But her fairy tale would soon take a very dark turn. [woman 2] she has become fortuitously cruel. Leona helmsley forgot the most important lesson, which is you should keep your friends close and you keep your enemies closer. A real estate showman had won his nasty battle with the city and was preparing to make his biggest gamble yet. [donald trump] yes [newsreader] donald trump has also ventured into gambling. [charles bagli] wall street was willing to give him whatever he wanted. And as the new sheriff in town plotted the move that would launch him to stardom. Giuliani cast himself as the law and order man of new york. [Rudolph Giuliani] this is a great day for Law Enforcement but this is a bad day, probably the worst, for the mafia. A ruthless young capo made a move of his own. One that would shake the mafia to its core. [woman] her son, who was fresh in the ground when she said i will destroy you. [barbara res] he couldnt get out of his own way when it came to being cheap. [woman] one more complaint. I close you up. [woman] she was definitely a bitch and i dont mean that in a pejorative sense. These five titans would reshape the city and the world we live in today. And in 1983, nothing could stand in their way. [newsreader] what a year its been for music. Top of the charts this week is every breath you take by the police. [newsreader] boom times. Thats what the numbers signaled today, an economy thats on a roll in this country. With the recent building boom, new york city skyline is ever changing, and today a topping out ceremony was held at trump tower. By 1983, the countrys economic fortunes had rebounded and for many the despair of the late 70s was starting to feel like a distant memory. It seemed that maybe reagan had made America Great again and new york city was greatest of all. [andrew ross sorkin] you had people like ivan boesky all of a sudden making millions of dollars, going to lunch for thousands of dollars. [Leona Helmsley] look at the shape of his head. You ever seen a head shaped that way in your whole life . [sorkin] parties with helicopters landing on boats. And this was new money. This wasnt old money any more. Americas next generation of leaders, the yuppies, what some people call the y word now, theyre young urban professionals. [newsreader] for yuppies. Its all about business. Capitalism is in. The yuppie likes to go home, slap on his swatch, put on his reeboks, turn his socks inside out. Then you put on a little bit fancy denim jean because you know, you dont want to go out with your basic levis. How are you doing . [bryan burrough] you were young, you were making money and were utterly unashamed about it. Were going for the 80s. Were going for the six figure. Thats all we want. [man] new york had transformed into a playground built on money. It was a playground all right, and not just for well dressed wall streeters. In the shadows, another enormous industry was humming along. Sucking in cash from almost every corner of the city. [newsreader] when you do something as simple as this, the mob collects. Theyve got a cut of the vending machine business. Construction, the life blood of new york. It also gives transfusions of money and power to organized crime and it goes on and on. The garment industry, jewelry, automobile dealerships, that drink before dinner, the dinner at a mobcontrolled restaurant or just a pizza after the movie. [michael chertoff] back in the 80s, if you were a new yorker you understood that the mob was a very, very powerful force in the life of new york city. Essentially, it was almost as if the mafia was a separate government that could tax the citizens of new york for almost everything they bought. [newsreader] builders, far from trying to oust the mob, depend on it to cut costly delays and red tape. And what does super developer, donald trump believe . I really dont know anything about it. [george gabriel] the mobs are making good money. Theyre getting rich with the building boom, but then you have the normal rackets. The mob, its a multibillion dollar a year enterprise. Gambling, loan sharking, racketeering. All tools of the trade for the five organized crime families. It was about making money but it was also about power. [ed mcdonald] new york city had five organized crime families. The bosses of the five families comprised what they called the new york commission. With a group of the five leaders of the five families. The bosses of the gambino, genovese, bonanno, colombo, and lucchese crime families. [randy mastro] those five family heads would literally meet on a regular basis and plot out their empire. As if they were businessmen, only their business was a criminal enterprise. They divided up the city and divided up the different industries. They were operating as a company. Yet city officials and prosecutors seemed to be doing little or nothing about it the city was crying out for someone to take a leadership role. [newsreader] Ruldoph Giuliani is a man of many dimensions. He loves listening to Classical Music and he loves listening to opera. [giuliani] probably its genetic. I think if youre italian there has to be an interest in opera just as in your chromosomes. Rudy giuliani was