Sam Giancana was a Sicilian-American organized crime boss. Involved with the mob from a young age, Giancana got his start as a driver in the Chicago Mafia, run by the infmaous Al Capone. Giancana climbed his way to the top as the organization's leadership changed with Capone's jailing in 1931. By the mid-1950s Giancana was head of the Chicago Outfit, growing the organization's profits by millions of dollars through a number of illegal means. Giancana led a high-profile life, socializing with the likes of Frank Sinatra and the Kennedys. In 1965 he was tried and sentenced to one year in jail, after which he lived in Mexico until 1974. He then returned to his home in Oak Park, Illinois, where he was shot dead in 1975.

Scott M. Burnstein is a journalist, an organized crime historian, and a bestselling true-crime author. He has appeared as an expert on organized crime on several television shows, including the History Channel's Gangland, as well as being featured in documentaries such as Detroit Mob Confidential and Rollin: The Decline of the Auto Industry and Rise of the Drug Economy in Detroit. His authored works include Motor City Mafia, Family Affair, The Hit List, and The Detroit True Crime Chronicles.