The Mob Museum

The Mob Museum World-class nonprofit museum exploring the power struggle between organized crime and law enforcement. Located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada.
(9750)

The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement, is a world-class destination in downtown Las Vegas. Housed in the very first U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in Las Vegas, the building was restored and re-purposed to bring you the thrilling story of organized crime and law enforcement. The Mob Museum presents an exciting, detailed view of the Mob’s impact across America, i

n Las Vegas and other parts of the world. It also showcases the heroic achievements of law enforcement to bring down the Mob. With tales so intriguing they need no embellishment, the Museum reveals an insider’s look at the events and people on both sides of this continuing battle. True stories of Mob history are brought to life in a bold, contemporary style through engaging exhibits and multi-sensory experiences. The Mob Museum puts the visitor in the middle of the action through high-tech theater presentations, authentic, one-of-a-kind artifacts and interactive exhibits.

Chicago mobster and Al Capone associate Louis Campagna died in 1955.The 54-year-old mobster was on a fishing trip off ...
05/31/2026

Chicago mobster and Al Capone associate Louis Campagna died in 1955.

The 54-year-old mobster was on a fishing trip off the Florida coast aboard a yacht owned by his attorney when tragedy struck. Moments after reeling in a 30-pound grouper, Campagna collapsed. He was flown by air ambulance to a Miami hospital, where he was pronounced dead from a heart attack.

According to a Miami News-Record article reporting on his death, Campagna was "one of Capone's original bodyguards" and earned the nickname "Little New York" from the infamous Chicago Mob boss.

Campagna's criminal career stretched back decades. In 1919, he was sentenced to prison for bank robbery. More than 20 years later, he and Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti were indicted on charges of conspiring to maintain gang control over the Bartenders Union, though those charges were dismissed in 1941.

Campagna was later convicted in a sweeping extortion case involving the movie industry and motion picture executives and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. However, he served only about one-third of his sentence before being granted parole.

Did Al Capone really have hidden treasure? On April 21, 1986, television reporter Geraldo Rivera attempted to answer tha...
05/30/2026

Did Al Capone really have hidden treasure?

On April 21, 1986, television reporter Geraldo Rivera attempted to answer that question during a live broadcast watched by an estimated 30 million viewers.

The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults aired from Chicago’s historic Lexington Hotel, where Capone maintained a heavily guarded suite during Prohibition. Beneath the hotel sat a concrete-enclosed space believed to contain the gangster’s hidden fortune.

What did Rivera find? Read the full story on The Mob Museum's blog.
https://themobmuseum.org/blog/geraldo-rivera-uncovered-the-mystery-of-al-capones-vaults-on-live-television-40-years-ago/

On May 26, 1999, Colombo family underboss William “Wild Bill” Cutolo vanished while allegedly on his way to meet Alphons...
05/30/2026

On May 26, 1999, Colombo family underboss William “Wild Bill” Cutolo vanished while allegedly on his way to meet Alphonse “Allie Boy” Persico, then-boss of the Colombo crime family and son of imprisoned Mob boss Carmine “The Snake” Persico, according to The New York Times.

Nearly a decade later, Persico and John “Jackie” DeRoss were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for Cutolo’s murder. During the 2007 trial, federal prosecutors argued that Cutolo was killed because Persico believed he was preparing to seize control of the Colombo family. As the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated, “the evidence established that Persico and DeRoss ordered that Cutolo be murdered because they believed he was about to take control of the Colombo family from Persico.”

Cutolo had long been tied to labor racketeering, loansharking, extortion rackets, and the violent Colombo Family War. Though charged with murder and racketeering in the early 1990s, he was acquitted in federal court in 1994. Outside organized crime, newspaper reports also described him as a charitable figure who would even dress up as Santa Claus for annual Christmas parties benefiting the National Leukemia Research Association.

Jerry Catena was one of the most influential Mafia bosses of the 20th century, but he was far from a household name.As t...
05/28/2026

Jerry Catena was one of the most influential Mafia bosses of the 20th century, but he was far from a household name.

As the Genovese crime family’s New Jersey boss, he infiltrated unions and gambling companies, and his empire stretched to the Caribbean and Las Vegas. He amassed enormous illicit wealth while barely registering on law enforcement’s radar.

Join organized crime historian Scott Deitche for a fascinating look at the man known as “the Invisible Boss.” Discover who Jerry Catena was, how he operated in the shadows for decades, and the lasting impact he had on organized crime in America.

