Mafia Don: Donald Trump's 40 Years Of Mob Ties

‘MAFIA’ DON:

Donald Trump’s 40 years of mob ties

By H. B. Glushakow

APRIL 24, 2016

Copyright © 2016 by H.B. Glushakow. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Readers are free to use passages, sections or diagrams of this book for educational purposes only in assisting and informing politicians, voters, and the public at large in the run up to the 2016 presidential election. In all such uses ‘MAFIA’ DON: Donald Trump’s 40 years of mob ties must be cited as source.

Check for current news at: www.trumptrophy.com

Smashwords Edition

This book is dedicated to all AWC members wherever they may be. It’s a family.

Foreword

Originally this book was conceived as neither a hatchet job on Donald J. Trump nor, as family and friends have sometimes accused, an endorsement. This book takes an approach to Mr. Trump that transcends issues of party or political viewpoint and focuses on a dozen important things he’s neglected to include on his résumé including 40 years of continuous Trump connections to organized crime.

Trump has touted the strength and independence he would bring to the Presidency, but you’ll find in this book how time and time again he caved in to demands of common criminals.

Back on a chilly day in early autumn 2015 I joined a TV audience of tens of millions of bored Americans to watch one of the early presidential debates. Seventeen Republican hopefuls monotonously facing off against each other were stretching the concept of same old, same old to epic dimensions. I was only watching to get a glimpse of Donald Trump despite the fact that at that time everybody knew he had no possible chance of winning out. Trump’s maximum 20% electability ceiling had placed long odds in favor of one or another of the senators or governors in the race. Up to that moment I’d not taken more than an indifferent attitude towards the election. But then Mr. Trump appeared on the screen and he was captivating. I mean really captivating. He had taken ownership of the Republican Party without asking permission; and nobody had seemed to notice. I turned to my wife and told her that this guy was absolutely going to wipe the floor with the other Republicans sharing that stage; and that he was just as likely to flatten Hillary Clinton in the general election.

Jump ahead two weeks: a quick survey of European, Latin American and Asian friends disclosed them to be somewhere between bemusement and disbelief on the subject of Donald J. Trump but all in full accord that he had no chance of becoming president. Independent and Republican friends wondered if he might not be good for the country, but spent little time worrying about it because of the certainty that he had not one chance in a hundred of besting his establishment rivals. Democratic friends and family were generally aghast at the mere thought of Mr. Trump and were already on the warpath yet were unanimous in their cavalier assertions that Mr. Trump would be the safest and best possible opponent for Sec’y Clinton in the general election because he had no chance whatsoever of getting any closer to the White House than a Manhattan mile. The only voices of caution to be heard were those of Bill Clinton, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, but at that point they were being largely ignored. I just shook my head. Why wasn’t it more obvious?

At that point I knew nothing more about Mr. Trump than I’d read in the papers; maybe he could indeed be a great president. Lord knows that we as a country were facing daunting enough challenges that our politicians had proven unwilling or unable to fix. I had no intention or interest to get any further involved; I was busy, in the middle of a project that was claiming all my time. But suddenly the skies erupted, lightning flashed and I found myself trapped. Just as he’d grabbed the attention of the entire American public and garnered over a billion dollars in free advertising from the media, Mr. Trump had also captured my attention. With that realization I laughed, put aside my other work and decided to devote some energy to gain a better understanding of him.

Initially I had 4 points of focus. 1) What was the cause of his popularity and why was everyone not taking what seemed to me his inexorable path to the presidency more seriously? Conventional wisdom blamed it on a general dissatisfaction running through the electorate, but that seemed to me more a commentary than a cause. It needed a simpler and more basic explanation. 2) Mr. Trump’s assertions that he was self-funding his campaign to demonstrate freedom from ties to vested interests seemed great if true, but a little too incredible to be believed. It was in need of checking. 3) Mr. Trump was very politely (almost delicately) criticized by one of his Republican rivals for interacting with 1 or 2 members of organized crime while involved in New York’s construction industry in the 60s and 70s. Strangely (to me) Mr. Trump vociferously, bombastically and categorically denied any such ties. I sat up straighter in my seat. I had also been involved in New York’s construction industry in the late 60’s and there was no way a tin shack, much less a Trump Tower, could have possibly been erected in Manhattan without navigating through and dealing with a cesspool of organized crime and a maze of mob-connected politicians and unions. It was just a fact of life. My first thought was that it was to Trump’s credit that he had been able to complete major projects in such an environment. But Trump’s insistent denial of the existence of mob ties set off alarm bells in my ears. What was he hiding back there? 4) The last point seemed trivial but caught my attention. Trump claims to be a self-made billionaire, but one of his rival Republicans challenged him with the claim that he started his career with a $200 million handout from his father, which would have made him hardly self-made. I thought, so what? But then Mr. Trump vehemently denied it, insisting he only received $1 million from his father, which he personally parlayed into many billions of dollars. It seemed to me he protested a little too loudly. The truth of the matter seemed like an easy enough thing to establish.

