Palm Springs Becomes A Gangsters' Playground

1978

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As organized crime experts piece together the web-like structure of the national syndicate, it becomes apparent that mobsters are strategizing in Palm Springs.

Part-time Palm Springs resident Joe Fusco — the one-time head of Al Capone's Prohibition-era beer-manufacturing operation — is seen hosting a meeting with Chicago mobsters Accardo, Rocky Fischetti and Jake Guzik, New York boss Frank Costello, Genovese family associate Phil Kastel and criminal attorney Abe Pritzker.

Mobsters, wildly rumoured to have connections to Hollywood, also found Palm Springs to be the perfect place to hide. The Two Bunch Palms resort, which has always been a famous spa, is said to have been purchased in the 1920s by Al Capone and was used as his west coast hideout. Capone built tunnels, fortresses and even a runway. If you stay in the Al Capone suite, you'll see the only evidence that remains - a bullet hole, lodged in a mirror.

The location was nicknamed 'Miracle Hill' as mineral water is heated by two tectonic plates. Journal entries dating back to 1840 tell people to "look for the two palms to find rest and water". It was turned into a 'desert spa' in 1940 and remains one today.

Haha greetings from Palm Springs

Our favorite place to unwind during wintertime in SoCal. It's especially great if you love golfing, the outdoors and anything connected to health and wellness. Brutal summers, but ain't no low life gangsters here anymore bro

Theres still a little action down in San Diego even today correct? That would make a good thread.

Italian OC? That would surprise me, but there's still some fringe players around and old time associates. By the way, LA is actually closer to Palm Springs than SD

Which means that probably there has to be a little bookmaking going on down there tied to OC.

Probably on a small scale. Jimmy Caci used to live down here. I have heard that there are some remnants of his crew still around, but it would surprise me if they had anything significant going on. The area was indeed a gangster's paradise at one point. Lansky owned a bunch of property down here

Beautiful place that is for sure. I love California as a state, so many great different things to do. Catalina Island is a favorite of mine.

Oh, man! We love sailing, and Catalina Island is one of our favorite places to sail to! Yes, Cali is certainly great in many ways. It doesn't have an ideal government, but the climate and landscape are what are most precious to us

Tony Prenesti, owner of Tony's Pasta Mia in Palm Springs with the late James Gandolfini at a private party in Las Vegas.

Best Italian joint here is Johnny Costa's. Old Italian style. Sinatra used to frequent it. Speaking of Johnny Costa's, they make the best meatball pasta you could ever have lol

Machine politics there have been notorious since the early days.
Pat Marcy was also a resident I believe.