Don’t miss this upcoming program at The Mob Museum on Thursday, June 4 at 7 p.m.

RSVP: https://themobmuseum.org/events-posts/shadows-of-power-the-untold-story-of-jersey-mafia-boss-jerry-catena/

Fifty years after Leslie “Ike” Atkinson’s drug empire was dismantled, one story still refuses to die: The claim that he*...
05/28/2026

Fifty years after Leslie “Ike” Atkinson’s drug empire was dismantled, one story still refuses to die: The claim that he**in was smuggled into the United States inside the coffins, and even the bodies, of fallen American soldiers.

Repeated in courtrooms, sensationalized in pop culture, and amplified by figures like Frank Lucas, the myth became one of the most enduring legends of the Vietnam War-era drug trade.

“All that stuff you saw in 'American Gangster' is just a movie,” Atkinson said. “It had nothing to do with the real story of transporting he**in from Thailand.”

So where did the myth come from, and why has it survived for decades? Read our blog to uncover the truth behind one of organized crime’s most infamous stories.

In this photo: Atkinson, right, is escorted from court following his sentencing on June 5, 1976. Courtesy of Cipollini Collection.

https://themobmuseum.org/blog/myth-busted-vietnam-war-era-drug-traffickers-did-not-smuggle-he**in-in-soldiers-coffins/

05/26/2026

More than three decades after Pablo Escobar’s death, the consequences of his so-called “cocaine hippos” continue to impact Colombia’s environment. In the early 1980s, Escobar imported four hippopotamuses to his Hacienda Nápoles estate as part of a private zoo.

After his death, most animals were relocated, but the hippos remained, deemed too difficult and costly to move. Authorities assumed they would not survive in the wild. Without natural predators, however, their population has grown rapidly.

Today, Colombian authorities face the challenge of managing this population, which threatens local ecosystems and wildlife. With few viable options remaining, the government is now considering mass euthanasia, with plans to cull up to 80 hippos—nearly half the population.

Alternative solutions have also been proposed, including an offer from Anant Ambani, son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, to relocate the hippos to his wildlife sanctuary in India.

Despite Escobar’s death in 1993, the consequences of his actions continue to reverberate, underscoring the lasting environmental impact of human intervention and the complex challenges of managing invasive species.

Born in Key West, Florida, in 1890 to Cuban immigrant parents, Alexander Pompez would become both a pioneering baseball ...
05/25/2026

Born in Key West, Florida, in 1890 to Cuban immigrant parents, Alexander Pompez would become both a pioneering baseball executive and a major figure in Harlem’s underground gambling world.

Pompez entered professional baseball around 1916 as the owner of the Cuban Stars, a team that competed in both the Eastern Colored League and Negro National League. According to an article from Major League Baseball, he also helped organize the first Negro World Series in 1924.

But Pompez’s story extended beyond baseball. Historian Adrian Burgos Jr. wrote that Pompez turned to Harlem’s lucrative numbers racket in part to help finance his team.

His gambling operations eventually brought him into contact with notorious mobster Dutch Schultz, who pressured Pompez into surrendering control of portions of the business. A 1937 New York Times article described “Alexander Pompez, once powerful Harlem policy banker,” as having been reduced to a “servant” as Schultz expanded the numbers racket into a multimillion-dollar criminal enterprise.

After Schultz’s assassination in 1935, prosecutor Thomas Dewey targeted Pompez. Indicted in 1936 for his involvement in policy rackets, Pompez fled to Mexico before eventually being caught and extradited back to New York. In 1939, Pompez and his partner Joseph “Big Joe” Ison received probation after cooperating with authorities and helping convict Tammany Hall leader James Joseph Hines for ties to Schultz’s gambling operations, the New York Times reported in 1939.

Despite his criminal associations and legal troubles, Pompez remained widely respected in both baseball and the Harlem community. According to the Society for American Baseball Research, he “provided numerous jobs in the community, spent freely, provided sorely-needed loans and also donated to needy causes.”

In 1951, the New York/San Francisco Giants organization hired Pompez as director of international scouting, focusing on African American players in the United States and talent throughout the Caribbean. He helped create a pipeline for Black and Latino players to enter Major League Baseball, signing and mentoring future Hall of Famers including Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, and Minnie Miñoso.

