Wiseguys, Rabbis, and the FBI
How one man became the biggest loanshark in New York City, went to prison, and escaped.
Wiseguys, Rabbis, and the FBI
How one man became the biggest loanshark in New York City, went to prison, and escaped.
A book about chaos and crime, New York-style
Was it the mafia behind New York's biggest loanshark or Long Island Rabbis?
It's the early 1980s, and U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani just arrested a man accused of making millions in illegal loans to New York businesses. Indicted with him were seven Mafia captains and soldiers from the Gambino, Colombo, Genovese, and DeCavalcante crime families. But who was really behind Cooper's loans: mobsters or a group of Long Island rabbis? After being found guilty in one of Giuliani's first RICO trials, Cooper was sent to prison — until he was accidentally released from his 30-year sentence. This true 1980s criminal adventure comes to life in Wiseguys, Rabbis, and the FBI. Read more...
“Wiseguys, Rabbis and the FBI is a gripping period piece of NYC in the 1970s and '80s. The story is so captivating and expertly told, it feels like I’m watching a move. This is a must-read.”
EVENTS & NEWS
• SEPTEMBER 2026: We'll be appearing at 11 events around the country in the next few months, talking about Wiseguys, Rabbis and the FBI. We have a super-entertaining presentation with lots of first-hand audio and video. We'll be posting a list of events soon, and you can join us. Join our mailing list to stay in the loop.
• Have you seen Michael Franzaese's Review? Click here.
• June 2026: Our interview on the podcast, "Real Mob Stories" is up! Here's a link to it here at our website. Or check out the short excerpt below, right above Michael Franzese's excellent recommendation of Wiseguys, Rabbis, and the FBI.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE NEWS
Reviews
What readers say about "Wiseguys, Rabbis, and the FBI"
“Whoever says the justice system works hasn't been in the system. What the system does do is give us the height of drama, insane predicaments, fuel for true-crime entertainment, and larger-than-life characters worthy of Hollywood gangster films. This book has it all."
- Damien Echols, New York Times Best Selling Author
“A stunning literary offering.
Wiseguys, Rabbis and the FBI is a true tour de force of a crime story”
- Paul Volponi, multi-award-winning author of Black and White and Rikers High
"I want to really recommend that you read this book. It’ll give you some kind of understanding on how the FBI, and the Department of Justice, and the US Attorney’s office, how they can come after people, how they can make mistakes, how the mafia and the Jews and businesses worked together—you’ll get it all in here. I really want to recommend that you read it, and I think you’ll enjoy it.
- Michael Franzese, podcaster, author, ex-organized crime member
"It was a great read with lots of humor and insight into characters whose world was not one I thought about very much. It's a world that's all around us, a criminal world that we don't ordinarily see. The portrayal was very funny, insightful and compassionate. Brilliant."
- C. Dumschat, Reader
“A fascinating and fast-paced chase from East New York to Fort Lauderdale to a Midtown apartment overlooking the park, full of greed, precarious freedom, family dramas, wiretaps, and unexpected friendships. The authors nose dive into captivating scenes of Mel Cooper's capers and come up for air with lovely lines like this one describing 1980s' New York as "a city of gold teetering on an abyss."
- Rachel Federman, Author
“The true account of Mel Cooper's rise and fall has the stuff of dark, comedic fiction – nearly too fluky to believe were it not for Schwartzman's potent blend of tireless, investigative journalism and street-wise storytelling. As recounted by J.A. Schwartzman, Mel Cooper's brushes with the law, with the powerful and the infamous, paint a larger-than-life panorama of New York City crime and corruption.
– Jon B. Kushner, Writer/Director, Angelo & Ert, The Harbormaster
“Wiseguys, Rabbis and the FBI is a gripping period piece of NYC in the 1970s and '80s. The story is so captivating and expertly told, it feels like I’m watching a move. This is a must-read.”
– K. Queen, reader
"In this page-turner, J.A Schwartzman opens the curtain on the mafia and the money business, giving readers a peek behind the scenes of high crime in 1980s New York City – with a very unexpected twist. If you're looking for a new voice in true crime storytelling, you will love this book."
–Thomas D. Zweifel, award-winning author of The Rabbi and the CEO
Contact Us
To reach CHP Works, LLC, J.A. Schwartzman or Melvin Cooper, please email us at:
Wiseguys, Rabbis, and the FBI is published by CHP Works, LLC, New York, NY.
©2026 all rights reserved.