Corruption Uncovered: NYC's Hidden Crime Web | Tony Hernandez DSH #1155

Summary

Digital Social Hour: Episode Summary

Episode Title: Corruption Uncovered: NYC's Hidden Crime Web | Tony Hernandez DSH #1155
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Tony Hernandez
Release Date: February 1, 2025

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1. Tony Hernandez’s Background and Upbringing

Tony Hernandez, a lifelong resident of Queens, New York, shares his formative experiences growing up amidst the intertwining worlds of law enforcement and organized crime. Born and raised in Queens, Tony often frequented Brooklyn's Williamsburg section but primarily remained rooted in his hometown.

Notable Quote:
"I was born and raised in New York City, Queens. Spent a lot of time in Brooklyn, Williamsburg section. But for the most part, Queens." (00:34)

2. The Intersection of Mafia and Police Life

Tony delves into the complex relationship between the mafia and police within New York City. His father and uncle worked for Virgil Alessi, a prominent figure in the French Connection heroin trafficking network during the 1970s. Despite being surrounded by organized crime, Tony's family chose legitimacy, with many members in law enforcement.

Notable Quote:
"I have a lot of family that's in law enforcement. But you know, I also had my uncle and my father and a couple other members that were involved in, you know, around organized crime people." (02:40)

3. Growing Up Amidst Organized Crime

Tony recounts his childhood experiences, including attending family gatherings where both cops and mobsters mingled. These interactions left a lasting impression, leading him to initially gravitate towards the street lifestyle, influenced by the allure of wealth and status associated with hustlers and mob figures.

Notable Quote:
"I was enamored by the street lifestyle. You see the hustlers, the drug dealers, the mob guys, they have all the nice stuff, right? The cars, the women, the clothes, the jewelry. It's very captivating when you're a kid for sure." (00:46)

4. Transition to Law Enforcement

Despite his early involvement in street activities, Tony decided to pursue a career in law enforcement. Motivated by practical needs, such as covering expensive dental work through NYPD benefits, he sought to shift from his hustling lifestyle to a more stable and legitimate path.

Notable Quote:
"I wanted to get in a root canal. And all this money I was making, I wanted to have this pay, like, $4,000 out of my pocket. Like, dental work is crazy expensive." (14:08)

5. Experiences as a Transit Police Officer

Tony discusses his role in the Transit division of the NYPD, highlighting the persistent and pervasive nature of crime in New York City. He emphasizes that crime isn't necessarily reduced but rather displaced to different areas, likening it to squeezing a balloon—when pressure is applied in one area, it expands elsewhere.

Notable Quote:
"There is crime happening in the city 24/7, 365. It's always going on... Crime does it. It's almost like a balloon. When you squeeze it on one end, it expands on the other." (21:29)

6. Challenges in Reporting and Combating Crime

Tony points out the societal and systemic barriers that prevent effective crime reporting and enforcement. He criticizes the cumbersome and time-consuming process of reporting crimes in NYC, leading many to avoid filing reports altogether. Additionally, he highlights the impact of policies like congestion pricing, which he argues exacerbates daily challenges for New Yorkers.

Notable Quote:
"A lot of people think like, I can't do it. I don't have anybody to take care of my kid. I don't have anybody to work my shift... So why am I going to take my time out of my day?" (23:12)

7. Gang Activity and Organized Crime Today

Tony provides an in-depth look at the current landscape of gang activity in NYC, focusing on South American gangs like El Trende Aragua. He describes their operations, including migrant smuggling and drug trafficking, and shares personal encounters with gang members during his police career. Tony also discusses the enduring presence of traditional Italian mafias alongside these newer criminal organizations.

Notable Quote:
"These guys are 18th Street, they're all there. I posted a video on my channel... there was two gang members who got into a fight on the platform." (29:20)

8. Corruption Within Law Enforcement and Politics

A significant portion of the conversation centers on the pervasive corruption within the NYPD and New York City politics. Tony criticizes current leaders like Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Hochul, alleging connections to organized crime and systemic corruption. He reflects on his disillusionment with the legal system, describing it as weaponized and politicized, which undermines public trust and effectiveness.

Notable Quote:
"I believe he's corrupt... you've seen the former police commissioner and the assistant commissioner and they do this Operation Roosevelt Avenue. That shit is smoking mirrors, man." (33:16)

9. Media Censorship and Content Suppression

Tony discusses his experiences with media censorship, particularly on platforms like YouTube. He shares how his content on organized crime and corruption faced significant pushback, including video removals and reduced visibility, which he attributes to attempts to suppress inconvenient narratives.

Notable Quote:
"I was talking about it in the context of my story. And it actually got taken down by YouTube." (29:54)

10. Reflections on Societal Changes and Personal Philosophy

Tony reflects on the broader societal changes post-pandemic, expressing concerns over increased crime rates, the decline of small businesses, and shifting cultural norms. He emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility and community vigilance in combating crime and corruption.

Notable Quote:
"I'm not against immigration. I'm against illegal immigration... They've tried to do initiatives if you see it, but it's all smoke and mirrors." (27:37)

11. Final Thoughts on Loyalty and Integrity

Towards the end of the episode, Tony touches on the themes of loyalty and integrity, contrasting the behaviors of organized crime figures with those in the legal and political realms. He underscores the difficulty in trusting institutions that are meant to uphold justice but are themselves compromised.

Notable Quote:
"The legal side are some of the most corrupt scumbag people that you'd ever meet a mobster if you gave him your hand." (35:26)

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Conclusion:

In this episode of Digital Social Hour, Tony Hernandez provides a candid and unfiltered exploration of New York City's hidden crime web, drawing from his unique perspective as someone deeply embedded in both the streets and the police force. His insights shed light on the enduring challenges of organized crime, systemic corruption, and the complexities of maintaining integrity within flawed institutions. Through personal anecdotes and critical analysis, Tony offers listeners a compelling narrative that challenges conventional perceptions of crime and law enforcement in one of the world's most complex cities.

Transcript

[A]

There's always crime happening, okay? There is always crime happening. I don't care what reports you see. I don't care what news reports or articles that come out and stuff like that. There is crime happening in the city 24 7, 365. It's always going on. The people that say crime is down and this and that. Yeah, it might be. Or it's just transition to another part of the city. Crime does. It's almost like a balloon. When you squeeze it on one end, it expands on the other.

[B]

Tony Hernandez here from Queens. My man's in Vegas now. Welcome to the show.

[A]

Hey, what's up, Sean? Thanks for having me, man.

[B]

Yeah. How long were you in Queens for?

[A]

My whole life, pretty much. Yeah. I was born and raised in New York City, Queens. Spent a lot of time in Brooklyn, Williamsburg section.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But for the most part, Queens.

