From a New York Times-bestselling author: A true story of Irish gangsters in Manhattan--"A harrowing account of big city crime" (Library Journal). ago. ''This sentence is an act of trust which you have earned,'' the judge told Mr. Featherstone. 'That's the way they get the message out.'. Despite a notably sweet and boyish face, Mickey Featherstone, a Vietnam veteran who had talked his way into the Green Berets at just seventeen years old, was known as one of the most vicious and ruthless members of the gang. In April 1986, Featherstone was convicted of Hollys murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The shooter, Featherstone learned, was Billy Bokun. Jimmy, a charismatic sociopath, is the leader. [1] He served in the Vietnam War as member of the Green Berets aged just 17 after lying about his age. Then in 1985, Coonan, fearing a power grab by Featherstone, set him up to take a fall for murder. After his conviction, Featherstone quickly concluded that Westies members and Kenneth Aronson had colluded to set him up to take the fall for Hollys murder. Featherstone, despite standing 57 with wide blue eyes, shaggy blonde hair, and a boyish face, soon developed a killers reputation that might not have been apparent from his appearance alone. [2] After borrowing Coonan's gun, he shot dead Linwood Willis in a confrontation outside a bar in 1971, but was found not guilty due to insanity. Federal officials said Friday that Mr. Featherstone was released from custody on Dec. 23, two days after he was given probation on a racketeering charge involving the Westies, a gang that. Francis Mickey Featherstone was born on West 43rd Street on Sept. 2, 1948. Judge Sweet, noting that Mr. Featherstone had already served the equivalent of a five-year sentence on a murder charge that was later dismissed, said the probation on the racketeering charge included conditions that the defendant take part in counseling and rehabilitation programs. He went on trial with Coonan for the killing of a barman, but they were acquitted in December 1979 after one witness killed himself and another refused to testify. They said that over the years it has been steeped in gambling and loansharking. It was very difficult for police and prosecutors to convict men associated with this group because witnesses were terrified of the members and their willingness to quickly kill anyone who crossed them. The Westies grew out of a Hell's Kitchen bootlegging mob formed by former Cotton Club owner Owen Madden, authorities said. Nebraska students toss water balloons for Guinness World Record. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. He was charged with three murders over the years, but was always able to get acquitted after pleading insanity. Through his work in the Westies, Art secured Billy Beattie and another Westies member . to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. Many people mistakenly underestimated Featherstone, given his small stature, making him even more dangerous. April 27 (UPI) -- A Sydney, Australia, woman is trying to solve a mystery after hundreds of dollars' worth of drinks, including Gatorade, Powerade, Coke and Fanta started showing up at her home. Public DomainGambino boss Paul Castellano. Initially the job was given to Mickey Featherstone but he refused, the job was then given to Jimmy McElroy and Kevin Kelly. When Mickey returned to the notoriously violent, Irish dominated Hell's Kitchen area of New York, his violent tendencies continued. He had been discharged from the army in 1967, suffering from hallucinations, and spent years in and out of a mental hospital. The DEA ranks him as one of the top 10 drug traffickers in US history. 44. r/Mafia. In May 1977, Jimmy Coonan owed a substantial amount of money to loan shark Ruby Stein and decided to forgive his own debt by murdering Stein. Mickey Featherstone was second-in-command to Jimmy Coonan, leader of the Westies, an extremely violent Irish mob that operated in Hells Kitchen, Manhattan, in the 1970s and 1980s. Privacy Policy. He came back home and moved his way up in the Westies, making a name for himself as a killer. Rich and Shefsky, joined by show favorite Jeremiah Watkins, took over the Bel, 12 Angry Menis a 1957 Americancourtroom drama filmdirected bySidney Lumet, adapted from ateleplay of the same namebyReginald Rose. On March 25, 1977, Westie John Bokun was shot dead by police after an argument with another Hells Kitchen resident, Michael Holly. Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. Mickey Featherstones Oldest Son Was in Kuwait before 9/11 and is now married to a School Teacher, His 2nd son Just received a Medal of Bravery from the armey his oldest daughter is married and has her own business and his youngest daughter is in college on a Athletic Schollarship. [3][4] He received a medical discharge in 1967 after just a year, claiming to have hallucinations. All NRE reports represent a moment in time. This pic is of edna. Outside the courtroom, Coonan's lawyer Lawrence Hochheiser said, 'She's a housewife her only crime is being his wife.' Joey and Friend David Rafeli Owner/CEO at Rafaeli's Cigars. By the mid 1980s, Featherstone was convinced that Coonan, living in New Jersey, had sold the neighborhood out to the Mafia, and bad blood festered. Featherstone returned with a rifle and shot one of the brothers John Riley in the arm, for which he was arrested and probationed. 