Podcasts about Giovanni Falcone

Il y a presque 31 ans, en mai 1992, un piège mortel se tendait sur le plus célèbre des juges antimafia, Giovanni Falcone. Pendant des semaines, la Cosa Nostra, la mafia sicilienne, a mis au point cette spectaculaire opération... Retrouvez tous les jours en podcast le décryptage d'un faits divers, d'un crime ou d'une énigme judiciaire par Jean-Alphonse Richard, entouré de spécialistes, et de témoins d'affaires criminelles. Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

durée : 00:08:09 - Le Masque et la Plume - "Giovanni Falcone", roman de Roberto Saviano, retrace le parcours du juge anti-mafia assassiné en 1992. Un récit poignant sur la lutte contre le crime organisé et le courage solitaire d'un homme face à la menace. Chef d'œuvre littéraire pour Arnaud Viviant, le livre n'a pas laissé indifférent.

Tommaso Buscetta, condannato a morte da Riina, è stato estradato dal Brasile; al suo rientro incontra Giovanni Falcone e conferma la sua intenzione di collaborare con la giustizia. Buscetta inizia a fare il nome di diversi mafiosi ma anche quello Vito Ciancimino, il politico in mano ai corleonesi di Salvatore Riina. Inizia il percorso che porterà al Maxiprocesso. ISCRIVITI AL CANALE: https://www.youtube.com/@italiamistero?sub_confirmation=1 #italiamistero #mafia #buscetta #riina www.italiamistero.it: https://www.italiamistero.it/

C'è un confine tra la propaganda e la bestemmia civile. Forza Italia lo ha superato il 23 marzo 2025, al Politeama Garibaldi di Palermo, usando la voce di Giovanni Falcone come sottofondo al proprio convegno sulla giustizia. Un partito fondato da un pregiudicato, costruito da un condannato per concorso esterno, che si prende il lusso di evocare Falcone nel salotto dove si riabilita D'Alì e si cita Mangano come “eroe”. Falcone parlava di codice penale, di riforme, di impegno. Parlava da magistrato che conosceva il peso delle parole. Ma chi lo cita oggi lo fa per spingere una riforma – la separazione delle carriere tra giudici e pubblici ministeri – che lo stesso Falcone temeva. In Cose di Cosa Nostra, nel 1991, spiegava che una tale separazione avrebbe indebolito la lotta alla mafia, spezzando l'unità della magistratura e rendendo più vulnerabile il lavoro delle procure alle pressioni esterne. E mentre Forza Italia si commuove davanti alle sue frasi, ignora il proprio archivio giudiziario: Marcello Dell'Utri, condannato a 7 anni per concorso esterno in associazione mafiosa; Antonio D'Alì, 6 anni, stessa imputazione; Amedeo Matacena, 3 anni per contiguità con la 'ndrangheta; Nicola Cosentino, 10 anni per concorso esterno con il clan dei Casalesi; Giancarlo Pittelli, 11 anni in primo grado per aver operato a favore della 'ndrangheta; Salvatore Ferrigno, 10 anni in primo grado per voto di scambio politico-mafioso. Falcone non appartiene a un partito. Non può essere brandizzato. Non può essere usato come copertura da chi ha contribuito, anche solo per affinità, a rendere questo Paese meno giusto. Bisogna ricordarsi di ricordare, anche quando non conviene. #LaSveglia per La NotiziaDiventa un supporter di questo podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/la-sveglia-di-giulio-cavalli--3269492/support.

CAMPOBELLO DI MAZARA (TRAPANI) (ITALPRESS) - "Lo Stato anche se in un periodo lungo vince sempre. E quindi dobbiamo andare avanti in questa direzione, cercando che la società di domani sia migliore di quella di oggi. Certo, in questi trent'anni che ci separano dalla strage di Capaci, ci sono stati vari momenti, varie illusioni e varie delusioni. Una delle ultime delusioni è vedere che, nonostante tutto, la mafia continua a esserci, con gli arresti che sono stati fatti ultimamente: 180 mafiosi in carcere. Però li abbiamo messi in carcere". Così Maria Falcone, presidente della Fondazione Falcone, a margine della cerimonia di inaugurazione nel comune del trapanese di un murale in memoria dei giudici Giovanni Falcone e Paolo Borsellino, nell'ambito del progetto "Le Strade da Seguire...", ideato e portato avanti dalla Fondazione Federico II. L'opera è stata collocata in via Vittorio Emanuele II, a pochi passi dal covo in cui ha trascorso gli ultimi anni di latitanza il boss Matteo Messina Denaro, prima di essere catturato dai Carabinieri del ROS il 16 gennaio 2023. "Io credo che chi guarderà questo murale - sottolinea - si ricorderà che cosa ha significato per l'Italia tutta il 23 maggio e il 19 luglio del '92. Però quelle date rappresentano uno spartiacque tra quello che era prima e quello che è dopo. Adesso, anche attraverso il loro lavoro che si è perpetuato negli anni, abbiamo tutti quei mezzi per combattere la mafia che prima non c'erano. Giovanni e Paolo hanno lavorato in un clima completamente diverso perché mancavano appunto i mezzi. Adesso i magistrati, le forze dell'ordine ce li hanno. Hanno una legislazione che ci invidia il mondo. Una legislazione antimafia che ci invidia il mondo. Quindi dobbiamo continuare in questa direzione. Soprattutto educando i giovani". xa3/vbo/gtr

CAMPOBELLO DI MAZARA (TRAPANI) (ITALPRESS) - "Certamente la missione della Fondazione Federico II vuole essere quella di portare la gente a capire quali siano veramente le strade da seguire e questo è il nostro claim. Purtroppo la Sicilia è conosciuta per essere la terra di Riina, Provenzano, Matteo Messina Denaro, invece noi riteniamo che la Sicilia sia differente, sia la Sicilia di Falcone, Borsellino, Boris Giuliano, Carlo Alberto della Chiesa. Allora abbiamo voluto intraprendere questo percorso all'interno delle nove province siciliane e adesso devo dire che a macchia d'olio oggettivamente sembra che stia attecchendo sempre di più una voglia di riscatto di quella Sicilia assolutamente differente dagli stereotipi a cui ci associano". Così Gaetano Galvagno, presidente dell'Ars e della Fondazione Federico II, a margine della cerimonia di inaugurazione nel comune di Campobello di Mazara, nel trapanese, di un murale in memoria dei giudici Giovanni Falcone e Paolo Borsellino, nell'ambito del progetto "Le Strade da Seguire...", ideato e portato avanti proprio dalla Fondazione Federico II. Uno dei tanti già realizzati e sono decine le opere pronte a essere realizzate da est a ovest, da sud a nord dell'Isola. Il murale è stato collocato in via Vittorio Emanuele II, a pochi passi dal covo in cui ha trascorso gli ultimi anni di latitanza il boss Matteo Messina Denaro, prima di essere catturato dai Carabinieri del ROS il 16 gennaio 2023. xa3/vbo/gtr

CAMPOBELLO DI MAZARA (TRAPANI) (ITALPRESS) - "Certamente la missione della Fondazione Federico II vuole essere quella di portare la gente a capire quali siano veramente le strade da seguire e questo è il nostro claim. Purtroppo la Sicilia è conosciuta per essere la terra di Riina, Provenzano, Matteo Messina Denaro, invece noi riteniamo che la Sicilia sia differente, sia la Sicilia di Falcone, Borsellino, Boris Giuliano, Carlo Alberto della Chiesa. Allora abbiamo voluto intraprendere questo percorso all'interno delle nove province siciliane e adesso devo dire che a macchia d'olio oggettivamente sembra che stia attecchendo sempre di più una voglia di riscatto di quella Sicilia assolutamente differente dagli stereotipi a cui ci associano". Così Gaetano Galvagno, presidente dell'Ars e della Fondazione Federico II, a margine della cerimonia di inaugurazione nel comune di Campobello di Mazara, nel trapanese, di un murale in memoria dei giudici Giovanni Falcone e Paolo Borsellino, nell'ambito del progetto "Le Strade da Seguire...", ideato e portato avanti proprio dalla Fondazione Federico II. Uno dei tanti già realizzati e sono decine le opere pronte a essere realizzate da est a ovest, da sud a nord dell'Isola. Il murale è stato collocato in via Vittorio Emanuele II, a pochi passi dal covo in cui ha trascorso gli ultimi anni di latitanza il boss Matteo Messina Denaro, prima di essere catturato dai Carabinieri del ROS il 16 gennaio 2023. xa3/vbo/gtr

CAMPOBELLO DI MAZARA (TRAPANI) (ITALPRESS) - "Lo Stato anche se in un periodo lungo vince sempre. E quindi dobbiamo andare avanti in questa direzione, cercando che la società di domani sia migliore di quella di oggi. Certo, in questi trent'anni che ci separano dalla strage di Capaci, ci sono stati vari momenti, varie illusioni e varie delusioni. Una delle ultime delusioni è vedere che, nonostante tutto, la mafia continua a esserci, con gli arresti che sono stati fatti ultimamente: 180 mafiosi in carcere. Però li abbiamo messi in carcere". Così Maria Falcone, presidente della Fondazione Falcone, a margine della cerimonia di inaugurazione nel comune del trapanese di un murale in memoria dei giudici Giovanni Falcone e Paolo Borsellino, nell'ambito del progetto "Le Strade da Seguire...", ideato e portato avanti dalla Fondazione Federico II. L'opera è stata collocata in via Vittorio Emanuele II, a pochi passi dal covo in cui ha trascorso gli ultimi anni di latitanza il boss Matteo Messina Denaro, prima di essere catturato dai Carabinieri del ROS il 16 gennaio 2023. "Io credo che chi guarderà questo murale - sottolinea - si ricorderà che cosa ha significato per l'Italia tutta il 23 maggio e il 19 luglio del '92. Però quelle date rappresentano uno spartiacque tra quello che era prima e quello che è dopo. Adesso, anche attraverso il loro lavoro che si è perpetuato negli anni, abbiamo tutti quei mezzi per combattere la mafia che prima non c'erano. Giovanni e Paolo hanno lavorato in un clima completamente diverso perché mancavano appunto i mezzi. Adesso i magistrati, le forze dell'ordine ce li hanno. Hanno una legislazione che ci invidia il mondo. Una legislazione antimafia che ci invidia il mondo. Quindi dobbiamo continuare in questa direzione. Soprattutto educando i giovani". xa3/vbo/gtr

CAMPOBELLO DI MAZARA (TRAPANI) (ITALPRESS) - "Mi sono attivato per cercare di capire dove potevamo realizzare questo murale. Potevano essere tanti i posti da potere utilizzare, ma ho deciso di farlo in questo sito che è a pochi metri di distanza dall'ultimo covo di Messina Denaro, che ha rappresentato un momento nefasto per la nostra comunità". Così il sindaco di Campobello di Mazara, Giuseppe Castiglione, a margine della cerimonia di inaugurazione nel comune del trapanese di un murale in memoria dei giudici Giovanni Falcone e Paolo Borsellino, nell'ambito del progetto "Le Strade da Seguire...", ideato e portato avanti dalla Fondazione Federico II. L'opera è stata collocata in via Vittorio Emanuele II, a pochi passi dal covo in cui ha trascorso gli ultimi anni di latitanza il boss Matteo Messina Denaro, prima di essere catturato dai Carabinieri del ROS il 16 gennaio 2023. "Oggi questo murale - aggiunge il primo cittadino - vuole rappresentare ancora una volta, se ce ne fosse bisogno, il risveglio della città, anche con questo mezzo, così maestoso, che guarda proprio verso il covo di Messina Denaro per dire che lo Stato è più forte, che lo Stato vince e che la gente per bene sta da questa parte e non sicuramente dalla parte dove guarda il murale stesso. Questo è un significato che io voglio lanciare fortemente alla nostra città, ma soprattutto ai giovani. La scritta che ho deciso di fare appoggio sul murale è proprio rivolta ai giovani. Se i giovani negheranno la condivisione e il consenso, la mafia svanirà nell'obbligo. Questo è un messaggio forte e chiaro che io voglio lanciare ai giovani, su cui Campobello deve puntare e deve sperare per un futuro migliore della nostra Campobello". xa3/vbo/gtr

CAMPOBELLO DI MAZARA (TRAPANI) (ITALPRESS) - "Mi sono attivato per cercare di capire dove potevamo realizzare questo murale. Potevano essere tanti i posti da potere utilizzare, ma ho deciso di farlo in questo sito che è a pochi metri di distanza dall'ultimo covo di Messina Denaro, che ha rappresentato un momento nefasto per la nostra comunità". Così il sindaco di Campobello di Mazara, Giuseppe Castiglione, a margine della cerimonia di inaugurazione nel comune del trapanese di un murale in memoria dei giudici Giovanni Falcone e Paolo Borsellino, nell'ambito del progetto "Le Strade da Seguire...", ideato e portato avanti dalla Fondazione Federico II. L'opera è stata collocata in via Vittorio Emanuele II, a pochi passi dal covo in cui ha trascorso gli ultimi anni di latitanza il boss Matteo Messina Denaro, prima di essere catturato dai Carabinieri del ROS il 16 gennaio 2023. "Oggi questo murale - aggiunge il primo cittadino - vuole rappresentare ancora una volta, se ce ne fosse bisogno, il risveglio della città, anche con questo mezzo, così maestoso, che guarda proprio verso il covo di Messina Denaro per dire che lo Stato è più forte, che lo Stato vince e che la gente per bene sta da questa parte e non sicuramente dalla parte dove guarda il murale stesso. Questo è un significato che io voglio lanciare fortemente alla nostra città, ma soprattutto ai giovani. La scritta che ho deciso di fare appoggio sul murale è proprio rivolta ai giovani. Se i giovani negheranno la condivisione e il consenso, la mafia svanirà nell'obbligo. Questo è un messaggio forte e chiaro che io voglio lanciare ai giovani, su cui Campobello deve puntare e deve sperare per un futuro migliore della nostra Campobello". xa3/vbo/gtr

Salvatore Riina ha dato il benestare a far fuori Rocco Chinnici ma qualcuno è dietro la sua decisione? Dopo la morte di Rocco Chinnici si apre un solco fra la lotta alla mafia prima e dopo quest'evento. Giovanni Falcone diventa il nuovo obbiettivo. Riina colpisce Chinnici per salvare i Salvo? ISCRIVITI AL CANALE: https://www.youtube.com/@italiamistero?sub_confirmation=1 ùVuoi approfondire? Vai alle seguenti playlist su Youtube: Oppure vai alla pagina di italiamistero.it: #italiamistero #riina #chinnici #mafia www.italiamistero.it: https://www.italiamistero.it/

Il 2024 è stato un anno cruciale per Citroen Italia, con il raggiungimento del 3,9% di quota di mercato, in crescita rispetto agli anni precedenti. Un trend ascendente confermato anche dai primi dati dei 2025, con il brand francese a recuperare ancora qualche punto di share. A trainare il successo del marchio senz'altro il bestseller C3 che, con oltre un milione di esemplari venduti solo in italia, convince soprattutto per il design, per l'accessibilità e per l'ampio novero di motorizzazioni proposte - spiega Giovanni Falcone, Managing director di Citroen italia.

