Mickey's trouble started in 1977 with the murder of a member of the Westies named John Bokun. For more information, please see our 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. Author T.J.. Lol. Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. ''Mickey has always lied,'' Mr. Moresco said. 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. After all, Featherstone had killed men in neighborhood bars in front of witnesses multiple times and beat the charges. '', ''During the 40 years of your life,'' Judge Sweet told Mr. Featherstone, ''you have experienced violence as a child, as a student in our city schools, as a soldier in Vietnam, as a criminal on the streets and as a killer and an enforcer of one of the most feared gangs in our city.'' Facing almost 25 years in jail, he became an informant and brought down Coonan's gang. DeSantis amid feud over self-governing privileges. It finally happened folks and it was a blast! They said that over the years it has been steeped in gambling and loansharking. In the mid-1970s, Coonans Westies seized control of organized crime from predominant West Side gang leader, Mickey Spillane. In 1977, a Westies member named John Bokun was shot and killed, and the Westies attributed this killing to Michael Holly, who moved out of town immediately after Bokuns death. That isnt her daughter, its her neice. April 28 (UPI) -- Animal services officers in South Carolina responded to a home where a resident was shocked to find an alligator in his garage. He has since been living in anonymity in the federal witness protection program. 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. 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. Billy Bokuns attorney was Kenneth Aronson, the same attorney who had represented Featherstone in Hollys murder trial. The man the gang judged responsible for the murder, Michael Holly, skipped town to escape the heat, but returned a few years later. 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. ''These conditions are imposed to protect you from a psychiatric breakdown and any resulting harm to the community in which you will live. Because of men like Featherstone, convictions of Westies members became increasingly difficult to secure because potential witnesses were terrified of them and their willingness to swiftly kill anyone who crossed them. 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. information about the Registry, Mistaken Witness ID, Perjury or False Accusation, Inadequate Legal Defense. Initially the job was given to Mickey Featherstone but he refused, the job was then given to Jimmy McElroy and Kevin Kelly. I would say unlikely. Those who knew Featherstone in the neighborhood often crossed the street when they saw him coming their way. [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. We welcome new information from any source about exonerations already on our list and about cases not in the Registry that might be exonerations. Public DomainGambino boss Paul Castellano. 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 nolonger has bad nightmares and is FULLY RECOVERED and states his past is a blur. Ron DeSantis and other officials . Prior to the murder of Michael Holly, Featherstone had been charged with at least three other murders, but each time he had entered pleas of insanity and was acquitted. When Steins torso washed up a few days later, a member of the gang was overheard saying we should have cut the lungs open according to the Associated Press. In the following decade, the Westies teamed up with the infamous Sicilian Mafia, becoming a militant arm of the Gambino family. He was blond haired and baby-faced. Until his release last week, Mr. Featherstone had been held in custody on his racketeering charge and for a parole violation involving his earlier conviction in a counterfeiting case. As a freelance writer, he spends his time writing about true crime. 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. Featherstone contacted prosecutors from his trial and convinced them that the shooter may have been Billy Bokun, wearing a wig to look like Featherstone. The Westies reign of terror was largely built on the back of Featherstones ferocious reputation. His parents divorced and mother remarried. TwitterFrancis T. Mickey Featherstone was a member of the Irish mob until he was framed for a murder he didnt commit and turned informant. Mickey Featherstone girlfriend, wife list. Some of the loons that the boards attract never cease to amaze me. This is legendary NYC drug kingpin Frank Mathews. Thank you for helping to keep the podcast database up to date. Rich and Shefsky, joined by show favorite Jeremiah Watkins, took over the Bel, 12 Angry Menis a 1957 Americancourtroom drama filmdirected bySidney Lumet, adapted from ateleplay of the same namebyReginald Rose. Featherstone was stunned to finally be convicted of a murder, and not just because he had dodged so many guilty verdicts in the past. Asked if she was a member of the Westies, he responded, 'She's hardly a member of anything at all.'. In part one we are covering the backstory of the main characters, Jimmy Coonan , CRiiiME LiiiVE! 