It has all the makings of a Netflix movie.
A member of the Mafia enters the witness protection program, resurfacing in Arizona. He goes into business, using the mother of his children to front the development of dozens of restaurants across the country.
The former mafioso rakes in millions from mall developers and others. Yet, few restaurants ever open, and almost all that do, quickly go out of business. Investors and contractors sue for the tens of millions of dollars they lost.
It’s a story first told by Arizona Republic investigative reporter Robert Anglen. Now, there’s a new twist.
The Mafia turncoat and his partner run a successful Italian restaurant in north Scottsdale and plan to open another. But now the chef behind that success is coming clean about the owners and their way of doing business.
Robert Anglen joined The Show. A colleague who covers dining for the Arizona Republic teamed up with Anglen on the latest story, which is in today’s paper. Her cellphones were taken during an interview with one of the main subjects of the story.