La trattativa Stato-mafia è uno dei capitoli più controversi della storia italiana. Si tratterebbe di un presunto patto segreto tra esponenti delle istituzioni e Cosa Nostra per mettere fine alla stagione delle stragi del 1992-1993. Difatti, dopo il Maxiprocesso e dopo le condanne ai boss mafiosi, la reazione di Cosa Nostra fu brutale: gli omicidi di Giovanni Falcone e Paolo Borsellino segnarono il definitivo punto di svolta. Da quel momento, secondo le indagini, uomini dello Stato avrebbero cercato un compromesso per fermare le stragi in cambio di condizioni detentive più morbide per i mafiosi, ridiscutendo l'applicazione del 41 bis. A rivelarne l'esistenza sono stati collaboratori di giustizia, intercettazioni e documenti processuali, fino alla sentenza del 2018 che ne ha certificato la realtà. Ma chi fu a condurre davvero questa trattativa? E quali conseguenze ha avuto sulla politica e sulla società italiana? Proviamo a scoprirlo insieme a Francesco Paolo Esposito: professore di criminologia forense, perito legale, ma anche podcaster. Iscriviti al gruppo Telegram per interagire con noi e per non perderti nessuna delle novità in anteprima e degli approfondimenti sulle puntate: https://t.me/LucePodcast Se vuoi ascoltarci senza filtri e sostenere il nostro lavoro, da oggi è possibile abbonarsi al nostro canale Patreon e accedere a contenuti bonus esclusivi tramite questo link: patreon.com/LucePodcast

Salvatore Riina deve fermare il nuovo gruppo di giudici di Palermo. Rocco Chinnici muore per un autobomba sotto casa, insieme a due uomini della scorta ed al portiere del palazzo. A schiacciare il pulsante è stato Antonino Madonia, uomo legato a Riina, che già mesi prima era stato visto presso quel palazzo. Il diario di Chinnici diventa un caso. Ora il nuovo bersaglio e Giovanni Falcone. ISCRIVITI AL CANALE: https://www.youtube.com/@italiamistero?sub_confirmation=1 ùVuoi approfondire? Vai alle seguenti playlist su Youtube: Oppure vai alla pagina di italiamistero.it: #italiamistero #riina #mafia #chinnici

durée : 00:24:35 - L'invité de 8h20 : le grand entretien - par : Nicolas Demorand, Léa Salamé - Le journaliste et auteur italien Roberto Saviano était l'invité du Grand entretien de France Inter ce jeudi matin. Il publie "Giovanni Falcone" chez Gallimard. - invités : Roberto SAVIANO - Roberto Saviano : Ecrivain et journaliste

durée : 00:28:23 - Les Midis de Culture - par : Marie Labory - L'écrivain italien Roberto Saviano poursuit son engagement opiniâtre contre la mafia débuté avec la publication choc de "Gomorra" il y a près de 20 ans. Après Naples, l'auteur se tourne cette fois vers la Sicile en publiant "Giovanni Falcone", hommage au juge sicilien assassiné en 1992. - réalisation : Laurence Malonda - invités : Roberto Saviano Ecrivain et journaliste

durée : 00:24:35 - L'invité de 8h20 : le grand entretien - par : Nicolas Demorand, Léa Salamé - Le journaliste et auteur italien Roberto Saviano était l'invité du Grand entretien de France Inter ce jeudi matin. Il publie "Giovanni Falcone" chez Gallimard. - invités : Roberto SAVIANO - Roberto Saviano : Ecrivain et journaliste

NEW YORK (ITALPRESS) - Il 15 novembre 2024, alle Nazioni Unite si celebra la prima Giornata internazionale per la prevenzione e la lotta contro tutte le forme di criminalità organizzata transnazionale, istituita dalla risoluzione 78/267 dell'Assemblea Generale. Una iniziativa che evidenzia "l'urgente necessità di solidarietà globale per contrastare la crescente minaccia della criminalità organizzata, che mina la pace, la sicurezza e il progresso verso gli Obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile". A Palazzo di Vetro è stata inaugurata una mostra sulla lotta alla mafia condotta dai magistrati siciliani Giovanni Falcone e Paolo Borsellino. L'ambasciatore Maurizio Massari spiega i motivi e i contenuti dell'iniziativa: "Falcone e Borsellino - ha detto all'Italpress - sono stati un esempio. Abbiamo coniato il 'metodo Falcone' proprio per tracciare i flussi finanziari, il 'follow the money' per combattere il crimine organizzato. L'Italia è protagonista nella lotta al fenomeno. La Convenzione di Palermo rimane lo strumento principale e ormai l'intera comunità internazionale vi aderisce, con 192 stati su 193". xo9/abr/gsl (Video di Stefano Vaccara)

NEW YORK (ITALPRESS) - Il 15 novembre 2024, alle Nazioni Unite si celebra la prima Giornata internazionale per la prevenzione e la lotta contro tutte le forme di criminalità organizzata transnazionale, istituita dalla risoluzione 78/267 dell'Assemblea Generale. Una iniziativa che evidenzia "l'urgente necessità di solidarietà globale per contrastare la crescente minaccia della criminalità organizzata, che mina la pace, la sicurezza e il progresso verso gli Obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile". A Palazzo di Vetro è stata inaugurata una mostra sulla lotta alla mafia condotta dai magistrati siciliani Giovanni Falcone e Paolo Borsellino. L'ambasciatore Maurizio Massari spiega i motivi e i contenuti dell'iniziativa: "Falcone e Borsellino - ha detto all'Italpress - sono stati un esempio. Abbiamo coniato il 'metodo Falcone' proprio per tracciare i flussi finanziari, il 'follow the money' per combattere il crimine organizzato. L'Italia è protagonista nella lotta al fenomeno. La Convenzione di Palermo rimane lo strumento principale e ormai l'intera comunità internazionale vi aderisce, con 192 stati su 193". xo9/abr/gsl (Video di Stefano Vaccara)

PATERNÒ (CATANIA) (ITALPRESS) - "Quello di oggi è un messaggio chiaro, noi rappresentiamo la Sicilia che non è quella di Riina, Provenzano o Matteo Messina Denaro, ma è quella di Piersanti Mattarella, Boris Giuliano, Giovanni Falcone, Paolo Borsellino e tanti altri, che hanno combattuto contro il fenomeno mafioso". Così il presidente dell'Ars e presidente della Fondazione Federico II, Gaetano Galvagno, che ha inaugurato, nell'ambito del progetto “Le strade da seguire...”, tre opere di arte urbana, completate dagli artisti Abramo, Ligama e Ruce su tre edifici di Paternò, che fece parte del "triangolo della morte". "Le Strade da seguire...” è un progetto di arte urbana voluto dal Presidente della Fondazione Federico II e condiviso da tutto il Consiglio di Amministrazione che si espande per tutta la Sicilia. Gli artisti sono chiamati a rappresentare l'iconografia dei testimoni del contrasto alle mafie, una celebrazione degli eroi siciliani, più in generale della lotta tra il bene e il male per una cultura della legalità. Da Paternò, in provincia di Catania, in un territorio che faceva parte del cosiddetto triangolo della morte, parte questo viaggio nelle “strade da seguire”, quasi un monito, la rappresentazione della volontà collettiva di uscire dagli stereotipi che rischiano di imprigionare questa terra. Un'altra importante opera è stata già realizzata a Gela da Roberto Collodoro e stanno per prendere vita altri murales in diverse località siciliane. co1/vbo

PATERNÒ (CATANIA) (ITALPRESS) - "Quello di oggi è un messaggio chiaro, noi rappresentiamo la Sicilia che non è quella di Riina, Provenzano o Matteo Messina Denaro, ma è quella di Piersanti Mattarella, Boris Giuliano, Giovanni Falcone, Paolo Borsellino e tanti altri, che hanno combattuto contro il fenomeno mafioso". Così il presidente dell'Ars e presidente della Fondazione Federico II, Gaetano Galvagno, che ha inaugurato, nell'ambito del progetto “Le strade da seguire...”, tre opere di arte urbana, completate dagli artisti Abramo, Ligama e Ruce su tre edifici di Paternò, che fece parte del "triangolo della morte". "Le Strade da seguire...” è un progetto di arte urbana voluto dal Presidente della Fondazione Federico II e condiviso da tutto il Consiglio di Amministrazione che si espande per tutta la Sicilia. Gli artisti sono chiamati a rappresentare l'iconografia dei testimoni del contrasto alle mafie, una celebrazione degli eroi siciliani, più in generale della lotta tra il bene e il male per una cultura della legalità. Da Paternò, in provincia di Catania, in un territorio che faceva parte del cosiddetto triangolo della morte, parte questo viaggio nelle “strade da seguire”, quasi un monito, la rappresentazione della volontà collettiva di uscire dagli stereotipi che rischiano di imprigionare questa terra. Un'altra importante opera è stata già realizzata a Gela da Roberto Collodoro e stanno per prendere vita altri murales in diverse località siciliane. co1/vbo

PATERNÒ (CATANIA) (ITALPRESS) - "Quello di oggi è un messaggio chiaro, noi rappresentiamo la Sicilia che non è quella di Riina, Provenzano o Matteo Messina Denaro, ma è quella di Piersanti Mattarella, Boris Giuliano, Giovanni Falcone, Paolo Borsellino e tanti altri, che hanno combattuto contro il fenomeno mafioso". Così il presidente dell'Ars e presidente della Fondazione Federico II, Gaetano Galvagno, che ha inaugurato, nell'ambito del progetto “Le strade da seguire...”, tre opere di arte urbana, completate dagli artisti Abramo, Ligama e Ruce su tre edifici di Paternò, che fece parte del "triangolo della morte". "Le Strade da seguire...” è un progetto di arte urbana voluto dal Presidente della Fondazione Federico II e condiviso da tutto il Consiglio di Amministrazione che si espande per tutta la Sicilia. Gli artisti sono chiamati a rappresentare l'iconografia dei testimoni del contrasto alle mafie, una celebrazione degli eroi siciliani, più in generale della lotta tra il bene e il male per una cultura della legalità. Da Paternò, in provincia di Catania, in un territorio che faceva parte del cosiddetto triangolo della morte, parte questo viaggio nelle “strade da seguire”, quasi un monito, la rappresentazione della volontà collettiva di uscire dagli stereotipi che rischiano di imprigionare questa terra. Un'altra importante opera è stata già realizzata a Gela da Roberto Collodoro e stanno per prendere vita altri murales in diverse località siciliane. co1/vbo

PALERMO (ITALPRESS) - "La Fondazione Falcone sta facendo su un grandissimo lavoro, ed è un riferimento non soltanto per i tanti giovani siciliani, ma per l'intero mondo. Il legame con gli Stati Uniti, che sono nostro punto di riferimento ormai da decenni, si potrà consolidare attraverso uno dei simboli di Palermo, rappresentato non solo dalla memoria di Giovanni Falcone ma dalla fondazione stessa che sta creando una sorta di fucina dell'intelligenza e del riscatto dell'intera Sicilia". Lo ha detto l'assessore regionale alle Infrastrutture, Alessandro Aricò, a margine dell'inaugurazione dell'American Corner Palermo all'interno del 'Museo del presente' a Palazzo Jung.xd8/col3/gsl

Il ministero delle Imprese e del Made in Italy ha emesso un francobollo commemorativo in onore di Silvio Berlusconi, l'ex Presidente del Consiglio deceduto l'anno scorso. Questa decisione non è solo inopportuna, ma un vero e proprio affronto alla giustizia e allo stato di diritto. Berlusconi non è stato uno statista. È stato un pregiudicato, condannato in via definitiva per frode fiscale a quattro anni di reclusione. Solo cavilli legali e prescrizioni lo hanno salvato da ulteriori condanne. Fino alla sua morte, è rimasto indagato dalla Procura di Firenze in relazione alle stragi mafiose del 1993. Le sentenze hanno stabilito che Berlusconi pagava la mafia siciliana. Il suo stretto collaboratore Marcello Dell'Utri, cofondatore di Forza Italia, è stato condannato per concorso esterno in associazione mafiosa. La Cassazione ha stabilito che dal 1974 al 1992, Dell'Utri è stato il garante “decisivo” dell'accordo tra Berlusconi e Cosa Nostra, fornendo “un costante canale di significativo arricchimento” per la mafia e garantendo a Berlusconi la sua “sicurezza personale ed economica”. Negli anni '70 incontrò i boss mafiosi e assunse Vittorio Mangano, un noto mafioso, nella sua villa di Arcore. Era inoltre iscritto alla loggia massonica segreta P2, il cui “Piano di rinascita democratica” mirava a infiltrare e controllare le istituzioni politiche, giudiziarie e mediatiche italiane. Emettendo questo francobollo, lo Stato italiano equipara Berlusconi a eroi nazionali come Giovanni Falcone, Paolo Borsellino e Rosario Livatino, magistrati che hanno dato la vita lottando contro la mafia. È un insulto alla loro memoria e a tutti gli italiani che credono nella giustizia. Questo francobollo non onora uno statista. Commemora un uomo che ha svilito la nostra politica e ridicolizzato l'Italia a livello internazionale. È un francobollo del disonore, che rivela la bancarotta morale di chi eleva un pregiudicato allo status di eroe nazionale. #LaSveglia per La NotiziaDiventa un supporter di questo podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/la-sveglia-di-giulio-cavalli--3269492/support.

Qualche giorno fa l'avvocato Luigi Li Gotti in un'intervista a Antimafiaduemila ha raccontato che l'Agenzia delle Entrate confisca ai collaboratori di giustizia - volgarmente detti pentiti - i soldi che dovrebbero servire a ricostruirsi una vita attraverso l'acquisto di una casa o l'inizio di un nuovo lavoro. Li Gotti ha difeso collaboratori di primo piano (Tommaso Buscetta, Totuccio Contorno, Giovanni Brusca, Francesco Marino Mannoia e Gaspare Mutolo) che sono stati fondamentali nella lotta alla mafia, così com'era stata pensata da Giovanni Falcone e Paolo Borsellino. Diventa difficile immaginare che un mafioso possa quindi accettare un percorso di collaborazione con la magistratura sapendo che alla fine si ritroverebbe isolato non solo socialmente ma anche economicamente. "Questo sistema che si è messo in moto - dice Li Gotti - è un freno totale a nuove collaborazioni. Chi dovesse decidere di collaborare, pensando a quello che succede dopo che la sua collaborazione non serve più, e che viene messo in mezzo ad una strada, ci pensa mille volte prima di collaborare. Quindi da una parte si incide sulla possibilità di raccogliere e sollecitare le collaborazioni con la giustizia e dall'altra parte i collaboratori vengono esposti al rischio di ritorsioni”. Giovanni Falcone diceva che i “pentiti” ci sono solamente quando lo Stato dimostra di volere fare sul serio nella lotta contro la mafia. Al linciaggio dei pentiti ci siamo abituati in questi anni, da parte di partiti e testate più o meno interessate e coinvolte in amicizie particolarmente pericolose. Mettere le mani in tasca ai pentiti invece dei mafiosi invece è una novità che fa spavento. #LaSveglia per La NotiziaDiventa un supporter di questo podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/la-sveglia-di-giulio-cavalli--3269492/support.

