, but what?Sv: De visste att tiden var knapp.En: They knew that time was short.Sv: Snart skulle julen vara här, och mysteriet ännu olöst.En: Soon, Christmas would be here, and the mystery still unsolved.Sv: En kväll när Johan, den snälla vårdaren, var upptagen med att pynta granen, smög Astrid och Karin in på hans kontor.En: One evening when Johan, the kind caretaker, was busy decorating the tree, Astrid and Karin snuck into his office.Sv: De visste att det var riskabelt, men nyfikenheten drev dem.En: They knew it was risky, but curiosity drove them.Sv: "Här!" viskade Karin och pekade på en gammal korrespondens, vilket gav ledtrådar om något dolt i orphanaget.En: "Here!" whispered Karin, pointing to an old correspondence, which provided clues about something hidden in the orphanage.Sv: På julaftonsmorgon, när alla andra var upptagna, följde Astrid ledtrådarna till en bortglömd del av byggnaden.En: On Christmas morning, when everyone else was busy, Astrid followed the clues to a forgotten part of the building.Sv: Där, bakom ett tungt dammskyddat draperi, fann hon en gammal dörr.En: There, behind a heavy dust-covered curtain, she found an old door.Sv: Med hjärtat bultande öppnade hon dörren och klev in i ett rum som tiden tycktes ha glömt.En: With her heart pounding, she opened the door and stepped into a room that time seemed to have forgotten.Sv: På väggarna fanns bilder och brev - bitar av Astrids förflutna.En: On the walls were pictures and letters—pieces of Astrid's past.Sv: Plötsligt hörde hon en röst bakom sig.En: Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her.Sv: "Jag visste att du skulle hitta det," sa Johan lugnt.En: "I knew you would find it," said Johan calmly.Sv: Överraskad, men inte rädd, vände sig Astrid om.En: Surprised, but not scared, Astrid turned around.Sv: "Din faster Anna ville kontakta dig." Han fortsatte med en varm blick.En: "Your aunt Anna wanted to contact you," he continued with a warm look.Sv: "Hon har alltid brytt sig om dig, men ville inte ställa till med en scen."En: "She has always cared about you, but she didn't want to make a scene."Sv: Tårarna brände i Astrids ögon, men de var inte av sorg.En: Tears burned in Astrid's eyes, but they were not of sorrow.Sv: Det var tårar av glädje och lättnad.En: They were tears of joy and relief.Sv: Hon insåg att hon hade en familj där ute, och kanske ett hem att kalla sitt eget.En: She realized she had a family out there, and perhaps a home to call her own.Sv: Den julen, medan snön föll mjukt utanför, hade Astrid fått mer än bara svar.En: That Christmas, while the snow fell softly outside, Astrid received more than just answers.Sv: Hon hade funnit en ny del av sig själv.En: She had discovered a new part of herself.Sv: Med Johan och Karins stöd kände hon sig trygg och hoppfull inför framtiden.En: With Johan and Karin's support, she felt secure and hopeful for the future.Sv: Mysteriet hade förenat dem på ett sätt hon aldrig kunde ha föreställt sig.En: The mystery had united them in a way she could never have imagined. Vocabulary Words:orphanage: orpanhusetapproaching: närmade sigpreparations: förberedelserglittering: glittrandecommon room: allrummetamidst: mitt idistracted: distraheradanonymous: anonymtcryptic: kryptiskadecisively: beslutsamtadventure: äventyrsnuck: smögcrunching: knarradedusty: dammigaclues: ledtrådarmidst: mitt icaretaker: vårdarencorrespondence: korrespondensrisky: riskabeltcuriosity: nyfikenhetenforgotten: bortglömddust-covered: dammskyddatpounding: bultandecalmly: lugntcontact: kontaktascene: scenjoy: glädjerelief: lättnadunited: förenatimagined: föreställt sig

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Fluent Fiction - French: Unraveling Parisian Christmas Mysteries: A Secret Revealed Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/fr/episode/2025-12-17-23-34-02-fr Story Transcript:Fr: Les lumières scintillent sur la rue de Rivoli.En: The lights twinkle on the rue de Rivoli.Fr: Paris en hiver est magique, surtout à Noël.En: Paris in winter is magical, especially at Christmas.Fr: Éloïse, Mathieu et Julien sont assis à une table d'un café charmant.En: Éloïse, Mathieu, and Julien are seated at a table in a charming café.Fr: Dehors, les gens marchent vite pour éviter le froid.En: Outside, people walk quickly to avoid the cold.Fr: À l'intérieur, l'ambiance est chaleureuse.En: Inside, the atmosphere is warm.Fr: Du café chaud et des pâtisseries garnissent les tables.En: Hot coffee and pastries adorn the tables.Fr: Les fenêtres du café sont couvertes d'une fine couche de givre.En: The café windows are covered with a thin layer of frost.Fr: De temps en temps, les rires des clients réchauffent l'atmosphère.En: Occasionally, the laughter of customers warms the atmosphere.Fr: Éloïse, curieuse par nature, observe tout.En: Éloïse, curious by nature, observes everything.Fr: Elle aime résoudre des énigmes.En: She loves solving puzzles.Fr: À côté d'elle, Mathieu est prudent et aime réfléchir avant d'agir.En: Next to her, Mathieu is cautious and likes to think before acting.Fr: Julien, lui, a toujours trop d'énergie.En: Julien, on the other hand, always has too much energy.Fr: Il parle sans cesse.En: He talks incessantly.Fr: Ils sirotent leur chocolat chaud quand Éloïse remarque quelque chose d'étrange.En: They sip their hot chocolate when Éloïse notices something strange.Fr: Sur leur table, un vieux morceau de papier est plié.En: On their table, an old piece of paper is folded.Fr: Ce n'est pas le menu.En: It's not the menu.Fr: C'est une lettre.En: It is a letter.Fr: "Regardez !"En: "Look!"Fr: s'exclame Éloïse en tenant le papier.En: exclaims Éloïse while holding the paper.Fr: Mathieu fronce les sourcils.En: Mathieu furrows his brows.Fr: "Peut-être que ce n'est rien," dit-il.En: "Maybe it's nothing," he says.Fr: Mais Éloïse ne l'écoute pas.En: But Éloïse doesn't listen to him.Fr: Elle ouvre la lettre.En: She opens the letter.Fr: Les mots sont un peu effacés.En: The words are a bit faded.Fr: "C'est une énigme !"En: "It's a puzzle!"Fr: dit-elle avec enthousiasme.En: she says excitedly.Fr: Julien, curieux, lit par-dessus son épaule.En: Julien, curious, reads over her shoulder.Fr: "La lettre parle d'un secret de famille," dit-elle, les yeux brillants.En: "The letter speaks of a family secret," she says, her eyes shining.Fr: Éloïse veut résoudre ce mystère.En: Éloïse wants to solve this mystery.Fr: Elle sent que cela peut changer leur vie.En: She feels it could change their lives.Fr: Mathieu soupire, "C'est une perte de temps, Éloïse."En: Mathieu sighs, "It's a waste of time, Éloïse."Fr: Mais elle a déjà pris sa décision.En: But she's already made up her mind.Fr: "Venez, on doit savoir !"En: "Come on, we must find out!"Fr: dit-elle joyeusement.En: she says joyfully.Fr: Julien, entraîné par l'énergie d'Éloïse, est d'accord.En: Julien, carried along by Éloïse's energy, agrees.Fr: Mathieu hésite mais les suit.En: Mathieu hesitates but follows them.Fr: Le trio suit les indices.En: The trio follows the clues.Fr: Chaque mot de la lettre est une pièce du puzzle.En: Every word in the letter is a piece of the puzzle.Fr: Noël approche, le temps presse.En: Christmas is approaching, time is pressing.Fr: L'ambiance de Paris est festive, mais Éloïse sent la pression.En: The atmosphere in Paris is festive, but Éloïse feels the pressure.Fr: L'énigme les conduit à un monument historique.En: The puzzle leads them to a historical monument.Fr: Sa forme imposante se dresse devant eux.En: Its imposing form stands before them.Fr: "Regardez là-bas," crie Julien en pointant du doigt.En: "Look over there," shouts Julien, pointing.Fr: Éloïse approche et trouve un compartiment caché.En: Éloïse approaches and finds a hidden compartment.Fr: À l'intérieur, un document attend.En: Inside, a document awaits.Fr: C'est un secret sur leur famille, un lien oublié avec un personnage célèbre de l'histoire.En: It's a secret about their family, a forgotten link to a famous historical figure.Fr: Les amis sont fascinés.En: The friends are fascinated.Fr: Éloïse sourit, émue.En: Éloïse smiles, moved.Fr: La découverte est une surprise, mais aussi un cadeau.En: The discovery is a surprise, but also a gift.Fr: Ils se rendent compte que ce secret les rapproche.En: They realize this secret brings them closer.Fr: En rentrant au café, ils se sentent plus unis.En: Returning to the café, they feel more united.Fr: Ensemble, ils célèbrent la veille de Noël.En: Together, they celebrate Christmas Eve.Fr: Un dîner de fête les attend.En: A festive dinner awaits them.Fr: Éloïse apprend l'importance du travail en équipe.En: Éloïse learns the importance of teamwork.Fr: Mathieu ose prendre part au mystère.En: Mathieu dares to take part in the mystery.Fr: Et Julien comprend qu'il est bon de réfléchir avant d'agir.En: And Julien understands that it's good to think before acting.Fr: Dans ce café de la rue de Rivoli, entourés d'amis et de rires, ils se sentent chez eux.En: In this café on the rue de Rivoli, surrounded by friends and laughter, they feel at home.Fr: La magie de Noël opère.En: The magic of Christmas works.Fr: Le passé et le présent s'entrelacent, créant une nouvelle histoire à raconter.En: The past and the present intertwine, creating a new story to tell.Fr: Une histoire de famille, de secrets, et de traditions retrouvéess.En: A story of family, secrets, and rediscovered traditions. Vocabulary Words:the lights: les lumièresto twinkle: scintillerthe atmosphere: l'ambiancecharming: charmantto avoid: éviterthe frost: le givrethe laughter: les rirescurious: curieuseto solve: résoudrethe puzzle: l'énigmeto hesitate: hésiterto furrow brows: froncer les sourcilscautious: prudentthe clue: l'indicethe compartment: le compartimentthe monument: le monumentfestive: festiveto intertwine: s'entrelacerto be moved: être émuto realize: se rendre comptea surprise: une surprisethe secret: le secretforgotten: oubliéto press (time): presserthe historical figure: le personnage célèbrea discovery: une découverteto celebrate: célébrerthe team: l'équipethe tradition: la traditionto observe: observer