a remarkable crusading us attorney. With an organized crime epidemic sweeping the city, 1983 proved the perfect time for a bold prosecutor to reenter new york and orchestrate his meteoric ascent sent to the top. He did it by enforcing the rules although he didnt always play by them. [jonathan mahler] Rudy Giuliani came into office as us attorney for the Southern District in manhattan. He was ruthlessly ambitious and had Higher Office on his mind from an early age. When he came here he had a lot of support in washington behind him. Hed been a third ranking person in the justice department. The number three job in washington, youre serving someone else. The number one job in new york is much more high profile. [sean deveney] if youre coming into new york city in the early 80s, youve got to be a little bit bold in terms of what you think you can do to help the city. But you have to be even bolder if youre looking at it and say, wait, what can this do for me . A question you hear increasingly now is, who is Rudolph Giuliani . And what does he want . [laughs] well, im the us attorney and what i want is to be as effective as i can be as the United States attorney. Rudy, really presented himself as the answer to all of the villains of new york city in the 1980s or you know, name your mobster. Hopefully with an organization like the mafia, we will wear them down. According to rudy, his fathers hate for the mafia was why rudy became such a mafia fighter. Growing up, rudys father had made it clear to him that the opportunities for italian americans had been limited in this country because of their image. Italian americans had gotten a bad rap and that this was in large part because of the mob these are extremely dangerous individuals. They are people who destroyed the lives of other human beings. [kurt andersen] Rudy Giuliani was this seemingly incorruptible straight arrow, boy scout, eagle scout. He was trying be one of the untouchables. He was a little bit of a nerd. [andrew kirtzman] he saw himself as the enforcer of morality. That came from the upbringing and a catholic household and catholic schools. And at one point he wanted to be a priest. And it wasnt until he was a sophomore in college that he gave up on that, decided, maybe the celibacy thing isnt for me. But he never really lost that sense of moral crusade. I think he liked the mafia in some ways. It was a great target cause what can you say positive about the mafia . And he was gonna save the country from the mafia. Rudy giuliani explained to me his vision of putting together a case against the entire Mafia Commission as an enterprise. There was something on the books called the rico statute. Under the rico umbrella, you could convict a whole family infrastructure of conspiring together as an organized crime family. And so rudys idea was, why dont we do that against the commission as if it is a distinct enterprise and conspiracy that we can prosecute under the racketeering law. It seemed like an audacious, very interesting plan. I was excited to work on it. The Eastern District in new york and brooklyn and Rudy Giuliani were supposed to share this case but rudy went to washington and he said, im the guy whos really equipped to do this. I should be put in charge. His mentor in washington, the attorney general, made it happen. Rudys agenda was rudy and what was driving him was what rudy was doing and his relentless climb. Rudy didnt care whose toes hes stepping on, he wanted to be at the top and he wanted fame. He would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. The stage was set for an Epic New York show down. Having eliminated his competition, the young prosecutor prepared to take on the mob. He knew that the headlines would be sensational. And that if he succeeded. He wouldnt have to share them with anyone. Our essential mist transforms fragrance infused [newsreader] it took four years and 300 with natural essential oils to create a mist. To invite the scents, comfort and warmth of the season into your home. Its air care, redefined. Connect to nature this holiday season. I see you found the snacks. Mmm, delicious i need this recipe. Everyone thinks i made them, but its actually dcon. What was that . Judy . Dcon. Mice love it to death. Can celebrate with the opening of trump tower. [Nikki Haskell] as part of the Nikki Haskell show, i filmed the opening of the trump tower. It was an amazing place. It was so opulent, so chic. It was more than anybody had seen in the city before. Everyone knows steve rebel, a man that created night life in new york. [steve rebel] how are you . Hi honey. Good. How are you . Welcome to the trump towers. Yeah. Its beautiful isnt it . [david cay johnson] you walk into it. It has this huge marble atrium. And it has this giant waterfall, and it makes you sort of feel in awe, the way cathedrals do in europe. And its this monument to glittering wealth. I think were in for a hot time if this is any indication of the 80s. Trump tower was the epitome right at that moment in time of what it meant to be wealthy in the United States. [bagli] donald trump was able to capture this moment where he defined luxury. The trump tower got so much publicity. [newsreader] trump