Il y a presque 31 ans, en mai 1992, un piège mortel se tendait sur le plus célèbre des juges antimafia, Giovanni Falcone. Pendant des semaines, la Cosa Nostra, la mafia sicilienne, a mis au point cette spectaculaire opération... Retrouvez tous les jours en podcast le décryptage d'un faits divers, d'un crime ou d'une énigme judiciaire par Jean-Alphonse Richard, entouré de spécialistes, et de témoins d'affaires criminelles.

We evaluate and discuss the claims of former Sicilian hitman Maurizo Avola. He claims John Gotti sent a bomb maker to Sicily to help with the assassination of Judge Giovanni Falcone.

We evaluate and discuss the claims of former Sicilian hitman Maurizo Avola. He claims John Gotti sent a bomb maker to Sicily to help with the assassination of Judge Giovanni Falcone.

Le 23 mai 1992, l'Italie est plongée dans l'horreur suite à l'attentat contre le juge anti-mafia Giovanni Falcone. Letizia Battaglia, célèbre photojournaliste, se retrouve au cœur de ce drame, bouleversée par la perte d'un ami et témoin de la violence de la Cosa Nostra. À travers ses souvenirs et ses photographies poignantes, Letizia retrace la lutte acharnée de Falcone contre la mafia et l'impact de son assassinat sur la société sicilienne. Elle documente la montée en puissance de Toto Riina et la terreur imposée par la mafia, tout en capturant l'espoir d'une Sicile libérée du joug mafieux. L'arrestation de Riina et de Provenzano marque un tournant dans la lutte contre la mafia, mais Letizia continue son combat, témoignant de la résilience du peuple sicilien et de l'importance de la mémoire face à la violence. Son œuvre photographique constitue un héritage inestimable pour les générations futures. Merci pour votre écoute Retrouvez l'ensemble des épisodes de l'Heure H sur notre plateforme Auvio.be : https://auvio.rtbf.be/emission/22750 Et si vous avez apprécié ce podcast, n'hésitez pas à nous donner des étoiles ou des commentaires, cela nous aide à le faire connaître plus largement.

Giovanni Falcone non è stato solo un grande giudice istruttore ma anche uno stratega ed un uomo umile. Raccogliere l'eredità di questo Servitore dello Stato non è facile ma sono molti i magistrati che onorano la sua memoria e quella di altre vittime di mafia come Paolo Borsellino

Una scrivania vuota con un assegno sopra. Il giudice istruttore Giovanni Falcone osserva in silenzio quel foglio di carta rettangolare. Falcone ha poco più di 40 anni. Quell'assegno lo condurrà ad altri conti bancari, altri nomi, altri indirizzi in una catena che coinvolgerà centinaia di mafiosi e di loro complici. Fino ad arrivare al primo maxiprocesso di Palermo e alla sentenza del 30 gennaio 1992, grazie al suo metodo investigativo: segui i soldi e troverai la mafia.

Nel 1978 Giovanni Falcone lascia Trapani e torna a Palermo, dove entra nel pool antimafia. Qui avrà la possibilità di sviluppare il suo metodo investigativo. Sono anni terribili, scanditi dagli omicidi eccellenti di mafia.

Největší mafiánský soudní proces. 338 mafiánů bylo odsouzeno dohromady k 2665 letům vězení. Prokurátor Giovanni Falcone za něj zaplatil svým životem. Byla sobota 23. května roku 1992 17 hodin a 59 minut. Pod vozovkou umístěná trhavina způsobila explozi, která poškodila dálnici v délce 100 metrů a vytvořila v ní osmimetrový kráter.

Giovanni Falcone (geboren am 18.5.1938) war der wichtigste Mafia-Jäger. Er bewies, dass man die Mafia wohl nicht besiegen, aber bekämpfen kann. Dafür zahlte er mit seinem Leben. Von Edda Dammmüller.

Attilio Bolzoni"Controvento"Racconti di frontieraZolfo Editorewww.zolfoeditore.itÈ un viaggio che dura da quasi mezzo secolo.Da Palermo a Kabul, dalla polvere dei paesi siciliani alle paure di Bagdad, dalle mafie alle guerre. Poi i grandi misteri e i grandi delitti italiani.E il Sud con le sue inquietudini e i suoi incarognimenti, terre assetate, tribù, rapacità e patti indicibili. Confini oltrepassati su quello che era una volta «il corpo del reato più lungo del mondo», i 443 chilometri dell'autostrada Salerno-Reggio Calabria, percorso ingannevole che precipita verso un Ponte che ancora non c'è.Fra le pagine di questo libro la Sicilia di Totò Riina e di Matteo Messina Denaro, l'inferno di Capaci, le origini e le evoluzioni di una mafia che ci ha resi ovunque famosi. Ma anche la Sicilia di Leonardo Sciascia, di Danilo Dolci, di Giovanni Falcone, di Letizia Battaglia.Con i suoi racconti e le sue inchieste Attilio Bolzoni ci accompagna di qua e al di là del mare, fino alle prime dune di quel deserto attraversato dal popolo nero in fuga. E, andando ancora più lontano, ci fa conoscere personaggi e vicende che non sono poi così distanti da casa nostra.Anno dopo anno, di luogo in luogo, cronache controvento.Attilio Bolzoni, giornalista, ha iniziato la sua attività al quotidiano «L'Ora» di Palermo. Per quarant'anni inviato speciale a «Repubblica», oggi scrive per «Domani».Con Giuseppe D'Avanzo ha firmato Il Capo dei Capi (Mondadori, 1993), La Giustizia è Cosa Nostra (Mondadori, 1995), Rostagno, un delitto fra amici (Mondadori, 1997) e con Saverio Lodato C'era una volta la lotta alla mafia (Garzanti, 1998).Fra le altre sue pubblicazioni: Parole d'onore (Bur Rizzoli, 2008), Faq Mafia (Bompiani, 2010), Uomini Soli (Melampo, 2012; nuova edizione Zolfo, 2022) e Il Padrino dell'Antimafia (Zolfo, 2019). Alcuni suoi libri sono stati tradotti in inglese, tedesco e francese.Autore di testi teatrali (Words of Honour, 2009), sceneggiatore di serie televisive, regista di cortometraggi (Silencio, 2015), nel corso della sua carriera ha ricevuto numerosi riconoscimenti: nel 1991 «Il Premiolino»; nel 2009 il «Premio Luchetta» e il premio «È Giornalismo» creato da Giorgio Bocca, Enzo Biagi e Indro Montanelli; nel 2013 il «Premio Giuseppe Fava».IL POSTO DELLE PAROLEascoltare fa pensarewww.ilpostodelleparole.itDiventa un supporter di questo podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/il-posto-delle-parole--1487855/support.

1ère partie : Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, Nixon, Clinton, Obama, Trump... L'influence de la mafia sur la Maison Blanche.Jean-François Gayraud est commissaire général de la Police nationale. Diplômé de Sciences Po Paris, de l'Institut de criminologie et docteur en droit, il est un spécialiste réputé du crime organisé, ce qui lui a valu de recevoir le prix Giovanni-Falcone en 2014. Il a écrit plusieurs ouvrages, mais dans cet épisode nous parlons presque exclusivement de son dernier livre intitulé La mafia et la maison blanchePour comprendre les évènements du monde il faut questionner d'où ils proviennent, ce qui les fait émerger. Parmi les structures qui tirent les ficelles, il y a le crime organisé et en particulier les mafia. Ça donne quoi aux USA depuis 100 ans?Interview enregistrée le 27 février 2024Chapitres0:00 - Intro4:10 - L'hésitation entre deux vies8:12 - Plongée dans les relations obscures13:04 - Sources déformées et analyse critique16:26 - Définition et spécificité de la mafia20:36 - Histoire et liens entre mafia et pouvoir23:45 - Origines des familles criminelles italiennes39:49 - Collaboration entre la mafia et les services de renseignement46:44 - Truman et l'influence de la mafia---Retrouvez tous les épisodes et les résumés sur www.sismique.frSismique est un podcast indépendant créé et animé par Julien Devaureix.

Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, Nixon, Clinton, Obama, Trump... L'influence de la mafia sur la Maison Blanche.Jean-François Gayraud est commissaire général de la Police nationale. Diplômé de Sciences Po Paris, de l'Institut de criminologie et docteur en droit, il est un spécialiste réputé du crime organisé, ce qui lui a valu de recevoir le prix Giovanni-Falcone en 2014. Il a écrit plusieurs ouvrages, mais dans cet épisode nous parlons presque exclusivement de son dernier livre intitulé La mafia et la maison blanchePour comprendre les évènements du monde il faut questionner d'où ils proviennent, ce qui les fait émerger. Parmi les structures qui tirent les ficelles, il y a le crime organisé et en particulier les mafia. Ça donne quoi aux USA depuis 100 ans? Interview enregistrée le 27 février 2024---Retrouvez tous les épisodes et les résumés sur www.sismique.frSismique est un podcast indépendant créé et animé par Julien Devaureix.

Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, Nixon, Clinton, Obama, Trump... L'influence de la mafia sur la Maison Blanche.Jean-François Gayraud est commissaire général de la Police nationale. Diplômé de Sciences Po Paris, de l'Institut de criminologie et docteur en droit, il est un spécialiste réputé du crime organisé, ce qui lui a valu de recevoir le prix Giovanni-Falcone en 2014. Il a écrit plusieurs ouvrages, mais dans cet épisode nous parlons presque exclusivement de son dernier livre intitulé La mafia et la maison blanchePour comprendre les évènements du monde il faut questionner d'où ils proviennent, ce qui les fait émerger. Parmi les structures qui tirent les ficelles, il y a le crime organisé et en particulier les mafia. Ça donne quoi aux USA depuis 100 ans? Interview enregistrée le 27 février 2024---Retrouvez tous les épisodes et les résumés sur www.sismique.frSismique est un podcast indépendant créé et animé par Julien Devaureix.

Er ist der meistgehörte Sender Israels und wird von den israelischen Verteidigungsstreitkräften betrieben: Galgalatz. Eine Innenansicht des populären Radio-Programms in Zeiten des Krieges von Sandra Demmelhuber, derzeit in Tel Aviv im Rahmen des Deutsch-Nahost-Journalistenstipendiums / "Falcone" - Der italienische Bestsellerautor Roberto Saviano setzt dem Mafiajäger Giovanni Falcone ein Denkmal in Form eines Tatsachenromans / Franz Kafka und sein Einfluss auf die bildende Kunst - Ausstellung im Kulturzentrum DOX

Lo hanno chiamato "boss dei due mondi", ma lui era solo un soldato. Gli amici si riferivano a lui col diminutivo di Masino, altri poi lo avrebbero definito traditore. Solo un termine però dava davvero fastidio a Tommaso Buscetta: "Non sono un pentito", diceva, riaffermando la volontà di voler far luce sulle deviazioni di Cosa Nostra senza rinnegare il proprio passato criminale. Cosmopolita, amante delle belle donne, interlocutore privilegiato di Giovanni Falcone, Buscetta ha attraversato la storia della malavita e della società italiana lasciando segni indelebili. Soprattutto nei processi che l'hanno visto come testimone, dalla Pizza Connection al delitto Pecorelli.Il nostro canale Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1vziHBEp0gc9gAhR740fCwSostieni DENTRO LA STORIA su Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dentrolastoriaAbbonati al canale: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1vziHBEp0gc9gAhR740fCw/joinSostienici su PayPal: https://paypal.me/infinitybeatDentro La Storia lo trovi anche qui: https://linktr.ee/dentrolastoriaDiventa un supporter di questo podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/racconti-di-storia-podcast--5561307/support.

Desentrañamos el escalofriante asesinato de Giovanni Falcone y el despiadado mundo de la Cosa Nostra.

Eenzame strijder tegen de maffia. Afgelopen week heeft de Italiaanse politie weer 68 leden van de maffia opgepakt. Het is een van de vele acties in de decennialange strijd tegen de Italiaanse onderwereld. De macht van de maffia begon pas echt te groeien in de jaren '70 en '80. In die periode zet één man alles op het spel om de zogenaamde Cosa Nostra ten val te brengen: de Siciliaanse onderzoeksrechter Giovanni Falcone. Italië-kenner Arthur Weststeijn is te gast. De roerige geschiedenis van Jenin. Afgelopen week vielen honderden Israëlische militairen met veel geweld het Palestijnse vluchtelingenkamp Jenin binnen. Twaalf mensen, onder wie vijf kinderen, kwamen om het leven en ruim honderd anderen raakten gewond. In 2003 werd het kamp al eerder binnengevallen door Israël. In 2013 opnieuw. Wat is de geschiedenis van het kamp, en hoe groeide het uit tot symbool van verzet? De Nederlands-Israëlische antropoloog Erella Grassiani is te gast. Het Spoor Terug: Een verborgen Surinaamse schat #4 Naar Suriname. In de laatste aflevering van “Een verborgen Surinaamse schat” ontdekt theatermaker Mathieu Wijdeven hoe zijn betovergrootvader GGT Rustwijk (1862-1914) in zijn tijd al voor het vieren van de afschaffing van de slavernij pleitte.

Con Sergio del Molino viajamos hasta la isla de Sicilia para iniciarnos en la literatura siciliana y conocer autores y títulos más allá del 'Gatopardo' de Lampedusa. Uno de los enterrados en el Panteón de hombres ilustres sicilianos -y cuya tumba es muy visitada- es el juez Giovanni Falcone, asesinado por la mafia hace 30 años y cuya muerte marcó "el comienzo de un trauma". Con este asesinato, y el de Paolo Borsellino, se produjo una convulsión cultural que transformó por completo la visión que los sicilianos tenían de sí mismos y, por supuesto, la literatura. Así, se traza una barrera entre la visión de los autores clásicos y los actuales, que hablan de una Sicilia muy alejada del tópico tradicional, pero del que también se influencia. A la conversación se unen Juan Carlos Reche, director del Instituto Cervantes de Palermo, y Roberto Alajmo novelista, periodista y dramaturgo palermitano. 

REDIFF - Il y a presque 31 ans, en mai 1992, un piège mortel se tendait sur le plus célèbre des juges antimafia, Giovanni Falcone. Pendant des semaines, la Cosa Nostra, la mafia sicilienne, a mis au point cette spectaculaire opération... Retrouvez tous les jours en podcast le décryptage d'un faits divers, d'un crime ou d'une énigme judiciaire par Jean-Alphonse Richard, entouré de spécialistes, et de témoins d'affaires criminelles. Ecoutez L'heure du Crime du 08 mai 2023 avec Jean-Alphonse Richard.

