The Last Gangster: From Cop to Wiseguy to FBI Informant: Big Ron Previte and the Fall of the American Mob

George Anastasia

Oct 2022 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Chris Monteiro

About this audiobook

As a cop, Ron Previte was corrupt. As a mobster he was brutal. And in his final role, as a confidential informant to the FBI, Previte was deadly. The Last Gangster is his story-the story of the last days of the Philadelphia Mob, and of the clash of generations that brought it down once and for all. For thirty-five years, Ron Previte roamed the underworld. A six-foot, three-hundred-pound capo in the Philadelphia-South Jersey crime family, he ran every mob scam and gambit from drug trafficking and prostitution to the extortion of millions from Atlantic City. By the 1990s, Previte, an old-school workhorse, found himself answering to younger mob bosses like "Skinny Joe" Merlino, who seemed increasingly spoiled, cocky, and careless. Convinced that the honor of the "business" was gone, he became the FBI's secret weapon in an intense and highly personalized war on the Philadelphia mob. Operating with the same guile, wit, and stone-cold bravado that had made him a force in the underworld-and armed with only a wiretap secured to his crotch-Previte recorded it all; the murder, the mayhem, and even the story of mob boss Ralph Natale's affair with his youngest daughter's best friend. Previte and his FBI cronies eventually prevailed, securing the convictions of his nemeses, "Skinny Joey" Merlino and Ralph Natale.

About the author

George Anastasia was the mob writer at the Philadelphia Inquirer for years and is the author of six books on true crime. He is the recipient of numerous journalism awards and has worked on and been featured in a number of television documentaries.

A trained traditional and voice actor who loves to read and perform, Chris Monteiro has lent his voice to television and radio ads, animated films, video games, documentaries, and dozens of audiobooks.