 |
| Cerella |
Posted on 03/24/2010 4:01:53 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
In light of Scott Rothstein's alleged Mafiosi takedown of alleged Sicilian mobster Roberto Settineri, the Sun-Sentinel this morning attempted to explain the Mafia's presence in Broward County.
It made brief mention of Al Capone, Meyer Lansky, and Nicky Scarfo, but it was a superficial gloss-over with a few quotes from so-called experts. If you really want to know about the Mafia in Broward, read on.
And the easiest way to chart the Mafia is, of course, through the ristorantes.
Take what is perhaps the county's most popular Italian place, Martorano's on Oakland Park Boulevard. It's owned by Steve Martorano, who is the nephew of infamous
mobster Raymond "Long John" Martorano, a late soldier who worked with Scarfo, one of the basest and most brutal mobsters you'll ever hear about. Long John was a 74-year-old ex-con wiseguy when he was gunned down on his way to the doctor's office in 2002.
When they were under surveillance in the late '90s, veteran wiseguys like John "Sideburns" Cerella, Vinnie "The Fish" Romano, and Jimmy Tortoriello were all documented to frequent the place, according to intelligence reports from organized-crime detectives. Romano, who was mentioned in Henry Hill's autobiography (the basis for the film Goodfellas), preferred, however, to eat his fish at Due Amici, a little Italian place in a strip mall in Pompano Beach.
Cerella
Those three reputed Genovese crime family soldiers, along with capo Sam Salerno, had deep tentacles in South Florida's open territory at one time. The Bonnano crime family's Anthony Rabito, a player in Joe "Donnie Brasco" Pistone's investigation, has operated in Dania Beach. Most recently, reputed Bonnano capo Gerard Chilli was busted at his restaurant, JJ's, on the Hollywood Boardwalk.
Chilli, along with numerous associates, was hit with several criminal charges in 2006, among them a charge of selling stolen salmon at the restaurant.
But when it comes to Broward, one crime family stands out: the Gambinos. And here again, that leads to a well-known restaurant chain, Bobby Rubino's A Place for Ribs restaurants, which federal court documents show began as a Mob front. Bobby Rubino himself was a low-level Mafia bagman; the man who really ran the operation was Gambino capo Ettore Zappi, a colorful character who held court for years in Broward County.
Zappi's grandsons, Frank and Anthony Galgano, took over Bobby Rubinos, along with the progeny of another infamous mobster, the former "godfather" Paul Castellano, who was gunned down by John Gotti's crew (which of course also operated in Broward County). Paul and Joe Castellano also own another popular chain, Big Louie's Pizza. They were represented in business by lawyer Dominic Miniaci, who also has longstanding ties, along with his brother, Albert. The Miniacis have long owned Paramount Vending and, despite the ties, are generally accepted as community leaders (the performing arts center on Nova Southeastern University's campus is named for their family).
Papa Castellano
The guy who blew the whistle on Bobby Rubino's was Pasquale Nigro, whose importance as a Mafia informant dwarfs that of Rothstein's. Nigro also gave testimony about Gambino skimming from Michael Peter's strip clubs.
But the most infamous Broward case involving the Gambino family has got to be the assassination of Greek restaurateur Gus Boulis. Allegedly involved in that murder was reputed Gambino capo Anthony Moscatiello, who was charged in the Boulis hit along with two associates. Moscatiello is alleged to have masterminded the killing as a favor for businessman Adam Kidan and hence-indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who had purchased Boulis' gambling operation, SunCruz. Not sure what's happening with that case, which has a big flaw: Why would Moscatiello kill Boulis without a specific order from Kidan or Abramoff, who haven't been charged? It's a question that haunts the case.
Not sure where Moscatiello liked to eat, but you can be pretty sure it wasn't Miami Subs, Boulis' restaurant chain. There may be a lot of names in this post, but it's just a small piece of Broward Mob pie. I might add more as it comes to me.
