"Blood and Bourbon: The Untouchable Godfather Who Owned the South"

Criminal Empire: Mafia Mysteries & Serial Killers - A podcast by Charlie Outback

While Al Capone ruled Chicago and Lucky Luciano controlled New York, one man built an empire that stretched from the Mississippi Delta to the Florida Keys – and the FBI couldn't touch him. This is the explosive story of America's most powerful crime boss Santo Trafficante  you've never heard of, a shadowy figure who turned the entire American South into his personal kingdom of corruption, murder, and untold wealth. From moonshine operations that dwarfed Prohibition's biggest bootleggers to gambling empires that bought governors and senators, discover how this untouchable godfather operated with complete impunity for decades. We'll expose the shocking web of political corruption that reached the highest levels of government, the brutal enforcement methods that kept an entire region in line, and the blood-soaked succession wars that tore his empire apart from within. Featuring declassified FBI files that reveal why federal agents were ordered to "look the other way," secret recordings of high-level conspiracies, and testimonies from the few brave souls who dared to speak out and lived to tell their stories. This episode uncovers the darkest secrets of American organized crime – a story so explosive that powerful people spent millions to keep it buried. Some empires fall to bullets and badges. Others are destroyed by the very corruption that built them.