My search started with a few gentle tugs on the above four strings. But gentle tugs soon proved inadequate and transitioned into more serious digging. A few hours of Google searches in the effort to decide whom to vote for evolved into over 8 months of adventure and discovery that led into the seamy world of mob hit men, extortion, assassinations, political influence-buying, cocaine smugglers and the tawdry scenes of Atlantic City casinos, prostitution, and illegal drugs. This book was written to share these findings.

Mr. Trump’s mob ties should not come as any surprise. Several fine writers had earlier taken it upon themselves to write about Mr. Trump. The half-dozen or so major Trump works noted in the bibliography were all written in the 80’s and 90’s and so have been available to the public for decades. None of those writers missed the existence of mob ties, and it should be noted that Mr. Trump hasn’t usually appreciated the efforts made to report on his life or activities. In fact he has warned off and/or threatened to sue many of these writers (some of them more than once.) Those threats were only once followed up with action, Trump’s five billion dollar lawsuit against O’Brien, which Trump lost.

We are not talking about a few brushes with one or two criminals in the normal course of business. We are talking about decades of continuous social and business connections all the way up to 2016 including some of his most senior advisors. No presidential candidate in the history of the United States had such widespread and continuous connections to the Mob.

This book sheds the light of day on the four topics mentioned above, plus more things that were revealed in my investigations. Moreover it warns Mr. Trump, his followers and his detractors alike of a sinister vulnerability. Two of the most vicious mafia dons in history, known to be responsible for scores of murders between them, sit in prison with intimate knowledge of Trump’s activities and connections from both his New York construction and Atlantic City casino days—connections which Trump has allegedly denied in official investigations (including under oath) and apparently continues to deny to this day. These particular prisoners are undoubtedly sitting in their cells right now, rubbing their hands in anticipation, mindful that a Trump presidency would be their only chance for a get out of jail free card. And they are far from the only persons from Trump’s past who might come calling at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW for their pound of flesh. Long before he was trash-talking Mexicans, veterans, and fellow Republicans Mr. Trump was sticking up for and publicly defending his buddies in the mob.

Despite the above, and notwithstanding Mr. Trump’s quasi racist and nationalistic approaches to many issues, Mr. Trump displays more star power than any of his competitors as shown by how easily he dispensed with the large and formidable field of Republican rivals facing him. It should be pointed out that this achievement is more an indication of how well he can get rid of people rather than how well he might govern the country. But still, it can be regarded as a type of potential. The question for voters is whether this potential is enough to compensate for the vulnerabilities he’s created for himself and the nation through his unacknowledged ties to criminal elements. After all, when we talk of presidents, we must consider the matter of national security.

I have ignored material that seemed based on lies or opinions rather than fact. Similarly I paid no mind to data where contrary facts existed that I could not unravel. This is the first time that all of the Trump-mafia-dots have been connected in such direct and comprehensive fashion, and the first time Mr. Trump’s mafia connections have been traced all the way up to 2016.

Mr. Trump has always attempted to deflect accusations of mob connections by boasting of the licenses he was granted by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission (CCC) in order for him to run casinos in Atlantic City. This book, for the first time, reveals the extent of criminal influence within CCC itself, thus denying any legitimacy to Mr. Trump’s proof of untaintedness.

Do these ties to corrupt politicians and organized crime disqualify him from holding the office of president? Not necessarily. Later on in the book is suggested a strategy that could vaccinate him against potential blackmail and coercion from criminal elements. But as Mr. Trump has shown no appetite for such medicine, these ties may be the one strategy the Clinton campaign could effectively use to stop Trump in his tracks.

One thing is for sure. The Justice Department should be showing some interest.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Foreword

Introduction

Trump Trophies

Outsider Or Trumpsider: The Clinton Example

1. The Trump Star: Hot, Bright & Indomitable

2. Special Interest Groups

The Criminal Mind

3. Trump and His Connections

The Case of the Undocumented Immigrant Workers

Background to Trump’s Alleged Mafia Ties

Casino Cartel: Its Not So Glorious Past

Casinos: Gambling, Prostitution, Alcohol and Drugs

4. Trump-Terrific People

The Company He Keeps

We’re Going to Have Terrific People, the Best People.

Wounded Warrior Event

Anonymous Mystery Man

J. J. Cafaro

Carl Icahn

Phil Ruffin

Isaac Perlmutter

Sheldon Adelson

Roy Cohn

Roger Stone

John Staluppi

Joseph Weichselbaum

Salvatore Testa

Mayor Michael Matthews

George Ross

Goldman and Dilorenzo

Dreyer and Traub

Don King

John Cody

Fat Tony Salerno

Nicky Scarfo

Vito Pitta

Kenny Shapiro

Danny Sullivan

Felix Sater

Sammy The Bull Gravano

Robert Libutti

Magnifica Porta

Integrity Trumps All: What Mr. Trump Could Do About It

5. Proof That Mr. Trump Is Not Mobbed Up

The New Jersey Casino Control Commission

Dennis Gomes

Gov. Thomas Kean

CCC’s Confusion Between ‘Oversee’ and ‘Overlook’

Why the Australians Rejected A Trump Casino Bid

CCC & Colombian Drug Cartel

6. Atlantic City Casinos

Sin City

Zero Tolerance towards Prostitution

The Real Impact Casinos Have On Their Local Economies

Mob Connections to Trump Casinos

What Trump Casinos Gave to Atlantic City

Insider Reveals Redeeming Qualities of Casinos

Trump Casinos and Drugs

7. Trumpisms

Deal Making the Trump Way

Winning in Central Park: The Wollman Skating Rink

Trump’s All-Time Best Deal: Harrah’s

How Mr. Trump Beat the NFL

Trump Genes

I Only Got One Million Dollars From My Father.

