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L to R: Exterior of The Mob Museum; A Mob Wife’s Story.
(Photos courtesy of The Mob Museum)
THE MOB MUSEUM ANNOUNCES UPCOMING PROGRAMS EXPLORING MOB’S INFLUENCE ON POLITICS, CHICAGO OUTFIT, MORE
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LAS VEGAS (April 2025) – The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, announces its roster of upcoming public programs. Museum visitors can look forward to compelling events, including “Underworld Connections: The Mob’s Influence on American Presidents” and “A Mob Wife’s Story: Survival and Escape from the Chicago Outfit.” In addition, guests can now explore the Museum’s new fine art exhibition titled “Art of the Mob: The LeRoy Neiman Portraits” and enjoy live music and more in the Museum’s outdoor event plaza. Complete details of upcoming events and the new exhibition follow.
Underworld Connections: The Mob’s Influence on American Presidents
Date: Tuesday, April 8
Time: 7 to 8:15 p.m. followed by a book signing.
Location: Inside the historic courtroom. To RSVP to attend, click here.
Cost: Free for Museum Members or with Museum admission.
Description: From the dark corners of organized crime to the corridors of political power, in his No. 1 best seller on Amazon’s true crime new releases list, “Wiseguys and the White House” author Eric Dezenhall uncovers the shadowy connections between criminal syndicates and the American presidency. Drawing from newly released government records and intimate conversations with prominent mobsters, Dezenhall joins The Mob Museum to reveal how unlikely alliances between wiseguys and commanders-in-chief have shaped nearly a century of American history. This program will focus specifically on how sitting presidents—such as John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan—navigated relationships with organized crime during their time in office. Dezenhall will discuss how the line between the underworld and the Oval Office has often been thinner than history books suggest. A book signing of “Wiseguys and the White House” will also follow the program.
Speaker: Eric Dezenhall is a journalist and author of 12 books. He is the founder of one of the country’s first crisis communications firms and worked in the White House where President Ronald Reagan once called him “Derek.” His book “Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War,” written in conjunction with Gus Russo, is being made into a feature film. He is also the author of seven novels, including “The Devil Himself,” which is based on the true story of the U.S. Navy’s collaboration with organized crime during World War II. His latest nonfiction book, “Wiseguys and the White House,” documents when mobsters and presidents traded favors—and double crossed each other.
A Mob Wife’s Story: Survival and Escape from the Chicago Outfit
Date: Tuesday, April 22
Time: 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Inside the historic courtroom. To RSVP to attend, click here.
Cost: Free for Museum Members or with Museum admission.
Description: For one night only and the first time on a public stage, ex-spouses Lisa Swan and Frank Calabrese Jr. reveal the raw truth about their lives in the Chicago Outfit and how they escaped. As the former wife of Frank Jr. and daughter-in-law of the infamous killer Frank Calabrese Sr., Swan exposes the dark realities of being married to the Mob while shining light on Chicago’s underworld—from blood-soaked money collections to the constant shadow of violence that loomed over their family. Swan and Calabrese Jr. will share their intertwined journeys of survival and redemption as they fought to break free of the iron grip of the Chicago Outfit.
Speakers:
Live Music in the Event Plaza
Dates and Times: Thursdays 6 to 9 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 3 to 6 p.m.
Location: The Event Plaza at The Mob Museum
Cost: Free entry.
Description: Enjoy live music in the Museum’s outdoor event plaza every Saturday and Sunday and limited Thursdays in April. Weather permitting.
Sip & Smoke: Cigar Night at the Event Plaza
Date: Thursday, April 24
Time: 6 to 9 p.m.
Location: The Event Plaza at The Mob Museum
Cost: Free entry. Complimentary cigar with purchase of signature beverages. Food and beverage available for purchase.
Description: The Mob Museum welcomes cigar aficionados to enjoy the Museum’s outdoor event plaza for a spring evening at sunset, complete with Latin jazz by Las Vegas’ own Latin Breeze, fine cigars, light bites, handcrafted cocktails and refreshing mocktails. Must be 21+ to participate.
