If you were going to become a mafia guy, you had to kill somebody.

You might have to kill your best friend and who you love.

The way I got made is I had to go on a hit in New York City. We were all vicious and violent and, you know, dangerous. When a guy asks us to go down and kill a guy in New York, we just would do it. Anthony Aerolada is a former mafia boss from Springfield, Massachusetts. He grew up entrenched in mob culture. From a young age, he learned about gambling and loan sharking from his uncles and cousins who were all involved in the life. After finding

early success in a pot trade, Anthony formed his own crew and opened up a string of illegal

sports betting and shi-locking operations throughout Springfield and the rest of New England, and later transitioned

much of his wealth into legitimate real estate ventures. He eventually became a made man with the

Genevieve's crime family, who of course are based in New York City, but at that time firmly ran

and controlled Springfield. Anthony gives us rare insight into the inner workings of the Italian mafia and how they

really function in the modern age and reveals the dirty secrets of what he believes is the

last mafia war that will ever take place amongst Italian Cozonostra in the United States.

Anthony and his crew were eventually taken down by a federal

RICO indictment. And facing a life sentence, he decided to cooperate. Today, he is a fully

legit real estate investor and entrepreneur. And he's got a brand new bookout that just

hit the shelves called The South End Syndicate available right now anywhere you get books. Also,

this week on Patreon, we have a very special follow-up episode with our good friend,

Cavario Hodges. Go check that out on Patreon.

Patreon.com slash The Connect Show.

Without further ado, one of the most fascinating and authentic mob stories I've had the pleasure

of listening to Anthony Aerlotta right here on The Connect with Johnny Mitchell.

I went to prison at 20 years old. That was the best thing that happened to me because when I went to prison, I was around

seasoned gangsters. So that's how I started getting involved. I was making $100,000 a month while I was in prison.

That's when I see lights behind me start to flash.

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