Gavin Schmitt

The Milwaukee Mafia: Mobsters in the Heartland Gavin Schmitt

Milwaukee has kept its murders and mishaps out of books. Until now.

From Vito Guardalabene's arrival from Italy until the days of controlling the Teamsters union and paying off public officials, Milwaukee was a city of Bullets, Blood and Beer. The Milwaukee Mafia relies on previously unseen police reports, FBI investigative notes, coroner's records, newspaper articles, family lore and more to bring to light an era of Milwaukee's history that has been largely undocumented and shrouded in myth. This is not only a story of organized crime. It is also about immigration, the American Dream, urban planning, law enforcement, and politics, and how all these elements come together to form a solid narrative.