tower is a major draw for tourists, with apartments selling for up to 10 million. And in the middle of it was donald trump. Rewarded for his vision and praised for his ambition, the new titan of real estate had arrived and image trumped all. The more he flaunted his wealth and status, the more the city revered him. [newsreader] as long as this building stands, there will probably be some who will refer to trump tower as the house that tax abatements built. But thats kind of a ground floor look at this building. If you look a little bit higher, youll see another story. A story of entrepreneurial vision, huge Capital Investment and sheer guts. He made his reputation on this. Helping donald create a mythology around himself. I always like going first class. Trump tower is the ultimate in first class and thats why its been successful. Everything was classy, this was very high class and this one has class and that one has class and you know, this looks like class. It was a big deal to him. He had class on the brain. But the finishes in the apartments were. Really crap, excuse the expression. He couldnt get out of his own way when it came to being cheap. [bagli] donald trump created the aura that he was a premier developer, the best deal maker, the best builder, the best at anything that he touched. [trump] people come up to me and they say, oh, donald, youre so lucky. Everything just falls into place for you. And its not that way at all. You have to make it fall in place. The world now saw him as a tycoon and that image would become his biggest bargaining chip as he embarked on his next great venture. [newsreader] in a flash the glamorous world of casinos have lined the boardwalk. Its las vegas east. [newsreader] the man who, at the age of 39, is not content with being new york citys latest real estate billionaire. Donald trump has also ventured into gambling. [jack odonnell] money. I mean money is what appealed to donald trump when it came to the casino industry. I think he saw an opportunity for vast amounts of cash to be generated. Profits were just unbelievable and donald trump took a look at that and said, i want in. [odonnell] trump plaza became really the most successful property in atlantic city. [don king] here we are, trump. [bagli] donald was going down there on his helicopter. He would offer rides to big spenders and then he turns around and buys another casino. Donald trump got his second casino, trump castle, for 320,000,000. Donald trump did not set foot in the castle before he purchased it. It was a very quick transaction. The trump castle opened with great fanfare because it was donald trump. But everything that donald trump did at these casinos he financed through debt and all the debts added up eventually at the castle and at the plaza. However, the banks, you know, had bought in, but at that point, to trump. Despite the growing level of debt, wall street was willing to give him whatever he wanted. He would spend money without consequence. [michael kruse] when banks kept lending him money there was nothing in his way. He was going to do exactly what he wanted for as long as he could get away with it. Yeah all right pretty soon donald trump goes on this incredible spending spree. He bought the new jersey generals. Way to go fellas. He buys maralago in florida. He also bought a Huge Development site the rail yards on the west side. This will be one of the great jobs of all time. As hes developing this empire hes borrowing more and more money at higher and higher interest rates. Youre talking about a huge amount of debt. [johnson] aiding him in this is this whole cultural change where we started judging people by the content of their wallet, or in donalds case, the claimed content of their wallet. In many respects, donald trump was the poster boy for the 1980s. A lot of people just didnt look below the surface. He was able to live on that image for a very long time. The minute something starts to go wrong, the entire house of cards was going to start to fall down. Youre choosing to get connected to the most to xfinity mobile, Reliable Network nationwide, now with 5g included. Discover how to save up to 400 a year with shared data starting at 15 a month, or get the lowest price for one line of unlimited. Come into your local xfinity store to make the most of your mobile experience. You can shop the latest phones, bring your own device, or trade in for extra savings. Stop in or book an appointment to shop safely with peace of mind at your local xfinity store. [newsreader] nbc news now is able to project the reelection of Ronald Wilson reagan. [gil troy] Ronald Reagan in 1984 wins, and not just wins but he wins in a landslide. [bethany mclean] the champagne is flowing, the good times feel like they can only continue. By 1984 the message was clear america was back and for that we could thank the almighty dollar. [man] the president of the us, accompanied by John J Fallon and donald t reagan. [cheering] [Ronald Reagan] the last time i visited the New York Stock Exchange was in 1980 and the mood sure was different then. But in the last five years weve moved from malaise to hope, confidence, and opportunity. New york