A MARTÍNEZ, BYLINE: Last year, I got to speak with Louis Ferrante for the first time. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST) LOUIS FERRANTE: I was a criminal from when I was 13. I led a hijack and ...

"Borgata, Rise of Empire: A History of the American Mafia" by Louis Ferrante, Pegasus Books, 400 pages A Louisianan might be attracted initially to Louis Ferrante’s ambitious underworld chronicle ...

Preface -- Of Rustic Knights and Godfathers: The Origin of the Mafia -- From Corleone to Hollywood -- The Far West is Here -- The Godfather -- Prime Time -- Avatars What makes Tony Soprano so likeable ...

Organized crime does its business in spite of law enforcement's efforts to curb those dirty deeds. But what if rogue cops were paid off to help criminals with their exploits? Or even kill for them?

LOUIS FERRANTE: I was a criminal from when I was 13. I led a hijack and heist crew of armed robbers within the Gambino crime family. The FBI hunted me. To their credit, they got me. I never informed, ...