Library marks ‘Mob Month’

If there's anyone who knows about making dramatic changes in life, it's Salvatore "Ubatz" Polisi.

"I went from being a racketeer to being a raconteur," Polisi said in a recent interview. "The one thing I want everybody to know is that change is absolutely possible."

Polisi will make his case in person Jan. 24 as part of "Mob Month" activities at the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District.

Every Tuesday in January will bring a new program to Clark County Library.

"If Las Vegas doesn't embrace its mob history," says Julie Okabayashi, scheduling specialist for Clark County Library, "it certainly accepts it. There's great interest in that part of the city's heritage."

The library district's program will precede the opening Feb. 14 of the Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas . While they represent separate organizations, they both reflect the interest in that part of Las Vegas history.

Polisi worked in organized crime as an associate of John Gotti in New York from 1971 to 1986. He entered the federal witness protection program, testifying at some high-profile mob trials. He left federal protection to study screenwriting and to tell his story.

He has written a movie and a play, "Sinatra Club," based on his life. A book of the same title will be published in July.

Polisi will appear at the library with "Goodfella" Henry Hill for a documentary screening of "Ubatz," about Polisi's life in and out of the mob. After the screening, there will be a panel discussion with Polisi, Hill, the film's director David Murphy, and moderator Michael Green of the College of Southern Nevada.

While any change in Polisi's life was (and is) up to him, for one woman, life was shaped -- at least in the minds of other people -- even before she was born. That woman is Deirdre Marie Capone. Her grandfather's brother was Al Capone. She will appear in the Jan. 3 program about women and the mob.

Capone's family relationship made growing up in Chicago difficult. "I always knew there was something about the family, even as a little girl. If Al was there, there'd be bodyguards there. I knew that was different."

Al Capone died on her seventh birthday, Jan. 25, 1947, giving her a special connection to him. Having the family name cost her birthday party invitations as a child and a job when she was 18.

Deirdre Capone has spent her adult life endeavoring, through her book "Uncle Al Capone: The Untold Story From Inside His Family," to change the negative perception of her family name.

"No one knows what he was like," she says. "His eyes were blue. No one else can hear the sound of his voice that I can hear in my head. Everyone who knew him loved him."

Participants in the weekly library district panels have been interviewed in print, on TV and on radio. Many of them have written books and traveled to promote them. They are ready to talk about their lives and experiences -- eager to do so.

Each panel discussion will begin at 7 p.m. Here's a summary of the lineup.

Jan. 3: "Ladies First: The REAL Mob Wives of Las Vegas." Deirdre Marie Capone will join Wendy Mazaros and her daughter Amy Hanley. Mazaros' book "Vegas Rag Doll," tells the story of her marriage to hitman Tom Hanley. Hill's wife, Lisa Caserta, also will participate, as will Dani Porter Lansky, married to Meyer Lansky II, grandson of the mobster. The panel will be moderated by investigative reporter George Knapp.

Jan. 10: "How the FBI, Nevada Gaming Control, and the IRS Took Down the Mob." A panel involved in law enforcement and the Internal Revenue Service will talk about how mobsters worked in Las Vegas, the creation of the Black Book -- also known as the "unsocial register" because it named people not allowed into the casino business in Nevada -- and mafia roundups. Former Nevada Gaming Control Board agent and "Master Cheat" author Jack Miller will be the moderator.

Panelists will be Larry Halper, former special agent for the IRS Criminal Investigations Unit; Dennis Arnoldy, a private investigator formerly with the FBI when he was the case agent on the Tony Spilotro investigation in Las Vegas; and attorney Jeffrey A. Silver, a gaming law specialist and a member of the board of the organization overseeing operations and development of the Las Vegas Mob Museum.

Jan. 17: "Son Of a Gun: How to Diss Your Hitman Dad and Keep Friends -- The Untold Story of Billy Cutolo Jr. and Andrew DiDonato." The childhood friends will talk about growing up in different mob families. Cutolo's father was mobster "Wild" Bill Cutolo, while former mobster Andrew DiDonato now works with the FBI. They will talk about their lives in a panel moderated by author Dennis Griffin.

Jan. 24: " 'Ubatz' Documentary Screening with Salvatore "Ubatz" Polisi and "Goodfella" Henry Hill." In the mob, Polisi was known as "Ubatz," Italian for "crazy." The documentary film about him will have its first Las Vegas screening at this panel. The panel will include Polisi, Hill and director David Murphy, moderated by local historian Michael Green.

Jan. 31: "From Medellin to the Mob: Meet Ronin of the Underworld Kenny "Kenji" Gallo." Born to Japanese- and Italian-American parents in California, Kenny "Kenji" Gallo dealt cocaine for South American drug kingpin Pablo Escobar and also directed and produced porn movies. Gallo ultimately switched sides and became an undercover FBI operative. He wrote the 2009 book, "Breakshot: A Life in the 21st Century American Mafia."

Joining Gallo on the panel will be his ex-wife, adult film actress Tabitha Stevens and Ramon, a former associate who became a lawyer. The panel moderator is renowned national television crime commentator/author/private investigator Vito Colucci.

All seating at the panels is on a first-come, first-served basis. Entry wristbands will be distributed starting at 6 p.m. at the Clark County Library theater box office, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. There will be book signings after each panel.

For further details, call 507-3458.