REDIFF - Il y a presque 31 ans, en mai 1992, un piège mortel se tendait sur le plus célèbre des juges antimafia, Giovanni Falcone. Pendant des semaines, la Cosa Nostra, la mafia sicilienne, a mis au point cette spectaculaire opération... Retrouvez tous les jours en podcast le décryptage d'un faits divers, d'un crime ou d'une énigme judiciaire par Jean-Alphonse Richard, entouré de spécialistes, et de témoins d'affaires criminelles. Ecoutez L'heure du Crime du 08 mai 2023 avec Jean-Alphonse Richard.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily Newsbrief for Wednesday, January 18th, 2023. Club Membership Plug: Let’s stop and take a moment to talk about Fight Laugh Feast Club membership. By joining the Fight Laugh Feast Army, not only will you be aiding in our fight to take down secular & legacy media; but you’ll also get access to content placed in our Club Portal, such as past shows, all of our conference talks, and EXCLUSIVE content for club members that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Lastly, you’ll also get discounts for our conferences… so if you’ve got $10 bucks a month to kick over our way, you can sign up now at fightlaughfeast.com. Now, let’s go to Italy! The Godfather Theme Song- Play 0:07-0:20 https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/crime-pmn/arrest-of-last-godfather-deals-new-blow-to-ailing-sicilian-mafia Arrest of 'last godfather' deals new blow to ailing Sicilian mafia ROME — The arrest of Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro deals a powerful blow to the mythology of the Cosa Nostra, toppling a symbol of the group’s resistance to police efforts to break up organized crime. Messina Denaro, 60, was Italy’s most wanted mafia boss and had been on the run for three decades. He had been sentenced in absentia to a life term for his role in the 1992 murders of anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. His arrest comes almost 30 years to the day after police caught Salvatore “Toto” Riina, Cosa Nostra’s biggest figure of the 20th century, and marks the last step in efforts to dismantle the group’s historical clan leadership. Experts describe Cosa Nostra, its fame amplified by movies such as “The Godfather,” as an ailing crime group facing several difficulties, including competition in the highly lucrative drugs market. Although Cosa Nostra retains control of its Sicilian territory and a capacity to infiltrate the broader economy, it has been supplanted by groups such as the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta in the drugs trade. Sergi said it was not clear who would step in to replace Messina Denaro in what is now a more factionalised mafia. https://www.theepochtimes.com/biden-administration-urges-judges-to-lift-stay-on-cdcs-airplane-mask-mandate_4990674.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=BonginoReport President Joe Biden’s administration in a court hearing on Jan. 17 urged judges on a federal appeals court to overturn a ruling from a lower court that struck down the administration’s airplane mask mandate. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had “good cause” to impose the mandate and bypass the notice- and comment period required by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), Brian Springer, an attorney for the government, told judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. At the time the mandate was imposed, in early 2021, “there were variants that had just been detected that showed signs of increased transmissibility, and people were starting to travel again,” Springer said. “In those circumstances, the CDC had good cause to issue this order, particularly when the CDC detailed the reasons why in this particular environment, namely in the transportation sector and in transportation settings, COVID had a specific tendency to spread among people who are traveling together because they’re standing together in lines and sitting together on conveyances.” One of the judges expressed skepticism with the line of thinking, accusing the CDC of issuing “boilerplate” language to impose the mandate without a notice and comment period. Under a ruling in a separate case, boilerplate statements that COVID-19 exists and that there’s a public emergency aren’t sufficient to satisfy the “good cause” exception to the APA. Springer disagreed, saying the CDC’s statement provided rationale that met the standard. U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, a Trump appointee, said in her 2022 ruling that the CDC violated the APA by only issuing a single conclusory sentence to support ducking the notice requirements. She noted that at the time the order was issued, around a year had passed since the beginning of the pandemic, and COVID-19 cases in America were on the decline. Brent Hardaway, arguing for Health Freedom Defense Fund, which brought the case, said that the mandate was “very strange” given that airplanes and many airports already had mandates in place, in addition to the decline in cases. Other portions of the hearing went over arguments as to whether the CDC has the authority to mandate masks. U.S. code gives the federal government the power to enforce regulations judged as “necessary to prevent the introduction, transmission, or spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into the States or possessions, or from one State or possession into any other State or possession.” The government, to enforce such measures, “may provide for such inspection, fumigation, disinfection, sanitation, pest extermination, destruction of animals or articles found to be so infected or contaminated as to be sources of dangerous infection to human beings, and other measures, as in his judgment may be necessary,” the statute says. In striking down the CDC’s moratorium on evictions, the Supreme Court found that the agency overstepped the authority outlined in the law. But the court also said the law empowered the CDC to impose measures that “directly relate to preventing the interstate spread of disease by identifying, isolating, and destroying the disease itself.” https://www.dailyfetched.com/study-finds-journalists-are-now-among-the-most-distrusted-groups-in-the-world/ Study Finds Journalists Are Now among the Most Distrusted Groups in the World According to The Edelman Trust Barometer, more than two-thirds of respondents worried that journalists and reporters are “purposely trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations.” Out of all the groups presented, the percentage of journalists is the highest. The findings also show that the percentage is the highest among the groups presented, with one percentage point above government leaders. The newest finding is eight points higher than last year, proving that people are rapidly losing trust in the media. However, when the question was phrased differently, journalists fared slightly better. Out of the groups presented, Government leaders ranked the lowest at 42%, with journalists coming in second with 46%. The most trusted groups were scientists and fellow coworkers, at 75% and 74%, respectively. The new findings reflect the gorwing lack of trust in media. Of those surveyed, 46% said media divided society, compared to just 35% who said media are a unifying force. There were also concerns about the weaponization of fake news, with over three-quarters of respondents saying they were concerned about it. President Ronald Reagan extolled the central role of the media in American democracy. “Since the founding of this nation, freedom of the press has been a fundamental tenet of American life,” Reagan said on Oct. 6, 1983. “There is no more essential ingredient than a free, strong, and independent press to our continued success in what the Founding Fathers called our ‘noble experiment’ in self-government.” However, the media has changed a lot since then, becoming an entity that is no different from a Government lobbyist. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/illinois-counties-not-enforce-assault-weapon-ban More than 70 Illinois counties say they will not enforce state 'assault weapon' ban: Report Illinois sheriffs of almost 80 counties are refusing to enforce the state's " assault weapons " ban that was recently signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker . Pritzker signed the Protect Illinois Communities Act into law on Jan. 10, which bans the distribution and sale of "assault weapons," high-capacity magazines, and switches in Illinois. Those who own such guns are expected to register them with Illinois State Police by Jan. 1, 2024. However, at least 74 sheriff's departments have publicly stated they will not enforce the ban, stating it infringes on the Second Amendment, according to ABC News. Edwards County Sheriff Darby Boewe wrote in a statement that part of his duty is to protect the right to keep and bear arms. "The right to keep and bear arms for defense of life, liberty, and property is regarded as an inalienable right by the people," Boewe wrote. "Therefore, as the custodian of the jail and chief law enforcement officer for Edwards County, that neither myself or my office will be checking to ensure that lawful gun owners register their weapons with the State, nor will we be arresting or housing individuals that have been charged solely with noncompliance of this act." The statement was drafted by Illinois Sheriffs' Association Executive Director Jim Kaitschuk, according to ABC News, and sent out to sheriff's departments to use or make edits if desired. DuPage, Sangamon, and Iroquois counties are among the 74 departments that have released similarly modified statements. Iroquois County Sheriff Clinton Perzee said he would not use his jails to detain people exercising their civil rights, according to the Lake and McHenry County Scanner. At an event in Quincy on Jan. 12, Pritzker told the crowd that law enforcement needs to enforce the law or leave the field. Several counties have reportedly designated themselves "Second Amendment sanctuary cities," something that Pritzker dismissed at the Quincy event. https://www.dailywire.com/news/good-things-will-happen-brendan-fraser-chokes-up-after-critics-choice-win ‘Good Things Will Happen’: Brendan Fraser Chokes Up After Critic’s Choice Win During the peak of his success, being one of the highest-paid actors of the time for blockbusters like The Mummy, George of the Jungle and Bedazzled, Fraser completely disappeared from the movie scene. While the movie was all action-packed fun with Fraser portraying the tough and oh so handsome Rick O’Connell, the actor suffered several major injuries during the shooting of the three films. During the filming of The Mummy in 1999, Fraser was almost choked to death during his hanging scene in the opening of the movie, as per The Things. His co-star Rachel Weisz recalled that he stopped breathing and even needed CPR. And that was just one mishap. The injuries he received from the ancient Egyptian-themed films led to multiple surgeries including a laminectomy, a back procedure to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves; a partial knee replacement; more back surgeries to bolt compressed spinal pads together; vocal cord repair and other procedures, as per People magazine. Just as his professional life took a hit, his private life also resulted in a blow when his ex-wife, Afton Smith, split from him in 2007. Fraser was then required to pay around US$900,000 for child support, as per the New York Post. Six years after the divorce, Fraser allegedly asked the court to reduce the payment as he said he was no longer able to afford the hefty sum due to lack of work. Fast forward to today… Fraser broke down in tears during his acceptance speech during Sunday evening’s Critic’s Choice Awards. Fraser was nominated for his performance as Charlie — a morbidly obese teacher who was attempting to repair his damaged relationship with his daughter (played by Sadie Sink) while eating himself to death — in “The Whale,” and he took home the Best Actor prize. Fraser was clearly already emotional when his name was announced, and everyone at his table got to their feet and cheered. The applause continued as he made his way to the stage, stopping only to offer hugs and handshakes to a few people along the way. Once Fraser took the stage, it was clear that he was not going to make it through the speech without his emotions getting the best of him. https://twitter.com/i/status/1614819071098343426 - Play Video New Saint Andrews: Today’s culture shifts like sand. But New Saint Andrews College is established on Christ, the immovable rock. It is a premier institution that forges evangelical leaders who don’t fear or hate the world. Guided by God’s Word, they take the world back because they’re equipped with the genius of classical liberal arts and God-honoring wisdom, thanks to a faculty dedicated to academic rigor and to God’s kingdom.Find out more, at nsa.edu/ And finally, it’s time for my favorite topic, sports! The Cincinatti Bengals advanced to the semi-finals of the AFC conference playoffs, and this play had a lot to do with it: Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals | 2022 Super Wildcard Weekend Game Highlights-Play 10:23-10:41 The Bengals defeat the Ravens 24-17 in a close game. The Bengals advance and will take on the Buffalo Bills… the team they were playing when Damar Hamlin suffered his terrifying injury. The Bills by the way… Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills | 2022 Super Wild Card Weekend Game Highlights- Play - 15:05-15:47 The Bills hold off a feisty Dolphins’ team and win 34-31.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily Newsbrief for Wednesday, January 18th, 2023. Club Membership Plug: Let’s stop and take a moment to talk about Fight Laugh Feast Club membership. By joining the Fight Laugh Feast Army, not only will you be aiding in our fight to take down secular & legacy media; but you’ll also get access to content placed in our Club Portal, such as past shows, all of our conference talks, and EXCLUSIVE content for club members that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Lastly, you’ll also get discounts for our conferences… so if you’ve got $10 bucks a month to kick over our way, you can sign up now at fightlaughfeast.com. Now, let’s go to Italy! The Godfather Theme Song- Play 0:07-0:20 https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/crime-pmn/arrest-of-last-godfather-deals-new-blow-to-ailing-sicilian-mafia Arrest of 'last godfather' deals new blow to ailing Sicilian mafia ROME — The arrest of Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro deals a powerful blow to the mythology of the Cosa Nostra, toppling a symbol of the group’s resistance to police efforts to break up organized crime. Messina Denaro, 60, was Italy’s most wanted mafia boss and had been on the run for three decades. He had been sentenced in absentia to a life term for his role in the 1992 murders of anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. His arrest comes almost 30 years to the day after police caught Salvatore “Toto” Riina, Cosa Nostra’s biggest figure of the 20th century, and marks the last step in efforts to dismantle the group’s historical clan leadership. Experts describe Cosa Nostra, its fame amplified by movies such as “The Godfather,” as an ailing crime group facing several difficulties, including competition in the highly lucrative drugs market. Although Cosa Nostra retains control of its Sicilian territory and a capacity to infiltrate the broader economy, it has been supplanted by groups such as the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta in the drugs trade. Sergi said it was not clear who would step in to replace Messina Denaro in what is now a more factionalised mafia. https://www.theepochtimes.com/biden-administration-urges-judges-to-lift-stay-on-cdcs-airplane-mask-mandate_4990674.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=BonginoReport President Joe Biden’s administration in a court hearing on Jan. 17 urged judges on a federal appeals court to overturn a ruling from a lower court that struck down the administration’s airplane mask mandate. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had “good cause” to impose the mandate and bypass the notice- and comment period required by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), Brian Springer, an attorney for the government, told judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. At the time the mandate was imposed, in early 2021, “there were variants that had just been detected that showed signs of increased transmissibility, and people were starting to travel again,” Springer said. “In those circumstances, the CDC had good cause to issue this order, particularly when the CDC detailed the reasons why in this particular environment, namely in the transportation sector and in transportation settings, COVID had a specific tendency to spread among people who are traveling together because they’re standing together in lines and sitting together on conveyances.” One of the judges expressed skepticism with the line of thinking, accusing the CDC of issuing “boilerplate” language to impose the mandate without a notice and comment period. Under a ruling in a separate case, boilerplate statements that COVID-19 exists and that there’s a public emergency aren’t sufficient to satisfy the “good cause” exception to the APA. Springer disagreed, saying the CDC’s statement provided rationale that met the standard. U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, a Trump appointee, said in her 2022 ruling that the CDC violated the APA by only issuing a single conclusory sentence to support ducking the notice requirements. She noted that at the time the order was issued, around a year had passed since the beginning of the pandemic, and COVID-19 cases in America were on the decline. Brent Hardaway, arguing for Health Freedom Defense Fund, which brought the case, said that the mandate was “very strange” given that airplanes and many airports already had mandates in place, in addition to the decline in cases. Other portions of the hearing went over arguments as to whether the CDC has the authority to mandate masks. U.S. code gives the federal government the power to enforce regulations judged as “necessary to prevent the introduction, transmission, or spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into the States or possessions, or from one State or possession into any other State or possession.” The government, to enforce such measures, “may provide for such inspection, fumigation, disinfection, sanitation, pest extermination, destruction of animals or articles found to be so infected or contaminated as to be sources of dangerous infection to human beings, and other measures, as in his judgment may be necessary,” the statute says. In striking down the CDC’s moratorium on evictions, the Supreme Court found that the agency overstepped the authority outlined in the law. But the court also said the law empowered the CDC to impose measures that “directly relate to preventing the interstate spread of disease by identifying, isolating, and destroying the disease itself.” https://www.dailyfetched.com/study-finds-journalists-are-now-among-the-most-distrusted-groups-in-the-world/ Study Finds Journalists Are Now among the Most Distrusted Groups in the World According to The Edelman Trust Barometer, more than two-thirds of respondents worried that journalists and reporters are “purposely trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations.” Out of all the groups presented, the percentage of journalists is the highest. The findings also show that the percentage is the highest among the groups presented, with one percentage point above government leaders. The newest finding is eight points higher than last year, proving that people are rapidly losing trust in the media. However, when the question was phrased differently, journalists fared slightly better. Out of the groups presented, Government leaders ranked the lowest at 42%, with journalists coming in second with 46%. The most trusted groups were scientists and fellow coworkers, at 75% and 74%, respectively. The new findings reflect the gorwing lack of trust in media. Of those surveyed, 46% said media divided society, compared to just 35% who said media are a unifying force. There were also concerns about the weaponization of fake news, with over three-quarters of respondents saying they were concerned about it. President Ronald Reagan extolled the central role of the media in American democracy. “Since the founding of this nation, freedom of the press has been a fundamental tenet of American life,” Reagan said on Oct. 6, 1983. “There is no more essential ingredient than a free, strong, and independent press to our continued success in what the Founding Fathers called our ‘noble experiment’ in self-government.” However, the media has changed a lot since then, becoming an entity that is no different from a Government lobbyist. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/illinois-counties-not-enforce-assault-weapon-ban More than 70 Illinois counties say they will not enforce state 'assault weapon' ban: Report Illinois sheriffs of almost 80 counties are refusing to enforce the state's " assault weapons " ban that was recently signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker . Pritzker signed the Protect Illinois Communities Act into law on Jan. 10, which bans the distribution and sale of "assault weapons," high-capacity magazines, and switches in Illinois. Those who own such guns are expected to register them with Illinois State Police by Jan. 1, 2024. However, at least 74 sheriff's departments have publicly stated they will not enforce the ban, stating it infringes on the Second Amendment, according to ABC News. Edwards County Sheriff Darby Boewe wrote in a statement that part of his duty is to protect the right to keep and bear arms. "The right to keep and bear arms for defense of life, liberty, and property is regarded as an inalienable right by the people," Boewe wrote. "Therefore, as the custodian of the jail and chief law enforcement officer for Edwards County, that neither myself or my office will be checking to ensure that lawful gun owners register their weapons with the State, nor will we be arresting or housing individuals that have been charged solely with noncompliance of this act." The statement was drafted by Illinois Sheriffs' Association Executive Director Jim Kaitschuk, according to ABC News, and sent out to sheriff's departments to use or make edits if desired. DuPage, Sangamon, and Iroquois counties are among the 74 departments that have released similarly modified statements. Iroquois County Sheriff Clinton Perzee said he would not use his jails to detain people exercising their civil rights, according to the Lake and McHenry County Scanner. At an event in Quincy on Jan. 12, Pritzker told the crowd that law enforcement needs to enforce the law or leave the field. Several counties have reportedly designated themselves "Second Amendment sanctuary cities," something that Pritzker dismissed at the Quincy event. https://www.dailywire.com/news/good-things-will-happen-brendan-fraser-chokes-up-after-critics-choice-win ‘Good Things Will Happen’: Brendan Fraser Chokes Up After Critic’s Choice Win During the peak of his success, being one of the highest-paid actors of the time for blockbusters like The Mummy, George of the Jungle and Bedazzled, Fraser completely disappeared from the movie scene. While the movie was all action-packed fun with Fraser portraying the tough and oh so handsome Rick O’Connell, the actor suffered several major injuries during the shooting of the three films. During the filming of The Mummy in 1999, Fraser was almost choked to death during his hanging scene in the opening of the movie, as per The Things. His co-star Rachel Weisz recalled that he stopped breathing and even needed CPR. And that was just one mishap. The injuries he received from the ancient Egyptian-themed films led to multiple surgeries including a laminectomy, a back procedure to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves; a partial knee replacement; more back surgeries to bolt compressed spinal pads together; vocal cord repair and other procedures, as per People magazine. Just as his professional life took a hit, his private life also resulted in a blow when his ex-wife, Afton Smith, split from him in 2007. Fraser was then required to pay around US$900,000 for child support, as per the New York Post. Six years after the divorce, Fraser allegedly asked the court to reduce the payment as he said he was no longer able to afford the hefty sum due to lack of work. Fast forward to today… Fraser broke down in tears during his acceptance speech during Sunday evening’s Critic’s Choice Awards. Fraser was nominated for his performance as Charlie — a morbidly obese teacher who was attempting to repair his damaged relationship with his daughter (played by Sadie Sink) while eating himself to death — in “The Whale,” and he took home the Best Actor prize. Fraser was clearly already emotional when his name was announced, and everyone at his table got to their feet and cheered. The applause continued as he made his way to the stage, stopping only to offer hugs and handshakes to a few people along the way. Once Fraser took the stage, it was clear that he was not going to make it through the speech without his emotions getting the best of him. https://twitter.com/i/status/1614819071098343426 - Play Video New Saint Andrews: Today’s culture shifts like sand. But New Saint Andrews College is established on Christ, the immovable rock. It is a premier institution that forges evangelical leaders who don’t fear or hate the world. Guided by God’s Word, they take the world back because they’re equipped with the genius of classical liberal arts and God-honoring wisdom, thanks to a faculty dedicated to academic rigor and to God’s kingdom.Find out more, at nsa.edu/ And finally, it’s time for my favorite topic, sports! The Cincinatti Bengals advanced to the semi-finals of the AFC conference playoffs, and this play had a lot to do with it: Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals | 2022 Super Wildcard Weekend Game Highlights-Play 10:23-10:41 The Bengals defeat the Ravens 24-17 in a close game. The Bengals advance and will take on the Buffalo Bills… the team they were playing when Damar Hamlin suffered his terrifying injury. The Bills by the way… Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills | 2022 Super Wild Card Weekend Game Highlights- Play - 15:05-15:47 The Bills hold off a feisty Dolphins’ team and win 34-31.

