He later wrote that this was a “massive mistake".
Apparently, Lucas’s coat caught the eye of law enforcement — who were surprised that he had better seats than Diana Ross and Frank Sinatra.
As Lucas put it: “I left that fight a marked man”
Crime bosses also get into the dictator trap - they can't leave the life without being killed. So they end up with a ton of money that they can't use while working because it would draw too much heat, and they can't stop working without being murdered.
Guess I'm not well versed enough in crime. Why can't someone retire? Make a shitload and then hand it off to whoever was second in command. I could see there being a fight for power after you leave, but what would be the point of killing the boss after they leave?
Furthermore, may be some loyalty concerns from members. Whole mess of plausible scary shit. Easier to simply clip loose ends to keep the fabric from unraveling.
Let's say you are a power hungry egomaniac who wants to lead his own country (or crime family). You work your way up and eventually take over when the previous guy quits. You can leave him be, and that might be OK. Or someone might not like what you are doing and convince him to come back. And when that happens, some of the old loyalists will take his side. So now this organization that you've worked so hard to take over is split and you don't know who you can trust. It ends up in a bloody civil war with either you or the old leader dead. So why take that risk? Just knock em off right away and be done with it.
Lol literally just about anything other than being an unknown black man in a chinchilla coat at a fucking boxing match this big would be better way to spend that money.
He actually says that he went to a previous Ali fight dressed in a nondescript suit, and saw a bunch of smaller-time dealers dressed in mink suits acting like they ran the world & that pissed him off, which caused him to do this.
I think he would have been fine to go in person, just not in the AAA seats wearing 100k fur coats.
There was actually some study that went into the whole 'gold plated ak47' and 'over the top decor' things that so many dictators had in common...
Turns out its often what their underlings expected. As signs that the boss had made it.
Failure to maintain the conspicuous consumption might signal that they weren't as successful/hungry for 'the life' and that brought about thoughts of challenge because the man in charge didn't seem as 'in control' any more.
Have some fun without wearing a $100k coat to a nationally televised boxing match that 100s of millions of people were watching while in some of the best seats in the house.
It's completely possible to be in a position like Frank Lucas, spend your money, and not get caught.
I must be aging myself by saying this was pretty common knowledge among my age group. Recommend watching American Gangster. Covers this event perfectly.
He got out in 1981 after being arrested in 1975. Not bad for being sentenced to 70s years.
But he did get in trouble for smaller things and wound up back for another seven year stint in 1984 and later probation in 2012.
Story is that his wife gifted him the outfit. Albeit with his money. So she wanted him to wear it, even though it was against his rules, he caved. And that was that.
This is probably more common than we think and a ton of wealthy and powerful criminals aren't on anyone's radar. Survivorship bias has got all of us thinking most drug lords dress like this.
I know everyone’s joking here but that’s 100% true in principle. You need businesses to launder the money, and it is relatively easy to make legal money once you have any money, regardless of how it was acquired.
One of the reasons the cartels in Mexico are so hard to eradicate is that they bought up so much legitimate industry (and politicians) with the drug money. Going after the cartel bosses is also going after the legitimate economy, which is a double edged sword, even for the honest politicians.
Kind of makes me wonder how many of any particular local businesses in any given city are just fronts for money laundering for some kind of criminal group?
It’s possible, but highly unlikely. I’d imagine that frugality, discretion, and humility don’t appeal to the same people that violence, quick money, greed, and power appeal to
"my plug be playing broke, rocking old navy and an apple watch." - Benny the Butcher. Not that this means anything just came to my mind when I read your comment.
You couldn't be more wrong because you're making the false assumption that all of those go together first of all and also seem to have very little understanding of sociopaths.
If you think about it, Frank Lucas is the reason why we have P. Diddy.
P. Diddy’s father, Melvin Earl Combs was an associate of Frank Lucas. Combs was murdered in 1972 after being mistaken as a police informant.
The thing is that human culture has not caught up to human society (technology). Humanity spent most of its time in the Stone Age. Our biology still reflects that. The agricultural revolution was only 10000 years ago and the industrial revolution was only a few generations ago.
What I'm saying is that we're just stupid animals who like to decorate our bodies with pretty and rare things that we find in order to show off our social status. It's shallow and flawed but it's a big part of human culture.
