Guy Lawson

Reveals the behind-the-headlines story of how three young stoners from Florida won a $300 million Department of Defense contract through which they supplied poor-grade ammunition to the Afghanistan military before being "caught" by Pentagon investigators.

How Three Stoners from Miami Beach Became the Most Unlikely Gunrunners in History

Arms and the Dudes

Sam Israel, the Secret Market, and Wall Street's Wildest Con

Octopus

William Oldham

An insider account of the alleged criminal activities of two NYPD detectives contends that they worked for the mafia through a sophisticated network of hierarchies and conduct codes that brought about the torture and murders of numerous federal agents and fellow officers. Reprint.

The True Story of Two Cops Who Murdered for the Mafia

The Brotherhoods

Born into one of America's most illustrious trading families, Sam Israel was determined to strike out on his own. After apprenticing with one of the greatest traders of the 1980s, he founded his own fast-growing hedge fund, promising investors extraordinary returns. But it was all an elaborate charade. After suffering devastating losses and fabricating fake returns, Israel knew it was only a matter of time before his real performance would be discovered. So when a former black-ops agent told him about a “secret market” run by the Fed, Israel bet his last $150 million on a chance to make billions. Thus began his bizarre journey into “the Upperworld”—a society populated by clandestine bankers, shady European nobility, and spooks issuing cryptic warnings about a mysterious cabal known as the Octopus.

INSIDE THE MOB. INSIDE THE NYPD. THE LAST GREAT MAFIA BOOK OF OUR TIME. The Brotherhoods is the chilling chronicle of the shocking crimes of NYPD detectives Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito, notorious rogue cops found guilty in April 2006 of the ultimate form of police corruption -- shielding their criminal deeds behind their badges while they worked for the mafia. Their crimes include participation in the murders of at least eight men, kidnapping, and the betrayal of an entire generation of New York City detectives, federal agents, and prosecutors. "One of the most spectacular police corruption scandals in the city's history," proclaimed the New York Times in its front-page coverage of the jury's verdict. This gripping, true-life detective story is remarkable for its psychological intrigue, criminal audacity, and paranoid, blood-soaked fury. Written by prize-winning journalist Guy Lawson and William Oldham, the brilliant detective who quietly and relentlessly investigated the rogue cops for seven years, The Brotherhoods provides unparalleled access to the secretive workings of both the NYPD and organized crime -- their hierarchies, rituals, and codes of conduct. Sprawling from Manhattan to Las Vegas to Hollywood, this incredible story features wiseguys, hit men on the lam, snitches, cops on the take, girlfriends who should know better, a crooked accountant, corrupt jewelers, streetwise detectives, flamboyant defense attorneys, ice-cool prosecutors, a distinguished federal judge, and a gallery of other unforgettable characters, many hiding secrets they are afraid to reveal. In yet another turn of events, in June 2006 a federal judge vacated the convictions on statute of limitations grounds, even as he cited overwhelming evidence that Caracappa and Eppolito had committed "heinous and violent crimes." The U.S. Attorney's Office, which had won the convictions, has appealed the ruling. The conviction of the two men by a jury and the judge's reiteration of their guilt underscore the amazing story of The Brotherhoods. Destined to rank with such modern crime classics as Serpico, Donnie Brasco, and Wiseguy, this quintessential American mob tale goes to the hearts of two brotherhoods -- the police and the mafia -- and the two cops who belonged to both.

Octopus is a real-life thriller that tells the inside story of an audacious hedge fund fraud and the wild search, by a colorful cast of rogues and schemers, for a “secret market” beneath the financial market we all know. Sam Israel was a man who seemed to have it all – until the hedge fund he ran, Bayou, imploded and he became the target of a nationwide manhunt. Born into one of America’s most illustrious trading families, Israel was determined to strike out on his own. So after apprenticing with one of the greatest hedge fund traders of the 1980’s, Sam founded his own fund and promised his investors guaranteed profits. With the proprietary computer program he’d created, he claimed to be able to predict the future. But his future was already beginning to unravel. After suffering devastating losses and fabricating fake returns, Israel knew it was only a matter of time before his real performance would be discovered, so when a former black-ops intelligence operative told him about a “secret market” run by the Fed, Israel bet his last $150 million on a chance to make billions. Thus began his year-long adventure in “the Upperworld” -- a society populated by clandestine bankers, shady European nobility, and spooks issuing cryptic warnings about a mysterious cabal known as the Octopus. Whether the “secret market” was real or a con, Israel was all in – and as the pressures mounted and increasingly sinister violence crept into his life, he struggled to break free of the Octopus’ tentacles.

Octopus is a real-life thriller that tells the inside story of a GBP300 million hedge fund fraud and the wild-goose chase through Europe by its drug-fuelled manager for a lucrative "secret market" beneath the financial market we all know. Sam Israel was a man who seemed to have it all. Born into one of the world's richest families, he founded his own hedge fund, promising his investors guaranteed profits. But, after suffering devastating losses and faking tax returns, Israel knew his real performance would soon be discovered. So when a former CIA-operative turned conman told him about a "secret market" run by the Federal Reserve, Israel bet his last $150 million of other people's money on a chance to make it all back. So began his crazy year-long adventure in a world populated by clandestine bankers, conspiracy theories, and gun-toting spooks issuing cryptic warnings about a mysterious cabal known only as the Octopus.

The Secret Market and the World's Wildest Con

Previously published as Arms and the dudes.

Guy Lawson

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