[B]

And you had an interesting dynamic between the mafia and police officer life, right?

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. If you asked me growing up if I ever would have been a cop, the answer definitely would have been no. I've delved more towards, like, you know, the street side. You know, I was. I was out, you know, I wasn't stay on the stoop kind of kid. I was always running to the corner. So, you know, I was enamored by the street lifestyle. You know, you see the. The hustlers, the drug dealers, the mob guys, they have all the nice stuff, right? The cars, the women, the clothes, the jewelry. It's. It's very captivating when you're a kid for sure.

[B]

Meanwhile, a cop's making, what, 100k your max back then?

[A]

No, and when I started even less, you know, when you have to put your time in to actually get to top pay, where you're making that kind of money.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But, you know, I. I kind of was, you know, dippling and dipping and dabbling in the street myself at that time. You know, as a kid growing up, you know, and I saw the money that these guys had, and then, you know, being a cop, you know, when you're in those inner city kind of communities, it's not the most popular job, you know, and I just grew up around a lot of people that, you know, were affiliated to organized crime or had, like, a connection. Like, my dad and my uncle worked for a very prominent organized crime figure. His name was Virgil Alessi. He was. If you look him up, he was involved in, like, the French Connection, stuff like that. Really? In the 70s, he was considered the biggest heroin trafficker in New York City.

[B]

Damn.

[A]

Yeah. So these Guys had a piece of the French Connection, him and Vinnie Papa.

[B]

Holy crap.

[A]

So my, my father and my uncle worked for him and his legitimate businesses. You know, they both had the chance to go into that life, but they didn't want to. You know, they surrounded by it like many other people and you know, you're, you're almost surrounded by it through family connections sometimes, you know, it's almost unavoidable. Especially you go to like family parties, Christmas and fourth of July, you know, you'd always have the perfect mix of cops and mobsters, you know, and that was kind of my family. I have a lot of family that's in law enforcement. But you know, I also had my uncle and my father and a couple other members that were involved in, you know, around organized crime people.

[B]

And were they pretty secretive about it? Like, were you aware of it growing up?

[A]

They don't talk, they don't talk about it. That kind of generation, like a lot of, like I have a channel now called Corruption Connection where I discuss mob history. And this is history. And some of my family is very upset with me talking about this stuff. Even though it's 30 year old, 40 year old history, you know, it's just not something they believe in. They just don't talk about it. So growing up, it was kind of that same way, you know, I knew that daddy's boss was someone serious. You know, I wouldn't see him all the time, he's in and out of jail, stuff like that. But when I was coming of age, you know, I would see them on special kind of holidays. I would accompany my dad to work sometimes. Fourth of July, Christmas Eve. And you know, me and my cousin be running around opening the doors and stuff like that. That code check we did when we were like 12 years old, you know, we would leave with hundreds of dollars.

[B]

At 12, that's crazy.

[A]

That's a lot of money, you know, so you want to go back to work every day after you get that kind of money, you know, and especially when they knew like, oh, you're Tony's son. 50 bucks, 100. Wise guys throw money like it's water. So.

[B]

Yeah, and that was the peak of everything too.

[A]

Oh yeah. I mean like 90s like, I mean you had the Gotti era and stuff like that, but it was still pretty prevalent. You know, I would say the actual, I want to say, I don't want to say the power because there is mob out there that's still powerful. Maybe they've changed ethnicities, but there's still mafia out there. Traditional Italian organized crime still exists.

[B]

Yeah, I feel like Italian was the top back then.

[A]

They were for a lot of years they held like I guess a 50 year run at the top, which is great for any kind of organization, especially an organization that rivals the United States government, the most powerful entity that man has ever known.

[B]

Unlimited money.

[A]

Well, you know, if you look at the government now, in my opinion, they stole a lot of the rackets from the mobsters, you know, through prohibition, through the book. If you want to go all the way back to the bootleggers, it was the mobsters who were the big still owners and they own the beer barons, they called them and stuff like that. The government with the Volstead act. They outlaw the alcohol then eventually made it legal, taxed it, took it over. I mean you could put the same thing now to the modern day prohibition. In my, my eyes is marijuana. You know, when I was growing up, marijuana was illegal. You, you, if you. It was my drug of choice, you know, I experimented with drugs, you know, as a kid growing up in the city. Nothing ever like street drug like heroin and stuff like that. It wasn't my thing but like party drugs, you know, and I like marijuana. But in my time, marketing is hard.

[C]

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[B]

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[A]

Got caught with a joint of marijuana, you were going to jail, you know, and now In Vegas, there's 81 dispensaries. You know, it's like, as long as it's taxed, there's nothing wrong with it. So that was kind of my philosophy growing up. And I guess I was a little bit ahead of my time. Like I didn't do anything too crazy, but I was in the marijuana game. I like to gamble. You know, you could always find me at the card games, playing with the old timers, you know, depending if I was invited, you know, certain, certain places. And, and I grew up in Flushing, place called the Hill. It was a generational neighborhood, you know, kind of mixed with those early settlers of Irish, Italian, German. It did have mafia undertones and stuff like that. So you could find illegal gambling spots. But then when the Asians started coming in, and now you saw like a Chinese, the Asian wave, I call it, came up from downtown Flushing, which was Main street by the, excuse me. By Roosevelt Avenue, down by the seven line. And then it kind of migrated up towards my way, which was like Main street in the lie. And you know, you're half Chinese, you know, you guys love to gamble.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

So there was tons of Asian gambling spots. And the one thing about them, they let anyone inside as long as you didn't cause a problem. If you knew someone, blah, blah, blah, this and that, massage parlors, Asian gambling spots. You'll still see them there to this day. So that's kind of what I grew up around. And if you ask me, they're kind of harmless vices. I mean, does some people get hurt every once in a while? Sure. You know, there was just recently they tried to rob one of the gambling spots down in downtown Flushing, I believe by Prince Street. Somebody got shot in the head.

[B]

Damn.

[A]

But they try to rob someone coming out of the game, that's a different story. You know, in mob games, in the, in the, the mafia games, you weren't allowed to rob anybody coming out of there. You know, those games were protected. And if they found out you did.

[B]

It, you were in some serious Sopranos.

[A]

Yeah, there you go.

[B]

Yeah, that, that's that last season, man. Went down, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Did you play a lot of poker?

[A]

You know, the old timers, we played seven card stud and this was almost like a family thing. I remember, you know, being around the table at like Christmas when everything was done or like a major holiday New Year's. We'd all get your quarters, dimes, nickels, dollars, and we would play cards around the table, whatever it might be. And I mean, we're going back to 7, 8 years old at this time. Yeah.

