Dan Moldea

{{Infobox writer  | name = Dan E. Moldea | image = Book jacket picture of The Hoffa Wars author, Dan E. Moldea.jpg | caption = Moldea from ''The Hoffa Wars'' in 1978 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=y|1950|2|27}} | birth_place = Akron, Ohio, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Non-fiction author, investigative journalist | period = | genre = Organized crime, political corruption | subject = | movement = | notableworks = | spouse = | partner = | children = | relatives = | influences = | influenced = | awards = | signature = | website = {{url|http://www.moldea.com}} }} '''Dan E. Moldea''' (born February 27, 1950) is an American bestselling<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.hawes.com/1997/1997-02-23.pdf |title= ''The New York Times'' : Best Seller List 02-23-1997}}</ref> author and investigative journalist<ref name=Morals2>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/07/AR2007080702078.html |title= Washington Post: "Morals of a Muckraker" | newspaper=The Washington Post | first1=Howard | last1=Kurtz |authorlink1=Howard Kurtz | date=2007-08-08 | accessdate=2010-04-30}}</ref> who has reported on organized crime and political corruption since 1974.<ref name=moldeabio>{{cite web| url=http://www.moldea.com/bisketch.html |title= Dan Moldea - Biographical information}}</ref> He is the author of books about the rise and fall of Jimmy Hoffa,<ref name=Sheeran>{{cite web| url=http://www.moldea.com/Sheeran-threatens-to-sue-Moldea.pdf|title=Frank Sheeran, aka "The Irishman", and Moldea}}</ref><ref name=Gangland>{{cite web| url=http://www.moldea.com/Hoffa-40.html|title=Moldea on the Hoffa murder case}}</ref><ref name=Mob>{{cite web|url=http://www.moldea.com/MobMuseum10242017.pdf|title=Moldea on the JFK murder case}}</ref> the contract killing of an Ohio businessman, the Mafia's penetration of Hollywood, its links to Ronald Reagan, and its influence on professional football, as well as works about the assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy,<ref name=RFK>{{cite web|url=http://www.moldea.com/RFKcase.html|title=RFK at 50}}</ref> the O.J. Simpson murder case, the suicide of White House Deputy Counsel Vincent Foster, the Anthony Pellicano<ref name=Pellicano>{{cite web|url=http://www.moldea.com/Busch-response.html|title=Busch v. Pellicano/Ovitz}}</ref> wiretapping scandal and prosecution, and corruption in higher education via the student-loan program and for-profit colleges.

The third edition of ''Confessions of a Guerrilla Writer'', Moldea's memoir about his career as a crime reporter, was released in 2020, featuring new information about the Jimmy Hoffa murder case.<ref name=MM2>{{cite news| url=https://themobmuseum.org/blog/finding-jimmy-hoffa/?fbclid=IwAR0ac8yAmBDEiwuSuK8TrG_oxyajdY2pU-Ki1QexbYP2X6b2ZmXOC4be7Ds |title= The Mob Museum: "Finding Jimmy Hoffa"| work=Mob Museum | first=Dan | last=Moldea | date=2020-07-08 | accessdate=2020-07-09}}</ref>

Moldea received his bachelor's degree in English and history from the University of Akron where he served as student body president. He did his post-graduate work at Kent State University, where he taught a course, "Racism and Poverty," in the Honors and Experimental College.<ref name=moldeabio />

