A Rookie Cop vs. The West Coast Mafia

For all the people that remember and wondered how the Trident was robbed in the early 70s Tanya Chalupa and William G. Palmini, Jr. have written the definitive book on the subject.  All the urban legends that surfaced around this event (that it was an inside job, and all kinds of other theories) can be put to rest.

Aas a result of his investigations into the Trident robbery.

Breaking up the “Best in the West” Gang is a true story.  In this gripping crime expose’, Bill Palmini – a rookie detective, hopes to take down the West Coast Mafia by gaining the confidence of notorious mob operative William Flody Ettelman.   Set against a backdrop of social turmoil this book immerses readers in the sub culture of free love, drugs, robbery, and murder, orchestrated by organized crime in locations like the coastal enclave of Sausalito, California. Artist, writers, musicians, and hippies took refuge there.  The Trident restaurant was once a drug mecca for Hollywood, the music industry, and the New York hip.  At the time it was owned by the Kingston Trio, and their manager Frank Werber, a self proclaimed drug preist.  Robin Williams worked there as a bus boy  (74,75,&76).  The Rolling Stones were regulars, and Janis Joplin had her own table when she dropped by which was frequently.  Sally Stamford, the former San Francisco Madame who later became Sausalito’s mayor, was a confident of the famous and infamous.  Her relationship to all of this should fascinate those familiar with Sausalito’s wild and untamed waterfront “back in the day!”  This book can be found on Amazon.