[5], "Books of The Times; The Rise and Fall of a Thoroughly Vicious Gang", "New York Stories: Hell's Kitchen Killers", "Admitted Westies Killer Who Informed Is Free", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mickey_Featherstone&oldid=1082198232, This page was last edited on 11 April 2022, at 21:33. Brisman Craigslist Murder Phillip Markoff was born 1986. We welcome new information from any source about exonerations already on our list and about cases not in the Registry that might be exonerations. and our In the late 1970s, the Westies began collaborating with the Gambino family and its notorious Mafia, with the Westies functioning as an enforcer arm of the Gambino ring carrying out assigned executions and sharing in weekly profits. Francis T. Mickey Featherstone was a member of the Irish mob until he was framed for a murder he didnt commit and turned informant. 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. Is he still alive? Featherstone was given 25 years to life for Holly's murder. information about the Registry, Mistaken Witness ID, Perjury or False Accusation, Inadequate Legal Defense. His biological father is Jewish and mother Catholic. 44. r/Mafia. Mickey Featherstone girlfriend, wife list. Facing almost 25 years in jail, he became an informant and brought down Coonan's gang. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Jimmy on the left & Larry Sessa, alleged Colombo Crime Family mobster. 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. 2 mo. According to our records, Mickey Featherstone is possibly single. Who's Online Now: 1 registered members (1 invisible), 74 guests, and 3 spiders. 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. Summarize this article for a 10 years old. After learning about Mickey Featherstone, read how Irish mobster Danny Greene took on the Cleveland Mafia or learn about mobster Frank The Irishman Sheeran. 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. [4], Featherstone was convicted in March 1986 for the April 1985 murder of Michael Holly, despite being innocent of this particular murder, which was a revenge attack probably carried out by another of the Westies, Billy Bokun. [2] Featherstone did time in the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield Missouri on the psychiatric ward in 1982. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Lol. Even among his murderous peers, he was known as a brutal killer. TwitterFrancis T. Mickey Featherstone was a member of the Irish mob until he was framed for a murder he didnt commit and turned informant. Julia Coonan pleaded innocent to conspiracy charges in state Supreme Court in Manhattan and Judge Peter McQuillan set $50,000 bail. But now, Coonan realized he could kill two birds with one stone. Outside the courtroom, Coonan's lawyer Lawrence Hochheiser said, 'She's a housewife her only crime is being his wife. Public DomainJimmy Coonan (right) in a prison photo circa 1990. After his conviction was overturned, he struck a deal with the authorities to inform on his own organization. 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? Mickey knew he'd been framed, and was able to convince the police to let him prove it. Featherstone returned with a rifle and shot one of the brothers John Riley in the arm, for which he was arrested and probationed. 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. Featherstone and the other Westies became known as ruthless killers who enjoyed near complete impunity due to the fear they struck in potential witnesses. [4] Mickey Spillane, the mob leader in Hell's Kitchen at the time, was shot five times outside his apartment in August 1977, and Featherstone was arrested but acquitted for his killing. 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. Mr. Featherstone indeed served in Vietnam - as a stock clerk. At 17, Featherstone lied about his age and joined the army with dreams of becoming a Green Beret. Initially the job was given to Mickey Featherstone but he refused, the job was then given to Jimmy McElroy and Kevin Kelly. Then in April 1985, he was shot and killed on a New York City street by a man using a silencer. 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. 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. From a New York Times-bestselling author: A true story of Irish gangsters in Manhattan--"A harrowing account of big city crime" (Library Journal). In the following decade, the Westies teamed up with the infamous Sicilian Mafia, becoming a militant arm of the Gambino family. ''At least for the time being,'' the judge said, ''the Westies have been broken as an organization, largely as a result of your cooperation.''. #opensource #serverless. The Westies only numbered around 15 members, all Irish American, yet became the dominant criminal force in Hells Kitchen. It's men like Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone who gave Hell's Kitchen its name. [1] He served in heavy combat and then as a stock clerk. 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. This Featherstone is littlebit like leonetti - talks clearly, calmy, but what a psycho! Featherstone had served in the Vietnam War, but was discharged in 1967 after hallucinations landed him in a mental hospital. . Updated: Nov. 17, 2021 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. 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. This book is a lot more focused on one man's role (Mickey Featherstone) in the Westies, rather than the Westies as a whole. Free Podcast Hosting with custom domain. Login Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. 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 . Kevin Kelly (Westies), Anthony Senter (DeMeo crew), Carmine "The Snake" Persico (Boss of the Colombo Crime Family) Michael "Mickey Boy" Paradiso ( Gambino Crime Family Capo). He has since been living in anonymity in the federal witness protection program. April 28 (UPI) -- A British piercing enthusiast broke his own Guinness World Record when the number of flesh tunnels in his face increased to 17. Morgethau said the gang began as gamblers and loansharks but have committed 28 murders, five of which have been solved. [1] His testimony at Coonan's racketeering trial during 198788 helped to bring down Coonan's gang. 