In April 1986, Featherstone was convicted of Hollys murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. After weaseling out of three murder charges, and most likely being responsible for countless others, an internal dispute within the Westies would result in Featherstone finally and ironically going to prison for a murder he didn't really commit. Summarize this article for a 10 years old. Outside the courtroom, Coonan's lawyer Lawrence Hochheiser said, 'She's a housewife her only crime is being his wife.' British man breaks world record with 17 flesh tunnels on his face. [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. 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. He volunteered for combat in Vietnam and would claim he spent time killing with the Special Forces. He has to be up there in age, 58 maybe, 60 maybe? Mickey Featherstone is an American Criminal. 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. 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. He had been informed by Westies member Kevin Kelly the night before Hollys murder that Holly was going to be killed. 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. 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. ''This sentence is an act of trust which you have earned,'' the judge told Mr. Featherstone. Courtroom. Seems like a quiet shy guy but in reality he's a stone cold killer. Admitted Westies Killer Who Informed Is Free - New York Times He had a low boiling point to start with and if alcohol was involved, and it often was, Mickey had the potential to explode. In the latest indictment, Julia Coonan, 44, wife of imprisoned Westies leader James Coonan, was charged with scheming to murder the loanshark, he said. The Westies : Inside New York's Irish Mob - Google Books [3] To his disappointment, he was pulled from combat duty, he was involved in criminal mischief with his friends and was disciplined for many drunken pranks. ', Asked if she was a member of the Westies, he responded, 'She's hardly a member of anything at all.'. 11/2=60yr old scumbag, This website uses cookies for functionality, analytics and advertising purposes as described in our, http://www.visitmonmouth.com/sheriff/up 007web.jpg. Re: (Video) Mickey Featherstone - 60 Minutes Interview [ Re: ronnie_little ] #681434. Mickey Featherstone was a complete nut case. The End of The Westies - The Irish Mob This Featherstone is littlebit like leonetti - talks clearly, calmy, but what a psycho! 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. This is legendary NYC drug kingpin Frank Mathews. For those of you who were too St. Paddy's Day wasted to make it, don't you worry, there will be more! I wonder how much of it was drugs. He could have been sentenced to a maximum of 20 years for racketeering. Julia Coonan pleaded innocent to conspiracy charges in state Supreme Court in Manhattan and Judge Peter McQuillan set $50,000 bail. 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. Featherstone contacted prosecutors from his trial and convinced them that the shooter may have been Billy Bokun, wearing a wig to look like Featherstone. Updated: Nov. 17, 2021 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. The Westies: Inside New York's Irish Mob - amazon.com 10 American Mobsters Who Were Not Italian Americans [2] The police suspected him of a series of mob contract killings. Disney sues Florida Gov. Nicky Scarfo the former head of the Philadelphia crime family pictured in the late 80s, One of the most blood thirsty and paranoid bosses of his time. Kevin Kelly (Westies), Anthony Senter (DeMeo crew), Carmine "The Snake" Persico (Boss of the Colombo Crime Family) Michael "Mickey Boy" Paradiso ( Gambino Crime Family Capo). Thanks to everyone who came out, we had a fantastic time. April 28 (UPI) -- The PGA Tour's Mexico Open was briefly interrupted when a swarm of bees sent a group of golfers ducking in the grass. Alligator removed from South Carolina resident's garage. ''These conditions are imposed to protect you from a psychiatric breakdown and any resulting harm to the community in which you will live. If it is the first time you login, a new account will be created automatically. Mickey Featherstone's legacy of crime is attributable to his circumcision as an asocial Sacrificed Returned. With this evidence in hand showing that Featherstones fellow gang members had turned on him and set him up, his conviction was overturned in September 1986, and Featherstone agreed to become an informant. 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. [5] He was freed in December 1988[5] and went into a witness protection program. This pic is of edna. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. It was founded in 2012 in conjunction with the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law. [4] Mickey Spillane, the mob leader in Hell's Kitchen at the time, was shot five times outside his apartment in August 1977, and Featherstone was arrested but acquitted for his killing. After his conviction was overturned, he struck a deal with the authorities to inform on his own organization. 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. We have no records . After DeSantis pushed a last-minute repeal of the company's prized status through the legislature, he romped to . In March 1986, Featherstone was found guilty, and faced a sentence of 25 years to life. Asked if she was a member of the Westies, he responded, 'She's hardly a member of anything at all.'