“Wanting to leave communist Russia is all fine and well | Actually leaving the country is where you might run into a few setbacks. Obtaining a visa for a simple vacation outside the soviet block was a long and arduous process. To immigrate to a free society was about as easy as finding whiskey in a church.”
― Career Criminal: My Life in the Russian Mob Until the Day I Died
― Career Criminal: My Life in the Russian Mob Until the Day I Died
“This was a quarrel they did not need | It was one they knew they could never win. Beat us with a bat and we come back with Jiggers | Stick us with a knife and we bring the heaters | Plug one of us, and you'd better murder us all. We were the authentic spectacle, and the fact they left with their lives intact, no bones broken, or a limb missing, was miracle enough.”
― Career Criminal: My Life in the Russian Mob Until the Day I Died
― Career Criminal: My Life in the Russian Mob Until the Day I Died
“For those of you that truly believe there's no such thing as the mafiya, I would be more than happy to sell you your own fast lane on the Belt Parkway, you know, so you can avoid the rush hour commute. The mafiya is real as a heart attack and, contrary to popular consensus, has been steadily growing in power since its inception in the 1920s. Italian organized crime just doesn't operate out in the open anymore, former mayor Rudy made sure of that.”
― Career Criminal: My Life in the Russian Mob Until the Day I Died
― Career Criminal: My Life in the Russian Mob Until the Day I Died
“While the layman sees an opportunity and decides to take it, the professional criminal through the use of deceit and treachery, is able to create opportunities. This individual not only actively searches for a crime to commit, the professional criminal assembles teams of similar people and generates situations in which crime can be safely perpetrated in a controlled environment for maximum profit.”
― Career Criminal: My Life in the Russian Mob Until the Day I Died
― Career Criminal: My Life in the Russian Mob Until the Day I Died
“The Jewish center on Kings Highway scheduled an interview at the local labor hall downtown for my father to meet one of their counselors in order to asses his skills and capabilities. When my father sat down with the fellow and asked all sorts of questions, his reply was a blank stare. Boris didn't understand a word. He did speak a little English | He knew two words, pipe and chair. So Boris did the smart thing. He kept saying pipe over and over. Whatever question, he simply replied... pipe. The counselor soon got the gist | Boris must be a plumber. He was handed a small slip of paper and was instructed to report to the address penciled on it at 6 am sharp the following day.”
― Career Criminal: My Life in the Russian Mob Until the Day I Died
― Career Criminal: My Life in the Russian Mob Until the Day I Died
Pavle’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Pavle’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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