Politics - News Analysis
Mob Boss Who Worked Deals With ‘Arrogant’ Trump Reveals the Shady Business They Did Together
This really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, given the nature of Donald Trump, but apparently, he may have been connected to the Mafia. That’s according to a recent book that is, in every sense of the word, a true bombshell, revealing that Trump conducted real estate transactions in the 1980s with one prominent Mafia boss. In the book The Life We Chose: William “Big Billy” D’Elia and the Last Secrets of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Family, investigative journalist Matt Birkbeck highlights some of Trump’s connections to the Mafia.
According to Inquisitr, Fox News reports that the book reveals Trump owned a trio of Atlantic City casinos — Trump Plaza, Trump Taj Mahal, and Trump Marina and apparently conducted business dealings with D’Elia. Birkbeck writes that D’Elia was the purported boss of the Bufalino crime family, based in Pennsylvania, and he apparently, according to the book, “dealt with” Trump when he owned these Atlantic City casinos. The famed mob boss negotiated directly with Trump and a number of other prominent mob figures. His dealings with the future president led him to observe “(He’s) just like he’s on TV now, arrogant. He doesn’t keep his word,” per the book.
Of course, rational Americans also found out Trump “doesn’t keep his word.”
Birkbeck also writes that Trump generally preferred a hands-on, lawyer-free approach and it didn’t bother him in the least to deal with individuals from the criminal underworld. He recounts a particularly intriguing story that involved negotiations between Trump and D’Elia regarding the selling of timeshares in a Trump building. Allegedly, Trump convinced D’Elia to purchase bulk copies of one of the books he’d written, to be used as gifts for timeshare buyers. That move, would, of course, boost the book’s sales and push it up the best-seller charts. Allegedly the request meant D’Elia needed to purchase thousands of copies, definitely a significant financial commitment.
Apparently, that’s not the only highfalutin’ shenanigans Trump and D’Elia pulled.
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Birkbeck also writes that in one real estate deal, there was an expensive coin flip — a one million dollar coin flip, to be exact — during a meeting between the two men. He uses the details to form the story’s narrative, revealing the speculation surrounding Trump’s connections to organized crime. Especially since he has a long-standing history in real estate and construction in New York and Atlantic City, well-known Mafia strongholds.
Politico investigated Trump’s alleged ties to the mob in 2016, and it looks like the future president hired firms with mob connections for construction projects. Apparently, Trump allegedly hired these companies to build Trump Tower and Trump Plaza in Manhattan, reportedly buying overpriced concrete from companies linked to Mafia bosses Anthony “Fat Tony” Salerno and Paul Castellano. It’s even reported that Trump’s connection to Salerno was facilitated by Roy Cohn, Trump’s attorney. Cohn also represented reputed mobsters.
How is this a surprise, really? Trump often acted like a mob boss while president, seeming to believe he could do whatever he wanted and proving to be a real headache to some people in his administration. Like John Kelly, for instance, and Gen. Mark Milley, who he’s been attacking recently.
I’m willing to bet there are several Trump administration staffers who are more than happy that they no longer have to work with this man.
Also, The Intellectualist put together a great Twitter thread showing Trump’s history with the mob:
1. The book "The Life We Chose, William 'Big Billy' D'Elia and The Last Secrets of America's Most Powerful Mafia Family" includes revelations about former President Trump dealings with the Italian-American mafia.
The book is written by veteran journalist Matt Birkbeck. pic.twitter.com/pkOZWnM7iZ
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) July 9, 2023
2. D'Elia claimed to have dealt with Trump during the latter's ownership of NJ shore casinos, including the "Trump Taj Mahal," "The Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino."
D'Elia's opinion of Trump? "(He's) just like he's on TV now, arrogant. He don't keep his word." pic.twitter.com/nGL7fP10rn
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) July 9, 2023
3. Birkbeck states, "Trump, when he did deals, he didn't want his lawyers doing it. He didn't want anyone else doing it, he did it himself, and he did it with gangsters." pic.twitter.com/5uREN7Kmue
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) July 9, 2023
4. He further asserts, "Billy did business with a lot of people, including Donald Trump. Trump knew exactly who he was, Trump knew exactly what he was doing and exactly what they were negotiating about." pic.twitter.com/mrCTozUBED
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) July 9, 2023
5. D'Elia claims another deal where Trump agreed to buy a piece of property related to his "Trump Plaza" casino. However, Trump reportedly backed out of the agreed amount, instead proposing a coin flip to decide the fate of $1 million of the price. pic.twitter.com/5JDBw9EtxZ
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) July 9, 2023
6. The original agreed sales price was $8 million, but due to the coin flip, Trump only paid $7 million. Barry Shapiro, one of the sellers, confirmed this story, stating that his group sold the Atlantic City property to Trump for $1 million less than initially agreed. pic.twitter.com/pcWjEqn4ye
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) July 9, 2023
7. Despite these allegations, it's important to note that Trump has never been charged with any criminal wrongdoing related to his casino dealings. pic.twitter.com/x5pKOsyySv
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) July 9, 2023
8. Trump's campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung, disputes D'Elia's claims, dismissing the book as "fiction" that belongs in the bargain bin. However, this is not the first time Trump's alleged reliance on a coin toss in business negotiations has been reported. pic.twitter.com/l5xFw4kkpJ
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) July 9, 2023
9. Wall Street investment banker Ken Moelis shared a similar story in 2017. Moelis claimed that when they were $1 million apart in their negotiation, Trump suggested a coin flip to settle the difference. pic.twitter.com/AgZjEyVmyd
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) July 9, 2023
10. In addition to stories about Trump, D'Elia's book also discusses his representation of singer Michael Jackson and manager Frank DiLeo. According to D'Elia, Trump offered $1 million for Jackson to perform at a Trump casino, an offer that Jackson declined. pic.twitter.com/0RSZzswcYo
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) July 9, 2023
11. D'Elia, after serving a prison sentence for money laundering, conspiracy, and witness tampering, has since left his life of crime behind. pic.twitter.com/eZzM7bpheb
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) July 9, 2023
Details: The above thread was based on reporting by Fox News about the book "The Life We Chose, William 'Big Billy' D'Elia and The Last Secrets of America's Most Powerful Mafia Family", written by Matt Birbeck, a professional journalist. (see link)https://t.co/6S93nxmOOy
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) July 9, 2023
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