Musings on the Mahoning Valley mob: Youngstown Press Club hosts author Allan May
The Youngstown Press Club hosted true crime author Allan R. May, an organized crime historian and expert on northeast Ohio crime.
He came to Youngstown for a Tuesday presentation at the Tyler History Center.
May wrote Crimetown USA: The History of the Mahoning Valley Mafia.
It’s a deep dive into the history of organized crime in the Mahoning Valley from 1933 - 1966.
He wrote Welcome to the Jungle Inn and several other books about organized crime in Cleveland and New York.
He’s currently working on a follow-up to Crimetown USA, a second part of the Mahoning Valley mob story, picking up where he left off in the mid 1960’s.
He’s also working on a book about Jim Traficant, politician turned convicted felon from Youngstown.
His most recent book is about Cleveland’s Julius Petro and the Collinwood Burglary Crew.
May shared stories about local “gangsters” like Sandy Naples and reporting significant stories like the bombing of the Cavallaro family in 1962.
How did May get started writing about crime?
May’s writing journey began at the forefront of digital journalism, writing for websites like “Gangland News” before working with CourtTV’s website CrimeLibrary.com in the early 2000.
May was also a main contributor to both AmericanMafia.com and CrimeMagazine.com.
He had the idea to write an in-depth about the history of organized crime in northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
“You wouldn’t believe this, but when I got here, I found a lot of crime going on around here,” May said. “It couldn’t all fit in one book, so I started with The Jungle Inn.”
For more about Crimetown USA and the history of Mahoning Valley organized crime, pick up one of May’s books or visit his website.
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