Italy's most wanted Mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro, has been arrested in Sicily after thirty years on the run. Over a hundred members of the security forces took part in his arrest at a private clinic in the city of Palermo. Messina Denaro has been sentenced in absentia to life in prison for his role in the murders of anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino in 1992. Also in the programme: German Defence Minister resigns; and Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida passes away. (Photo: A screengrab taken from a video shows Matteo Messina Denaro the country's most wanted mafia boss being escorted out of a Carabinieri police station after he was arrested in Palermo, Italy. CREDIT: Carabinieri/Handout via REUTERS.)

Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence considered a 17th century masterpiece, created by Italian painter Caravaggio in 1609. Nativity has been missing since it was nicked by thieves in Palermo in 1969. No one for sure knows who stole it, or why they stole it, but what might have become of it has sparked dozens of tales. One prominent theory is that it was stolen by the mafia – and, quite possibly, eaten by pigs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

www.patreon.com/accidentaldads for bonus content and to support the show AND The Save The Music Foundation!   Top police stings   A sting operation is a deceitful operation used by law enforcement to apprehend criminals in the act of trying to commit a crime. In order to obtain proof of a suspect's misconduct, a typical sting involves an undercover law enforcement officer, investigator, or cooperative member of the public acting as a criminal partner or prospective victim and cooperating with a suspect's activities. Journalists for the mass media occasionally use sting operations to film and disseminate footage of illegal conduct.   Sting procedures are prevalent in many nations, including the United States, but are prohibited in others, like Sweden and France. Certain sting operations are prohibited, such as those carried out in the Philippines where it is against the law for police enforcement to act as drug traffickers in order to catch purchasers of illegal substances.   Examples   Offering free sports or airline tickets to lure fugitives out of hiding. Deploying a bait car (also called a honey trap) to catch a car thief Setting up a seemingly vulnerable honeypot computer to lure and gain information about hackers Arranging for someone under the legal drinking age to ask an adult to buy an alcoholic beverage or tobacco products for them Passing off weapons or explosives (whether fake or real), to a would-be terrorist Posing as: someone who is seeking illegal drugs, contraband, or child pornography, to catch a supplier (or as a supplier to catch a customer) a child in a chat room to identify a potential online child predator a potential customer of illegal prostitution, or as a prostitute to catch a would-be customer a hitman to catch customers and solicitors of murder-for-hire; or as a customer to catch a hitman a spectator of an illegal dogfighting ring a documentary film crew to lure a pirate to the country where a crime was committed.   Whether sting operations constitute entrapment raises ethical questions. Law enforcement might have to be careful not to incite someone who wouldn't have otherwise committed a crime to do so. Additionally, while conducting such operations, the police frequently commit the same crimes, like purchasing or selling narcotics, enticing prostitutes, etc. The defendant may raise the entrapment defense in common law jurisdictions.   Contrary to common belief, however, laws against entrapment do not forbid undercover police personnel from pretending to be criminals or deny that they are police officers. Entrapment is normally only a defense when suspects are coerced into confessing to a crime they probably would not have otherwise committed. However, the legal meaning of this coercion differs widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Entrapment might be used as a defense, for instance, if undercover agents forced a possible suspect to manufacture illicit narcotics in order to sell them. Entrapment has often not taken place if a suspect is already producing narcotics and authorities pretend as purchasers to apprehend them.   Operation Entebbe The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commandos successfully carried out Operation Entebbe or Operation Thunderbolt, a counterterrorism hostage-rescue mission, at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on July 4, 1976. A week earlier, on June 27, two members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - External Operations (PFLP-EO) (who had previously split from the PFLP of George Habash) and two members of the German Revolutionary Cells hijacked an Air France Airbus A300 jet airliner carrying 248 passengers. The declared goal of the hijackers was to trade the hostages for the release of 13 detainees in four other countries and the release of 40 Palestinian terrorists and related prisoners who were detained in Israel. The flight, which had left Tel Aviv for Paris, was rerouted after a stopover in Athens through Benghazi to Entebbe, the country of Uganda's principal airport. The ruler Idi Amin, who had been made aware of the hijacking from the start[10], encouraged the hijackers and personally greeted them. The hijackers confined all Israelis and a few non-Israeli Jews into a separate room after transferring all captives from the plane to a deserted airport facility.  148 captives who were not Israelis were freed and taken to Paris over the course of the next two days. Ninety-four passengers—mostly Israelis—and the 12-person Air France crew were held captive and threatened with execution.  Based on information from the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, the IDF took action. If the demands for the release of the prisoners were not granted, the hijackers threatened to murder the hostages. The preparation of the rescue effort was prompted by this threat. These strategies included getting ready for armed opposition from the Uganda Army. It was a nighttime operation. For the rescue mission, Israeli transport planes flew 100 commandos to Uganda over a distance of 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles). The operation took 90 minutes to complete after a week of planning. Out of the 106 captives still held, 102 were freed, and three were murdered. In a hospital, the second captive was later slain. Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, the unit leader, was one of the five injured Israeli commandos. Netanyahu was Benjamin Netanyahu's elder sibling and the future Israeli prime minister. Eleven Soviet-built MiG-17s and MiG-21s of the Ugandan air force were destroyed, and all five hijackers and forty-five Ugandan troops were killed. Idi Amin gave the command to attack and kill Kenyans living in Uganda after the operation because Kenyan sources supported Israel. 245 Kenyans in Uganda were killed as a consequence, and 3,000 left the nation. In honor of Yonatan Netanyahu, the commander of the force, Operation Entebbe, which had the military codename Operation Thunderbolt, is occasionally referred to retroactively as Operation Jonathan.   Operation Valkyrie Senior Nazi military officers and Adolf Hitler convened in the Wolf's Lair in Rastenburg, Eastern Prussia, on July 20, 1944. Hitler's body was discovered scattered across the table as the Nazi military chiefs sat down to plan troop deployments on the Eastern Front when an explosion burst through the steamy meeting room. With the Führer's death, the Nazi threat to Europe could have been lifted. or so it seems at first.   Claus von Stauffenberg and his accomplices believed they had turned the course of World War II and maybe saved thousands of extra lives for a brief period of time in history. The July Plot, also known as Operation Valkyrie, was the most famous attempt to have Hitler killed, although it was ultimately unsuccessful for a variety of reasons, some of which are still unknown to this day. The July Plot Is Hatched Many Germans, including some of the country's top military figures, had begun to lose faith in Germany's ability to win the war by the summer of 1944. Hitler was widely held responsible for ruining Germany. The Wolfsschanze was one of Hitler's military headquarters. A number of prominent politicians and senior military figures devised a plan to murder the Führer by detonating a bomb at a conference there in order to spark political unification and a coup. Operation Valkyrie was the name of the strategy. The plan was that after Hitler's death, the military would assert that the murder was the result of a Nazi Party coup attempt, and the Reserve Army would take significant buildings in Berlin and detain senior Nazi figures. Carl Friedrich Goerdeler would become Germany's new chancellor, and Ludwig Beck would become its first president. The new administration wanted to negotiate a peaceful conclusion to the war, ideally with benefits for Germany. The main conspirators' motives varied, according to Philipp Freiherr Von Boeselager, one of the last remaining participants in the July Plot. Many of them only saw it as a means of avoiding military defeat, while others hoped to at least partially restore some of the nation's morals. They chose Claus von Stauffenberg, a young colonel in the German army, to carry out the assassination. Despite not being a member of the Nazi party in the traditional sense, Stauffenberg was a devoted German patriot. In the end, he came to think that if Germany was to be saved, it was his patriotic duty to expel Adolf Hitler. Hitler, though, had experienced assassination attempts before. Assassination attempts against Hitler had been more frequent since his spectacular ascent to the top of Germany's political scene in the late 1930s. Hitler, who was becoming more and more paranoid, frequently altered his plans without warning and at the last minute. What Went Wrong Stauffenberg entered the bunker at Wolfsschanze on July 20, 1944. The conference was planned to take place in a concrete, windowless subterranean bunker that was closed off by a large steel door. By making sure it happened within one of these facilities, the detonation would be confined and anyone nearby the explosive device would die quickly from the shrapnel. The conference was moved to an above-ground wooden bunker with better air circulation on July 20 due to the oppressively hot weather, according to Pierre Galante's Operation Valkyrie: The German Generals' Plot Against Hitler. Numerous windows, a wooden table, and other beautiful furniture were all present in the area, which meant that the potential explosion would be much diminished since the energy of the blast would be absorbed and diffused. Stauffenberg was aware that this was the case, but he nonetheless proceeded, assuming that two explosives would be sufficient to destroy the room and kill everyone within. Stauffenberg excused himself when he arrived, saying that he needed to change his clothing, and went to a private room. The two explosives needed to be armed and primed. However, he only had time to arm one of the two devices due to an unexpected phone call and a quick knock at his door. Thus, the possibility of a greater blast was cut in half. Stauffenberg realized that in order to cause any kind of harm, the explosive device needed to be placed as near to Hitler as possible. He was able to get a seat as near to Hitler as possible with only one other person between them by claiming that his hearing was impaired due to his wounds. Placing the bag as near to Hitler as possible, Stauffenberg then left the room pretending to take a personal call. The briefcase was accidentally shifted to the opposite side of a large wooden leg that was supporting the meeting room table as another official was taking a seat. The Aftermath Panic broke out after the device exploded at precisely 12:42 pm. Twenty individuals were hurt, including three cops who subsequently died from their injuries, and a stenographer was instantaneously murdered. Stauffenberg and his assistant Werner von Haeften leapt into a staff car and bluffed their way past three different military checkpoints to flee the mayhem at the Wolfsschanze complex because they believed that Hitler was indeed dead. Hitler, however, along with everyone else who was protected by the large wooden table leg, only suffered a few minor cuts and an eardrum perforation. He had fully torn-up pants, and the Nazi leadership would subsequently utilize pictures of them in a propaganda effort. Ian Kershaw, a historian, claims that during the explosion, contradictory news concerning Hitler's fate came. In spite of the disarray, the Reserve Army started detaining senior Nazi officials in Berlin. The entire scheme, however, was eventually thwarted by delays, unclear communication, and the announcement that Hitler was still alive. The conspirators were all given the death penalty in a hastily called court martial the same evening by General Friedrich Fromm. In the courtyard of the Bendlerblock, a makeshift firing squad murdered Stauffenberg, von Haeften, Olbricht, and another officer, Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim, while Ludwig Beck committed himself. At Berlin's Plötzensee jail, Berthold Stauffenberg was gently strangled while the incident was being recorded for Hitler to see. Hitler's life was ultimately saved that day by a number of interrelated reasons, but the conspirators were right that Germany was headed for disaster. Less than a year later, the Nazi leader and his closest advisers committed suicide. Operation Iceman Ever wonder what its like working undercover with an alleged murderer? Well, let's just say it's not hard to get a stuffy nose around this case… In fact, serial killer Richard Kuklinski's preferred method of murder involved using a nasal spray bottle to spritz cyanide into the faces of his victims. As a result, undercover agent Dominick Polifrone was never more on guard than during the 18 months he spent building a case against the so-called Iceman. “No matter where I went with him, I wore this leather jacket with a pocket sewn inside containing a small-caliber weapon,” recalls Polifrone, who gained his target's confidence and taped dozens of their conversations. “I knew that I was somewhere on his hit list. If he'd pulled out that nasal spray, I'd have to protect myself.” The streetwise New Jersey officer acquired enough proof before Kuklinski had suspicions, preventing that situation from occurring. Finally, the enormous 6-foot-4 gangland killer was apprehended thanks to his evidence. “I've met hundreds of bad guys, but Kuklinski was a totally different type of individual,” he tells The Post. “He was coldhearted — ice-cold like the devil. He had no remorse about anything.”  Kuklinski was captured by Polifrone in a combined operation between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the office of the New Jersey attorney general. The criminal, who was a leading suspect in the murder of a mobster whose body was found two years after his disappearance, was posing as a respectable businessman residing in suburban Dumont, New Jersey. The reason the medical examiners discovered ice in the muscle tissue was because Kuklinski, who earned his notoriety for frequently freezing the bodies of his victims and then defrosting them, erred that time. Police made an indirect connection between the deceased man and Kuklinski, who was charged with a number of previous homicides.  “We had to get something nobody knew,” recalls Polifrone. The sting only appears briefly on screen in the film. In order to gain Kuklinski's trust, Polifrone, a resident of Hackensack, New Jersey, pretended to be a "bad person" for a whole year and a half. They met in parks and rest areas along highways and discussed the horrific killings Kuklinski had carried out, including a Mafia hit in Detroit for which he was paid $65,000. Additionally, there were "statement killings." To put a dead canary in the mouth of a victim as a warning to other victims, one mafia leader paid him extra. Another occasion, Kuklinski made light of the fact that he saw a gang member consume an entire cheeseburger laced with cyanide before passing away while joking with Polifrone. Recalls the cop: “He told me that cyanide normally works real quick and easy, but that ‘this guy has the constitution of a God damn ox, and is just eating and eating.  “He said he almost ate the whole burger and then, bam, he's down!” Polifrone knew exactly how to play his role. “I laughed, of course,” he shrugs. “That's what bad guys do.”  Paradoxically, Kuklinski was a committed family man. He led a Jekyll-and-Hyde existence.  “He never socialized, gambled or messed around with other women,” adds Polifrone. “He lived for his wife and kids.” One minute he'd be repairing his daughters' toys, the next, dismembering a body with a chain saw and stuffing it into an oil drum. “He would come home and completely shut off this murderous component and seek security and love from his family,” says “Iceman” director Vromen. “He fulfilled the need to provide for them by killing.” Polifrone finally nailed Kuklinski after tricking him into buying what he thought was pure cyanide. A team of feds and ATF officers arrested him in December 1986. Twenty-eight years later, he reflects on the man who died, apparently of natural causes, in Trenton Prison in 2006 at age 70. Eyebrows were raised because he was due to appear as a witness at the trial of a Gambino family underboss. “I hope he died a slow death because of what he did to families and individuals,” concludes Polifrone. “He had no mercy. And if it was foul play, that's OK with me.” So let's talk about some controversial sting operations you may or may not have heard of.   ACORN Sting   Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now is known as ACORN. ACORN was a group of neighborhood-based organizations in the US that supported low- and middle-income families. They also offered details on affordable housing and voter registration. James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, two young conservative activists, published recordings that had been edited with care in 2009. The two pretended to be a pimp and a prostitute before using a hidden camera to get unflattering answers from ACORN workers that seemed to give them advice on how to hide their prostitution business and avoid paying taxes.The plea for assistance in obtaining funding for a brothel didn't appear to deter the ACORN employees either. This sparked a national debate and led to a reduction in financing from public and private sources. ACORN declared on March 22, 2010, that it was disbanding and shutting all of its connected state chapters as a result of declining funding. Interesting fact: On January 25, 2010, James O'Keefe and three other people were detained on felony charges for allegedly tampering with the phones at Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu's office in New Orleans. O'Keefe stated that he was looking into claims that Landrieu's staff had dismissed constituent phone calls over the health care issue. O'Keefe recorded the action as they pretended to be telephone repairmen.In the end, they were accused with breaking into a government building under false pretenses, a misdemeanor. Following his admission of guilt, O'Keefe received a three-year probationary period, 100 hours of community service, and a $1,500 fine.   Operation West End The largest undercover news story in Indian journalism has been described like this. In order to expose the alleged culture of bribery inside the Indian Ministry of Defense, a well-known newspaper from India by the name of Tehelka—which translates as "sensation" in Hindi—started its first significant undercover operation, "Operation West End" in 2001. Two reporters from the publication pretended to be London-based armaments dealers from a fake firm. In the undercover film, numerous politicians and defense officials are shown discussing and accepting bribes in exchange for assisting them in obtaining government contracts, including Bangaru Laxman, secretary of the ruling BJP party. Laxman and Military Minister George Fernandes (shown above) resigned following the release of the tapes, and a number of other defense ministry employees were placed on administrative leave.   Interesting Fact: Instead of initially acting on the evidence from the sting operation, the Indian government accused the newspaper of fabricating the allegations. The main financial backers of Tehelka were made targets of investigations, and the newspaper company was almost ruined. In 2003, Tehelka was re-launched as a weekly newspaper, and was funded by faithful subscribers and other well-wishers. In 2007, Tehelka shifted to a regular magazine format.   Senator Larry Craig On June 11, 2007, an undercover police officer conducting a sting operation targeting males cruising for sex at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport detained Idaho Senator Larry Craig. Sgt. Dave Karsnia, the arresting officer, claimed that just after noon, the suspect entered a restroom and shut the door. Craig then moved into the stall next to him and propped his suitcase up against the stall door's front. By obscuring the front view, this is frequently done in an effort to hide sexual activity. Several minutes later, the officer claimed to have noticed Craig looking into his stall through a gap, tapping his right foot repeatedly, then moving it till it brushed Karsnia's. Craig then passed his hand under the stall divider into Karsnia's stall with his palm up and guided it along the divider toward the front of the stall three times. Karsnia then waved his badge back, to which the senator responded, “No!” The senator pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a fine, but changed his mind after word of his arrest later became public. Craig claimed he just had a “wide stance”, and he only pleaded guilty to avoid a spectacle.An appeals court rejected his request to change his mind about entering a guilty plea. Craig completed his time in the Senate but was unable to have his case dismissed by the Senate Ethics Committee. Craig departed office on January 3, 2009, having not to run for reelection in 2008. Fascinating Fact: Soon after Craig was arrested, the men's room started to resemble a tourist destination, with people coming to seek directions and take photographs. Even restroom tissue may be purchased on eBay. Listen to the conversation between Senator Craig and Sgt. Karsnia immediately following the arrest here.   7 Sarah Ferguson was victimized by Mazher Mahmood, a reporter for the tabloid daily "News of the World," in May 2010. In order to set up a meeting with Ferguson, Mahmood pretended to be a wealthy international businessman. The Duchess, who was discreetly recorded throughout the encounter, offered to connect the "tycoon" with Prince Andrew's influential inner circle. "500,000 pounds when you can, to me, open doors," Sarah Ferguson is heard saying on the video. She may also be seen removing a briefcase that is holding $40,000 in cash. After the event was reported, Ferguson's spokesman claimed she was both "devastated" and "regretful." She said that she had been drinking before asking for the money and was "in the gutter at that point" in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Mazher Mahmood, the guy who pretended to be the tycoon, is referred to as the "Fake Sheikh" and has conned several famous people. No one is certain if that is his true name or what his real history is since he likes to make things as mysterious as possible. The journalist denies ever allowing his face to appear in any of his pieces and claims to have received several death threats. He also avoids public appearances.   Bait Cars The Minneapolis Police Department employed the first bait cars in the 1990s. The largest bait car fleet in North America is now situated in Surrey, British Columbia, which is widely regarded as the continent's "auto theft capital." The cars are carefully modified, equipped with GPS tracking equipment, audio/video surveillance, and an engine-disabling remote control. It has helped to lower car theft by 47% when it was introduced in Surrey, British Columbia, in 2004. In one of the more contentious bait vehicle stings, a lady was murdered nearly instantaneously after a robber driving a bait car drove into her in Dallas, Texas, in 2008. To resolve the litigation, $245,000 was given to the victim's family. Fact: The key to determining whether police are utilizing a bait car improperly and would result in entrapment is if they left it in a way that would tempt someone who would not ordinarily commit a crime. Here, you can view one of the more eye-catching (to put it mildly) bait vehicle stings. Many others will undoubtedly have the same thoughts as I had. “Where the heck was the kill switch?”   Marion Barry A well-known politician and former mayor of Washington, D.C., Marion Barry. Police were going to conduct an undercover narcotics transaction with former Virgin Islands official Charles Lewis on December 22, 1988, but they were turned back when they discovered Mayor Marion Barry was in Lewis's hotel room. This prompted a grand jury inquiry into potential mayor meddling in the narcotics probe. Barry testified for three hours in front of the grand jury before telling reporters he had done nothing wrong. Then, on January 18, 1990, Barry was arrested in a Washington, D.C. hotel after using crack cocaine in a room with his former girlfriend, who had turned informant for the FBI. This was the result of a sting operation put up by the FBI and D.C. Police. Barry said the now-famous phrase, "Bitch set me up," which has come to be linked with him. Following his arrest and subsequent trial, Barry made the decision not to run for mayor again. He was charged with 14 charges by a grand jury, including suspected grand jury perjury. The mayor could have spent 26 years in prison if found guilty on all 14 counts. Barry was only given a six-month prison term after the jury found him guilty of using cocaine. Barry campaigned for municipal council after being let out of prison. He garnered 70% of the vote due to his widespread popularity and the perception held by many that Marion Barry was the target of a political witch hunt by the government. Then, in 1995, Barry won a fourth term as mayor of Washington, D.C. Barry is currently back in his position on the D.C. city council. Regardless of your opinion on Marion Barry, you have to respect his perseverance and drive to help the people of Washington, D.C. The aforementioned occurrence is only a small portion of his remarkable life. A documentary titled "The Nine Lives of Marion Barry" was produced by HBO.    Joran Van der Sloot Dutch national Joran Van der Sloot is a key suspect in the case of Natalee Holloway, who vanished on May 30, 2005, while traveling to Aruba to celebrate her high school graduation. On March 29, 2010, Van der Sloot got in touch with Beth Twitty Holloway's mother's attorney John Q. Kelly, reviving the case. Van der Sloot promised to provide details about Holloway's demise and the whereabouts of her remains in exchange for a total of $250,000 with a $25,000 down payment. After Kelly and Twitty made contact with Alabama law enforcement, the FBI launched a sting operation. On May 10, Van der Sloot accepted a wire transfer of $15,000 to his Dutch bank account along with an additional cash payment of $10,000. He drove Kelly to the location of Holloway's remains in exchange for the cash. He indicated a home, saying that his father had assisted in burying the body in the foundation. The home had not yet been constructed when Holloway vanished, therefore this turned out to be untrue. Later, Van der Sloot informed Kelly through email that the entire incident was a fraud. At this point, police might have detained Van der Sloot for wire fraud and extortion, but they chose to wait while they worked to establish a case of murder against him. Van der Sloot was not only let free, he was also given permission to depart Aruba and travel to Bogotá, Colombia, and then Lima, Peru, with the money he had made from the operation. He met Stephany Flores Ramirez, a 21-year-old University of Lima business student, in a casino hotel in the city. Ramirez and Van der Sloot are seen entering a hotel room together on security footage, but only Van der Sloot is seen exiting. On June 2, Ramirez was discovered dead in the hotel room that Van der Sloot had booked, her neck broken and she had been battered to death. On May 30, 2010, precisely five years after Natalee Holloway vanished, Ramirez passed away. A person arrested Van der Sloot He admitted to the murder on June 3 and June 7. Fascinating fact: Van der Sloot is presently detained at Peru's Miguel Castro jail, where murder charges have been brought. He apparently now claims that if he is permitted to move to a jail in Aruba, he would tell the whereabouts of Natalee Holloway's remains.   Perverted Justice Stings Perverted-Justice is a group that uses volunteers to masquerade as juveniles online, often between the ages of 10-15, and wait for an adult to message or email the decoy back. If the topic becomes sexual, they won't actively reject it or support it. Then, in order to set up a meeting, they will attempt to identify the males by acquiring their phone numbers and other information. The group then provides law enforcement with the information. Additionally, Perverted-Justice has worked with the American reality show "To Catch a Predator." In Murphy, Texas, one of the more contentious instances took place in 2006. Louis Conradt (seen above), a district attorney in Texas, pretended to be a 19-year-old college student and had sexually explicit internet conversations with a person he thought was a 13-year-old kid. They hired an actress to portray the youngster on the phone when Conradt demanded images of the boy's genitalia. Conradt stopped returning phone calls and instant messages, so police and the reality program decided to conduct a search warrant operation at his residence. A gunshot was heard as the police entered the scene to make an arrest. Conradt was inside with a self-inflicted wound when they arrived, and he eventually passed away at a hospital. 23 people were taken into custody for online solicitation of minors as a consequence of the sting operation in Murphy, Texas. Due to inadequate evidence, none of the 23 instances were prosecuted as of June 2007. Conradt's family launched a $105 million lawsuit against Dateline's To Catch a Predator series. The dispute was ultimately resolved outside of court. All next episodes' development was halted by the network in 2008. Rachel Hoffman On February 22, 2007, a traffic stop in Tallahassee, Florida, resulted in Rachel Hoffman being found in possession of 25 grams of marijuana. Then, on April 17, 2008, police searched her flat and found 4 ecstasy tablets and 151.7 grams of marijuana. Police allegedly threatened to put her in jail unless she worked as an undercover informant for them, according to her account. She was then dispatched untrained to an undercover gathering to purchase a weapon and a significant quantity of narcotics from two alleged drug traffickers. The suspects relocated the drug purchase while she was there. When she departed the buy place in the car with the two suspects, the police officers who were keeping an eye on the sting lost sight of her. The identical gun she was intended to purchase was used to kill her by the two suspects while they were in motion. Two days later, her corpse was discovered close to Perry, Florida. One of the murder suspects was convicted of first-degree murder and given a life sentence without the possibility of parole on December 17, 2009, which would have been Rachel Hoffman's 25th birthday. Trial for the second murder suspect is set for October 2010. Interesting Fact: On May 7, 2009, a law called “Rachel's Law” was passed by the Florida State Senate. Rachel's Law requires law enforcement agencies to (a) provide special training for officers who recruit confidential informants, (b) instruct informants that reduced sentences may not be provided in exchange for their work, and (c) permit informants to request a lawyer if they want one.    Mr. Big The Royal Canadian Mounted Police created Mr. Big, sometimes known as "the Canadian method," in the early 1990s in response to unsolved killings. It is employed in Canada and Australia, but many other nations, like the United States and England, view it as entrapment. The technique works something like this: An undercover police unit poses as members of a fictitious gang, into which the suspect is inducted. The suspect is invited to participate in a series of criminal activities (all faked by the police). In addition, the “gang members” build a personal relationship with the suspect, by drinking together and other social activities. After some time, the gang boss, Mr. Big, is presented to him. The police have a fresh interest in the first crime, and the suspect is instructed to provide the gang with further information. They clarify that Mr. Big might be able to affect the course of the police investigation, but only if he confesses to the full extent of the crime. He is also warned that if he conceals any other previous offenses, the gang could decide against working with him in the future since he would be a burden. