The 1930s was a tough decade, one made even tougher by Prohibition. During this lawless time in American history, a group of criminals called the Tri-State Gang emerged from Philadelphia and spread their operations south, through Baltimore to Richmond, wreaking bloody havoc and brutally eliminating those who knew too much about their heists. Once termed the "Dillingers of the East," Robert Mais and Walter Legenza led their men and molls on a violent journey of robberies, murders, and escapes up and down the East Coast. Join historian Selden Richardson as he recounts the story of this whirlwind of crime and how it finally reached its climax in Richmond.

Selden Richardson is a Richmond native who writes and lectures about the city's architecture and history and is the author of Built by Blacks: African American Architecture and Neighborhoods in Richmond (The History Press, 2008). He holds master's degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond and is the former archivist for Architectural Records at the Library of Virginia. Richardson lives in Richmond with his wife, Karri; their daughter, Lelia; and an obstreperous golden retriever named Wyatt.