When Corruption was King
Encyclopedia
When Corruption Was King: How I Helped the Mob Rule Chicago, then Brought the Outfit Down is a memoir
written by Robert Cooley
, a lawyer who worked for Mafia
criminals in Chicago
, U.S.A., but eventually turned in his former clients. The book is co-written by journalist Hillel Levin and was published by Perseus Publishing in 2004. It details Cooley's friendships with Pat Marcy
, Harry Aleman
and Tony Spilotro, as well as telling the story of the nine trials in which Cooley helped the U.S. Organized Crime Strike Force
convict several key Mafia figures.
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
written by Robert Cooley
Robert Cooley
Robert Cooley is a former Mafia lawyer, government informant and author of the 2004 autobiography, "When Corruption was King."-Early life:...
, a lawyer who worked for Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
criminals in Chicago
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
, U.S.A., but eventually turned in his former clients. The book is co-written by journalist Hillel Levin and was published by Perseus Publishing in 2004. It details Cooley's friendships with Pat Marcy
Pat Marcy
Pat Marcy was a legendary political boss with great influence over the Illinois Democratic Party. According to Federal prosecutors, as well as informants Robert Cooley and Michael J. Corbitt, he was also a trusted and valued associate of the Chicago Outfit...
, Harry Aleman
Harry Aleman
Harry "The Hook" Aleman was a Chicago mobster who was one of most feared enforcers for the Chicago Outfit during the 1970s. Aleman got the nickname "Hook" from his boxing career in high school.-Early life:...
and Tony Spilotro, as well as telling the story of the nine trials in which Cooley helped the U.S. Organized Crime Strike Force
United States Organized Crime Strike Force
The United States Organized Crime Strike Force was created in the late 1960s for the purpose of finding and stopping illegal racketeering. It was formed in a congressional effort led by Robert Kennedy....
convict several key Mafia figures.