. Featherstone and Coonan had a falling out over the latter's alliance with the Gambino crime family, which Featherstone saw as a betrayal of all the Irish-Americans in Hell's Kitchen. Featherstone excelled in training and joined the special forces, but was disappointed to serve as a stock clerk while other recruits saw combat. Grasping defeat from the jaws of victory. The Wild Westies' last stand? - IrishCentral.com Congrats to him for being the first multi-million dollar illiterate trader. For more information, please see our As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. According to our records, Mickey Featherstone is possibly single. Shout Box: Site Links >Help Page >More Smilies >GBB on Facebook >Job Saver >Godfather Website >Scarface Website Joey and Friend David Rafeli Owner/CEO at Rafaeli's Cigars. Lol. The Westies only numbered around 15 members, all Irish American, yet became the dominant criminal force in Hells Kitchen. Feb 13, 2011 #28. His parents divorced and mother remarried. 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. Defense Lawyers' Complaints. It's men like Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone who gave Hell's Kitchen its name. Westie members murdered and dismembered him in the back of Coonans bar, then threw his remains in the Hudson River. Mickey Featherstone 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. 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. No one couldve predicted that Featherstone, perhaps the gangs most violent and dedicated member, would be the one to put an end to the Westies, and perhaps the Irish mob in Manhattan, once and for all. Morgenthau said they were among the top hitmen in the gang. Privacy Policy. She said the Government explained the scope and value of his cooperation, along with the severity of his offense. How feared was Mickey Featherstonereally? Mr. Featherstone and his family are now in the Government's witness protection program, which provides for relocating them under a new name. For the most accurate data, please search on the Detailed View page. An unhinged man with a hot temper and a hair trigger, Mickey Featherstone was known to kill for little to no reason at all. 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. In the late 1970s, the Westies began collaborating with the Gambino family and its notorious Mafia, with the Westies functioning as an enforcer arm of the Gambino ring carrying out assigned executions and sharing in weekly profits. He spent periods of time back in a mental hospital, but always returned to involvement with the Westies. '', See the article in its original context from. Francis Mickey Featherstone was born on West 43rd Street on Sept. 2, 1948. McElroy and Bokun are in jail charged with other killings. [4] He pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge and received a suspended sentence of five years' probation from Judge Robert W. Sweet due to his cooperation with the authorities. [5], "Books of The Times; The Rise and Fall of a Thoroughly Vicious Gang", "New York Stories: Hell's Kitchen Killers", "Admitted Westies Killer Who Informed Is Free", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mickey_Featherstone&oldid=1082198232, This page was last edited on 11 April 2022, at 21:33. Mickey Featherstone is a member of the following lists: People from Manhattan, 1947 births and American military personnel of the Vietnam War. Led by Jimmy Coonan and, From an introduction made by his long time friend Tom Sheer, Joe Poletto was introduced to Art Ruffles, special agent in charge of the FBIs organized crime unit in charge of the Gambino, DeMeo and Westies cases. The man the gang judged responsible for the murder, Michael Holly, skipped town to escape the heat, but returned a few years later. ''At least for the time being,'' the judge said, ''the Westies have been broken as an organization, largely as a result of your cooperation.''. Jimmy Coonan, the ruthless leader of the Westies in the 1970s. and our However, Holly returned to New York City several years later. [2] His conviction eventually came in February 1982, after using counterfeit currency at a massage parlor - he was traced because the girl remembered seeing his name tattooed on his forearm, and he was sentenced to six years. At first, it appeared that he had won. 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. He would act out frequently while in the hospitals, leading to him being restrained and injected with thorazine. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. They pulled over, either to do cocaine or because one of them asked him to. The DEA ranks him as one of the top 10 drug traffickers in US history. 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. But the Westies now had an enemy in Featherstone. We start getting into the deep water on talking about the Westies and their activities in the late 1970's early 1980's. 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. Even among his murderous peers, he was known as a brutal killer. 2 mo. In the mid-1970s, Coonans Westies seized control of organized crime from predominant West Side gang leader, Mickey Spillane. James Coonan is awaiting trial for an alleged revenge killing against a gang member. Featherstone was stunned to finally be convicted of a murder, and not just because he had dodged so many guilty verdicts in the past. Mickey Featherstone: The Dangerous Hitman Currently Free In - Grunge He was a house mom for his first couple of yrs in the WPP and he is now a day trader investing only personal funds. According to The National Registry of Exonerations, Francis "Mickey" Featherstone was a member of the violent Irish organized crime gang known as the Westies, who sought power in the underworld of New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood from the 1960s to the late '80s. NYC tour covers the violent history of Hell's Kitchen and - amNewYork [2] His mother helped with the Veterans of Foreign Wars and his father was a United States Customs Service officer. 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. #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.''