Pompez passed away in 1974 and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

in 1955, the Moulin Rouge opened in what is now Las Vegas’ Historic Westside, becoming the city’s first racially integ...
05/24/2026

in 1955, the Moulin Rouge opened in what is now Las Vegas’ Historic Westside, becoming the city’s first racially integrated hotel-casino.

Before the Moulin Rouge opened, Black visitors to Las Vegas had extremely limited lodging options, with only a single motor court and a handful of guest houses available on the Westside.

The Moulin Rouge filled a critical gap in segregated 1950s Las Vegas. During the Jim Crow era, Black patrons were routinely denied access to casinos, restaurants, and hotels on both the Strip and downtown. While some Black entertainers were permitted to stay where they performed, their friends and family members were often forced to stay elsewhere and were barred from using many hotel amenities.

Opening night drew some of the biggest names in Las Vegas and Hollywood, including Tallulah Bankhead, Gary Cooper, and Humphrey Bogart, according to showroom emcee Bob Bailey's memoir.

But the real magic happened after midnight. A late-night 2:15 a.m. show transformed the Moulin Rouge into one of the city’s hottest after-hours destinations, attracting entertainers, chorus girls, and celebrities arriving by cab and limousine from the Strip. Bailey later recalled spotting stars like Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan, and Cary Grant in the audience during the famed Tropi Can Can performances.

However, the Moulin Rouge’s success was short-lived. Plagued by financial mismanagement and an oversaturated casino market, the property closed in October 1955, just months after opening. By December, its owners had filed for bankruptcy.

The bankruptcy proceedings took place inside the Las Vegas federal building—the very building that today houses The Mob Museum.

05/23/2026

Step into the glittering world of vintage Las Vegas through our newest artifact display, featuring original pieces worn by a Folies Bergere showgirl.

Located on the second floor inside our Open City exhibit, this display captures the elegance, spectacle, and hidden undercurrents that defined Las Vegas during the golden age of the showgirl. Donated by former Las Vegas dancer Maryann Picchi, whose photograph is featured alongside the artifacts, the collection offers a personal glimpse into one of the city’s most iconic productions.

The artifacts trace back to the famed Folies Bergere r***e at the Tropicana. In the late 1970s, Joseph Agosto, a figure tied to the Kansas City Mob and later linked to casino skimming operations, served as executive producer of the show before the FBI busted the skimming operation in 1979.

Dancing since the age of 3, Picchi saw the show for the first time in 1970 at age 25 and was captivated by the spectacle. Later that year, she earned a role in the production, and the Tropicana quickly became her second home.

“I thought that would be more exciting than being a dancer on a TV show or in the movies. This was every night. I could dance every night,” Picchi told USA Today in 2024.

Experience our Open City exhibit in person. Tickets available at admission.themobmuseum.org.

On May 21, 1995, Johnny “Scarface” Rivera died at age 86.Rivera spent more than 50 years tied to organized crime in Flor...
05/22/2026

On May 21, 1995, Johnny “Scarface” Rivera died at age 86.

Rivera spent more than 50 years tied to organized crime in Florida. First, as the bodyguard and enforcer for gambling boss Charlie Wall during Tampa’s violent bolita wars of the 1930s and ’40s. After Wall’s fall from power, Rivera aligned himself with the Trafficante crime family and remained connected to Tampa’s criminal underworld for decades.

Newspaper headlines once labeled him the “bodyguard of a slain gambler” after Rivera was convicted in a 1950s shooting assault tied to a dispute at the Boston Bar, an establishment he owned in Ybor City.

Rivera was arrested numerous times throughout his life. Newspaper reports linked him to rackets, gambling investigations, and Mob-connected violence dating back decades, including questioning connected to the murders of Joe Antinori and Charlie Wall. In 1955, prosecutors accused Rivera of shooting and beating a patron inside the Boston Bar during a violent altercation. Though Rivera denied firing a gun or hitting him with a club, he was later convicted of aggravated assault. In 1984, he was among 68 people arrested during the FBI’s “Operation Super Bowl” sting targeting bookmaking and organized crime operations linked to the Trafficante family.

Though convicted and given a suspended sentence, Rivera reportedly stayed active around the family while avoiding major rackets until his death in 1995.

Address

300 Stewart Avenue
Las Vegas, NV
89101

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 9pm
Tuesday 9am - 9pm
Wednesday 9am - 9pm
Thursday 9am - 9pm
Friday 9am - 9pm
Saturday 9am - 9pm
Sunday 9am - 9pm

Telephone

(702) 229-2734

Website

http://insidethelife.org/

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