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. [1] He was shocked at receiving his sentence of 25 years in prison, and concluded that he had been framed by his own gang. to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. The Walt Disney Co. on Wednesday filed a lawsuit in federal court against Florida Gov. Free Podcast Hosting with custom domain. 'Fog of bees' briefly interrupts PGA Tour's Mexico Open. Can you list the top facts and stats about Mickey Featherstone? Mickey Featherstone: The Dangerous Hitman Currently Free In Witness Protection. Jimmy on the left & Larry Sessa, alleged Colombo Crime Family mobster. This dichotomy was Mickey in essence. Even among his murderous peers, he was known as a brutal killer. '', See the article in its original context from. The Westies, now officially on record with the Italian American mob, were allowed to use the Gambino name and reputation, and construction profits would be shared, including those from the forthcoming Jacob Javits Convention Center. Summarize this article for a 10 years old. [3][4] He received a medical discharge in 1967 after just a year, claiming to have hallucinations. Featherstone was convicted in 1986, but his conviction was reversed later that year when the actual shooter was identified. Put this image on your website to promote the show -, Report inappropriate content or request to remove this page. Jimmy, a charismatic sociopath, is the leader. The following day, Featherstone was arrested and eventually charged with Hollys murder one of the few murders he, ironically, didnt commit. The Registry provides detailed information about every known exoneration in the United States since 1989cases in which a person was wrongly convicted of a crime and later cleared of all the charges based on new evidence of innocence. 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. Public DomainJimmy Coonan (right) in a prison photo circa 1990. Shout Box: Site Links >Help Page >More Smilies >GBB on Facebook >Job Saver >Godfather Website >Scarface Website 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. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Who's Online Now: 1 registered members (1 invisible), 74 guests, and 3 spiders. [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. Connect any celebrity with Mickey Featherstone to see how closely they are linked romantically! 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. Disney sues Florida Gov. 44. r/Mafia. Public DomainJimmy Coonan, the ruthless leader of the Westies in the 1970s. Dog missing for 26 days walked 40 miles to his former home. Kevin Kelly effectively took over the day to day running of the Westies when Jimmy Coonan moved to New Jersey. 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. Grow up. Cookie Notice There were witnesses to the shooting, all of whom described the shooter as a man fitting Featherstones description. Who is Mickey Featherstone dating? 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. Mickey Featherstone 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. 11/2=60yr old scumbag, This website uses cookies for functionality, analytics and advertising purposes as described in our, http://www.visitmonmouth.com/sheriff/up 007web.jpg. Relationships. He is famous for Irish American mobster and Vietnam Vet. 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. Alligator removed from South Carolina resident's garage. 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. In 1984 Vincent Leone, Jimmy McElroy and Kevin Kelly were travelling in Leone's car in New Jersey. Mickey Featherstone was second-in-command to Jimmy Coonan, leader of the Westies, an extremely violent Irish mob that operated in Hells Kitchen, Manhattan, in the 1970s and 1980s. Mr. Featherstone indeed served in Vietnam - as a stock clerk. He volunteered for combat in Vietnam and would claim he spent time killing with the Special Forces. Alleged Westie's boss Jimmy Coonan, taken in 2015 in prison. 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. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. They pulled over, either to do cocaine or because one of them asked him to. Mickey Featherstone relationship list. Featherstone was given 25 years to life for Holly's murder. ''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. The Westies would also carry out some of the Gambino familys most gruesome dirty work. 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 would act out frequently while in the hospitals, leading to him being restrained and injected with thorazine. [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. I wonder how much of it was drugs. 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. 'That's the way they get the message out.'. After his conviction, Featherstone quickly concluded that Westies members and Kenneth Aronson had colluded to set him up to take the fall for Hollys murder. [1] He served in heavy combat and then as a stock clerk. Wrongfully convicted of murder, Featherstone sought to clear his name by becoming a government witness. But the Westies eventual downfall would come thanks to Mickey Featherstone himself, after he was framed for the murder of Michael Holly by Coonan in 1985. S.C. woman wins $300,000 lottery prize -- her second jackpot in 3 years. 