8. Trump Debt-Handling Model: Bankruptcy

#1 –1991-The Trump Taj Mahal

#2 – 1992-Plaza Hotel Bankruptcy

#3 – 2004-Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, Inc.

#4 – 2008-Trump Entertainment Resorts

#5 – 2014-Trump Entertainment Resorts

Who Were the Real Losers?

No Shame, No Regret, I Do What I Do Just to Pare A Little Debt

9. Trump School of Scandal

The 600-Pound Ape with the Dunce Cap Sitting In the Corner

10. Trump: Mexico is not our friend.

American Trade with Mexico

Do Walls Work?

Mr. Trump’s Mexican Wall

Will A Mexican Wall Ease America’s Drug Problem?

Latinos for Trump

11. China and the Currency Manipulation

12. Trump Wins #6 Spot on Economist Global List

13. The Man on TV Who Fires People

14. How Much Is Trump Worth?

There Is More to Trump Than Greed

Who Or What He Is

15. Making America Great Again—What Does That Even Mean?

16. A Personal Appeal to Mr. Trump

A Word to Foreign Leaders

A Word to Fellow Americans

Acknowledgments

Bibliography

Introduction

Trump Trophies

We all know Donald J. Trump as the self-made 70-year old billionaire with the beautiful young wife, the real estate mogul whose name adorns so many prestigious properties, the Atlantic City casino king, reality TV Show Host, owner of golf courses, and now self-funding presidential candidate.

If that description were complete, Trump would be unassailably captivating. But they are not complete. Depending on your point of view, the picture he has painted of himself is cleverly, unfortunately or catastrophically incomplete.

Donald J. Trump likes trophies. His office is full of them including scores of framed magazine covers where his photos have been featured. A trophy is something one collects to enhance prestige or social status and is usually used attributively—such as a trophy wife. Note the following:

Mr. Trump is now working on his third trophy wife.

Refusing to accept sound business advice, he went deeply into debt to acquire five trophy casinos in Atlantic City, two of which he sold and all of which he ultimately lost, driving him to the brink of bankruptcy.

New York’s grandest hotel, The Plaza, was another trophy, which he grabbed for $407 million (even he agreed it was far too high a price), and on which he took a substantial loss when forced to sell.

He established a trophy Trump University making promises that he failed to keep and ending up being sued by thousands of disgruntled students and the District Attorney of the State of New York.

He bought his trophy New Jersey Generals Football Club, which after one good year disappeared forever.

He bought a $32 million dollar trophy yacht from an arms dealer who’d fallen on hard times replete with 11 guest suites, gold-plated door knobs, two waterfalls, a sun deck surrounded by bullet-proof glass, and sleeping quarters for a staff of 52. As phenomenal as it was, Trump never got to spend a night there before being forced to sell it as part of one of his bankruptcy settlements.

He bought his trophy airline in 1989 for $365 million of borrowed money. Trump Shuttle never made a profit and he defaulted on the loan payments just one year later and was forced to give the airline back to the banks.

Perhaps the trophiest of all was his purchase of the Miss Universe contest, an annual beauty pageant held in more than 190 countries and watched by more than 500 million people every year on NBC Television. Trump was forced to sell it in 2015 when NBC abruptly ended its business relationship with Trump and refused to air the pageant as a result of disparaging statements Trump made about illegal Mexican immigrants.

On the flip side of that, before he became enmeshed in the seedy world of casinos Trump was a developer. He really developed things.

You can’t travel far around Manhattan without running into one of these magnificent Trump Trophies:

Riverside South (a Trump brainstorm from the 1970s on Manhattan’s west side)

Trump International Hotel at Columbus Circle

The Wollman Skating Ring in Central Park (which he completed for the cost of labor and materials after the city had closed it down for years)

His restoration of the landmark building at 40 Wall Street

Trump Plaza on E. 61st Street

The Trump World Tower at United Nations Plaza

The Grand Hyatt (Trump’s first project, next to Grand Central Station on 42nd Street)

Trump Tower (his signature headquarters on Fifth Avenue and 56th Street)

Forget about whether he actually owns the properties on this list or not. Trump’s career is marked by these great successes, even if later overshadowed by his repeated failures and bankruptcies. The above-listed projects were all fabulous developments and made a terrific contribution to the resurgence of New York.

And though he is often characterized as being an unrepentant hater of women, blacks, Hispanics, Muslims, and just about anyone who disagrees with him, those who know him well say that heartless, he’s not.

But?

He’s now making a grab for the White House, the greatest trophy yet. This is a