Dennis Griffin, a renowned investigator who turned to a historian of Las Vegas mobsters and casino-related crimes, died on Monday at 75, due to lung cancer. Griffin wrote the novel behind Martin Scorsese’s movie ‘Casino’. Griffin and ex-mob figure Frank Cullotta co-authored other four books.
Griffin will be remembered as a fantastic author, a great human, and an undercover operative who turned into a writer. Ron Chepesiuk, an author, journalist, and radio host recalled how Griffin appeared on several radio shows. He described him as a smart, likable and engaging man.
Griffin also authored topics on law enforcement, mysteries, and thrillers. He was born in 1945 in N.Y. He spent 20 years with the FBI, and in 1945, he retired as director of investigations for the New York State Department of Health. He started writing two years later.
Griffin’s work has been described as accurate and well documented by Geoff Schumacher, the vice president of exhibits and programs at Las Vegas.
“There are plenty of people working within the true crime genre for whom facts are optional. But with Dennis, he has always focused on telling a good story and telling an accurate story.”
