Maureen Hughes was first introduced to Countess Marajen Chinigo in the 1980s in a hospital room in
Champaign, Illinois. Assigned to provide personal security
to the Countess, Hughes knew few details about the woman she
was protecting. Little did she know that Countess Chinigo
was a woman connected to some of the most notorious and
famous-or infamous-people of the twentieth century.

Hughes did not see the Countess again until a few years
later at a local art museum. Intrigued by the impeccably
dressed woman who strolled through the crowd like a queen,
Hughes vowed to find out all she could about the mysterious
Countess. As Hughes shares the fascinating story she
uncovered after conducting three years of research and
in-depth conversations with friends of the Countess, she
unveils a time period where mobsters, presidents,
celebrities, and countesses all mingled among dark,
captivating secrets. Hughes reveals details about the famous
figures the Countess hobnobbed with like Frank Sinatra, Joan
Crawford, and Lucky Luciano, her marriage to Johnny
Rosselli, and her eventual entanglements with the
Mafia.
The Countess and the Mob paints a
compelling portrait of the kaleidoscopic shapes and colors
that made up the extraordinary and unforgettable life of
Countess Marajen Stevick Chinigo.