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Welcome back to TBB aka The Bestie Bonus where our question of the week is What is a Family Secret or Lore that you are the Keeper of? Before getting into our Am I Missing Something? (AIMS) Segment, where a bestie asks us if she should go to her mom with a family secret she has been harboring... does she have a secret sibling somewhere in the world? Give your bestie some advice by commenting!! We will talk to you on Thursday for a very special SDE episode that we cannot wait to share with you!! LOVE YA BYE!! Thanks so much to our sponsor for Today's Episode: LIFEMD Get 50% off the LifeMD Weight Management Program plus free shipping—start your personalized plan online at https://lifemd.com/CREEPS. Need to Call Susan (Angel Wings and Healing Things)? Text Ellen at 704-562-3476 to book!! Make sure to tell her we sent you for a Besties only Special discount!! If you have a Creepy Account of your own you would like to submit, you can go to our Reddit (CreepsandCrimes) or email it to us at CREEPSANDCRIMES.CA@GMAIL.COM Creeps and Crimes Merch: ⁠⁠https://creepsandcrimesmerch.com/⁠⁠ Join our OG Pick Me Cult (Patreon): ⁠⁠https://patreon.com/creepsandcrimes⁠⁠ SUBSCRIBE AND SUPPORT WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS: - Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creeps-and-crimes/id1533194848⁠⁠ - Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0v2kntCCfdQOSeMNnGM2b6?si=bf5c137913dd4af7⁠⁠ - Youtube: ⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@creepsandcrimespodcast?si=e6Lwuw6qvsEPBHzG⁠⁠ Business Inquiries please contact Management: ⁠⁠maggie@MRHentertainment.com⁠⁠ FOLLOW US ON SOCIALS: Creeps and Crimes Podcast - Insta: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/creepsandcrimespodcast/?hl=en⁠⁠ - Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/creepsandcrimespodcast/⁠⁠ - TikTok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@creepsandcrimes⁠⁠ Taylar Jane (True Crime Host) - Insta: @Taylarj - TikTok (True Crime Channel): @TaylarJane98 - TikTok (Personal): @TaylarJane1 Morgan Harris (Paranormal & Conspiracy Host) - Insta: @morgg.m - Tiktok: @morgg.m Want More Info? Check out our Website: ⁠⁠www.creepsandcrimespodcast.com⁠⁠ Send Us Mail & Fan Art to our PO Box!!! CREEPS AND CRIMES PODCAST PO BOX 11523 KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE 37939 Have a Creepy Account You'd like to share and be featured on the Podcast? Email it to: ⁠⁠CreepsAndCrimes.CA@gmail.com⁠⁠ Submit it through the Portal on our Website (Listed above) or Post in on our Reddit Thread with the tag "creepy account" Love our TBB episodes and want to get in on the Action or submit an AIMS? Head over to our Reddit Community: @creepsandcrimes Need to contact us or request sources? Email us at ⁠⁠creepsandcrimespodcast@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Unlocking Family Secrets: A Hanukkah Tale of Connection Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2025-12-13-08-38-20-he Story Transcript:He: בערב חורפי קר של חג החנוכה, הבית של משפחת כהן היה מואר באור חם של נרות חנוכייה.En: On a cold winter evening of the Hanukkah, the home of the Cohen family was lit with the warm glow of chanukiah candles.He: הריח של לביבות ותפוחי אדמה היה באוויר, וצלילים של ויכוחים קלילים נשמעו מכל פינה.En: The smell of latkes and potatoes filled the air, and the sound of light-hearted disagreements could be heard from every corner.He: נעם, שירה ואיתן התכוננו לשבת ליד השולחן המלא כל טוב, אבל משהו מוזר תפס את תשומת לבם.En: Noam, Shira, and Eitan prepared to sit at the table laden with treats, but something strange caught their attention.He: בתוך תיבת ירושה ישנה ממשפחתם, גילה נעם פתק קטן ומקופל.En: Inside an old family heirloom box, Noam discovered a small, folded note.He: הפתק היה חבוי בתוך מגירה עתיקה, משהו שלא נגעו בו שנים רבות.En: The note was hidden in an ancient drawer, untouched for many years.He: הוא פתח את הפתק בעדינות, וראו שעליו כתובות מילים מסתוריות: "האמת חבויה עמוק בהיסטוריה שלנו.En: He gently opened the note and saw mysterious words written on it: "The truth is hidden deep in our history."He: "נעם, הבן האמצעי, חש בלבול וגם קצת חרדה.En: Noam, the middle child, felt confused and a bit anxious.He: הוא תמיד הרגיש נשאב למאבקים בין אחותו הגדולה, שירה, לאחיו הקטן, איתן.En: He had always felt pulled into the struggles between his older sister, Shira, and his younger brother, Eitan.He: הוא קיווה למצוא שקט והרמוניה, במיוחד במהלך החגיגה המשפחתית החשובה הזו.En: He hoped to find peace and harmony, especially during this important family celebration.He: "היי, שירה, איתן, תראו מה מצאתי," אמר נעם, כשקולו מעט רועד.En: "Hey, Shira, Eitan, look what I found," said Noam, his voice slightly trembling.He: שירה, שתמיד נטתה לקחת פיקוד נהייתה דרוכה.En: Shira, who always tended to take charge, became alert.He: "מה זה יכול להיות?En: "What could it be?"He: " שאלה בספקנות, מנסה להסתיר את חוסר הביטחון שחשפה רק לעצמה.En: she asked skeptically, trying to hide the insecurity she revealed only to herself.He: איתן, הצעיר שתמיד אהב תעלומות, היה נלהב לפתור את חידה.En: Eitan, the youngest who always loved mysteries, was eager to solve the puzzle.He: "זה בטח סוד משפחתי!En: "It must be a family secret!He: אנחנו נפתור את זה כמו בבלש!En: We'll solve it like detectives!"He: "הם עיינו יחד בפתק, ניסו לפענח את משמעותו.En: They examined the note together, trying to decipher its meaning.He: שירה הציעה לחפש במכתבים ישנים נוספים, ואיתן חיפש רמזים בחפצים המשפחתיים ששמרו בארון.En: Shira suggested looking through more old letters, and Eitan searched for clues among the family items stored in the cabinet.He: אבל נעם הרגיש שכדי לפתור את התעלומה הזו, הם יצטרכו לבקש עזרה מהיחידים שיכולים לדעת את הסיפור המלא - הוריהם.En: But Noam felt that to solve this mystery, they would need to ask for help from the only ones who might know the full story—their parents.He: בזמן הדלקת הנרות, האווירה הייתה נינוחה.En: During the candle lighting, the atmosphere was relaxed.He: אבל נעם שלף את הפתק ושיתף את הוריהם בתגלית.En: But Noam pulled out the note and shared his discovery with their parents.He: "אמבטיהרית, למה מסתתר הפתק הזה בתיבה הישנה?En: "Bathrate, why is this note hidden in the old box?"He: " שאל נעם, קולו חד וברור כעת.En: asked Noam, his voice now sharp and clear.He: ההורים הביטו זה בזה, וכמעט שראו את ההיסטוריה שביניהם משתקפת.En: The parents looked at each other, almost as if they could see the history reflected between them.He: לבסוף, ברעם קולה, אמר אביהם: "זה סוד שאנחנו שמרנו ברקע שנים רבות.En: Finally, in a booming voice, their father said: "It's a secret we've kept in the background for many years.He: הפתק מדבר על תקופה קשה שעברה על המשפחה שלנו, אבל מעולם לא הייתה לזה השפעה על הקשרים שלנו כאן ועכשיו.En: The note refers to a difficult time our family went through, but it never affected our connections here and now."He: " הם סיפרו סיפור על סב ומורשת שהשתנו, אך לא נגעו באהבתם הנוכחית.En: They shared a story about a grandfather and a heritage that changed, but it did not touch their current love.He: הגילוי פתח את הלב של כל בני המשפחה.En: The revelation opened the hearts of the whole family.He: נעם הרגיש לראשונה מחובר וברור בתפקידו כמתווך.En: Noam felt for the first time connected and clear in his role as a mediator.He: שירה ואיתן כיבדו ונתחברו לרגע הכנות.En: Shira and Eitan respected and connected to the moment of honesty.He: במשפחה כהן, הנרות דלקו עוד יותר בהיר, והמשפחה הרוויחה מכל זה חיבור חדש וגם משמעות חדשה לחג החנוכה.En: In the Cohen family, the candles burned even brighter, and the family gained from it a new connection and a new meaning for Hanukkah.He: כשנרות החנוכה התכהו והשתיקו, הם ידעו שמצאו את ההרמוניה שחיפשו.En: As the Hanukkah candles dimmed and fell silent, they knew they had found the harmony they were seeking.He: הקשרים שלהם התחזקו, ונעם הרגיש את השינוי המרגיע שחיפש כל הזמן.En: Their bonds strengthened, and Noam felt the calming change he had been searching for all along. Vocabulary Words:heirloom: ירושהladen: מלאtrebling: רועדalert: דרוכהskeptically: בפקפוקmediator: מתווךcabinet: ארוןrevelation: גילויbooming: רעםsolve: לפתורenigmatic: מסתוריinconsistency: חוסר עקביותunveiled: נחשףheritage: מורשתancient: עתיקdecipher: לפענחconcealed: חבויexamine: להיבחןintrigued: מסוקרןclue: רמזuntouched: לא נגועharmony: הרמוניהagreement: הסכמהtremendous: עצוםinsecurity: חוסר ביטחוןbrighter: בהיר יותרconnection: חיבורpulled: נשאבendeavor: מאמץunravel: לפרוםBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Diwali Drama: Anaya's Quest for Family Harmony Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2025-12-13-23-34-02-hi Story Transcript:Hi: दिवाली की शाम थी।En: It was the evening of Diwali.Hi: अनाया के घर को दीयों और रंगीन लाइट से सजाया गया था।En: Anaya's house was decorated with lamps and colorful lights.Hi: मिठाई की खुशबू हर कोने से आ रही थी।En: The aroma of sweets was coming from every corner.Hi: फिर भी, हवा में एक अजीब सा तनाव था।En: Yet, there was a strange tension in the air.Hi: पूरे परिवार का वार्षिक पुनर्मिलन था, लेकिन यह त्योहार हंसी और खुशी की बजाय रहस्यों और पुरानी नाराज़गी का प्रतीक बन गया था।En: It was the annual family reunion, but instead of being a festival of laughter and joy, it had become a symbol of secrets and old grudges.Hi: अनाया, जो परिवार की सबसे बड़ी बेटी थी, पिछले कई दिनों से इस बात पर मेहनत कर रही थी कि हर कोई खुश रहे।En: Anaya, who was the eldest daughter in the family, had been working hard for days to ensure everyone was happy.Hi: लेकिन उसके दिल में एक छिपा हुआ डर था - असफलता और अकेलेपन का।En: But there was a hidden fear within her heart—of failure and loneliness.Hi: दीवाली की रात्रि का भोजन तैयार था।En: The dinner for Diwali night was ready.Hi: रसोई में, मीनू के कड़ाहे में नाश्ते तलते हुए, अनाया ने अपनी माँ की बातें सुनी, जो अब फिर से अपने पुराने गिले-शिकवे दोहराने लगी थीं।En: In the kitchen, while frying snacks in the pan, Anaya listened to her mother, who had once again started repeating her old grievances.Hi: रोहन और मीरा, उसके भाई-बहन, दूसरी तरफ बैठे थे।En: Rohan and Meera, her siblings, were sitting on the other side.Hi: दोनों के बीच कुछ अनबन दिख रही थी।En: There seemed to be some discord between them.Hi: जैसे ही पूजा समाप्त हुई, एक छोटी सी बात पर रोहन और मीरा के बीच विवाद हुआ।En: As soon as the prayer ended, a small matter led to an argument between Rohan and Meera.Hi: वह विवाद जल्द ही एक बड़ी बहस में बदल गया।En: That argument quickly escalated into a big fight.Hi: अनाया ने देखा कि उनका झगड़ा वर्षों पुरानी बातों का परिणाम था।En: Anaya observed that their quarrel was the result of issues from years past.Hi: वह जानती थी यह समय कुछ करने का था।En: She knew it was time to do something.Hi: अनाया ने सबको शांत रहने के लिए कहा।En: Anaya asked everyone to stay calm.Hi: उसने गहरी सांस ली और बोलना शुरू किया, "हम सब साथ हैं, इस दिवाली को यादगार बनाने के लिए।En: She took a deep breath and began to speak, "We are all together to make this Diwali memorable.Hi: पुराने गिले-शिकवे हमें बांधने के लिए नहीं हैं, उन्हें छोड़ कर आगे बढ़ने के लिए हैं।En: Old grudges are not to bind us; they are to be let go of so we can move forward.Hi: एक परिवार का मतलब है एक-दूसरे के साथ होना, भले ही सबकुछ ठीक न हो।En: Being a family means being there for each other, even if everything isn't perfect."Hi: "उसकी बातों का असर हुआ।En: Her words had an effect.Hi: धीरे-धीरे सबने शांत हो कर उसे सुना।En: Slowly, everyone calmed down and listened to her.Hi: उस पल में, अनाया ने महसूस किया कि हमेशा समस्याओं का हल अकेले ढूंढना जरूरी नहीं, बल्कि एक-दूसरे का सहारा बनना भी महत्वपूर्ण है।En: In that moment, Anaya realized that finding solutions to problems alone isn't always necessary; being each other's support is also important.Hi: सबने बाकी की रात हंसी-मजाक और प्यार के साथ बिताई।En: The rest of the night was spent in laughter and love.Hi: अनाया को एहसास हुआ कि उसे सबकुछ ठीक करने की जरूरत नहीं थी।En: Anaya realized she didn't need to fix everything.Hi: उसका प्यार और देखभाल ही काफी था।En: Her love and care were enough.Hi: जैसे ही दीये की रौशनी मंद होने लगी, घर में एक नई उम्मीद की किरण फैली।En: As the light of the lamps faded, a new ray of hope spread through the house.Hi: परिवार की बुनियादी समस्याएँ शायद वहीं थीं, लेकिन कम से कम उस रात उनके बीच प्यार ने अपनी जगह बना ली थी, और वह काफ़ी था।En: The underlying family problems might still have been there, but at least that night, love found a place among them, and that was enough. Vocabulary Words:aroma: खुशबूtension: तनावgrudges: नाराज़गीeldest: सबसे बड़ीensuring: सुनिश्चित करनाloneliness: अकेलेपनfrying: तलते हुएgrievances: गिले-शिकवेdiscord: अनबनescalated: बदल गयाquarrel: झगड़ाbind: बांधनाcalmed: शांतsolutions: समाधानsupport: सहाराfaded: मंदunderlying: बुनियादीreunion: पुनर्मिलनsymbol: प्रतीकsweets: मिठाईhidden: छिपा हुआargument: विवादbreath: सांसmemorable: यादगारperfect: ठीकlaughter: हंसी-मजाकcare: देखभालhope: उम्मीदproblems: समस्याएँrealized: एहसास