As a bonus, here are some supposed Scott Rothstein (a mob wannabee) "quotes" provided by one of the commentators of this story:
Top Ten Famous Scotty Mob Quotes (Overheard throughout Ft. Lauderdale from 2003-2009)
1) "She said I had a beautiful Braciola, Oh!".
2) "Hey Joey, leave the gun and take the cannolis, Oh!"
3) "These shoes are real alligata. Oh!"
4) "Hey professa, call me when you have no class, Oh!"
5) "Honey, do you think I'll stand out in this satin shirt that reflects sunlight, Oh!"
6) "I'm a tough kid from Da Bronx. I got into a fight once in 3rd grade, Oh!"
7) "Hey your Governess. You don't think I just spent 50 large on a cake because I like ya, do you?, Oh!"
8) "Hey Franklin, get your ass ova here. Gunga Din just crashed his Bentley, Oh!"
9) "Hey Arnold, come ova here. I love ya, you big Nazi, Oh!"
10) "Kidzzz, this is your captain speakin'. I'm gonna take this firm up to Warp Speed. Oh, and by the way, stay the f*ck out of my office you mutts, Oh!.....Lova Ya!"
South Florida FYI
In their old age, they’ve decided they like the Florida climate better than Chicago.
If you sniff ‘round Sunny Isles condos now you’ll notice a lot of condos owned by a lot of Russians. Jeepers, I wonder why?
Florida has long been the retirement place for the Mob. Many, if not most, of the beach resort motels in Sunny Isles were run by the mob. Also the Diplomat hotel where gambling was all but open was run by Meyer Lansky. Nothing new about the Mob involvement in South Florida.
Almost all strip clubs down here run by the Russian Mafia.
Great story. I remember, as a child, in the early Fifties, the hotel we stayed at in Miami Beach had lots of slot machines. As a young man, I lived in Milwaukee, just around the corner from the Shorecrest Hotel, and Snug’s. Knew the Balistrieri kids. Old man Frank’s most famous quote;
“He called me a name - to my face - and now they can’t find his skin!”
Lansky had a gambling operation in Hollywood gambling
I would feel safer in South Florida with the Mafia on the streets then I would with gang bangers.
Dang, I kept waiting for Alan Grayson’s name to show up.
He looks every bit the part....acts like it, too!
I bet the 'Stugats' kids have no issues with bullying.
Here’s an interesting story for ya’
When I worked for MCI back in the 1980’s, Paramount Vending (Albert Miniaci) mentioned in the article became a MCI Agent and won a State on Florida bid for payphones in Florida, rest stops on the highway etc....Very big deal back then....
MCI sent me down from Atlanta to meet with Albert as the project manager.
Albert and I grew to be friends over that period of time, he was directly involved in the payphone side. The feds had the proverbial white panel van parked outside of Paramount vending. Since they would run the tags of any vehicle that visited, and I always had a rental car, I would save them the trouble and kock on the van door, hand them my business card, tell them I was there to see Albert regarding telecommunications, then go inside Paramount.
Albert always conducted himself with honesty and honor in all my dealings wit him although I always knew he had another side, I never saw it.
The hallway leading down to his office did look like a Sopranos movie....pictures lined the wall with Albert or his Dad with Frank Sinatra, Wayne Newton and a host of other Vegas celebs....
Last time I saw him was a couple of years ago when I flew down there for other business , called him up and met him for lunch.
So, ya’ taklin’ to me!?!
Irvington, NJ was a rather charming town (despite being a stronghold of the Bund in the 1930s/40s), until the late 1970s when the "Amish" moved in from Newark.
Not that Miami-Dade or Palm Beach are much better. Although in terms of mob involvement and corruption, no Florida county comes close to Hillsborough (Tampa) home of La Famiglia Trafficante of Ybor City.
I’ve been to Martorano’s twice with my parents. Great cannoli!
Hi Clemenza
Hello Angcat! How are things in Pennzy? Friends of mine just recently moved to Yonkers, on the river near the Hastings border.
I grew up in a neighborhood that was under Mafia protection. We had no muggings nor robberies. They did not want a heavy police presence, and wanted the neighborhood to be grateful enough to look out for them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
