Plot Synopsis

Based on Thomas Maier's 2019 book, "Mafia Spies: The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro," and directed Tom Donahue, MAFIA SPIES is six-part documentary that reveals real-world spies, gangsters, honeypots and mistresses who unravel a hidden conspiracy between the CIA and the Chicago mob to assassinate Fidel Castro at a critical time in the Cold War. President Kennedy made it known that there was no living with Castro with missiles 90 miles from American soil. The series talks to the key players -- giving their first-person accounts of what was happening in the United States and Cuba. Relying heavily on recently declassified material and re-creations, MAFIA SPIES charts a Cold War game of cat and mouse from Vegas to Miami to Havana that pitted Washington's strongest players against the 20th century's most notorious gangsters and exploring the secret connections among the CIA, the mob and Sinatra's Rat Pack that still resonate today. The series includes exclusive interviews in the U.S. and Cuba, with expert historians and notable journalists, such as Gerald Posner, Tim Weiner, Geoff Schumacher, Stephen Kinzer, Peter Kornbluh, J. Michael Niotta, Professor Boris Nerey Obregon and Felix Rodriguez. The series also features Sam Giancana's daughter Antoinette, entertainer Betsy Duncan and actor Robert Davi. All six one-hour episodes of MAFIA SPIES dropped on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 on Paramount+:

"The Game": Revolution spells game over for the mob's golden goose in Havana. A new game begins for the CIA as it grapples with Presidential orders to have Fidel Castro "sawed off".

"The Betrayers": The CIA begins working with a rogue gallery of colorful characters as it attempts to "eliminate" Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Foremost among them is legendary mob fixer, "Handsome Johnny" Roselli.

"The Setup": The risque private life of Chicago mob gangster and spy, Sam Giancana gets unwanted attention from the FBI and the press just as the CIA prepares its top-secret invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.

"The Action": Facing political humiliation, the Kennedys double down on their plot against Castro. Meanwhile, things get personal for gangster spy Johnny Roselli and he decides to take matters into his own hands.

"The Showdown": Conflict between the US and Castro boils over when the CIA's actions in Cuba lead to a nuclear showdown with the Soviets. Roselli must contend with news of a national tragedy in Dallas.

"The Fallout": The fallout begins as Johnny Roselli, Sam Giancana and the CIA face the music as the lid blows off their scandalous involvement in the Castro assassination plots.