When he was arrested in September 1950, Brooklyn's swart, smart Big Bookie Harry Gross lost a gambling empire but gained a fearsome and ironic political power. He used it for all it was worth. By talking his head off before a grand jury about cop-bribing during Mayor Bill O'Dwyer's regime, he exploded the biggest New York corruption scandal since the days of Jimmie Walker. Then, after a total of 77 blue-coats had been named as defendants or coconspirators, Gross managed, with consummate gall, to spring them all.
His method was simple. Despite...
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