becomes a symbol of the great success, of americas return politically, culturally, but at the end of the day its america, economical. [bell ringing and cheering] reagan felt that people should be given the opportunity to get as rich as they can get. [ken auletta] Ronald Reagans message was that giving tax breaks to the wealthy is fine because it trickles down. We need to get regulations out of the way. And donald trump and Leona Helmsley and ivan boesky and wall street and a lot of very wealthy people were beneficiaries. [bagli] but the rich get richer and the poor even poorer. [newsreader] trump has gotten rich by building for the wealthy. His critics say, at the expense of the poor. [troy] people feel exiled. Theyve not only lost their homes and their neighborhoods, theyve lost their voice and theyve lost their power. As the Public Sector was starved, private profit was prioritized and so for every dollar that was going to donald trump to build Something Like trump tower, that was a dollar that was not going to the south bronx. [darryl mcdaniels] they were leaving us and not caring about us. It was very desperate in the 80s. People was trying to figure a way to make it out of here. From a community of people that nobody cared about, that nobody thought there was any hope for, that nobody had any expectations of, they found their way out. They found their way out through the arts. [rapping] broken glass everywhere people pissing on the station. No, it just dont care. I cant take the smell, i cant take the noise. Got no money to move out so i got no choice. [rapping] rats in the front room, roaches in the back, junkies in the alley with the baseball bat i tried to get away but i couldnt get far cause a man with a tow truck repossessed my car. When the message came out about grandmaster flash, those words was the vibe of everybody. That was the truth of new york city was and it came from the young black people from the bronx through the block parties and the park parties on the streets of new york city, we was able to tell our stories and our feelings and our emotions. Thats when all the resources would have to come our way. [michael holman] artists living on the lower east side, hanging out in the east village. We were hearing about this movement that was going on uptown. Hiphop was djs and mcs and dboys and graffiti and break dancers and it was profound and we had to do something about it. We put to together a party called the canal zone party. If youre lost you can find yourself, right here, right now in the canal zone. Which was really the first time that uptown hiphop culture would rub shoulders with the downtown fine arts scene. [newsreader] dj jazzyjay has been heavily involved in introducing hiphop and rap culture to Downtown Manhattan and the rest of the world. Very quickly it was recognized that weve got Something Special here. And it was just, like, off to the races after that. The sugar hill gang came out with rappers delight. And no. 1 records like blondies rapture and films made about hiphop allowed hiphop to have a national and international stage. By the mid 80s, everywhere you look everybody was writing about kurtis blow, grandmaster flash, dj hollywood, whodini, jimmy spicer. Im jam master jay. Dj run. And my name is dmc. Say ho [crowd] ho say, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho. We did a b side of a record called sucker mcs. [rapping]. And you sucker mcs is who i please. So take that and move back catch a heart attack. With the same attitude that people rhyming about selling drugs and doing stickups, im rhyming about going to school. [rapping] im dmc, in the place to be i go to st. Johns university and since kindergarten i acquired the knowledge and after 12th grade i went straight to college. My whole thing was, even in all of this stress and strife, theres some good there. People started gravitating to the hope that was in our records. Rundmc became the definitive representation of 80s new york. Fashion, sound, style, look, and attitude. The leather pants, the godfather hats, thats how jay went to school in 9th grade. Jay was rundmc in 9th grade before we even called him to dj for us. Jay wore that hat. Thats how those boys and girls were dressing. And when everybody outside of new york started seeing rundmc, everybody else wanted to dress like new york. Hiphop had become so big, by 1984 the new york city breakers are invited to perform at the Kennedy Center honors, televised on cbs, in front of Ronald Reagan. That golden age of hiphop showed that we can be part of that affluent commercialized world. We changed everything. We created a tidal wave of people wanting to come to new york to experience the clubs and the lifestyle. It was the most creative, artistic period in the history of the world down there. Rundmc, keith herron, grandmaster flash, madonna. Wow everyone wanted to be in new york. The 80s would become known as the golden age of hip hop. From its birth place in the bronx, this new genre would rewrite the rules of music for decades to come. [tv presenter] from Downtown Manhattan, tv new york. Everylets skip the rinse. Waste up to 20 gallons. Finish quantum with activeblu technology, cleans without prerinsing. Switch to finish and skip the rinse to save water. Okay, so, magnificent mile for me i thought i was managing my moderate to severe Crohns Disease. Until i realized something was missing me. You okay, sis . My symptoms were keeping me from really being there for my sisters. So i talked to my doctor and learned thats us. reacting to boarding announcement humira is for people who still have symptoms of Crohns Disease after trying other medications. The majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief in as little as 4 weeks. And many achieved remission that can last. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections. Serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma,. Have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Be there for you and them. Ask your gastroenterologist about humira. With humira, remission is possible. Our essential mist transforms fragrance infused with natural essential oils to create a mist. To invite the scents, comfort and warmth of the season into your home. Its air care, redefined. Connect to nature this holiday season. It saying that, you have tied up all of my assets, therefore i cant afford an attorney. cause i think thats a real phony issue. While the ambitious young prosecutor was putting together the final pieces of his case against the mafia, another star was rising on the opposite side of the law. Inside the crime worlds most powerful family. The gambino family was the most powerful, was the wealthiest. Paul castellano was the boss. [newsreader] Paul Castellano, the boss of the gambino family, identified as the man who presides over commission meetings. The boss of all bosses. He had one rule, no drugs, the penalty was death. You had to say Paul Castellano was a business man. He was not a showy, flashy guy with a pinky ring. Kept a low profile and it was really about maximizing his control over legitimate businesses. [newsreader] next in line were 20 capos, or captains, the skippers who ran the crews of soldiers. [bruce mouw] when we first started investigations into the gambino family we identified all the players. We also identified a rising star a thencaptain named john gotti. He may have been just a street kid from the bronx, but he had wild ambition from the start. He would stop at nothing to get what he wanted and what he wanted was power, even if that meant breaking the Cardinal Rule of his own clan. He didnt care. John gotti inspired a lot of loyalty from his crew and because of that he felt comfortable getting involved in something that was happening underneath the noses of the big bosses. [george gabriel] gottis crews were getting very active in the drug business. These guys were earning tremendous money with it and they had to cover up john at the time. [newsman] the man climbing out of the buick is angelo ruggiaro, he was on john gottis crew along with john gottis own brother, jean gotti. [jerry capeci] one of the rules that mob has, in theory, is youre not supposed to deal with drugs. But the real rule is dont get caught dealing drugs. The idea is if you get caught dealing drugs, we can kill you for violating the rules. [deveney] especially the gambino family with Paul Castellano as the boss he did not look kindly on dealing drugs. He was somebody who wanted the mafia to get more into legitimate business. [chertoff] so john gotti had violated the rules and if Paul Castellano ever found out, gotti would be killed. [george gabriel] i think john was born to be a wise guy. It was as if it was in his blood [capeci] in the East New York section of brooklyn he joined a gang and decided that that was a way to make his mark. [ed mcdonald] he started out stealing money from Grocery Stores and it advanced to the stage where they were hijacking trucks. [bruce mouw] they always called him good looking john or the good looking guy. John loved all the compliments. He just loved having his butt kissed. So thats when we get close to him. Hey, john, you look good today. You working out . Your arms look good. You know, nice hair john. He loved all the compliments. Some people felt that, you know, he had enough charm and charisma that if had an education he could have been the chairman of ibm. But there were other people who just thought he was an ignorant thug. [newsreader] he has been called everything from terrifying to charismatic. Gotti had a good life. He ran hijacking at kennedy airport, gambling and loan sharking in queens. In order to become a capo of the mafia you have to prove your worth. You had to be feared, you had to be respected. Gotti was a bloodthirsty, ruthless, violent criminal, but he was gonna get what he wanted. Part of your badge of honor is to do time and do it well and not complain about it and then come home and start committing crimes again. These guys are psychopaths. Theyre not like normal people. They have the ability to go out and kill somebody, in cold blood like put a gun to the head and blow their brains out; go home, eat dinner with the wife and kids and go to sleep. [mcdonald] people recognized him as a future power within the gambino crime family. But i dont think there was any doubt that that was what his ambition