THE MOB MUSEUM ANNOUNCES SUMMER PROGRAMS, JUNE EVENTS IN THE UNDERGROUND
LAS VEGAS (May 2023) – The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, announces its summer programming, including three programs spotlighting law enforcement’s important contributions toward combatting crime. In addition, The Underground speakeasy and distillery invites guests to enjoy weekly live music, cocktail specials and more.
THE MUSEUM’S JUNE/JULY PROGRAMS:
Mysteries Solved: How Tech Changed the Game for Cold Case Detectives
Date: Tuesday, June 6
Time: 7 to 8:15 p.m.
Location: Inside the historic courtroom. A livestream of the presentation will also be available on the Museum’s website. To RSVP to attend in-person or for the livestream link, click here.
Description: Detectives from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s (LVMPD) Cold Case Team will discuss how advances in DNA technology and genetic genealogy have given them powerful new tools to solve crimes. Metro’s Cold Case Team has solved a number of decades-old homicide cases in recent years, bringing long-denied justice to victims and their families.
Speakers:
- Retired Homicide Detective, Terri Miller returned to LVMPD after being asked to serve as part of the Homicide Cold Case Team in 2018.
- LVMPD Sergeant Matt Downing serves as the Homicide Cold Case Team supervisor.
- A certified homicide expert, Dan Long served as a law enforcement officer for LVMPD for nearly 30 years. Before retiring in 2018, he spent 17 years as a homicide detective, personally investigating 219 homicides and assisting on more than 900.
- Justin Woo is the co-founder of the Vegas Justice League, an organization committed to bringing closure to local families and solving cold cases through DNA technology.
Moderator:
- Shakala Alvaranga, The Mob Museum’s director of public programs.
A Family Affair: Up Close and Personal with the Mob
Date: Thursday, June 22
Time: 7 to 8 p.m. followed by a book signing.
Location: Inside the historic courtroom. To RSVP, click here.
Cost: Free for Museum Members or with Museum admission.
Description: When Alan Geik was growing up, the men seated around his family’s dinner table often included some of the most feared killers and high-powered racketeers of the 20th century. He regarded these jewelry thieves, casino operators and one-time Murder, Inc. assassins as uncles and family friends. Their names frequently made headlines, men such as George Gordon, Charlie “The Bug” Workman, Ruby Kolod and Michael “Trigger Mike” Coppola. Geik gathered their stories and reflections over several decades for his latest book, “Uncle Charlie Killed Dutch Schultz.” During this intimate look at organized crime, Geik will share his memories of the cast of notorious characters and stories they told him about their criminal exploits.
Speaker:
- Alan Geik, author of “Uncle Charlie Killed Dutch Schultz”
Fifty Years of Fighting Crime: The Story of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Date: Wednesday, July 12
Time: 7-8 p.m.
Location: Inside the historic courtroom. A livestream of the presentation will also be available on the Museum’s website. To RSVP to attend in-person or for the livestream link, click here.
Description: Mob hits, dangerous fugitives, casino robberies, the most horrific act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. Over the past 50 years — since the merger of the Las Vegas Police Department and Clark County Sheriff’s Department — the officers of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department have dealt with the darkest moments in the community’s history. A panel of current and retired Metro officers will share insights and stories reflecting on the triumphs and challenges the state’s largest law enforcement agency has faced over its 50-year history.
Speakers:
- LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill
- Retired LVMPD Sheriff Jerry Keller
- Retired LVMPD Sheriff Larry Ketzenberger
- Retired LVMPD Assist. Sheriff Greg McCurdy
- Retired LVMPD Director of Fingerprinting Francis Walker
- Retired LVMPD Dispatcher Linda Vaden
- Retired LVMPD Homicide Detective David Groover
Moderators
- Shakala Alvaranga, The Mob Museum’s director of public programs.
- Geoff Schumacher, The Mob Museum’s vice president of exhibits and programs.
DEA Agents and Drug Lords: The 50-Year War on Illegal Drugs
Date: Thursday, July 27
Time: 7 to 8:15 p.m.
Location: Inside the historic courtroom on the second floor. A livestream of the presentation will also be available on the Museum’s website. To RSVP to attend in-person or for the livestream link, click here.
Description: Marking the 50th anniversary of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), a diverse panel of former agents will share stories of undercover intrigue and dangerous operations from the agency’s tumultuous history. Former President Richard Nixon established the DEA on July 1, 1973, consolidating the drug-related work that was being done by several federal agencies. Over the past five decades, the DEA has engaged in a vast array of operations to stem the tide of drug trafficking in the United States and around the world.
Speakers:
- Frank Panessa served as a DEA agent for 28 years and held numerous undercover roles, including infiltrating the Sicilian Mafia in the infamous “Pizza Connection” case.
- Pete Charette spent 33 years as a police officer, undercover detective and DEA special agent throughout the United States and across the world.
- Javier Pena was the lead DEA investigator in the manhunt for Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.
- Patricia Naughton was the DEA’s first undercover female agent.
- William “Bill” Bodner is the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Los Angeles Field Office.
- Anthony Ricevuto began his career with Chicago PD before joining the DEA in 1973, where he worked cases in Southern California and Latin America.
- Jim Conklin spent six years in Southeast Asia battling heroin traffickers during his 24-year DEA career.
- Craig Chretien, a DEA agent from 1973-1997, worked throughout South America, retiring as the agency’s chief of intelligence.
- Doug Wankel, a DEA agent from 1973-1996, was stationed in Detroit, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Washington, D.C., where he was agency’s chief of operations.
Moderator:
- Geoff Schumacher, The Mob Museum’s vice president of exhibits and programs.
