Ghost by Michael R. McGowan

Author:Michael R. McGowan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

11

THE ITALIAN MOB—CASE #1

In early January 1999, two weeks after wrapping up the Russian case, I met with six-foot, 350-pound Mob informant Big Ron Previte. A self-proclaimed “general practitioner of crime,” he was a character straight out of The Sopranos before there was The Sopranos—Big Pussy only tougher, funnier, and smarter.

A West Philadelphia native, Previte had a long and colorful criminal history. Among other things, he had admitted to selling government-issued gear out of a supply depot while serving in the Air Force, extorting bribe money from criminals as a Philadelphia police officer, stealing from the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City as a security guard, and making money by swapping horse urine while working for the New Jersey Racing Commission. Since 1997 and while a “made man” in the Philadelphia LCN Mob, he’d worked as a paid informant for the FBI. His current Mob Boss was “Skinny Joey” Merlino—an ambitious young gangster who was trying to expand his crime empire into New England.

Funny thing happened. I liked Previte as soon as I met him. He made no bones about his life of crime, and was fearless, despite the fact that he’d been wearing a wire for years. When asked if he worried about getting whacked by the Mob, he answered, “Why think about dying? You’re alive. Enjoy the day. In fact, a bullet to the head is very quick.”

Previte liked that I wasn’t an Ivy League type, and had been a knock-around kid myself. In terms of working together, neither one of us had a problem with the other. He knew his role, and I understood mine.

The investigative plan was straightforward—the Boston office would focus on Luisi and his Boston crew, and the Philadelphia office would continue to investigate Merlino and his cronies in Philadelphia as they had for the past couple of years. If the Boston investigation provided more evidence for Philadelphia, so much the better.

Unlike in the Russian UCO, I spent hours and hours with Previte beforehand, working out our past history. We sat in hotel rooms, restaurants, and barrooms talking and prepping, with him tutoring me in all things LCN. Soon it was if we had known each other for years.

In a book written after the case by crime reporter George Anastasia entitled The Last Gangster, Previte said, referring to me: “This guy knew what he was doing … he and I worked perfect together … it was like we didn’t have to talk about anything … we just played off one another … he was smooth … he understood.…”

I was going to be “Irish Mike,” a guy in the Irish export-import business with an office near Logan Airport who “colored outside the lines.” In other words, I had no qualms about selling things “that fell off a truck” (stolen property). To add a touch of authenticity to the offices of my company, Irish International, I purchased hundreds of leprechauns and other Irish-themed trinkets and scattered them everywhere. More importantly, the office was wired for audio and sound.

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