He is also working with Movie Director Sheridan on a movie about the Westies called Emerald City that will be out in 2008 He expects to make some fierce funds from this. Feb 13, 2011 #28. Admitted Westies Killer Who Informed Is Free, https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/01/nyregion/admitted-westies-killer-who-informed-is-free.html. Featherstone was linked by two eyewitnesses, as well as circumstantial evidence, as the car driven by the shooter was traced to the trucking company where Featherstone was employed. Left to Right. Support The National Registry of Exonerations , The Contribution of Forensic and Expert Evidence to DNA Exoneration Cases, Race and Wrongful Convictions in the United States, 2022, Government Misconduct and Convicting the Innocent, Witness Recantations: Preliminary Findings, May 2013, Exonerations in the United States: 1989 - 2012, Tell us about an Exoneration that we missed, Tell In the criminal underworld, trust is a slippery commodity. In the mid-1970s, Coonans Westies seized control of organized crime from predominant West Side gang leader, Mickey Spillane. 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. In 1988, because of Featherstones testimony, eight of the gangs members were ultimately convicted of racketeering and other offenses related to their participation in a RICO criminal enterprise with Coonan himself getting 75 years in prison. Featherstone, despite standing 57 with wide blue eyes, shaggy blonde hair, and a boyish face, soon developed a killers reputation that might not have been apparent from his appearance alone. On March 25, 1977, Westie John Bokun was shot dead by police after an argument with another Hells Kitchen resident, Michael Holly. Kevin Kelly effectively took over the day to day running of the Westies when Jimmy Coonan moved to New Jersey. The institution kept Featherstone working on the ward, out of General Population, for his own safety. Featherstone's penchant for violence and intimidation caught the eye of Coonan and Featherstone became Coonan's right-hand man by 1976. [5] He was freed in December 1988[5] and went into a witness protection program. 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. 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. Register Log In Home Forums Organized Crime - Real Life How feared was Mickey Featherstone . [1] He served in heavy combat and then as a stock clerk. Morgenthau said the gang thought Leone 'manipulated the reporting of sports bets and deprived the Westies and the Gambinos of their share in the proceeds.'. This dichotomy was Mickey in essence. Who is Mickey Featherstone dating? 2 mo. Mickey Featherstone, a short, slight 38-year-old with a blond mop and an almost-adolescent expression, had been charged with at least three other murders during the previous 17 years, but he was . Francis Mickey Featherstone was born on West 43rd Street on Sept. 2, 1948. 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. He had a low boiling point to start with and if alcohol was involved, and it often was, Mickey had the potential to explode. The became hired killers in the 1970s, authorities said. He would act out frequently while in the hospitals, leading to him being restrained and injected with thorazine. Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. They said that over the years it has been steeped in gambling and loansharking. Then in April 1985, he was shot and killed on a New York City street by a man using a silencer. Mickey Featherstone was a complete nut case. Meanwhile, the District Attorneys office agreed to work with Featherstones wife to obtain evidence confirming Featherstones claims. If it is the first time you login, a new account will be created automatically. 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. Courtroom. He was born on the upper West Side and his mother worked with the VFW and his father was a U. S. Customs officer. [2] Featherstone did time in the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield Missouri on the psychiatric ward in 1982. At 17, Featherstone lied about his age and joined the army with dreams of becoming a Green Beret. McElroy and Bokun are in jail charged with other killings. 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. [1][2], When a group from New Jersey, called the Riley brothers, entered Hell's Kitchen a fight started with the outsiders. Cookie Notice 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. Morgenthau said in their heyday there were 30 Westies, but that number has been reduced to 10 or 15 as many of them have been jailed or killed. 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. Francis Mickey Featherstone, a leader of New York Citys Irish organized crime gang known as the Westies, was set up by other members of the gang to take the fall for the 1985 murder of Michael Holly. Feather stone was CONVICTED of murder in 86 so he was off the street minimum in 1985 in which Alite was 23 a steroid pimple faced wannabee in Queens and mixing with guys in Manhattans Hell's Kitchen? 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. Featherstone was given 25 years to life for Holly's murder. Lol. 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. Jimmy on the left & Larry Sessa, alleged Colombo Crime Family mobster. 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. Shes the 2nd from the right, looks just like him. Those who knew Featherstone in the neighborhood often crossed the street when they saw him coming their way. In the early 1980s, Featherstone spent periods of time in mental hospitals, before returning to the Westies. Featherstone was convicted in 1986, but his conviction was reversed later that year when the actual shooter was identified. Featherstone contacted prosecutors from his trial and convinced them that the shooter may have been Billy Bokun, wearing a wig to look like Featherstone. 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. The Walt Disney Co. on Wednesday filed a lawsuit in federal court against Florida Gov. S.C. woman wins $300,000 lottery prize -- her second jackpot in 3 years. The website is updated daily, frequently with exonerations that occurred in the past. April 28 (UPI) -- An isolated private island off the coast of Scotland is for sale with an asking price of about $188,000. So she cant better her life due to her family history? Initially the job was given to Mickey Featherstone but he refused, the job was then given to Jimmy McElroy and Kevin Kelly. 