mickey featherstone where is he now
It was founded in 2012 in conjunction with the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law. 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. Featherstone excelled in training and joined the special forces, but was disappointed to serve as a stock clerk while other recruits saw combat. But the Westies now had an enemy in Featherstone. 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 . From a New York Times-bestselling author: A true story of Irish gangsters in Manhattan"A harrowing account of big city crime" (Library Journal). All NRE reports represent a moment in time. [1] He spent time in a series of mental hospitals, being released in 1975. Contract murders are a relatively new enterprise, they said. Seems like a quiet shy guy but in reality he's a stone cold killer. 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. 2 mo. We have no records . 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. [5] He was freed in December 1988[5] and went into a witness protection program. That isnt her daughter, its her neice. Francis T. "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. Facing almost 25 years in jail, he became an informant and brought down Coonan's gang. Some of the loons that the boards attract never cease to amaze me. Anyone can read what you share. The title should be changed to 'The True Crime Classic About Mickey Featherstone's Time As Part Of New York's Notorious Irish Mob'. Witnesses described a man who looked a lot like Featherstone. April 28 (UPI) -- An isolated private island off the coast of Scotland is for sale with an asking price of about $188,000. DeSantis amid feud over self-governing privileges. 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. He has to be up there in age, 58 maybe, 60 maybe? Many people mistakenly underestimated Featherstone, given his small stature, making him even more dangerous. [1][2], When a group from New Jersey, called the Riley brothers, entered Hell's Kitchen a fight started with the outsiders. In May 1977, Jimmy Coonan owed a substantial amount of money to loan shark Ruby Stein and decided to forgive his own debt by murdering Stein. J.Coonan little girl.. not sure of the date this was posted. Left to Right. In late November, McElroy and Kelly also paid a visit to their leader, Morgenthau said. The following day, Featherstone was arrested and eventually charged with Hollys murder one of the few murders he, ironically, didnt commit. [2] Featherstone did time in the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield Missouri on the psychiatric ward in 1982. The district attorney said they were 'very brutal. [4] Mickey Spillane, the mob leader in Hell's Kitchen at the time, was shot five times outside his apartment in August 1977, and Featherstone was arrested but acquitted for his killing. [1][5] His wife Sissy co-operated with the District Attorney's office to tape incriminating conversations with gang members, including Bokun. Featherstone and the other Westies became known as ruthless killers who enjoyed near complete impunity due to the fear they struck in potential witnesses. 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. Morgenthau said they were among the top hitmen in the gang. When Mickey returned to the notoriously violent, Irish dominated Hell's Kitchen area of New York, his violent tendencies continued. 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. 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. District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said the gang was linked with the Gambino crime family, New York's strongest Mafia group, and served as 'hired guns' for the Gambinos, whose reputed leader, John Gotti, is standing trial in Brooklyn. After learning about Mickey Featherstone, read how Irish mobster Danny Greene took on the Cleveland Mafia or learn about mobster Frank The Irishman Sheeran. Support The National Registry of Exonerations , The Contribution of Forensic and Expert Evidence to DNA Exoneration Cases, Race and Wrongful Convictions in the United States, 2022, Government Misconduct and Convicting the Innocent, Witness Recantations: Preliminary Findings, May 2013, Exonerations in the United States: 1989 - 2012, Tell us about an Exoneration that we missed, Tell On March 25, 1977, Westie John Bokun was shot dead by police after an argument with another Hells Kitchen resident, Michael Holly. Mickey nolonger has bad nightmares and is FULLY RECOVERED and states his past is a blur. Relationship history. There where a series of gruesome murders taking place in the neighborhood and Jimmy Coonan and, This week we are starting a multi-part series with Justin Rimmel of the Mysterious Circumstances Podcast to talk about one of the most violent, brutal crime organizations in New York City from the 60's-80's The Westies. Law enforcement attributed at least 30 unsolved murders to the gang and the innocuous-looking Mickey Featherstone was recognized as one of their most vicious members. 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 was convicted in 1986, but his conviction was reversed later that year when the actual shooter was identified. In the mid-1970s, Coonans Westies seized control of organized crime from predominant West Side gang leader, Mickey Spillane. information about the Registry, Mistaken Witness ID, Perjury or False Accusation, Inadequate Legal Defense. 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. [1] He served in the Vietnam War as member of the Green Berets aged just 17 after lying about his age. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Judge Sweet stressed that Mr. Featherstone testified as a major witness in a trial that ended early this year in the conviction of seven members of the Westies, including James Coonan, the gang's leader, who received a sentence of 75 years in prison. At 17, Featherstone lied about his age and joined the army with dreams of becoming a Green Beret. We have no records of past relationships for Mickey Featherstone. Mickey, whose memories of Vietnam torture him daily, is his enforcer. Mickey Featherstone: The Dangerous Hitman Currently Free In Witness Protection. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. As they were interviewing employees, Mickey Featherstone walked right into their midst - short, slight and light-haired. Ron DeSantis and other officials . After weaseling out of three murder charges, and most likely being responsible for countless others, an internal dispute within the Westies would result in Featherstone finally and ironically going to prison for a murder he didn't really commit. Or, as was the case with Mickey Featherstone, you find you've been chosen as the fall guy for a power grab within the gang. 