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 shooter, Featherstone learned, was Billy Bokun. He made it clear that he is not in it for the money but to let the public be aware of the TRUTH and most of all how he was framed by his lawyers, the westies, friends, and the NYPD for the Holly Killing. Connect any celebrity with Mickey Featherstone to see how closely they are linked romantically! Register Log In Home Forums Organized Crime - Real Life How feared was Mickey Featherstone . So she cant better her life due to her family history? He would act out frequently while in the hospitals, leading to him being restrained and injected with thorazine. [1] Rather than serving his sentence he instead told prosecutors that Bokun had committed the murder, and he became an informant. Asked if she was a member of the Westies, he responded, 'She's hardly a member of anything at all.'. Mickey looks like a piece of shit, as always. Featherstone contacted prosecutors from his trial and convinced them that the shooter may have been Billy Bokun, wearing a wig to look like Featherstone. 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. This pic is of edna. After effectively destroying the Irish mob in Manhattan, 38-year-old Mickey Featherstone entered the witness protection program and has lived under the radar ever since. Join. Featherstone excelled in training and joined the special forces, but was disappointed to serve as a stock clerk while other recruits saw combat. 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. Courtroom. to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. [4] He pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge and received a suspended sentence of five years' probation from Judge Robert W. Sweet due to his cooperation with the authorities. After providing the necessary information about the crimes of his fellow Westies, 38-year-old Francis Mickey Featherstone entered the federal witness protection program. Mickey Featherstone: The Dangerous Hitman Currently Free In Witness Protection. On this installment we will discuss what caused the rift between, This week we are getting even deeper into Hell's Kitchen. In May 1977, Jimmy Coonan owed a substantial amount of money to loan shark Ruby Stein and decided to forgive his own debt by murdering Stein. 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. 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. It's men like Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone who gave Hell's Kitchen its name. 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. 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 gb1993 2 yr. ago [3][4] He received a medical discharge in 1967 after just a year, claiming to have hallucinations. April 27 (UPI) -- A Sydney, Australia, woman is trying to solve a mystery after hundreds of dollars' worth of drinks, including Gatorade, Powerade, Coke and Fanta started showing up at her home. No one couldve predicted that Featherstone, perhaps the gangs most violent and dedicated member, would be the one to put an end to the Westies, and perhaps the Irish mob in Manhattan, once and for all. They said that over the years it has been steeped in gambling and loansharking. Francis (Mickey) Featherstone, an admitted killer who turned informer, has won his freedom, largely in return for testifying against his former associates in a violent gang called the Westies. Grow up. He was charged with three murders over the years, but was always able to get acquitted after pleading insanity. They pulled over, either to do cocaine or because one of them asked him to. ''Mickey has always lied,'' Mr. Moresco said. Feb 13, 2011 #28. He never saw combat. An unhinged man with a hot temper and a hair trigger, Mickey Featherstone was known to kill for little to no reason at all. us about an exoneration that we may have missed, Correct an error or add information about an exoneration Mr. Featherstone also provided information in other investigations, and testified in the continuing trial of several men accused of committing murders and other racketeering acts as part of the Gambino crime family. Then in 1985, Coonan, fearing a power grab by Featherstone, set him up to take a fall for murder. Florida Democrats skewered Gov. In the early 1980s, Featherstone spent periods of time in mental hospitals, before returning to the Westies. 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. We have no records of past relationships for Mickey Featherstone. In the criminal underworld, trust is a slippery commodity. Disney sues Florida Gov. Yeah, Featherstone is a strange character. The following day, Featherstone was arrested and eventually charged with Hollys murder one of the few murders he, ironically, didnt commit. His parents divorced and mother remarried. I wonder how much of it was drugs. 'They shared in the proceeds of gambling and loansharking on the West Side and they also have been used as hired guns for the Gambino family,' he 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. [2] He had blond hair and was often said to be baby-faced. Kelly is a fugitive who has been indicted for the attempted murder of a carpenter's union official. 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. 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. Shes the 2nd from the right, looks just like him. Contract murders are a relatively new enterprise, they said. Mickey Featherstone is a member of the following lists: People from Manhattan, 1947 births and American military personnel of the Vietnam War. Mickey Featherstone is an American Criminal. Jimmy, a charismatic sociopath, is the leader. 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 Featherstone's legacy of crime is attributable to his circumcision as an asocial Sacrificed Returned. [2] His mother helped with the Veterans of Foreign Wars and his father was a United States Customs Service officer. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. For the most accurate data, please search on the Detailed View page. '', See the article in its original context from. But the Westies now had an enemy in Featherstone. It's men like Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone who gave Hell's Kitchen its name. British man breaks world record with 17 flesh tunnels on his face. But I completely agree with, amongst others, Will Corocan's review. Those who knew him in the neighborhood often crossed the street when they saw him coming their way. He had his wife Sissy record some conversations with Westie Billy Bokun, brother of John, in which he admitted to killing Holly. The shooter, Featherstone had learned, was William Billy Bokun, the brother of Hollys alleged victim, John Bokun. Kevin Kelly effectively took over the day to day running of the Westies when Jimmy Coonan moved to New Jersey. 