In this gripping episode of Gangland Wire, retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins welcomes back veteran crime journalist and mob historian Larry McShane to discuss his latest book, Little Vic and the Great Mafia War. Together, they dive deep into the violent and chaotic period known as the Third Colombo War—a brutal internal conflict that nearly tore the Colombo crime family apart.

Larry offers exclusive insights from his research, including rare interviews with Andrew Arena, one of the five sons of Victor "Little Vic" Orena, the acting boss at the center of the war. These firsthand accounts reveal the deeply personal toll the Mafia war inflicted on the Arena family and expose the raw emotions behind the headlines.

Gary and Larry revisit the key flashpoints of the conflict, including the botched assassination attempt on Orena. On June 20, 1991, A five-man hit team waited in a car outside the Long Island home of Victor Orena, the acting crime boss of the Colombo crime family. Orena recognized the vehicle—and managed to escape with his lifethe bloody street warfare that followed. We explore the complex dynamics between longtime boss Carmine Persico, rising star John Gotti, and powerful enforcer Greg Scarpa—whose shadowy relationship with the FBI cast a dark cloud over the entire war.

The conversation also tackles the shifting nature of mob alliances, how loyalty turned lethal, and how the RICO prosecutions of the early 1990s reshaped the Mafia’s grip on New York. As the war’s body count climbed, so too did its consequences—both for the Colombo family and the broader underworld.

Don’t miss this deep-dive into one of the most explosive chapters in Mafia history. And be sure to pick up Larry McShane’s Little Vic and the Great Mafia War for an even more detailed look at the treachery, violence, and fallout of the Colombo civil war.

Click here to get Larry's book Little Vic and the Great Mafia War.
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Transcript
[0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers back here in the studio of Gangland Wire. You know, this is retired Detective Gary Jenkins from the Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit. And I have a man on the line right now, as you can see. Now, we couldn't get the video. I apologize for that. We couldn't get the video. So you got a picture. I mean, I'll have other pictures in there, but he's got a heck of a story. He's a mob author,