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. I wonder how much of it was drugs. 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. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Yet to those closest to him, Mickey was kind, devoted and generous to a fault. After providing the necessary information about the crimes of his fellow Westies, 38-year-old Francis Mickey Featherstone entered the federal witness protection program. The DEA ranks him as one of the top 10 drug traffickers in US history. [1][2] He began spending time in saloons like Club 596 and Sunbrite that were hangouts for the Westies.[2]. 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. Featherstone contacted prosecutors from his trial and convinced them that the shooter may have been Billy Bokun, wearing a wig to look like Featherstone. He was blond haired and baby-faced. As a freelance writer, he spends his time writing about true crime. '', See the article in its original context from. Judge Sweet, noting that Mr. Featherstone had already served the equivalent of a five-year sentence on a murder charge that was later dismissed, said the probation on the racketeering charge included conditions that the defendant take part in counseling and rehabilitation programs. [3][4] He received a medical discharge in 1967 after just a year, claiming to have hallucinations. Anonymous. According to our records, Mickey Featherstone is possibly single. Mickey Featherstone is a member of the following lists: People from Manhattan, 1947 births and American military personnel of the Vietnam War. The Westies would also carry out some of the Gambino familys most gruesome dirty work. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod. They pulled over, either to do cocaine or because one of them asked him to. 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. Defense lawyers have complained in Federal District Court that Mr. Featherstone and other informers received highly beneficial deals from the Government to obtain their testimony in the Gambino trial and that the jury was not told that the informers were being freed. NEW YORK -- The wife of a reputed West Side mobster and three members of his Irish gang were indicted Wednesday in the killing of a loanshark, and the Manhattan prosecutor said the gang was. Kevin Kelly effectively took over the day to day running of the Westies when Jimmy Coonan moved to New Jersey. [2] His conviction eventually came in February 1982, after using counterfeit currency at a massage parlor - he was traced because the girl remembered seeing his name tattooed on his forearm, and he was sentenced to six years. #opensource #serverless. The Westies grew out of a Hell's Kitchen bootlegging mob formed by former Cotton Club owner Owen Madden, authorities said. The Westies have been linked with the Gambino crime family for the last eight to 10 years, Morgenthau said. April 28 (UPI) -- A bear stuck in a Nevada tree was rescued by wildlife officials and firefighters who tranquilized the bruin and then caught the large animal in a tarp. Defense Lawyers' Complaints. He spent periods of time back in a mental hospital, but always returned to involvement with the Westies. 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. Mickey, whose memories of Vietnam torture him daily, is his enforcer. It's men like Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone who gave Hell's Kitchen its name. ago. On Dec. 21, he received a suspended sentence with five years of probation after Federal and state authorities sent letters commending his cooperation to Judge Robert W. Sweet, who sentenced him in Federal District Court in Manhattan. In the late 1970s, the Westies began collaborating with the Gambino family and its notorious Mafia, with the Westies functioning as an enforcer arm of the Gambino ring carrying out assigned executions and sharing in weekly profits. Outside the courtroom, Coonan's lawyer Lawrence Hochheiser said, 'She's a housewife her only crime is being his wife. Featherstone was given 25 years to life for Holly's murder. Featherstone committed several mob killings before he was convicted in 1986 of a murder he had not committed. It's men like Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone who gave Hell's Kitchen its name. From a New York Times-bestselling author: A true story of Irish gangsters in Manhattan--"A harrowing account of big city crime" (Library Journal). We welcome new information from any source about exonerations already on our list and about cases not in the Registry that might be exonerations. Disney sues Florida Gov. He was born on the upper West Side and his mother worked with the VFW and his father was a U. S. Customs officer. [5], "Books of The Times; The Rise and Fall of a Thoroughly Vicious Gang", "New York Stories: Hell's Kitchen Killers", "Admitted Westies Killer Who Informed Is Free", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mickey_Featherstone&oldid=1082198232, This page was last edited on 11 April 2022, at 21:33. More than 150 beverages delivered to woman's home without explanation. Facing almost 25 years in jail, he became an informant and brought down Coonan's gang. 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. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. That's when the 'Westies', a ruthless gang of Irish American extortionists, racketeers and contract killers, took in the violent young Featherstone and put him to work. Then in 1985, Coonan, fearing a power grab by Featherstone, set him up to take a fall for murder. Outside the courtroom, Coonan's lawyer Lawrence Hochheiser said, 'She's a housewife her only crime is being his wife.' Mickey knew he'd been framed, and was able to convince the police to let him prove it. Featherstone was born on West 43rd St.,[1] one of nine children. 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. Put this image on your website to promote the show -, Report inappropriate content or request to remove this page. According to our records, Mickey Featherstone is possibly single. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Mr. Featherstone indeed served in Vietnam - as a stock clerk. The shooter, Featherstone learned, was Billy Bokun. Jimmy, a charismatic sociopath, is the leader. Julia Coonan pleaded innocent to conspiracy charges in state Supreme Court in Manhattan and Judge Peter McQuillan set $50,000 bail. [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. Thanks to everyone who came out, we had a fantastic time. April 28 (UPI) -- A South Carolina woman won a $300,000 prize from a scratch-off lottery ticket just three years after winning a $250,000 lottery jackpot. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. 1 killed in shooting at Massachusetts house party, Heavy shelling in Kherson, Kharkiv destroys residences, Cuba postpones International Workers' Day parade over fuel shortages, Democrats, Republicans remain split on debt ceiling plan, SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches following aborted mission, delays. So she cant better her life due to her family history? British man breaks world record with 17 flesh tunnels on his face. Well never sell your personal information. After his conviction was overturned, he struck a deal with the authorities to inform on his own organization. On this installment we will discuss what caused the rift between, This week we are getting even deeper into Hell's Kitchen. Thiscourtroom dramatells the story of ajury of 12 men as they deliberate the conviction or acquittal of an 18-year old defendanton the basis ofreasonable do, Joe Poletto continues his conversation with Billy Beattie, founding member of the notorious Westies and Art Ruffles, FBI special agent in charge of the organized crime unit. They not only kill people they dismember them,' he said. Those who knew Featherstone in the neighborhood often crossed the street when they saw him coming their way. This book is a lot more focused on one man's role (Mickey Featherstone) in the Westies, rather than the Westies as a whole. Can you list the top facts and stats about Mickey Featherstone? Thank you for helping to keep the podcast database up to date. It's men like Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone who gave Hell's Kitchen its name. 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. Led by Jimmy Coonan and, From an introduction made by his long time friend Tom Sheer, Joe Poletto was introduced to Art Ruffles, special agent in charge of the FBIs organized crime unit in charge of the Gambino, DeMeo and Westies cases. One day you're a made man, the next, you're sleeping with the fishes. The three, James McElroy, 36, William Bokun, 29, and Kevin Kelly, 31, allegedly killed Leone in Guttenberg, N.J., on Feb. 11, 1984. Dose anyone know what Micky looks like now? 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. [1] Rather than serving his sentence he instead told prosecutors that Bokun had committed the murder, and he became an informant. Who is he dating right now? 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. 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. Authorities said Leone was a loanshark and a bookie who created no-show jobs and took kickbacks from dockworkers on the Hudson River piers that border the Irish gang's territory in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan's West Side. Featherstone had served in the Vietnam War, but was discharged in 1967 after hallucinations landed him in a mental hospital. Featherstone returned with a rifle and shot one of the brothers John Riley in the arm, for which he was arrested and probationed. The National Registry of Exonerations is a project of the Newkirk Center for Science & Society at University of California Irvine, the University of Michigan Law School and Michigan State University College of Law. Coonan's former underling, Francis 'Mickey' Featherstone, has pleaded guilty to a federal racketeering charge and is cooperating with authorities, leading to the recent spate of arrests. Free Podcast Hosting with custom domain. All these years later, the legend of the wild, wild Westies -- the Gaelic gangsters of the '80s and '90s, led by the likes of Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone -- lives on. [1] He was shocked at receiving his sentence of 25 years in prison, and concluded that he had been framed by his own gang. Asked if she was a member of the Westies, he responded, 'She's hardly a member of anything at all.'. Public DomainGambino boss Paul Castellano. 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. 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. 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. 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. On April 25, 1985, 41-year-old Holly was walking down a New York street when a man stepped out of a car and shot him five times, using a gun with a silencer. For more information, please see our Coonan held Holly responsible for Bokuns death, but his murder was repeatedly put off over the years. This pic is of edna. She was able to record Bokun describing the shooting of Michael Holly while wearing a wig as Featherstone. Yeah, Featherstone is a strange character. gb1993 2 yr. ago He is famous for Irish American mobster and Vietnam Vet. April 28 (UPI) -- The PGA Tour's Mexico Open was briefly interrupted when a swarm of bees sent a group of golfers ducking in the grass. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The Westies only numbered around 15 members, all Irish American, yet became the dominant criminal force in Hells Kitchen. With this evidence in hand showing that Featherstones fellow gang members had turned on him and set him up, his conviction was overturned in September 1986, and Featherstone agreed to become an informant. 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. He was circumcised. 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. [1] In September 1986, Judge Alvin Schlesinger overturned Featherstone's conviction. In the latest indictment, Julia Coonan, 44, wife of imprisoned Westies leader James Coonan, was charged with scheming to murder the loanshark, he said. After effectively destroying the Irish mob in Manhattan, 38-year-old Mickey Featherstone entered the witness protection program and has lived under the radar ever since. 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. He was charged with three murders over the years, but was always able to get acquitted after pleading insanity. Join. It finally happened folks and it was a blast! 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. ''At least for the time being,'' the judge said, ''the Westies have been broken as an organization, largely as a result of your cooperation.''.