501 1/2 43rd St. Mickey Featherstone, one of the most-feared Westies who had committed multiple murders before he even got into the gang, was raised in this building with nine brothers and sisters. He disappeared without a trace in 1973 at the age of 29 and has not been seen in 49 years. Law enforcement attributed at least 30 unsolved murders to the gang and the innocuous-looking Mickey Featherstone was recognized as one of their most vicious members. Mr. Featherstone also provided information in other investigations, and testified in the continuing trial of several men accused of committing murders and other racketeering acts as part of the Gambino crime family. According to our records, Mickey Featherstone is possibly single. When Steins torso washed up a few days later, a member of the gang was overheard saying we should have cut the lungs open according to the Associated Press. DeSantis amid feud over self-governing privileges. Jimmy on the left & Larry Sessa, alleged Colombo Crime Family mobster. In the mid-1970s, these two longtime friends take the reins of New York's Irish mob, using brute force to give it hitherto unthinkable power. After learning about Mickey Featherstone, read how Irish mobster Danny Greene took on the Cleveland Mafia or learn about mobster Frank The Irishman Sheeran. 'They shared in the proceeds of gambling and loansharking on the West Side and they also have been used as hired guns for the Gambino family,' he said. He has to be up there in age, 58 maybe, 60 maybe? Mickey's trouble started in 1977 with the murder of a member of the Westies named John Bokun. [5] He was freed in December 1988[5] and went into a witness protection program. One day you're a made man, the next, you're sleeping with the fishes. Grasping defeat from the jaws of victory. In 1988, because of Featherstones testimony, eight of the gangs members were ultimately convicted of racketeering and other offenses related to their participation in a RICO criminal enterprise with Coonan himself getting 75 years in prison. 229. Featherstone had served in the Vietnam War, but was discharged in 1967 after hallucinations landed him in a mental hospital. He also said he'd been ordered to carry out the murder in a wig, which he believed was meant to make him look like Mickey. But the Westies eventual downfall would come thanks to Mickey Featherstone himself, after he was framed for the murder of Michael Holly by Coonan in 1985. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Morgenthau said they were among the top hitmen in the gang. In the criminal underworld, trust is a slippery commodity. Francis (Mickey) Featherstone, an admitted killer who turned informer, has won his freedom, largely in return for testifying against his former associates in a violent gang called the Westies. That's when the 'Westies', a ruthless gang of Irish American extortionists, racketeers and contract killers, took in the violent young Featherstone and put him to work. Mickey Featherstone relationship list. Thanks to everyone who came out, we had a fantastic time. Thank you for helping to keep the podcast database up to date. Anonymous. From a New York Times-bestselling author: A true story of Irish gangsters in Manhattan"A harrowing account of big city crime" (Library Journal). Mr. Featherstone and his family are now in the Government's witness protection program, which provides for relocating them under a new name. April 28 (UPI) -- A lost dog in Northern Ireland was found 26 days later after walking more than 40 miles to the home of his former owners. Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. Authorities said Leone was a loanshark and a bookie who created no-show jobs and took kickbacks from dockworkers on the Hudson River piers that border the Irish gang's territory in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan's West Side. #7 Convicted ''One of your trademarks was the murder and dismemberment of your victims in order to terrorize and avoid detection,'' the judge said, adding that Mr. Featherstone had been ''hospitalized for alcoholic addiction and psychiatric problems.''. The Westies would also carry out some of the Gambino familys most gruesome dirty work. Mr. Featherstone indeed served in Vietnam - as a stock clerk. [4], Featherstone was convicted in March 1986 for the April 1985 murder of Michael Holly, despite being innocent of this particular murder, which was a revenge attack probably carried out by another of the Westies, Billy Bokun. Help us build our profile of Mickey Featherstone! We start getting into the deep water on talking about the Westies and their activities in the late 1970's early 1980's. Who is Mickey Featherstone dating? After deciding to cooperate with the authorities, Mr. Featherstone pleaded guilty to a Federal racketeering charge, admitting his participation in four murders, five murder conspiracies and additional acts of loan-sharking, drug dealing and other crimes. 