The Last Boss of Brighton: Boris "Biba" Nayfeld and the Rise of the Russian Mob in America
Bestselling author Douglas Century reveals the untold story of the epic rise and fall of Boris Nayfeld, also known as Biba, one of the most notorious Russian mob bosses of our era.

Boris Nayfeld, a.k.a. “Biba,” is the last living boss of the old-school Russian mob in America, and he’s survived to tell it all. Filled with sex, drugs, and murder, Biba’s story is a mind-boggling journey that took him from petty street crime in the USSR to billion-dollar embezzlement in America.

Born in Soviet-era Belarus, abandoned by his parents in infancy, Biba’s brutal upbringing left him hungry for more—more power, control, and money. Taking advantage of the rampant corruption in the Soviet Union, Biba’s teenage hooliganism quickly turned into bolder “black cash” rackets, making him, by Soviet standards, a very rich young man. When authorities took notice and threatened him with “the supreme measure”— execution by firing squad—he managed to get out of the USSR just in time.

Within months of landing in America, his intimidating presence and street smarts quickly made him legendary in the Soviet émigré community of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, and launched him to the top of New York’s Russian Jewish mob, one of the world’s most inventive, powerful and violent criminal organizations. After decades as a globe-trotting boss, and three stints in U.S. federal prisons he remains unbroken and unrepentant, even as his entire life has unraveled around him.

Now seventy-four years old, Biba is a lion in winter. Douglas Century vividly brings the notorious gangster to life in these pages, telling not only his epic journey but also the history of the Russian mob in America. 

1140276900
The Last Boss of Brighton: Boris "Biba" Nayfeld and the Rise of the Russian Mob in America
Bestselling author Douglas Century reveals the untold story of the epic rise and fall of Boris Nayfeld, also known as Biba, one of the most notorious Russian mob bosses of our era.

Boris Nayfeld, a.k.a. “Biba,” is the last living boss of the old-school Russian mob in America, and he’s survived to tell it all. Filled with sex, drugs, and murder, Biba’s story is a mind-boggling journey that took him from petty street crime in the USSR to billion-dollar embezzlement in America.

Born in Soviet-era Belarus, abandoned by his parents in infancy, Biba’s brutal upbringing left him hungry for more—more power, control, and money. Taking advantage of the rampant corruption in the Soviet Union, Biba’s teenage hooliganism quickly turned into bolder “black cash” rackets, making him, by Soviet standards, a very rich young man. When authorities took notice and threatened him with “the supreme measure”— execution by firing squad—he managed to get out of the USSR just in time.

Within months of landing in America, his intimidating presence and street smarts quickly made him legendary in the Soviet émigré community of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, and launched him to the top of New York’s Russian Jewish mob, one of the world’s most inventive, powerful and violent criminal organizations. After decades as a globe-trotting boss, and three stints in U.S. federal prisons he remains unbroken and unrepentant, even as his entire life has unraveled around him.

Now seventy-four years old, Biba is a lion in winter. Douglas Century vividly brings the notorious gangster to life in these pages, telling not only his epic journey but also the history of the Russian mob in America. 

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The Last Boss of Brighton: Boris

The Last Boss of Brighton: Boris "Biba" Nayfeld and the Rise of the Russian Mob in America

by Douglas Century
The Last Boss of Brighton: Boris

The Last Boss of Brighton: Boris "Biba" Nayfeld and the Rise of the Russian Mob in America

by Douglas Century

Hardcover

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Overview

Bestselling author Douglas Century reveals the untold story of the epic rise and fall of Boris Nayfeld, also known as Biba, one of the most notorious Russian mob bosses of our era.

Boris Nayfeld, a.k.a. “Biba,” is the last living boss of the old-school Russian mob in America, and he’s survived to tell it all. Filled with sex, drugs, and murder, Biba’s story is a mind-boggling journey that took him from petty street crime in the USSR to billion-dollar embezzlement in America.

Born in Soviet-era Belarus, abandoned by his parents in infancy, Biba’s brutal upbringing left him hungry for more—more power, control, and money. Taking advantage of the rampant corruption in the Soviet Union, Biba’s teenage hooliganism quickly turned into bolder “black cash” rackets, making him, by Soviet standards, a very rich young man. When authorities took notice and threatened him with “the supreme measure”— execution by firing squad—he managed to get out of the USSR just in time.

Within months of landing in America, his intimidating presence and street smarts quickly made him legendary in the Soviet émigré community of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, and launched him to the top of New York’s Russian Jewish mob, one of the world’s most inventive, powerful and violent criminal organizations. After decades as a globe-trotting boss, and three stints in U.S. federal prisons he remains unbroken and unrepentant, even as his entire life has unraveled around him.

Now seventy-four years old, Biba is a lion in winter. Douglas Century vividly brings the notorious gangster to life in these pages, telling not only his epic journey but also the history of the Russian mob in America. 


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780063014954
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: 07/05/2022
Pages: 416
Sales rank: 182,188
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Douglas Century is the author and coauthor of numerous bestselling books including Hunting El Chapo, Under and Alone, Brotherhood of Warriors, Barney Ross: The Life of a Jewish Fighter, and Takedown: The Fall of the Last Mafia Empire, a finalist for the 2003 Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime. His most recent book, No Surrender, coauthored with Chris Edmonds, was published by Harper One and was the recipient of a 2020 Christopher Award. A veteran investigative journalist, Century’s work has appeared in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Tablet and the Guardian.

Table of Contents

Map of Boris Nayfeld's Europe xi

Map of Boris Nayfeld's Brooklyn xii

Author's Note xv

Prelude 1

Introduction 5

Part 1

Chapter 1 The Internat 15

Chapter 2 Khuligans 26

Chapter 3 The Zone 37

Chapter 4 Dead Souls 52

Chapter 5 The Blatnoy 60

Part 2

Chapter 6 America 79

Chapter 7 Little Odessa 86

Chapter 8 The Uncrowned King 94

Chapter 9 The Wrecking Crew 103

Chapter 10 The Bratva 114

Chapter 11 El Caribe 122

Chapter 12 Brooklyn Nocturne 136

Chapter 13 The Long Con 148

Chapter 14 Gasoline 155

Chapter 15 Murder on Ocean Parkway 164

Chapter 16 The Big Schneyer 175

Chapter 17 Ambush on Avenue U 184

Chapter 18 A Bend in the River 194

Chapter 19 "This Was My Revenge" 203

Part 3

Chapter 20 The Wall 213

Chapter 21 China White 228

Chapter 22 Old New Year in Paradise 236

Chapter 23 The War 248

Chapter 24 The Musors 258

Chapter 25 Fairton 271

Part 4

Chapter 26 Krysha 285

Chapter 27 Oligarchs and Gangsters 299

Chapter 28 Odessa Mama 315

Chapter 29 The Last Party 334

Chapter 30 Crime and Punishment 344

Acknowieobments 367

Glossary 369

Index 383

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