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. This book is a lot more focused on one man's role (Mickey Featherstone) in the Westies, rather than the Westies as a whole. Facing almost 25 years in jail, he became an informant and brought down Coonan's gang. 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. April 28 (UPI) -- A Nebraska high school said it broke a Guinness World Record when more than 1,000 students participated in a water balloon toss event. Well never sell your personal information. Then in 1985, Coonan, fearing a power grab by Featherstone, set him up to take a fall for murder. Who is he dating right now? 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. 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. Featherstone and the other Westies became known as ruthless killers who enjoyed near complete impunity due to the fear they struck in potential witnesses. Meanwhile, the District Attorneys office agreed to work with Featherstones wife to obtain evidence confirming Featherstones claims. At first, it appeared that he had won. However, Holly returned to New York City several years later. on our list, Other us about an exoneration that we may have missed, Correct an error or add information about an exoneration On April 25, 1985, Billy Bokun (John Bokuns brother), wearing a wig to look like Featherstone, approached Holly on a crowded street and killed him, firing five bullets into his back. When Mickey returned to the notoriously violent, Irish dominated Hell's Kitchen area of New York, his violent tendencies continued. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod. Anonymous. Scottish Island for sale with asking price of $188,000. 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. Defense Lawyers' Complaints. Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. The District Attorneys office agreed to work with Featherstones wife, Sissy Featherstone, to see if they could obtain evidence confirming Featherstones claims. In this case, he was not only innocent of the crime, he also knew who had done it. The shooter, Featherstone had learned, was William Billy Bokun, the brother of Hollys alleged victim, John Bokun. 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. Jimmy Coonan (right) in a prison photo circa 1990. #opensource #serverless. 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 . ''At least for the time being,'' the judge said, ''the Westies have been broken as an organization, largely as a result of your cooperation.''. Julia Coonan pleaded innocent to conspiracy charges in state Supreme Court in Manhattan and Judge Peter McQuillan set $50,000 bail. [1] He spent time in a series of mental hospitals, being released in 1975. Contract murders are a relatively new enterprise, they said. 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. According to our records, Mickey Featherstone is possibly single. 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. For example, Featherstone got probation for shooting a man in the arm, and when he killed a man outside a bar in 1971, Featherstone beat the rap with an insanity plea. Morgethau said the gang began as gamblers and loansharks but have committed 28 murders, five of which have been solved. 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. It didn't help his case that the shooter abandoned a car owned by Mickey's place of employment at the time. Register Log In Home Forums Organized Crime - Real Life How feared was Mickey Featherstone . 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. 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. Admitted Westies Killer Who Informed Is Free, https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/01/nyregion/admitted-westies-killer-who-informed-is-free.html. Outside the courtroom, Coonan's lawyer Lawrence Hochheiser said, 'She's a housewife her only crime is being his wife.' Jimmy, a charismatic sociopath, is the leader. In late November, McElroy and Kelly also paid a visit to their leader, Morgenthau said. He was born on the upper West Side and his mother worked with the VFW and his father was a U. S. Customs officer. The three, James McElroy, 36, William Bokun, 29, and Kevin Kelly, 31, allegedly killed Leone in Guttenberg, N.J., on Feb. 11, 1984. He never saw combat. Nine gang members, including two of the three indicted Wednesday, are awaiting trial or serving prison terms. Shes the 2nd from the right, looks just like him. ago. 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. 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. The evidence seemed overwhelming, and the next day Featherstone was booked. In the latest indictment, Julia Coonan, 44, wife of imprisoned Westies leader James Coonan, was charged with scheming to murder the loanshark, he said. And now, in April 2023, Carlson is gone too, even more abruptly than his predecessor, though perhaps under a similar cloud.Once again, the ouster is being crowed about by liberals who really .