. Back in Hells Kitchen, Featherstone soon found himself involved in more serious forms of criminal mischief. April 28 (UPI) -- A South Carolina woman won a $300,000 prize from a scratch-off lottery ticket just three years after winning a $250,000 lottery jackpot. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. On April 25, 1985, Billy Bokun (John Bokuns brother), wearing a wig to look like Featherstone, approached Holly on a crowded street and killed him, firing five bullets into his back. 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. Neil Patmore is a former police officer, and private investigator. We have no records of past relationships for Mickey Featherstone. Anonymous. Brisman Craigslist Murder Phillip Markoff was born 1986. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. It's men like Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone who gave Hell's Kitchen its name. This dichotomy was Mickey in essence. New York law enforcement attributed at least thirty unsolved murders to the Westies in the 1970s and 1980s, and they were known as an extremely violent group, even by gang standards. Facing almost 25 years in jail, he became an informant and brought down Coonan's gang. He had his wife Sissy record some conversations with Westie Billy Bokun, brother of John, in which he admitted to killing Holly. 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. Meet Mickey Featherstone, The Deranged Hitman Who Turned Informant And Helped Bring Down The Westies. us about an exoneration that we may have missed, Correct an error or add information about an exoneration Mickey Featherstone girlfriend, wife list. 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. As a freelance writer, he spends his time writing about true crime. Other Westies had indeed cooked up the frame job to eliminate Mickey as a threat to their power in the organization. Francis T. "Mickey" Featherstone 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. The National Registry of Exonerations is a project of the Newkirk Center for Science & Society at University of California Irvine, the University of Michigan Law School and Michigan State University College of Law. Grow up. There where a series of gruesome murders taking place in the neighborhood and Jimmy Coonan and, This week we are starting a multi-part series with Justin Rimmel of the Mysterious Circumstances Podcast to talk about one of the most violent, brutal crime organizations in New York City from the 60's-80's The Westies. He never saw combat. Dose anyone know what Micky looks like now? 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. Left to Right. Through his work in the Westies, Art secured Billy Beattie and another Westies member . By the late 1970s, the Westies had also become an enforcement arm of the equally feared Gambino family, carrying out assigned executions and sharing in weekly profits. Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. [2] Featherstone did time in the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield Missouri on the psychiatric ward in 1982. When someone laid eyes on him in person the reaction was usually disbelief, with his violent notoriety disproportionate to his small physical stature. Featherstone returned with a rifle and shot one of the brothers John Riley in the arm, for which he was arrested and probationed. Wrongfully convicted of murder, Featherstone sought to clear his name by becoming a government witness. 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 committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. Defense lawyers have complained in Federal District Court that Mr. Featherstone and other informers received highly beneficial deals from the Government to obtain their testimony in the Gambino trial and that the jury was not told that the informers were being freed. The shooter, Featherstone learned, was Billy Bokun. Kevin Kelly - The Irish Mob Judge Sweet said at the sentencing of Mr. Featherstone that the sentence involved an effort to balance ''a violent past, a redemptive present and an uncertain future. Thiscourtroom dramatells the story of ajury of 12 men as they deliberate the conviction or acquittal of an 18-year old defendanton the basis ofreasonable do, Joe Poletto continues his conversation with Billy Beattie, founding member of the notorious Westies and Art Ruffles, FBI special agent in charge of the organized crime unit. Nevertheless, his temper was infamous and if alcohol was involved, he was especially prone to violence. '', ''During the 40 years of your life,'' Judge Sweet told Mr. Featherstone, ''you have experienced violence as a child, as a student in our city schools, as a soldier in Vietnam, as a criminal on the streets and as a killer and an enforcer of one of the most feared gangs in our city.'' Or, as was the case with Mickey Featherstone, you find you've been chosen as the fall guy for a power grab within the gang. Thank you for helping to keep the podcast database up to date. ''And he's in a pickle now where he has to lie.'' Mr. Moresco's own life is deeply enmeshed in that of the Hell's Kitchen where he grew up in. 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. Many people mistakenly underestimated Featherstone, given his small stature, making him even more dangerous. All these years later, the legend of the wild, wild Westies -- the Gaelic gangsters of the '80s and '90s, led by the likes of Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone -- lives on. Kelly is a fugitive who has been indicted for the attempted murder of a carpenter's union official. In part one we are covering the backstory of the main characters, Jimmy Coonan , CRiiiME LiiiVE! The following day, Featherstone was arrested and eventually charged with Hollys murder one of the few murders he, ironically, didnt commit. Mickey Featherstone dating history - Who's Dated Who? 1 killed in shooting at Massachusetts house party, Heavy shelling in Kherson, Kharkiv destroys residences, Cuba postpones International Workers' Day parade over fuel shortages, Democrats, Republicans remain split on debt ceiling plan, SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches following aborted mission, delays. [3][4] He received a medical discharge in 1967 after just a year, claiming to have hallucinations. Mickey looks like a piece of shit, as always. 