[B]

Teaching you young.

[A]

Yeah. So when I got older, when I was 15, I already had the balls to walk into a professional card game or an illegal card game.

[B]

And they didn't ID you.

[A]

This is illegal shit. What are they doing you for? Whatever, you know, they didn't care. Especially if you were, you know, I look like a street guy. I had like long hair. Sometimes I would get it braided like, you know, typical rapper style. You know, we wanted to dress like hip hop guys back in the day. So that's what I would dress. And like I said, as long as they didn't, I. You didn't cause any problems. They didn't. They didn't. They didn't bother you, you know. And those games, you had that more connection with the Italian guys, which I did. You know, I had family friends that could bring me to these. Yeah. So I would go in and the game of choice was usually seven card stud.

[B]

I've never played that one actually.

[A]

Yeah, it's fun. You know, you can mix it up. It's two down, four up and then one down. But the four, they kind of go one by one. So you're betting on each card.

[B]

Got it.

[A]

Yeah, it's a lot of fun. I still to this day, I love the game. It's kind of hard to find in Vegas though.

[B]

Yeah, I don't see that one in.

[A]

Vegas every once in a while, like on the offship. Casinos like Red Rock, they might offer them, but I got a midday or something like that. They're very far and few between hold them is taking over the world.

[B]

Yeah. Holding fucking everywhere.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Did you make money gambling?

[A]

Yeah, sometimes. You know, the life of a gambler has his ups and downs. I don't know many successful gamblers, and if they are successful, it comes. Their source of revenue comes from other places. You know, it could be sponsorship, could be something like that, but somebody who's actually grinding out a living gambling like rounder style, you know, very far and few between meet them but, you know, very super rare.

[B]

And they're Usually not flaunting on social media.

[A]

Yeah, a lot of those guys, they, they're, you know, those guys that are flown on social media, they're, they'll selling their sports picks, they're selling their sports picks, they're selling the brand. I mean, they're selling, they might have a partnership with the casino that you don't know about under the table. You know, I've seen that a lot, you know.

[B]

So was gambling huge revenue stream for the mob back then?

[A]

I think it was a huge revenue for stream for them back then. And now to this day? Oh, yeah, I think that a lot of people still gamble with the mob. You think about it, you don't really have to. You don't have to put a, give a Social Security number so you don't have to pay taxes on it. You don't have to come with the money up front. As long as they, you know, they know how to get in contact with you. You can bet on credit and they're usually giving you better odds. So it's like, why wouldn't you? I mean, yeah, there's always the fact that you get your legs broken, but that's, that's because you're not paying your debts. If you pay your debts, they're going to treat you like gold, you know, because you're the golden goose here.

[B]

Right. You know, I wouldn't want to owe the mob money.

[A]

I don't think anybody wants to owe the mob money.

[B]

I'm sure you witnessed some crazy stuff back then.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

So you lean towards that side, but you ended up becoming police officer. So what was that mom moment that kind of turned you over, I guess.

[A]

Well, I mean, like I said, I saw my foray into the restaurant business was doing that co check, right? And I saw that, but I was still dipping and dabbling in the street life, you know, with my marijuana, with the gambling and just being in a lot of certain unsavory locations that I shouldn't have been. You know, a lot of strip clubs where a lot of hustlers hang out, you're at illegal dice games that could get really dicey right now. You know, things solid.

[B]

The Migos, the dice game.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, I talk about that in one of my interviews. I've done that. You know, the guy just got killed over a dice game. It could happen at any time, you know, like guys get upset, you know, and it's thousands of dollars there and you know, you might even be the bank, like, you know, just playing against everybody. Like it's a Friendly game and somebody's waiting to take your money when you get out of there, you know. And how are you going to defend yourself? You got to have some kind of weapon. So it does happen.

[B]

Oh, yeah, sorry to cut you off.

[A]

No, no, not at all.

[B]

You lean towards.

[A]

So going like my. With my foray into the restaurant, you know, I. I saw a lot of money legitimately, you know what I mean? Like the marijuana and the gambling was cool and stuff like that. But working a mob connected birthday or sweet 16 or one of those kind of events that they would have. And I would work in different. I followed in my father and uncle's footsteps. I would work in different bars, restaurants, catering halls that these, you know, these wise guys had owned. And I started making like legit serious money, cash, you know, way more than I was making, doing all my other hustles. Even though I left them there, you know, I still was getting revenue from them. And I guess at one point, after years of doing it, the fast lifestyle, like, I had to network a lot, you know what I mean? So I would meet people behind a bar and people are so chummy with you when they have a couple drinks in them and they like you that I mean, I would get invited to all these places. What time you get out of work, Tony? All right, meet us over here, whatever. I meet owners of certain locations and I would show up, fresh face or whatever. If they just saw me, they had a couple of drinks, they might forget me by tomorrow. But if I went right after I got out of work, like went home, showered real quick and got to the spot or whatever, they would remember, remember me, and then I would continue my connections and that's kind of how I would network. So who would be at these parties? A lot of politicians, a lot of upper echelon police department people, chiefs, commissioners, deputy inspectors, all these kind of people and. And mobsters, they kind of just all run in the same circle, you know, people that are lobbyists or whatever you want to call them. And they had, some of them have connections to organized crime. So throughout these parties, you know, I had made significant amount of connections. And, you know, it just took a lot of toll on me, the years of partying. Like, you know, you finish a long shift at a party where everybody's drinking and you're drinking too, and then you go out and then you continue in drinking. And sometimes I wouldn't even go home. Like I would go sleep in my car just so I would make it back for my next shift and go over and over you know, and that's with all my other side hustles going on. Like, I had a really successful ebay business before. That was big. You know, I. I still, to this day or whatever, if I can find a deal, like, I bulk buy, like, if I can find something that I can kind of flip. That's just always been my thing, you know, And I've just been doing that forever. It's just something that's been in me.

[B]

Yeah, you're a hustler.