was. Gotti wanted to move up into the leadership position of the family. [newsreader] he became a made member of the family by murdering a man who had kidnapped and killed gambinos nephew. John gotti made his bones by taking part in the killing of Jimmy Mcbratney in Staten Island in the mid 1970s. Mcbratney was an irish gangster who had taken part in the kidnapping of carlo gambinos nephew. When he got out of prison, gotti pledges allegiance to the mob, agrees that he will do whatever the boss tells him to, whenever he tells him to. But that was not john gotti. In new york where the drug problem is especially severe, authorities have made a major bust. [newsreader] one that involved organized crime, a member of the gambino family. Ruggiero was heard on a wiretap talking about heroin deals with gottis brother and other crew members. In a six month period they trafficked 50 kilos of heroin, which is a lot of dope back in those days and they run like 150,000 a kilo. [capeci] john gottis crew ended up being indicted. [newsreader] Angelo Ruggiero and jean gotti had both been indicted for selling large amounts of heroin, breaking the rules of the gambino family, which could result in a mob death sentence. When Paul Castellano, the boss of the crime family heard that john gotti and his crew were dealing drugs, he was livid. [mouw] gotti was terrified of castellano because he knew how ruthless he could be. Castellano was against narcotics and if you got caught dealing drugs, the penalty was death. He had a lot of good hit men around him and he would have him killed. [mcdonald] paul wanted to make an example of john gottis guys. Since he was the capo, gotti himself would be executed. It became a kill or be killed situation for john gotti and his crew. Everylets skip the rinse. Waste up to 20 gallons. [newsreader] well here we are at t finish quantum with activeblu technology, cleans without prerinsing. Switch to finish and skip the rinse to save water. Here are a couple answers. Chances are you have some questions right now lysol disinfectant spray and lysol disinfecting wipes together can be used on over 100 surfaces. And kill up to 99. 9 of germs. Lysol. What it takes to protect. And the reason that were here is because all the top celebrities are staying here. Ever desirable elizabeth taylor. Its john forsythe, star of dynasty. [taylorgordon] in the 80s there was no hotel that compared to the helmsley palace. Its the fonz, henry winkler. You went there to be seen and mrs. Helmsley was having breakfast there too. Leona helmsley was the queen but not of a country. She was the queen of a hotel. Of a real estate empire. She never felt that she was one of the people she considered the little people. That was where she came from and it was very important for her to be at the top of the game. The daughter of a hat maker had married her king and now he made her the ruler of his domain so she set about putting her personal stamp on every aspect of every property, no matter the cost or the consequences. [tovah feldshuh] leona was a brilliant balabusta, and thats the yiddish word for the executive of a house. She made sure that her 27 hotels operated at top drawer. She worked on those hotels, as she said, 25 hours a day, eight days a week. The palace was the jewel in her crown. It was her hope diamond. To decorate her helmsley palace, she ran 2 million over budget but there were phones in the bathroom and there were no more skimpy towels. [bill dowling] she had very expensive tastes, not necessarily good taste, sort of a garish taste actually. She wanted everything to be gold. Who does that sound like . [laughs] but she was never constrained by budgets. Leona was probably over budget on every single project that she handled. I remember once i went into harrys office with a report that said that leona had run up over 1 million cost overruns on a particular thing she was involved with. He said, thank you. Lets just keep this between us. Its only 1 million and i can afford it and she makes me happy. The thing he did not say was that the limited partners were paying a lot of these expenses and they later sued him for those cost overruns. It was the first serious blow to harrys reputation throughout his long career. Harry helmsleys oldest associates were quite concerned about the impact that leona was having on harry and on their relationship with harry. Leona wanted to control harry one hundred percent. I remember once leona tried to get harry to make a decision on something and when he wouldnt do it she told hims he was gonna stop having sex with him, and guess who won . She definitely controlled him, absolutely. But then, leona wanted to control everyone in her life. [feldshuh] she married very early, leo panzirer, a lawyer. They had a son, jay and then they divorced. Leona helmsleys son and leona had a very complicated relationship. She tried to keep him hidden so that no one would figure out how old she was. [elaine silverstein] leona treated him like a pet stand up, sit down, walk around. She clearly managed his life a lot. [glenn plaskin] she brought him into the business and she put him to work and i think she was a tough taskmaster and she may have