Tracy Smith catches up with Ethan Hawke, who is already getting awards-season buzz for his performance in “Blue Moon,” in which he plays lyricist Lorenz Hart. David Martin shares a story of espionage, betrayal and little-known Pearl Harbor history in World War II, based on the new book Family of Spies. Anthony Mason examines the life and times of Elvis Presley's legendary and controversial manager: Colonel Tom Parker. He visits Graceland to speak with biographer Peter Guralnick, who writes about Parker in his new book, The Colonel and The King. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fluent Fiction - Spanish: Unlocking Heritage: Elena's Alhambra Discovery Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/es/episode/2025-12-07-23-34-02-es Story Transcript:Es: Elena llegó a la Alhambra en un día frío de invierno.En: Elena arrived at la Alhambra on a cold winter day.Es: Las montañas de la Sierra Nevada estaban cubiertas de nieve y el sol dorado de la tarde iluminaba el palacio con una luz suave.En: The mountains of the Sierra Nevada were covered in snow, and the golden afternoon sun bathed the palace in a soft light.Es: Era el Día de la Constitución, y Granada estaba llena de gente celebrando.En: It was Día de la Constitución, and Granada was filled with people celebrating.Es: Sin embargo, Elena no estaba allí solo para las festividades.En: However, Elena was not there just for the festivities.Es: Tenía una misión personal.En: She had a personal mission.Es: Desde pequeña, había escuchado historias sobre una conexión de su familia con el Alhambra.En: Since she was little, she had heard stories about her family's connection with la Alhambra.Es: Siempre había sentido un vínculo especial con ese lugar, y este viaje era su oportunidad para resolver el misterio familiar del que tanto había oído hablar.En: She had always felt a special bond with that place, and this trip was her chance to solve the family mystery she had heard so much about.Es: Mientras caminaba por los intrincados pasillos, algo llamó su atención.En: As she walked through the intricate halls, something caught her attention.Es: En un arco moro, entre los detallados grabados, sus dedos tocaron algo extraño.En: In a Moorish arch, among the detailed engravings, her fingers touched something strange.Es: Era una llave antigua y enigmática.En: It was an ancient and enigmatic key.Es: La tomó, emocionada y ansiosa por descubrir su propósito.En: She took it, excited and eager to discover its purpose.Es: Elena sabía que encontrar el objeto que esta llave podía abrir no sería fácil.En: Elena knew that finding the object this key could open would not be easy.Es: Las celebraciones habían atraído a mucha gente, y moverse libremente por la Alhambra era un desafío.En: The celebrations had attracted many people, and moving freely through la Alhambra was a challenge.Es: Pero su deseo de descubrir la verdad sobre su familia le dio el valor para continuar.En: But her desire to uncover the truth about her family gave her the courage to continue.Es: Esa noche, cuando la Alhambra cerró sus puertas a los visitantes, Elena tomó una decisión arriesgada.En: That night, when la Alhambra closed its doors to visitors, Elena made a risky decision.Es: Se quedó en una área restringida, escondida, esperando el momento adecuado para explorar.En: She stayed in a restricted area, hidden, waiting for the right moment to explore.Es: Su corazón latía rápido, pero continuó, guiada por una fuerza interna que no podía ignorar.En: Her heart beat fast, but she continued, guided by an inner force she couldn't ignore.Es: Cerca de la medianoche, encontró una puerta oculta.En: Around midnight, she found a hidden door.Es: El corazón le dio un vuelco cuando la llave encajó perfectamente en la cerradura.En: Her heart skipped a beat when the key fit perfectly into the lock.Es: Dentro, descubrió una cámara secreta.En: Inside, she discovered a secret chamber.Es: Había un pequeño cofre ornamentado.En: There was a small ornate chest.Es: Con manos temblorosas, usó la llave para abrirlo.En: With trembling hands, she used the key to open it.Es: Dentro del cofre había cartas y un diario.En: Inside the chest were letters and a journal.Es: Elena comenzó a leer con avidez.En: Elena began to read eagerly.Es: Las cartas hablaban de amores y alianzas, de secretos guardados por generaciones.En: The letters spoke of loves and alliances, of secrets kept for generations.Es: El diario pertenecía a un antepasado que había vivido en el Alhambra muchos años atrás.En: The journal belonged to an ancestor who had lived in la Alhambra many years ago.Es: Las palabras escritas le revelaron la conexión de su familia con los antiguos habitantes del palacio.En: The written words revealed to her the connection of her family with the ancient inhabitants of the palace.Es: Al terminar de leer, Elena sintió una corriente de calidez y pertenencia.En: After finishing reading, Elena felt a wave of warmth and belonging.Es: Su viaje había valido la pena.En: Her journey had been worth it.Es: Había descubierto no solo una parte perdida de su historia familiar, sino también una pieza de su identidad.En: She had discovered not only a lost part of her family history but also a piece of her identity.Es: De pie, en ese lugar lleno de historia, se sintió más conectada que nunca a su herencia.En: Standing in that place full of history, she felt more connected than ever to her heritage.Es: La Alhambra ya no era solo un lugar de cuentos y leyendas; era un puente a su pasado, y ahora un parte viva de su presente.En: La Alhambra was no longer just a place of tales and legends; it was a bridge to her past and now a living part of her present. Vocabulary Words:cold: fríowinter: inviernomountains: montañasafternoon: tardesun: sollight: luzfestivities: festividadeshistory: historiajourney: viajebond: vínculomystery: misteriointricate: intrincadoshalls: pasillosMoorish: moroengravings: grabadoskey: llavecelebrations: celebracioneschallenge: desafíocourage: valorforces: fuerzasmidnight: medianochelock: cerradurasecret: secretochamber: cámaraornate chest: cofre ornamentadoletters: cartasjournal: diarioancestor: antepasadoheritage: herenciatales: cuentos

