How the FBI Took Down Atlanta's Gold Club | Mark Sewell Exposes Mafia Tactics | Mike Drop 247

About this video

Mike Ritland interviews Mark Su, a former Marine Corps captain in signals intelligence who spent 20 years as an FBI agent investigating organized crime. Su recounts his path from growing up in Texas as the son of sharecroppers, through his unconventional entry into the Marines (starting as a postal clerk before commissioning), to his FBI career focused on the Gambino Crime Family and strip club-related organized crime in Atlanta. The conversation also touches on Su’s personal tragedies, including his brother’s life-altering accident and struggles with alcoholism.

Key takeaways

• Su attributes his transition from refinery work to the Marines at age 19 to missing the teamwork and camaraderie he experienced in high school team sports; he enlisted open contract and initially became a postal clerk before later commissioning as a signals intelligence officer
• According to Su, Atlanta developed a unique relationship with strip clubs around the 1996 Olympics, with the city government actively encouraging adult entertainment venues through easy permitting—attracting organized crime figures from New York and elsewhere that local police lacked resources to investigate
• Su describes how the FBI’s Atlanta organized crime squad was formed in response to survey feedback from local departments reporting an influx of suspected mob associates, Russians, and Asian criminal organizations they couldn’t effectively pursue across state lines

Episode details: published July 8, 2025 · 76.5K views · 3:38:11 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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