The Two Charlies

Charles Binaggio and his underboss, Charles Gargotta, rose through poverty in Missouri to eventually lead the Kansas City mob. In the 1930s and 40s, their control extended from local police and businessmen all the way to the White House. The two men died together in an unsolved 1950 double murder in downtown Kansas City.
This work offers a unique take on the stories of the two Charlies, with first-hand accounts from those who worked for the gangsters as well as those who felt their wrath. The book also reveals the two mobsters’ private lives with their wives and children, and describes their inner political connections both within Kansas City and inside Harry S. Truman’s administration.

Larry J. Hausner is a retired businessman living in North Tustin, California. He is the author of eight fiction and two non-fiction books.

Larry J. Hausner
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 198
Bibliographic Info: 34 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9111-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5003-6
Imprint: Exposit

Acknowledgments vi
Preface: My Take on the Two Charlies 1
Introduction 3
Chapter One. Murder 5
Chapter Two. Coming to America 14
Chapter Three. Rising Stars 19
Chapter Four. “Mad Dog” 29
Chapter Five. Family Life 47
Chapter Six. The Five Iron Men 52
Chapter Seven. Businesses 58
Chapter Eight. Iowa Connections 64
Chapter Nine. The Democrat Machine 74
Chapter Ten. Harry Truman and the Kansas City Mob 82
Chapter Eleven. The 1949 Grand Juries 92
Chapter Twelve. Party Fight 105
Chapter Thirteen. The Interview 110
Chapter Fourteen. Two Sides of LIFE 113
Chapter Fifteen. Collared by Collier’s 119
Chapter Sixteen. Binaggio’s Past, Present, and Future Plans Posted 125
Chapter Seventeen. Kefauver 134
Chapter Eighteen. J. Edgar Hoover 144
Chapter Nineteen. Death and Taxes 151
Chapter Twenty. The Mob Doctor, the Sarnos, and Blanche 155
Chapter Twenty-One. One Week Late 160
Chapter ­Twenty-Two. Through Rose-Colored Glasses 163
Chapter ­Twenty-Three. Who Dunnit? 167
Epilogue 177
Chapter Notes 181
Sources 186
Index 187