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: Unraveling Family Secrets: A Winter Tale of Love and Forgiveness Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-12-06-08-38-20-hu Story Transcript:Hu: A Central Market Hall zsibongása mindig különleges téli napokon, amikor ünnepi díszek és vidám arcok töltik meg a teret.En: The bustle of the Central Market Hall is always special on winter days, when festive decorations and cheerful faces fill the space.Hu: Áron belépett a piacra két barátjával, Katalinnal és Zsófiával.En: Áron entered the market with his two friends, Katalin and Zsófia.Hu: Érdeklődve nézelődött körbe, miközben a hely illatai, a frissen sült rétesek és forralt bor keveréke körbelengték.En: He looked around curiously, as the aromas of freshly baked strudels and mulled wine wafted around.Hu: Katalin vidáman törtetett előre, ahol a legjobb mézeskalácsot remélte találni.En: Katalin cheerfully rushed forward, hoping to find the best gingerbread.Hu: Zsófia pedig egy kicsit lemaradva, egy virágos bódé előtt állt meg.En: Zsófia, lagging slightly behind, stopped in front of a flower stall.Hu: Ő mindig tudott valami pluszt a családokról, titkokról, amit senki sem más.En: She always knew something extra about families, secrets that no one else did.Hu: Talán épp ezért álltak meg segíteni, amikor egy idős hölgy a narancsos stand előtt keresgélt.En: Perhaps that's why they stopped to help when an elderly lady was searching in front of the orange stand.Hu: Áron lehajolt, hogy felsegítse a hölgyet, és ekkor észrevett valamit a földön.En: Áron bent down to help the lady up, and then he noticed something on the ground.Hu: Egy régi, kissé szétázott boríték hevert ott.En: A worn, slightly water-damaged envelope lay there.Hu: Felvette, és döbbenten látta a saját vezetéknevét rajta.En: He picked it up and was stunned to see his own surname on it.Hu: "Érdekes," motyogta maga elé, ahogy óvatosan bontotta fel.En: "Interesting," he muttered to himself as he carefully opened it.Hu: Katalin oldalra pillantott, aggódást érezve barátja hangjától.En: Katalin glanced sideways, feeling concern at her friend's tone.Hu: "Áron, biztos, hogy ezt kellene csinálnod?En: "Áron, are you sure you should be doing that?"Hu: " kérdezte, miközben az ünnepi tömeg sodrában előrehaladtak.En: she asked as they moved forward in the festive crowd.Hu: Áron nem válaszolt azonnal.En: Áron didn't respond immediately.Hu: A levél tartalma magával ragadta: egy családtörténet titka, amit sosem ismert.En: The contents of the letter captivated him: a family secret he never knew.Hu: "Egész életem keresése ez," suttogta magának.En: "This is the search of my entire life," he whispered to himself.Hu: Tudta, hogy ez a válasz régi kérdéseire.En: He knew it held answers to his old questions.Hu: Zsófia, aki közben csatlakozott hozzájuk, sejtette, hogy valami fontosra bukkantak.En: Zsófia, who had joined them by this time, suspected they had stumbled upon something important.Hu: "Áron, biztosan akarsz ezzel foglalkozni?En: "Áron, are you sure you want to deal with this?"Hu: " figyelmeztette gyengéden.En: she gently warned him.Hu: "Lehet, hogy nem lesz könnyű.En: "It might not be easy."Hu: "Áron mélyet sóhajtott.En: Áron sighed deeply.Hu: "Muszáj.En: "I have to.Hu: Tudnom kell az igazságot.En: I need to know the truth."Hu: "Felkeresték Áron nagymamáját, aki sokáig nem szólt semmit, csak mélyen a szemébe nézett.En: They sought out Áron's grandmother, who for a long time said nothing, just looked deeply into his eyes.Hu: A levél történetet mesélt egy régi viszályról, árulásokról, de leginkább szeretetről és megbocsátásról.En: The letter told a story of an old feud, betrayals, but mostly about love and forgiveness.Hu: "Akkor hát ideje újraírni a múltat," mondta végül Áron nagymamája megtörten, sírva.En: "Then it's time to rewrite the past," Áron's grandmother finally said, brokenly and in tears.Hu: "Ez az ünnep a régi sérelmek tisztításáról is szól.En: "This holiday is also about cleansing old grievances."Hu: "Áron és nagymamája összeborultak, a megbékélés pillanata volt ez.En: Áron and his grandmother embraced; it was a moment of reconciliation.Hu: Katalin döbbenten látta, mennyi erő rejlett Áron elhatározásában.En: Katalin marveled at the strength underlying Áron's resolve.Hu: Áron megérezte, hogy néha szükséges a múlt sebeit felszakítani, hogy újra lehessen építeni a jövőt.En: Áron sensed that sometimes it's necessary to reopen the wounds of the past in order to rebuild the future.Hu: A piac zsivaja lassan elcsendesült, s a három barát mosollyal az arcukon léptek ki az ünnepi forgatagból.En: The chatter of the market slowly quieted, and the three friends stepped out of the festive hustle with smiles on their faces.Hu: Katalin úgy érezte, most már maga is érti, hogy Áron döntése helyes volt, és hogy ezek a családi történetek a valódi ajándékok.En: Katalin felt she now understood that Áron's decision was right and that these family stories are the true gifts.Hu: A történet tanulsága világos volt: a szeretet és a megbocsátás erősebb minden régi fájdalomnál, s a család mindig újra összehozható, ha van bátorság megnyitni a szívet.En: The lesson of the story was clear: love and forgiveness are stronger than any old pain, and a family can always be reunited if one has the courage to open their heart. Vocabulary Words:bustle: zsibongásfestive: ünnepicheerful: vidámcuriously: érdeklődvearomas: illatokmulled wine: forralt borwafted: körbelengtékgingerbread: mézeskalácslagging: lemaradvastall: bódéextra: pluszelderly: idősslightly: kisséwater-damaged: szétázottenvelope: borítéksurname: vezetéknévconcern: aggódástone: hangcaptive: magával ragadtafeud: viszálybetrayals: árulásokforgiveness: megbocsátásreconciliation: megbékélésunderlying: rejlőresolve: elhatározásreopen: felszakítanigrievances: sérelmekchatter: zsivajreunited: összehozhatóembrace: összeborul