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. Morgenthau said they were among the top hitmen in the gang. Witnesses described a man who looked a lot like Featherstone. us about an exoneration that we may have missed, Correct an error or add information about an exoneration Jimmy Coonan, the ruthless leader of the Westies in the 1970s. Billy Bokuns attorney was Kenneth Aronson, the same attorney who had represented Featherstone in Hollys murder trial. 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. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. After deciding to cooperate with the authorities, Mr. Featherstone pleaded guilty to a Federal racketeering charge, admitting his participation in four murders, five murder conspiracies and additional acts of loan-sharking, drug dealing and other crimes. Privacy Policy. Facing almost 25 years in jail, he became an informant and brought down Coonan's gang. Wrongfully convicted of murder, Featherstone sought to clear his name by becoming a government witness. Based on the car and the eyewitness identifications, Featherstone was convicted of Hollys murder in April 1986 and sentenced to spend 25 years to life in prison. Mickey, whose memories of Vietnam torture him daily, is his enforcer. Prior to the murder of Michael Holly, Featherstone had been charged with at least three other murders, but each time he had entered pleas of insanity and was acquitted. For those of you who were too St. Paddy's Day wasted to make it, don't you worry, there will be more! Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Relationships. He is famous for Irish American mobster and Vietnam Vet. In the following decade, the Westies teamed up with the infamous Sicilian Mafia, becoming a militant arm of the Gambino family. With this evidence, Featherstones conviction was overturned in September 1986 according to The National Registry Of Exonerations, and Featherstone agreed to become an informant. James Coonan is awaiting trial for an alleged revenge killing against a gang member. Rich and Shefsky, joined by show favorite Jeremiah Watkins, took over the Bel, 12 Angry Menis a 1957 Americancourtroom drama filmdirected bySidney Lumet, adapted from ateleplay of the same namebyReginald Rose. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Mickey knew he'd been framed, and was able to convince the police to let him prove it. We have no records . Featherstone returned with a rifle and shot one of the brothers John Riley in the arm, for which he was arrested and probationed. 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. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Mr. Featherstone and his family are now in the Government's witness protection program, which provides for relocating them under a new name. 'That's the way they get the message out.'. He could have been sentenced to a maximum of 20 years for racketeering. Re: (Video) Mickey Featherstone - 60 Minutes Interview [ Re: ronnie_little ] #681434. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. 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. 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. on our list, Other 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. The Westies have been linked with the Gambino crime family for the last eight to 10 years, Morgenthau said. 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. Help us build our profile of Mickey Featherstone! Many people mistakenly underestimated Featherstone, given his small stature, making him even more dangerous. Free Podcast Hosting with custom domain. In 1977, a Westies member named John Bokun was shot and killed, and the Westies attributed this killing to Michael Holly, who moved out of town immediately after Bokuns death. He had his wife Sissy record some conversations with Westie Billy Bokun, brother of John, in which he admitted to killing Holly. The Westies grew out of a Hell's Kitchen bootlegging mob formed by former Cotton Club owner Owen Madden, authorities said. It was founded in 2012 in conjunction with the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law. Increasingly drunk on a regular basis, Featherstone was disciplined by the armed forces for various acts of criminal mischief, and after only a year, claiming to suffer from hallucinations, was medically discharged in 1967. Anonymous. From a New York Times-bestselling author: A true story of Irish gangsters in Manhattan--"A harrowing account of big city crime" (Library Journal). Put this image on your website to promote the show -, Report inappropriate content or request to remove this page. 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. 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. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Mickey looks like a piece of shit, as always. 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. 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 . Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. This pic is of edna. When Mickey returned to the notoriously violent, Irish dominated Hell's Kitchen area of New York, his violent tendencies continued. 229. This is legendary NYC drug kingpin Frank Mathews. Yet to those closest to him, Mickey was kind, devoted and generous to a fault. Morgethau said the gang began as gamblers and loansharks but have committed 28 murders, five of which have been solved. 44. r/Mafia. The title should be changed to 'The True Crime Classic About Mickey Featherstone's Time As Part Of New York's Notorious Irish Mob'. Ron DeSantis for assailing Disney, which employees tens of thousands of their constituents, just to court MAGA voters. Jimmy Coonan (right) in a prison photo circa 1990. Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. As a freelance writer, he spends his time writing about true crime. April 29 (UPI) -- An Australian tourist facing possible flogging after being accused of going on a drunken nude rampage in the Indonesian province of Ache says he felt "almost possessed" at the time. By the mid 1980s, Featherstone was convinced that Coonan, living in New Jersey, had sold the neighborhood out to the Mafia, and bad blood festered. The car driven by the shooter had been abandoned on the street, and it was traced to the trucking company where Featherstone was employed at that time. 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. [2] After borrowing Coonan's gun, he shot dead Linwood Willis in a confrontation outside a bar in 1971, but was found not guilty due to insanity. Yeah, Featherstone is a strange character. He was charged with three murders over the years, but was always able to get acquitted after pleading insanity. In April 1986, Featherstone was convicted of Hollys murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. 