Being Oscar: From Mob Lawyer to Mayor of Las Vegas

by Oscar Goodman

Overview

In Being Oscar, one of America's most celebrated criminal defense attorneys recounts the stories and cases of his epic life. The Mafia's go-to defender, he has tried an estimated 300 criminal cases, and won most of them. His roster of clients reads like a history of organized crime: Meyer Lansky, Nicky Scarfo, and "Lefty" Rosenthal, as well as Mike Tyson and boxing promoter Don King, along with a midget, a dentist, and a federal judge.
After thirty-five years as a defender, he ran for mayor of Las Vegas, and America's greatest Mob lawyer became the mayor of its sexiest city. He was so popular his image appeared on the 5, 25, and 100 chips. While mayor of Vegas, he starred on the screen in Rush Hour 2 and CSI. He is as large a character in the history of organized crime as any of his clients and as legendary a figure in the history of Las Vegas as the entrepreneurs (his friends and clients) who built the city. This is his astonishing story--the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781602862333
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	09/09/2014
Edition description:	First Trade Paper Edition
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	233,358
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Oscar Goodman, the former mayor of Las Vegas, is now the official spokesperson for the city, a director emeritus of The Mob Museum, and the namesake for the restaurant "Oscar's Beef, Booze & Broads." His wife is the current mayor of Las Vegas, serving until 2016.

Table of Contents

Prologue ix

Part 1 Las Vegas

1 The Man and the Brand 3

2 Never Back Down 9

3 What They Don't Teach in Law School 23

4 Playing Fast and Loose 39

Part 2 Goodfellas

5 The Black Book 65

6 Heavyweights I Have Known 83

7 A Nineteen-Minute Defense 95

8 I Never Represented a Rat 117

9 A Visit to the Mustang Ranch 141

10 IBM, Not FBI 159

Part 3 City Hall

11 From Mob Lawyer to Mayor 181

12 Bitten by the Bug 193

13 A River in the Desert 203

14 Problems with the President 225

15 Fun in the Playboy Suite 233

16 To Rome, with Showgirls 249

17 Benevolent Dictator 263

18 All in the Family 271

Acknowledgments 277

Index 279

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Being Oscar

"Former Las Vegas mayor Goodman delivers a fast-paced, entertaining account of his over-the-top life." -- Publishers Weekly

"'Being Oscar' is a fun read and sensational from first page to last." -- Las Vegas Review-Journal

From the Publisher

Shoot-from-the-lip remarks abound as long-serving Mafia lawyer and former Las Vegas mayor Goodman delivers a fast-paced, entertaining account of his over-the-top life. The son of a Philadelphia attorney, Goodman entered the legal profession and spent 35 years defending some of organized crime's biggest names. As though that weren't enough excitement for one lifetime, in 1999 he was elected mayor of Las Vegas and served three terms (presently his wife holds the job). Stemming from his philosophy to "never back down," his courtroom antics were well known and his contention that many law enforcers shirk their duty created a contentious relationship with the FBI. Goodman defend-ed the infamous gangster Tony Spilotro numerous times, describing him as "fearless, honorable to a fault with me," and says Spilotro never complained about the hand he was dealt. As mayor Goodman worked tirelessly to revitalize the city center and here addresses his controversial support of regulated and legalized prostitution. Though Goodman's ego comes through on the page, the man brims with charm and humor. (June)

Publishers Weekly