[A]

Yeah, it's just my thing. So. So after, you know, I want to say a significant run in the restaurant business. I want to say over a decade now, you know, I'm rocking and rolling and have all these connections. I opened up my own spot. I ended up opening up a pizzeria in the Bronx. It did well, but I couldn't really take it to the next level. You know, it was something that. It was just like, it was lagging, you know, and it was just like, you know, how do I transition into something where this hustling lifestyle where I'm all over the place can kind of be a little bit more concrete for my future? And, I don't know, it just dawned on me. I wanted to get in a root canal. And all this money I was making, I wanted to have this pay, like, $4,000 out of my pocket. Like, dental work is crazy expensive. And I was talking to a friend of mine. I don't know if it was my cousin. Well, it was my cousin, too, whatever. Because I had floated this around just to verify this information. The NYPD covers complete dental. Like, you pay zero out of your pocket. Like, so later on, I realized it was true, because I wounded up getting, like, 10 grand to work in my mouth or nothing. So it looks like I made the right decision. But I was like, you know, you got all that work in your mouth for nothing. I was like, yeah, it's all free. And things started to dawn on me. I was like, you know, is this hustling lifestyle, it's good. I'm making a lot of money. I have more money than any anybody at my age that I knew that wasn't really that deep into the street, you know, if you're deep into the street, obviously gonna have more money than me, because this is what you're doing constantly. But if you're just dipping and dabbling like me, and you have a legit job, it's almost just like a side hustle. I was up there with the best of them, you know, I was making crazy money. For my age. But the fast, as fast as you make it, as fast as you spend it, you know what I mean? I would have to be at a bar with the guy who owned it and have to buy drinks for everyone, you know what I mean? So that just round right there is 400 bucks, you know what I mean? You can go out two nights maybe as a single guy with 400, buy drinks and still be okay. But I would have to do that as a constant, daily basis to network, to show I belonged here. I'm in the clique, you know, I'm not just some fucking bartender you met that don't have money.

[B]

That's your whole salary.

[A]

Yeah, it was like, you know, it was a lot of money. Sometimes I don't know if I would spend. I would make a lot of money. Like I would leave. I don't want to say my best day was but thousands.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

As a, As a bartender, as a male bartender, I was always good looking, you know, that I would flirt, I have personality. You know, girls would drop money just like the guys, you know, but it was that kind of money, that kind of revenue that's coming in that I think spoiled me in a way, you know, because it's kind of hard to make that money anywhere else unless you're like a hot chick or stripper or whatever, maybe. But, you know, I started seeing that the hustle lifestyle, I couldn't really maintain. It wasn't sustainable. You know, I couldn't really sleep in my car anymore or go out and drink. Like, you know, I'd have hangovers. Now. It was like getting to that point. And I said, you know, I needed something more, a little more serious. And I didn't think about it overnight. Like, you know, it just kind of gradually started happening. Like signs were getting pointed at me. You know, I have like, maybe the shittiest night I ever had bartending. I was like, damn, what am I doing? And then like certain things, like just the marijuana game, you know, started drying up and certain connects I had would disappear and people act funny and just certain things, you know. And I was like, you know what? I know a lot of people. I have a lot of family in law enforcement. I said, you know what? I'm going to reach out to a couple chiefs I know. Ended up meeting them at a networking event. Was at a catering hall in Howard beach. And they kind of. I told one of my. One of them who is. I don't want to say his rank, but he's up there and he was like, I told him, I want to become a cop. He's like, you want to become a cop? He's like, yeah. He's like. Like, he was totally blown away. Like, no way. Like, you know, And I said, yeah, you know, I want to. I want to become a cop. All right, you know, so he invites me to this. I thought it was going to be like a dinner, and I kind of got ambushed. It's like three upper echelon people from the department, and they were like, you know, what do you think about the COVID work? And I already was like, you know, kind of ambushed. You know, I thought they were just going to tell me, like, oh, it's great. You know, you want to be one of us, we'll figure out where you want to go, you know, blah, blah, blah, whatever. But they immediately, like, latched on to me and were like, you'd be perfect for it. You know, we'll put you here. You'll do this. And initially I had said yes. I was like. I was iffy. I was on the wall about it. But initially I had said yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, and I had ran it by my dad, and he was completely against it. Like, he flipped the gasket, like, because he comes from a time where, you know, informants got killed. You know, it's not. They still got killed, but it's not. Ratting was a. No, no. All that kind of shit was. So, you know, he was like, what are you gonna do for. You're gonna get killed for this? You're gonna sacrifice your life? And, you know, he was right in the end of the day, you know, So I kind of backed away from the idea, told him no. You know, I. The whole idea was for me to change my appearance, which I did. Like, you know, I always had facial hair since I was like, 14, I think, you know, maybe even younger. And I shaved. I stopped hanging out in the spots I was hanging out in, and I put on some weight. I totally look like a different person. And when it came down to it, when I really had to just go in there and say, I'm gonna do this with you guys, I told him no. You know, and, you know, they didn't back away right away. You would think they'd be like, oh, okay, bye. No, they were like, well, if you don't want to do it on the street, you know, I was like, listen, I know too many people. I was hanging out Washington Heights, you know, with the weed as best weed in the world up there. I was gambling at spots in Middle Village Flushing. So in Queens. Spent a lot of time in Williamsburg and Brooklyn. So I'm all over the city, you know what I mean? I'm all over the place. Everybody knows me from different walks of life. You know, I'm networking with a higher upper echelon chief of department one day, and then the next week or whatever, I'm hanging out in a street club with a drug dealer. You know, it's just the way that it was, you know, it's just kind of gravitated towards that kind of stuff.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So they try to get me to go undercover in the academy. They were like, you know, why don't you go into the academy? Kind of weed out the corruption, all that kind of stuff. And, you know, at first I was like, all right, maybe I could do that. And then I started thinking about it and I was like, you know what? It's not only about weeding out the corruption. It's the NYPD is a business at the end of the day. So they also want to weed out the guys that are maybe going to cost a liability that'll cost them money down the line. Line. And I saw that a little bit as dirty work, you know, I was like, you know, that's just not me. Like, I might be ratting on a guy that's just, you know, you're making, you said about 100k. You start. I started making $44,000 a year. Damn, that like, talk about quarter life crisis. I was like, what the hell did I do here? I was like, I'm making hundreds of dollars a night or whatever, and Now I'm making 44, 000 a year, which translates to, I think my paycheck in the academy was eleven hundred and fifty every two, two weeks.

[B]

Damn.

[A]

In New York City. In New York City. How do you survive on that?

[B]

You can't.

[A]

I used to tell these guys, how do you have families and do all this? It's like, you know, you must live like shit. Your quality of life is disgusting. And coming from throwing 400 round of drinks at the bar and living my lifestyle was like a little like, you know, I was like, you know, I really had to kind of question myself if I was doing the right thing. But, you know, I understood the struggle of a lot of people. So how was I going to inform on some guy who's maybe got a second job, which I'm not allowed to, to do in the academy? So I said no. I was like, you know what? I can't do this undercover shit. And I picked the next Best thing, which was transit. I don't know if you ever seen the movie Money Train.

[B]

I haven't.