2 mo. . ''Mickey has always lied,'' Mr. Moresco said. Mickey knew he'd been framed, and was able to convince the police to let him prove it. Francis T. "Mickey" Featherstone (born September 2, 1948) is a former Irish American mobster and member of the Westies, an organized crime syndicate from Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan in New York City, led by James Coonan. This book is a lot more focused on one man's role (Mickey Featherstone) in the Westies, rather than the Westies as a whole. In March 1986, Featherstone was found guilty, and faced a sentence of 25 years to life. However, Holly returned to New York City several years later. In part one we are covering the backstory of the main characters, Jimmy Coonan , CRiiiME LiiiVE! Florida Democrats skewered Gov. April 28 (UPI) -- A Nebraska high school said it broke a Guinness World Record when more than 1,000 students participated in a water balloon toss event. ''These conditions are imposed to protect you from a psychiatric breakdown and any resulting harm to the community in which you will live. Relationship history. Coonan's former underling, Francis 'Mickey' Featherstone, has pleaded guilty to a federal racketeering charge and is cooperating with authorities, leading to the recent spate of arrests. He could have been sentenced to a maximum of 20 years for racketeering. The website is updated daily, frequently with exonerations that occurred in the past. They pulled over, either to do cocaine or because one of them asked him to. Feb 13, 2011 #28. Chastising them for murdering two important Mafia loan sharks in Manhattan, Castellano told Coonan the Westies should pay the family 10 percent from all of their illegal proceeds and in turn, the Gambinos would finance the Westies loansharking operation. Those who knew him in the neighborhood often crossed the street when they saw him coming their way. Meet Mickey Featherstone, The Deranged Hitman Who Turned Informant And Helped Bring Down The Westies. If it is the first time you login, a new account will be created automatically. He was in the westies but went into witness protection in the 80s or 90s. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Featherstone, This week we finish up our series with Justin Rimmel from Mysterious Circumstances talking about the downfall of one of the most violent gangs in the history of NYC. Yeah, Featherstone is a strange character. 'Fog of bees' briefly interrupts PGA Tour's Mexico Open. Support The National Registry of Exonerations , The Contribution of Forensic and Expert Evidence to DNA Exoneration Cases, Race and Wrongful Convictions in the United States, 2022, Government Misconduct and Convicting the Innocent, Witness Recantations: Preliminary Findings, May 2013, Exonerations in the United States: 1989 - 2012, Tell us about an Exoneration that we missed, Tell Because of men like Featherstone, convictions of Westies members became increasingly difficult to secure because potential witnesses were terrified of them and their willingness to swiftly kill anyone who crossed them. Meanwhile, the District Attorneys office agreed to work with Featherstones wife to obtain evidence confirming Featherstones claims. After all, Featherstone had killed men in neighborhood bars in front of witnesses multiple times and beat the charges. He is also working with Movie Director Sheridan on a movie about the Westies called Emerald City that will be out in 2008 He expects to make some fierce funds from this. He was born on the upper West Side and his mother worked with the VFW and his father was a U. S. Customs officer. Judge Sweet stressed that Mr. Featherstone testified as a major witness in a trial that ended early this year in the conviction of seven members of the Westies, including James Coonan, the gang's leader, who received a sentence of 75 years in prison. And now, in April 2023, Carlson is gone too, even more abruptly than his predecessor, though perhaps under a similar cloud.Once again, the ouster is being crowed about by liberals who really . His parents divorced and mother remarried. Wrongfully convicted of murder, Featherstone sought to clear his name by becoming a government witness. Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. The ruthless reputation of the gang came to the notice of the Gambino family, and boss Paul Castellano, who summoned Coonan and Featherstone to a meeting in a Bay Ridge, Brooklyn restaurant in 1978. Until his release last week, Mr. Featherstone had been held in custody on his racketeering charge and for a parole violation involving his earlier conviction in a counterfeiting case. Featherstone excelled in training and joined the special forces, but was disappointed to serve as a stock clerk while other recruits saw combat.

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