For much of his life, death seemed to follow Steve Mandell.

In his early days, Mandell was, of all things, a Chicago vice cop. After being kicked off the force for insurance fraud, he used his police training to become a prolific robber, extortionist, drug dealer and, according to state and federal law enforcement, a cold-blooded killer.

Over time, the bodies piled up: A suspected informant executed in his car at a downtown intersection; Mandell’s own father found hogtied and shot in a trunk; A trucking firm owner fished out of the Des Plaines River days after telling his wife he was going to meet Mandell and never came back.

And then there was the case that landed Mandell in prison for life: a macabre plot foiled by the FBI in 2012 to kidnap and extort wealthy businessmen, then torture

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