[A]

Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson, they're like two plain clothes anti crime cops and they work in the subway. And I was like, I bet you those things still exist. And I started looking to like, yeah, those are like plain clothes guys. They can go citywide and stuff like that. It's like, it's basically undercover work until you actually say, hey, you take out your shield. Uniform, not uniform. You're riding the trains like an everyday civilian. So eventually I knew I wanted to go somewhere along those lines for the most part. So I got into the Transit was a good place to be. You get overtime and everything. So I picked transit. So they did me the favor and they put me in transit. And that was kind of the start of my career.

[B]

How much crime was happening on transit, on the subway?

[A]

There's always crime happening, okay? There is always crime happening. I don't care what reports you see. I don't care what news reports or articles that come out and stuff like that. There is crime happening in the city 24, 7, 365. It's always going on. The people that say crime is down and this and that. Yeah, it might be. Or it's just transition to another part of the city. Crime does it. It's almost like a balloon. When you squeeze it on one end, it expands on the other. And you could see that just with Times Square in the Bronx, when Times Square was all prostitutes and stuff like that, when they decided to clean it up, all the pimps and prostitutes and all the peep shows and get them all out of there. I know Giuliani was big in cleaning all that up. Where do you think all the pimps and prostitutes went? Do you think they just died? No, they went to places like East New York, the South Bronx. It's like a balloon just inflates in other areas. So they might be like, oh my God, look, crime in Times Square. So much down. Yeah, but you're, you're not accounting for other parts of the city and also the fact that a lot of crime goes unreported. You know, a lot of people will not report the crime just because they don't want to lose time out of their day. If you're a tried and tested New Yorker, you already know how the system works. You're going to go down to the precinct, you're going to stand in, stand for somebody lining you up, and you got to sit through the Lineup or you might have to go through books of pictures and this and that. Then you have to come by, come back. All it is, is costing you time and money to put this scumbag away. You know, why should you do it? You know, that's. A lot of people think like, I can't do it. I don't have anybody to take care of my kid. I don't have anybody to work my shift. My boss won't get me off, I'm behind on my rent. This, you name it. Everybody has an excuse in New York, and it's a valid excuse a lot of these times because you got to have 10,000 hustles just to survive. So why am I going to take my time out of my day? And that is something that I think needs to be accounted for. And if it is, the numbers are definitely skewed. I think whatever percent that they're given, it's a lot higher.

[B]

A lot of New Yorkers seem to be desensitized to crime. When you see the videos of people on the subway and there's a crime right on the video and they don't.

[A]

Even care, you know what it is. They had to make a campaign in New York. If you see something, say something. Because we're used to minding our business. And I think that was kind of just us growing up in these neighborhoods. Like, you saw something or whatever, you keep your mouth shut and mind your business. Unless you wanted it to be affected. You wanted to be affected by it. You know what I mean? And that's just. I think that's rule that kind of carries over for the whole world even nowadays, you know, like, people don't want to get involved because if you get involved, something could happen to you. I mean, we're talking about subway situations. Look at the recent case with Daniel Penny. He was acquitted, thank God. You know, but what was he doing? An ex Marine trying to help someone on the train. Crazy person on the train, attacking, menacing, whatever you want to do. Harassing, whatever you want to say, Harassing people. He put a stop to that. Sometimes you got to put people down. Words don't matter that people are crazy. Don't you understand? Like, they're not going to have the same common sense as you. And I mean, when I say, don't you. I'm talking to the general public that says, like, oh, well, there's other ways of handling it. There is no other way of handling talking to a crazy person. Sometimes. Sometimes it's hands on. I got to put you down before something Happens to someone else here. And I think that's being a Marine. That's what he was trained as, eliminate the threat. And that guy was a threat. And in my opinion, he was a hero. But what do heroes get? They get thrown in jail, they get accused of murder and all that other stuff. So why the fuck would I step. Why would I step in anywhere and stop anything? Yeah, even me, nowadays, I mean, I won't if I see a kid getting hurt. That's why I draw a line like, yo, don't put your hands on a kid. And I saw that once, like a guy, a grown man attacking a kid. And I hopped out of the car. That guy's lucky when he almost got fucked up because it was like six grown guys that got out of their cars and was like, what's going on here? He was right. He was fucking fighting with like a 12 year old, 14 year old kid. Talk shit to him, all right? He's a kid. Whatever. He's. They're supposed to talk shit.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean? You don't put your hands on a kid like that. That's kind of the only way I would stop out even a guy and a woman, you know, like nowadays, equal rights, equal lefts, I guess, you know, if you're equal as a woman and you throw hands at a man, you better be ready to get hit back, you know?

[B]

You see the woman that got burned?

[A]

That was terrible.

[B]

That was crazy.

[A]

That was terrible. But that's the migrant crisis. That guy was a migrant Ecuadorian, excuse me, a Guatemalan migrant that came over illegally, you know, he was so. That's what I mean about sick people. The guy lit the person on fire and they found them like this on a subway train, sleeping, crazy. If you just lit someone on fire, my adrenaline would be through the roof. I wouldn't be able to stay still or whatever. Any normal person at least if you just lit someone on fire, you know, it was like another day in the park for him. Did you see when the officers caught him? He was literally knocked out. Like he just worked a shift. Like, you know, like the normal, you know, little paisano you see on the train that just worked hard in the restaurant or construction or whatever that's heading home. Sick, man, sick. How can you do that? And just like nothing happened, you know?

[B]

I don't understand how many illegal migrants got into New York.

[A]

You think they said 200,000? I think it's more. Damn. Yeah. And it's a lot. You know what? Like I say this all the Time. I'm not against immigration. I'm against illegal immigration, that's for sure. Because we're all children of immigrants. And is it fair that maybe your uncle, who's worked very hard in his own country, or your cousin or your brother that's been on a waiting list and doing all the right things doesn't get a shot and all these people get a shot first, you know what I mean? Back in the day, they used to put people on Ellis Island. If you had this kind of disease or this. It was almost like a incubation period or kind of like waiting period to see if you pass to go on to the mainland or whatever. We should bring back something like that. Just letting them come over unvetted. You don't know who it is. There's tons of single males. This is not like, you know, South American trying to come over to work better. We've got a significant gang problem now in this country because of this open border. You know, the Venezuelan gangs, Entrein de Aragua, they call themselves the Araguan Train. They are a transnational organized crime syndicate. We're not talking about just some regular gang members here. I mean, they have tentacles that stretch back to Venezuela. They control migrant smuggling in Chile. I mean, if you look at all the recent articles in the news, I mean, they raid supposedly took over an apartment complex in Colorado. They shot of cops in Times Square, a place in Miami. You know, they're running a huge cell phone and, and drug trafficking organization. I mean, these guys are established and they're not here to. They came over the border with everyone else and they're not here to help or benefit this country in any way. They're here to rob, rape and pillage, and that's what they've been doing.