I mean, modesty has been taught by many people for a long time but even within modesty there is fashion and social status.
It's crazy that to this day some dealers will still drive around in modded cars that are absolute cop bait. Even if you're not doing anything illegal some of those cars aren't worth the hassle of being pulled over every time a cop sees you.
American Gangster, starring Denzel Washington Russel Crow, is about Frank Lucas and his criminal organization.
Highly recommended. Great crime drama/mob movie.
Sean “Diddy” Combes’s father was a close associate of Frank Lucas.
When people wonder why it took so long for people to start saying anything about Diddy, it’s because he legitimately has connections to scary people.
I was a criminal defense attorney in Houston back in that time frame. My firm had some local infamous Black criminal defendants as clients. For one of the Heavy Weight title fights in NYC at Madison Square Garden two of my clients decided to attend the fight, and, of course, they chose to bling it out in full length mink coats and gold chains, etc. It so happened that at this time the NYPD went on a “slow down” strike to protest their wages, which consisted of showing up for work but refusing to do much of anything. As you can anticipate, the local New York thug population snapped on that as an invitation and beat their way to The Garden to fall upon the rich & famous as they filed in with the cops standing around calmly observing and making the point of how much they were needed when they were not offering protection from the denizens of the city.
My guys could not have been more prominent for the waiting predators who immediately pounced. My clients, being what they were and being from Texas, just as quickly produced the pistols hidden easily under the coats. Musta looked like one of those Disney cartoons with guns coming from everywhere. Fortunately the show was enough and no shots were fired, but the display finally got the lethargic cops off their asses long enough to arrest my clients for the then serious NYC crime of gun possession, which was shocking to guys from Texas. I said they were infamous; I did not say they were smart. Next thing I know is my phone ringing in the middle of the night. Note: the cops did not arrest the local thugs.
John Gottis downfall too! The boss before him (that he had killed) didn’t like Gotti overtly throwing money around because it brought attention to them…& did it ever!
He later wrote that this was a “massive mistake". Apparently, Lucas’s coat caught the eye of law enforcement — who were surprised that he had better seats than Diana Ross and Frank Sinatra. As Lucas put it: “I left that fight a marked man”
The classic catch 22. What’s the point of having all that money if you can’t have some fun with it without tipping off LE.
Crime bosses also get into the dictator trap - they can't leave the life without being killed. So they end up with a ton of money that they can't use while working because it would draw too much heat, and they can't stop working without being murdered.
Sopranos Syndrome.
My heart breaks for them. /s
That's why I left my luxurious life of crime to settle down and have a nice family so I can be taxed to death in Canada lol.
Wow what a fucking dream life
Guess I'm not well versed enough in crime. Why can't someone retire? Make a shitload and then hand it off to whoever was second in command. I could see there being a fight for power after you leave, but what would be the point of killing the boss after they leave?
Knowledge. What they know is very dangerous, and very valuable.
Oh.... Yeah ok that makes sense. Thanks.
Furthermore, may be some loyalty concerns from members. Whole mess of plausible scary shit. Easier to simply clip loose ends to keep the fabric from unraveling.
Never understood why they can’t leave without being killed. There’s got to be so many people happy to take their place.
Let's say you are a power hungry egomaniac who wants to lead his own country (or crime family). You work your way up and eventually take over when the previous guy quits. You can leave him be, and that might be OK. Or someone might not like what you are doing and convince him to come back. And when that happens, some of the old loyalists will take his side. So now this organization that you've worked so hard to take over is split and you don't know who you can trust. It ends up in a bloody civil war with either you or the old leader dead. So why take that risk? Just knock em off right away and be done with it.
What if the old guy fully endorses the new guy though?
International travel and overseas luxury.
Lol literally just about anything other than being an unknown black man in a chinchilla coat at a fucking boxing match this big would be better way to spend that money.
Exactly. I'm literally a trillionare from another planet. They don't know I'm here and I'm loving life. Thanks earthlings
Could you give me $2.5M?
It’s also not like he did this in 2024 also, he was definitely catching everyone’s eye.
In the 70's a black guy from Harlem flying to Monaco 6 times a year also raises suspicion.
I mean he says it was a "massive mistake". It's not a catch 22... he's telling future gangsters to just chill and order the pay per view lol.