Crime Boss Confessions: Springfield and the Anthony Arillotta Story
Date: Thursday, May 1
Time: 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Inside the historic courtroom. To RSVP to attend, click here.
Cost: Free for Museum Members or with Museum admission.
Description: Before he commanded a criminal empire, Anthony Arillotta was just a kid on the street corner, watching the wiseguys and longing for a seat at their table. In this unfiltered conversation, heard only at The Mob Museum, he’ll pull back the curtain on his underworld past as captain of the Genovese crime family’s Springfield, Massachusetts faction, revealing secrets of a criminal network that intersected with mobsters in New York, Boston and Providence. This is his story of murder, government cooperation and redemption. A book signing will follow the program.
Speakers: Anthony Arillotta is the former boss of the Springfield, Massachusetts, faction of New York’s Genovese crime family.
Buy One, Get One Admission During Teacher Appreciation Week
Dates: Sunday, May 4 through Sunday, May 11
Time: Daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Location: The Mob Museum
Cost: Buy one, get one free admission for all teachers and support staff with proof of a valid school district I.D. Valid on general admission tickets only. Expires May 11.
Description: During Teacher Appreciation Week, The Mob Museum will offer buy one, get one free admission to all teachers and educational support professionals. The Mob Museum is also honored to partner with hard-working educators and support staff throughout the year with an abundance of resources. Its award-winning outreach program titled Investigating History is available for classes virtually and in person. With the program, Museum educators show off historical objects and deliver interactive, standards-based lessons in history and forensic science. In addition, the Museum offers an array of special offerings, including group tours, scavenger hunts, Mob Mystery Games, audio tours, discounts, Downtown walking tours and other unique options.
Complimentary Admission During Law Enforcement Appreciation Week
Dates: Sunday, May 11 through Sunday, May 18
Time: Daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Location: The Mob Museum
Cost: Complimentary admission for federal, state and local law enforcement professionals with I.D.
Description: In conjunction with National Police Week, the Museum is pleased to offer free admission for all federal, state and local law enforcement professionals. The Museum also celebrates the heroic and historic achievements of law enforcement through authentic artifacts, exhibits and engaging programming throughout the year.
“Art of the Mob: The LeRoy Neiman Portraits”
Date: On view daily
Time: The Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Location: Oscar B. Goodman Room on the third floor.
Cost: To view Museum admission pricing, click here.
Description: Now on view is the Museum’s latest temporary exhibition, “Art of the Mob: The LeRoy Neiman Portraits.” The Museum’s fine art exhibition, in partnership with the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, features 13 original portraits of infamous organized crime and eminent law enforcement figures created by legendary artist LeRoy Neiman, whose vibrant impressionistic works famously immortalized dramatic moments in sports, entertainment and American society.
ABOUT THE MOB MUSEUM
The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, provides a world-class journey through true stories—from the birth of the Mob to today’s headlines. The Mob Museum offers a provocative, contemporary look at these topics through hundreds of artifacts and immersive storylines. Numerous interactive exhibits include a Crime Lab, Firearm Training Simulator and Organized Crime Today exhibit. The Museum is also home to The Underground, a Prohibition history exhibition featuring a speakeasy and distillery. The Mob Museum has accumulated numerous accolades, including being named one of Tripadvisor’s “Top 25 U.S. Museums” and a 2024 “Travelers’ Choice” Award recipient; one of Las Vegas Weekly’s “Twenty Greatest Attractions in Las Vegas History” and “Best Museum” of 2021, 2023 and 2024; Vegas Magazine’s “Best Historical Museum” of 2024; one of National Geographic’s “Top 10 Things to Do in Las Vegas;” USA Today’s “Best Museum in Nevada,” 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards for “Best Las Vegas Attraction” in 2021 and 2022, “Top Five Best History Museums in the United States” in 2021 and one of its “12 Can’t Miss U.S. Museum Exhibits;” named “A Must for Travelers” by The New York Times and one of “20 Places Every American Should See” by FOX News. The Museum is a two-time winner of the Mayor’s Urban Design Award for Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum is open daily; visit the website for admission rates and operating hours. For more information, call (702) 229-2734, visit themobmuseum.org, or download the Museum’s free mobile app.
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