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. The evidence seemed overwhelming, and the next day Featherstone was booked. The following day, Featherstone was arrested and eventually charged with Hollys murder one of the few murders he, ironically, didnt commit. Can you list the top facts and stats about Mickey Featherstone? She was able to record Bokun describing the shooting of Michael Holly while wearing a wig as Featherstone. Francis "Mickey" Featherstone, a leader of New York City's Irish organized crime gang known as the Westies, was set up by other members of the gang to take the fall for the 1985 murder of Michael Holly. The three, James McElroy, 36, William Bokun, 29, and Kevin Kelly, 31, allegedly killed Leone in Guttenberg, N.J., on Feb. 11, 1984. [1][5] His wife Sissy co-operated with the District Attorney's office to tape incriminating conversations with gang members, including Bokun. DeSantis amid feud over self-governing privileges. The Westies reign of terror was largely built on the back of Featherstones ferocious reputation. 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. Featherstone was convicted in 1986, but his conviction was reversed later that year when the actual shooter was identified. Thank you for helping to keep the podcast database up to date. 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. April 28 (UPI) -- Animal services officers in South Carolina responded to a home where a resident was shocked to find an alligator in his garage. Judge Sweet stressed that Mr. Featherstone testified as a major witness in a trial that ended early this year in the conviction of seven members of the Westies, including James Coonan, the gang's leader, who received a sentence of 75 years in prison. 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. ''This sentence is an act of trust which you have earned,'' the judge told Mr. Featherstone. April 28 (UPI) -- A bear stuck in a Nevada tree was rescued by wildlife officials and firefighters who tranquilized the bruin and then caught the large animal in a tarp. But now, Coonan realized he could kill two birds with one stone. Public DomainJimmy Coonan, the ruthless leader of the Westies in the 1970s. He was a model prisoner, seen daily picking fine lint off of his perfectly made bunk to pass inspection, and starting arguments with others for not polishing their door frame brass. Asked if she was a member of the Westies, he responded, 'She's hardly a member of anything at all.'. [3][4] He received a medical discharge in 1967 after just a year, claiming to have hallucinations. Disney sues Florida Gov. #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.''. [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. 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. 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. After his conviction, Featherstone quickly concluded that Westies members and Kenneth Aronson had colluded to set him up to take the fall for Hollys murder. 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. 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. Stranded bear rescued from Nevada tree using tranquilizer, tarp. Mickey Featherstone was second-in-command to Jimmy Coonan, leader of the Westies, an extremely violent Irish mob that operated in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, in the 1970s and 1980s. Brisman Craigslist Murder Phillip Markoff was born 1986. In March 1986, Featherstone was found guilty, and faced a sentence of 25 years to life. There were witnesses to the shooting, all of whom described the shooter as a man fitting Featherstones description. It's men like Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone who gave Hell's Kitchen its name. '', ''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.'' They pulled over, either to do cocaine or because one of them asked him to. 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. Mickey Featherstone is an American Criminal. Facing almost 25 years in jail, he became an . Tools 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. Who's Online Now: 1 registered members (1 invisible), 74 guests, and 3 spiders. gb1993 2 yr. ago American military personnel of the Vietnam War. We start getting into the deep water on talking about the Westies and their activities in the late 1970's early 1980's. 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. 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. Through his work in the Westies, Art secured Billy Beattie and another Westies member . 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. 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. 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. Grow up. Some of the loons that the boards attract never cease to amaze me. His sole wound occurred during a drunken orgy when his buddies, as a joke, circumcised him. On Dec. 21, he received a suspended sentence with five years of probation after Federal and state authorities sent letters commending his cooperation to Judge Robert W. Sweet, who sentenced him in Federal District Court in Manhattan. Jimmy, a charismatic sociopath, is the leader. Author T.J.. 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. Mickey's trouble started in 1977 with the murder of a member of the Westies named John Bokun. Featherstone was born on West 43rd St.,[1] one of nine children. ''These conditions are imposed to protect you from a psychiatric breakdown and any resulting harm to the community in which you will live. The Registry also maintains a more limited database of known exonerations prior to 1989. Scottish Island for sale with asking price of $188,000. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sissy Featherstone had regular interactions with Billy Bokun, and she was able to record Bokun describing the shooting of Michael Holly while wearing a wig, as well as expressing his belief that Kevin Kelly had asked him to wear the wig in order to eliminate Featherstone as a competitor for power within the Westies. 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. 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. According to our records, Mickey Featherstone is possibly single. Kelly is a fugitive who has been indicted for the attempted murder of a carpenter's union official. [1] He was shocked at receiving his sentence of 25 years in prison, and concluded that he had been framed by his own gang. Featherstone and the other Westies became known as ruthless killers who enjoyed near complete impunity due to the fear they struck in potential witnesses.
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