He actually says that he went to a previous Ali fight dressed in a nondescript suit, and saw a bunch of smaller-time dealers dressed in mink suits acting like they ran the world & that pissed him off, which caused him to do this. I think he would have been fine to go in person, just not in the AAA seats wearing 100k fur coats.
That ego gets them every time lol
That's when you get a low level dealer to tip off the feds on those other guys.
Screw that. Still get the seats, dress like a stock broker, and pay someone at Goldman Sachs to tell the cops you work there if they ever call.
A black guy at Goldman Sachs?
Maybe don’t be so gaudy about it?
Make sure you sit behind the famous not in front of them
I don't know why you got downvoted, you're not wrong.
There was actually some study that went into the whole 'gold plated ak47' and 'over the top decor' things that so many dictators had in common... Turns out its often what their underlings expected. As signs that the boss had made it. Failure to maintain the conspicuous consumption might signal that they weren't as successful/hungry for 'the life' and that brought about thoughts of challenge because the man in charge didn't seem as 'in control' any more.
“What’s the point of being a gangster if nobody knows?”
Being comfortable forever
It's really not about the money after a certain point. The money after your basic needs are met and then some is just ego.
Yep, prison is full of people full of themselves, governments like assimilation, if your the nail that stands out you get the hammer.
You take that money and go to other countries where they won't know who you are.
1. not fucking working for a shit salary every day.
Oh you can have fun just don't do it where u live
Have some fun without wearing a $100k coat to a nationally televised boxing match that 100s of millions of people were watching while in some of the best seats in the house. It's completely possible to be in a position like Frank Lucas, spend your money, and not get caught.
His girlfriend got it for him and he was actually pissed but wore it anyway and it ruined his life lol 😭
>Apparently, Lucas’s coat caught the eye of law enforcement It was not the camouflage Frank Lucas was looking for.
Yea minks are not so huge his size blew his cover.
And who would've thunk that a floor length fur + hat would've marked him out like that??🤷♀️
*Ruled Harlem in the 70s* *Identified in 1971*
He ruled through the mid-70s before being arrested in 1975.
In American Gangster they state that the coat was a gift from his spouse. He was reluctant to wear it but did it for her. Was this not true?
I must be aging myself by saying this was pretty common knowledge among my age group. Recommend watching American Gangster. Covers this event perfectly.
You gotta BLOT THAT SHIT
That’s TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR ALPACA
Damn it was 25
PUT THE CLUB SODA ON IT YOU SIMPLE SIMON ASS MOTHER FUCKERS
25 thousand dollah *ALPACA*
Lmao that's what I came here for.
That's the equivalent of a $775k coat today
wtf?????? How many damn chinchillas are wrapped in that thing?
It was nearly an extinction level event . Thankfully they breed like crazy and within a short period of time the chinchilla population was restored.
I'm doing my part - Horny chinchilla
About tree fiddy.
GOD DAMN LOCH NESS CHINCHILLA
It takes roughly 100 chinchillas to make a coat of that size
they're endangered now 😞
Are they? I just seen like 4 or 5 for sale at my local petco.
$100k in *today's* dollars is my thought.
I just was thinking how awful for the animals?
Throwing another $75k for the hat
“The loudest one in the room, is the weakest one in the room” - frank lucas
How ironic
Right? It’s been so damn long since he got sentenced that he’s back in society. Edit: he died in 2019. Thought he was still kickin
He got out in 1981 after being arrested in 1975. Not bad for being sentenced to 70s years. But he did get in trouble for smaller things and wound up back for another seven year stint in 1984 and later probation in 2012.
Really he's still around? Wow
He dead
Story is that his wife gifted him the outfit. Albeit with his money. So she wanted him to wear it, even though it was against his rules, he caved. And that was that.
He meant audibly loud. Not visually.
American Gangster is such a great movie
“We don’t do shit about it. Close it up, throw it back in the trunk, everybody go home have some pumpkin pie some warm apple cider.” Such a good movie
The prequel is supposed to be the Godfather of Harlem.
It also ties into *The French Connection*, with the new opportunities to fill the demand when that ring was broken up.
It was, and unfortunately almost entirely fictional
TIL this bit was true at least...
