When Trump bought a nightclub from a mobster

Crowds cheered as the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City was demolished on February 17, 2021. The oceanfront eyesore sat empty for 7 years after going bankrupt.

In 1982, a member of Philadelphia’s mafia was standing between Trump and land for a parking lot at his Trump Plaza casino hotel. Trump bought a nightclub owned by Salvatore 'Salvie' Testa. 'Le Bistro' had been purchased by Testa and partner Frank Narducci Jr. Both men had sad fates, Testa was whacked in 1984 weeks after a dispute with mob boss Nicky Scarfo. Narducci, who transferred his stake in the club to Testa in 1982, was sentenced to life in prison in 1989 for his role in a mob murder. Le Bistro, which had been vacant for years after the owners were denied a liquor license, was purchased from the mobster for $1.1m.

The transaction went through a third party so Trump's name wouldn't be revealed.

Trump bought the lot that had been bought five years earlier for $195k for more than twice it's market value. A secretary of Trump’s lawyer was shown as the purchaser. After the sale, the property was transferred to Trump. The Trump Plaza went bankrupt and was shuttered in 2014.

July 1987 Moscow. Donald Trump is 41, he flies to USSR on invitation of  Ambassador to the USA Dubinin. Returning from Moscow, the bankrupt Trump received loans from 16 banks and without bargaining buys The Plaza Hotel in New York for $407.5m.