been very strict with him. [dowling] probably the worst thing for him was that he had formed a partnership with her because then she was on him just about every day about something. I think the pressure of all that just got to him, and i think the stress got to him. [silverstein] jay had a heart attack at age 42. [Leona Helmsley] if youve ever experienced losing a child. It leaves a hole forever. [silverstein] leona was very sad when jay died. [feldshuh] jay panzirers wife was mimi doyle. When jay died an untimely death, leona turned on mimi and blamed mimi for the death of her son. There were some accusations or things that were printed in the tabloids and also in the new york papers that after your son died that you became. Very ruthless to his wife what wife . She was married to him for one year. What is this . [silverstein] leonas answer to any stress was anger. Leona needed to have someone to blame. She certainly wasnt gonna blame herself. It had to be someone fault, so it was mimis fault. Wasnt jays fault, he was dead. You think she killed your son . Do i think so . Yes. Im not god but she didnt contribute to his welfare, let me say. At the funeral, jay was fresh in the ground when she turned to mimi and said, i will destroy you. She tried to repossess the delorean she had given her. She charged mimi for the transport of the casket from florida. She sued for the possession of a topaz ring with 135 diamonds around it. She evicted mimi from her home. She had become gratuitously cruel. Leona helmsley definitely deserves the moniker the queen of mean because she became vicious with people. She was mean as a rattle snake, especially to a number of people who had worked with her. She enjoyed the reputation of being mean. Only she wouldnt have said it was mean, she would have said it was tough. I asked for something. I did not get it from you, i want it. She didnt care about you. She cared about herself and getting ahead. She was a narcissist. The turnover of staff was high. I dont know how many of em quit and how many of em were fired. You know, we would hear another one bites the dust but we wouldnt know exactly why i was in her Office One Day when she called in an engineer and she said that someones toilet was broken and they called the front desk twice and you didnt. You know. Mrs. Helmsley, i was off duty that day. Im sorry, youre still fired. What do you mean im still fired . I never go back on my decisions. Youre fired. The waiter would come up with this big tray with stuff on it and it would be rattling. And she would turn to him and say, do i scare you . No, mrs. Helmsley. She was definitely a bitch, ok . And i dont mean that in a pejorative sense. She was hardnosed. She was outspoken. She was feisty. She believed that as long as theyre talking about you it doesnt matter what they say. So if she could get away with it why shouldnt she . She was powerful. No one stood up to Leona Helmsley. [feldshuh] but Leona Helmsley forgot the most important lesson which is you keep your friends close and you keep your enemies closer. Here are a couple answers. Chances are you have some questions right nowtonight of an allout mob war. Lysol disinfectant spray and lysol disinfecting wipes together can be used on over 100 surfaces. And kill up to 99. 9 of germs. Lysol. What it takes to protect. Well, audreys expecting. Twins grandparents we want to put money aside for them, so. Change in plans. Alright, lets see what we can adjust. Wed be closer to the twins. Change in plans. Okay. Mom, are you painting again . You could sell these. Lemme guess, change in plans . At fidelity, a change in plans is always part of the plan. Lemme guess, change in plans . I see you found the snacks. Mmm, delicious i need this recipe. Everyone thinks i made them, but its actually dcon. What was that . Judy . Dcon. Mice love it to death. People are saving hundreds on the most reliable in a land not so far away, network with xfinity mobile. They can choose from the latest phones or bring their own. And choose the data option thats right for them. They even get nationwide 5g at no extra cost. And since they are on the carrier rated 1 in customer satisfation, they live happily ever after. Again, again xfinity mobile. Your wireless. Your rules. Your way to stay closer together. Click, call, or visit an xfinity store today. New york, 1985. The capo v. The don wasnt the only street fight about to go down. At that very moment a young prosecutor was taking aim at the entire new york mafia. A move that would rock the criminal underworld to its very core. The Commission Case was underway. Youre listening to tapes and reading transcripts from all the various electronic surveillances we had going. We start learning that theyre having meetings in Staten Island chaired by Paul Castellano. We decide, lets put a wire tap on castellanos house cause thats where the conversations are. Sure enough, they Start Talking about construction and labor racketeering. [news] Authorities Say the tape includes talk of approving new members of the five families divvying up control of various industries and splitting the profits. [chertoff] there were photographs, there was physical evidence