THE UNDERGROUND’S JUNE PROGRAMMING
Live Entertainment Calendar
Date and Time:
- Friday, June 2 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.: The Volsteads
- Sunday, June 4 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.: The Syn-Phonics
- Saturday, June 10 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.: The Syn-Phonics
- Sunday, June 11 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.: Colte Julian and The Sidecars
- Friday, June 16 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.: Michael Ross Nugent
- Saturday, June 17 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.: Shaun DeGraff
- Sunday, June 18 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.: The Volsteads
- Saturday, June 24 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.: The Shaun DeGraff Band
- Sunday, June 25 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.: Colte Julian and The Sidecars
- Friday, June 30 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.: Amanda King and The Prohibition Three
Location: The Underground speakeasy and distillery
Cost: Free
Description: Revel in the sounds of the Jazz Age with music in The Underground speakeasy. Featuring a rotating roster of talented performing artists presented in an atmosphere surrounded by Prohibition-era artifacts, The Underground offers an immersive 1920s-inspired experience like none other.
For more information on the lineup or updates regarding live entertainment, please click here.
National Moonshine Day
Holiday Date: First Thursday in June; June 1, 2023
Availability: June 1-30, 2023
Time: Available Monday through Wednesday from noon to 10 p.m. and Thursday through Sunday from noon to midnight.
Location: The Underground speakeasy and distillery
Cost: $14
Description: In conjunction with National Moonshine Day and the launch of The Mob Museum’s newest flavor of house distilled moonshine, The Underground will have the I’ll Be Your Huckleberry cocktail. Made with The Mob Museum’s newest flavor of craft house-distilled moonshine, Huckleberry Hideout, this summery sip blends the Northwest-grown berry ‘shine with Amaro Nonino, rosemary simple syrup, and a splash of lemon for a sweet and aromatic libation.
Summer 2023 Giggle Water – Blackberry and Beet
Date: Throughout Summer
Time: Available Monday through Wednesday from noon to 10 p.m. and Thursday through Sunday from noon to midnight.
Location: The Underground speakeasy and distillery
Cost: $15
Description: A nickname for illegal alcohol, The Underground’s summer spin on this signature rotating cocktail, features a new house-infused blackberry and beet vodka amongst traditional ingredients including Lillet Blanc, a squeeze of lemon, a dash of aromatic bourbon bitters, and to top it off sparkling Le Grand Courtâge Blanc de Blancs Brut.
Membership Cocktail – Vesper
Date: Throughout June
Time: Available Monday through Wednesday from noon to 10 p.m. and Thursday through Sunday from noon to midnight.
Location: The Underground speakeasy and distillery
Cost: $14
Description: Invented by Author Ian Fleming in his 1953 hit novel Casino Royale, the Vesper Martini was secret agent James Bond’s go-to cocktail, named for the character’s love interest and double agent Vesper Lynd. This Underground cocktail, rooted in literary legacy, is crafted with Four Pillers Bloody Shiraz gin, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Lillet Blanc and garnished with an orange swath. Become a Member to enjoy these fun monthly specials, too.
For more information, please call (702) 229-2734 or visit themobmuseum.org.
ABOUT THE UNDERGROUND
The Underground is an immersive Prohibition history exhibition featuring a speakeasy, distillery and private VIP room in the basement of The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. Artifacts from the 1920s and 1930s tell the intriguing story of the Prohibition era, which not only saw a proliferation of bootlegged booze and the meteoric growth of organized crime outfits but also had a profound, lasting impact on society, specifically making way for modern cocktail culture. A seasonal cocktail menu gives guests the opportunity to try contemporary takes on classic Prohibition-era cocktails. The menu and atmosphere have landed the speakeasy on several “best cocktail bars in Las Vegas” lists. Distillery tours allow participants to learn about Prohibition and its impact on a variety of spirits and drinking habits while tasting a few of the Museum’s moonshines. The distilling program has received various accolades, including Best Moonshine at the 2020 International Whiskey Competition. Complimentary entrance to The Underground is granted at the secret side door to visitors who know the password, which is published daily on Instagram Stories @MobMuseum_Underground.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
www.Facebook.com/TheUndergroundAtTheMobMuseum
www.Instagram.com/mobmuseum_underground
ABOUT THE MOB MUSEUM
The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, provides a world-class journey through true stories—from the birth of the Mob to today’s headlines. The Mob Museum offers a provocative, contemporary look at these topics through hundreds of artifacts and immersive storylines. Numerous interactive exhibits include a Crime Lab, Firearm Training Simulator and Organized Crime Today exhibit. The Museum is also home to The Underground, a Prohibition history exhibition featuring a speakeasy and distillery. The Mob Museum has accumulated numerous accolades, including being named one of TripAdvisor’s “Top 25 U.S. Museums;” one of Las Vegas Weekly’s “Twenty Greatest Attractions in Las Vegas History” and “Best Museum” by its 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards; one of National Geographic’s “Top 10 Things to Do in Las Vegas;” USA Today’s “Best Museum in Nevada,” 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards for “Best Las Vegas Attraction” in 2021, “Top Five Best History Museums in the United States” in 2021 and one of its “12 Can’t Miss U.S. Museum Exhibits;” named “A Must for Travelers” by The New York Times and one of “20 Places Every American Should See” by FOX News. The Museum is a two-time winner of the Mayor’s Urban Design Award for Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum is open daily; visit the website for admission rates and operating hours. For more information, call (702) 229-2734, visit themobmuseum.org, or download the Museum’s free mobile app.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
www.Instagram.com/themobmuseum
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Erika Pope/Vanessa Thill
The Vox Agency
erika@thevoxagency.com, vanessa@thevoxagency.com
(702) 249-2977, (469) 226-4723