A lot of mob guys were pissed when HBO did that special , they were like "whos this guy"
Richard did kill people, but he wasnt a mafia contract killer or even a serial killer etc...
Rich was a paranoid low level con man, who maybe desired to be affiliated with the Mafia in North Jersey,
He would get into phony business deals with guys then he'd rip them off then kill them, for fear of being turned in
The Mafia story came out while he was in prison, and somehow HBO did a special on him because , from what I was told, "He looked imposing and could pull it off"
Another part of the story was he cooked up the Mafia connection thing , because 1) it was in North jersey and 2) feared for his life because his brother, was in the same prison, and was a marked guy because he lured a little girl to a rooftop where he raped her strangled her unconscious then threw her and her dog off a high rise building killing them both.
The FBI had the entire mafia under surveillance, for years, all the way down to low level affiliates
Kuklinski appears on NONE of their lists, all the real connected guys are serving federal time, Kuklinski was in state
Real mafia guys whom he claimed he was involved with , never heard of him, Ive spoken with Gemini Crew members in prison.
Also remember , this guy claimed to have killed probably the Mafias most prolific killer in Roy DeMeo? a guy so dangerous not even John Gotti wouldn't take the contract on him ?
PURE BS