[B]

When you were a police officer, did you have any run ins with. With those gangs?

[A]

I had a lot of run ins with South American gangs because I used to work majority of my career. I worked in Queensland. I did hop around. I worked in Brooklyn, I did a little in the Bronx. Everybody fights in the Bronx, that's one thing. But it's like that homegrown New York feeling in the Bronx. The Bronx is still like 1980s. Kind of feels like that, you know, some areas. But I worked a lot on the seven line. And if you go on the seven Line on Roosevelt Avenue, it's gotten significantly worse throughout the years. As you can see, there's tons and tons of videos. I see them all the time, every day. Prostitutes getting pushed into somebody getting pushed and stuff. Like that prostitutes, the gangs, the shootings, the stabbings. So when I worked there, they were still there. I don't know if it was such out and it was still out in the open, but now it's like right in your face. You know, they've tried to do initiatives if you see it, but it's all smoke and mirrors. You've seen the former police commissioner and the assistant commissioner and they do this Operation Roosevelt Avenue. That shit is smoking mirrors, man. And they know it. They crack down on one spot, it goes into another one. Like these guys are coming over and doing all this crime and they're 10. They're so entrenched in this neighborhood that it's nothing new. So when I was working out in the seven line, you didn't have trend, but you did have miss 13. There's other gangs called ABK, some of the Dominican gangs, the Trinitarios and stuff like that. They'd be more on the Corona side. The Latin Kings, throughout my day were growing up there. They were there. They kind of veered off to Brooklyn and the Bronx now. But you have a significant amount, significant amount of South American gang bangers. 18th street, they're all there. I posted a video on my channel. I have this channel where I talk about organized crime time and time called Corruption connection. And there's one segment that actually got taken down by YouTube.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Yeah. And I got flagged for it, actually, which sucks. I was talking about it in my other interview and people like, oh, you're full of shit. That didn't happen. There was two gang members who got into a fight on the platform. I believe it was either 82nd or 90th Street. They get into a scuffle. The guy takes out a gun and kills the guy right on the platform. It's all on video, gets shot, whatever. These are gang members. One had like a Knicks jersey on. Okay, so I repost the context. Like I blurted out and I was talking about it, whatever, on the context of my story. And it actually got. It got taken down by you.

[B]

They're strict with guns.

[A]

But this is going back. That video was going back years when I was a cop. That's what I'm saying. Like, the violent, the gang violence has always been there. I believe Those guys were 18th Street 1. One gang from one gang for another gang. They saw each other right on the platform, just got into it and boom, boom, boom. Shot him like it was like he was a dog. So that kind of a violence always existed, you know, But I think now you're seeing it in way greater numbers. You know, before a lot of people didn't even know, but like, oh, whatever, two gang bangers shot each other. But now, like a lady getting set on fire on the train recently when the. When a Venezuelan migrant had came over, he got into a fight with some guy. The guy pulled out a gun, but the migration took the gun and shot him on. You know, it's like, it's a lot of shootings, a lot of stabbings. And the greatest part about it is that New York City, just now, this past weekend, implemented congestion pricing, which makes it so expensive to drive into Manhattan. Why are they doing that? They're trying to push people into the subway system, but people are scared. Well, how can you raise the price on them going into the city or whatever, driving? They're like, oh, it's a win for New Yorkers. What New Yorkers? Who's winning when you got to pay more at the toll or forcing me to go take my life in my hands now, riding the subway, you know, I could maybe afford the Uber or whatever for 10 bucks, you know, but. And they raised the price of the subway, so it's like, maybe I could afford the Uber for 10, 12, whatever, $20. But now I got to pay whatever the subway price is. I don't know what they raised it to, but let's say for a round trip, like $7, which is half the thing, but I got to deal with possibly getting set on fire. God forbid I close my eyes and so somebody snatches my phone, which happens every day. Or somebody puts a knife on me.

[B]

Like, you know, you're on edge.

[A]

Yeah, it's like, come on. I don't know.

[B]

Already like 20 bucks, man, from Jersey. That's. That's crazy. They raised that.

[A]

Well, now it's congestion pricing, so anywhere below, it's like the. Raise the tolls. But then they put this pricing on. They don't. They want less traffic, but I mean, that just affects almost the common everyday New Yorker, you know, like, if you're. If you're just. If you have a business. Let's say, you know, I don't know how it works with the Ubers and everything, but let's say you have like a delivery business where you're going back and forth into the city over the Williamsburg Bridge, which I think was once free, you know, and, you know, now you got to pay a congestion toll from 60th street below. You know, it's like, who the fuck is going to want to go there? Who can even afford to go. It's going to eat away your bottom line.

[B]

That's nuts. You know who's to blame for all the gang stuff right now? Do you think it's the mayor, Eric Adams?

[A]

I think it's a combination of failed leadership all across the board. I think it's Governor Hochul who actually made that statement. This is a huge a win for New Yorkers and for. In regards to congestion pricing. I don't know how that's a win at all. I mean, I don't. But whatever. Her being very out of touch with society. I believe she had made a statement about kids in the Bronx don't even know how to use computers. Little black kids in the Bronx don't even know how to use computers. Some. Something along those lines. They're very out of touch. A lot of these politicians. She shouldn't have been governor at all, but. And then you have Eric Adams, who's the mayor who's currently under indictment. Indictment. And, you know, he. I. I mean, in my opinion, he's corrupt. You know, if you look at all the evidence around him, his chief of department or one of his top chiefs just got indicted and suspended for a pay to play, sex for overtime kind of scandal that's going on right now. And this is all under Eric Adams watch. He's indictment. He's indicted on his own case. There's tons of indictments flying all over the place. I mean, the whole stinks of corruption is. It's one of the most popular topics right now.

[B]

Yeah, it's never happened to America. Get indicted federally, right?

[A]

I don't believe so. I think there was one. There was one that maybe got indicted, but he stepped down. Was it Jimmy Walker, maybe? The nightmare.

[B]

This was a big one. Plus they found out he was having parties during the pandemic.

[A]

The guy was in Miami. They caught him. They caught him on cell phone or whatever while he's supposed to be taking care of the city. He got in Miami. Now he's taking money from the Turkish government. He's in Saudi Arabia. I mean, he's crossing the line. He's just like. It was almost like the old school, Tammany Hall. You know, I'm a student of history. You know, it was a pay to play. You know, as long as you had the money or whatever, you could corrupt all these politicians. And what it's looking like or whatever is that he's been bought and paid for.

[B]

Now he's trying to get pardoned. It looks like.

