The War with the FBI | S3E5

In the final episode of Season 3, we go back to the beginning of what shaped Oscar Goodman, including the death of his late sister, whose death has impacted his life for decades. Despite his worldwide notoriety as a public figure and bon vivant, Goodman still finds some of his fondest memories tied to the place he calls home and the foundation for the mob: Las Vegas.

You’ve heard from former reporters, members of law enforcement, mob family members, and experts. Some have referred to Oscar Goodman as a hero and others question some of his recollections. Now, Goodman gets the chance to respond as he hears from our guests for the first time.

After rising to prominence defending some of the biggest names in organized crime and trying more than 300 criminal cases over his career, Oscar Goodman makes a big change — from mob attorney to mayor of Las Vegas. His wife, current Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman, also provides her take on being married to Goodman from the start of his career through the height of the mob era to today.

The public and private war between Oscar Goodman and the FBI heats up with the Phil Leonetti case. Goodman represented Leonetti in Philadelphia and received backlash for going back to his hometown to represent him. Former special attorney Stan Hunterton breaks down why witnesses in high-profile cases might change their tune in court in favor of the prosecution. Goodman discusses his courtroom strategy, which led to a high-profile public dispute between the mob defense attorney and the FBI.

In Oscar Goodman’s words, “flippers are rats – and I wouldn’t represent rats.” He highlights several past and more recent cases where he feels this scenario occurred. Goodman’s disdain for flipping witnesses to obtain convictions extends back to another well-known name and mob associate: Frank Cullotta. Hear how Cullotta’s turn as a government witness led to a contentious relationship with Goodman.

Oscar Goodman’s long list of clients includes names like Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal and Meyer Lansky. The third episode focuses on Oscar Goodman’s relationships in and out of the courtroom with the crime associates.  Goodman talks about the depiction of these men in the movie Casino and addresses some of the things the movie got wrong, including the portrayal of Rosenthal’s wife and his infamous silk pajamas.

Special Attorney Stan Hunterton starts by rolling back time through his description of what Las Vegas was during the mob era of the 70s. This will set the scene for helping the audience understand the mob’s presence in the community at a time that was very glamorous for our town. We will flash forward to today where Oscar talks about his homage to Spilotro in his downtown restaurant. This has been met with some controversy from outsiders but Oscar fiercely maintains there is nothing controversial about it and it instead represents history. Part of that history was a telephone soliciting in 1981 in which 67 federal agents snuck into Nellis Airforce for a raid in which LAPD officer Mike Powell was the only undercover operative. Mike will recap that case and describe his encounter with Spilotro. We will then hear from Oscar about the 1986 case and how he got involved in defending Spilotro. We will dive deeper into Spilotro’s death and find out what Oscar thinks happened in the days between Spilotro going missing and then his body being found.  

In the premiere episode, Oscar Goodman sets the stage for what has been described as the crime of the century. Oscar talks about how he landed in the middle of the Jimmy Chagra case in which Chagra allegedly paid Charles Harrelson $250K to murder Judge John Wood outside his home. This case put Oscar under the microscope and in turn, the spotlight on Las Vegas.   The feds indicted Jimmy Chagra, Charles Harrelson, Joe Chagra, Liz Chagra, and Jo Ann Harrelson in the judge’s murder. In a plea agreement, Joe Chagra got a 10-year sentence. Charles and Jo Ann Harrelson and Liz Chagra were convicted at trial. Liz got a 30-year sentence. Jo Ann got a 25-year sentence. Charles got double life sentences but due to an error in the renderings of the murder scene, Oscar was able to render witness testimony as not credible. Chagra was the only one who received a not guilty verdict to the murder charge and walked on that case but received an additional 10 year sentence in a drug case - a much lesser crime. With audio from The Mob Museum’s Courtroom Conversations: The Life and Crimes of Jimmy Chagra, we will help tell this story as the made-for-movie moment it was in the courtroom.   We will highlight the tie that actor Woody Harrelson has to the case through audio clips in the process of being cleared. We also hear from Jimmy Chagra’s daughter, Catherine who reveals a never before heard excerpt from her mother’s diary during the trial. Author, Jack Sheehan speaks on the prominence of the case and how Jimmy Chagra felt about Oscar Goodman and the time the two men reunited. We will explore how this case and the national attention primed Oscar to be known as the ultimate Mob lawyer and set up his successes in Las Vegas with another well-known name: Tony Spilotro.  

In November, a sixth set of human remains was found in Lake Mead and a Texas woman got confirmation that the 5th body found this year belonged to her father, who drowned in the lake 20 years ago. These discoveries come in the wake of water levels reaching their lowest point since the reservoir was being filled in 1937. Officials have yet to identify the victims, but that isn’t stopping Las Vegas from buzzing with speculation, curiosity… and tactless billboards. Given our infamous history with organized crime, it’s no surprise that people have been bursting with theories about their connection to the mob. Today, we’re bringing you a conversation that co-host Vogue Robinson had with Geoff Schumacher, Vice President of Exhibits and Programs for The Mob Museum, in August 2022. They discuss why most of these theories relate to the mob, why they may or may not be true, and what Las Vegans aren’t thinking about as we romanticize the mob’s involvement. Do you have a wild Lake Mead story? Call or text us at 702-514-0719 or find us on Twitter @CityCastVegas. Make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter for updates on all things Vegas at lasvegas.citycast.fm/newsletter! Website: https://lasvegas.citycast.fm Podlink: pod.link/citycastlasvegas

Longtime gaming executive and consultant Ed Nigro was in the middle of the battle between Wayne Newton and Johnny Carson to buy the Aladdin Hotel after the mob was kicked out.    Nigro was appointed to manage the Aladdin until it could be sold to reputable buyers, and then partnered with Carson in his bid to take over the Aladdin.     In this season-ending forum at The Mob Museum, Nigro joins Season 2 host Jeff German and former Gov. Robert List in a discussion about the Aladdin’s troubles under the control of the mob and how the state and the courts dealt with it.   Nigro also provides a revealing look behind the scenes of the high-stakes battle between Carson and Newton.