"The Brotherhoods," by Guy Lawson and William Oldham

This fairly new book is nominally about Steven Caracappa and Louis Eppolito, the two NYC detectives who were recently convicted of giving secret info and doing hits for Anthony (Gaspipe) Casso, the Luchese underboss who turned rat. I say "nominally" because it's mostly about the Mob. There lies the book's weakness and strength. On the one hand, it's almost obsessively detailed--tedious at times. No nuance of Mob life, or of someone's background, escapes author Lawson, an investigative journalist, or misses comment from Oldham, a former NYC detective turned Federal investigator who ultimately nailed the two cops. On the other hand, if you can bear with the details, you get some fascinating, in-depth stories about Mob guys and their activities, especially Casso, Little Vic Amuso and a bunch of others whose names are familiar.

Caracappa rose to become Detective First Class and head of the NYPD's organized crime unit. Eppolito, a former bodybuilder gone to fat (he was seen briefly as "Fat Andy," one of the guys Henry Hill introduced near the beginning of "Goodfellas"), was his partner. Caracappa, slim and silent, was the diametric opposite of Eppolito, whose bragging extended to writing a book, "Mafia Cop," about his family's Mob connections. Both of them literally got away with murder during the NYPD's most corrupt periods. Despite being investigated numerous times, they were never indicted or even suspended, and got more than $350k from the Mob before retiring to Vegas.

But by far the most fascinating character in the book is Burton (Downtown Burt) Kaplan, a crooked businessman and fixer who was the intermediary twixt Casso and the cops. Kaplan, a multitalented entrepreneur (jewelry, clothing, refrigeration) could have been and sometimes was a successful legitimate businessman. But he was also a degenerate gambler and serial, can't-stay-away-from-it criminal: pot, stolen securities, anything to make a quick, illegitimate buck. Despite innumerable arrests and even more numerous breaks from the law, he couldn't stay away from the criminal life. His antics eventually led him to ask for help from Christy Tick Furnari, a high-up Luchese, and to his eventual assignment to Casso. Together, they made zillions. Ironically, Casso turned rat, but his pathological lying and bad behavior in prison led the Feds to void their deal with him. Kaplan never ratted.

This is a good read if you're dedicated to Mob stuff and can stay with it.


Ntra la porta tua lu sangu � sparsu,
E nun me mporta si ce muoru accisu...
E s'iddu muoru e vaju mparadisu
Si nun ce truovo a ttia, mancu ce trasu.