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. 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. The District Attorneys office agreed to work with Featherstones wife, Sissy Featherstone, to see if they could obtain evidence confirming Featherstones claims. [1][2] He began spending time in saloons like Club 596 and Sunbrite that were hangouts for the Westies.[2]. James Coonan is awaiting trial for an alleged revenge killing against a gang member. 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. The title should be changed to 'The True Crime Classic About Mickey Featherstone's Time As Part Of New York's Notorious Irish Mob'. There were witnesses to the shooting, all of whom described the shooter as a man fitting Featherstones description. Put this image on your website to promote the show -, Report inappropriate content or request to remove this page. He could have been sentenced to a maximum of 20 years for racketeering. 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. [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. That isnt her daughter, its her neice. The man the gang judged responsible for the murder, Michael Holly, skipped town to escape the heat, but returned a few years later. 229. [1][5] His wife Sissy co-operated with the District Attorney's office to tape incriminating conversations with gang members, including Bokun. 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. Authorities said Leone was a loanshark and a bookie who created no-show jobs and took kickbacks from dockworkers on the Hudson River piers that border the Irish gang's territory in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan's West Side. He had been discharged from the army in 1967, suffering from hallucinations, and spent years in and out of a mental hospital. She said the Government explained the scope and value of his cooperation, along with the severity of his offense. 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. He went on trial with Coonan for the killing of a barman, but they were acquitted in December 1979 after one witness killed himself and another refused to testify. 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. Mickey, whose memories of Vietnam torture him daily, is his enforcer. Nevertheless, his temper was infamous and if alcohol was involved, he was especially prone to violence. Admitted Westies Killer Who Informed Is Free, https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/01/nyregion/admitted-westies-killer-who-informed-is-free.html. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Featherstone, This week we finish up our series with Justin Rimmel from Mysterious Circumstances talking about the downfall of one of the most violent gangs in the history of NYC. His sole wound occurred during a drunken orgy when his buddies, as a joke, circumcised him. 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. Author T.J.. [1][2], When a group from New Jersey, called the Riley brothers, entered Hell's Kitchen a fight started with the outsiders. A Federal prosecutor, Mary Lee Warren, said Friday that the Government had fulfilled its obligation to bring Mr. Featherstone's cooperation to the judge's attention but made no recommendation about the sentence. On March 25, 1977, Westie John Bokun was shot dead by police after an argument with another Hells Kitchen resident, Michael Holly. 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. According to our records, Mickey Featherstone is possibly single. 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. 'Fog of bees' briefly interrupts PGA Tour's Mexico Open. Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. 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. He was born on the upper West Side and his mother worked with the VFW and his father was a U. S. Customs officer. #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] The police suspected him of a series of mob contract killings. American military personnel of the Vietnam War. ''And he's in a pickle now where he has to lie.'' Mr. Moresco's own life is deeply enmeshed in that of the Hell's Kitchen where he grew up in. [5] He was freed in December 1988[5] and went into a witness protection program. In the mid-1970s, Coonans Westies seized control of organized crime from predominant West Side gang leader, Mickey Spillane. 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. When someone laid eyes on him in person the reaction was usually disbelief, with his violent notoriety disproportionate to his small physical stature. Through his work in the Westies, Art secured Billy Beattie and another Westies member . 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. 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. By the late 1970s, the Westies had also become an enforcement arm of the equally feared Gambino family, carrying out assigned executions and sharing in weekly profits. Meanwhile, the District Attorneys office agreed to work with Featherstones wife to obtain evidence confirming Featherstones claims. Dose anyone know what Micky looks like now? The ruthless reputation of the gang came to the notice of the Gambino family, and boss Paul Castellano, who summoned Coonan and Featherstone to a meeting in a Bay Ridge, Brooklyn restaurant in 1978. NEW YORK -- The wife of a reputed West Side mobster and three members of his Irish gang were indicted Wednesday in the killing of a loanshark, and the Manhattan prosecutor said the gang was. The became hired killers in the 1970s, authorities said. 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. All NRE reports represent a moment in time. Outside the courtroom, Coonan's lawyer Lawrence Hochheiser said, 'She's a housewife her only crime is being his wife.' Mickey nolonger has bad nightmares and is FULLY RECOVERED and states his past is a blur. 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. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Nine gang members, including two of the three indicted Wednesday, are awaiting trial or serving prison terms. 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.
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