Inside the Life

In this episode, co-hosts Dutch McAlpin and Giovanni Rocco speak with television and film creator, writer and producer Chris Brancato. As the showrunner of organized crime television dramas “Narcos” and “Godfather of Harlem,” Brancato explores the unique influence of organized crime on popular culture. In this episode, Brancato shares how he strategically combines real events with his own creative liberties to shape the alluring dichotomy of well-known crime figures, showcasing both their personal and professional lives.  About Chris Brancato: Chris Brancato’s career in television and film spans more than 30 years. After starting in the writers’ rooms of popular series like “Beverly Hills 90210” and “The X-Files,” Brancato found his footing in organized crime with his first film “Hoodlum.” His newest series “Hotel Cocaine” debuted on MGM+ this June.  Produced by The Mob Museum. Season One of Inside the Life is presented by Levy Online and Levy Production Group. To watch episodes of this podcast, visit YouTube For behind-the-scenes photos, merchandise and exclusive content, visit insidethelife.org For more on the Museum visit themobmuseum.org

Actress Kathrine Narducci offers hosts Giovanni Rocco and Dutch McAlpin a firsthand look into the world of Mob television and film. Exploring her work as an actress, Narducci shares how she beat out more than 2,500 women for her first role, the backstory she created for her character on “The Sopranos,” the surprise of her “Euphoria” character’s viral look and details about her upcoming projects.   About Kathrine Narducci: Narducci is best known for her series regular role as Charmaine Bucco on the Emmy Award-winning HBO series, “The Sopranos.” She held her first role in “A Bronx Tale” opposite Robert De Niro, can be seen opposite Joe Pesci in Martin Scorsese's critically acclaimed film “The Irishman” and plays Olympia Gigante in MGM+’s “Godfather of Harlem” series. Kathrine is a lifetime member of the Actor's Studio and will again star opposite De Niro in the upcoming film “Alto Knights” as Mob wife Anna Genovese.  Produced by The Mob Museum. Season One of Inside the Life is presented by Levy Online and Levy Production Group. To watch episodes of this podcast, visit YouTube For behind-the-scenes photos, merchandise and exclusive content, visit insidethelife.org For more on the Museum visit themobmuseum.org

Javier Peña, the retired Drug Enforcement Administration agent whose fight to take down Medellín Cartel kingpin Pablo Escobar was dramatized in Netflix’s “Narcos,” sits down with hosts Giovanni Rocco and Dutch McAlpin to share the real story of his career. After starting his law enforcement career in a Laredo, Texas jail, Javier Peña never expected the world’s most violent drug trafficker would know him by name and put a $300,000 bounty on his life. In this episode, Peña details his work as a DEA agent, setting the record straight about how he was portrayed in the show. He also discusses the key role the Colombian task force played in the takedown of Pablo Escobar.  About Javier Peña After 30 years of service, Peña retired from the DEA in 2014 as the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Houston Field Division. Though best known for his role alongside Steve Murphy on the Pablo Escobar case, Peña worked hundreds of cases that took him around the globe as an undercover agent, helping to dismantle and diminish drug trafficking networks.   Produced by The Mob Museum. Season One of Inside the Life is presented by Levy Online and Levy Production Group. To watch episodes of this podcast, visit YouTube For behind-the-scenes photos, merchandise and exclusive content, visit insidethelife.org For more on the Museum visit themobmuseum.org

Reformed mobster and son of notorious Chicago Outfit enforcer and hitman Frank Calabrese Jr. sits down with former undercover agents Giovanni Rocco and Dutch McAlpin to share his story of family, violence, addiction and life inside the Chicago Outfit. In this candid conversation Calabrese Jr. shares the intimate details surrounding his decision to leave the world his father pressured him into and how he risked his life to escape.   About Frank Calabrese Jr.  Frank Calabrese Jr. is a former member of the Chicago Outfit and co-author of the best-selling book Operation Family Secrets: How a Mobster’s Son and the FBI Brought Down Chicago’s Murderous Crime Family. He was a key government witness whose testimony in the Operation Family Secrets trial devastated the Chicago Outfit and sent his father Frank Calabrese Sr. to prison for life. Today, no longer living in fear of his father, Calabrese Jr. speaks regularly at The Mob Museum in Downtown, Las Vegas, Nevada.   Produced by The Mob Museum. Season One of Inside the Life is presented by Levy Online and Levy Production Group. To watch episodes of this podcast, visit YouTube For behind-the-scenes photos, merchandise and exclusive content, visit insidethelife.org For more on the Museum visit themobmuseum.org