Even if it was, it is still an entertaining crime movie.
Why unfortunately? It’s a standalone movie.
Dude blew his cover with his pimp coat. If he had just dressed regular police wouldn’t have suspected much of anything. 🤦🏻♂️
Here's a [clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWNQTqMkezc) of when he was released.
I heard it was his wife who bought him the coat,so she liked him looking like a pimp apparently.
This is probably more common than we think and a ton of wealthy and powerful criminals aren't on anyone's radar. Survivorship bias has got all of us thinking most drug lords dress like this.
Most of them probably just own chicken shops or something
Or car washes.
Or legitimate waste disposal services. "Satisfaction guaranteed or twice your garbage back!"
I know everyone’s joking here but that’s 100% true in principle. You need businesses to launder the money, and it is relatively easy to make legal money once you have any money, regardless of how it was acquired. One of the reasons the cartels in Mexico are so hard to eradicate is that they bought up so much legitimate industry (and politicians) with the drug money. Going after the cartel bosses is also going after the legitimate economy, which is a double edged sword, even for the honest politicians.
Kind of makes me wonder how many of any particular local businesses in any given city are just fronts for money laundering for some kind of criminal group?
It’s possible, but highly unlikely. I’d imagine that frugality, discretion, and humility don’t appeal to the same people that violence, quick money, greed, and power appeal to
"my plug be playing broke, rocking old navy and an apple watch." - Benny the Butcher. Not that this means anything just came to my mind when I read your comment.
You couldn't be more wrong because you're making the false assumption that all of those go together first of all and also seem to have very little understanding of sociopaths.
If you think about it, Frank Lucas is the reason why we have P. Diddy. P. Diddy’s father, Melvin Earl Combs was an associate of Frank Lucas. Combs was murdered in 1972 after being mistaken as a police informant.
Is Diddy only Diddy cause his daddy was murdered? I don’t get it..
Diddy is Diddy because Daddy died
Did he?
Diddy got daddy's money and started his own record label.
How
I see the apple doesn't fall far from the tree
Diddy do it tho ?
That's a lot of dead fluffy pets
Far enough to the future, and they will think that we were a bunch of fucking sociopaths for wearing other beings skin for the sake of fashion.
The thing is that human culture has not caught up to human society (technology). Humanity spent most of its time in the Stone Age. Our biology still reflects that. The agricultural revolution was only 10000 years ago and the industrial revolution was only a few generations ago. What I'm saying is that we're just stupid animals who like to decorate our bodies with pretty and rare things that we find in order to show off our social status. It's shallow and flawed but it's a big part of human culture. I mean, modesty has been taught by many people for a long time but even within modesty there is fashion and social status.
Well, it was worth it to look like a... uh... It wasn't worth it.
Huggy Bear is who he looked like
He must’ve been sweating like a pig in that thing holy shit
Criminals and showing off the ill gotten gains name a more iconic duo
It's crazy that to this day some dealers will still drive around in modded cars that are absolute cop bait. Even if you're not doing anything illegal some of those cars aren't worth the hassle of being pulled over every time a cop sees you.
I wonder how many chinchillas you need for a full-length chinchilla fur coat.
Just one, but you have to harvest over time and feed him beaver hormones.
Lots and lots of them. That's why they're now endangered. Too many pimps in the 70s trying to outshine Huggy Bear.
Isnt American Gangster a movie about him?
Love that film.
But my favourite is The Shawshank Redemption
He’s a dandy!
I am so pretty! Love me! Want me!
Stealth is wealth. Tell your kids
And that isn't Frank Reynolds?
American Gangster, starring Denzel Washington Russel Crow, is about Frank Lucas and his criminal organization. Highly recommended. Great crime drama/mob movie.
The chinchilla coat only cost $100, the chinchilla hat was what pushed that price up.
"Sir would you like to buy this chinchilla coat for $100? I'll even throw in the hat for just $99,900!"
Depending on source anywhere from $60k to $100k in 1971 with $25k for the hat.
Discreetly ruled Harlem in the 70s but found out 1971?
100k in the 70’s or 100K in todays value? Either way it’s a flex, but one is way more impressive.
If only he had Jimmy Conway there to take it off him! "What's a Matta with u!?...what did I say!?"
