Thirty-two-year-old New York Daily News police bureau chief
Michele McPhee knew at an early age that investigative reporting was her forte.
Marrying her exploratory skills with her Mafia fascination yielded a book that
would remind South Beach of its roots in organized crime. Her novel, Mob Over
Miami, looks at the life and crimes of thug-turned South-beach-club king Chris
Paciello.
While her book grabbed the attention of many of South Beach's
who's who, it also managed to stir up a fair share of controversy among locals
who disapproved of her description of Paciello and South Beach in general.
McPhee recently took time to explain to South Beach Magazine how she first
became interested in Paciello's tale, what it's like being one of few female mob
reporters and how people are responding to her book.
"Not knowing Chris Paciello's
name in South Beach is like
not
knowing Donald Trump's
name in
Manhattan" |
What about the mob life grabbed your
interest?
I'm from East Boston - an Italian neighborhood in
Beantown - so it always piqued my interest the way gangsters interacted with the
rest of society. The mob is like a dysfunctional family, and "the life" is a
kaleidoscopic look at criminal behavior. I love stories about wiseguys who strip
down to their underwear to chop up a body on a Saturday night, then go to mass
with their families on Sunday morning.
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Tell me about being a female mob
writer. Isn't it mostly a male-dominated field?
It's completely a
male-dominate field. I'm the only female mafia reporter in New York. There's a
great female mob reporter in Boston, the Globe's Shelly Murphy, and I wanted to
follow in her footsteps. I had a great deal of respect for her. Besides that,
I've always gone against the grain. I'm the only female police bureau chief for
all five New York City daily papers.
How did you find out about Chris Paciello?
I
knew the detectives who took down the case. They were talking about
fingerprinting this guy who was bragging about where he came from. They asked me
if I'd ever heard of him. I love South Beach, so of course I knew who he was.
Not knowing Chris Paciello's name in South Beach is like not knowing Donald
Trump's name in Manhattan.
What about his story made you want to write a
book?
His story had all the elements of a tabloid reporter's dream.
He slept with Madonna, was involved in a horrific murder of a housewife and had
ties to the mafia. What more can a crime story have? You can't make this stuff
up.
Did you come to South Beach to write and
research?
Yes, I lived on South Beach for a couple of months when
Gianni Versace was murdered, so I knew the layout of the beach pretty well. I
also came to South Beach about five times while writing the book.
How have people in South Beach responded to your
book?
Some people are living in a fantasy world where they tell
themselves Chris is not really in the Witness Protection Program, and he's
coming back to lead the Beach back into a Renaissance.
Have you experienced a backlash from locals who think of
Paciello as a hero?
I think the backlash comes from locals who feel
fooled and betrayed by Chris, who they embraced as a hero, only to find out he's
just another thug wrapped in a Prada suit. It makes people who loved him feel a
bit silly.
What do you think about people who still think of Paciello
as a hero? What would you say to them?
I would say those people
have to look beyond his Prada suit and their free drink tickets. He was
responsible for setting up a robbery in which a woman was shot in the face and
died in the arms of her young daughter. He set his girlfriend's mother's car on
fire. He robbed his neighbor on South Beach.
I understand nightclub impresario Michael Capponi refused
to attend the release party for Mob Over Miami because he says he was misquoted
in the book. Tell me about that.
I don't see how he can say he was
misquoted. He talked to every newspaper and magazine in town when Chris got
arrested.
Have you had any e-mailed or written responses from
readers? If so, what have they been? Has Capponi ever contacted you regarding
the book?
The response is overwhelming positive from people who grew up
with members of the Bath Avenue crew in Brooklyn and obviously from the victims
of the crimes Paciello admitted to committing. And, no, Michael Capponi has
never contacted me about the book.
In your opinion, where do you think Paciello relocated? Do
you think we will ever see or hear from him again?
I cannot comment
on where he relocated to, and as far as if we will ever see or hear from him
again, I've discovered anything's possible.
Do you believe people really can change, as in Paciello's
transformation from N.Y. mobster to friendly South Beach club-king
hero?
I don't know how friendly he really was. Ask Carl B. Dread if
he thought his boss was friendly when he pushed him down a flight of stairs and
kicked him repeatedly. I think Chris wanted to change, but the Binger inside him
had all the control.
You told John Tanasychuk of the Sun-Sentinel, "The wiseguys
bring the glam. The whole town of South Beach is sort of a mob mall. It's all
about fashion and the best bottle of champagne." Do you think your depiction of
South Beach is realistic, fair?
Well, of course, it's a glossy
description from someone who sees South Beach from a vacationer's view. I never
lived there. I don't go to the gym there, take yoga classes, go food shopping.
I've always been an outsider looking in, but where else in the world is an
overwhelming majority of the population toned, tanned, radiant and
sumptuous?
Do you think living in South Beach for a few months and
visiting five times during the course of your writing was enough time for you to
get a feel for and draw an accurate conclusion of the place?
The
book is not about South Beach. The book is about a wannabe wiseguy from Brooklyn
who reinvented himself on South Beach. The book is about the mob in New York
City. The book is about a guy, not a place.
As a mob writer, have you ever encountered a situation the
was possibly life-threatening or ever received hate mail?
No. The
work I do is very fair and accurate. Usually, people do not quibble over the
truth.
When was the last time you were in South Beach? How has it
changed in your opinion?
I was in South Beach in April, and I think
the scene has changed only in that the crowd seems to be more international and
less New York glam.
Did you know Paciello's partner Ingrid Casares recently
opened a club? What is your opinion on that?
Ingrid, I believe,
will always land on her feet.
What connections do you see between New York and South
Beach?
They are both places that attract a similar jet-setting
crowd. They are both places where the nightlife is unmatched.
What can we expect from you in the future? Are you working
on any other mob-related books?
Yes, I'm currently writing a book about
the Colombo crime family war.
| Update: |
| ( DreamWorks has
optioned the movie rights to Mob Over Miami. Chris Paciello and Ingrid
Casares have signed over their "life rights" and are reported to be
assisting in the project, which will be directed by Kimberly Peirce of
"Boys Don't Cry" fame.) |