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 . Mickey, whose memories of Vietnam torture him daily, is his enforcer. Shes the 2nd from the right, looks just like him. S.C. woman wins $300,000 lottery prize -- her second jackpot in 3 years. 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. Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. [1][2], When a group from New Jersey, called the Riley brothers, entered Hell's Kitchen a fight started with the outsiders. 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. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. He was in the westies but went into witness protection in the 80s or 90s. DeSantis may have overreached when he went to war with Disney, and Inside The Murder Of Actress Lana Clarkson And Her Heartbreaking Final Hours, This Medieval Warrior Died During The Battle Of Visby And Scientists Just Recreated His Wound In All Its Gory Glory, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. 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 terrorized an area of Manhattan west of Eighth Avenue between 42d and 57th Streets. Morgenthau said that in November 1983 Julia Coonan visited her husband, who was named as an unindicted co-conspirator, in the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y., and the two hatched the plot to kill the victim. on our list, Other After effectively destroying the Irish mob in Manhattan, 38-year-old Mickey Featherstone entered the witness protection program and has lived under the radar ever since. It's men like Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone who gave Hell's Kitchen its name. Coonan liked what he had seen from Featherstone, and recruited him as second in command, all while the Westies upped the violence, leaving behind a string of often dismembered corpses. [1][5] His wife Sissy co-operated with the District Attorney's office to tape incriminating conversations with gang members, including Bokun. The institution kept Featherstone working on the ward, out of General Population, for his own safety. Those who knew him in the neighborhood often crossed the street when they saw him coming their way. Micky and His Wife Missy are very happy living in a 2.5 millon home in Southwestern section of America where it seldom rains and almost never snows. In the criminal underworld, trust is a slippery commodity. Aussie tourist 'very sorry' for drunken, nude rampage in Indonesia. Nebraska students toss water balloons for Guinness World Record. Admitted Westies Killer Who Informed Is Free, https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/01/nyregion/admitted-westies-killer-who-informed-is-free.html. 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. When Mickey returned to the notoriously violent, Irish dominated Hell's Kitchen area of New York, his violent tendencies continued. Released to the streets of Hells Kitchen in 1975, Featherstone formed an association with another feared gangster, Jimmy Coonan, a stone-cold killer with a fierce reputation. She was arrested Wednesday in her home in Hazlet, N.J. Three other members of the Irish gang were charged with carrying out the killing of Vincent Leone, 47, the recording secretary of Local 1909 of the International Longshoremen's Association. From a New York Times-bestselling author: A true story of Irish gangsters in Manhattan"A harrowing account of big city crime" (Library Journal). As they were interviewing employees, Mickey Featherstone walked right into their midst - short, slight and light-haired. 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. More than 150 beverages delivered to woman's home without explanation. 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. Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. Featherstone was convicted in 1986, but his conviction was reversed later that year when the actual shooter was identified. With this evidence, Featherstones conviction was overturned in September 1986 according to The National Registry Of Exonerations, and Featherstone agreed to become an informant. 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. NEW YORK -- The wife of a reputed West Side mobster and three members of his Irish gang were indicted Wednesday in the killing of a loanshark, and the Manhattan prosecutor said the gang was. Relationships. 'That's the way they get the message out.'. Relationship history. Anyone can read what you share. Public DomainGambino boss Paul Castellano. Mickey Featherstone news, gossip, photos of Mickey Featherstone, biography, Mickey Featherstone girlfriend list 2022. Register Log In Home Forums Organized Crime - Real Life How feared was Mickey Featherstone . April 28 (UPI) -- An isolated private island off the coast of Scotland is for sale with an asking price of about $188,000. Scan this QR code to download the app now. The Registry also maintains a more limited database of known exonerations prior to 1989. The Westies: Inside the Hell's Kitchen Irish Mob - amazon.com gb1993 2 yr. ago Then in 1985, Coonan, fearing a power grab by Featherstone, set him up to take a fall for murder. . Francis T. Featherstone - National Registry of Exonerations Pre 1989 To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them.
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