In this episode, Carmen Rita Wong shares her journey from learning family secrets to self-discovery and how understanding our past heals us. She delves into forgiveness, personal responsibility, and the impact of upbringing, as well as practical strategies for self-examination and habit change. Carmen shares how therapy, compassion, and embracing her complex heritage helped her build resilience and authenticity, offering listeners insights on navigating identity, breaking cycles, and finding peace with the past. Exciting News!!!Coming in March 2026, my new book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life is now available for pre-orders!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Key Takeaways: Exploration of complex family history and identity Discussion of the memoir "Why Didn't You Tell Me" The parable of the two wolves and its relevance to personal growth Themes of forgiveness and personal responsibility The impact of childhood experiences on adult life The role of therapy in healing and self-examination Navigating multicultural identity and heritage The process of uncovering family secrets and understanding one's origins The importance of empathy and compassion in human relationships Strategies for habit change and personal transformation through small, intentional actions For full show notes,⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!⁠ Connect with the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@TheOneYouFeedPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ By purchasing products and/or services from our sponsors, you are helping to support The One You Feed, and we greatly appreciate it. Thank you! This episode is sponsored by: ⁠Aura Frames⁠: For a limited time, save on the perfect gift by visiting ⁠AuraFrames.com /FEED ⁠to get $35 off Aura's best-selling Carver Mat frames – named #1 by Wirecutter –  by using promo code FEED at checkout. This deal is exclusive to listeners, and frames sell out fast,  so order yours now to get it in time for the holidays! ⁠Uncommon Goods ⁠has something for everyone – you'll find thousands of new gift ideas that you won't find anywhere else, and you'll be supporting artists and small, independent businesses. To get 15% off your next gift, go to ⁠UNCOMMONGOODS.com/FEED⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠: Post your job for free at ⁠⁠linkedin.com/oneyoufeed⁠⁠. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Britt & Matt were joined by friend of the show (and Matt's podcast co-host) Ash Wicks to solve his family Secret Santa dilemma.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christine Kuehn knew hardly anything about her father's family. But when a mysterious letter reaches her doorstep in 1994, it kicks off a 30-year journey uncovering her family's Nazi history, and their role in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Family Secrets full 968 Wed, 03 Dec 2025 16:24:00 +0000 Dc3XXkKvEBJpidJ1dBO8XyFpSe9Um328 society & culture Klein/Ally Show: The Podcast society & culture Family Secrets Klein.Ally.Show on KROQ is more than just a "dynamic, irreverent morning radio show that mixes humor, pop culture, and unpredictable conversation with a heavy dose of realness." (but thanks for that quote anyway). Hosted by Klein, Ally, and a cast of weirdos (both on the team and from their audience), the show is known for its raw, offbeat style, offering a mix of sarcastic banter, candid interviews, and an unfiltered take on everything from culture to the chaos of everyday life. With a loyal, engaged fanbase and an addiction for pushing boundaries, the show delivers the perfect blend of humor and insight, all while keeping things fun, fresh, and sometimes a little bit illegal. 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. Society & Culture False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=https%3A%2F%2Frss.amperwave.n