[A]

It's funny, man. You know, because he was Like a staunch, like, you know, I'm for the migrants, you know, don't tell us how, we're New Yorkers, you know, well, stop waiting for me to fail the ship, you know, and all this, like, like, hurrah, left this. And then you see him at the UFC fight, all kissing Trump's ass. When he gets elected. Yeah, when he get, you know, when he got voted in.

[B]

Nah, dude, New York to me personally hasn't felt the same since the pandemic. Like, I feel like the pandemic messed.

[A]

It up thousand percent.

[B]

Like everyone was dipping.

[A]

Thousand percent. I mean, you know, I can kind of attest to that myself. You know, during the pandemic I started coming out to Vegas a lot more than usual. New York was completely close. I mean, Vegas was always like an escape for me and now I live here. I kind of made it a permanent thing. But I mean, during the pandemic it was a no brainer. They kind of had some sense here. Like, listen, like, you know, it was not as many people as normal, but things were still open. You could kind of get around.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, New York, it just, it killed small businesses. A lot of people couldn't reopen. And if you saw a lot of people that did reopen, they weren't the same. Some change, some didn't. They were no longer 24 hours. They. That stupid fucking sidewalks seating thing, that was just a money grab by the city, you know, and all these, that's what I feel like. It's just money grabs. That's when I say when the, when the government took all the mobs tactics, you know, all they did was make them legal. They're in the marijuana game now. They're. They sports betting, you just name it. And it's like all these things that they're doing, these hidden taxes are just tricks they learn from organized crime. They just made them legal. Doesn't mean they're good. Yeah, you know, some of them are good, but some of them are terrible. They ruin everything.

[B]

It's crazy because you look up like as a kid growing up to respect the government and police officers and then you realize they're corrupt too.

[A]

Yeah, they're worse, to be honest with you. Listen, I've had experience with mobsters, politicians, cops, lawyers, judges. Like I've had experience with all of them. Sat down at tables with them, broke bread with them, been to events with them. The legal side are some of the most corrupt scumbag people that you'd ever meet a mobster if you gave him your hand. And you shook hands with him, most likely 99% of the time. He gave you his word. His word was bond. Yeah, I mean, I've done so many legitimate business deals. Like, if I knew I was gonna borrow money from someone, I don't want to give you your money back or whatever on, you know, organized crime or something like that. Bookie, like, you know, loan shark, you shake their hand or whatever. Like you put my bed in. Yeah. My bet, you know, your bets good that you're coming with the money. I've always been an entrepreneur, you know, so now that I'm older, I do these more bigger deals like real estate and stuff that I'm into. And you give people your hand, you shake it, and you even have contracts, they intentionally don't fuck you because they'd rather go to, you know, you're not going to spend the time to go to the legal system and sue me. And it costs time and this and that. It's like they already have it in your head to. With you, you know, and. And, you know, I've seen that with a lot of quote, unquote lawyers who are, you know, supposed to be the most up, you know, respectable people, and a lot of politicians, you know, just scumbag behavior that you would never see from a mobster ever, you know, but, you know, politicians are, you know, just a breed of their own.

[B]

Well, the legal system's 100 been weaponized. You saw that with Trump, and you're seeing that in New York. The New York's conviction, conviction rates, what, 98. Something crazy.

[A]

I could tell you personally from dealing with the ADAs, dealing with the Queen's district attorney, where I made a lot of my arrests. Brooklyn. Brooklyn is like a free for all. They only want the most serious thing. Like if you got caught with a gun in Brooklyn, it used to be like a year and a day. Now you can just. The whole city, you can just basically get out.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

But they select. The arrest process is all selective, 98, because they know what they're gonna win and what they're not gonna win and how much publicity and this, it's. It's all politicized, you know, and like you said, once it becomes political, you can weaponize it. And then where are we going with this as far as freedom and everything else? Like we're turning into a totalitarianism state here, here. Or, you know, it's like, I don't want to say communism, but it's like, you know, you're tracked here. You can't do this. You can't do this. Like, what freedom do we really have?

[B]

You know, I mean, I think we were heading towards communism under Democrats, to be honest.

[A]

I agree with you. You know, like, you have to put a mask on here. You have to do this. You can't do this. Like, all this with social media censorship. Yeah. Like, people getting barred from saying certain things. Like, my video gets flagged on YouTube. Meanwhile, you can show it on. You can show porn and all this other kind of stuff. I just recently saw. No, even on Facebook. Like, I saw on Facebook, whatever. A girl pleasure in herself, completely nude and everything. With the what? With a toy? Yeah. And I'm like. And my thing gets censored and I blurted out and everything. I'm like, this is crazy.

[B]

I got a lot of strikes early on the show when it was Democratic leadership for, like, vaccine stuff.

[A]

That's another thing.

[B]

Like, certain topics they really don't want out there.

[A]

So when we were talking about this whole migrant thing, right. My channel was doing this because I talk about organized crime history. I try. I try to delve on that. I'm going to start talking more about my personal life because I see it's kind of popular. You know, it got me here. But, you know, that being said, you know, I was doing a lot. My most successful video was actually a Vegas story about a mobster knocking out Frank Sinatra's seats. So you see my channel doing this, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I guess I was a little ahead before my time. If you go on YouTube right now, the first video about that gang, I was telling you, the Venezuelan gang, and I was bringing awareness to El Trende Aragua. It's like Venezuelan gang or migrants taking over. I forget the exact title. My channel did this.

[B]

Damn.

[A]

Immediately, bro. Immediately. I'm talking about. I was getting thousands of views, like hundreds of views. Then it started going like 1k, then 1.1, 1.2, and then it started just going up. And then I got 64,000 on that Sinatra video. I was like, great. All of a sudden. And you could look this up. There's not a video before mine, I believe, on YouTube about this gang. I was the first one to ever put a video out on them. And it fucking did this. Now that it's the hot topic that could talk about it or whatever. Now all the videos are doing well, but they don't want you to talk about something. I don't want to call it a shadow ban or whatever, but I mean, Jesus, like, all of a sudden it was the same kind of video quality. I didn't really change anything. I'm talking about a news story. But it's because what they didn't want to hear at that time. I feel like they shit on that video. And my channel went down. And ever since then it's been hard for me to like gain that momentum that I had.

[B]

No, I've had that with certain guests. If, if that platform doesn't like the guests, I have them on my views, a whole month will be shot. Just really had that person on.

[A]

It's.

[B]

Yeah, because they shadow ban certain people or some of them full on ban people and then I'll have them on and then if I post them on that platform, my views are down 90.

[A]

Really.

[B]

It's crazy. But I think times are getting better now.

