A heads up before we get started.

Mobbed up contains explicit content, such as adult language and depictions of violence, including murder.

Please be advised that this podcast might not be suitable for all audiences. Without further delay, please join me in welcoming Frank Kalata.

What you're hearing right now is an event held at the Ma Museum a few years ago.

After he's introduced, a then 77 year old Frank Kalata steps out onto the stage,

smiles and cracks a joke about his criminal past, telling the audience,

you're safe.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for coming, you're safe. It's June 14th, 2016. Three decades to the day since Tony Spolatra was

murdered and unlike most other mob turncoats Frank Frank Kalata isn't dead or in hiding.

Frank, welcome to the museum. I know you've been here before.

We appreciate you coming that.

Frank is up on a stage in public,

ready to tell the story of how he ended up working

for the infamous Tony Spolatro,

starting at the very beginning,

when they met in Chicago.

Well, everybody knows the story, but I'll give you a little brief rundown on that.

We were shining shoes on the street in Chicago called Grand Avenue.

He was on one side of the street and all us on the other. I didn't know. We're about 11 or 12.

He spotted me and started screaming, ran over, we met.

That streetcar stuff, the street car tracks, and he said, who told you to shine shoes on the street? And I looked up and I said,

I don't see your name in the street sign over way. It's because if you're here next week,

...