HOUR 2- Vanessa's Sexual Harassment Apology, Family Secrets and MORE full 1859 Wed, 03 Dec 2025 16:42:00 +0000 kskKoIeTN5IzrnvJY4GtbPwtSZ2ifYqt society & culture Klein/Ally Show: The Podcast society & culture HOUR 2- Vanessa's Sexual Harassment Apology, Family Secrets and MORE Klein.Ally.Show on KROQ is more than just a "dynamic, irreverent morning radio show that mixes humor, pop culture, and unpredictable conversation with a heavy dose of realness." (but thanks for that quote anyway). Hosted by Klein, Ally, and a cast of weirdos (both on the team and from their audience), the show is known for its raw, offbeat style, offering a mix of sarcastic banter, candid interviews, and an unfiltered take on everything from culture to the chaos of everyday life. With a loyal, engaged fanbase and an addiction for pushing boundaries, the show delivers the perfect blend of humor and insight, all while keeping things fun, fresh, and sometimes a little bit illegal. 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. Society & Culture False https://player.amperwave

The lineage of Christ shows forth man's inherent brokenness and God's overcoming grace. Join us as Pastor Kurt talks about a supernaturally changed heart. NEXT STEPS: This Christmas, I will no longer hold onto my hurt, nor will I hide my heart away. Instead, I will allow my heart to be set on God's love for me. This Christmas, I will embrace what it means to be fully engaged as a member of God's Church.

Ever notice how the holidays have a way of forcing conversations you've been avoiding? When someone you're dating wants to introduce their whole life to yoursbut you've been keeping parts of that life hidden,it's not just awkward timing. It's a moment of truth. A listener named Kayla shares: "I've been dating this guy for 10 months and things are getting serious. He has a five-year-old son from a previous relationship, and I've met him a few times. But I haven't told my parents he has a kid yet. I know I should have mentioned it earlier, but it felt too soon, and now it feels too late. My family's having their big holiday dinner, and he wants to bring his son. Do I tell them before he comes, or should I ask him to come next year instead?" In this episode, Damona unpacks what's really happening beneath the surface: it's not your parents' reaction you're most afraid of,it's committing fully to a relationship that includes a child. You'll hear why silence and omission create more distance than honesty ever will, and how to move from avoidance to authentic integration with your family. What You'll Hear In This Episode: The weight of carrying a secret Why dating someone with a child is a high-stakes situation How to reframe your own expectations to accept the full picture of someone's life The difference between protecting hiding  The hidden opportunity in a holiday meet up Want to track what's working (and what's not) in your dating life? Download the free Date Tracker at damonahoffman.com/datetracker Got a relationship question? DM @DamonaHoffman on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook, or leave a voicemail or text at 424-246-6255 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We return with old-time radio horror stories, classic OTR, and radio suspense for a pre-Thanksgiving vigil, my dear—where family tables creak, footsteps count down to doom, and a song in the parlor hushes murderous hearts. Tonight's reliquary opens to four chillers, a clutch of shadows to keep the knives honest and the lights low. 

