Oscar Goodman: From Mob Attorney to Vegas Mayor | Criminal Conduct Exclusive Interview

November 17, 2023·27 min·2 clips

Criminal Conduct hosts reveal their secret season five investigation into a Las Vegas case involving murder, strippers, and the mob.

John sets the table plainly. Javier says he sat down with Oscar Goodman because Criminal Conduct has been quietly working on a fifth season headed for Las Vegas. The case already sounds busy. The preview brings in the night scene, exotic dancers and strippers, professional wrestling, possible martial arts, murder, and mob connections, all knotted together. Goodman is the obvious guide. He comes in as a former Las Vegas mayor and a longtime criminal defense attorney for the mob. The interview spends most of its time in court. Goodman remembers a trial where prosecutors expected a guilty verdict so strongly that they brought champagne to the courthouse. The jury disagreed. His story stays with the prosecutors, the judge, and the mood change after the verdict landed. Javier asks if that surprised him. Goodman says he is never surprised, then explains how he sees trials: one side has the client, while the other has prosecutors, agents, FBI agents, DEA agents, Treasury agents, paralegals, and office staff, all backed by the weight of government. That imbalance clearly still matters to him. Goodman says the tension fed his ego and his urge to teach the other side a lesson. Javier asks what pulled him into that world. Goodman pushes back. He says he did not hire clients; clients hired him after hearing about his services or results. The names do plenty of work on their own. Jimmy Charga, Tony the Ant, and Lefty Rosenthal show the kind of reputation he carried. By the end, the room loosens. Goodman and Javier talk steakhouses, a promised drink, and an easy goodbye while the larger season-five case waits just outside the door.

As heard by us

A Las Vegas defense legend revisits the court fights that built his reputation.

Criminal Conduct heads to Las Vegas for season five and spends the hour with Oscar Goodman, the former mayor and longtime mob defense attorney whose reputation is tied closely to the city itself.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play for Oscar Goodman talking Las Vegas, mob defense, and courtroom history in his own voice.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Criminal Conduct