Moldea has lectured about "The Mafia in America" at colleges and universities throughout the country and has appeared on numerous national and local radio and television programs.<ref name=LectureHistory>{{cite web| url=http://www.moldea.com/Lectures.html |title=Lecture Appearances }}</ref> Moldea was interviewed for the 1988 Jack Anderson documentary ''American Expose: Who Killed JFK?''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Frewin |first1=Anthony |title=The Assassination of John F. Kennedy: An Annotated Film, TV, and Videography, 1963-1992 |date=1993 |publisher=Greenwood Press |page=64}}</ref> That same year he appeared in an episode of ''The Kwitny Report'' discussing the American mafia and Kennedy's assassination.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Frewin |first1=Anthony |title=The Assassination of John F. Kennedy: An Annotated Film, TV, and Videography, 1963-1992 |date=1993 |publisher=Greenwood Press |page=65}}</ref> He was also featured in the 2004 film, ''The Hunting of the President''.<ref name=flyntproject>{{cite web| url=http://www.moldea.com/TheHuntingOfThePresident-TheMovie.html |title= ''Hunting of the President'' and The Flynt Project}}</ref>

Moldea is a former president of Washington Independent Writers. He is also a former national vice president of the National Writers Union.

In ''Moldea v. New York Times'', Moldea sued ''The New York Times'', alleging a review of ''Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football'' was libelous. In 1994, after the lower court dismissed the case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit reinstated it in an opinion known as ''Moldea I''. Then, in what has been described as an unprecedented moment in American jurisprudence, the same appellate court, in ''Moldea II'', snatched away Moldea’s victory, reversing itself and ruling for the ''Times''. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed ''Moldea II'' to stand.<ref>''Moldea v. New York Times'', 22 F.3d 310 (D.C. Cir. 1994)</ref>

Since 1998, Moldea, a registered private investigator, has also worked as an independent investigative consultant, participating in what he has described as, "a wide variety of breathtaking and mind-blowing capers."<ref name=tilove>{{cite web| url=https://jonathantilove.com/moldea-shamus-of-shame/|title= Dan Moldea: Shamus of Shame, And a Really Nice Guy|date= 26 October 2008}}</ref>

Moldea describes himself as “Ahab” and has said that the Jimmy Hoffa murder case is his “white whale.” He is widely regarded as one of the top experts on this crime.<ref name=DFP>{{cite news| url=https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/11/21/jimmy-hoffa-body-new-lead-irishman-movie/4253552002/ |title= Search for Jimmy Hoffa may have new lead, expert has best tip ever in search for grave | work=Detroit Free Press | first=Wisely | last=John | date=2019-11-21 | accessdate=2020-05-21}}</ref> He started covering the Teamsters in 1974 as a crime reporter for the ''Daily Reporter'' in Ohio. In 1978 he published the book ''The Hoffa Wars'' about Hoffa's life of crime.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Darrach |first1=Amanda |title=Who didn’t kill Jimmy Hoffa |url=https://www.cjr.org/analysis/jimmy-hoffa-the-irishman.php |work=Colombia Journalism Review |date=13 December 2019}}</ref> It became a Book of the Month Club selection.<ref>{{cite news |title=Untitled |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1981/07/09/b5a6f71c-2c11-4f5a-8800-0a234625ea9e/ |work=The Washington Post |date=8 July 1981}}</ref> The book has been described as "one of the most comprehensive studies of the association between the Teamsters and organized crime".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Watrick |first1=Jeff |title=Interview: Dan Moldea, author 'The Hoffa Wars' |url=https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2015/08/11/interview-dan-moldea-author-the-hoffa-wars/ |work=ClickOnDetroit |date=11 August 2015}}</ref> A second revised and expanded edition was released in 1993, featuring an introduction by Jonathan Kwitny.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kwitny |first1=Jonathan |chapter=Introduction |title=The Hoffa Wars: Teamsters, Rebels, Politicians, and the Mob |date=1993 |publisher=SPI Books}}</ref>

He is of Romanian descent.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.libertatea.ro/stiri/filmul-irishman-dan-moldea-jurnalist-roman-2851691|title=Un jurnalist de origine română a investigat 40 de ani cazul dispariției lui Jimmy Hoffa. De ce critică Dan Moldea filmul "The Irishman"|author=Archip, Andreea|work=Libertatea|language=Romanian|accessdate=January 20, 2020|date=January 11, 2020}}</ref>

==Works== The first chapters of Dan Moldea's books are available on his [http://www.moldea.com/guerrilla.html website.]