[A]

I think we're due for a change. I think people just had enough of it. You know, you're not, you can have your little left side or whatever. Obviously you can tell by way I talk. I, you know, I'm not a leftist, you know, I'm not even an extreme writer. I'm like, whatever makes sense. Yeah, sometimes the left does make sense. Most of the time, no. But sometimes they do. And then, you know, I take it, I take everything with a grain of salt and then I kind of develop my own hypothesis here, you know. So when you go too far left, when you start to change, question biology and stuff like that, oh, men can have babies and all this kind of shit, like that's a mental illness now. You know what I mean? Now we're talking about a different side of the spectrum here. You know, we're no longer, we no longer can have an intelligence debate about men and women. If you're sitting here telling me that a biological man can get pregnant, I've totally, I've totally shut myself off, you know.

[B]

Which way did the, the mob guys lean politically from what you saw?

[A]

Well, I think most of them kind of supported Trump, I would say. Like, I'm trying to think like the later years or whatever who I would know. Like growing up, I think they were all very friendly with the Democrats from what I could see. Because the Democrats could be corrupted.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, like Schumer, like those guys have been in power for fucking so long. Pelosi. Pelosi is the best stock trader in history.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know what I mean? Yeah. I mean, you know, I think that most of the mob guys were friendly with the politicians as far as the Democrats, because they were corruptible, you know, did they like you know, the Republicans that were hard, tough on crime and Stuff, I think in some aspects, yes, because for the most part, you know, nobody really wants crime and shit in their neighborhood. And they're criminal. They know like they, they all live in nice areas, you know, but they.

[B]

Only hurt each other. They weren't hurting random people. That's why I respect it too.

[A]

That too. You know, I. I put a. It's part of my intro. It's from the fame, French Connection. Detective Sonny Grasso. This is a guy who busted up the ring. Him and his partner Eddie Egan, they were two of the best criminal detectives I think, that the NYPD has ever seen, in my opinion. And Sonny came from East Harlem, which was Italian Harlem and that was the mecca of heroin trafficking back in the day. Everybody thinks about the cartels now, but the real original cartels were the Italians. Had it before, maybe like Jewish and a lot of other of the gangsters, they were big into heroin importation, morphine and stuff like that. But what we know as, I guess the modern day drug trafficking organization were the Italians, the French Connection, which was primarily based out of Italian East Harlem. That's where most of the dope in the country came from. From.

[B]

Yeah. So who do you think the most powerful criminal organization is right now? Do you think it's the cartels?

[A]

I would say so, yeah. Definitely the cartels. Definitely. Certain countries, I would say, you know, in the Middle east, they have. They're very rich in the opium. Like I was saying, you know, the. The golden triangle. You know, there's a lot of warlords that we've hear about that never have even done jail time and have been some of the biggest, biggest drug traffickers ever. Kumsa, you ever heard of him? From like out of Burma, CIA connected. Imported more drugs to this country, I think, than anyone ever. And I don't think he ever did a day in jail.

[B]

Damn.

[A]

So, I mean, those guys are the most powerful criminal organization, I guess, is the United States government now. Because they're connected to all these people for real. Without them, they wouldn't exist. You piss off this government, whatever, they'll come after you.

[B]

I agree. Let's end off with some food. Best pizza in Vegas.

[A]

That's an oxymoron, that question, because I can't legitimately give that answer because some of these people out here don't know what pizza is, I'm convinced. And if they've never been. You're from Jersey.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

If you've never been to the tri State area, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and had fresh bread out of a bakery, a Bagel from a Jewish bagel shop. An Italian pizzeria that's been around for a long time. Time, no frills, regular Sicilian kind of slices. You don't know what the real thing is, so you cannot be a judge of food out here. I laugh at all these fucking content creators that come out here and like, oh, this is the best pizza, blah, blah, blah. In my opinion, even the ones that come over here that try to open them up, they're still a little off. Like Prince Street Pizza came over and they opened up in the Durango. They're good, but they're still a little off. Like the crust is very different. I like a place called Monzu. They do their homemade pasta. They also do pizza. Wood, wood fire grill. It's. It's good, it's very good for Italian food.

[B]

What about bagels?

[A]

After they hear this, we're gonna go for dinner, so we better get this comped. All right?

[B]

What about bagels? I've been struggling on bagels, bro.

[A]

Bagels are non existent, let me tell you. They don't exist. There's one place, it's in the middle of Henderson. I forget the name off the top of my head there, okay? But I wouldn't even send anyone there because they're gonna be like, what is it?

[B]

Einstein?

[A]

No. Hell no. No, Einstein. Bagel mania. All these New York bagel and Buffalo, it's all garbage. And this is coming from a New York. I was in the food industry, so I'm a little biased, but just a regular no frill shop. There's tons of bagel stores and pizzerias that I've never even been to in New York City. And when I go for the first time, I expect them to taste good. And they usually do. They don't disappoint.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

When I go to these places, I went to this place and I mean, I hate to shit on a business, but they weren't really nice in there anyway. It's called the Bagel Nook. Okay? The girl goes behind the counter to give me the bagel. I swear to God, I thought it was a wax model. It looked fake. It looked like they painted on the everything seasoning. I was like, that's what you're gonna give me? That's like it. And it tasted just like it looked. So that's why I'm convinced they spent all this money to open up a spot. They really don't know what it tastes like. Cuz if you invested that much money into a business, you wouldn't. You wouldn't be selling that kind of product, I'll tell you that. Maybe they do well out here. I don't. I think the majority doesn't know.

[B]

Well, that's the thing, though.

[A]

Might be a little opportunity or whatever for somebody to take it over.

[B]

But people that grew up here and in Cali, they never had an east coast bagel or pizza.

[A]

I know that. I know. And I can tell. Like, I can tell right away because the recommendations I get, like, you say my favorite pizza, and I don't even want to say it because it's like somebody's going to come to me and be like, that's your favorite pizza, Tone. And I'm going to try to tell them, like, I understand, but, like, Monzo's pretty good, but they're not. Yeah, I'm not walking into a spot and ordering a slice that doesn't exist. Doesn't exist, bro. There's a couple.

[B]

But, hey, it's been a blast, man. Anything you want to close off with here?

[A]

No, man. You know, just everybody, thank you for having me on. I really appreciate it. Good luck with everything here. You guys are doing great work. You have a nice place and everything. And, you know, everybody, come follow me. Check me out on my channel. You know, I do Mafia History live on location. I'm all over Vegas, New York, and, you know, I'm trying to grow it, you know, so soon enough, you'll, you know, you'll see me here doing this whole thing.

[B]

Absolutely. Your stuff below. Thanks.

[A]

Corruption Connection. Thanks a lot.

[B]

Peace.