Narcotics trafficking is a global problem. Agents who are sent to fight it can find themselves deep undercover on foreign soil. In this episode, hosts Dutch McAlpin and Giovanni Rocco sit down with retired Drug Enforcement Administration agent Frank Panessa. Frank was at the center of the case known as the “Pizza Connection," during which he infiltrated the Mafia. As former undercover agents themselves, Giovanni and Dutch are able to ask Frank all the right questions. Frank talks about his start in the DEA, going undercover as a made man, how he got his nickname “The Chameleon” and so much more.   About Frank Panessa: Frank Panessa worked as an undercover DEA agent for 28 years with multiple deep cover identities. After working investigations around the world, including in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Central America, Panessa retired in 1995 as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Philadelphia Division, where he supervised more than 300 law enforcement personnel. During his DEA tenure, he proudly served as the Italian U.S. Embassy’s chief liaison to Italian police agencies on narcotics and organized crime.   Season One of Inside the Life is presented by Levy Online and Levy Production Group. To watch episodes of this podcast, visit YouTube For behind-the-scenes photos, merchandise and exclusive content, visit insidethelife.org For more on the Museum visit themobmuseum.org

Who can you trust? In this captivating episode, hosts Giovanni Rocco and Dutch McAlpin discuss how their undercover work intersected at the most opportune and dire times, including an unforgettable Las Vegas dinner with a DeCavalcante crime family caporegime.  Produced by The Mob Museum. Season One of Inside the Life is presented by Levy Online and Levy Production Group. To watch episodes of this podcast, visit YouTube For behind-the-scenes photos, merchandise and exclusive content, visit insidethelife.org For more on the Museum visit themobmuseum.org

Welcome to Inside the Life, a podcast produced by The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. In this episode of Inside the Life, we introduce host and former elite undercover agent Dutch McAlpin. Dutch’s harrowing accounts offer a rare glimpse inside law enforcement, from his early years as a beat cop to the top-clearance, confidential world of undercover work.  About Dutch McAlpin: Often working in extremely dangerous, life-threatening scenarios, Dutch McAlpin left his over-20-year career in law enforcement with an endless number of stories. From a beat cop in the Midwest to an undercover task force agent for numerous federal agencies, Dutch infiltrated outlaw motorcycle gangs, domestic terrorist organizations, weapons trafficking networks, Latin American cartels, international human trafficking rings and even the Mafia, sometimes operating with three different undercover identities at the same time.   Produced by The Mob Museum. Season One of Inside the Life is presented by Levy Online and Levy Production Group. To watch episodes of this podcast, visit YouTube For behind-the-scenes photos, merchandise and exclusive content, visit insidethelife.org For more on the Museum visit themobmuseum.org

Welcome to Inside the Life, a podcast produced by The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. In this episode, meet host and elite undercover agent Giovanni Rocco. Through Operation Charlie Horse, Rocco was responsible for infiltrating and taking down the DeCavalcante crime family now recognized as “The Real Sopranos.” About Giovanni Rocco: During his decades-long career working undercover for the federal government, Giovanni Rocco successfully infiltrated outlaw motorcycle gangs, domestic and international terror organizations and white-collar criminals. Drawing from his service in law enforcement in various positions, Giovanni now shares his expertise with law enforcement, military and intelligence units worldwide. Produced by The Mob Museum. Season One of Inside the Life is presented by Levy Online and Levy Production Group. To watch episodes of this podcast, visit YouTube For behind-the-scenes photos, merchandise and exclusive content, visit insidethelife.org For more on the Museum visit themobmuseum.org

Inside the Life is a new podcast produced by The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. It is hosted by two former elite undercover agents, Giovanni Rocco and Dutch McAlpin. Their stories of infiltrating everything from the American Mob and outlaw motorcycle gangs to the cartels will leave you stunned. This podcast will give listeners a one-of-a-kind look into the inner world of organized crime, featuring guests who have lived on both sides of the law, risked it all and emerged to tell the tale. Inside the Life promises to be a thrilling and educational listen for those interested in organized crime, law enforcement and true crime.