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are shown in the picture above carrying the hats of the four officers who were killed in Edmonton, Canada, in 2005 at a memorial service. Two of the men serving prison sentences for the murders made confessions to Mr. Big operatives.Interesting Fact: In British Columbia, the technique has been used over 180 times, and, in 80% of the cases, it resulted in either a confession or the elimination of the suspect from suspicion. However, cases of false confessions and wrongful convictions have recently come to the public's attention, and many are starting to question the controversial technique. In 2007, a documentary was made, called Mr. Big, that was very critical of the procedure.   You can't talk about undercover operations without talking about the mob. Here are five badasses who infiltrated the mob.   In law enforcement, working as an undercover officer carries the high risk of discovery by criminal suspects, leading to violence, torture and death. But the rewards can be huge, with wire recordings and eyewitness testimony that can result in arrests and convictions. A trained officer knows how to strategize, win the confidence of their targets and get them to reveal what's needed to build a case to take to trial. It requires an unusual kind of person, able to work under stress, stay focused, pull off the character he or she is playing and be prepared to tell many lies. What follows here is a list of five remarkable individuals whose undercover operations, despite real dangers, resulted in the convictions of leaders and associates of organized crime, over almost a century. This list leaves out many other famous undercover officers, whom we would like to recognize in the future. Perhaps because of the gravity of the investigations, and the financial resources required, all of these undercover officers worked for agencies of the U.S. government. MICHAEL MALONE Mike Malone worked undercover for the Treasury Department's Intelligence Unit. In the late 1920s, he infiltrated Al Capone's Chicago Outfit and helped convict the crime boss of tax evasion. Michael Malone had all the makings of an undercover agent who would successfully infiltrate Al Capone's Chicago gang for nearly two years. Malone, whose parents came over from Ireland, grew up in New Jersey and meshed well with its European immigrants, eventually learning to speak Gaelic, Italian, Yiddish and Greek. With his “black Irish” dark hair and skin, he resembled someone from southern Europe. After finessing his way into Capone's inner circle in 1929, Malone proved invaluable to his superiors in the Treasury Department pursuing a tax evasion case against the Chicago crime boss. Despite the danger, Malone kept an iron will. Blowing his cover would have proved fatal. But given his skills, it didn't happen. While Malone kept up the charade, he delivered information that proved incriminating not only for Capone, but for his top enforcer, Frank Nitti (aka Nitto). Malone remained disguised within Capone's bootlegging band even for a time after the feds filed tax charges against Capone, Nitti and Capone's brother, Ralph, in 1931. When Capone's jury trial commenced, and the Treasury Department removed Malone from his undercover job, the agent gained a bit of respect from the embarrassed gang chief himself. In the Chicago courthouse, Malone happened to enter an elevator where Capone stood with his defense lawyers. “The only thing that fooled me was your looks,” Capone is said as to have remarked to Malone. “You look like a Wop. You took your chances, and I took mine. I lost.” From 1929 to 1931, Malone fed intelligence about Capone that would culminate in the historic conviction of the nation's most notorious Mob boss. His fascinating story began after his service in World War I. With law enforcement his career goal, Malone joined the Treasury Department's Intelligence Unit later known as the “T-Men.” Early on, in the 1920s, Malone appreciated how donning disguises brought him closer to the suspects. He posed in everyman roles such as garbage man and shoe shiner. Elmer Irey, chief of the Intelligence Unit, had worked with undercover agent Malone on Prohibition cases. Once, Irey enlisted Malone to smash a West Coast version of “Rum Row,” rumrunners selling contraband Canadian liquor from ships off the coast of San Francisco. Malone posed as gangster from Chicago in hiding, with money to invest in illegal booze. He devised a nighttime sting operation. Agents posing as bootleggers drove speedboats out to the booze-laden mother ship and, after money changed hands, Malone fired off a flare, signaling the U.S. Coast Guard, which boarded the mother ship and arrested the astonished bootleggers. President Herbert Hoover entered office in March 1929, a few weeks following the infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago, where seven men associated with Capone's bitter rival in bootlegging, George “Bugs” Moran, died in gunfire. Hoover conferred with Irey and urged him to compile a team of special agents to “get Capone” on tax charges. Meanwhile, another team of Prohibition Unit agents in Chicago, headed by Eliot Ness, would attack Capone on violations of federal liquor laws under the Volstead Act. Irey appointed Special Agent Frank Wilson, Malone and several others to the get Capone team. Meanwhile, a group of wealthy business executives in Chicago, called the Secret Six, donated large sums of money for expenses to assist the feds in getting Capone. Malone used their largess to purchase some expensive clothing to look the part of a well-heeled hoodlum that Capone would envy. Malone set about infiltrating Capone's underworld at its core – the Lexington Hotel, where the boss and his men lived. Wearing a fancy suit, purple shirt and white hat, Malone sat in the lobby, reading newspapers for days on end. He spoke in an Italian accent, introduced himself as “Mike Lepito,” met Capone men playing craps and played the part of a mobster. He mailed letters to friends in Philadelphia, who wrote back. Capone's guys broke into his room, noted his pricey checkered suits and silk underwear. They opened his mail from Philadelphia, read the letters written, impressively, in underworld lingo they understood. They informed Capone. Finally, Capone sent a cohort down to the lobby to ask “Lepito” about his business in town. “Keeping quiet,” Malone replied in his Italian inflection. In the coming days, over drinks, Malone told the guy he was on the lam for burglary in Philadelphia. That got Malone invitations to play poker and trade gossip with the gang, then dinner at their hangout, the New Florence, and then to attend the birthday party Capone planned for Frank Nitti at the Lexington. Malone met Capone at Nitti's party. The secret agent's new acquaintances included big-shot hoods Nitti, “Machine Gun” Jack McGurn, Jake “Greasy Thumb” Guzik, Paul “The Waiter” Ricca, Murray “The Camel” Humphreys and Sam “Golf Bag” Hunt. Malone was in. He discreetly phoned Wilson about what he'd overheard within the gang. Wilson and his aides traced signatures on bank checks while pursuing tax evasion cases against Nitti and Guzik. A federal court in Chicago convicted Guzik, who got a five-year sentence. But Nitti skipped town. Malone, assigned to find him, followed Nitti's wife to an apartment building in Berwyn, Illinois. There, the cops nabbed Nitti, later sentenced to 18 months in prison for tax evasion. Then the police pinched Al himself following his 1931 indictment on tax charges. “Mike Lepito” was there at the Lexington when Al Capone arrived back, triumphant about his release on $50,000 bail. Malone listened and reported to Wilson about Capone's scheme to bribe and fix the jury in his favor. The feds moved quickly and a judge created a new list of jurors. Malone then reported Capone's plot to hire five gunman from New York to kill four federal officials in Chicago – including Wilson. With safety measures in place, Capone ordered the gunmen to leave town. Capone's trial, after a judge refused to plea bargain with the Mob boss, started in October 1931. Four days afterward, Malone finally gave up the act. The news spread fast to Capone and his men. Malone had heard that Phil D'Andrea, Capone's bodyguard, planned to bring a concealed gun into the courthouse. Malone and another agent frisked and disarmed D'Andrea, and had him arrested. A jury Capone could not fix found the boss guilty on 22 criminal counts. The judge gave him 11 years in the federal pen and a $50,000 fine, plus court costs. Months later, in early 1932, the Intelligence Unit had Malone, Irey, Wilson and Special Agent A. P. Madden probe the kidnapping of aviator Charles Lindbergh's son. The team's persistence paid off within two years, with the capture (and conviction) of suspect Bruno Hauptman, who still had some of the marked currency the agents convinced Lindbergh to use as ransom money. Malone had other notable cases. In 1933, Irey assigned him to find fugitive New York gangster Waxey Gordon, wanted for tax evasion. Malone located Gordon in a remote cottage in the Catskill Mountains. Special Prosecutor Thomas Dewey took the case, and the court put Waxey away for 10 years. A year later, Malone infiltrated Louisiana Governor Huey “Kingfish” Long's crooked crew. After Long's assassination, the IRS won a tax fraud conviction against Malone's target, Long's close aide, Seymour Weiss. In his last undercover operation before his death, the Intelligence Unit gave Malone a large amount of cash and a Cadillac to use in Miami Beach, disguised as a rich syndicate man. He found and reported what the agency wanted – details of a coast-to-coast illegal abortion ring. After Malone's death in 1960, Wilson described him to a news reporter as “the best undercover agent we ever had.” JOSEPH PISTONE Joe Pistone is one of the FBI's most celebrated undercover agents. Using the name Donnie Brasco, he infiltrated the New York Mafia and helped produce 200 indictments. Courtesy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In New York City during the mid-1970s, the FBI investigated a rash of truck hijackings happening each day. The agency assigned agent Joseph “Joe” Pistone to go undercover for six months to find out where the Mob-connected thieves took the stolen cargo. His adopted name was “Donnie Brasco.” He was so effective as a wiseguy that the FBI let him keep it up. No one knew how far the investigation would lead, or what it would mean for Pistone, who started as an agent in 1969. His experience would eventually prompt the mobsters in New York to put out a $500,000 contract for his murder, but it never happened. In the end, the evidence and trial testimony he provided in the 1980s produced 200 indictments of Mob associates and more than 100 convictions. His work decimated the Bonannos, one of New York's five major crime families. Pistone's journey while undercover, impersonating a mobbed-up jewel thief, would last an incredible five years, from 1976 to 1981, during which he penetrated the upper levels of the Bonnano organization. No FBI agent had made it inside the Mob like that. The agency beforehand had to rely on informants. Pistone took a class to learn about jewelry to make his affectation believable. In Brooklyn and Manhattan, he roamed bars and restaurants frequented by Mob types. He communicated using the street smarts he absorbed growing up as a working-class Italian-American kid in Paterson, New Jersey, where he went to Italian social clubs and encountered local hoods. Years in, he had the Bonanno circle so convinced that it moved to have him a “made” man shortly before the FBI ended his assignment. At first he befriended low-level mobsters. He wore a wire to record conversations, and committed to memory names and license plates since taking notes would obviously raise red flags. By 1976, he'd won the trust of important Bonnano members, notably family soldier Benjamin “Lefty Guns” Ruggiero, said to have killed 26 people, and capo Dominick “Sonny Black” Napolitano. Ruggerio recommended him so that he could join the clan. Pistone's Mob activities centered in New York and Florida, taking him away from his wife and young daughters for extended times. Pistone even had to vacation with his demanding cohorts. He moved his family members out of state for their protection. As “Donnie Brasco,” Pistone helped Ruggerio transfer stolen goods and sell guns. He engaged in loansharking, extortion and illegal gambling. Once, while pretending to be an expert in burglar alarms, angry Mob associates intent on committing burglaries demanded he reveal the name of a mobster who would vouch for him. The FBI used an informant to quell their suspicions. In the 1997 film Donnie Brasco, undercover agent Joe Pistone is played by Johnny Depp, left. Al Pacino, right, plays Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero. In 1981, the situation intensified again when the crime family commanded him to kill an adversary. The FBI pulled him out of the sting. It was time to start making cases, and for him to testify in open court as himself. Starting in 1982, Pistone's testimony over the next several years in racketeering cases sent more than 100 mobsters to long prison terms. Prosecutors considered him crucial to convicting 21 defendants in the “Pizza Connection” case of pizzerias used to traffic in heroin and launder money for the Sicilian Mafia. Pistone went into hiding and later retired from the FBI, unscathed, in 1986. In the 1990s, Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano, former underboss for the Gambino family who turned FBI informant, said the embarrassment from the “Brasco” case drove bosses in New York's crime families to suspend the Bonanno group from its board of directors. But Pistone couldn't stay retired. In 1992, at age 53, he requested reinstatement with the FBI, which agreed only if he would enter the agency's strict training class, lasting 16 weeks at its base in Quantico, Virginia. Pistone endured the rigorous course alongside recruits in their 20s. He passed and the FBI rehired him, at least until the mandatory retirement age of 57. Pistone's 1988 book on his undercover experiences, Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, was a bestseller. Based on the book, actor Johnny Depp portrayed Pistone in the 1997 feature film Donnie Brasco, with Al Pacino as Ruggerio. JACK GARCIA Jack Garcia was an FBI undercover agent of Cuban descent who convinced members of the Italian-American Mafia that he was Italian. He took part in more than 100 undercover investigations over a 26-year career. Before he succeeded in infiltrating New York's Gambino crime family, FBI agent Joaquin “Jack” Garcia had to go school. That is, the FBI's “mob school,” where he received an education in how to hit the ground running with veteran mobsters. His teacher was special agent Nat Parisi. First off, Parisi said, do not carry a wallet – wiseguys carry wads of currency, often bound by the kind of rubber band grocery stores use to keep broccoli together. Also, correctly pronouncing Italian food matters – as Tony Soprano might say, those long pasta shells are not “manicotti,” but “manicote.” Another valuable lesson he learned is that his Mob brethren loved compliments – his favorite one: “Where did you get those nice threads? You look like a million dollars.” In his 26-year career as an FBI agent, Garcia took part in more than 100 undercover investigations, from Miami to New York, Atlantic City and Los Angeles, targeting mobsters, drug traffickers and corrupt politicians and cops. He participated in the highest number of undercover cases in FBI history. In many of his capers, he impersonated a mobster, using the name “Jack Falcone” (in honor of the Italian judge Giovanni Falcone, killed by the Sicilian Mafia in the 1990s). As a backstory, he told his Mob marks about having a Sicilian pedigree (actually he's a native of Havana and grew up in the Bronx) with an expertise in stealing and fencing stolen goods, with jewelry as his specialty. Sometimes, he had to run several undercover roles at once. He took advantage of his