and, ultimately, there were witnesses that we talked to. It was a climax of an awful lot of work the godfathers of the new york mafia are in big trouble. Theyre about to be indicted on a wide variety of charges. [newsreader] led by the reputed boss of all bosses, Paul Castellano, head of the gambino family, four of new yorks five godfathers appeared in federal court to face a wide range of racketeering charges. This case charges more mafia bosses in one indictment than any ever before. [kirtzman] giuliani indicted the heads of all the crime families in one fell swoop. No one had ever tried anything like that. There was no limit to giulianis audacity. This was not someone who was in favor of incrementalism. Giuliani went for the top. [michael winerip] Rudy Giuliani should get his credit because the Commission Case was the first big shifting point where the mafia was in serious retreat. I was at the press conference where they announced the commission indictments. You know, rudy was front and center. [mcdonald] there must have been 20 people up there and he organized how we would be placed and it was set up so that i was [laughs] behind a curtain. [laughs] this is a great day for Law Enforcement; but this is a bad day, probably the worst, for the mafia. After he had some success and after he realized he could exploit that success, he would sharp elbow people out of the way so he would get the credit by himself. [kirtzman] there was no question when giuliani was boss who called the shots and everyone else was just kind of a supporting character in the giuliani movie. Mission accomplished. Fame and glory achieved. It was a major victory for the kid from brooklyn. But not even he could have known the unintended consequences of his actions. [gabriel] when Paul Castellanos indicted its putting the gambino family in flux. Probably weakens paul a little bit, makes em vulnerable. Little bit of internal power discussions going on. [newsreader] after posting 2 million in bail, Paul Castellano was ushered out of a federal courthouse in manhattan. [chertoff] when the Commission Case was going on, the mob was distracted. That helped john gotti consolidate his power. With the gambino family reeling, the opportunity to seize supreme power emerged and this brazen capo would pounce. The path was clear. The time was now. [chertoff] on december 16th, 1985, john gottis crew were waiting outside sparks steak house in manhattan. [gabriel] they wear trench coats and they wear those russian babushka hats. [chertoff] john gotti and sammy bull gravano were parked diagonally across the street waiting for Paul Castellano to arrive. [gabriel] they look over to the right and they see paul and tommy drive by. Sammy realized that the teams were here. [chertoff] when Paul Castellano and Tommy Bilotti stepped out, gottis crew acted quickly. [suspenseful music playing] seconds later, john gotti drove past the scene of the crime. Sammy sammy bull gravano looked out the window, said, theyre done. Paul castellano, the man Authorities Say was the most powerful mafia boss in the nation was shot and killed in front of a new york city restaurant tonight. Riddled with bullets on a public street by rival gangsters, who cursed him as he fell. A final insult, a bullet in the forehead as he lay dead or dying. [giuliani] what happened in the last day or two kinda brings you back to reality. But theyre really at the core all about essentially, barbarians and murders. [winerip] the killing of Paul Castellano established john gotti as the celebrity gangster, the boss of the gambino crime family. [newsreader] gotti, then unknown to all but mob experts, attained overnight fame as the man said to be the new godfather. [gotti] come on, you know i dont know what the hell you were talking about. Gottis a megalomaniac, hed loved himself, he thought he was the greatest thing ever and he wanted the world to know it. It helped fuel his notoriety and he became a folk hero, even among the media that was covering it. [chertoff] the 1980s is really this perfect storm that makes super heroes out of super villains. Weve become culturally more addicted to the stories of these largerthanlife people whether its john gotti Leona Helmsley, donald trump, ivan boesky, or Rudy Giuliani, one thing that unites all of these people is a kind of vanity. They want the public to see how successful they are, how rich they are, how powerful they are, or how important they are. But they were all reaching too far, they were all flying far too close to the sun. Theres no way that that can continue. Youre asking for it. [dramatic music playing] new york city. [woman] happy new year at the dawn of the 80s, it was exploding with opportunity. [newsreader] boom times, thats what the numbers signal today, an economy thats on a roll in this country. A place to seek money, power, fame. Amid the glitz and greed, five titans seized their moment. By the mid 80s, theyd figured out that to get what they wanted, they just had to go to the media. And the media was more than happy to oblige. A wall street magician was basking in the spotlight. [ivan boesky] i predict that this is just the beginning. Even as his crimes grew more and more brazen