* [https://archive.org/download/12-the-hoffa-wars-the-rise-and-fa-dan-e.-moldea/12%20The%20Hoffa%20Wars_%20The%20Rise%20and%20Fa%20-%20Dan%20E.%20Moldea.pdf ''The Hoffa Wars: Teamsters, Rebels, Politicians, and the Mob''] (1978) ** 1993 edition includes an [https://www.moldea.com/Kwitny-1993INTRO.html introduction] by Jonathan Kwitny. * ''The Hunting of Cain: A True Story of Money, Greed, and Fratricide'' (1983) * ''Dark Victory: Ronald Reagan, MCA, and the Mob''. New York: Open Media (1986) * ''Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football'' New York: William Morrow & Co. (1989). {{ISBN|978-0688083038}}. * ''The Killing of Robert F. Kennedy: An Investigation of Motive, Means, and Opportunity''. New York: W. W. Norton & Co. (1995). {{ISBN|978-0393037913}}. {{OCLC|231650171}}. * ''Evidence Dismissed: The Inside Story of the Police Investigation of O.J. Simpson,'' with Tom Lange and Philip Vannatter (1997) * ''A Washington Tragedy: How the Suicide of Vincent Foster Ignited a Political Firestorm'' (1998) * ''Confessions of a Guerrilla Writer: Adventures in the Jungles of Crime, Politics, and Journalism'' (2013) * ''Hollywood Confidential: A True Story of Wiretapping, Friendship, and Betrayal'' (2018) * ''Money, Politics, and Corruption in U.S. Higher Education: The Stories of Whistleblowers'' (2020)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Library resources box|by=yes|viaf=77571306}} *{{C-SPAN|23144}} *[http://www.moldea.com/ Official website] *[http://www.moldea.com/CGW-blog.pdf Official blog] *[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0596465/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Dan Moldea] at IMDb *[http://www.moldea.com/JeaneSuicide.html ''Time'': "D.C. Madam: Suicide Before Prison" and Moldea's response] *[http://www.moldea.com/2000june3.html Moldea's response to the ''Probe'' article. "The Curious Case of Dan Moldea."] *[https://scrc.gmu.edu/finding_aids/moldea.html Dan Moldea Investigative Journalism Collection, 1937-2008] at George Mason University * [https://archivesspace.lib.umassd.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/4557 Statement/Rebuttal-Moldea's COPA "Speech"] (June 5, 1968), in the Philip H. Melanson research papers at the Claire T. Carney Library Archives and Special Collections, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. * Moldea on ''The Kwitny Report'' episode "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im_19TWxf_Q&t=3153s Mafia Involvement in the JFK Assassination?]" in 1988. * Moldea in the Jack Anderson documentary ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7UduncgO5I&rco=1 American Expose: Who Murdered JFK?]''' (1988). * Moldea featured in ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUryjXhLzFs&t The Kennedy Assassinations: Coincidence or Conspiracy?]'', hosted by Robert Conrad (1992). *'''''Moldea v. New York Times''''' **[http://www.moldea.com/Chron-NewYorkTimes.pdf Chronology of events] **[https://web.archive.org/web/20081227075714/http://www.altlaw.org/v1/cases/419264 May 3, 1994 decision] **[https://web.archive.org/web/20081227072114/http://www.altlaw.org/v1/cases/418273 February 18, 1994 decision]

Category:1950 births Category:20th-century American journalists Category:20th-century people from Ohio Category:20th-century people from Washington, D.C. Category:American crime reporters Category:American non-fiction writers Category:American investigative journalists Category:Non-fiction writers about organized crime in the United States Category:American people of Romanian descent Category:University of Akron alumni Category:Kent State University alumni Category:Writers from Akron, Ohio Category:Journalists from Washington, D.C. Category:Living people Category:Journalists from Ohio Category:Phi Delta Theta members Category:20th-century American male journalists