“A mob saga that has it all—brotherhood and betrayal, swaggering power and glittering success, and a Godfather whose reach seems utterly unrivaled. What a relentless, irresistible read.” — Don Winslow, New York Times bestselling author of The Force
A fascinating, cinematic, multigenerational history of the Cuban mob in the US from "America’s top chronicler of organized crime" and New York Times bestselling author of Havana Nocturne.
By the mid 1980s, the criminal underworld in the United States had become an ethnic polyglot; one of the most powerful illicit organizations was none other than the Cuban mob. Known on both sides of the law as "the Corporation," the Cuban mob’s power stemmed from a criminal culture embedded in south Florida’s exile community—those who had been chased from the island by Castro’s revolution and planned to overthrow the Marxist dictator and reclaim their nation.
An epic story of gangsters, drugs, violence, sex, and murder rooted in the streets, The Corporation reveals how an entire generation of political exiles, refugees, racketeers, corrupt cops, hitmen, and their wives and girlfriends became caught up in an American saga of desperation and empire building. T. J. English interweaves the voices of insiders speaking openly for the first time with a trove of investigative material he has gathered over many decades to tell the story of this successful criminal enterprise, setting it against the larger backdrop of revolution, exile, and ethnicity that makes it one of the great American gangster stories that has been overlooked—until now.
Drawing on the detailed reporting and impressive volume of evidence that drive his bestselling works, English offers a riveting, in-depth look at this powerful and sordid crime organization and its hold in the US.
In April of 1961, boats quietly approached the southern coast of Cuba. One of the Cuban exiles on board was José Miguel Battle, who had jumped at the opportunity to reclaim his country. But the Bay of Pigs invasion failed spectacularly, a betrayal that set in motion the creation of one of the most powerful and dangerous mobs in American history.
By the mid-1980s, the criminal underworld in the United States had become an ethnic melting pot; one of the most ruthless organizations was the Cuban Mob, led by Battle, known as El Padrino, the Godfather. Their primary criminal racket was a game of numbers known on the street as “bolita,” with coins wagered by average citizens adding up to billions of dollars for Battle. The organization’s power stemmed from a criminal culture embedded in Florida’s exile community and stretched to New York and New Jersey. It became known as “the Corporation,” and for decades it ruled supreme, even outstripping the Italian Mafia, until it all came crashing down in a crescendo of violence.
In The Corporation, T. J. English expertly interweaves the voices of insiders with a trove of investigative material to tell the story of this highly successful enterprise, setting it against the backdrop of revolution, exile, and ethnicity. Drawing on the detailed reporting and an impressive volume of evidence that drive his bestselling works, English offers a riveting inside look at this powerful and sordid crime organization and its decades-long hold in the United States.
“English’s engaging narrative reads with the gripping quality of fiction: the dark underworld of Havana comes to life....Highly recommended.”