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Amy's discovery about her origins reshaped everything she thought she knew about her life and family. This conversation stayed with me long after recording—it's one of those stories that quietly breaks your heart while reminding you what healing can look like.Amy can be reached via email amyr200015@yahoo.comResources Mentioned:Some NPE groups on facebook MPE Life: DNA Surprise, NPE, Adoptee, & Donor Conceived (DCP) RTK Supporthttps://www.facebook.com/groups/mpelifeTogetherness Heals ~ NPE Only on facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/611030509748927Hiraeth Hope and Healing (retreats for NPEs)https://www.facebook.com/groups/456700751111085NPE Stories PatreonNPE Stories facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

Fluent Fiction - Italian: Unveiling Family Secrets: An Autumn Night of Discovery Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/it/episode/2025-11-14-08-38-20-it Story Transcript:It: Nel cuore dell'autunno, il collegio sembrava un quadro di colori caldi e foglie cadute.En: In the heart of autumn, the college looked like a painting of warm colors and fallen leaves.It: L'aria era fresca, e l'atmosfera si riempiva di mistero per via degli addobbi di Halloween sparsi dappertutto.En: The air was fresh, and the atmosphere was filled with mystery due to the Halloween decorations scattered everywhere.It: Il vecchio edificio gotico torreggiava, con i suoi corridoi bui e le finestre alte e strette.En: The old Gothic building towered, with its dark corridors and tall, narrow windows.It: Luca camminava lentamente attraverso il cortile, guardandosi intorno.En: Luca walked slowly through the courtyard, looking around.It: Era un ragazzo silenzioso, sempre assorto nei suoi pensieri.En: He was a quiet boy, always lost in his thoughts.It: Si sentiva diverso dagli altri studenti e non sapeva perché.En: He felt different from the other students and didn't know why.It: Aveva scoperto da poco una vecchia leggenda di famiglia che poteva spiegare quelle sue strane sensazioni.En: He had recently discovered an old family legend that might explain those strange feelings.It: Giovanna, sua cugina vivace e sempre pronta a una nuova avventura, lo raggiunse con un sorriso.En: Giovanna, his lively cousin always ready for a new adventure, approached him with a smile.It: "Cosa stai pensando, Luca?"En: "What are you thinking about, Luca?"It: chiese.En: she asked.It: Lui esitò per un momento, poi si decise a parlarle della leggenda.En: He hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell her about the legend.It: "Giovanna, ho scoperto qualcosa.En: "Giovanna, I've discovered something.It: Una storia di famiglia.En: A family story.It: Forse c'è un segreto che può spiegare perché mi sento così diverso," disse Luca, con una voce quasi sussurrata.En: Maybe there's a secret that can explain why I feel so different," said Luca, in an almost whispered voice.It: Giovanna alzò un sopracciglio interessata.En: Giovanna raised an intrigued eyebrow.It: All'inizio era riluttante ad aiutare Luca a scavare in un passato che poteva portare vergogna alla famiglia.En: At first, she was reluctant to help Luca dig into a past that might bring shame to the family.It: Preferiva godersi il presente e il clima festoso delle celebrazioni di Halloween.En: She preferred to enjoy the present and the festive atmosphere of the Halloween celebrations.It: Ma vedendo la determinazione nei suoi occhi, alla fine decise di aiutarlo.En: But seeing the determination in his eyes, she eventually decided to help him.It: "Va bene, Luca.En: "Alright, Luca.It: Ti aiuterò," disse sicura.En: I'll help you," she said confidently.It: "Ma dovremo muoverci dopo il coprifuoco.En: "But we'll have to move after curfew.It: Dobbiamo entrare nella biblioteca."En: We need to get into the library."It: Quella notte, mentre il collegio era avvolto nel silenzio, Luca e Giovanna sgattaiolarono fuori dalla loro stanza.En: That night, while the college was wrapped in silence, Luca and Giovanna snuck out of their room.It: Il percorso verso la biblioteca era illuminato solo dalla luce della luna che entrava dalle finestre.En: The path to the library was illuminated only by the moonlight entering through the windows.It: Arrivarono senza farsi notare.En: They arrived without being noticed.It: Con mani tremanti, Luca sfogliò antichi libri e documenti finché non trovò un vecchio diario nascosto tra gli scaffali impolverati.En: With trembling hands, Luca leafed through ancient books and documents until he found an old diary hidden among the dusty shelves.It: Il diario svelava la verità sugli antenati della loro famiglia e il motivo della sua sensazione di diversità.En: The diary revealed the truth about their family's ancestors and the reason for his feeling of being different.It: Scoprì che un tempo, molto tempo fa, un membro della sua famiglia aveva fatto una scelta coraggiosa che li aveva portati lontano dal loro paese d'origine.En: He discovered that a long time ago, a family member had made a courageous choice that took them far from their homeland.It: Quella scelta aveva cambiato la loro storia per sempre.En: That choice had changed their history forever.It: Emozionato, Luca tornò da Giovanna con il diario in mano.En: Excited, Luca returned to Giovanna with the diary in hand.It: "Guarda, ho trovato tutto," disse, gli occhi brillanti di nuove scoperte.En: "Look, I've found everything," he said, his eyes shining with new discoveries.It: Insieme, lessero il diario, seduti al centro della biblioteca, avvolti nel silenzio della notte.En: Together, they read the diary, sitting in the center of the library, wrapped in the silence of the night.It: Capirono l'importanza della loro eredità e accettarono che la loro diversità era una forza, non una debolezza.En: They understood the importance of their heritage and accepted that their diversity was a strength, not a weakness.It: "Devo accettare chi sono," disse Luca, sentendosi più sicuro di prima.En: "I have to accept who I am," said Luca, feeling more confident than before.It: "Sì," annuì Giovanna.En: "Yes," nodded Giovanna.It: "Dobbiamo proteggere questo segreto, ma devi sapere che non sei solo."En: "We must protect this secret, but you need to know you're not alone."It: Fecero un patto tra loro, promettendo di custodire il segreto e di aiutarsi a vicenda.En: They made a pact between them, promising to guard the secret and to help each other.It: All'alba, tornarono alle loro stanze.En: At dawn, they returned to their rooms.It: Il cuore di Luca era pieno di pace, mentre l'alba iniziava a illuminare il cielo autunnale.En: Luca's heart was full of peace as the dawn began to light up the autumn sky.It: La loro amicizia e la loro comprensione del passato avevano aperto una nuova strada per il futuro.En: Their friendship and understanding of the past had opened a new path for the future.It: La notte di Halloween si era conclusa, ma per Luca e Giovanna, era solo l'inizio di una nuova consapevolezza e di una nuova avventura nella loro storia di famiglia.En: The Halloween night had ended, but for Luca and Giovanna, it was just the beginning of a new awareness and a new adventure in their family history. Vocabulary Words:the courtyard: il cortilethe atmosphere: l'atmosferathe mystery: il misterothe corridor: il corridoiothe window: la finestrathe legend: la leggendathe secret: il segretothe determination: la determinazionethe curfew: il coprifuocothe library: la bibliotecathe moonlight: la luce della lunathe document: il documentothe diary: il diariothe ancestor: l'antenatothe heritage: l'ereditàthe weakness: la debolezzathe strength: la forzathe homeland: il paese d'originethe choice: la sceltathe adventure: l'avventurathe awareness: la consapevolezzathe festive atmosphere: il clima festosothe past: il passatothe present: il presentethe truth: la veritàthe pact: il pattothe silence: il silenziothe dawn: l'albathe peace: la pacethe understanding: la comprensione