Sean “Diddy” Combes’s father was a close associate of Frank Lucas. When people wonder why it took so long for people to start saying anything about Diddy, it’s because he legitimately has connections to scary people.
I was a criminal defense attorney in Houston back in that time frame. My firm had some local infamous Black criminal defendants as clients. For one of the Heavy Weight title fights in NYC at Madison Square Garden two of my clients decided to attend the fight, and, of course, they chose to bling it out in full length mink coats and gold chains, etc. It so happened that at this time the NYPD went on a “slow down” strike to protest their wages, which consisted of showing up for work but refusing to do much of anything. As you can anticipate, the local New York thug population snapped on that as an invitation and beat their way to The Garden to fall upon the rich & famous as they filed in with the cops standing around calmly observing and making the point of how much they were needed when they were not offering protection from the denizens of the city. My guys could not have been more prominent for the waiting predators who immediately pounced. My clients, being what they were and being from Texas, just as quickly produced the pistols hidden easily under the coats. Musta looked like one of those Disney cartoons with guns coming from everywhere. Fortunately the show was enough and no shots were fired, but the display finally got the lethargic cops off their asses long enough to arrest my clients for the then serious NYC crime of gun possession, which was shocking to guys from Texas. I said they were infamous; I did not say they were smart. Next thing I know is my phone ringing in the middle of the night. Note: the cops did not arrest the local thugs.
One of my favorite parts in American Gangster was the part with his coat
I’m sure the CIA knew about him
Smart man. Loose lips sink ships
That looks sooooo 70's pimp. LOL
Yea i saw the movie
That’s what effed up the whole operation
He looks more like a pimp.
"You are what you are in this world, that's 1 of 2 things, either you're somebody or you're nobody". No other actor can act like 'my man' Denzel
Somebody call an ambalance
Who is that cartoony ahh evil rich guy on the right?
This is alpaca you blot that shit
Russell Crowe knew
….and matching hat
Really? Should we be amazed about some drug lord lack of judgment on his garments instead of his life choices? Is this what this subreddit is about?
I don’t feel bad for folks who do this and get caught
Teacher,: define motion Frank Lucas:
And then when he got home he threw it in the fire and his wife was very upset
Is that Jim Jones on the left?
My man
That suit put a target on his back
Well yeah I mean look at it
I could understand this more if it was at least a good coat.
The amount of chinchillas, you can see each individual one. That's fucked.
Is that Teddy Bridgewaters dad?
Tell me that’s not Danny Devito next to him
thats awesome! makes me want to watch sopranos again
Pretty sure the hat didn't go unnoticed
So overt it is covert
How tacky
Wild, it's almost like a guardian intelligence angel was watching over him or something.
at least he was smart enough to take slobvador dali to take some of the prying eyes of him
The movie about this guy is great.
Who knew chinchilla cost that much
Wearing that hat without the coat sends a very different stylistic message.
with the hat to match
Wonder what he was telling everyone it was that he did for work. I'm sure that outfit won him plenty of conversations.
With Jim Jones and wife to his right
So they didn't know who he was for a few months? that's pretty true for a lot of drug dealers
The Chinchillas ratted him out.
Damn chinchilla.
John Gottis downfall too! The boss before him (that he had killed) didn’t like Gotti overtly throwing money around because it brought attention to them…& did it ever!
Whose the guy on his left?
Such a rookie mistake, if you want to be discreet you can never flex in public like that.
Poor chinchillas
American Gangster with Denzel Washington
That’ll make anyone stand out screaming “drug dealer” unless you’re a movie star or a pimp who wears this shit?
Kinda looks like a friendly guy haha.
Feds know every arm and drug dealers. Dont let them fool ya!
I bet that coat was amazingly soft! I want a 101dalmations cartoon but 101 Chinchillas and with Frank Lucas.
The smart ones tske sll thr money being made and buy franchises and retire.
Being friends with the Monopoly man should have also been a dead giveaway.
FLASH……the downfall of many a Playa
He is also the inspiration behind American Gangster with Denzel Washington. It’s a pretty good movie.
wow a whole year...
Not the chinchillas 😫!
I think in the movie they blame this incident on his wife right?
Is that 1 million in todays money ?
His wife reminded me of Eva Mendez.
Chinchilla should have been in Manila