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Being Oscar: From Mob Lawyer to Mayor of Las Vegas
Being Oscar From Mob Lawyer to Mayor of Las Vegas Author:Oscar Goodman Oscar Goodman is Las Vegas. One of America's most celebrated criminal defense attorneys -- known for years as the Mafia's go-to-defender -- he went on to win three terms as Las Vegas mayor, and has lived a life as colorful as the city he came to represent. — In Being Oscar, the legendary lawyer recounts his adventures both on and of... more »f the public stage. Over the course of his career Oscar has represented clients as varied as Mike Tyson and boxing promoter Don King, a midget, a dentist charged with sexual molestation, and a federal judge. As the Mafia's most successful defender, he tried an estimated 300 major criminal cases -- and won most of them. His roster of clients reads like a who's who of organized crime: the infamous Meyer Lansky, Philadelphia gangster Phil Leonetti, reputed Kansas City Mob boss Nick Civella, Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro and Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal (two who became the poster boys for all that was said to be wrong with casino gambling), and a dozen other wiseguys from all over the country. They were the "bad guys," but Oscar also dealt with a lot of so-called "good guys." Sometimes he had trouble telling the difference.
After thirty-five years as a defender, Oscar ran for mayor of Las Vegas, and America's greatest Mob lawyer became mayor of its sexiest city. As aggressive an advocate for the town as he had been for his criminal clients, he instituted "martinis with the mayor" to get input from regular citizens about the issues that needed immediate attention. Oscar also branded himself by appearing with two showgirls werever he went, becoming so popular that his image appeared on the $5 and $10 chips. In 1995, he appeared as himself in Martin Scorsese's movie Casino, which was based on some of his exploits -- his client Tony Spilotro was played in the movie by Joe Jesci -- and while mayor of Vegas, he had parts in Rush Hour 2, CSI, and Las Vegas. Oscar 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 those who built it. This is his astonishing story -- the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.« less