Willie & Aikisha Colon Get Real: Miscarriages, Family Secrets & Life Lessons Men weight in on getting massages from male masues See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Willie & Aikisha Colon Get Real: Miscarriages, Family Secrets & Life LessonsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to What If I'm Wrong? A show where we might not give you the answers, but we will ask some really good questions. On today's episode, we're joined by Amy Duggar-King, known as Crazy Cousin Amy on TLC's 19 Kids and Counting. Amy is an author, entrepreneur, and advocate known for her courage to speak truth in a world built on appearances. Today we're pausing our series on How to End a Year well to take some time to hear Amy's story. In this week's episode, we're discussing the topic: Family Secrets. Heather shares about the word secrets—and how they take more energy to avoid, often leaving us with superficial relationships.  Join host Heather Thompson Day and submission specialist Haley Hoskins for a conversation on family secrets. In Day in the Bible, Heather reflects on Genesis 37, the story of Joseph being sold into slavery and the huge family secret that is kept from Jacob. Have a story to share? Email us at whatifimwrongpod@gmail.com. Host Bio:  Dr. Heather Thompson Day is an interdenominational speaker, an ECPA bestseller, and has been a contributor for Religion News Service, Christianity Today, Newsweek and the Barna Group.  Heather was a communication professor for 13 years teaching both graduate and undergraduate students in Public Speaking, Persuasion, and Social Media. She is now the founder of It Is Day Ministries, a nonprofit organization that trains churches, leaders, and laypeople in what Heather calls Cross Communication, a gospel centered communication approach that points you higher, to the cross, every time you open your mouth.  Heather's writing has been featured on outlets like the Today Show, and the National Communication Association. She has been interviewed by BBC Radio Live and The Wall Street Journal.  She believes her calling is to stand in the gaps of our churches. She is the author of 9 books; including It's Not Your Turn, I'll See You Tomorrow, and What If I'm Wrong? Heather's Social Media Heather's Instagram Heather's Website  Heather's TikTok Heather's YouTube  Haley's Social Media Haley's Instagram Amy Duggar-King Amy's Website Amy's Instagram Amy's Book: Holy Disruptor  What If I'm Wrong Social Media What If I'm Wrong Instagram  What If I'm Wrong YouTube What If I'm Wrong TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Mystery Theater, we delve into the sinister world crafted by Wilkie Collins, exploring a chilling tale titled "Shadows from the Grave." The story is introduced by our host, Hyman Brown, who sets the stage for an intriguing exploration of mortality and the supernatural. We meet Xavier Yardley Zenith, a young photographer who inherits a mysterious estate from his Uncle George, who ominously proclaims that he will die within a week.Uncle George's peculiar insistence on guarding his mausoleum raises the stakes as Xavier learns about the family secrets buried within the estate. As Xavier navigates his new life, the narrative takes a dark turn, unraveling the complexities of his uncle's death, underscored by a mysterious ghostly presence demanding resolution. The episode unfolds through Xavier's nightmarish visions of his uncle's ghost, urging him to seek a blessing for his unblessed grave, raising questions of guilt, a possible murder, and supernatural repercussions of familial ties.The atmospheric richness of the storytelling becomes palpable as we witness Xavier's struggle against unseen forces that challenge his understanding of reality. Throughout the episode, the tension escalates with every check on the mausoleum's locks and as Xavier grapples with his wife Catherine's growing distrust of the ancestral legacy that seems to haunt them. The listener is drawn into the murky depths of human emotions, fear of the unknown, and the morality entwined with death.Unknown Broadcast slips in with old-time radio horror, classic OTR ghost stories, and radio suspense, my dear. Draw closer—just enough to hear the dirt breathe.

HUMP DAAAAYYY!!!! Pet Peves From Bartenders, ER Workers Have It Rough, A Lion Has Been Spotted In Ireland, Family Secrets, People Are Tired Of The Valley Girl, & The Dangers Of Porn!!!

Episode: 2018 The Chamberlen family secret: the invention of forceps.  Today, guest historian Cathy Patterson reveals family secrets.

Overcoming Autism: An Inspiring Journey with Leland Vittert Keith Reza sits down with journalist Leland Vittert on Reza Rifts to discuss his inspiring memoir, 'Born Lucky.' They dive into his journey of growing up with autism, overcoming bullying, and the powerful bond with his father. A must-listen for parents of children on the spectrum and anyone seeking a powerful story of resilience and hope. Leland's Social IG: @lelandvitterd ... https://www.instagram.com/lelandvittert/  LI: Leland Vitterd ... https://www.linkedin.com/in/lelandvittert  X: @lelandvitterd ... https://x.com/LelandVittert  Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Personal Connection 01:16 The Writing Process 05:00 Autism Diagnosis and Family Secrets 09:59 The Origin of 'Lucky' 14:05 Bullying and Resilience 17:08 School Struggles and Parental Bond 19:04 Father's Influence and Social Skills 22:56 Autism and Career Impact 26:56 Flying Adventures and Life Lessons 31:12 Personal Life and Relationships 34:09 Final Thoughts and Reflections   Support the show on https://patreon.com/rezarifts61  Follow Keith on all social media platforms: FB: https://www.facebook.com/realkeithreza IG:https://www.instagram.com/keithreza  ALT IG:https://www.instagram.com/duhkeithreza  X:https://www.twitter.com/keithreza  TT:https://www.tiktok.com/keithreza  Book Keith on cameo at www.cameo.com/keithreza Check out my website for dates at https://www.keithreza.com/  Subscribe - Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts - Tell a friend :) Be a Rifter!   #lelandvitterd #newsmax #autism #bornlucky    

Todd and Cathy share the upcoming changes to their podcast, Zen Parenting Radio, which will be renamed Zen POP Parenting starting June 1st! They also discuss the normal shifts in kids' friendships, highlighting the importance of loyalty, boundaries, and the reality that friendships evolve. As parents, we can feel more overwhelmed than our kids when these changes happen, but it's important to normalize the ups and downs of friendships and offer support without letting our own fear or discomfort take over.

We have a juicy one today - the dialers are spilling their family secrets. get tickets to Hannah's tour get tickets to Des' shows

Hi, Family Secrets listeners! We're excited to share with you a sneak peek at iHeartPodcasts' latest release, Heavyweight! Heavyweight: Maybe you’ve laid awake and imagined how it could have been, how it might yet be, but the moment to act was never right. Well, the moment is here and the podcast making it happen is Heavyweight. Join Jonathan Goldstein for road trips, thorny reunions, and difficult conversations as he backpedals his way into the past like a therapist with a time machine. Listen to Heavyweight on the iHeartRadio App or wherever you get your podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.