fluency in Spanish and Italian, being careful not to mix things up when the phone rang. In the early 2000s, the FBI chose Garcia for what would be the most fruitful infiltration of an organized crime family since Joe Pistone's in the 1970s. While undercover as “Jack Falcone” with the Gambino's family's chapter in Westchester County, New York, for two years, he flashed cash, Rolex watches, diamond rings, flat-screen TVs and other supposed stolen property (items seized in other FBI cases). Much of the cash he held went to pay for expensive dinners – mobsters, he said, are notoriously cheap when the check comes. He gained 80 pounds over the two years. One mobster in particular who liked his money and goods, and would become his almost daily companion, was Gambino capo Gregory DePalma. An “old school” hood who in 2003 finished serving 70 months for racketeering, DePalma right away threatened violence and extorted owners of Westchester-area construction firms, strip joints, restaurants and other businesses. Garcia said he witnessed DePalma commit a crime almost every day. The FBI had Garcia pose as a wiseguy seeking to invest in a topless bar in the Bronx. Garcia's inquiries led him to meet DePalma in 2003. By providing stolen property for DePalma to sell for cash, Garcia convinced him that “Jack Falcone” was an experienced jewelry thief and fencer from Miami. When Garcia hung out with DePalma over the two-year period, he wore a body wire, and the FBI planted bugging devices at DePalma's hangouts. Garcia gave DePalma a cell phone that the talkative mob capo used prodigiously, not knowing the FBI had bugged it. The operation yielded 5,000 hours of recorded conversations used to implicate DePalma and other Gambino men in racketeering. In 2005, DePalma planned to honor “Falcone” by rendering him “made” within the Gambino family. In a recorded conversation, Garcia as “Falcone” replied to DePalma, “I'm honored for that,” he said, in the tape later used in court. “I will never let you down either.” But it wasn't to be. After Garcia witnessed a Gambino soldier beat another member with a crystal candlestick, the FBI shut down the undercover operation. (Garcia and Pistone are the only law enforcement officers ever nominated to be “made.”) Garcia's efforts inside the Gambino crew paid off big time. The evidence he delivered for the FBI resulted in the arrest of 32 Gambino members and associates, including DePalma, Gambino boss Arnold “Zeke” Squitieri and underboss Anthony “The Genius” Megale. DePalma went to trial in 2006. Garcia, who retired from the FBI two months before the trial started, agreed to testify in federal court in Manhattan. The jury found DePalma guilty on 27 counts, and the judge gave the 74-year-old a 12-year prison term. Like Pistone, Garcia's undercover career is chronicled in a memoir, Making Jack Falcone: An Undercover FBI Agent Takes Down a Mafia Family. KIKI CAMARENA Kiki Camarena was an undercover agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration in Mexico. After contributing information that led to major drug busts, he was tortured and murdered by drug cartel bosses in 1985. Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, the late Drug Enforcement Administration agent assigned to investigate drug trafficking in Guadalajara, Mexico, in the 1980s, is famous as one of the most heroic DEA agents ever. But he is more well-known in death than in life. His torture-murder in Mexico in 1985 took place at the hands of drug cartel bosses with the complicity of high-level Mexican government officials, law enforcement and, allegedly, the CIA. At the time, the Reagan administration was secretly training and supplying Central American guerilla fighters, known as the “Contras,” against the leftist Sandinista government in Nicaragua. The U.S. government allegedly granted the cartel bosses free rein to traffic drugs – to the point of using CIA-recruited American pilots to fly cocaine into the United States to sell for cash so the cartel could make donations to buy more weaponry for the Contras. Camarena, born in Mexicali, Mexico, in 1947, moved with his impoverished family to Calexico, California. He served as a firefighter in Calexico, and with a strong desire for police work, joined the Imperial County Sheriff's Department, moving up to its narcotics task force. The experience led to his career in the DEA starting in 1975. Assigned to the DEA office in the “narco paradise” of Guadalajara in 1980, Camarena was a convincing undercover officer with his appearance and ability to speak Spanish and barrio “street” language to fit in with the drug underworld. His target was the powerful Guadalajara drug cartel (which later evolved into the Sinaloa cartel). In the early 1980s, in what he called “Operation Padrino,” Camarena arranged for U.S. agents to seize international bank accounts held by wealthy cartel drug lords. He developed evidence of major marijuana plantations in the Mexican state of Zacatecas, based on informants and overflights in a plane flown by his DEA pilot, Alfredo Zavala Avelar. In November 1984, from his background work, Mexican federal police and the DEA raided enormous pot-growing operations on a ranch in Zacatecas that employed thousands of field hands. The task force confiscated 20 tons of marijuana, burned the crop and made 177 arrests. The bust cost cartel figure Rafael Caro Quintero about $50 million. Caro Quintero believed his operation had the protection of the Mexican army, and the CIA, since he owned a farm used to train the U.S.-backed Contras. He vowed revenge against Camarena. Meanwhile, a DEA force organized by Camarena seized a large cache of cocaine shipped by cartel boss Miguel Felix Gallardo's operation to New Mexico and Texas. Gallardo also believed he had CIA and Mexican official protection. During the fall of 1984, Quintero held meetings with top cartel traffickers Gallardo, Ernesto “Don Neto” Fonseco Carrillo and Ruben Zuno Arce. Also present, thanks to rampant corruption bought by the Guadalajara cartel, were Mexico's minister of domestic affairs and DFA chief Manuel Bartlett Diaz, plus Mexico's defense minister, the head of Mexico's Interpol office and the governor of the state of Jalisco. The agenda was to kidnap Camarena and get him to reveal his informants and other information. Zuno Arce gave the order. Fonseca only intended to scare and release him, but Quintero wanted to kill the DEA man. On February 7, 1985, Quintero and Gallardo directed their henchmen to kidnap Camarena off a street in Guadalajara. As the agent walked from the U.S. consulate to meet his wife for lunch, they forced him at gunpoint into a car and drove him to a residence used for cartel rendezvous. They bound and blindfolded him, turned on a tape recorder and questioned him, during which he was severely beaten and tortured. The lead interrogator was the crooked head of the secret police in Guadalajara, Sergio Espino Verdin. The cartel men wanted to know what Camarena knew about them, their dealings with Mexican officials and the CIA's involvement in drug trafficking. The gangsters also brought in and beat up Zavala, Camarena's pilot. Both men died about two days later, angering Fonseco, who told Quintero not to kill Camarena. Camarena's wife reported him missing and Washington launched what would be the largest manhunt in the history of the DEA. The cartel had the two men's bodies buried, then dug up and relocated to a farm in another state, where Mexican police found them in early March. During his funeral a week later, Camarena's family interred his ashes in Calexico. His slaying triggered an international incident. U.S. officials ordered all cars from Mexico at the border searched, effectively closing it. The investigation revealed the CIA connection, leading to bitter clashes between CIA and DEA agents. A federal court in Los Angeles charged 22 defendants in the murders of Camarena and Zavala. Under pressure, Mexican authorities acted, arresting 13 men. Mexican courts convicted Fonseco, Quintero and Espino, and sentenced each to 40 years, although Quintero won early release on a technicality in 2013. U.S. officials are still seeking Quintero to face federal charges. Mexican police arrested Gallardo in 1989, and he received 40 years. A court in Los Angeles found Zuno Arce guilty in the murders in 1990, sentenced him to two life terms in prison, where he died in 2012. In Camarena's honor, in 1985 the National Family Partnership started the National Red Ribbon Campaign, a volunteer anti-drug use and education effort that urges youths to recite a pledge to refrain from drugs, and celebrates “Red Ribbon Week” on drug awareness each October. Camarena's is featured as a character, played by actor Michael Pena, in a chapter of the Netflix series Narcos: Mexico, about on his actions with the DEA. JAY DOBYNS Jay Dobyns went undercover with the Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle gang for 20 months in Arizona on behalf of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. His work led to 16 arrests. For Jay Dobyns, fitting in with the infamous biker gang the Hells Angels for almost two years meant adhering to his undercover alter ego, Jay “Bird” Davis, to the point of obsession. To maintain his cover, he had to divert his mind away from his wife and kids. And it all would be worth it – at least that's what he thought at the time. Dobyns had hit on his best clandestine ruse yet while in Arizona in 2001, after 15 years of service as an undercover special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. While working undercover cases in the late 1980s for the ATF, he'd been injured twice – from a gunshot wound to the back from a suspect in Tucson and when gunrunners hit him with a car during an attempted getaway in Chicago. He took part in investigations of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Other undercover roles of his ended in the arrests of a Mexican drug boss and members of the Aryan Brotherhood gang. Altogether, he served in more than 500 undercover operations disguised as a hitman and Mob debt collector. He infiltrated organized crime groups and gangs engaged in drug and arms smuggling. In 2001, to gather intelligence as “Davis” for the ATF in northern Arizona, Dobyns worked in the Bullhead City area, posing as a gun seller and an enforcer for a nonexistent collections agency. But his operation was interrupted in 2002 with the now-famous riot and shootout among members of the Angels and a competing biker gang, the Mongols, at the Harrah's casino in nearby Laughlin, Nevada, during the annual River Run motorcycle rally. Two Angels and one Mongol died and dozens of people were injured. The ATF brass soon redirected him to penetrate the dangerous Hells Angels club. Dobyns certainly had the physical part down with his beard and six-foot, one-inch frame he used as an all-conference football player for the University of Arizona. Later, an Angels member would apply tattoos covering his upper arms. Dobyns teamed with another ATF agent, two other undercover officers and a pair of paid informants. The idea was to create a fake biker gang with the aid of one of the informants who once served in a motorcycle gang based in Tijuana, Mexico. The gangster informant and Dobyns would run the gang, called the Solo Angeles, promote it as a pro-Hells Angels crew and request to join the Angels as a “nomad” chapter. The ATF named the setup “Operation Black Biscuit.” As a convincer, Dobyns and his fellow agent feigned an execution of a Mongol member, tying up an agent, placing cow's brains and bloody Mongol clothing on him and taking a photo. Based on the picture, the Angels took the bait and let them hang out and ride with them. They trusted him so much they offered to make him a member of the Angels' Skull Valley Chapter. He was the first law enforcement officer to infiltrate the Angels. His undercover penetration of the Angels lasted more than 20 months, one of the longest ever for the ATF. His work ended with 16 arrests from the Angels gang. But the criminal case, amid problems between the ATF and Justice Department lawyers, fell through in federal court. Federal prosecutors blamed the ATF, saying the agency did not reveal evidence from informants. In 2006, the feds dropped racketeering enterprise charges – the most serious — against all but four of 42 Angels charged in the Laughlin riot. Dobyns' battle with his own employer, the ATF, soon began. He filed suit in federal court against the agency alleging it did not protect him while he was on duty. He won a $373,000 settlement in 2007. The next year, Dobyns's wife and two kids barely escaped after someone firebombed the family home in Tucson. The ATF investigated Dobyns himself as a suspect in the arson. Investigators cleared him. In 2014, the year he retired after 27 years with the ATF, he filed another suit, for $17.2 million, saying the ATF failed to safeguard his family amid death threats. A judge awarded him $173,000. During an appeal, the judge voided the monetary judgment, but recommended discipline for ATF personnel and barred seven Justice Department attorneys from the case. He ordered a special master to investigate government actions in the case, and possible misconduct by the feds in the arson investigation. But the judge died of cancer. The special master in a report said that the first case was fair enough and required no further probe into the federal government. A new judge accepted the recommendation. Dobyns has authored two books, one on his undercover experiences, another on his travails with the ATF. These days, he delivers lectures on his life to audiences at universities and law enforcement associations nationwide. And now some of our infamous quick hitters:   Donald Duck decoy   Police in Fort Lee, New Jersey used a Donald Duck costume as a decoy to catch drivers who failed to yield to pedestrians. Drivers who didn't stop for the cartoon duck were ticketed. One woman, Karen Haigh, fought her $230 ticket.   "They told me that I was getting a ticket for not stopping for a duck," she told Eyewitness News. "But it scared me. I'm a woman. This huge duck scared me."  Coco the Clown   These old clips from the show COPS show a strange undercover police sting, and proves the adage that clowns are usually scary or just creepy. One cop dressed up as Coco the Clown, an outfit that kind of resembles John Wayne Gacy, to catch women working as sex workers. Spoiler: he pretty much sprays all of them with silly string and the whole thing is sad to watch. Amish woman   At least one cop from the Pulaski Township Police Department in Pennsylvania dressed up as an Amish woman in an attempt to catch a sexual predator. Sgt. Chad Adams of the Pulaski Township Police Department wandered the streets for two months in 2014 after police were tipped off that a predator was masturbating in front of children, according to the Associated Press. He posted on the department's Facebook page, “Hey friends, sometimes being a police officer means going undercover and doing what you have to do to catch the bad guy. Now that our investigation is complete I'll share with you this photo! Back in January we had an individual preying on Amish children walking home from school. The male individual was pulling up to the children and getting out of his car and masturbating in front of them. Although we did not apprehend the individual we believe he was caught in another county. I wanted to share with you that we will use all means available to try and protect our children. That includes dressing up as an Amish woman to attempt to apprehend a pervert! Thanks goes out to the Neshannock police and New Wilmington police in assistance with the investigation! Sincerely, Sergeant Chad Adams.”   Sadly, the sting didn't work, but police believe it is because the culprit moved into another county.   DVD Prize sting   Police in Phoenix, Arizona set up a sting to catch people with outstanding warrants, mostly DUIs, in 2002. The people were told they won a DVD player. People thought they were showing up to pick up their prize. Instead, they walked right into their own arrest. Watch as these suspects went from excited to shocked to sad. Panhandling trick   In 2015, undercover cops in California posed as panhandlers to ticket distracted drivers. They stood on the side of the road, posed as panhandlers and holding signs that identified them as police officers. The pieces of cardboard they were holding also stated that they were looking for seatbelt and cellphone violations. For those drivers who weren't paying attention